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Elephants use urine to track family members 非洲象藉由尿味追蹤親族下落

A pair of baby elephants in South Africa's Kruger National Park, Nov. 11, 2007. PHOTO: EPA 今年十一月十一日，一對小象於南非克魯格國家公園留影。照片：歐新社

An African elephant can recognize dozens of family members by the smell of urine and uses its powerful nose to keep track of their whereabouts , according to a study published last week.

A keen trunk coupled with a good memory is essential for elephants, which travel in ever-shifting groups ranging from a handful to several hundred individuals, the study says.

Scientists from Britain and Kenya tested the ability of elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park to tell family members from strangers.

The team, led by Richard Byrne of the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, also thought up experiments to see whether the animals knew where family members were at any given moment.

In March 2007, they placed individual samples of female urine mixed with earth along the paths of 36 elephant family groups and then measured the reactions.

Only female urine samples were used because the social structure of the African elephant is matrilineal .

The first female in a group showed very little interest if the urine sample was from an elephant outside its group, but stopped to reach with its trunk if the odor came from a familiar source.

African elephants are able to keep tabs on at least 17 females and as many as 30 individuals, both male and female, at any given time, the study says.

The lead elephant displayed especially heightened interest if the smell belonged to an elephant that was, at the moment the fresh urine sample was encountered, trailing behind with the family.

This expression of "surprise" at finding evidence that did not jibe with reality shows that the African elephant "can remember where some family members are in relation to itself," the researchers conclude.

The study appeared in Biology Letters, a publication of the British Royal Society. (AFP)

根據上週公佈的一項研究，非洲象可以藉由尿液氣味辨認出數十隻親族，並且利用敏銳的鼻子追蹤牠們親族的下落。

研究說，對這些數量從少數幾隻到幾百隻成群結隊遷徙的大象，敏銳的象鼻和絕佳的記憶很重要。

英國和肯亞的科學家在肯亞安伯賽利國家公園，測試大象辨識自己親族和陌生象隻的能力。由蘇格蘭聖安德魯大學研究員，理查．伯恩所領導的團隊，也設計了實驗來觀察是否這些大象在任何指定時刻，知道牠們家族成員在哪裡。

今年三月，他們將母象的尿液樣本和泥土混合，放置在三十六個大象家族經過的路線，並觀測牠們的反應。

只使用母象的尿液樣本，是因為非洲象的社會結構屬母系社會。

象群中帶頭的母象，對非出於自己團體中大象的尿液樣本，明顯地興趣缺缺，但是如果樣本是出自於自己家族成員的，該母象會停下來並用牠的象鼻碰觸。

研究指出，非洲象能夠在任何指定時間記錄至少十七隻母象的下落，最多到三十隻，不管是公的還是母的。

如果帶頭的大象發現氣味是屬於脫隊的大象成員的新尿液，會感到特別有興趣，

研究人員作出結論，非洲象在發現與事實不符的證據時，會顯現出「驚訝」的表情，這表示牠們能夠記住和牠有相關聯的家族成員的下落。

英國皇家學會刊物「生物學通訊」，刊登了這項研究報告。

（法新社／翻譯：楊鴻泰）

TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字 1. urine n. 尿 (niao4) 例: It smells like urine in here. (這裡聞起有尿騷味。) 2. whereabouts n. 行蹤 (xing2 zong1) 例: We're unaware of the robber's whereabouts. (我們不知道這個搶犯的行蹤。) 3. matrilineal adj. 母系的 (mu3 xi4 de5) 例: They live in a matrilineal society. (他們住在母系的社會裡。) 4. odor n. 氣味 (qi4 wei4) 例: There was a strange odor coming out of the sewers, so we called the police. (有一股臭氣從下水道跑出來，所以我們打電話叫警察。)

SAY WHAT? 說說看 jibe 相一致 The word jibe means to be in accord with. It's often used in the phrase above: " jibe with reality." Other examples are: "Our results don't jibe ; we'll need to do the experiment again," and "Joanne and I didn't really jibe , so I didn't ask for her number." When used as a noun, jibe refers to a remark that attacks someone. For example, "He kept making jibes , so I told him to get lost," or "His jibe was totally out of line." 「Jibe」這個字是指「相一致」的意思，通常用於「與事實相符」一詞。 「jibe」其它例子還有：「我們的實驗結果不一致，需要從新再做一次。」和「我和喬安感覺不太合，所以我沒有跟她要電話號碼。」 當這個字當名詞使用時，意指攻擊某人的言論。例如：「他一直嘲弄別人，所以我叫他滾。」或「他的嘲弄言語完全地不適當！」

OUT LOUD 對話練習 Cain : What's wrong? Ted : My living room is rank. It smells like somebody peed in there. Cain : That's strange. Where do you think the smell is coming from? Ted : I think it's my dog. He's been acting strange lately. Maybe he was marking his territory or something. Cain : Maybe. Either way, let's go to my pad instead of yours. 凱因 ：怎麼了？ 泰德 ：我的客廳臭死了，聞起來好像有人在那邊小便似的。 凱因 ：真奇怪，你覺得臭氣是從哪裡來的？ 泰德 ：我想應該是我的狗！牠最近怪怪的，也許牠在牠的地盤上做記號吧。 凱因 ：也許吧。不管怎麼樣，去我的住的地方，不要去你的。 rank　臭氣薰天的 Rank is a slang word used to describe something that smells very bad or is considered disgusting. For example, "Stinky tofu is rank ; I refuse to put it in my mouth." 「rank」是用來形容東西很臭或是很噁心的俚語。例如：「臭豆腐非常臭，我拒絕把它放進我的嘴巴裡」。

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