Data from: Larger frogs are better mimics but are more risk-averse in a non-toxic poison frog

Aposematic species signal to potential predators with salient and
recognisable colouration. Predators learn to associate these warning
signals with secondary defences (e.g., toxins) and will subsequently avoid
attacking aposematic prey. Warning signals can therefore reduce the need
to hide and/or flee and alleviate some of the energetic/opportunity costs
of predator avoidance. Consequently, aposematic species are frequently
active and bold in behaviour. Batesian mimics replicate the colours, and
often the behaviour, of aposematic species and may benefit from a similar
reduction in predation risk and energetic/opportunity costs. Allobates
zaparo (Aromobatidae) is a non-toxic Batesian mimic of the chemically
defended poison frog *Ameerega bilinguis *(Dendrobatidae). However, the
efficacy of mimicry appears to change throughout ontogeny as Al. zaparo
develops from a seemingly cryptic juvenile to the mimetic adult. We
examined how morphological mimicry (i.e., colour) and the propensity to
explore a novel environment (i.e., boldness) changed throughout ontogeny.
We predicted that mimicry would improve with increasing size and that
better mimics would engage in more exploratory behaviour. We found that
larger mimics more closely matched their model however they were less
likely to be active than were smaller frogs. These data suggest that
larger size, and more accurate mimicry, do not necessarily correspond to
increases in behavioural boldness. This result may arise from limitations
in Batesian mimicry but factors including foraging requirements or
social/reproductive behaviour cannot be discounted. More research is
needed to understand the relationship between behaviour, colour, body
size, and maturity in these frogs and across Batesian mimics more widely.