Fun Facts About Huskies

關于哈士奇的有趣事實

Siberian huskies are known for their wolfish good looks， but deep down， they’re all dogs. Here are 6 interesting facts about this beautiful northern breed.

西伯利亞哈士奇以其狼性的外形而聞名，但本質上，它們都是犬類。這里有關于這個美麗的北方品種的6個有趣事實。

1. Huskies are closely related to wolves.

哈士奇與狼關系密切。

The early Siberian crossing of local dogs with Arctic wolves produced huskies. Although the looks of huskies are very similar to wolves， their characters are not as steady as wolves， nor as fierce and aggressive as wolves.

早期西伯利亞人將當地的狗與北極狼雜交，繁育出哈士奇。哈士奇雖然和狼的外形很像，但它們的性格卻一點都不如狼穩重，也沒有狼兇猛并具有攻擊性。

2. Huskies are not great guard dogs.

哈士奇不是偉大的護衛犬。

Huskies are not suspicious of strangers. This can be charming， but it’s not a good candidate when you’re looking for a canine sentry.

哈士奇對陌生人不懷疑。這可能很迷人，但當你尋找犬類哨兵時，它不是很好的備選者。

3. Huskies have a lot to say.

哈士奇有很多話要說。

Huskies are very expressive dogs. They make all kinds of noises， from typical dog barks to wolf-like howls.

哈士奇是非常富有表現力的狗。它們發出各種各樣的聲音，從典型的狗吠聲到狼一樣的嚎叫聲。

4. Blue eyes make them different.

藍眼睛使它們與眾不同。

Huskies have distinctive blue eyes， compared to the brown or black eyes of other dog breeds. The reason why huskies have blue eyes is due to an unusual genetic change， which is called the “bovine eye gene”. This gene comes from animal breeds such as Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes that adapt to extremely cold environments. And the gene has a special “immune pigment” that not only helps dogs protect their retina in cold environments， but also promotes metabolism and physiological processes that adapt to extreme cold conditions. Not all huskies have blue eyes， though.

相比于其他犬種的棕色或黑色眼睛，哈士奇有著標志性的藍色眼睛。哈士奇擁有藍色眼睛的原因在于其不同尋常的基因突變，這種基因突變叫作“牛眼基因”。這種基因來自于北極狼和北極狐這些適應極寒環境的動物種類。牛眼基因擁有一種特殊的“免疫色素”，這種色素不僅能夠幫助犬類在寒冷的環境下保護視網膜，同時還能促進適應極寒的新陳代謝和生理過程。不過，并非所有哈士奇都是藍色的眼睛。

5. A lot of features help keep huskies warm.

許多特征有助于哈士奇保持溫暖。

Huskies have a thick double coat that has good heat insulation. Their almond-shaped eyes allow them to squint to keep out snow. Huskies will wrap their tails around their faces while they sleep; their breath warms the tail and keeps the nose and face protected from the cold.

哈士奇有厚厚的雙層毛發，具有很好的隔熱作用。它們的杏仁形眼睛可以瞇眼擋住雪。哈士奇在睡覺時會把尾巴纏在臉上；它們的呼吸溫暖了尾巴，保護鼻子和臉部免受寒冷。

6. Huskies don’t get tired.

哈士奇不會疲勞。

Huskies often run long distances on very little food. When humans attempt this， we start to use our body’s glycogen and fat and eventually get tired. But huskies burn a lot of calories without ever tapping into these other energy stores—and they do this by regulating their metabolism.

哈士奇經常靠很少的食物就能維持長距離的奔跑。當人類嘗試這樣做時，開始會使用身體的糖原和脂肪，而最終會感到疲勞。但是哈士奇燃燒了大量的卡路里，卻從來沒有利用過一些其他的能量儲存，它們通過調節新陳代謝來做到這一點。

Word Bank

breed /bri?d/ n. 品種；種類

fierce /f??s/ adj. 兇猛的；狂熱的

Two fierce eyes looked at them.

insulation /'?nsju'le??n/ n. 絕緣