Danilo Russo News Today

Batesian mimicry — where a harmless species mimics a harmful one to escape predators — is widespread in animals.  But most recorded examples of the phenomena are visual. For instance, the harmless scarlet kingsnakes have evolved to resemble a venomous species, while the flower-loving hoverflies have adopted the persona of stinging wasps.   Now,  for the first time, researchers have uncovered a mammal that has developed acoustic Batesian mimicry to scare away predators. 

Scientists have discovered a clever mimicry trick used by some bats: theyll buzz like hornets when they think theyre under threat from predators, giving the sonic impression theyre more dangerous than they actually are.

The researchers noticed that playing recordings of the buzzing emitted by the bats to captive owls during experiments led the latter to move away from the... 12.05.2022, Sputnik International

Animals cope differently in escaping their predators. In time, many species have long been found to evolve their sense of urgency and skill to discourage predation. One of the "most fascinating phenomena in nature" is mimicry.

It is their way of spooking predators | Science & technology

Greater mouse-eared bats are preyed upon by owls, but the owls themselves likely avoid hornets, for fear of getting stung. New research suggests that the bats take advantage of this fact, by buzzing like hornets to keep owls at bay.

Scientists have discovered that the animals imitate the behaviour of another more dangerous species to trick their foes

Mouse-eared bats make sounds like buzzing hornets, in an apparent attempt to avoid avian predation—a remarkable adaptation not previously seen in a mammal

The behavior is the first example of a mammal mimicking a more-dangerous species.

To avoid being snagged in the talons of a ravenous owl, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) mimics the intense buzz of an angry hornet and thus scares off its potential predators.