-
Looking down from two miles above the
surface of the Earth
从离地三千米的高空俯视地球
it's impossible not to be impressed by
the sheer grandeur and splendor and power of the
natural world
让人无法不为自然界的力量与其纯粹的宏伟壮丽而叹为观止
.
Ten years ago, in a television series
called Planet Earth
十年前在《行星地球》这一电视节目中
we revealed many of those wonders
我们呈现了众多这样的奇迹
but
today, much has changed.
世界已大有变化
We can
now show life on our planet in entirely new ways.
我们将用全新的方式展示地球上的生命
Bring you closer to animals than ever
before.
带你以前所未有的近距离接触动物
And reveal new wildlife dramas for the
very first time.
首次揭示野生动物的精彩瞬间
But
that's not all.
而且不只这些
Our planet has changed too.
我们的星球也在变化
Never
have those wildernesses been as fragile and as
precious as they are today.
大自然从未像现在一样脆弱而又珍贵
At this crucial time for the natural
world,
恰逢自然世界这一关键时刻
we will journey to every corner of the
globe
我们将再次启航
踏遍全球
to explore
the greatest treasures of our living planet and
reveal the extreme lengths animals go to to
survive.
去探索这颗星球上最宝贵的财富
,
去揭秘动物们突破的种种极限
Finally, we will explore our cities
最后
我们还将回到城市
to see
how life is adapting to the newest habitat on
Earth.
探寻生命是如何适应这个地球上最新兴的栖息地
This is Planet Earth II.
这里是《行星地球》第二季
There are hundreds of thousands of
islands,
地球上有成千上万的岛屿
each one a world in miniature, a
microcosm of our living planet.
每一座岛屿都是一个迷你世界，是地球的一个缩影
The struggles to survive on these
remote lands reflect the challenges faced by all
life on Earth.
这些偏僻岛屿上为生存所做的努力，正如地球上所有生
命都要面临的挑战
The tiny island of
Escudo off the coast of Panama.
巴拿马海岸线边的埃斯库多岛
Home to the pygmy three-toed sloth.
是侏三趾树懒的栖息地
This
is a male and life here suits him well.
这是一只雄性树懒，在这里生活得十分惬意
Mangroves provide all the leaves he can
eat
红树林为他提供食物
and
there are no predators to worry him.
也没有天敌前来叨扰
Island
life may seem idyllic
岛上的生活似牧歌般悠闲
but
it comes at a price.
但这是有代价的
There are only a few hundred pygmy
sloths in existence.
这座岛上只有几百只雌性侏三指树懒
And he needs a mate.
而他需要配偶
That's an
enticing call... from a female.
这雌性的叫声好生诱人
Somewhere out there.
就在不远的某个地方
And
this, for a sloth, is a quick reaction.
对树懒来说
这反应堪称迅猛
The
problem is, there's deep water between them.
但问题是
中间隔着一渊深潭
So what
should any red-blooded sloth do?
那么一只气血方刚的树懒会怎么做呢
Swim, of course.
当然是游过去
Could this
be her?
那会是她吗
He
does his best to put on a turn of speed.
他尽全力加快速度
But
she's not the one.
但叫的不是她
She already has a baby
这只母树懒已经有了一只幼崽
and
she won't mate again until it leaves her in about
six months' time.
在幼崽六个月后长大离开之前她不会再次交配
Even life on a paradise island can have
its limitations.
即使生活在天堂之岛也会有限制
But at least she can't be far away.
但至少她就在不远处
The
world's entire population of pygmy sloths is
isolated
地球上所有的侏三指树懒都生活在
on a speck of land no bigger than New
York's Central Park.
这片不及纽约中央公园大小的岛屿上
The size of an island has a huge
influence
岛屿的大小极大地影响着
on the fate of those cast away there.
生活在那里的动物
The
island of Komodo in Indonesia.
这是印度尼西亚的科莫多岛
Home
to dragons.
龙之巢穴
Ten feet long and weighing an
impressive 150 lbs,
体长三米
重达六十八公斤
these are the largest living lizards on
the planet.
他们是地球上现存体型最大的蜥蜴
It's unusual to find large predators on
islands.
大型食肉动物在岛屿上并不常见
Yet, for four million years,
然而
四百万年来
the Komodo
dragon has dominated here.
这么小的岛屿似乎不可能
It
might seem there wouldn't be enough food to
support such giants on this relatively small
island.
科莫多巨蜥一直称霸这里
But reptiles, being cold-blooded,
为这种庞然大物提供充足的食物来源但冷血爬行动物只需要
need only about a tenth of the food a
carnivorous mammal would.
