讓你覺得蛇類更加恐怖的十大理由(下)

Tribe Of Giant Snake Victims

5.受巨蛇危害的部落

In 1962, anthropologist Thomas Headland moved to Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, setting up camp with the Agta people. While moviegoers watched Lawrence of Arabia, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, and the world focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Agta were living like ancient hunter-gatherers in the Filipino rainforests.

1962年，人類學家托馬斯·黒德蘭德（Thomas Headland）來到呂宋島——菲律賓最大的島嶼，與阿格塔人（Agta）一起搭起帳篷。儘管看電影的人看着《阿拉伯的勞倫斯》（Lawrence of Arabia），蕾切爾·卡森（Rachel Carson）出版了《寂靜的春天》（Silent Spring），世界聚焦於古巴導彈危機，阿格塔人卻像遠古那樣，在菲律賓熱帶雨林裏過着狩獵、採集的生活。

They were also at war with the local snake population. A quarter of the men had been attacked by reticulated pythons. The longest snake in the world, this creature can grow to over 7 meters (23 ft) and can weigh over 75 kilograms (165 lb). Compare that to the average Agta, who stands less than 150 centimeters (5′) and rarely weighs as much as an American 13-year-old. Since they were small, lived in the jungle, and competed with pythons over food, the Agta often came to blows with these giant snakes. Out of 120 interviewees, Headland found 26 percent of the men had encountered angry pythons, and many bore the scars to back up their claims. Between the 1940s and 1970s, six people were killed by these snakes, including two kids who were gobbled up on the same Agta didn't just sit back and let these serpents slither all over them. Every single man had killed at least one python in his life—or so each claimed, at least. The men regularly went around armed with guns and machetes. The father of the kids who were eaten stabbed the python responsible to e aren't as many "man vs. snake" battles on Luzon today. Thanks to encroaching modernization, the Agta have largely given up their old way of life. Since they're no longer living in the middle of snake country, the attack rates have dropped dramatically. But the reticulated pythons are still out there, hunting in the jungle, so if you ever visit Luzon, stick to the cities.

他們也與當地的蛇類發生戰爭。1/4的人被帶有網狀花紋的巨蟒攻擊過。蟒蛇是世界上最長的蛇，能超過7米（23英尺），而體重能超過75公斤（165磅）。與此相比，普通阿格塔人身高150釐米（浮動5釐米）以下，很少有人體重與美國13歲的少年相當。因爲他們瘦小，住在叢林裏，與巨蟒爭奪食物，阿格塔人常常被這些巨蟒追得氣喘吁吁。120位受訪者中，黒德蘭德發現26%的人遭遇過憤怒的巨蟒，許多人身上還有傷疤作證。20世紀40年代到50年代之間，有6人被巨蟒殺死，其中兩個小孩在同一天晚上被巨蟒吞掉。阿格塔人不會僅僅待着不動，讓這些蛇從他們身上滑過。每個人一生至少殺過一條巨蟒——或者至少人人都這麼說。他們有規律地四處走動，帶有槍支和砍刀。被吃掉的兩個孩子的父親刺死了巨蟒，履行起了自己的責任。現在，呂宋島上已經沒有那麼多"人蛇大戰"的戰鬥了。多虧四處蔓延的現代化，阿格塔人基本放棄了原始的生活方式。既然他們不再住在蛇的王國之中，被攻擊的比率自然大幅下降。但是，帶有網狀花紋的巨蟒仍然存在，它們在叢林裏覓食，所以如果你要去呂宋島遊玩，待在城裏吧。

Cobra Village

4.眼鏡蛇村莊

While the Agta people weren't fond of snakes, things are totally different in Ban Kok Sa Nga. Located in northeastern Thailand, this community takes its passion for serpents to a dangerous extreme.

儘管阿格塔人不喜歡蛇，事情在Ban Kok Sa Nga卻截然不同。這個村莊位於泰國東北部，人們對蛇的熱情發展到了接近危險的極限。

This reptilian love affair started back in the 1950s when a doctor wanted to put his sleepy little town on the map. This physician convinced everyone in town to breed snakes and put on cobra you visit Ban Kok Sa Nga today, you'll find around 140 houses, and outside almost every home, you'll notice at least one wooden crate. Open up that box, and you'll find something long, legless, and in a bad mood. Ban Kok Sa Nga is full of all sorts of cobras and constrictors, some of whom star in the village's serpentine circus. During a performance, visitors might witness a cobra boxing match where handlers tease the snakes, kick at their heads, and dodge their bites. They might even see someone shove a cobra in their ite their rough treatment, the folks at Ban Kok Sa Nga really love their snakes. In fact, they breed more cobras than needed for the show simply because they like them as pets. Snakes are such a way of life that children are taught to handle them from a young age, and whenever a cobra dies, its owners make an offering for the snake at the local temple. These irresponsible relationships often lead to accidents. One septuagenarian handler, Bualee Chai, has been bitten at least 21 times. But while he's missing a few fingers, he's pulled through each time thanks to an herb known as wan paya ngoo.

