41 Predator and Prey

Predator and Prey by Reyna Eisenstark

Reyna Eisenstark的《捕食者与猎物》

Chapter 1 Predator and Prey In a grassy place, a hungry lion chases a zebra. In the dark woods, a barn owl swoops down on a mouse. A snake creeps along the desert sand. It is looking for its next meal. The lion, the barn owl, and the snake are all predators. Predators are animals that kill and eat other animals. The animals they hunt are called prey. Predators and prey have special features that formed over time. These features helped them adapt to the place where they live. This place is their environment.

在一片草地上，一只饥饿的狮子在追逐一只斑马。 在黑暗的树林里，一只仓鸮突然扑向一只老鼠。 一条蛇在沙漠中爬行。 它在寻找下一餐。 狮子、仓鸮和蛇都是食肉动物。 食肉动物是杀死并吃掉其他动物的动物。 它们猎杀的动物被称为猎物。 随着时间的推移，捕食者和猎物都有自己的特点。 这些特征帮助它们适应了所居住的地方。 这个地方就是他们的环境。

Chapter 2 How Predators See and smell The eyes of many predators are at the front of their head. This helps them spot prey. It also lets them know how far away the animal is. Their eyes help them see when to begin running after prey. Many prey animals, such as deer, have eyes on the side of their head. This helps them see predators coming from behind or from both sides at once! Predators also have a keen sense of smell. Wolves and coyotes are examples of this. Some animals use more than their noses to smell. Snakes smell with their noses and with their tongues. Insects smell with their antennae. Their antennae are on the top of their head. Sharks have many ways of smelling.

许多食肉动物的眼睛长在头的前面。 这有助于它们发现猎物。 它还能让他们知道动物离他们有多远。 它们的眼睛帮助它们看到何时开始追逐猎物。 许多被捕食的动物，如鹿，眼睛长在头部的一侧。 这可以帮助它们同时看到从后面或两侧来的捕食者!掠食者也有敏锐的嗅觉。 狼和土狼就是这样的例子。 有些动物不仅用鼻子闻气味。 蛇用鼻子和舌头闻气味。 昆虫用触角闻气味。 它们的触角长在头顶。 鲨鱼有很多种嗅觉。

Chapter 3 How Predators Hear Many mammal predators have a good sense of hearing. They often hear their prey before they see it. Then they know where to look for the animal. Bats send out calls as they look for prey. These calls make echoes that tell the bat where the prey is. Bats' ears are shaped in a way that helps them catch these echoes. Birds also have a keen sense of hearing. The barn owl's ears are set at different angles. This lets the barn owl pinpoint where sound is coming from. A barn owl can find mice to catch just by hearing them.

许多哺乳动物的捕食者都有很好的听觉。 它们经常在看到猎物之前先听到猎物的声音。 这样他们就知道去哪里找动物了。 蝙蝠在寻找猎物时发出叫声。 这些叫声会产生回声，告诉蝙蝠猎物在哪里。 蝙蝠耳朵的形状可以帮助它们捕捉到这些回声。 鸟类也有敏锐的听觉。 仓鸮的耳朵有不同的角度。 这可以让仓鸮精确定位声音的来源。 仓鸮仅凭听觉就能找到要抓的老鼠。

Chapter 4 Some Prey Defenses Some prey animals have special defenses. These defenses help protect them from predators. One defense is camouflage. With camouflage, an animal blends in with its surroundings. Many animals have fur or scales that match their environment. Desert animals often have brown coats. These coats help them blend in with the sand. Rain-forest animals are often green or brown. They blend in with plants and tree trunks. When standing still, the walking stick insect looks like a twig. A bird can pass it by without seeing it. Some moths have markings on their wings that look like the eyes of large animals. The markings scare off predators. Some salamanders change color to blend in with their surroundings.

一些猎物的防御有些猎物有特殊的防御。 这些防御有助于保护它们免受捕食者的侵害。 一种防御手段是伪装。 有了伪装，动物就能融入周围环境。 许多动物的皮毛或鳞片与它们的环境相适应。 沙漠动物通常有棕色的皮毛。 这些皮毛帮助它们与沙子融为一体。 热带雨林的动物通常是绿色或棕色的。 它们与植物和树干混在一起。 当站立不动时，手杖虫看起来像一根小树枝。 一只鸟可以飞过它而看不到它。 有些飞蛾翅膀上的斑纹看起来像大型动物的眼睛。 这些标记吓跑了捕食者。 有些蝾螈会改变颜色以与周围环境融为一体。