Manatee

2004年八九月间，美国佛罗里达州竟然出现了四次飓风。接踵而至的“飓风狂潮”给佛州和美国南部其他几个州造成了巨大的人员伤亡和财产损失。但是，对佛州的海牛来说，飓风却带给了它们好运。外电报道如下：The fury of four hurricanes in Florida may have spared the state's endangered manatee population from further decline. The annual report by the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute shows deaths statewide fell to 276 in 2004 from 370 recorded in 2003. "One theory is the four hurricanes that affected the state this year means we had less boating activity," said Tom Pitchford, a biologist with the research institute. "Fewer boats on the water means fewer manatees struck." Manatee表示“海牛”，是一种食草性水生哺乳动物，身体宽扁，长有蹼状前鳍和扁平的尾巴。海牛产于美国佛罗里达州、南美洲北部、西非和加勒比海地区海岸温暖的水域中。 （中国日报网站编）