【国家地理图集】与鲨共舞

译者 moonstruck

In a surprising interaction at sea, colossal whale sharks home in on fishing nets near the island of New Guinea—and fishermen dole out snacks to the pilfering beasts.

在新几内亚岛附近的海水中，巨大的鲸鲨冲向渔网，于是有了这样一场出人意料的邂逅。渔夫们拿出一些食物，分给这些身躯庞大的小偷。

A whale shark tilts upright and yanks on a net, trying to make off with a fisherman's catch. "This behavior shows they can be opportunistic feeders," says biologist Morgan Riley, a director of the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme.

一条鲸鲨挺直身体，咬着渔网，当渔夫试图捕捉它时，它转身逃走。马尔代夫鲸鲨研究项目负责人、生物学家摩根·莱利说：“这样的行为表明，它们可能是信奉机会主义的大食客。”

Fishermen atop bagans (floating platforms) offer baitfish, which may help keep the sharks away from the nets.

渔夫们在浮台上抛下钓饵鱼，希望借此让鲨鱼离开渔网。

Vying for position under a bagan, male whale sharks—two of about twenty that visit this spot—scramble for a snack. Typically an adult shark might cruise night and day at a sedate one to three miles an hour, sucking in enough seawater to feed itself. This group likely spends a lot of time in Papua's Cenderawasih Bay, making it one of a few places where the species gathers year-round. Scientists hope to cooperate with locals to launch studies of the giants.

大约有二十条鲸鲨游到浮台之下，其中两条雄性鲸鲨正在努力争抢一个好位置，以便抢夺食物。通常情况下，成年鲸鲨白天黑夜都在游动，以每小时1到3英里（约1.6到4.8公里）的速度缓慢前进，并吸入大量海水，用海水中的生物喂饱自己。这群鲸鲨可能在巴布亚的极乐鸟湾呆了很久，而它也罕见地成了有鲸鲨一年到头聚集的地方。科学家希望与当地人合作，针对鲸鲨开展研究

"Suddenly he just jumped in!" says photographer Michael Aw. Sarmin Tangadji, the Papua police officer who escorted the photographic team to where the sharks congregate, "was so excited to see them up close." Aw shares that excitement when it comes to diving with a dozen whale sharks: "You are sandwiched in, sharks ahead and behind, but you want to be there," he says. "They make eye contact with you and then charge by. It blows your mind."

这组照片的拍摄者MichaelAw. Sarmin Tangadji 是巴布亚的警官，他也把拍摄小组带到了鲸鲨的聚集之地。他说：“他突然就跳进去了！能在这么近的距离看到它们，太令人激动了。”他分享了潜入水底、与十几条鲸鲨共舞的激动之情：“你被夹在当中，头上和脚底都是鲨鱼，但你偏偏不想离开。它们与你进行眼神交流，然后离去。你会无法抑制自己的感情。”