【精英翻譯】的部落格

Great Dads of the Animal Kingdom

父愛無敵 ── 動物界裡的好爸爸

精英翻譯社轉自https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0061/356350/web/

When it comes to parenting in the animal kingdom, we typically see the female as playing the most important role. We focus on maternal instinct—the motherly urge to protect and nurture offspring. Yet, there is also a paternal instinct, and, in some species, it is the male that does most of the work of raising the kids. In this article, we honor a few of the best dads around, some of which may surprise you.

說到動物界的育兒之道，我們通常會認為雌性扮演著最重要的角色。我們把焦點擺在母性本能，也就是媽媽保護跟養育後代的強烈欲望。然而，動物界也有父性本能，而且在某些物種裡，是雄性負責絕大多數的育兒工作。在本文裡，我們要表揚幾個數一數二的好爸爸，當中有些或許會出乎你的意料之外。

The emperor penguin: Minding the egg

皇帝企鵝：照料企鵝蛋

If an award were handed out for the best father on the planet, one of the strongest contenders for that title would be the emperor penguin. Once the female has laid an egg, she is exhausted and must return to the sea to feed. That leaves it entirely up to the male to make sure the egg remains safe and warm during her absence, which may last more than 120 days. This is no easy task. To keep the egg from freezing on the Antarctic ice, a male must balance the egg on top of his feet. Meanwhile, the father uses a warm patch of skin on his belly to provide warmth for the egg. Not only that, but the male must also sleep standing up. Moreover, the male doesn’t eat during the entire time the mother is away.

要是有個獎項要頒給全球最棒的父親，皇帝企鵝會是那項頭銜的最強競爭者之一。雌企鵝一產下蛋後就會精疲力盡，必須回到海裡覓食。當牠不在時，確保蛋能夠保持安全溫暖的工作就全部由雄企鵝負責，這個時期可能會持續超過一百二十天。這項任務可不容易。為了預防蛋在南極洲的冰上結凍，雄企鵝必須把蛋穩穩地擺在腳上。同時，企鵝爸爸會用一塊暖和的腹部毛皮為蛋提供溫暖。不只如此，雄企鵝還得站著睡覺。還有，雄企鵝在企鵝媽媽離開的期間都不會進食。

The Namaqua sandgrouse: Traveling for water

納馬夸沙雞：為水奔波

While male emperor penguins need to keep eggs safe in temperatures lower than -40ºC and in winds that reach as high as 200 kilometers an hour, the male Namaqua sandgrouse of Africa has an entirely different problem. In the hot, dry desert climate, this bird may need to fly up to 30 kilometers to reach water holes in order to bring water back to its nest. It does this by wading in the pond for 15 minutes so its feathers soak up the water. *Back at the nest, the sandgrouse chicks crowd around the male and drink the water from its feathers.

雄皇帝企鵝需要在低於攝氏零下四十度的溫度和時速可達兩百公里的強風中保護蛋，而非洲的雄納馬夸沙雞則有截然不同的問題要面對。在炎熱乾燥的沙漠氣候中，這種鳥或許最多得飛三十公里那麼遠，才能飛到水坑把水帶回巢裡。牠採用的方式是在池塘裡涉水十五分鐘，好讓牠的羽毛吸水。雄鳥回巢以後，沙雞雛鳥就會擠到牠身邊，並從牠的羽毛喝水。