探秘野性赤道（2020）

南美洲的厄瓜多尔
South America's Ecuador
是世界上物种最密集的地区之一
has one the highest concentrations of species on the planet.
热量、水源还有地理特征共同 造就了生命的爆发
Heat, water, and geography collide to create an explosion of life.
丛林动物和高山生灵共同生活在一起
Jungle animals and alpine creatures mix.
世界上最小的骆驼
The smallest camel on earth.
奇怪的山地独行侠
A strange mountain loner.
没有冬眠且充满好奇心的熊
A curious bear that doesn't hibernate.
还有会抓鱼的老鼠
And a mouse that catches fish.
都由这片横穿赤道的山脉造就
All resulting from a mountain range that crosses the equator.
赤道的秘密
安第斯的神秘生物
厄瓜多尔因它的位置而得名
Positioned where it is, Ecuador is well named.
在西班牙语里它的意思是〝赤道〞
It means "equator" in Spanish.
安第斯山脉将这片大♥陆♥
Its mainland is a place of incredible contrasts
划分成各种极端的地形
due to the Andes mountain range that divides it.
于是造就了热带雨林和高山森林
This has created an unusual mix of tropical jungles...
还有高山草甸共存的罕见景象 也成为了各种动物的家园
alpine forests, and high grasslands
which are home to a diverse group of animals.
在高海拔的山坡上 生存异常艰难
On its upper slopes, life is a struggle.
极端的日射
With extreme solar radiation
加上极寒的夜间温度
combined with searingly cold night temperatures.
所有形式的生命几乎在此销声匿迹
Life in all forms is scant here.
在某种程度上 这里就是高海拔的沙漠
In some ways, it's a high altitude desert.
也许这正是这种生物在此繁衍的原因
Which might explain why this creature thrives here.
骆马
The vicuna...
骆驼家族的一员
a member of the camel family.
它的肩高只有3英尺左右
At only around three feet to the shoulder...
骆马是骆驼科中最小的动物
the vicuna is the smallest of the camelids.
而今天对这个种群来说是特殊的一天
And today is a special day for this herd.
有小骆马诞生了
A newborn,
它的皮毛上还挂着残余的胎膜
its coat still bearing the remains of the afterbirth.
这头雌性骆马选择在白天分娩
This female gave birth during the day.
因为夜间的严寒 很有可能杀死她的孩子
The freeze of the night would probably have spelt the end for her newborn.
惊人的是 仅过了30分钟
Remarkably, it can stand up and follow the herd
小骆马就能站立并跟随骆马群了一小时过后 它就学会了奔跑
after only 30 minutes and run after only an hour.
他很好地适应了 安第斯山脉的极端条件
He is supremely adapted to deal with the challenges of the Andes.
他的皮毛是毛中之王
His coat, the finest of all wools,
进化出了在寒冷的高山空气中 为骆驼保暖的功能
has evolved to keep the camelids warm in the frigid mountain air.
领头的公骆马照看着他的后宫
The dominant male watches over his big herd of females
还有今年出生的小骆马
and this year's young.
他随时警惕着危险
He's alert for danger.
在这里生存 是以牺牲低海拔地区
Living up here sacrifices the more abundant food resources
丰富的森林食物资源为代价的
of the forests that exist at lower altitudes.
在这里生存有一个巨大的优势
There is one big advantage to living here.
隐秘的掠食者在这几乎没有藏身之处 例如美洲狮
There's little cover for a stealthy predator like a puma,
在这个海拔高度也极为少见
which are rare at this elevation.
但骆马还是很容易受惊
Still, vicunas are skittish.
这只年轻的鹰隼 或许在图谋捡食骆马的胎膜
A young hawk may be hoping to scavenge afterbirth.
这对骆马群构不成威胁，而领头的公骆马
It's no threat to the herd and the dominant male
更关心的是标记他的领地
is more concerned with marking his territory.
一年中最重要的时刻接近了
The most vital time of year is approaching.
雌性骆马在分娩的两周后 会再次进入发♥情♥期
The females come into season around two weeks after giving birth.
但领头的公骆马不能骄傲自满
But the dominant male can't be complacent.
他必须应对许多挑战 来维护自己的地位
He'll have to fend off many challengers to retain his position.
这个种群同样生活在 厄瓜多尔最高山的庇护下
This herd also subsists in the shadow
钦博拉索 休眠火山
of Ecuador's tallest mountain, Chimborazo, a dormant volcano.
厄瓜多尔境内仍有许多活跃的火山
Many volcanoes are still active in Ecuador.
二十英里之外就是通古拉瓦火山
Just over 20 miles away is Tungurahua...
它的意思是〝火之喉〞
which means "throat of fire,"
它是南美洲最活跃的火山之一
one of South America's most active volcanoes.
这些巨型火山爆发 对环境有一些益处
These dramatic eruptions have some benefits for the environment.
火山灰散落到四面八方 为土壤带来必需的矿物质
The ash falls far and wide, bringing vital minerals to the soil.
它来到安第斯山的山坡上
It comes to rest on the Andes slopes
慢慢渗透到土壤和水源当中
to slowly make its way into the earth and the water.
但不论是休眠火山还是活火山
But life on the flanks of all of the volcanoes here,
生存在这些火山附近都并不容易
dormant or active, is challenging.
这里的环境太过恶劣 导致几乎所有植物都贴地生长
It's so harsh that most plants grow low to the ground,
像骆马一样伏身以躲避大风和严寒
crouching, like the vicuna, to mitigate the wind and cold.
