Dr Myron Shekell from Washington University believes Yoda in Star Wars was based on the tiny tarsier due to its huge eyes, tiny frame and the fact that it speaks a secret language.

華盛頓大學(xué)的麥倫·謝凱爾博士認(rèn)為，《星球大戰(zhàn)》中的尤達(dá)原型是眼鏡猴，因?yàn)樗鼈兌加兄笱劬Α⑿∩眢w，說著神秘的語言。

It's a question that sparks endless debate among Star Wars fans; who exactly was the inspiration behind the legendary Yoda?

這一話題在《星球大戰(zhàn)》粉絲中引發(fā)爭(zhēng)論不斷，尤達(dá)的創(chuàng)作靈感究竟從何而來？

Some believe the Jedi master was modeled on Albert Einstein, while others suggest the character's creator, Stuart Freeborn, designed Yoda based on himself.

有人認(rèn)為絕地武士的原型是阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦，也有人認(rèn)為尤達(dá)這個(gè)角色是設(shè)計(jì)者斯圖爾特·福利伯恩以自己為原型設(shè)計(jì)的。

Now one biologist is arguing that Yoda was in fact based on a tiny, wide-eyed creature, named the tarsier, which can be found in the trees of Indonesia, Philippines and Borneo.

如今，一位生物學(xué)家認(rèn)為，尤達(dá)的形象取自體形小、眼睛大的生物，叫作眼鏡猴，它們?cè)谟《饶嵛鱽啞⒎坡少e和婆羅洲的森林中很常見。

And it's easy to see why. They some of the biggest eyes relative to body size in the animal kingdom. They are incredibly small in size and have mysterious form of communication.

原因顯而易見。眼鏡猴是眼睛占身體比例最大的動(dòng)物，它們的身體非常小，交流方式也很神秘。

According to Matt Simon at Wired, one of the world's experts on the creature, Myron Shekell, from Washington University believes the similarities between Yoda and the tarsier are striking.

據(jù)美國(guó)《連線》雜志馬特·西蒙的文章稱，世界眼鏡猴專家、華盛頓大學(xué)的麥倫博士認(rèn)為，尤達(dá)和眼鏡猴有著驚人的相似之處。

'I work closely with a guy who knows Harrison Ford, and Harrison Ford of course knows Lucas, so we've been trying to get the actual answer for a while,' he told Wired.

他向《連線》雜志透露：“我與一位認(rèn)識(shí)哈里森·福特的人合作密切，而哈里森·福特當(dāng)然認(rèn)識(shí)盧卡斯，所以我們一直希望得到真正的答案。”

'But we don't have it really confirmed.'

“但我們目前并不十分確定。”

There are believed to be around 10 species of tarsier. Growing to just 15.2 cm (6 inches) in length and weighing less than an average wristwatch, the tarsier is one of the smallest primates in the world.

世界上現(xiàn)有眼鏡猴約十種。它們的體長(zhǎng)只有152厘米（六英寸），體重不到一塊普通手表的分量，是世界上最小的靈長(zhǎng)類動(dòng)物之一。

It also has long hind limbs and its feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, hence his name.

眼鏡猴后肢很長(zhǎng)，踝骨細(xì)長(zhǎng)，因此又名跗猴。

After dark, it can jump more than 40 times its own body length in a surprising display of agility.

天黑后，它們跳躍高度可達(dá)體長(zhǎng)的40倍以上，彈跳力驚人。

The casual mammal is often seen in inquisitive mode, caught with one eye closed as if in cahoots with the photographer.

眼鏡猴常常表現(xiàn)出好奇的樣子，閉上一只眼睛好像在跟攝影師串通好了一樣。

While they are famous for not saying much at all, research several years ago found that they are real chatterbox' – in ultrasound.

它們也以“寡言少語”著稱，不過幾年前的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查卻發(fā)現(xiàn)它們實(shí)際上是“話匣子”，只不過是用超聲波交流而已。

Researchers from Humboldt State University in California in fact found that the 'minimum frequency' of its call is 67 kHz - higher than any land-based animal bar rodents and some bats – and occasionally rising to 70 kHz.

加利福尼亞洪堡州立大學(xué)的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，它們叫聲的最低頻率是67千赫，有時(shí)甚至能達(dá)到70千赫，高于除嚙齒動(dòng)物和蝙蝠外的任何陸地生物。

Anything above 20 kHz is inaudible to a human, with dogs able to detect sounds pitched up to 23 kHz.

人類聽不到20千赫以上的聲音，而狗可以察覺到高達(dá)23千赫的聲音。

This means that the creatures effectively have a secret language that they can use to warn each other of predators.

這意味著動(dòng)物們具有有效的秘密語言，可以用來相互警告，以躲避捕食者。

Vocabulary

biologist: 生物學(xué)家

wristwatch: 手表

primate: 靈長(zhǎng)類動(dòng)物

elongate: 伸長(zhǎng)的

agility: 靈活

inquisitive: 好奇的

chatterbox: 話匣子

ultrasound: 超聲

rodent: 嚙齒動(dòng)物

inaudible: 聽不見的

predator: 捕食者

（譯者：xinxin10? 編輯：王偉）