10種動物身體部位的另類用途(下)
Owls Use Their Faces As Radar Dishes
5.有些貓頭鷹把臉當作雷達天線Owls are the wise old patrons of the animal kingdom. Under their sagacious sheen, the birds are adept assassins. In fact, owl bodies are packed with loads of evolutionary goodies that allow them to locate and effortlessly swoop down on any creature that piques their appetite or ire.
貓頭鷹是動物王國裏聰明的老牌守望者。在它們睿智的光輝下，這些鳥兒也都是熟練的刺客。事實上，貓頭鷹身上有數之不盡因進化而來的好東西。這使得它們能夠輕而易舉地定位並俯身衝向任何激起它們的食慾或怒火的獵物。
One indispensable facet of the owl's toolkit is its face. Most animal heads are either round with fluff or pointy with muzzles, but owls sport flat, elliptical faces. And for a good reason—they're able to use them as biological satellite dishes. The iconic flat shape funnels sound waves toward the ears, allowing the owl to detect the slightest of rustles. The ears themselves are also quite odd because they are not level. Instead, one ear rests above the other. This provides owls an even more accurate audio survey of their surroundings because they automatically account for the slight time difference between sound waves reaching each ear. This amazing adaptation gives owls a sense of hearing 10 times sharper than ours and the ability to pluck unassuming rodents from underneath layers of snow.
貓頭鷹的工具箱裏有一樣東西決不可缺，那就是它的臉。大多數動物的頭部不是圓圓毛毛的就是尖尖刺刺的，可是貓頭鷹卻擁有扁平而呈橢圓型的臉。因此貓頭鷹可以把臉當作生物衛星天線自然有它們的道理。他們這個標誌性的扁平臉能夠把聲波都收集並傳送到耳朵裏，使得連最輕微的沙沙聲也能被覺察。貓頭鷹的耳朵也是夠奇葩的，因爲兩隻耳朵不在同一水平線上，而是，一隻耳朵在另一隻的上面。這讓貓頭鷹能對周圍進行更加準確的音頻調查，因爲就連聲波到達耳朵那最細微的時間差也被考慮在內了。這個對環境的絕妙適應能力使貓頭鷹擁有比平常人敏銳10倍的聽力，也使得它們能夠把深藏在雪地底下默不作聲的齧齒動物一把揪出來。
Turtles' Anuses Double As Respiratory Systems
4.有些海龜的肛門也可以作爲呼吸系統
White-throated snapping turtles—as well as other turtle species—faced a tricky evolutionary challenge: They're turtles. Slow of foot and short of weapons, these animals prefer to avoid confrontation by hiding underwater. Constantly resurfacing for air would leave them vulnerable to attacks, so the turtles developed a resourceful skill. They breathe through their anuses.
白頷鱷龜，還有一些其他的龜類，經歷過一段比較棘手的進化過程：因爲他們這些海龜，走路慢，又沒有什麼可以防身的武器，所以他們更寧願藏在深水中，從而可以避免衝突。而連續不斷的浮出水面換氣，會使得他們變得很容易受到攻擊，所以這些海龜就進化出一種特別機智的技能，就是它們可以通過肛門進行呼吸。Seriously. Unlike the single-function anuses of other creatures, a turtle's end tube is called a cloaca and deals with the evacuation of all waste. It also takes up respiratory duties, too, so the furtive turtles can remain safely submerged for days at a time. Through this cloacal respiration, the turtle draws oxygen from water that passes through its backside—think of it like anal gills—and remains hidden from y, murky water caused by all sorts of industrial processes is mucking up the turtles' anuses and has left them teetering on the brink of being wiped out of their preferred habitats. Full of sediment and chemical crud, the harsher waters have limited these poor creatures' evasive efforts, and it's believed that less than 1 percent survive to adulthood.
說真的，不像其他物種的肛門只有唯一的功能一樣，海龜尾部的那根管子叫做泄殖腔，就是用來處理各種排泄物的。並且它還有作爲呼吸系統的作用，所以偷偷摸摸的海龜在一次沉入海底數十天後還能夠安然無恙。通過身體的泄殖腔進行呼吸，海龜可以從經過屁股下面的水中吸取氧氣，而這個泄殖腔就像一個肛門鰓一樣，這樣的話海龜就可以藏起來避免遇見捕食者。不過不幸的是，各種工業過程中造成的污濁的水正在影響破壞海龜的肛門，並且已經讓它們被迫徘徊在搬離生存已久的棲息地的邊緣了。充滿沉澱物和化學物質的髒東西，以及糟糕的水環境，讓這些可憐的傢伙們逃避這些糟糕環境的行爲受到了限制，並且據說少於1%的海龜可以活到成年期。Wings Are Full Of Sophisticated Wind Sensors
3.蝙蝠的翅膀上佈滿了各種複雜的風力傳感器
Bats pull off all sorts of insane acrobatics to catch their prey, and scientists want to steal their secrets to build better aircraft. As the only mammals clever enough to have mastered self-powered flight, the speedy daredevils offer a different technological inspiration compared to birds and flying insects. But in light of a recent study, we're probably not getting bat-winged planes anytime soon.
