由 英语数字智库 短篇科普小品：第二十三篇
本文为原创纪实科普文稿
沿用《国家地理》严谨写实文风，内容独立撰写、无抄袭。
英文原文
Urban-adapted wild felids represent
one of the most astonishing ecological phenomena
in the modern world.
As human cities sprawl outward,
vast stretches of wilderness are carved into fragments,
pushing many wild animals toward extinction.
Yet certain members of the cat family
have demonstrated remarkable resilience,
learning to survive and even breed
within the concrete landscapes of metropolitan areas.
These creatures are not domestic strays.
They are true wild felids:
leopards, pumas, caracals, bobcats and jungle cats,
each equipped with sharp claws, keen night vision
and instinctive hunting skills forged in the wild.
For generations, humans regarded them
as exclusive dwellers of forests, mountains and savannas.
Now, they navigate street grids, cross highways,
and seek shelter in parks, ravines and overgrown green corridors.
Mumbai’s urban leopards are among the most famous examples.
The city presses closely against the edge of Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
where dozens of leopards make their home.
They slip quietly through residential neighborhoods after dusk,
patrolling green belts, preying on feral dogs and rodents,
and avoiding direct contact with human residents.
These big cats have adjusted their activity rhythm,
resting in dense thickets by day
and emerging under the cover of darkness.
Across Los Angeles, the mountain puma
has become a well-known urban survivor.
Isolated by freeways and residential districts,
these solitary predators live in fragmented hillsides
wedged between dense urban blocks.
The famous puma P‑22 once roamed the Hollywood hills,
capturing global attention for its ability
to persist in the heart of a major metropolis.
Smaller wild cats show even stronger adaptability.
Caracals occupy suburban zones in South Africa,
hunting birds and rodents amid farmlands and housing estates.
Bobcats thrive in North American cities,
using drainage channels and woodlots
as hidden travel routes.
Jungle cats in South Asia settle in wetlands
along the fringes of expanding towns.
What makes wild felids capable of urban survival?
Their flexible diet stands as a key advantage.
Instead of relying solely on large wild prey,
they switch to rats, stray pigeons and feral animals
abundant within city boundaries.
Their solitary, secretive nature also helps them stay unseen.
They avoid noisy crowded zones,
and exploit thin strips of leftover vegetation
as migration passages between habitat patches.
Even so, urban life brings severe hidden dangers.
Fast-moving vehicles on roads are the leading killer
of city-dwelling wild cats.
Many individuals die in collisions while crossing highways.
Human-wildlife conflict remains another grave threat.
When cats prey on livestock or pets,
fearful residents may set traps or use poison.
Artificial light and noise disrupt their natural hunting cycles,
and urban pollutants accumulate in their bodies.
Habitat fragmentation creates isolated small populations.
Cut off from other groups,
the felids face limited genetic exchange,
gradually weakening the long-term vitality of the population.
Scientists study these urban felids
to understand how wildlife responds
to rapid human transformation of the planet.
Their presence delivers a double-sided message.
It proves wild predators can display extraordinary flexibility
when faced with habitat loss.
At the same time, it warns us
that such survival often comes at a heavy cost.
Conservationists are exploring practical solutions
to ease the tension between cities and wild cats.
Wildlife overpasses and underpasses are built across highways,
allowing safe passage without vehicle encounters.
Green ecological corridors connect separated habitat patches,
enabling animals to roam and find mates.
Public education teaches local residents
to coexist cautiously with these unseen neighbors,
reducing panic and retaliatory harm.
Urban wild felids rewrite our old understanding
of where wild animals belong.
They remind us that wilderness is not always
far away in remote mountains or untouched forests.
Even amid concrete and skyscrapers,
a place can still hold room for wild predators.
The story of these city cats
challenges humanity to design cities
that respect wildlife needs,
and build a more inclusive world
where humans and wild creatures can share the same landscape.
