动物王国的超级奶爸

动物王国的超级奶爸 动物王国的超级奶爸 做妈妈的确辛苦，不过当爸爸也并不容易，特别是动物王国的 那些超级奶爸，牺牲可谓不小。为了儿女，它们有的亲自孕育后代， 有的揽下了孵蛋的，有的当起了全职奶爸，可谓是爸爸界的楷模， 可敬又可爱～ Poor dads—all of them. So often taken for granted, almost like the fixture that is just expected to always be there. They are always asked for kind words and to lend a hand1), but seldom get it back. And so, in homage to2) all the dads in nature, this list presents some of the fathers in the animal kingdom who go the extra mile3). Thanks guys! 可怜的爸爸们——所有爸爸都这么可怜。他们总是理所当然地被 使唤，几乎就像一个固定物什似的什么时候都得待在那儿听使唤。他 们总是被要求和言善语、伸手相助，但却很少有所回报。正因如此， 本文列出了动物王国一些付出更多的爸爸，谨此向天下所有的爸爸 示敬意——谢谢你们～ Seahorse 海马 Perhaps the most famous of all animal fathers are seahorses, which are known for being one of the only male animals in the world to get pregnant. The male sea horse tops the list because not only he is monogamous4), but he is actually the one who gets pregnant and carries the kids (up to 1000 babies at a time). The female deposits her eggs into his brood, and then he fertilizes5) the eggs and carries them to term. However, before anyone nominates the male sea horse for Father of the Year, you might want to hold your horses6) (pun intended)—this dad has been known to eat a few of his offspring as well. 动物界最为知名的爸爸可能要属海马。海马是世界上绝无仅有的 由雄性怀孕的动物之一。雄性海马之所以荣登榜首，是因为它们不仅 恪守一夫一妻制，而且事实上还负责受孕怀胎(一次可怀上千幼仔)。 雌性海马首先将卵产入雄性海马的育儿囊，然后由雄性海马进行受精， 并孕育胚胎直到孕期结束。不过，在提名雄性海马为“年度爸爸”之 前，你可能要“勒马三思”(此处一语双关)——人们已经了解到，雄 性海马也会吞食自己的一些幼仔。 Hardhead Catfish 硬头鲶鱼 The hardheaded catfish doesn't have such a thick skull7) when it comes to fatherhood. While he doesn't get pregnant like a seahorse, he does put up to 48 of his fertilized eggs in his mouth and carries them with him for 60 days. This means they can't eat until the eggs hatch. This can take two months or longer, meaning that the dads have to live off their own body fat for that long. (Now, no wisecracks8) from the moms reading this!) 说到父亲这一角色，硬头鲶鱼可没那么“不开窍”。虽然它不用 像海马那样怀孕，但却要把近48个受精卵含在口中，60天不离不弃。 这意味着在卵孵化完成前它们不能进食，此过程可能要持续两个月甚 至更长，在这段时间里，鲶鱼爸爸只能靠消耗自身的脂肪来维持生存。 (现在，读到这里的各位妈妈该没风凉话可说了吧～) Emperor Penguin 帝企鹅 The movie made them famous, and made the penguin the hero of the dad world. The emperor penguin breeds in Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth (72 degrees below Fahrenheit). After the female lays her egg, it's the male's job to keep it warm; meanwhile, after the trauma9) of penguin-birth the female takes a two-month feeding sabbatical10). The male balances the egg on his feet in subzero weather, often forced to huddle together with other males for warmth until their chicks hatch. They not only watch the fertilized eggs, but also go for months at a time in the freezing arctic without a meal. The fathers keep the eggs on their feet and covered with their bellies because contact with the sub-freezing ground can result in the immediate death of the embryo11) inside. The female penguins generally return shortly after the eggs hatch, but until they arrive, the daddy manages to feed the youngsters with a substance produced in his esophagus12). Only after the females return and the couple exchanges shifts does the male get to head to sea for a well-deserved meal. 