BBC Earth｜蛛尾拟角蝰的致命伪装

The lethal camouflage of spider-tailed horned viper
Seven Worlds, One Planet｜Asia

To the west of the Himalayas, in Iran, lie some of the hottest deserts on Earth. This is the Lut Desert. And here, temperatures can reach 70 degrees Celsius. The blisteringly hot rocks and baking sands of Iran's deserts may appear totally lifeless.

But a few trees manage to grow in the shade of the canyon walls. And here at least, migrating birds passing through can stop for a little rest.

A flycatcher. With luck, there might be a meal of some kind here. There are spiders in the crevices. Not much, but worth having. And there's something moving up there. The bird was mistaken. It was a viper with a lethal bite.

This species has only recently been discovered - and so far, it has been found nowhere else but here. Its camouflage is so effective that it's almost impossible to see it on these rocks. And on its tail, movable scales have been modified to look like a spider's legs, and its tip like an abdomen.

Migrating birds only appear in this barren desert during a few weeks of the year. This is the snake's only chance to eat for months. A shrike. It has flown here from Africa and hasn't fed for days. Better luck next time.


词汇表
spider-tailed horned viper [ˈspaɪdə(r) teɪld hɔːnd ˈvaɪpə(r)] 蛛尾拟角蝰（分布在伊朗西部，尾巴末端形似蜘蛛，用于诱捕鸟类等猎物）
Himalayas [ˌhiməˈleiəz] 喜马拉雅山脉
Iran [ɪˈrɑːn] 伊朗（西亚国家）
Lut Desert [luːt ˈdezət] 卢特荒漠（位于伊朗，是世界上最热的地方之一）
blisteringly hot [ˈblɪstərɪŋli] 滚烫的，灼热的，酷热的
baking ['beɪkɪŋ] 炙热的，灼热的
lifeless ['laɪfləs] 无生命的，没有生命迹象的
canyon wall ['kænjən] 峡谷壁
migrating birds [ˈmaɪɡreɪtɪŋ] 迁徙的鸟，候鸟
flycatcher [ˈflaɪˌkætʃə(r)] 捕蝇鸟，鹟（善于捕食飞行中的昆虫)
spider [ˈspaɪdə(r)] 蜘蛛
crevice ['krevɪs] （岩石上的）裂隙，裂隙
viper [ˈvaɪpə(r)] 蝰蛇（一种毒蛇）
lethal bite [ˈliːθl][baɪt] 致命一咬，致命咬伤
camouflage [ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ] 伪装，掩饰；（动物的）保护色；迷彩服
tail [teɪl] 尾巴，尾部
movable [ˈmuːvəb(ə)l] 可移动的，活动的，不固定的
scale [skeɪl]（鱼、蛇等动物的）鳞，鳞片
modify [ˈmɒdɪfaɪ] 演化，改变，改造
abdomen ['æbdəmən] 腹部
barren [ˈbærən] 贫瘠的，荒芜的，不毛的
shrike [ʃraɪk] 伯劳鸟，屠夫鸟（性格凶猛，会将捕获的饵物穿挂在荆刺上）
feed [fiːd] 进食，喂食

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