海豹也是很可愛(ài)的動(dòng)物呢！不過(guò)你見(jiàn)過(guò)剛出生的，幼幼小小的，身上還是淺黃色細(xì)軟毛毛的小海豹嗎？

The world can be a scary place for a seal pup less than 72 hours old. But even in the bitter, windswept bleakness of a Scottish beach, a helping hand is never far away. Sealed with a kiss, a young grey seal is seen nurturing her newborn baby through the first few days of its life.

對(duì)于出生不到三天的海豹幼崽來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)世界是個(gè)恐怖的地方。然而盡管身陷艱苦，在蘇格蘭海灘上幫助之手也從未遠(yuǎn)離。一只年輕的海豹正寵愛(ài)地呵護(hù)著它剛出生不久的幼崽。

Indeed the pup is so young that its fur still has a yellow tinge from the fluid of its mother’s womb. The scene was captured by wildlife photographer Anna Henly discovered when she came across a 50-strong colony that had come ashore to bear their young.

剛出生不久，小海豹的皮毛還是淺淺的黃色。這一幕被野生動(dòng)物攝影家安娜捕捉到了，當(dāng)時(shí)她正好碰到海豹產(chǎn)下幼崽。

Those first moments are crucial for mother and offspring – from the moment it is born, she licks the pup, calls to it, pets it and protects it. Around 40 per cent of the world’s grey seals breed around Britain, with numbers increasing by about 7 per cent a year. A grey seal will spend most of its life – which can be up to 40 years long – at sea. Yet they are often seen close to shore. Unlike whales or dolphins, they give birth on land.

剛出生的時(shí)候?qū)τ谀赣H和養(yǎng)育來(lái)說(shuō)都是非常重要的，從它出生的那一刻起，母親會(huì)舔舐幼崽，呼喚它、愛(ài)撫它并且保護(hù)它。世界上大約40%的灰海豹在英國(guó)繁殖，每年數(shù)量大概增加7%。一只灰海豹會(huì)花大量的時(shí)間（壽命約40年）在海里，但是它們也會(huì)時(shí)常近岸。與鯨魚(yú)和海豚不同的時(shí)，它們?cè)陉懮袭a(chǎn)子。

Although some breeding grounds may appear in hospitable, that waterproof coat and a thick layer of blubber protects the seals from cold and wet. And the more inaccessible the sites are, the less likely they are to be disturbed by humans. For the meantime, this pup can count on the protection and support of its mother before it goes splashing around independently in the water. But the bond will soon be broken. In a few weeks, when it loses its cuddly white coat, the pup will be abandoned by its mother and sent off to fend for itself.

盡管一些繁育地環(huán)境不是很好，防水層和脂肪都會(huì)保護(hù)它們不受寒冷和潮濕的侵襲。并且，海灘越不容易靠近，它們?cè)讲蝗菀资苋祟惔驍_。同時(shí)，在幼崽能獨(dú)立入水之前還有母親的保護(hù)和支持。但是幾周后，幼崽們就要自食其力了。當(dāng)它們褪去幼崽的保護(hù)層，就要被母親“遺棄”獨(dú)自面臨大海了。

（來(lái)源：滬江英語(yǔ) 編輯：恬恬）