For many potential entrée animals this [sound of lion roar] is one of the scariest sounds around. Scientists long thought the lion's distinctive roar was due to thick layers of fat inside the vocal cords. But new research suggests that it's not the fat that makes the roar, it's the shape of the vocal cords themselves.

狮子的咆哮声对可能被它拿来打牙祭的动物来说是最可怕的声音。长期以来，科学家认为狮子拥有独特的咆哮声是因为它的声带里有厚厚的脂肪层。但新的研究宣称咆哮声并不是脂肪造成的，而是由于声带本身的形状。

Most animals have triangular vocal cords. But the lion's mighty pipes are square. Tigers’ too. That square shape allows the tissue to withstand more stretching, which lets the big cats create louder roars using lower lung pressure. The finding is the journal Public Library of Science ONE. [Sarah Klemuk et al., "Adapted to Roar: Functional Morphology of Tiger and Lion Vocal Folds"]

多数动物的声带是三角形的。但狮子强有力的声带是方形的。老虎的也是如此。方形可以使声带组织承受更大幅度的伸展，由此大型猫科动物可以在肺部施加较小压力的情况下发出更大的咆哮声。以上发现刊登在公共科学图书馆期刊。（《适于咆哮：对于老虎和狮子声带的功能形态学研究》作者：Sarah Klemuk及其他人）

When we say loud, we mean loud. Lion roars can travel over five miles, and reach up to 114 decibels, which is as loud as a jet airplane taking off. The researchers suggest that the fat is there to cushion the cords, and to provide tissue for repair if the cords get damaged.

我们不仅在说声音大，而且高。狮子的咆哮声可传出5英里远并且能达到114分贝，可以与喷气式飞机起飞的声音相媲美。研究者认为声带中的脂肪可起缓冲作用，而且在声带受损的时候为恢复提供组织材料。

Understanding how that repair happens might help doctors fix damaged vocal cords in humans, too. Which would have to be called a roaring success.

了解恢复是如何发生也可以帮助医生修复人类的声带损伤。这可以说是由咆哮声带来的巨大成就。

—Rose Eveleth