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. There are two main types we'll focus on: Batesian mimicry and Müllerian mimicry. In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a dangerous one to fool predators. For example, the scarlet king snake, which is non-venomous, has evolved to have the same red, yellow, and black banding as the venomous coral snake. Predators avoid the king snake because they mistake it for the dangerous coral snake. In Müllerian mimicry, two or more dangerous species evolve to look alike, which helps them share the cost of teaching predators. For instance, several species of stinging bees and wasps have similar black-and-yellow stripes. By looking alike, they reinforce the warning, so predators learn more quickly to avoid all of them, benefiting each species.