Biological mimicry is when ones species evolves to look like another. Sometimes, one organism will additionally take on the behavior and mannerisms of the other. They end up looking so similar that it is difficult to tell them apart, even though they are totally unrelated.

Animals do this for many reasons. Often, it has to do with predation. Some prey animals take on the look of some other, more dangerous animal that their own predators avoid. Conversely, a predator may mimic an animal that its prey doesn’t fear.

10 Hornets And Hornet Moths

We all know hornets can deliver quite painful stings. Several species belonging to the Sesia genus, such as Sesia apiformis, have evolved to mimic hornets in look and behavior. These copycat moths are called hornet moths, for obvious reasons.

S. apiformis has the distinctive yellow and black markings of a hornet. It is also around the same size as a regular hornet and has a similar wingspan. The moth has also learned to take off in a haphazard manner, just as a hornet would, the moment it spots a threat.

There are a few differences between the hornet and hornet moth, though. The moth is yellower than a hornet and lacks a waist, even though hornets have waists in between their thoraxes and abdomens. The wings of the moth are also transparent. This last part only becomes discernible in flight, and most people and animals do not hang out long enough to find out, anyway.^[1]

9 Ladybirds And Ladybird Spiders

Spiders are so amazing they have a popular fictional superhero named after them. The ladybird (aka ladybug) is special, too. It does not have its own superhero, but it does have real spiders named after it. These spiders belong to the genus Paraplectana. They are a group of spiders that have evolved to look like like ladybirds.

The mimicry is necessary, considering that many predatory birds avoid ladybirds. This is because ladybirds contain toxic chemicals that emit a terrible odor when crushed and leave a nasty, lingering taste in the mouth of the bird. This had made many birds develop a strong distaste for the ladybird. Aside from spiders, a few other insects, like the ladybird-mimic fungus beetle, have also evolved to look like ladybirds.^[2]

8 Jumping Spiders And Metalmark Moths

The metalmark moth (Brenthia coronigera) does not mimic just any random insect or spider but its predator, the jumping spider. The moths are so good at mimicry that jumping spiders mistake them for other jumping spiders. Smaller jumping spiders even flee from the moths over fears that they could be eaten.

The metalmark moth doesn’t just resemble the jumping spider in looks. It also moves in a manner resembling jumping spiders instead of just fluttering around like most moths do. Male jumping spiders get so fooled that they become attracted to the moths and display courtship behavior by raising their two front legs toward the moth.

Researchers who have studied the effectiveness of this mimicry say the moth needs to have its wings in the right position for the ruse to be effective. The black dots on its wings resemble a jumping spider’s eyes, while the rest of it mimics the spider’s body. Several experiments indicate that the spider will recognize the moth as prey if it does not display its wings or if any part of it is concealed.^[3]

7 Ants And Spider Ants

Ant mimicry (also called myrmecomorphy) is found in quite a few spider species. In fact, about 300 species of spiders take on the appearance of one ant or another. The mimicry serves two purposes. One is to deceive the ants, and the other is to deceive its predators, which will usually avoid ants.

These copycat spiders have spots that resemble the compound eyes of ants. They also have reflective hairs that make their thorax and abdomens look like those of ants. Most even walk in zigzag manners as an ant would. To appear more convincing, they make periodic stops and move their two front legs close to their heads to imitate an ant’s antennae.

Spiders like the ground spider mimic ants to deceive other ants. The spider hunts and kills isolated ants before dragging the body off while pretending to be just another ant trying to help the dead ant. The crab spider does the same thing, except that it drags the ant with a web. This allows it an easy escape if its ruse is discovered.

Other spiders mimic ants to avoid getting eaten by ants, spiders, and birds that consider them prey. These spiders also behave like ants to confuse their predators. They even build their nests close to the ants they mimic. This works because ants regularly fight off larger predators despite their smaller size. These predators have learned to avoid the ants—along with spiders disguised as ants.^[4]

6 Rove Beetles And Army Ants

About 12 species of parasitic rove beetles are currently looking like one species of army ant or another. Most army ant colonies have one rove beetle per 5,000 army ants. The rove beetle does this to gain access into the ant colony, where it feeds on the ants’ larvae.

Their bodies have evolved to the point where they look so much like the real thing that even humans cannot tell them apart at a glance. Army ants cannot either, even when they touch the beetles, as they often do.

