Aposematism is one of the two pivotal survival strategies in the animal kingdom:
Cryptic species avoid predation by hiding, being silent, and running from predators after they have been discovered.
Aposematic species, on the other hand, do not try to hide or escape from predators. They instead challenge predators by intimidating them by various displays: increasing size of their body, using bright colours, smells, and fearless behaviour.
The theory that the strategy of aposematic display was central to human evolution first appeared in my 2011 book Why Do People Sing? although similar ideas were touched on in my 2006 book Who Asked the First Question. Very importantly, I proposed that the strategy of aposematism must be applied to many species that are believed to have evolved over time under the influence of sexual selection. The fullest treatment of this topic is given in my 2014 book Tigers, Lions and Humans: History of Rivalry, Conflict, Reverence and Love, which is dedicated to evolutionary interactions between human ancestors and the ancestors of today’s big cats.