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The largest animal on Earth is thriving anew, at least off of California. And all it took was for people to stop hunting blue whales.That's according to a new study in Marine Mammal Science.
据《海洋哺乳动物学》杂志报道：地球上最大的动物正重新崛起，至少，在美国加州是这样的。而要实现这一目标，只需停止猎杀蓝鲸。
Today, the California group of the mighty blue whales numbers roughly 2,200, according to conservationists and based on distinctive singing. That compares with the more than 3,000 killed over the first seven decades of the 20th century. The blue whale can grow up to 30 meters in length and weigh more than 180 metric tons—and requires for food each day roughly 40 million tiny sea creatures called krill.
据自然资源保护论者及蓝鲸独特的叫声可知，如今美国加州巨形蓝鲸的种群数量约为2,200个。相比之下，20世纪前70年间，逾3,000头蓝鲸被杀。蓝鲸能一直长到30米长、180多公斤——它们每天以4000万条磷虾为食。
This may explain why the number of whales off California has stopped growing. Some conservationists had argued that individuals being hit and killed by ship traffic held back population growth. But the new research suggests it's more likely that California blue whales have reached the limits to growth in that region of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
这也许能解释为什么那些离开加州的蓝鲸没能继续繁衍生息，增大自身种群。一些自然资源保护论者曾持这样的观点：蓝鲸数量之所以没有增长，是因为遭受到海上船只的撞击和猎人们的捕杀。但新的研究认为：更有可能的原因是它们的数量已经达到了该物种在东太平洋环境容纳量的最大值。
Of course, more than 350,000 blue whales were killed in other parts of the world in the 20th century. So the species has hardly recovered to its historical abundance. But, at least in California, the blue whale is back.
当然，20世纪，除加州外，还有350,000多头蓝鲸遭受猎杀。因此，蓝鲸数量几乎没能恢复到原来那种繁荣昌盛的局面。但至少在加州，蓝鲸数量又开始增加了。
