大千世界:生活中對動物的十大"誤會"

With around 8.7 million animal species gracing our planet, it’s no wonder that we have some facts about animals totally wrong. Some animals and their behavior remain mysterious to scientists and it’s only through long term research and observation that they’ve been able to bust a number of animal myths. Here’s a list of well-known but utterly false facts about the fury, scaly and slimy creatures that grace our planet.
大約有870萬種動物先後光臨我們的星球，也難怪我們對動物的有些認識是完全錯誤的。一些動物及其行爲對科學家來說依然很神祕，只有通過長期的研究和觀察，他們才得以破解很多有關動物的謬誤。下面列出的是關於光臨我們星球的那些憤怒、鱗狀和黏滑生物的一些衆所周知但完全錯誤的說法。

10. Myth: Bats are blind.

謬誤10：蝙蝠是瞎的。

Often associated with darkness, witches and black magic, bats have a lot of mythology and misconceptions surrounding them, making them seem like foreboding creatures of the night. Although people often think bats are blind due to their only hunting at night, the fact is that all species of bats can see, although their vision is poorly developed. To compensate they have excellent senses of smell and hearing, and are able to use echo-location and sonar abilities to navigate and hunt at night. Their sonar abilities are so exceptional that they’re often better than military-grade sonar, which is amazing for such small animals.

蝙蝠常與黑暗，巫師和魔法相伴，周身有很多神話和誤解，使其看起來像黑夜的預感生靈。儘管人們常常因爲蝙蝠只在夜間獵食而認爲它們是瞎的，但事實上，所有種類的蝙蝠都可以看到東西，儘管他們的視力並不發達。然而，失之東隅收之桑榆，它們具有非常敏銳的嗅覺和聽覺，能使用回聲定位並能用聲納導航，在夜間捕食。它們的聲納能力是如此特殊，常常比軍用級聲納更好用，這種小動物的這一功能着實令人稱奇。

9. Myth: Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

謬誤9：大象是唯一不會跳的動物。

It’s true, elephants can’t jump – if by jumping we mean the state at which an animal propels itself off the ground by its own force, with all feet off the ground at the same time – but they’re definitely not the only ones. A few other animals that can’t jump are the sloth, hippo, rhino, giraffe, rockhopper penguin, and countless others. Could you imagine a hippo gliding gracefully through the air? Perhaps only if you’re into Disney cartoons.

千真萬確，大象不能跳——如果說跳，我們指的是一個動物以一己之力讓自己離開地面，所有的腳在同時離地的狀態，但大象絕不是唯一不能跳的。還有許多其它動物也不會跳，如樹懶、河馬、犀牛、長頸鹿、鳳冠企鵝等，數不勝數。你能想象一頭河馬在空中優雅地滑翔嗎？也許只有在迪斯尼卡通中才能看到吧。

8. Myth: A goldfish has a 3-second memory.

謬誤8：金魚的記憶大約只有3秒。

If you’ve ever been told that you have the memory of a goldfish, you’ll understand why this myth is so ingrained in society. The actual memory span of goldfish is at least three months, and some researchers have managed to prove that goldfish can remember what they have been taught up to a year later. In addition to a very good memory, goldfish also have good vision, being able to distinguish between shapes and colors. So the next time someone ignorantly compares your memory to that of a goldfish, don’t forget to thank them!

如果別人說你的記憶和金魚一樣，你就會明白這個神話在社會在如此根深蒂固的原因。金魚的實際記憶時間是至少3個月，一些研究人員已證明金魚一年以後還能記住教給它們的事。除了有非常好的記憶力，金魚還有良好的視覺，能夠區分形狀和顏色。所以下次如果再有人無知地把你的記憶力比作金魚的，別忘了向他們說聲謝謝!

7. Myth: Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when scared or threatened.

謬誤7：鴕鳥在受到驚嚇或威脅時把頭埋在沙子裏。

Although this myth serves as the perfect metaphor for someone who’s clearly in denial about something or other, the fact is that it’s patently untrue. The truth is that ostriches, or any other bird or mammal, would not be able to breathe if its head were buried in the sand. The simple explanation for this myth is that ostriches bury their eggs in holes in the ground and often turn the eggs (with their beaks) and tend to the eggs several times a day. From a distance it often seems like the ostrich has its head buried in the sand.

