60秒科学:大型动物脚底硬

俗话说，体型越大，摔得越惨，现在我们知道了，体型越大，脚底越硬。

Big cats or wolves seem like scaled-up versions of the tabby or terrier sleeping on your sofa. But the proportions do subtly change as animals get larger. For one thing, big animals’ feet are smaller relative to their bodies than are smaller beasts’. But they compensate¹ with physics, according to new research in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface².

When we think about animal locomotion…whether it’s walking, running, or just standing³ around…we usually focus on the bones and muscles in the legs and feet. But for four-legged critters, it’s the footpads that ultimately support the animal’s weight. So scientists [Kai-Jung Chi, National Chung-Hsing University, Republic of China (Taiwan) and V.

Louise Roth, Duke University] decided⁴ to take a closer look at these “natural shoes” in different-sized carnivores, including dogs, cats, wolves, leopards⁵ and hyenas⁶.

And they found that the relatively⁷ smaller footpads of, say, leopards are much stiffer than those of little bitty kitties. Apparently⁸ so that the big cats’ feet can handle the stress of the greater body weight. If a tiger’s paws were as soft as a house cat’s, he’d need hippo-sized feet to stand.

It’s said that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But now we know that the bigger they are, the harder their feet.

—Karen Hopkin

大型猫科动物和狼看起来就像是睡在你家沙发上的等比例增大的斑猫和小猎狗。但是随着动物体型的增大，他们身体各部分的比例却不是那么协调。首先，大型动物的脚相对于它们的身体要比小型动物小很多。然而，根据《 皇家学会界面杂志》的最新研究，它们的脚在物理上会有所补偿。

当我们在脑海中浮现动物的运动时，不管它是在走，跑，还是只在那站着，我们通常会注意到它们腿脚上的骨胳和肌肉。但是对于四只脚站立的动物来说，最终支撑它们身体重量的是脚垫。所以科学家们[中国台湾国立中兴大学的开荣志和杜克大学的威.路易斯罗斯]决定进一步观察这些“天生的鞋”，它们来自不同体积的食肉动物，有狗，有猫，有狼，有豹，还有鬣狗。

他们发现豹的脚垫相对要小，却比猫的脚垫硬得多。很明显，对于豹这样的大型猫科动物来说，它的脚必须要支撑得住更大体重的压力。如果老虎的爪子像家猫的一样软，它就要有河马那么大的脚才能站得住。

俗话说，体型越大，摔得越惨，现在我们知道了，体型越大，脚底越硬
 

1 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

2 interface   

n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系

参考例句：

• My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
• This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

6 hyenas   

n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
• We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。