The popularity, plight and poop of penguins - Dyan deNapoli

企鹅：名气、困境和粪便-- Dyan deNapoli

翻译人员: Minglei Wang 校对人员: Zhiting Chen

Penguins have long captured

长期以来，企鹅总是会引发

the imagination and the hearts

全世界人们的想象

of people the world over.

并深深地吸引着他们的心。

But while popular culture

流行文化中，

depicts them as clumsy, adorable birds

企鹅被描述为一种笨拙、可爱、

with endlessly abundant populations,

并且数量庞大的鸟类，

the truth is that penguins are exceedingly graceful,

事实上企鹅十分优雅，

often ornery,

时常脾气暴躁，

and their populations are in rapid free fall.

同时它们的数量在急剧减少。

Their real life situation is far more precarious

它们所面临的危机远比我们

than people think.

所想的严重。

And if current trends do not change,

如果现状无法改善，

it may not be long

不久后，

before penguins can only be found in movies.

我们就只能从电影中看到企鹅了。

There are many things about penguins

企鹅具有很多

that make them odd birds, so to speak.

可谓特殊鸟类的特质。

For one thing,

首先，

they are one of the few bird species that cannot fly,

它们是少数不能飞行的鸟类之一，

having evolved from flight-capable birds

虽然它们在大约6千万年前

about 60 million years ago.

曾经是具有飞行能力的鸟类

Surprisingly, their closest living relative

惊奇的是，现存生物中与企鹅关系最近的

is the albatross,

是信天翁，

a bird known for its enormous wingspan

这种鸟类以其巨大的翼展，

and extraordinary soaring abilities.

和非凡的翱翔能力为人所熟知。

It may seem strange

这看来或许很奇怪，

that losing the ability to fly

但失去飞行能力

would be an evolutionary advantage,

的确成为了一种进化优势，

but the penguin's short, flipper-like wings

企鹅短小的鳍状翅膀

and solid bones

和坚实的骨骼

allow them to swim faster and dive deeper

使它们能够

than any other bird on Earth,

比地球上其他鸟类游得更快、潜得更深，

filling an ecological niche that no other bird can.

从而占据着自己独一无二的生态位。

Penguins inhabit the southern hemisphere,

企鹅栖息在南半球，

being one of the few bird species

它们是少数

able to breed in the coldest environments.

能在严寒环境中繁衍的鸟类。

But contrary to popular belief,

但与普遍的观点相反，

they are not restricted to cold regions

企鹅并非只能生活在寒冷的地域，

nor are there any at the North Pole.

同时它们也不生活在北极。

In fact, only 4 of the 18 penguin species

事实上，在18种企鹅中，仅有4种

regularly live and breed in Antarctica.

固定在南极栖息繁衍。

Most penguins live in subtemperate

大部分企鹅生活在亚温带

to temperate regions.

至温带地区。

And the Galapagos penguin even lives and breeds

加拉帕斯群岛的企鹅甚至栖息繁衍于

right near the equator

靠近赤道的

off the coast of South America.

南美洲海岸。

They are also found in South Africa,

它们还分布在南非、

Namibia,

纳米比亚、

Australia,

澳大利亚、

and New Zealand,

新西兰

as well as on a number of islands

以及一些位于

in the southern Atlantic,

南大西洋、

Pacific,

太平洋、

Indian,

and Antarctic Oceans.

印度洋

和南大洋的岛屿上。

Although penguins spend 75% of their lives at sea,

尽管企鹅一生有75%的时间都生活在水中，

they must come to shore every year

但它们每年都必须上岸

to reproduce and to molt their feathers.

进行繁殖和换毛。

They do this in a variety of places,

它们在不同的地方完成这些事情：

from the temporary ice sheets of the Antarctic

从南极的临时冰盖

to the beaches of South Africa and Namibia,

到南非和纳米比亚的海滩；

to the rocky shores of subantarctic islands,

从亚南极岛屿的岩岸

to the craggy lava surfaces in the Galapagos.

再到加拉帕斯群岛上陡峭的熔岩表层。

Different penguin species

不同种类的企鹅

have different nesting practices.

有着不同的筑巢方式。

Some dig burrows into dirt, sand, or dried guano;

有的在泥土、沙子或鸟粪上打洞；

some nest in tussock grasses;

有的在草丛中筑巢；

some build nests out of small rocks, sticks, and bones;

有的用小石块、树枝和骨头筑巢；

while others don't build any nests at all.

