A member of the public who was walking along a trail by Sun Moon Lake’s Cien Tower recently found a strange snake that looked like a Chinese sharp-nosed viper or a brown pit viper. The person was afraid that it was poisonous and took a photo as a record. When a snake expert was asked to look at it, however, it turned out to be a false viper.
The Endemic Species Research Institute in Nantou County’s Jiji Township says that although this kind of snake has characteristics of both the brown pit viper and the Chinese sharp-nosed viper, the eyes of the false viper have round pupils, unlike those of the brown pit viper’s eyes, which, like cats’s eyes, can vary in shape and appear oval in daylight conditions. In addition, the surface of a brown pit viper’s head is composed of small, fine scales, whereas on the false viper the scales are bigger. These features make it possible to distinguish between the two. It is normal for this kind of snake to be found at the Sun Moon Lake, which lies at a low-to-medium altitude, and it is a docile and non-venomous species of snake.
The Endemic Species Research Institute also says that if members of the public come across snakes in the wild, they should not frighten or tease them, but just walk slowly around them and leave. If people follow this advice, they will not be attacked by snakes.
(Liberty Times, translated by Clare Lear)
Photo provided by a member of the public
照片：民眾提供
近日有民眾在日月潭慈恩塔步道發現一條既像百步蛇又像龜殼花的怪蛇，民眾深怕有毒還拍照紀錄起來，經向蛇類專家請教才知是無毒的「擬龜殼花」。
集集特生中心表示，該蛇外觀雖有龜殼花與百步蛇的特徵，但在眼睛部分「擬龜殼花」瞳孔是圓的，不像龜殼花的瞳孔如貓眼一樣具可變性，白天呈現橄欖狀，另外龜殼花頭上都是細小鱗片組成，「擬龜殼花」的鱗片則較大，由此就能區分二者不同，該蛇在中低海拔的日月潭被發現實屬正常，且是溫馴無毒的蛇種。
此外，集集特生中心表示，民眾在野外發現蛇類，切勿驚擾逗弄，只要緩步繞道離開，就不會遭遇蛇類攻擊。
(自由時報記者劉濱銓)
Microsoft on Feb. 28 announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan acquired in 2011. “Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a post from Skype support on X, directing users to sign into Microsoft’s Teams platform for further use of its services. Skype was founded in 2003 by Scandinavians Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, revolutionizing Internet communication by offering free voice calls between computers and affordable rates for calls to landlines and mobile phones. Over the years, and as Internet speeds improved, Skype evolved to
A: China’s animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” also smashed a box office record recently. B: It’s No. 7 among the world’s best-selling films, grossing more than US$2 billion globally. A: I t has even become the world’s highest-grossing animated film, while the political metaphors in it are causing controversy. B: But who is Ne Zha anyway? A: Ne Zha, often spelled as “Nezha,” is actually a mythical teenage deity with superpowers. A: 中國動畫片《哪吒2》最近也打破紀錄。 B: 該片已衝上影史票房排行榜第7名，全球狂賣超過20億美元。 A: 聽說它甚至是全球最賣座的動畫片，影片中的政治隱喻卻引爆爭議！ B: 但哪吒是誰？ A: 哪吒的名字常被拼成「Nezha」，是神話中具有超能力的青少年神明。
People desire a sense of purpose in their lives, but they often remain idle unless they have a clear reason to act. This concept is illustrated by the retirement paradox. People work hard to prepare for a future without work but find life meaningless after achieving that goal. A study was carried out to determine if a reason, even a minor one, could encourage idle people to take action. __1__ Upon finishing the first, they were instructed to drop it off at a location either right outside the room or at a spot farther away, which would take around
A: Were there any highlights at the Oscars this year? B: With 13 nods, French director Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” broke the record for most Oscar nominations earned by a non-English film. A: Wow, it broke the record of 10 Oscar nominations set by Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” B: On the eve of the Oscars, Lee was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards. A: It seems that Hollywood has finally become more diverse. A: 今年的奧斯卡獎有什麼亮點嗎？ B: 法國導演賈克歐迪亞的《璀璨女人夢》榮獲13項提名，打破了非英語片紀錄！ A: 哇打破了台灣導演李安的《臥虎藏龍》10項提名紀錄。 B: 李安則在奧斯卡前夕，獲頒美國導演工會「終身成就獎」。 A: 看來好萊塢終於比較多元化啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
RSS