Do you ever play "copy cat" just to annoy your siblings? And then dress in disguise to hide from them when they finally come after you? Well, as it turns out, many animals in our kingdom exhibit this type of behavior. Mimicry is when an animal copies the appearance, actions, or sounds of another organism or object to deceive predators, or simply to become undetectable to them. Just like when Peeta disguised himself as a rock in Hunger Games to protect himself from the other tributes.
Take, for example, Monarch butterflies. Monarchs (left) look very much like Viceroys (right). They both have distinctive black and orange wings with white spots along their trim. However, Monarch butterflies have a very bitter taste to predators, while Viceroys do not. However, since Viceroys look like their unpalatable counterpart, they are often passed over. Phew.
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This type of mimicry happens underwater, too. The comet fish (left) has a spot at the end of its tail, making it look very much like the eye of the poisonous moray eel (right). So cool. There are also many octopuses that can transform their colors and patterns in the face of dangerous sting rays and sharks.
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A newly discovered octopus has a particularly remarkable ability to match the color, pattern, and even TEXTURE of the algae in which it hides. Check out its amazing transformation in the video below posted by NPR's Science Friday: http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/08/05/2011/where-s-the-octopus.html
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So the next time your siblings get annoyed when you decide to be a "copy cat", just tell them you can't help it. It's for survival! They will surely love it.
Homework: Answer the below questions in your science notebook. Copy the questions and answer them in complete sentences.
1. What is mimicry?
2. How are camouflage and mimicry related?
3. Why do animals use mimicry?
4. Give two examples of an animal that uses mimicry.
Check out more great videos on animal/plant mimicry here:
Orchid mimicry - http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/ng-on-assignment/orchid-mimicry-ngoa/
Cuttlefish mimicry - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In7n590GjxU, courtesy of Augustin (711)!
Homework: Answer the below questions in your science notebook. Copy the questions and answer them in complete sentences.
1. What is mimicry?
2. How are camouflage and mimicry related?
3. Why do animals use mimicry?
4. Give two examples of an animal that uses mimicry.
Check out more great videos on animal/plant mimicry here:
Orchid mimicry - http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/ng-on-assignment/orchid-mimicry-ngoa/
Cuttlefish mimicry - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In7n590GjxU, courtesy of Augustin (711)!
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