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The Valais Blacknose sheep are some of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen. On first glance, they don’t even look real. They do have a Facebook fan page with over 3,500 likes, but I think they ought to be more well-known.
瓦莱黑鼻羊是我见过的最可爱的动物之一。乍看之下,它们都不像是真的动物。脸书上有一个黑鼻羊的公共页面,已经获得了3500个“赞”。但我觉得这些黑鼻羊还应该更红才是。

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The Blacknose sheep originate in the Valais region of Switzerland. They are a dual-purpose breed, raised for wool as well as meat. Their most notable features – a black face, black ears, black knees and legs. The rest of their coat is stringy, white and unbelievably fluffy; you’d just want to cuddle up with them.
黑鼻羊起源于瑞士的瓦莱州地区,当地的人们培育黑鼻羊主要是为了食肉和收集羊毛。它们最显著的外貌特征是黑色的脸、黑色的耳朵、黑色的双膝和四肢——除此之外,它们的毛皮是一片雪白,一绺一绺的,超级蓬松。你会忍不住想去抱抱它们。

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The Valais Blacknose are a Heritage breed. These domesticated animals are well suited to live in the extreme climatic conditions of the high mountains and are good at grazing on steep, rocky slopes.
瓦莱士黑鼻羊是一个历史悠久的品种。这些动物很早就被人类驯化,对高山地带的严寒气候有很强的适应能力,它们能够在十分陡峭的石坡上觅食。

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Each sheep weighs 80 to 100 kilos and produces about 4 kilos of wool a year. Their earliest mention dates back to 1400 A.D., but they were first recognized as a separate breed in 1962.
每只羊约重80到100千克,一年能够产4公斤的羊毛。早在公元1400年,这种羊就已经出现在人类的历史记录中了。但直到1962年人们才认识到它们是一个独立的品种。

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There isn’t a lot of content online about the Valais Blacknose. They are featured in a few videos about other topics, like this 10-minute documentary on the traditional festival celebrated by farmers and shepherds in the Swiss Alps. I do believe we need to see more of these incredibly cute sheep!
网络上关于瓦莱尔黑鼻羊的资料并不多。在一些民俗等主题的记录片里它们曾经露过脸,例如有一个介绍瑞士阿尔卑斯山脉地区农民和牧民庆祝一种传统节日的十分钟的视频中,曾经出现过黑脸羊。这样超级可爱的羊,求更多出镜机会啊!