它们也许很迷人——甚至很可爱——但有些动物似乎天生就与我们人类“有仇”,无论它们自己是否意识到这一点。在它们踏入人类领地时,麻烦接踵而来,所到之处往往一片狼藉。究竟是哪些动物给我们带来如此厉害而又让人头痛的“Trick or Treat”呢?
Elephant Seal 海象 
They say love is blind, and perhaps no animal is “blinder” than the male elephant seal. Maybe it’s the poor eyesight inherent[天生的] in the species[物种], or perhaps it’s simply impossible to see past that big inflatable[膨胀的] balloon of flesh at the end of its nose. Whatever the reason, male elephant seals seem to be none too discerning[有辨识能力的] about who they mate with. Take Humphrey, for example, an elephant seal famous for courting[求爱] domestic[家养的] livestock[家畜] in New Zealand. The objects of his affection[爱情] remain confused to this day about this strange and smelly suitor[求婚者] from the sea.
他们都说爱情是盲目的,但或许没有什么动物比雄海象更加“盲目”了。也许是因为这个物种生来就视力不济,又或许因为其鼻子上面鼓鼓的大肉球挡住了它们的视线。反正不管是什么缘故,雄海象似乎对它们的交配对象一点眼光都没有。就拿汉弗莱来说吧,这只海象就因为整天向家畜求爱而名噪新西兰。汉弗莱所钟情的对象至今还搞不明白这只来自大海、古里古怪且臭哄哄的求爱者是怎么回事。
Kea 啄羊鹦鹉 
In the high slopes[斜坡] of New Zealand, a battle is waging[进行] between ski-loving vacationers and the world’s only mountain parrot – the kea. The kea has several weapons of war at its disposal[由其支配]. One such weapon is the ice found on ski lodge[小屋,旅馆] rooftops, which keas break apart and fling[投,掷] at their human “enemies” down below. They also use their can-opener[开罐器] beaks[喙] to destroy rental[租用的] cars.
在新西兰的高坡上,一场战争正在打响,交战双方分别是热爱滑雪的度假者和世界上唯一的高山鹦鹉——啄羊鹦鹉。啄羊鹦鹉有数种武器可供其任意使用。其中一种武器就是在滑雪度假屋的屋顶上找到的冰块。啄羊鹦鹉将其弄碎,扔向下面的人类“敌人”。它们还会利用那开罐器般的喙去破坏租赁汽车。
Grizzly Bear 灰熊 
It’s the largest land carnivore[食肉动物] on earth (along with the polar bear), and has certainly dealt with its share of trouble from humans. In order to bulk up[增加体重] for winter hibernation[冬眠], an adult male grizzly needs to eat up to 20,000 calories of food a day. In national parks like Yosemite注1, some grizzlies find it easier to bum[乞讨] food from tourists rather than go through all the hassle[麻烦] of chasing it down. Grizzlies have been known to break into roughly 1,000 cars in a single year. That’s a lot of picnic baskets!
它是世界上最大的陆地肉食动物(和北极熊并称),所以在给人类找麻烦这点上肯定少不了它们的份儿。为了积累冬眠的储备,一只成年雄性灰熊每天需要进食20000卡路里的食物。在像(美国)约塞米蒂这样的国家公园里,一些灰熊发现向游客们讨食物要比自己不辞劳苦去寻找食物容易得多。我们已知灰熊每年会撬开一千多辆汽车。那可是一大堆野餐篮呢!
Red Colobus Monkey 红疣猴 
This primate[灵长类动物] has a very unusual diet: toxic[有毒的] leaves. Yes, the red colobus monkey literally[真正,完全] eats poison. For most animals, the leaves would be nauseating[恶心的] or even fatal, but for red colobus monkeys there’s nothing more nutritious[有营养的] or tasty. Although toxic leaves are a staple[主食] of their diet, red colobus monkeys frequently seek out other food sources to neutralize[使中和] that “queasy[感到反胃的]” feeling in their stomachs. Charcoal[木炭] is one of their favorite treats. This black, bitter, burnt material goes a long way toward[对……大有用处] satisfying the inner cravings of the red colobus monkey.
