托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating adaptation in the animal kingdom: mimicry. But not just any mimicry—I'm focusing on aggressive mimicry, where a predator uses deception to lure its prey. The key point is that aggressive mimicry involves the predator resembling something that is attractive or harmless to its prey, thereby increasing its hunting success. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the anglerfish. It lives in the dark depths of the ocean. It has a fleshy growth on its head that glows and wiggles like a small fish. Smaller fish are attracted to this light, thinking it's food. When they approach, the anglerfish snaps them up. Second, think of the bolas spider. This spider doesn't build a web. Instead, it releases a chemical that mimics the pheromone of a female moth. Male moths fly toward the scent, expecting to find a mate. As they get close, the spider swings a sticky ball on a thread, captures the moth, and eats it. So in both cases, the predator exploits the prey's natural attractions—whether for food or for mating—to catch them easily.