Seals keep getting eels¹ stuck up their noses -- and scientists have no clue why, according to a report.

一份报告指出，海豹经常会被鳗鱼堵住鼻子，而科学家们也不知道这是为什么。

A photo of a Hawaiian monk² seal with the wormlike sea creature dangling³ from its schnoz went viral this week -- and at least three more have been spotted⁴ enduring the booger-like invaders⁵, according to the Washington Post.

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，一张夏威夷僧海豹鼻子上悬挂着一蠕虫状海洋生物的照片本周在网上疯传。至少有三只僧海豹被发现忍受着类似鼻屎的入侵者。

"It's just so shocking," monk seal expert Claire Simeone told the paper. "It's an animal that has another animal stuck up its nose."

僧海豹专家克莱尔·西蒙尼告诉报社：“这太令人震惊了。一种动物的鼻子里有另一种动物。”

Researchers say the eels -- which can grow more than 2.5 feet long -- may burrow⁶ into seals' noses because they think they are part of the coral reef.

研究人员表示，这些鳗鱼可以长到2.5英尺长，它们可能会钻进海豹的鼻子里，因为它们认为海豹是珊瑚礁的一部分。

A seal's prey⁷, including eels, often hide in reefs to avoid being eaten. Seals hunt with their faces, making them an easy target for the nasal invaders.

海豹的猎物，包括鳗鱼，通常躲在暗礁里以避免被吃掉。海豹用它们的脸捕猎，这使得它们很容易成为钻鼻入侵者的目标。

But many scientists are still baffled.

但许多科学家仍然困惑不解。

"We have no idea why this is suddenly happening," Simeone said. "You see some very strange things if you watch nature long enough, and this could end up being one of these little oddities and mysteries of our careers that 40 years from now, we'll be retired⁸ and still questioning quite how this happened."

西蒙尼说道：“我们不知道为什么会突然出现这种情况。如果你长时间观察大自然，你会发现一些非常奇怪的事情，这可能最终成为我们从业40年来职业生涯中的一件小奇闻。我们退休后仍然会质疑这究竟是怎么回事。”