第2305期:What happens to beached whales?

In July 2024, a pod of 77 pilot whales washed up on a beach in Orkney, Scotland. It was the largest mass stranding of whales in Scotland for decades. Scientists don't know exactly why whales beach themselves. One theory is that climate change is driving whales' food closer to the shoreline, where they then get stuck as the tide goes out. If a single animal is found, it is usually because it is sick or has been injured. 

2024 年 7 月，一群 77 头领航鲸被冲上苏格兰奥克尼群岛的海滩。 这是苏格兰数十年来最大规模的鲸鱼搁浅事件。 科学家们并不确切知道鲸鱼为何搁浅。 一种理论认为，气候变化使鲸鱼的食物越来越靠近海岸线，当潮水退去时，它们就会被困在那里。 如果发现一只动物，通常是因为它生病或受伤了。 

In the Orkney stranding, 12 of the whales were still alive when they became beached. When this happens, marine organisations assess whether a whale can be safely refloated. Professionals and members of the community often come together, cover the animal in wet sheets and pour buckets of water over it, though not the blowhole, until the animal drifts back out to the ocean. Though it's not always a happy ending. 

在奥克尼群岛搁浅的鲸鱼中，有 12 头鲸鱼搁浅时还活着。 当这种情况发生时，海洋组织会评估鲸鱼是否可以安全地重新浮出水面。 专业人士和社区成员经常聚集在一起，用湿床单盖住动物，然后将一桶桶水倒在它身上，但不是喷水孔，直到动物漂回大海。 尽管这并不总是一个皆大欢喜的结局。 

For those that don't survive, a post-mortem examination is often carried out. Dr Brownlow of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme told the BBC that these can reveal a lot about the whale's life and the reasons why it was beached. In 2024, a very rare species of whale turned up on a beach in New Zealand – a spade-toothed whale. While this is sad, the carcass was dissected in order to help researchers acquire new information about the species. "From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge", Gabe Davies, a Department of Conservation official, said. 

对于那些未能幸存的人，通常会进行尸检。 苏格兰海洋动物搁浅计划的布朗洛博士告诉英国广播公司，这些可以揭示很多关于鲸鱼的生活以及它搁浅的原因。 2024 年，一种非常稀有的鲸鱼出现在新西兰的海滩上——铲齿鲸。 虽然这令人悲伤，但尸体被解剖，以帮助研究人员获得有关该物种的新信息。 “从科学和保护的角度来看，这是巨大的”，环境保护部官员加布·戴维斯说。 

Some beached whales who don't survive have their skeletons sent to museums, while many others are returned to the water. This ensures the marine environment benefits because whale carcasses give off many nutrients. "When they fall and die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, they form these little nutrient-rich islands that can support a huge diversity of life", says Dr Brownlow. 

一些无法生存的搁浅鲸鱼的骨骼被送往博物馆，而其他许多鲸鱼则被送回水中。 这确保了海洋环境的好处，因为鲸鱼尸体会释放出许多营养物质。 布朗洛博士说：“当它们坠落、死亡并沉入海底时，它们会形成这些营养丰富的小岛，可以支持生命的巨大多样性。” 

The more research that can be done, the better. For now, we can only do what we can to keep our oceans clean and safe. 

可以做的研究越多越好。 目前，我们只能尽力保持海洋清洁和安全。 

词汇表

pod （海洋动物或鸟类的）一小群
pilot whale 巨头鲸
wash up 被海浪冲上岸
mass stranding 集体搁浅
beach 使……被困在海滩上
shoreline 海岸线
tide 潮水
marine 与海洋相关的，海洋的
refloat （搁浅后）再度浮起
blowhole （鲸类动物的）喷气孔
drift out 漂走
post-mortem examination 尸检
spade-toothed whale 铲齿中喙鲸
carcass 尸体
dissect 解剖
conservation （对动植物或自然环境的）保护
skeleton 骨架
nutrient-rich 营养丰富的
diversity 多样性