十大速度最快的海洋動物(上)

In the animal kingdom, both predators and prey species utilize one of two things to survive—stealth or speed. Both on land and beneath the sea, those who master either evasion or capture through these methods will thrive, living to reproduce and achieve the unspoken directive of their species. While stealth—through camouflage or evasion—is common, perhaps the most thrilling feature of many of the animals we find in the ocean are the fantastic speeds that can not only be achieved, but often maintained for long periods of d represents a tremendous expenditure, an investment of energy that must be replenished via consumed calories. Therefore, any observer should marvel not only at the existence of this trait, but also at the bounty of an ecosystem and the ability of individuals to draw their needs from that system. Their existence is a reflection of the fantastic diversity and abundance of our oceans. Here are ten of the fastest aquatic animals—both predator and prey.

動物世界裏，不管是捕食者還是被捕食者，暗襲和速度是它們賴以生存的兩大法寶。許多陸地和海洋生物正是通過這兩項技能得以繁衍成長，維持在自然界中的生存地位。對於暗襲，大多數動物擁有獨特的保護色和逃遁技巧，以此捕食或躲避天敵。然而，在海洋世界，失去遮蔽物和光線，速度纔是生存王道。許多海洋生物爆發力驚人，不僅可以很快達到超高時速，更爲讚歎的是憑藉其驚人耐力能遊行數小時。長時間競速意味着巨大的體能消耗，需要通過攝入大量卡路里補充體力。因此，人們不僅會對這一特點感到驚奇，更會對它們身處生物系統底部卻能以個體能力獲得所需而驚歎不已。它們的存在就是海洋多樣性及豐富性的最好體現。下面我們一起來盤點海洋裏速度最快的10種生物。

Orca or Killer Whale

10.逆戟鯨（虎鯨）

Orcas are not related to whales at all, other than being ocean-dwelling mammals. Rather, they are close kin to dolphins. While it was believed that they were a single species, recent research indicates that they may, in fact, be comprised of several different species of Orca. You can find them in every ocean in the world, though they tend to favor the colder waters around Antarctica and the North Atlantic or Pacific. The only predator they possess is humankind. While there's a deadly standoff between the two species, Orcas proliferate in the wild, and have an incredible life span. The males usually live as long as sixty or seventy years, while the females—who are excluded from the sometimes-violent competition for mates—may live a hundred years or more in the wild.

雖名虎鯨，但不同於海洋其他哺乳動物，非鯨目，海豚科的近親。此前一直認爲虎鯨只有一種，但最近的調查顯示虎鯨種類繁多。部分虎鯨會終年停留於南極、大西洋北部和太平洋等溫度較低的海域，但總體來看，它們的活動範圍幾乎覆蓋全世界水域。它們堪稱海上霸王，唯一的天敵也只有人類了。虎鯨全年都可以交配，數量龐大，雄鯨的平均壽命在60到70年左右，野生雌鯨不同於雄鯨經常參與獵殺食物，壽命可達100年甚至更長。

They've been observed reaching speeds of around 30 miles per hour, although some Orcas may utilize much greater bursts of speed, based upon their favored prey. Resident pods in the Pacific Northwest have shown a decided preference for salmonids—specifically, Chinook salmon. This presents a conflict with the goals of companies that rely on high yields of salmon for profit. Several communities of killer whale seem to favor beach and ice floe ambush approaches, snatching seals and walruses or even sea birds from their resting places. Others, located in the Southern Hemisphere, take up the challenge of hunting sharks in the open sea, as well as feeding on species of rays and other fish abundant in the cold southern waters.

虎鯨約時速30英里，當然也有爆發力更強的，爲了追捕中意的獵物，時速可以更快。太平洋西北海域的虎鯨族羣偏愛三文魚，尤其是大鱗三文魚。這就和沿岸經營三文魚生意的公司產生一定的利益衝突。虎鯨族羣喜歡在浮冰區伏擊獵物，捕殺海豹、海象或者在這裏歇腳的海鳥。在南半球海域裏，有些虎鯨還會在公海里捕殺鯊魚，也會以鰩和其他魚類爲食。

Bonito

9.鰹魚

While this species of small mackerel-like fish (Sarda sarda) has been observed leaping at speeds of 40 miles per hour, the true wonder is that it is capable of swimming for long periods of time at 30 miles per hour. That makes it truly unique, given that the migration speeds of many fish of similar size are slower. It regulates the activation of fast-twitch muscles—used for bursts of speed—and slow twitch muscles—needed for long-term endurance—better than many vertebrate species.

