So let's say you're a common ground squirrel. Just for a moment, pretend you're minding your own business, searching for seeds, doing whatever it is that squirrels like to do. Then, suddenly, out from behind a bush slithers a huge, sinister rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike. What do you do?

假如你是一只普通的地松鼠，在专注于自己的事情，寻找种子吃，或者在做任何松鼠喜欢做的事。突然，从你身后的灌木丛中爬出了一条巨大的、凶恶的响尾蛇，它盘绕起身体，准备好了对你进行攻击。你该怎么办呢？

Obviously, you run away, play dead, or perhaps negotiate a deal of some sort. In any case, given that you're a furry, gentle squirrel and the snake is a deadly, rattling killer, whatever you do, you don't stand your ground and fight. Right?

显然，你会选择逃跑，装死，也可能会与它谈谈条件。鉴于自己是一只毛茸茸的，温顺的松鼠，而响尾蛇则是致命的杀手，无论如何你都不会站在原地与之进行搏斗，对吧？

Wrong! Calling upon the instincts passed down from your ancient squirrel ancestors, you rush at the snake, kick sand in its face, try to bite its tail, and then turn your back on it and whip your tail around.

你错了！从祖先那里继承的本能会让松鼠冲向响尾蛇，向它的脸上踢沙子，试图咬它的尾巴，接着转过身来，摇动自己的尾巴。

Now why on earth, you might be wondering, would my squirrel self take such suicidal measures? Kicking sand and biting might do some good, but tail waving? Why further taunt a venom-fanged snake already bent on violence?

你可能会感到不解，为何松鼠会选择这种以鸡蛋碰石头的做法？踢沙子和咬尾巴可能还管点用，但摇尾巴又是意欲为何呢？面对已经俯身做好攻击准备的、带有毒牙的蛇，松鼠为何还要进行挑衅呢？

As you may have guessed, there is a method to such madness. When confronted by a rattlesnake, squirrels' tails heat up, getting hotter by almost four degrees Fahrenheit. The infra-red sensors built into rattlesnakes' eye sockets sense this increase in temperature as a big, waving, fiery blotch.

可能你也猜到了，松鼠的这种看似疯狂的做法其实是有它的道理的。当遇到响尾蛇时，松鼠的尾巴会变热，温度上升大约4度（华氏）。而通过眼睛窝中的红外线感应组织，响尾蛇感受到的则是一个大的，摆动的红点。

This alarming display, plus the fact that squirrels are partially immune to rattlesnake venom, actually gives the squirrel a distinct advantage when it confronts a rattlesnake. More often than not, the rattlesnake will slither away in search of a less intimidating foe.

这种让蛇方寸大乱的表演，再加上松鼠对响尾蛇的毒液有一定的免疫力，让松鼠在遇到响尾蛇的时候具有了本能优势。多数情况下，响尾蛇会爬开，去寻找不这么吓人的猎物。