Batesian mimicry

[ beyt-see-uhn ]

/ ˈbeɪt si ən /

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noun Ecology.

the protective resemblance in appearance of a palatable or harmless species, as the viceroy butterfly, to an unpalatable or dangerous species, as the monarch butterfly, that is usually avoided by predators.

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Compare Müllerian mimicry.

Origin of Batesian mimicry

After Henry Walter Bates (1825–92), English naturalist, who described such mimicry in 1861; see -ian

Words nearby Batesian mimicry

bateau neck, bateleur, bateleur eagle, batement light, Bates, Batesian mimicry, Bateson, BATF, batfish, batfowl, bat girl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Batesian mimicry in a sentence

Mimicry is an ingenious survival technique, albeit one that is of little use against bulldozers and chainsaws.
Exploring the Amazon, While We Still Can|Darrell Hartman|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this was an element of Jeff that I understood; his mimicry and his retention for music and melody.
‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’: Penn Badgley on Playing Late Musician Jeff Buckley|Richard Porton|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We were speaking of the faculty of mimicry, and he told me such a funny little anecdote about Chopin.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Caroline, during this time, is busy with an alarming piece of mimicry: she looks as if she were going to faint.
The Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete|Honore de Balzac

One thing in connection with Chopin's mimicry has to be particularly noted—it is very characteristic of the man.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
Her powers of mimicry, too, particularly of the different dialects of France, have seldom been surpassed.
Queens of the French Stage|H. Noel Williams
The strangers assembled to see our childish mimicry of passion were witnesses to a highly-wrought dramatic scene in real life.
The Blue Jar Story Book|Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for Batesian mimicry

Batesian mimicry

/ (ˈbeɪtsɪən) /

noun

zoology mimicry in which a harmless species is protected from predators by means of its resemblance to a harmful or inedible species

Word Origin for Batesian mimicry

C19: named after H. W. Bates (1825–92), British naturalist and explorer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Batesian mimicry

Batesian mimicry

[ bāt′sē-ən ]

A form of protective mimicry in which an unprotected species (the mimic) closely resembles an unpalatable or harmful species (the model), and therefore is similarly avoided by predators. The close resemblance between certain harmless flies and stinging bees, and the similarity between the colored stripes of the nonpoisonous king snake and those of the highly venomous coral snake, are examples of Batesian mimicry. Batesian mimicry is named after the British naturalist Henry Walter Bates (1825-92). Compare aggressive mimicry Müllerian mimicry.