探秘野性赤道（2020）

它用鼻子来探索世界
with a nose for adventure.
厄瓜多尔的生态系统的独特之处
The ecosystem in Ecuador is unusual in
在于它是由不同气候区组成的
that it comprises many different climatic zones.
我们从常绿湿润雨林上升到云雾森林
From the evergreen humid rainforests we ascend past cloud forest.
厚重的草甸还有灌木是这里的主宰
Thick grasses and bushes dominate.
这只犁开草木的动物
Here, ploughing its way through this vegetation,
就是北安第斯山脉最重的动物之一
is one of the heaviest animals in the northern Andes.
山貘躲开了它热带森林表亲的掠食者
The mountain tapir avoids the predators of its tropical forest dwelling cousins.
这种四百磅的草食动物独居在
This 400-pound herbivore lives a solitary life
海拔6000英尺的地方 以各种植物为食
above 6,000 feet, eating a wide variety of vegetation.
它喜欢沿着河流觅食 不停前行
Constantly on the move, it likes foraging by rivers.
凭借大大的鼻子 山貘有着卓越的嗅觉
With a large snout, the mountain tapir has an exceptional sense of smell
它能闻出自己最喜爱的植物
for sniffing out its favorite vegetation.
跟熊一样
Like the bear, this species has survived here
这个物种从末冰河纪存活到了现在
since the last ice age.
随着我们继续上升 树木逐渐变得稀疏
As we ascend higher, the trees become sparse
直至全部消失
and then disappear altogether.
这个区域叫做帕拉莫 在西班牙语里的意思是〝荒原〞
This zone is called the paramo which in Spanish means a "plain."
这里的气候影响最为剧烈
Here the climate effects are at their greatest.
冰冻和融解的循环 被压缩到一昼夜之间
The cycle of freeze and thaw is squeezed into night and day.
云雾森林被灌木和草地取而代之
Shrubs and grasses take over from the cloud forest.
它们捕获水蒸气再将水分还给土壤
They trap the water vapor and drip-feed it to the ground.
低层帕拉莫就像一块活海绵 它供养着这里的草地和植物
The low paramo is like a living sponge helping sustain grasses and plants here.
高层帕拉莫的温度无法预测
The temperatures in the high paramo are unpredictable.
在海拔13500英尺高度以上
At an altitude of over 13,500 feet,
气压只有海平面的百分之六十二
the air is only 62 percent as dense as that at sea level.
它能承载的热量更少
It holds less heat.
太阳不见时 空气会陡然变得寒冷
When the sun is gone, there is a distinct chill in the air.
但云雾散开时 又会突然变得温暖起来
But when the cloud dissipates, it's suddenly summer again.
对那些能适应极端环境的生物 帕拉莫会给予它们生的机会
For those that can handle the extremes,the paramo offers opportunity.
普雅花是一种非凡的凤梨科植物
The puya is a remarkable bromeliad that's moved out of the cloud forest
它从云雾森林来到荒芜的帕拉莫安家
and made a home on the sparser paramo.
一些耐寒的蜂鸟也迁移了
Some hardy hummingbirds have moved too.
它十五英尺高的花穗 足够喂饱两只蜂鸟
Its 15-foot-tall flower spike is enough to feed two hummingbirds.
但蜂鸟领地意识强并且不喜欢分享
But hummingbirds are territorial and don't like sharing.
它有一层绒毛可以保暖和吸收水分
It has a hairy coat to keep warm and trap moisture
还有尖利的刺保护自己
and fierce spikes for protection.
但它的防御措施也就仅此而已了
But that defense can only go so far.
这些都无法阻止 眼镜熊寻找合适的食物
It's not enough to deter a spectacled bear looking for a bear-sized meal.
普雅花是它最喜欢的食物
Puya is a favored meal.
它诱惑着熊从云雾森林来到帕拉莫
It entices them out of the cloud forest, and into the paramo.
这是一只一岁的幼熊
This is a year-old cub.
它很快就会离开母亲独自生活
It will soon be independent of its mother.
但现在 他必须仔细观察母亲的做法
But for now, he must watch her closely.
他每天学习的是吃什么还有去哪里
Each day, he is learning what to eat and where to go.
饱餐一顿补充能量之后 它们赶紧溜回云雾森林
After their energy-rich feast, they slip back into the cloud forest.
安第斯的极端气候可以在 一天之内完成从夏到冬的转变
The extreme Andean climate swings from summer to winter over 24 hours.
这种气候条件促使某些生物 完成了进化奇迹
This has pushed some creatures to achieve a metabolic miracle--
比如假死
suspended animation.
帕拉莫荒原上的生存条件无比恶劣
Life in the paramo is harsh
但一个小小的蜂鸟家庭在这里安了家
but a little hummingbird family has set up home here.
或许也是这个原因
Perhaps because of this,
蜂鸟作母亲的时间短暂而紧张
hummingbird motherhood is fleeting and intense.
雌性蜂鸟会在三周之内
It took the female hillstar less than three weeks
孵化她的卵
to incubate her eggs.
再过三周左右
And in another three weeks or so,
她的两个孩子就会彻底离巢
her brood of two will have left the nest completely.
在那之前 她不辞辛劳地
Until then, she works tirelessly to ferry the nectar
从丘奎拉瓜灌木丛那里衔来花蜜 喂食自家嗷嗷待哺的幼鸟
from the chuquiraga bushes
to the hungry mouths of her chicks.
她搭了一个难以接近的鸟巢
She has built a well-insulated nest to protect them
为的是在自己频繁离巢时来保护幼鸟
during her frequent absences.
天气变幻莫测 当太阳不见时
The weather is changeable and when the sun disappears,
温度会骤然下降
the temperature plummets.
