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GrantlyGallandandRaianaMcKinney_BluefinTuna_2020E-_认识蓝鰭鲔鱼，海里最兇猛的猎食者_-
What’s as big as a polar bear , swallows its prey whole, and swims at 40 miles an hour? 什么动物像北极熊这么大, 把猎物完整吞噬, 又能以时速 40 英里游泳？
It’s not a shark or a killer whale . 牠不是鲨鱼或杀人鲸,
It’s the Atlantic bluefin tuna. 牠是北方蓝鰭鲔鱼,
The largest and longest-lived of the 15 tuna species , the Atlantic bluefin has a unique set of adaptations that make it one of the most dominant predators in the ocean. 牠是 15 种鲔鱼中最大、 最长寿的品种。 北方蓝鰭鲔鱼演化出独特的能力, 令牠成爲海洋里最强大的猎食者之一。
polar bear:n.北极熊;白熊; swallows:n.燕子;咽喉(swallow的复数);v.吞下;吞没;忍受(swallow的三单形式); prey:n.猎物;受害者;受骗者;v.折磨;掠夺;捕食(on,upon);损害(on,upon); killer whale:n.虎鲸;逆戟鲸;恶鲸;杀人鲸; Atlantic:adj.大西洋的;巨人阿特拉斯的;n.大西洋; bluefin:n.(蓝鳍)金枪鱼;作生鱼片的精品鱼肉; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; unique:adj.独特的,稀罕的;[数]唯一的;n.独一无二的人或物; adaptations:n.适应;改编(adaptation的复数); dominant:adj.显性的;占优势的;支配的,统治的;n.显性; predators:n.捕食性动物;实行弱肉强食的人(或机构);掠夺者;(predator的复数)
It starts as a tiny hatchling in the Gulf of Mexico or the Mediterranean Sea, no bigger than a human eyelash . 一开始牠们在墨西哥湾或地中海孵化, 比人类的睫毛还小。
Within its first year of life, 在牠满一岁前,
It develops something known as regional endothermy— the ability to regulate its body temperature. 牠会发展出区域内温性—— 一种能调节身体温度的能力。
An Atlantic bluefin gets oxygen from cold ocean water using its gills . 北方蓝鰭鲔鱼透过鰓 从冰冷的海水获得氧气,
hatchling:刚孵化的小动物; Gulf:n.海湾;深渊;分歧;漩涡;vt.吞没; Mediterranean:n.地中海;adj.地中海的; eyelash:n.睫;睫毛; regional:adj.地区的;局部的;整个地区的; regulate:v.调节;控制; gills:n.鱼鳃(gill的复数); v.除去鱼的鳃和内脏;
This process cools its blood. 这个过程会令血液变冷,
Then, heat the tuna generates swimming and hunting warms the blood. 然后透过游泳和狩猎 产生的热会令血液变暖。
In most fishes, this heat would be lost back out into the ocean through the gills. 就大部分鱼类来说, 这些热会透过鰓向海洋流失,
But in the Atlantic bluefin, a mechanism called countercurrent exchange traps the heat. 但北方蓝鰭鲔鱼 则以一个叫做逆流交换 的机制来锁住热。
process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; generates:[计]生成;发生; mechanism:n.机制;原理,途径;进程;机械装置;技巧; countercurrent:n.逆流;逆电流;adv.相反地; exchange:n.交换;交流;交易所;兑换;v.交换;交易;兑换; traps:n.陷阱,捕捉器; v.使落入险境; (trap的第三人称单数和复数)
Cold blood on its way to the large swimming muscles passes close to warm blood leaving those muscles in a specialized network of blood vessels known as a rete mirabile. 冰冷血液往大型游泳肌肉流动, 会近距离经过正要离开 那些肌肉的温暖血液, 这个血流交错的区域构成 特有的血管网络,称为 迷网 。
Here the heat “jumps” to the cold blood and stays in the body. 热会在这里「转移」到冷的血液中, 并留在体内而不流失。
This makes bluefin one of the few warm-blooded fishes, a huge advantage in the marine environment. 这使蓝鰭鲔鱼成爲少数的温血鱼类, 在海洋环境中是个很大的优势。
muscles:n.肌肉(muscle的复数); specialized:adj.专业的; v.专门研究(或从事); (specialize的过去式和过去分词) vessels:n.血管(vessel的复数);船舶;容器; rete:n.[解剖]网,[解剖]膜层; warm-blooded:adj.(动物)温血的;热血的;恒温的;热情的;易兴奋的; advantage:n.有利条件:优势:优点: marine:adj.海的;海产的;海生的;海船的;n.(尤指美国或英国皇家)海军陆战队士兵;
