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
2025-01-05
21
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/3898976.html
相关试题推荐
MostpeoplethinkoflionsasstrictlyAfricanbeasts,butonlybecauseth
MostpeoplethinkoflionsasstrictlyAfricanbeasts,butonlybecauseth
Asweknow,therearetwokindsofelephants:theAfricanandtheAsianeleph
Asweknow,therearetwokindsofelephants:theAfricanandtheAsianeleph
Asweknow,therearetwokindsofelephants:theAfricanandtheAsianeleph
Asweknow,therearetwokindsofelephants:theAfricanandtheAsianeleph
Asweknow,therearetwokindsofelephants:theAfricanandtheAsianeleph
______isregardedas"thecornerstone"ofEnglishhistorybecauseitlaiddown
Somepeoplebelievethatinternationalsportcreatesgoodwillbetweenthenat
[originaltext]Woman:Somepeopleareverycynicalaboutuh...televisionasam
随机试题
FirstAidThemostimportantthingaboutf
[originaltext]M:Ican’tbelieveit!Thelastdayofschoolisfinallyhere.Wh
Next,let’stalkaboutearthquakesonourPlanet.Somecountrieshavelarge
There’sagreatmanyreasonswhyawoman’sweightmaychangerepeatedly.Som
近日,浙江大学学生会在网站上公布了教师和学生调查问卷的统计结果,在学生调查问卷统
王某一日在马路上行走,被迎面驶来的摩托车撞倒,随身携带的手机也被撞坏屏幕,除了显
女性,22岁。因右下智牙低位埋伏阻生,要求拔除。行下牙槽神经阻滞麻醉后,关于麻醉
如题图所示,直流电路中Ia的大小为( )。 A.1A B.2A
某项目建设期间,建安工程费2000万元,设备工器具购置费1000万元,工程建设其
男,68岁。半年来每天排便4~5次,便中带血及黏液。突发腹胀、停止排气排便2天。
最新回复
(
0
)