Many of such creatures are incredible predators who lurk in the far reaches of the cold, dark ocean.

其中許多生物都是令人難以置信的掠食者，它們潛伏在寒冷、黑暗的海洋深處。

From the terror-inducing great white shark, to the insidiously clever killer whale, to the snapping jaws of the powerful leopard seal, to the outrageously fast marlin.

從令人恐懼的大白鯊，到陰險狡猾的虎鯨，從威力巨大的豹斑海豹的尖牙，到速度快得令人髮指的大馬林魚。

Creatures like this strike fear into the hearts of many, but the biggest and scariest predators aren't necessarily the deadliest.

這樣的生物讓許多人感到恐懼，但最大、最可怕的掠食者並不一定是最致命的。

For great white sharks, only about 48% of surface attacks on seals result in successful kills.

對於大白鯊來說，只有大約 48% 的海豹海面攻擊能成功捕殺大白鯊。

Leopard seals only catch their fish prey in 64% of their attempts.

豹斑海豹只有 64% 的嘗試能捕捉到魚類獵物。

To find one of the most effective predators, you need to set your sights on something much smaller and in much shallower waters.

要找到最有效的捕食者之一，你需要把目光投向更小、更淺的水域。

Residing in coastal regions around the world is the oddly shaped sea creature known as the seahorse.

在世界各地的沿海地區都有一種形狀奇特的海洋生物--海馬。

Seahorses belong to the Cygnathid family of fish, which includes pipefish and sea dragons.

海馬屬於鯉科魚類，包括琵琶魚和海龍。

There are about 50 seahorse species ranging in size from 2 to 35 centimeters, each resembling a Frankenstein-like creation with bits and pieces taken from various animals combined to make one extraordinary fish.

海馬的種類大約有 50 種，大小從 2 釐米到 35 釐米不等，每一種都像弗蘭肯斯坦式的創造物，從各種動物身上提取零碎的材料，組合成一種非同尋常的魚類。

Seahorses are one of the most effective hunters in the sea, with a success rate of over 90%.

海馬是海洋中最有效的獵手之一，成功率超過 90%。

That's 2 to 3 times higher than other predatory fish, and it's all thanks to their unusual design.

這比其他掠食性魚類高出 2 到 3 倍，而這一切都要歸功於它們不同尋常的設計。

From their chameleon-like eyes that move independently of one another, allowing them to view both what's in front of them and behind them at the same time, to their monkey-like prehensile tails that securely anchor them to objects, to their incredibly flexible and strong body armor, seahorses are built for battle.

海馬的眼睛像變色龍一樣，可以獨立活動，讓它們可以同時看到前面和後面的東西；它們的尾巴像猴子一樣，可以牢牢地固定在物體上；它們的身體鎧甲非常靈活結實，海馬就是為戰鬥而生的。

But seahorses are strange in more than just their appearance, and they are impressive even beyond their hunting skills.

但是，海馬的奇特之處不僅僅在於它們的外表，它們令人印象深刻的地方還在於它們的捕獵技能。

Their adaptations for survival are among the strangest in the animal kingdom.

它們的生存適應能力是動物界中最奇特的。

And seahorses, however cute and quirky, are a survival powerhouse of the sea.

而海馬，無論多麼可愛古怪，都是海洋中的生存強者。

Seahorses and their relatives are the only known vertebrate animals where pregnancy and birth are performed by the males.

海馬及其近親是已知脊椎動物中唯一由雄性進行懷孕和分娩的動物。

While other animal dads may house and protect fertilized eggs, such as water bugs, cardinal fish, and many bird species, male seahorses do much more.

其他動物的爸爸可能會安置和保護受精卵，如水蟲、紅心魚和許多鳥類，而雄性海馬做的要多得多。

After an elaborate courting dance, a mating pair of seahorses will entwine their tails and line up the female's egg duct, called the ovipositor, with the male's brood pouch opening.

經過精心準備的求愛舞蹈後，一對交配的海馬會纏繞它們的尾巴，並將雌海馬的卵管（稱為產卵器）與雄海馬的育雛袋開口對齊。

The female then deposits her eggs into the pouch.

