《中英對照》Reef fish eavesdrop to find home 珊瑚礁魚靠聽覺找新家

◎俞智敏

Coral reef fish spend weeks scouting out a new neighbourhood before they move in - just like human house buyers do, Edinburgh scientists have revealed.

珊瑚礁魚會先花數週時間尋找適合的居住環境，然後才會搬入新家，就像人類在買房子前一樣，愛丁堡科學家發現。

The fish use their acute sense of hearing to eavesdrop on locations before deciding where to live.

魚兒使用敏銳的聽覺監聽某些海域的聲音，然後才決定是否要住下來。

Edinburgh University researchers studied shoals of fish near the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. They found damselfish, cardinalfish, emperors and blennies chose communities by the "reef noise" they give off.

愛丁堡大學研究人員研究澳洲外海大堡礁內的魚群，結果發現雀鯛、天竺鯛、皇帝魚和尉魚等都會先聽聽珊瑚礁海域所發出的「聲音」，來選擇居住地點。

They then choose one based on their needs - in much the same way that a human would choose a new neighbourhood based on local schools or work commitments.

接著魚群會根據自身需要來選擇新家，就如同人類會依照當地學校或工作需求來選擇新環境一樣。

Very young fish - those who have just developed as larvae in the open sea - choose locations with invertebrates such as shrimp, which give off a high frequency sound, and hide in holes snatching passing food.

非常年幼的魚，例如才剛進入大海的幼魚，通常會選擇無脊椎動物如蝦子群居的區域，這裡會發出高頻的聲音，牠們會躲進岩洞裡，試著搶奪經過面前的食物。

As they grow older, they are then drawn towards reefs populated with fish - which produce a lower pitched sound - where they can find shoal mates, forage for food and expand their territories.

隨著魚的年紀漸長，牠們則會被有大量魚群居住的珊瑚礁所吸引，這裡發出較低頻的聲音，牠們可以在此找到魚類同伴，搜尋食物，並拓展自己的勢力範圍。

新聞辭典

scout：文中作動詞，指偵察、搜索、發現，如He’s scouting about／around for somewhere better to live.（他正在四處尋找更好的居住地點。）

shoal：集合名詞，指魚群，如We could see shoals of tiny fish darting about.（我們看見大批小魚亂竄。）亦可引申指大量的事物或人群，如In the summer, tourists visit the city in shoals.（每到夏天，觀光客成群結隊地造訪本市。）

forage：動詞，指搜尋，尤指尋找食物，如The pigs foraged in the woods for acorns.（豬隻在森林裡搜尋橡實。）

來源：自由時報

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