Mimicry
- Pronunciation
- /MIM-ih-kree/
- Category
- Behavior
- Singular
- Mimicry
- Plural
- Mimicries
Definition
An evolutionary adaptation where an organism evolves to resemble another organism or object to gain some survival advantage, such as avoiding predators or luring prey.
Etymology
From Greek 'mimikos', meaning 'imitative'.
Example
The Viceroy butterfly exhibits mimicry by evolving to look similar to the toxic Monarch butterfly, which helps it avoid predation.
Synonyms
- Imitation
- Camouflage
Related Terms
Usage Notes
Mimicry can be broadly classified into Batesian mimicry, where a harmless species mimics a harmful one, and Müllerian mimicry, where two harmful species share similar warning signals.