托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating phenomenon in animal behavior called 'behavioral thermoregulation.' This is when animals actively adjust their behavior to control their body temperature, rather than relying solely on physiological mechanisms like sweating or shivering. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the desert iguana. When the sun gets too intense, the iguana doesn't just lie there and overheat. Instead, it climbs onto a rock and adopts a posture that minimizes its exposure to the sun—it raises its body off the hot surface and faces the sun directly, reducing the surface area that absorbs heat. This allows it to stay active longer during the hottest part of the day. Second, think about honeybees. On hot days, worker bees collect water and bring it back to the hive. They then spread the water over the honeycomb and fan their wings, creating evaporative cooling that lowers the hive's temperature. This behavioral adjustment ensures the hive doesn't overheat, protecting the developing larvae. So, both examples show how animals use specific behaviors to regulate their body temperature in challenging environments.