To be clear, most army ants are blind and actually recognize their colony mates through chemical and tactile cues. The beetles have this covered, too. They clean other ants just to get access to the chemicals the ants use for identification. This makes the beetles undetectable, even by scent. To appear more convincing, the rove beetle participates in every activity with the ants and even follows them on raids.

Scientists say the resemblance between both creatures is fascinating, considering that their last common ancestor was 105 million years ago. That is a really long time, even for evolution. Most creatures with similar characteristics diverged much more recently. In fact, 105 million years ago is when our distant evolutionary ancestors diverged from mice.^[5]

5 Blue Streak Cleaner Wrasses And False Cleanerfish

As you should have guessed from the name, cleaner fish strip other fish clean of harmful and parasitic organisms on their bodies. The relationship is considered mutually beneficial. The cleaner fish get food, while the fish that get cleaned are saved from harmful parasites.

The blue streak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus, left above) is one of the many cleaner fish around. However, the false cleanerfish (Aspidontus tractus, right above) has evolved to look like the blue streak cleaner wrasse. Both fish look and behave so similarly that they are hard to tell apart.

The false cleanerfish runs fake cleaner stations about a meter away from the blue streak cleaner wrasse’s real ones. Sometimes, it even has a couple of real cleaner wrasses around just to appear more convincing. When an unsuspecting fish comes in, the false cleanerfish pretends to be cleaning before biting off a chunk and darting away.^[6]

4 Pit Vipers And Hawk Moth Caterpillars

Hemeroplanes triptolemus is a hawk moth that lives in the forests of Central America. The caterpillar of the species is capable of mimicking pit vipers to send would-be predators fleeing. When threatened, the caterpillar faces the aggressor as a true pit viper would. Then it withdraws its legs and extends the front of its body in such a way that it puffs up to resemble the head of a pit viper.

To complete the mimicry, the caterpillar mimics viper-like curves, scales, and eyes. For lifelike effects, it also throws jabs like a real viper. The appearance is so convincing that it even fools humans. Birds and other caterpillars trying to eat this caterpillar don’t hang around long enough to wonder where the rest of the “viper’s” body went.^[7]

3 Common Wasps And Marmalade Hoverflies

The marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) is often confused with the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris, also called the common yellow-jacket) because of their similar body coloration. Both have black and yellow markings, which make them indistinguishable to their predators and even humans. They look so alike that quite a few people screamed and fled when marmalade hoverflies swarmed several British beaches in 2004.

The common wasp got the color first. The marmalade hoverfly is the copycat. Wasps are generally feared for their painful stings. In humans, those stings can cause anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death. The marmalade hoverfly is harmless but mimics the wasps for protection against its many predators, including birds.

There are differences between the common wasp and the marmalade hoverfly despite their extensive similarities. Wasps have four wings, while hoverflies have just two. Wasps also have waists in between their thoraxes and abdomens, while marmalade hoverflies have none. Hoverflies also tend to fly sideways, which wasps rarely do.^[8]

2 Flesh Flies And Fly-Mimicking Weevils

As you should have guessed, the aptly named fly-mimicking weevil (Timorus sarcophagoides) is weevil that looks like a fly, specificity flesh flies from the Sarcophagidae family. The weevils’ body coloration and markings are similar to the flies’. They also have two large reddish dots on their thorax that look like the eyes of a fly.

The fly-mimicking weevil executes the mimicry so well that it even moves and rubs its legs together as flesh flies do. The idea is to trick potential predators into believing they are flesh flies.

You see, flesh flies are very fast, and birds generally avoid chasing after them because they are difficult to catch. The fly-mimicking weevil is much slower, so the disguise is necessary to make the birds think they are not easy prey. As a result, potential predators just move on to invest their time on other, “slower” insects.

However, the ruse does not always work on entomologists, who will often want to inspect the weevil. The weevil quickly realizes the game is up and just retracts its legs and rolls over until it falls to the ground, pretending to be dead. A very clever insect we have here.^[9]

1 Nymphister Kronaueri Masquerades As Part Of An Army Ant

Some new creature always pops up whenever we think we’ve seen it all. What do we make of the so-called ant lovers (aka myrmecophiles), a group of organisms that just love to hang around ants? Scientists are not sure why they do, but they think it has a lot to do with the fact that ants are good at finding food.

