托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry.' Mimicry is when one species evolves to resemble another species, often to gain a survival advantage. There are two main types of mimicry: Batesian and Müllerian. Let me give you two examples. In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a dangerous or toxic one to fool predators. For instance, the scarlet king snake, which is non-venomous, has evolved to look very similar to the deadly coral snake. Predators avoid the king snake because they mistake it for the coral snake. In contrast, Müllerian mimicry occurs when two or more harmful species evolve to look alike. This way, predators learn to avoid them more quickly. For example, the monarch butterfly and the viceroy butterfly both taste bad to birds. Because they look similar, birds that have eaten one will avoid both species, reducing the number of each butterfly eaten. So, mimicry is a powerful evolutionary tool that helps species survive by either tricking predators or sharing the cost of predator education.