Whale Sharks Giant Fish

Whale sharks. Giant fish. Written by Luanne Silver. Focus question. What are some of the whale shark's traits that help it survive in the ocean?

鲸鲨。 巨型鱼类。 作者：卢安·西尔弗。 思考问题。 鲸鲨有哪些特征能帮助它在海洋中生存呢？

The Biggest Fish in the Sea When people think about sharks, images of sharp teeth and blood often come to mind. Have no fear! The biggest shark in the world, also the biggest fish, is a gentle giant. The whale shark is so peaceful that people can safely swim beside it. This harmless creature gets its name because, like a whale, it's big, really big.

海中最大的鱼 人们想到鲨鱼时，脑海里常常浮现出锋利牙齿和嗜血的画面。 别害怕！ 世界上最大的鲨鱼，同时也是全世界最大的鱼，是一头温和的巨人。 鲸鲨性情十分平和，人们可以安全地在它身旁游泳。 这种无害的动物得名于此——就像鲸鱼一样，它体型很大，非常大。

Watch your mouth! Whale sharks have a wide, flat head and a blunt snout with a huge mouth. They often swim with their mouth open. Like other sharks, whale sharks have rough skin and sharp scales. Their back is dark, bluish, grayish, or brownish, with a pattern of cream -colored spots and stripes. People often describe the pattern as similar to a checkerboard or domino. Scientists don't know the purpose of this unusual color pattern. It could be for camouflage. But adults are so large that they don't really need protection from predators. The color pattern may help keep young whale sharks safe. It may also help shield whale sharks from too much sunlight at the water's surface.

来瞧瞧它的嘴巴！ 鲸鲨长着宽扁的脑袋，圆钝的口鼻，还有一张巨大的嘴。 它们游泳时常常张着嘴巴。 和其他鲨鱼一样，鲸鲨皮肤粗糙，鳞片锋利。 它们的背部颜色很深，呈蓝灰色、深灰色或是棕褐色，布满奶白色的斑点和条纹。 人们常说这个花纹类似棋盘或是多米诺骨牌。 科学家还不清楚这种特殊花纹有什么作用。 它也许是用来伪装的。 不过成年鲸鲨体型太大，其实不需要抵御天敌。 这种花纹可以保护幼年鲸鲨的安全。 它还能帮助鲸鲨阻挡海面过多的阳光照射。

Whale sharks live in warmer parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They swim in the open ocean as well as close to shore. These giants are often seen swimming at the surface, and they're also known to dive deep. They can dive as deep as 6 ,000 feet, 1 ,829 meters below the water's surface. Whale sharks do not usually travel with other whale sharks, but other types of fish may keep them company. They may travel with groups of large fish that have similar feeding habits. Whale sharks are also seen with remoras, a type of fish with suckers. Remoras attach themselves to whale sharks and eat parasites off their skin.

鲸鲨生活在大西洋、太平洋和印度洋水温较高的区域。 它们既会在开阔大洋游动，也会在靠近海岸的区域活动。 人们经常看到这些巨兽在海面游动，也已知它们能潜到很深的地方。 它们最深可以潜到水下6000英尺，也就是1829米的位置。 鲸鲨通常不会和同类结伴活动，但可能会有其他鱼类陪伴它们。 它们会和一群食性相近的大型鱼类一起活动。 人们也见过䲟鱼和鲸鲨相伴，䲟鱼是一种长着吸盘的鱼类。 䲟鱼吸附在鲸鲨身上，吃它皮肤上的寄生虫。

Whale sharks migrate long distances. They commonly swim more than 1 ,240 miles 2 ,000 kilometers. One whale shark was recorded migrating 8 ,077 miles 13 ,000 kilometers over a period of more than three years. Scientists don't know why whale sharks migrate such long distances. It could be related to breeding, finding food, or other reasons. Whale sharks have gathering places around the world. The largest, called the afuera, Spanish for out or outside, is located off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Over 400 whale sharks have been observed there at the same time, feeding on large quantities of fish eggs.

鲸鲨会长途迁徙。 它们通常能游超过1240英里，也就是2000公里。 有记录显示，一头鲸鲨在三年多的时间里迁徙了8077英里，也就是13000公里。 科学家不清楚鲸鲨为什么要进行这么远距离的迁徙。 这可能和繁殖、觅食或是其他原因有关。 全世界有很多鲸鲨的聚集点。 最大的聚集点叫afuera，西班牙语意思是外面，它位于墨西哥尤卡坦半岛外海。 人们曾在这里观测到超过400头鲸鲨同时聚集，享用大量的鱼卵。

Big fish, small food Unlike most other sharks, whale sharks don't actively hunt for food and are not considered predators. They eat tiny ocean animals that drift or swim in the water. Krill, which are similar to shrimp, are among their favorite foods. They may also eat small fish, squid, plants, fish eggs, and occasionally larger fish. Whale sharks use a process called filter feeding to collect food. When they open their mouth, their food flows in with the water. As the water flows toward their gills, filter pads catch the small animals and plants. Then the water flows out through their gill slits.

大鱼吃小食 和大多数其他鲨鱼不同，鲸鲨不会主动捕猎，也不算是捕食者。 它们以水中漂流或游动的微小海洋生物为食。 磷虾外形和虾类似，是鲸鲨最爱的食物之一。 它们也会吃小鱼、乌贼、植物、鱼卵，偶尔还会捕食更大的鱼。 鲸鲨用一种叫做滤食的方式获取食物。 它们张开嘴时，食物就跟着海水一起流进嘴里。 海水流向鳃部时，过滤垫会把细小的动植物截留下来。 之后海水就会从鳃裂排出体外。