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DarienSatterfield_FishJaws_2020E-_现实生活中的“外星人”嘴巴_-
After stalking an unsuspecting cuttlefish across the seafloor , this moray eel is finally ready to pounce . 在海底跟踪一只乌贼一段时间 且乌贼完全没有起疑之后, 这只海鳗终于准备好突袭。
As the eel snags the mollusk in its long teeth, its prey struggles to escape. 当海鳗用牠的长牙咬住 这只软体动物时, 牠挣扎着想要脱身。
But before it can wriggle away, a second set of teeth lunge from the eel's throat, making short work of the captive cuttlefish. 可是在牠想摆脱之际, 第二组牙齿从海鳗的喉咙里 往前攫住牠, 快速地解决了被捕捉到的这只乌贼。
unsuspecting:adj.不怀疑的;未猜想到…的; cuttlefish:n.[无脊椎]乌贼;墨鱼; seafloor:n.海底; moray:n.海鳗; finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; pounce:v.突袭;猛扑;n.抓;吸墨粉 snags:n.障碍(snag的复数); v.使…剐破; mollusk:n.(美)[无脊椎]软体动物; prey:n.猎物;受害者;受骗者;v.折磨;掠夺;捕食(on,upon);损害(on,upon); wriggle:v.扭动身体;蠕动;蜿蜒行进;n.扭动;蠕动;蜿蜒行进; lunge:n.刺;跃进;刺进;套马索;vt.刺;戳;使前冲;vi.刺;突进; captive:adj.被俘虏的;被迷住的;n.俘虏;迷恋者;
This adaptation is called a pharyngeal jaw. 海鳗演化出的这种构造称为「咽頜」。
And while it might seem more fitting for an alien parasite than a fish, it's actually one of the most common adaptations under the sea. 虽然咽頜听起来像是 外星寄生虫的构造而不是鱼类的, 但它其实是海底 最常见的演化结果之一。
At some point millions of years ago, early fish evolved a jointed oral jaw from one of the bony arches that supported their frontal gills . 数百万年前的某个时点, 早期的鱼类原本用来支持 前鰓的其中一块骨弓 演化成具有活动关节的「口頜」。
adaptation:n.适应;改编;改编本,改写本; pharyngeal:adj.咽的;咽头的;n.咽的;喉音; fitting:adj.适合的;恰当的;n.试衣;小配件,附件;v.适合,合身;试穿;(fit的现在分词) parasite:n.寄生虫;食客; adaptations:n.适应;改编(adaptation的复数); evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) jointed:adj.有接缝的; v.连接,贴合(joint的过去式和过去分词形式); oral:adj.口头的; n.(尤指外语考试中的)口试; (大学里的)口试; bony:adj.骨的;多骨的;瘦骨嶙峋的;似骨的; arches:n.拱桥(arch的复数形式); v.用拱连接; frontal:adj.额的;正面的,前面的;n.额骨,额部;房屋的正面; gills:n.鱼鳃(gill的复数); v.除去鱼的鳃和内脏;
This exterior , oral jaw was perfect for capturing or chewing prey, but these early fish had a problem. 这种外部的口頜 但这些早期的鱼类有个问题;
They had no limbs to manipulate food while eating, making it easy for their mobile prey to escape before they took the first bite. 在进食时,牠们没有 可用来握住食物的前肢, 牠们的猎物如果够灵活, 就很容易在牠们 咬下第一口之前逃脱。
Essentially , it was impossible for fish to capture and chew their prey at the same time with just one set of jaws. 基本上,只有一组頜的鱼类 不可能在咬住猎物的同时还能咀嚼。
exterior:n.外观;外表;adj.外面的;外部的;外表的;户外的; capturing:v.俘虏;捕获;攻占;夺得;(capture的现在分词) limbs:n.[解剖]四肢(limb的复数); manipulate:vt.操纵;操作;巧妙地处理;篡改; mobile:n.手机;汽车;移动电话;adj.活跃的;可动的; Essentially:adv.本质上;本来; capture:v.俘虏;捕获;攻占;夺得;刻画,描述;n.(被)捕获;(被)俘获 at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时;
So to hold their food and eat it too, an even deeper gill arch evolved into a secondary set of jaws. 为了边抓住食物边吃, 一块在口腔内更深处的腮弓演化成了第二组頜。
Unlike oral jaws connected by a bone joint, these pharyngeal jaws were suspended in muscle , offering them a wide range of motion to turn, tug , and tear on food. 口頜是用骨头关节来连结, 咽頜却是直接嵌在肌肉中, 让它们能够做出各种动作,来旋转、拉扯,和撕裂食物。
secondary:adj.第二的;中等的;次要的;中级的;n.副手;代理人; suspended:v.悬;挂;吊;暂停;中止;(suspend的过去式和过去分词) muscle:n.肌肉;力量;v.加强;使劲搬动;使劲挤出; motion:n.动作;移动;手势;请求;意向;议案;v.运动;打手势; tug:n.拖船;拖曳;苦干;vi.用力拉;竞争;努力做;vt.用力拉;较量;用拖船拖;