肉食性哺乳动物十分之一的食物量
A
single meal will last a dragon a month.
巨蜥一餐可以支撑一个月
They
are so successful that their only serious
competition comes from others of their own kind.
他们的生存之道如此成功
And
there are some 2,000 of them here.
以至于唯一的天敌就是他们的同类
This giant, however,
而这座岛上有约两千只巨蜥
isn't looking for food -
然而这只巨蜥
he's
looking for a mate.
并不是在寻找食物
Female dragons come into season only
once a year.
他在寻找配偶
She's receptive.
雌性巨蜥一年发一次情
So
far, so good.
这一只并不排斥
But he's strayed into someone else's
patch.
目前为止
一切顺利
Another huge
male thinks he is the king here.
但他误入别人的领地
Space
being limited on islands,
另一只雄性巨蜥认为它才是这里的王
dragon territories overlap
岛屿上空间有限
and that
creates continual conflict.
巨蜥的地盘时常重叠
In
dragon society, size is everything.
导致冲突不断
But if
rivals are closely matched,
在巨蜥族群里
体型决定一切
the
outcome can be uncertain.
但如果双方体型相当
Muscular tails strike with the power of
sledgehammers.
鹿死谁手就难以预料
And their serrated teeth are as sharp
as steak knives.
强壮的尾巴一击如同重锤
Each tries to topple his opponent.
锯齿形状的牙齿像牛排刀一样锋利
Defeated.
他们都想要掀翻对手
Only
the most powerful dragons
胜者出现
win the
right to mate.
只有最强壮的巨蜥
The limited food and space on small
islands
才有权交配
can
often lead to intense competition.
岛屿上有限的食物和空间
But
some islands are immense.
时常激起激烈的竞争
More
like miniature continents.
但有些岛屿却幅员辽阔
And
these provide opportunities for life
更像是一块小型大陆
to
experiment and evolve.
这为不同生命的进化与试验
Madagascar is one of the biggest
islands
提供了机会
and
also one of the oldest,
马达加斯加是地球上最大的岛屿之一
having split away from Africa over 120
million years ago.
也是最古老的岛屿之一
With
time and isolation,
它在一亿两千万年前就已经脱离非洲大陆
its animals have adapted
随着时间流逝与地理隔断的出现
to
take advantage of every available niche.
岛上的动物们不断适应
The
island now has some 250,000 different species,
充分利用一切可用资源
most
found nowhere else on Earth.
这座岛上现存约二十五万不同的物种
These are not monkeys, but lemurs.
大部分都是该地区特有种
From
a single ancestor,
这些不是猴子
而是狐猴
about 100 different types have evolved.
他们从同一个祖先
The
largest, the indri, seldom comes down from the
branches.
进化出一百个不同的种
The much smaller ringtails
体型最大的马达加斯加大狐猴极少下树
wander in troops across the forest
floor
体型小许多的环尾狐猴
searching for food.
成群结队地扫荡森林地面
And
tiny bamboo lemurs eat nothing except bamboo.
寻找食物
With few
competitors, lemurs have been free to colonise
极小的驯狐猴只吃竹子
almost
every environment on the island.
因为竞争者极少
Even the
most extreme.
狐猴能够在整片岛屿上生活
This baby sifaka has a hard life ahead
of it.
甚至是环境极其恶劣的地方
He's been born in the most arid and
hostile corner
这只幼小的冕狐猴成长之路十分艰辛
of Madagascar's vast landscape.
他出生在马达加斯加广阔土地上
If
he is to survive here, he has much to learn.
最贫瘠干旱的地方
The
spiny forest is like a desert.
他还需要学习很多东西
才能在这存活下去
It
rarely rains, so water and food is very hard to
find.
刺森林的环境类似沙漠
Moving from tree to tree is a perilous
business.
由于很少下雨
水和食物都很难获取
Here,
nearly all the plants are covered with ferocious
spines.
在树间跳跃穿梭十分危险
His mother searches the tree tops for
the youngest leaves.
这里几乎所有的植物表面都布满尖刺
They provide the only food and water to
sustain the family.
幼崽的妈妈在树顶寻找鲜嫩的叶子
At three months old, the youngster is
starting to explore.
嫩叶提供了这个家庭唯一的食物和水
All too soon he will have to fend for
himself up here.
小狐猴三个月大时便开始探索世界
But it's altogether easier to stay on
mother's back.
很快他将不得不自己上树寻找食物了
If he can master the strange ways of
this forest...
但总归还是待在妈妈的背上最轻松
he will have a little corner of
Madagascar to himself.
