A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said earlier this month.
“This is fantasy becoming reality,” Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told the Associated Press.
“The unicorn has always been a mythological animal.”
PHOTO: AP
The one-year-old roe deer, which is nicknamed “Unicorn,” was born in captivity in the research center’s park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.
He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.
Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.
The unicorn, a horse-like creature with magical healing powers, has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.
“This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly,” Tozzi said by telephone. “It’s not like they dreamed it up.” Single-horned deer are rare, but not unheard of. Even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.
“Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case,” said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome’s zoo. He said the position of the horn could also be the result of a trauma early in the animal’s life.
Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk. (AP)
義大利一個自然保護區的工作人員本月稍早表示,園區內出現一頭頭部正中央長了一隻角的獨角鹿,模樣極像神話傳說中的獨角獸。
普拉托自然科學中心主任吉爾勃托.托茲在接受美聯社採訪時表示:「這是幻想成真。」
「獨角獸向來是神話中才會出現的動物。」
托茲說,這隻一歲大的獐鹿綽號「獨角獸」,出生於托斯卡尼行政區首府佛羅倫斯附近的普拉托城研究中心豢養園區。
據信,牠一出生就有遺傳缺陷;牠的孿生兄弟有兩隻角。
托茲說他還是第一次看到這樣的獨角鹿。他並表示,這類「畸形」鹿可能是獨角獸神話的靈感來源。
獨角獸是一種具有神奇治癒能力的類馬動物,從古代及中世紀的文字記載到現代的《哈利波特》冒險故事等傳說故事中,都可見其身影。
托茲接受電訪時說:「這顯示過去也可能出現過這種突變動物,所謂獨角獸不像是胡謅出來的。」專家表示,獨角鹿雖然罕見,但過去也有聽聞;這隻公鹿最特別的地方是牠的角不偏不倚地長在正中間。
羅馬動物園的科學主任傅維爾.佛拉帝賽利說:「一般而言,角會長在(頭的)某一邊而不是正中央,這看起來是個複雜的案例。」他說這隻角的位置也可能是這隻鹿早期受傷所造成的結果。
其他哺乳類動物據信也是獨角獸傳說的靈感來源,其中包括帶有一根螺旋狀長牙的獨角鯨。
(美聯社�翻譯:袁星塵)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Echo pulled out a worn and tattered shoe box under father’s large oak desk. “Mariko, what should we do with these family photos?” Mariko stared at the old box with a slightly hurt expression, and then blankly at the photos. “Throw them in the garbage pile. . . along with that old, ratty box,” she murmured. She resented that her father had not cared enough to find a nicer home for the family photos. “Father never really cared about me anyway.” Echo’s emotion sensor detected sorrow. ”Mariko, that is
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he