PLANET EARTH Deserts

The battle has produced the winner, but the ultimate prize is not his yet. That currently belongs to the dominant male ibex. His rank earns him the loyalty of a harem of females（后宫女眷） and they follow him closely as he travels across this desert searching for food and water. He doesn't have to waste time looking for mates - they're his for the taking, so he can concentrate with them on keeping fit and healthy.



Lizards（蜥蜴） are desert specialists. But here, their numbers are extraordinary. These crevices（裂缝） in South Africa contain the highest density of lizards in the world. They're called flat lizards for obvious reasons, and they flaunt（炫耀） their multi-colored bellies in territorial disputes. He's made his point, and now it's time to find some food. As the day warms up, the lizards move away from their cracks and head down to the bottom of the gorge.



Their goal is the river. There is no food at the edge, but this desert river holds a secret. Each day blackfly（墨蚊，蚋rui4） rise from turbulent stretches of the river. This is what the lizards have come for. The black fly never land, so the lizards have to leap for their food. In one day each of these acrobatic（杂技一般的） little lizards may catch 50 flies. There are plenty of flies to go round, even with hundreds of lizards competing for them.

最近学了一个新单词：iguana 鼠鳞蜥（美洲大蜥蜴的一种）