Mimicry is one of the eeriest feats of evolution. An insect doesn’t know what a leaf looks like, and yet some species have evolved to resemble leaves down to the finest details. Their mimicry emerges from the ruthless cycle of evolution. The ancestors of leaf insects produced lots of genetic variation, thanks to mutations and mating. Some of that variation affected how they looked. Birds have been feasting on the insects for millions of years, and their victims have tended to be the easiest ones for them to see against their leafy background. The insects that were harder tended to survive and reproduce. Over time, evolution acted like a sculptor, turning an ordinary insect body into a shape that blended in with the surrounding leaves.
But the mimicry of leaf insects, as cool as it may be, is simple stuff compared to what’s evolved in other species. Continue reading “Nature’s Double Con”
