自然界七大建筑奇观 Architectural Wonders of the Natural World

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7 Architectural Wonders of the Natural World  
自然界七大建筑奇观：蜘蛛织出绵延182米巨网


So you thought the ancient and modern wonders created by mankind were something? From underground ant colonies that extend farther than the Great Wall of China to termite mounds that tower at nearly twice the relative height of the Burj Dubai (tallest skyscraper in the world), and from the largest multi-species spider web ever discovered to the longest beaver dam on the planet, here are seven of the most awe-inspiring animal architects and architectonic structures of the animal kingdom.

人和现代修建的一些建筑物的确很了不起，称得上是人造奇迹。然而，自然界也有许多建筑高手，他们的“作品”同样令人叹为观止。以下是自然界七大建筑奇观：

　　1. 喜欢造塔的白蚁：大马力推土机
1) Towering Termites: Massive Earth Movers


喜欢造塔的白蚁：大马力推土机


　　白蚁是一种令人惊叹的动物。蚁后比普通的兵蚁和工蚁大30倍，为了确保家族繁盛，蚁后平均每分钟产下30个卵。可是，比起它们建筑的自然奇观，相对于他们的身体，白蚁造出动物界最大的建筑结构。白蚁的体长约0.4英寸(约1厘米)，但它们建造的蚁穴重达数百吨，最高可达40英尺(约12.2米)，这个数字相当于人类造出4600英尺(约1402米)的大楼！更令人不可思议的是，40英尺只是地面部分，它们还能在地下挖出225英尺(68.6米)深的洞穴。
Termites are amazing creatures by almost any metric. Their queens are 30 times the size of normal soldiers and workers and produce about 30 eggs per minute to keep the colony alive. Relative to their size, termites build the biggest structures of the animal kingdom - .4 inch creatures constructing towers weighing hundreds of tons and up to 25 feet in height and 40 feet in diameter (the human equivalent of 4,600 feet tall). And that is just 40 feet above the ground -  termites can also burrow as far as 225 feet underground.

　　2.群居的织布鸟：鸟类公寓的建筑师
2) Social Weavers: Avian Condo Architects

群居的织布鸟：鸟类公寓的建筑师


　　喜欢群居的织布鸟是空中最友善的飞鸟。它们可以团结起来，在一整棵树上建造一种和“公寓大楼”一样的了不起的建筑。300对织布鸟一起努力，建造这个由许多独立巢穴构成的巨大鸟巢，最大直径可达25英尺宽，高5英尺。最后，每对织布鸟伴侣都分到一个房间。就和一座庞大的公寓楼一样，织布鸟建筑有各种各样通往房间的“地下室”入口。
The so-called social (or sociable) weaver bird is one of the friendliest flyers in the sky. They combine forces and take over entire trees to make what can only be considered something like an awesome animal ‘apartment’ structure. Instead of building independent nests, up to 300 pairs of birds come together to build giant mega-nests up to 25 feet wide, 5 feet high and with an individual room for every couple. As with a huge condo complex, there are multiple ‘basement’ entrances that lead up through clusters of chambers.


　　3.裸鼹鼠：非同寻常的地下挖掘工
3) Naked Mole Rats: Uncanny Underground Diggers


裸鼹鼠：非同寻常的地下挖掘工


　　裸鼹鼠有许多名字，包括可能使人产生误解的“沙狗”。但这些名字说明这些贪婪的挖掘工是一种可爱的友好的动物。它们是哺乳动物的杰出代表，像蜜蜂一样过群居生活，和蚂蚁、蜜蜂、黄蜂以及白蚁一样有组织。但是，裸鼹鼠比它们的个头更大，长得也更难看。事实上，它们是很无情的冷血动物，完全没有疼痛感。这些古怪的动物生活在地下巢穴里，其数量多可达100只。裸鼹鼠用不成比例的巨大牙齿挖洞。这些牙齿位于嘴唇前面而不是后面，这样，它们便不会吞下泥土。这种动物能活28年。
The naked mole rat goes by many names, including the potentially misleading “sand puppy” which might imply that these voracious diggers are cute and friendly fellows. They are uniquely eusocial amongst mammals, meaning they are hive-like and massively organized creatures like ants, bees, wasps and termites only much much larger and scarier looking. To add to their eeriness, they are essentially cold-blooded and feel absolutely no pain. Up to 100 of these strange creatures live together in a single underground habitat, which they dig with disproportionately gigantic sets of teeth that are placed in front of (rather than behind) their lips so they don’t swallow dirt. Naked mole rats can live for up to 28 years and colonies feed on tubers (engorged plant parts) that weigh up to 1000 times as much as an individual mole rat does.


