Where's Your Hair

Where's Your Hair? Written by Charles C. Hofer.

你的头发去哪儿了？ 查尔斯·C·霍弗 著

What makes a mammal? All mammals have certain things in common. They are warm -blooded, they nurse their young, and most, not all, have hair. Some mammals have lots of hair, while others have almost none at all. Some mammals, normally hairy, have been bred to be hairless. Many common pets include hairless breeds. There are hairless dogs, hairless cats, and even hairless guinea pigs. Hairless mammals can be found in the wild, too. Look around you. Hairless animals are everywhere.

什么是哺乳动物？ 所有哺乳动物都有一些共同特征。 它们是恒温动物，会哺育幼崽，而且大多数（不是全部）都长有毛发。 有些哺乳动物毛发浓密，有些却几乎没有一点毛发。 一些原本长毛的哺乳动物，被培育成了无毛品种。 很多常见宠物都有无毛品种。 有无毛狗、无毛猫，甚至还有无毛豚鼠。 野外也能找到无毛哺乳动物哦。 你四处看看呀。 无毛动物到处都有。

Hairless dogs. Hairless dogs have a long history. The sholo is a hairless dog breed that has been around for more than 3 ,000 years. Some believe sholos followed early humans when they first moved to Central America. Today, the Sholo is the national dog of Mexico.

无毛狗狗 无毛狗的历史十分悠久。 索罗犬是一种无毛犬品种，已经存在超过3000年了。 有些人认为，在早期人类第一次迁徙到中美洲时，索罗犬就跟随着他们。 如今，索罗犬是墨西哥的国犬。

Peru is home to hairless Inca orchids, one of the rarest dog breeds in the world. Most hairless Inca orchids have a little tuft of hair on their head. It almost looks like a furry wig. Not all Inca orchids are hairless, though. Both hairy and hairless Inca orchids can be found in the same litter. How can that be? The answer is genes. Genes are instructions for your cells. They help make you who you are, from the color of your hair to how tall you will grow.

秘鲁是无毛印加兰花犬的故乡，这是世界上最稀有的狗品种之一。 大多数无毛印加兰花犬的头顶都长着一小撮毛。 看起来就像戴了一顶毛茸茸的假发。 不过，不是所有印加兰花犬都是无毛的。 同一窝幼崽里，可能同时出现长毛和无毛的印加兰花犬。 这是怎么回事呢？ 答案是基因。 基因是给细胞的生长指令。 从你的头发颜色到能长多高，基因塑造了独一无二的你。

Genes are passed down from parents to children, but not every child gets the same genes. That's why siblings often look like their mother and father, but in different ways. In the animal world, a hairless dog or cat is also the result of genes. If the same hairless gene is passed down over several generations, It can lead to a new hairless breed. Hairless breeds sometimes need help to survive. Since hair helps keep a mammal warm, many pet owners use sweaters to warm their hairless pets. They also take care to protect their pets from sunburn.

基因从父母传递给孩子，但不是每个孩子获得的基因都一样。 所以兄弟姐妹都像爸爸妈妈，但长相又各有不同。 在动物世界里，无毛狗或是无毛猫也是基因作用的结果。 如果同一个无毛基因传递了好几代，就会形成新的无毛品种。 无毛品种有时候需要额外照顾才能好好生活。 因为毛发能帮哺乳动物保暖，很多主人会给无毛宠物穿小毛衣保暖。 他们也会格外注意，避免宠物被晒伤。

Cool cats. Unlike hairless dogs, hairless cat breeds have only been around for a few decades. The beautiful sphinx cat is a result of a gene's natural mutation. That mutation led to a new breed of cat. Today, the sphinx is the most popular of all hairless cats.

酷酷的小猫 和无毛狗不同，无毛猫品种才诞生短短几十年。 漂亮的斯芬克斯猫就是基因自然突变的产物。 这种突变诞生了一个全新的猫品种。 如今，斯芬克斯猫是最受欢迎的无毛猫。