托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry'—specifically, how some animals use mimicry not to hide from predators, but to attract prey. This is called 'aggressive mimicry.' The key point is that these predators imitate something that is attractive or harmless to their prey, luring them in close enough to strike. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the female firefly of the genus Photuris. She mimics the flashing light pattern of a different species, Photinus, which is a common prey for her. When a male Photinus sees the flash, he thinks it's a potential mate and flies toward her—only to become her meal. Second, think of the anglerfish, which lives in the deep, dark ocean. It has a fleshy growth on its head that glows due to bioluminescent bacteria. This glowing lure mimics a small, swimming creature. Smaller fish, attracted by the light, swim right up to the anglerfish's mouth, and then it snaps them up. So in both cases, the predator uses deception—imitating a signal that is normally associated with food or a mate—to bring prey within reach.