托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'cooperative hunting.' This is when animals work together to catch prey, which allows them to take down larger or faster animals than they could alone. One key reason for cooperative hunting is that it increases the success rate of capturing food, especially when prey is scarce or difficult to catch individually. Let me give you two examples. First, consider lions in the African savanna. A single lioness hunting alone has only about a 20% success rate. However, when a pride of lionesses works together, they can surround a herd of zebras or wildebeests, and their success rate jumps to over 50%. They coordinate by having some individuals chase the prey toward others who are waiting in ambush. Second, think of orcas, or killer whales, hunting seals on ice floes. A single orca cannot easily flip an ice floe to knock the seal into the water. But a group of orcas will create a wave together to wash the seal off the ice, and then one orca will grab it. This coordinated effort is essential because the prey is otherwise inaccessible. So, cooperative hunting is not just about numbers—it's about strategic coordination that solves specific challenges.