Wow, that's is so beautiful, isn't it, Squeaks?
哇,真是太美了,不是吗?
We're looking at pictures of a coral reef a rocky piece of ground in the ocean that's made of, and home to, animals called coral
我们现在看到的是珊瑚礁的图片海洋中一块岩石状的陆地,是由一种叫做珊瑚的动物组成的。
I wonder if this is the Great Barrier Reef
我想知道这是不是大堡礁
That's the biggest coral reef in the entire world!
那是世界上最大的珊瑚礁!
It's in the ocean near the country of Australia
它在澳大利亚附近的海洋里
See these parts of the picture?
看到图片的这些部分了吗?
Those are the coral!
那些是珊瑚!
You're right, Squeaks, coral look a lot like plants
你说得对,吱吱,珊瑚看起来很像植物
But they're not!
但珊瑚并不是植物!
Coral are small animals that make, and live in, a hard, rocky material
珊瑚是一种小型动物,他们生活在坚硬的岩石里。
Instead of moving around like most animals, they attach to the rocks and stay there for the rest of their lives
它们没有像大多数动物那样四处活动,而是附着在岩石上,在那里度过余生
That's why they might seem like plants at first
这就是为什么它们一开始看起来像植物的原因
because plants don't move around either
因为植物也不会移动
One small part of a coral reef can have thousands of coral all living together!
一个珊瑚礁的一小部分可以有成千上万的珊瑚一起生活!
Millions of coral over thousands of years have made the Great Barrier Reef
几千年来,数以百万计的珊瑚形成了大堡礁
This huge reef is about 2300 kilometers long!
这个巨大的暗礁大约有2300公里长!
That's so long that if you could drive along it in a car, it would take you almost an entire day and night!
非常长,如果你能开着车沿着它走,你几乎要花一整天的时间!
Like all coral reefs, the Great Barrier Reef is home to lots of different kinds of animals besides for the coral—big and small!
像所有的珊瑚礁一样,大堡礁是许多不同种类动物的家园,除了大大小小的珊瑚。
Take, for example, the dugong
以儒艮为例
These big animals eat plants—lots of plants!
这些大动物吃植物——很多植物!
Dugongs spend their whole day looking for and grazing on the seagrasses that grow on coral reefs like the Great Barrier Reef
儒艮一整天都在寻找生长在珊瑚礁上的海草,比如大堡礁
If the reef didn't exist, these gentle giants wouldn't have enough to eat
如果珊瑚礁不存在,这些温和的巨兽就没有足够的食物了
Other animals need the rocky coral reef so that they have a safe place to live — like moray eels
其他动物需要岩石珊瑚礁,这样它们才能有一个安全的栖息地——像海鳗
They might look fierce and dangerous, but they're really very shy!
他们可能看起来很凶猛和危险,但他们真的很害羞!
So they spend most of their time hiding in caves and spaces in the reef
所以它们大部分时间都躲在洞穴和暗礁里
Yes, Squeaks, just like how you're hiding behind this desk!
是的,吱吱,就像你躲在桌子后面一样!
Still other animals use the coral reef to hide in a different way, like the cuttlefish
还有一些动物用另一种方式来隐藏珊瑚礁,比如墨鱼
Cuttlefish can change the color of their skin so they look a lot like the coral reef
墨鱼可以改变皮肤的颜色,所以它们看起来很像珊瑚礁
That helps the cuttlefish hide from other animals that want to eat them!
这有助于乌贼躲避其他想吃掉它们的动物!
The Great Barrier Reef is an important place for all of these animals, and it's important for people, too
大堡礁对所有这些动物来说都是一个重要的地方,对人类也很重要
The reef helps protect Australia from the strong waves that storms churn up from the water
珊瑚礁有助于保护澳大利亚免受风暴从水中掀起的巨浪的侵袭
We can also make some types of medicine using the plants and animals that live there
我们也可以用生活在那里的动植物来制造一些药物
But the ocean is changing—and that means changes for the Great Barrier Reef, too
但是海洋正在改变——这也意味着大堡礁也在改变
Some things people do, like use too much electricity, make the world get a little warmer, including the oceans
人们做的一些事情,比如过度使用电力,会让世界变暖一些,包括海洋
As the ocean gets warmer, coral can have a hard time getting enough food,
随着海洋变暖,珊瑚很难获得足够的食物,
and with fewer coral, the animals that live around them have a harder time finding enough food, too
由于珊瑚较少,生活在它们周围的动物也很难找到足够的食物
Another problem is pollution in the ocean —
另一个问题是海洋污染
chemicals, litter, and other kinds of waste that can eventually make their way into the water and hurt the animals that live there
化学物质、垃圾和其他废物最终会进入水中并伤害生活在那里的动物
But people are working on ways to help the animals that live on and around the reef to stay healthy, like learning how to keep pollution from getting into the ocean
但人们正在研究如何帮助生活在珊瑚礁上和周围的动物保持健康,比如学习如何防止污染进入海洋
And there are things that we can do to help, too … no matter where we live!
不管我们住在哪里,我们也可以做些事情来帮助他们!
For example, things that go down drains in our sinks or bathtubs can sometimes end up in the ocean
例如,在我们的水槽或浴缸里排水沟里的东西,有时会流入海洋
We can help keep the ocean clean by only putting things we're supposed to down the drain
我们可以帮助保持海洋清洁,只要把我们应该排入下水道的东西放进去
We can also make sure trash ends up in the garbage can or recycling bin where it belongs, which helps keep it from getting into rivers or the ocean
我们还可以确保垃圾最终被扔进垃圾桶或回收站,这有助于防止它们流入河流或海洋
There are lots of awesome living things in the ocean, and if everyone works together, we can help keep them healthy
海洋里有很多很棒的生物,如果大家一起努力,我们可以帮助它们保持健康
Thanks for joining us!
谢谢收看!
If you want to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks and me, hit the subscribe button, and we'll see you next time, here at the Fort!
如果你想继续学习并享受我和吱吱带来的乐趣,那么点击订阅按钮,我们下次在堡垒再见!