Vijay Barve

The moth in spider’s clothing

Biological mimicry is widespread in nature. Many poisonous or otherwise unpalatable organisms display warning signs, such as black and yellow or black and red stripes, to deter would-be predators. Batesian mimicry to refers to non-poisonous organisms which closely resemble poisonous ones. (This phenomenon is named after Walter Henry Bates, who first proposed it in 1862.) Some organisms, such as the stick insect, are camouflaged, while others behave in deceptive ways when approached by a predator.

Some organisms are known to lure prey by mimicking them, but the converse situation, in which prey mimics its predator, is very rare.

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Thanks to Kishen Das for sharing the news.

Labels: mimicry, moth, spider

posted by Vijay Barve @ 8:20 AM