托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating survival strategy used by some animals called 'autotomy' – the voluntary shedding of a body part to escape predators. The main point is that while autotomy costs the animal energy and resources, the immediate benefit of escaping predation outweighs these long-term costs. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the green anole lizard. When a predator grabs its tail, the lizard can break off its tail at a special fracture point. The tail keeps wiggling for a few minutes, distracting the predator while the lizard runs away. The lizard eventually regrows its tail, but this takes a lot of energy and the new tail is often shorter and less flexible. Second, think about certain species of sea stars, like the blue starfish. If a bird or a crab attacks one of its arms, the sea star can detach that arm from its body. The arm is left behind, allowing the rest of the sea star to escape. The lost arm can regenerate over several months, but during that time, the sea star may be less able to move efficiently and may be more vulnerable to future attacks.