地球上最爲彪悍的十大陸地動物(下)

lla

5.大猩猩

Gorillas are the largest living primate by size. They are also the third-closest living relatives to humans, after chimpanzees and bonobos. Gorillas can grow to nearly 6 feet tall with an arm span that stretches up to 8.5 feet. They can weigh up to 500 pounds in the wild, while obese gorillas in captivity can reach weights of 600 pounds.

大猩猩是體型最大的靈長類動物。它是排在黑猩猩，倭黑猩猩之後，第三類與人類血緣最近的靈長類動物。黑猩猩體長6尺，臂展可以達到8.5尺。野生黑猩猩重量可達到500磅，人工飼養的大猩猩體重則可達到600磅。

Adult gorillas are believed to be about six times stronger than adult humans in terms of upper body strength. There is no definitive answer to how strong a gorilla is. However, one gorilla in captivity was recorded as having lifted over 1,500 pounds with one arm! Just like humans, gorillas have 32 adult teeth in their mouth. A big difference is that their canine teeth can grow up to 2 inches long. These canine teeth help them to chew their diet of coarse plants and also to intimidate any foes. When on the move, gorillas can reach speeds of 20-25 miles per hour, very impressive considering their enormous size.

就上半身而言，成年大猩猩的力量強度是成年人類（比較強壯）的六倍。迄今爲止並沒有精確的數據說明大猩猩究竟有多強壯，然而，在人工飼養的大猩猩中，經過實驗記錄顯示，它一隻手可以提起1000磅的物品！大猩猩和人類一樣，有32顆牙齒。可不同的是，大猩猩的犬牙可以長到2英寸長。犬牙可以幫助它們咀嚼粗壯的植物，還可以恐嚇出現的所有仇敵。黑猩猩的移動速度爲20-25英里/小時，相較於它的體型來說，這個速度已經很快了。

can Elephant

4.非洲象

The African Elephant is the world's largest animal, and also among the world's most intelligent animals. They have massively thick bodies, stocky legs, and enormous ears. They stand up to 13 feet tall at shoulder height and can weigh over 13,000 pounds. Their ivory tusks alone can weigh up to 100 pounds and can grow up to 8 feet long. They are used for digging, moving objects, and sparing with each other to establish dominance. Unfortunately, ivory is also prized by poachers. An elephant's trunk alone has approximately 100,000 different muscles. To understand how impressive that is, consider that the entire human body contains less than 800 individual muscles!

非洲象的體型爲世界之最，它們也是最聰明的動物之一。非洲象身型壯碩，兩腿結實，耳朵巨大，高至13英尺，重達13000磅，單單象牙就重約100磅，最長可達8英尺。這些象牙用來挖掘東西，移動物體，有時候在爭奪統治地位時當作武器。不幸的是，象牙也是偷獵者們的心頭所好。非洲象僅鼻子就有大概10萬塊不同的肌肉。如果你不能理解這意味着什麼，想想看，我們人類全身才只有不到800塊肌肉，想必這樣你就明白這有多驚人了！

An elephant's trunk acts as a fifth limb and a sound amplifier. It also helps to collect roots, grasses, fruits and bark that are used for food. This is an important tool considering that adult elephants can consume up to 300 pounds of food in a day. The 100,000 muscles in an elephant's trunk make them incredibly strong. Elephants can use their trunks to deliver devastating blows to their enemies in self-defense, tear down heavy branches for food, and even uproot an entire tree trunk. Amazingly, an elephant's trunk is also able to detect and distinguish smells at a rate that is several hundred times better than dogs. This is due to the many sensory organs that are located throughout the entire trunk.