但有一种植物坦然挺立 那就是丘奎拉瓜灌木
But one stands up proud-- the chuquiraga bush.
它在离地几英尺处 招摇着它明艳的花朵
It flaunts its bright flowers a few feet above the ground.
因为过于寒冷 大多数蜜蜂和昆虫都无法到达这里
It's too cold up here for most bees and insects,
所以它只能依靠一种传粉者
so it relies on a single pollinator...
世界上生活在最高海拔的蜂鸟之一 高山之星
one of the highest altitude hummingbirds in the world, the hillstar.
跟骆马一样
Like the vicuna, the hillstar has incredible adaptations
高山之星有着极强的环境适应性
to this environment.
它们能在只有海平面气压一半的
They can live at altitudes where the air is half
海拔高度生存
as dense as at sea level,
也就意味着飞行变得更加困难
making it much harder to fly.
它们不像低海拔地区的蜂鸟 一边飞一边觅食
So, unlike hummingbirds at lower altitudes that hover as they feed...
高山之星经常歇脚保存能量
the hillstar perches to conserve energy.
它们对丘奎拉瓜十分了解
They are chuquiraga specialists,
只会生活在这种灌木出现的地方
only living where the bush is also present.
这种合作关系使得两种生物
An alliance that makes it possible for both to live
在如此恶劣的环境下生存了下来
in such a harsh environment.
但对有些生物来说 高山是极佳的栖息地
But for some, the mountains are a perfect habitat.
秃鹰是世界上最大的猛禽
The condor is the largest raptor in the world with a wingspan
它的翼展能达到10.5英尺
that reaches up to ten and a half feet.
安第斯山脉中的上升气流 使它们能够毫不费力地翱翔
The Andean thermals allows them to soar effortlessly.
秃鹰夫妇将巢建在掠食者 无法涉足的地方
Mated pairs locate their nests well out of the reach of predators.
秃鹰也就是秃鹫 它们依靠食腐生存
As condors are vultures, they survive on carrion.
它们更喜欢食用大型兽类遗骸
They prefer to feast on larger carcasses which can be found
在大型哺乳动物游荡的 远处下方就能找到
far below where bigger mammals roam.
包括安第斯山脉中 最不可能出现的哺乳动物
Including the Andes' most unlikely mammal.
这是被隐蔽摄像机拍到的
Caught by a camera trap...
南美洲唯一的熊类
South America's only bear species.
这只雌熊正要进入她的巢穴
This female's entering her cave.
而幼熊则在巢穴里等待
Inside, her cub awaits.
眼镜熊非常关爱幼熊
Spectacled bears are very caring for their infants.
幼熊至少要在母亲身边待上一年
The cub won't leave her side for at least a year.
大多数幼熊的前三个月
Most spectacled bears use dens to bring up the cubs
是在巢穴由家长抚养长大的
for the first three months of their life.
然后她才会开始探索外面的世界
And then she'll begin to venture outside.
就像熊猫一样 它们的食谱上大多是素食
Like the panda bear, vegetation makes up most of their diet.
熊非常擅于攀爬
Bears are great climbers,
而且幼熊急于开始练习这项技巧
and the cub has the urge to start testing this skill.
不过就像刚学步的幼童一样 它很快就失败了
But like a toddler learning to walk, it can quickly go south.
幸运的是 母亲会在一旁提供安慰 还有奶水
Luckily, mom's there to offer comfort and some milk.
这是个温馨舒适的巢穴 但安第斯熊并不冬眠
It's a cozy cave, but these Andean bears don't hibernate.
这里位于赤道
Being located on the equator
也就意味着气温足够温暖 它们全年都能找到食物
means it's warm enough to find food all year round,
不像它们北美的表亲
unlike their north American cousins.
它们在高海拔的雨林里安家
They make their home in a high altitude rainforest.
厄瓜多尔云雾林罕见动植物的家园
The Ecuadorian cloud forest, home to a host of unusual animals and plants.
厄瓜多尔拥有着一片珍稀雨林 也被称为云雾森林
Ecuador is home to an unusual rainforest known as a cloud forest.
它位于4500到11500英尺 高度的山间
It's found in a zone between four
and a half and eleven and a half thousand feet.
由于温暖潮湿的空气
The cloud condenses at this height as a result of warm humid air
从温度更高的下层雨林上升到山间，云在这个海拔高度凝集而成
rising up the mountain from the warmer rainforests far below.
尽管这里也下雨 但笼罩的云雾中的水分
Although it does rain here, a lot of the water absorbed
几乎都被植物和树木吸收了
by plants and trees come from this enveloping cloud.
常年不散的云雾还能减少
The hanging mist also helps reduce the amount of evaporation
赤道猛烈日晒而导致的蒸发
due to the fierce equatorial sun.
空气中湿度如此之大 对植物产生了奇怪的影响
Having all this moisture in the air has had a strange effect on plants.
有些离开了森林地表 将根系转移到了树干上
Some have left the forest floor to establish roots on trees.
这些是凤梨科植物
Among these are bromeliads.
它们的根系牢牢依附着树木
Their roots now help them cling to trees.
它们已经脱离森林地表 不再用根吸收地里的水分
They have been freed from the forest floor by the constant mist
而是从常年不散的云雾中摄取
that provides the water they normally draw up through roots.
植物上的水逐渐积少成多
Water accumulates in pools on the plant itself.
它的叶子有着防水结构 从而形成被青蛙利用的小水池
The leaves forming water-tight structures
to make tiny ponds that frogs exploit.
这上面对它们来说更安全
Up here, it's safer for them.
仅凭云雾林本身