Masters of Disguise :: essays research papers

Finding unattackable daycare can certainly pose a problem these days,unless, of course, youre an African widow bird.When it comes meter for a female widow bird to readyher eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearbyEstrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggsinside. Thats the last the widow bird eer sees ofher offspring. But not to worry, because theEstrildid finch will take attached care of theabandoned birds as if they were her own. Andwhos to tell the difference? Though adult widowbirds and Estrildid finches dont look at all alike,their eggs do. Not only that, despoil widow birds aredead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both havingthe same colouration and markings. They even actand sound the same, thence ensuring that the widowbird nestlings can grow up among their aliennestmates with no risk of being rejected by theirfoster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Thingsarent invariably as they seem, and nowhere is thismore true than in nature, where dozens of animals(and plants) spend their time masquerading as another(prenominal)s. So clever are their disguises that youveprobably never cognize you were being fooled byspiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look likeshrews, worms copy sea anemones, androaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animalsthat look like themselves, which can also be aform of impersonation. The phenomenon ofmimicry, as its called by biologists, was first historiedin the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, HenryW. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests ofBrazil, Bates discovered that many members ofthe Peridae butterfly family did not look anythinglike their closest relatives. Instead they practice astriking resemblance to members of theHeliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closerinspection, Bates found that there was a major usefulness in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile,slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiidsare saint targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birdsnever touch them because they taste so bad.Imagine that youre a delicious morsel of butterfly.Wouldnt it be smart to mimic the appearance ofan unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird wouldbother you either? Thats what Bates concludedwas happening in the Brazilian jungle among thePieridae. Today, the extravaganza of an inediblespecies by an edible one is called Batesianmimicry. Since Bates time, scientists bindunmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature.It hasnt always been an easy job, either, as whenan animal mimics not one, but several otherspecies. In one species of butterfly common inIndia and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no lessthan three versions. One type tallys the malewhile the others resemble two entirely differentspecies of inedible butterflies. Butterflies dont" opt" to mimic other butterflies in the sameMasters of Disguise essays research papers Finding good daycare can certainly pose a problem these days,unless, of course, youre an African widow bird.When it comes time for a female wido w bird to layher eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearbyEstrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggsinside. Thats the last the widow bird ever sees ofher offspring. But not to worry, because theEstrildid finch will take devoted care of theabandoned birds as if they were her own. Andwhos to tell the difference? Though adult widowbirds and Estrildid finches dont look at all alike,their eggs do. Not only that, baby widow birds aredead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both havingthe same colouration and markings. They even actand sound the same, thus ensuring that the widowbird nestlings can grow up among their aliennestmates with no risk of being rejected by theirfoster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Thingsarent always as they seem, and nowhere is thismore true than in nature, where dozens of animals(and plants) spend their time masquerading asothers. So clever are their disguises that youveprobably never known you were being fooled byspiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look likeshrews, worms copying sea anemones, androaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animalsthat look like themselves, which can also be aform of impersonation. The phenomenon ofmimicry, as its called by biologists, was first notedin the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, HenryW. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests ofBrazil, Bates discovered that many members ofthe Peridae butterfly family did not look anythinglike their closest relatives. Instead they bore astriking resemblance to members of theHeliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closerinspection, Bates found that there was a majoradvantage in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile,slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiidsare ideal targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birdsnever touch them because they taste so bad.Imagine that youre a delicious morsel of butterfly.Wouldnt it be smart to mimic the appearance ofan unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird wouldbother you either? Thats what Bates concludedwas ha ppening in the Brazilian jungle among thePieridae. Today, the imitation of an inediblespecies by an edible one is called Batesianmimicry. Since Bates time, scientists haveunmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature.It hasnt always been an easy job, either, as whenan animal mimics not one, but several otherspecies. In one species of butterfly common inIndia and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no lessthan three versions. One type resembles the malewhile the others resemble two entirely differentspecies of inedible butterflies. Butterflies dont"choose" to mimic other butterflies in the same