Grades: 1-6
*This is a lesson I taught to first through sixth grade students as part of a weeklong science camp.
1. Discuss with students how some animals are dangerous and some animals copy those that are dangerous (even though they are not) in order to not be hunted. This is called mimicry.
2. Show students two pictures at a time (one dangerous, one the mimic).
3. Have the students predict which one is which. Have them fill out their predictions on their worksheet.
4. Tell students the truth = which one is dangerous and which one is the mimic.
Answers:
Bees: A is the Hoover Fly (mimic)
B is the Stinging Honeybee
Butterflies: A is the Viceroy (mimic)
B is the foul-tasting Monarch
Snakes: A is the poisonous Coral Snake
B is the Arizona King (mimic)
Eel: A is the Plesiopid Fish (mimic)
B is the Deadly White Moray Eel
What else do you notice about these two creatures?
The first picture (Plesiopid Fish) is actually the tail of the creature. It has a spot on its tail that mimics the Eel’s eye.
