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. This can happen in two main ways: defensive mimicry and aggressive mimicry. Let me give you two clear examples. First, the viceroy butterfly. It looks almost identical to the monarch butterfly, which is toxic to predators. Birds have learned to avoid monarchs, so they also avoid viceroys, even though viceroys are harmless. This is defensive mimicry—the mimic avoids being eaten by copying a dangerous species. Second, consider the anglerfish. It has a fleshy growth that dangles in front of its mouth, resembling a small worm or shrimp. Smaller fish are attracted to this 'bait', and when they come close, the anglerfish snaps them up. This is aggressive mimicry—the mimic attracts prey by imitating something appealing. So, in both cases, mimicry helps the species survive, but the strategy differs: one is to avoid predators, the other to catch prey.