雖然這個謬誤可恰如其分的比喻那些視而不見，自欺欺人的人，但事實上，這是絕對不真實的。事實是，鴕鳥，或任何其它鳥類或哺乳動物，如果把自己的頭埋在沙子裏，就不能呼吸。對這一謬誤的簡單解釋就是鴕鳥把蛋埋在地洞裏，常常一天幾次翻動(用自己的喙)並看顧鳥蛋。從遠處看，總是看起來像是鴕鳥把自己的頭埋在沙子裏。

6. Myth: Mother birds will reject their young once touched by humans.

謬誤6：雛鳥一旦被人摸過，就會被鳥媽媽拒絕。

Birds have a very limited sense of smell, and the slight scent left by touching a baby bird will definitely not get detected by its mother. In fact, birds are very devoted to their young and are unlikely to leave the nest because of an unknown scent – although they have been known to abandon their nests due to disturbance. Hardly ever will a bird abandon the nest with chicks, which is plainly against the nature of raising offspring. Returning a young bird to its nest can save the chick, and as long as there are no other major disturbances, it is highly unlikely that the mother will detect human contact.

鳥類的嗅覺非常有限，被人摸過留下的輕微氣味絕不會被鳥媽媽覺察到。事實上，鳥類十分關注自己的雛鳥，不太可能因爲一點未知氣味就離開鳥巢，——當然人們都知道，如果受到干擾，它們也會放棄自己的鳥巢。很少有鳥能放棄還有雛鳥的鳥巢，這顯然違背鳥類撫養後代的本性。把一隻幼鳥送回鳥巢可以拯救小鳥，只要沒有什麼重大幹擾，鳥媽媽極不可能察覺出人類的接觸。

5. Myth: Wild dolphins are friendly and will save humans in trouble.

謬誤5：野生海豚非常友好，總是拯救陷入困境的人類。

Dolphins don’t particularly care for humans; why would they? They are after all wild carnivores of the ocean. The myth that wild dolphins are friendly and will haste to your assistance when you’re in trouble is a result of their curious nature which is often mistaken for caring or friendliness. For example, dolphins swimming next to boats are doing so in order to ride the boats wake, allowing them to use less energy to swim; not because of their love for all things human. In fact many people have been bitten or injured while attempting to swim with wild dolphins (we’re not talking about the trained dolphins seen at marine parks). There is, however, one way in which dolphins are helping humans: recent research is helping scientists understand how dolphins survive shark attacks, and their tissue-regeneration and anti-bacterial properties are considered nothing short of a medical miracle.

海豚並不特別關心人類，它們憑什麼要這樣做呢？它們畢竟是海洋中的野生食肉動物。俗說野生海豚非常友好，當你遇到麻煩總是急忙趕來幫忙，實際上是因爲它們好奇的天性，常常被誤認爲是出自關心或友好。例如，海豚在漁船旁邊遊是爲了借力船的尾流，這樣它們遊起來更省力，不是因爲它們喜愛一切人類的東西。事實上，許多人在試圖與野生海豚同遊(我們說的不是在海洋公園看到的訓練有素的海豚)時被咬過或受傷。然而，海豚有一種方式幫助人類：最近的研究幫助科學家瞭解海豚在鯊魚襲擊中活下來，它們的組織再生和抗菌性能被認爲簡直就是一個醫學奇蹟。

4. Myth: One human year is equivalent to seven dog years.

謬誤4：人類一年相當於狗的7年。

Here’s something to think about: at a young age, a small dog is older than a large dog, but with age, the small dog becomes younger than the larger breed. How can this be? Turns out dog aging is quite complex, and the most important factor is that it’s related to the dogs physical size. Larger breeds age much faster than smaller breeds. It’s thought that on average a two-year old dog compares to a teenager of 14 or 15 years or a young adult of 18 to 25 years, depending on the breed. Dog aging slows down after two years, debunking the seven to one ratio. The ratio between dog years and human years is therefore much more complex than seven to one, and there is no specific dog-to-human age ratio that is universally accepted.

