托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to discuss a fascinating concept in animal behavior: deceptive mimicry. This is when an animal uses signals or appearances to deceive other species, often for survival. The key point is that these deceptive signals exploit the sensory systems of the intended receiver, leading them to behave in ways that benefit the mimic. Let me give you two clear examples. First, the alligator snapping turtle. It has a worm-like appendage on its tongue that it wiggles to attract fish. The fish, thinking it's a tasty worm, swims close, and the turtle snaps it up. Here, the deception targets the fish's visual system, specifically its instinct to identify small moving objects as prey. Second, consider the orchid mantis. This insect resembles a pink orchid flower. It sits among real flowers, and pollinators like bees approach it, expecting nectar. Instead, the mantis captures and eats them. In this case, the deception exploits the bee's color vision and learned association between flower shape and food. So in both examples, the mimic's success relies on the receiver's natural or learned responses to certain signals.