Fun Facts About Huskies

关于哈士奇的有趣事实

Siberian huskies are known for their wolfish good looks， but deep down， they’re all dogs. Here are 6 interesting facts about this beautiful northern breed.

西伯利亚哈士奇以其狼性的外形而闻名，但本质上，它们都是犬类。这里有关于这个美丽的北方品种的6个有趣事实。

1. Huskies are closely related to wolves.

哈士奇与狼关系密切。

The early Siberian crossing of local dogs with Arctic wolves produced huskies. Although the looks of huskies are very similar to wolves， their characters are not as steady as wolves， nor as fierce and aggressive as wolves.

早期西伯利亚人将当地的狗与北极狼杂交，繁育出哈士奇。哈士奇虽然和狼的外形很像，但它们的性格却一点都不如狼稳重，也没有狼凶猛并具有攻击性。

2. Huskies are not great guard dogs.

哈士奇不是伟大的护卫犬。

Huskies are not suspicious of strangers. This can be charming， but it’s not a good candidate when you’re looking for a canine sentry.

哈士奇对陌生人不怀疑。这可能很迷人，但当你寻找犬类哨兵时，它不是很好的备选者。

3. Huskies have a lot to say.

哈士奇有很多话要说。

Huskies are very expressive dogs. They make all kinds of noises， from typical dog barks to wolf-like howls.

哈士奇是非常富有表现力的狗。它们发出各种各样的声音，从典型的狗吠声到狼一样的嚎叫声。

4. Blue eyes make them different.

蓝眼睛使它们与众不同。

Huskies have distinctive blue eyes， compared to the brown or black eyes of other dog breeds. The reason why huskies have blue eyes is due to an unusual genetic change， which is called the “bovine eye gene”. This gene comes from animal breeds such as Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes that adapt to extremely cold environments. And the gene has a special “immune pigment” that not only helps dogs protect their retina in cold environments， but also promotes metabolism and physiological processes that adapt to extreme cold conditions. Not all huskies have blue eyes， though.

相比于其他犬种的棕色或黑色眼睛，哈士奇有着标志性的蓝色眼睛。哈士奇拥有蓝色眼睛的原因在于其不同寻常的基因突变，这种基因突变叫作“牛眼基因”。这种基因来自于北极狼和北极狐这些适应极寒环境的动物种类。牛眼基因拥有一种特殊的“免疫色素”，这种色素不仅能够帮助犬类在寒冷的环境下保护视网膜，同时还能促进适应极寒的新陈代谢和生理过程。不过，并非所有哈士奇都是蓝色的眼睛。

5. A lot of features help keep huskies warm.

许多特征有助于哈士奇保持温暖。

Huskies have a thick double coat that has good heat insulation. Their almond-shaped eyes allow them to squint to keep out snow. Huskies will wrap their tails around their faces while they sleep; their breath warms the tail and keeps the nose and face protected from the cold.

哈士奇有厚厚的双层毛发，具有很好的隔热作用。它们的杏仁形眼睛可以眯眼挡住雪。哈士奇在睡觉时会把尾巴缠在脸上；它们的呼吸温暖了尾巴，保护鼻子和脸部免受寒冷。

6. Huskies don’t get tired.

哈士奇不会疲劳。

Huskies often run long distances on very little food. When humans attempt this， we start to use our body’s glycogen and fat and eventually get tired. But huskies burn a lot of calories without ever tapping into these other energy stores—and they do this by regulating their metabolism.

哈士奇经常靠很少的食物就能维持长距离的奔跑。当人类尝试这样做时，开始会使用身体的糖原和脂肪，而最终会感到疲劳。但是哈士奇燃烧了大量的卡路里，却从来没有利用过一些其他的能量储存，它们通过调节新陈代谢来做到这一点。

Word Bank

breed /briːd/ n. 品种；种类

fierce /fɪəs/ adj. 凶猛的；狂热的

Two fierce eyes looked at them.

insulation /'ɪnsju'leɪʃn/ n. 绝缘