然後，雌鳥將卵存入袋中。

Scientists once believed the eggs were fertilized inside the pouch through an internal sperm duct.

科學家曾經認為，卵子是通過內部精子管道在袋內受精的。

However, dissections have disproved this theory, with a study on the yellow seahorse finding instead that the sperm duct opening is located 4.5 millimeters above the pouch opening.

然而，解剖結果推翻了這一理論，一項關於黃海馬的研究發現，精子管道開口位於精囊開口上方 4.5 毫米處。

This means that the sperm travels outside the male seahorse's body, meeting with the eggs as they are deposited into the brood pouch.

這意味著精子會在雄性海馬的體外遊動，在卵被放入育雛袋時與卵相遇。

Videos of this event have found that the yellow seahorse's pouch stays open for just six seconds, making them uniquely efficient at fertilization, since in this incredibly small window, they produce between 100 and 1,000 embryos.

對這一事件的錄像發現，黃海馬的育兒袋張開的時間只有 6 秒鐘，這使它們的受精效率獨一無二，因為在這個令人難以置信的小窗口中，它們能產生 100 到 1000 個胚胎。

And once inside, the brood pouch itself becomes rather extraordinary, functioning similarly to a mammalian placenta by providing oxygen and nutrients to the growing seahorse embryos.

一旦進入育雛袋，育雛袋本身就會變得非同尋常，其功能類似於哺乳動物的胎盤，為成長中的海馬胚胎提供氧氣和營養物質。

Compared to eggs that develop externally, eggs that are incubated internally come with different challenges.

與外部發育的雞蛋相比，內部孵化的雞蛋麵臨著不同的挑戰。

One in particular is a means for respiratory gas exchange.

其中之一就是呼吸氣體交換的手段。

In order to survive, embryos need a constant exchange of respiratory gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide.

為了生存，胚胎需要不斷交換呼吸氣體--氧氣和二氧化碳。

However, being in an enclosed space makes this difficult.

然而，在一個封閉的空間裡，這一點很難做到。

In mammals, this exchange is accomplished through the blood flow from the mother to the placenta to the umbilical cord to the fetus and back again.

在哺乳動物中，這種交換是通過從母體到胎盤到臍帶到胎兒再到母體的血液流動來完成的。

In seahorses, scientists believe it happens nearly the same way, through blood flow from the father to the embryos and back.

在海馬身上，科學家認為發生的方式幾乎相同，都是通過血液從父親流向胚胎，然後再流回來。

By examining the brood pouches of the big belly seahorse, researchers even found that they remodel throughout gestation to accommodate the growing embryos.

通過研究大肚海馬的育雛袋，研究人員甚至發現它們在整個妊娠期都在重塑，以容納不斷長大的胚胎。

After fertilization, seahorse embryos become embedded in the lining of the brood pouch, which contains numerous blood vessels.

受精後，海馬胚胎會嵌入育雛袋的內壁，育雛袋中有許多血管。

As the embryos develop and require more oxygen, the lining becomes thinner and more wrinkled, providing the surface area needed for even more blood vessels.

隨著胚胎的發育，需要更多的氧氣，內膜會變得更薄、更皺，從而為更多的血管提供所需的表面積。

As these changes to the brood pouch mirror the growth of the seahorse fetuses, their findings indicate that the pouch is acting in just the same way as a placenta, providing a means to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide and even nutrients through blood flow.

由於育雛袋的這些變化反映了海馬胎兒的成長，他們的研究結果表明，育雛袋的作用與胎盤相同，提供了一種通過血液流動交換氧氣和二氧化碳甚至營養物質的途徑。

The whole gestational process of a male seahorse takes anywhere between 10 days to six weeks, depending on the species.

雄性海馬的整個孕育過程需要 10 天到 6 周不等，這取決於海馬的種類。

Then, through a series of muscle contractions, as many as 1,000 fully developed babies are shot from the pouch into the sea.

然後，通過一連串的肌肉收縮，多達 1000 個發育完全的嬰兒就會從小袋中被射入大海。

With these functions performed by the females in nearly every other animal, scientists are left wondering, why in this case is it the males?

