地球脉动第二季第五集中英字幕文字版.doc

One quarter of all the land on Earth
地球上四分之一的土地
is covered by a single, remarkable type of plant.
覆盖着唯一一种伟大的植被
Almost indestructible, it can grow two feet in a day...
它们几乎坚不可摧 一天可以长高六十厘米
And be tall enough to hide a giant.
连巨型动物都能藏匿其中
That plant is grass,
那就是草本
and the world it creates is truly unique.
草本植物构建出来的世界独具一格
The grass in northern India is the tallest on the planet,
印度北部的草是地球上长得最高的
home to some of the most impressive creatures to tread the Earth.
这里是众多神奇生物的家园
These are the good times,
现在正当好时候
but in just a few months, all this fresh growth will be gone,
可再过几个月 这些青草就会消失
and the animals will be forced to move on.
动物们将被迫迁徙
That is the way things are on grasslands across the planet.
地球上的草原都是如此
A cycle of abundance, destruction and rebirth
重复着富足 消亡 重生的循环
that affects every creature that lives here.
从而影响着栖息在这里的所有生命

The largest grassland on Earth, the vast Eurasian Steppe,
辽阔的欧亚草原区是地球上最大的草原地带
stretches one third of the way around our planet.
覆盖距离达到地球周长的三分之一
Spring rain has brought fresh grass, and with it, new life.
青草随春雨而生 也带来了新生命
A relic from the Ice Age, a baby Saiga antelope,
一种冰川时代存活至今的生物 高鼻羚羊幼崽
just three hours old.
出生才三小时
His only company, his twin.
陪伴它的只有它的孪生兄弟
Until they can stand,
在它们能站起来之前
their mother has left them hidden in the grass.
母亲会将它们藏在草丛中
They should be safe, as long as they remain quiet.
这样应该很安全 只要保持安静
For these calves, the clock is already ticking.
对这两只小羊来说 时间紧迫
Their herd will soon be moving on,
羚羊群很快就要离开
seeking the freshest new grass.
去寻找最新鲜的草场
Their lanky legs are a sure sign
高鼻羚羊四肢瘦长
that they're built for a life on the move.
预示着它们一生都将奔波在路上
Saiga always give birth to twins,
高鼻羚羊总会产下孪生幼崽
so their numbers grow rapidly just when grass is plentiful.
这样能够在草源充足时迅速繁衍
Their bizarrely shaped nose can detect fresh growth
它们的鼻子长相奇怪 却能够勘测到
from hundreds of miles away.
几百公里外的青草长势
The young twins will now begin the nomadic life
这两只小羊即将与其他草原动物一样
they share with most animals on the world's open plains.
开始辽阔草原上不断迁徙的生活
Grasslands occur where rain is too sporadic for forests to exist.
降雨量不足以养育森林时就会出现草原
The rain that a grassland needs to survive for a year
草原生长所需的年降雨量
might arrive all at once.
可能会一次来临
Storms like these can release 12 inches of rain in 24 hours.
这样的暴雨在24小时内能达到300毫米降雨量
Not much fun if you're out in it.
淋起来可不好受
Eventually the earth can't soak up any more,
最终土壤无法继续吸收雨水
and the grassland undergoes a radical change.
草原也完全变了样子
Many plants would drown here, but grasses thrive.
许多植物会被淹死 而草本却会茁壮生长
They grow so fast,
它们长得飞快
their leaves quickly rise above the water and into the sunlight.
茎叶迅速伸出水面 沐浴在阳光下
Here in southern Africa,
在南非
water transforms one of the most remarkable grasslands on Earth,
降水能让世界上最奇特的草原之一改头换面
the Okavango.
奥卡万戈三角洲
Every year, 5,000 square miles of grassland are flooded.
每年都有近一万三千平方公里的草原被水淹没
For one pride of lions, this poses a major problem.
对于狮群来说 这成了最大的问题
There may be plenty of prey around,
虽然猎物众多
but lions struggle to run it down in water.
