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Earth is the only planet we know of where
life exists.
地球是人类已知的唯一存在生命的星球
And, here, it does so in abundance.
而且这里生机盎然
The
jungle is Eden.
雨林宛如伊甸园般美好
It covers less than 6% of the Earth's
surface
它仅占地球表面积的百分之六
but it's home to half of all
却分布着世界上
the
plants and animals on land.
一半的动植物物种
Jungles
have just the right amount of light, water and
nutrients,
雨林拥有适宜的光照
水源和养分
and they have had every day for
millennia.
千百年来一直如此
Life here should be easy.
在这里生存应该不难
This is
an indri.
这是一只大狐猴
It's a primate, like us.
他和我们一样
是灵长类动物
And these
forests in Madagascar are its home.
马达加斯加的这片森林就是他的家
But to survive here...
但是要在这里生存
it has
to face one major challenge.
他不得不面对一个巨大的挑战
Paradise is crowded.
天堂有点拥挤
Life fills
every niche.
每个角落都有物种栖息
And, at any one time,
每分每秒
a staggering
variety of species and countless individuals
都有生命为了空间与食物斗争不已
are striving for space and food.
种类繁多
数不胜数
Like every
jungle animal,
和所有雨林中的动物一样
indri have to find their own way to
survive
大狐猴需要找到自己的方法
in the most competitive place on Earth.
才能在地球上竞争最为激烈的地方生存下去
Jungles are complex places...
雨林错综复杂
tangled three-dimensional worlds
丰富的热带植物
created
by lush tropical vegetation.
交织出一个立体世界
of the
animals here spend their whole lives up in the
trees.
这里有九成的动物在树上度过一生
90%
And each of them has to
find its own way of getting around.
每一种动物都有自己的生存之道
Hanging 100 feet above the ground, a
spider monkey.
一只蜘蛛猴悬挂于距离地面三十米高的地方
They travel in family groups
他们以家庭为单位行动
and
find everything they need in the top storey of the
jungle.
在雨林的最上层获取生存的必需品
Up here isn't a place for the faint-
hearted.
这么高的地方可不适合胆小的物种
With long limbs and a prehensile tail
that can grip like a hand,
修长的四肢加上灵活如手的卷尾
they're built for climbing.
他们就是为攀爬而生的
But
imagine having to learn these skills as high up as
this.
但是要在这么高的地方学习这些技巧
One third of spider monkeys never make
it to adulthood.
三分之一的蜘蛛猴都活不到成年
This youngster is only a few months
old.
这只幼崽只有几个月大
Her future depends on her ability to
climb.
她的未来取决于她的攀爬能力
Playing on a practice tree with her
older brother and sister,
通过和哥哥姐姐在练习树上玩耍
she's already learning to use her tail
as a safety line...
她已经学会用尾巴当安全索
under her father's close watch.
一切都在父亲的注视之下
She's
keen to join in the game but she's the youngest
and,
她很想加入游戏
但是由于年纪最小
as is
the way of things, she's not always welcome.
有时候不太受大家欢迎
So she
chooses her own place to play.
所以她自己找了个地方玩耍
But
not all trees are the same.
但是树木不尽相同
This one
is for more advanced climbers.
这棵树需要更高的攀爬技巧
Enthusiasm? Certainly!
论积极性
毋庸置疑
Technique?
但论技术
Room for
improvement.
有待提高
Meanwhile, some of her family have
moved on
此时她的几个家庭成员
to look for a new patch of fresh food.
去其它地方寻找新鲜食物了
The
top of the canopy isn't for youngsters.
树冠顶端不是幼猴该去的地方
But
father's not looking and the temptation to join
the others
可父亲没有看着她
加入大家的诱惑
is irresistible.
又实在无法抗拒
She'll
need to be careful.
她必须小心翼翼
A fall from here would mean certain
death.
从这里跌落必死无疑
It's the first time she's been as high
as this on her own.
这是她第一次独自爬到如此高的地方
As she climbs still higher, the
branches get thinner and thinner.
她越爬越高
树枝越来越细
Her tail
has caught her...
尾巴救了她一命
but now she's stuck in mid-air,
可她现在被困在空中
...
unable to reach any other branch.
够不到其它的树枝
Father,
however, was watching.
而父亲其实一直关注着
He's
big and strong enough
他的身体强壮有力
to form
a bridge with his body
可以搭成一座桥
so that
she can climb to safety.
让孩子爬回安全地带
Lesson
learned.
吃一堑长一智
But it's not just monkeys that live
here, up in the treetops.
但是在树顶生活的不仅仅是猴子
And, if you are small,
如果体型足够小
finding
the right tree can mean a home for life.
找一棵合适的树相当于找到了一生的家
He's a Draco lizard.
这是一只飞蜥
He's only
the size of a pencil and he eats ants.