如果他能掌握这片森林中特有的生存方法
Island life encourages animals to do
things differently.
就能在马达加斯加岛上谋得一席之地
And on some islands that is essential.
岛屿生态迫使动物另辟蹊径
There are islands still forming
today...
在某些岛上
这是必备的生存技能
built
by volcanoes.
由于火山运动
Some erupt explosively.
现在仍有岛屿不断形成
Others
pour out rivers of molten rock.
有些火山喷发剧烈
Lava.
有些则熔化岩石
In the
last 50 years,
化作岩浆
ten new volcanic islands have been
formed.
在近五十年内
Newly created and often remote,
已经形成了十个新的火山岛
they're hard for colonists to reach.
由于形成时间晚
又常十分偏远
Even those
that do find these are tough places to survive.
鲜少有生命踏足
This is
Fernandina,
即使有
环境也极其难以生存
one of
the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific.
这是费尔南迪纳岛
Young
and still volcanically active, it's a desolate
place.
太平洋加拉帕戈斯群岛的一部分
The surrounding sea, however, is
particularly rich with life.
这座年轻的活火山岛屿一片荒凉
And the frontier between these two very
different worlds
然而环岛的海中却孕育着丰富的生命
is the home of one of the strangest of
reptiles.
而这两个不同世界的交界处
Seagoing iguanas.
生活着最奇异的爬行动物
They
are vegetarians,
海鬣蜥
but since there's little food for them
on the land,
它们是素食者
marine iguanas graze on the sea floor.
但由于岛上没有能吃的食物
A
big male like this one can dive to 30 metres
所以海鬣蜥以海底的植物为食
and
hold his breath for half an hour.
这种体型的雄性海鬣蜥可潜到水下三十米
There are more than 7,000 individuals
屏住呼吸长达半小时
on
Fernandina alone.
仅在费尔南迪纳岛上
And by bringing nutrients from the sea
to the land,
就有超过七千只海鬣蜥
the iguanas help other animals to
survive here, too.
它们往返近海获取食物养活自己
Crabs feed on dead skin on the iguana's
back
同时还帮助了其它动物在此生存
and, in turn, provide a welcome
exfoliation service.
红石蟹以海鬣蜥背上的死皮为食
While smaller lizards prey on the flies
that pester the colony.
反过来也热情地为它们提供去角质服务
But not all the relationships on this
island are so harmonious.
小型蜥蜴还捕食纠缠海鬣蜥的苍蝇
Marine iguanas lay their eggs in sand.
但岛上的生存关系并不是都如此和谐
In June, when the hatchlings emerge,
they are vulnerable.
海鬣蜥将蛋下在沙子里
They
must join the adults at the edge of the sea.
每到六月
刚破壳的小鬣蜥异常脆弱
But
the journey will be a dangerous one.
它们必须到海边与成年海鬣蜥汇合
Racer snakes.
但这将是一次危险的旅程
The
snakes miss their chance.
游蛇
But more babies are hatching.
游蛇错失了这次机会
And now
the snakes are on the alert.
但还有更多的小鬣蜥将孵化而出
This is the best feeding opportunity
they will get all year.
这些游蛇正虎视眈眈
On flat
ground, a baby iguana can outrun a racer snake.
这是它们一年里最佳的捕食时机
But others are waiting in ambush.
小鬣蜥在平地上跑得比游蛇快
Another hatchling has
但周围还有其他蛇在埋伏
its
first glimpse of a dangerous world.
另一只刚孵化的小鬣蜥
A
snake's eyes aren't very good,
第一次见识了这个危险的世界
but
they can detect movement.
蛇的视力并不是很好
So if
the hatchling keeps its nerve,
但它们可以感知到移动物体
it
may just avoid detection.
所以如果这只小鬣蜥能保持冷静
A
near miraculous escape.
也许能逃出它们的视线
The
lucky survivors can begin learning the unique way
of life
近乎奇迹地逃出生天
有幸活下来的小鬣蜥可以开始学习
demanded by this hostile island.
应对这座危险岛屿的独特方式了
Although marine iguanas are expert
swimmers,
尽管海鬣蜥是游泳的行家
they can't cross open oceans.
它们也无法横渡广阔的大海
But
even the stormiest waters are no barrier for
birds.
但再汹涌的海水都无法阻挡鸟类
Gale force winds and cold temperatures
make the
阵阵烈风加之低温
sub-Antarctic islands off New Zealand
让新西兰亚南极地区的这座岛屿
particularly unwelcoming in winter.
