EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -These studies indicated that the monarch and viceroy butterflies, long considered as examples of batesian mimicry, are actually expressing Mullerian mimicry. Mullerian mimicry is when two species share similar anti-predator characteristics (in this case, inedibility) and co-mimic each other.

Detailed explanation-2: -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.

Detailed explanation-3: -An example of Mullerian mimicry is the distasteful queen butterfly that is orange and black like the equally unpalat able monarch. Speed mimicry occurs when a sluggish, easy to catch prey species resembles fast moving or hard to catch species that predators have given up trying to catch.

Detailed explanation-4: -In Batesian mimicry, for example, a harmless prey species evolves a resemblance to a harmful species, as when a harmless king snake evolves the red, yellow, and black pattern of a venomous coral snake (Greene and McDiarmid, 1981).