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 some harmless species have evolved to mimic the appearance of dangerous or poisonous species to avoid being eaten by predators. This is known as Batesian mimicry. Let me give you two classic examples. First, consider the scarlet king snake. This non-venomous snake has bright red, yellow, and black bands, which look almost identical to the deadly coral snake. Predators that have learned to avoid coral snakes will also avoid the king snake, giving it protection. Second, think about the hoverfly. This insect has black and yellow stripes, resembling a wasp, even though it has no stinger. Birds and other insect-eaters, having had painful experiences with wasps, tend to leave hoverflies alone. In both cases, the mimic gains a survival advantage by deceiving predators through visual similarity.