托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry' — specifically, how certain animals use mimicry not just to hide from predators, but to actively attract their prey. This is known as 'aggressive mimicry.' The main point is that some predators have evolved to resemble harmless or attractive objects in their environment, which allows them to get close enough to their prey to catch them. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the anglerfish. It lives in the dark depths of the ocean, where it's hard to see. It has a fleshy growth on its head that glows and wiggles like a small fish or worm. When a smaller fish is attracted to this 'bait,' the anglerfish suddenly snaps it up. The second example is the orchid mantis. This insect looks exactly like a pink orchid flower. It sits on a plant and waits. When a bee or butterfly comes to feed on what it thinks is a flower, the mantis grabs it and eats it. So, in both cases, the predator uses deception — looking like something the prey finds attractive — to get a meal.