国家地理 2007十二月刊[图大杀猫猫]

2007-12-01<br>　　Honeybees, Maine, 2007<br>　　Photograph by Peter Essick<br>　　<br>　　Swarming honeybees, like these on Maine's Appledore Island, frequently differ about where to establish a new nest. But the group usually chooses the best site. Bees reach this decision by gathering information, conducting independent evaluations, and holding a kind of vote. Scientists are studying such swarm intelligence—note the yellow and blue identifier dots on the bees in this photo—for clues about how humans might manage complex systems, from truck routing to military robots. <br>　　<br>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for "Swarm Theory," July 2007, National Geographic magazine) <br>　　<br>　　<br>　　由蜜蜂组成的群体，如图中缅因州阿普尔多尔岛上的这群，经常会对建巢的地点产生分歧。但它们一般都能选出最佳位置。蜜蜂们通过收集信息，开展独立评估以及进行某种表决来得出最后的决定。科学家们正在研究这种群体智能--如图中带有黄色和蓝色标识的蜜蜂，寻找某些相关线索，并以此推断人类应如何对复杂的系统进行操作，无论是运输路线还是军事机器人。<br><br><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/s/swarm-honeybees-maine-1074446-xl.jpg"> <br>
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2007-12-31<BR>　　Wild Mustangs, South Dakota, 2004<BR>　　Photograph by Maggie Steber<BR>　　<BR>　　In the wind-tossed plains of Lantry, South Dakota, two wild mustangs playfully kick and cavort. Descended from Spanish horses brought in by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, mustangs represent a tenuous link to America's frontier past. Researchers estimate the U.S. was once home to more than two million mustangs; today there are fewer than 50,000. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Indian Scenes From a Renaissance," September 2004, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　<BR>　　在南达科塔州的兰特里平原上，风吹草低，两匹野马正在腾跃嬉戏。野马是西班牙征服者们在16世纪带过来的西班牙马的后代，与美国的边疆历史有着微妙的联系。研究者们估计美国曾有超过2百万匹的野马，但现在仅存不到5万匹。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/w/wild-mustangs-south-dakota-956789-xl.jpg">

2007-12-30<BR>　　Fiji Islands, 2004<BR>　　Photograph by Tim Laman<BR>　　<BR>　　In the waters of the Fiji Islands, an emperor shrimp and a commensal crab nearly vanish in the calico pattern of a large leopard sea cucumber. The sea cucumber provides food for the crustaceans in the form of mucus on its skin and defends itself by ejecting its toxic stomach when danger threatens. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Fiji's Rainbow Reefs," November 2004, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　在斐济群岛附近的水域中，一只皇帝虾和一只共生蟹隐蔽在豹纹海参的斑点花纹下，几乎难以察觉。海参的表皮分泌出粘液，可作为甲克类动物的食物。当遇到危险时，海参便喷射出有毒的胃脏进行防御。<BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/u/underwater-scene-fiji-963608-xl.jpg">
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2007-12-29<BR>　　Molten Lava Flow, Hawaii, 2004<BR>　　Photograph by Frans Lanting<BR>　　<BR>　　A flow of glowing lava issues from Mount Kilauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Hawaii has some of the youngest land on Earth, remade daily by these rivers of molten rock.<BR>　　<BR>　　"Kilauea molds the land, belching lava and fumes, hissing, roaring, always transforming," says photographer Frans Lanting. "The view I photographed that day doesn't exist anymore."<BR>　　<BR>　　(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Red Hot Hawaii: Volcanoes National Park," October 2004, National Geographic magazine)<BR>　　<BR>　　在夏威夷火山国家公园中，炽热的岩浆从启劳亚火山中流出。夏威夷有着几块地球上最年轻的土地，每天都被这些熔岩之河重塑。<BR>　　摄影师弗朗斯兰亭说道：“启劳亚火山总是在塑造着大地，呼啸着喷出岩浆和烟尘，变幻莫测。我那天拍下的景色现在早已不复存在了。”<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/l/lava-flow-hawaii-763906-xl.jpg">

2007-12-28<BR>　　Hammerhead Shark, Bahamas, 2007<BR>　　Photograph by Brian Skerry<BR>　　<BR>　　Primordial in appearance, great hammerheads, like this one near the Bahamas, are actually among evolution's most advanced sharks. Wide-set eyes and nostrils provide keen peripheral senses, and tiny electroreceptors on its snout help it pinpoint prey. Dozens of serrated teeth do the rest. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Blue Waters of the Bahamas: An Eden for Sharks," March 2007, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　图中这条巴哈马群岛附近的鲨鱼，保持着原始的外观--一个大锤子状的头，实际上却是一种进化得最高级的鲨鱼。它们的分向两边的眼睛和鼻孔可以敏锐的感应周围情况，鼻吻上的微小的电接受器则有助于进行精确的捕食，而其许多的锯齿状牙齿将用来完成捕猎。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/h/hammerhead-shark-bahamas-1049207-xl.jpg">

