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Uroplatus fimbriatus gecko in Madagascar. (Photo by R. Butler)
THE ARTS OF DECEPTION: MIMICRY AND CAMOUFLAGE
MIMICRY
There are three forms of mimicry utilized by both predator and prey: Batesian mimicry, Muellerian mimicry, and
self-mimicry. Mimicry refers to the similarities between animal species; camouflage refers to an animal species
resembling an inanimate object.
Batesian Mimicry
Batesian mimicry is named for Henry Walter Bates, a British scientist who studied mimicry in Amazonian butterflies
during the mid- and late nineteenth century. Batesian mimicry refers to two or more species that are similar in
appearance, but only one of which is armed with spines, stingers, or toxic chemistry, while its apparent double lacks these
traits. The second species has no defense other than resembling the unpalatable species and is afforded protection
from certain predators by its resemblance to the unpalatable species, which the predator associates with a certain
appearance and a bad experience. Examples of Batesian mimicry are the several species of butterflies that mimic
the toxic Heliconid butterflies. Another fascinating butterfly mimic is the non-toxic Papilio memmon of Indonesia.
Each female butterfly (regardless of her coloration) can produce one or more different female forms which mimic
any of five other species of foul-tasting butterflies. Batesian mimicry is also found in venomous coral snakes
and the harmless milk and king snakes of the New World. Both snakes are marked with alternating yellow, red, and
black bands causing possible predators to avoid both. The snakes can often be distinguished by using an old scout
saying: "Red against yellow: kill a fellow. Red against black: friend to Jack." The deadly coral snake
has bands in the order of red, yellow, black, while the innocuous species have the pattern of red, black, yellow
(although the rule is not foolproof and there are exceptions).
Muellerian Mimicry
Monarch butterfly on the left, viceroy butterfly on the right. Both taste bad to predators. (Photo by R. Butler)
Muellerian mimicry is named for Fritz Mueller, a German zoologist who worked in the Amazon three decades after
Bates. This form of mimicry refers to two unpalatable species that are mimics of each other with conspicuous warning
coloration (also known as aposematic coloration). Thus all mimics share the benefits of the coloration since the
predator will recognize the coloration of an unpalatable group after a few bad experiences. Since several species
have the same appearance to the predator, the loss of life will be spread out over several species, reducing the
impact on each individual species. Poison arrow frogs of South America and Mantella frogs of Madagascar are examples with their conspicuous coloration of bright
colors against black markings and toxic composition.
Picture examples of poison dart frogs and Mantella frogs
Owl butterfly (Caligo idomeneus). Note the conspicuous eyespot. (Photo by R. Butler)
Self-mimicry is a misleading term for animals that have one body part that mimics another to increase survival
during an attack or helps predators appear innocuous. For example, countless moth, butterfly, and freshwater fish
species have "eye-spots"?large dark markings that when flashed may momentarily startle a predator and
allow the prey extra seconds to escape.
"Eye-spots" also help prey escape predators by giving predators a false target. A butterfly has a better
chance of surviving an attack to the outer part of its wing than an attack to the head.
Less often predators utilize self-mimicry to aid in catching prey by appearing less threatening or fooling the
prey as to the origin of the attack. For example, several turtle species and the Frogmouth Catfish (Chaca sp.)
of Southeast Asia have tongue extensions that are used as a sort of lure to attract prey to a position where they
become an easy catch. One of the most interesting examples of self-mimicry is the so-called "two-headed"
snake of Central Africa which has a tail that resembles a head and a head that resembles a tail. The snake even
moves its tail in the way most snakes move their heads. This adaptation functions to trick prey into believing the attack
is originating from where it is not.