鼻子對於非洲象來說既像第五條腿，又是一個擴音器。它可以幫助非洲象採集食物如樹根、綠草、水果和樹皮等。一隻成年大象每天需要消耗300磅的食物，可見鼻子有多麼重要，況且擁有多達10萬塊肌肉的象鼻子簡直強壯無比。大象們可以利用自己的鼻子自衛，給敵人造成致命性的打擊，也可以用來撕扯粗壯的樹枝作爲食物，甚至可以將樹幹整個連根拔起。令人驚奇的是，由於大象的鼻子裏分佈着許多感覺器官，象鼻子還能夠嗅到並辨別不同的味道，與狗狗的能力相比還要快700倍。

cutter Ant

3.切葉蟻

There are 47 different species of leafcutter ants, all of which are prevalent in Central and South America, Mexico, and some parts of the United States. Over the course of just a few years, the underground nests of leafcutters can grow close to 100 feet across. When you include the smaller radiating nests that are part of these colonies, they can grow to almost 6,500 square feet. A nest like this would contain over eight million leafcutter ants!

切葉蟻的種類多達47種，大都分佈在中美洲，南美洲，墨西哥以及美國的部分地區。僅僅在過去的幾年時間裏，地面上切葉蟻的巢穴已經發展至100英尺寬。如果將一些零散分佈在周圍且規模較小的巢穴也算上的話，總面積大約爲6500平方英尺。在這樣的一個巢穴里居住的螞蟻竟然多達800萬隻！

Amazingly, these tiny ants are second only to humans in terms of having formed both the largest animal community and the most complex animal community found on Earth. Part of their power stems from their social systems. The ants are divided into castes based on their size, and each caste is tasked with performing a different function. Some care for fungus gardens, some cut leaves and bring the pieces back to the nest, some patrol the nest and ferociously attack enemies, and some act as soldiers who defend the nest, clear trails, and carry heavy items back to the nest. Leafcutter ants are amazingly strong given their small size. Part of their strength lies in their body composition. The Atta species have three pairs of spines and the Acromyrmex species have four pairs of spines. Leafcutter ants use their huge jaw muscles and mandibles to cut leaves into smaller, more manageable portions. Although most workers end up carrying a weight that is about three times their body weight, they have the capability to lift and carry items that are up to 50 times their own body weight. To put that into perspective, imagine a human lifting a truck with his teeth! Leafcutter ants also have the potential to provide powerful anti-cancer drugs for humans. Each leafcutter ant has a bacteria that lives on their outer surface which acts as an antibiotic to protect against infections. Some of the antibiotics that they produce exhibit strong activity toward drug-resistant cancer cells. This could have huge implications for discovering new, more effective types of chemotherapy drugs.

令人訝異地是，就動物聚集地的規模和複雜程度而言，螞蟻僅次於人類。螞蟻所擁有的巨大力量，某一部分源於它們的社會體系。在螞蟻社會中，螞蟻依據體型分爲不同等級，從而執行不同的任務。有的螞蟻負責照顧真菌性植物花園；有的負責切割樹葉並把碎葉帶回巢穴；有的負責在螞蟻窩附近，對侵入的敵人予以猛烈攻擊；還有的螞蟻則像士兵一樣保衛家園，消除路上的螞蟻腳印，並將重物搬回蟻窩。就切葉蟻的體型而言，它們的力量確實是異常驚人，而這部分要歸功於切葉蟻的身體構成狀況。Atta屬切葉蟻有3對脊椎，而Acromyrmex屬切葉蟻則有四對。這些螞蟻用他們下巴處的有力肌肉和下頜骨將樹葉切成小的、拿得動的碎葉。儘管最後切葉蟻背的這些小碎葉的重量也要接近自身的3倍重，但是這些螞蟻可是能夠承載自身50倍的重量的。形象的說，這就相當於一個人用牙舉起一輛卡車！切葉蟻還有可能對人類研發抗癌藥物提供巨大幫助，這是因爲切葉蟻的身體表面生存着一種類似於抗生素的細菌，用來預防感染。這種細菌中有些對抗藥性的癌細胞有極好的治療效果。由此可以預見，這可能會對我們研發出更先進、更高效的化療藥物產生極大的影響。

oceros Beetle

2.獨角仙甲蟲

There are over 300 species of rhinoceros beetles known to man. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. The largest rhinoceros beetles can grow to over 6 inches in length! The aptly named Hercules Beetles are capable of lifting up to 850 times their own weight! To put that in perspective, try to imagine giving a piggy-back ride to 850 people at once. Or imagine lifting 9 fully grown male elephants. When thought of in those terms, the strength of the rhinoceros beetle is truly awe-inspiring.

