Black and white body painted woman at WBF 2016

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, mimesis (from

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

μίμησις ''mímēsis'', "imitation") refers to a form of

crypsis In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation. Methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle and ...

where living creatures mimic the form, colour and posture of their surroundings to avoid being noticed from their surroundings by predators depending on sight. Mimesis is a form of crypsis and thus differs from

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...

, which is a form of

aposematism Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or ...

.Schaefer, Matthias: ''Wörterbuch der Ökologie'', volume 4, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin 2005. {{ISBN, 3-8274-0167-4. In

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mimesis is often counted as a form of mimicry. Mimesis can be divided by the type of objects being mimicked: * ''Zoomimesis'' refers to mimicry of different animals. Contrary to mimicry, in zoomimesis the model animal is neither poisonous or capable of putting up a fight. Examples include various visitor species of ants (

myrmecophily Myrmecophily ( , ) is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms, such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. Myrmecophily refers to mutualistic associations with ants, though in its m ...

), resembling the ants in whose nests they live. * ''Phytomimesis'' refers to mimicry of plants or parts of plants. Some

geometer moth The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metr ...

s resemble thin twigs in appearance. Stick insects have a body shape resembling twigs or leaves (as in walking leaves).

Notodontidae Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...

moths resemble the bark of deciduous trees. Some species in this

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, such as the alder kitten and the sallow kitten have cocoons resembling tree bark. Some

potoo Potoos (family Nyctibiidae) are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulg ...

birds resemble broken branches. * ''Allomimesis'' refers to mimicry of lifeless objects. Some small butterflies resemble bird droppings. Some species of fig-marigolds living in African deserts resemble stones and are thus known as " living stones". This type of mimicry developed already 50 million years ago in micromoths, whose

quiver A quiver is a container for holding arrows, bolts, ammo, projectiles, darts, or javelins. It can be carried on an archer's body, the bow, or the ground, depending on the type of shooting and the archer's personal preference. Quivers were trad ...

s in their

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

l stage resembled the forest soil. Evidence of this has been preserved in Baltic

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

.Weitschat, Wolfgang:
Jäger, Gejagte, Parasiten und Blinde Passagiere - Momentaufnahmen aus dem Bernsteinwald
', ''Denisia'' 26, new series 86, pp. 243-256, 50 figures, Linz 2009. Blattschwanzgecko mantadia andasibe Nationalpark 2019-10-16.jpg, Leaf-tail gecko ''(

Uroplatus ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in prim ...

)'' Mondvogel.jpg, Buff-tip ''(Phalera bucephala)'' Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar (Papilio cresphontes) (6114220367).jpg, Larvae of the

swallowtail butterfly Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the large ...

Papilio cresphontes The giant swallowtail (''Papilio cresphontes'') is the largest butterfly in North America. It is abundant through many parts of eastern North America; populations from western North America and down into Panama are now (as of 2014) considered t ...

'' (mimicry of bird droppings) Totes Blatt Schmetterlingstramete.jpg, Dead leaf moth ''( Drepanepteryx phalaenoides)'' Lithops garden.jpg, "Living stones" ''(

Lithops ''Lithops'' is a genus of succulent plants in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae. Members of the genus are native to southern Africa. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words () 'stone' and () 'face', referring to the stone-like appearanc ...

)'' Raubspinne in Tarnhaltung.jpg, A spider with 4 legs hidden (''

Deinopis subrufa ''Asianopis subrufa'' (also called the rufous net-casting spider) is a species of net-casting spiders. It occurs in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania) and in New Zealand. It is a nocturnal hunter, having excellent eye ...

'')

References

Mimicry Animal communication