Camouflage and Mimicry

The struggle for survival is a constant feature of the living world. Through evo
lutionary changes, organisms have developed a range of adaptations that give the
m the greatest chance of success in order to prosper and reproduce. Broadly spea
king, these adaptations can be classed as either physical, in which the shape or
structure of an organism's body confers advantages, or behavioral, in which an
organism's body processes and conduct contribute to its survival. Together these
adaptations allow each species to follow its own unique way of life.
Two key survival strategies are the use of camouflage and mimicry as means of de
ceiving predators or prey. Camouflage involves taking on the appearance of the s
urroundings for the purpose of avoiding detection by predators or prey. Mimicry,
of which there are several kinds, involves copying the appearance of another or
ganism; through mimicry an organism can avoid capture by its natural predators.
When a vulnerable organism looks like another organism that is more dangerous or
more distasteful for the predator, it increases its chances of staying alive. A
predatory animal can also use both mimicry and camouflage in order to catch pre
y more easily.
Camouflage confers distinct survival advantages on many species. By blending in
with its background a creature can remain unseen or unrecognized, giving it a ch
ance to avoid capture. For example, the zebra uses its striped coat as a form of
defensive coloration. The pattern of contrasting light and dark stripes breaks
up the shape of the animal into irregular patterns. From a distance, the eye has
difficulty resolving the stripes into a solid form and will tend to see the pat
ches between the stripes as light visible between grass and trees. This is espec
ially evident in the evening light when the zebra's natural predator, the lion,
usually hunts. On the other side of the coin, a predator's lack of visibility of
ten allows it to get close enough to a prey to attack and kill it. The unsuspect
ing victim fails to see the camouflaged stalker closing in until it is too late.
Mimicry is particularly common in the insect world. Several harmless and palatab
le species of butterfly mimic the coloration of other, more toxic species. For e
xample, the viceroy butterfly models its visual appearance on the monarch butter
fly. The monarch at its larval stage feeds on the milkweed plant, which contains
several substances that are toxic or unpalatable to vertebrate animals. The tox
ic chemicals remain in the larva's body after it has become a butterfly, and pre
dators such as birds or frogs learn through trial and error to avoid eating this
species. The viceroy butterfly has evolved coloration similar to the monarch's
and so predators, having learned that the monarch is distasteful, will avoid fee
ding on the viceroy.
Other forms of mimicry involve purely visual signals. For example, some butterfl
ies which are vulnerable in other ways, have developed spots on their wings that
resemble the eyes of a much larger animal. When the insect opens its wings thes
e eye-spots momentarily startle the predator giving the intended victim a chance
to escape.
Mimicry is often found in snakes. The coral snake, one of the most poisonous sna
kes in North America, is used as a model by several species of relatively harmle
ss snakes. In fact, the coral's brilliant coloration acts as a warning to predat
ors that it is dangerous. Studies have shown that in areas where both the coral
and the nonpoisonous king snake live, the latter is not often attacked by predat
ors. In areas inhabited by the king snake but not by the coral, king snakes are
often attacked. This finding seems to confirm that mimicry gives this nonpoisono
us snake a definite survival advantage.
In practice, seeking protection by mimicking a dangerous or distasteful creature
will be more successful if the model, that is the species whose characteristics

are mimicked, is abundant and dangerous enough to have left a lasting impressio
n on the predator. If the model organism is less abundant than the mimic, then b
oth species could suffer greater predation since the frequency of unpalatable ex
periences will decrease and predators will be less likely to learn from their er
rors.