【精英翻譯】的部落格

Animals Get Sunburned, Too

動物也會曬傷

精英翻譯社轉自https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0058/358704/web/

There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as having a day out in the fresh air and sunshine, but if you’re not careful, it can come at a cost—sunburn. You might be surprised to learn that it isn’t only humans who get sunburned, though; this is a problem that exists throughout the animal kingdom.

沒有什麼事比在新鮮空氣的陽光下度過一天更令人愉快的了，但如果你不小心的話，可能會付出代價——曬傷。不過，你可能會很驚訝知道不只人類會曬傷；這是整個動物界都存在的問題。

Most animals have fur, feathers, or scales to protect themselves from the harmful rays of the sun; however, hairless animals such as elephants, hippos, and pigs are particularly at risk of sunburn. It’s no surprise, then, that many of these animals have developed their own adaptations to protect their skin.

大多數的動物都有毛、羽毛或鱗片來保護自己免受太陽有害射線的傷害；然而，無毛動物像是大象、河馬和豬尤其有曬傷的危險。因此，這些動物中有許多都發展出自己的適應變化來保護皮膚就不足為奇。

Pigs, for example, like to roll in the mud. This behavior isn’t a dirty habit; rather, the coating of mud keeps them cool in hot weather and prevents damage from strong sunlight. Similarly, elephants throw sand on their backs and heads for use as a kind of natural sunblock. Hippos, on the other hand, have developed a physical adaptation—they produce a red-colored substance around their eyes and ears which acts as a natural sunscreen by absorbing ultraviolet light.

舉例來說，豬喜歡在泥巴裡翻滾。這個行為並不是骯髒的習慣；確切來說，一層泥巴讓牠們在大熱天裡保持涼爽，並預防烈日照射下的傷害。同樣地，大象把沙子扔到牠們背上和頭上，作為一種天然的防曬霜。另一方面，河馬發展出一種身體的適應變化——牠們的眼睛和耳朵周圍會產生一種紅色物質，藉由吸收紫外線作為一種天然的防曬霜。