時(shí)差N小時(shí):動(dòng)物會(huì)數(shù)數(shù)?(上) Can Animals Count?
動(dòng)物能數(shù)數(shù)嗎?
People count easily, from the time we are little kidsand learn our one-two-threes.
數(shù)數(shù)對(duì)人類而言易如反掌，孩提時(shí)代就開始數(shù)一二三了。
But what about other species?
但是其它物種如何呢?
Careful observations in the wild support the idea thatsome can.
通過對(duì)于自然環(huán)境中一些物種的仔細(xì)觀察發(fā)現(xiàn)它們真的具有這項(xiàng)技能。
The American coot is a duck-like North American bird.
美洲骨頂是一種生活在北美而且長(zhǎng)得像野鴨的鳥類。Sometimes a coot will try and sneakone of its eggs into a neighbor's nest.
有時(shí)骨頂會(huì)試著把自己的蛋偷偷放到鄰居的巢中。
Some coots recognize the deception, and roll the stranger's egg out again.
有的骨頂能識(shí)破詭計(jì)，剔除這個(gè)不明來(lái)路的蛋。
Others don't catch on, and raise the stranger's egg as their own.
而有的則丈二和尚摸不著頭腦，干脆當(dāng)作自己的后代撫養(yǎng)長(zhǎng)大。
Researcher Bruce Lyon at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his team observed aseries of coot nests for four seasons, noting which birds could spot a stranger's eggs and whichcouldn't.
加利福利亞圣克魯斯大學(xué)研究員的布魯斯·里昂和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)四個(gè)季節(jié)以來(lái)一直致力于觀察骨頂巢。他們記錄下了哪些鳥能認(rèn)出陌生的鳥蛋，哪些不能認(rèn)出。
Then they compared how many eggs each kind laid.
然后他們比較了這些鳥各生了多少蛋。
