Penguins have long captured the imagination and the hearts of people the world over.
长期以来，企鹅总是会引发全世界人们的想象并深深地吸引着他们的心。
But while popular culture depicts them as clumsy, adorable birds with endlessly abundant populations,
流行文化中，企鹅被描述为一种笨拙、可爱、并且数量庞大的鸟类，
the truth is that penguins are exceedingly graceful, often ornery, and their populations are in rapid free fall.
事实上企鹅十分优雅，时常脾气暴躁，同时它们的数量在急剧减少。
Their real life situation is far more precarious than people think.
它们所面临的危机远比我们所想的严重。
And if current trends do not change, it may not be long before penguins can only be found in movies.
如果现状无法改善，不久后，我们就只能从电影中看到企鹅了。
There are many things about penguins that make them odd birds, so to speak.
企鹅具有很多可谓特殊鸟类的特质。
For one thing, they are one of the few bird species that cannot fly,
首先，它们是少数不能飞行的鸟类之一，
having evolved from flight-capable birds about 60 million years ago.
虽然它们在大约6千万年前曾经是具有飞行能力的鸟类。
Surprisingly, their closest living relative is the albatross,
惊奇的是，现存生物中与企鹅关系最近的是信天翁，
a bird known for its enormous wingspan and extraordinary soaring abilities.
这种鸟类以其巨大的翼展，和非凡的翱翔能力为人所熟知。
It may seem strange that losing the ability to fly would be an evolutionary advantage,
这看来或许很奇怪，但失去飞行能力的确成为了一种进化优势，
but the penguin's short, flipper-like wings and solid bones
企鹅短小的鳍状翅膀和坚实的骨骼，
allow them to swim faster and dive deeper than any other bird on Earth, filling an ecological niche that no other bird can.
使它们能够比地球上其他鸟类游得更快、潜得更深，从而占据着自己独一无二的生态位。
Penguins inhabit the southern hemisphere, being one of the few bird species able to breed in the coldest environments.
企鹅栖息在南半球，它们是少数能在严寒环境中繁衍的鸟类。
But contrary to popular belief, they are not restricted to cold regions nor are there any at the North Pole.
但与普遍的观点相反，企鹅并非只能生活在寒冷的地域，同时它们也不生活在北极。
In fact, only 4 of the 18 penguin species regularly live and breed in Antarctica.
事实上，在18种企鹅中，仅有4种固定在南极栖息繁衍。
Most penguins live in subtemperate to temperate regions.
大部分企鹅生活在亚温带至温带地区。
And the Galapagos penguin even lives and breeds right near the equator off the coast of South America.
加拉帕斯群岛的企鹅甚至栖息繁衍于靠近赤道的南美洲海岸。
They are also found in South Africa, Namibia, Australia, and New Zealand,
它们还分布在南非、纳米比亚、澳大利亚、新西兰
as well as on a number of islands in the southern Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic Oceans.
以及一些位于南大西洋、太平洋、印度洋和南大洋的岛屿上。
Although penguins spend 75% of their lives at sea, they must come to shore every year to reproduce and to molt their feathers.
尽管企鹅一生有75%的时间都生活在水中，但它们每年都必须上岸进行繁殖和换毛。
They do this in a variety of places, from the temporary ice sheets of the Antarctic to the beaches of South Africa and Namibia,
它们在不同的地方完成这些事情：从南极的临时冰盖到南非和纳米比亚的海滩；
to the rocky shores of subantarctic islands, to the craggy lava surfaces in the Galapagos.
从亚南极岛屿的岩岸再到加拉帕斯群岛上陡峭的熔岩表层。
Different penguin species have different nesting practices.
不同种类的企鹅有着不同的筑巢方式。

Some dig burrows into dirt, sand, or dried guano; some nest in tussock grasses;
有的在泥土、沙子或鸟粪上打洞；有的在草丛中筑巢；
some build nests out of small rocks, sticks, and bones; while others don't build any nests at all.
