The wild sex lives of marine creatures - Luka Seamus Wright

翻译人员: psjmz mz 校对人员: Helen Chang

A June full moon is glowing upon this reef in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

6月的满月在太平洋中部的珊瑚礁上 散发着光芒。

Beneath the surface, 17,000 camouflage groupers dart about in the cloudy water.

水下，17,000条迷彩石斑鱼 在浑浊的水中穿梭。

What you’re witnessing is, in fact, an underwater orgy—

你将要见证的其实是 一场水下狂欢——

turned feeding frenzy.

变成了大鱼吃小鱼。

The water is hazy because groupers are ejecting sperm and eggs in dense clouds.

水变得浑浊是因为石斑鱼 密集喷射出精子和卵子。

This spawning behavior happens during full and new moons,

这种产卵行为发生在满月和新月期间，

when strong tidal currents carry the fertilized eggs

强烈的潮流带着受精卵

away from corals and other voracious predators on the reef.

远离珊瑚和其他在珊瑚礁里 贪婪的捕食者。

An orgy might seem like a rather flamboyant way to breed,

纵情狂欢似乎是一种 相当华丽的繁殖方式，

but sex in the sea is a surprisingly inventive affair.

但海中的性爱是种令人惊讶的 创造性活动。

In fact, most of those voracious corals use male and female sex organs

事实上，大多数贪婪的珊瑚

同时使用雄性和雌性性器官。

at the same time.

Corals also have mass spawning episodes,

珊瑚也有大量的产卵期，

but they release buoyant bundles of eggs and sperm all at once.

但它们会同时释放 大量漂浮的卵子和精子。

This happens around half-moons,

这发生在半月时候，

when weaker tides calm the water’s surface,

当较弱的潮汐让海面平静，

creating the perfect conditions for their sex cells to couple up.

为它们的生殖细胞配对 创造了完美的条件。

During these events, there can be hundreds of coral eggs

在这种情况下，每升海面海水中

and more than a billion sperm floating in every liter of surface seawater,

漂浮着数百个珊瑚卵 和超过10亿个精子，

where they create a sticky slick.

在那里它们会形成黏稠的浮油。

But corals are far from the only animals in the sea that can express two sexes.

但珊瑚远算不上是海中唯一一种 能够表现两种性别的动物。

Nearby, a humphead wrasse is undergoing a remarkable transformation.

不远处，一只波纹唇鱼 正在经历一场非凡的变化。

These fish breed in groups where one male fertilizes several females.

这些鱼成群繁殖，一只雄鱼 使几只雌鱼受精。

And, likely because there aren’t many dominant males around,

有可能是因为附近 主导地位的雄性并不多，

the largest female is becoming one.

最大的雌性正在变成雄性。

Unlike corals, humphead wrasse can switch sexes,

跟珊瑚不同，波纹唇鱼可以变换性别，

but they only exhibit one sex at a time.

但它们一个时间只能表现出一个性别。

The wrasse changes colors, loses her eyeline, and grows dramatically.

波纹唇鱼改变颜色， 失去眼线，快速变大。

Soon, the metamorphosis is complete, and he can fertilize the females’ eggs,

很快，变态就完成了， 它就能使雌性卵子受精，

ensuring that procreation persists.

确保生育持续进行了。

Interestingly, this bluestreak cleaner wrasse

有趣的是，这条正在清洁波纹唇鱼的

that’s grooming the humphead was also once a female.

蓝条纹的清洁鱼也曾经是雌性。

But unlike the humphead, he can change sex again should he become single.

但跟波纹唇鱼不同的是， 如果它单身了可以再次改变性别。

About 7,000 kilometers away, in the shallows of eastern Australia,

大约7000公里外， 在澳大利亚东部的浅滩上，

this male mourning cuttlefish boasts a much sneakier mating strategy.

这种雄性哀悼乌贼的交配策略 要狡猾得多。

A female cuttlefish has garnered his attention,

一只雌性乌贼吸引了它的注意，

but she’s also attracted another male.

但她也吸引另一只雄性乌贼的注意。

Competing directly with this rival would be a demanding ordeal,

跟这个竞争对手直接竞争 可能是自讨苦头，

so the cuttlefish opts for trickery instead.

于是乌贼选择了诡计。

Positioning himself between the female and his rival,

把自己置于雌性和它的对手中间，

on one side, he displays a mottled skin pattern

一面，它展示了类似雌性的

resembling that of a female to appease the competitor.

斑驳的皮肤图案用来安抚竞争对手。

On the other, he flashes a shimmering courtship display at the female

另一面，它向雌性闪烁着求爱的光芒，

and covertly passes her parcels of sperm.

偷偷地把他的精子递给她。

This duplicitous strategy allows the male to reproduce without putting up a fight.

这种两面派的策略使得雄性 无需打架就能繁殖后代。

These sexual escapades are just a sampling of what goes on beneath the waves.

这些性行为只是波涛之下 发生的一个样本。

The striking diversity of sex in the sea

海洋性爱的多样性

is partially enabled by water’s unique physical properties.

部分是由水的独特物理特性决定的。

Its stable temperature and high density help preserve and disperse

稳定的温度和较高的密度 有助于保存和分散

reproductive cells.

生殖细胞。

Unless land organisms return to the water to reproduce

除非陆地生物回到水中繁殖

or have specially adapted sex cells, their options are limited.

或有特别适应的生殖细胞， 否则它们的选择是有限的。

For many terrestrial animals,

对很多陆生动物来说，

reproduction is usually only possible internally,

生殖只能在体内进行，

with organs that resemble the moist ocean environment.

它们的器官类似于潮湿的海洋环境。

This restriction may cause us to see only one facet of sex,

这种限制可能让我们 只看到性的一个方面，

but a brief tour of marine life shows us just how diverse sex really is.

但对海洋生物的短暂参观 让我们看到了性的多样性。

It does not always involve strictly female and male individuals

它并不总是严格涉及

拥有不同大小内部融合的 生殖细胞的女性和男性个体。

with differently sized sex cells that fuse internally.

Many algae, for example, have sex cells that are indistinguishable in size.

例如，许多藻类的生殖细胞 大小难以区分。

Some animals are both male and female, while others change sex.

一些动物同时扮演雄雌二性， 而另一些能够改变性别。

A large proportion of organisms don’t need to touch each other to reproduce.

大部分生物体不需要触碰彼此来繁殖。

And thousands of animals, from bluestreak cleaner wrasse to Humboldt squid,

数千种动物，

从蓝条纹的清洁鱼到洪堡乌贼，

participate in same-sex sexual behavior.

有同性性行为。

So, peeking beneath the ocean’s covers doesn’t just provide a spectacle.

所以，在海洋覆盖下的窥视 不仅仅带来一种奇观。

It also gives us a more complete appreciation of sex

它也让我们对性爱的各种迷人形式

in all its fascinating forms.

有了更全面的认识。