动物的末日（2009）

然后还有一种被称为沧龙的生物
And then there would have been things called Mosasaurs,
沧龙就是一种适应了海洋环境的蜥蜴
and what Mosasaurs were, were marine adapted lizards
它们跟现代的科莫多巨蜥
very closely related to the modern Komodo Dragon,
还有澳洲的食肉蜥蜴有着密切的血缘关系
or to the guano which is an Australian carnivorous lizard.
沧龙的体型非常庞大
Mosasaurs got to be quite large,
最大的沧龙身长可能超过13米
I would say the largest Mosasaurus reached upwards of 45 feet in length.
沧龙之类的海洋爬行动物曾经称霸海洋
Marine reptiles like the Mosasaurur once ruled the seas,
但是目前的酸雨灾害正在慢慢摧毁它们的王国
but now the plague of acid rain is destroying their kingdom.
曾经充满生机的海洋现在遭到了攻击
The once thriving seas are under siege,
烟灰和酸雨把表层的海水变成了有毒的泥浆
ash and acid rain turn the surface water into a toxic sludge.
海洋食物链的基础 浮游生物彻底消失了
Plankton, the base of the food chain dissolves into nothingness.
这个时代的乌贼 菊石也惨遭重创
Ammonites, the squid of this time are hit hard too.
成年菊石可以长得很大
Adults can grow to huge sizes,
它的重量更是达到一吨♥多
over 3,000 pounds,
它的外壳有拖拉机的轮胎那么大
with shells as large as tractor tires.
栖息在深海中的成年菊石并没有受到什么影响
The adults living in deep water are mostly unaffected,
但是幼年期的菊石在出生后的几天到几个礼拜的时间内
but they're young spend the first days and weeks of their lives
漂浮于海面之上
floating at the surface.
这个物种的未来就这样被判了死刑
A death sentence for the future of the species.
我想这些菊石会在
My sense is that these things laid eggs
位于浮游生物之间的海面上产卵
that were at the surface, they were loop the Plankton.
小小的幼年菊石会生活在距离海面60厘米之间的地方
tiny little ammonites living in the top two inches of the sea.
它们有小气囊 可以自在地在海面上漂浮
They have little air chambers and they sort of float around happily,
直到大难临头
happily until of course
由于表层海水突然变黑变酸
all hell breaks loose in the top part of the sea goes dark and goes acid,
因此会把它们的小外壳给腐蚀掉
and eats their little shells off,
它们因此而丧命
it kills them off.
任何在海面繁衍生息的物种现在都必死无疑
Any species that raises its young here is now doomed,
但是也有些动物会想方设法确保自己的后代能够存活下来
but some find ways to make sure their offspring survive.
比如鲨鱼就可以逃过这场末日浩劫
Sharks will make it through this massacre.
事实上 这种恢复能力强的动物
In fact, these resilient creatures
已经顺利熬过了多次集体大灭绝事件
have survived numerous mass extinctions,
其中的细节让人震惊
though the details are shocking.
很多种鲨鱼都是通过胎生繁衍后代
Many sharks give birth to live young,
有时候在母鲨鱼的子♥宫♥内会上演同类相残的事件
but some play host to enter uterine cannibalism.
小鲨鱼还在子♥宫♥里发育时就会互相残杀
While still in the womb, the shark pups actually prey on each other,
确保只有最强壮健康的才能存活下来
ensuring only the hardiest survive.
这就是达尔文适者生存理论的残酷例子
It's a brutal illustration of Darwin survival of the fittest,
但这也帮助了它们生存了超过四亿年之久
but it's helped them survive for over 400 million years,
而其它动物则早已灭绝
while many others have become extinct.
现在是灾难发生后的第五天
It's only day 5.
苟延残喘的动物们拼命寻找能够躲避酸雨的地方
And while those still alive are clamoring for protection from the deluge of acid rain.
另一场灾难正在悄悄逼近
Another plague draws near.
大量岩石碎片在大气层中漂荡
Huge amounts of debris linger in the atmosphere
慢慢地从地球一极扩散到另一极
slowly spreading from pole to pole,
很快整个地球很快就会陷入一片黑暗
soon the entire globe will become pitch black.
关于这次黑暗持续了多久我们很难说
Now how long that darkness persisted it's hard to say.
但是关于撞击之后的黑暗
There's one very telling thing
有一点很清楚
about darkness in the impact,
我们只需要看浮游生物就行了
which is that if we look at the plankton,
看海洋里灭绝的还有存活下来的各种浮游生物
the groups of plankton in the ocean that went extinct in the ones that survived,
最终存活下来的浮游生物是那些能够忍♥受
the ones that survived are the ones that can tolerate a period of darkness,
几天甚至几个礼拜黑暗的那些
lasting for days or weeks.
灭绝的是相对来说需要持续日照的
The ones that went extinct or the ones that need relatively constant sunlight.
因此这是非常好的证明
So this is really good evidence
说明这种效应很全面 是具有全球效应的
that the effects were global and total.
并且黑暗持续了好一段时间
And that the darkness lasted for some time.
我们都知道恐龙是很依赖视觉的动物
What we can tell about dinosaurs is they were very visual animals,
这是众所周知的
and we know that.
我们还知道它们的嗅觉并不是特别灵敏
We know that they didn't have particularly good senses of smell,
但它们的听力却非常不错
and we know that they had reasonably good senses of hearing.
因此这些动物的行为举止都依赖于它们的视觉和听觉
So you're dealing with animals that depend upon hearing and sight for their behavior,
但是这个时候有东西把太阳光给遮住了
and now someone shuts out the lights.
