動物比人類強大的10個地方(下)

5 Hearing

5 聽力

Although you might think that you have better sight than a bat, you definitely fall behind in the hearing department. A bat's hearing is so powerful that it almost single-handedly compensates for the creature's terrible vision. As a bat travels through a cave, it emits squeaking sounds that bounce around the nearby walls. The Animal uses this information to know where not to fly.

可能你會認爲你的視力強於蝙蝠，但你的聽力與之相比會遠遠落於其後。蝙蝠的聽力特別強大，強大到彌補了它們在視覺方面的不足。當蝙蝠在山洞中飛行的時候，它發出嘰嘰的叫聲，這些聲音會通過附近的牆面反射回來，藉此蝙蝠能夠判斷飛行的方向。

A phenomenon common in many species is the idea that a lack of one sense strengthens another. In the bat's case, a lack of sight means less brain power devoted to seeing. As a result, more brain power can be devoted to its hearing abilities.

在動物界有個普遍現象，當一方面的感覺缺失時，另一方面的功能會增強。蝙蝠視力較差，意味着大腦中很少部分負責視覺，因此，大腦的很大部分被用於聽覺了。

4 Intelligence

4 智力

Humans are incredible. We can sing, write, create language, explain remarkable things, and build space shuttles. Our seemingly less intelligent neighbors, however, have us beat in many categories.

人類的智力發展程度令人難以置信，我們能夠唱歌、書寫、創造語言，探索奇異的自然現象，建造居住場所等等。儘管如此，有些動物在某些方面還是能夠將人類打敗。

For instance, homing pigeons. No, not the ones from Harry Potter. Real-life homing pigeons. These cool little guys can travel over 1,770 kilometers (1,100 mi) and find their way home without any GPS or flares. The most amazing part is that they can use an iron structure in their beaks to determine their geographic position relative to the Earth's magnetic field.

比如說，家鴿——不是哈利波特中的鴿子，日常生活中普通的鴿子。鴿子能夠飛行超過1770千米的距離之後，不需要藉助任何的GPS或者信號燈找到回家的路。它們是靠嘴中的結構，確定在地球磁場中的相對位置。

Elephants may not seem too intelligent. But wow, are they astounding. According to researchers at the University of St. Andrews, elephants can use scent to create a mental map of their family members. Elephants can also identify how threatening people intend to be by human scent and clothing color.

大象看上去似乎很尋常，但是，在智力方面其實很令人吃驚。聖安德魯斯大學的研究人員發現，大象能夠通過氣味創建一份家庭圖譜。同樣，大象能夠通過辨別人類的氣味和衣服的顏色來判斷是否有險情。

3 Combat

3 戰鬥力

Humans like to consider combat as one of our greatest accomplishments. Various martial arts, such as Krav Maga and Muay Thai, have been developed over centuries alongside technological marvels, starting with the musket and moving on to the weapons we know today.

人類可能認爲自己是戰鬥力最強的種族，畢竟人類創造出多種武術，如近身格鬥、泰拳等。與此同時，科技的發展給人類帶來了火槍，隨後又出現更多我們今天熟知的武器。

We have truly taken combat and self-defense to an incredible scale. However, in the animal kingdom, the playing field is much rougher. In the underwater ecosystem, squid simply shoot ink at their predators. However, this is not the most extreme example.

人類確實將戰鬥和自我防衛延伸至較大的範圍，但是，在動物世界裏，戰鬥的環境要艱鉅得多。在海底世界裏，魷魚直接向敵人噴射墨汁，這還不是最極端的例子。

At first glance, the Texas horned lizard appears to be a standard lizard—spikes on the back with rough, scaly skin. Get on his nerves, however, and you'll realize how mistaken you are. This lizard sprays blood from its eyes. While the practicality is questionable, it's astounding how this lizard improvises when necessary.

