mimicry — /mim ik ree/, n., pl. mimicries. 1. the act, practice, or art of mimicking. 2. Biol. the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as… … Universalium
lepidopteran — /lep i dop teuhr euhn/, adj. 1. lepidopterous. n. 2. a lepidopterous insect. [1850 55; LEPIDOPTER(A) + AN] * * * Any of the more than 100,000 species constituting the order Lepidoptera (Greek: scaly wing ): butterflies, moths, and skippers. The… … Universalium
coloration — colorational, adj. colorationally, adv. /kul euh ray sheuhn/, n. appearance with regard to color arrangement or use of colors; coloring: the bold coloration of some birds. [1605 15; COLOR + ATION] * * * ▪ biology Introduction in biology,… … Universalium
aging — ag·ing (āʹjĭng) n. 1. The process of growing old or maturing. 2. An artificial process for imparting the characteristics and properties of age. * * * Gradual change in an organism that leads to increased risk of weakness, disease, and death. It… … Universalium
snake — snakelike, adj. /snayk/, n., v., snaked, snaking. n. 1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas. 2. a treacherous person; an … Universalium
avoidance behaviour — Type of activity, exhibited by animals exposed to adverse stimuli, in which the tendency to flee or to act defensively is stronger than the tendency to attack. Vision is the sense that most often produces avoidance behaviour (e.g., small birds… … Universalium
Aposematism — (from apo away, and sematic sign/meaning), perhaps most commonly known in the context of warning colouration, describes a family of antipredator adaptations where a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential … Wikipedia
Poison dart frog — Poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) Dendrobates azureus (top) and Dendrobates leucomelas Scientific classification … Wikipedia
Polymorphism (biology) — Light morph Jaguar (typical) Dark morph or melanistic Jaguar (about … Wikipedia
Defense in insects — Biston betularia: the melanic carbonaria (left) and the more common light colored typica (right) Insects have a wide variety of predators, including birds, reptiles, amphibians … Wikipedia
