托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to discuss a fascinating phenomenon in animal behavior known as 'biological mimicry' — specifically, when animals evolve to look like other species to gain an advantage. There are two main types: defensive mimicry, where an animal avoids predators by resembling a dangerous or unpalatable species, and aggressive mimicry, where a predator mimics a harmless or attractive species to lure prey. Let me give you two examples. First, the scarlet king snake, which is harmless, mimics the venomous coral snake. Both have red, yellow, and black bands, but in different orders. Predators learn to avoid the coral snake, and they also avoid the king snake, giving it protection. Second, the female firefly of the genus Photuris mimics the flash patterns of Photinus fireflies. Photinus males are attracted to the Photuris female's deceptive signals, thinking they've found a mate. When they approach, the Photuris female captures and eats them. So, in both cases, mimicry evolves because it directly increases the mimic's chances of survival or reproduction.