国家地理:佛罗里达美洲狮的回归(2)

Her tracks are thrilling to see -- a reminder¹ that Florida still has wilderness² and large cats,

能看到它的足迹，着实让人兴奋，因为这正告诉我们，佛罗里达仍有荒野与大型猫科动物，

some of them resilient enough to live unseen along the fringes of the expanding suburbs.

其中有些猫科动物非常顽强，能够在不断扩张的市郊边缘过着不为人知的生活。

Most Floridians will never see any signs of these predators³,

多数佛罗里达人永远不会看到这些掠食者的任何踪迹，

which weigh from 65 to 165 pounds as adults, depending upon sex, and can leap more than 10 yards in a single bound.

按性别不同，成年后的佛罗里达狮体重介于65至165镑，单次跳跃可达10公尺远。

But the panther -- known to the Cherokee as "lord of the forest"

这种被切罗基人称为“森林之王”的动物，

depends on the millions of acres of swamps, forests, and fields in southwestern and central Florida,

仰赖佛罗里达西南部与中部数百万公顷的沼泽、森林与田野为生，

many of which are at imminent⁴ risk of development.

然而，这些地区有许多都面临了迫在眉睫的开发风险。

The Florida panther, classified as a subspecies of mountain lion, or cougar⁵, once ranged throughout most of the southeastern United States.

佛罗里达狮是美洲狮的亚种，分布范围曾经遍及美国东南部大部分地区。

But the animals were hunted aggressively, and by the 1970s they were only found in Florida,

然而它们遭到滥捕，到20世纪70年代，只有在佛罗里达州才可以找到它们的身影，

and their numbers had fallen to fewer than 30, making them highly vulnerable to inbreeding.

而且数量降到低于30只，这使得它们非常容易发生近亲繁殖的情形。

They were within a whisker of going extinct, says Kelly,

凯利说，它们当时几乎就要灭绝了。

a slim man often adorned⁶ in clothes bearing the insignia of his employer, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

凯利身材很瘦，经常穿着印有他的受聘单位--佛罗里达鱼类和野生动物保护委员会的标志的衣服。

1 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

2 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

5 cougar   

n.美洲狮；美洲豹

参考例句：

• I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey.我看到一只美洲狮正在潜随猎物。
• I have never seen a cougar.我从未见过美洲豹。

6 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。