Many deadly viruses in the past have also originated from bats, including the Ebola outbreaks in western Africa.

過去很多致命的病毒也是來源於蝙蝠，包括西非爆發的埃博拉病毒。

How did the virus get from bats in some other part of China or Southeast Asia into Wuhan?

病毒是如何從中國其他地方或東南亞的蝙蝠傳入武漢的？

Molecular studies have demonstrated that bats are natural reservoirs to many different viruses, some of which have led to disease outbreaks.

分子研究表明，蝙蝠是許多不同病毒的天然儲存庫，其中一些病毒已導致疾病爆發。

So why is that?

那為什麼會這樣呢？

Bats are a group of flying mammals with more than 1300 different species in 20 families.

蝙蝠是一類會飛的哺乳動物，有20個科1300多個不同種類。

That's according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

這是國際自然保護聯盟的說法。

Some bats roost in forest, while others in caves.

有的蝙蝠在森林裡棲息，有的則在山洞裡。

Some eat insects, some fruit seeds and pollen, while others eat small animals such as birds, fish and frogs.

有的吃昆蟲，有的吃水果種子和花粉，有的吃鳥、魚、蛙等小動物。

Some even feed on animal blood.

有的甚至以動物血為食。

Hello, vampire bat.

你好，吸血鬼蝙蝠

The diversity of the group has been seen by scientists as a possible mechanism for driving virus diversity, and studies have shown that bats host more zoonotic viruses per species than even rodents, the most diverse mammal group.

群體的多樣性被科學家們視為推動病毒多樣性的可能機制，研究表明，蝙蝠每個物種所寄生的人畜共患病毒甚至超過了種類最豐富的哺乳動物群體--齧齒類。

Apart from diversity, other traits that make bats suitable as virus hosts include their size and longevity.

除了多樣性之外，蝙蝠適合作為病毒宿主的其他特徵還包括其體型和壽命。

Bats have relatively long lifespans for their body size, which can make it easier for viruses to persist.

蝙蝠的體型壽命相對較長，這就會使病毒更容易持續存在。

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight, which has a high metabolic demand.

蝙蝠是唯一能進行動力飛行的哺乳動物，對新陳代謝的要求很高。

This leads to elevated body temperatures and bats similar to the effects of human fever that occurs during immune response.

這導致體溫升高，蝙蝠類似於人類在免疫反應過程中出現的發熱效應。

This means some viruses they carry have adapted to be more tolerant to higher temperatures, potentially bad news for other animals if infected.

這意味著它們攜帶的一些病毒已經適應了更高的溫度，如果被感染，對其他動物來說可能是個壞消息。