Many animals in the rainforest use adaptations to trick their predators and their prey. These animals adapt and survive by being able to copy other animals. They might even copy their surroundings, such as changing color to blend in. This is called mimicry. Animals that do the copying are called mimics. There are many types of mimicry. First up to look at is Batesian mimicry. What is that and where did its name come from?
Copycat! You might not like it if someone called you that, but it’s different in the rainforest. Being a copycat is a form of mimicry that just might save your life!
Copycat! You might not like it if someone called you that, but it’s different in the rainforest. Being a copycat is a form of mimicry that just might save your life!
Batesian mimicry is when a harmless animal poses as a more dangerous creature than it actually is. This can trick its predator to avoid the animal rather than eating it. Batesian mimicry was named after Henry Walter Bates. He was an English scientist who went to the Amazon to explore and study insects for eleven years in 1842.
Would you like to have something named after you? What do you think you would you have to do to make that happen?
Would you like to have something named after you? What do you think you would you have to do to make that happen?
Rainforest Kids Science curriculum connection: Unit 2: Chapter 1, Lessons 1+4, Grades 3-5; Unit 2: Chapter 2, Lesson 1, Grades 4-5
