Name: 螳螂蝦的瘋狂生物學螳螂蝦 (The Insane Biology of: The Mantis Shrimp)
Uploaded: 2024-10-16T13:24:30.000Z
Duration: 25 min 57 s

This is one of the fastest motions in nature, faster than the blink of an eye, faster than your naked eye can even see.

這是自然界中最快的運動之一，比眨眼還快，甚至比你的肉眼所能看到的還要快。

These technicolor murder machines are called mantis shrimp and they might just be the coolest animal in the entire ocean, and I don't say that lightly.

這些色彩斑斕的殺人機器被稱為螳螂蝦，它們可能是整個海洋中最酷的動物，我可不是隨便說說的。

進階被動語態

And if the speed of their clubs of up to 31 meters per second isn't impressive enough, the acceleration of those clubs rivals the acceleration of a bullet being fired from a gun.

如果說球杆高達每秒 31 米的速度還不夠驚人的話，那麼球杆的加速度可以與槍支發射子彈的加速度相媲美。

For a human to break the same shells that a mantis shrimp breaks, we would need a big hammer and a strong swing.

人類要想像螳螂蝦那樣敲碎貝殼，就需要一個大錘子和強有力的揮杆。

A mantis shrimp can achieve the same thing with an appendage smaller than a small child's pinky finger.

螳螂蝦可以用比小孩小指還小的附肢實現同樣的功能。

These guys help make up an entire category of the natural world that's only been recently described, the ultra-fast.

這些傢伙幫助構成了自然界中的一個完整類別，即最近才被描述的超快動物。

Forget about the fastest human or even something like a cheetah, those don't even register on the ultra-fast scale.

不要說速度最快的人類，就是像獵豹這樣的動物，在超高速級別上也不值一提。

Instead, it's populated by extraordinarily fast creatures such as trap-jaw ants, launching fungal spores, ballistic termite jaws, and stinging jellyfish.

取而代之的是速度極快的生物，如夾爪蟻、發射真菌孢子、彈道白蟻顎和刺水母。

Fishers working around shallow reefs have attested to the damage a mantis shrimp can do to their bare hands and feet, and aquarium owners have to be especially careful not to annoy their powerful little friends.

在淺海珊瑚礁附近工作的漁民已經證實了螳螂蝦對他們的手腳造成的傷害，水族館的主人必須特別小心，不要惹惱這些強大的小夥伴。

These guys can sometimes punch through extremely thick glass and will decimate any other animals living alongside them in the tank.

這些傢伙有時能擊穿極厚的玻璃，並能消滅魚缸中與它們一起生活的其他動物。

These wily fighters are among the most ferocious carnivores in the ocean, and yet, curiously, the fastest species among them prey almost exclusively on the slowest creatures, like snails and oysters.

這些狡猾的戰士是海洋中最凶猛的食肉動物，但奇怪的是，它們中速度最快的物種幾乎只捕食最慢的生物，如蝸牛和牡蠣。

And the slower species go for the fastest prey, snatching creatures two or three times their size from crabs to octopuses.

而速度較慢的物種則會捕食速度最快的獵物，從螃蟹到章魚，它們會捕食比自己大兩三倍的生物。

And not only are mantis shrimp extremely fast at punching and stabbing, their eyes are the most complex in the entire animal kingdom.

螳螂蝦不僅出拳和刺殺的速度極快，它們的眼睛也是整個動物界中最複雜的。

Whereas humans have three types of photoreceptor cells in our eyes, mantis shrimp have between 12 and 16 types of photoreceptors.

人類的眼睛中有三種感光細胞，而螳螂蝦的眼睛中有 12 到 16 種感光細胞。

They see ultraviolet light and polarized light, and their eyes are so advanced that their retina processes visual information before it even gets to their brain.

它們能看到紫外線和偏振光，而且它們的眼睛非常先進，視網膜能在視覺資訊進入大腦之前對其進行處理。

Scientists are beginning to explore whether mantis shrimp eyes could even see cancer before it starts to spread.

科學家們開始探索螳螂蝦的眼睛是否能在癌症開始擴散之前就看到它。

What is it about these little creatures that makes them so fast, so ferocious, and so extreme?