但狮子并不擅长在水中捕猎
The pride has three-month-old cubs.
狮群中有三个月的幼崽
They've never seen water before.
它们以前从未见过水
If their mothers don't make a kill soon,
如果母狮们短时间内捕不到猎物
the cubs might not survive the week.
这些幼崽可能撑不过这周
But fuelled by the flood,
受洪水滋养
the eruption of grass attracts new possible prey.
蓬勃生长的青草吸引来新的猎物
Buffalo arrive in herds 2,000 strong.
数量超过两千头的水牛群接踵而至
Powerful, aggressive and united,
强大 好斗 抱团前进
they're the most dangerous animal a lion can face.
狮子能遇到的动物中 水牛是最危险的
The biggest bulls don't run.
体型最大的公牛不会逃跑
They're simply too huge to be scared of lions.
他们仗着身形庞大 并不惧怕狮子
At 900 kilos, he weighs more than all five lionesses combined.
重达九百公斤 他比五头母狮加起来都重
The pride do have numbers on their side,
虽然狮群占据了数量优势
but one sweep of his horns could be deadly.
但如果被水牛角扫到 可能会直接丧命
One distracts the bull up front,
一头母狮正面诱敌
while her sisters attack from behind.
她的姐妹从后方进攻
The cats must somehow topple the buffalo,
母狮们必须想办法压倒公牛
but with swamp under foot, they can't get any traction.
但沼泽太过湿滑 脚底无法借力
The bull is weakening,
公牛逐渐虚弱
but the lions are tiring, too.
但狮群也露出疲态
It's now a battle of will as much as strength.
现在是体力与毅力的双重考验
To live, the bull must somehow shake off the lioness.
要想活下去 公牛必须想办法甩掉母狮
The bull is wounded,
这头公牛受了伤
but thanks to his two-inch-thick hide, he will recover.
但幸亏有五厘米厚的牛皮 他会慢慢痊愈
For the pride, these are hungry times.
而狮群 只能忍饥挨饿了
But, ultimately, once the water recedes, there will be new life,
但等到水位降低 便会有新生命来临
and new food to benefit all.
也就有了新的食物来源
In the right conditions, grasses have the extraordinary ability
只要条件适宜 草本植物可以在短短几天内
to grow from first shoots to flower in a matter of only days.
完成从发芽到开花的全过程
Grasses become the miniature equivalents of fruiting trees.
青草变成一棵棵微型果树
And for creatures living within the grass,
对于住在其中的生物来说
this is a landscape as vast and towering as any rainforest.
这样的草丛就像雨林一样高大葱郁
And excellent place to build a tiny tree house
非常适合建造小树屋
for a harvest mouse.
供巢鼠居住
During summer, European meadowlands are full of food,
夏季的欧洲草原食物充盈
but only for those that can reach it.
只看谁能捷足先登
Climbing grass is harder than climbing trees,
爬草比爬树更困难
not least because their stems just won't stay still.
主要是因为草茎不会静止不动
Her prehensile tail acts like a fifth limb,
她的尾巴可以抓握物体 就像第五只手
so she's as agile as a monkey clambering around in a tree.
让她如林中穿梭的猴子一般敏捷灵活
And just as well,
和森林中一样
for the best food in this tiny forest
这片草丛中最好的食物
is at the very top of its canopy.
也在植株最顶端
Feeding up here, she's exposed.
但爬到高处觅食 就会暴露自己
A barn owl.
一只仓鸮
Not her finest move...
动作不算灵巧
But it did the trick.
但也算成功逃命
Harvest mice seldom go all the way down to the ground.
巢鼠鲜少在地面行动
It's a tangled and dangerous world down here.
这里的世界复杂而危险
But she can read the pattern of the stems overhead like a map,
但她能够通过解读头顶的草茎来辨明方向
and so find her way home.
从而找到回家的路
And not a minute too soon.
时机刚好
There are mouths to feed.