全世界已被發現的獨角仙甲蟲有300多種，分佈在除了南極洲外的世界各地。最大的獨角仙甲蟲達6英寸長。獨角仙——恰如其名，能拉動等同於自身重量850倍的東西。換個說法，可以試想一下，當你同時背850個人或是舉起9頭成年公象的時候，那會是怎樣的情景呢。想到這些，這隻小小的昆蟲所爆發出的能量不禁令人肅然起敬。

Rhinoceros beetles have a thick exoskeleton and wings, although they are not very effective flyers due to their large size. Male rhinoceros beetles have horn-like projections on and around their heads. They cannot bite or sting, so they avoid the few predators they have by hiding under logs or in vegetation, protecting themselves from being found through camouflage. However, they don't have many predators because of their large size and stature. When they are in danger, their incredible strength paired with their horns allow them to quickly dig themselves into soil and leaf litter to escape. When rhinoceros beetles are disturbed, they emit a hissing squeak that is the result of rubbing their wing covers and their abdomen together.

獨角仙甲蟲擁有厚厚的甲殼和翅膀，但是由於體型龐大，飛行能力並不是很好。雄蟲在其頭頂部及周圍生有觭角，但它們並不會叮咬其他生物，所以它們只能通過躲在木頭或植物裏以避開天敵。不過，憑藉着其龐大的體型，它們的天敵並不多。當它們的處境危險時，它們的觭角爆發力極強，能幫助它們快速挖開落葉層和泥土逃離現場。當獨角仙甲蟲感到不安時，它們就會用翅膀摩擦下腹，發出吱吱的響聲。

Beetle

1.屎殼郎

The dung beetle is the world's strongest insect. When talking about proportional strength, the dung beetle is also far and away the strongest animal on the planet.

屎殼郎是世界上最強的昆蟲——如果按體重和負重比例來算，屎殼郎無疑是地球上最強大的動物。

Scientists in London conducted an experiment and found that Onthophagus Taurus dung beetles could pull an astonishing 1,141 times their own body weight. For the experiment, researchers tried to simulate the beetle's natural environment. Then, by simply gluing a piece of thread to the beetle's back and pulling on it, researcher's activated the beetle's instinct to fight back and pull in the opposite direction. They measured the strength they pulled using a pulley and water, and recorded the amazing feat. To put it in perspective, if a human were to pull 1,142 times their own body weight, they would have to pull six full double-decker buses! The strength of dung beetles is even more impressive when you realize that, true to their names, they feed on dung or feces. One type of beetle rolls the dung into balls for use as a food source, others bury the dung wherever they find it, and others are dwellers who simply live in manure. New research shows that dung beetles can actually navigate via the Milky Way. They are the first and only known species in the animal kingdom to do this. By orienting themselves with the Milky Way, dung beetles are able to move in a straight line, making the quickest exit away from the dung pile with their personal ball of food. This quick exit strategy is to prevent others from stealing their ball.

倫敦的科學家在實驗中驚奇地發現，屎殼郎能拖動相當於其身體重量1141倍的物體。在實驗中，研究人員嘗試模擬屎殼郎的自然生存環境，隨後在其背上粘了一條線，並藉助滑輪和水將屎殼郎向後拉，研究發現，屎殼郎本能的向相反的方向反抗。結果，研究人員通過測量先前藉助滑輪和水產生的拉力，得到了屎殼郎本身力量的驚人數據。換個說法，如果一個人要拉動比自己重1141倍的物體，就相當於要拉動6輛滿載的雙層巴士。屎殼郎——恰如其名，它們是在糞堆里長大的。有的屎殼郎慣於把糞便滾成球留作食物儲備，有的則慣於在發現糞便的地方將其掩埋起來，還有的甚至是居住在糞堆裏的。最新研究發現，屎殼郎是動物界裏目前發現的唯一能穿越銀河系的動物。只要把方向瞄準銀河系，它們能夠順着它們儲存的糞球徑直向前。這個方法是它們爲了保護糞球不被盜取而想出來的。

審校:省略珺 編輯:旭旭 來源:前十網