這種對爬行動物的喜愛始於20世紀50年代，當時一位醫生希望把自己所在的安靜的小鎮繪在地圖上。這個醫生說服鎮上每個人養蛇，並進行眼鏡蛇表現。如果你今天去那兒，你會發現大約140座房子，在幾乎每家每戶外面，你都能看見至少一個木製板條箱。打開箱子，你會發現一些長而無腿的東西，心情跌至低谷。那裏到處都有各種各樣的眼鏡蛇和蟒蛇，其中一些是村裏蛇類表演馬戲團的明星。在一場表演中，觀衆可能會看見"眼鏡蛇拳擊比賽"——耍蛇人挑逗蛇，敲它們的頭，躲閃它們的大口。甚至還能看見有人把眼鏡蛇一把推進自己嘴裏。儘管對待蛇的方式很粗暴，當地人實際上很愛他們的蛇。他們養的眼鏡蛇多於表演的需要，這只是因爲他們喜歡，蛇是他們的寵物。蛇就是一種生活方式，兒童很小時就被教會怎樣控制蛇。無論什麼時候眼鏡蛇死了，它的主人都會在當地寺廟爲這條蛇擺上祭品。這些與蛇不計後果的親密關係常常帶來意外事故。一位70多歲的弄蛇人，Bualee Chai，至少被咬過21次。但是，儘管他丟掉了幾個手指，他每次度過難關都受益於一種叫做Wan paya ngoo的草藥。

tary Weapons

3.軍事武器

They say war is hell. That applies doubly when snakes are involved. While bullets and bombs do far more damage, serpents are excellent psychological weapons. Nobody wants to end up with a pair of fangs in their foot.

人們說戰爭就是地獄。當蛇牽涉其中時，這句話再正確不過了。雖然子彈和炸藥造成的破壞更大，蛇是完美的心理武器。沒人願意被蛇咬一口，腳上留下一對毒牙，然後死去。

Perhaps the most famous example of reptilian tactics took place during the Vietnam War, down in the Cu Chi tunnels. Spanning over 240 kilometers (150 mi), this underground labyrinth let the Viet Cong travel undetected by enemy helicopters. But while they were safe from aerial attack, they had to worry about gutsy American troops ("tunnel rats") who'd crawl through the dark in search of the enemy. To make things difficult for their foreign foes, the Viet Cong loaded the tunnels with bamboo e serpents were nicknamed "one-step" or "two-step" snakes because, if you were bitten, that's how many steps you'd take before you dropped over dead. These vipers were placed inside hollowed-out bamboo sticks, so when a tunnel rat knocked one over, the snake would slither out and strike at his face. While death by snakebite was extremely rare during the Vietnam War, these traps definitely kept the Americans in a constant state of e warfare goes back further than ‘Nam. While he's best known for his army of elephants, the famed general Hannibal used the creatures to inflict pain and suffering on his enemies. In 190 B.C., the Carthaginian commander was battling King Eumenes II of Pergamum. Their navies were duking it out when Hannibal launched pots full of snakes at the Pergamese ships. Historians guess these scaly missiles were probably horned vipers, animals whose venom can cause hemorrhaging, vomiting, and necrosis. Whatever they were, the snakes freaked out the Pergamese sailors, allowing Hannibal's men to board their vessels and win the day.

也許，爬行動物戰術最著名的例子發生在越戰期間，古芝隧道內。這個地下迷宮長達240多公里（150英里），使越共能避開敵方直升飛機的偵察而行動。但是，他們雖然躲過了空中襲擊，卻不得不擔心勇猛的美國部隊（"隧道老鼠"）——這些人在漆黑裏搜尋敵人。爲了給外國對手製造麻煩，越共在隧道里堆放了大量裝有毒蛇的竹子。這些蛇被暱稱爲"一步"或"兩步"蛇，因爲如果被它咬中，這就是你倒地死亡前能走的步數。這些蛇被放在掏空的竹子裏。所以當"隧道老鼠"靠近時，蛇就會滑出來，攻擊他的面部。儘管越戰期間因被蛇咬傷致死的例子十分罕見，這些陷阱着實讓美國人十分懼怕。蛇參加戰爭的例子可以從越戰往前追溯很久。儘管他最廣爲人知的是他的"大象之軍"，著名的漢尼拔將軍曾用這種動物給敵人帶去痛苦和折磨。公元前190年，這位迦太基指揮官與帕加馬歐邁尼斯二世國王交戰。當海軍正一較高下時，漢尼拔向帕加馬船上拋擲了滿滿幾罐蛇。歷史學家猜測，這些有鱗片的發射物很可能是角蝰，它們的毒液能引起大量失血、嘔吐和身體局部壞死。無論它們屬於什麼類別，這些蛇嚇跑了帕加馬水手，讓漢尼拔的士兵登上了他們的戰艦，贏得了那次勝利。

Snake With A Clawed Foot

2.有一隻爪子的蛇

Dean Qiongxiu woke up one night to find a snake on her bedroom wall, and this snake had a clawed foot sticking out of its side. The 66-year-old Chinese woman grabbed a shoe and beat the monster to death. She then shoved it in a jar and sent it to the West Normal University in Nanchang, China.

