Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Thank Ceiling Cat that readers have responded with some batches of photos for me. But please think of me when you have photos to spare. Today sees the return of Tony Eales from Oz, and he sent us some photos showing mimicry in insects. Tony’s captions are indented, and you can click on the photos … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
Thanks to the readers who sent in photos at my behest. And today we have one of most faithful contributors, Mark Sturtevant, with some lovely photos of arthropods. Mark’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. Last summer I chose to go back to Ohio to spend … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
Today’s batch of photos (we have more!) comes from reader Leo Glenn of western Pennsylvania, who also pays tribute to another contributor. Leo’s text and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. Note the felid lagniappe at the bottom. It’s been a while since I contributed wildlife photos. I’m … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
Today’s photos come from Scott Goeppner, a Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University. His narratives and captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. During the spring, summer, and fall, many of the hedges and flowerpots around Oklahoma State University have flourishing insect populations. All of these … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
For today’s biology lesson as I get my teeth cleaned, here’s a 20-minute video lesson about some salticids—the family of jumping spiders—that mimic ants. As you’ll see, this resemblance appears to be a form of Batesian mimicry, in which the spiders mimic toxic, unpalatable, or dangerous ants. The remarkable near-perfection of this mimicry, in which … Continue reading Ant- and wasp-mimicking jumping spiders
I’ve discussed many types of mimicry over the years, and one of them is Müllerian mimicry, in which a group of species, often not that related, come to mimic each other in appearance. In this form of mimicry, the different species are all aposematic: that is, they have bright warning coloration and obvious patterns, all … Continue reading Mimicry in butterfly flight behavior
I am running low on photos, and in a week this feature might disappear. Help me out, folks, and send me your good wildlife/travel/street photos. Thanks. Today’s photos come from regular Mark Sturtevant, whose IDs and captions are indented. You can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. Most of these pictures are part of an … Continue reading Readers’ wildlife photos
Over five years ago I wrote about a remarkable adaptation in insects: mimicry of snakes. Remember that “holometabolous” insects go through very different life stages, and this includes Lepidoptera, which have larvae that become pupae (also known as “chrysalises”), and out of those pupae hatch the winged adults. The larvae (“caterpillars”) are often highly edible … Continue reading A remarkable pupa that resembles a snake—and moves!
