The best nose in the animal kingdom - Chase LaDue & Bruce A. Schulte

譯者: Camila Lin 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

As a breeze blows through the savannah,

當微風吹過熱帶草原的時候，

a snake-shaped tube stretches into the air and scans the horizon like a periscope.

空氣中伸出了一條像蛇的管子， 像潛望鏡那樣掃描地平線。

But it’s not seeing— it’s sniffing for odors

但它不是在看，而是在嗅聞味道，

like the scent of a watering hole or the musk of a dangerous predator.

像是水漥的氣味， 或是危險掠食者的體味。

The trunk’s owner is a young African elephant.

這根象鼻的主人是一隻年輕的非洲象。

At only 8 years old, she still has a lot to learn about her home.

只有八歲的她，還有許多 關於家鄉的事情需要學。

Fortunately, she’s not alone.

幸運的是，她不是一個人。

Elephants are extremely social creatures,

大象是具有高度社交性的動物，

with females living in tight-knit herds led by a single matriarch.

象群中的母象關係緊密，一同生活， 接受一位大母象家長的領導。

And every member of the group has one of the most versatile tools

每個象群成員都擁有一個 熱帶草原上最萬用的工具，

in the savannah to help them get by.

幫助牠們在嚴峻的環境中生存。

Today her herd is looking for water.

今天，她的象群在找水源，

Or, more accurately, smelling for water.

或者說得更準確一點，在聞水源。

Elephants have more genes devoted to smell than any other creature,

大象的嗅覺基因， 比其他生物都來得多，

making them the best sniffers in the animal kingdom.

這也讓牠們成為動物王國中的好鼻師。

Even at our elephant’s young age, her trunk is already 1.5 meters long

在我們小象這種稚嫩的年齡， 她的鼻子也已經有 1.5 公尺長，

and contains five times as many olfactory receptors as a human nose,

其中嗅覺受器的數量 是人類鼻子的五倍，

allowing her to smell standing water several kilometers away.

這讓她能聞到在幾公里外的水塘。

And now, the matriarch uses her own keen sense of smell to plot the herd’s course.

現在，大家長用她自己的敏銳嗅覺 規劃著象群的路線。

Their journey is long, so our elephant keeps her energy up

她們的旅途很長，

所以這隻小象會在偶而出現的 濃密的草叢吃點草，保持體力。

by snacking on the occasional patch of thick grass.

But this light lunch isn’t just about staying fed—

但這些輕食不只能讓她果腹，

she’s also looking for clues.

她也同時在食物中找尋線索。

Like many other mammals,

像許多其他的哺乳動物一樣，

vents in the roof of an elephant’s mouth lead directly to the vomeronasal organ.

大象嘴裡的上顎孔，直接通往犁鼻器。

This structure can detect chemical signals left by other elephants.

這個結構能讓牠們 偵測到其他大象留下的化學訊號。

So as the herd forages, they’re also gathering information

所以在象群覓食時， 牠們也同時在收集資訊，

about what other herds have come this way.

了解還有哪些象群曾經走過這條路，

All the while, the group’s adults are on the lookout for signs of other animals,

而象群裡的成年大象也一直不停地 對其他動物的蛛絲馬跡保持警戒，

including potential threats.

其中也包含潛在威脅。

Fortunately, while lions might attack a young or sickly elephant,

幸運的是，雖然獅群可能會攻擊 年幼或生病的大象，

few are foolish enough to take on a healthy adult.

但笨到敢以健康的成象 為目標的獅子很少。

Weighing 3 tons and bearing powerful tusks nearly a meter long,

重達三噸的體型， 兩根近一公尺長而有力的象牙，

our elephant’s mother is a force to be reckoned with.

我們小象的媽媽不容小覷。

Her dexterous trunk doubles as a powerful, flexible arm.

她靈巧的象鼻同時也可當作 強壯、靈活的手臂來運用。

Containing no bones and an estimated 40,000 muscles,

象鼻不含骨頭， 估計約含有四萬條肌肉，

these agile appendages can bend, twist, contract, and expand.

作為附肢，它能折彎、 扭曲、收縮跟延長。

At 8 years old, our elephant’s trunk is already strong enough

我們八歲小象的鼻子

已經強壯得足以移動倒下的小樹，

to move small fallen trees,

while finger-like extensions allow for delicate maneuvers like wiping her eye.

象鼻末端像手指的構造， 則讓她能做到揉眼睛這種精細的動作。

She can even grab a nearby branch,

她甚至能抓住附近的樹枝，

break it to just the right length, and wave off pesky insects.

取恰到好處的長度折斷它， 用它來趕走討厭的蟲子。

Suddenly, the matriarch stops their march and sniffs the air.

突然，大家長讓象群 停下腳步，開始聞空氣。

Using smell alone, elephants can recognize each member of their herd,

僅靠著嗅覺，大象 就能認出所有象群成員，

and their exceptional memories can retain the smells of elephants

而牠們超絕的記憶力能讓牠們

記得其他象群的氣味。

outside their herd as well.

It’s one of these old but familiar odors that’s caught the matriarch’s attention.

引起大家長注意的， 是這種久遠但熟悉的一股氣味。

She bellows into the air,

她對著空氣咆嘯，

sending out a sound wave that rings across the savannah.

送出一陣震盪過熱帶草原的聲波，

But it travels even further through the earth as infrasonic rumbles.

此聲波還能以人類聽不到的 次聲波振動，

在土地裡傳得更遠。

Elephants up to 10 kilometers away can receive these rumbles with their feet.

遠在十公里外的大象， 可以用腳感收到這些振動。

If the matriarch’s nose is right, her herd should expect a response.

如果大家長的鼻子判斷正確， 她的象群應該會得到回應。

Smelling the secretions from her daughter’s temporal glands,

小象的媽媽聞到 女兒顳腺分泌物的氣味，

our elephant’s mother can sense her daughter’s unease

知道她女兒因為將與 陌生象群相遇而不自在。

about this unfamiliar encounter.

As the herd of unknown elephants approaches,

在未知的象群靠近的時候，

trunks from both herds rise into the air, sounding trumpets of alarm.

兩群大象的鼻子都往空中伸長， 發出警告的象吼聲。

But upon recognition, apprehension quickly gives way to happy rumbles.

但在認出彼此之後， 焦慮很快地被快樂的低鳴取代。

Members from each herd recognize each other despite time apart,

即使已有一段時間沒見面， 兩方象群的成員都認出彼此，

and many investigate each other’s mouths with their trunks

而且許多大象用鼻子聞彼此的嘴，

to smell what their counterparts have been eating.

以便聞出彼此都吃了些什麼。

With the reunion now in full swing, both herds head toward their final destination:

隨著這場會面進入最高潮， 兩個象群一起往牠們的目的地走去：

the long-awaited watering hole.

牠們盼望已久的水漥。

Here, older elephants suck up to 8 liters of water into their trunks

在這裡，較年長的大象 會用鼻子吸多達八公升的水，

before spraying the contents on themselves to cool off.

接著朝自己身上噴灑，讓自己降溫。

Meanwhile, our young elephant plays in the mud with her peers,

同時，我們的小象 和同伴一起在泥巴裡玩耍，

digging into the muck and even using her trunk as a snorkel

她朝泥裡挖，把自己埋進泥巴中，

還用她的鼻子當作呼吸管。

to breathe while submerged.

The pair of matriarchs look contentedly on their herds,

兩個象群的大家長 用開心的眼神看著她們的象群，

before turning their trunks to the horizon once more.

之後又再次將她們的鼻子伸向水平線。