体型只有铅笔大小
以蚂蚁为食
This one
tree could provide him with all he will ever
need...
这棵树可以为他提供一生所需的食物
a conveyor belt of food.
就像回转寿司一样源源不断
It's
a perfect place to settle down.
这是完美的栖身之所
Well,
it would be...
本来是的
but there's already someone here.
可这里已经有蜥蜴安家了
...
This larger male is the tree's owner.
这只大点的雄蜥蜴是这棵树的主人
And Dracos don't share.
而飞蜥从不分享
The
owner's flag is a warning.
主人的旗帜是个警告
Trespassers won't be tolerated.
对入侵者绝不手软
The
owner's not only intimidating...
他不仅是在恐吓对手
he's
prepared to battle.
同时也做好了战斗的准备
...
A
dead end.
无处可逃了
Safety is a long way away.
形势万分危急
Now he
must choose.
现在他必须做出选择
Fight...
迎战
or flee?
还是逃跑
...
Only in the jungle do you find lizards
只有在雨林中你才能看到
that
can soar like dragons.
像龙一样翱翔的蜥蜴
He can
travel over 100 feet in a single leap.
他纵身一跃可以飞出三十余米
It's a very fast and efficient way to
move through the jungle.
这是一种高速而有效的穿越雨林的方式
Maybe this new tree will have food and
no resident owner.
没准这会是一棵无人占领而又食物充足的树
Everything in the jungle has to compete
for space.
雨林中的所有物种都在争夺生存空间
Only 2% of the sun's rays reach the
ground...
只有百分之二的光线会到达地面
so even the plants must battle for the
light they need
所以即使是植物也要争夺生长
...
if they're to grow.
所需的阳光
years ago,
this Hura tree began its race for light.
三百年前这棵响盒子就开始努力汲取阳光
300
And every day since,
日复一日地
it has
absorbed the water and sunshine it needed
它吸收着成长所需的水分和阳光
to
grow into a giant.
终于长成参天大树
It has succeeded in doing what every
tree must do to survive...
它与其他树木一样努力生长
rise
above the gloom of the jungle floor.
终于摆脱雨林底层的昏暗
脱颖而出
...
And, what
is more, its success has given life to others.
不仅如此
它还养活了很多其它的生命
Its
branches now carry 1,000 other plants.
它的树枝上长着千余种植物
These particular ferns, figs and
orchids
这些蕨类
无花果和兰科植物
live
only on the branches of other trees.
只在寄生在其他树木的树枝上
plants growing on one single tree.
近千种植物在一棵树上济济一堂
1,000
Throughout the forest, this
story is repeated endless times.
整片森林之中
这样的情景随处可见
As a
consequence, jungles are home
正因如此
雨林中植物物种的数量
to
more species of plants than anywhere else on
Earth.
是地球上最多的
And they, in turn, support a wealth of
animals.
而这些植被成为大量动物赖以生存的家园
In Ecuador, the competition is at its
most intense.
在厄瓜多尔
生存竞争尤为激烈
Here, there are 100 species of
hummingbirds alone...
在这里
光是蜂鸟就有一百种
all fighting for nectar.
都在争夺花蜜
...
Each
flower only has a small amount at any one time,
每朵花一次只能产出少量花蜜
and
so it's first come, first served.
所以先到先得
One
hummingbird has gone to great lengths
这种蜂鸟竭尽全力
to avoid
conflict with other species.
试图避免与其他物种的争斗
Swordbills are the only bird with a
beak longer than their body.
刀嘴蜂鸟是唯一一种喙长于身体的鸟类
And some flowers are too elongated
有些植物花冠极其细长
for
the other 99 species of hummingbirds here
其它九十九种蜂鸟
to feed
from them.
都无法吃到里面的花蜜
A swordbill's extraordinary beak,
however,
刀嘴蜂鸟凭借极长的喙
enables it to reach the places that
others can't...
可以够到其它蜂鸟无法触及的地方
the top of this flower, where the sweet
nectar is produced.
也就是这种花朵基部的蜜腺
...
It has found a solution
它找到了解决方法
that
means it doesn't have to join the fight.
不必和其它蜂鸟争夺食物
And,
as each long flower blooms,
细长的花朵们竞相盛开
it
gives the swordbill a fresh supply of food all to
itself.
为刀嘴蜂鸟提供了专属的新鲜花蜜
But having a beak longer than your body
does have its drawbacks.
不过
喙比身体长也是有缺点的
For a start, it's tricky to keep it
clean.
首先
想保持干净就有点难度
Harder
still, how do you preen your body feathers?
更麻烦的是
要如何整理羽毛呢
Unlike
the other hummers,
不像其它蜂鸟
swordbills can't reach their feathers
with their beak.
刀嘴蜂鸟的喙够不到身上的羽毛
The only option, a good old scratch.
