Some animals have certain shapes and colors that are confused with the environment they inhabit or with other organisms. Some are even able to momentarily change their color and take on various forms. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to find them and they are often the subject of fun optical illusions.
Mimicry and crypsis are fundamental mechanisms for the survival of many species and have given rise to animals with very diverse shapes and colours. You want to know more? In this article on our site, we tell you all about animal mimicry: definition, types and examples
Definition of animal mimicry
We speak of mimicry when some living beings resemble other organisms with which they do not necessarily have a direct relationship. As a result, these living beings confuse their predators or their prey, causing an attraction or flight response.
For most authors, mimicry is not the same as crypsis. Crypsis, as we will see, is the process by which some living beings camouflage themselves in the environment that surrounds them thanks to their coloration and patterns similar to this. We speak then of cryptic coloration.
Both mimicry and crypsis 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 are going to see the most strict types of animal mimicry:
- Müllerian mimicry.
- Batesian mimicry.
- Other types of mimicry.
Finally, we will see some animals that camouflage themselves in the environment thanks to cryptic colorations.
Müllerian mimicry
Müllerian mimicry occurs when two or more species have the same color pattern and/or shape In addition, both have mechanisms of defense against its predators such as a sting, the presence of poison or a very unpleasant taste. Thanks to this mimicry, their common predators learn to recognize this pattern and do not attack any of the species that possess it.
The result of this type of animal mimicry is that both prey species survive and can pass on their genes to offspring. The predator also wins, as it can more easily learn which species are dangerous.
Examples of Müllerian mimicry
Some organisms that exhibit this type of animal mimicry are:
- Hymenoptera (order Hymenoptera): many wasps and bees have a yellow and black color pattern that indicates birds and other predators the presence of a stinger.
- Coral snakes (family Elapidae): all snakes in this family have red and yellow rings on their bodies. Thus, they indicate to their predators that they are poisonous.
Aposematism
As you can see, these animals have a very striking coloration that captures the predator's attention, warning it of danger or bad taste. This mechanism is called aposematism and is the opposite of crypsis, a camouflage process that we will see later.
Aposematism 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 only one of them is actually They are armed with defense mechanisms against predators. The other is known as the copying species.
The result of this type of mimicry is that the copying species is identified as dangerous by the predator. However, it is neither a danger nor does it have a bad taste, but rather it is an "imposter". This allows you to save the energy you would have to invest in having defense mechanisms.
Examples of Batesian mimicry
Some animals that exhibit this type of mimicry are:
- Hoverflies (Sirfidae): These flies have the same color patterns as bees and wasps, so predators pick them up. identify as dangerous. However, they lack a stinger to defend themselves.
- False coral (Lampropeltis triangulum): this is a type of non-venomous snake with a color pattern very similar to that of coral snakes (Elapidae), which are poisonous.
In the image we can see a false coral. If we compare it with the image of the previous section (coral snake), we can see that the false coral lacks the yellow coloration.
Other types of animal mimicry
Although we usually think of mimicry as something visual, there are many other types of mimicry, such as olfactory or auditory.
Olfactory mimicry
The best example of olfactory mimicry is that of flowers that emit odorous substances very similar to bee pheromones. Thus, the males approach the flower thinking that it is a female and, as a result, they pollinate it. This is the case of the genus O phrys (orchids).
Acoustic mimicry
Regarding acoustic mimicry, an example is the brown acanthiza (Acanthiza pusilla), an Australian bird thatimitates the alarm signals of other birds Thus, when attacked by a medium-sized predator, they imitate the signals that other species emit when a falcon approaches. As a result, the medium predator flees or takes longer to attack.
Camouflage in animals or crypsis
Some animals have a coloring or drawing patterns that give them the ability to blend in with their surroundings. In this way, they go unnoticed by other animals. This mechanism is known as crypsis or cryptic coloration
Without a doubt, the kings of crypsis are the chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae). These reptiles are capable of changing the color of their skin depending on the environment they are in. They do this thanks to nanocrystals that come together and separate reflecting different wavelengths. In the following article on our site you will learn why the chameleon changes color?
Examples of animals that camouflage themselves
There are countless animals that camouflage themselves in nature thanks to cryptic colors. These are some examples:
- Grasshoppers (suborder Caelifera): they are the favorite prey of many predators, so their colors are very similar to the environment in which they live. inhabit.
- Salamanquesa (family Gekkonidae): these reptiles camouflage themselves on rocks and walls waiting for their prey.
- Nocturnal birds of prey (order Strigiformes): these birds make their nests in hollow trees. Their color and patterned patterns make them very difficult to see, even when peeking out.
- Mantis (order Mantodea): many mantids blend into their environment by cryptic coloration. Others mimic sticks, leaves or even flowers.
- Crab spiders (Thomisus spp.): change their color depending on the flower they are on and wait for pollinators in order to hunt them down.
- Octopuses (order Octopoda): like chameleons and cuttlefish, they change their color in a short time depending on the substrate in which they are find.
- Birch butterfly (Biston betularia): these animals camouflage themselves in the white bark of birch trees. When the industrial revolution arrived in England, coal dust accumulated on trees, turning them black. For this reason, the butterflies in the area evolved towards the color black.
