While many people are afraid of spiders, not all of these eight-legged creatures are actually vermin. The brown huntsman spider, for example, is quite adept at killing cockroaches. Around 450 spider species have been recorded in Taiwan, but the estimated number of arachnid species to be found in the wild actually exceeds a thousand. The Endemic Species Research Institute (ESRI) has set up a Web page on Facebook — The Spider Club: Taiwan Spider Studies — to encourage the public to help create a platform for sharing data on various spider species.
ESRI says that relatively few spiders pose any apparent threat to humans, adding that the few highly poisonous spiders found in Taiwan include Macrothele taiwanensis and the female redback spider. You can avoid putting yourself in harm’s way by not trying to catch any of these spiders, the institute says. There is no shortage of uniquely shaped spiders out there, including the Cyrtarachne bufo, which disguises itself as bird excrement, the ant-like Myrmarachne formosana, or the crab spider which exhibits an eyeshade-like feature and the Ariamnes with its adorably long, slender body.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
照片由特有生物研究保育中心提供
許多人雖然怕蜘蛛，但這些八條腿的動物不見得都是害蟲，像是白額高腳蛛，可是剋蟑高手。目前台灣記錄到的蜘蛛有四百五十種，但野外估計應有千種以上。特有生物研究保育中心成立臉書社團「蛛式會社—台灣蜘蛛研究」，號召民眾協助建立蜘蛛物種時空分布資訊。
特生中心指出，僅有極少數蜘蛛對人體有顯著危害，在台灣僅長尾蛛、赤背寡婦蛛等具較強毒性，只要不徒手捕捉，就能避免傷害。其實有不少蜘蛛造型特殊，如偽裝成鳥糞的鳥糞蛛、擬態成螞蟻的蟻蛛、戴著眼罩的蟹蛛、身體細長的蚓腹蛛等，模樣可愛。
（自由時報記者鍾麗華）
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
照片由特有生物研究保育中心提供
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
照片由特有生物研究保育中心提供
The winner of next month’s US presidential election will govern a nation of more than 330 million people, but the contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters — a tiny fraction of the populace — in a handful of states. That’s because only seven of the 50 states are truly competitive this year, with the rest all comfortably Democratic or Republican, according to public opinion polls. Among those seven battlegrounds, Pennsylvania, the most populous, stands out as the most likely state to determine whether Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump is the next president. The
Imagine the thrill of diving into the ocean, holding your breath, and exploring underwater worlds without any modern gear. This is the life of the haenyeo, South Korea’s sea women. Armed with only diving goggles and handmade tools, these skilled divers venture into the ocean’s depths to manually harvest marine products like abalone and seaweed. The haenyeo tradition, dating back to the 17th century, was originally dominated by men. However, a combination of wars and deep-sea fishing accidents created a shortage of male labor. Women’s greater resistance to cold proved a blessing to the struggling communities. As a result, they began
A: Finally! Cantopop superstar Andy Lau is touring Taipei starting tonight. B: Yeah, he is set to perform at the Taipei Arena for four nights. A: It seems like he is still energetic on stage even at the age of 63. B: Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai and Arron Kwok are dubbed Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings.” A: Hopefully, the four “kings” can visit Taiwan more often. A: 終於啊！香港天王劉德華今晚起將在台北開唱。 B: 他預計在台北小巨蛋，一連熱唱4天！ A: 看來劉天王雖然63歲了，在舞台上還是一尾活龍。 B: 他和張學友、黎明、郭富城還被稱為香港「四大天王」。 A: 希望天王們以後能更常來台灣。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Just as people today have smart tips for staying cool, ancient civilizations also had their own methods to beat the heat. Ancient Romans, for example, came up with numerous ingenious ways to cool off. Clever city planning and architecture were used to deal with the high temperatures in ancient Rome. Fountains and parks were thoughtfully placed throughout the city to offer people relief. Furthermore, buildings were constructed with thick stone walls that did an excellent job of stabilizing internal temperatures. Narrow streets, lined with tall walls, also created plenty of shade for pedestrians. The ancient Roman
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