唯一的办法就是用爪子挠
It's
a little unrefined...
虽然不太优雅
but a small price to pay for an
exclusive food supply...
但这是独享食物要付出的一点小代价
...
especially when feeding times
尤其是进食时间
...
are
only too frequently interrupted by storms.
经常被暴雨天气打断的时候
Jungles are the richest places on Earth
雨林是地球上自然资源最丰富的地区
because of one remarkable fact...
个中原因令人惊奇
they
make their own weather.
雨林能够自己制造天气
...
Every day, water rises from the surface
of the leaves as vapour.
每天水分都会从叶表蒸发
变成水蒸气
It's as if
the trees breathe out clouds.
如同树木在呼出云
They
gather over the forest until, finally...
水汽逐渐集结在森林上空
直到
...
they burst.
汇成倾盆大雨
...
Rain is
the lifeblood of every jungle.
雨是雨林的命脉
And all
have to do their best to endure the daily
downpour.
动物们每天都要经受暴雨的考验
In some jungles, like here in Brazil,
有一些雨林
比如巴西的这里
it rains
so much that, for part of the year,
由于降雨量特别大
一年中总有一段时间
the
trees are almost totally submerged.
树木几乎被完全淹没
The
forest floor is 30 feet below the water's surface.
水面至林地表层深达九米
This
is a mysterious world,
这是一个神秘的世界
a place
few people have ever explored.
鲜少有人踏足
We have
much to discover
这里分布的许多动物
about the animals for which this is
home...
都值得我们去探索
including some you might never expect
to find amongst trees.
有些物种你可能从未想过会在雨林里见到
...
Here, 1,000 miles from the sea, are
dolphins.
距离海洋一千六百公里的这个地方
有江豚
A
newly identified species of river dolphin
这种淡水豚是一个新种
found
nowhere else on Earth.
在地球上其它地方均无分布
In
these black, tangled waters,
由于生活在黑暗而复杂的河水里
they have become almost totally blind,
他们的双眼几乎完全失明
so
they move slowly,
所以他们游得很慢
carefully using their sonar to scan the
forest floor for fish.
仔细地用声纳扫描林地表层寻找鱼类为食
If this forest can hide a new species
of dolphin...
如果这片森林里能隐居着新种江豚
what else might there be here, awaiting
discovery?
那还会有多少新奇物种
等着我们去发现呢
...
At the shallow margins of the flooded
jungle,
这片泛洪雨林边缘的泥岸浅水区
rivers flow through lush vegetation.
河流穿过茂密的植被
Here,
food is so abundant, it supports giants.
这里食物充足
养育着一些大型动物
Capybara, the biggest rodents in the
world...
水豚
世界上最大的啮齿动物
giant
otters the size of a man...
大水獭
体型堪比成年男性
...
and
the rulers of these rivers...
还有称霸河流的王者
...
caiman.
凯门鳄
...
They grow to ten feet long and kill
anything
它们体长可达三米
they get between their jaws.
能杀死一切落入口中的猎物
But
there are more artful hunters...
然而还有更狡猾的捕猎者
drawn
here from the surrounding forest.
从周围的森林里被吸引至此
...
A
jaguar, the supreme jungle predator.
美洲豹
雨林中顶端的捕食者
The
river marks the edge of his territory...
这条河是他领地的边界
but
here he has competition.
但在这里
他遇到了竞争对手
...
He's
now in the territory of a female.
他闯入了一只母美洲豹的地盘
She
has ruled this stretch of river for five years.
她统治这一河段已有五年之久
This is her place to hunt.
这是她狩猎的地方
Capybara
are strong and wary.
水豚既强壮又机警
The key
is stealth.
狩猎关键在于悄无声息
She needs to get within three feet if
she's to pounce.
想袭击它们
她必须靠近到一米之内
Not this time.
这次没成功
She's not
the only female here.
她不是这里唯一的母豹
Each
part of this jungle's edge is ruled by a different
queen.
在雨林边缘的不同区域
各有一只母豹称后
Few places on Earth have enough food to
support so many big cats.
很少地方有足够的食物能养活这么多只大猫
The male hunts in a different way.
公美洲豹的捕猎方式则有所不同
Weighing almost 300 lbs, it's hard to
be stealthy...
一百三十公斤的体重
很难做到悄无声息
and with so many other jaguars around,
加上周围还有很多美洲豹
...
he
doesn't bother with wary capybara.
他就不费心去抓警觉的水豚了
He
seeks a different prey.
他寻找另一种猎物
He's
become a killer of killers.
他成了捕猎杀手的杀手
Jaguars have the most powerful bite of
any cat.
美洲豹的咬合力是所有猫科动物里最强的
And he knows the caiman's most
vulnerable point...
而且他知道凯门鳄最脆弱的部位
the back of its skull.
是它的后脑勺
...