2007-12-27<BR>　　Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska, 2002<BR>　　Photograph by Frans Lanting<BR>　　<BR>　　A crumpled ice field forms at the confluence of two massive glaciers in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. These glacial rivers snake together among the park's mountains and form ice complexes that cover hundreds—sometimes thousands—of square miles. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Alaska's Giant of Ice and Stone," March 2003, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　在阿拉斯加的兰格尔-圣埃利亚斯国家公园中，两快庞大的冰川交汇在一起，形成了一片崎岖不平的冰原。这些冰河蜿蜒迂回的流淌，最后在公园的山脉之中汇聚到一起，形成了冰川复合物，覆盖在数百乃至数千平方英里的大地上。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/g/glacier-wrangell-alaska-718744-xl.jpg">

2007-12-26<BR>　　Stick Mantid, Cameroon, 2006<BR>　　Photograph by Mark Moffett<BR>　　<BR>　　Most of the roughly 1,800 species of mantids—often called praying mantises—spend their time sitting and waiting, seemingly at prayer. These highly skilled hunters and masters of disguise have fascinated humans for thousands of years; the ancient Greeks first used the term mantis, meaning "prophet." <BR>　　<BR>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Mantids: Armed and Dangerous," January 2006, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　世界上大约有1,800种螳螂，它们常静候猎物上钩，看起来就跟正在祈祷一样。几千年来，这些技术高超的猎手及伪装大师一直让人们为之着迷。古希腊人首次用“mantis”来称呼螳螂，意为“先知”。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/s/stick-mantid-cameroon-988425-xl.jpg">

　2007-12-25<BR>　　Child on Swing, Siorapaluk, Greenland, 2006<BR>　　Photograph by David McLain<BR>　　<BR>　　A flawless blue Arctic sky frames a child swinging in Siorapaluk, Greenland, the northernmost permanent settlement in the world. During the past few decades, temperatures have risen in Greenland by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius)—twice the global average—and the island's massive ice sheet is melting faster than at any time during the past 50 years, pushing the Arctic ecosystem into collapse. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Last Days of the Ice Hunters," January 2006, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　<BR>　　在格陵兰岛的肖拉帕卢克(Siorapaluk),一个孩子正在荡着秋千,映衬在北极圈内的碧蓝无暇的天空下。这里是世界上最靠北的永久居住区。在过去的几十年里，格陵兰岛上的温度已经提升了超过2华氏度(1.1摄氏度)，为全球平均水平的两倍。岛上的厚冰层的融化速度已经达到了近50年来的最快值，这将造成整个北极生态系统的崩溃。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/c/child-swing-greenland-987455-xl.jpg">

　2007-12-24<BR>　　Diving in Devil's Ear, Florida, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by Wes Skiles<BR>　　<BR>　　Plant tannins from the Santa Fe River mixed with diamond-clear aquifer waters make this cave entrance in Florida's Ginnie Spring appear engulfed in flames. The entrance, called Devil's Ear, is just one portal of hundreds in northern Florida leading to a watery underworld that explorers are slowly bringing to light.<BR>　　<BR>　　(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Spring," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)<BR>　　<BR>　　<BR>　　来自圣达菲河的植物单宁酸与水池中晶莹透彻的泉水混合在一起，使得弗罗里达州吉尼泉的洞穴入口处看起来仿佛被火焰吞没了一般。这个入口被称为恶魔之耳，只是弗罗里达北部众多通往水下世界的途经之一。探险家们正逐渐将其余入口大白于天下。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/d/diving-devils-ear-521117-xl.jpg">

　2007-12-23<BR>　　Arctic Fox, Hudson Bay, Canada, 2004<BR>　　Photograph by Norbert Rosing<BR>　　<BR>　　A stealthy arctic fox steals across a snow-patched ridge in Canada's Hudson Bay. Not much larger than a big housecat, these seemingly delicate northern mammals are as hardy as they come, thriving in the privation and bitter cold of the Arctic north. <BR>　　<BR>　　(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Seasons of the Snow Fox," October 2004, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR>　　在加拿大的哈德逊海湾，一条鬼头鬼脑的北极狐正蹑手蹑脚的穿过冰雪覆盖的山脊。这种生活在北方的动物个头比家猫大不了多少，看似纤弱却很坚强，可以在荒凉寒冷的北极地区繁衍生息。<BR><BR><IMG src="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/arctic-fox-canada-762537-xl.jpg">