In the animal kingdom, both predators and prey species utilize one of two things to survive—stealth or speed. Both on land and beneath the sea, those who master either evasion or capture through these methods will thrive, living to reproduce and achieve the unspoken directive of their species. While stealth—through camouflage or evasion—is common, perhaps the most thrilling feature of many of the animals we find in the ocean are the fantastic speeds that can not only be achieved, but often maintained for long periods of time.Speed represents a tremendous expenditure, an investment of energy that must be replenished via consumed calories. Therefore, any observer should marvel not only at the existence of this trait, but also at the bounty of an ecosystem and the ability of individuals to draw their needs from that system. Their existence is a reflection of the fantastic diversity and abundance of our oceans. Here are ten of the fastest aquatic animals—both predator and prey.
动物世界里，不管是捕食者还是被捕食者，暗袭和速度是它们赖以生存的两大法宝。许多陆地和海洋生物正是通过这两项技能得以繁衍成长，维持在自然界中的生存地位。对于暗袭，大多数动物拥有独特的保护色和逃遁技巧，以此捕食或躲避天敌。然而，在海洋世界，失去遮蔽物和光线，速度才是生存王道。许多海洋生物爆发力惊人，不仅可以很快达到超高时速，更为赞叹的是凭借其惊人耐力能游行数小时。长时间竞速意味着巨大的体能消耗，需要通过摄入大量卡路里补充体力。因此，人们不仅会对这一特点感到惊奇，更会对它们身处生物系统底部却能以个体能力获得所需而惊叹不已。它们的存在就是海洋多样性及丰富性的最好体现。下面我们一起来盘点海洋里速度最快的10种生物。
10.The Orca or Killer Whale
10.逆戟鲸（虎鲸）
Orcas are not related to whales at all, other than being ocean-dwelling mammals. Rather, they are close kin to dolphins. While it was believed that they were a single species, recent research indicates that they may, in fact, be comprised of several different species of Orca. You can find them in every ocean in the world, though they tend to favor the colder waters around Antarctica and the North Atlantic or Pacific. The only predator they possess is humankind. While there's a deadly standoff between the two species, Orcas proliferate in the wild, and have an incredible life span. The males usually live as long as sixty or seventy years, while the females—who are excluded from the sometimes-violent competition for mates—may live a hundred years or more in the wild.
虽名虎鲸，但不同于海洋其他哺乳动物，非鲸目，海豚科的近亲。此前一直认为虎鲸只有一种，但最近的调查显示虎鲸种类繁多。部分虎鲸会终年停留于南极、大西洋北部和太平洋等温度较低的海域，但总体来看，它们的活动范围几乎覆盖全世界水域。它们堪称海上霸王，唯一的天敌也只有人类了。虎鲸全年都可以交配，数量庞大，雄鲸的平均寿命在60到70年左右，野生雌鲸不同于雄鲸经常参与猎杀食物，寿命可达100年甚至更长。
They've been observed reaching speeds of around 30 miles per hour, although some Orcas may utilize much greater bursts of speed, based upon their favored prey. Resident pods in the Pacific Northwest have shown a decided preference for salmonids—specifically, Chinook salmon. This presents a conflict with the goals of companies that rely on high yields of salmon for profit. Several communities of killer whale seem to favor beach and ice floe ambush approaches, snatching seals and walruses or even sea birds from their resting places. Others, located in the Southern Hemisphere, take up the challenge of hunting sharks in the open sea, as well as feeding on species of rays and other fish abundant in the cold southern waters.
虎鲸约时速30英里，当然也有爆发力更强的，为了追捕中意的猎物，时速可以更快。太平洋西北海域的虎鲸族群偏爱三文鱼，尤其是大鳞三文鱼。这就和沿岸经营三文鱼生意的公司产生一定的利益冲突。虎鲸族群喜欢在浮冰区伏击猎物，捕杀海豹、海象或者在这里歇脚的海鸟。在南半球海域里，有些虎鲸还会在公海里捕杀鲨鱼，也会以鳐和其他鱼类为食。
9.鲣鱼
While this species of small mackerel-like fish (Sarda sarda) has been observed leaping at speeds of 40 miles per hour, the true wonder is that it is capable of swimming for long periods of time at 30 miles per hour. That makes it truly unique, given that the migration speeds of many fish of similar size are slower. It regulates the activation of fast-twitch muscles—used for bursts of speed—and slow twitch muscles—needed for long-term endurance—better than many vertebrate species.
