托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating survival strategy in the animal kingdom called 'behavioral thermoregulation.' This is when animals actively adjust their behavior to control their body temperature, rather than relying solely on physical adaptations like fur or fat. The main point is that behavioral actions can be just as important as physical traits for surviving in extreme environments. Let me give you two examples. First, the desert iguana. When the sun gets too hot, the iguana doesn't just lie there—it climbs onto rocks or bushes to get above the hot ground, which can be 20 degrees Celsius hotter than the air. By elevating itself, it exposes its body to cooler air and avoids overheating. Second, consider the honeybee. In winter, bees cluster together in a tight ball inside the hive. The bees on the outside shiver their flight muscles to generate heat, and the cluster slowly rotates so that each bee takes turns being on the cold outer edge and then moving to the warm center. This way, the whole colony maintains a stable temperature without any single bee freezing. So, as you can see, these behaviors are crucial for their survival.