The fascinating secret lives of giant clams | Mei Lin Neo

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Back home, my friends call me nicknames,

在老家，我的朋友給我取暱稱，

such as "The Giant Clam Girl,"

比如「巨蚌女孩」、

"Clam Queen,"

「蚌蛤女王」、

or, "The Mother of Clams."

或是「蚌蛤之母。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This is because every time I see them,

這是因為每當我見到他們，

I talk nonstop about giant clams all day,

就會整天不停地談論著巨蚌，

every day.

每天都如此。

Giant clams are these massive and colorful shelled marine animals,

巨蚌是這種又大又重 且色彩鮮艷的有殼海洋動物，

the largest of its kind.

是同類中最大的。

Just look at this shell.

看看這個殼。

The biggest recorded individual was four-and-a-half-feet long

記錄中最大的巨蚌， 有 4.5 英呎長，

and weighed about 550 pounds.

重量約 550 磅。

That is almost as heavy as three baby elephants.

那幾乎是三隻幼象加起來的重量。

South Pacific legends once described giant clams as man-eaters

南太平洋傳奇中說到巨蚌會吃人，

that would lie in wait on the seabed to trap unsuspecting divers.

牠們躺在海底等待， 捕捉那些沒起疑的潛水夫。

A story goes that a diver had lost his legs

有個故事說，一位潛水夫失去了雙腳，

while trying to retrieve a pearl from a giant clam.

當時他正試圖從巨蚌中取得珍珠。

I thought, "Really?"

我心想：「真的嗎？」

So out of curiosity,

出於好奇心，

I did an experiment using myself as bait.

我做了個實驗，用我自己當餌。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I carefully placed my hand into the clam's mouth and waited.

我小心地把我的手放到 蚌蛤的口中，等待著。

Hmm ...

嗯……

I still have my hand.

我的手還在。

It seems that these gentle giants would rather retreat

似乎這些溫和的巨大生物寧可退開，

and protect their fleshy bodies

保護牠們的肉體，

than feed on me.

而非把我當食物。

So much for those killer clam myths!

蚌蛤殺手的神話就到此為止。

Unfortunately, the reality is,

不幸的是，

事實上我們是巨蚌最大的威脅。

we are the giant clams' biggest threat.

Considered a delicacy throughout the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans,

從西太平洋一路到印度洋， 牠們慣例被當成是佳餚，

giant clams have been traditionally fished as seafood.

被捕捉之後，做成海鮮料理。

Fishermen are particularly interested in their adductor muscles,

漁夫特別感興趣的是牠們的閉殼肌，

which are organs that hold the two shells together like a hinge.

也就是把兩片殼 連起來的鉸鏈式器官。

Just for their muscles,

只因為牠們的肌肉，

giant clams were almost hunted to extinction

在 1960 到 1980 代間，

between the 1960s and 1980s.

巨蚌幾乎被捕殺到絕種。

Clamshells are also popular in the ornamental trade

在飾品貿易上，蚌殼也很搶手，

as jewelry and for display.

被當作珠寶，用來展示。

In the South China Sea,

在南海，

fishermen went out of their way to collect fossilized clamshells

漁夫會特地去收集變成化石的蚌殼，

by digging through large areas of coral reefs.

他們會挖遍珊瑚礁來尋找。

These were later carved and sold as so-called "ivory handicrafts" in China.

這些是在中國被雕刻再販售的 所謂「象牙手工藝品」。

Giant clams, dead or alive, are not safe from us.

巨蚌，不論死活， 都逃不過我們的手掌心。

It's a "clamity!"

這是「蚌災」！ （註：從災難 Calamity 改來）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

With the spotlight on more charismatic marine animals

有魅力的海洋動物 比較會得到注意力，

such as the whales and coral reefs,

比如鯨魚和珊瑚礁，

it is easy to forget that other marine life needs our help, too.

很容易就會忘記其他海洋生命 也需要我們的協助。

My fascination with giant clams got me started on conservation research

我對巨蚌的著迷， 讓我開始進行保育研究，

to fill in the knowledge gaps on their ecology and behavior.

補起關於牠們的生態 與行為的知識缺口。

One of the discoveries that we made was that giant clams could walk

我們的發現之一是巨蚌

across the seafloor.

會在海底行走。

Yes, you heard me right:

是的，你們沒聽錯：

they can walk.

牠們會行走。

To find out,

為了求證，

we placed numerous baby clams on a grid.

我們把數隻幼蚌放在格子上。

Now watch what happens over 24 hours.

看看二十四小時後發生了什麼事。

We think that walking is important for getting away from predators

我們認為行走的重要性

是為了遠離獵食者， 以及找尋交配對象，

and finding mates for breeding.

While it can hard to imagine any movement in these enormous animals,

雖然很難想像 這些巨大的動物會移動，

giant clams up to 400 pounds can still walk,

重達 400 磅的巨蚌仍可以行走，

they just move slower.

只是移動得比較慢些。

During my PhD, I discovered more secrets about the giant clams.

在我讀博士班時，我發現了 更多關於巨蚌的秘密。

But there was something missing in my work.

但，我的研究中少了什麼。

I found myself asking,

我發現自己納悶：

"Why should people care about conserving giant clams?" --

「為什麼人們要在乎巨蚌的保育？」

other than myself, of course.

當然，是指我以外的人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It turns out that giant clams have a giant impact on coral reefs.

結果發現，巨蚌對於 珊瑚礁的影響很巨大。

These multitasking clams are reef builders,

這些蚌蛤是多工的， 牠們是珊瑚礁建造者、

food factories,

食物工廠、

shelters for shrimps and crabs

蝦子和螃蟹的庇護所、

and water filters,

以及濾水器，

all rolled into one.

多種功能合一。

In a nutshell,

概括來說，

giant clams play a major contributing role

巨蚌對牠們自己住的珊瑚礁 扮演著重要貢獻的角色，

as residents of their own reef home,

and just having them around keeps the reef healthy.

光是有牠們在那裡， 就能保持珊瑚礁健康。

And because they can live up to 100 years old,

因為巨蚌能活到一百歲，

giant clams make vital indicators of coral reef health.

牠們是珊瑚礁的重要健康指標。

So when giant clams start to disappear from coral reefs,

當珊瑚礁中的巨蚌開始消失，

their absence can serve as an alarm bell

牠們的失蹤可被當作是警鈴，

for scientists to start paying attention,

要科學家開始多留意，

similar to the canary in a coal mine.

類似煤礦中的金絲雀。

But giant clams are endangered.

但巨蚌已瀕臨絕種。

The largest clam in the world is facing the threat of extinction,

世界上最大的蚌蛤 正在面臨絕種的威脅，

with more than 50 percent of the wild population severely depleted.

野生巨蚌族群有 超過 50% 在嚴重減少中。

And the ecological benefits of having giant clams on coral reefs

只有在這個族群 能保持健康的情況下，

are likely to continue only if populations are healthy,

巨蚌在珊瑚礁中產生的 生態益處才可能持續，

making their conservation paramount.

因此牠們的保育非常重要。

So I stand here today to give a voice to the giant clams,

所以今天我在這裡，為巨蚌發聲，

because I care a whole lot for these amazing animals,

因為我非常關心 這些不可思議的動物，

and they deserve to be cared for.

牠們應該要被好好照顧。

It is time for the giant clams to step out of their shells,

該是巨蚌走出蚌殼的時候了，

and show the world that they, too, can be the heroes of the oceans.

讓世界知道，牠們也可以 扮演海洋的英雄。

Thank you very much.

非常謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）