中文译文
适应城市的野生猫科动物，
是当代世界最令人惊叹的生态现象之一。
随着人类城市持续向外扩张，
大片原生荒野被切割成零散斑块，
众多野生动物走向消亡。
但猫科家族中的部分物种，
展现出惊人的生存韧性，
学会在钢筋水泥的都市环境中存活，甚至繁衍后代。
它们并非流浪家猫。
而是纯正的野生猫科：
花豹、美洲狮、狞猫、短尾猫、丛林猫，
每一种都拥有利爪、敏锐夜视能力，
以及在荒野中演化出的捕猎本能。
长久以来，人类一直以为，
它们只栖息在森林、山地与草原。
如今它们穿行街道，跨越公路，
在城市公园、沟壑与杂草丛生的绿色廊道寻找庇护。
孟买的城市花豹是最知名的案例。
这座城市紧挨着桑贾伊·甘地国家公园，
数十头花豹在此栖息。
黄昏之后，它们悄悄潜入居民区，
巡查绿化带，捕食野犬与鼠类，
尽量避开人类。
这些大猫调整自身活动节律，
白天躲藏在茂密灌丛休息，
等到夜幕降临才外出活动。
在美国洛杉矶，美洲狮
成为知名的城市生存者。
高速公路与居民区把它们隔绝开来，
这些独居掠食者生活在城市楼宇之间
破碎的山坡地带。
著名的美洲狮P‑22曾栖息在好莱坞山，
因其能在大型都市核心顽强生存，
获得全世界关注。
体型更小的野生猫科，适应能力更强。
狞猫活跃在南非城郊地带，
在农田与住宅区之间捕猎鸟类、啮齿动物。
短尾猫在北美城市繁衍生息，
把排水渠与小片林地当作隐秘移动通道。
南亚的丛林猫，则定居在城镇扩张边缘的湿地。
野生猫科何以能够在城市立足？
食谱的灵活性是核心优势。
它们不再只依赖大型野生猎物，
转而捕食城市里数量充足的老鼠、野鸽和流浪动物。
独居、谨慎隐秘的天性，也帮助它们隐藏行踪。
它们避开喧闹人群密集区域，
利用残存的狭长植被带，
在各个栖息地斑块之间迁徙。
即便如此，城市生活潜藏重重致命危机。
飞驰的车辆，是城市野生猫科的头号杀手。
许多个体在穿越公路时遭遇车祸丧生。
人兽冲突，是另一大严峻威胁。
当猫科捕食家畜或者宠物，
心怀恐惧的居民会布设陷阱、投放毒饵。
人工光源与噪音打乱它们原生捕猎节律，
各类城市污染物会在体内不断富集。
栖息地碎片化造就孤立小种群。
种群之间彼此隔绝，
基因交流受阻，
长期来看会削弱种群活力。
科学家持续研究这些城市野生猫科，
以此探索野生动物如何应对
人类对地球环境的剧烈改造。
它们的存在，传递出双重启示。
这证明掠食动物面对栖息地丧失时，
能够展现超乎想象的适应能力。
但同时也警示我们，
这样的生存往往伴随着沉重代价。
保护工作者正在寻找可行方案，
缓和城市与野生猫科之间的矛盾。
人们在公路上方修建野生动物天桥，下方设置涵洞，
让动物安全穿行，规避车辆撞击。
绿色生态廊道连接起彼此割裂的栖息地，
方便它们活动、寻找配偶。
科普教育引导当地居民，
谨慎与这些看不见的邻居共存，
减少恐慌以及报复性伤害。
城市野生猫科，改写了我们过去的认知：
野生动物并非只能远居于深山或者原始森林。
即便在高楼林立的混凝土世界之中，
依然可以为野生掠食者留出一席之地。
这些城市猫科的故事，
促使人类打造兼顾野生动物需求的城市，
构建更加包容的大地，
让人类与野生生灵共享同一片土地。
一、核心生词
1. felid
/ˈfiːlɪd/
猫科动物
名词（n.）
2. sprawl
sprɔːl
无序扩张
动词（v.）
3. resilience
/rɪˈzɪliəns/
韧性；复原力
名词（n.）
4. metropolitan
/ˌmetrəˈpɒlɪtən/
大都市的
形容词（adj.）
5. ravine
/rəˈviːn/
沟壑，峡谷
名词（n.）
6. feral
/ˈferəl/
野生的；野化的
形容词（adj.）
7. solitary
/ˈsɒlətri/
独居的
形容词（adj.）
8. fragment
/ˈfræɡmənt/
碎片；分割
动词（v.）
9. genetic
/dʒəˈnetɪk/
基因的
形容词（adj.）
10. corridor
/ˈkɒrɪdɔː(r)/
廊道；通道
名词（n.）
11. collision
/kəˈlɪʒn/
碰撞
名词（n.）
12. retaliatory
/rɪˈtæliətri/
报复性的
形容词（adj.）
二、重点短语
1. wild felids
野生猫科动物
2. ecological phenomena
生态现象
3. habitat fragmentation
栖息地碎片化
4. green corridor
绿色廊道
5. human-wildlife conflict
人兽冲突
6. feral animals
野化动物
7. genetic exchange
基因交流
8. wildlife overpass
野生动物天桥
9. metropolitan areas
都市区域
10. prey on
捕食
三、长难句拆解
句子
Urban-adapted wild felids represent
one of the most astonishing ecological phenomena
in the modern world.
As human cities sprawl outward,
vast stretches of wilderness are carved into fragments,
pushing many wild animals toward extinction.
主干：
Urban-adapted wild felids represent one of the most astonishing ecological phenomena in the modern world
主干译文：
适应城市的野生猫科动物，是当代世界最令人惊叹的生态现象之一
时间状语从句：
As human cities sprawl outward
伴随状语：
vast stretches of wilderness are carved into fragments, pushing many wild animals toward extinction
状语译文：
随着人类城市持续向外扩张，大片原生荒野被切割成零散斑块，众多野生动物走向消亡
句子
These creatures are not domestic strays.
They are true wild felids:
leopards, pumas, caracals, bobcats and jungle cats,
each equipped with sharp claws, keen night vision
and instinctive hunting skills forged in the wild.
主干：
These creatures are not domestic strays
主干译文：
它们并非流浪家猫
主干：
They are true wild felids
同位语：
leopards, pumas, caracals, bobcats and jungle cats
独立主格：
each equipped with sharp claws, keen night vision and instinctive hunting skills forged in the wild
译文：
而是纯正的野生猫科：花豹、美洲狮、狞猫、短尾猫、丛林猫，
每一种都拥有利爪、敏锐夜视能力，以及在荒野中演化出的捕猎本能。
©英语数字智库 版权所有
所有学习素材资料均为英语数字智库原创，禁止私自转载、
摘抄、复制、二次编辑、商用分发，任何侵权行为将依法追究责任。
请点击返回首页国家地理精选26篇目录