幾乎所有其他動物的這些功能都是由雌性完成的，科學家們不禁要問，為什麼在這種情況下是雄性呢？

Some theorize that male pregnancy leads to more seahorse babies, since without having to carry out the pregnancy, the females are free to start making more eggs right after they deposit them in the males.

有人推測，雄性海馬懷孕會帶來更多的海馬寶寶，因為雌性海馬無需進行懷孕，在將卵子存入雄性海馬體內後，就可以立即開始製造更多的卵子。

And when only 0.5% of seahorse offspring survive to become reproducing adults, making a lot of babies is crucial for the survival of this one-of-a-kind fish.

海馬的後代只有 0.5% 能存活下來，成為能繁殖後代的成魚，是以，多生孩子對這種獨一無二的魚類的生存至關重要。

When you're as small as a seahorse, protection from predators is another survival necessity.

當你像海馬一樣小的時候，保護自己不被捕食是另一種生存需要。

And here, seahorses once again evolved a unique solution.

在這裡，海馬再次演化出一種獨特的解決方案。

For most sea creatures, hard, rigid structures such as scales, shells, and exoskeletons act as an armor against predators.

對於大多數海洋生物來說，鱗片、貝殼和外骨骼等堅硬的剛性結構是抵禦掠食者的盔甲。

But seahorses took a different approach, with an armor that is instead highly deformable and flexible.

但海馬採用了另一種方法，它的盔甲具有高度的可變形性和柔韌性。

It consists of a series of bony plates.

它由一系列骨板組成。

And as the seahorse moves, the plates slide over one another, allowing for a wider range of motion compared to fish with scales.

當海馬移動時，板塊會相互滑動，與有鱗的魚類相比，海馬的活動範圍更大。

These plates aren't as hard as the armor of other sea animals, which means that when they experience a force, like a bite from a large fish, the plates deform instead of fracture.

這些板並不像其他海洋動物的鎧甲那樣堅硬，這意味著當它們受到外力（比如被大魚咬了一口）時，這些板會變形而不是斷裂。

But it's the orientation of the plates themselves that allow the seahorse to survive most attacks.

但是，海馬之所以能在大多數攻擊中倖存下來，是因為板塊本身的方向。

Unlike typical animal tails, which are cylindrical, a seahorse tail has a square cross-section.

與一般動物的圓柱形尾巴不同，海馬尾巴的橫截面是方形的。

To explore the benefits of a square tail and how it compares to a traditional cylindrical tail, a group of researchers made a 3D printed model of a seahorse tail, composed of 36 square segments, each with four L-shaped bony plates, as well as a similarly segmented cylindrical tail.

為了探索方形尾巴的好處以及它與傳統圓柱形尾巴的比較，一組研究人員製作了一個海馬尾巴的 3D 打印模型，該模型由 36 個方形片段組成，每個片段有四個 L 形骨板，同時還製作了一個類似片段的圓柱形尾巴。

They found that, while the cylindrical tail became squished and damaged when crushed, the square tail flattened out and deflected damage away by a central column inside, allowing it to absorb more energy before breaking.

他們發現，圓柱形尾部在被擠壓時會受到擠壓和損壞，而方形尾部則會變平，並通過內部的中心柱將損壞轉移開，使其在斷裂前能夠吸收更多的能量。

Mechanical tests have found that, under compressive loads, they can deform up to 50% without harming the vertebrae inside.

機械測試發現，在壓縮載荷的作用下，它們可以發生高達 50%的變形，而不會對內部的椎骨造成傷害。

With this strength and flexibility allowing for agile movement as well as protection, scientists are exploring its potential use as flexible armor in fracture-resistant structures and in robotics.

憑藉這種強度和靈活性，它既能靈活移動，又能提供保護，科學家們正在探索將其作為柔性裝甲用於抗斷裂結構和機器人技術的可能性。

Scientists also determined that flat sides provide more attachment points when gripping onto objects, which, due to their poor swimming ability, is how seahorses spend most of their time.

