纪录片《南太平洋》 第47期 四海为家（15）

This millipede is one of the biggest of its kind, running almost a foot long.

这只千足虫是同类中体型最大的一种，身长足有30公分

Its diet of rotten vegetation may have sustained its ancestors

自从祖先经过长途跋涉到达这里

on their long journeys to these distant shores.

千足虫就一直以腐烂的植物为食

But how did they get here?

然而它们是如何抵达这里的?

Perhaps more surprising, two species of frog also made it to Fiji.

或许还有更令人惊讶的，有两种蛙也成功移居斐济

Surprising because adult frogs quickly die in saltwater.

说它令人惊奇是因为成年蛙在盐碱水中会很快死去

But the ancestor of this frog may have arrived here as a tadpole¹.

这种蛙的祖先还是蝌蚪时就已经来到这里

Tadpoles² normally need pools of freshwater to develop in,

蝌蚪通常需要在淡水中成长

but these actually mature inside the egg.

但实际上它们在蛙卵里就已经成熟了

So, on long journeys, these eggs would have been like little survival capsules.

因此在长途旅行中，这些蛙卵就如同小型救生舱一样

But the question remains³ - how did they ever reach these islands?

但还有一个问题，它们是怎么到达这些岛屿的?

Maybe the same way as Fiji's most intriguing⁴ castaway of all.

或许它们的办法与斐济大多数的漂流者并无不同。

1 tadpole   

n.[动]蝌蚪

参考例句：

• As a tadpole changes into a frog,its tail is gradually absorbed.蝌蚪变成蛙，它的尾巴就逐渐被吸收掉。
• It was a tadpole.Now it is a frog.它过去是蝌蚪，现在是一只青蛙。

2 tadpoles   

n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Both fish and tadpoles have gills. 鱼和蝌蚪都有鳃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》