第2557期:Whale makes epic migration, astonishing scientists

Humpback whales are known for having one of the longest migrations of any mammal, migrating from their summer feeding grounds to breed in warmer waters closer to the equator. 座头鲸是哺乳动物中迁徙距离最长的物种，并以此闻名，它们从夏季的觅食地迁徙到靠近赤道的温暖水域进行繁殖。 But international researchers say this adult male humpback had one of the longest and most unusual migrations ever recorded, visiting breeding grounds in both the Pacific and the Indian Ocean over the course of several years. 但是有关国际研究人员称这头成年雄性座头鲸进行了有记录以来最漫长且最不寻常的迁徙之一，在几年的时间里抵达了太平洋和印度洋的繁殖地。They think this epic journey might be down to climate change shrinking populations of krill, the tiny, shrimp-like creatures humpback whales feed on. Or it could be an ocean odyssey to find a mate. 他们认为这次极其漫长的迁徙旅程可能是由气候变化导致磷虾的数量减少造成的，因为这种微小的虾状生物是座头鲸的食物。另外，这也有可能是一次寻找伴侣的海洋冒险之旅。 The researchers hope a citizen science project analysing hundreds of thousands of photographs of whales through artificial intelligence will help give an answer. Whales can be identified through the individual shapes and patterns of their tails, allowing their movement around the globe to be mapped. 研究人员希望一个通过人工智能分析数十万张鲸鱼照片的公民科学项目能够帮忙找到答案。人们可以通过鲸鱼独特的尾部形状和纹理来识别它们，从而绘制出它们在全球范围内的迁徙路线。 词汇表humpback whales 座头鲸migrations 迁徙mammal 哺乳动物feeding grounds 觅食地breed 繁殖krill 磷虾odyssey 漫长而惊险的旅途mate （动物的）配偶artificial intelligence 人工智能mapped 绘制