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Life isn't easy for a penguin chick.
小企鵝的生活不易。
There's a lot to worry about: predators, having enough food, and now the changing climate.
有好多事情需要操心：肉類捕食動物，儲備充足的食物，而現(xiàn)在又出現(xiàn)了氣候變暖問題。
Researchers spent nearly thirty years tracking chicks at Punta Tombo, the world's largest colony of Magellanic penguins.
研究人員們花了將近30年的時間追蹤Punta Tombo群島上生活的這群小家伙，這里是世界上最大的麥哲倫企鵝棲息地。
They found that increased rainfall and extreme heat due to climate change are killing chicks.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)由于氣候變暖出現(xiàn)越來越多的暴雨和極端暴熱天氣正在把這些鳥類逼向死亡之路。
The study is in the journal PLoS ONE.
這項研究已在《公共科學圖書館·綜合》雜志上發(fā)表。
Down-covered chicks are too big to receive parental protection from the elements, but are not old enough to have grown protective waterproof feathers.
本來就沒什么毛的小鳥類由于體型巨大不能從母體獲得保護，但是又還沒有長出足夠防水保溫的羽毛，
So they get soaked to the skin during rainstorms and die of hypothermia.
所以它們的皮膚就會因長期暴露在暴雨中導(dǎo)致體溫過低死亡。
Their downy feathers do them a disservice during heat waves too, since they can't go for a swim to cool off until their waterproof feathers grow in.
熱浪襲來的時候這些絨毛對它們也同樣有傷害，因為在防水的羽毛長出來前，它們還不能通過游泳在水中降溫。
Chicks not getting enough food are even more susceptible to the elements, as they lack the fuel to maintain their body temperature.
得不到充足食物的小企鵝們甚至還對周圍天氣變化很敏感，因為缺乏足夠的能量維持體溫。
Storms during breeding season are already on the rise, and are expected to keep increasing.
繁殖期發(fā)生的暴風雨天氣的出現(xiàn)已經(jīng)很頻繁了，并且預(yù)計還將維持上升趨勢。
So climate change will likely pose a challenge not only in Magellanic penguins, but other seabirds as well.
由此可見，氣候變化將不僅對麥哲倫企鵝帶來威脅，而且對其它種類的海鳥也是有巨大傷害的。
It'll be sink or swim.
如果不想被水淹，就要學會游泳了。
