48 Nebraskaland • May 2025
Crab spiders, like other pollinators, also see in ultraviolet,
using this to their advantage by refl ecting UV light. This
adaptation allows them to further their superpower of
invisibility.
Mimicry
While animals rely on their environments to practice
camoufl age, mimicry involves physical adaptations that
change an animal's appearance to copy another species. A
common example is moth and butterfl y species that have
"owl eye" markings on their wings to ward off predators.
There are also quite a few caterpillars that mimic snake heads
or even bird excrement to fool other animals that might try to
eat them.
Insects such as katydids, walking sticks, mantids and
treehoppers have adopted the appearance of various plant
parts like leaves, sticks, thorns and fl owers.
Müllerian Mimicry — A Mutual Benefi t
Müllerian mimicry, named after the biologist Fritz Müller,
involves two or more harmful or unpalatable species evolving
to resemble each other. This form of mimicry benefi ts all the
mimics by reinforcing the avoidance behavior in predators.
For instance, several species of bees and wasps have evolved
similar warning coloration — bright stripes and markings
of yellow, black, red and orange. This shared appearance
ensures that predators quickly learn to avoid these species,
benefi ting all involved through collective recognition and
avoidance.
The hidalgo mason wasp (below) and brown-belted bumble
bee (opposite) both have similar black and yellow stripes that
signal to predators that they are toxic.
Butterflies like the common buckeye have distinct
eye-like markings to confuse predators.
Hidalgo mason wasp.