德克薩斯角蜥乍一看像是普通的蜥蜴——背上皮膚粗糙，有尖銳的角。但一旦把它惹怒了，你會嚐到苦果。這種蜥蜴能夠從眼睛裏噴出血來。儘管這聽上去很難實現，但情急之下這種蜥蜴會這麼做的。

2 Communication

2 交流

You're probably on a cell phone or computer right now. They are amazing forms of communication, but they can't compete with good, old-fashioned nature.

你可能正在用手機或電腦，它們是交流的一種形式，但它們不能與古老的自然交流方式相比擬。

Treehoppers, very small insects resembling leaves, extract sap from trees. As a natural ability, they can convert this liquid into honeydew. Many geckos absolutely love honeydew and, as a result, provide a hearty business for the treehoppers.

角蟬是種與樹葉十分相似的小昆蟲，靠汲取樹中的汁液爲生，它們天生能夠將樹汁轉化爲蜜露。很多壁虎非常喜歡蜜露，因此，這就給角蟬提供了一樁生意。

When a gecko finds a treehopper, the gecko can request honeydew by vibrating its head. Shortly after a confirmation on the treehopper's end, it will deliver some of the honeydew to the gecko. It is unknown why they merrily do this, but it has been theorized that the honeydew is a sort of “protection money.”

當壁虎找角蟬要蜜露時，它們會朝着角蟬不斷點頭，角蟬確認信息之後，就會給壁虎轉化一些蜜露。現在還無法理解它們爲什麼會這麼做，但有理論研究認爲蜜露是一種“保護費”。

Ants communicate using pheromones, which are scented chemicals. Using their antennae, other ants can detect these various chemicals, with each acting as a sort of message or word.

螞蟻通過一種有香味的化學物質即信息素交流，每種信息素都攜帶着一定的信息，其它螞蟻通過觸鬚能夠捕獲這些信息。

For instance, an ant coming under attack may emit a pheromone detectable by thousands of members of its colony. As a result, what seems like a lone ant might change very quickly.

比如說，一隻螞蟻在遇到襲擊時會散發出信息素，它的同伴接收到信息後會成百上千地趕來。最後，處於弱勢的一方很快就能扭轉局面。

1 Appearance

1 外貌

Oftentimes, we consider other species to be hideous. A close look at a butterfly or ant would disgust many people. In contrast, a human male might find a woman attractive. Scientifically, this has not been definitively explained. Despite this, many animals exist that look truly incredible.

通常我們會覺得其它物種極其難看，有些人近距離觀察蝴蝶或者螞蟻都會覺得噁心。與之相反，男性人類會覺得女性人類非常吸引人。科學並沒有能夠充分解釋這一現象。儘管如此，現存的一些動物看上去還是很可愛的。

Animals such as baby chickens, birds, and rabbits are universally adorable. Scientists have claimed that this is due to their resemblance to human babies: large eyes, a rounded face, and small stature.

比如說剛出生的小雞、小鳥和小兔子，大家都覺得比較可愛。科學家認爲，這是由於這些動物看上去很像人類的嬰兒：大眼睛、圓臉蛋，外加體型較小。

Some animals, in contrast, are simply astonishing. The "blue dragon" is a marvel of nature, having two differently colored sides. One side matches the appearance of the glimmering silver ocean surface, and the other side matches the blue of the ocean water.

與之相反，有些動物看上去比較可怕。“藍龍”是大自然的神奇產物，身體兩側的顏色不一樣。一側是閃閃發光的銀色，跟大海的水面一樣，另一側的顏色接近藍色的海水。

This small creature is capable of taking on massive prey, such as the Portuguese man–of–war. This may be due to the blue dragon's sting, which is similar in strength to the man–of–war.

這種動物能夠捕獲大量的獵物，如電氣水母。這可能是由於藍龍的刺能夠與水母的力量相抗衡。

Unfortunately, many of these magnificent creatures are endangered. This may be due to many various factors, but one thing is true: A world without some of these beautiful animals would be a sadder one.

不幸的是，很多這些神奇的動物現在都瀕臨危險。原因有很多，但有一點我們可以肯定：沒有了這些動物，世界就沒有那麼美妙了。