Content
- Definition of animal mimicry
- Types of Animal Mimicry
- Mullerian mimicry
- Aposematism
- Batesian mimicry
- Other types of animal mimicry
- olfactory mimicry
- Acoustic mimicry
- Camouflage or crypt in animals
- Examples of animals that camouflage themselves
Some animals have certain shapes and colors that get confused with the environment in which they live or with other organisms.Some are able to momentarily change color and take on various shapes. Therefore, they are very difficult to find and they are often the object of amusing optical illusions.
Mimicry and cryptis are fundamental mechanisms for the survival of many species, and have given rise to animals with very different shapes and colors. Want to know more? In this article by PeritoAnimal, we show everything about the animal mimicry: definition, types and examples.
Definition of animal mimicry
We speak of mimicry when some living beings resemble other organisms with which they are not necessarily directly related. As a result, these living beings confuse their predators or prey, causing an attraction or withdrawal response.
For most authors, mimicry and cryptis are different mechanisms. Cripsis, as we shall see, is the process by which some living beings camouflage themselves in the environment that surrounds them, thanks to their coloring and patterns similar to it. We speak then of cryptic coloring.
Both mimicry and cryptis are mechanisms of adaptation of living beings to the environment.
Types of Animal Mimicry
There is some controversy in the scientific world about what can be considered mimicry and what cannot. In this article, we'll look at the stricter types of animal mimicry:
- Mullerian mimicry.
- Batesian mimicry.
- Other types of mimicry.
Finally, we'll see some animals that camouflage themselves in the environment thanks to cryptic colorations.
Mullerian mimicry
Müllerian mimicry occurs when two or more species have the same pattern of color and/or shape. In addition, both have defense mechanisms against their predators, such as a stinger, the presence of poison or a very unpleasant taste. Thanks to this mimicry, your common predators learn to recognize this pattern and do not attack any of the species that have it.
The result of this kind of animal mimicry is that both prey species survive and they can pass on their genes to their offspring. The predator also wins, as it can more easily learn which species are dangerous.
Examples of Mullerian Mimicry
Some organisms that show this type of mimicry are:
- Hymenoptera (Order Hymenoptera): Many wasps and bees have a pattern of yellow and black colors, which indicates to birds and other predators the presence of a stinger.
- coral snakes (Family Elapidae): all snakes in this family have their bodies covered by red and yellow rings. Thus, they indicate to predators that they are poisonous.
Aposematism
As you can see, these animals have a very flashy coloring that catches the predator's attention, alerting them to danger or bad taste. This mechanism is called aposematism and is the opposite of cryptsis, a camouflage process that we will see later.
Aposmatism is a type of communication between animals.
Batesian mimicry
Batesian mimicry occurs when two or more species are aposematic and very similar in appearance, but in reality only one of them is armed with defense mechanisms against predators. The other is known as a copycat species.
The result of this kind of mimicry is that the copying species is identified as dangerous by the predator. However, it's not dangerous or tasteless, it's just an "imposing". This allows the species to save the energy it would have to invest in defense mechanisms.
Examples of Batesian Mimicry
Some animals that show this type of mimicry are:
- sirphids (Sirfidae): these flies have the same color patterns as bees and wasps; therefore, predators identify them as dangerous. However, they don't have a stinger to defend themselves.
- false coral (lamppropeltistriangle): this is a type of non-venomous snake with a color pattern very similar to that of coral snakes (Elapidae), which are in fact poisonous.
Other types of animal mimicry
While we tend to think of mimicry as something visual, there are many other types of mimicry, such as the olfactory and the auditory.
olfactory mimicry
The best example of olfactory mimicry is the flowers that emit odorous substances very similar to pheromones in bees. Thus, males approach the flower thinking it is a female and, as a result, pollinate it. It is the case of the genre Ophrys (orchids).
Acoustic mimicry
As for acoustic imitation, an example is the acantiza-chestnut (Acanthiza pusilla), an Australian bird that mimics the alarm signals of other birds. Thus, when attacked by a medium-sized predator, they mimic the signals that other species emit when a hawk approaches. As a result, the average predator runs away or takes longer to attack.
Camouflage or crypt in animals
Some animals have coloring or drawing patterns that allow them to blend in with their surroundings. In this way, they go unnoticed by other animals. This mechanism is known as crypt or cryptic coloration.
The kings of cryptis are, without a doubt, the chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae). These reptiles are able to change the color of their skin depending on the environment they are in. They do this thanks to nanocrystals that join and separate, reflecting different wavelengths. In this other PeritoAnimal article, you can learn how the chameleon changes color.
Examples of animals that camouflage themselves
The number of animals that camouflage themselves in nature thanks to cryptic colors is innumerable. Here are some examples:
- Locusts (Suborder Caelifera): They are the favorite prey of many predators, so they have colors very similar to the environment in which they inhabit.
- Moorish gecko (Gekkonidae family): these reptiles camouflage themselves in rocks and walls waiting for their prey.
- nocturnal birds of prey (Strigiformes order): these birds nest in tree holes. Their color patterns and designs make it very difficult to see them, even when they are lurking.
- praying mantis (Mantodea order): many praying mantises blend in with their surroundings thanks to cryptic colorations. Others mimic twigs, leaves and even flowers.
- Crab spiders (thomisus spp.): change their color according to the flower they are in, and wait for pollinators to hunt them.
- Octopuses (Order Octopoda): just like chameleons and sepia, they quickly change their color depending on the substrate in which they are found.
- birch moth (Biston betular shop): are animals that camouflage themselves in the white bark of birch trees. When the industrial revolution came to England, coal dust accumulated on the trees, turning them black. For this reason, the butterflies in the area have evolved to black.
If you want to read more articles similar to Animal mimicry - Definition, types and examples, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.