托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in biology called 'mimicry'—specifically, how some harmless species have evolved to imitate dangerous ones to survive. This is known as Batesian mimicry. Let me give you two clear examples. First, consider the scarlet king snake. It is non-venomous, but it has bright red, yellow, and black bands that closely resemble the deadly coral snake. Predators that have learned to avoid coral snakes—because of their potent venom—will also avoid the king snake, even though it poses no real threat. This protection is crucial for the king snake as it hunts for food in open areas. Second, think about the hoverfly. This insect is completely harmless and cannot sting, but it has yellow and black stripes on its body, mimicking a wasp. Birds and other predators, after a painful encounter with a wasp, will steer clear of anything that looks similar. As a result, the hoverfly can feed on flowers without being attacked. So, in both cases, the mimic gains a survival advantage by fooling predators into mistaking them for a more dangerous species.