Today is August 8th — Father’s Day in Taiwan. August 8 was chosen for Father’s Day because the pronunciation of “eight-eight” in Mandarin Chinese is “ba-ba,” a homonym of “papa.” On Father’s Day, people take the opportunity to express their gratitude for their father’s hard work. The animal kingdom has its own stand-out dads, too.
For many animals, childbearing and rearing are left to the females — for some species, the males even disappear soon after mating. But there are exceptions, such as the seahorses that wear the twin hats of both the father and mother, and emperor penguins that share responsibility for childcare.
The reproduction of seahorses is particularly striking because the seahorses are “borne” by the males — female seahorses leave their unfertilized eggs in special pouches on the males . After two to three weeks of “pregnancy,” the males give birth to baby seahorses that hatch and grow in the pouches. The number of babies pushed out can reach more than a thousand. Seahorses are ovoviviparous fish.
Photo: Screen grab from YouTube
照片：擷圖自YouTube
To hatch the egg, emperor penguins have to endure sub-zero temperatures, during which time they must also fast. From May to June each year, the emperor penguin mother will lay an egg — only one at a time. By this time the mother’s nutritional reserves are exhausted and she has to go back to the sea for food. The father balances the egg on the top of his feet, incubating the egg in his brood pouch, keeping it at a comfortable temperature of 36 degrees Celsius in the freezing environment, with temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. During the incubation period which lasts for about 65 consecutive days, the males do not eat, spending most time in sleep, surviving on the fat stored in their bodies.
The mother returns after feeding in the sea for about two months. She can find her own partner among the hundreds of new dads by recognizing his vocal call, and feeds the chick by regurgitating the food that she has stored in her stomach. Then it is the father’s turn to leave and feed himself in the sea.
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
Photo: Pixabay
照片：Pixabay
今天是八月八日，是台灣的父親節。之所以選擇這天為父親節，是因為中文「八八」是「爸爸」的諧音。為人子女常在父親節表達對父親的感恩，但你知道嗎，在動物界也有堪稱模範父親的好爸爸呢！
多數動物是由雌性擔任育兒工作，有些動物的雄性甚至在雌性懷孕後，就不見蹤影。但是也有例外，例如父兼母職的海馬，以及共同分擔育兒責任的皇帝企鵝。
海馬的生殖方式特別引人注目，因為海馬是由爸爸來「懷孕」──母海馬將卵產在雄海馬腹中之育兒袋（孵卵囊），海馬爸爸便在接下來二至三週挺著大肚子，然後辛苦生下孵化的海馬寶寶──剛出生的小海馬數量可達千隻以上。海馬是屬於卵胎生魚類。
皇帝企鵝爸爸為了孵蛋，會忍受零度以下低溫，並且禁食。在每年五至六月，皇帝企鵝媽媽會產下一顆蛋（一次只生一顆）──此時母企鵝身體儲存的能量消耗殆盡，必須返回大海覓食。在這段期間，雄企鵝把蛋放在腳掌上，用雙腿和腹部下方之間的育兒袋包覆，讓蛋在環境溫度低達攝氏零下四十度的低溫中，保持在舒適的攝氏三十六度。在約六十五天的孵化期間，雄企鵝不吃不喝，多在睡眠中度過，仰賴體中儲存的脂肪度日。
企鵝媽媽出海約兩個月後，便會返回。牠能在數以百計的新爸爸中，透過叫聲找到自己的伴侶，然後反芻吐出儲存在胃裡的食物來餵小企鵝。這時，就輪到企鵝爸爸離開，到大海去捕食了。
（台北時報林俐凱）
Have you ever dreamed of using an entire city as your training ground, effortlessly moving across walls, buildings, stairs, and obstacles? This is not just a fantasy from the movies. In cities around the world, a group of enthusiasts practice this seemingly impossible sport — “parkour.” The origins of parkour can be traced back to 20th-century France. A military officer named Georges-Hebert witnessed the incredible physical abilities of local residents in Africa, which inspired him to create the Methode Naturelle, or natural method. This training method cleverly combined climbing, running, and swimming with artificial barriers to mimic nature. Later, David Belle
Street lights are often taken for granted until a power outage plunges the world into darkness. When that happens, the value of these lighting installations becomes evident as the world turns into a more dangerous place for pedestrians and motorists alike. The Chinese could claim to be the first to have constructed a crude type of street light. Around 500 BC, residents of Beijing employed a type of street lamp that used hollow bamboo pipes and natural gas vents to create burning torches. Later, ancient Romans adopted lamps fueled by vegetable oil, which relied on slaves to light and
A: Who else is on Billboard’s list: “The 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st Century?” B: No. 15 to 6 are: Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Usher, Adele, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Britney Spears. A: I can’t believe that Adele’s only at No. 10. B: No. 5 to 1 are: Lady Gaga, Drake, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. A: Well, they surely deserve the honor. A: 《告示牌》雜誌的「21世紀最偉大的25位流行歌手」，還有誰上榜啊？ B: 第15至6名是：麥莉希拉、大賈斯汀、妮姬米娜、阿姆、亞瑟小子、愛黛兒、亞莉安娜、小賈斯汀、肯伊威斯特、小甜甜布蘭妮。 A: 真不敢相信愛黛兒只排第10名。 B: 第5至1名是：女神卡卡、德瑞克、蕾哈娜、泰勒絲、碧昂絲。 A: 這幾位真是實至名歸！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: The 21st Century is now entering its 25th year. B: So Billboard has released a list: “The 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st Century.” A: Who are the greatest pop singers? B: No. 25 to 16 are: Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Bad Bunny, One Direction, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, BTS, The Weeknd, Shakira and Jay-Z. A: Wow, my favorite K-pop supergroup BTS has made it to the list. A: 21世紀正在邁入第25個年頭了。 B: 《告示牌》雜誌特別公布：「21世紀最偉大的25位流行歌手」。 A: 最偉大的歌手有哪些？ B: 第25至16名是：凱蒂佩芮、紅髮艾德、壞痞兔、1世代、小韋恩、火星人布魯諾、防彈少年團（BTS）、威肯、夏奇拉、Jay-Z。 A: 哇，我最愛的韓流天團BTS也上榜了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS