動物世界中那些吃掉同類的"殺人狂魔"(上)

It's a known truth that everyone simply adores cute animals. Even the coldest of hearts can be melted by playful little puppies, and a flock of ducklings waddling along is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. But just like every other species, these cuddly little critters certainly have their vices. Each of these lovable animals enjoys a rather different kind of diet—all of them regularly practice cannibalism. Cannibalism happens when one member of a species willingly eats other members of the same species, and in many of these cases, it involves the violent murder of friends or family. Even so, the fact that these animals are homicidal maniacs doesn't change the fact that they look adorable.

衆所周知，每個人都喜歡可愛的動物。即使是最冷酷的心也會被頑皮的小狗融化，同樣，一羣蹣跚走過的小鴨子也能使人們臉上掛滿笑容。但是，和其他所有物種一樣，這些惹人憐愛的小動物也有邪惡的一面哦。它們享受與衆不同的飲食方式——經常同類相食。同類相食發生在同一物種裏，通常是在成員想要嗜食本物種內其他成員的情況下，與此同時還會引起物種內朋友或家庭間的互相廝殺。即便如此，這些動物是兇殺狂的真相絲毫不會改變它們看起來很討喜的事實。

rie Dogs

10.土撥鼠

If all of your sisters have kids with your husband, it's okay to eat the kids, right? Out on the American plains, prairie dogs certainly seem to think so. These adorable burrowing creatures may not be so friendly after all, despite their reputation as our classic furry friends. One seven-year study published in the 1980s showed that acts of cannibalism in colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs caused the deaths of some offspring in 51 percent of all litters.

如果你的姐妹們都和你的丈夫育有衆多孩子，那麼吃掉這些孩子也就無可厚非，對嗎？在美國大平原上，土撥鼠似乎覺得這是天經地義的。儘管土撥鼠被稱爲我們毛茸茸的好朋友，然而這種可愛的穴居生物也許並沒那麼友好。發佈於20世紀80年代的一項長達七年的科學研究指出，在黑尾土撥鼠聚居地發生的同類殘食行爲導致了51%的幼崽死亡。

A typical coterie—the name for a family of prairie dogs—is made up of one male, several females, and all the juvenile offspring of the group. Interestingly enough, the cannibalism most often occurs when lactating females in the coterie eat the young of the other females. This means that many end up eating their own nieces and nephews. Some suggest that these violent acts might be efforts to control population density in the colony, but it may be that the nursing mothers are simply desperate for something to eat. The prairie dogs' actions become even more twisted, however, weeks after the killing spree—many females attempt to nurse the very same prairie dog pups that they had tried to eat not long before. Thus, the mass murders of the spring are soon forgotten, and the prairie dogs go back to their simple lives as cute, furry herbivores.

一個典型的土撥鼠圈子——土撥鼠家庭的專屬名稱——由一隻雄性土撥鼠，幾隻雌性土撥鼠和它們所有的幼崽組成。非常有趣的是，同類相食常常發生在圈子裏的哺乳期雌鼠嗜食其它雌鼠後代的情況下。這意味着它們最終吃掉了自己的侄女和侄子。一些人認爲這些殘忍的舉動可能是控制圈子種羣密度的有效手段，但也許只是哺乳期的母親極其渴望獲得食物而已。土撥鼠的行爲甚至會變得更加扭曲。殺戮盛宴過去幾周後——許多雌鼠會試圖照料它們不久前想要吃掉的幼崽。因此，春季的互相廝殺很快被拋之腦後，土撥鼠又重新回到它們作爲可愛的毛茸茸食草動物的簡單生活。

it Crabs

9.寄居蟹

Life can be pretty boring for a hermit crab, but when something special happens, like the brutal death of another crab, it's cause for celebration! Hermit crabs certainly seem to be harmless, with their small size and shy nature. When it comes down to survival instincts, though, the crustaceans can be downright savage. When hermit crabs go through a molting stage, they lose their exoskeletons that give them protection. They quickly become prey to other crabs in the area and are often attacked and eaten for food. Extremely aggressive crabs won't even wait for this stage; instead, they will try to rip off a fellow crab's shell and take it for themselves.

對寄居蟹來說，生活可謂是相當枯燥。但是,當一些特殊的事情發生時，比如說其它螃蟹遭遇殘酷死亡時，它們就有理由來慶祝了。小小的體型、害羞的天性使寄居蟹看起來完全無害，但歸根到底基於其生存本能，這種甲殼類動物事實上十分野蠻。寄居蟹在蛻皮期間會失去帶給它們保護的甲殼。於是很快便會成爲領域裏其它蟹類的捕食品，常受到攻擊。而一些極具侵略性的螃蟹不會坐等蛻皮期的到來，相反，它們會試圖扯掉其它螃蟹的甲殼拿來自己使用。

Perhaps what truly underlies all this violent behavior, though, is the zealous attitude that the crabs take on. Recent studies have shown that when hermit crabs sense the smell of dead crabs, they immediately become excited and start to hunt for food. Often, the most readily available food is the next hermit crab.

也許，蟹類身上呈現出的狂熱態度正是一切殘忍行爲的根源。近期研究指出，當寄居蟹嗅到死蟹散發出的氣味，會立即變得亢奮並全力尋找食物。通常，最觸手可得的食物就是它們身邊的另一隻寄居蟹了。

oles

8.蝌蚪

Growing up is a time of great change and opportunity in a tadpole's life. Every day, these amphibious babies meet someone new who might try to puncture their lungs and eat them. In the pond, eating your own kind alive isn't really a problem for the tadpoles. Studies have shown that tadpoles will eat each other if no better food options are available. Even if there is better food around, though, tadpoles still have to be on the watch when they're in densely packed groups. In these conditions, one or more tadpoles may attack another in a deadly competition—each one is fighting for a chance to reach adulthood, and knocking out other competitors increases their odds of survival.

