托福口语 Task 4

Now let's talk about a fascinating survival strategy in the animal kingdom: camouflage, but not the kind you might think. Many animals use camouflage to hide from predators or prey, but some use what we call 'aggressive mimicry' to deceive others. This is when an animal mimics a harmless or attractive object to lure in its prey. Let me give you two examples. First, the anglerfish. This deep-sea fish has a fleshy growth on its head that glows and wiggles like a small fish. When a smaller fish approaches to eat this 'bait', the anglerfish quickly snaps it up. Second, consider the orchid mantis. It has pink and white legs that resemble orchid petals, and it sits motionless on flowers. Bees and butterflies, attracted to the supposed blossom, land on it—only to become the mantis's meal. In both cases, the predators use deception to turn their appearance into a trap.