科學家們還發現，扁平的側面在抓取物體時能提供更多的附著點，而由於海馬的游泳能力較差，它們大部分時間都是在抓取物體。

Their terrible swimming skills are a result of their upright position as well as their lack of pelvic fins and tail fins.

它們可怕的游泳技能是由於它們的直立姿勢以及缺乏盆鰭和尾鰭造成的。

Their movement is limited to a small dorsal fin on their back that propels them forward and a pectoral fin on either side of their head that steers them where they want to go.

它們的活動僅限於背上的小背鰭和頭部兩側的胸鰭，前者推動它們前進，後者則引導它們前往想去的地方。

These poor swimming skills make them one of the slowest fish in the sea.

由於游泳技能較差，它們是海里遊得最慢的魚類之一。

It also explains their mostly sedentary lifestyle, clinging to seagrass or coral.

這也解釋了為什麼它們的生活方式大多是靜止不動的，依附在海草或珊瑚上。

And while their upright stature may seem disadvantageous, it actually helps them with their protection.

雖然它們直立的身材看似不利，但實際上卻有助於它們的保護。

Like many animals, seahorses evolved to fit their environment.

和許多動物一樣，海馬也是為了適應環境而進化的。

And when their ocean habitat changed dramatically about 25 million years ago, they did just that.

大約 2500 萬年前，當它們的海洋棲息地發生巨大變化時，它們就這樣做了。

During this period, tectonic events across the Indian and Pacific Oceans transformed the open sea, creating many shallow water, grassy regions.

在此期間，橫跨印度洋和太平洋的構造事件改變了公海，形成了許多淺水區和多草區。

Scientists believe that this shift is what caused seahorses to diverge from their ancestor, the pygmy pipehorse, eventually emerging as the upright swimmer we know today.

科學家認為，正是這種轉變導致海馬從其祖先侏儒管馬分化出來，最終成為我們今天所知的直立游泳者。

That's because swimming upright has two main advantages in grassy environments.

這是因為直立游泳在草地環境中有兩大優勢。

The first is increased maneuverability.

首先是提高了機動性。

Swimming upright allows them to move through the blades of grass easier than if they swam horizontally.

直立遊動比水準遊動更容易穿過草葉。

The second is camouflage.

其次是偽裝。

In addition to a color-changing ability that many fish and other sea animals possess, a seahorse's upright posture helps them hide in their environment.

除了許多魚類和其他海洋動物都具有的變色能力外，海馬的直立姿勢還有助於它們隱藏在環境中。

Vertical blades of grass and coral can more easily hide a vertical fish.

垂直的草葉和珊瑚更容易隱藏垂直的魚。

So seahorses cling to them using their prehensile tail.

是以，海馬用它們的前伸尾緊緊抓住它們。

And this hidden position doesn't just provide them protection from predators, it provides them stealth for hunting.

這種隱蔽的姿勢不僅能保護它們不被捕食者發現，還能讓它們隱身狩獵。

In fact, researchers have found that the denser the vegetation, the more successful seahorses are at capturing their prey.

事實上，研究人員發現，植被越茂密，海馬捕捉獵物的成功率就越高。

One study found that adult seahorses had over an 80% success rate in highly dense habitats compared to just 30% in habitats with low or no vegetation.

一項研究發現，成年海馬在高密度生境中的成功率超過 80%，而在低植被或無植被生境中的成功率僅為 30%。

And for seahorses, a high success rate in hunting is particularly important considering they're missing a key component of the digestive system, their stomach.

而對於海馬來說，考慮到它們缺少消化系統的一個重要組成部分--胃，捕獵的高成功率就顯得尤為重要。

Without a stomach, food passes through them rather quickly.

沒有胃，食物會很快通過它們。

This means that they have to eat all the time.

這意味著他們必須一直吃東西。

But luckily for them, they are among the most impressive ambush predators in the world.

但幸運的是，它們是世界上最令人印象深刻的伏擊掠食者之一。

Being bad at swimming makes it impossible for seahorses to chase down their prey.

由於不擅長游泳，海馬無法追趕獵物。

Instead, hidden within the seagrass or coral, they very, very slowly get close to their unsuspecting target, snap their head around, and quickly suck them up through their tube-like snout.

