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 look or behave like another species, often to gain a survival advantage. The main point I want to emphasize is that mimicry can be either defensive or aggressive, and these two types serve very different purposes. Let me give you two examples. First, the monarch butterfly is toxic to predators because it feeds on milkweed. The viceroy butterfly, however, is not toxic, but it has evolved to look almost identical to the monarch. This is defensive mimicry—predators avoid the viceroy because they mistake it for the toxic monarch. Second, consider the anglerfish. This deep-sea fish has a lure that looks like a small worm or fish, which it dangles in front of its mouth. When a smaller fish approaches to eat the lure, the anglerfish quickly snaps it up. This is aggressive mimicry, where the predator uses deception to attract prey. So, in both cases, mimicry helps the organism survive, but one is to avoid being eaten, and the other is to catch food.