这个外形颇像马鲛鱼亲戚的鲣鱼（狐鲣属）时速最快可达40英里，真正令人惊叹的是它们可以以30英里每小时的速度游上好几小时，相比其它同体型的鱼类，鲣鱼可谓个中翘楚。腹鳍快速抽动的肌肉组织是超强爆发力的坚实保障，背鳍抽动较慢的肌肉组织则保证了竞速时的惊人耐力。
The Atlantic Bonito spawns in tropical waters around the equator. While this may surprise some, who know it to be a fish harvested from the waters of the Black and Mediterranean Seas and the northern Atlantic waters off the east coast of North America or Europe, there's a logic to this pattern. When Bonitos are first spawned, they are tiny—measuring only 1/8 of an inch. They require enormous amounts of food to put on the mass essential to success in the wild Atlantic waters. Those resources are abundant in the perpetually warm waters around the equator. There are several varieties of Bonito found throughout both hemispheres, the Pacific Bonito—known as Skipjack Tuna—that schools primarily along the coasts of South America being the second most popular of these fish. However,separate species have been classified in the western Pacific and in the waters around New Zealand. Because all species of Bonito are fully mature at four years of age, they are a popular choice for fisheries of every type and level of sophistication—from traditional weirs and line fishing to highly industrialized net dragging operations.
一些人可能会很惊奇，大西洋海域的鲣鱼在赤道附近的温暖水域产卵。因为鱼儿们大都在黑海、地中海以及邻近欧美地区的北大西洋水域产卵，习性使然。但是鲣鱼第一次产的卵很小，只有一毫米左右。它们需要大量食物让数目庞大的小鱼活下来。赤道附近的温海水恰好可以为它们提供大量食物。鲣鱼种类丰富，族群几乎遍布全球水域。太平洋鲣鱼又称正鲣，多在南美洲沿岸活动，是当地第二大受欢迎的鱼类。然而在西太平洋和新西兰水域，鲣鱼还有几个细分类。由于鲣鱼一般在四岁时就可以发育成熟，所以不管是在过去传统的围塘捕鱼、长线钓鱼时期，还是现在高度工业化的拖网捕鱼时期，鲣鱼都是捕鱼产业链和其它相关产业所选的热门品种。
8.飞鱼
This fish earned its name by utilizing evasion as a way to escape its predators. It bodily leaps from the ocean, reaching a speed of about 35 miles per hour and a recorded gliding time of up to thirty seconds. This can take them as far as 200 meters from their point of exit from the water, which may be far enough to escape pursuit or confuse predators. Fishermen favor these types of fish, but due to their sheer numbers in the wild, none of the 40 different species of flying fish are listed as endangered. While they can be found foraging seasonally along the outskirts of warm water reef complexes, flying fish are primarily pelagic, and favor tropical or subtropical open waters around the equator.
