T-Shirt Color Changes Fence Lizard Behavior

A study has found that the color of a person's T-shirt can change lizard behavior.

According to a study published in the online journal PLOS ONE, Dr. Breanna Putman and fellow researchers conducted experiments using four colors: dark blue, light blue, red and gray.

The colors were selected based on how familiar they would seem to the lizards. Fence lizards communicate using blue patches on their abdomens or throats.

The experiment aimed to test the “confidence hypothesis” using fence lizards living in Southern California.

Dr. Putman conducted 30 approach trials for each color and measured how far the lizards fled. The experiments also examined how easily the lizards could be recaptured with each color after they fled.

The team found that fence lizards showed relatively less aversion to dark blue. The researchers were nearly twice as likely to catch a lizard when wearing dark blue than when wearing a red T-shirt.

The lizards' flight distance was measured at 100 cm for dark blue and 200 cm for red.

The study provides new evidence for using color in scientists' clothing to make animals easier to capture. The findings are expected to aid future research in zoology.

Dr. Putman said, “Human clothing can indirectly change animal behavior.”