3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. houses B. approaching C. appear D. talent E. exclusively
F. lowered G. hiding H. limits I. dramatically J. natural K. sensitive |
Dolphin Senses
New research involving trained dolphins seems to further prove that these animals can sense electricity. The 1 may allow them to better lock onto hidden fish hunted and direct the path.
The ability to sense electric fields is known as electroreception(电感受). All animals produce a weak electric field, but electroreception has almost 2 been found in water creatures. About a decade ago, scientists published research suggesting that some dolphins have passive electroreception. And in 2021, researchers in Germany released their own study finding that dolphins likely have it, too.
This new research is a follow-up to that latter study by the same team—one intended to better describe the 3 of electroreception in bottlenose dolphins. The researchers teamed up with scientists from the Nuremberg Zoo, which currently 4 six dolphins. They specifically worked with two bottlenose dolphins named Donna and Dolly. They first trained them to rest their jaws on a metal bar in the water, and then to respond to an electric field 5 them by swimming away within five seconds. They then gradually 6 the strength of this field to test the dolphins’ sensitivity.
The findings further prove that bottlenose dolphins can indeed sense electricity, but suggest that some dolphins are better at it than others. Donna, for instance, was a bit more 7 and able to respond correctly to a weaker field than Dolly.
The electroreception found in dolphins doesn’t 8 to be as strong as it is in the typical shark, but it’s probably still useful enough for them to find fish 9 underneath sand, stones or mud within a few centimeters away. Other studies have suggested that dolphins also possess a sense that acts as a sort of 10 GPS for them. So these dolphins’ electroreception might provide an explanation for that ability as well, Huttner said.
