Task 6
Subsurface locomotion means moving beneath the surface, which, according to the professor, has two benefits. First, it minimizes the exposure of animals to the extreme temperature, which is very beneficial for animals living in harsh environments. In a dessert in Africa, a kind of lizards can move very quickly and easily through sand, so that they do not need to walk on the surface and risk the dangerously high temperature. Second, subsurface locomotion also can help animals catch their prey, since if they move beneath the surface, the prey cannot see them. The professor took the same kind of lizard as the example. When preys move on the sand, there is subtle vibration that lizards can sense. They then move quietly beneath the sand towards the source, then pop out suddenly and capture the prey by surprise.