Homeschool: April Fools and Foes - Animal Mimicry

"Nature creates similarities; one need only think of mimicry." - Walter Benjamin

Have you ever seen a stick walk or a leaf fly? How about getting confused at which end of a snake is the tail and which is the head? Or maybe you were surprised to see the large eyes of an owl suddenly turn into a butterfly?

Come join our rangers to learn about five types of mimicry in the animal kingdom: Batesian mimicry, Müllerian mimicry, aggressive/defensive mimicry, automimicry, and host mimicry. Each of these adaptive traits have evolved for different reasons of deception and survival, from a snapping turtle using it's worm-like tongue to lure in fish, to bees imitating aggressive wasps to keep predators at bay. At the end of this program, will you be able to pick out the fools from the foes?

This program will begin in the Visitor Center before going outside for a short walk, as time allows. Make sure to dress for the weather and wear closed-toed shoes!

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