Hunters
living in the dense understorey of the jungle
在浓密的下木层中生活的捕猎者
come in all shapes and sizes.
形态各异
But they
share a problem.
但它们有一个共同的难题
How to tell what is a plant, and what
is prey.
如何分辨植物和猎物
This is a game of hide and seek
这是个捉迷藏游戏
that can
be won or lost in the blink of an eye.
眨眼间就能定输赢
The long
contest between predator and prey
捕猎者和猎物之间经过漫长的斗争
has produced mimicry of astounding
accuracy.
形成了令人震惊的拟态水平
A leaf-tailed gecko masquerading as
lichen.
一只叶尾壁虎正伪装成地衣
Some animals take camouflage a stage
further still...
有些动物把伪装发挥到更高境界
and these streams in Costa Rica
在哥斯达黎加的这条小溪里
...
are home to one of the most remarkable.
住着一位杰出的伪装大师
A
glass frog.
一只玻璃蛙
A male, and tiny, no bigger than your
fingernail
这只雄蛙尺寸迷你
只有人的指甲大小
and almost entirely transparent...
身体几乎完全透明
as he
needs to be.
这很有必要
...
Almost everything that walks past here
could eat him,
几乎所有经过这里的动物
都能吃掉它
even a cricket.
甚至是一只蟋蟀
His best
chance is to stay absolutely still
想活命
它就要保持静止不动
and
trust that the cricket looks right through him.
希望蟋蟀的视线能直接穿透它
Danger passed,
危险过去了
and that's
just as well,
幸好如此
because he is a father...
因为他作为一名父亲
and
he's guarding some very precious eggs.
正在保护珍贵的卵
...
For
the last few weeks, females, one after the other,
过去几周
雌蛙们相继来和他交配
have
visited him and entrusted him with their
offspring.
并将保护后代的重任交给他
Some are now almost ready to hatch.
有些卵快孵化了
There are
several clutches on the leaf, and those at the
top,
叶子上有几团卵块
最上面的那一团
the most
recently laid, are barely a day old.
是最近产下的
还不到一天大
But in the
jungle, there's always someone out to get you.
可是在雨林里
总有其它动物虎视眈眈
This
wasp is a specialist hunter of frogs' eggs.
这只黄蜂是捕食蛙卵的专家
It's
noticed the wriggling tadpoles at the bottom of
the leaf.
它在叶子底部发现了正在蠕动的小蝌蚪们
He mustn't move.
他决不能移动
The
youngest eggs are the most vulnerable,
刚产下的卵是最脆弱的
and he
can't guard them all.
他无法同时保护所有的卵
But
these tadpoles are not as helpless as they might
appear.
但这些小蝌蚪并不像表面看起来那样无助
Incredibly, the unhatched tadpoles can
sense danger,
难以置信的是
未孵化的蝌蚪能感应到危险
and the oldest and strongest
那些最成熟和最强壮的
wriggle free and drop into the stream
below.
可以扭动着挣脱出来
掉进下方的溪流里
The eggs
at the top of the leaf, however,
然而叶子顶部的卵
are
still too young to hatch,
还未能孵化
and now the
wasps know they're there.
但黄蜂已经知道它们的存在
But
the male's back
不过雄蛙的背部
looks very like the youngest cluster of
eggs...
看起来很像新产下的卵块
and that seems to confuse the wasps.
这似乎迷惑住了黄蜂
...
Using his own body as a decoy is a huge
risk.
拿自己的身体当诱饵非常冒险
The wasp stings could kill him.
如果被黄蜂蛰伤
他会送命的
He's
managed to save most of his young.
他成功救下了大部分的后代
He'll have to remain on guard for
another two weeks,
他还得再保持警惕两周
but in
the jungle,
不过在雨林里
just surviving the day can count as a
success.
能活过一天都算是一种胜利
With the coming of the night,
当夜幕降临
a new cast
of jungle characters takes to the stage.
另一批雨林主角们登上了舞台
Flying insects begin to glow as they
search for mates.
飞虫们开始为寻找伴侣而发光
Fungi, unlike plants,
菌类与植物不同
thrive in
the darkness of the forest floor.
在阴暗的森林地面茁壮地成长
They're hidden until they begin to
develop
它们隐匿起来
直到绽放的时刻
the
incredible structures
with
which they reproduce.
便以惊人的姿态生长繁殖
Each
releases millions of microscopic spores
每株蘑菇释放出数以百万的微型孢子
that drift invisibly away.
无形地飘散各处
Many have
fruiting bodies
许多长出子实体的蘑菇
that reach upwards to catch any feeble
current
努力朝上生长
以捕捉潮湿空气中
there
might be in the clammy air.
可能存在的稀薄氧气
But
this one, as it grows,
然而这一株
长着长着
becomes luminous.
却发起了光
Why fungi
light up has remained a mystery...