Mammal coloration as a social signal—the debate is still open: a comment on Howell and Caro (2024).

The article "Mammal coloration as a social signal—the debate is still open: a comment on Howell and Caro (2024)" published in the Journal of Zoology discusses the importance of mammalian visual communication through color patches within sociosexual contexts. The study by Howell and Caro analyzed 2726 extant terrestrial mammals to explore relationships between coloration and socioecological factors. While the study suggests limited use of conspicuous color patches for sociosexual signaling, recent research on bears indicates the significance of fur marks in social communication. The article concludes by questioning why certain taxa use vision in addition to olfaction for communication, emphasizing the need for further exploration in understanding mammal communication. [Extracted from the article]