在馬達(dá)加斯加重新發(fā)現(xiàn)了四足“活化石”魚(yú)

Coelacanths, an extinct fossil that dates back to roughly 420 million years ago, was unexpectedly rediscovered in the tropical island-country of Madagascar in East Africa.

腔棘魚(yú)是一種大約4.2億年前滅絕的四足“活化石”魚(yú)，近日在東非熱帶島國(guó)——馬達(dá)加斯加被意外地重新發(fā)現(xiàn)。

According to reports from Mongabay News, a nonprofit environmental conservation group coelacanths, the four-legged fossil fish has just been found alive and kicking in the West Indian Ocean just off the coast of Madagascar.

據(jù)Mongabay News的報(bào)道，非營(yíng)利性環(huán)境保護(hù)組織發(fā)現(xiàn)這條腔棘魚(yú)，是在在馬達(dá)加斯加海岸附近的西印度洋，當(dāng)時(shí)這條魚(yú)還活著，還在踢著腳。

(Photo: Pascalou petit / WikiCommons)

Coelacanths or Latimeria are carnivorous fish that live up to 60 years and grow as large as 6.5 feet and weigh approximately 198 pounds.

腔棘魚(yú)或乳香魚(yú)是肉食性魚(yú)類(lèi)，壽命長(zhǎng)達(dá)60年，長(zhǎng)到6.5英尺，重約198磅。

According to National Geographic, these primitive-looking coelacanths are believed to have gone extinct 65 million years ago along with the dinosaurs. However, in 1938, sa South African museum curator ignited a scientific debate on how the unique lobe-finned fish fits into the existing evolutionary timeline of land animals.

據(jù)《國(guó)家地理》報(bào)道，這些長(zhǎng)相原始的腔棘魚(yú)被認(rèn)為在6500萬(wàn)年前隨著恐龍一起滅絕了。然而，在1938年，一位南非博物館館長(zhǎng)引發(fā)了一場(chǎng)科學(xué)辯論，

Coelacanths are rarely sighted deep-sea creatures that thrived in depths of up to 2,300 feet below the surface.

腔棘魚(yú)是一種罕見(jiàn)的深海生物，它們?cè)诘乇硪韵?300英尺深處繁衍生息。

The uniqueness of the "four-legged living fossil" is its paired lobe fins extending away from its body like human legs alternating pattern similar to a trotting horse.

這種“四足活化石”的獨(dú)特之處在于它的雙葉鰭從身體延伸出來(lái)，就像人類(lèi)的腿交替出現(xiàn)，就像一匹小跑的馬。

The unexpected rediscovery of the "living fossils" was thanks to the shark hunters using gillnets during their expedition. As the hunters targeted sharks for their oil, fins, and various other commercial enterprises, their devices were able to reach deep-sea nets where coelacanths gathered roughly 328-492 feet below the surface.

這些“活化石”的意外重新發(fā)現(xiàn)要?dú)w功于探險(xiǎn)期間用刺網(wǎng)捕鯊的獵人們。當(dāng)獵人以鯊魚(yú)為目標(biāo)尋找它們的魚(yú)油、魚(yú)鰭和其他各種商業(yè)企業(yè)時(shí)，他們的設(shè)備就能夠到達(dá)深海網(wǎng)，在那里腔棘魚(yú)大約聚集在水面以下328-492英尺的地方。

A recent study published in the journal SA Journal of Science, entitled "Coelacanth discoveries in Madagascar, with recommendations on research and conservation" warns that the "four-legged fossils" may face new species-level threats to their survival due to the uptick in shark hunting that boomed in the 1980s.

《科學(xué)雜志》(SA journal of Science)最近發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)題為“馬達(dá)加斯加腔棘魚(yú)的發(fā)現(xiàn)，以及對(duì)研究和保護(hù)的建議”的研究警告說(shuō)，由于20世紀(jì)80年代興起的捕獵鯊魚(yú)的熱潮，這些“四足化石”可能面臨新物種級(jí)別的生存威脅。

The authors of the study wrote that jarifa gillnets that are used to catch sharks are relatively new and believed to be a more deadly innovation because they are large and can be set in deep water.

這項(xiàng)研究的作者寫(xiě)道，用于捕捉鯊魚(yú)的jarifa刺網(wǎng)相對(duì)較新，被認(rèn)為是一種更致命的創(chuàng)新，因?yàn)樗鼈兒艽?，可以在深水中使用?/p>

Researchers fear that the rediscovery of the coelacanths may lead to heightened risks of "exploitation" especially in Madagascar where past sightings have been cited. The team wrote that there is no doubt that the sizeable mesh jarifa gillnets is, as of today, the biggest threat to the coelacanth's survival in Madagascar.

研究人員擔(dān)心，腔棘魚(yú)的重新發(fā)現(xiàn)可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致更高的“開(kāi)發(fā)”風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，特別是在馬達(dá)加斯加，那里曾經(jīng)有人提到過(guò)這種現(xiàn)象。研究小組寫(xiě)道，毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，到今天為止，相當(dāng)大的網(wǎng)眼刺網(wǎng)是對(duì)馬達(dá)加斯加腔棘魚(yú)生存的最大威脅。

The study goes on further purporting that Madagascar is more than likely to be the "epicenter" of many coelacanth subspecies which is why it is vital that local and international conservation steps be taken to preserve the extraordinary species that has predated the dinosaurs.

這項(xiàng)研究進(jìn)一步指出，馬達(dá)加斯加很可能是許多腔棘魚(yú)亞種的“中心”，這就是為什么必須采取當(dāng)?shù)睾蛧?guó)際保護(hù)措施來(lái)保護(hù)這些比恐龍還要早的特殊物種。