幼崽嗷嗷待哺
Her babies must fatten up quickly.
她的宝宝们必须迅速长大
They need to harvest the summer grasses
他们要趁着夏季食物充盈时
while they're still rich with food.
尽量进食成长
On the African savannah, too,
非洲稀树草原亦是如此
seasonal grasses are filled with life,
应季时草地生命丰富多彩
but it won't last long.
但却不会持续太久
Carmine bee-eaters are superb aerial hunters,
红喉蜂虎是卓越的空中猎手
experts at catching insects in midair.
十分擅长捕食飞行中的昆虫
But they have no way of flushing their prey out of the grass.
但它们无法将猎物赶出草丛
Once alarmed, most insects stay put.
一旦警觉起来 大多数昆虫会静止不动
The bee-eaters need someone to stir things up a bit.
红喉蜂虎需要找帮手来捣乱
A kori bustard.
一只灰颈鹭鸨
It's the world's heaviest flying bird,
它是世界上体重最大的飞禽
so it should be bulky enough to kick up some insects.
凭它庞大的身躯 应该能轰出一些虫子
Bingo!
成功了
Until someone else comes along
直到有别的蜂虎加入
and cramps your style.
打乱它的计划
Never mind, perhaps there are bigger opportunities ahead.
没关系 也许等会还有更好的机会
What about an ostrich?
鸵鸟怎么样
The heaviest bird of all.
它们是体重最大的鸟类
This time there's more than enough transport to go around.
这次有足够的交通工具了
Soon, almost every ostrich has its own passenger.
很快 几乎每只鸵鸟都有了自己的乘客
But free riders are only tolerated for so long.
不过搭便车的也得意不了多久
What the bee-eaters really need
蜂虎真正需要的
is a creature so big it won't even notice them.
是体型大到根本注意不到它们的动物
Nothing cuts a swathe through grass
非洲公象夷平草地之势
like an African bull elephant.
没有动物能与之比肩
The trick is to fly as close to the front of the giant as possible.
诀窍是尽可能飞在这位"大块头"的近前方
They only have a split second to grab the prize.
想取得奖赏 必须在刹那间出手
As more insects are stirred up, the competition intensifies.
越来越多昆虫被赶出来 竞争也愈发激烈
With summer drawing to a close, the race to stock up is on.
夏天即将结束 储备食物的竞赛已然打响
Soon, the grass will wither, and this opportunity will have gone.
草很快就会枯萎 屯食良机转瞬即逝
As the dry season takes hold,
到了旱季
food becomes increasingly thin on the ground.
地面的食物愈发稀缺
Now, only the most specialised predators on the plains
只有在真正身怀绝技的草原捕猎者
can make a living.
才能维持生活
She may be spotted like a cheetah, but this cat is no sprinter.
她虽然形似猎豹 但这只猫并非短跑能手
Instead, she has extra-long legs which give her a high vantage point.
相反 修长的四肢给予她独特的猎捕优势
But a serval cat's main weapon are enormous radar ears.
不过薮猫最主要的武器 是她雷达般的双耳
They help her pinpoint prey hiding in the grass.
能精确定位草丛中猎物的藏身之处
But the prey she seeks are canny.
可是她的猎物十分机警
Southern vlei rats.
非洲沟齿沼鼠
They know that any sustained movement can give them away.
他们知道持续移动会暴露行踪
So they move in short bursts.
于是选择短距离爆冲
But even the slightest rustle will give her a clue.
但是最细微的窸窣声也会被薮猫察觉
Warm.
快找到了
Warmer.
更接近了
Missed.
没抓到
In better times, she could catch 10 a day,
形势好的时候 她一天能抓十只
but now, with so few rodents around, she will have to go hungry.
但现在啮齿动物数量极少 她只能挨饿了
As drought intensifies, life gets tougher for all.
随着干旱加剧 草原生活更加艰难
Predators with permanent territories must tough it out,
定居于此的捕食者只能选择熬过去
while most of their prey disappear over the horizon.
