Not the sincerest form of flattery;The puzzle of imperfect Batesian mimicry by Dr Tom Reader

Cheating is rife in nature, with prey imitating less palatable species to deceive their prey. But why do they sometimes get it so wrong?

About this event

This form of deception, known as Batesian mimicry, provides some exquisite examples of evolution by natural selection, and has fascinated biologists since Darwin’s time. However, many conspicuous mimics are far from perfect imitations of their supposed models. So why have they not evolved to be better? Here, Dr Tom Reader will explore possible answers to this question, and show that imperfect mimicry is a powerful test-case for our understanding of how natural selection shapes the appearance of organisms in the natural world.

This event has now concluded, but a recording of the full lecture can be found here.