5.Gorilla
5.大猩猩
Gorillas are the largest living primate by size. They are also the third-closest living relatives to humans, after chimpanzees and bonobos. Gorillas can grow to nearly 6 feet tall with an arm span that stretches up to 8.5 feet. They can weigh up to 500 pounds in the wild, while obese gorillas in captivity can reach weights of 600 pounds.
大猩猩是体型最大的灵长类动物。它是排在黑猩猩，倭黑猩猩之后，第三类与人类血缘最近的灵长类动物。黑猩猩体长6尺，臂展可以达到8.5尺。野生黑猩猩重量可达到500磅，人工饲养的大猩猩体重则可达到600磅。

Adult gorillas are believed to be about six times stronger than adult humans in terms of upper body strength. There is no definitive answer to how strong a gorilla is. However, one gorilla in captivity was recorded as having lifted over 1,500 pounds with one arm! Just like humans, gorillas have 32 adult teeth in their mouth. A big difference is that their canine teeth can grow up to 2 inches long. These canine teeth help them to chew their diet of coarse plants and also to intimidate any foes. When on the move, gorillas can reach speeds of 20-25 miles per hour, very impressive considering their enormous size.
就上半身而言，成年大猩猩的力量强度是成年人类（比较强壮）的六倍。迄今为止并没有精确的数据说明大猩猩究竟有多强壮，然而，在人工饲养的大猩猩中，经过实验记录显示，它一只手可以提起1000磅的物品！大猩猩和人类一样，有32颗牙齿。可不同的是，大猩猩的犬牙可以长到2英寸长。犬牙可以帮助它们咀嚼粗壮的植物，还可以恐吓出现的所有仇敌。黑猩猩的移动速度为20-25英里/小时，相较于它的体型来说，这个速度已经很快了。

4.African Elephant
4.非洲象

The African Elephant is the world's largest animal, and also among the world's most intelligent animals. They have massively thick bodies, stocky legs, and enormous ears. They stand up to 13 feet tall at shoulder height and can weigh over 13,000 pounds. Their ivory tusks alone can weigh up to 100 pounds and can grow up to 8 feet long. They are used for digging, moving objects, and sparing with each other to establish dominance. Unfortunately, ivory is also prized by poachers. An elephant's trunk alone has approximately 100,000 different muscles. To understand how impressive that is, consider that the entire human body contains less than 800 individual muscles!
非洲象的体型为世界之最，它们也是最聪明的动物之一。非洲象身型壮硕，两腿结实，耳朵巨大，高至13英尺，重达13000磅，单单象牙就重约100磅，最长可达8英尺。这些象牙用来挖掘东西，移动物体，有时候在争夺统治地位时当作武器。不幸的是，象牙也是偷猎者们的心头所好。非洲象仅鼻子就有大概10万块不同的肌肉。如果你不能理解这意味着什么，想想看，我们人类全身才只有不到800块肌肉，想必这样你就明白这有多惊人了！
An elephant's trunk acts as a fifth limb and a sound amplifier. It also helps to collect roots, grasses, fruits and bark that are used for food. This is an important tool considering that adult elephants can consume up to 300 pounds of food in a day. The 100,000 muscles in an elephant's trunk make them incredibly strong. Elephants can use their trunks to deliver devastating blows to their enemies in self-defense, tear down heavy branches for food, and even uproot an entire tree trunk. Amazingly, an elephant's trunk is also able to detect and distinguish smells at a rate that is several hundred times better than dogs. This is due to the many sensory organs that are located throughout the entire trunk.
鼻子对于非洲象来说既像第五条腿，又是一个扩音器。它可以帮助非洲象采集食物如树根、绿草、水果和树皮等。一只成年大象每天需要消耗300磅的食物，可见鼻子有多么重要，况且拥有多达10万块肌肉的象鼻子简直强壮无比。大象们可以利用自己的鼻子自卫，给敌人造成致命性的打击，也可以用来撕扯粗壮的树枝作为食物，甚至可以将树干整个连根拔起。令人惊奇的是，由于大象的鼻子里分布着许多感觉器官，象鼻子还能够嗅到并辨别不同的味道，与狗狗的能力相比还要快700倍。

