Animal Camouflage

夏天供稿 翻译：远航

1)Camouflageis when animalsblend inwith their surroundings so they are not seen by other living things. There are many different ways an animal can camou fl age itself.

◆ Concealing Coloration

Imagine that you are walking through a snowy field.All of sudden, out of the corner of your eye, you see a white2)blurrun past you. It is a snow shoe hare, and you didn’t see it until it started moving. The snow shoe hare is one of many animals that use a form of camouflage calledconcealing coloration. Concealing coloration happens when an animal is colored so that it blends in with its background. In this case, the snow shoe hare is white to blend in with the snow on the ground.

By disappearing into their surroundings, animals are able to avoid attacks by3)predatorsif they remain still or move slowly. Owls are often colored like the bark of trees in their environment. In the ocean, seahorses often have the same coloring as the4)coralin which they make their homes. And in the5)rainforest, tree frogs are a brilliant green to match the leaves around them.

◆ Disruptive Coloration

Did you know that zebras can outsmart lions? When a herd of zebras realizes that a lion is about to attack,they all run together. To the lion, the zebra herd appears as one big black and white massdue totheir6)stripes.The lion just sees the black and white movement and can have a dif ficult time7)determiningwhere one zebra ends and another begins in order to8)pounce.

◆ 9)Disguise

Disguise is when animals blend in with their surroundings by looking like another object. An insect that looks like a branch or leaf is using a costume to hide from predators. Some10)katydidsand leaf insects use this type of camou fl age.

◆ 11)Mimicry

Mimicry is when animal or insects look like other dangerous or12)poisonousanimals or insects. They pretend to be what they are not. Some snakes and butter fl ies use this type of camou fl age.

参考译文

伪装是指动物将自身融入周围的环境避免被其他生物发现。动物们有很多伪装自己的方式。

◆ 体色隐藏

想象你自己走在一片雪地上，突然间，眼角一瞄，看到一个白色影子跑过去。其实那是一只雪鞋兔，它不移动的时候你根本看不到它。雪鞋兔就是一种用体色隐藏来伪装自己的动物。这种形式的伪装只有在动物自身颜色与周围环境相近时才会出现。在上述情况下，白色的雪鞋兔完美融入白色的雪地。

通过将自身颜色融入周边环境，动物们只要保持静止或者缓慢移动就可以躲避很多捕食者的攻击。猫头鹰就会保持和它栖息地的树皮一样的颜色。在海洋里，海马也会将居所建在与它们颜色相近的珊瑚旁。在热带雨林中，青绿色的树蛙将自己隐藏在树叶中。

◆ 颜色干扰

你知道吗，斑马要比狮子聪明得多。当斑马群意识到一头狮子将它们作为捕食目标的时候，它们会聚在一起狂奔。在狮子看来，斑马群就像一个巨大的黑白相间的怪物。这样使得狮子根本就不知道该去猎食哪只斑马。

◆ 掩饰

动物们经常会使自身变得很像周围环境中的一样东西来隐藏自己。昆虫会变得很像一根树枝或者一片树叶来躲避捕食者。还有一些螽斯和树叶昆虫也会使用这种伪装。

◆ 模拟

模拟是指动物和昆虫将自身假装成其他具有危险性或者有毒的动物和昆虫的样子。它们掩饰原来的身份。有一些蛇和蝴蝶会使用这种形式的伪装。

1) camou fl age ['kæmuflɑːʒ] n. 伪装

2) blur [bləː] n. 模糊不清的食物

3) predator ['predətə] n. 捕食其他动物的动物

4) coral ['kɒrəl] n. 珊瑚

5) rainforest ['reɪn'fɒrɪst] n. 热带雨林

6) stripe [straɪp] n. 条纹

7) determine [dɪ'təːmɪn] v. 决定

8) pounce [paʊns] v. 猛扑

9) disguise [dɪs'gaɪz] v. 假装

10) katydid ['keɪtɪdɪd] n. 蝈蝈儿

11) mimicry ['mɪmɪkrɪ] n. 模仿

12) poisonous ['pɔɪznəs] adj. 有毒的

词组加油站

★blend in与……和谐或协调

★concealing coloration隐匿色

★due to由于