Few sea creatures of their size have as much destructive power as pistol shrimp. These small animals, usually measuring around four centimeters long, produce shock waves that can stun or even kill their prey.
The attack begins when the shrimp opens its specialized claw, allowing water to fill a chamber inside. Then the claw closes rapidly. A bump on the claw strikes the chamber, forcing the trapped water out through a narrow opening at a high speed of about 25 meters per second. The rapid movement forms a bubble in the water that collapses almost instantly under the pressure of the surrounding water. This sudden burst produces a loud snap and a powerful shock wave that can knock out or take down small fish nearby. This strategy allows the shrimp to hunt efficiently despite its small size.
The sound itself can reach up to 218 decibels, which is louder than a gunshot. This noise confused the US Navy during World War II. Its sonar systems, designed to detect enemy vessels, kept picking up the snapping sounds. Researchers were brought in to investigate the puzzle and eventually traced the source to pistol shrimp. Recordings of the snaps were later used to help train sonar operators to distinguish between harmless shrimp and actual threats.
Photo: Ivy English I 照片: 長春藤解析英語
The Navy even used this noise to its advantage. It hid its submarines in areas with large concentrations of the shrimp and played recordings of the snapping sounds. This created an audio disguise that masked their ships from enemy sonar.
與槍蝦體型相近的海洋生物中，像槍蝦一樣擁有如此強大破壞力的不多。這些體長通常只有四公分左右的小動物，能夠產生足以擊暈、甚至殺死獵物的衝擊波。
這場攻擊始於槍蝦張開其特化的螯足，讓水得以充滿內部腔室。隨後，螯足迅速閉合。螯足上的凸起撞擊腔室，迫使腔室內的水以每秒約二十五公尺的高速從狹窄的開口噴射出來。這種快速流動會在水中形成一個氣泡，其在周圍水壓作用下幾乎立即破裂。這樣突然的爆裂會產生一聲巨響和強大的衝擊波，足以擊暈或殺死附近小魚。這種策略讓槍蝦即使體型小也能有效率地捕獵。
Photo: AdobeStock I 照片: AdobeStock
這種聲響本身可高達兩百一十八分貝，比槍聲還大聲。這種噪音在二戰期間曾讓美國海軍感到困惑。美國海軍設計用來探測敵艦的聲納系統不斷偵測到這種啪嚓的聲響。研究人員被請來調查這一謎團，最終發現噪音源自槍蝦。這些被錄下來的啪嚓聲後來被用於訓練聲納操作員，幫助他們區分無害的槍蝦和真正的威脅。
美國海軍甚至利用了這種噪音來增加優勢。他們將潛水艇隱藏在槍蝦大量聚集的區域，並播放啪嚓聲的錄音。這製造出一種聲音偽裝，掩蓋船艦不被敵方聲納偵測到。
Practical Phrases
Photo: AdobeStock I 照片: AdobeStock
1. knock out. . . / knock. . . out
將……擊昏∕擊倒
The boxer managed to knock out his opponent in the first round.
這名拳擊手在第一回合就成功擊昏了他的對手。
2. take down. . . / take. . . down 殺死∕擊倒……
Hunters used a special trap to take down the wild pig.
獵人使用了特殊的陷阱殺死這頭野豬。
3. pick up. . . / pick. . . up 偵測∕接收到……（訊號、聲音、影像等）
Sensitive microphones can pick up quiet sounds.
靈敏的麥克風可以接收到很小聲的聲音。
4. trace A to B 查到 A 的起源∕起因是 B
The doctor traced the patient’s stomach pain to food poisoning.
醫師發現這位患者的胃痛起因於食物中毒。
5. use. . . to one’s advantage 善用……作為自己的優勢
The player used the heavy wind to his advantage during the game.
這位選手在比賽中利用強風作為自己的優勢。
Words in Use
1. chamber n. 腔室
One of the chambers in a cow’s stomach helps it digest tough grass.
牛隻胃部的其中一個腔室幫助消化韌草。
2. bump n. 隆起物
This soft bump on the dog’s neck should be examined by a vet.
應該要讓獸醫檢查狗狗脖子上這個軟軟的凸起物。
3. collapse vi. 塌陷
The tiny soap bubbles collapsed quickly when the wind started to blow.
風開始吹動時，這些肥皂小泡泡很快就破掉了。
4. instantly adv. 立即，馬上
The computer program can translate simple English sentences into Chinese instantly.
這個電腦程式可以立即將簡單的英文句子翻譯成中文。
5. strategy n. 策略
Some animals use a group strategy to protect their young from danger.
有些動物會使用群體策略來保護其幼崽不涉及危險。
What Did You Learn?
1. Which of the following correctly shows the order of a pistol shrimp’s attack?
a. The shrimp closes its claw. b. A bubble forms and collapses.
c. A jet of water shoots out. d. A loud snapping sound is produced.
(A) c → a → b → d. (B) a → c → d → b.
(C) c → a → d → b. (D) a → c → b→ d.
2. Which of the following is true about the US Navy during World War II?
(A) It trained pistol shrimp to stay quiet around its ships.
(B) Its submarines were once attacked by pistol shrimp.
(C) Its vessels used pistol shrimp noise to avoid detection.
(D) It developed new sonar technology inspired by pistol shrimp.
參考答案 :
1. D 2. C
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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