想一想下面這些事：在狗小的時候，一隻小狗比一隻大狗年齡大，但隨着年齡增長，小狗變得比大犬種更年輕。這怎麼可能呢？原來狗的老化是相當複雜的，最重要的因素是與狗的身體大小有關。大犬種的老化程度遠遠快於較小犬種。人們認爲，平均兩年齡的狗相當於14或15歲的少年或18到25歲的年輕人，取決於不同的犬種。狗的老化2年後減緩，揭穿了7比1的假象。所以，狗年和人類年之比的複雜程度遠非7比1那麼簡單，目前尚未有得到公認的，具體的狗與人類的年齡比。

3. Myth: A healthy dog’s nose is cold and wet.

謬誤3：健康狗的鼻子又冷又溼。

An old wives’ tale that has caused many a panic-stricken call to the vet. The temperature of your dogs nose typically fluctuates during the day, ranging from dry and hot (often when waking up in the morning) to cold and wet later during the day. The moistness of your dog’s nose is also no indicator of their health, as it could be moist due to a nasal cold, for example. As a dog owner, you can better understand your dog’s health by getting to know their typical behavior and noticing any changes from the norm. Are they not eating well lately, or sleeping restlessly? These behaviors will give you a much better clue as to your dog’s well-being.

純屬無稽之談，讓很多人驚慌失措給獸醫打電話詢問。在白天，狗的鼻子溫度通常會波動，從乾和熱(通常在早上醒來時)到日間的冷和溼。狗的溼鼻子也不能表示它們是否健康，或許由於鼻子感冒，它可能就是溼潤的。作爲狗主人，你可以通過了解自家狗的特有行爲，注意有無任何反常變化，更好地瞭解狗的健康狀況。它們最近不好好吃，或睡眠不安？這些行爲將引導你更好的瞭解自家狗的健康。

2. Myth: Dogs cannot see color, only black and white.

謬誤2：狗不能辨別顏色，只有黑色和白色。

Dogs can see color, but not as wide a spectrum as humans can. In addition to black, white and shades of grey they can also distinguish between blue-voilet and yellow-green colors. In would probably be more correct to say that dogs are green-blind. Your pup may very well confuse red, orange and green, as well as green-blue, gray, and shades of purple. Researchers have shown that a dog’s eye has both rods and cones, although they only have two cones whereas a human eye has three. Only if dogs had no cones at all would they have been restricted to seeing black and white.

狗是可以看到顏色的，但其光譜不如人類的寬。除了黑色，白色和灰色陰影，他們還可以區分藍紫和黃綠的顏色。可能這樣說會更正確些，狗是綠色盲。你家的小狗很可能會混淆紅色、橙色和綠色，以及綠-藍色、灰色和紫色陰影。研究人員表明，狗的眼睛中既有視杆也有視錐，但它們的眼睛只有2個視錐，而人類眼睛有3個。只有當狗根本就沒有視錐的情況下，它們纔會只能看到黑色和白色。

1. Myth: Myth: Owls are the wisest among birds.

謬誤1：貓頭鷹是鳥類中最聰明的。

Perhaps the earliest known link between owls and wisdom is their association with Athena, as the Greek goddess of wisdom is often depicted holding an owl. With their overly large eyes and the constant serious, almost thoughtful look on their faces, owls give off the impression of wisdom, of being a cut above the rest. From legends, folklore, children’s tales to Hollywood, owls have always been the night watchmen – sometimes sinister, always smart. Unfortunately owls are actually placed on the lower-end of intelligent birds, with the common crow considered the wisest among birds.

也許貓頭鷹和智慧之間的聯繫最早可追溯到它們與雅典娜的關係，這個希臘智慧女神常被描繪成手持一隻貓頭鷹。貓頭鷹有着超大的眼睛，表情嚴肅，幾乎臉上總是掛着若有所思的神情，給人留下智慧的印象，好似比其它鳥類高出一籌。從傳奇、民間傳說、兒童故事到好萊塢電影，貓頭鷹一直是夜間守望者——有時陰險，但總是很聰明。然而不幸的是，貓頭鷹實際上是處於低端智能鳥類之列，而最常見的烏鴉則被認爲是鳥類中最聰明者。