首页
登录
职称英语
Most people think of lions as strictly African beasts, but only because th
Most people think of lions as strictly African beasts, but only because th
游客
2023-12-18
56
管理
问题
Most people think of lions as strictly African beasts, but only because they’ve been killed off almost everywhere else. Ten thousand years ago lions spanned vast sections of the globe, and so did people, who--as they multiplied and organized—put pressure on competitors at the top of the food chain. Now lions hold only a small fraction of their former habitat, and Asiatic lions, a subspecies that split from African lions perhaps 100,000 years ago, hang on to an almost impossibly small slice of their former domain.
India is the proud steward of these 300 or so lions, which live primarily in a 560-square-mile (1,450-square-kilometer) sanctuary. It took me a year and a half to get a permit to explore the entire Gir Forest—and no time at all to see why these lions became symbols of royalty and greatness. A tiger will slink through the forest unseen, but a lion stands its ground, curious and unafraid—lionhearted. Though they told me in subtle ways when I got too close, Gir’s lions allowed me unique glimpses into their lives during my three months in the forest. It’s odd to think that they are threatened by extinction; Gir has as many lions as it can hold—too many, in fact. With territory in short supply, lions prowl the periphery of the forest and even leave it altogether, often clashing with people. That’s one reason India is creating a second sanctuary. There are other pressing reasons: outbreaks of disease or natural disasters. In 1994 canine distemper killed more than a third of Africa’ s Serengeti ]ions—a thousand animals—a fate that could easily befall Gir’s cats. These lions, saved by a prince at the turn of the 20th century, are especially vulnerable to disease because they descend from as few as a dozen individuals. "If you do a DNA fingerprint, Asiatic lions actually look like identical twins," says Stephen O’Brien, a geneticist who has studied them. Yet the perils are hidden, and you wouldn’t suspect them by watching these lords of the forest. The lions exude vitality, and no small measure of charm.
Though the gentle intimacy of play vanishes when it’s time to eat, meals in Gir are not necessarily frenzied affairs. For a mother and cub sharing a deer, or a young male relishing an antelope, there’s no need to fight for a cut of the kill. Prey animals are generally smaller in Gir than they are in Africa, and hunting groups tend to be smaller as well. The lions themselves aren’t as big as African lions, and they have shorter manes and a long fold of skin on their undersides that many lions in Africa don’t have. [br] Why are the lions in the Git Forest especially vulnerable to disease?
选项
A、They are physically weaker than the African lions.
B、They are small in size.
C、They do not have enough to eat.
D、They have descended from a dozen or so ancestors.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3284418.html
相关试题推荐
CivilizationandHistoryMostofthepeoplewhoappearmos
CivilizationandHistoryMostofthepeoplewhoappearmos
CivilizationandHistoryMostofthepeoplewhoappearmos
CivilizationandHistoryMostofthepeoplewhoappearmos
Nowadays,it’saquitecommonphenomenonthatpeoplediningoutfoodthanthe
ItusedtobesaidthatEnglishpeopletaketheirpleasuresadly.Nodoubtth
ItusedtobesaidthatEnglishpeopletaketheirpleasuresadly.Nodoubtth
Mostpeoplecanrememberaphonenumberforuptothirtyseconds.Whenthiss
Mostpeoplecanrememberaphonenumberforuptothirtyseconds.Whenthiss
Mostpeoplecanrememberaphonenumberforuptothirtyseconds.Whenthiss
随机试题
Aroundtheworldmoreandmorepeoplearetakingpartindangeroussportsan
Thereareabout105malesbornforevery100females,butthis【B1】______dro
中发【2004】16号文件全称是什么?文件中关于加强和改进大学生思想政治教育工作
现代高校的基本职能是()。A.发展科学 B.社会服务 C.促进经济发展
可作为蒽酮类化合物的定性鉴别反应的是A.BOrntrager’s反应 B.Ke
血清蛋白电泳时通常用pH8.6缓冲液,此时各种蛋白质带有的电荷为()A.白蛋
平心而论,自古至今闲逸都是一种奢侈品,它取决于两个一般人最难以企及的前提:物质上
A.透明软骨退行性变 B.骨赘形成 C.非特异性滑膜炎 D.关节囊纤维变性
工程质量事故经技术处理后符合《建筑工程施工质量验收统一标准》规定的,经过检查或必
隧道监控量测时,量测部位和测点布置,应根据()等确定。A.地质条件 B.量测
最新回复
(
0
)