Snakebite!

Snakebite. Written by Kira Fried.

《蛇咬》 基拉·弗里德 著

Introduction. In 1951, nine -year -old Jennifer Owings was riding her horse in the hills near the New Mexico ranch where she lived. She got off her horse to explore a possible new path to the top of a sandstone ridge. Climbing up a cliff face, she reached above her and grabbed hold of a ledge. Zap! Suddenly, she felt a screaming pain on the side of her hand. A rattlesnake had struck Jennifer. Jennifer was a 20 -minute horseback ride from her house when the rattlesnake struck her. Halfway home, she became dizzy and sick to her stomach. She grew frightened of dying before getting home, but she made it.

引言 1951年，九岁的 珍妮弗·欧文斯骑着马，在她家所在新墨西哥牧场附近的山里游玩。 她下了马，想去探探能不能找到一条通往砂岩山脊顶的新路。 她往悬崖上爬，伸手抓住了一块岩架。 咻！ 突然，她的手掌侧边传来一阵剧痛，疼得她直发抖。 一条响尾蛇咬了珍妮弗。 被咬的时候，珍妮弗骑马回家要二十分钟路程。 走到半路，她开始头晕、反胃。 她特别害怕还没到家就死掉，但她最终撑回去了。

The ranch foreman took Jennifer to the nearest emergency room. Doctors told them that the hospital had run out of its medicine to treat rattlesnake strikes. Jennifer was unconscious for most of three days and had severe symptoms, but she survived. Today, Jennifer hardly has a scar from her rattlesnake strike. She is one of the lucky ones. What happens when a rattlesnake strikes a person? What medical treatments do snake bite victims receive? What can you do to avoid being struck? Answer these questions as you learn about rattlesnakes and the deadly strikes they can deliver.

牧场的工头把珍妮弗送到了最近的急诊室。 医生告诉他们，医院治疗响尾蛇咬伤的药用完了。 珍妮弗三天里大部分时间都昏迷着，症状十分严重，但她还是活了下来。 直到现在，珍妮弗身上几乎都没留下被咬的疤痕。 她算是非常幸运的了。 如果响尾蛇咬了人，会发生什么呢？ 被咬伤的人要接受哪些治疗？ 我们该怎么做才能避免被咬伤呢？ 接下来我们认识响尾蛇、了解它们的致命攻击，就能找到这些问题的答案了。

Rattlesnake Basics. Scientists have identified 31 species of rattlesnakes. Rattlers, as the snakes are commonly known, live in most of the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. They also live in southern Canada. They can be found in deserts, swamps, forests, prairies, and mountains. Rattlesnakes are most common in dry parts of the southwestern United States at Northern Mexico.

认识响尾蛇 科学家已经发现了31种响尾蛇。 响尾蛇大多栖息在美国大部分地区、墨西哥以及中南美洲。 加拿大南部也有它们的踪迹。 沙漠、沼泽、森林、草原和山里都能找到它们。 在美国西南部干旱地区和墨西哥北部，响尾蛇最为常见。

Rattlesnakes have a bad reputation because of their danger to people, but let's take a moment to think about rattlers apart from humans. These amazing creatures are among nature's most efficient hunters. They hunt small animals by surprising them or catching them in their burrows. Rattlesnakes can find prey even in total darkness. They mostly use their sense of smell and sense of heat. Special areas on their face can sense heat. Even if their prey is completely still, a rattlesnake can sense it by the heat its body gives off. Rattlesnakes can also smell prey with their tongue, which sends the smells to a special sense organ in their head.

因为会威胁人类，响尾蛇名声不好，但我们先抛开人类，来好好认识一下它们吧。 这种神奇的动物是自然界效率最高的猎手之一。 它们会突袭小型动物，或是钻进猎物的洞穴捕猎。 哪怕在完全漆黑的环境里，响尾蛇也能找到猎物。 它们主要依靠嗅觉和热感应。 它们脸部有特殊的区域可以感知热量。 哪怕猎物一动不动，响尾蛇也能通过猎物身体散出的热量感知到它。 响尾蛇还能用舌头感知猎物气味，再把气味传递给头部的特殊感觉器官。

Rattlesnakes are not nasty animals that go out of their way to hurt people. They don't want to meet up with you any more than you want to meet up with them. But they know how to defend themselves if they think they're in danger. They shake the rattle on their tail as a warning to people and other animals to stay away. If their warning is not heeded, they strike. Most people who are struck by a rattlesnake don't die. However, they suffer terrible pain and some, like Jennifer, need skin grafts or even more extreme medical treatments. Snake bite victims may end up with bad scars or other permanent body damage.

响尾蛇不是那种特意找麻烦去伤人的坏动物。 它们不想碰到人类，就像人类也不想碰到它们一样。 但如果它们觉得自己身处危险，就会懂得自我防卫。 它们会晃动尾巴上的响环，警告人类和其他动物离远点。 如果警告没被理会，它们就会发动攻击。 大多数被响尾蛇咬伤的人都不会死亡。 但会承受剧痛，还有些人像珍妮弗一样，需要植皮甚至接受更复杂的治疗。 被咬的人可能会留下难看的疤痕，或是其他永久性的身体损伤。