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Many of the smaller creatures that live in these forests, such as urchins, graze on the kelp and can seriously damage it if their numbers are unchecked.
许多居住在这森林里的小生物，像是海胆，便吃海草，但它们的数量若失去控制，便会造成严重损害。
The sea otters, however, feed on some of these grazers and prevent them getting too numerous.
然而，海獭以这些小生物为食，避免它们的数量过多。
So, in effect, the sea otters are the guardians of the forest.
因此这些海獭是森林的守护者。
Garibaldi fish do not, in fact, damage the kelp.
加州红鱼并不会破坏海草。
If anything, they help it by picking off tiny animals that in places encrust the leaves.
反而，它们会帮助除掉附着在叶面上的小动物。
They graze on bryozoans, tiny colonial animals, which build their colonies like a patchwork of white skins on the leaves.
它们吃小型的寄生苔藓虫类，它们聚落像是叶面上的白皮拼布。
When night falls there are fewer predatory fish around and the bryozoans emerge from their white shelters
入夜后，肉食性鱼类减少，苔藓虫类便从白防护罩下出现。
Now, just like coral polyps they start filtering out the plankton under cover of darkness.
它们像珊瑚虫一样，在黑暗的掩护下，开始过滤浮游物。
They are not the only animals to venture out at this time.
它们不是此时出没的唯一动物。
This is an amphipod, just two centimetres long and it does eat kelp. In turn, it is excellent food for many predators.
这是只排骨虾，只有2公分长，它会吃海草。它对肉食者而言是很好的食物。
To protect itself it produces silk, just like a spider, and uses it to sew together two sides of a kelp frond and so form a shelter.
它能像蜘蛛一样吐丝来保护自己，也能将海草的两面缝在一起，形成屏障。
This one is in particular need of a secure home. She's a mother.
这一只特别需要一个安全的家。她是个母亲。
There are over fifty youngsters clustered on her abdomen, so her home is becoming somewhat cramped.
它的腹部塞满超过50个幼苗，所以它的住所变得有些拥挤。
They will soon be old enough to leave and now whenever she can, she kicks them out to get a taste of the outside world.
它们很快的就能长大离开，所以母亲一有机会，就把它们踢出去看外面的世界。
Dawn. Beds of eel grass grow in the shallows between the kelp forest and the shore.
破晓。鳗鱼草成片生长在海草森林及海岸间的浅滩上。
A harbour seal has found sanctuary here, and is sleeping after a hard night's foraging. But not for long.
一只海狮在此得到保护，正因一晚艰辛的觅食而休憩中。但不会太久。
A male seal gives a wake up call. More seals are attracted from all directions.
一只公海豹发出起床号。更多的海豹从各方向被吸引而来。
It's June, the time when young male harbour seals start their strange mating displays.
六月时，年轻公海豹开始它们奇特的求偶展示。
One listens attentively to the grunting noises made by the other. These calls are almost certainly a way of establishing which of the two will be dominant.
聚精会神地聆听彼此的呼声。这些叫声几乎是断定谁将处于优势的方法。
But if the animals are closely matched in size and experience, grunts won't settle the issue, the rivals will have to come to blows
但如果它们的体型与经验接近，这件事就无法靠呼声决定，两个对手必须奋战一场了。
And seals can be surprisingly violent. In a month's time the breeding season will start, and then fights will be in earnest.
海豹可以是十分残暴的。一个月后繁殖期就将开始，而争斗也更加严重。
But now in mid-summer these exchanges are harmless. They're just playing.
但现在正值盛夏，这些交流是无害的。它们只是在嬉戏。
