分享知识和传播文化的动物

Culture and the ability to transmit novel learned behavior from one generation to the next was once believed to be a trait unique to humans. But animal research over the last 75 years has revealed a plethora of examples of cultural transmission throughout the animal kingdom. Some of the creatures that exhibit culture are expected, like dolphins and chimpanzees, while others are surprising, like songbirds and guppies. But they are so varied that scientists suspect that culture may be far more common in nature than we ever thought possible.

文化和将新习得的行为一代一代传下去的能力曾经被认为是人类独有的特征。但在过去75年的动物研究中，我们发现了动物王国中文化传播的过多例子。一些展示文化的生物被认为是正常的，比如海豚和黑猩猩，而另一些则令人惊讶，比如鸣鸟和孔雀鱼。但文化的种类如此繁多，科学家们怀疑，文化在自然界中可能比我们想象的更为普遍。

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Here are 5 examples of animals that exhibit culture in their everyday lives.

以下是五种动物在日常生活中展示文化的例子。

1. Japanese Macaques

日本猕猴

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A study of Japanese macaques in the 1940s by animal researcher Kinji Imanishi was the first instance where the word “culture” was used to describe animal behavior. What began as an observation of monkeys washing sweet potatoes before eating them continued, as more and more generations of macaques have kept up the potato-washing tradition.

20世纪40年代，动物研究者Kinji Imanishi对日本猕猴进行了一项研究，第一次用“文化”这个词来描述动物行为。一开始是观察猴子在吃红薯前清洗，随着越来越多的猕猴保持清洗红薯的传统，这项研究继续下去。

Other cultural behaviors displayed by Japanese macaques include the kindness that mothers and daughters exhibit toward each other by offering protection from predators and the sharing of food. The macaques also groom one another as a form of bonding, and use particular calls to request or offer grooming of other monkeys.

日本猕猴的其他文化行为还包括母女之间的友好，保护彼此免受捕食者的伤害，分享食物。猕猴也互相梳理毛发作为一种结合的形式，并使用特殊的叫声要求或提供其他猴子的梳理。

2. Whales

鲸鱼

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Second only to primates, cultures in whales and other cetaceans are diverse and advanced. A genetic study of beluga whales in the North Pacific revealed that families of whales return to the same locations every year for generations. Researchers believe that the passing down of information about where to travel each year during their long migrations is shared between female belugas and their calves.

仅次于灵长类动物，鲸类和其他动物的文化是多样和先进的。一项对北太平洋白鲸基因的研究表明，每一代鲸鱼都会回到相同的地点。研究人员认为，雌性白鲸和它们的幼鲸分享了它们每年长途迁徙时要去哪里旅行的信息。

Their advanced cultural behavior is thought to be rooted in their intricate vocalizations. Belugas use their high frequency chirps and squeals for communication and echolocation.

他们先进的文化行为被认为植根于他们复杂的发声。白鲸用它们的高频啁啾声和尖叫声进行交流和回声定位。

3. Parrots

鹦鹉

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Parrots are among the most intelligent animals on the planet, and most species are also highly social and exhibit complex social behavior. Humans have been impressed by their ability to imitate language and learn tricks. But studies of parrots have identified abilities beyond imitation; parrots can display levels of logic and understanding similar to very young children. Further, parrots have been observed showing prosocial behavior, sharing food opportunities with other parrots, and receiving the same in return.

鹦鹉是地球上最聪明的动物之一，大多数物种也是高度社会性的，并表现出复杂的社会行为。人类对他们模仿语言和学习技巧的能力印象深刻。但对鹦鹉的研究发现，它们具有超越模仿的能力;鹦鹉表现出的逻辑和理解能力与非常年幼的儿童相似。此外，人们观察到鹦鹉表现出亲社会行为，与其他鹦鹉分享食物的机会，并得到同样的回报。

4. Songbirds

鸣鸟

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Songbirds such as warblers, thrushes, and sparrows aren't born knowing how to sing their special songs. Rather, they begin to learn them while in the nest. During this critical period, songbird hatchlings listen to other birds around them and begin to imitate their vocalizations.

像莺、画眉和麻雀这样的鸣鸟并非生来就知道如何唱它们特有的歌。相反，它们在窝里的时候就开始学习了。在这一关键时期，鸣禽幼鸟会倾听周围其他鸟类的叫声，并开始模仿它们的叫声。

5. Guppies

孔雀鱼

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Even the tiny guppy displays evidence of cultural transmission. Guppies are known for their diverse mating behaviors, whereby females tend to copy other females in choosing their preferred mate. If one female likes a particular mate, then other females will take notice. In other words, through the power of imitation, guppy mating behavior is cultural in that mate preference can be uniquely transmitted across a population.

即使是小孔雀鱼也显示出文化传播的迹象。孔雀鱼以其多样化的交配行为而闻名，雌性在选择配偶时往往会模仿其他雌性。如果一只雌性喜欢某个特定的配偶，那么其他雌性就会注意到。换句话说，通过模仿的力量，孔雀鱼的交配行为是一种文化，因为配偶偏好可以在整个种群中独一无二地传播。