Skin has evolved in some remarkable ways to enable animals to communicate with each other and is a key conduit to send messages in the animal world. From vibrant displays of colour to incredible skin pouches to amplify sound, Professor Ben Garrod reveals how animals have evolved to use skin to make themselves heard loud and clear. Birds are most notable for their use of coloured feathers to attract mates, show status and as displays of aggression. But long before birds evolved their unrivalled use of colour, it is now believed that their ancestors, the dinosaurs, were using colour to communicate, as Ben discovers when he meets paleontologist Dr Mike Benton. Ben also uncovers the sixth sense, electrolocation, used by knife fish to communicate with each other, and reveals the new science that shows puffins use ultraviolet colours on their beaks to communicate with other puffins.

Originally released by BBC Worldwide Learning, 2019. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on June 03, 2022.