Some pharyngeal jaws actively chew, while others retract to pull chunks of food down the throat. 有些咽頜能咀嚼, 也有些咽頜会缩回,把食物块拉进喉咙。
Of course, the teeth a jaw has also factor in here. 当然,咽頜上的牙齿 在这里也很重要;
For example, an oral jaw with fangs is exceptional for catching and holding on to fast-moving prey. 比如,有尖牙的咽頜 能够捕捉快速移动的猎物。
But depending on what that prey is, a fish might want sharp pharyngeal teeth to tear through tissue , flat pharyngeal molars to grind plant matter, or a powerful pharyngeal bite to crush shelled prey. 但要看猎物是什么, 有些鱼类可能会想要有 锐利的咽齿来撕裂组织 或扁平的咽臼齿来磨碎植物, 有些可能会有强大的咽齿咬力 来咬碎有壳的猎物。
retract:vt.缩回;缩进;取消;vi.缩回;缩进;撤消;n.收缩核; chunks:n.厚块;大块;相当大的量;组块;(chunk的复数) factor:n.因素;要素;[物]因数;代理人;v.做代理商;v.把…作为因素计入; fangs:n.[脊椎]尖牙; v.用尖牙咬; exceptional:adj.异常的,例外的;n.超常的学生; fast-moving:adj.移动迅速的; sharp:锋利的,尖的 tissue:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织; molars:n.[解剖]臼齿(molar的复数); grind:v.磨碎;磨快;n.磨;苦工作; crush:v.压碎;弄皱,变形;使…挤入;n.粉碎;迷恋;压榨;拥挤的人群; shelled:adj.带壳的;去壳的;v.使去壳(shell的过去分词);
Fortunately some fishes can change their secondary teeth to match a new diet over several years. 幸运的是,有些鱼类 能在几年的时间内 将第二组牙齿换新, 以配合新的饮食。
This flexibility allows fish to adapt and find food in a huge variety of aquatic environments. 这种弹性让鱼类能够适应 各式各样的水中环境,并在这些环境中觅食。
Some pharyngeal jaws have formed to eat food too hard for most fishes. 有些咽頜的形成是为了能吃 对大部分鱼类而言太硬的食物。
Fortunately:adv.幸运地; flexibility:n.灵活性;弹性;适应性; variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化; aquatic:adj.水生的;水栖的;在水中或水面进行的;n.水上运动;水生植物或动物;
California Sheephead use pointed teeth from their oral jaws to pry urchins off rocks before crushing their spiny exteriors in strong pharyngeal jaws that have fused with the bones of their skulls . 美丽突额隆头鱼会用 牠们口頜上的的尖牙 把海胆从石头上撬下来, 然后再用和头骨融合的强力咽頜粉碎掉牠们有刺的外壳。
Other fish prioritize eating huge quantities of food. 其他鱼类演化的重点 在吃到大量的食物。
The pharyngeal jaws of grass carp have two bone components that move in unison to pull plant life into their stomachs, consuming over 18 kilograms of seaweed a day. 草鱼的咽頜有两块骨头, 这两块骨头够一起移动, 将植物拉进胃里, 一天能吃掉超过十八公斤的海草。
pry:v.撬动,撬开;刺探,探查;n.窥探;杠杆; urchins:n.海胆(urchin的复数);顽童; crushing:adj.惨重的,毁坏性的;v.压碎;压坏;压伤;挤压变形;(crush的现在分词) spiny:adj.多刺的;麻烦的;尖刺状的; exteriors:adj.外部的;表面的;外在的;n.外部;表面;外型;外貌; fused:adj.装有熔断器的;v.(使)融合,熔断(fuse的过去分词和过去式) skulls:n.头骨(skull的复数);v.击中…的头颅(skull的第三人称单数); prioritize:v.按重要性排列;划分优先顺序;优先处理; quantities:n.数量;数目;大量;大宗;(quantity的复数) carp:vi.吹毛求疵;n.鲤鱼; components:n.部件;组件;成份(component复数); unison:n.和谐;齐唱;同度;[声]同音; consuming:adj.消费的;强烈的;v.消耗(consume的ing形式); seaweed:n.海藻,海草;
Other pharyngeal jaws are adapted to suit incredibly specific circumstances . 其他的咽頜的演化 则是为了非常特定的用途。
Consider this species of pearlfish that lives inside sea cucumbers and feeds on their guts . 例如这种隐鱼会住在海参里面, 吃牠们的内脏维生。
Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates with over 30,000 unique species, and much of that diversity is due to the hundreds of unique jaws separating otherwise identical species. 脊椎动物中最具多样性的就是鱼类, 有超过三万种独特的物种。 造就这多样性的是许多外型相同的鱼类 却有数百种各异的咽頜 而被归类为不同的物种。
