托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about animal adaptation, specifically how some species use camouflage in surprising ways. Now, most people think camouflage is just about blending in with the background to hide from predators. But my main point today is that camouflage can also be used for hunting—to help predators sneak up on their prey. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the leaf fish. This is a freshwater fish that lives in rivers in South America. Its body is shaped and colored exactly like a dead leaf, and it even has a small appendage that looks like a leaf stem. When it floats near the surface, it looks just like a fallen leaf drifting in the water. Small fish and insects come near it, not realizing it's a predator, and then the leaf fish strikes quickly. Second, take the orchid mantis. This insect lives in tropical areas and has legs that resemble pink and white orchid petals. It sits on flowers and waits. Bees and butterflies approach, thinking it's just part of the flower, and then the mantis grabs them. So in both cases, the camouflage doesn't hide the animal from danger—it hides the predator from its food.