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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 穎君 紀

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

你緊盯著亞馬遜河看，此時，突然，

you lose your footing and fall.

你失足跌落了。

Piranhas dart about in the rapidly approaching water.

你迅速落向有食人魚 在裡面游動的水域。

So, are you doomed?

所以，你死定了嗎？

Will your fall trigger a fatal feeding frenzy?

你落水後會不會觸發 一場致命的進食盛宴？

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

為了預測你的命運，咱們來看看 我們對這些魚知道些什麼。

There are more than 30 piranha species.

食人魚的品種有超過三十種，

All live in the fresh waters of South America

都生活在南美洲的淡水中，

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

牠們的每個頷上都有 一排緊密相扣的利齒。

They use their teeth in a variety of ways.

牠們使用牙齒的方式有許多種。

Many are omnivorous and supplement diets of things like insects,

許多食人魚都是雜食性，

吃的食物包括昆蟲、甲殼綱動物、

crustaceans, worms, and fish

蟲子，和魚，

with fruits, seeds, and other plant matter.

搭配水果、種子，和其他植物物質。

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

有些食人魚，如紅腹食人魚， 會獵食也會撿食。

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

也有像胭脂食人魚這種食人魚， 有明確的進食偏好。

almost exclusively going after other fish’s scales.

幾乎就只想吃其他魚的魚鱗。

Species like redeye piranhas are more solitary,

像黑色食人魚這類 食人魚則比較獨行，

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

相對的，紅腹食人魚則會 組成十到一百條魚的魚群，

Red-bellied piranhas are among the most popularly depicted

紅腹食人魚是最常 被提到的食人魚之一，

and commonly regarded as especially aggressive.

且普遍被認為特別具攻擊性。

However, their reputation for rapacious pack hunting is misinformed.

然而，牠們會掠奪性地成群 捕食的名聲其實是誤傳，

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

一般認為，牠們成群生活的主要益處

isn’t cooperative hunting

並非合作獵食，

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

而是要保護牠們不受許多 會捕食牠們的動物傷害。

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

較大的成熟紅腹食人魚通常 可以取得有特權的位置，

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

即魚群的中心，最安全的地方。

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

科學家也觀察到，較小群的紅腹食人魚

breathe faster,

呼吸較快，

probably because they’re more anxious.

可能是因為牠們比較焦慮。

Interestingly, they also communicate.

有趣的是，牠們也會溝通。

By rapidly contracting specialized muscles above their swim bladders,

透過快速收縮魚鰾上的特殊肌肉，

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

牠們在彼此對峙或被捕捉時 能夠不斷「吠叫」。

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

牠們有時也會發出沉悶的聲音， 比如具挑釁意味地繞著彼此時、

fighting, or competing for food.

打鬥時，或爭奪食物時。

And when things escalate further,

火藥味越來越重的話，

they chase each other while snapping their jaws together.

牠們會追逐彼此， 同時猛力咬合牠們的頷。

Researchers suspect that these sounds

研究人員懷疑這些聲音

are just a sampling of their overall repertoire,

只是牠們所有技能中的一小部分，

which might also have some special uses during mating.

這些技能可能在交配時也有特殊用途。

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

但紅腹食人魚何時會攻擊人類？

Well, when they do bite people,

嗯，牠們確實會咬人，

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

但大部分咬人的情況 都是在牠們被抓起來時—

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

在人類灑落食物 或在水中清理其漁獲時、

or when people disturb piranhas while the fish are mating

或者人類打擾到食人魚交配時，

or guarding their eggs during the wet season.

或在雨季打擾到守護魚卵的食人魚時。

Starvation stress is also thought to lead red-bellied piranhas

挨餓的壓力也被認為會導致紅腹食人魚

to increasingly bold, aggressive behavior.

做出更大膽、有攻擊性的行為。

And this could theoretically result in feeding frenzies

理論上，這有可能會 導致食人魚瘋狂進食，

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

即不論什麼掉到水中， 每條食人魚都會試圖分一杯羹。

Despite this kind of behavior being extremely rare,

儘管這種行為極罕見，

rumors of it launched the piranha’s international infamy.

關於這種行為的謠言 卻促成了食人魚的國際惡名。

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

這一點也不可小覷，

原因是美國前總統老羅斯福。

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

1914 年，

他出版了一本暢銷書，

在書中他把食人魚稱為 「世界上最兇殘的魚」，

“the most ferocious fish in the world”

and wrote that the scent of blood could incite them

並寫道血的氣味

能夠誘使牠們快速啃食掉 一頭活生生的牛——或人類。

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

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

但一般認為老羅斯福描述的 只是特定狀況的結果，且會造成誤導。

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

他所目擊的「瘋狂進食」

被懷疑是有人蓄意讓紅腹 食人魚挨餓導致的結果，

of people purposefully starving red-bellied piranhas,

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

讓牠們在極餓的情況下 有機會吃到牛的屍體——

all to put on an exciting show.

旨在創造出一場讓人興奮的秀。

But where were we? Ah, yes.

我們剛說到哪了？啊，對。

Falling into piranha-infested waters.

掉落到有大批食人魚出沒的水中。

So, what’s your fate?

所以，你的命運會如何？

Let’s assume these are red-bellied piranhas.

咱們假設這些是紅腹食人魚。

This being the Amazon River,

這條河是亞馬遜河，

they should be doing alright for themselves and not starving.

牠們自己應該還過得去，不會挨餓。

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

謝天謝地，你落水的地方 附近也沒有一堆魚內臟。

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

理想上，你也不會打斷 食人魚的繁殖盛會。

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

你落入水中，食人魚 最有可能做的事是避開你。

Calmly, softly swimming or wading to shore is generally recommended

一般的建議是此時你應該 冷靜、輕柔地游或涉向岸邊，

because splashing is thought to attract piranhas.

因為濺起水花可能會吸引食人魚。

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

的確，牠們具有 能造成傷害的利齒列，

but they rarely attack humans.

但牠們很少攻擊人類。

They usually have better things to eat.

牠們通常有更好的食物可以選。

As you make your way onto dry land,

當你回到乾地上，

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

那裡就沒有能在幾分鐘內把你 吃到剩下骨頭的瘋狂盛宴。

And upon exiting the water,

在脫離水域時，

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

你終於放心，因為自己一塊肉都沒有少。