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Mimicry in Insects · Acedra
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Mimicry in Insects
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0:00
Hi, this is Kate fom MinuteEarth. Close your eyes...no seriously, close your eyes, and imagine a bee. Now open your eyes. You probably imagined something with yellow and black stripes, like a honeybee. But bee-lieve it or not, most bees aren’t yellow-and-black striped. And what’s even more confusing is that there are lots of stripey "bees" that are not actually bees. They’re flies, wasps, and even moths, yet they look so much like our idea of a bee that we’re constantly getting fooled.
0:30
But we’re not actually the ones they’re out to bee-devil. Many insects that can defend themselves have bright patterns that teach predators to keep their distance. Say two hypothetical stinging species have different warning colorations; a predator must sample lots of individuals of each before learning that both patterns yield un-happy meals. Yet if the two species look similar, far fewer of each kind will get chomped before the predator learns to avoid that pattern.
0:56
So stinging species, like bees and wasps, often end up converging on a single appearance. Once predators learn that yellow-and-black striped prey aren’t worth the risk, cheaters creep into the system. Neither flies nor moths have stingers for defense, but simply looking like an insect that does provides pretty much the same protection. So is that insect a bee or not a bee? If it just stung you, it’s a bee or a wasp.
1:20
Along with stingers, both have short, elbow-shaped antennae and four wings - although those can be hard to see; bees are the super-hairy ones, while wasps are mostly bald. On the non-stinging side, if it has two wings and looks like it’s wearing giant goggles, it’s a fly. If it has long feathery antennae, it’s probably a moth. If you can get beyond the fear of getting stung and begin to appreciate their differences,
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