The survival of the sea turtle

海龜的求生之旅

譯者: 嵩恩 簡 審譯者: Anny Chung

（音樂）

Sea turtles are miraculous.

海龜是奇蹟般的動物

第一，牠們自侏羅紀末就出現在這個世界

First, they've been around since the late Jurassic,

roughly 150 million years ago.

大約 1 億 5000 萬年前

Cohorts of the dinosaurs,

身為恐龍的同伴，海龜倖存下來，並存活了長達億年

sea turtles have survived through the challenges of eons,

existing still today,

存活至今日，反觀牠的同伴卻結束了演化的旅程

where many others have ended their evolutionary run.

Second, throughout the centuries and up till today,

第二，在過去幾個世紀直到今天

every living adult sea turtle has overcome the odds,

每隻成功存活的成年海龜都克服了難關

existing as a consequence of chance,

牠們的存活總歸機運、技能、及能力

skill, and capability.

牠們的存活總歸機運、技能、及能力

The gauntlet each sea turtle faces in the course of its lifetime goes thus:

每隻海龜在牠一生中面臨的挑戰有：

First, deposited as a clutch of leathery, ping-pong ball-sized eggs

首先，海龜媽媽於海灘高處挖出的窩裡

into a nesting pit dug by its mother high on the beach,

產下一窩革質、乒乓球大小的蛋

of the 50 to 200 eggs laid,

一窩 50-200 蛋中

roughly 20 percent will never hatch.

大約 20%不會孵化

Roughly a month and a half after having been laid,

產卵後過了一個半月

the surviving eggs hatch,

還存活的蛋孵化

and the young turtles, each small enough to fit in the palm of your hand,

成為小海龜，每隻比你的手掌要來得小

squirm to the surface, emerging from the sand en masse,

一群新生命爬上地表

and making their desperate dash for the sea.

然後開始猛烈地衝向海洋

Along the way, debris, pitfalls, crabs,

一路走來，碎片、 坑洞、 螃蟹、

gulls, raccoons, and other threats

海鷗、 浣熊和其他威脅

will claim roughly 50 percent of those who rose from the sand.

會奪走大約 50% 從沙裡爬出的小海龜的生命

會奪走大約 50% 從沙裡爬出的小海龜的生命

For those that actually reach the surf,

對於那些成功抵達浪潮的

they trade one set of threats for another,

牠們將面臨新的威脅

as they first face the repelling force of the waves,

牠們第一次面對海浪的衝擊

and then find a whole new host of predators awaiting them:

然後發現新的獵食者正等待著他們

Various fish, dolphins, sharks, and sea birds,

各種魚類、 海豚、 鯊魚

as the young turtles come to the surface for air.

還有當他們浮出水面呼吸所遇上的海鳥

For their first few days of life,

牠們生命的前幾天

should they count themselves amongst the living,

若牠們僥倖活存

脆弱的海龜會瘋狂地向前游

the vulnerable turtles swim frantically forward.

Ultimately, they will often look to settle in a patch of flotsam,

最後，牠們往往會在一團漂浮物下定居

preferably a patch of floating seaweed.

最好是在浮在水面的海草

Now for the next several months,

接下來幾個月，牠們會設法避開天敵

they will seek to avoid those that would eat them,

find that which they might eat themselves,

尋找獵物

並不被惡劣的天氣或海洋的亂流所擊倒

and not fall to the pressures of challenging weather

or unfortunate currents.

In this phase, roughly 50 percent of those who reach the surf

在此階段，大約 50% 進入海洋的海龜會死亡

will perish.

在此階段，大約 50%進入海洋的海龜會死亡

Ultimately, with the passage of years,

最後，經過了幾年

the survivors will increase in size,

存活下來的海龜將會慢慢長大

from that of a dinner plate at year one

體型從第一年的盤子大小，變成餐桌大小

to that of a dinner table,

in the case of one species at least, the leatherback,

舉棱皮龜為例，過程可能需要十年以上

a decade or so later.

舉棱皮龜為例，過程可能需要十年以上

With size comes some measure of protection.

體型變大會帶來一些保護的功用

The only truly worrisome predators now are some of the larger shark species--

現在唯一令牠擔憂的掠食者是一些較大的鯊魚：

bulls, tigers, and whites --

牛鯊、 虎鯊、大白鯊

and the occasional killer whale.

和偶爾碰到的殺人鯨

At approximately two decades of age,

到了約二十歲時

the survivors will be old enough themselves to breed,

存活下來的海龜將成熟到有繁殖能力

and continue the cycle which their very existence heralds.

繁衍下一代，見證生命週期的循環

Of those that began as eggs on a distant beach,

在那些沙灘上的龜卵之中

now less than 10 percent remain,

能活到繁殖年齡的不到一成

at least, those were the odds prior to significant human interference.

至少那是於人類破壞之前的機率

Over the past century, and in particular in the last several decades,

在過去這世紀，特別是在過去的幾十年裡

human endeavors, from beach development

人類的活動，如開發海灘

to plastic refuse to poaching, long lines, nets,

塑膠垃圾、盜獵、延繩釣、網捕、

and even noxious chemicals, including oil,

甚至有毒化學品（包括石油）

have upped the ante for sea turtles,

讓海龜存活下來的困難性增加

causing their survival rate to drop to around one percent or less,

導致每一代新生海龜的存活率下降到

from each nesting cycle.

百分之一左右或更少

It is this added human pressure which has pushed

人類所施加的生存壓力讓世界上的八種海龜

each of the eight sea turtle species

into either a threatened or endangered state.

都處於受威脅甚至瀕臨絕種的狀態

For while they have evolved to overcome a host of obstacles,

雖然演化天擇使牠們能夠克服種種障礙

the most recent has arisen so quickly

但最近的障礙急速增加

and at such scale that the species find themselves overwhelmed.

速度如此之快讓海龜無法應變

速度如此之快讓海龜無法應變

So let's quickly recap this cycle of odds.

現在，讓我們快速回顧海龜在一生中存活的機率

Using a hypothetical nesting season,

我們利用一個產卵季節來計算

for females may nest multiple times in a single year,

因為母龜可以在一年中多次產卵

of 1,000 eggs, for sake of ease.

為了方便假設牠一次產下 1,000 顆卵

1000 eggs laid.

1,000 顆卵之中

800 hatch.

800 顆會孵化

400 make it to the water.

400 隻成功進入海洋

200 progress toward adulthood.

200 隻逐步長大至成年

20 survive to breeding age --

20 隻活到繁殖年齡──這是沒有人為干預的結果

that is, without human interference.

Two survive to breeding age with human interference.

在人為干擾下，只有兩隻會活到繁殖年齡

So a breeding adult sea turtle is the very embodiment of a long shot.

所以成年海龜是一系列

不可能事件的化身。牠是個例外，不是常態

It is the exception, not the rule.

A jackpot.

就像頭獎一樣，牠真的是一個奇蹟

It is, in a very real sense,

a miracle.