"Imitators That Hide in Plain Sight, and Stay Alive."

- Henry Bates studied animal species in the Amazon jungle for eleven years from 1848 to 1859.

- Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” was able to help Bates provide evidence of natural selection based on what he had seen in the jungle.

- What interested Bates greatly, was the ability of some animals to resemble other living or inanimate objects.

- “He observed flies that looked like bees, beetles that looked like wasps, even caterpillars that looked like pit vipers. He referred to these as ‘analogous resemblances’ or ‘mimetic analogies.’”

- Today, this phenomenon is known as Batesian mimicry. It is thought to have happened because of natural selection. Animals that did not look “tasty” or resembled other poisonous species were less likely to be eaten and had a better chance of survival and lived longer lives.

Reflection:

I found this article interesting because it directly related to Natural Selection. If you look unappetizing, you’re less likely to be eaten. In a world of “survival of the fittest” this would come in handy so that, even if a species was not harmful, if it look like it was, predators would avoid it. In conclusion, this article helped me to understand one aspect of Natural Selection.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/science/16crea.html Carroll, Sean B. "Imitators That Hide in Plain Sight, and Stay Alive." New York Times 15 Feb. 2010: 1-3. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. .