但一片浮云对抵御将临的寒夜 还是杯水车薪了
But a passing cloud is nothing compared to the cold night to come.
她喂完幼鸟们今天的最后一餐
She gives her chicks their last feed of the day,
然后将它们裹在身下
and tucks everyone in.
若要在夜晚中存活下来 它们必须保持温暖
They must stay warm if they're to survive the night.
她头上的花粉暗示着
The dusting of pollen on her head suggests
她找到了大量的丘奎拉瓜花
she found a plentiful source of chuquiraga flowers.
大家都饱餐一顿
Everyone is now well fed.
只有在抚育幼鸟时 它们才会搭建温暖的巢
The snug nest is home only while she raises a family.
附近一只没有幼鸟的雌性 正迎接她又一个孤独的夜晚
Nearby, a young female with no chicks faces her usual lonely night.
她能让自己进入低代谢率的麻痹状态 从而不进食也能存活十二个小时
She'll survive 12 hours without feeding, by putting herself into a torpor...
类似于一种短时间的冬眠
with a low metabolic rate akin to a short period of hibernation.
现在她的心率是 正常速度的百分之二十
Her heart rate is now a twentieth of its normal speed.
她的体温从华氏100度
Her body temperature's dropped from 100 degrees
降到了华氏65度
to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
当赤道的太阳要下山时
When it's time for the equatorial sun to depart,
它消失得极快
it departs quickly.
一个小型的冰河纪要开始了
A mini ice age is about to begin.
在低层帕拉莫 一条小溪潺潺流动
Down in the low paramo, a stream flows.
幸运的是 温度还不足以让水结冰
Luckily it's not cold enough to freeze over.
这条小溪是一种 稀有啮齿类动物的夜间捕猎场
This stream is the nocturnal hunting ground of a rare rodent.
这种老鼠极其喜爱捕食鱼类
This mouse is a predator with an unusual preference for fish.
她会花上几乎一整夜的时间来找鱼
She'll spend much of the night searching for them.
和安第斯熊一样 捕鱼鼠是冰河纪的幸存物种
Like the Andean bear, the fishing mouse is an ice age survivor
它们非常适应寒冷的夜
designed for the cold night.
它的皮毛厚且防水
Its fur is thick and waterproof.
这种啮齿动物曾经广泛分布
This rodent was once more widespread.
但在冰河纪末期 它们变得极为稀少
But by the end of the ice age, it had become very rare,
只在一些溪流里能找到
found in just a few streams.
视力在夜间派不上什么用场
Eyesight is of little use in this night-time world.
她改用长长的触须来搜寻猎物
Instead she uses long, tactile whiskers to detect prey.
要想成功捕猎
For a successful catch, she relies on fast reflexes,
她需要依靠敏捷的反应力 有力的爪子还有些许幸运
strong hands, and some luck.
这只老鼠完全习惯了这样的生存方式
This mouse is extremely well adapted to this lifestyle.
它们是半水生啮齿类动物家族的一员
They are part of a tribe of semi-aquatic rodents
其后脚部分有蹼或者有毛
whose hind feet are partially webbed or fringed with hair
以增加游泳时与水的接触面♥积♥
to increase the surface area for swimming.
这是几种能在12000英尺
It's one of the few species that can survive
海拔高度生存的生物之一
at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
跟蜂鸟一样 这种老鼠有着高速的代谢率
Like a hummingbird,the mouse has an incredibly fast metabolism.
需要经常大量进食
Needing big meals, often.
她巨大的胃口意味着
Her rampant appetite means catching
她要在夜间捕食大量的鱼
and eating lots of fish throughout the night.
她必须抓紧了 黎明将很快来临
She must hurry. Dawn is coming soon.
这里几近冰点
It's close to freezing here, as the few animals
只有极少的动物在这逆境中找到了舒适的生存之道
that established a niche survive against the odds.
但仅在山坡下五十英里的地方
But only 50 miles down from these slopes,
就是厄瓜多尔所有栖息地中 最为与众不同的一处
is the biggest disparity in all of Ecuador's habitats.
这里也许是世界上最大热带雨林
The beginnings of perhaps the greatest tropical rainforest on earth--
亚马逊雨林的起源之地
the great Amazon.
安第斯帕拉莫荒原上的黎明
Dawn on the Andean paramo.
似乎一切都被冻住了
Everything seems frozen.
但赤道安第斯山脉上的植物 有自己独特的抗寒能力
But the plants of the equatorial Andes
have remarkable ways of resisting the ice.
就像骆马的毛一样
And like vicuna wool,
它们的绒毛同样可以保存热量
the hairy coat of this plant also traps heat.
植物内部的温度可以比外面高五度
It can be five degrees warmer inside the plant than out.
但这还不足以抵抗冰霜
But that's not enough to resist the freeze.
它们的纤维被一种 内部防冻剂彻底浸润了
Their tissues are super-cooled with an internal anti-freeze.
这里的植物进化出了 从内部抗冻的功能
Plants here have evolved to resist the ice forming inside
而霜冻会破坏适应性差植物的细胞壁
which would rupture the cell walls of less well-adapted plants.
一些植物不依靠防冻剂 而是进化出了坚固的细胞壁
Some plants survive not through antifreeze but through having rigid cell walls,
从而可以在结冰和融解时 减少对细胞膜的伤害
so the freezing and thawing reduces the degree of injury to cell membranes.
太阳的出现融化了这场小型冰河纪
The coming of the sun melts this mini ice age.
不到一个小时 土壤解冻，植物又可以吸收水分了
Within an hour, the earth has thawed and the plants can drink again.
蜂鸟从假死状态中苏醒
The hillstar hummingbird emerges from its suspended animation.
她的心率和体温开始回升
Her heart rate and body temperature begins to rise.
太阳温暖了她
She is warmed by the sun.