# Anecdote

Source： 卫报

Listening

Scientists discover spider species that feeds its young milk

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The ability of mothers to produce milk for their babies is commonly considered a unique feature of mammals, but now scientists have discovered a species of spider that also nurses its young.

Spider mothers were observed feeding a milk-like substance to their spiderlings and continuing to look after them almost into adulthood.

‘Lactation-like feeding is known elsewhere in the animal kingdom – pigeons and flamingos produce something called “crop milk” from a gland in their neck. However, the intensity and duration of maternal care observed in the spider species is considered highly unusual.

The observations focused on a species of jumping spider, normally found in Taiwan, which lives in nests and mimics the appearance of ants. The newly hatched spiderlings were found to be entirely dependent on nutritious spider milk, containing nearly four times the protein of cow’s milk, secreted and fed to them by their mothers.

The scientists observed that the spiderlings first drank from droplets of spider milk left on the surface of the nest and then by directly sucking from the mother’s egg-laying opening.

The spider mothers continued to care for and feed their offspring for nearly 40 days, long after they were able to forage on their own and almost until the point of sexual maturity.

The milk was not critical to the offsprings’ survival, but appeared to boost their overall health and chances of survival as adults.

The findings, by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan, are published in the journal Science.

Summary

Scientists discover spider species that feeds its young milk

科学家发现了哺乳蜘蛛

• species (单复数同形) 物种

  an endanger species 一种濒危物种

The ability of mothers to produce milk for their babies is commonly considered a unique feature of mammals, but now scientists have discovered a species of spider that also nurses its young.

母亲为婴儿分泌乳汁的能力通常被认为是哺乳动物的一个独特特征，但现在科学家们发现，有一种蜘蛛也存在哺乳行为。

• mammal n.哺乳动物

• nurse(es) its young = feed(s) its young

Spider mothers were observed feeding a milk-like substance to their spiderlings and continuing to look after them almost into adulthood.

科学家观察到蜘蛛妈妈给小蜘蛛喂食一种奶状物质，并继续照顾它们，直到幼蛛几乎成年。

• spiderling

  动物/植物+ling 表示动植物幼崽

  catling

• adulthood n. 成年

Lactation-like feeding is known elsewhere in the animal kingdom—pigeons and flamingos produce something called “crop milk” from a gland in their neck. However, the intensity and duration of maternal care observed in the spider species is considered highly unusual.

在动物王国的其他地方也有很多类似泌乳喂养的行为——鸽子和火烈鸟就从它们脖子上的腺体中分泌一种叫做“鸽乳”的东西。然而，人们认为，在蜘蛛这一物种身上观察到的母蛛亲代抚育行为的密集程度和持续时间是极不寻常的。

• lactation /lækˈteɪʃn/ n.哺乳

• pigeon /ˈpɪdʒɪn/ = dove n.鸽子

  pigeon 家养的灰哥

  dove 白鸽（表示爱与和平）

• crop milk 鸽乳

• gland n.腺体

• neck n.脖子

• intensity n.密集程度

• duration n.持续时间

• maternal /məˈtɜːrnl/ adj.母性的

The observations focused on a species of jumping spider, normally found in Taiwan, which lives in nests and mimics the appearance of ants. The newly hatched spiderlings were found to be entirely dependent on nutritious spider milk, containing nearly four times the protein of cow’s milk, secreted and fed to them by their mothers.

此次观察的对象是一种通常出没在台湾的跳蛛，它们生活在巢穴中，有着近似蚂蚁的外形。新孵化出的幼蛛被发现会完全依赖营养丰富的蜘蛛乳汁存活，其蛋白质含量是牛奶的近四倍，由母蜘蛛分泌并喂食给幼蛛。

• mimic /ˈmɪmɪk/ v. 模仿

• hatch /hætʃ/ v.孵化

• nutritious adj.营养丰富的

• secrete /sɪˈkriːt/v.分泌

The scientists observed that the spiderlings first drank from droplets of spider milk left on the surface of the nest and then by directly sucking from the mother’s egg-laying opening.

科学家们观察到，幼蛛首先吸食巢穴表面残留的乳滴，然后直接从母体的产卵口吮吸乳汁。

• droplet n.液体的小滴 如，水滴(droplets of water)

The spider mothers continued to care for and feed their offspring for nearly 40 days, long after they were able to forage on their own and almost until the point of sexual maturity.

母蜘蛛继续照顾、喂养了它们 的幼蛛，这一过程长达近 40 天，远超小蜘蛛们能够独立觅食的时间，且它们到那时候几乎已到达了性成熟。

• offspring = young 后代

• care for = look after

• long after 很久之后

• forage /ˈfɔːrɪdʒ/ v. 觅食

• maturity n. 成熟

The milk was not critical to the offsprings’ survival, but appeared to boost their overall health and chances of survival as adults.

这种乳汁对幼蛛的存活并不是至关重要的，但似乎能提高他们成年后的整体健康水平和存活几率。

• appear to 似乎

• boost v. 提高

• overall adj.整体的

The findings, by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan, are published in the journal Science.

美国《科学》周刊发表了中国科学院云南分院科学家们的这一研究成果。