托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry,' where one species evolves to resemble another. The main point I want to emphasize is that mimicry can serve two very different purposes: protection from predators or deception for hunting. Let me give you two examples to clarify this. First, consider the king snake, which is harmless but has evolved to look like the venomous coral snake. Its bright red, yellow, and black bands mimic the coral snake's warning colors. Predators, like birds, learn to avoid the coral snake after a bad experience, and they also avoid the king snake because it looks similar. This is protective mimicry. Second, think of the anglerfish, a deep-sea predator. It has a fleshy growth on its head that glows and wiggles, mimicking a small worm or shrimp. When a curious fish approaches to eat this 'bait,' the anglerfish snaps it up. This is aggressive mimicry, where the resemblance helps the predator trick its prey. So, to summarize, mimicry is not just about looking like something else—it's about survival, either by hiding from danger or by luring in a meal.