Milk snakes are a species of nonpoisonous snakes that inhabit a wide geographical range throughout North America. They can be gray, tan, red, orange, or black with or without bands of yellow, black, or white. Biologists have proposed that brightly colored milk snakes are adapted to regions where similarly colored poisonous snakes live because the color wards off potential predators. This is a(n) explanation.

proximate explanation

Explanation:

In biology, a proximate explanation refers to an event that is directly responsible for producing a specific result. A proximate explanation allows to explain a particular biological phenomenon immediately associated with physiological factors. In sociology, a proximate explanation enables understanding of human behavior by their more immediate factors. On the other hand, an ultimate explanation is believed to be the real cause of the observed results.

emerging idea only occurs as a raw idea that could appear out of nowhere. meanwhile, to reach scientific consensus , that idea must be structured and tested over and over again through various experiments. the scientific consensus transforms the raw idea into idea that is more reliable through the process of scientific elimination.