因为大部分猎物都已远去
To avoid starvation,
为了抵御饥饿
many grassland animals follow a nomadic way of life.
草原动物大多随水草迁徙
Over 2,000,000 wildebeests wander the East African savannahs
超过两百万头牛羚奔走在东非大草原
chasing the rains.
追逐着雨水
And they are not alone.
不过它们并不孤单
Arriving on the wing,
展翅飞来这里
Jackson's Widowbirds also seek fresh grass.
杰氏巧织雀也在寻找鲜嫩的草
Although, it's not just food that they're after.
然而 它们却不只是为食物而来
This male wants a mate.
这只雄鸟想求偶
He's grown elaborate breeding plumage for this moment,
为此他已长出漂亮的繁殖羽
but he needs a stage on which to show it off.
但他需要舞台来展现自我
By carefully selecting grass blades,
细心挑选草茎
each trimmed to the correct length,
每一根修剪到合适的长度
he's creating something very special.
他正在进行非常独特的创作
He needs an even surface,
他需要一块平地
and a centre-piece.
和一个中央摆设
The stage is set.
舞台已经布置好了
His bachelor pad is sufficiently neat and tidy to attract a female.
他的单身公寓干净整洁 很能吸引雌鸟
The problem is,
问题是
can she see it?
她能看到吗
He has competition.
他还有竞争对手
It might take more than a little gardening to impress the ladies.
园艺设计可能不足以打动女士们
Jumping is the right idea,
跳起来是个好办法
but he's misjudged the height of the grass.
但他低估了草的高度
His rival makes it look easy.
他的对手显得很轻松
Time to raise his game.
他得加把劲了
It's not only who jumps the highest,
不仅要看谁跳得高
but who can keep doing so the longest.
还要看谁能跳得久
Unable to go the distance, his rivals drop out one by one.
对手们无法坚持下去 相继退出竞争
Stamina has won him admirers,
他的耐力吸引了爱侣
now he can show off his courtship arena...
现在可以展示他的求爱舞台了
And engage in a little romantic hide-and-seek.
再来一场浪漫的捉迷藏游戏
Finally, he's done enough.
他终于得偿所愿
The East African savannahs support millions of grazers.
东非大草原养育着成千上万的食草动物
Each year they devour millions of tons of grass,
每年会吃掉数百万吨草
and yet there's one creature here
然而有一种生物
whose impact is far greater than all these animals combined.
对草原造成的影响 远大于其他动物的总和
They're found wherever grass grows on the planet,
地球上有草的地方 都有它们的踪影
yet their labours go almost entirely unnoticed.
但它们的辛苦劳作几乎难以察觉
One of the most remarkable is found here
其中最出色的
on the grasslands of South America.
出现在南美洲草原
These blades are so tough
这些叶片十分坚硬
that virtually no large grass eaters can stomach them.
几乎没有大型食草动物能消化得了
Yet they're harvested on an industrial scale...
然而却被小小的切叶蚁
by tiny grass cutter ants.
大规模采集...
But they themselves can't digest one bit of it.
可它们根本无法消化叶片
So, why bother?
那到底是为什么呢
The answer is underground,
答案在地下
and it's very ingenious.
可谓别出心裁
Each blade is cut to length and placed into a garden of fungus.
每根叶片都被切成一定长度 放入菌圃
The rotting grass feeds the fungus,
真菌以腐烂的叶片为食
and in turn the fungus feeds the ants.
而真菌又成为蚂蚁的食物
But feeding 5,000,000 workers requires intensive agriculture.
养活五百万劳动者需要大规模的高效耕作
Luckily, they are an industrious lot.
幸好它们都很勤劳
This colony alone will collect over half a ton of grass every year.
仅这一个蚁群 每年就能收集五百多公斤草
With billions of ant colonies across the world's grasslands
数十亿蚁群遍布全球草原
all doing exactly the same thing,
都在做相同的事
that's a mind-boggling amount of grass.
