A giant isopod, a crustacean known as the 'scavenger of the deep,' has been found dead in its tank by keepers at an aquarium in Japan, after the creature refused to eat for more than five years.

日本一水族馆的一只大王具足虫在绝食5年多以后死亡，饲养员在水族箱里发现了它的尸体。大王具足虫是一种甲壳类动物，被称为“深海清道夫”。

The animal, which looks like an oversized pill-bug, was declared dead at a feeding event at the Toba Aquarium in Japan on Friday February 14.

2月14日星期五，日本鸟羽水族馆在尝试喂养后，宣布这只外形好似超大号球潮虫的大王具足虫死亡。

The giant male isopod, called No. 1 to distinguish it from the nine other giant isopods kept at the Japanese aquarium, has not eaten since January 2009, when it ate a whole horse mackerel.

为了区分水族馆的另外9只巨型等足目动物，这只雄性大王具足虫被命名为“1号”。2009年1月它吃了一条鲹鱼，自那以后，这只大王具足虫一直拒绝进食。

No. 1's keeper Takeya Moritaki has been dumbfounded by the crustacean's hunger strike, claiming the deep-sea creature would at times pretend to eat by moving its mouth and front legs around the food to appease aquarium staff, however it never actually swallowed.

“1号”的绝食行为让饲养员则武竹谷十分不解，他说“1号” 有时候会动动嘴巴和前腿假装在吃东西，糊弄水族馆的饲养员，但实际上它从来没有将食物吞下。

Mr Moritaki, was preparing the mackerel for No. 1's feed, however the giant isopod sat motionless as the bait was lowered in to the tank, according to Rocket News.

新闻网站Rocket News报道称，在“1号” 死亡之前，则武竹谷正在为它准备鲭鱼肉，然而当鲭鱼肉被放入水族箱后，“1号”却一动不动。

 

 

Realising something was wrong, the aquarium staff lifted No. 1 out of the tank and declared it dead. At that point, the creature had starved itself for five years and 43 days.

意识到情况不妙之后，工作人员将“1号”捞出水族箱。随后工作人员宣布了它的死亡。至此 “1号”已经绝食了5年零43天。

It has been widely reported as the longest time any animal under observation has gone without food.

“1号”的绝食身亡被大量媒体报道，因为这是迄今为止有人类观察的动物创造的时间最长绝食记录。

The death of the giant isopod, has been confirmed by the aquarium and a dissection was performed, however no cause of death was found.

在宣布“1号”死亡之后，鸟羽水族馆对这只巨型等足目动物进行了尸检，但未能查明死亡原因。

Giant isopod No. 1 was taken to Toba Aquarium from the Gulf of Mexico in September 2007, measuring 29 cm and weighing 1 kg.

2007年9月，工作人员将“1号”从墨西哥湾带到鸟羽水族馆，当时它身长29厘米，体重1公斤。

A giant isopod is a crustacean related to prawns and crabs, which are thought to be abundant in cold, deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

巨型等足目动物是一种甲壳类动物，与明虾和螃蟹存在血缘关系。据悉，这种动物大量存在于大西洋、太平洋以及印度洋的冷深水区。

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