蝙蝠贏得了各種瘋狂的雜技來抓捕他們的獵物，並且科學家們也想通過竊取蝙蝠的祕密來製作更好的飛行器。作爲唯一一個擁有自主充電飛行器的聰明的哺乳動物，和其他的鳥類以及飛行類的昆蟲相比，這些迅速的冒失鬼們給我們帶來了不同尋常的科技靈感。但是根據最近的研究，我們可能還不會在短時間內掌握蝙蝠翅膀飛行器的奧祕。Bat wings are nothing short of miraculous. Researchers recorded activity in the bats' sensory neurons as puffs of air were shot at the many tiny hairs on their wings and found an incredibly complex wing–brain connection. To perform their crazy tricks, bats literally feel out the air, using their fuzz as a sensory organ that delivers immediate, detailed feedback about changes in airflow. This incredible tactile sensitivity makes the bat wing the ultimate aerodynamic tool—far better than anything we've ever created, anyway. The multipurpose wing acts as a propeller, flipper, airplane wing, airfoil, and then some, according to Cynthia F. Moss, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University.
蝙蝠的翅膀是相當的奇妙的。在它們衝向天空的時候，研究者們記錄了蝙蝠感覺神經元中的活動，發現在它們的翅膀上有很多細小鬍鬚，並且發現了它們翅膀與大腦之間的一個難以置信的複雜聯繫。在進行這個複雜的聯繫時，蝙蝠能夠真正用身體來感受空氣，並且使用它們的絨毛作爲傳感器細胞，而這些絨毛可以快速的，並且詳細的傳達氣流改變的反饋。這個不可思議的觸覺感官讓蝙蝠的翅膀成爲終極的空氣動力學的工具，而且比我們之前創造出的任何一樣工具都好得多。根據約翰霍普金斯大學的神經學科學家辛西婭.F.莫斯的說法，這個多功能的翅膀既可以做螺旋槳，橡皮腳掌，飛機翅膀，又可以做翼形以及其他用途。en-Winged Warbler Ears Can Detect Tornadoes
2.金翅鶯的耳朵能預測風暴
Sporting signature yellow-tinged patches and weighing in at only 9 grams (0.3 oz), golden-winged warblers are adorably tiny. They're also absolute workhorses, embarking on seasonal migrations that span about 5,000 kilometers (3,000 mi).
十分嬌小玲瓏的金翅鶯身上帶着亮麗標誌性的黃色斑塊，體重僅有9克（0.3盎司）。它們還是特別會吃苦耐勞的候鳥，每次季節性遷徙都要長途飛行5000米（3000英里）左右。In 2014, researchers discovered the warblers' secret superpower—the ability to predict tornadoes. It all started when five geotagged birds surprised scientists by ditching their nesting sites for a 650-kilometer detour to Mexico. This was several days after the completion of their migratory journey, so it wasn't clear why the capricious warblers departed early. The following day, tornadoes swept through the area. It appears that the diminutive warblers' ears are tuned to detect low-frequency noises, such as the rumble of an approaching tornado, which the birds can detect a couple days and hundreds of kilometers in was a discovery courtesy of accidental science; the warbler project wasn't meant to ascertain any specific information. Instead, the goal was simply to find out whether the small, finicky birds could be efficiently tracked using geolocators.
2014年，研究人員發現金翅鶯不爲人知的能力——預測風暴。發現這個祕密源於五隻進行了地理標記的金翅鶯突然拋棄它們原有的棲息地，繞道650千米遠去到墨西哥，這讓科學家感到非常奇怪。科學家們不明白爲什麼金翅鶯纔剛開始遷徙沒幾天就換路線。次日，風暴橫掃了這片區域。顯然，金翅鶯的耳朵可以探測到低頻聲波，比如風暴接近時產生的聲波，很多候鳥可以提前探測到幾天後和數百公里外大型風暴帶來的低頻聲波。此次發現是科學探究意外的饋贈，金翅鶯的研究項目本來是沒有明確的目標的。而這次研究只是想要知道如此小巧精緻的鳥兒能否用地理定位器追蹤而已。Genitals Produce Ultrasound
1.飛蛾的生殖器可發射超聲波
Genitals have an obvious purpose in the animal kingdom, and rarely do they deviate from that ultimate goal. Some moths, however, have truly spectacular multipurpose members that act as sonic jammers to deceive bats.
動物生殖器的功能顯而易見，很少有動物的生殖器偏離繁衍生殖這種根本的功能。但是，有些飛蛾的生殖器確實有除了基本功能之外的作用，它可以發出干擾性的聲波矇蔽蝙蝠。Tom and Jerry would have been more accurately cast as bat and moth; the two latter species have been locked in a never-ending evolutionary game of roshambo. For continued survival, each has had to develop new techniques to either hunt or evade. Thanks to the glory of evolution, adaptations come in all shapes and in point: sonar-jamming penises, which sprang up about 26 million years ago. Compared to their mortal foe, moths look smaller and less ferocious, but don't be fooled. They pack thorny barbs on their legs and are excellent flyers. Most impressively, by rasping their penises against their abdomens, moths generate ultrasonic pulses similar to the echolocation pings bats use to hone in on prey.
動畫片裏湯姆和傑瑞（老鼠和貓）上演的對峙就像蝙蝠和飛蛾的關係。這兩個處在生物鏈末端的物種被鎖定在沒完沒了的你輸我贏的進化博鬥中。爲了繁衍生存下去，所有生物都不得不強大自己去進攻或防守敵人。由於自然選擇規律，適者生存適用於整個自然界。比如，可發出干擾性聲波的生殖器是在2600萬年前進化來的。和他們的死敵蝙蝠相比，飛蛾雖然看起來更小更弱，但不要被它們的外表給騙了。他們不僅能把帶刺的倒鉤綁在腿上，還是個卓越的飛行員。更令人震撼的是，通過生殖器與腹部的摩擦，飛蛾能夠發出超聲波脈衝。這種超聲波脈衝和蝙蝠的回聲定位的脈衝差不多，不過，蝙蝠更多用它來捕食。審校：齊墨 編輯：旭旭 來源：前十網
