Finding Bigfoot

Cryptozoologists(神秘生物学家)have been trying to discover whether Bigfoot, a gigantic, apelike creature, really exists in North America. Many websites are dedicated to recording and investigating Bigfoot sightings. After following up on countless eyewitness reports, however, they have not yet been able to find solid proof.

For those enthusiasts who believe in the existence of Bigfoot, they’ve come up with various explanations as to why no Bigfoot bodies have been found. One theory is that in the vast uninhabited forests, nature quickly disposes of dead bodies. Some others believe Bigfoot lives between dimensions, spending only short periods of time in this dimension. 【小题1】

In 1977, a Bigfoot sighting in northern Washington turned out to be a hoax(骗局)planned by three young men using gorilla suits and walkie—talkies. 【小题2】 Some websites even report that up to 80 percent of sightings have been confirmed as hoaxes.

【小题3】 According to a recent poll, 1 in 10 American adults believe Bigfoot is a real animal. The creature has even inspired the naming of a medical company, music festival, amusement park ride and more. During the onset of the pandemic, it was even referred to on social media as the “Social Distancing Champion” as a part of promotion campaigns.

Some sociologists believe that society’s fascination stems from human interest in mystery, the supernatural, and loneliness. 【小题4】 It has much in common with the Australian yowie(野人)and the Himalayan yeti(雪人): an upright posture, shaggy hair and, of course, large feet. As so—called wild men, they hold a crude mirror up to our own species: What might Homo sapiens(智人)be like if civilization had not removed it from nature?

For people, many other animals, family matters. Consider how many jobs go to relatives. Or how an ant will cruelly attack intruder(入侵的) ants but rescue injured, closely related nest-mates. There are good evolutionary reasons to aid relatives, after all. Now, it seems, family feelings may stir in plants as well.

A Canadian biologist planted the seed of the idea more than a decade ago, but many plant biologists regarded it as heretical—plants lack the nervous systems that enable animals to recognize kin(家族), so how can they know their relatives? But with a series of recent findings, the belief that plants really do care for their most genetically close peers—in a quiet, planty way—is taking root. Some species control how far their roots spread, others change how many flowers they produce, and a few tilt(倾斜) or shift their leaves to minimize shading of neighboring plants, favoring related individuals.

“We need to recognize that plants not only sense whether it’s light or dark or if they’ve been touched, but also whom they are interacting with,” says Susan Dudley, a plant evolutionary ecologist, whose early plant kin recognition studies sparked the interest of many scientists.

Beyond broadening views of plant behavior, the new work may have a practical side. In September 2018, a team in China reported that rice planted with kin grows better, a finding that suggested family ties can be used to improve crop yields. “It seems anytime anyone looks for it, they find a kin effect,” says Andre Kessler, a chemical ecologist at Cornell University.

Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can’t talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.

Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator(猎食动物) gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the “hurt” adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.

Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.

Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don’t make nests. Instead, they get into other birds’ nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.

Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner’s hand and start fighting again.

Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don’t hear them, and they don’t need to share their food.

As children, many of us learn the saying “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” But maybe you can’t trust her, either.