是什麼讓這些小動物變得如此快速、如此凶猛、如此極端？

And how do these obscure crustaceans harness the laws of physics in ways we have never been able to replicate?

這些不起眼的甲殼動物又是如何以我們無法複製的方式利用物理定律的呢？

Mantis shrimp are small, colorful, and aggressive crustaceans that live in tropical and subtropical waters.

螳螂蝦是一種生活在熱帶和亞熱帶水域的小型甲殼類動物，體型小、顏色鮮豔、攻擊性強。

But for all that, they're usually only about 10 centimeters or 4 inches long.

但儘管如此，它們通常只有 10 釐米或 4 英寸長。

The very largest might get to be 40 centimeters or 15 inches, only a little bigger than a foot-long sub.

最大的可能有 40 釐米或 15 英寸，只比一英尺長的潛水艇大一點。

The order stomatopoda, to which all mantis shrimp belong, separated from other crustaceans around 400 million years ago.

螳螂蝦所屬的口足目大約在 4 億年前從其他甲殼類動物中分離出來。

Then, over the next 200 million years, the shrimp-like ancestor of modern mantis shrimps had some of their mouth parts morph into raptorial claws, giving them the predatory appearance of praying mantises, from which they took their name.

然後，在接下來的 2 億年裡，現代螳螂蝦的蝦類祖先的一些嘴部蛻變成了猛禽的爪子，使它們有了螳螂捕蟬黃雀在後的樣子，螳螂蝦的名字也由此而來。

These types of mantis shrimp came to be classified as spearers, and their deadly claws shape everything from the way they hunt to how they live.

這些類型的螳螂蝦被歸類為魚叉蝦，它們致命的爪子決定了從捕食方式到生活方式的一切。

Take the world's largest mantis shrimp, for example, the zebra mantis shrimp.

以世界上最大的螳螂蝦--斑馬螳螂蝦為例。

It can grow up to 40 centimeters in size and hunts as an ambush predator, living in sandy burrows on the shallow seafloor, only its eyes poking out as it waits for its prey.

它可以長到 40 釐米大，是一種伏擊捕食者，生活在淺海海底的沙洞中，等待獵物時只露出眼睛。

It's impossible for fish to hidden in the sand, and by the time it strikes, it's too late for escape.

魚兒不可能藏在沙子裡，等它出擊時，逃跑已經來不及了。

The spears shoot out at a speed of 2.3 meters per second, impaling the fish on 10 sharp spines that jut out from its claws.

長矛以每秒 2.3 米的速度射出，刺穿魚爪上突出的 10 根鋒利的刺。

In one experiment, researchers found that most zebra mantis shrimp strikes were successful in capturing fish.

在一項實驗中，研究人員發現大多數斑馬螳螂蝦都能成功捕獲魚類。

But if you've ever tried to trap a fly with your hand, you might be able to imagine how hard it is to snap up prey and hold onto it.

但是，如果你曾經嘗試過用手捕捉蒼蠅，你也許就能想象到抓住獵物並牢牢不放有多麼困難。

First, there's the reptorial claw itself.

It's designed to be strong, but also flexible, because it needs to slice through soft flesh and then hold onto it while the fish tries to get away.

它的設計既要堅固，又要靈活，因為它需要切開軟肉，然後在魚試圖逃跑時抓住它。

To achieve all this, the spear has several spikes, which are slightly hooked hollow beams made of several layers.

為了做到這一點，矛上有幾根尖刺，它們是由幾層略帶鉤狀的空心梁組成的。

On the outside is thin, hard, and mineralized epicuticle decorated by serrations and grooves to lock onto its prey.

外層是薄而堅硬的礦化表皮，上面有鋸齒和凹槽，可以緊緊抓住獵物。

On the inside is a less mineralized region with fibrous layers of chitin protein to allow for flexibility.

內側是礦化程度較低的區域，有幾丁質蛋白纖維層，以保持靈活性。

Unlike something like a bee stinger or a mosquito proboscis, both of which are straight to maximize how deep they can penetrate, the mantis shrimp's spearing claw is curved.