飞鱼得名于它独特的避难方式。遇到捕食者时，飞鱼会采用一种独特的逃跑方式：它会纵身一跃，跳出海面。此时它的速度可达到每小时35英里，在空中滑翔长达30秒。这一跃能使它们飞行200米，足以使它们全身而退或者迷惑捕食者。渔民们很是钟爱这种鱼，野生飞鱼数量众多，所以40种飞鱼中没有一种濒临灭绝。人们发现飞鱼有时会季节性的在温水区近郊地带的杂礁灰岩附近觅食，不过它们属浮游类鱼类，喜欢在赤道附近的热带，亚热带地区的公海活动。
Subsisting mainly on a diet of plankton and small marine life, flying fish are schooling fish that hunt primarily at night. While some sources may find this counter-intuitive, given the ease with which the fish are drawn to light sources, this actually makes perfect sense. Many of the plankton and marine resources the fish favor are slightly luminescent, especially by moonlight, making them easily seen in the darkness. This also provides cover, given the coloration of the fish—blue or grey on top, silvery white on the bottom—so that they are not easily seen from above or below as they feed on the clouds of marine flora. Flying fish generally mate during the autumn or spring, when currents are at their weakest. Females will deposit their eggs on the surface, attached to flotsam, and males will fertilize the eggs. Schools at this time can number in the millions, and constitute a major resource for species that feed on the fish. Because they only tend to live about five years in the wild, their flesh is prized for its purity—free of the heavy metals often found in longer-lived species.
飞鱼主要以浮游生物和小型海洋生物为食，主要在夜间以集群的方式进行捕食。有些人会觉得下面这个说法有悖常理，因为鱼类易被光源吸引，这么说也不无道理。许多浮游生物和鱼类自身都会发出微弱的冷光，尤其是在月光照射下，更是清晰可见。但这同时也为鱼类提供了一层防护，让它们有了保护色：一般在上部会呈现蓝色或灰色，下部呈现银白色。凭借这些保护色，当飞鱼在海底植物中进食时就很难发现它们。飞鱼通常会在春秋时节进行交配，因为这个时期洋流的活动最为和缓。雌性飞鱼会将卵产在海面上，让其依附在漂浮物上，雄性飞鱼再让鱼卵受精。此时在飞鱼的集群中，会有数以百万的成员。而这也为以鱼类为生的动物们提供了主要的食物来源。由于野生飞鱼只有5年的寿命，它们不会像长寿的鱼类一样体内留有大量重金属物质，因此飞鱼肉被人们视为珍品。
7.黄鳍金枪鱼
This tuna is a member of the same family as the Bonito and schools in waters of both northern and southern hemispheres. Reaching an average weight of nearly 400 pounds in less than eight years, these schooling fish are popular with fishermen. Pelagic in preference, the Yellowfin is designed for long distance migrations and sustained speed. It's been clocked at speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour for prolonged periods of time. A biological design feature makes this possible. By resting their pectoral fins in special grooves along the sides of their bodies, they present a streamlined profile to the current. This helps to reduce drag, so that their torpedo-shaped bodies cut through the water with greater ease and less loss of energy.
黄鳍金枪鱼和鲣鱼隶属于同一种类，都是群居型鱼类，南北半球都能看到它的身影。这种鱼可在8年的时间里长到400英镑，广受渔民欢迎。另外为了适应深海的情况，黄鳍金枪鱼能够长途迁徙，并在途中全程保持高速游行。它可以长时间以每小时50英里的速度游动，这要得益于它独特的生理结构：在它们身体两侧的凹槽中长有胸鳍，当黄鳍金枪鱼在洋流中游动时胸鳍可以使身体呈流线型来减少游动时产生的阻力。这样一来，它们那鱼雷型的鱼身就可以轻而易举的穿透水流，进而减少游动时的体力消耗。
While they seem to favor squid and crustaceans, Yellowfins are not picky eaters. They will often forage on whatever is readily available in their vicinity. Because they put on weight quickly and grow to a respectable size of about 200 kilograms, they're a favorite target for fishing companies. They tend to school strongly and can be found in the open tropical or subtropical waters of oceans, though they avoid the more closed environments of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. They have been placed on a list of possibly endangered species—meaning that if culling continues apace, their numbers will soon be depleted beyond their ability to sufficiently spawn replacements. In the 1950s, purse seines were used to harvest massive numbers of Yellowfin, by exploiting the tendency for dolphins to travel with the schools. The careless tactics of fishers led to hundreds of thousands of dolphins drowning each year, due to net entanglement. Hence, both legislation prohibiting the death of dolphins and the development of dolphin safe nets was put forward several decades later.
