英語聽力文摘453 動物界的英雄

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狼獾——神話背后的鼬鼠

For most people the wolverine is best known as an inspiration for the distinctive design of the University of Michigan logo and as the name of an X-Men character. Real wolverines can’t fly or leap over tall buildings, but in their own way they are as powerful as comic book superheroes.

Also known as the devil bear or woods devil, the wolverine is not related to the wolf, as its name seems to suggest. Rather, the wolverine is the largest member of the weasel family.

Males are roughly the size of small brown bears and weigh between twenty and forty-five pounds. Wolverines have low, squat bodies and large paws adorned with long, sharp claws useful for climbing trees and digging in snow and dirt.

Relative to other mammals its size, the wolverine does possess incredible strength. A powerful neck and jaws allow wolverines to steal food from hunting traps and even from larger predators such as wolves and bears.

On occasion, a wolverine will take down an animal up to five times its size, such as a deer or moose. And like any superhero worth his or her salt, the wolverine has exceptional endurance. It has been known to travel distances of up to ten miles without stopping or slowing down to rest.

Despite their powers, wolverines are not good hunters. They eat mostly carrion, the eggs of ground-nesting birds, and berries. Wolverines used to range as far south as New Mexico, but human hunting and land development have confined them to Alaska and arctic and sub-arctic regions of Canada. As for Michigan, the only wolverines left are the ones on the athletic field.

對多數(shù)人來說，狼獾作為獨特設計的密歇根大學?；盏撵`感和一名X戰(zhàn)警的名字而出名。但是就他們本身的方式來說，現(xiàn)實生活中的狼獾可以在高樓上空飛行或跳躍，他們和漫畫書里的超級英雄一樣富有力量。

狼獾同樣被認為是魔鬼熊或森林魔鬼，但是他們并不是“狼如其名”，他們與狼一點關系也沒有。相反，他們是最大的鼬鼠家族成員。

雄性狼獾體積接近小棕熊，體重在20到46磅之間。狼獾個子矮小，呈蹲形。它們的爪子長有修長鋒利的指甲，這對爬樹和在雪里或泥里挖坑很有用。

相對于其他和其大小相當?shù)膭游飦碚f，狼獾身體里具有驚人的力量。強有力的脖子和爪子能讓狼獾從狩獵陷阱甚至是更大的食肉動物如狼群和熊群那里偷得食物。

偶爾，狼獾會拿下體積是它五倍大的動物，比如一只鹿子或駝鹿。像其他名副其實的超級英雄一樣，狼獾擁有異常的忍耐力。人們熟知的是它們能行進10英里的路程而不用停下來或放慢速度歇息一下。

盡管它們擁有力量，但是它們卻不是優(yōu)秀的狩獵者。它們大多吃腐肉，地上造巢鳥類的蛋，和漿果。狼獾過去常常漫游在新墨西哥州最南部。但是人類的捕獵和土地的開發(fā)已經把它們限制在了阿拉斯加州，加拿大的寒帶和亞寒帶地區(qū)。對密歇根州來說，唯一存留的狼獾們就是生活在運動場上的那些了。