在冬天变得尤其不友好
But,
when the brief summer comes,
但当短暂的夏日来临时
temperatures rise and winds slacken.
这里将变得风和日丽
It's
now that visitors arrive.
正是游客到访的好时节
All
here to breed before winter returns.
都趁着冬天来临之前来这里繁殖
There's the Snares penguins.
这些是斯岛黄眉企鹅
Shearwaters come, too.
海鸥也来到这里
This is
an excellent place for them to dig their nesting
burrows,
因为没有天敌能够靠近这里
for no predators have managed to get
here.
这里成为海鸥挖掘地窝的绝佳场所
Soon the island is crowded with birds.
很快岛上会到处都是鸟
Every
one of them eager to
每只鸟都急切地想充分利用
make
the most of the short breeding season.
他们短暂的繁育季节
But not
everyone has a partner.
但并不是所有鸟都有伴侣
A
male Buller's albatross waits for his mate.
一只雄性新西兰信天翁正等待另一半的到来
Each year they spend six months apart,
travelling the ocean.
每年他们都将分开六个月
各自在海上飞行
They
reunite here to breed.
他们将在这里汇合生育下一代
But
this year, she's late.
但今年
雌性信天翁还没有到
No, that's not her.
不
那不是她
The other
birds come and go.
其他鸟儿来来往往
The clock is ticking.
时间所剩无几
If she
doesn't appear soon,
如果雌性信天翁还不出现
it
could be too late for them to breed successfully.
他们将错过顺利繁衍后代的机会
Every morning the shearwaters
每天清晨海鸥飞离这里
fly
off to collect food for their young.
为他们的孩子寻找食物
Everybody else seems to be getting on
with it.
每只鸟儿似乎都在抓紧干
The shearwaters' return marks another
lost day.
海鸥的归来意味着又一天过去了
There are three million birds on the
island,
这个岛上有三百万只鸟
but only one matters to him.
但他只在乎那一只
Could
this be her?
这会是她吗
At last.
总算回来啦
At first, he's a little coy.
一开始雄性信天翁还有些害羞
But
not for long.
但很快就放开了
They greet each other with the special
dance
他们用多年来练成的独特舞蹈
they've perfected over many years.
向彼此表示问候
There is
much to do
如果他们还打算在冬天来临前养育孩子
if they're to raise a chick before
winter returns.
要做的事情还有很多
But when you have been apart for six
months,
但当你和某人分开大半年
some things can't be rushed.
有些事需要慢慢来
Islands
in warm tropical waters
地处温暖热带海域的岛屿
don't
experience seasonal extremes.
无法体验极端的季节变化
The
Seychelles, lying off the coast of East Africa,
位于非洲东海岸的塞舌尔群岛
provide a sanctuary for sea birds all
the year round.
是海鸟们全年的庇护天堂
Fairy Terns are permanent residents.
塞舌尔白燕鸥是这里的永久居民
They take a fairly relaxed view about
what constitutes a nest.
它们筑巢并不讲究
A bare
branch is quite enough.
一根光秃秃的树枝就足够了
Climbing onto it to incubate
has to be done with care.
不过爬上去孵蛋需要格外小心
Once a year, the noddies arrive.
每年白燕鸥都会来一次
They
do make nests,
它们老实筑窝
and Pisonia trees provide their young
腺果藤树能让小鸟的幼年
with
a rather less precarious start in life.
过得安全一些
Nesting on
this island looks idyllic.
在这个岛上筑巢看起来几乎完美
But behind the beauty, there's a
sinister side.
但美丽的表象后也有危险的一面
The Seychelles fody makes quick work of
an unattended egg.
塞舌尔福迪雀偷袭了无人照看的蛋
She knows something's not quite right,
她知道事情有点不太对劲
but
her drive to incubate is strong.
但她孵化的意愿很强烈
The
noddies too have a problem.
黑燕鸥也遇上了麻烦
As
their chicks grow,
随着雏鸟一天天长大
so the pisonia trees develop seeds that
are sticky
腺果藤树长出了黏黏的
and equipped with hooks.
带有倒钩的种子
By the
time the young noddies leave,
新一代黑燕鸥离巢的时候
they
carry these hitchhiking seeds away to other
islands.
会带着这些搭顺风车的种子前往其它岛屿
But sometimes the pisonia trees are too
successful.
但有时腺果藤树的策略过于成功
If a fledgling, testing out its wings,
drops to the ground,
如果幼鸟在学习飞翔时跌落地面
it
can get covered with the seeds.
它身上会挂满这些种子
Entangled and weighed down,
汁液粘腻
越粘越重