遇见一群“不可思议的”猎豹幼崽
你可能不知道，但在弗吉尼亚州的史密森学会有一场“猎豹幼崽热潮”。
官员周三宣布，3 月底的一周内出生了两窝。共有 10 只健康的幼崽幸存下来，它们毛茸茸的小脸的到来使史密森尼对话生物学研究所的猎豹数量增加了一半。
该研究所的猎豹生物学家兼动物园和水族馆协会猎豹物种生存计划的经理 Adrienne Crosier 说：“平均一窝产仔数是 3 只，所以这一次我们有一大堆幼崽。”
Crosier 说，每一只幼崽都“在改善人类照料的猎豹种群的健康方面发挥着重要作用，并代表着整个物种的希望。”
这 10 只幼崽是出生在弗吉尼亚州 Front Royal 学院的第二代猎豹。
其中 5 只幼崽于 3 月 23 日出生，然后在 3 月 28 日又出生了 7 只幼崽。其中一只幼崽的两只幼崽死亡，官员说这在大窝中很常见。根据新闻稿，幸存的幼崽包括六只雌性和四只雄性。
认识今年在国家动物园和史密森尼保护生物学研究所出生的一些最新婴儿
科学家和饲养员将监测这些幼崽，它们计划在六周大时进行第一次兽医检查。在那之前，他们拥抱在一起取暖，给我们一些可爱的东西，可能会让你的嘴巴张成微笑。
Meet an ‘incredible pile’ of cheetah cubs
By Victoria St. Martin
April 5, 2017
You might not know it, but there’s a “cheetah cub boom” at a Smithsonian institute in Virginia.
Two litters were born in one week at the end of March, officials announced Wednesday. A total of 10 healthy cubs survived and the arrival of their furry little faces increased the number of cheetahs at the Smithsonian Conversation Biology Institute by half.
“The average litter size is three, so this time we’ve got an incredible pile of cubs,” said Adrienne Crosier, the institute’s cheetah biologist and manager of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Cheetah Species Survival Plan.
Crosier said each and every cub plays a “significant role in improving the health of the population of cheetahs in human care and represents hope for the species overall.”
The 10 cubs are the second generation of cheetahs born at the institute in Front Royal, Va.
Five of the cubs were born on March 23, and then seven more cubs were born on March 28. Two cubs from one of the litters died, which officials said is common in large litters. The surviving cubs include six females and four males, according to a press release.
Scientists and keepers will monitor the cubs, who are scheduled to have their first veterinary exam at six weeks old. Until then, they cuddle together for warmth and give us something cute to look at that could possibly force your mouth to stretch into a smile.
Watch: Cheetah cubs abound at National Zoo
