10种动物身体部位的另类用途(下)

Owls Use Their Faces As Radar Dishes

5.有些猫头鹰把脸当作雷达天线

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.

猫头鹰是动物王国里聪明的老牌守望者。在它们睿智的光辉下，这些鸟儿也都是熟练的刺客。事实上，猫头鹰身上有数之不尽因进化而来的好东西。这使得它们能够轻而易举地定位并俯身冲向任何激起它们的食欲或怒火的猎物。

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.

猫头鹰的工具箱里有一样东西决不可缺，那就是它的脸。大多数动物的头部不是圆圆毛毛的就是尖尖刺刺的，可是猫头鹰却拥有扁平而呈椭圆型的脸。因此猫头鹰可以把脸当作生物卫星天线自然有它们的道理。他们这个标志性的扁平脸能够把声波都收集并传送到耳朵里，使得连最轻微的沙沙声也能被觉察。猫头鹰的耳朵也是够奇葩的，因为两只耳朵不在同一水平线上，而是，一只耳朵在另一只的上面。这让猫头鹰能对周围进行更加准确的音频调查，因为就连声波到达耳朵那最细微的时间差也被考虑在内了。这个对环境的绝妙适应能力使猫头鹰拥有比平常人敏锐10倍的听力，也使得它们能够把深藏在雪地底下默不作声的啮齿动物一把揪出来。

Turtles' Anuses Double As Respiratory Systems

4.有些海龟的肛门也可以作为呼吸系统

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.

白颔鳄龟，还有一些其他的龟类，经历过一段比较棘手的进化过程：因为他们这些海龟，走路慢，又没有什么可以防身的武器，所以他们更宁愿藏在深水中，从而可以避免冲突。而连续不断的浮出水面换气，会使得他们变得很容易受到攻击，所以这些海龟就进化出一种特别机智的技能，就是它们可以通过肛门进行呼吸。

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.

说真的，不像其他物种的肛门只有唯一的功能一样，海龟尾部的那根管子叫做泄殖腔，就是用来处理各种排泄物的。并且它还有作为呼吸系统的作用，所以偷偷摸摸的海龟在一次沉入海底数十天后还能够安然无恙。通过身体的泄殖腔进行呼吸，海龟可以从经过屁股下面的水中吸取氧气，而这个泄殖腔就像一个肛门鳃一样，这样的话海龟就可以藏起来避免遇见捕食者。不过不幸的是，各种工业过程中造成的污浊的水正在影响破坏海龟的肛门，并且已经让它们被迫徘徊在搬离生存已久的栖息地的边缘了。充满沉淀物和化学物质的脏东西，以及糟糕的水环境，让这些可怜的家伙们逃避这些糟糕环境的行为受到了限制，并且据说少于1%的海龟可以活到成年期。

Wings Are Full Of Sophisticated Wind Sensors

3.蝙蝠的翅膀上布满了各种复杂的风力传感器

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.

蝙蝠赢得了各种疯狂的杂技来抓捕他们的猎物，并且科学家们也想通过窃取蝙蝠的秘密来制作更好的飞行器。作为唯一一个拥有自主充电飞行器的聪明的哺乳动物，和其他的鸟类以及飞行类的昆虫相比，这些迅速的冒失鬼们给我们带来了不同寻常的科技灵感。但是根据最近的研究，我们可能还不会在短时间内掌握蝙蝠翅膀飞行器的奥秘。

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.

蝙蝠的翅膀是相当的奇妙的。在它们冲向天空的时候，研究者们记录了蝙蝠感觉神经元中的活动，发现在它们的翅膀上有很多细小胡须，并且发现了它们翅膀与大脑之间的一个难以置信的复杂联系。在进行这个复杂的联系时，蝙蝠能够真正用身体来感受空气，并且使用它们的绒毛作为传感器细胞，而这些绒毛可以快速的，并且详细的传达气流改变的反馈。这个不可思议的触觉感官让蝙蝠的翅膀成为终极的空气动力学的工具，而且比我们之前创造出的任何一样工具都好得多。根据约翰霍普金斯大学的神经学科学家辛西娅.F.莫斯的说法，这个多功能的翅膀既可以做螺旋桨，橡皮脚掌，飞机翅膀，又可以做翼形以及其他用途。

en-Winged Warbler Ears Can Detect Tornadoes

2.金翅莺的耳朵能预测风暴

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).

十分娇小玲珑的金翅莺身上带着亮丽标志性的黄色斑块，体重仅有9克（0.3盎司）。它们还是特别会吃苦耐劳的候鸟，每次季节性迁徙都要长途飞行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，研究人员发现金翅莺不为人知的能力——预测风暴。发现这个秘密源于五只进行了地理标记的金翅莺突然抛弃它们原有的栖息地，绕道650千米远去到墨西哥，这让科学家感到非常奇怪。科学家们不明白为什么金翅莺才刚开始迁徙没几天就换路线。次日，风暴横扫了这片区域。显然，金翅莺的耳朵可以探测到低频声波，比如风暴接近时产生的声波，很多候鸟可以提前探测到几天后和数百公里外大型风暴带来的低频声波。此次发现是科学探究意外的馈赠，金翅莺的研究项目本来是没有明确的目标的。而这次研究只是想要知道如此小巧精致的鸟儿能否用地理定位器追踪而已。

Genitals Produce Ultrasound

1.飞蛾的生殖器可发射超声波

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.

动物生殖器的功能显而易见，很少有动物的生殖器偏离繁衍生殖这种根本的功能。但是，有些飞蛾的生殖器确实有除了基本功能之外的作用，它可以发出干扰性的声波蒙蔽蝙蝠。

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.

动画片里汤姆和杰瑞（老鼠和猫）上演的对峙就像蝙蝠和飞蛾的关系。这两个处在生物链末端的物种被锁定在没完没了的你输我赢的进化博斗中。为了繁衍生存下去，所有生物都不得不强大自己去进攻或防守敌人。由于自然选择规律，适者生存适用于整个自然界。比如，可发出干扰性声波的生殖器是在2600万年前进化来的。和他们的死敌蝙蝠相比，飞蛾虽然看起来更小更弱，但不要被它们的外表给骗了。他们不仅能把带刺的倒钩绑在腿上，还是个卓越的飞行员。更令人震撼的是，通过生殖器与腹部的摩擦，飞蛾能够发出超声波脉冲。这种超声波脉冲和蝙蝠的回声定位的脉冲差不多，不过，蝙蝠更多用它来捕食。

审校：齐墨 编辑：旭旭 来源：前十网