Müllerian mimicry
Shared warning coloration
Müllerian mimicry is a phenomenon in which two or more unpalatable or dangerous species evolve to resemble each other, sharing the cost of teaching predators to avoid them.
Unlike Batesian mimicry, where a harmless species imitates a harmful one, all participants in Müllerian mimicry are genuinely unpleasant to eat or otherwise dangerous.
Many species of stinging wasps and bees share similar yellow-and-black patterns through this arrangement.
- predatorOrganism that consumes others
- co-evolutionReciprocal evolutionary influence
- warning colorationConspicuous hues signaling unpalatability
- stingSharp wound from insect
- dangerExposure to harm
convergent evolution · coral snake · convergence · poison dart frog · defensive behavior · bitter · unpalatability · poison · pattern · mutualism · imitation · yellow · warning · natural selection · deception · venom · bright colors · bee