有的用小石块、树枝和骨头筑巢；还有的甚至根本不筑巢。
Although most penguins lay a clutch of two eggs, the two largest species, the King and the Emperor,
尽管大多数企鹅每次产两枚蛋，但有两种最大的企鹅：王企鹅和帝企鹅，
lay a single egg that they incubate on top of their feet for approximately two months.
每次仅产一枚蛋，它们将蛋置于双脚上孵化，这个过程大约持续两个月。
Unfortunately, 15 of the 18 penguin species are currently listed as threatened,
不幸的是，18种企鹅中的15种都已被列为受威胁、
near-threatened, or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
近受威胁或濒危物种，这是由世界环保组织所公布的。
In the last several decades, we have seen the world populations of most penguin species decline by up to 90%,
在过去的几十年中，我们看到世界上众多种类的企鹅数量都减少了近90%，
with two of them, the Yellow-eyed and Galapagos penguins, down to just a few thousand birds.
其中的两种--黄眼企鹅和加拉帕斯企鹅，它们的数量仅剩数千只。
Penguins are an indicator species, the proverbial 'canary in the coal mine.'
企鹅是指示物种，就好比“矿井里的金丝雀”一样。
Simply put, if penguins are dying, it means our oceans are dying.
简言之，如果企鹅正在灭绝，那就意味我们即将失去海洋。
And sadly, most of this decline is attributable to human activities.
可悲的是，企鹅数量的减少大多归咎于人类的行为活动。
Historically, penguins have had to deal with multiple disturbances.
从历史上看，企鹅长期受到各种干扰。
The mass collection of penguin eggs and the harvesting of the seabird guano they nested in
人类大量采集企鹅蛋并收取它们筑巢所用的鸟粪，
caused the dramatic decline of several penguin species.
这使得多种企鹅数量骤减。
If you're wondering what humans would want with seabird poop,
你可能会问，人们挖取鸟粪有什么用呢？
it was used as an ingredient in fertilizer and in gunpowder,
它曾被用作肥料和火药的原料，
being so valuable that in the 19th century, it was known as white gold.
因此十分珍贵，在19世纪，它曾被称为白色黄金。
Current threats to penguins include the destruction of both marine and terrestrial habitats,
目前企鹅所面临的威胁包括海洋和陆地栖息地的破坏、
introduced predators, entrapment in fishing nets, and pollution from plastics and chemicals.
引进捕食者、渔网捕捞以及塑料和化学污染问题。
There have also been several large-scale oil spills over the past 50 years
此外，在过去的50年里的许多大面积的漏油事件，
that have killed or impacted tens of thousands of penguins around the world.
扼杀或殃及了全世界数万只的企鹅。
But the two major threats to penguins today are global warming and overfishing.
然而企鹅当前面临最大的威胁却是全球变暖和过度捕捞。
Global warming impacts penguins in multiple ways,
全球变暖从不同方面影响着企鹅，
from interrupting the production of krill due to decreased sea ice formation in the Antarctic,
从南极海冰减少导致磷虾的繁殖受阻；
to increasing the frequency and severity of storms that destroy nests,
到加剧暴风雨的频率和强度，导致企鹅巢穴受损；
to shifting the cold water currents carrying the penguins' prey too far away from penguin breeding and foraging grounds.
再到改变冷水流走向，使企鹅的食物远离它们繁衍和觅食的范围。
Even though humans may be the greatest threat to penguins, we are also their greatest hope.
尽管人类或许是企鹅最大的威胁，我们同时也是他们最大的希望。
Many research and conservation projects are underway to protect penguin habitats and restore vulnerable populations.
很多研究和保护项目已经开始对企鹅栖息地进行保护，并逐步恢复这珍贵的种群。
With a little help from us and some changes in the practices that impact our planet and oceans,
只要我们献出一份帮助，改变生活中一些影响地球和海洋的行为，
there is hope that our tuxedo-clad friends will still be around in the next century.
这些身着燕尾服的伙伴们将仍会伴随我们步入下一个世纪。