這個外形頗像馬鮫魚親戚的鰹魚（狐鰹屬）時速最快可達40英里，真正令人驚歎的是它們可以以30英里每小時的速度游上好幾小時，相比其它同體型的魚類，鰹魚可謂箇中翹楚。腹鰭快速抽動的肌肉組織是超強爆發力的堅實保障，背鰭抽動較慢的肌肉組織則保證了競速時的驚人耐力。

The Atlantic Bonito spawns in tropical waters around the equator. While this may surprise some, who know it to be a fish harvested from the waters of the Black and Mediterranean Seas and the northern Atlantic waters off the east coast of North America or Europe, there's a logic to this pattern. When Bonitos are first spawned, they are tiny—measuring only 1/8 of an inch. They require enormous amounts of food to put on the mass essential to success in the wild Atlantic waters. Those resources are abundant in the perpetually warm waters around the equator. There are several varieties of Bonito found throughout both hemispheres, the Pacific Bonito—known as Skipjack Tuna—that schools primarily along the coasts of South America being the second most popular of these fish. However,separate species have been classified in the western Pacific and in the waters around New Zealand. Because all species of Bonito are fully mature at four years of age, they are a popular choice for fisheries of every type and level of sophistication—from traditional weirs and line fishing to highly industrialized net dragging operations.

一些人可能會很驚奇，大西洋海域的鰹魚在赤道附近的溫暖水域產卵。因爲魚兒們大都在黑海、地中海以及鄰近歐美地區的北大西洋水域產卵，習性使然。但是鰹魚第一次產的卵很小，只有一毫米左右。它們需要大量食物讓數目龐大的小魚活下來。赤道附近的溫海水恰好可以爲它們提供大量食物。鰹魚種類豐富，族羣幾乎遍佈全球水域。太平洋鰹魚又稱正鰹，多在南美洲沿岸活動，是當地第二大受歡迎的魚類。然而在西太平洋和新西蘭水域，鰹魚還有幾個細分類。由於鰹魚一般在四歲時就可以發育成熟，所以不管是在過去傳統的圍塘捕魚、長線釣魚時期，還是現在高度工業化的拖網捕魚時期，鰹魚都是捕魚產業鏈和其它相關產業所選的熱門品種。

Flying Fish

8.飛魚

This fish earned its name by utilizing evasion as a way to escape its predators. It bodily leaps from the ocean, reaching a speed of about 35 miles per hour and a recorded gliding time of up to thirty seconds. This can take them as far as 200 meters from their point of exit from the water, which may be far enough to escape pursuit or confuse predators. Fishermen favor these types of fish, but due to their sheer numbers in the wild, none of the 40 different species of flying fish are listed as endangered. While they can be found foraging seasonally along the outskirts of warm water reef complexes, flying fish are primarily pelagic, and favor tropical or subtropical open waters around the equator.

飛魚得名於它獨特的避難方式。遇到捕食者時，飛魚會採用一種獨特的逃跑方式：它會縱身一躍，跳出海面。此時它的速度可達到每小時35英里，在空中滑翔長達30秒。這一躍能使它們飛行200米，足以使它們全身而退或者迷惑捕食者。漁民們很是鍾愛這種魚，野生飛魚數量衆多，所以40種飛魚中沒有一種瀕臨滅絕。人們發現飛魚有時會季節性的在溫水區近郊地帶的雜礁灰巖附近覓食，不過它們屬浮游類魚類，喜歡在赤道附近的熱帶，亞熱帶地區的公海活動。

