article_snippet.sent: Owl butterflies (left) have eye spots that mimic those of pigmy owls (right) to scare off predators like great tits. 
article_snippet.sent: The team were finally able to test the theory by showing great tits pictures of owl butterflies that had been digitally altered, and watching The team reaction.
article_snippet.sent: And the researchers found the butterfly eye spots may even be more terrifying to the great tits than the real animal the researchers are mimicking.
article_snippet.sent: When shown pictures of a pygmy owl with its eyes open the tits reacted strongly and kept away, but pictures of a pygmy owl with its eyes reaction was not as strong as with the butterfly markings.
article_snippet.sent: the researchers flashed up digitally manipulated images of an owls face and the owl butterfly to see how great tits reacted.
article_snippet.sent: the researchers conducted the researchers experiments by placing wild captured great tits into a cage where the floor had been fitted with a computer monitor.
highlights_snippet.sent: Biologists at Jyväskylä University in Finland studied how wild great tits reacted to images of the wings of butterflies and the faces of owls .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: great tits were startled and tried to flee at the sight of owl faces with open eyes, and butterflies that had eye spots on great tits that mimiced owl eyes .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: great tits say great tits study is evidence that butterfly eye spots mimic predators .
  