Body size and evolution of motion dazzle coloration in lizards

‘Motion dazzle’ patterns are a form of defensive coloration suggested to prevent successful capture during motion by causing predators to misjudge the direction or speed of prey movement. Several studies have found results supporting this idea, but little is known about the factors that favour the evolution of these antipredator colorations. A recent experimental study has suggested that the longitudinal striped patterns on body of lizards can redirect attacks to the tail via the motion dazzle effect. Using a virtual predation experiment with humans and a phylogenetic comparative analysis, we show that evolution of longitudinal striped coloration is associated with prey size. Experiments showed that longitudinal stripes located at the anterior reduced lethal attacks (i.e. attacks directed to the anterior and centre), but this benefit was greater for shorter prey. Our comparative analysis revealed a negative association between stripe occurrence and body length, but no association betwee...