海牛會口渴嗎?

海牛會口渴嗎?

Manatees have long been misunderstood. Not only were they once mistaken for mermaids, but we're still learning about these gentle giants of the ocean.

海牛長期以來一直被誤解。它們不僅曾經(jīng)被誤認(rèn)為是美人魚，而且我們還在了解這些溫和的海洋巨人。

It's generally known that they can live in both saltwater or fresh water, but did you ever stop and wonder if manatees get thirsty?

眾所周知，海牛既能生活在鹽水中，也能生活在淡水中，但你有沒有停下來想過海牛會不會口渴呢?

Turns out, they rely predominantly on fresh water to survive, but their kidneys can adapt when they only have the choice of drinking saltwater.

事實(shí)證明，它們主要依靠淡水生存，但當(dāng)它們只有喝鹽水的選擇時(shí)，它們的腎臟能夠適應(yīng)。

Manatees' kidneys basically filter the excess salt for a period of time so they can drink and eat.

海牛的腎臟會在一段時(shí)間內(nèi)過濾掉多余的鹽分，這樣它們就可以吃喝了。

We don't currently know exactly how long manatees can survive without fresh water, but generally they move back towards fresh water after a week or two of living in saltwater. In fact, when there isn't enough fresh water available, they have been known to seek out unusual sources of water like a drain from an ice house, putting them in close proximity to boats.

目前我們還不知道海牛在沒有淡水的情況下能存活多久，但一般來說，它們在鹽水中生活一兩周后會回到淡水中。事實(shí)上，當(dāng)沒有足夠的淡水可用時(shí)，它們就會尋找不尋常的水源，比如冰屋的排水管，這樣它們就能靠近船只。

Manatees are also known as sea cows because of their soft, gentle movements. This is Mandilo the manatee at the Zoo Parc of Beauval. (Photo: GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images)

Keep in mind it's illegal to feed or disturb manatees in any way. As with any wild animal, if you happen to come across one in a Florida estuary, just enjoy it from afar.

記住，以任何方式喂食或騷擾海牛都是違法的。就像任何野生動物一樣，如果你在佛羅里達(dá)的入海口碰巧遇到了一只，那就從遠(yuǎn)處欣賞吧。