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One species may be preyed on by a predator that can overcome the toxins found in the other

The mimicked traits may not be exactly the same and thus the two species could be differentiated by predators over time

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Wasp beetle: Does not sting but has the same contrasting yellow and black striped coloration and is palatable

Wasp: Has yellow and black striped coloration, stings and is unpalatable.

Bee: Has same yellow and black striped coloration and is unpalatable as well as can sting. A sort of mutualistic benefit for both wasp and bee as they share the same warning signal.

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Differences between the Mullerian and Batesian Mimicry

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Differences between the Mullerian and Batesian Mimicry

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Mullerian mimicry is when two poisonous or unpalatable animals have similar coloration and patterns while Batesian mimicry is when a non-poisonous animal mimics the patterns or coloration of a poisonous or unpalatable animal without actually producing any toxins themselves
references: https://untamedscience.com/biology/ecology/aposematism-mullerian-batesian-mimicry/#:~:text=M%C3%BCllerian%20mimicry%20is%20when%20two%20poisonous%20or%20unpalatable%20animals%20have,actually%20producing%20any%20toxins%20themselves.

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If you are a wild animal, you spend a lot of your time either trying to eat, or avoiding being eaten, and over time many different strategies have evolved to be the best hunter, or the most difficult prey, such as mimicry.

While many organisms use group defense , camouflage , or behaviors (such as being ) to avoid being eaten, there are some that have evolved a brave and bold strategy: be poisonous, and make sure everyone knows it - this is called Aposematism.

What is Aposematism?

Aposematism is the term used for poisonous animals - be it reptiles, amphibians, insects - that have a bright coloration that works as a warning signal, or red flag, to potential predators saying, "I either taste really bad or could kill you, don't eat me!"

You can think about it kind of like this, if you have ever tried a food and really hated it, or maybe it even made you sick, you are pretty likely to not try that food again, right? Well the same applies for aposematism. A bird might try to eat a bright yellow butterfly, such as a , then realize how horrible it is, and they are likely to avoid all butterflies that look like that from then on.

So here is where the interesting piece comes in, there are some animals that have evolved to have similar aposematic patterns and colors, so that once a predator learns not to eat one of them, it won't eat any of them - it is kind of like a united front against predation and is called Müllerian mimicry. Now, there are also mimics who take advantage of these same colors, but don't produce any nasty toxins themselves, the tricksters, and this is called Batesian mimicry.
A note before we get into it: Nature can be tricky, and most things are found more on a spectrum rather than black and white. In this case the spectrum can be referred to as Batesian-Müllerian mimicry rings, as opposed to two distinct systems, but breaking it down into distinct parts will help us understand the system better.
What is Müllerian mimicry?

Müllerian mimicry is when two (or more) poisonous or unpalatable (bad tasting) animals share a similar coloration and/or pattern. The idea is that these two animals form a mutualistic relationship, where they both benefit from sharing a similar look.

If species A and B for example are Müllerian mimics, and a member of species A is eaten, or maybe just bitten into, the predator is less likely to attack either species A or species B, and vice versa. Now this only really works if the mimics are found in the same place, and predators are able to learn to avoid them. At the end of the day, it is kind of like group or herd defense, but for individuals that don't have to live together.

What animals use Müllerian mimicry?

Thought there are many examples, here are a few examples of Müllerian mimicry:

What is Batesian Mimicry?

There are a few tricksters that have managed to take advantage of these colorful warning signs used by aposematic animals, without actually producing any toxin themselves.

But why is it advantageous to mimic poisonous animals?

Animals are always trying to avoid being eaten, but toxins are often energetically expensive to produce, so, Batesian mimics have managed to copy the look of other more dangerous animals which helps them to avoid predation, like the mullerian mimics, but without having to be poisonous.

Now, the mimics aren't always perfect twins, but we aren't sure if it is because they look "close enough" for it to still fool predators, or if there are other trade-offs involved making it too difficult for them to look exactly like their poisonous almost-twin.

