Batesian mimicry

Uncommon card · No. 181701

Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry wherein a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species in order to benefit from these signals' tendency to deter their mutual predators. It is named after the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, who worked on butterflies in the rainforests of Brazil. Batesian mimicry is the most commonly-known and widely-studied of the mimicry complexes, such that the word "mimicry" is often synonymous with the type described by Batesian mimicry. However, there are many other forms of mimicry, some very similar in principle to the Batesian variety, others far separated. Batesian mimicry is often compared with Müllerian mimicry, the mutually beneficial, converging appearance of two or more harmful species. Batesian mimicry is often thought to be diametrically opposed to aggressive mimicry, wherein a predator or parasite mimics a harmless species, thereby avoiding detection and improving its odds of a successful hunt. In scientific...

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