Caterpillars use fake eyes to stare down birds
Posted by staff / June 17, 2010
A biologist at the University of Pennsylvania may have figured out why hundreds of species of tropical caterpillars display a fascinating variety of eye-like and face-like color patterns—the kinds of designs that scare off insect-eating birds and make a harmless and vulnerable caterpillar look like a poisonous snake.
Daniel Janzen believes the decorative defense “constitutes a huge ‘mimicry complex’ that is evolutionarily generated and sustained by the survival behavior of a large array of potential predators.” His theory differs from prior explanations in that it now appears that predatory birds have an innate sense to flee from eyes and faces as fast as possible, rather than pausing to learn if the animal is a predator. The bird that must learn to avoid an eye, says Janzen, is not long for this world.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: University of Pennsylvania
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