Human encroachment is one of the main threats facing the recovery of the Hawaiian Monk seal population.
人类的侵入是夏威夷僧侣豹种群数量恢复面临的主要威胁之一。
And Tiger sharks are a big threat to the pups just learning to swim.
虎鲨对刚学会游泳的幼崽来说是一个巨大的威胁。
A mother Monk seal usually gives birth to only one pup, which is totally dependent on her care for about a month and a half.
一只雌性僧侣豹通常只生一只幼崽,幼崽要完全依靠母亲的照顾生活一个半月。
During that time, she gives her pup milk and swimming lessons.
在那段时间里,她要给幼崽哺乳,还要教它游泳。
Unfortunately, only 20% of newborn pups make it to their second birthday.
不幸的是,只有20%的新生幼仔能活着度过第二个生日。
This high mortality is the reason that the Hawaiian Monk seal is having such a hard time making a comeback from hundreds of years of hunting.
夏威夷僧侣豹的死亡率之高,是它经历数百年的捕杀,数量难以恢复的原因。
Of course, now the Hawaiian Monk seal is on the endangered species list and protected from hunting throughout its entire range.
当然,现在夏威夷僧侣豹已列入濒危物种名单,并受到保护,免遭捕猎。
The Caribbean Monk seal was not so lucky.
加勒比海的僧侣豹就没有那么幸运了。
It was hunted into extinction.
它惨遭猎杀,已经灭绝了。
The last living animal was seen in 1952.
最后一只活着的僧侣豹出现在1952年。
Hopefully the efforts to protect and rehabilitate the Hawaiian Monk seal population are not too late.
希望为保护和恢复夏威夷僧侣豹种群数量所做的努力还不太迟。
Back at the boat, while everyone else has lunch, I decide to do a little snorkeling to check out the reef in the shallows.
回到船上后,其他人都吃午饭时,我决定浮潜一下,看看浅水中的珊瑚礁。
While floating there looking at the fish, guess who has snuck up on me?
我在浮潜看鱼时,你猜谁偷偷溜过来了?
A Monk seal's natural curiosity has brought him over for a look at the awkward floating human.
僧侣豹天生的好奇心,把它引过来看看我这个笨拙的漂浮着的人。
He seems like he is just taking a rest at the surface.
它似乎只是在水面上休息一下。
Maybe all that vocalizing gets tiring.
也许发声让它疲惫了。
He looks right into my camera lens.
它直直地盯着摄像机的镜头。
Clearly he is curious about me or my camera.
显然,它对我或摄像机都很好奇。
I float in the water for half an hour, as the seal repeatedly pops his nose above the surface for a breath of air.
我在水里漂浮了半个小时,海豹不断把鼻子伸出水面呼吸空气。
Finally, with one last breath, he dives about 50 feet down…and starts to vocalize again.
最后一次呼吸时,它下潜了大约50英尺......然后又开始发声了。
Soon, it's time for another scuba dive, so I head to the boat and gear up.
很快,又要进行一次水肺潜水了,我来到船上准备出发。
Cameraman Todd and I hit the water, and swim down to the reef.
我和摄像师托德潜入水中,游到暗礁处。
Almost immediately, the seal comes over to greet us, swimming right past Todd.
海豹马上过来迎接我们,从托德身边游了过去。
He swims right down to me and floats gently above the bottom.
它径直游到我跟前,轻轻浮在海底上面一点的位置。
He can see me clearly, because the eyes of a seal are designed to work underwater.
它能清楚地看到我,因为海豹的眼睛就是在水下工作的。
Seals have blurry vision on land, but crystal clear down here.
海豹在陆地上视野模糊,但在这里却看得异常清楚。
Soon the seal starts rubbing his back on the rocks.
很快,海豹开始在岩石上摩擦背部。
Even a seal likes a back scratch!
海豹也喜欢摩擦背部啊!
He doesn't mind my presence at all.
它根本不介意我在场。
Or maybe he just thinks the lens on my camera produces a nice reflection of himself.
或者它觉得从我摄像机的镜头里能看到自己漂亮的影子。
His big whiskers do more than make him look cute.
大胡须让它看起来更可爱。
They help him hunt fishes.
有助于它捕鱼。
They are sensitive to vibrations in the water, and detect movement at close range in the dark.
胡须对水中的振动很敏感,能在黑暗中近距离探测到运动。
As I continue to observe, the seal goes back to vocalizing right in front of me!
我在继续观察时,海豹又回到我面前来发声了!
He brings the air up from his lungs into his throat, then exhales the bubbles afterwards.
他把空气从肺部带到喉咙,然后呼出气泡。
But I have no idea how he made that sound!
但我不知道它是怎么发出那个声音的!
Seals are mammals and breathe air, so after a few minutes, he needs to head to the surface for a breath.
海豹是哺乳动物,需要呼吸空气。所以,几分钟后,它要到海面上去呼吸。
While swimming back to the boat, I notice a Sandbar shark swimming through the area.
我游回船上时,看到一只沙洲鲨在这一带游来游去。
I wonder if it will frighten the seal away.
我想知道它是否会把海豹吓跑。
However, much to my surprise, the seal in fact swims over to check out the shark, then goes back to vocalizing.
然而,令我惊讶的是,海豹竟然游过来看鲨鱼,然后又游回来开始发声。
It is the shark that swims away!
鲨鱼游走了!
Wow, that is a first!
哇,这真是第一次!
A shark and a seal on the same dive in the same shot!
鲨鱼和海豹在同一个镜头里同时潜入水中!
How cool is that?
多酷啊?
I'll never forget my adventure with my new friend, the Hawaiian Monk seal.
我会永远记住和新朋友,夏威夷僧侣豹的冒险经历。
I certainly hope that all that vocalizing pays off and he finds himself a girlfriend.
我希望它所有的发声活动都不会白费,最终能帮它找到女朋友。
The future of the Hawaiian Monk seal depends on it.
这决定着夏威夷僧侣豹的未来。