蜜蜂的刺或蚊子的長鼻都是直的，這樣可以刺得更深，而螳螂蝦的刺爪則不同，它是彎曲的。

To understand more about the ecology of mantis shrimp, we talked to Dr. Maya DeVries, who spent years studying mantis shrimp both in the lab and in the field.

為了進一步瞭解螳螂蝦的生態，我們採訪了瑪雅-德弗里斯博士，她多年來一直在實驗室和野外研究螳螂蝦。

When we capture them in the field, we do take advantage of their prey mechanism.

我們在野外捕捉它們時，確實利用了它們的捕食機制。

We'll put squid or fish on a lure, and then we will lure them out of their burrows that way.

我們會把魷魚或魚放在誘餌上，然後用這種方法把它們從洞穴裡引出來。

And then we have like a little noose that's around the burrow, so it comes out and then we're able to kind of hook it.

然後我們在洞穴周圍放了一個小套索，這樣它就出來了，然後我們就能把它鉤住了。

The next element of the spearer's strike is how it achieves such high speeds.

魚叉攻擊的下一個要素是它如何達到如此高的速度。

First, flexor and extensor muscles in the marus are engaged.

首先，馬氏體上的屈肌和伸肌開始活動。

The extensor muscles compress the claw, while the flexor muscles trigger a latch to lock into place.

伸肌會壓迫爪子，而屈肌會觸發閂鎖以鎖定到位。

When the flexor muscle relaxes and the latch slips open, the claw strikes out at incredibly high speeds, while at the same time the mantis shrimp lunges out of its burrow.

當屈肌放鬆，閂鎖滑開時，爪子就會以驚人的速度擊出，與此同時，螳螂蝦也會衝出洞穴。

With a fish now trapped in its claws, it drags its meal back into the sand to feast.

爪子裡夾著一條魚，它把魚拖回沙裡大快朵頤。

And we couldn't resist asking Dr. DeVries the burning question on our minds.

我們忍不住向德弗里斯博士提出了我們心中最迫切的問題。

Thankfully, never a spearer, never conspired.

值得慶幸的是，我從來沒有當過矛手，也從來沒有密謀過。

Because these mantis shrimp live in the sand, it's pretty easy to move from one place to another.

因為這些螳螂蝦生活在沙子裡，所以很容易從一個地方移動到另一個地方。

That means they tend not to be very aggressive when it comes to defending their homes.

這就意味著，它們在保衛家園時往往不會非常凶猛。

But that is absolutely not the case when it comes to the other type of mantis shrimp, the ones with incredible smashing claws.

但說到另一種螳螂蝦，即擁有令人難以置信的粉碎性爪子的螳螂蝦，情況就絕對不是這樣了。

Somewhere along the way of their evolutionary path, a small subset of mantis shrimp changed from being spearers to smashers.

在進化的道路上，有一小部分螳螂蝦從矛手變成了粉碎者。

Instead of growing terrifying spines from their raptorial claws, these shrimp developed clubs that look much less formidable.

這些蝦的猛爪上不再長出可怕的刺，而是長出了看起來不那麼可怕的棍棒。

But looks can be deceiving, because these clubs achieve some of the fastest speeds in nature.

但是，外表是會騙人的，因為這些球杆能達到自然界中最快的速度。

Whereas the zebra mantis shrimp can extend its spear at a speed of 2.3 meters per second, smashers like the purple spot mantis shrimp extend their clubs at a speed of 31 meters per second, with an acceleration of well over 100,000 meters per second squared.

斑馬螳螂蝦能以每秒 2.3 米的速度伸出矛，而像紫斑螳螂蝦這樣的粉碎者卻能以每秒 31 米的速度伸出棍棒，加速度遠遠超過每秒 10 萬米的平方。

This is an acceleration greater than a 22 caliber bullet fired from a pistol.

這個加速度比手槍發射的 22 口徑子彈還要大。

Their clubs can produce around 1500 newtons or 340 pounds of force, impact forces thousands of times greater than their body weight.

他們的球杆能產生約 1500 牛頓或 340 磅的力量，衝擊力是他們體重的數千倍。

But when scientists were first studying the impact forces of these punches, something absolutely weird was showing up in the force graph.