段瓊秀（Dean Qiongxiu）一天晚上醒來，發現臥室牆上有一條蛇，這條蛇還有一隻爪子一樣的腳，伸在身體外面。這位66歲的中國婦女抓起一隻鞋子，猛打這個怪獸，把它打死了。隨後她把它放進一個廣口瓶，送到南昌的西華師範大學。

Scientists were quite surprised, describing the one-footed snake as "truly shocking." Researchers planned to conduct an autopsy to discover if the leg was genuine, but the results were not made public. So was the snake some sort of mutant? Was it a practical joke? Or perhaps an unlucky lizard was punching its way out of the serpent's stomach?While we don't know the answer, snakes can indeed grow legs under the right circumstances. In fact, all of these fork-tongued reptiles once scurried around on scaly feet, as evidenced by the remains of hips and limbs on their skeletons. The trick lies in the Hox genes, regulatory genes that turn other genes off and on. Originally, Hox genes encouraged the growth of limbs in snakes, but over time, their job description changed to stopping legs from sprouting. With a few modifications, the Hox genes could be reversed, letting serpents crawl around like dragons. Such a reversal would need some sort of outside agent—like pollution, for which China is notorious. So perhaps Qiongxiu's snake really did grow a foot, and perhaps someday all snakes will regain their limbs. Thanks, China!

科學家很驚訝，說這條有一隻腳的蛇"實在很讓人震驚"。研究人員計劃進行解剖，弄清這條腿是不是天生的，但是實驗結果沒有公佈。這條蛇是基因突變的結果嗎？是有人惡作劇嗎？還是有可能一隻倒黴的蜥蜴打通了逃出蛇腹的路？雖然我們不知道答案，但是蛇在一定環境下的確能長出腳來。實際上，所有這些舌頭分叉的爬行動物曾經靠着帶鱗片的腳四處爬動，它們骨架上殘留的髖部和四肢就是證明。問題的關鍵在於同源基因——調控其他基因關閉和啓動的控制基因。原本同源基因鼓勵蛇類生長四肢，但是很長時間之後，它們的工作內容卻變爲阻止腿長出來。經過一些調整改變，同源基因有可能復原，這樣就能讓蛇像龍一樣四處爬了。這樣的復古轉變需要一些外在環境的刺激——比如污染，中國的污染可是臭名遠揚。所以，也許瓊秀的蛇真的長了一隻腳，也許某天所有蛇都會重新獲得四肢。謝了，中國！

Viper That'll Turn You Into A Kid

1.能將你變回小孩的毒蛇

Ever wished you could be a kid again? If you visit Southeast Asia, your dream might come true. The region is home to the Russell's Pit Viper, a snake responsible for thousands of deaths each year. All it takes is 40–70 milligrams of venom, and your blood will turn into thick, viscous goo. After that, you'll probably end up as a statistic, but if you're one of the lucky survivors, you might become the next Benjamin Button.

有沒有希望過自己能再做一次小孩？如果你去東南亞看看，你的夢想可能成真。這個地區是響尾蛇科毒蛇（Russell's Pit Viper）的故鄉，這種蛇每年會奪走幾千人的生命。它只花費40～70毫克毒液，你的血液就會變成濃稠的黏性物質。然後，你多半成爲一個統計數據，但如果你屬於倖存者之一，你可能成爲下一個本傑明·巴頓。

In addition to changing your blood into strawberry jam, the venom of a Russell's Pit Viper causes lots of internal bleeding. You suffer a hemorrhage in the pituitary gland, the part of your body in charge of hormone production. Among other things, it controls your thyroid activity, your body temperature, and the production of sex hormones. Once the toxin strikes, the pituitary gland shuts down. You then turn into a prepubescent child. About 29 percent of pit viper victims suffer from hypopituitarism, a condition that causes patients to lose their sex drive and fertility. It also causes body hair to disappear, male muscles to vanish, and female curves to fade away. Some folks even lose control of basic mental functions. They become little kids. If hormone replacement therapy doesn't help, at least they'll have a good excuse to play with Legos again. Isn't that what we all really want?

除了能將你的血液變成草莓醬，這種蛇的毒液還會引發大量內出血。你的腦垂體會大量出血——腦垂體控制着荷爾蒙的產生。此外，腦垂體還控制你的甲狀腺活動、你的體溫和性激素的產生。一旦受到這種毒素影響，腦垂體就會停止發揮作用。然後你就變成了一個青春期之前的孩子。被這種毒蛇咬過的人中約有29%垂體機能減退，這種症狀會導致患者喪失性衝動和不孕不育。它還會導致體毛消失，男性肌肉萎縮，女性線條模糊。有些人甚至失去了控制基本思維的能力。它們變成了小孩。如果替代荷爾蒙的療法沒有效果，那麼至少他們將有不錯的藉口再玩玩樂高積木。那不就是我們都想要的嗎？

翻譯：羅惠月 來源：前十網