那部电影(编注:《帝企鹅日记》)让帝企鹅名声大 噪，也让它们成了爸爸界的楷模。帝企鹅的繁殖地南极洲是地球上最 冷的地方(零下72华氏度)。雌企鹅产下蛋后，就轮到雄企鹅给蛋做 保暖工作了。与此同时，这些经历了生产之痛的企鹅妈妈会休上两个 月的长假去进食。雄企鹅要在零度以下的天气中稳住脚上的蛋，常常 不得不和其他雄企鹅挤在一起相互取暖，直到小企鹅孵化出来。雄性 帝企鹅不仅要负责呵护这些业已受精的蛋，还要在冰天雪地里一连数 月不吃不喝。企鹅爸爸把蛋放在脚背上并用肚皮盖住，因为蛋一旦接 触到冰冷的地面，蛋内的胚胎就会立即死亡。雌企鹅通常在小企鹅孵 出不久后返回。但在企鹅妈妈没回来之前，企鹅爸爸要靠自身食道分 泌出的一种物质来喂养小企鹅。只有在雌企鹅到家、夫妻换岗之后， 雄企鹅才能直奔大海享受应得的饱餐。 Namaqua Sandgrouse 纳马夸沙鸡 Namaqua Sandgrouses live in Africa's southern deserts. During the incubation13) period, the dad sits on the nest at night and then the mother incubates the eggs during the day. The birds live in arid14) desert areas and the young chicks cannot make it to water, so the dad has to bring it to them, flying up to 50 miles a day to the nearest watering hole. He dips his belly in water every morning and his feathers absorb the water like a sponge. Each feather can hold up to eight times its weight in water. He then returns to the nest where the chicks can drink the water straight from his feathers. 纳马夸沙鸡栖居在非洲南部沙漠地区。幼鸡孵化期间，沙鸡爸爸 晚上卧在巢里孵蛋，而沙鸡妈妈则在白天孵蛋。由于纳马夸沙鸡生活 在干旱的沙漠地区，出生的幼鸡无力找水喝，所以沙鸡爸爸必须每天 跋涉50英里(译注:约80公里)飞到最近的水坑带水给它们喝。沙鸡 爸爸每天清晨都会将腹部浸入水中，它的羽毛能像海绵一样吸水，每 片羽毛最多可容纳八倍于羽毛自身重量的水分。吸足水后，沙鸡爸爸 飞回鸟巢，这样幼鸡就可以直接从沙鸡爸爸的羽毛里“喝”水了。 Great Horned Owl 大角号鸟 Most female birds are smaller than their male counterparts. For birds of prey, and especially for owls, this isn't true. Female great horned owls are much larger than the males, and they're the ones who guard the nests after they're built. This leaves the male to spend all his time feeding three to five hungry mouths, one of which outweighs15) him. He can sometimes spend the entire night catching small animals to feed his family without eating something himself. 大多数雌鸟的体型要比雄鸟小。然而对于猛禽，尤其是猫头鹰来 说，事实并非如此。雌性大角号鸟要比雄性大角号鸟体型庞大得多， 待鸟巢建成后，它们就担起了守卫鸟巢的职责。这样一来，雄性大角 号鸟就得全职喂养那三五张饥饿的小嘴，其中一只小号鸟比号鸟爸爸 自己还要重。有时，雄性大角号鸟要整夜去捕捉小动物喂养一家人， 而自己却顾不上吃点东西。 Marmoset 狨猴 There are twenty-three species of marmoset, and though all marmosets are small animals, the fathers play a huge role in rearing their babies. Marmoset mothers generally have twins, and the babies together can weigh up to 25% of the mother's body weight. Because having babies is so taxing16) on female marmosets, it's up to the fathers to take care of their families. They spend much of their time feeding their mates and teaching their babies about the world, and they can even help deliver17) the babies when they are born. 狨猴共有23个品种。虽然狨猴个个身材矮小，但猴爸爸在养育 孩子方面可谓担子不轻。雌性狨猴一般怀的都是双胞胎，两只幼仔加 起来的重量可达猴妈妈体重的四分之一。因为猴妈妈生育孩子极为艰 辛，所以猴爸爸就要挑起照顾全家的担子。它们要花费大量时间喂养 猴妈妈，并教猴宝宝认识世界，甚至还会在猴宝宝出生时充当“助产 士”。 1. lend a hand: 帮忙 2. in homage to: 向„„致敬 3. go the extra mile: 付出更多代价 4. monogamous [məˈnɒɡəməs] adj. 【动】单配的，一雌一雄的 5. fertilize [ˈfɜːtəlaɪz] vt. 【生】使受精，使受胎 6. hold your horses: 慢下来，停一停 7. thick skull: 头脑迟钝 8. wisecrack [ˈwaɪzkræk] n. 俏皮话 9. trauma [ˈtrɔːmə] n. 【医】外伤; 损伤 10. sabbatical [səˈbætɪkl] n. 较长 的假期 11. embryo [ˈembriəʊ] n. 【动】胚，胚胎 12. esophagus [iˈsɒfəɡəs] n. 【解】食管 13. incubation [ˌɪŋkjuˈbeɪʃn] n. 孵卵，孵化 14. arid [ˈærɪd] adj. (气候、地区等)干旱的，干燥的 15. outweigh [ˌaʊtˈweɪ] vt. 在重量上超过，比„„重 16. taxing [ˈtæksɪŋ] adj. 繁重的，累人的，艰难的 17. deliver [dɪˈlɪvə(r)] vt. 给(产妇)接生;帮助产下(婴儿)