它们消耗的草数量惊人
It's estimated that over one third of the grass that grows on Earth
据估计 地球上超过三分之一的草
will be harvested by an insect.
都会被这种昆虫采去
In northern Australia,
在澳大利亚北部
termites memorialise their industry in sculpture.
白蚁辛勤的劳作体现在雕塑上
These astonishing mounds are 10 feet tall.
这些令人叹为观止的白蚁丘有三米高
They're always built on a north-south axis,
全部建成南北走向
which is why their builders are called compass termites.
因此它们的建筑者被称为罗盘白蚁
These castles of clay
这些粘土造就的城堡
protect their builders from extremes of heat
保护着它们的主人
and seasonal floods experienced on many grasslands.
不受草原酷暑和季节性洪水的伤害
Termites manage to do what most grass eaters can't,
白蚁与大多数食草动物不同
break down dead grass and extract the nutrients.
它们能分解枯草 提取养分
But they themselves can be food for those that can reach them.
但也有动物能探进蚁穴将它们吃掉
A two-foot-long tongue
六十厘米长的舌头
covered in microscopic hooks,
上面布满极小的钩子
followed by claws longer than those of a velociraptor.
加之比迅猛龙还要长的爪子
A giant anteater on the plains of South America.
这是一只生活在南美平原上的大食蚁兽
It can devour 20,000 insects a day.
它每天可以吞食两万只昆虫
Powerful forelegs enable it to rip apart a termite hill with ease.
有力的前肢让它们能够轻易地掰开白蚁巢
And as the sun bakes the grass, the termites face new danger.
太阳炙烤草原 白蚁面临着新的危险
In minutes, fire turns grassland to ash.
几分钟内 大火就将草原化为灰烬
But the grasses are not dead.
但是草不会被大火烧尽
Their underground stems are unharmed.
它们的地下茎完好无损
Weeks, months may pass,
数周 数月就这么过去了
but eventually the rains will return
但是雨季终将来临
and the grass will sprout again.
青草又会重新发芽
Some grasslands must endure not only fire, but ice.
一些草原不仅要忍受火的炙烤 还有冰霜
As winter approaches,
冬季来临
the prairies of North America begin to freeze.
北美的草原开始霜冻
In summer, bison roamed freely,
夏季 美洲野牛四处漫步
almost continuously cropping the abundant green grass.
享用着取之不尽的大片青草
Now, that grass is not only withered and frozen,
现在青草不仅枯萎结冰
it's about to be buried.
马上还会被大雪掩埋
Sixty million tons of snow now blanket this herd's territory.
六千万吨的积雪覆盖在野牛群的领地上
Pushing through deep snow is exhausting work,
在厚厚的积雪中行动非常耗费体力
and the bison are now slowly starving.
美洲野牛越来越饥饿
Just keeping warm saps huge amounts of energy.
仅仅保暖都需要耗费大量的能量
Their thick coats can insulate them down to minus 20 Fahrenheit.
他们厚重的皮毛可耐受零下30度的低温
It's now minus 40.
现在是零下40度
The only thing that will keep them alive
唯一能让他们活下去的食物
is buried beneath three feet of snow.
被深埋在一米深的积雪之下
And that's a problem shared with a surprising neighbour.
他们意想不到的邻居也面临着同样的问题
The food the fox seeks is also deep beneath the snow.
狐狸在搜寻的食物也被深埋在积雪之下
The survival of both creatures
这两种生物能否生存下去
depends on getting through to the ground.
取决于能否挖到地面的食物
For the bison, it will be a matter of brute strength.
对于美洲野牛来说 用蛮力就可以做到
Massive neck muscles enable them to shovel five tonnes of snow a day.
强大的颈部肌肉让他们每天可以铲五吨的雪
Their light-weight neighbour needs more precision.
他们小巧的邻居则需要更高的准头
The bison have reached their goal,
美洲野牛达到了目的
a mouthful of withered grass.
一大口枯草
And where