News 15. What Do Giraffes Have to Say

News 15. What Do Giraffes Have to Say? [WORDS] * giraffe : n. 기린 * revelation : n. 뜻밖의 이야기, 새 사실 * preposterous : a. 터무니없는, 비상식적인 * perch on : 앉다, 자리잡다 * spindly : a. 가늘고 긴, 호리호리한 * outrageous : a. 멋진, 엉뚱한 * infinitely : ad. 대단히, 몹시 * sanctuary : n. 보호지역, 신성한 장소 * Manor : n. 영지, 장원 * fabulous : a. 굉장한, 멋진 * mute : a. 말을 못하는, 벙어리의 * trachea : n. 기관, 도관 * larynx : n. 후두 * startling : a. 놀라운, 깜짝 놀라게 한다 * bioacoustical : a. 생체 음향의 - n. bioacoustics * infrasound : n. 초 저주파 불가청음 * toss : v. 던지다, 쳐 올리다 * immense : a. 거대한, 막대한, 굉장한 ========================================================================================= We are among those who never thought giraffes could talk. As it turns out, maybe we just can't hear them. Everything about giraffes is a revelation. When they run, they seem to float. (You are huge!) Their bodies are preposterous, more than a ton and a half perched on four spindly legs. And yet, these outrageous animals are infinitely sweet and sociable. I know because I've broken bread with them, at a sanctuary called Giraffe Manor, outside Nairobi, Kenya. (What a fabulous way to eat breakfast!) It turns out these amazing creatures have yet another secret. Astonishing new evidence indicates that these mammals we once considered mute may actually be talking to each other. "We believe that giraffes are forcing large volumes of air out their long, long trachea and out a small opening, which is actually their larynx. And that is creating a sound." Liz Von Muggenthaler, a bioacoustical researcher, has made a startling discovery. She says giraffes are communicating in a range far beneath our own hearing called infrasound. It's produced when giraffes throw back their heads. "What this is doing is opening up the larynx so that air can pass freely through. If you could hear it, it would sound very much like a great burst of air, sort of a Pssh!" Here at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, Liz demonstrates the phenomenon by separating the herd, since giraffes are more likely to communicate with those they can't see. Her assistant stands by outside to watch as the giraffes make contact. (Okay, Liz. I'm in position.) (Okay, she's head tossing in here. Are you seeing anything yet?) It doesn't last long. But by enhancing the sound with her computer, Liz gave us the first-ever chance for humans to hear giraffe's talk. Just what they were saying remains a mystery. But if they're actually talking, what else is going on inside those immense, spotted heads? Lynn Sherr, ABCNEWS.