科普知识学英语 灵长类动物冬眠比之前想象的更普遍.doc

Untilrecently,theonlyprimateknownto hibernate(东面) asasurvivalstrategywasacreaturecalledthewesternfat-taileddwarflemur,atropicaltree- lemur(狐猴) isn',researchersreportthattwootherlittle-knownlemurs--Crossley'sdwarflemurandSibree'sdwarflemur--burrowintothesoft,spongyrainforestfloorintheeasternpartofMadagascar,curlupandspendthenextthreetosevenmonthssnoozingunderground. paringthehibernationhabitsofeasterndwarflemursandtheirwesterncounterparts,researchershopetoshedlightonwhatsendshibernatinganimalsintostandbymode,andwhetherlemurs--icrelativesknowntohibernate--doitdifferentlyfromotherhibernatinganimals. "Exactlywhattriggershibernationisstillanopenquestion,"saidleadauthorMarinaBlancoapostdoctoralresearcherattheDukeLemurCenter. Unlikeanimalssuchasbearsandgroundsquirrels,whichhibernatetosurvivethecold,westerndwarflemurshibernatetosurviveduringwesternMadagascar'slongdryseason--atimewhentemperaturestop85degrees,treesdroptheirleavesandfoodandwaterareinshortsupply. ButthehibernationhabitsofMadagascar'seasterndwarflemurs,whosehomesincludehigh-asionallydipbelowfreezing,werepoorlyknown. "It'saverydifferentenvironment,"Blancosaid. Tofindoutmore,Blancoandhercolleaguestrappedandfittedthesquirrel-sizedanimalswithtemperature-sensitiveradiocollarsbeforethestartofthehibernations