Cold-blooded animals whose body temperature depends entirely on the environment become sluggish in colder waters. 冷血动物的身体温度完全取决于环境, 使牠们在冰冷的水里变得迟缓。
But a bluefin’s ability to keep warm means it has sharper vision , can better process information, and can swim faster than its prey. 而蓝鰭鲔鱼让身体保持温暖的能力 使牠的视野更锐利、 处理资讯的能力更好、 比猎物游得更快。
It thrives in cold, deep, subarctic water. 牠在寒冷的亚北极水域深处茁壮成长。
Cold-blooded:adj.[生理]冷血的;残酷的,无情的;怕冷的; sluggish:adj.萧条的;迟钝的;行动迟缓的;懒惰的;n.市况呆滞;市势疲弱; sharper:n.骗子;赌棍;欺诈犯; vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见; thrives:vi.繁荣,兴旺;茁壮成长; subarctic:adj.亚北极的;亚北极区的;靠近北极的;
Thanks to their warm bloodedness, their powerful muscles, and their streamlined torpedo shape with fins that fold into grooves to reduce drag , bluefin tuna can reach speeds few other animals can match. 牠们仰赖温血的身体、强健的肌肉, 以及能将鱼鰭收在体表沟槽内 以减少阻力的鱼雷形流线身材, 来达到少有其他动物 能与之比拟的速度。
Their maximum speed of 40 miles per hour is faster than that of a great white shark or orca whale, and even at their comfortable cruising speed, they can cross the Atlantic in a couple months. 牠们的最高时速能达 40 英里, 比大白鲨和虎鲸的速度更快, 就算以轻鬆的巡航速度, 牠们也可以在几个月内横跨大西洋。
streamlined:adj.流线型的; v.使成流线型; torpedo:n.鱼雷;v.用鱼雷袭击(或击沉);彻底破坏,完全摧毁; fold:v.折叠;包;可叠平(以便贮存或携带);裹;n.褶;褶层;折叠部分;褶痕; grooves:n.细槽,[建]凹槽(groove的复数); drag:v.拖曳;生拉硬拽;拖动;n.拖累;令人厌烦的人;累赘;绊脚石; maximum:n.最大限度;最大量;最高限度;adj.最高的;最多的;最大极限的; great white shark:n.噬人鲨(栖居于温热海域); orca:n.逆戟鲸(等于Orcinusorca);类逆戟鲸;兽人;魔鬼; cruising:v.乘船游览;慢速行驶,巡行;(cruise的现在分词)
All this swimming requires a great deal of oxygen, but the bluefin is adapted for this as well. 这样游泳需要大量氧气, 但蓝鰭鲔鱼也演化出适应的能力。
The faster it swims, the more water passes over its gills, and the more oxygen it can absorb from that water. 牠们游得越快,就有越多水流过鰓, 也就能从水里吸取越多的氧气。
This need for a constant flow of water means the tuna must always remain on the move . 为了有不间断的水流, 牠们必须不停游动,
a great deal of:大量; adapted:adj.适于…的; v.使适应,使适合; (adapt的过去分词和过去式) absorb:v.吸收;使并入;吞并;同化;理解;吸收;耗费;承受; on the move:在活动中,在进行中;四处奔波;
It also means bluefin cannot suck prey into their mouths the way most other fishes do. 这也表示蓝鰭鲔鱼不能像 大多数其他鱼类一样, 将猎物吸入口中;
Instead, they must chase down their prey with their mouths open. 牠们必须张大嘴巴从后面追上猎物。
They eat smaller prey than most predators their size, including squid , crustaceans , and smaller fish species like mackerel . 比起其他差不多身形的狩猎者, 牠们所吃的猎物更小, 包括鱿鱼、甲壳类 和较小型鱼类,像是鲭鱼。
suck:v.吸吮;吸取;n.吮吸; squid:n.鱿鱼;乌贼;枪乌贼; crustaceans:n.甲壳类;甲壳纲动物(crustacean的复数); mackerel:n.鲭(产于北大西洋);马鲛鱼;
The bluefin’s temperature-regulating ability doesn’t just make it a superior hunter— it gives it nearly unlimited range. 蓝鰭鲔鱼调控体温的能力 不仅让牠成爲顶尖的狩猎者, 还令牠无远弗届。