　　4.蜘蛛：织出动物界最大的网
4) Communal Spider Web: Biggest in the World


蜘蛛：织出动物界最大的网


　　在美国得克萨斯州北部公园，来自12个不同种类的数千只蜘蛛一起纳成了这个巨大的网，它的跨度超过600英尺(约182米)。通常情况下，蜘蛛会争夺领地和食物，喜欢吃掉它们的敌人，各自建造独立的“网国”。成千上万的蜘蛛齐心协力红织出这么大的一个网，是十分罕见的。创纪录的降雨为它们提供了大量可食用的昆虫，蜘蛛们也就可以暂时停止内斗，一起织网了。更令人不可思议的是，这些蜘蛛并不是只在一个地方织了一个网。在第一个网被风雨破坏后，它们接连又织了两个网。

Thousands of spiders from twelve species worked together to construct this amazing web that spans over 600 feet. This is highly unusual behavior for spiders that normally fight over territory and prey, preferring to eat their enemies and build independent, solitary circular webs. However, record rainfalls provided such an abundance of edible insects that (scientists speculate) the spiders chose cooperation over conflict in this extraordinary case of evolutionary adaptation. Even more exceptional: the spiders did not just build it in the first place but have actually rebuilt the web three times after wind and rain has destroyed it.

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7 Architectural Wonders of the Natural World  
自然界七大建筑奇观：海狸建近千米长水坝


5.蚂蚁：超强的地下打洞机
5) Ants: Super-Strong Subterranean Excavators


蚂蚁：超强的地下打洞机


　　迄今为止发现的最大的蚂蚁聚集地是在欧洲，若将蚁穴联在一起，可长达4000英里(6437千米)。有人怀疑这个超级群体由数十亿只蚂蚁组成。人人都知道蚂蚁是惊人的建筑工人，能运送比它们身体重许多倍的物体。但是，很少有人看到它们那壮观的地下建筑的内部结构。图片上的这种特殊群居地有500平方英尺(约46平方米)大，位于地下25英尺(约7.6米)深的地方，需要挖出40吨泥土才能建成。这个蚁穴被发现后，运输通道、流入和流出通风通道、菌圃和垃圾坑都呈现在科学家眼前。

The largest ant colony discovered to date stretches over 4000 miles across Europe - this super-colony is suspected to have billions of ants. Everyone knows that ants are incredible builders that can carry many times their own weight but few have gotten to see inside their spectacular subterranean structures. The particular colony shown above is 500 square feet in size, penetrates 25 feet into the ground and required the displacement of 40 tons of dirt to be created. As it was dug up, transit tunnels and ventilation inflow and outflow shafts were revealed as well as fungus gardens and trash pits.


　　6.石蛾：独一无二的水下建筑师
6) Caddisflies: Unique Underwater Builders


石蛾：独一无二的水下建筑师


　　和上面提到的动物与动物建筑不同，石蛾的建筑不是由庞大“社区”组成的巨型结构。相对而言，它们的建筑非常小，却有不寻常的多功能性和更高的艺术水准。这种所谓的“水下建筑师”的幼虫用一切可用材料，例如沙子、贝壳、细枝和废物等，建造可移动“外壳”，以便在成长过程中保护自己，提供天然的伪装。最后，幼虫长出下颚，游到水面上，抛弃它们那特有的建筑作品，展开翅膀，飞到空中。

Unlike most of the intriguing animals and animal architecture in this list the caddisfly and its buildings are not massive communally-constructed mega-structures. On the contrary, the caddisfly makes relatively minute architecture but does so with remarkable versatility and (perhaps a stretch) artistic license. Using whatever materials are available - from sand and shells to twigs and trash - the larval form of these so-called “underwater architects” build themselves mobile “shells” to protect them and provide natural camouflage (made from local materials) as they develop. Eventually, they grow mandibles and swim to the surface where they discard their unique architectural creations, flex their wings and fly away.


　　7.海狸：动物界最擅长筑坝的动物
7) Dual-Built Beaver Dam: Longest in the World



海狸：动物界最擅长筑坝的动物


　　目前，世界上记录在案的最长的海狸水坝长达2800英尺(约853 米)，存在时间超过10年。从航拍照片上不难看出，至少有2个海狸家庭一起建造了这个创纪录的动物界建筑物。它们在这个沼泽地建造水坝的目的是围住四处流淌的水。这个地区的其他水坝最长的也有1500英尺(约457米)，然而这两个海狸家庭建造的水坝近3000英尺(约914米)，称得上是独一无二的发现。

The longest recorded beaver dam in the world spans 2800 feet and has existed for over a decade. From the aerial images it is clear that at least two beaver families have worked in tandem in the construction of the record-setting structure. The nature of the wetland is such that long dams are needed to trap broad stretches of low-flowing water. Other dams in the area have been sized at up to 1500+ feet but at nearly 3000 feet this two-family dam is a one-of-a-kind discovery.