CAMOUFLAGE
A completely different approach for deception is camouflage, whereby animals seek to look inanimate or inedible to
avoid detection by predators and prey. There are many examples of rainforest species which are cryptically
colored to match their surroundings. For example, the Uroplatus geckos of Madagascar are incredible masters of
disguise and are practically unnoticeable to the passer-by. An even more amazing group is the katydids, a group
of grasshopper-like insects found worldwide. Katydids are nocturnal insects which use their cryptic coloration
to remain unnoticed during the day when they are inactive. They remain perfectly still, often in a position that
makes them blend in even better. Katydids have evolved to the point where their body coloring and shape matches
leaves?including half-eaten leaves, dying leaves, and leaves with bird droppings?sticks, twigs, and tree bark.
Other well-known camouflage artists include beetles, mantids, caterpillars, moths, snakes, lizards, and frogs.
Some species appear to have conspicuous coloration when they are not in the proper surroundings. For example,
among the brilliant butterflies of the forest, the magnificent electric blue Morpho, has iridescent blue upper
wings and a seven-inch wingspan. However, because the underwings are dark, when the Morpho flies through the flickering
light of the forest or even out in broad daylight, it seems to disappear. Other forest species, especially mammals,
have spots or stripes to help break up the animal's outline. In the shade created by the canopy, large mammals
like leopards, jaguars, ocelots, and okapi are surprisingly difficult to see with their disruptive coloration.
The faster, fiercer, and always surprising sloth, an interview with Bryson Voirin
(10/25/2009) Sloths sleep all day; they are always slow; and they are gentle animals. These are just some of the popular misconceptions that sloth-scientist and expert tree-climber, Bryson Voirin, is overturning. After growing up among the wild creatures of Florida, spending his high school years in Germany, and earning a Bachelors degree in biology and environment at the New College of Florida, Voirin found his calling. At the New College of Florida, Voirin "met Meg Lowman, the famous canopy pioneer who invented many of the tree climbing techniques everyone uses today."
Will tropical trees survive climate change?, an interview with Kenneth J. Feeley
(09/24/2009) One of the most pressing issues in the conservation today is how climate change will affect tropical ecosystems. The short answer is: we don't know. Because of this, more and more scientists are looking at the probable impacts of a warmer world on the Earth's most vibrant and biodiverse ecosystems. Kenneth J. Feeley, tropical ecologist and new professor at Florida International University and the Center for Tropical Plant Conservation at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, is conducting groundbreaking research in the tropical forests of Peru on the migration of tree species due to climate change.
Working to save the 'living dead' in the Atlantic Forest, an interview with Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes
(09/23/2009) The Atlantic Forest may very well be the most imperiled tropical ecosystem in the world: it is estimated that seven percent (or less) of the original forest remains. Lining the coast of Brazil, what is left of the forest is largely patches and fragments that are hemmed in by metropolises and monocultures. Yet, some areas are worse than others, such as the Pernambuco Endemism Centre, a region in the northeast that has largely been ignored by scientists and conservation efforts. Here, 98 percent of the forest is gone, and 70 percent of what remains are patches measuring less than 10 hectares. Due to this fragmentation all large mammals have gone regionally extinct and the small mammals are described by Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes, a professor and researcher at the Federal University of Pernambuco, as the 'living dead'.
New species everywhere in Papua New Guinea's 'lost' volcano
(09/07/2009) A five week expedition into a remote extinct volcano has uncovered a treasure trove of new species in Papua New Guinea, including what may be the world's largest rat, a fanged frog, and a grunting fish. In all the expedition estimates it may have found around forty species unknown to science. The expedition was undertaken by a BBC film crew and scientists in January. Local trackers led them into the unexplored jungle, hidden beneath the Bosavi volcano's 2,800 meter summit. Six months prior to arrival, fields of spinach and sweet potato were planted to feed the expedition in such a remote area.
Newly discovered deep sea worms throw bioluminescent 'bombs'
(08/20/2009) Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have announced in Science the discovery of seven new species of deep sea worms, five of which drop orb-like parts of their body which cause a brilliant green display of bioluminescence. For this reason researchers have nicknamed them the ‘green bombers’. The worms are not just new species, but a clade of animals entirely unknown to science until now.
