十大恐怖之極又母性氾濫的動物(上)
When you think of "mothers", you think of beautiful, awesome and human women, who can whip up a strawberry cake one moment, and shoot marauding robbers the next. You definitely don't think of Creatures with claws, fangs, and other things that will make you run away from – rather than into – their arms. Yet that's exactly what the animals below are: Creatures that rank high both on the "scare" and "care" factors. To see how they managed to be just that, let's take a closer look at them:
當你想到"母親"一詞，你會想起美麗的、知性的人類女性，她們可以這一秒做着草莓蛋糕，而下一秒向搶劫的強盜開槍。毫無疑問，你不會想到那些帶着爪子、毒牙，和其它會嚇跑你而不是讓你跑進它們的懷抱的生物。然而，那些正是下面將提到的動物：這些生物高居恐怖指數和愛心指數生物的榜單。想要了解他們是如何成功做到這點的，就讓我們更近距離的觀察一下它們吧：Spider
10.狼蛛
The Scare Factor: If the words "wolf" and "spider" together didn't scare you, then maybe this will: Wolf spiders are found everywhere. (Sorry, arachnophobes!) They don't spin webs like other spiders do, but they're always on the lookout for insect prey, on which they pounce a la their pack-loving namesake. When they're not hunting, they hide under rocks, or other objects lying around in people's homes. (Better check under your beds a.s.a.p.)
恐怖指數：如果"狼"和"蜘蛛"這兩個詞放在一起不會使你感到驚嚇，那麼只有一種情況：每一個地方都有狼蛛的身影。（抱歉，狼蛛恐懼症患者！）它們並不像其他蜘蛛一樣織網捕食，但是，他們時刻警惕着到訪的昆蟲，會像自己的同類那樣襲擊昆蟲。不捕捉獵物的時候，它們會躲在石頭底下，或者是其他人類家裏放置着的物品下面。（最好儘快檢查一下你的牀底）
The Care Factor: Aside from their hunting style, wolf spiders have one more thing in common with their canine namesakes: strong maternal instincts. Of all spiders, the wolf spider is the only one known for carrying dozens of her young (wrapped in an egg sac) on her back at any one time. Her care doesn't stop there, however: The moment the babies hatch, she lets them ride on her abdomen for a week, or until they're old enough to fend for themselves.
愛心指數：除了捕獵方式以外，狼蛛與他們的犬科同名者還有一個相似之處：強大的母性本能。在所有的蜘蛛裏面，狼蛛是已知唯一一種會將包裹在卵囊之中的後代時時刻刻都背在背上的生物。但是，她們的愛並不止於此：一旦卵寶寶孵化，狼蛛母親會讓他們在她的腹部待上一週或是更長的時間，直到他們學會保護自己。can Rock Python
9.非洲巖蟒
The Scare Factor: As the largest snake in Africa, the African rock python is capable of taking down prey like warthogs, monitor lizards and even crocodiles. Like other pythons, it kills using powerful coils that crush and asphyxiate its victims. With its reputation for ferocity, and the fact that it's responsible for at least two reported human fatalities, this is not a snake you want to trifle with.
恐怖指數：作爲非洲最大的蛇類，非洲巖蟒足以吞下一隻疣豬、巨蜥，甚至鱷魚一般大的獵物。像其他蟒蛇一樣，巖蟒利用強有力的身體纏繞住獵物並將他們擠碎或使其窒息。鑑於它以兇猛出名，以及其至少要爲兩名人類的死亡負責的事實，這可不是你可以拿來玩弄的蛇類。The Care Factor: Even a reptile as fierce as this has a caring side. Once she lays her 20 to 90 eggs, the African rock phython wraps her 17-foot-long coils around them to keep them from harm. So far, the African rock python is the only snake known to do this.
愛心指數：即便是如此兇猛的爬行動物也有充滿愛心的一面。一旦產下20-90枚卵，非洲巖蟒就會將17英尺長的身體纏繞起來保護幼卵免受傷害。至今爲止，非洲巖蟒是人類已知的唯一會這樣的做的蛇類。erine
8.狼獾
The Scare Factor: There's a reason Marvel Comics named a superhero after this animal. The epitome of "small but terrible," wolverines are notorious for their habit of going after animals several times their own size. They've even been known to attack bears, though the results are sometimes fatal on the part of this largest member of the weasel family.
