Surprising Animal Facts 動物奇事

When most people think about animals， they imagine furry little cow-eyed creatures innocently plucking leaves from trees or bugs from the ground for nourishment. However， many people are shocked to learn that， just as in human life， there's an incredible part to the animal world. If you thought you knew a lot about animal behavior， the following unbelievable but true animal facts may cause your jaw to drop.

大多數人一想到動物，就會想到各種毛茸茸的小家伙，它們長著牛眼似的眼睛，毫無惡意地從樹上扯下葉子或在地上找蟲子來美餐一頓。然而，很多人卻驚訝地發現，如同人類生活一樣，動物世界也有不可思議的一面。如果你認為自己對動物的行為已經了解頗多，那下面這些令人難以置信但又真實存在的動物奇事恐怕仍會讓你驚愕不已。

Cows Are More Deadly than Sharks

For most people， few things evoke fear like the image of a great white shark. A combination of popular culture movies and widespread media stories concerning shark attacks has worked in concert1） to create a universal fear of these toothy eating machines. However， the dangers posed by sharks to humans are overstated. In fact， sharks kill only ten people each year. By contrast， you're ten times more likely to die under the clumsy2） feet of ordinary cows who fatally trample around 100 people every 12 months.

Headless Roaches Can Live up to Nine Days

Most people are familiar with the notion that roaches are hearty， durable pests. Anyone who has ever been plagued3） by a roach problem knows just how resilient4） these ugly little creatures can be. Many are surprised at just how adept5） roaches are at survival and reproduction. Roaches are able to live up to nine days without a head because their brains are located deep within their body cavities6）.

奶牛比鯊魚更致命

對大多數人來說，大白鯊的形象喚起的恐懼感幾乎無物可比。關于鯊魚襲擊人類的大眾文化電影和廣泛的媒體報道一直齊頭并進，激發了人們對這些多齒類“食人機器”的普遍的恐懼感。可是，鯊魚對人類構成的威脅被夸大了。事實上，每年只有10個人會命喪鯊魚之口，相比之下，你命喪牛蹄下的幾率是前者的十倍，每年被普通奶牛亂蹄踩死的有約100人。

無頭蟑螂能活九天

大多數人都很熟悉這一概念：蟑螂是精力充沛、耐力超強的害蟲。但凡被蟑螂困擾過的人都知道這些外貌丑陋的“小強”生命力有多頑強。蟑螂嫻熟的生存和繁殖能力也著實讓很多人驚訝不已。由于大腦位于體腔深處，蟑螂沒有頭之后還能存活九天。

A Wolf's Howl Does Not Echo

Wolves hunt in coordinated packs7）， so long-distance communication is critical to a successful kill. However， wolves hunt in mountainous areas， so their howling is left vulnerable to echoes that can distort their ability to communicate. To combat this， wolves howl at a frequency that will not echo. This allows them to confirm the exact location of their hunting partners， which helps them to ambush unsuspecting prey.

Half of All Orangutans Have Broken Bones

Orangutans seem to drift through branches from tree to tree with relative ease. However， almost all orangutans suffer serious falls at least a few times in their lives. Proving this is the fact that 50 percent of adult orangutans have fractured8） bones somewhere in their body.endprint