Biologists will often refer to this relationship as parasitic, because the Batesian mimic is gaining from its aposematic twin, without giving anything in return. In fact, if a predator eats a Batesian mimic that is palatable, it may attack the actually dangerous species a different time.

What animals use Batesian Mimicry?

Here are a few interesting examples of Batesian Mimicry:

Recap: What is the difference between Müllerian and Batesian mimicry?

Müllerian mimicry is when two poisonous or unpalatable animals have similar coloration and patterns while Batesian mimicry is when a non-poisonous animal mimics the patterns or coloration of a poisonous or unpalatable animal without actually producing any toxins themselves.

The spectrum - Batesian-Müllerian mimicry rings

So, as mentioned previously, Müllerian vs Batesian mimicry isn't necessarily black and white, but more of what is called a Batesian-Müllerian mimicry ring. There are a few reasons that make the relationships between these groups more of a spectrum than a "win-win" or "win-lose" etc. Some of the reasons are:

If a Batesian mimic is eaten, this can reduce what we call the "error-cost" that can happen when there are forgetful of naive predators, so the aposematic species doesn't lose any individuals - known as quasi-Müllerian mimicry

Sometimes a Müllerian mimic is less poisonous than the other, so one species is technically gaining more from the relationship, referred to as quasi-Batesian Mimicry

Even within one species, the level of defense produced could vary, so within a species there could be certain individuals gaining more benefits than others!

So with this being said, just like any interesting theory in Ecology, nothing is 100 percent the rule all of the time!

Overall, we can see here that animals have evolved all kinds of ways to avoid predation. Whether they are truly poisonous or bad tasting, or are just faking it, these bright colors can help them avoid being eaten and carry on to reproduce and help their species continue for another day.

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Aposematism, Müllerian Mimicry, and Batesian Mimicry - Untamed Science

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If you are a wild animal, you spend a lot of your time either trying to eat, or avoiding being eaten, and over time many different strategies have evolved to be the best hunter, or the most difficult prey, such as mimicry.

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phenomenon in which two or more species with effective defenses share a similar appearance or signaling, and by this sharing reduce the cost of associative learning, and even promote the evolution of refraining from attack by their enemies

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How does Mullerian mimicry helps organisms?

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How does Mullerian mimicry helps organisms?

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Müllerian mimicry is a phenomenon in which two or more species with effective defenses share a similar appearance or signaling, and by this sharing reduce the cost of associative learning, and even promote the evolution of refraining from attack by their enemies.

Mullerian mimicry occurs in nature when two or more harmful species look very similar in order to ward off potential predators. This is very advantageous to animals as a means of protection.

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They are useless against naïve predators who have not encountered the model species and associate the specific coloring with being inedible and poisonous and will eat the animal without any hesitation.

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6110362/#:~:text=Batesian%20mimicry%20is%20a%20phenomenon,a%20group%20of%20defended%20species.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6110362/#:~:text=M%C3%BCllerian%20mimicry%20is%20a%20phenomenon,from%20attack%20by%20their%20enemies.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/mullerian-mimicry-definition-examples-quiz.html#:~:text=Mullerian%20mimicry%20occurs%20in%20nature,as%20a%20means%20of%20protection.

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Batesian mimicry is a phenomenon in which members of a palatable species or a group of such species, gain protection from predation by resembling or mimicking the defensive signaling of an unpalatable or defended species or of a group of defended species.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8jjm8vRIi8

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Batesian vs Mullerian Mimicry | Animal Behaviour

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How does Batesian mimicry help organisms

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How does Batesian mimicry help organisms

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Individuals of the species undergoing batesian mimicry gain the selective advantage of reduced predation because they resemble a toxic species that predators avoid. Thus, they are less likely to be preyed upon, increasing the population size.
References: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2010.0586#:~:text=Introduction,predators%20avoid%20(Ruxton%20et%20al.