3.Leafcutter Ant
3.切叶蚁

There are 47 different species of leafcutter ants, all of which are prevalent in Central and South America, Mexico, and some parts of the United States. Over the course of just a few years, the underground nests of leafcutters can grow close to 100 feet across. When you include the smaller radiating nests that are part of these colonies, they can grow to almost 6,500 square feet. A nest like this would contain over eight million leafcutter ants!
切叶蚁的种类多达47种，大都分布在中美洲，南美洲，墨西哥以及美国的部分地区。仅仅在过去的几年时间里，地面上切叶蚁的巢穴已经发展至100英尺宽。如果将一些零散分布在周围且规模较小的巢穴也算上的话，总面积大约为6500平方英尺。在这样的一个巢穴里居住的蚂蚁竟然多达800万只！
Amazingly, these tiny ants are second only to humans in terms of having formed both the largest animal community and the most complex animal community found on Earth. Part of their power stems from their social systems. The ants are divided into castes based on their size, and each caste is tasked with performing a different function. Some care for fungus gardens, some cut leaves and bring the pieces back to the nest, some patrol the nest and ferociously attack enemies, and some act as soldiers who defend the nest, clear trails, and carry heavy items back to the nest. Leafcutter ants are amazingly strong given their small size. Part of their strength lies in their body composition. The Atta species have three pairs of spines and the Acromyrmex species have four pairs of spines. Leafcutter ants use their huge jaw muscles and mandibles to cut leaves into smaller, more manageable portions. Although most workers end up carrying a weight that is about three times their body weight, they have the capability to lift and carry items that are up to 50 times their own body weight. To put that into perspective, imagine a human lifting a truck with his teeth! Leafcutter ants also have the potential to provide powerful anti-cancer drugs for humans. Each leafcutter ant has a bacteria that lives on their outer surface which acts as an antibiotic to protect against infections. Some of the antibiotics that they produce exhibit strong activity toward drug-resistant cancer cells. This could have huge implications for discovering new, more effective types of chemotherapy drugs.
令人讶异地是，就动物聚集地的规模和复杂程度而言，蚂蚁仅次于人类。蚂蚁所拥有的巨大力量，某一部分源于它们的社会体系。在蚂蚁社会中，蚂蚁依据体型分为不同等级，从而执行不同的任务。有的蚂蚁负责照顾真菌性植物花园；有的负责切割树叶并把碎叶带回巢穴；有的负责在蚂蚁窝附近，对侵入的敌人予以猛烈攻击；还有的蚂蚁则像士兵一样保卫家园，消除路上的蚂蚁脚印，并将重物搬回蚁窝。就切叶蚁的体型而言，它们的力量确实是异常惊人，而这部分要归功于切叶蚁的身体构成状况。Atta属切叶蚁有3对脊椎，而Acromyrmex属切叶蚁则有四对。这些蚂蚁用他们下巴处的有力肌肉和下颌骨将树叶切成小的、拿得动的碎叶。尽管最后切叶蚁背的这些小碎叶的重量也要接近自身的3倍重，但是这些蚂蚁可是能够承载自身50倍的重量的。形象的说，这就相当于一个人用牙举起一辆卡车！切叶蚁还有可能对人类研发抗癌药物提供巨大帮助，这是因为切叶蚁的身体表面生存着一种类似于抗生素的细菌，用来预防感染。这种细菌中有些对抗药性的癌细胞有极好的治疗效果。由此可以预见，这可能会对我们研发出更先进、更高效的化疗药物产生极大的影响。

