Goliath Beetles Giant Insects

Goliath Beetles, Giant Insects, written by Ryan James. Focus question. What features allow the Goliath Beetle to live in the tropical rainforests and dry grasslands of Africa?

《歌利亚甲虫：巨型昆虫》，作者：瑞安·詹姆斯。 思考问题： 哪些特征让歌利亚甲虫能够在非洲的热带雨林和干燥草原中生存？

Biggest beetle. Striped like a zebra and as agile as an acrobat, the Goliath beetle is one amazing insect. Goliath beetles grow as big as sparrows and weigh nearly twice as much. Their larvae are even bigger. It's no wonder Goliath beetles are considered giants of the insect world.

最大的甲虫 有着斑马一样的条纹，像杂技演员一样灵活，歌利亚甲虫是一种超神奇的昆虫。 歌利亚甲虫能长到麻雀那么大，体重几乎是麻雀的两倍。 它们的幼虫个头还要更大。 难怪歌利亚甲虫会被称为昆虫界的巨人呀。

Giant Insects Fossils from 300 million years ago proved there were once dragonflies with hawk -sized wingspans. But scientists think Goliath beetles have reached the size limit for modern insects. Earth's atmosphere contains less oxygen now than it did millions of years ago. With less oxygen in the air, monster insects, at least monsters bigger than Goliath beetles, are a thing of the past. A few modern -day beetles beat the Goliath in the length department. Rhinoceros beetles have massive horns that nearly double their overall body length. However, they can't compare to Goliath beetle's body size or weight, so Goliaths win as the heavyweight champs.

三亿年前的巨型昆虫化石证明，过去曾经存在过翅展和鹰一样大的蜻蜓。 但科学家认为，歌利亚甲虫已经长到了现代昆虫的体型上限。 现在地球大气中的含氧量比几百万年前更少。 空气含氧量降低后，巨型昆虫，至少比歌利亚甲虫更大的巨型昆虫，就只存在于过去了。 有几种现代甲虫的总身长比歌利亚甲虫更长。 犀牛甲虫长着巨大的角，几乎让它们的总身长翻了一倍。 不过它们的躯干大小和体重都比不过歌利亚甲虫，所以歌利亚才是重量级冠军。

All kinds of beetles The name Goliath beetle actually refers to six separate, related types of beetles. Most have black stripes on all or part of their bodies, which led early British scientists to call them zebra beetles. No two beetles' markings are identical, even within a single Goliath species. That makes it hard to identify various types of Goliath beetles. Over the years, insect scientists thought they had identified over two dozen different types of Goliath beetles. Today, though, experts agree that there are only six types.

形形色色的歌利亚甲虫 歌利亚甲虫其实是六种有亲缘关系的不同甲虫的统称。 大多数歌利亚甲虫的全身或部分身体长有黑色条纹，所以早期英国科学家把它们叫做斑马甲虫。 哪怕是同一种歌利亚甲虫，也没有两只的斑纹是完全一样的。 这就让区分不同种类的歌利亚甲虫变得非常困难。 过去很长时间里，昆虫学家以为他们已经识别出了二十多种不同的歌利亚甲虫。 不过现在专家们一致认可，歌利亚甲虫其实只有六种。

Beetles, beetles, everywhere. You've probably noticed ladybugs and other kinds of beetles in your neighborhood. They might not appear to be much like Goliath beetles, but they have several features in common with the larger insects. For instance, all beetles have two pairs of wings, large, softer hind wings used for flying, and smaller, harder front wings. The front wings act like sturdy, protective armor and completely cover the more delicate hind wings when they aren't in use. Insects have mouths that have adapted for different purposes. A butterfly's mouth is suited for sipping nectar, and a mosquito's mouth is suited for piercing skin. While beetles do sip tree sap, their mouths are particularly well suited for chewing. Many kinds of beetles can be found on flowers, where they feed on pollen or flower petals. Goliath beetles, however, probably don't feed on flowers. Scientists think the supersized insects are too heavy for flowers to support their weight.

甲虫呀甲虫，到处都有 你肯定在家附近见过瓢虫和其他各种各样的甲虫。 它们看起来可能和歌利亚甲虫很不一样，但和这种大型甲虫有不少共同特征。 比如说，所有甲虫都有两对翅膀：用来飞行的后翅更大更柔软，前翅更小更坚硬。 前翅就像坚固的防护甲，在后翅不用的时候，把娇弱的后翅完全盖住保护起来。 昆虫的嘴为了不同的需求演化出了不同的形态。 蝴蝶的嘴适合吸食花蜜，蚊子的嘴适合刺破皮肤。 虽然甲虫也会吸食树汁，但它们的嘴特别适合咀嚼。 很多种类的甲虫会待在花朵上，以花粉或花瓣为食。 不过歌利亚甲虫大概率不会吃花朵。 科学家认为这种超大甲虫太重了，花朵承受不住它们的重量。

All in the family. There are more than 100 different families of beetles. In scientific terms, an animal family is a group that shares similar features. Goliath beetles belong to the scarab beetle family, a group that also includes rhinoceros and dung beetles. All beetles use their antennae to detect odors and chemicals in their environment. Scarab beetles' antennae have a special shape with separate, overlapping plates that can open like a fan. Opening the antennae increases their size, which scientists believe makes the antennae more sensitive. Goliath beetles use their antennae to detect food, such as rotting fruit. Male beetles also use their antennae to find mates.

同属一个大家族 甲虫一共有超过一百个不同的科。 从科学定义来说，动物的科就是一群拥有相似特征的动物类群。 歌利亚甲虫属于金龟子科，这个科里还包括犀牛甲虫和蜣螂。 所有甲虫都会用触角感知环境中的气味和化学物质。 金龟子的触角形状很特别，长着独立重叠的薄片，可以像扇子一样张开。 张开触角能增大表面积，科学家认为这会让触角变得更灵敏。 歌利亚甲虫用触角寻找食物，比如腐烂的水果。 雄性歌利亚甲虫还会用触角寻找配偶。