环境太吵？手语当道
Frogs Signal Visually in Noisy Environments
环境太吵？手语当道
The Brazilian torrent frog has the most sophisticated visual communications system yet documented for a frog species.
巴西湍蛙拥有最为复杂的视觉体系，这种模式尚未有记录于其他蛙类物种。
播音/撰文 杰森·G·古德曼 (Jason G. Goldman)
翻译 Meatle
审校 Arc Ma
Ask anyone what sound a frog makes and they'll probably say "ribbit." But there’s only one frog that makes that sound: the Pacific chorus frog. It may have become the go-to frog call because it just happens to live near sound artists in Hollywood.
每个人都知道青蛙会发出“呱呱”的声音。然而只有一种称为太平洋拟蝗蛙的物种会发出这样的叫声。这种叫声之所以总所周知，可能仅仅是因为住在好莱坞的声音艺术家住在这种青蛙的栖息地附近。
Herpetologists have long known that frog calls are more diverse than just ribbit. But their communications are more diverse than just calls—they also signal each other by sight.
两栖动物学家早已得知蛙类会发出比“呱呱”更为复杂的叫声。但是，它们之间的沟通远比喊叫复杂——它们还会使用视觉信息。
Say you’re a male of a species called the Brazilian torrent frog. And you live alongside a fast-flowing stream in the Amazon jungle. You happily chirp away, advertising your availability to whatever female torrent frogs are around. But when another male comes too close, your chirps give way to peeps and squeals.
试想一下你睡醒了，变成了一种叫巴西湍蛙的雄性个体。你生活在亚马逊丛林中快速流淌的溪流沿岸。你高兴的尖生大叫，以此想雌性们宣告你的存在，展现你的能力。但当其他雄性与你过于接近时，你的叫声无异于在尖叫中耳语。
So you wave your red and brown arm in front of your cream-colored face. The ensuing color contrast turns your body into a warning light. The intruder gets the hint and hops away to bother someone else.
Brazilian zoologist Fábio P. de Sá witnessed Brazilian torrent frogs using eighteen different visual displays, five of which had never been seen before in other frogs. He and colleagues published their findings in the journal PLOS ONE. [Fábio P. de Sá, Juliana Zina and Célio F. B. Haddad,Sophisticated Communication in the Brazilian Torrent Frog Hylodes japi]
因此你在自己米色的脸前挥动那红棕色的手臂。随后颜色的对比使你的身体变成警告色。入侵者懂得你啥意思，并识相地跳走去打扰其他的湍蛙。巴西的动物学家法比奥·P·德萨 (Fábio P. de Sá) 观察到巴西湍蛙使用过18种不同的视觉表达方式，其中5种没有在其他蛙类物种身上观察到。他和他的同事将研究结果发表在《公共科学图书馆期刊》上。
The frog semaphore system probably developed because streams are noisy places. Instead of shouting over the sound of rushing water, these frogs communicate by jumping, head bobbing, arm waving or even wagging their toes.
蛙类演化出这种手语系统或许是因为溪流是一个嘈杂的地方。与其发出易被溪流噪声所掩盖的声音，不如使用跳跃、点头、摆手甚至是摇手指等肢体语言。
The set of signals is the most sophisticated ever documented for a frog, but de Sá thinks that other frogs could have similarly complex repertoires, if only researchers would take the time to look. One thing is certain: it’s not easy being green, but it’s simple to be seen.
这种信号体系是有记录的蛙类沟通中最为复杂的，但德萨认为如果研究人员有足够的耐心去研究其他蛙类，也会发现它们有同样复杂的体系。然而有一样东西是能够确认的：做青蛙很难，但被看到不算难。
京ICP备11000850号-1 
京公网安备11010502039775号
信息网络传播视听节目许可证0111611号
国家科技基础条件平台
© 2011- 版权所有：中国数字科技馆 未经书面许可任何人不得复制或镜像
未经书面许可任何人不得复制或镜像
京ICP备11000850号-1
京公网安备11010502039775号 信息网络传播视听节目许可证0111611号
国家科技基础条件平台