Humans aren't the only ones to use cloak and dagger tactics. Certain beasts use disguises to appear like more or less of a threat than they actually are - with some even making themselves resemble a biohazard! Let's take a closer look at...
- The bird that moonlights as a toxic caterpillar
- The tree hopper faking a fatal fungal infection
- The multitalented mimic octopus
- The robber in bee's clothing
- The blenny that emulates Sweeney-Todd
- The meerkat-manipulating drongo
- The snake-like swallowtail caterpillar
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| Caterpillars of the spicebush swallowtail moth look like tiny snakes! (Elissaworkman) |
The Bird That Moonlights as a Toxic Caterpillar
Life in the Amazon Rainforest can be dangerous for a young bird. Hatchling cinereous mourners (Laniocera hypopyrra) are faced with the threat of hungry snakes and monkeys from the moment they leave their egg.
The birds can't outfight or outrun these predators, so they take a different tack - the chicks wiggle their heads and writhe their bodies in a decent imitation of a hairy and toxic flannel moth caterpillar. Thanks to their bright orange and spiky feathers, this is a much better disguise than you might expect.
Researchers found that this wiggle was performed in response to any arrivals at the nest, but the chicks dropped the act if a parent bird gave an identification call. By around fourteen days the chicks were strong enough to jump out of the nest and waddle away if threatened, and the wiggling stopped.
The Tree Hopper Faking a Fatal Fungal Infection
Proudly displaying an organic headdress consisting of balls attached to a central pillar, the Brazilian treehopper (Bocydium globulare) appears comical rather than sneaky - but to other insects, they resemble a plague carrier.
These small creatures can be found in the Brazilian rainforests, where one of the omnipresent dangers is infection by the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. Infected insects are hijacked by the fungus and driven to climb up vegetation in search of a place to disperse spores. The fungus then paralyzes its victim and causes them to rupture with protruding fungal fruiting bodies. Scientists believe that the head-dress of the Brazilian Tree Hopper has evolved to mimic the look of an infected insect - meaning that ants and similar predators will stay away, not wanting to risk zombification by the fungus.
The Multitalented Mimic Octopus
Living in the depths of the Indo-Pacific, the mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is perhaps the most accomplished actor of the animal kingdom. Whilst most creatures that use mimicry focus on a single animal to impersonate, this cephalopod has a whole stable of "characters" to choose from and selects an appropriate one for each situation.
The mimic octopus can change skin color at will, but has also picked up the ability to imitate the shapes of other animals using tentacles or the surrounding terrain to change its outline. For example, when threatened by damselfish, the octopus will retreat into a small hole and extend a pair of tentacles striped with black bands. The tentacles are held together and waved to mimic the movements of a sea snake - something the damselfish does not want to tangle with.
The octopus mimics other dangerous animals (such as lionfish) while foraging in broad daylight, relying on the fearsome reputation of these threatening creatures to keep it safe as it feeds.
The Robber in Bee's Clothing
Robber flies are fairly nasty predators that combine insectile flight with a spider-like bite. They attack prey on the wing and impale the victim on their sharp mouth-parts, which led to their other sobriquet "assassin fly." This predatory insect injects impaled prey with a cocktail of toxins and enzymes that liquefy the internal organs, rendering the victim down to a nutrient slurry held together by their own exoskeleton.
Of course, what good would an assassin be without a disguise? Both the Mallophora and Laphria genus of robber-flies resemble harmless bees, but retain their predatory nature despite their more rotund and fuzzy looks.
Another species (Wyliea mydas) takes a less subtle approach and mimics tarantula-hawks, giant wasps with a brutal sting. The robber fly physically resembles a tarantula-hawk and even mimics stinging motions despite lacking a stinger of its own. The sting of a tarantula hawk is enough of a deterrent that most predators leave the robber fly alone rather than risk taking a closer look!
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| Robber flies are vicious hunters... but often resemble harmless bees! (Erik_Karits) |
The Blenny That Emulates Sweeney-Todd
The cleaner wrasses (Labroides) are found at many coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific oceans, where they perform a vital function for other fish - they eat the parasites and dead scales of any other marine-life that stops at their "stations." This is a huge benefit to other fish - even predators typically use them for their grooming services rather than hunting them for a quick meal.
The false cleanerfish or saber-toothed blenny (Aspidontus taeniatus) resembles a cleaner wrasse, but has no intention of grooming the unsuspecting customer. Instead, the blenny swims close before tearing off a bit of scale or fin and darting away to safety. The blenny also uses these "false colors" to hunt tubeworms and fish eggs without risking predator attacks!
The Meerkat-Manipulating Drongo
Most of these animals rely on visual trickery for their acting, but the drongo birds of the Kalahari Desert rely on their vocal talents to scam meerkats out of a meal.
The racket goes something like this - drongos follow around a group of meerkats, wait for them to catch something then start making alarm calls. The meerkats assume that a predator has scared the drongos and flee, abandoning their meal... only for the birds to swoop down and gobble it up. Even more deviously, the birds mimic the alarm calls of other species to stop the meerkats wising up to the "bird that cried wolf."
Research suggests that the drongos steal around a quarter of their food, using a fake alarm call in about half of their thefts. You might be wondering why the meerkats keep falling for this trick - it's because the drongos also issue genuine alarm calls. If a meerkat heeds a fake alarm, it loses a meal... but if it ignores a genuine alarm, it can become a meal.
The Snake-Like Swallowtail Caterpillar
Many birds that would feast on a juicy caterpillar would stay well away from a snake - something the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) caterpillar exploits.
The caterpillar starts off resembling a small pile of bird droppings, but develops large "eye spots" with a wide head and a vivid green skin as it gets bigger. The coloring of the caterpillar helps it blend in with the sweet bay, spicebush and sassafras on which it feeds, but it also means that the creature resembles a tiny snake if it is spotted. It also appears to have a goofy set of raised eyebrows, which are rather less intimidating!
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