What is the evolutionary advantage of albinism in cave-dwelling animals?
In a story I'm writing, there is a species of extremely rare cave dwelling bird. A scientist and a plummer have to find a specimen of this bird before it goes extinct. When they finally find it, the plummer asks why it is white, and the scientist explains why (most) creatures in caves are albino, but the problem is, I don't know why animals in caves are albino. Can you guys help me?
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1 answer
Best use of available light
Caves are naturally dark. But sometimes there is a little light - either reflected from the entrance to the back of the cave, phosphorescent minerals, or perhaps artificial light in some form. But the light is limited, so the best visibility is provided by the highest contrast between animals and the background - and that means white animals.
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