还有的甚至根本不筑巢。

Although most penguins lay a clutch of two eggs,

尽管大多数企鹅每次产两枚蛋，

the two largest species,

但有两种最大的企鹅：

the King and the Emperor,

国王和帝王企鹅，

lay a single egg

每次仅产一枚蛋，

that they incubate on top of their feet

它们将蛋置于双脚上孵化，

for approximately two months.

这个过程大约持续两个月。

Unfortunately, 15 of the 18 penguin species

不幸的是，18种企鹅中的15种

are currently listed as threatened,

都已被列为受威胁、

near-threatened,

近受威胁

or endangered

或濒危物种，

by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

这是由世界环保组织所公布的。

In the last several decades,

在过去的几十年中，

we have seen the world populations

我们看到世界上众多

of most penguin species decline

种类的企鹅数量都减少了

by up to 90%,

近90%，

with two of them,

其中的两种--

the Yellow-eyed and Galapagos penguins,

黄眼企鹅和加拉帕斯企鹅的数量

down to just a few thousand birds.

仅剩数千只。

Penguins are an indicator species,

企鹅是指示物种，

the proverbial "canary in the coal mine."

就好比“矿井里的金丝雀”一样。

Simply put, if penguins are dying,

简言之，如果企鹅正在灭绝，

it means our oceans are dying.

那就意味我们即将失去海洋。

And sadly, most of this decline is attributable

可悲的是企鹅数量的减少大多归咎于

to human activities.

人类的行为活动。

Historically, penguins have had to deal

从历史上看，企鹅长期受到

with multiple disturbances.

各种干扰。

The mass collection of penguin eggs

人类大量采集企鹅蛋

and the harvesting

并收取

of the seabird guano they nested in

它们筑巢所用的鸟粪，

caused the dramatic decline

这使得

of several penguin species.

多种企鹅数量骤减。

If you're wondering

你可能会问，

what humans would want with seabird poop,

人们挖取鸟粪有什么用呢？

it was used as an ingredient

它曾被用作

in fertilizer and in gunpowder,

肥料和火药的原料，

being so valuable

因此十分珍贵，

that in the 19th century,

在19世纪，

it was known as white gold.

它曾被称为白色黄金。

Current threats to penguins include the destruction

目前企鹅所面临的威胁包括

of both marine and terrestrial habitats,

海洋和陆地栖息地的破坏、

introduced predators,

引进捕食者、

entrapment in fishing nets,

渔网捕捞、

and pollution from plastics and chemicals.

以及塑料和化学污染问题。

There have also been several large-scale oil spills

此外，许多大面积的漏油事件

over the past 50 years

在过去的50年里

that have killed or impacted

扼杀或殃及了

tens of thousands of penguins around the world.

全世界数万只的企鹅。

But the two major threats to penguins today

然而企鹅当前面临最大的威胁却是

are global warming

全球变暖

and overfishing.

和过度捕捞。

Global warming impacts penguins in multiple ways,

全球变暖从不同方面影响着企鹅，

from interrupting the production of krill

从南极海冰减少

due to decreased sea ice formation in the Antarctic,

导致磷虾的繁殖受阻；

to increasing the frequency

到加剧

and severity of storms

暴风雨的频率和强度，

that destroy nests,

导致企鹅巢穴受损；

to shifting the cold water currents

再到改变冷水流走向，

carrying the penguins' prey too far away

使企鹅的食物远离它们

from penguin breeding and foraging grounds.

繁衍和觅食的范围。

Even though humans

尽管人类

may be the greatest threat to penguins,

或许是企鹅最大的威胁，

we are also their greatest hope.

我们同时也是他们最大的希望。

Many research and conservation projects

很多研究和保护项目

are underway to protect penguin habitats

已经开始对企鹅栖息地进行保护

and restore vulnerable populations.

并逐步恢复这珍贵的种群。

With a little help from us

只要我们献出一份帮助，

and some changes in the practices

改变生活中一些

that impact our planet and oceans,

影响地球和海洋的行为，

there is hope that our tuxedo-clad friends

这些身着燕尾服的伙伴们

will still be around in the next century.

将仍会伴随我们步入下一个世纪。