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科学美国人60秒 SSS Birds on Rhinos' Back Help Them Avoid Poachers

时间:2020-05-06 08:56:25

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(单词翻译)

Oxpeckers riding on rhinoceroses2 feast on ticks, and their calls warn the nearsighted herbivores about approaching humans.

Full Transcript3 

Black rhinos4 have terrible eyesight. Even so, these giant African herbivores easily fend5 off hungry lions and hyenas6.

“Their basic body plan has proved to be good enough to survive on a savanna7 full of large predators8, being very large, thick-skinned—big, rapierlike horns.”

Victoria University of Melbourne behavioral ecologist Roan Plotz. But those protective traits are no match for humans with guns. Today the species is critically endangered largely due to poaching. But the rhinos may have an unlikely ally against poachers: the red-billed oxpecker. The chatty, sociable9 birds often hang out on the backs of rhinos, feasting on parasitic10 ticks.

“And actually, research has shown that the tick is the favorite diet of an oxpecker. And if they feed on ticks, that is a good thing.”

The birds also get nutrients11 by picking at sores on the rhinos’ bodies. Plotz suspected that the rhinos put up with this indignity12 because the oxpeckers make loud alarm calls whenever they see humans approach—giving the rhinos an early warning to flee.

“And it’s sort of a distinctive13 rattling14, a bit hissing15 sort of sound.”

[CLIP: Alarm call]

To test whether the oxpeckers do, in fact, act as noisy lookouts16, Plotz and his team implanted radio transmitters in the rhinos’ horns. This didn’t hurt the rhinos and allowed the researchers to track the animals ...

“And approach them undetected, when the oxpeckers were on the back and when the oxpeckers were not on their backs, to get an idea of if the birds do alert them and if the rhinos do listen.”

The researchers found that rhinos without oxpeckers detected an approaching human only 23 percent of the time, at an average distance of 27 meters. But when oxpeckers were present, the birds alerted the rhinos 100 percent of the time. And they detected the human 61 meters away on average. And the more oxpeckers on the scene, the greater the detection distance—which means the earlier the warning.

“Which makes sense because the more eyes you have on your back, looking out for you, the more chance that they can pick up anything coming. What we think is going on, fundamentally, is that the rhino1 is eavesdropping17 on the oxpecker alarm call, there can be no doubt of that. There's a really strong antihuman benefit to listening to oxpecker alarm calls.”

The study is in the journal Current Biology, with oxpecker recording18 by Tiffany Plantan of the University of Miami. [Roan D. Plotz and Wayne L. Linklater, Oxpeckers help rhinos evade19 humans]

Plotz thinks the oxpeckers may have evolved their sentinel behavior because it protects their convenient food source. And the more lookouts, the better in what seems like a win-win for both species: the birds thrive and the rhinos survive.

—Susanne Bard20

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 rhino xjmztD     
n.犀牛,钱, 现金
参考例句:
  • The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
  • They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。
2 rhinoceroses 75b06ff1c3ad4bf5e454140a332dce7a     
n.钱,钞票( rhino的名词复数 );犀牛(=rhinoceros);犀牛( rhinoceros的名词复数 );脸皮和犀牛皮一样厚
参考例句:
  • Rhinoceroses and dragons for once will let us walk in peace. 犀牛与龙安歇,让我们能平静地行走。 来自互联网
  • Although the rhinoceroses are very heavy, they can run very fast. 犀牛虽然体型笨重,但仍能以相当快的速度行走或奔跑。 来自互联网
3 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
4 rhinos 195f9b9fd8128a29dac773077994698f     
n.犀牛(rhino的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
  • The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句
5 fend N78yA     
v.照料(自己),(自己)谋生,挡开,避开
参考例句:
  • I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
  • He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。
6 hyenas f7b0c2304b9433d9f69980a715aa6dbe     
n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
  • We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏,干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句
7 savanna bYbxZ     
n.大草原
参考例句:
  • The savanna is also the home of meat-eaters--the lion,leopard,and hyena who feed on the grasseaters.大草原也是食肉动物的家乡--狮子、豹、鬣狗--它们都是以草食动物维持生命的。
  • They sped upon velvet wheels across an exhilarant savanna.他们的马车轻捷地穿过一片令人赏心悦目的大草原。
8 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 );奴役他人者(尤指在财务或性关系方面)
参考例句:
  • birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
  • The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 sociable hw3wu     
adj.好交际的,友好的,合群的
参考例句:
  • Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
  • Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。
10 parasitic 7Lbxx     
adj.寄生的
参考例句:
  • Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢?
  • By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说,这是种寄生虫的生活方式。
11 nutrients 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607     
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 indignity 6bkzp     
n.侮辱,伤害尊严,轻蔑
参考例句:
  • For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
  • She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。
13 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的
参考例句:
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
14 rattling 7b0e25ab43c3cc912945aafbb80e7dfd     
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词
参考例句:
  • This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
  • At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时,一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来,把窗玻璃震得当当地响。
15 hissing hissing     
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
  • His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕
16 lookouts 7926b742eec0dc62641ba32374f99780     
n.寻找( 某人/某物)( lookout的名词复数 );是某人(自己)的问题;警戒;瞭望台
参考例句:
  • Lookouts were spotted all along the coast. 沿海岸都布置了监视哨。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Lookouts and leadsmen in bulky life jackets stumbled and slipped after him. 监视哨和测深员穿着饱鼓鼓的救生衣,跌跌撞撞地跟在他后面。 来自辞典例句
17 eavesdropping 4a826293c077353641ee3f86da957082     
n. 偷听
参考例句:
  • We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
  • Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间,一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。
18 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
19 evade evade     
vt.逃避,回避;避开,躲避
参考例句:
  • He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
  • You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人,你怎么能对这个问题不置可否?
20 bard QPCyM     
n.吟游诗人
参考例句:
  • I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神!
  • I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。

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