The world’s most dangerous fart - Nick Caruso and Dani Rabaiotti

Translator: Gavin Thomas Reviewer: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

For most humans, farts are a welcome relief,

對大多數人嚟講， 放屁係一種受歡迎嘅解放、

an embarrassing incident, or an opportunity for a gas-based gag.

一個尷尬嘅小插曲，

或者係個毒氣惡作劇。

But for many other creatures, farts are no laughing matter.

但對其他生物嚟講， 放屁並唔係件好笑嘅事情。

Deep in the bowels of the animal kingdom, farts can serve as tools of intimidation,

係動物王國嘅肚腸入面， 放屁可以作爲恐嚇嘅工具、

acts of self-defense, and even weapons of malodorous murder.

自我防衛嘅方式， 甚至係惡臭嘅凶殺武器。

The smelliest parts in the animal kingdom aren’t lethal,

動物王國入面最臭嘅屁雖然唔致命，

but they might ruin your trip to the beach.

但好有可能會毀左你嘅沙灘之旅。

Seals and sea lions are well-known for having truly foul farts due to their diet.

海獅同海豹因爲飲食嘅關係 而放臭屁聞名。

Fish and shellfish are incredibly high in sulfur.

魚類同貝類嘅硫含量非常高，

And during digestion, mammalian gut bacteria breaks down sulfur

而係消化嘅過程中， 哺乳動物嘅腸道細菌會分解硫

and amino acids containing sulfur to produce hydrogen disulphide,

同分解含有硫嘅氨基酸 來產生二氧化氫（H2S2)--

a gas with a smell resembling rotten eggs.

一種聞落去好似臭鷄蛋嘅氣體。

Seals and sea lions can’t help their funky flatulence,

海獅同海豹無辦法控制 自己放出惡臭嘅屁，

But some animals deploy their farts strategically.

但有啲動物放屁係有策略性嘅。

Both the Eastern hognose snake and the Sonoran coral snake

東部豬鼻蛇同索諾蘭珊瑚蛇

use a tactic called cloacal popping.

會使用一種叫做 「泄殖腔噴氣」嘅策略。

This involves sucking air into their cloaca—

佢哋會先將空氣吸到泄殖腔--

a hole used for urinating, defecating and reproduction—

一個用於排尿、排便同生殖嘅窿，

and then shooting it back out with a loud pop.

然後再「碰」一聲 係泄殖腔噴啲氣出嚟。

These pops are no more dangerous than a sea lion’s stench,

呢啲氣無比海獅嘅臭屁危險，

but they are effective at scaring off would-be predators.

但可以有效咁嚇走潛在嘅掠食者。

Meanwhile, the flatulence of beaded lacewing larvae are silent and deadly.

另一方面，鱗蛉幼蟲嘅屁 既無聲又致命。

Their farts contain a class of chemical known as allomone

佢哋嘅屁含有一種被稱爲 「利己信息」素嘅化學物質，

that has evolved specifically to paralyze termites.

專門進化嚟麻痹白蟻。

In fact, this allomone is so powerful,

事實上，「利己信息素」非常强大，

a single fart can immobilize multiple termites for up to three hours,

單單一個屁就可以令一班白蟻 無法動彈長達三個鐘頭，

or even kill them outright.

或者直接殺死佢哋。

Either way, these toxic farts give beaded lacewing larvae plenty of time

無論如何，呢種毒屁比左鱗蛉幼蟲好多時間

to devour prey up to three times their size.

嚟吞食比佢哋體型大三倍嘅獵物。

For some other animals, however, holding farts in can be deadly.

但係，對於有啲動物嚟講， 忍住唔放屁可能係會致命嘅。

The Bolson pupfish is a small freshwater fish found in northern Mexico.

灰鱂係一種生活喺墨西哥北邊嘅小型淡水魚。

These fish feed on algae and other small organisms in the sediment.

