英语阅读_Iberian orcas

Since 2020, a group of young Iberian orcas, or killer whales, have been attacking boats in European waters.

自2020年以来，一群年轻的伊比利亚虎鲸（又称杀人鲸）一直在欧洲海域袭击船只。

They get close to the boats, pushing or hitting them, and in some cases, they may cause the boats to sink.

它们靠近船只，推挤或碰撞它们，在某些情况下，它们可能会导致船只沉没。

Scientists weren't sure of the reason for the orcas' behavior.

科学家们当时并不确定虎鲸这种行为的原因。

Some suggested they might be seeking revenge on the boats.

一些人认为它们可能是在对船只进行报复。

Some thought the strange behavior was due to boredom.

一些人认为这种奇怪的行为是因为无聊。

But scientists at the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in Spain shared another idea.

但是西班牙瓶鼻海豚研究所的科学家们分享了另一个观点。

They thought the young orcas might be using boats to practice their hunting skills.

他们认为年轻的虎鲸可能正利用船只来练习它们的捕猎技巧。

Bruno Díaz López, one of the scientists, said that even though there are a lot of tunas, Iberian orcas' favorite food, they are hard to catch.

科学家之一布鲁诺·迪亚斯·洛佩斯表示，尽管有许多金枪鱼（伊比利亚虎鲸最喜欢的食物），但它们很难被捕捉到。

To catch one, Iberian orcas take turns hitting a tuna until it's separated from its group.

为了捕捉一条金枪鱼，伊比利亚虎鲸会轮流碰撞一条金枪鱼，直到它与鱼群分离。

"Maybe one Iberian orca hits, and then another one hits again," he said.

“可能一只伊比利亚虎鲸碰撞一下，然后另一只再碰撞一下，”他说。

Once the tuna is separated, the orcas swim after it, and they wait patiently until the fish is too tired to swim.

一旦金枪鱼被分离出来，虎鲸们就会追赶它，并且耐心等待，直到这条鱼累得游不动。

They then push it toward shallower water where it is easier to catch.

然后它们将其推向更浅的水域，在那里更容易捕捉。

The researchers believe boats are ideal for this type of practice.

研究人员认为船只对于这种类型的练习来说是理想的。

They move quickly and quietly, much like tunas.

它们移动迅速且安静，非常像金枪鱼。

To help boats avoid being attacked, scientists suggest that boat owners stay away from areas where Iberian orcas are often seen.

为了帮助船只避免遭受袭击，科学家建议船主远离经常能看到伊比利亚虎鲸的区域。

Making loud noises near the boat may also scare them away.

在船附近制造巨大的噪音也可能把它们吓跑。

Boat owners can also make their boats less interesting to the orcas.

船主还可以让他们的船只对虎鲸来说不那么有趣。

For example, replacing smooth rudders with rougher ones could make the boats less fun for Iberian orcas to play with.

例如，用更粗糙的舵替换光滑的舵，可以使船只对于伊比利亚虎鲸来说玩起来不那么有趣。