科學家向你解釋爲什麼大熊貓的皮毛只有黑白兩色大綱

The unique coloration of the giant panda that is loved by many people has long been a mystery to scientists.

大熊貓很受人們的喜愛，但是對科學家來說，它們那獨特的皮毛顏色一直都是一個謎。

But now a joint research team believes they have solved the mystery, once and for all.

但是現在，一個聯合研究團隊相信他們已經解決了這個謎團。

The black and white patches on the giant panda mainly have two functions - camouflage and communication, the joint research team from University of California, Davis, and California State University, Long Beach explains.

據來自加州大學戴維斯分校和長灘加州國立大學的聯合研究團隊表示，大熊貓身上黑白兩色斑塊主要有兩個功能--僞裝和溝通。

The giant panda's white face, nape, dorsum, flank, belly, and rump are adapted for crypsis against a snowy background, whereas its black shoulders and legs are adapted for crypsis in shade, according to the study that the joint research team published in the journal of Behavioral Ecology.

該研究團隊將他們的研究成果發表在了《行爲生態學》上，他們指出，熊貓的臉、頸、背、腰、腹、臀等部位呈白色，在雪地裏就是一種僞裝；而它的肩膀和腿等黑色部位則適合隱蔽在陰影裏。

However, dark markings on the head are not used in crypsis, but in communication: dark ears may be involved with signaling intent about ferocity whereas dark eye marks may serve in individual recognition, according to the study.

但該研究表示，熊貓頭上的黑斑不是用來隱蔽自己的，而是用來通信的：黑色的耳朵可能是兇猛的信號，而眼睛周圍那圈黑色可能用於個體識別。

There is no compelling support for their fur color being involved in temperature regulation, disrupting the animal's outline, or in reducing eye glare, the study explains.

該研究解釋稱，對於熊貓的皮毛顏色可以調節溫度、擾亂其他動物視野中自己的輪廓、以及減輕眼睛眩光等說法，沒有令人信服的證據。

"Understanding why the giant panda has such striking coloration has been a long-standing problem in biology that has been difficult to tackle because virtually no other mammal has this appearance, making analogies difficult," said Dr. Tim Karo, a professor from the University of California and the lead researcher.

加州大學教授、該研究的領導者提姆·卡羅博士表示：“理解熊貓爲什麼具有這麼令人吃驚的顏色是生物學中一直以來都存在的一個難以解決的問題，因爲幾乎沒有其他哺乳動物和熊貓一樣，這樣就使得進行類比很困難。”