長頸鹿：長得高睡個覺也不容易啊

These towering beasts look like they need a comfy mattress but shut-eye's not a giraffe's biggest concern.
長得像塔一樣的長頸鹿看起來很需要一張舒服的牀墊，不過睡覺不是長頸鹿要操心的大事。

Just looking at these slumbering giraffes is enough to give you a crick in the neck - which is why the world's tallest animals don't often stop for a snooze.
看着這些睡覺的長頸鹿你都會覺得脖子累，這就是爲什麼這種世界上最高的動物通常不會隨便停下打個盹兒。

Despite their height, giraffes actually have the shortest sleep requirement of all mammals, surviving on an average of half an hour a day.
雖然長頸鹿長這麼高，但是它們是所有哺乳動物裏面睡得最少的，平均每天睡半個小時就夠了。

When they do settle to sleep, it's for minutes at a time, because of the risks to their wellbeing in the wild.
當真的要睡覺的時候，它們一次只睡幾分鐘，因爲在野外可不太安全。

In captivity, the giraffe sleeps intermittently around 4.6 hours per day, mostly at night. It usually sleeps lying down, however, standing sleeps have been recorded, particularly in older individuals.
籠子裏的長頸鹿每天大約會斷斷續續地睡4.6小時，大部分時間是在晚上。它們一般會躺着睡，不過記錄中也有站着睡的，特別是那些年紀大的。

Males can grow up to 18 feet tall, while females can reach 14 feet and their calves, are born six feet tall.
雄性長頸鹿可以長到18英尺高（約5.5米），雌性長頸鹿可以長到14英尺高（約4.3米），而小長頸鹿出生時就有6英尺高（約1.8米）。

As a prey animal, the evolution of the giraffe's habits means that they rarely lie down, as it's difficult for them to get up again.
長頸鹿是被捕食的動物，經過進化後，它們現在很少會躺下，因爲躺下後要再起來可不容易。

Sleeping and drinking water both cause problems for the animals because their long necks are too short to reach the ground.
睡覺和喝水對長頸鹿來說都不輕鬆，因爲它們脖子太長了反而夠不着地。

To drink they must spread their legs and bend down in an awkward position that makes them vulnerable to predators like Africa's big cats.
想要喝水，它們得岔開腿，笨拙地彎下身子。這時候如果非洲大貓一類的捕食者來了它們就很難逃掉了。

As a result, they get most of their water from the plants that they eat, and only need to drink water every few days.
因此，長頸鹿所需的水分大部分都是從它們吃的植物裏獲得的，它們只需要隔幾天喝一次水。