Batesian mimicry

Müllerian mimicry is a natural phenomenon in which two or more well-defended species, often foul-tasting and sharing common predators, have come to mimic each other's honest warning signals, to their mutual benefit. The benefit to Müllerian mimics is that predators only need one unpleasant encounter with one member of a set of Müllerian mimics, and... See more

Take the deadly trick played by the killer females of one genus of firefly (Photuris) on the males of another firefly genus (Photinus). Understandably, the Photinus males scrupulously avoid contact with the bloodthirsty Photuris females. However, through centuries of natural selection, the Photuris female hunters have located a weakness in their pr

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On YouTube, you can see videos of mice that are held in the jaws of a cat. In such a dire circumstance, the mouse will go limp and appear to be dead. This “death-feigning” behavior, as it’s called, is an adaptation that might help the mouse get away from the cat. And if the mouse does indeed die on that day, this involuntary shutdown response will

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If plants are so well endowed with their own natural pesticides, then why isn’t the world littered with the corpses of their victims? Because animals have learned to recognize and avoid potentially harmful plants with the help of their senses of smell and taste, which can detect chemical compounds in very small concentrations.