Slithery Snakes

Slytheri Snakes. Written by Ned Jensen. Focus question. What are snakes?

滑溜溜的蛇 内德·詹森 著 思考题 蛇到底是什么呢？

Introduction Snakes are reptiles, a class of animals that also includes lizards and turtles. Snakes have no limbs. They come in many lengths, patterns, and colors. There are several thousand types of snakes. They live in oceans, in trees and on land, and they have adapted to survive in unusual ways.

引言：蛇是爬行动物，蜥蜴和乌龟也属于这类动物 蛇没有四肢 它们的身长、花纹和颜色多种多样 世界上一共有几千种蛇 它们生活在海洋、树上和陆地上，靠着特殊方式适应环境生存

Snakes live almost everywhere except Antarctica. Some places don't have any snakes. Snakes do not live in the wild on islands such as Ireland, New Zealand, and Iceland. Some snakes in the wild may live up to 25 years.

除了南极洲，几乎世界各地都有蛇生活 有些地方一只蛇都没有 爱尔兰、新西兰、冰岛这些岛屿的野外，没有野生蛇生存 有些野外的蛇可以活到25岁

Snake Traits Like all reptiles, snakes are cold -blooded. Their body temperature changes as the temperature around them changes. If a snake needs to warm up, it lies in the sun. If it needs to cool down, it rests in the shade. Snakes become much less active in winter. Some snakes that live through cold winters find a place underground or beneath a rock pile to stay warm. Another way snakes stay warm is by looping around each other to share body heat.

蛇的特点：和所有爬行动物一样，蛇是冷血动物 它们的体温会跟着周围环境的温度变化 如果蛇想要取暖，就会躺在太阳底下 如果想要凉快，就会躲在树荫里休息 冬天的时候，蛇会变得非常不爱活动 有些熬过寒冬的蛇会躲在地下或者石堆下保暖 蛇还有另一种保暖方法：缠在一起分享彼此的体温

Snakes have a long backbone with ribs. Their backbone is made up of many separate bones. Because of this, they can move in many different ways. A snake's body is covered in scales. The scales protect it. They also help keep the snake dry. The scales grow from the snake's skin. Some snakes' scales are colorful. Other scales help them blend in with their surroundings. Since snakes have no arms or legs, they use their scales and muscles to move. The scales on their belly tightly grip the surface beneath them. Their muscles help them move from side to side or slither along the ground. Some snakes even use their muscles and scales to climb trees.

蛇长着带肋骨的长长的脊柱 它们的脊柱由很多独立的骨头组成 正因为这样，蛇可以用很多不同的方式行动 蛇的全身都覆盖着鳞片 鳞片能保护蛇的身体 还能帮助蛇保持身体干燥 鳞片从蛇的皮肤上长出来 有些蛇的鳞片色彩丰富 还有些鳞片能帮蛇融入周围的环境 因为蛇没有四肢，所以靠鳞片和肌肉移动 蛇肚子上的鳞片能牢牢抓住身下的平面 肌肉帮它们左右摆动，在地上滑行 有些蛇甚至能靠肌肉和鳞片爬上树

Snake scales look like a single sheet of skin. Snakes don't really shed skin. Instead, they shed the outer layers of their scales. Snakes may shed up to four times per year. This is called molting. During molting, a snake rubs against a hard object such as a rock or log. Rubbing helps its skin stretch and split. Then the snake crawls out and leaves it behind. Snakes shed for several reasons. Young snakes shed more often than older snakes because they outgrow the skin faster. Unlike other animals, snake skin does not stretch as they grow. Another reason snakes shed is to get rid of parasites that may grab on to their old skin.

蛇的鳞片看起来就像一整块皮肤 蛇其实不会蜕掉整张皮肤 它们蜕掉的是鳞片的外层 蛇一年最多能蜕四次皮 这个过程叫做蜕皮 蜕皮的时候，蛇会在岩石、木头这类硬物上摩擦 摩擦能让外皮撑开裂开 接着蛇就爬出来，把旧皮留在身后 蛇蜕皮有好几个原因 幼蛇比成年蛇蜕皮更频繁，因为它们长得更快，旧皮很快就装不下了 和其他动物不同，蛇的皮肤不会跟着生长变大 另一个原因是，蜕皮可以帮蛇摆脱附在旧皮上的寄生虫