As soon as they’re strong enough to swim against the current, 当牠们成长到能够逆流前进时,
Atlantic bluefin leave the warm waters of their spawning grounds and spend their lives hunting all over the Atlantic Ocean. 北方蓝鰭鲔鱼会离开 牠们出生的温暖水域, 在大西洋各处狩猎。
superior:n.上级;上司;adj.(在品质上)更好的;占优势的;更胜一筹的; unlimited:adj.无限制的;无限量的;无条件的; As soon as:一…就; spawning:v.播种,产卵;大量生成(spawn的现在分词);n.产卵;增殖;
Tunas from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea frequent the same feeding grounds and range from Brazil and Texas to Iceland and Senegal and beyond. 从墨西哥湾和地中海来的鲔鱼 会在相同的地点觅食—— 从巴西和德克萨斯州, 到冰岛和塞内加尔,甚至更远。
But when the time comes to reproduce around age 10, they always return to their sea of origin . 但当牠们到了 10 岁的繁殖期时, 牠们总会回到自己出生的海域。
Here, groups of males and females release millions of eggs and sperm into the water. 在这里,雄鱼和雌鱼会排出 成千上万的卵子和精子到水里。
Tunas:n.金枪鱼(tuna的复数); frequent:adj.频繁的;经常发生的;v.常到(某处); Brazil:n.巴西(拉丁美洲国家); reproduce:v.繁殖;复制;再现;生育; origin:n.起源;起因;源头;出身; release:v.释放;发射;让与;允许发表;n.释放;发布;让与; sperm:n.精子;精液;鲸蜡油;
They’ll migrate back and forth between feeding and spawning grounds annually for the rest of their lives. 牠们每年都会在觅食地 和繁殖地往返迁徙, 直到生命的尽头。
Atlantic bluefin can live for over 40 years, growing all the while. 北方蓝鰭鲔鱼能活 超过 40 年,并不断生长,
The largest specimens are tens of millions of times heavier than when they hatched . 体型最大者比刚出生时大上千万倍。
The same huge size that makes bluefin tuna indomitable in the ocean has made them vulnerable to one predator in particular : us. 这个让牠们称霸海洋的庞大体积 使牠们在一种猎食者前显得特别脆弱, 这个猎食者就是我们人类。
migrate:vi.移动;随季节而移居;移往;vt.使移居;使移植; back and forth:前后移动的,来回的,反复的; annually:adv.每年;一年一次; specimens:n.[试验]试样,[图情]样本(specimen的复数); hatched:v.孵出;出壳;孵化;破壳;(hatch的过去分词和过去式) indomitable:adj.不屈不挠的;不服输的;不气馁的; vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; in particular:尤其,特别;
Humans have a long history of fishing Atlantic bluefin— it’s even stamped on ancient Greek coins. 人类捕猎北方蓝鰭鲔鱼的历史久远, 连古希腊的硬币上也打有图样。
But in recent decades, demand has skyrocketed as bluefin are hunted for sashimi , sushi, and tuna steaks. 而在近几十年,蓝鰭鲔鱼的需求急增, 牠们被做成刺身、寿司和鱼排。
An individual fish can sell for $10,000 or more, promoting overfishing and illegal fishing. 单单一条鱼就能卖得一万美元以上, 使过渔和非法捕鱼更爲猖獗。
But if recent conservation efforts are redoubled and quotas are better enforced , bluefin populations can begin to recover. 但如果能够加倍保育力度 和加强执行限额, 蓝鰭鲔鱼的数量可望回升。
skyrocketed:n.流星烟火;冲天火箭;vi.飞涨,突然高升;vt.使…猛然上涨; sashimi:n.(日)生鱼片; individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的; promoting:v.促进;推动;促销;提升;晋升;(promote的现在分词) overfishing:n.渔捞过度;vt.过度捕捞(overfish的现在分词); illegal:adj.不合法的;非法的;n.非法移民;非法劳工; conservation:n.保存,保持;保护; redoubled:vt.再加倍;把…再折叠;循著…折回;vi.加倍;回响;急速折回;n.再加倍; quotas:n.配额(quota的复数);[经管]定额,[经]限额;v.分配(quota的第三人称单数); enforced:adj.强迫的;强制性的;v.强制执行;迫使;(enforce的过去分词和过去式)