Nymphister kronaueri is one of these ant lovers. The beetle attaches itself in between the thorax and abdomen of army ants without being noticed. The beetle gets a free ride, along with the free food it probably already receives from the ants. Scientists have also observed that the beetle prefers to attach itself to the bodies of medium-sized ants. They do not know why but think it has to do with N. kronaueri wanting to trick the ant into thinking it is actually a part of the ant’s abdomen.^[10]

CBR (Chemical, Biological and Radiological) Warfare seems like a modern invention, however it has its roots back to Ancient times. It was originally described in the Greek Myths, as Hercules dipped arrows in venom and plagues were unleashed upon armies. Perhaps it was those tales that inspired some of these heinous creations.

By today’s standards this may be the most inhumane form of warfare, however battle commanders and generals have always sought many ways to take advantage of the opposing forces. This often involved utilizing any means necessary. Gruesome, painful, and cruel, this list describes poison plants, venom, primitive incendiary devices, and more grizzly tactics used in ancient warfare.

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10 Poison Arrows

One of the first places the ancients looked to for poisons was in botanical sources. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew of at least 2 dozen dangerous plants, these were often used for medicinal purposes and through trial and errors proper dosages were discovered. Many of them were beneficial in small amounts but became toxic in larger doses. One of the most popular plants was known as Hellebore, an all-purpose medicinal plant commonly prescribed by early doctors. These plants were not easy to gather and those who collected them were known to occasionally fall ill and die. In heavy doses it caused muscle cramps, convulsions, delirium, and heart attacks, this made Hellebore an excellent choice for arrow poisons.^[1]

9 Contaminating Water

Hellebore was not just useful for poisoning arrows, in this account the Greeks used it in a more sinister way. During the First Sacred War, around 590 BC, besiegers of the strongly fortified city of Kirrha cut the water pipes leading into the city. After which they gathered a large quantity of Hellebore and placed it in in the water source. Once the townsfolk were suffering from intense thirst, they reconnected the water supply, now poisoned. The Kirrhans became violently sick to their stomachs and were so weakened by diarrhea that they took the city without opposition. Depending on the account this military strategy has been attributed to at least 4 different Generals, but whoever contrived this plan was a twisted, yet effective leader.^[2]

8 Catapulting Corpses

Perhaps the most common story of Ancient Bio Warfare stems from this account. In 1346 the Mongols had an outbreak of Bubonic Plague amongst their troops. It did not take long for them to learn that proximity to a victim or corpse would spread the disease, so naturally they realized they could weaponize it. A few catapult shots later and the city of Kaffa was littered with plague-ridden corpses of the Mongols own troops. This would be the introduction of the dreaded disease to Europe. Spreading disease was not the only desired effect of this tactic. The psychological effects that it had on the opposing troops was demoralizing and terrifying. The idea for this type of warfare has always been to incite panic and fear, and this tactic no doubt accomplished that well.^[3]

7 Envenomated swords

While poisonous plants and herbs were effective for certain regions, during Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Middle East an even deadlier method was discovered. In 326 BC Alexander and his army arrived at the fortified city of Harmatelia, which was most likely located in modern day Pakistan. Reportedly the Harmatelians were oddly confident in their victory, the Greeks soon learned the reason why. Their swords and arrowhead were coated with a drug of mortal effect, it was said that even a small scratch would kill a man. This poison was derived from snakes, most likely a type of viper. These snakes were killed and left to rot in the sun, as the heat decomposed the flesh the venom mixed with the liquefying tissue. Descriptions of the poison’s effects are vivid. A wounded man immediately went numb, suffering stabbing pains and convulsions, next their skin became cold and they vomited bile. It is stated that black froth spewed from the wound and gangrene spread rapidly, bringing a horrible death.^[4]

6 Lime Dust

Several forms of toxic smoke and gasses were implemented by ancient people. Burning noxious items to create clouds of smoke to deter opponents was common, it was however hard to control, as a shift in the wind could cause this to fail miserably. The Chinese developed an interesting way to manage this. In AD 178 China used an early form of tear gas to quell an armed peasant revolt. Powdered limestone dust was equipped on horse drawn chariots with bellows attached to blow the dust forward with the wind. When the dust interacts with moist membranes such as the eyes and nose, the effects are corrosive, blinding and suffocating those inhaling it. This tactic created an effective fog, this combined with stampeding horses, loud gongs and drums the rioters were thrown into chaos and overwhelmed. Methods such as this are still used to this day, with modern tear gas or pepper spray, and while the wind can still be a problem modern gas masks have minimized this threat.^[5]