这对恐龙来说是个很可怕的新环境
For the dinosaurs, it is a terrifying new reality.
连正午时分都跟午夜一样漆黑
Even at high noon, it felt like midnight.
如果要看清一片黑暗里的一切就要戴上夜视镜
To see anything other than the dark abyss, you need night vision goggles.
在如今加拿大阿尔伯塔省地区
In what is now, Alberta Canada,
一只孤单的霸王龙正在寻找食物
alone Tyrannosaurus Rex searches for food.
它因饥饿而变得虚弱
His weak with hunger,
它的一条腿受伤以致于行动迟缓
a broken leg has slowed him down,
但黑暗实际上给了它一大优势
but the darkness actually gives him a critical advantage,
它的嗅觉变得异常灵敏 这可以帮助它找到猎物
an excellent sense of smell guides him to prey.
在黑暗中它们完全不能自卫
And with the lights out, they're utterly defenseless.
附近正好有一群三角龙经过
A herd of Triceratops is nearby.
天色昏暗 以致于让它们看不清地面
It's so dark, they can't even see the ground,
更不可能找到可以吃的植物
much less find plants to graze on.
如果你是依赖于视觉的草食动物
If you're an herbivore that relies on site,
那么到了这时你真的很难找到食物
then you're really going to have a difficult time finding food.
如果你歪打正着找到了一些能吃的植物当然最好
If you happen to bump into a stand of what you eat, that's great.
但如果你没有碰到这些植物 那就要挨饿了
But if you don't bump into that stand then you don't eat.
这只瘸腿的霸王龙逼近猎物 一口咬下
The hobble T-Rex closes in, and snags his meal.
它享受着鲜肉的滋味
He savors the taste of fresh meat,
但这也将是它的最后一餐
but this will be his last.
在这个环境恶劣的世界 受伤的动物活不了多久
In this harsh world, a wounded animal can't last long.
两个月过去了 黑暗一直笼罩大地
Two months pass and there's no relief from the darkness.
这让很多恐龙都发疯了
It's driven many dinosaurs insane.
任何有大脑的动物都可能会发疯
Any animal that has a brain can go crazy,
恐龙当然也有大脑 可能也会发疯
and dinosaurs certainly have brains, and could certainly go crazy.
但是我认为按照恐龙的智慧来说
But I think it's a fair statement to say that dinosaurs
就足以对这种情况有所反应
were more than smart enough to react to this,
然后记住这一切 并因此受到了永久性的影响
to remember it, to be affected by it in a permanent way.
这再次显示了我们祖先的生理构造
But once again, it seems our ancestors are built
可以承受这些无情的灾难
to whether these relentless plagues.
哺乳类动物在恐龙时代变成了夜行动物
Mammals had evolved through the age of dinosaurs as nocturnal organisms,
因此它们的大脑进化出特别的部位还有感官
so they had developed particular parts of their brain and their senses,
让它们能够在夜间来去自如
that allow them to navigate during the night.
所以说如果撞击带来长♥期♥的黑暗环境
So if you had a prolonged night resulting from this impact of that,
普尔加托里猴和其它存活下来的哺乳类
Purgatorius and any of the mammals that survived
就会有很大的生存优势
would have had an advantage.
无尽的黑暗持续着
As permanent midnight drags on,
逃过大火燃烧的所有植物
any vegetation spared by the fires
这时都在黑暗里枯萎
now wilts in the darkness.
曾经到处都是恐龙的地方
Where once you'd find dinosaurs practically everywhere,
到了现在只有少数几只活了下来
now only a handful remain.
长达四个月之久的黑暗时期
The four-month period of darkness drives all
让所有靠吃植物为生的恐龙彻底灭绝了
the plant-eating dinosaurs into extinction.
包括鸭嘴龙类恐龙
Duck-billed dinosaurs,
三角龙等角龙类动物
horn dinosaurs like Triceratops,
还有长颈蜥脚龙类
and the long-necked sauropod.
这些动物需要吃很多植物
These animals needed to eat a lot.
所以说如果不能在短时间内
So if they were not able to find sufficient amount of food
找到足够数量的食物
within a relatively short period of time,
这就会对它们的数量产生非常大的影响
that would have a tremendous impact in their populations.
它们不但会因为挨饿而变得虚弱
Not only by the fact that they would be weakened and that they eventually would starve,
而且这对它们的繁殖率或多或少都会受到影响
but also probably would have an impact in their reproductive rate.
这些称霸各大洲长达一亿三千多万年的巨无霸
These majestic creatures, which dominated every continent for over 130 million years,
现在要永远地灭绝了
are now lost forever.
那些曾经让人惊叹的动物
The only thing that remains of these incredible creatures
如今就只留下了它们的骨骼化石
is their fossilized bones.
其中一具恐龙化石埋在了达科他州北部的一个荒原
One such skeleton is buried in the badlands of North Dakota.
这个地点所在的位置
The site here is physically located
就在白垩纪第三纪界线下大概15米左右的地方
about 15 meters below the K-T boundary.
而且是在当时为冲积平原沉积物的泥岩里
In its in a mudstone that represents the floodplain deposit,
这就意味着恐龙被冲到冲积平原上
and so this represents a dinosaur that was washed either onto
或就死在这个地方
or died on the floodplain,
我们这里有一个关节脱落了的骨骼残部
and what we have is that this articulated skeletal remain.
这是一根肋骨
Here we have a rib,
应该是属于胸腔部位的肋骨
pretty much the center of the ribcage,
所以这块骨头是这头动物的胸腔中间那部分
so we have the center part of the animal.
有时候要反复挖掘好几个月
It takes many months of sometimes back-breaking labor