In biology, mimesis (from ancient Greek μίμησις mímēsis, "imitation")[1] refers to a form of crypsis where living creatures mimic the form, colour and posture of their surroundings to avoid being noticed from their surroundings by predators depending on sight.[2] Mimesis is a form of crypsis and thus differs from mimicry, which is a form of aposematism.[3] In English mimesis is often counted as a form of mimicry.[3]
Mimesis can be divided by the type of objects being mimicked:
This type of mimicry developed already 50 million years ago in micromoths, whose quivers in their larval stage resembled the forest soil. Evidence of this has been preserved in Baltic amber.[4]