Smallest Fish
最小的魚(yú)
澳洲科學(xué)家宣稱(chēng),他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了世界上最小的魚(yú)類(lèi),這種魚(yú)的壽命只有兩個(gè)月,也不會(huì)發(fā)育出魚(yú)鰭,牙齒和魚(yú)鱗等構(gòu)造。
這種魚(yú)名為大型嬰兒魚(yú)(Stout Infantfish),是澳洲博物館研究期刊中描述的三十二種新魚(yú)類(lèi)之一。
A fish that was captured about twenty-five years ago, but which was left unstudied all this time, is now revealed to be a new species. And not only that, but the new species sets the new world record for smallest and lightest fish, as well as for smallest and lightest animal with a backbone.
The largest of the specimens studied, and the only female, measures about a third of an inch long. The males are a tad over a quarter inch long. They weigh so little that it would take about five hundred thousand of the little guys and gals to accumulate a pound.
The fish do possess characteristics typical of fish larvae. They lack pigmentation and are transparent. And they lack teeth and scales. Fish with these characteristics are called infantfish even though they’re mature. Scientists call this new species stout infantfish because they’re a tad thicker than other infantfish.
And where can one find world's smallest and lightest fish?
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but only a handful of specimens have been found so far.
Notes
1.larvae
n. 幼蟲(chóng),名詞larva的復(fù)數(shù)形式
2.pigmentation n. 染色, 著色, 色素沉淀
3. Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁
大堡礁(Great Barrier Reef Queensland, Australia)是世界七大自然景觀之一,也是澳大利亞人最引以為自豪的天然景觀。又稱(chēng)為“透明清澈的海中野生王國(guó)”。 大堡礁位于澳大利亞?wèn)|北部昆士蘭省對(duì)開(kāi),是一處延綿2000公里的地段,它縱貫蜿蜒于澳大利亞?wèn)|海岸,全長(zhǎng)2011公里,最寬處161公里。南端最遠(yuǎn)離海岸241公里,北端離海岸僅16公里。在落潮時(shí),部分的珊瑚礁露出水面形成珊瑚島。這里景色迷人、險(xiǎn)峻莫測(cè),水流異常復(fù)雜,生存著400余種不同類(lèi)型的珊瑚礁,其中有世界上最大的珊瑚礁,魚(yú)類(lèi)1500種,軟體動(dòng)物達(dá)4000余種,聚集的鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)242種,有著得天獨(dú)厚的科學(xué)研究條件,這里還是某些瀕臨滅絕的動(dòng)物物種(如人魚(yú)和巨型綠龜)的棲息地。