Who Lives in an Alligator Hole

Who Lives in an Alligator Hole

谁住在鳄鱼洞里

What do you know about alligators? That they are scary looking, with big jaws and sharp teeth? What do you think they're good for? Gator wrestling? Being made into shoes. purses, and wallets? Being fried for supper? Alligators are good for more than that.

你了解短吻鳄吗?只知道它们有大大的嘴巴,尖利的牙齿,看起来很吓人?你认为短吻鳄有什么用呢?是用来摔跤表演?是把它的皮做成鞋子、手提包或钱夹?还是把肉做成美味的大餐?其实，短吻鳄的用处不是这些。它们的用处比这些大得多呢!

Alligators are members of an ancient group of animals called crocodilians. Their ancestors, such as Geosaurus, were on earth 160 million years ago, when dinosaurs lived. Dinosaurs became extinct, but crocodilians adapted and survived.

短吻鳄属于鳄目动物。鳄目动物是一群非常古老的动物,它们的祖先,比如地龙,生活在一亿六千万年前的恐龙时期。恐龙早已灭绝,但鳄目动物适应了环境，所以幸存下来了。

All crocodilians are cold-blooded reptiles. They warm their blood by basking in the sun. Most live in hot, wet places, but alligators can live in cooler climates than other crocodilians. They are found in the swamps, lakes, rivers, and bayous of the southeastern United States.

鳄目动物是爬行动物,它们都是冷血动物,需要晒太阳才能让身体里的血液暖起来。它们通常生活在炎热潮湿的地方。但是短吻鳄和其他鳄目动物不一样,也可以在气候稍微凉爽的地方发现它们。美洲短吻鳄生活在美国东南部的沼泽、湖泊、河流以及平原湿地。

For a long time people thought American alligators were the only kind in the world. Then about one hundred years ago, alligators were discovered in China. Chinese alligators are shorter and fatter than American ones.

在很长时间内,人们以为美洲短吻鳄是世界上唯一的短吻鳄。大约在一百多年前,人们发现中国也有短吻鳄,叫做扬子鳄。扬子鳄比美洲短吻鳄身子短一些,体型稍微胖一些。

More alligators live in Florida than anywhere else. In the Everglades there is a wet season, when it rains every day. There is also a dry season, when it hardly rains at all. The ground is covered with saw grass and muck. Underneath the muck is mud. Underneath the mud is limestone. Underneath the limestone is fresh water. In some places there is a hollow in the limestone a few feet deep, where underground water can seep up through the stone.

在美国,大多数短吻鳄都生活在佛罗里达州。佛罗里达州大沼泽地国家公园一年中有湿季和旱季，湿季几乎每天都下雨,早季又 几乎不下雨。沼泽地上覆盖着莎草和淤泥,淤泥下面是湿泥，湿泥下面有一层石灰岩,石灰岩下面有淡水。石灰岩层部分地方有一两米深的孔洞，地下水通过这些孔洞渗透到地表。