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我们都知道大象并不是真的怕老鼠，但是一项新的研究显示，它们真正害怕的是比老鼠小N倍的蚂蚁。实际上，大象对蚂蚁厌恶至极，以至于它们一看见槐树上有小不点的六腿吸蜜虫就绕得远远的。
We all know that elephants aren’t really scared of mice. But a new study shows that they’re really not crazy about something even smaller: ants. In fact, elephants dislike ants so much that they avoid acacia trees that harbor the tiny, six-legged nectar-suckers.
On the savanna, acacia trees growing in regions that get a lot of elephant traffic tend to get eaten. But researchers noticed that one species of acacia was not much bothered by elephants. And that the untouched acacia was a favorite ant habitat.
So the scientists stripped the ant-covered acacia of their bodyguard bugs, and sure enough, the elephants chowed down. In addition, when the insects were placed on previously ant-free acacias, the elephants took a pass.
But how can teeny, tiny ants repel a big old elephant, which is, after all, about a billion times more massive? The answer is in the trunk. Or rather, not in the trunk. Because, as you can probably relate, elephants really hate to have ants up their noses.
The research is published in the journal Current Biology. [Jacob Goheen and Todd Palmer, http://bit.ly/8ZSmpa which includes video] And it suggests that adding ants could help preserve wooded areas on the savanna. Because ants will ruin any picnic, even for pachyderms.—Karen Hopkin
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