Re: If animals are color blind why are there color schemes in the wild?

Animals are not color blind!!  The colors that animals see depends on the 
species of the animal.

The retinas (the photosensitive tissue in the eye) of vertebrates (animals 
with backbones) have two general types of photoreceptors in their eyes.  
The cones function in high light intensities (during the day) and detect 
colors.  The rods function in low light (at night) and do not detect color.

Animals that are nocturnal and have very high sensitivity vision (like cats 
and owls) have mostly rod photoreceptors in their retinas. So these animals 
can see very well at night, but they do not see color. 

Other animals, like chickens, lizards, rabbits,monkeys etc., have 
cone-dominated retinas and see color very well.  

Most vertebrates have two types of cones in their eyes, short-wavelength 
cones that detect colors in the blue-purple range, and long-wavelengh cones 
that detect colors in the red range.  By mixing the to various degrees the 
activation of the short- and long-wavelength cones, animals can see most 
colors of the spectrum.   If short-wavelength colors are more important for 
the animal's survival, one might expect the short-wavelength cones to 
dominate in that animal's eyes.

Old World Monkeys and humans have three types of cones in their eyes, the 
short and long-wavelength cones mentioned above, and a new invention, which 
are the medium-wavelength cones.  This third cone types detects best colors 
in the green range.