A polar bear carcass found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the animal's death.

　　在挪威最北端北极圈Svalbard群岛，人们发现了一只北极熊的尸体，研究人员认为它的死因是气候变化所造成的。

　　The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and tagged it. However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones by the time a group of explorers happened upon its body in July.

　　四月份挪威极地研究所在帮它检查做标记时，这只北极熊的健康状况还很不错。但是，当一队探险者7月偶然发现它时，早已瘦成了皮包骨。

　　"From his lying position in death the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, told The Guardian. "He had no external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone."

　　“从它的卧姿来看，这只北极熊饿得倒了下来，最后死在了这里。”阿尔伯塔大学的兼职教授，同时也是北极熊专家的伊恩·斯特林博士告诉《卫报》记者，“外部迹象显示它的身体已没有任何脂肪，只剩下一具皮包骨。”

　　Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice, which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals. That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April.

　　斯特林博士坚信这只熊饿死是由于海冰的融化造成的，北极熊靠这些海冰来捕食海豹。这也解释了为什么这只16岁的雄性北极熊死在了离4月的所在地155英里的地方。

　　Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change.

　　2012年，北极的海冰达到了历史最低，根据美国国家海洋和大气管理局这周发布的报告显示，气候变化还将继续。

　　The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species.

　　国际自然保护联盟近日已经将北极熊作为珍稀动物纳入《濒危物种红色名录》当中。