相反，它們隱藏在海草或珊瑚中，非常非常緩慢地靠近毫無防備的目標，猛地轉過頭來，迅速用管狀的鼻子把目標吸起來。

This technique is known as pivot feeding and seahorses have perfected it.

這種技術被稱為 "樞軸進食"，海馬已經將其運用得爐火純青。

They're able to score a meal in record time.

他們能在最短的時間內吃上一頓飯。

It happens so fast, your eyes can barely comprehend that anything has happened at all.

這一切發生得太快，你的眼睛幾乎無法理解到底發生了什麼。

To rotate their head with such lightning speed, elastic energy is stored in the large tendons of the apaxial muscle, a muscle associated with head rotation, and then quickly released.

為了以閃電般的速度轉動頭部，彈性能量被儲存在與頭部轉動有關的肌腱中，然後迅速釋放出來。

This rotation brings their mouth closer to their prey.

這種旋轉使它們的嘴更接近獵物。

Then, with a widening of their snout, a suction force is created that pulls the food into their mouths.

然後，隨著鼻孔的擴大，就會產生一股吸力，將食物吸入口中。

And it happens astonishingly fast.

而且速度快得驚人。

In less than five milliseconds once they begin to pivot, they're already enjoying their meal, making them one of the fastest-feeding vertebrate animals.

在不到五毫秒的時間裡，它們就已經開始享用美食了，是以它們是進食速度最快的脊椎動物之一。

But being highly skilled at pivot feeding isn't enough.

但僅有高超的樞軸進給技術是不夠的。

Seahorses first have to get within striking distance without being detected, and the typically calm waters of their habitat don't make that easy.

海馬首先要在不被發現的情況下進入攻擊距離，而它們棲息地的水域通常風平浪靜，這並不容易。

Any motion could send a ripple through the water, cluing their prey in to their approach.

任何動作都會在水中激起漣漪，讓獵物發現它們的靠近。

One of their main food sources, copepods, are especially sensitive to hydrodynamic disturbances.

它們的主要食物來源之一橈足類對水動力干擾特別敏感。

They can respond in three to four milliseconds and make a quick escape at a velocity of 300 meters per second.

它們能在三到四毫秒內做出反應，並以每秒 300 米的速度迅速逃離。

And for the pivot-feeding technique to work, seahorses need to get within close range, within about one millimeter.

為了讓支點餵食技術發揮作用，海馬需要在近距離，大約一毫米的範圍內進行餵食。

Luckily, seahorses have another trick up their sleeves, their long snout.

幸運的是，海馬還有一個小把戲，那就是它們的長鼻子。

One group of researchers took a closer look at how the dwarf seahorse sneaks up on and captures its prey.

一組研究人員仔細觀察了矮海馬是如何悄悄接近並捕獲獵物的。

Using high-speed digital recordings, they measured the 3D motions of seahorses, copepods, and the surrounding water during an attack.

他們利用高速數字錄音，測量了海馬、橈足類和周圍水域在攻擊時的三維運動。

They found that the seahorse's elongated snout creates a quiet zone, where fluid motion doesn't exceed 0.8 millimeters per second compared to the 4.1 millimeters per second in the surrounding area.

他們發現，海馬細長的吻部創造了一個安靜區，在這裡，流體運動每秒不超過 0.8 毫米，而周圍區域每秒運動 4.1 毫米。

This region is located right above the end of the snout, in the striking zone, allowing the seahorse to sneak up on their prey undetected.

這個區域位於鼻端正上方，也就是海馬的攻擊區，可以讓海馬在不被發現的情況下偷襲獵物。

In contrast, the striking zone of a related fish without an elongated nose, the three-spined stickleback, had the highest fluid motion compared to the surrounding area.

與此相反，一種沒有細長鼻子的相關魚類--三刺魚的撞擊區與周圍區域相比具有最高的流體運動。

With this oddly-shaped head, the unassuming seahorse is one of the most remarkable hunters of the ocean.

海馬的頭部形狀奇特，是海洋中最了不起的獵手之一。

Every oddly-shaped creature of the underwater world may look absurd to our land-dwelling sensibilities, but every strange creature is strange for a very good reason.