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5 Beehive bombs

Among the first projectile weapons used in warfare were hornet nests and beehives. Swarms of bees had been known to invade cities, forcing evacuations, this led to a natural realization that the stinging pest could be used to repel attackers. Of course, there was danger in this for both parties. Tales suggest hornets’ nests were plugged with mud and carefully transported, and bees were persuaded to colonize special containers. Using smoke to tranquilize bees was a tactic known since antiquity, there is also evidence of special powders to calm the insects before release. In World War 1 tripwires were set up along the enemy’s route that would release hives. During a siege, nests were thrown into tunnels dug by the besiegers to deter their advance. Deploying stinging insects can be dated back to biblical times and even as recently as the Vietnam War where Vietcong soldiers set up booby-traps with Asian honeybees against American soldiers.^[6]

4 Flaming arrows

As early as the 9th century accounts describing the use of flaming arrows exist. The first of these incendiary missiles were simply arrows wrapped in plant material such as straw or hemp. In early times these were highly effective against wooden wall and structures, however as time progressed, they became less efficient. They had no effect on stone walls and could be easily snuffed out with water. The search began for chemical additives that could cause the fires to burn fiercer and become more resistant to dousing with water. The earliest additive was pitch, flammable resin tapped from pine trees. This sticky sap achieved the desired effects. Arrows dipped in the sap and ignited burned hotter and longer than their counterparts. This led to other uses, soon pitch would be poured onto invading attackers and lit bags of pitch were hurled down from the tops of walls. Also, useful to combat siege engines these tactics were used for hundreds of years.^[7]

3 Toxic honey

In perhaps the strangest tale not one but 2 invading armies were defeated, hundreds of years apart not by a weapon, but by a delicious treat. In 401 BC in the land of Colchis (near modern Turkey) Xenophon, a hoplite commander, stopped his men at a seemingly perfect place to camp. The Colchian village was well stocked with food and even offered the special treat of wild honey, which the hungry soldiers soon found and raided. Soon after the troops succumbed to a strange affliction, delirious and behaving like intoxicated madmen, they soon were collapsing by the thousands. The men were completely incapacitated and some even died. This mad honey was produced by bees that collected nectar from poisonous rhododendron blossoms. Even today a small spoonful is added to milk or alcoholic beverages for an additional kick, however one not familiar with the effects can easily overdose. 4 centuries later this would happen again to a Roman army in the same region. It is often speculated the other ways in which this honey may have been used in warfare.^[8]

2 Scorpion Bombs

Wasps and Bees were not the only insects weaponized in combat, reports also describe the use of scorpions, assassin bugs, and various beetles. These creatures were abundant in the desert and were utilized against the Romans during their attempts at controlling Mesopotamia. In the fortified city of Hatra, the citizens prepared a strong defense against the Roman invaders, clay pot “bombs” filled with scorpions. These earthenware pots were then sealed and dropped onto the invading forces. The Scorpions reportedly lurked under every stone and clod of dirt and the King would reward those who could kill the most to ensure safe travels. Bites from these insects was said to be incredibly painful inflicting a lingering death that would last three days, this was accompanied by great agitation, sweating, convulsions, and swollen genitals. Certainly, something that once witnessed would incite paranoia.^[9]

1 Greek Fire

One of the most devastating ancient weapons ever described was the notorious Greek Fire. This was reportedly based on the development of an effective distillation and siphoning pump technologies. This allowed a flammable mixture to be pressurized and pumped from boats, creating a launch-able stream of liquid fire. The main ingredient of the mixture was said to be Naphtha, a chemical that had been used in firebombs and dumped off castle walls for years. Pumping pressurized and distilled Naphtha through tubes aimed at ships was certainly a brilliant feat of engineering for the time, and the exact delivery method was a heavily guarded secret and is now lost to time. Resembling modern Napalm, this would have been a terrifying weapon to deal with, the only defenses described included draping the ship in wet hides, only sailing in stormy weather, or attempting dangerous evasive maneuvers.^[10]

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About The Author: Brad D Fuller is a retired US Navy Sailor living in small town Ohio. He is also a Board Game Designer and Collector.