托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry.' Specifically, I want to focus on how certain harmless species have evolved to imitate dangerous ones to avoid predators. This is known as 'Batesian mimicry.' Let me give you two examples. First, consider the scarlet king snake. It is non-venomous, but it has bright red, yellow, and black bands that closely resemble the venomous coral snake. Predators that have learned to avoid coral snakes will also avoid the king snake, giving it protection. Second, there is the hoverfly. This insect looks like a bee or wasp, with similar yellow and black stripes, but it cannot sting. Birds that have had bad experiences with stinging insects will steer clear of hoverflies. In both cases, the mimic gains a survival advantage without actually having the dangerous traits of the model species.