View example sentences and word forms for Countershading.
Countershading meaning
A pattern of animal coloration, existing as a form of camouflage, characterised by darker pigmentation of the upper side and lighter of the underside.
Example sentences (5)
Cott built on Thayer's discoveries, developing a comprehensive view of camouflage based on "maximum disruptive contrast", countershading and hundreds of examples.
Countershading uses graded colour to counteract the effect of self-shadowing, creating an illusion of flatness.
Self-shadowing makes an animal appear darker below than on top, grading from light to dark; countershading 'paints in' tones which are darkest on top, lightest below, making the countershaded animal nearly invisible against a suitable background.
The result is a 'flat' appearance, instead of the 'solid' appearance of the body before countershading.
The term countershading has a second meaning unrelated to "Thayer's Law".