ALL+互動英語(課文朗讀版) 11月號/2019第180期

Honey Badgers: Fierce and Fearless
勇猛無懼的蜜獾
—Meagunn Hart
11/26
When the South African military designed their first fighting vehicle, they wanted to name it after the meanest, toughest animal in Africa. They settled on the name Ratel, which means honey badger in Afrikaans. But how could a creature no bigger than a dog be the fiercest animal in a land full of lions, leopards, and rhinos?
If you had ever seen a honey badger fight, however, you would understand their decision. Honey badgers are known across Africa and parts of Asia as animals that no one wants to mess with. Their powerful jaws, sharp claws, and courageous spirit have earned them the distinction of “world’s most fearless animal” from Guinness World Records.
Honey badgers are fearless because they have to be. Their fast metabolisms force them to hunt constantly to keep their energy levels up, so they eat almost anything regardless of the danger. They will put up with hundreds of bee stings, for example, because they love honey and bee larvae. Not only that, but they regularly make a meal of poisonous snakes—including ones with venom strong enough to melt human skin. Especially daring honey badgers have even been known to fight off lions to steal their kill.

南非軍隊在設計他們的第一部戰車時，想要以非洲最凶猛、最強悍的動物來命名。他們決定Ratel這個名字，在南非荷蘭語中意思是蜜獾。但一隻不比狗大的生物怎麼會在到處都是獅子、豹跟犀牛的土地上成為最凶猛的動物呢？
然而，如果你曾看過蜜獾打鬥，你就會理解他們的決定。蜜獾在非洲各地和亞洲部分地區都被公認為沒人想招惹的動物。牠們強而有力的下顎、尖銳的爪子，和天不怕地不怕的精神讓牠們贏得《金氏世界紀錄》中「世界上最無懼的動物」這項殊榮。
蜜獾之所以無所懼是因為牠們必須如此。牠們快速的新陳代謝迫使牠們要不斷捕獵來保持活力，所以牠們會不顧危險，幾乎什麼都吃。例如牠們會忍受上百隻蜜蜂叮咬，因為牠們喜歡吃蜂蜜跟幼蜂。不僅如此，牠們還經常把毒蛇作為食物——包含毒液強到能溶解人類皮膚的毒蛇。甚至知道特別大膽的蜜獾會擊退獅子以偷取牠們的獵物。

11/27
Few things seem to hurt a honey badger, and people have often wondered why. It turns out that the secret to honey badgers’ exceptional toughness is their skin. A honey badger’s skin is so thick that it can resist knives, spears, and arrows. At the same time, it’s also very loose, which allows them to twist around and attack any animals that manage to get hold of them. The only safe place to grab a honey badger is at the back of its neck, but you probably wouldn’t want to get that close. 
Similar to skunks, honey badgers are able to send enemies running by releasing a foul-smelling substance when they are in danger. Some people believe that this substance also has a calming effect on bees, allowing the badgers to more easily gain access to their favorite treats. 
When strength and skills aren’t enough to get the honey badger what it wants, it uses its brains. Amazingly, honey badgers have been seen using tools to get to prey beyond their reach. So, if you ever run across one of these creatures, step back and give it some respect. It certainly won’t back away from you!

似乎沒什麼東西可以傷害蜜獾，人們也常想知道原因。原來蜜獾格外強悍的祕密在於牠們的皮膚。蜜獾的皮膚非常厚實，可以抵禦刀、矛和箭。但另一方面，牠的皮膚也非常鬆弛，讓牠們能扭轉身體並攻擊任何試圖想抓牠們的動物。唯一能安全抓住蜜獾的地方就是牠的後頸，但你或許不會想靠那麼近。
跟臭鼬類似，蜜獾遇到危險時會釋放惡臭的物質來驅趕敵人。有些人認為這種物質對蜜蜂也有鎮靜的效果，讓蜜獾能更容易取得牠們最愛的珍饈。
當力量跟技能不足以讓蜜獾得到牠想要的東西，牠就會用腦。驚人的是，蜜獾曾被目睹用工具來取得牠們搆不到的獵物。所以，如果你遇到其中一隻這種生物的話，往後退並給牠一些尊重。牠肯定不會因怕你而退縮的！

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