海牛會(huì)口渴嗎?

海牛會(huì)口渴嗎?

Manatees have long been misunderstood. Not only were they once mistaken for mermaids, but we're still learning about these gentle giants of the ocean.

海牛長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)一直被誤解。它們不僅曾經(jīng)被誤認(rèn)為是美人魚，而且我們還在了解這些溫和的海洋巨人。

It's generally known that they can live in both saltwater or fresh water, but did you ever stop and wonder if manatees get thirsty?

眾所周知，海牛既能生活在鹽水中，也能生活在淡水中，但你有沒(méi)有停下來(lái)想過(guò)海牛會(huì)不會(huì)口渴呢?

Turns out, they rely predominantly on fresh water to survive, but their kidneys can adapt when they only have the choice of drinking saltwater.

事實(shí)證明，它們主要依靠淡水生存，但當(dāng)它們只有喝鹽水的選擇時(shí)，它們的腎臟能夠適應(yīng)。

Manatees' kidneys basically filter the excess salt for a period of time so they can drink and eat.

海牛的腎臟會(huì)在一段時(shí)間內(nèi)過(guò)濾掉多余的鹽分，這樣它們就可以吃喝了。

We don't currently know exactly how long manatees can survive without fresh water, but generally they move back towards fresh water after a week or two of living in saltwater. In fact, when there isn't enough fresh water available, they have been known to seek out unusual sources of water like a drain from an ice house, putting them in close proximity to boats.

目前我們還不知道海牛在沒(méi)有淡水的情況下能存活多久，但一般來(lái)說(shuō)，它們?cè)邴}水中生活一兩周后會(huì)回到淡水中。事實(shí)上，當(dāng)沒(méi)有足夠的淡水可用時(shí)，它們就會(huì)尋找不尋常的水源，比如冰屋的排水管，這樣它們就能靠近船只。

Manatees are also known as sea cows because of their soft, gentle movements. This is Mandilo the manatee at the Zoo Parc of Beauval. (Photo: GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images)

Keep in mind it's illegal to feed or disturb manatees in any way. As with any wild animal, if you happen to come across one in a Florida estuary, just enjoy it from afar.

記住，以任何方式喂食或騷擾海牛都是違法的。就像任何野生動(dòng)物一樣，如果你在佛羅里達(dá)的入海口碰巧遇到了一只，那就從遠(yuǎn)處欣賞吧。