2.Rhinoceros Beetle
2.独角仙甲虫

There are over 300 species of rhinoceros beetles known to man. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. The largest rhinoceros beetles can grow to over 6 inches in length! The aptly named Hercules Beetles are capable of lifting up to 850 times their own weight! To put that in perspective, try to imagine giving a piggy-back ride to 850 people at once. Or imagine lifting 9 fully grown male elephants. When thought of in those terms, the strength of the rhinoceros beetle is truly awe-inspiring.
全世界已被发现的独角仙甲虫有300多种，分布在除了南极洲外的世界各地。最大的独角仙甲虫达6英寸长。独角仙——恰如其名，能拉动等同于自身重量850倍的东西。换个说法，可以试想一下，当你同时背850个人或是举起9头成年公象的时候，那会是怎样的情景呢。想到这些，这只小小的昆虫所爆发出的能量不禁令人肃然起敬。
Rhinoceros beetles have a thick exoskeleton and wings, although they are not very effective flyers due to their large size. Male rhinoceros beetles have horn-like projections on and around their heads. They cannot bite or sting, so they avoid the few predators they have by hiding under logs or in vegetation, protecting themselves from being found through camouflage. However, they don't have many predators because of their large size and stature. When they are in danger, their incredible strength paired with their horns allow them to quickly dig themselves into soil and leaf litter to escape. When rhinoceros beetles are disturbed, they emit a hissing squeak that is the result of rubbing their wing covers and their abdomen together.
独角仙甲虫拥有厚厚的甲壳和翅膀，但是由于体型庞大，飞行能力并不是很好。雄虫在其头顶部及周围生有觭角，但它们并不会叮咬其他生物，所以它们只能通过躲在木头或植物里以避开天敌。不过，凭借着其庞大的体型，它们的天敌并不多。当它们的处境危险时，它们的觭角爆发力极强，能帮助它们快速挖开落叶层和泥土逃离现场。当独角仙甲虫感到不安时，它们就会用翅膀摩擦下腹，发出吱吱的响声。

1.Dung Beetle
1.屎壳郎

The dung beetle is the world's strongest insect. When talking about proportional strength, the dung beetle is also far and away the strongest animal on the planet.
屎壳郎是世界上最强的昆虫——如果按体重和负重比例来算，屎壳郎无疑是地球上最强大的动物。
Scientists in London conducted an experiment and found that Onthophagus Taurus dung beetles could pull an astonishing 1,141 times their own body weight. For the experiment, researchers tried to simulate the beetle's natural environment. Then, by simply gluing a piece of thread to the beetle's back and pulling on it, researcher's activated the beetle's instinct to fight back and pull in the opposite direction. They measured the strength they pulled using a pulley and water, and recorded the amazing feat. To put it in perspective, if a human were to pull 1,142 times their own body weight, they would have to pull six full double-decker buses! The strength of dung beetles is even more impressive when you realize that, true to their names, they feed on dung or feces. One type of beetle rolls the dung into balls for use as a food source, others bury the dung wherever they find it, and others are dwellers who simply live in manure. New research shows that dung beetles can actually navigate via the Milky Way. They are the first and only known species in the animal kingdom to do this. By orienting themselves with the Milky Way, dung beetles are able to move in a straight line, making the quickest exit away from the dung pile with their personal ball of food. This quick exit strategy is to prevent others from stealing their ball.
伦敦的科学家在实验中惊奇地发现，屎壳郎能拖动相当于其身体重量1141倍的物体。在实验中，研究人员尝试模拟屎壳郎的自然生存环境，随后在其背上粘了一条线，并借助滑轮和水将屎壳郎向后拉，研究发现，屎壳郎本能的向相反的方向反抗。结果，研究人员通过测量先前借助滑轮和水产生的拉力，得到了屎壳郎本身力量的惊人数据。换个说法，如果一个人要拉动比自己重1141倍的物体，就相当于要拉动6辆满载的双层巴士。屎壳郎——恰如其名，它们是在粪堆里长大的。有的屎壳郎惯于把粪便滚成球留作食物储备，有的则惯于在发现粪便的地方将其掩埋起来，还有的甚至是居住在粪堆里的。最新研究发现，屎壳郎是动物界里目前发现的唯一能穿越银河系的动物。只要把方向瞄准银河系，它们能够顺着它们储存的粪球径直向前。这个方法是它们为了保护粪球不被盗取而想出来的。

审校:省略珺 编辑:旭旭 来源:前十网