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Deceptive Practices
By Linda | April 24, 2008
The following are just a few examples of how animals use mimicry as a survival strategy.
Mimicry of Other Species
Why bother evolving your own venom when you can capitalize on the reputation of another species to protect you?
A Sinaloan milk snake (right) closely mimics the color pattern of the venomous coral snake on the left. The strategy is a successful one, for even young, inexperienced snake-eating birds have been shown to instinctively avoid a pattern of alternating red and yellow rings. The specific order of the color banding (red, yellow and black) separates the extremely venomous Coral Snakes from other snakes. Several non-venomous species bear the same colors as Coral Snakes, but they can be distinguished by the patterns of the color bands. Rhymes such as “Red on yellow – kills a fellow” or “Red touching black – is a friend of Jack” are often used to remember which snakes are venomous and which are not.
Mimicry of the Environment
Lots of metabolic energy can be saved if you’re not having to run away to evade predators. It’s so much easier to just blend in with your surroundings.
The leaf beetle and stick bug pictured above have evolved to match elements in their enviroment, making them very hard to detect.
Looking Bigger and Badder than you Really Are
Several species use a bit of misdirection to intimidate potential predators.
The porcupine fish inflates himself to escape becoming a meal, while the butterfly and caterpillar pictured above display eye spots that make them appear large and fierce.
Topics: Animal Kingdom, Nature |
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