SSS 2010-01-14

（单词翻译）

What do a whale and a frog have in common? According to a study published in the Proceedings¹ of the Royal Society, pound for pound, they sound the same. Sounds fishy²? I mean, if you've ever heard the eerie³ song of the humpback whale [whale song], you know that it don't (doesn't 此处可能是播音员的口误) sound like no spring peeper [frog sound].

 But scientists at the University of Florida Health Science Center have compared the calls made by 500 different animals, from crickets [sound] to crocodiles [sound], and ostriches⁴ [sound] to chimps⁵ [sound]. And they find that the basic features of every animal's cry, such as frequency and duration, depend on the creature's metabolism⁶. Which, in turn, depends on the animal’s body size and temperature.

 And when the calls are adjusted to account for differences in body size and temperature, a whale sounds a lot like a frog [Adjusted whale song]. And vice⁷ versa for a whale-sized frog [adjusted peeper calls].

 They think there's a metabolic⁸ link, because energy use affects the nerves and muscles that animals use to sound off. 'Cause we still don't know what they're saying. And I'm not getting close enough to ask.

 —Karen Hopkin