2022年经济学人 动物们如何进行伪装?(1)

Camouflage¹ is the by-product² of an evolutionary³ arms race between one group - the predators⁵ - that want to eat another group - the prey⁶.

伪装是想要吃掉猎物的捕食者群体和猎物群体之间进化竞赛的副产品。

Prey seek to survive by tricking the perceptual and cognitive⁷ systems of the predators.

猎物通过欺骗捕食者的感知和认知系统得以生存。

And predators look to eat by breaking through the camouflage of the prey.

捕食者通过识破猎物的伪装来寻找食物。

To put it all more formally, predators need to maximise their perception of signal (their proposed meal) from the noise (the general environment); the goal of prey is to minimise that same signal-to-noise ratio.

更专业一点来说，捕食者需要将自己感知“信号”（他们可能的食物）的能力在噪音中（一般环境中）最大化；而猎物的目标是将相同的信噪比降至最低。

While the physical manifestations⁸ of camouflage might be diverse, they function in one of three ways: to impair⁹ detection, to impair identification or to redirect attack.

虽然伪装的物理表现可能多种多样，但它们的作用方式一般有三种：干扰捕食者的探测、干扰捕食者的识别，以及改变其攻击方向。

Methods that impair detection trick the perceptual system of a predator⁴ into believing that the prey is simply not there.

干扰捕食者的探测指欺骗捕食者的感知系统，让他们相信猎物根本不在那里。

Octopuses¹⁰ change colour to match their backgrounds, for example.

举例来说，章鱼会改变自己身体的颜色，使之与背景融为一体。

The tasselled wobbegong shark conceals¹¹ its shadow against the ocean floor by being incredibly wide and flat.

叶须鲨的体型十分宽大而平坦，能够将自己隐藏在海底。

The white bellies¹² of penguins¹³ match the sky, and their black coats, the depths of the ocean, in what is known as "countershading".

企鹅腹部的白色与天空的颜色相一致，背部的黑色皮毛与海洋深处的颜色相一致，这也就是我们所说的“反荫蔽”。

The arctic fox sports white fur in the winter and brown or grey in the summer.

北极狐的皮毛在冬天是白色，在夏天是棕色或灰色。

The comb jelly is transparent¹⁴.

栉水母身体是透明的。

Deep-sea fish are very black.

深海鱼的颜色很黑。

Often, the evolution of this kind of camouflage is detectable¹⁵ on a shorter timescale too - the populations of dark-coloured peppered moths¹⁶ grew in England, for example, as sooty pollution increased in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution.

通常来说，在较短一段时间内也能观察到伪装的进化发展——例如，19世纪工业革命期间，烟尘污染增加时，英国深色胡椒蛾的数量有所增加。

Correspondingly, the population of light-coloured moths rose when pollution levels fell.

相应地，当污染水平下降时，浅色蛾的数量会有所增加。

Impairing¹⁷ identification tricks the cognitive system of predators into thinking that whatever it is looking at is uninteresting (and definitely not food-like).

干扰捕食者的识别指引导捕食者的认知系统，使其认为自己目前正在观察的东西毫无趣味(而且肯定不像食物)。

The dead leaf butterfly, for example, looks like a dead leaf.

例如，枯叶蛱蝶看起来就像一片枯叶。

Predators themselves use this too - leopards¹⁸ have high-contrast disruptive patterning which allows them to better blend into shadowy bushes and tall grass to avoid detection by their prey.

捕食者自己也使用这种技巧——豹子身上有高对比度的破坏性花纹，这使得它们能够更好地融入幽暗的灌木丛和高高的草丛中，以免被猎物发现。

Redirecting attention is a way to try to reduce the lethality¹⁹ of attack, thereby²⁰ increasing the chances of survival.

转移注意力是试图降低捕食者攻击强度，从而增加自身生存机会的技巧。

The eyespots on the wings of a peacock butterfly, for example, divert attention towards less important regions of the insect's body.

例如，孔雀蛱蝶翅膀上的眼点会让捕食者的注意力转移到它身体不太重要的区域。

Zebras' stripes deploy²¹ a technique called "motion dazzle", which disrupts a predator's ability to work out which direction the animals are moving in.

斑马的条纹利用了一种名为“运动性眩晕”的错觉，可以扰乱捕食者对其移动方向的判断。

How good are any of these camouflage tactics?

这些伪装战术有多有效？

A study published this week in Proceedings²² of the Royal Society B tries to find out.

本周发表在《英国皇家学会会刊B》上的一项研究试图找出答案。

1 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

2 by-product   

n.副产品，附带产生的结果

参考例句：

• Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.自由是经济盈余的副产品。
• The raw material for the tyre is a by-product of petrol refining.制造轮胎的原材料是提炼汽油时产生的一种副产品。

3 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

4 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

5 predators   

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》

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

8 manifestations   

n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。

10 octopuses   

章鱼( octopus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snails and octopuses are molluscs. 蜗牛和章鱼是软体动物。
• Limpets, snails and octopuses are mollusks. 帽贝、蜗牛和章鱼都是软体动物。

11 conceals   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He conceals his worries behind a mask of nonchalance. 他装作若无其事，借以掩饰内心的不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Drunkenness reveals what soberness conceals. 酒醉吐真言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 bellies   

n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的

参考例句：

• They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
• starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童

13 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

15 detectable   

adj.可发觉的；可查明的

参考例句：

• The noise is barely detectable by the human ear.人的耳朵几乎是察觉不到这种噪音的。
• The inflection point at this PH is barely detectable.在此PH值下，拐点不易发现。

16 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 impairing   

v.损害，削弱( impair的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Carbon monoxide is definitely capable of impairing cardiovascular function. 一氧化碳确实能损害心血管机能。 来自辞典例句
• Could it be effected without impairing his reputation as well as his fortune? 他能否不损害他的声誉和财富而办到这一点呢？ 来自辞典例句

18 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

19 lethality   

n.致命性，毁坏性

参考例句：

• Modern weapons have greater range, accuracy, speed, and lethality than anything ever dreamed of before. 现代的武器比从前所梦想的任何武器射得更远，射得更准，速度更快，而且更具有杀伤力。 来自辞典例句
• The Mk 46 provides long-range lethality while engaging small, high-speed, surface targets. 该系统在舰船遭遇小型高速水面目标时将提供远距离的致命杀伤力。 来自互联网

20 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

21 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

22 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