自然界里的七大变脸高手

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7 Color-Changing Wonders of the Animal Kingdom
自然界七大变脸高手




Can you spot the animals in the images above? The lizard blends so perfectly it is hard to see even when pointed out. The ability to change color seems like an animal superpower at times - some of them can alter their appearance to blend with the colors, materials and textures of virtually any surroundings. For some this ‘costume change’ happens quickly, for others it is seasonal - for many it helps them avoid predators, for a few it enables them to sneak up on prey. Culled from around the animal kingdom, here are seven of most impressive color-changing species in the world.

在自然界中存在着一些“变色大师”，它们能够将自己的外表颜色变得与环境浑然一体。有时它们的变色速度非常快，能够很短时间内就让掠食者无法找到，同时，它们当中也有技术精湛的捕猎者。以下就是自然界七大“变色大师”：


1、比目鱼 Side-Swimming Bottom-Feeding Flounder


比目鱼


　　比目鱼(flounder)是一种外表丑陋、身体扁平的鱼，它们具有外表变色能力，能够在海底与相应的环境混为一体，然后对途经的猎物发起攻击。随着成长，为了更好地适合潜伏在海底，它们的眼睛逐渐都聚集在身体一侧，这样它们可以完全将另一侧身体埋在海底的沙子中，眼睛能够更好注视着前方的猎物目标。

　　比目鱼主要生活在浅海域，但它们也会生活在深海环境中，研究人员曾在马里亚纳海沟(Mariana Trench)海底发现了比目鱼，马里亚纳海沟是地球上最深的海沟，深度为3.5万英尺(约1万米)。


The flounder at first appeas as rather ungainly-looking bottom-feeding flat fish, but has the amazing ability to adapt their appearance to their environment in search of prey along the ocean floor. To further aid their stealth,  their second eye actually migrates to one side of their body (left or right depending on the species) as they get older. This enables them to cruise along parallel to the ground below them (essentially on their side) and still look up and forward. Further, these industrious creatures have even (surprisingly) been found at the bottom of deepest location on the Earth’s crust - the Mariana Trench - at depths of 35,000 feet.

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2、章鱼 Shape-and-Species Shifting Mimic Octopus





章鱼
　　章鱼不仅仅是变色高手，拟态章鱼还能适应环境而改变自己的身体形状，甚至它还可以模拟至少15种海洋动物，其中包括：海蛇、蓑鲉、比目鱼、海蛇尾、大螃蟹、海螺、黄貂鱼、比目鱼、海蜇、海葵和皮皮虾等。章鱼的变色和拟态特性可以随机应变，确定当遇到掠食者或猎物时应当恐吓对方还是退缩逃跑。


More than mere color-changers, Mimic Octopi are also shape-shifters that can adapt their movements and the arrangement of their parts to appear as up to 15 different oceanic species “including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, flounders, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp.” This remarkable octopus species determines threats and reacts by appearing as a predator to their own predators.

“For example, when the octopus was being attacked by damselfishes, it was observed that the octopus appeared as a banded sea snake, a damselfish predator. The octopus impersonates the snake by turning black and yellow, burying six of its arms, and waving its other two arms in opposite directions” as shown in the above video.

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3、变色蜥蜴 Classic Color-Changing Chameleon Lizards


变色蜥蜴


　　变色蜥蜴是典型的变色专家，所有的变色蜥蜴物种都能够不同程度地变换身体颜色，它们可以将身体变成粉红色、蓝色、红色、桔红色、黄色、绿色、黑色、褐色以及一些复合色。不同于其他擅长变换体色的物种，变色蜥蜴改变身体颜色主要是为了与同类进行沟通，以及更好地吸引异性配偶，而不是用于攻击或防御。


Chameleons are the classic color-changers: all species of chameleons can shift their appearance to different degrees, collectively able to turn pink, blue, red, orange, yellow, green, black and brown and combinations thereof. Unlike many color-changing creatures, chameleons are thought to mainly change in order to communicate with others of their species and to make themselves more attractive to mates - as opposed to using their ability for offense or defense.

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4、秋麒麟蟹蛛 Insect-Stalking Duo-Tone Spider


秋麒麟蟹蛛


　　秋麒麟蟹蛛(Goldenrod Crab Spider)的身体只能改变成白色和黄色，但这种蜘蛛却主要生活在这两种颜色的花朵之中——雏菊和向日葵。为了使自己能够溶入环境之中，秋麒麟蟹蛛在某些日子里在白色和黄色体素之间变换，便于适应该区域的植物颜色。这种颜色变化性能够帮助它们悄然接近猎物，并避免被鸟等空中掠食者发现。

The Goldenrod Crab Spider only has two colors it can change into - white and yellow - but fortunately for it, this species hunts mainly on flowers of those colors: daisies and sunflowers most notably. Triggered by their visual input, the spiders secrete a pigment to switch between white and yellow over a period of days - thus adapting to the plants in their area. This color change both helps them sneak up on flower-sitting prey and to avoid aerial predators such as birds.

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5、发笑树蛙 Madly-Laughing Quick-Changing Tree Frog



发笑树蛙


　　生活在澳大利亚的佩龙树蛙(Peron’s Tree Frog)又叫做发笑树蛙，它的显著特征是能够发出声音尖锐的叫声，同时它也擅长于皮肤变色，能在短短一个小时之内改变身体颜色。它能够将身体变成灰色、褐色、黄白色，还能将腿部变得黑色，并带有绿色斑点。它们并不担心人们会发现，通常它们生活在各种自然环境中，有时会很接近人类生活区，但由于完全的体色伪装，使得它们的群体数量并未减少。


The Peron’s Tree Frog - also known as the Laughing Tree Frog and Maniacal Cackle Frog - is notable for the high-pitched sound it generates but also for its amazing ability to change color in less than an hour. It shifts between gray, brown and white with typically yellow and black legs and emerald spots. They are not afraid of people and can be found in all kinds of environments around Australia, many close to civilization, where they thrive in part due to their color-changing camouflage.

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6、金龟甲虫 Shell-Switching Faux-Ladybug Beetle


金龟甲虫


　　你也许在生活中看到过金龟甲虫，但你未必会意识到它们具有一些神奇的变化，金龟甲虫可以将身体颜色从明亮的金黄色变成暗红色带有类似瓢虫一样的斑点外形。它们进行身体颜色变化主要是通过改变外壳的反射率。


You may have already seen a Golden Tortoise Beetle but not have realized it, since these remarkable creatures can change from a shiny gold color to a dull red with ladybug-like spots. They achieve this change by altering the reflectivity of their outer shell - essentially like tinting a window - via microscopic valves that alter the moisture level under the shell. While it is not known for sure, there must certainly be advantages to appearing as part of another commonly-found species.

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7、北极狐等季节性变换体色的动物
Arctic Foxes and Other Seasonal Color Shifters


北极狐等季节性变换体色的动物

　　北极狐、驯鹿、黄鼠狼以及一些鸟类和兔类，它们都会在冬季来临时改变自己的体毛颜色，与周围的环境相溶合，它们当中有部分是掠食者，但绝大多数是被捕食的动物。它们体毛颜色的变化很大程度上依赖于栖息环境，一些特殊的物种只是略微地改变颜色，另一些物种则是完全变成灰色或者是白色。

From foxes and caribou to weasels, birds and bunnies, a number of species shift the colors of their coats come wintertime to blend in with the surrounding environment - a few are predators but most are prey. The degree of their transformation depends heavily on their habitats and the particular species with some shifting only slightly between shades and others going from fully brown to entirely white.