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Scientists have confirmed the presence of a gray whale off New England in North America recently.
近日，科学家证实在北美新英格兰海域发现了一头灰鲸。
The large sea animal disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago.
这种大型海洋动物在两个世纪前从大西洋消失了。
The scientists are thrilled with the discovery but they say it shows the effects of climate change on sea life.
科学家对这一发现感到兴奋，但他们表示，这表明了气候变化对海洋生物的影响。
Researchers with the New England Aquarium in Boston found the gray whale on March 1.
波士顿新英格兰水族馆的研究人员于3月1日发现了这头灰鲸。
At the time, they were flying about 48 kilometers south of Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts in the Atlantic.
当时，他们正在位于大西洋马萨诸塞州海岸附近的南塔基特岛以南约48公里处飞行。
The whale, which can weigh over 27,000 kilograms, usually lives in the northern Pacific Ocean.
这种鲸鱼的体重超过2.7万公斤，通常生活在北太平洋。
The gray whale disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean by the 18th century.
到18世纪，灰鲸从大西洋消失了。
But there have been five observations of the animal in the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters in the last 15 years, the aquarium said in a statement.
但该水族馆在一份声明中说，在过去的15年里，他们在大西洋和地中海水域观察到了这种动物五次。
The whale found this month was likely the same animal observed off the coast of Florida late last year, the aquarium said.
该水族馆表示，本月发现的这头鲸鱼很可能与去年年底在佛罗里达州海岸发现的鲸鱼是同一头。
The researchers who found the animal off Massachusetts said they were not sure at first.
在马萨诸塞州附近发现这种动物的研究人员表示，他们一开始并不确定。
But after circling the area for 45 minutes, they were able to take photographs that confirmed it was a gray whale.
但在该区域盘旋了45分钟后，他们拍下了照片，证实这是一头灰鲸。
"I didn't want to say out loud what it was, because it seemed crazy," said Orla O'Brien.
奥拉·奥布莱恩说：“我不想大声说出这是什么，因为这看起来很疯狂。”
She is a research scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium.
她是新英格兰水族馆安德森·卡伯特海洋生物中心的研究科学家。
Scientists said they were thrilled to see the animal, but its presence probably has to do with the warming of the planet.
科学家表示，他们很高兴看到这种动物，但它的存在可能与地球变暖有关。
The Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean in Canada, has lacked ice in the summertime in recent years, they said.
他们说，通过加拿大北冰洋连接大西洋和太平洋的西北航道近年来在夏季缺少冰。
That means gray whales can travel through the passage in the summer when normally they would have been blocked, the scientists said.
科学家表示，这意味着灰鲸可以在夏天通过这条通道，而通常情况下它们会被阻拦。
O'Brien said the animal's arrival off New England serves "as a reminder of how quickly marine species respond to climate change, given the chance."
奥布莱恩表示，这种动物来到新英格兰海域附近“提醒人们，只要有机会，海洋物种对气候变化的反应是多么迅速。”
Gray whales were almost completely killed off by hunting during the years of commercial whaling.
在商业捕鲸盛行的年代，灰鲸几乎全部被捕杀。
Today, the whales have recovered to the point that they are considered a species of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
如今，灰鲸已经恢复到被世界自然保护联盟认为是“最不受关注”的物种。
The organization, however, considers the western population of whales that live off the coast of Asia to be endangered.
然而，该组织认为生活在亚洲海岸附近的西部鲸鱼种群濒临灭绝。
They can be identified by the lack of a part of a body often seen on other whales: a dorsal fin.
人们可以通过缺少在其他鲸鱼身上常见的身体部位来识别这种鲸鱼：背鳍。
Also, they can be identified by their blotchy appearance which is different from the humpback and minke whales seen off New England.
此外，人们还可以通过布满斑点的的外表来识别，这与在新英格兰海域看到的座头鲸和小须鲸不同。
Gray whales can also be identified by the unusual sounds they make.
人们也可以通过灰鲸发出的不寻常的声音来识别它们。
I'm Gregory Stachel.
格雷戈里·施塔赫尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
