科普知识学英语 灵长类动物冬眠比之前想象的更普遍.docVIP

Until recently, the only primate known to?hibernate（东面）?as a survival strategy was a creature called the western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, a tropical tree-dweller from the African island of Madagascar. But it turns out this hibernating?lemur（狐猴）?isnt alone. In a study appearing May 2 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers report that two other little-known lemurs -- Crossleys dwarf lemur and Sibrees dwarf lemur -- burrow into the soft, spongy rainforest floor in the eastern part of Madagascar, curl up and spend the next three to seven months snoozing underground. ? By comparing the hibernation habits of eastern dwarf lemurs and their western counterparts, researchers hope to shed light on what sends hibernating animals into standby mode, and whether lemurs -- our closest genetic relatives known to hibernate -- do it differently from other hibernating animals. ? Exactly what triggers hibernation is still an open question, said lead author Marina Blanco a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Lemur Center. ? Unlike animals such as bears and ground squirrels, which hibernate to survive the cold, western dwarf lemurs hibernate to survive during western Madagascars long dry season -- a time when temperatures top 85 degrees, trees drop their leaves and food and water are in short supply. ? But the hibernation habits of Madagascars eastern dwarf lemurs, whose homes include high-altitude forests where winter temperatures occasionally dip below freezing, were poorly known. ? Its a very different environment, Blanco said. ? To find out more, Blanco and her colleagues trapped and fitted the squirrel-sized animals with temperature-sensitive radio collars before the start of the hibernation season, allowing them to find the lemurs underground burrows and monitor their body temperature once hibernation began. ? Hibernating animals tend to breathe more slowly, drop their heart rate and lower their body temperature, becoming inactive for days at a time. Dwarf lemurs are no e