Subsisting mainly on a diet of plankton and small marine life, flying fish are schooling fish that hunt primarily at night. While some sources may find this counter-intuitive, given the ease with which the fish are drawn to light sources, this actually makes perfect sense. Many of the plankton and marine resources the fish favor are slightly luminescent, especially by moonlight, making them easily seen in the darkness. This also provides cover, given the coloration of the fish—blue or grey on top, silvery white on the bottom—so that they are not easily seen from above or below as they feed on the clouds of marine flora. Flying fish generally mate during the autumn or spring, when currents are at their weakest. Females will deposit their eggs on the surface, attached to flotsam, and males will fertilize the eggs. Schools at this time can number in the millions, and constitute a major resource for species that feed on the fish. Because they only tend to live about five years in the wild, their flesh is prized for its purity—free of the heavy metals often found in longer-lived species.

飛魚主要以浮游生物和小型海洋生物爲食，主要在夜間以集羣的方式進行捕食。有些人會覺得下面這個說法有悖常理，因爲魚類易被光源吸引，這麼說也不無道理。許多浮游生物和魚類自身都會發出微弱的冷光，尤其是在月光照射下，更是清晰可見。但這同時也爲魚類提供了一層防護，讓它們有了保護色：一般在上部會呈現藍色或灰色，下部呈現銀白色。憑藉這些保護色，當飛魚在海底植物中進食時就很難發現它們。飛魚通常會在春秋時節進行交配，因爲這個時期洋流的活動最爲和緩。雌性飛魚會將卵產在海面上，讓其依附在漂浮物上，雄性飛魚再讓魚卵受精。此時在飛魚的集羣中，會有數以百萬的成員。而這也爲以魚類爲生的動物們提供了主要的食物來源。由於野生飛魚只有5年的壽命，它們不會像長壽的魚類一樣體內留有大量重金屬物質，因此飛魚肉被人們視爲珍品。

Yellowfin Tuna

7.黃鰭金槍魚

This tuna is a member of the same family as the Bonito and schools in waters of both northern and southern hemispheres. Reaching an average weight of nearly 400 pounds in less than eight years, these schooling fish are popular with fishermen. Pelagic in preference, the Yellowfin is designed for long distance migrations and sustained speed. It's been clocked at speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour for prolonged periods of time. A biological design feature makes this possible. By resting their pectoral fins in special grooves along the sides of their bodies, they present a streamlined profile to the current. This helps to reduce drag, so that their torpedo-shaped bodies cut through the water with greater ease and less loss of energy.

黃鰭金槍魚和鰹魚隸屬於同一種類，都是羣居型魚類，南北半球都能看到它的身影。這種魚可在8年的時間裏長到400英鎊，廣受漁民歡迎。另外爲了適應深海的情況，黃鰭金槍魚能夠長途遷徙，並在途中全程保持高速遊行。它可以長時間以每小時50英里的速度遊動，這要得益於它獨特的生理結構：在它們身體兩側的凹槽中長有胸鰭，當黃鰭金槍魚在洋流中游動時胸鰭可以使身體呈流線型來減少遊動時產生的阻力。這樣一來，它們那魚雷型的魚身就可以輕而易舉的穿透水流，進而減少遊動時的體力消耗。

While they seem to favor squid and crustaceans, Yellowfins are not picky eaters. They will often forage on whatever is readily available in their vicinity. Because they put on weight quickly and grow to a respectable size of about 200 kilograms, they're a favorite target for fishing companies. They tend to school strongly and can be found in the open tropical or subtropical waters of oceans, though they avoid the more closed environments of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. They have been placed on a list of possibly endangered species—meaning that if culling continues apace, their numbers will soon be depleted beyond their ability to sufficiently spawn replacements. In the 1950s, purse seines were used to harvest massive numbers of Yellowfin, by exploiting the tendency for dolphins to travel with the schools. The careless tactics of fishers led to hundreds of thousands of dolphins drowning each year, due to net entanglement. Hence, both legislation prohibiting the death of dolphins and the development of dolphin safe nets was put forward several decades later.

