Camouflage and Mimicry
What Is Camouflage
Camouflage is an adaptation that allows animals to blend with their surroundings, using a type of coloration or pattern.
It is also known as crypsis. By camouflaging, either the preys hide themselves from the predator or predators conceal themselves as they stalk the prey.
Types
There are 4 types of camouflage such as concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise and Mimicry.
Concealing Coloration
Some animals have fixed patterns of colors, which blend with the environment.
As an example, marine flatfish and stonefish have coloration that resembles the seabed. Also, snowy owls and polar bears have white coloration.
Disruptive Coloration
Disruptive coloration includes strips, spots, and other patterns, which break up the outline of the animal’s shape. Figure 1 shows the disruptive coloration in a Leopard.
Disguise
In disguise, animals appear as something else in the environment. For example, some insects disguise themselves as leaves. Figure 2 shows a bright green katydid in a basil plant.
What is Mimicry
Mimicry is the resemblance of an organism to other organisms in appearance or behavior to protect itself from predation. In this, the mimic resembles the model organism. The two main types of mimicry are defensive mimicry and non-defensive mimicry.
Defensive Mimicry
This helps organisms to protect them from predators. The three types of defensive mimicry are Batesian mimicry, Müllarian mimicry, and Mertensian mimicry.
Batesian Mimicry
This is the exhibition of unpalatable and harmful characteristics by a palatable and harmless animal. It saves the mimic from the predator.
Non-poisonous scarlet kingsnake using the coloration of the poisonous coral snake is an example of this mimicry.
Müllerian Mimicry
Müllarian mimicry is the exhibition of similar characteristics by two unpalatable and harmful animals to get the advantage of shared protection.
The red postman butterfly and the common postman butterfly exhibiting the almost similar placement of dots on their wings are an example of Müllerian mimicry.
Mertensian Mimicry
Mertensian mimicry is the exhibition of less harmful characteristics by a deadly species.
Non-Defensive Mimicry
Predators use non-defensive mimicry for being unnoticed by their prey. Aggressive mimicry is a type of non-defensive mimicry. Here, predators share similar signals with the use of a harmless model.
For example, figure 4 shows the bright leaves of the venus flytrap that serve as the petals of a flower, and thus, attracting insect.
