On Rockwell's recommendation, I've headed south to start an in depth study of the Island's marine life with the help of a tribe called the Painted Sharks. Because the ecosystem of the ocean that surrounds the Island is separate from the ecosystem on the mainland, correlating patterns between them might help me isolate and understand this island's scientific abnormalities.

  Also, after freezing my ass off for so long, I could really use an extended stay on a tropical island. Marine biology was never my strongest field, but I do love the ocean. If nothing else, it should be beautiful there.

  在Rockwell的建議下，我前往島嶼的南部以展開對(duì)海洋生物的研究。我得到了一個(gè)叫做“繪鯊”的部落的幫助。由于島嶼周圍的海洋生態(tài)系統(tǒng)是和陸地生態(tài)系統(tǒng)分離的，所以關(guān)聯(lián)他們之間的樣本能幫助我分析并理解這島上的異常。

  同時(shí)，我被凍得那么久以來，終于能體會(huì)待在一個(gè)熱帶島嶼的感受了。雖然海洋生物學(xué)從不是我的強(qiáng)項(xiàng)，可我已久熱愛海洋。如果沒什么意外的話，那兒會(huì)是幸福美麗的生活。

  The Painted Sharks have treated me like I'm the bloody queen since I showed them Rockwell's letter of recommendation. I don't think I've eaten better in my entire time on the Island. Not that it's a high bar, I'm a horrible cook. Oh, and they've been of tremendous help with my research, of course.

  So far, my estimates of the predator-prey balance are consistent with the ecosystems on the mainland. The water is simply teeming with shoals of megalodons, and they are extremely aggressive. Perhaps that's a side effect of having limited prey? Sharks aren't known as territorial creatures. I'll have to study them further.

  我把Rockwell的介紹信給繪鯊部落看了以后，他們待我就如我是血腥女王。在我島上的生涯中，我不覺得會(huì)比這里吃得更好，并不是說這有多么夸張，只是我的廚藝實(shí)在很糟。當(dāng)然，他們對(duì)我的研究也提供了很大的幫助。

  目前來說，我對(duì)于捕食者-獵物平衡的預(yù)測(cè)分析和陸地上生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的情況是一致的。水里有大量的巨齒鯊。而且這些巨齒鯊非常有攻擊性。難道說這是因?yàn)樗鼈兊墨C物有限而形成的副作用?鯊魚是不具有領(lǐng)土意識(shí)的生物，我需要對(duì)它們有更進(jìn)一步的研究。

  Still no anwsers as to why the Megalodons are so territorial, but I was privy to something even more extraordinary: Megalodon Mating Behavior! No one's ever witnessed Great Whites rooting around back home, so that alone is monumental, but I got something even better.

  I know, what could possibly top watching Megalodons having a naughty, right? Tracking the female! I was able to observe her for almost the full gestation period, and get this, it only lasts one week. One Week! No wonder the population is so high. These are spitting out pups forty-four times the rate of Aussie Great Whites.

  I should compare how they behave in captivity.

  對(duì)于巨齒鯊為何如此具有領(lǐng)土意識(shí)還是毫無解答，可我暗中發(fā)現(xiàn)了更加奇特的事情：巨齒鯊的求偶交配行為!沒人目擊過大白鯊的婚配，如此孤獨(dú)的境界當(dāng)不朽于世，而我卻還能有更好的收獲。

  我知道怎么看巨齒鯊的交配，跟著母鯊魚!整個(gè)懷孕期我都在觀察著，持續(xù)了僅一周。一周!怪不得數(shù)量那么多呢。這些不斷被吐出的小崽子們的數(shù)量可是澳洲大白鯊的44倍。

  我應(yīng)該與被抓起來的巨齒鯊的行為做一個(gè)比較。

  So, in addition to all of the oddities I found with wild megalodons, here's the real cherry on top: Taming them is a piece of piss. A bit of training and they're more obedient than the family dog.

  Now, I've heard of sharks getting very rudimentary training over a year or so, but not to this extent. Certainly not so easily. Sharks aren't mammals or even avians, they're fish. They rely more on instinct, or to put it simply, they're not very smart. You shouldn't be able to ride one like a jet ski.

  I'm trying to keep an open mind like Rockwell suggested, but this just feels wrong.

  我在野生巨齒鯊上發(fā)現(xiàn)的怪事之最就是：馴化它們簡(jiǎn)直是小菜一碟。稍微訓(xùn)練一下，它們就比寵物狗還聽話。

  我聽說過鯊魚要差不多一年的基本訓(xùn)練，完全不是這種程度。絕不可能如此輕易。鯊魚不是哺乳動(dòng)物或者鳥類，它們是魚。它們更依賴本能，或者簡(jiǎn)單而言就是說鯊魚不夠聰明。人不該能像騎著摩托艇一樣的騎著它們。

  我試圖像Rockwell建議的那樣保持一個(gè)開放的觀念，但這些事還是讓我感到不對(duì)。

  Well, this seals it. Just when I thought I'd made some sense of the notes I took while visiting the Painted Sharks, I spotted the nail in the proverbial coffin: Roos. A whole herd of giant Roos were just hopping about the countryside like they'd always been there.