恐怖指數：漫威漫畫公司根據狼獾塑造出"金剛狼"這個超級英雄是有原因的。狼獾體型不大，但生性兇猛。狼獾因性喜捕獵比自己體型大數倍的動物而聲名狼藉。。狼獾因攻擊熊而出名，儘管有時這種行爲對於這個黃鼠狼家族裏最大的成員（即狼獾）來說是致命的。The Care Factor: Wolverines are notoriously difficult to study in their natural habitat, so we don't know much about them. What we do know is that female wolverines prove "badass" and "maternal instincts" aren't mutually exclusive. After giving birth to 2-3 "kits" in late winter or early spring, wolverine mothers dig caves up to 15 feet deep to protect their young. Although they can survive on their own by the time they're six months old, some kits stay with their mothers until they're sexually mature. Guess they need plenty of time to learn how to fight David-and-Goliath-type battles, eh?
愛心指數：衆所周知，由於狼獾棲息地的原因導致我們對它們的研究很難進行，以至於我們對它們的瞭解有限。我們只知道，雌性狼獾的"壞"和"母性本能"並不衝突，同時存在。爲了產崽，雌性狼獾會挖掘15英尺的洞穴，然後等到了冬季快要結束或者春天來臨（一年中食物最充足的時間）的時候產下幼崽。每胎2-3只。儘管幼崽到了六個月的時候可以自己生活，但有些幼崽還是會跟隨母親生活，直到性成熟。ror Scorpion
7.帝王蠍
The Scare Factor: Imagine a typical scorpion – complete with claws, stingers, and creepy-crawly feet. Now, imagine an 8-inch version of that, and you get the appropriately-named emperor scorpion. Its venom may not be as potent as those of other scorpions, but you still don't want to be within striking distance of its imperatoxin-producing stinger.
恐怖指數：想象一隻普通的蠍子——滿身的爪鉤，尾端的毒刺，還有令人毛骨悚然的鉗肢。現在另一隻蠍子大約有八英寸，它就是帝王蠍。帝王蠍的毒液並沒有普通蠍子強，但是你仍然會和這種身上帶有毒針並且製造毒素的蠍子保持距離。The Care Factor: Surprisingly, emperor scorpions are a timid bunch – unless you come across a female with her young on her back, or inside her belly. These babies are fiercely protected by their mother until their first molting period ends, at which point the mother leaves them to fend for themselves. If they insist on staying with Mom beyond that, they'd have to face the consequences (i.e. getting "grounded" in their mother's stomach).
愛心指數：讓人意外的是，帝王蠍膽小，一般不會主動攻擊，除非在它生產後把幼蠍託在背上期間或者是懷孕期的時候纔會發起攻擊。雌蠍保護背上的幼蠍直到它們第一次蛻皮。這時，雌蠍就會離開，讓幼蠍自己尋找食物謀生。如果它們還呆在雌蠍身邊，將面臨着一直待在母親懷裏的結果，成爲一個長不大的巨嬰。rucu
6.巨骨舌魚
The Scare Factor: Size isn't the only thing that makes pirarucus the stuff of nightmares. Any fish that can survive piranha-infested lakes through the sheer strength of its scales deserves the title of "scarily awesome." Also, pirarucus have been known to leap and eat small birds unlucky enough to be perching near the water.
恐怖指數：尺寸並非是巨骨舌魚成爲人們夢魘的唯一原因。在巨骨舌魚爲患的湖中，任何憑藉同類大規模的力量而生存下來的魚類都值得"恐懼到令人敬畏"這一稱號。同樣，巨骨舌魚也因能從水中一躍而起，吃掉那些靠近水面的不幸的小鳥而聞名於世。The Care Factor: Normally, animals that can lay up to 50,000 eggs aren't the best parents in the world. But pirarucu parents are different: The father guards the nest, while the mother encircles the father and the eggs to protect them both from predators. With a setup like this, though, who'd want to attack a pirarucu brood?
愛心指數：通常情況下，產卵五萬的動物算不上是世界上最好的。但巨骨舌魚的父母卻不是這樣：雄魚看護着巢，而雌魚則環繞着雄魚和幼魚，以防它們被天敵攻擊。通過這一系列設置，誰還會想着要攻擊他們？