成長是蝌蚪一生當中充滿鉅變和機遇的時期。每天，這些兩棲類幼體都會遇到想要刺穿它們肺部併吞食它們的新生物。對蝌蚪而言，在池塘裏活活吃掉自己的同類並不是什麼大不了的事情。研究指出，如果沒有更好的可獲得的食物選擇，蝌蚪就會互相殘食。當蝌蚪置身於密集種羣中時，即使周圍有更好的食物，它們仍然會小心提防。這種情況下，一隻或多隻蝌蚪會在殘酷致命的競爭中攻擊其他蝌蚪——每隻蝌蚪都在爭取進入成年期的機會，淘汰其他競爭者以增加自己的生存機率。

Sometimes, these tadpoles' frog fathers will even deliver them to an area where they are more likely to be eaten by others, a parenting method that would make any human cringe. The fathers drop their children off in ponds where several larger tadpoles also live, possibly because the living conditions of the pond must be good if others are thriving in there. However, this usually only serves to increase the newborn tadpoles' chance of death, as they are often eaten by the other inhabitants. Childhood and adolescence are rough times for everyone, but at least most species don't have to worry about being eaten alive by their friends.

有時，這些蝌蚪的青蛙爸爸甚至將它們送到更易於被其他生物捕食的區域，着實是讓人類畏懼的育兒方式。青蛙爸爸把小蝌蚪放到同樣有大蝌蚪生存的池塘裏，可能是因爲其他蝌蚪互相殘殺的生活使得池塘的生存條件很好。然而，這種做法通常只會增加新生蝌蚪死亡的可能性，因爲它們會被其它池塘居住者吃掉。童年歲月和青春期對於每個人而言都是艱苦的時光，但至少大多數物種不必擔心會被自己的朋友同伴活活吃掉。

ehogs

7.刺蝟

In a hedgehog's world, there is a surefire method that can help to deal with fear: keep calm and devour your newborn babies. These endearing, spiky animals are commonly kept as pets, but many owners don't realize that hedgehogs often turn cannibal when breeding time comes around. These timid creatures get scared very easily, especially right after a mother has given birth. First of all, the presence of another male hedgehog right after breeding creates tension among the hedgehog family. Second, when kept in captivity, nearly any disturbance can be extremely frightening for a hedgehog, causing them to become stressed out. Finally, a cramped or small living area can lead to aggressive behavior.

在刺蝟的世界裏，有一種應對恐懼的必勝方法：保持鎮靜，然後吞噬掉自己的新生兒。這種可愛的渾身長刺的小動物通常被當做寵物飼養，但大多數主人並不知道繁殖期到來時刺蝟會同類相食。刺蝟這種膽小的生物極易受到驚嚇，尤其是刺蝟媽媽分娩之後。首先，繁殖過後，另一雄性刺蝟的出現給刺蝟家庭製造了緊張氣氛。其次，當被圈養起來，幾乎任何的干擾都會極大地驚嚇到刺蝟，使它們變得緊張焦慮。最後，狹窄或小的生存空間會引起刺蝟的攻擊行爲。

All of these factors often cause one or both hedgehog parents to take drastic measures. If either parent has the slightest inkling of fear, it will not hesitate to abandon or even eat its own newborn babies. In some ways, the hedgehogs just use their children as comfort food in times of distress.

上述這些因素常會激起刺蝟父母中的一方或雙方採取猛烈措施。如果刺蝟父母受到哪怕是一丁點兒的驚嚇，也會毫不猶豫地拋棄甚至是吃掉自己的新生兒。某種程度上講，刺蝟將自己的孩子作爲困境中的安慰食物。

lings

6.小鴨子

It's impossible not to love these cuddly birds, and no one can resist watching a flock of ducklings waddling around. Many don't realize, however, that ducks aren't opposed to cannibalism, even at a young age. Ducklings that are only four weeks old can develop the practice of eating other ducklings.

你很難不愛上這些逗人喜愛的小鳥，沒有人會抗拒觀看鴨羣蹣跚而過的可愛模樣。大多數人並不會意識到，但事實上，鴨子並不反對同類相食，並且在它們很小的時候就表現出了。四周大的小鴨子就可以試着嗜食其他鴨子了。

What's even more surprising is the motivation behind this cruelty. Cannibalism may simply be spurred on by boredom. Of course, other factors such as crowding, poor ventilation, and a lack of nutrients can contribute to a duckling's urge to eat other ducklings. These poultry are prone to pecking and tearing at each other before eating parts of other ducklings. They also like to imitate each other, so acts of aggression and cannibalism spread quickly throughout a flock. As more and more ducklings join in the fun, a flock can easily tally up high death toll.

更讓人震驚的是這種殘暴行爲背後的動機。同類相食可能是在厭倦因素的驅使下發生的。當然，諸如擁擠、通風不好、營養不良的其他因素也會促使鴨子嗜食同類。這些家禽在吃其他小鴨前會相互撕啄。它們同樣喜歡相互模仿，所以攻擊及同類相食行爲在鴨羣中迅速擴散，當越來越多的鴨子加入到這種“其樂無窮”的活動中，一羣家禽輕而易舉地就製造了相當高的死亡數字。

翻譯:murphy 來源:前十網