  As much as I love Roos, they just shouldn't be here, period. They evolved in Oz and Oz only sixty million years after the dinosaurs went extinct among a bevy of other marsupials. If I know any genus, it's this one, and Procoptodon should not exist here.

  This island isn't an ecosystem, its a zoo.

  好吧，到此為止了。在我覺得拜訪繪鯊部落能為我的筆記產(chǎn)生一些靈感時(shí)，我有了一個(gè)特別的發(fā)現(xiàn)：袋鼠。一大群巨袋鼠就如往常一樣躍過野外。

  我愛袋鼠，它們不該出現(xiàn)在這個(gè)地方和這個(gè)時(shí)代。它們和其他有袋動(dòng)物的進(jìn)化發(fā)生在約6000萬年前澳洲的恐龍滅絕之后。如果要分類的話，這種是巨型短面袋鼠，不該出現(xiàn)在這兒。

  這個(gè)島不是一個(gè)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，它是一個(gè)動(dòng)物園。

  Not too long ago, I thought this place was a far off utopia where I could study all the world's lost wonders. Now that I'm certain it's not natural at all, I have to say, it's lost a lot of luster.

  Interference from mankind hasn't helped. Most tribes have learned to live in harmony with their slice of the island, but some aren't content with that. One is even trying to conquer all the others, and natural or not, this ecosystem won't be any better off if it's burned down in some great war.

  The sunrises are still beautiful, though. At least nothing can change that.

  不久以前，我認(rèn)為這個(gè)地方就像一個(gè)烏托邦，可以讓我學(xué)習(xí)研究那些當(dāng)世遺失的奇跡?，F(xiàn)在，我確信這里全然不是自然形成的。我不得不說，這個(gè)地方對(duì)我而言就褪去了許多光芒。

  人類的干預(yù)并無大用，大部分部落學(xué)會(huì)了如何在島上和諧生存?？捎行┎柯洳粷M足于此。有一個(gè)部落甚至試圖征服一切，不論是人還是大自然。如果這里的生態(tài)環(huán)境在大戰(zhàn)中被摧毀燃燒殆盡那也就不會(huì)再好轉(zhuǎn)起來了。

  日出依然美麗，雖然沒有什么能改變這一點(diǎn)。

  Of all the abnormalities that I've observed, the tamed Megalodons stick out to me. It was almost like they were stray dogs who were resocialized, as though they had a genetic history of human obedience.

  Most of my observations have been in the wild, but I think I may learn a thing or two if I observe domesticated creatures more closely. I need to study their diets, their mating patterns, how they socialize with other species... all that.

  Rumor has it that there's some woman that's tamed a whole mess of them all by herself, so many that they call her The Beast Queen of the Jungle. Maybe she'll have some useful insights.

  在我觀測(cè)到的所有異常中，馴化的巨齒鯊最為突出。它們就像是走失的流浪狗重新回歸了人類社會(huì)。仿佛它們有服從人類的基因遺傳史。

  我的大部分觀察是在野外進(jìn)行的。若是能讓我更加近距離的觀察家養(yǎng)的動(dòng)物，我或許還能略知一二。我需要研究它們的食譜、交配方式、和其他物種的溝通等等。

  傳言道有一個(gè)女人獨(dú)自馴化了一大群野獸，被人稱為“獸林女王”。也許她會(huì)有一些有用的見解。

  I suppose it was a bit naive of me to think that someone with the monicker of "Beast Queen" would roll out the red carpet. I guess I got used to all the friendly treatment that being an associate of Rockwell's earned me.

  She did let me stay at least, and she hasn't instructed her dinosaurs to kill me yet, so that's a positive. Not that she'd really need the dinosaurs. If that glare of hers gets any more intense, I'll probably just burst into flames on the spot.

  Strewth, I hope she eases up. Sifting through raptor excrement with someone watching is harder than you might think.

  我覺得一個(gè)有著“獸林女王”外號(hào)的人能鋪好紅地毯迎接我實(shí)在是太天真了。我想我已經(jīng)習(xí)慣于Rockwell為我提供的各種友善的接待。

  好在，她最終還是讓我留下來了，也沒示意她的恐龍殺了我。這還算不錯(cuò)。并不是說她真的需要那些恐龍的幫助，就她那目光的熾熱一瞥，恐怕也能當(dāng)場(chǎng)將我燃盡。

  哎，但愿她能松懈一點(diǎn)。在被人監(jiān)視下檢視迅猛龍的糞便可比想象的難多了。