TOEFL 말하기 Task 3

The concept of 'behavioral adaptation' refers to the actions or behaviors that animals develop over time to survive in their environment. Unlike physical adaptations, which involve changes to the body, behavioral adaptations are learned or instinctive responses that help an organism cope with challenges such as finding food, avoiding predators, or reproducing. These behaviors can be innate, like migration, or acquired through observation and experience. Behavioral adaptations increase an animal's fitness and are shaped by natural selection over generations.

Professor: So let me give you a concrete example of behavioral adaptation. Consider the coyote in the western United States. When humans moved into their habitat, coyotes faced new dangers from cars and hunters. Instead of changing their physical body, they altered their behavior. They learned to become more active at night, avoiding daytime human activity. Also, they began to forage in suburban areas, but they learned to avoid garbage bins that were set out too early or left in open spaces. Instead, they waited until night when fewer people were around. This nocturnal shift and careful foraging are not something they were born with; they observed and adapted. Over time, these behaviors became more common in the population because coyotes that used them survived better and reproduced more. So this is a clear case of behavioral adaptation in response to environmental pressure.