托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating behavior in the animal kingdom: mimicry. Now, mimicry isn't just about looking like another animal for camouflage. Sometimes, animals use mimicry to trick other species into helping them, and this is called 'aggressive mimicry.' Let me give you two examples. First, consider the anglerfish. It lives in the deep, dark ocean where food is scarce. It has a fleshy growth on its head that dangles in front of its mouth, and this growth glows and wiggles like a small fish. When a hungry predator comes close to catch what it thinks is a meal, the anglerfish quickly snaps it up. So, the anglerfish uses the mimic of a prey item to lure its own prey. Second, think of the orchid mantis. This insect has a body that looks exactly like a pink and white orchid flower. It sits on a plant, and when a pollinator, like a bee or butterfly, approaches to collect nectar from what it believes is a flower, the mantis grabs it. So, again, the mantis mimics a harmless, attractive object to attract its food. In both cases, the mimicry is not for hiding, but for attracting victims.