托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to discuss a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry'. Mimicry occurs when one species evolves to resemble another species, often to gain a survival advantage. There are two main types: Batesian mimicry and Müllerian mimicry. Let me give you examples. In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a dangerous or toxic one to avoid predators. For instance, the scarlet king snake, which is harmless, has the same red, yellow, and black banding pattern as the venomous coral snake. Birds that have learned to avoid the coral snake also avoid the king snake, even though it's not dangerous. In Müllerian mimicry, two or more distasteful species come to resemble each other, which helps both because predators learn to avoid them more quickly. For example, several species of stinging bees and wasps share similar black-and-yellow striped patterns. When a young bird tries to eat one and gets stung, it learns to avoid all insects with that pattern, benefiting both species.