虽然黄鳍金枪鱼看起来更喜欢吃乌贼和甲壳类动物，但其实它们什么都吃。它们通常会竭尽所能地寻找身边一切可以吃的东西。因此，它们的体重会以惊人的速度增长，可达200公斤，这也使它们也成为了其他捕食者们的最爱。黄鳍金枪鱼通常是群居性鱼类，生活于热带及亚热带水域，在地中海及黑海等封闭性水域中鲜有它们的身影。黄鳍金枪鱼被列为潜在濒危物种。这意味着如果继续维持现状，它们的消亡速度会超过繁殖速度。20世纪50年代，人们利用海豚会追寻鱼群的特点通过围网捕鱼法来捕捞大群的黄鳍金枪鱼。但当时的渔民们疏于考虑，导致每年有成百上千的海豚因被渔网缠住而丧生。因此，在之后的几十年中，人们双管齐下，一方面通过立法保护，另一方面研制防纠缠渔网，共同保护海豚。
6.巨头鲸
These ocean mammals are also closely related to dolphins, much like the killer whale. They exhibit advanced intelligence and social skills, making them the unfortunate targets of human whaling endeavors. Although they're known to feast upon cuttlefish, octopus, and small fish, their favorite prey is squid. They also have fewer teeth than other members of the dolphin family—40 to 48 as opposed to the usual 120. Scientists believe that this may be an adaptation to their feeding niche—because they subsist almost exclusively on squid and related animals.
巨头鲸和海豚是近亲，但更像虎鲸一点。它们表现出超群的智慧以及社会能力让它们不幸地成为捕鲸人的狩猎目标。人们都熟知巨头鲸以墨鱼、章鱼以及一些小鱼为食，但是它最喜欢的还是乌贼。它们的牙齿较海豚科其他成员要少一些——通常其他成员有120颗，但巨头鲸只有40到48颗。科学家们认为这是为了适应它们的捕食习惯——因为它们几乎只依靠乌贼和一些其他同类生物维生。
Their highly social nature is evident in the size of their living groups—up to 90 related individuals who work together to subsist—which may be found in every ocean of the world. Working together, they track and corral their prey before feasting. Because they must often travel long distances, and require bursts of speed to close in on prey species, they have been observed diving to incredible depths at speeds that seem counterintuitive. This is significant when you consider that, although both air and water are technically classified as liquid mediums, water is 750 times denser than air. While they have been clocked at 47 miles per hour when leaping, what's truly astonishing is that they perform bursts of speed when they close in on their prey at great depths—read that as up to 3200 feet beneath the surface. Researchers from La Laguna University in Tenerife tagged 23 short finned Pilot Whales with suction cup monitors to discover their behavior so far below the surface, and found to their amazement that the whales behaved more like cheetahs. The researchers were able to record average speeds of 19.2 feet per second, with amazing an 28.8 feet per second speed achieved just before the whales reached the deepest parts of their dives. So while these incredible speeds are not sustained, they are, nonetheless, amazing.
巨头鲸高度的社会性在其生活群体的规模大小上得以体现——每个大洋都能看到90头左右的巨头鲸一起捕食生存。它们会齐心协力追踪围捕猎物，通常要游很久，又需要爆发力追捕，人们曾经观察到巨头鲸可以极速下潜到令人难以置信的深度，这简直逆天了。仔细想想你就会觉得这太不可思议了，虽然从学术上来说空气和水都是液体传播媒介，但是水的密度可是空气的750倍。它们跳跃时的速度可达到47英里每小时，真正让人震惊的是，它们可以在三千英尺的深海中突然全速追捕猎物。来自内特利费语言大学的研究学者给23头短鳍巨头鲸安上吸盘监视器观察它们在深海的一举一动。他们惊奇地发现这些巨头鲸就像一头猎豹。研究人员记录显示是平均游速可达每秒19.2英尺，但是在巨头鲸在到达它能够潜到的最深的地方之前速度已经达到了28.8英尺每秒。虽然这惊人的速度没有保留下来，但是不管怎么说，巨头鲸真的太神奇了。
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