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Mimicry Quiz

How much do you know about the art of deception? Test your mimicry know-how with this eight-question quiz.

Managing Editor, NGM.com Rob Covey Flash Developer Stefan Estrada Editing & Styling Nancy Gupton Researcher Marisa Larson /2009/08/mimicry/img/mimicry-leaf2-470.jpg A tropical Geometridae caterpillar. Photograph by Christian Ziegler 7 Excellent job. Nicely done. Your knowledge of nature's scam artists could be better. You may want to try again. 0 It nibbles in tandem with the leaf's original pattern It matches the leaf in color It is shaped like a leaf spine All of the above 4 1 Big eye mouthbrooder Anglerfish Hora's loach Tiger barb 2 2 Humpback whales Mosquitoes Songbirds Dolphins 2 4 Cinnamon Dead meat Lavender Gasoline 2 5 By blending in with cave walls By glowing brightly and blinding the nocturnal bats By imitating the sound of a toxic moth By releasing a noxious odor 3 6 By secreting a knockoff of a female moth's scent By blending into tree branches By disguising itself as moth food By flashing bright eyes at the moths 1 7 Myrmarachne jumping spiders have evolved to look like what other insect?]]> Beetles Ants Walking sticks Moths 2 Myrmarachne jumping spiders have evolved to look like ants in order to take advantage of the ants' bad reputation as aggressive and noxious. This strategy isn't foolproof, though—male spiders with their enlarged fangs resemble ants carrying bundles, which means that they fall prey to predators that target encumbered ants least likely to fight back. ]]> 8 Pincers Stingers Eyes Fangs 3