You and a Close Friend from the University of Tennessee

Essay

You and a close friend from the University of Tennessee go hiking in the mountains. You are surprised to see a salamander that is bright orange in color. Thinking that some overzealous Tennessee fans have painted this particular amphibian, you walk on. As you continue your hike, you find other salamanders of this species and note that there is variation in the coloration: some individuals are bright orange, but others are drab in color. You also note that these salamanders often eat bright orange insects. How might you explain the presence of the color polymorphism in this salamander species?