10个关于动物的鲜为人知的事实

1. Trained African giant pouched¹ rats have found thousands of unexploded landmines² and bombs. Researchers have also trained these rats to detect tuberculosis³. And most recently they are training them to sniff⁴ out poached wildlife trophies⁵ being exported out of African ports.

经过训练的非洲巨囊鼠已经发现了数千枚未爆炸的地雷和炸弹。在研究人员的训练下，非洲巨囊鼠已经可以检测出肺结核。最近研究人员正在训练巨囊鼠在非洲港口嗅出偷猎的野生动物。

 

2. In most Western cultures, black cats are considered a bad omen⁶. But in Scottish lore⁷, the arrival of a strange black cat signifies prosperity.

在多数西方文化中，黑猫被视为不祥之物。但是在苏格兰传说中，神秘黑猫的到来预示着繁荣。

 

3. Cheetahs⁸ are so shy that zoos give them their own emotional "support dogs".

猎豹天性十分害羞，所以动物园会给它们配备“狗狗朋友”陪伴其长大。

 

4. Opposums get a lot of hate, but they clear many unwanted bugs⁹ and parasites¹⁰ from the ecosystem¹¹. 

很多人都很讨厌负鼠，但是它们会从生态系统清理掉大量烦人的虫子和寄生虫。

 

5. A sloth's claws work the opposite way that human hand does. The default position is a tight strong grip, and sloths¹² must exert effort to open them up. This is why sloths don't fall out of trees when they're asleep.

树懒的爪子和人手的工作原理正好相反。树懒爪子的默认姿势是紧握，树懒必须用力才能将爪子打开。这就是为什么树懒睡着时不会从树上掉下来。

 

6. A University Of Chicago study found that rats are just as capable of empathy as humans.

芝加哥大学的一项研究发现，老鼠和人类一样有同理心，能够感同身受。

 

7. The Northern Cardinal¹³ is probably the most 'romantic' bird species: they mate for life, travel together, sing before nesting, and during courtship, feed seed beak-to-beak.

北美红雀很可能是最浪漫的鸟类，它们一生只有一个伴侣，两只鸟会一起旅行，筑巢前会唱歌，谈恋爱时还会嘴对嘴喂食。

 

8. Tigers are carnivores, but will eat fruit in order to ease digestion¹⁴.

老虎是食肉动物，但是会吃水果来帮助消化。

 

9. The Mangalica is the only pig species covered in a long wool coat, similar to a sheep's.

曼加利察猪是唯一一种全身被长毛覆盖的猪，就和绵羊一样。

 

10. Secretary birds are famous for its snake-stomping legs; a single kick delivered some 195 newtons of force. They are also famous for their long eyelashes.

蛇鹫以能够踩死蛇的长腿而闻名，腿的踢力可达195牛顿。它们还以长长的眼睫毛著称。

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