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Hi, my name is Alex Goetz and I'm a wildlife filmmaker and photographer.
大家好，我是亚历克斯·戈茨，我是一名野生动物制片人和摄影师。
When I'm not on location, I live here in, Northwest Ohio.
我在不出外景的时候会住在这里——俄亥俄州的西北部。
I'm fortunate to be just a short drive away from a globally rare ecosystem called the Oak Openings Region.
幸运的是，我离一个叫“橡树开放区”的全球罕见的生态系统只有很短的车程。
The Oak Openings Region is an amazing place that not only has these massive oak trees and oak savannas, beautiful wildflower prairies, but swamps too.
“橡树开放区”是一个神奇的地方，那里不仅有巨大的橡树、橡树热带稀树草原、美丽的野花盛开的草原、还有沼泽。
The Oak Openings Region is home to many unique species of plants and animals.
“橡树开放区”是很多独特的动植物的家园。
But today, we're looking for one particularly, misunderstood one and a personal favorite of mine,
而今天我们要寻找一种特别的、被世人误解的、同时也是我最爱的一种动物，
that can be found wandering throughout this region, as well as backyards and suburbs and cities.
不管是在这里、在后院、在郊区还是在城市里你都能发现它们的踪迹。
Today, we're looking for the opossum. Opossums have a bit of a bad reputation.
今天我们要找的就是负鼠，负鼠的名声有点臭。
Fueled by some common misconceptions out there, I want to explore some of these myths and misconceptions with you and figure out what is fact or fiction.
外界对负鼠有普遍的误解，而我想来澄清一下这些误解，告诉你们哪些是真的、哪些是假的。
First, let's clear probably, the biggest misconception out there before we dive too deep into others.
首先，在我们深入探讨之前，我想先澄清一个最大的误解，
Is it opossum or possum?
它是叫“opossum(负鼠)”还是“possum(鼠貂)”
While those are both animals with pouches, they're actually two different animals.
虽然这两种动物都有育儿袋，但它们其实是两种不同的动物。
Opossums are the fuzzy white animal that roams around here in North America.
“Opossums(负鼠)”是一种生活在北美的毛茸茸的白色动物，
But possums without the O, are actually an Australian species more closely related to the kangaroo.
而“possum(鼠貂)”虽然少了个“O”，但它其实是澳大利亚的一个物种，和“袋鼠”比较亲。
Opossums should be a welcome neighbor to your backyards.
“Opossums(负鼠)”呢则是那位常来你家后院的邻居。
While a lot of people view this animal as a nuisance, they actually provide some really important ecological benefits to humans.
很多人觉得它们讨厌，但其实它们为人类带来了一些非常重要的生态效益。
Opossums are omnivores. Meaning they will eat anything from plants, fruits, and nuts to bugs, small mammals and even roadkill.
负鼠是杂食动物，这说明它们会吃任何东西，植物、水果、坚果到虫子、小型哺乳动物，甚至是马路上被车撞死的动物。
As scavengers, they clean up the environment around them of deceased animals.
作为食腐动物，它们会清理掉周边死去的其它动物，
One of the best things about them though, they eat ticks, a lot of them too.
而它们最大的一点好处就是，它们会吃掉扁虱，很多很多的扁虱。
It's estimated they will eat around 5,000 a year, which helps cut back on Lyme Disease in the environment.
据估计，它们每年要吃掉大约5000只扁虱，这有助于减少莱姆病的发生。
A lot of people think that opossums are disease-ridden or have rabies.
很多人认为负鼠带有疾病或者狂犬病，
It's actually really rare for an opossum to get rabies because opossums have a lower body temperature than other mammals here in North America.
而实际上负鼠患狂犬病的可能性非常小，因为负鼠的体温比北美其他哺乳动物要低，
Their bodies just aren't suitable habitats for diseases like rabies.
它们的身体不适合像狂犬病这样的疾病生存。
Some people might not think they're the cutest animal roaming through your yards and neighborhoods,
有些人可能觉得它们并不是常来后院闲逛的动物里最可爱的那一种，
but I promise you, they play a very important role in the ecosystem.
但我向你保证，它们在生态系统中绝对起到了非常重要的作用。
Opossums tend to be shy and want nothing to do with people.
负鼠是一种比较害羞的小动物，它们不喜欢和人打交道，
So it's easy for people to claim they're mean, rabid or a nuisance when they run into one around their home.
所以人们在自个儿家附近碰到负鼠的时候就会觉得它们很刻薄、狂暴，觉得它们讨厌。
But I hope that dispelling some of these myths and misconceptions of opossums has helped you understand and appreciate your wild neighbors more.
但我希望我能消除大家对负鼠的一些误解，这样有助于大家能更好地了解、欣赏自个儿家的野生邻居。
