“咸鱼”华丽转身：一口吃掉一条鲨鱼

“咸鱼”华丽转身：一口吃掉一条鲨鱼

You may not have heard of the peculiar denizens of the deep known as wreckfish. Despite their daunting dimensions — they can weigh up to 220 pounds and stretch six-and-a-half feet — they mostly swim under the radar.

你可能没有听说过深海里被称为沉船鱼的物种。尽管体型庞大，令人望而生畏——它们体重可达220磅，伸展能力可达6.5英尺——但它们大多在雷达的监视下出没。

Among the savvier citizens of the sea, they live as long as 70 years, probably by keeping to themselves. They frequent the deepest depths of the western Atlantic Ocean between Newfoundland and Argentina. Their name comes from their haunting habit of lurking in caves and shipwrecks.

在精明的海洋生物中，它们可以活到70岁，这可能是由于它们不愿与人交往。它们经常出没于纽芬兰和阿根廷之间的西大西洋最深处。它们的名字来自于它们潜伏在洞穴和沉船中这一令人难以忘怀的习性。

But recently, one took a star-making turn — by devouring an entire shark in one gulp.

但最近，一只鲨鱼开始了造星之旅——一口气吃掉一整条鲨鱼。

At least 11 dogfish were feasting on the remains of a swordfish n the ocean floor. (Photo: NOAA)

A research team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just happened to be combing the depths just off South Carolina with a remotely operated vehicle. They were searching for a frigate sunk by German submarinesduring World War II.

美国国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)的一个研究小组恰好在南卡罗莱纳附近用一个遥控飞行器搜索海底深处。他们正在寻找一艘二战期间被德国潜艇击沉的护卫舰。

The team came across a shark feeding frenzy. They ended up capturing a "once-in-a-lifetime event."

这个团队遇到了疯狂的鲨鱼捕食。他们最终捕捉到了一个“一生一次的事件”。

One shark then became the breakfast of wreckfish.

一条鲨鱼成了沉船鱼的早餐。

Granted the shark in question was no great white, but rather a dogfish — a bottom-dweller that feeds mostly on things that are already dead, and typically doesn't stretch more than a couple of feet. This particular dogfish, as a juvenile, was even smaller. Still those trademark spurs on its back might have caused any other potential predator to at least to re-think his dining choice.

当然，我们讨论的鲨鱼并不是大白鲨，而是一种角鲨——一种生活在海底的动物，主要以已经死亡的东西为食，伸展后通常不超过两英尺。这种特殊的角鲨，幼年时甚至更小。不过，它背上那些标志性的刺，可能至少会让其他潜在的捕食者重新考虑自己的就餐选择。

All that remained of the shark was a telltale tail. (Photo: NOAA)

But not the wreckfish. In one terrifying gulp, the shark disappears, leaving only its tail dangling from the creature's mouth — a moment that produces a loud response from the voices. (You'll note they refer to it as a grouper, a similar fish.)

但不会吓退沉船鱼。在一次可怕的吞咽之后，鲨鱼消失了，只留下它的尾巴悬在嘴里——这一时刻，它的声音产生了巨大的反应。(你会注意到它们是一种与石斑鱼类似的鱼。)

Researchers can't quite explain why the wreckfish diverted from its typical diet of squid and octopus with crustaceans on the side.

研究人员不能很好地解释为什么沉船鱼改变了它的典型饮食-乌贼和章鱼等甲壳类。

"This rare and startling event leaves us with more questions than answers," Auster writes. "But such is the nature of scientific exploration."

奥斯特写道:“这一罕见而令人震惊的事件留给我们的问题多于答案。”“但这就是科学探索的本质。