这种灵长类动物的日常食物很特别:毒树叶。是的,这种红疣猴确实噬毒为生。对于大多数动物来说,这些树叶会让它们感到恶心,甚至致命。但对于红疣猴来说,无论是营养还是口味,再没有什么食物能与之相比了。虽然毒树叶是他们的主食,但红疣猴也经常寻找其他食物以中和这种“反胃”感。木炭就是他们最喜欢的佳肴之一。这种乌黑苦涩、烧过的物质对于满足红疣猴的内部渴求大有帮助。
Asian Elephant 亚洲象 
It must be hard NOT to cause trouble when you’re the biggest land animal in the world, and that goes double when your natural habitat[生活环境] has been wrestled away by people. In Sri Lanka, farmland has largely replaced the Asian elephant’s natural habitat: the forest. Because these creatures must consume[吃完,耗费掉] 400 pounds of food per day, they often come in conflict with humans and their settlements. In their never-ending quest for food, Asian elephants often knock down walls and destroy human settlements to get at the edible[可食用的] tidbits[一点美味食品] inside.
当你是世界上最大型的陆生动物时,要想不惹麻烦大概挺困难的,而当你的自然栖息地被人类侵占时,这种麻烦就更大了。在斯里兰卡,农田取代了亚洲象的大部分自然栖息地——森林。因为这些生物每天必须吃掉400磅 (363斤)食物,于是它们经常与人类及其居住地发生冲突。在它们永无止境的食物需求驱使之下,亚洲象常常推倒房屋,破坏人类的居住地以获取屋里可以食用的一点美食。
Dog 狗 
They may be domesticated[驯养], but that doesn’t mean dogs can’t be troublemakers. They can end up in all kinds of trouble, ranging from peeing[撒尿] on the carpet to severely[激烈地] biting complete strangers. They also excel at[擅长于] tearing up your favorite pieces of furniture, barking incessantly when you’re not home, etc. Curiously, the more trouble they cause, the more we seem to love them.
它们也许已经被驯化,但这并不意味着它们就不是捣蛋鬼。它们可以制造各种各样的麻烦,从往地毯上撒尿到狠狠地咬伤陌生人。它们也擅长咬坏你最喜爱的家具,或者当你不在家时不停地吠叫等。说来也奇怪,它们越是制造麻烦,就越招人喜爱。
Termite 白蚁 
The small creature of termite is a big troublemaker. Its greedy appetite[胃口] for wood causes over $2.5 billion in property damages every year. That’s more than floods, fires and earthquakes! A single colony can chew through 150 feet of wooden boards in a single year. With one out of every 30 homes in America infested[大批滋生] with termites, there’s a chance these tiny trouble- makers are in your walls right now!
白蚁虽小,危害无穷。它对木材的贪婪胃口每年可造成超过25亿美元的财产损失——比洪水、火灾和地震还厉害!一个白蚁群只用一年时间就能啃完150英尺(46米)长的木板。在美国,每三十户人家里就有一户有白蚁出没,说不定这些小小的捣蛋鬼正在你家的墙壁里肆虐呢!
Beaver 海狸 
The beaver is one of the biggest troublemakers in the animal kingdom. The beaver causes roughly $100 million in property[财产] damages every year. A beaver dam can reroute[给……重定路线] the flow of a river, thereby flooding farmland, destroying crops and drowning buildings. And the path of destruction doesn’t end there: a beaver couple will cut down about 400 trees to construct their dam, even if those trees happen to be the world-famous cherry trees in Washington, D.C. 注2, which were almost destroyed by a pair of beavers one year.
海狸是动物王国里最顽劣的捣蛋鬼之一。每一年由于海狸而造成的财产损失高达一亿美元。一个海狸堤坝就能改变河水的流向,从而冲毁农田,摧毁庄稼,淹没房屋。而海狸的破坏之路还不止于此:一对海狸夫妇能弄倒400来棵树去修建它们的堤坝——即使这些树是华盛顿特区里举世闻名的樱花树,它们也曾在某一年差点被一对海狸摧残殆尽。
注1:约塞米蒂国家公园是美国西部最美丽、参观人数最多的国家公园之一,与大峡谷国家公园、黄石国家公园齐名,位于加利福尼亚州东部内华达山脉。CE:Teens曾在2009年10月号《叹为观止:世界九大最壮观瀑布》一文中介绍过位于该国家公园内的约塞米蒂瀑布。
注2:许多美国人及观光客会选在春天来临时造访华盛顿特区,以观赏在潮汐湖(Tidal Basin)及杰斐逊纪念堂(Jefferson Memorial)周围开满粉红色及白色花朵的樱花树。这些樱花树是东京人民于1912年送给美国的礼物。每年春天举办的(美国)国家樱花节(National Cherry Blossom Festival)是一个长达两星期的庆祝活动,来自世界各地的数万名游客会涌入华盛顿特区,欣赏这些美丽的花朵。