第1930期:The deep culture of elephants

As well as impressive physical attributes, elephants have a rich cultural heritage, passed down through customs and social behaviour which is learned, remembered, and shared within their herds.

除了令人印象深刻的身体特征外，大象还拥有丰富的文化遗产，通过习俗和社会行为传承下来，并在象群中学习、记忆和分享。

This is possible partly because of their social structure. Elephants live in complex, tightly knit, multigenerational societies, led by older females known as matriarchs. Younger elephants observe and mimic the behaviour of their elders, learning through experience. It helps that the herd does almost everything together, from foraging and feeding to raising each others' young. These interactions lead to deep long-lasting relationships, which can last for decades.

这是可能的，部分原因在于他们的社会结构。 大象生活在复杂、紧密的多代社会中，由被称为女族长的年长雌性领导。 年幼的大象观察并模仿年长大象的行为，通过经验学习。 从觅食、喂养到抚养彼此的幼崽，牛群几乎一起做所有事情，这很有帮助。 这些互动会带来深厚而持久的关系，这种关系可以持续数十年。

Possibly because of these bonds, elephants seem to have emotional capacity. Just like humans, the creatures have been seen displaying signs of grief. When an elephant dies, others in the herd have been observed to repeatedly return to where the individual passed, which is said to be part of a mourning ritual. They may sniff and touch the carcass and bones and cover the site with leaves and sand. Moreover, a 2020 study by researchers Goldenberg and Wittemyer found that "elephants show broad interest in their dead regardless of the strength of former relationships with the dead individual", which may indicate advanced sentience, the scientists say.

可能是由于这些纽带，大象似乎具有情感能力。 就像人类一样，这些生物也表现出悲伤的迹象。 当一头大象死亡时，象群中的其他大象会反复返回该个体经过的地方，据说这是哀悼仪式的一部分。 它们可能会嗅闻并触摸尸体和骨头，并用树叶和沙子覆盖该地点。 此外，研究人员戈登伯格和维特迈尔在 2020 年进行的一项研究发现，“大象对死者表现出广泛的兴趣，无论与死者以前的关系有多密切”，科学家们表示，这可能表明大象有高级的感知能力。

There's a saying found in many languages – 'an elephant never forgets'. In fact, memory has been essential to the survival of some elephant herds. A study within Great Kruger National Park found that, during an extreme drought in 2016, elephant groups led by matriarchs who had previously lived through a severe drought, had higher survival rates. Researchers concluded that the matriarchs likely remembered where sources of water could be located.

在许多语言中都有这样一句话——“大象永远不会忘记”。 事实上，记忆对于一些象群的生存至关重要。 大克鲁格国家公园内的一项研究发现，在 2016 年的极端干旱期间，由曾经经历过严重干旱的女族长领导的象群的存活率更高。 研究人员得出的结论是，女族长可能记得水源的位置。

So, count yourself lucky that you live on the same planet as these immense majestic animals.

所以，你很幸运，你和这些巨大的动物生活在同一个星球上。

词汇表

physical attribute 身体特征
heritage 遗产
custom 习俗
social behaviour 社群行为
herd （兽）群
social structure 社群结构
tightly knit 联系紧密的
multigenerational 多代共存的
matriarch （象群中的）年长母象
mimic 模仿
elder 长辈
raise 抚养，喂养
long-lasting 持久的
bond 联系
emotional capacity 情感能力
grief 悲痛，悲伤
pass 死亡
mourning ritual 哀悼的仪式
sentience 感知能力
survival 生存
drought 干旱
survival rate 存活率