BBC Earth｜致命的僧帽水母

The Deadly Portuguese Man O' War
Blue Planet II | BBC Earth

Over half of all animals in the open ocean drift in currents. Jellyfish cross entire oceans feeding on whatever happens to tangle with the tentacles. Some can grow to a meter, even two meters across. And when, by lucky chance, they encounter a patch of sea rich in plankton, their numbers explode. In such a successful strategy that jellyfish are one of the most common lifeforms on the planet.
在大海中，超过一半的动物都是随洋流漂流的。水母穿过整个海洋，以任何与触手纠缠在一起的东西为食。这些触手有些可以长到一米，甚至两米宽。当它们幸运地遇到一片浮游生物丰富的海域时，它们的数量就会激增。这种成功的策略使得水母成为地球上最常见的生命形式之一。

But among the jellyfish, and looking somewhat like them is a rather more complex and sinister creature--the Portuguese Man O' War. It floats with the help of a gas-filled bladder topped by a vertical membrane. With that serving as a sail, he maintains a steady course through the waves. Long threads trail behind it, some as much as 30 meters long.
但在水母中，有一种更复杂、更阴险的生物，看起来有点像水母——僧帽水母。它在一个顶部有垂直膜的充气气囊的帮助下漂浮。有了这个作为帆，他就能在海浪中保持平稳的航向。长长的丝线拖在它后面，有些长达30米。

Each is armed with many thousands of stinging cells. A single tentacle could kill a fish, or, in rare cases, a human. But among its lethal tentacles lurks a Man O' War fish that feeds by nibbling them. Whilst this fish has some resistance to the stings, it must still be extremely careful. Most other fish are not so lucky.
每一个都有成千上万的刺细胞。一条触手可以杀死一条鱼，或者在极少数情况下，甚至可以杀死一个人。不过，在它致命的触手中，潜藏着一种以啃食触手为生的僧帽水母鱼。虽然这种鱼对蜇伤有一定的抵抗力，但还是必须格外小心。大多数其他鱼类就没那么幸运了。

A tentacle has caught this one and reels it in. It's already paralyzed. Specialized muscular tentacles transfer the victim to others that digest the catch liquefying it with powerful chemicals. Eventually, all that is left is a scaly husk. This voracious Man O' War may collect over 100 small fish in a day.
一根触手抓住了这条鱼，把它卷了进去。它已经瘫痪了。特化的肌肉触手将受害者转移到其他触手处，用强力化学物质将捕获物液化。最后，只剩下一具鳞片状的躯壳。这种贪婪的僧帽水母 一天能捕获100多条小鱼。

词汇表
deadly/lethal 致命的，极其危险的
current 水流，洋流，气流
jellyfish 水母，海蜇
tangle with 与…纠缠，与…有瓜葛
tentacle （海洋动物的）触手，触角
a patch of 一片，一块
plankton 浮游生物
lifeform 生命形式，有机体
sinister 阴险的，凶恶的
Portuguese Man O' War 僧帽水母，葡萄牙战舰水母
gas-filled bladder 充气气囊
be topped by 被…覆盖，顶部有
membrane （动植物的）膜膜
sail 帆，蓬
trail behind 跟随，跟在…后头走
be armed with 装备有，配有
stinging cells （无脊椎）刺细胞
lurk 潜伏，潜藏
Man O' War fish 僧帽水母鱼，水母双鳍鲳（栖息于僧帽水母的触手保护伞下）
nibble 啃，小口咬
reel in 卷进、拉回（勾住的鱼）
paralyzed 瘫痪的，不能活动的
liquefy  溶解，液化
scaly 带鳞的，鳞状的
husk 皮，躯壳，无价值之物
voracious 贪婪的，贪食的

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