adapted:adj.适于…的; v.使适应,使适合; (adapt的过去分词和过去式) incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地; specific:adj.特殊的,特定的;明确的;详细的;[药]具有特效的;n.特性;细节;特效药; circumstances:n.情况;环境;情形;(circumstance的复数) species:n.[生物]物种;种类; cucumbers:n.[园艺]黄瓜(cucumber的复数); guts:n.勇气;肠道;内脏;v.损毁内部;取出…的内脏;(gut的第三人称单数和复数) diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的; vertebrates:n.[脊椎]脊椎动物(vertebrate的复数); unique:adj.独特的,稀罕的;[数]唯一的;n.独一无二的人或物; diversity:n.差异(性):多样性:多样化: identical:adj.同一的;完全相同的;n.完全相同的事物;
Perhaps the best example of this dental diversity can be seen in cichlids . 最能呈现这种牙齿多样性的例子
This family of fish is primarily found in select African and South American lakes. 这一科鱼类主要出现在 非洲和南美洲的特殊湖泊中。
Typically , large lakes like these would be occupied by a handful of distantly related species, each adapted to consume one of the lake's limited food sources . 通常,这种大湖泊 会被少数种源迥异的物种给占据, 每种都会适应演化, 变成以湖泊的单一食物来源为食。
dental:n.牙医;[语]齿音;;adj.牙齿的;牙科的;齿音的; cichlids:n.棘鳍类热带淡水鱼;丽鱼科鱼;adj.丽鱼科的; primarily:adv.首先;主要地,根本上; Typically:adv.代表性地;作为特色地; occupied:adj.被占领的; v.占用; (occupy的过去分词和过去式) distantly:adv.远离地;疏远地;冷淡地; consume:v.消耗;吃;毁灭;烧毁; limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式) sources:n.来源;出处;起源;根源;原因;v.(从…)获得(source的第三人称单数和复数)
But here, almost every corner of the ecosystem is occupied by a different species of cichlid. 但在这里,几乎生态系统的每个角落 都被不同种的慈鲷占据,
There are over 1,700 cichlid species, many almost identical save for their uniquely adapted jaws which have evolved to eat crustaceans , mollusks , worms , algae , plankton , and even the scales of other fish. 种类超过一千七百种, 许多种类几乎一模一样, 但为了吃甲壳动物、软体动物、 虫类、藻类、浮游生物甚至其他鱼类的鳞片 而演化出不同的颔。
ecosystem:n.生态系统; uniquely:adv.独特地;珍奇地; crustaceans:n.甲壳类;甲壳纲动物(crustacean的复数); mollusks:n.[无脊椎]软体动物(mollusk的复数);[无脊椎]软体动物类; worms:n.蠕虫;寄生虫;幼虫;v.蠕动,曲折行进;(worm的第三人称单数和复数) algae:n.[植]藻类;[植]海藻; plankton:n.浮游生物(总称); scales:n.规模范围; v.攀登; (scale的第三人称单数和复数)
These oral adaptations are so essential for survival , that different species use their pharyngeal jaws to make unique mating sounds that allow female cichlids to identify males of their own species. 这种口腔的演化构造, 对于生存也十分重要, 比如不同的物种会用牠们的咽頜 来发出独一无二的求偶声, 让雌慈鲷可以找到 和自己同种的雄慈鲷。
This technique limits interspecies breeding , and ensures the parent fish will pass on their specialized jaws. 这项技能会限制跨物种繁殖, 确保牠们有特有的頜 能够遗传给下一代。
Scientists are still discovering all the ways this incredible skeletal mechanism functions. 科学家至今都还在探究 这种不凡的骨骼机制还有什么作用,
survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物; mating:n.交尾;交配;v.交配;交尾;使交配;(mate的现在分词) female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物; identify:v.识别:鉴定:确认:发现: technique:n.技巧,技术;手法; interspecies:n.种间(杂种); breeding:n.繁殖;饲养;教养;再生;v.生产;培育;使…繁殖;(breed的现在分词) ensures:v.保证,确定(原形为ensure); specialized:adj.专业的; v.专门研究(或从事); (specialize的过去式和过去分词) incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的; skeletal:adj.骨骼的,像骨骼的;骸骨的;骨瘦如柴的; mechanism:n.机制;原理,途径;进程;机械装置;技巧;
But given what we know already, it's fair to say that for most fish, two jaws are better than one. 但根据现有的知识来看, 对多数鱼类而言, 两组頜总是比一组好。