20091211 Hop Up to Victoria's Bug Zoo for some Creepy Crawly Fun (2)

Hop Up to Victoria's Bug Zoo for some Creepy Crawly Fun

Kids and a few parents fight for the chance to don a thick, black Pancho Villa-style mustache. We're famous for millipede mustaches more than anything else, says Carol Maier, who started the zoo in 1997. And there's always a whole lot of bug holding going on. You think having a wormy millipede stretch its bazillion legs across your upper lip is creepy and beyond disgusting? Nope. It's tickly, not slimy, and it wouldn't think of taking a nip from a lip.

The new canopy grasshoppers are about five inches long and really are lovely, Maier says. Red legs with big jumping hind legs. They live in the canopy of the jungle, hence the name. We've been breeding them in captivity for a few years, but the eggs took about three years to hatch this time. We had all but given up on them and then one day, puff, 200 baby grasshoppers to take care of.

Many of the bugs are safe enough for kids to handle, but the stingers and biters aren't allowed out to play when folks com to visit. The new Sydney funnel-web spider, a native of Australia, has a four-inch leg-span and a toxic bite. She doesn't spin a web, says Maier, She hunts.



creepy adj. 令人毛骨悚然的/不寒而慄的
eg: The creepy old house looked like it came right out of a horror movie.

slimy adj. 黏搭搭的/泥濘的
eg: After handling all those fish, Peter's hands were extremely slimy.
eg: The fish has a slimy texture but tastes delicious.
eg: This trail becomes really slimy after it rains, so be careful if you go hiking.
eg: The eggs were covered with some sort of slimy substance.

captivity n. 囚禁/被俘/束縛
=> not free
eg: Animals that have grown up in captivity often have difficulty adjusting to life in the wild.
eg: The hostages were held in captivity for over 10 hours. Fortunately, they were all released unharm.
eg: Animals that were raised in captivity might not survive in the wild.

toxic adj. 中毒的/毒(性)的/有毒的
=> have poison
eg: Large amounts of chocolate can be toxic to dogs and cats.
eg: The toxic waste of nuclear facilities needs to be professionally handled.
eg: The toxic effect of alcohol nearly took his life.
eg: When the paint was tested, toxic substances were found in it.

Pancho Villa-style
mustache n. 髭/小鬍子

bazillion
=> unlimitedness

millipede n. 節肢動物
canopy n. 遮雨篷





//== Chat Room ==//

puff/poof v. 噗的一聲
=> 魔術師變魔術的時候拿著他的魔術棒，然後puff，女助理就消失了
=> show something suddenly vanish

onomatopoeia n. 擬聲詞
=> word imitate sound

hiss v. (蛇等或氣體漏出時)發出嘶嘶聲
buzz v. (蜂等)嗡嗡叫

pop

boom
=> something heavily hit the ground

bang
=> a explosion



//== More INFO ==//

At Victoria's bug zoo the dangerous bug and insects aren't allowed out- not so much because they're a threat to the children but because the creatures need to be protected from the young visitors! For example, kids can get excited and drop an insect. In the case of a tarantula, that can cause a broken spider leg, which can be fatal - to the spider.

tarantula n. 鳥蛛