Breaking the code of seal
communication
海豹的聲音密碼 -
"It's striking how rare physical fights are," said Colleen Reichmuth, research director at UCSC's Pinniped Cognition and Sensory Systems Laboratory. But when two males the size of a Ford Explorer fight, it's bloody and violent.
Once hunted to near-extinction, the northern elephant seals have rebounded. Now, scientists are concerned about the potential human impact on the growing population, and they hope that understanding the seals' communication and organization will help protect the bulbous-nosed cutie-pies.
"The more we can learn, the more we can predict how they'll respond to these types of encroachments and better protect them," said Caroline Casey, the project's field research coordinator. And as winter ends it might seem quiet during a visit to Ano Nuevo because most of the seals have left this favored breeding ground.
Make no mistake, though, they are among the loudest animals on land. Their calls can (be) as loud as a jackhammer, with frequencies low enough to vibrate the sand around them. To understand what all the fuss is about, Southall has been recording their rumblings from 3 feet away.
"It's kind of crazy to think you're so close to 4,000-pound males while they're trying to fight," he said. "You can feel it resonating in your chest and sinus cavities." The team found that each male has a unique call. " Caroline knows these individuals so well she can recognize them from the other side of the dunes," ROichmuth said of Casey.
One male, "3C." produces a measured series of clanging pulses. Another's call has the rhythm of a galloping horse. Other males sound like chainsaws, flamenco dances or shuffling a deck of cards. Some, like "3C," begin and end their calls with a special touch - " a snorty flourish," according to Reichmuth.
This season, scientists used a speaker to broadcast recorded elephant seal calls to specific males on the beach. One seal when hearing the recording turned around and sped away. Another charged the speaker. "We've had a few speakers run over," Reichmuth said.
The different responses indicate that the calls are important, and the next step is figuring out what's encoded in the grunty orations. "There's no one thing about the sound that allows you to know whether it's a big male, or a dominant male, "Reichmuth said. When the seals return next winter, scientists will be there once more. "It's kind of addicting," Reichmuth said, "sometimes the people migrate back as well."
Grammar Tips:
"It's striking how rare physical fights are...."
"striking" - hit, when iron is hot we strike it. here means: "very noticeable".
something very strange or noticeable, you can use this word - "striking".
"The tourist found it striking that all the public bathrooms were so clean."
"She is very striking." - when a nice looking lady walk by get all people's attention.
Vocabulary Tips:
vocalization (n)-make sound from vocal core.发声，发声法。
vocal - 声音。
*Whales use vocalization to locate their schools.
vocalize (v)-use your voice to communicate, or just make noise.发声，说出。
*He couldn't vocalize his feelings because he was too shy.
grumbly -低吼
*The bear's grumbly growl scared the intruder.
grumble (v)-抱怨，发牢骚。（雷）隆隆声，怨言，喃喃抱怨。
*Vivian grumbled that she always has to help people with their workloads.
smack-talk : talk with some language that not suppose t use on others, humiliated people, try to gain some territories and show who's boss. 叫嚣，挑起争端，挑衅。
smack -一下子打人或甩打。
*Crazy fans exchanged smack-talk after the game. 互相挑衅。
* Leo's smack-talk on Facebook caused him a lot of troubles.
cognition - knowing. the process of mantle knowing and thinking.认知。
*The development of children's cognition can be enhanced by good stimulation.
*Philip's brain injury affected his cognition and memory.影响他的认知与记忆力。
snorty - make snore sound.
armed - carrying with with you. carry a weapon, here is carry microphones.
dune - a kind like mountain of sand.沙丘
grunt (n) grunts - 哼，(v)火鱼。诉怨，咕噜咕噜，不满之声。
growl (n) growls -犬吠声，怒吠，咆哮，鸣不平，隆隆声，抱怨，发牢骚。 (v) （犬）发出怒吠声）
fascinating - very interesting to something.
showing who's bass - showing who is in charge.
come to blows - get angry and start to a fight.
