The Clever Beaver

The Clever Beaver

聪明的海狸

Beavers once lived all over Europe and North America. But because they have beautiful fur, people hunted them to make warm coats. As beavers started to disappear, scientists became worried and decided to learn more about them. The first thing scientists studied was a beaver’s body. Beavers are part of the rodent family, which means squirrels and rats are their cousins.

海狸曾经生活在欧洲和北美各地。 但是因为它们有漂亮的皮毛，人们猎杀它们来制作保暖的外套。 随着海狸开始消失，科学家们开始担心，并决定更多地了解它们。 科学家们首先研究的是海狸的身体。海狸是啮齿动物家族的一员， 这意味着松鼠和老鼠是它们的近亲。

Their front teeth are very long, and beavers use them to cut wood and pull off bark. Like a hamster or rat, a beaver’s teeth grow and grow and grow for its whole life! However, beavers are bigger than all of their cousins. Most beavers weigh fifteen to thirty-one kilograms, and are almost 117 centimeters long! Even though beavers have fur, they like to be in water instead of on land.

它们的门牙非常长，海狸用它们来砍木头和剥树皮。 就像仓鼠或老鼠一样，海狸的牙齿一辈子都在长啊长啊长! 然而，海狸比它们所有的表亲都要大。 大多数海狸重15到31公斤，身长近117厘米! 虽然海狸有皮毛，但它们喜欢呆在水里而不是陆地上。

Beavers are very beautiful swimmers, but they look silly when they try to walk. Their heavy tails make walking very difficult. A beaver tail is the size of a computer keyboard, and it helps a beaver stand, balance heavy logs, and steer in the water. And, if an enemy comes too close, one beaver will warn other beavers by slapping its tail on the water.

海狸是非常漂亮的游泳者，但是当它们试图走路时看起来很傻。它们沉重的尾巴使走路非常困难。 海狸的尾巴有电脑键盘那么大，它可以帮助海狸站立，平衡沉重的木头，并在水中操纵方向。 而且，如果敌人靠得太近，一只海狸会用尾巴拍打水面来警告其他海狸。

When a beaver dives into the water, two important changes happen. First, it closes its eyes, nose, and mouth. Beavers have two kinds of eyelids: the inside one is clear—like goggles—and the outside one is black. When a beaver is underwater, it protects its eyes by using the goggle-like eyelids to see where it’s swimming.

当海狸潜入水中时，会发生两个重要的变化。首先，它会闭上眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴。 海狸有两种眼睑:里面的是透明的——像护目镜一样——外面的是黑色的。 当海狸在水下时，它会用护目镜一样的眼睑来观察游泳的地方，从而保护自己的眼睛。

The beaver’s nose also has special skin inside which closes to keep out water. However, its mouth is even more amazing. A beaver needs its front teeth to grab logs underwater, but it doesn’t want a mouthful of water and logs. Amazingly, its lips are behind its front teeth so that it can keep water out and still grab whatever it needs.

海狸的鼻子里面也有一层特殊的皮肤，可以封闭起来挡水。 然而，它的嘴更惊人。 海狸需要它的门牙在水下抓取木头，但它不想要一口水和木头。 令人惊讶的是，它的嘴唇长在门牙后面，这样它既能挡水，又能抓住所需的任何东西。