什么是蜜熊 ?為什么它在我家?

什么是蜜熊 ?為什么它在我家?

Imagine for a moment you're asleep in your bed when you slowly come to the realization that something is in the bed with you. You awake to see an odd animal sleeping on your chest, one that looks like a cross between a ferret and a monkey!

想象一下，當(dāng)你在床上睡著的時候，你慢慢意識到床上有東西和你在一起。當(dāng)你醒來時，你看到一只奇怪的動物趴在你的胸口上睡覺，它看起來像是雪貂和猴子的混合體!

Or maybe you're on your way to work in the morning when this strange mammal rushes past you into the house, biting your ankles and scratching your calves.

或者也許你在早晨上班的路上，這只奇怪的哺乳動物從你身邊沖進屋里，咬你的腳踝，抓你的小腿。

Native to Central and South America, kinkajous are nocturnal rainforest dwellers related to raccoons. (Photo: Seregraff/Shutterstock)

No, these aren't taken from a new Stephen King novel. Both of these scenarios have happened to people recently in Florida.

不，這些不是取自史蒂芬·金的新小說。這兩種情況最近都發(fā)生在佛羅里達(dá)州的人們身上。

In the latest incident, a man in Lake Worth first noticed the raccoon-like animal on a fence outside his girlfriend's home in July, CNN reports. He left out some watermelon for it, which apparently inspired it to wait outside the house all night, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). As the man began to leave for work the next morning, the animal slipped inside, then bit and scratched his legs when he tried convincing it to leave.

據(jù)美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)報道，在最近的一起事件中，沃斯湖的一名男子于今年7月首次注意到這只浣熊模樣的動物出現(xiàn)在女友家外的圍欄上。根據(jù)佛羅里達(dá)魚類和野生動物保護委員會(FWC)的說法，他留下了一些西瓜給它吃，這顯然激發(fā)了它整夜在屋外等待。第二天早上，當(dāng)這個人準(zhǔn)備去上班時，這只動物溜了進去，當(dāng)他試圖說服它離開時，它又咬又抓了他的腿。

And in early 2016, a 99-year-old woman in Miami woke up to discover a similar creature curled up on her chest. Both she and the intruder were startled, prompting it to flee and hide in her attic. After consulting with a family friend, the woman learned the animal was a kinkajou (pronounced KING-k?-joo), a nocturnal mammal related to raccoons that's native to rainforests in Central and South America.

2016年初，邁阿密一名99歲的婦女醒來時發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個類似的生物蜷縮在她的胸前。她和闖入者都嚇了一跳，促使它逃跑，躲在她的閣樓里。與家人朋友咨詢后,女人知道了該動物是一個蜜熊(發(fā)音KING-k?-joo),夜間哺乳動物與浣熊原產(chǎn)于中美洲和南美洲的熱帶雨林。

A wild kinkajou looks down from a tree branch in Costa Rica. (Photo: Martin Pelanek/Shutterstock)

Kinkajous — or honey bears, as they're also called due to their habit of raiding bee hives — have strong tails that they use for balance and climbing, similar to the way monkeys use their tails. They aren't primates, though, and while they can look and sound like monkeys, they're more closely related to raccoons, olingos and coatis.

Kinkajous熊，也叫蜜熊，因為它們有襲擊蜂巢的習(xí)慣，它們有強壯的尾巴，用來平衡和攀爬，就像猴子用尾巴一樣。然而，它們并不是靈長類動物，雖然它們看起來和聽起來都像猴子，但它們與浣熊、浣熊和浣熊的親緣關(guān)系更近。

Some folks contend kinkajous are not the best pets because they have sharp claws and teeth, and even when raised from babies they can be unpredictable. In the wild, they form treetop groups known as troops, according to National Geographic, and share social interactions like grooming. They're also highly vocal, commonly barking and screeching from high in the forest canopy.

有些人認(rèn)為蜜熊不是最好的寵物，因為它們有鋒利的爪子和牙齒，即使是在嬰兒時期養(yǎng)大的，它們也是不可預(yù)測的。據(jù)《國家地理》雜志報道，在野外，它們會在樹頂形成一個群體，稱為“部隊”(army)，并分享梳理毛發(fā)等社交活動。它們的聲音也很高，通常在森林樹冠的高處吠叫和尖叫。

This 1931 photo shows a little girl caring for a kinkajou. (Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images)

But others argue the playful, quiet and docile nature of the kinkajou can make it a suitable pet, presuming it has adequate space and other accommodations.

但也有人認(rèn)為，蜜熊的頑皮、安靜和溫順的天性可以讓它成為一個合適的寵物，前提是它有足夠的空間和其他住宿條件。

As for the Miami kinkajou, after she was taken to a vet, her owner saw the local news and was thrilled that his pet of five years was OK. The kinkajou, whose name is Banana, had been missing for more than a week after escaping from a temporary cage. There are still questions about the Lake Worth kinkajou, though. Keeping a kinkajou as a pet requires a Class III permit from the FWC, according to CNN, but officials have said they didn't find records of any permit holders in the area.

至于邁阿密金卡茹，在它被帶去看獸醫(yī)后，它的主人看到了當(dāng)?shù)氐男侣?，很高興他五年的寵物沒事。這只名叫巴納納的金卡茹從一個臨時籠子里逃出來，已經(jīng)失蹤一個多星期了。盡管如此，關(guān)于金卡茹沃斯湖仍然存在一些問題。據(jù)CNN報道，飼養(yǎng)金卡茹作為寵物需要獲得FWC頒發(fā)的III類許可證，但官員們表示，他們沒有在該地區(qū)發(fā)現(xiàn)任何許可證持有人的記錄。