托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating adaptation in the animal kingdom: mimicry. Specifically, I want to discuss how certain harmless species have evolved to imitate dangerous or unpalatable ones to increase their chances of survival. This is called Batesian mimicry. Let me give you two clear examples. First, consider the scarlet king snake. This snake is non-venomous, but it has bright red, yellow, and black bands very similar to the coral snake, which is highly venomous. Predators that have learned to avoid the coral snake will also avoid the harmless king snake. Second, think about the hoverfly. This insect looks almost exactly like a bee, with yellow and black stripes. Even though the hoverfly cannot sting, its resemblance to a bee deters birds and other predators that have had painful experiences with real bees. In both cases, the mimic gains protection without actually having the dangerous features of the model species.