What happens when you fall into piranha-infested waters? - Antonio Machado-Allison

翻译人员: Jacky He 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

You’re peering into the Amazon River when, suddenly,

你看向亚马逊河里面，

you lose your footing and fall.

突然，你失足落水了。

Piranhas dart about in the rapidly approaching water.

食人鱼在眼前的水流中来去穿梭。

So, are you doomed?

那么，你没救了吗？

Will your fall trigger a fatal feeding frenzy?

你的掉落会引发一场 致命捕食盛会吗？

To forecast your fate, let’s see what we know about these fish.

为了清楚你的命运， 我们来了解这些鱼的知识。

There are more than 30 piranha species.

共存在着超过 30 种食人鱼种类，

All live in the fresh waters of South America

皆生活在南美的淡水区域，

and have a single row of sharp, interlocking teeth on each jaw.

在上下颚各带着 一排尖锐、相连的牙齿。

They use their teeth in a variety of ways.

它们牙齿带着各种用途。

Many are omnivorous and supplement diets of things like insects,

很多皆是杂食性的，除了昆虫、

crustaceans, worms, and fish

甲壳动物、蠕虫和鱼，

with fruits, seeds, and other plant matter.

还摄入水果、种子和植物组织。

Some, like red-bellied piranhas, both hunt and scavenge.

其中一些，像红腹食人鱼， 既捕猎也食腐。

And others, like wimple piranhas, have specific dietary predilections,

另一些，像包头水虎， 饮食更加具体，

almost exclusively going after other fish’s scales.

只会食用其他鱼的鳞片部分。

Species like redeye piranhas are more solitary,

像黑食人鱼倾向于单独行动，

while red-bellied piranhas form shoals of 10 to 100.

而红腹食人鱼组成 10 到 100 只的群落。

Red-bellied piranhas are among the most popularly depicted

红腹食人鱼出镜率最高，

and commonly regarded as especially aggressive.

并通常认为是特别攻击性的。

However, their reputation for rapacious pack hunting is misinformed.

不过，它们残酷捕猎者的 名声出于误解。

It’s thought that the main benefit of their group-living

现在认为它们群居的主要益处

isn’t cooperative hunting

并不是配合捕猎，

but instead protection from predators, of which they have many.

而是对它们众多捕食者的防御。

Larger, mature red-bellied piranhas tend to assume privileged positions

体型更大、更成熟的 红腹食人鱼经常待在

at the shoal’s center, where it’s safest.

群落的中心；那里最为安全。

And scientists have observed that red-bellied piranhas in smaller groups

科学家发现小群落中的红腹食人鱼

breathe faster,

呼吸更快，

probably because they’re more anxious.

也许因为它们更加紧张。

Interestingly, they also communicate.

有趣的是，它们也会沟通。

By rapidly contracting specialized muscles above their swim bladders,

通过迅速地收缩它们鳔上面的肌肉，

they repeatedly “bark” when they’re facing off with one another or when captured.

食人鱼在对峙或被抓捕时会“啸叫”，

They make thudding noises when they’re aggressively circling each other,

它们在环绕对手、争斗 或抢夺食物时

fighting, or competing for food.

会发出“砰”的声音。

And when things escalate further,

当冲突进一步升级，

they chase each other while snapping their jaws together.

它们会互相追逐，不断闭合双颚。

Researchers suspect that these sounds

研究人员认为这些声音

are just a sampling of their overall repertoire,

只是它们掌握的一部分，

which might also have some special uses during mating.

甚至会在求偶时派上用场。

But when do red-bellied piranhas get aggressive with humans?

而红腹食人鱼什么时候 会针对人类呢？

Well, when they do bite people,

当它们咬人的时候。

it seems to mostly happen in scenarios when they’re being handled;

这似乎发生在它们与人类接触的时候；

when people are spilling food or cleaning their fishing catch in the water;

当人们洒出食物， 或在水中清洗他们的钓鱼成果；

or when people disturb piranhas while the fish are mating

或当它们在雨季求偶、

or guarding their eggs during the wet season.

护卵时被打扰。

Starvation stress is also thought to lead red-bellied piranhas

饥饿也被认为驱使红腹食人鱼

to increasingly bold, aggressive behavior.

展现更加攻击性的行为。

And this could theoretically result in feeding frenzies

这理论上会导致“捕食热潮”，

where each fish tries to get some of whatever finds its way into the water.

每条鱼尝试着撕咬 留在水中的任何东西。

Despite this kind of behavior being extremely rare,

即便这类行为非常罕见，

rumors of it launched the piranha’s international infamy.

这种谣言使得食人鱼 在全球臭名昭著。

And this was in no small part thanks to former US President Theodore Roosevelt.

而对于这件事，美国前总统 西奥多·罗斯福也是“功不可没”。

In 1914, he published a bestselling book in which he called piranhas

在 1914 年，他出版了一本畅销书， 在其中将食人鱼描述为

“the most ferocious fish in the world”

“世上最为凶残的鱼类”

and wrote that the scent of blood could incite them

并写道血腥味能促使它们

to rapidly devour an entire cow— or human— alive.

快速吃下一整头活着的牛 或是一个人。

But Roosevelt’s account is generally considered circumstantial and misleading.

但罗斯福的叙述 被普遍认为是偶发性、误导性的。

The “feeding frenzy” he witnessed is suspected to have been the result

他经历的这种“猎食盛宴” 很可能是人们特意

of people purposefully starving red-bellied piranhas,

使食人鱼挨饿，

then giving them the opportunity to feed on a cow carcass—

然后给它们机会食用一整只牛尸，

all to put on an exciting show.

为的是场面效果。

But where were we? Ah, yes.

我们讲到什么来着？是的。

Falling into piranha-infested waters.

掉入满是食人鱼的水中。

So, what’s your fate?

那么，你的命运如何？

Let’s assume these are red-bellied piranhas.

我们来假设这些是红腹食人鱼。

This being the Amazon River,

因为是亚马逊河，

they should be doing alright for themselves and not starving.

它们应该过得不错，并未挨饿。

Thankfully, you’re also not hitting the water alongside a bunch of fish guts.

幸运的是，你并未 带着一堆鱼内脏落水，

And ideally, you're not disrupting a piranha breeding extravaganza.

你大概也没打扰繁育期的食人鱼。

You fall in, and the piranhas most likely avoid you.

你掉进去，食人鱼很可能回避你。

Calmly, softly swimming or wading to shore is generally recommended

柔和地游泳或趟水到岸是最佳的，

because splashing is thought to attract piranhas.

因为溅起水花会吸引食人鱼。

Indeed, they’re equipped with the dentition to do damage,

是的，它们具备攻击人类的利齿，

but they rarely attack humans.

却很少攻击人类。

They usually have better things to eat.

它们通常有更好的食物。

As you make your way onto dry land,

当你踏上平地，

there is no feeding frenzy where they skeletonize your body within minutes.

没什么“猎食盛会”能 在几分钟内把你变为白骨。

And upon exiting the water,

出水之后，

you're probably pleased to find no chunks of flesh missing.

你大概会庆幸自己没少块肉。