fossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 10 days agoTigers 🐅 🐯mander.xyzimagemessage-square6fedilinkarrow-up11arrow-down10
arrow-up11arrow-down1imageTigers 🐅 🐯mander.xyzfossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 10 days agomessage-square6fedilink
minus-squareCatoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zonelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·10 days agoIt’s also orange because mammals can’t produce green pigments, so orange is the next best thing if your prey is red-green colorblind.
minus-squareInverseParallax@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up1·edit-210 days agoOur primary outer protein is basically keratin, which can be tinted orange(carotene), beige (collagen) or brown/black (melanin). The green pigment is a byproduct of bilirubin catabolism, which we don’t have because we use a different pathway to metabolize and recycle it.
It’s also orange because mammals can’t produce green pigments, so orange is the next best thing if your prey is red-green colorblind.
Our primary outer protein is basically keratin, which can be tinted orange(carotene), beige (collagen) or brown/black (melanin).
The green pigment is a byproduct of bilirubin catabolism, which we don’t have because we use a different pathway to metabolize and recycle it.