2019年经济学人收拾一只企鹅（打印版）

Leopard seals resemble their terrestrial namesakes in two ways. They have polka-dot pelts.

豹形海豹和它们的大陆同名者两个相似之处。它们都有带圆点的皮毛。

And they are powerful, generally solitary carnivores that are quite capable of killing a human being if they so choose—

它们都是强大而孤独的食肉动物，如果愿意，它们甚至能够杀死一个人

as has indeed happened once, in 2003, when a British marine biologist was the victim.

正如2003年所发生的那样，当时一名英国海洋生物学家是其受害者。

Curiously, though, there have also been reports of leopard seals behaving in a friendly manner towards people—

但奇怪的是，也有很多报道称，豹形海豹对人类表现得很友好—

apparently trying to present gifts, in the form of prey, to divers. Until now, there has been no explanation for this philanthropy.

显然它们是想把猎物当成礼物送给潜水者。直到现在，对于这种慈善行为都没有任何解释。

But work just published in Polar Biology by James Robbins of Plymouth University, in Britain,

但英国普利茅斯大学的詹姆斯·罗宾斯在《极地生物学》发表的一篇文章表明

suggests that what the seals are actually looking for is a dining partner.

其实海豹是在寻找一个用餐伙伴。

Mr Robbins and his team were studying leopard seals in the waters around South Georgia,

罗宾斯先生和他的团队正在南乔治亚岛水域研究豹形海豹

an island in the Southern Ocean 1,500km from the tip of the Antarctic peninsula.

这个岛屿位于南大洋，距南极半岛顶端1500公里。

Instead of diving, or watching from ships, they used drones to carry out their observations.

他们没有采取潜水或从船上观察的方式，而是使用无人机进行观察。

These drones recorded hitherto unobserved behaviour on the part of the animals.

这些无人机记录了这些动物迄今未被观察到的行为。

First, belying their solitary reputation, the seals came together in groups to attack king penguins

首先，为了掩饰它们孤独的名声，海豹们成群结队地攻击帝企鹅

(twice the size of the gentoo penguin in the photograph) that were entering the sea from a rookery on the island.

（是照片中巴布亚企鹅体型的两倍），这些帝企鹅是从岛上的一个群栖地进入大海的。

Second, when a seal did catch a penguin in these circumstances it would sometimes offer to share it with a neighbour

第二，在此情境中，当有海豹抓住一只企鹅后，有时它愿意和一位邻居共享美餐

in a way reminiscent of divers' tales of gift giving.

这种方式令人回忆起了潜水员们赠送礼物的故事。

What looked like an aberration might thus be a normal way of behaving. But why?

因此，一种看似怪异的行为可能是一种正常的行为方式。但为什么这样？

Mr Robbins's suggestion is that sharing a penguin with a neighbour makes it easier to eat.

罗宾斯先生认为和一位邻居共享是为了更容易享用企鹅。

A close look at footage the drones recorded shows that seals in such partnerships take it in turns to feed.

仔细看看无人机记录的片段，可以发现海豹在这种伙伴关系中轮流进食。

One holds the bird tight in its jaws while the other rips off a chunk of flesh and swallows it. Then they swap roles.

一只海豹紧紧抓住企鹅的咽喉，另一只撕下一大块肉并吞咽进去。然后它们交换角色。

By contrast, for a lone seal to reduce a penguin to bite-sized chunks means

相比之下，单独一只海豹要把一只企鹅咬成小块，

whipping the prey around in its jaws with as much force as it can muster, in order to tear lumps of flesh free from the carcass.

这意味着它要使出最大的力气猛击猎物的咽喉，以便从尸体上撕下一块块肉。

This commonly happens, but is thought to be extremely tiring. Better, therefore, to find a buddy and enjoy a meal together.

种情况经常发生，但被认为是非常麻烦的。因此更好的方式是找一个伙伴，共同享用美餐。