国家地理:2011年度十佳自然图片

Megafishes

Giant freshwater fish from around the world clock in as 2011's most popular environment gallery on nationalgeographic.com. Increasingly rare because of fishing, pollution, and loss of habitat due to human activity, these so-called megafishes can be indicator species of aquatic ecoystems.

National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan has wrangled, photographed, and studied many of these freshwater monsters. Some, like the Chinese sturgeon, are "living fossils" that have changed little over millions of years.

Pictured is an arapaima fish at an aquarium in Manaus, Brazil. This South American giant can reach lengths of more than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh upwards of 400 pounds (180 kilograms).

Like several megafish species in our gallery, the arapaima is the focus of conservation projects, which may be racing against time to save these animals in the wild.

巨型淡水鱼　

在2011年美国《GJ地理杂志》网站的环境图集中，巨型淡水鱼的照片成为最大热门。由于过度捕捞、环境污染以及人类活动导致的栖息地减少，巨型淡水鱼的数量不断萎缩，它们的命运成为淡水生态系统物种的一个写照。

《GJ地理杂志》的探险家泽布-霍甘曾对很多巨型淡水鱼进行研究并拍摄照片。包括中国鲟鱼在内的一些淡水鱼都是“活化石”，在数百万年的岁月变迁中，它们几乎未发生任何改变。照片展示的是一条巨滑舌鱼，在巴西马瑙斯的一个水族馆拍摄。这种南美巨型鱼的身长可超过10英尺(约合3米)，体重超过400磅(约合180公斤)。与《GJ地理杂志》图集中展现的其他巨型淡水鱼一样，巨滑舌鱼也是一个保护重点。为了拯救野外的巨型淡水鱼，保护人员需要与时间赛跑。

《国家地理:2011年度十佳自然图片》永久阅读地址: http://91kudian.com/yingyu/3970/