為什么閃電對動物的殺傷力比對人類大得多呢

為什么閃電對動物的殺傷力比對人類大得多呢

You may have already seen the jarring video that's making the rounds on social media: A man walking his dogs near Houston, Texas, takes a direct hit from a bolt of lightning. He topples to the ground, unconscious. Fortunately, the man — Alex Coreas — survived his brush with a bolt out of the blue.

你可能已經(jīng)看過在社交媒體上流傳的一段令人震驚的視頻:一名男子在德克薩斯州休斯頓附近遛狗時，被一道閃電直接擊中。他倒在地上，不省人事。幸運的是，這名男子——亞歷克斯·科利亞斯——在與死神的擦肩而過中幸存了下來。

The thing is, they had good reason to get out of Dodge. As dangerous as lightning is to humans, it packs an even deadlier wallop for animals.

問題是，他們有很好的理由來逃避。閃電對人類的危險不亞于閃電對動物的致命打擊。

How lightning strikes

閃電是如何進行襲擊的

"Lightning does not strike a point, it strikes an area," John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Weather Service, tells The New York Times. "The physical flash you see strikes a point, but that lightning is radiating out as ground current and it's very deadly."

“閃電不會擊中一個點，而是擊中一個區(qū)域，”美國國家氣象局的閃電安全專家約翰·簡森尤斯(John Jensenius)告訴《紐約時報》。“你看到的物理閃光擊中一個點，但那道閃電正以地電流的形式輻射出去，這是非常致命的。”

It all comes down to grounding. Humans, being bipedal, have two points of contact with the Earth. That's a short, sharp circuit — electricity travels up one leg, jolts the heart, and then runs down the other leg.

一切都歸結于接地。人類是兩足動物，與地球有兩個接觸點。這是一種短而尖銳的電路——電流沿一條腿上升，震動心臟，然后沿另一條腿下降。

Because animals have so many legs, and they're much farther apart, the charge intensifies. Electricity flows through them, and outward. In fact, Jensenius notes the reindeer only had to have their feet on the ground in a roughly 260-foot area to receive that fatal jolt.

因為動物有這么多腿，而且它們之間的距離又遠得多，電荷就會增強。電流通過它們，并向外流動。事實上，詹塞紐斯指出，馴鹿只需要把腳放在260英尺左右的地面上，就能承受致命的顛簸。

The charge from a lightning strike travels from the ground and through a horse's body, from back hoof to front hoof. (Photo: hlopex/Shutterstock)

What's more, when lightning strikes a human, there's a chance the charge goes up one leg and out the other, without necessarily frying any vital organs. When lightning crackles up an animal's front paw or hoof, it travels through its body, vitals and all, to reach the rear leg.

更重要的是，當閃電擊中一個人時，電荷有可能從一條腿上升到另一條腿，而不一定會炸掉任何重要的器官。當閃電劈開動物的前爪或蹄子時，它會穿過動物的身體、生命體征等，到達后腿。

Saved, but not unscathed

得救了，但并非毫發(fā)無損

You might wonder then how the bolt that struck Coreas left his dogs unscathed. As the Washington Post reports, that's likely because he absorbed the bolt directly. He may have been insulated by his raincoat. And if he was sweating or covered in any sort of moisture — including the rain itself — the charge could have traveled around his body rather than through it.

你也許想知道，擊中科利亞斯的那道閃電是如何讓他的狗毫發(fā)無損的。據(jù)《華盛頓郵報》報道，這可能是因為他直接吸收了閃電。他可能被雨衣給隔熱了。如果他在出汗或被任何形式的濕氣覆蓋——包括雨本身——電荷可能會在他的身體周圍而不是通過它。

And while it was enough to do incredible damage to Coreas, the lightning bolt wasn't able to translate its energy into a ground current.

雖然這足以對Coreas造成難以置信的傷害，但閃電卻無法將其能量轉化為地面電流。

There's a good chance that by taking the one-in-a-billion direct hit from lightning — and by being soaked with rain — Coreas saved the lives of those dogs. Although, at a terrible cost.

極有可能的是，通過遭受十億分之一的直接雷擊和被雨水浸濕，Coreas拯救了這些狗的生命。盡管付出了巨大的代價。

According to a GoFundMe page set up by his family, Coreas still faces a long road to recovery.

根據(jù)科瑞斯家人建立的GoFundMe網(wǎng)頁，科瑞斯仍然面臨著漫長的康復之路。

He doesn't remember anything from the strike. But, as Coreas told ABC News, when he came to in a medical helicopter, his thoughts turned to his beloved dogs.

他什么都不記得了。但是，正如Coreas告訴ABC新聞的，當他乘坐醫(yī)療直升機醒來時，他的思緒轉向了他心愛的狗。

"The first thing that came into my mind — and I asked — was 'Where are my dogs at?'"

“我首先想到的是——我問——‘我的狗在哪里?’”

They're safe and sound. But perhaps just a little more reluctant to step outside in a storm.

他們安全無恙。但也許只是更不愿意在暴風雨中出門。