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It may sound nutty, but U.S. researchers are using robot squirrels to learn more about how real ones interact with their main predator, rattlesnakes. |
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乍聽之下也許瘋狂，但美國研究人員正利用松鼠機器人來更加了解活生生的松鼠如何與他們的主要掠食者響尾蛇互動。 |
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The lifelike robot, built by a team from the University of California, Davis, can imitate two behaviors squirrels display when confronted by a rattlesnake. |
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該具由加州大學戴維斯分校團隊打造的擬真機器人，可以模仿松鼠在遇到響尾蛇時會表現的兩種行為。 |
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Research by the late Donald Owings, professor of psychology at UC Davis, observed that rather than scamper off, squirrels would approach a snake "headfirst in an elongated posture, making flagging movements with their tails." |
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由加州大學戴維斯分校已故的心理學教授唐諾．歐文斯主持的研究工作，發現松鼠並不會驚慌失措地逃跑，而是會把身體拉長，以頭朝前方的方式去接近蛇，並用尾巴做出揮擺的動作。 |
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He also discovered their tails heat up, which is picked up by the snake's infrared sensor. |
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But in the wild there is no way to separate the "heat" and the "flagging," say researchers. |
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And that's where the robot comes in. |
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他也發現此時松鼠的尾巴會變熱，蛇的紅外線感測器則會偵測到那股熱能。但是研究員表示，在野外無法將「熱」和「揮擺尾巴」加以區分，這時候機器人就派上用場了。 |
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Out in the field near San Jose, researchers set up "robosquirrel" and a video camera near a foraging snake before retreating out of sight. |
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研究人員外出來到聖荷西市近郊的一塊野地上，在一條正在覓食的蛇附近設置好一台「機器松鼠」和一架攝影機，然後撤離到蛇看不見的地方。 |
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The snakes observed appear to accept the robot as real, with one snake even biting the robot's head, according to researchers. |
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做為觀察對象的那些蛇似乎把機器松鼠當成了活松鼠，其中一條蛇甚至咬了機器松鼠的頭，研究人員表示。 |
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This doesn't happen often in the wild, said Rulon Clark, assistant professor of biology at San Diego State University, because squirrels possess a "remarkable ability" to dodge a snake attack. |
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聖地牙哥州立大學的生物學助理教授魯倫．克拉克說，這種情況在野外不常發生，因為松鼠在躲避蛇類的攻擊方面身懷「絕技」。 |
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"Snakes will rarely strike a flagging adult squirrel, and if they do they almost always miss," said Clark. |
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「蛇很少會攻擊一隻揮擺尾巴的成年松鼠；一旦蛇真的這麼做時，他們幾乎都會失手」，克拉克表示。 |
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It's still not clear why squirrels approach such a deadly predator, but Clark says they may be trying to assess the nature of the threat. |
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In some cases, snakes will leave the area after an encounter. |
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松鼠為何會接近如此致命的掠食者目前仍無明確答案，但是克拉克說，松鼠可能是在試著評估對方具有的威脅性。在有些案例中，蛇在遇到松鼠之後便會離開那塊區域。 |
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"Robosquirrel" joins a growing list of robot creatures created by UC Davis, which include a robot lizard that is used to study display behavior in anole lizards in the Puerto Rican jungle. |
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「機器松鼠」是加州大學戴維斯分校所創作出的新種機器動物之一，這個持續增加的清單包括了用來研究波多黎各叢林中變色龍之變色行為的機器蜥蜴。 |
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Another saw the use of a robot sage grouse hen to study their real-life mating habits. |
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其它還包括利用機器艾草母雞來研究艾草母雞在現實世界中的交配習性。 |
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