雖然黃鰭金槍魚看起來更喜歡吃烏賊和甲殼類動物，但其實它們什麼都吃。它們通常會竭盡所能地尋找身邊一切可以吃的東西。因此，它們的體重會以驚人的速度增長，可達200公斤，這也使它們也成爲了其他捕食者們的最愛。黃鰭金槍魚通常是羣居性魚類，生活於熱帶及亞熱帶水域，在地中海及黑海等封閉性水域中鮮有它們的身影。黃鰭金槍魚被列爲潛在瀕危物種。這意味着如果繼續維持現狀，它們的消亡速度會超過繁殖速度。20世紀50年代，人們利用海豚會追尋魚羣的特點通過圍網捕魚法來捕撈大羣的黃鰭金槍魚。但當時的漁民們疏於考慮，導致每年有成百上千的海豚因被漁網纏住而喪生。因此，在之後的幾十年中，人們雙管齊下，一方面通過立法保護，另一方面研製防糾纏漁網，共同保護海豚。

Pilot Whale

6.巨頭鯨

These ocean mammals are also closely related to dolphins, much like the killer whale. They exhibit advanced intelligence and social skills, making them the unfortunate targets of human whaling endeavors. Although they're known to feast upon cuttlefish, octopus, and small fish, their favorite prey is squid. They also have fewer teeth than other members of the dolphin family—40 to 48 as opposed to the usual 120. Scientists believe that this may be an adaptation to their feeding niche—because they subsist almost exclusively on squid and related animals.

巨頭鯨和海豚是近親，但更像虎鯨一點。它們表現出超羣的智慧以及社會能力讓它們不幸地成爲捕鯨人的狩獵目標。人們都熟知巨頭鯨以墨魚、章魚以及一些小魚爲食，但是它最喜歡的還是烏賊。它們的牙齒較海豚科其他成員要少一些——通常其他成員有120顆，但巨頭鯨只有40到48顆。科學家們認爲這是爲了適應它們的捕食習慣——因爲它們幾乎只依靠烏賊和一些其他同類生物維生。

Their highly social nature is evident in the size of their living groups—up to 90 related individuals who work together to subsist—which may be found in every ocean of the world. Working together, they track and corral their prey before feasting. Because they must often travel long distances, and require bursts of speed to close in on prey species, they have been observed diving to incredible depths at speeds that seem counterintuitive. This is significant when you consider that, although both air and water are technically classified as liquid mediums, water is 750 times denser than air. While they have been clocked at 47 miles per hour when leaping, what's truly astonishing is that they perform bursts of speed when they close in on their prey at great depths—read that as up to 3200 feet beneath the surface. Researchers from La Laguna University in Tenerife tagged 23 short finned Pilot Whales with suction cup monitors to discover their behavior so far below the surface, and found to their amazement that the whales behaved more like cheetahs. The researchers were able to record average speeds of 19.2 feet per second, with amazing an 28.8 feet per second speed achieved just before the whales reached the deepest parts of their dives. So while these incredible speeds are not sustained, they are, nonetheless, amazing.

巨頭鯨高度的社會性在其生活羣體的規模大小上得以體現——每個大洋都能看到90頭左右的巨頭鯨一起捕食生存。它們會齊心協力追蹤圍捕獵物，通常要遊很久，又需要爆發力追捕，人們曾經觀察到巨頭鯨可以極速下潛到令人難以置信的深度，這簡直逆天了。仔細想想你就會覺得這太不可思議了，雖然從學術上來說空氣和水都是液體傳播媒介，但是水的密度可是空氣的750倍。它們跳躍時的速度可達到47英里每小時，真正讓人震驚的是，它們可以在三千英尺的深海中突然全速追捕獵物。來自內特利費語言大學的研究學者給23頭短鰭巨頭鯨安上吸盤監視器觀察它們在深海的一舉一動。他們驚奇地發現這些巨頭鯨就像一頭獵豹。研究人員記錄顯示是平均遊速可達每秒19.2英尺，但是在巨頭鯨在到達它能夠潛到的最深的地方之前速度已經達到了28.8英尺每秒。雖然這驚人的速度沒有保留下來，但是不管怎麼說，巨頭鯨真的太神奇了。

審校：哎呀 編輯：旭旭 來源：前十網