但是，當科學家們第一次研究這些拳頭的衝擊力時，力圖中出現了一些絕對奇怪的東西。

There was one spike showing for the punch as you'd expect, but another second spike would happen soon after the punch.

如你所料，出拳時會出現一個峰值，但出拳後不久又會出現第二個峰值。

And when reviewing the footage of this moment, the scientists saw something else weird, a bubble forming and a flash of light.

科學家們在查看這一瞬間的錄像時，還看到了一些奇怪的現象，一個氣泡正在形成，一道閃光閃過。

They realized that the mantis shrimp club was bouncing back after hitting the shell so fast that it creates a small area of extremely low pressure, and when pressure drops this low in water, the water instantly vaporizes, aka it boils.

他們意識到，螳螂蝦球杆在撞擊貝殼後迅速反彈，從而產生了一小塊壓力極低的區域，當水中的壓力降到這麼低時，水就會立即蒸發，也就是沸騰。

This creates a vapor bubble called a cavitation bubble, but this bubble doesn't last long.

這會產生一個稱為空化泡的氣泡，但這個氣泡不會持續很長時間。

The pressure from the water all around the bubble forces it to collapse, and when this happens, energy is released in the form of sound, heat, and light.

氣泡周圍的水壓迫使氣泡塌陷，當這種情況發生時，能量就會以聲、熱和光的形式釋放出來。

This energy is so the surface of the sun, stuns the mantis shrimp's prey for a second time, and creates that second peak on the graph.

這股能量在太陽表面，使螳螂蝦的獵物第二次眩暈，並在圖形上形成第二個峰值。

To understand this strange phenomenon, we talked to the scientist who first discovered it, Dr. Sheila Paddock.

為了瞭解這一奇怪的現象，我們採訪了最先發現它的科學家希拉-帕多克博士。

So when we saw the cavitation bubbles for the first time, it really was like actually thrilling, and we knew that that that was probably the first time anybody had seen it because the technology just hadn't even been there.

所以，當我們第一次看到空化氣泡時，真的非常激動，我們知道這可能是第一次有人看到，因為當時還沒有這項技術。

We were using the newest, latest, greatest cameras.

我們使用的是最新、最先進、最棒的相機。

Do you think part of why they evolved to move so quickly is to produce that cavitation bubble, or do you think the cavitation bubble is like a nice side effect for them?

你認為它們進化得如此迅速的部分原因是為了產生空化氣泡，還是空化氣泡對它們來說只是一個很好的副作用？

You know, my careful scientist answer would be, I don't know.

我這個細心的科學家的回答是：我不知道。

Just as a, as an observer, I would say that they did evolve to cavitate because it's so robust, like it's just no matter what they hit, it cavitates.

作為一個觀察者，我會說它們的確是為了空化而進化的，因為它太堅固了，就像不管它們撞到什麼，都會空化一樣。

They don't cavitate at the wrong time, they cavitate at the right time.

它們不是在錯誤的時間空化，而是在正確的時間空化。

Some of the data we have show that you'll have like four peaks in a row that are evenly spaced.

我們掌握的一些數據顯示，你會在一排中看到均勻分佈的四個峰值。

So to me, that looks to me like something that has actually evolved, whereas some of the other animals that we've studied that cavitate, including this really hilarious tiny shrimp that we published about, also has an incredibly fast-moving appendage that shoots a water jet, but it only cavitates if the look a bit more like an accident, um, as opposed to this sort of incredibly robust phenomenon with the, with the mantis shrimp.

是以，在我看來，這就像是一種真正進化出來的東西，而我們研究過的其他一些會蛀牙的動物，包括我們發表過的這種非常滑稽的小蝦，也有一種移動速度極快的附肢，可以噴射水柱，但它只有在看起來更像是意外的情況下才會蛀牙，嗯，而不是螳螂蝦這種令人難以置信的強健現象。

Given how different the attack is for smasher shrimp than their spearer relatives, their prey is also very different.

鑑於砸蝦的攻擊方式與叉蝦的攻擊方式截然不同，它們的獵物也截然不同。

They tend to eat things with hardened exoskeletons like oysters and snails.

