Deep in the southern United States
在南美腹地深处
lies a strange menagerie.
生活着一些异兽
Alligators, tarantulas, geckos...
短吻鳄 狼蛛 壁虎...
Each are playing a role in the exploration of our biology.
它们对我们的生物研究起着巨大作用
But for now, Doctor Stephen Secor of Alabama University
目前 阿拉巴马大学的史蒂芬·塞科博士
is working with Burmese pythons.
正在研究缅甸蟒
He wants to find out whether they use up more energy
他想弄清消化生食和熟食
digesting cooked or raw meat.
哪种更消耗能量
Snakes, being mainly a head and a stomach,
蛇类主要由头部和腹部组成
make good subjects for this experiment.
因此是很好的实验对象
They eat their prey whole
它们把自己的猎物整个吞下
and stay still for up to a week.
一个星期内都静止不动
The only energy expended is in digesting their food.
它们只须要消耗能量去消化食物
We're trying to see
我们想要弄清
if we can find any difference
在消化熟食
in the course of digestion between
和生食的过程中
a cooked meal and a raw meal.
到底有什么区别