托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating behavior in the animal kingdom: cooperative hunting. Some species hunt in groups, but the level of cooperation varies. My main point is that true cooperative hunting involves individuals taking on different roles that benefit the whole group, not just hunting in the same place at the same time. Let me give you two examples to clarify this. First, consider lions. Female lions in a pride often hunt together. But they don't all do the same thing. Some act as 'drivers,' circling around and stampeding prey towards the others, while other lions lie in wait as 'ambushers.' Each lion has a specific role, and they coordinate their actions to increase the chance of catching a fast animal like a zebra. This is true cooperation. Second, think of dolphins. When a pod of dolphins hunts fish, they work together to create a mud ring around a school of fish. Some dolphins swim in circles, stirring up mud with their tails, which traps the fish in a tight ball. Then, other dolphins take turns swimming through the ball to feed. Again, different individuals perform different functions—some create the trap, others feed—and this coordination benefits the entire pod. So, the key is not just grouping, but role specialization and coordination.