Surprising Animal Facts 动物奇事

【前言】Surprising Animal Facts 动物奇事由文秘帮小编整理而成，但愿对你的学习工作带来帮助。Most people are familiar with the notion that roaches are hearty， durable pests. Anyone who has ever been plagued3） by a roach problem knows just how resilient4） these ugly little creatures can be. Many are surprised at just how adept5） roaches...

When most people think about animals， they imagine furry little cow-eyed creatures innocently plucking leaves from trees or bugs from the ground for nourishment. However， many people are shocked to learn that， just as in human life， there's an incredible part to the animal world. If you thought you knew a lot about animal behavior， the following unbelievable but true animal facts may cause your jaw to drop.

大多数人一想到动物，就会想到各种毛茸茸的小家伙，它们长着牛眼似的眼睛，毫无恶意地从树上扯下叶子或在地上找虫子来美餐一顿。然而，很多人却惊讶地发现，如同人类生活一样，动物世界也有不可思议的一面。如果你认为自己对动物的行为已经了解颇多，那下面这些令人难以置信但又真实存在的动物奇事恐怕仍会让你惊愕不已。

Cows Are More Deadly than Sharks

For most people， few things evoke fear like the image of a great white shark. A combination of popular culture movies and widespread media stories concerning shark attacks has worked in concert1） to create a universal fear of these toothy eating machines. However， the dangers posed by sharks to humans are overstated. In fact， sharks kill only ten people each year. By contrast， you're ten times more likely to die under the clumsy2） feet of ordinary cows who fatally trample around 100 people every 12 months.

Headless Roaches Can Live up to Nine Days

Most people are familiar with the notion that roaches are hearty， durable pests. Anyone who has ever been plagued3） by a roach problem knows just how resilient4） these ugly little creatures can be. Many are surprised at just how adept5） roaches are at survival and reproduction. Roaches are able to live up to nine days without a head because their brains are located deep within their body cavities6）.

奶牛比鲨鱼更致命

对大多数人来说，大白鲨的形象唤起的恐惧感几乎无物可比。关于鲨鱼袭击人类的大众文化电影和广泛的媒体报道一直齐头并进，激发了人们对这些多齿类“食人机器”的普遍的恐惧感。可是，鲨鱼对人类构成的威胁被夸大了。事实上，每年只有10个人会命丧鲨鱼之口，相比之下，你命丧牛蹄下的几率是前者的十倍，每年被普通奶牛乱蹄踩死的有约100人。

无头蟑螂能活九天

大多数人都很熟悉这一概念：蟑螂是精力充沛、耐力超强的害虫。但凡被蟑螂困扰过的人都知道这些外貌丑陋的“小强”生命力有多顽强。蟑螂娴熟的生存和繁殖能力也着实让很多人惊讶不已。由于大脑位于体腔深处，蟑螂没有头之后还能存活九天。

A Wolf's Howl Does Not Echo

Wolves hunt in coordinated packs7）， so long-distance communication is critical to a successful kill. However， wolves hunt in mountainous areas， so their howling is left vulnerable to echoes that can distort their ability to communicate. To combat this， wolves howl at a frequency that will not echo. This allows them to confirm the exact location of their hunting partners， which helps them to ambush unsuspecting prey.

Half of All Orangutans Have Broken Bones

Orangutans seem to drift through branches from tree to tree with relative ease. However， almost all orangutans suffer serious falls at least a few times in their lives. Proving this is the fact that 50 percent oforangutans have fractured8） bones somewhere in their body.

Some Clams Are Transgendered

Every single clam is born into the world a male. To combat this， clams have developed the ability to change their gender from male to female. However， before the clam makes this serious adjustment， it has to be sure， as once the change is made， it's irreversible9）.

Woodpeckers Are Soft-Headed

Woodpeckers bash10） their heads against wood about 20 pecks every second， so you'd think they'd need heads made of steel to survive. Instead， the reality is that woodpecker heads are relatively soft. Each bird is born with a soft， sponge-like mass behind its beak11） that absorbs the shock created by pecking.

狼的嚎叫没有回声

狼捕猎时要成群结队、团结协作，因此远距离沟通对成功捕获猎物至关重要。然而，由于狼在山区猎食，所以它们的嚎叫声容易被回声破坏，而回声就会干扰它们彼此之间的沟通。为解决这个问题，狼便以不会产生回声的频率嚎叫。这让它们可以确定一起猎食的同伴的具置，从而有助于它们伏击毫无戒备的猎物。

半数的猩猩都有断骨

猩猩看上去似乎能较为轻松地从一棵树荡到另一棵树，在树枝之间随意穿行。然而，几乎所有的猩猩一生之中都会遭受至少几次严重的摔伤。事实证明，50%的成年猩猩都在身体某些部位有断裂的骨头。

有些蛤蚌是变性的

每一只蛤蚌在来到这个世界之初都是雄性的。为了应对这种情况，蛤蚌已经进化出变性的本领，能从雄性变成雌性。不过，蛤蚌在做出这一重大改变之前，一定要拿准主意，因为它一旦变性就再也变不回来了。

啄木鸟头部很柔软

啄木鸟能以每秒约20次的频率用头猛击树木，因此，你可能会认为它们得长个“铁头”才能生存。与此相反，实际上啄木鸟的头部较为柔软。每只啄木鸟的鸟喙根部生来就裹着一层天然的海绵状的东西，能够缓冲它啄木时产生的冲击力。

1. in concert： 一齐；协力

2. clumsy [?kl?mzi] adj. 笨拙的

3. plague [ple?] vt. 困扰；使烦恼；折磨

4. resilient [r??z?li?nt] adj. 韧性的；病后恢复能力强的

5. adept [??dept] adj. 熟练的

6. body cavities： 【动】体腔

7. pack [p?k] n. （尤指狼或狗的）一群

8. fracture [?fr?kt??（r）] vi. 断裂；折断

9. irreversible [??r??v??s?bl] adj. 不可逆转的；不可挽回的

10. bash [b??] vt. 猛击；猛撞

11. beak [bi?k] n. （鸟的）喙