呢啲魚類以藻類 同沉澱物内嘅其他小生物為食。

But during the hottest days of the summer,

但喺夏天最熱時候，

this algae produces a lot of gas.

呢啲藻類會喺佢哋 腹中產生大量氣體。

If a pupfish doesn’t fart this gas out, it becomes buoyant—

如果灰鱂無將呢啲氣體排出嚟， 佢哋就會浮到水面上--

making it easy prey for passing birds.

並成為路過鳥類的獵物。

And it isn't just predators they have to worry about.

而佢哋要擔心嘅唔止有掠食者。

Excessive gas buildup can actually burst their digestive systems.

堆積過量嘅氣體可能會 將佢哋嘅消化系統撐破。

Researchers have found groups of several hundred dead pupfish

研究人員曾發現數百隻死左嘅灰鱂，

that failed to fart for their lives.

因爲無放屁而喪命。

Fortunately for humanity,

好彩對人類嚟講，

animal farts can’t directly harm a human— outside making us lose our lunch.

動物放屁並唔會直接傷害到人類— 除左影響我哋嘅食慾之外。

But in the right circumstances,

但係特殊情況下，

some animal flatulence can create surprisingly dangerous conditions.

有啲動物嘅屁會造成意想不到嘅危險。

In the fall of 2015, a tripped smoke alarm

喺2015 年嘅秋天，

有架飛機因為煙霧警報器響起 而緊急迫降。

forced a plane to make an emergency landing.

Upon further inspection, officials found that there was no fire—

經進一步調查， 調查人員發現飛機並無起火，

just the burps and farts of over 2,000 goats being transported in the cargo bay.

只係喺貨艙内揾到 2000 幾隻山羊所放出嘅嗝同屁。

The change in air pressure had caused them to pass gas en masse.

氣壓嘅變化， 導致佢哋排出大量嘅氣體。

Thankfully, this story of farting goats had relatively low costs.

好彩呢個山羊放屁嘅故事 並無讓人付出好大嘅代價。

But the most dangerous flatulence in the world may actually come from

但係世界上最危險嘅屁

實際上可能嚟自同羊一樣 平易近人嘅動物：唔起眼嘅牛。

a similarly unassuming mammal: the humble cow.

There are nearly one billion cows in the world,

世界上有近 10 億頭牛，

most of them raised specifically for milk and meat.

大部分都係為左生產 牛奶同牛肉而飼養嘅。

Like goats, cows are ruminants,

同羊一樣，牛係反芻動物，

which means their stomachs have four chambers,

即係話佢哋嘅胃有四個胃室，

allowing them to chew, digest and regurgitate their food multiple times.

幫助佢哋反覆咀嚼、消化同多次反芻食物。

This process helps them extract extra nutrients from their food,

呢個過程幫助佢哋從食物中獲得更多營養，

but it also produces a lot of gas.

但佢同時亦都製造出好多氣體。

This is particularly troubling because one of the gases cows emit

呢個係個問題，因爲牛排出嘅氣體之一

is methane,

係甲烷--

a major greenhouse gas that contributes heavily to global warming.

一種導致全球暖化嘅主要溫室氣體。

One kilogram of methane traps dozens of times more heat in the atmosphere

一公斤嘅甲烷 係大氣中吸收嘅熱量，

than one kilogram of carbon dioxide.

係一公斤二氧化碳吸收嘅十幾倍。

And with each cow releasing up to 100 kilograms of methane every year,

而因爲每隻牛每年會排放 多達 100 公斤嘅甲烷，

these animals have become one of the biggest contributors

呢啲動物已經成為左

造成氣候變化最大嘅元凶之一。

toward climate change.

So while other animals may have louder, fouler, or even more toxic farts,

所以，雖然其他動物嘅屁 可能更大聲、更臭，甚至更毒，

cow flatulence may be the most dangerous gas ever to pass.

但牛嘅屁可能係 有史以嚟最危險嘅屁。