Mimicry Monarch versus Viceroy Butterfly Worksheet Mimicry (noun) – a morphological adaptation in which one species evolves to resemble another species for

Mimicry Monarch versus Viceroy Butterfly Worksheet Mimicry (noun) – a morphological adaptation in which one species evolves to resemble another species for protection or other advantages.

What is an example of mimicry that occurs in the wild?

One example (of many) would be the monarch butterfly and viceroy butterfly. These butterflies are two different species, however, the viceroy butterfly has evolved to look almost exactly like the monarch butterfly. This gives the viceroy butterfly a huge advantage. Monarch butterflies taste pretty bad to many of their predators (read more here), so predators who see viceroy butterflies are more likely to mistake them for monarchs and avoid trying to eat them. This increases the viceroy butterflies’ likelihood of survival, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of reproduction and ultimate survival of the species as a whole. However, it is now thought that the same might be true for monarch butterflies, in that they hold an advantage by looking nearly identical to the viceroy butterflies (read more here).

How do I use that example of mimicry to complete this assignment?

This assignment is titled “QI” for “Quick Investigation”, because it is simply that. In this assignment you will take a few minutes to read about and compare both monarch and viceroy butterflies, then answer some questions. Here are the steps to completion:

Step 1: Download this PDF file right here.

Step 2: Look at the websites below to learn about both types of butterflies:

Emory University Scholarly Blogs – Survival of the Fittest: Monarch and Viceroy Butterflies
Journey North: Monarch or Viceroy?
Nature Works: Viceroy Butterfly
University of Florida: Viceroy Butterfly
Google Search: Viceroy monarch butterflies

Step 3: Gather data from these websites and include this under “Data and Observations”. This should include comparisons of the following:

Size
Body shape
Wing shape
Colors
Patterns/markings

Step 4: Be sure to keep a list of which websites you used. If you want to find other websites, you can. “Google” is not a source or a website, by the way.

Step 5: Answer questions 1 and 2 under “Analysis”. Your hypothesis does not need to be correct – I just want to know what YOU think.. what your

thoughts are