How smart are orangutans? - Lu Gao

翻译人员: Yinan Xiong 校对人员: x Vicky

Fu Manchu was one of the most notorious escape artists

傅满楚曾是十九世纪六十年代 奥马哈市动物园里

at the Omaha Zoo in the 1960s.

最为臭名昭著的越狱高手之一

But he wasn't a performer,

但它不是演员

he was an orangutan.

它是一只红毛猩猩

The keepers who locked his enclosure every night

每天晚上负责锁笼子的工作人员

were baffled to find him outside the next day

第二天都很困惑 它怎么跑到了外面

hanging out with friends in a tree,

它要么是和朋友在树上闲逛

or sunning on the roof.

要么就是在屋顶上晒太阳

Only after installing cameras did they realize

直到装上了监控器他们才知道

Fu Manchu had been picking the lock

傅满楚是用藏在颊囊下面的一条铁丝

with a metal wire that he kept hidden under his cheek pouch.

打开锁头的

The keepers shouldn't have been surprised at Fu Manchu's cunningness.

动物管理员们没必要 为傅满楚的狡猾感到惊讶

Along with our other great ape cousins,

因为和人类的其他猿类表亲

the gorillas,

如大猩猩

chimps,

黑猩猩

and bonobos,

倭黑猩猩一样

they belong to our Hominidae family tree,

它们也属于人科

which stretches back 14 million years.

这种根源可以追溯到 一千四百万年以前

But it's not just their striking red hair

但决不是因为红毛猩猩 一头醒目的红发

that makes orangutans unique among our cousins.

才使得它们相比其它猿类更特别

As the only great apes from Asia,

作为亚洲唯一的大型猿类

orangutans have adapted to a life high in the rain forest canopies.

红毛猩猩适应了雨林树冠层上的生活

Many of the skills they learn are transmitted through the special bond

它们的技能很多都是

they have with their mothers,

从母亲身上习得的

the most extended in the animal kingdom next to humans.

这点和人类尤其相似

Orangutan mothers usually give birth to one baby at a time,

红毛猩猩的母亲通常 一次只生育一个后代

waiting up to eight years before having another.

至多八年后才会再次生育

This gives the young,

因此这些一出生就有很强依赖性的

who begin as fully dependent infants,

幼年猩猩

plenty of time to learn how to climb

就有充裕的时间学习如何爬树

and distinguish the hundreds of plants and fruits that make up their diet.

和从上百种植物和果实中 鉴别出哪些是它们的食物

Female orangutans even stay with their mothers into their teen years

雌性猩猩甚至会 跟在母亲身边十几年

to learn child-rearing.

学会如何养育子女

As they grow up, orangutans also develop a complex set of cooperative social skills

在成长的过程中，它们通过 和家人以及同龄猩猩互动

by interacting with their peers and siblings.

发展出一系列复杂的社交技能

Much like ourselves,

这点和人类非常相似

young orangutans involuntarily mimic the facial expressions

幼年猩猩不自觉地模仿玩伴的

and emotions of their playmates,

面部表情和情绪

with behaviors that closely parallel human smiling and laughter.

类似于人类的笑

Once they finally venture out on their own,

一旦它们开始独立生活

orangutans continue to develop their resourcefulness,

它们将不断提高智力水平

putting the skills they've learned into practice.

并且将学到的东西应用于生活

Adults build a new nest each night by carefully weaving twigs together,

成年猩猩每天晚上细心地把小树枝编成窝

topping them with soft leaves, pillows, and blankets.

再铺上柔软的树叶、枕头和毯子

This process requires dexterity, coordination, and an eye for design.

整个过程要求一定的灵巧、协调和审美能力

Orangutans also use a variety of tools to make their lives in the jungle easier.

红毛猩猩使用各种工具改善它们在丛林中的生活

They turn branches into fly swatters and back scratchers,

它们把树枝用做苍蝇拍和痒痒挠

construct umbrellas when it rains,

下雨的时候用做雨伞

make gloves from leafy pads,

把树叶做成手套

and even use leaves as bandages to dress their wounds.

甚至是做为绷带保护伤口

But orangutan intelligence goes far beyond jungle survival.

但是红毛猩猩的智商相对于雨林中的其它动物 还远不只这么简单

Research in controlled environments has shown that orangutans are self-aware,

受环境控制的研究表明，红毛猩猩具有自我意识

being one of the few species to recognize their own reflections.

它们是少数几个能够辨别自己外貌的物种

They also display remarkable foresight, planning, and cognition.

它们还表现出卓越的远见、规划以及认知能力

In one experiment, researchers taught an orangutan to use a straw

有一个实验是研究人员教授红毛猩猩使用吸管

to extract his favorite fruit soup from a box.

汲取箱子里它最喜欢的一种果汁

That orangutan was later given the choice between the straw

然后让它在吸管

or a grape that could be eaten right away,

和即食葡萄之间选择一样

and he chose the straw just in case he was given another box of soup.

为了自己能得到另一盒果汁，它选择了吸管

In another experiment, orangutans figured out how to reach peanuts

在另一个实验中，红毛猩猩知道用吐口水的办法

at the bottom of long tubes by spitting water into them.

拿到长管底部的花生

While orangutans are able to pass cognitive tests with flying colors,

即使红毛猩猩还通过了动态颜色的认知测试

there are certain problems that they need our help to solve.

有些问题它们自己是解决不了的

Indonesia has the world's highest rate of deforestation,

印度尼西亚有着世界上最高的森林砍伐率

and millions of acres of rain forest are burned annually

每年有上百万的雨林被焚烧掉

to support the logging and palm oil industries.

以支撑伐木业和棕榈油工业

Deforestation exposes the 30,000 orangutans remaining in the wild

森林砍伐导致三万多的红毛猩猩

to poachers.

暴露在偷猎者面前

They kill mothers so that baby orangutans can be sold as exotic pets.

他们把母猩猩杀掉，这样小猩猩就可以作为外来宠物卖掉

But fortunately, the story often doesn't end here.

幸运的是，故事并没有就此结束

Orphans can be confiscated and given a second chance.

猩猩孤儿可能会被官方没收并得到第二次机会

At special forest schools, they recover from emotional trauma

它们在特殊森林学校接受心理康复

and continue to develop essential life skills.

学习基本的生存技能

Against all odds, these orphans demonstrate incredible resilience

尽管困难重重，这些孤儿还是表现出了惊人的

and readiness to learn.

韧性和学习禀赋

In Malay, the word orangutan translates literally to "the person of the forest,"

在马来西亚，“红毛猩猩”这个词的意思是“树人”

a reminder of our common lineage.

提醒着我们同根同源

And despite orangutans being some of the smartest animals on Earth,

即使红毛猩猩是地球上最聪明的动物之一，

outsmarting their extinction requires the creativity, empathy, and foresight

要克服它们的灭绝 仍旧需要我们种族所共同享有的

创造力，同情心和远见

that our species share.