#visual mimic

[animal-forgeries]

today's mimic: zone-tailed hawk, buteo albonotatus

the zone-tailed hawk has been suggested to mimic turkey vultures, most obviously in their flight pattern: the hawks fly unusually with wings raised dihedrally, and will rock back and forth in a similar manner to turkey vultures. additionally, the silhouette and the shape of the flight feathers resemble a turkey vulture much more than other similar hawks. this is an example of aggressive mimicry, since turkey vultures rarely hunt animals, while the zone-tailed hawk is an active predator. its prey will be more likely to ignore the presence of the bird, believing it to be a harmless scavenger. the kettling behaviour of turkey vultures aids the zone-tailed hawk, as it can blend into large gatherings of vultures. although up close the two animals are very different, even experienced birders may have difficulty identifying a zone-tailed hawk from its deceitful silhouette and flight pattern.

model:

photo by roy lowe

flight pattern comparison:

[animal-forgeries]

today's mimic: mimic poison frog, ranitomeya imitator

photo by john clare

the mimic poison frog, also known as the poison arrow frog or imitating poison frog, is notable for having many colour morphs that allow it to mimic multiple different species. the four different mimicking morphs are:

'varadero', which mimics the red-headed poison frog, ranitomeya fantastica

'striped', which mimics the lowland zimmerman's poison frog, ranitomeya variabilis

'spotted', which mimics the highland zimmerman's poison frog, ranitomeya variabilis

and 'banded', which mimics the summers' poison frog, ranitomeya summersi

the mimicry is used defensively, as this species, while toxic, is much less so than the species it mimics.

comparisons:

(comparisons created by me, images source here)

[animal-forgeries]

today's mimic: giant malaysian leaf insect, pulchriphyllium giganteum

photo by bernard dupont

the giant malaysian leaf insect is one of the largest members of the family Philliidae, a family of insects that are highly specialised in object mimicry--sometimes called mimesis--of leaves. this species is a particularly good example, almost exactly matching the model in many subtle ways, such as the flattened legs that resemble half-eaten leaves, the veins on the abdomen, and the brown patterns that match brown discolouration on damaged leaves. to add to the illusion, these insects will sway back and forth like leaves in the wind. even the eggs of the giant malaysian leaf insect show mimicry, as they resemble seeds! this is an example of defensive mimicry: by mimicking leaves and seeds, insectivorous predators are more likely to ignore them.

[animal-forgeries]

today's mimic: scarlet kingsnake, lampropeltis elapsoides

photo by peter paplanus

the scarlet kingsnake is a non-venomous snake found in the eastern US. it mimics certain coral snakes, such as the eastern coral snake, which have very similar red, black, and yellow/white bands. coral snakes are highly venomous, so by mimicking the distinctive colouration of these more dangerous snakes, the scarlet kingsnake is less likely to be predated upon. this is a commonly cited example of batesian mimicry, where a harmless organism mimics the danger signals of another organism that it shares a predator with.

model:

photo by jonathan mays