Animals That Mimic Other Animals

Some animals survive by pretending to be a different animal. A harmless fly dresses as a stinging wasp, a snake copies the warning colors of a venomous one, a hawk flies with vultures so its prey stops paying attention, and a few predators fake the look, flash, sound or scent of something their victims want to meet. Each photo shows the mimic itself, and its caption names the animal being copied and what the deception gains. The gallery runs from bluffers that copy something dangerous, through distasteful butterflies that share one warning pattern, to hunters and thieves that use a disguise to get close. To earn a place, the copying had to target another animal and be visible or well documented in the wild. Animals that simply blend into leaves, twigs or rock use a different trick and are not included here.