水下世界的每一種奇形怪狀的生物在我們陸地人看來都可能是荒誕不經的，但每一種奇特的生物都有其奇特的理由。

The ocean is an immense and hugely variable place, with millions of ecological niches, and sometimes it's the weirdest who survive.

海洋是一個廣闊無垠、變化多端的地方，有數百萬個生態位，有時最奇怪的人才能生存下來。

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how evolution would have favored such a ridiculous animal, how small genetic changes can lead to something so extreme.

有時，我們很難想象進化是如何偏愛這種可笑的動物的，微小的基因變化是如何導致如此極端的結果的。

But by understanding the genome and natural selection, the crazy complexity of the web of life starts to all make sense.

但是，通過了解基因組和自然選擇，生命之網的瘋狂複雜性開始變得合情合理。

I've studied evolution in the traditional sense for many years, but recently the world of genetics has burst open thanks to the power of computing.

多年來，我一直在研究傳統意義上的進化論，但最近，由於計算機的強大功能，遺傳學的世界豁然開朗。

Problems that would have been impossible to solve can now be done in minutes with algorithms and machine learning.

通過算法和機器學習，原本無法解決的問題現在可以在幾分鐘內完成。

It's a hugely exciting area of study, and one that I've been diving into deep with the computational biology course on Brilliant.

這是一個非常令人興奮的研究領域，也是我在 Brilliant 上通過計算生物學課程深入研究的領域。

It's taught me how computers have helped us reconstruct genomes and build phylogenetic trees to look at evolutionary relationships.

它讓我瞭解到計算機是如何幫助我們重建基因組和構建系統發生樹來研究進化關係的。

Brilliant is an amazing tool for learning STEM interactively.

Brilliant 是互動學習 STEM 的絕佳工具。

All the learning is hands-on.

所有的學習都是實踐性的。

It has you writing code, solving equations, and doing puzzles to learn college-level information.

它讓你在寫代碼、解方程和做謎題的過程中學習大學水準的資訊。

With Brilliant, you don't need a four-year degree to understand calculus, computer science, or neural networks.

有了 Brilliant，你不需要四年的學位就能理解微積分、計算機科學或神經網絡。

This was all stuff I thought I would never learn, stuff that I thought I had missed my chance with, or that was too difficult for me.

這些都是我認為我永遠學不會的東西，是我認為我已經錯過機會的東西，或者對我來說太難的東西。

But I've realized that that's not the case at all.

但我意識到，情況完全不是這樣。

I am astounded with how much I've learned by doing just a little bit every day.

每天做一點點事情，我就能學到很多東西，這讓我感到非常震驚。

Brilliant has thousands of engaging lessons with exclusive new content added monthly.

Brilliant 擁有數以千計的引人入勝的課程，每月都會添加獨家新內容。

And one of these new courses is ours.

我們的新課程就是其中之一。

Our team has worked closely with Brilliant to build a brand new course on the physics of rocket launches, a real engineering course custom-made with our viewers in mind.

我們的團隊與 Brilliant 密切合作，建立了一門全新的火箭發射物理學課程，這是一門為觀眾量身定製的真正的工程學課程。

So head over to Brilliant and let us know what you think of it and what other courses you'd like to see on Brilliant from our team.

請訪問 Brilliant，告訴我們您的想法，以及您希望在 Brilliant 上看到我們團隊提供的哪些其他課程。

To get started for free, visit brilliant.org slash realscience, or click on the link in the description, and the first 200 people will get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription.

要免費開始使用，請訪問 brilliant.org slash realscience，或點擊描述中的鏈接，前 200 名用戶可享受 Brilliant 年度高級訂閱八折優惠。

Thanks for watching.

感謝觀看。

And if you're looking for something else to watch right now, watch our most recent video weighing in on whether monkeys are pure evil, or watch Real Engineering's latest video about deep sea mining.

如果您現在想看點別的，可以觀看我們最近關於猴子是否純粹邪惡的視頻，或者觀看真實工程公司（Real Engineering）關於深海採礦的最新視頻。