国家地理 豺狼和秃鹰争夺鸵鸟蛋

Here we are on the Serengeti Plain in Africa, where an ostrich¹ has abandoned an egg and a hungry jackal means to make a meal out of it.

现在我们在非洲大草原上，一只鸵鸟刚刚下了一个蛋，一只饥饿的豺狼瞄准了这只蛋，决定美餐一顿。

What we've got here is a highly motivated animal trying and failing to figure out this culinary conundrum².

但是，这只兴致勃勃的动物打错了算盘。

It's just a little too big, a little too slippery, a little too everything for the jackal.

这只蛋太大了，太滑了，总之对他来说什么都不利。

There's three pounds of food in there, and it's gonna stay in there, right?

这可是重达三磅的食物啊，它会一直都在这里的，对吗？

Not if this Egyptian vulture has anything to do with it.

当然，如果这只埃及秃鹰不介入的话。

These birds are always on the lookout³ for edible⁴ orbs⁵ in jackal-proof packaging.

这些秃鹰一直在盯这可以吃的豺狼保护着的鸵鸟蛋。

Ostrich eggs are an important source of protein, and this vulture has a strategy to get at its contents.

鸵鸟蛋蛋白质非常丰富，而且秃鹰有非凡的策略可以知道硬壳里面的蛋。

The Egyptian vulture is one of the few birds in the world that figure out how to use a stone as a tool.

埃及秃鹰是世界上为数很少的懂得利用石头作为工具的鸟类之一。

Some scientists feel that this isn't intelligence so much as highly evolved instinct.

有些科学家感到，这只是经过高级进化的本能，而不是智慧。

Whatever it is, it works. The vulture finally cracks a hole big enough for its beak⁶.

无论这是什么，只要管用就行了。秃鹰终于在鸵鸟蛋上凿了一个洞，可以使嘴巴伸进去。

The vulture is one step closer to mealtime than the jackal, but it's not home free yet.

秃鹰的美餐比豺狼快了一步，但是还不能放松警惕。

You see, here on the Serengeti, the sound of a cracked eggshell is like a newsflash.

你看，在非洲大草原上，啃噬蛋壳的声音就像一个简短的新闻报道。

The word is out, and other diners are ready to line up.

一旦发出声音，其他猎食者也想分得一杯羹。

A tawny⁷ eagle shows up to share in the bounty⁸.

一只黄褐色的鹰跑来分享这顿美餐。

But an even bigger customer is about to appear. Check out this lappet-faced vulture.

但是一个更大的不速之客即将到来。看看这只垂头丧气的秃鹰。

Would you wanna mess with this bird?

你想和这只鸟发生冲突吗？

At nearly four feet tall, it's the largest, most aggressive vulture on the Serengeti.

这只鸟大约六尺高，是非洲大草原上最大，最具攻击性的秃鹰。

When it comes to a food find like this, pecking order is strictly⁹ observed. The biggest bird gets the booty.

猎食的时候总是遵循这个严格的规律，体型最大的鸟得到战胜品。

1 ostrich   

n.鸵鸟

参考例句：

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
• The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。

2 conundrum   

n.谜语；难题

参考例句：

• Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
• Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。

3 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

4 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

5 orbs   

abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• So strange did It'seem that those dark wild orbs were ignorant of the day. 那双狂热的深色眼珠竟然没有见过天日，这似乎太奇怪了。 来自辞典例句
• HELPERKALECGOSORB01.wav-> I will channel my power into the orbs! Be ready! 我会把我的力量引导进宝珠里！准备！ 来自互联网

6 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

7 tawny   

adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色

参考例句：

• Her black hair springs in fine strands across her tawny,ruddy cheek.她的一头乌发分披在健康红润的脸颊旁。
• None of them noticed a large,tawny owl flutter past the window.他们谁也没注意到一只大的、褐色的猫头鹰飞过了窗户。

8 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

9 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。