"the more...the more" - The more time spend in the zoo, the more animal I can see. The more study this, the more interesting I found.
bulbous (adj) - bulb , round shape. like light bulb.
rebound -recover, regain.回升，重振旗鼓。（重音在第二节）
*The stock market rebounded yesterday after a week's poor performance.
rebound -反弹。（注意，重音在第一节）
encroachment - someone come up to your territory and take in charge of it. 侵犯，侵占，侵入。
*The range of rain-forests is gradually shrinking because of the encroachment of land development.
encroach (v) -接 (on)
*Our neighbor's shed encroached on our land.
rumbling (n)-noise it's short but long and continue.隆隆声，（地震动发出的隆隆声，或打雷的隆隆声）或是 people discuss something, you heard the talk sound but not sure what they talk about it.
rumble -隆隆作响的。
*After living here for a while, I got used to the rumblings of the trains passing by.
*The rumbling of the thunder frightened the baby.
cavity - hole, open area of inside of your body. 腔。
sinus cavity -鼻腔。
*The doctor looked at the patient's X-ray to make sure his chest cavity was clear.
cavity (n)-蛀牙。
*The cavity needs to be filled. 蛀牙需要填补。
Make no mistake - 小心，注意，没弄错。
"What's all the fuss about?" -当外面挤满了很多人或是有吵闹声，打架，争执等，你可以使用此句子。
resonating -回响，共鸣。
resonate -共鸣，共振，回响
resonating box -共鸣箱。
gallop (v) - horse run fast, horse fast running sound. 马匹奔驰 ，骑马奔驰。
*The race horses started to gallop once they heard the signal.
*The cowboy jumped on his horse and galloped away.
shuffle (v)- 洗牌。
*It's my turn to shuffle the cars.
*The dealer professionally shuffled the playing cards.
shuffle -拖着脚走。走路时，脚跟不抬起来， 拖着脚跟走。
*Mom always reminds me not to shuffle when I walk. 走路脚跟抬起来，不要 拖着脚跟走
encode - creating a code.弄成密码，编成密码。 "en" -有“使成为”之意。
code - create something that only you know.密码，加密的。
*The confidential data were encoded. 机密质料被编上了密码。
*These encoded files are accessible only to be supervisors.编上了密码的档案只有。。。能取得。
decode - release or break the code. figure out what the code is.
oration - speech. 演说，演讲，口若悬河。
*The novelist's oration at the awards ceremony touched a lot of people.
*The speaker delivered an oration on the subject of single parents.
"special touch" - add more personal touch to it. add something special make it unique.
flourish - spread, sprout. flower blooming.欣欣向荣，兴旺，盛开。
charge (v)- attack, run at it very fast. 对着目标冲上去。
run over - step over, went over.
grunty - from "grunt", add "y" made it into "adj".
big male / dominant male -
big male - the size is huge, big.
dominant male - the male who is in charge.
addicting - addict - something you are very interested and have draw into it. 上瘾，着迷。
Language Tips:
the northern elephant seals -北方象鼻海豹。
elephant -（体型庞大如大象）
Ford Explorer -巨大的体型重量，可比福特的探险家野外重型车型。
trunk -象鼻子。北方象鼻海豹脸部也有如象般的鼻子。
whiskers -胡须，象和北方象鼻海豹都有胡须。
elephant seal -有都善于在水中游泳，因而有“象鼻海豹”
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mister-对不认识，不熟的男士，称“mister”。
ma'am -对不认识，不熟的女士，称“ma'am ”。
nickname -小名，对很亲密的人，称呼他们的小名。如下：
Robert - can be called "Rob, or Bobby"
pet name -昵称，对更亲密的人的昵称。
darling -亲爱的。
sweetheart -甜心。
honey -蜜糖。
cutie-pie : 此称那些可爱的海豹们。
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migrate -迁徙， 迁移。
Elephant seals migrate twice a year.
molt - take out of skin. 脱皮，脱（羽）毛，蛇脱皮，脱壳。
molt its skin.
Taking notes of study "Studio Classroom".
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