它們喜歡吃牡蠣和蝸牛等外骨骼堅硬的東西。

With these prey, extreme force is necessary for cracking them A hint as to why this paradox might exist can be seen while watching a clubbing mantis shrimp prepare to break a shell.

在觀察螳螂蝦準備破殼的過程中，我們可以看出為什麼會出現這種悖論。

First, it touches, wiggles, and positions the shell exactly where it wants it.

首先，它會準確地觸摸、擺動和定位外殼。

It taps the shell with its antenna, seems to wait a moment, and then it strikes.

它用觸角輕輕敲擊外殼，似乎在等待片刻，然後就出擊了。

The key to it all is in the moment it seems to be waiting.

一切的關鍵在於它似乎在等待的那一刻。

This is the moment that enables the smashing mantis shrimp to be so fast, the moment this mantis shrimp needs to take to be able to strike, and the reason it prefers prey that won't really move while it prepares to do so.

正是這一瞬間讓砸殼螳螂蝦的速度變得如此之快，也是這種螳螂蝦需要把握住的能夠出擊的瞬間，同時也是它喜歡在準備出擊時不會真正移動的獵物的原因。

The shrimp is winding up, spring-loading its claw to an extraordinary degree.

蝦正在上緊發條，它的爪子彈力非凡。

The spring in question is shaped like a saddle, which is made up of chitin and sits on top of the claw.

彈簧的形狀像馬鞍，由甲殼素構成，位於爪子的頂部。

In the moment just before the strike, the shrimp's muscles compress it and holds it back with a latching mechanism.

在撞擊前的一瞬間，蝦的肌肉會壓縮它，並通過鎖定裝置將它擋住。

Then, when it's time to strike, this potential energy is released and the club swings forwards.

然後，當擊球時，這種勢能就會釋放出來，球杆就會向前揮動。

This saddle-spring mechanism allows the club to be released at an enormous velocity, a much higher velocity than any muscle would be capable of producing by itself.

這種馬鞍彈簧裝置可使球杆以極大的速度釋放，其速度遠高於任何肌肉本身所能產生的速度。

The spearing mantis shrimp also has a saddle like this, but it's much less effective.

螳螂蝦也有這樣的鞍，但效果要差得多。

The easiest way to understand it is by comparing your performance throwing an arrow versus launching one with a bow.

最簡單的理解方式就是將你扔箭的表現與用弓發射箭的表現進行比較。

Just throwing the arrow using your arm muscles will probably not make it go very far nor very fast, but use those same arm muscles to flex a bow and then release the arrow with your fingers.

僅僅用手臂肌肉把箭扔出去可能不會飛得很遠，也不會飛得很快，但是用同樣的手臂肌肉來彎曲弓，然後用手指把箭放出去。

Suddenly the arrow goes much farther and much faster, and yet the energy input is the same whether or not a bow is used.

突然間，箭射得更遠更快了，而無論是否使用弓，輸入的能量都是一樣的。

The only difference is the time over which the energy is released.

唯一不同的是能量釋放的時間。

So in other words, it's a small amount of energy, but the intensity of the release is extremely high.

是以，換句話說，雖然能量很小，但釋放的強度卻非常高。

So a lot of people are like, oh you know they're very powerful animals and they use so much energy, but actually they just really don't.

是以，很多人都會說，哦，你知道它們是非常強大的動物，它們會消耗很多能量，但實際上它們真的不需要。

They use very little energy and they release it over short periods of time, which is very explosive.

它們使用的能量很少，而且在短時間內釋放，非常具有爆炸性。

The design of their raptorial claw is also quite different than the spear shrimp.

它們的龍爪設計也與叉蝦截然不同。

Because the club has to withstand such immense forces repeatedly, the exterior of the club is covered by a crack-resistant coating, a little like the tape boxers use for binding their hands.

由於球杆必須反覆承受如此巨大的力量，球杆外部覆蓋了一層防裂塗層，有點像拳擊手用來捆綁雙手的膠帶。

Underneath that coating are two regions with fibers aligned in different directions.

在塗層下面有兩個纖維排列方向不同的區域。