動物鼻子之趣聞

Where would we be without our noses? Our sense of smell keeps us from eating that refrigerated week-old dish with the unusually strong odor. The city gas department adds a rotten egg smell to natural gas so we can tell if there is a leak. Members of the animal world depend on their noses not only for the ability to detect smells but also for many other things. Let’s examine a few fun facts about some unusual noses in the animal kingdom.

Elephant’s Trunk1

Consider the elephant. An elephant’s trunk is not only its nose but also an extension of its upper lip. An elephant can use its“nose”for more than smelling. The thousands of muscles in an elephant’s trunk enable the animal to employ it as a strong arm to pick up heavy objects. Some people may have rather large noses but none can do what the elephant does， and that’s a fact. The elephant drinks by sucking water partway up his“nose”and pointing the end of it into his mouth. When he raises his head， the water gushes2 in. Just try to drink with your nose!

Giant Anteater’s3 Snout4

One of the most unusual noses in the animal world is that of the giant anteater. Its long nose is rigid， not fleshy. Housed in this elongated5 snout is the almost two foot long sticky tongue， used for scooping6 ants and white ants from their hiding places. You would think that the anteater would snuff a lot of dirt up its nose， but the fact is this animal can seal off its nose when in pursuit of underground delicacies7. An additional fact about the anteater is that there are no teeth in this animal’s combined nose and mouth.

Bactrian Camel’s8 Nose

Another animal which shares the anteater’s ability to seal off its nostrils from sandstorm debris is the Bactrian camel. The Gobi Desert9 is home to this two-humped camel. The camel’s lungs and nose can also work together to trap any moisture which may be in the desert air， a fact which explains the animal’s ability to live in an inhospitable environment.

Rhino’s10 Nose

Some animals have rather poor eyesight or hearing. To compensate， the animal’s sense of smell is usually highly developed. A rhino has poor eyesight but excellent senses of hearing and smell. When a rhino hears or smells a frightening or strange noise or odor， it may charge11. The animal uses its sense of smell to locate its target and its nose-mounted12 horn to chase the enemy away. Toothed Whale’s13 Blowhole14

It’s a fact that toothed whales use the blowhole， a flattened nose， as a breathing tube. When the whale dives， it can close its blowhole to prevent water from entering. Researchers have found that these types of whales have no olfactory nerves15 in the brain to indicate that they can smell anything.

Dog’s Nose

Have you found that your dog strains at the leash16 until he can sniff17 each telephone pole， fire hydrant， or fence post in his path during your morning walk? Don’t worry. He is jus“reading” the morning newspaper， getting the facts about what went on during the evening hours. His nose is so sensitive to smells that he can detect a single drop of blood in a five-quart container of water. What is your dog saying when he spends time sniffing a fire hydrant and then marking it with his urine? He is not“talking”to you. He has discovered a strange dog’s smell in his territory and is letting the stranger know he is in the area. Should the other dog pass that way again， he will quickly discover via his nose he is not the only animal in the neighborhood.

Comparing these facts about noses in the animal kingdom to what we know about the human nose， our own nose is rather limited in its abilities， don’t you think?

如果沒有鼻子，我們將身處何種境地？我們的嗅覺讓我們不吃那些在冰箱里放了一周而有了異味的飯菜。城市供氣部門給天然氣加了臭雞蛋味，讓我們能知道是否有燃氣泄漏。動物世界里許多動物都靠它們的鼻子來辨別氣味和做許多別的事情。讓我們來看看動物王國里一些不同尋常的鼻子趣聞吧。

大象的鼻子

來看一下大象。大象的鼻子不僅是它的鼻子，還是它上顎的延伸。大象的“鼻子”可不只是用來聞氣味的。象鼻中成千上萬的肌肉可以讓它的鼻子像健壯的手臂一樣舉起重物。可能有些人的鼻子也很大，但是沒有人的鼻子擁有大象鼻子那樣的本領，這是不爭的事實。大象把水吸到“鼻子”的中部，再把鼻子的末端伸進嘴里，然后昂起頭，水便流進了嘴里。試著用你的鼻子喝水看看！

大食蟻獸的鼻子

大食蟻獸的鼻子算得上動物界最不尋常的鼻子之一。它的長鼻子非常堅硬，沒有多少肉。而在這細長的鼻子中還長著約兩英尺長的黏乎乎的舌頭，大食蟻獸就是用這舌頭把螞蟻和白蟻從它們的藏身之地粘取出來。你可能認為大食蟻獸的鼻子會因此吸入很多的塵土，但事實上它在尋找藏在地下的美味佳肴時，可以把自己的鼻孔閉起來。另一個事實是大食蟻獸的鼻子和嘴是一體的，而且里面沒有牙齒。

雙峰駝的鼻子

另外一種和食蟻獸有同樣本領、可以把鼻孔閉上的動物便是雙峰駝，它們借此來避免吸入風沙塵土。戈壁沙漠正是這種雙峰駝的家園。雙峰駝的肺和鼻子可以一起捕捉沙漠空氣中可能存在的任何一點兒水汽。這一事實也說明了它們具備在惡劣環境中生存的本領。

犀牛的鼻子

有些動物的視力很差或是聽覺不靈。為了彌補這些缺陷，它們的嗅覺通常很發達。犀牛的視力很差，但它的聽覺和嗅覺卻很發達。當犀牛聽到恐怖的聲音或是聞到奇怪的氣味時，它可能就會發起攻擊。犀牛用它的嗅覺來鎖定目標，用長在鼻子上的牛角來趕走敵人。

齒鯨的鼻孔

齒鯨用噴水孔也就是它那扁平的鼻子作為呼吸管道。當齒鯨潛水時，它可以關閉噴水孔來阻止水的進入。研究人員已發現在這類鯨魚的大腦中根本沒有可以表明它們能聞到東西的嗅覺神經。

狗的鼻子

早上遛狗時，你有沒有發現你的狗總想掙脫狗鏈，直到它能嗅到路邊一個個電話桿、消防栓或者柵欄柱？別擔心。它只是在“讀”早報，看看昨天晚上發生了些什么事而已。狗的嗅覺足夠靈敏，甚至能聞出滴入一個裝有五夸脫水的容器里的一滴血。當你的狗在那專心地嗅消防栓并撒泡尿做記號時，它想表達什么呢？它可不是在和你“交流”，而是在它的地盤上發現了另一條陌生狗的氣味，并告訴這個陌生者這兒是它的地盤。如果再有一條狗從這條路經過，它就可以聞到這股味，迅速地發現它并不是這附近唯一的動物。

把動物王國的鼻子趣聞與我們對人類鼻子所知的相比，我們的鼻子還是能力有限啊，你不覺得嗎？

注釋

1. trunk n. 象鼻

2. gush vi. 噴，涌

3. giant anteater: 【動】大食蟻獸

4. snout n. (動物的)口鼻部

5. elongated adj. 瘦長的，細長的

6. scoop vt. 挖出；舀取

7. delicacy n. 美味，佳肴

8. Bactrian camel: 【動】(產于中亞一帶的)雙峰駝

9. Gobi Desert: 戈壁，戈壁沙漠

10. rhino n. ( = rhinoceros)犀牛

11. charge vi. 沖鋒，向前沖

12. mount vt. 安放，安裝

13. toothed whale: 【動】齒鯨

14. blowhole n. (鯨等的)鼻孔

15. olfactory nerve: 【解】嗅神經

16. strain at the leash: (獵犬等)牽扯鏈索，(獵犬等)想掙脫皮帶急欲擺脫束縛以獲自由

17. sniff vt. 嗅，聞