动物成长（2021）

这是桑迪
Meet Thandi,
一头母非洲象
a female African elephant.
她在三姐妹中年龄最小
The youngest of three sisters,
也是目前为止唯一
and the only one who's never been pregnant,
尚未怀孕的一个
until now.
这段奇妙的旅程
In this incredible journey,
见证了新生命成长的奇迹
witness the miracle of new life as it grows.
也伴随着一段独一无二的，亲子关系展开
And see the unique relationship develop between mother and baby.
桑迪的宝宝 阿莉亚，将在一场大旱中降生
Thandi's calf, Aria, will arrive in a time of drought.
跟在一大群强壮雌象的队尾
The newest member of a long line of strong females.
这位新成员即将踏上充满戏剧性
She'll embark on an epic trek
和友爱的漫漫征途
full of drama and friendship.
阿莉亚宝宝必须迅速适应迁移的生活
Baby Aria must quickly adapt to life on the move...
她将迎接各种挑战。踏上动物的成长之路
as she faces the challenges of Growing Up Animal.
《崽崽养成记》
《象宝宝的故事》
纳♥米♥比♥亚♥的腹地正值夏日
It's summer in Namibia's heartlands.
新鲜的降雨为大草原带来了生机
Fresh rainfall breathes life into the Savannah...
创造出一片非洲的天堂
creating an African paradise.
对于15岁的桑迪来说，可谓是一场及时雨
For 15-year-old Thandi, the timing couldn't be better.
她饥肠辘辘
She's ravenous.
可无论吃多少
But no matter how much she eats,
都满足不了她的胃口
she can't seem to satisfy her appetite.
这种感觉桑迪的妈妈太了解了
It's a feeling Thandi's mom knows all too well.
五十岁的肯尼莎是象群的女族长
Fifty-year-old Khanyisa is the matriarch of the herd.
耳朵上的刺孔是她的标志
Recognizable by the thorn hole in her ear.
今天她为自己的小女儿准备了大餐
Today, she has a treat in store for her youngest daughter.
来逗她开心
Something to cheer her up.
就在不远处
-And it's just around the corner.
出现了牵牛花
Morning Glory.
那是桑迪的最爱
-Thandi's favorite.
按妈妈教的那样，她用鼻子卷起牵牛花
She twists them around her trunk just like her mom taught her.
来抑制自己的饥饿感，这正是她现在需要的
It's exactly what she needs to tame her hunger.
妈妈最了解自己的孩子
Moms know best.
肯尼莎也比任何人都了解桑迪
And Khanyisa knows her daughter better than anyone.
因为连桑迪自己都不知道，她将要面临什么
Because even Thandi doesn't realize what lies ahead yet.
这是她第一次怀孕
For the first time, Thandi is pregnant.
她的体内孕育着一个宝贵的新生命
Inside her, grows a precious new life.
一头小母象
And it's a girl...
名叫阿莉亚
Aria.
三个月前 在只有三个月大时
Three months ago, when she was just three months old,
阿莉亚跟核桃差不多大
Aria was barely bigger than a walnut.
但她最明显的两个特征已经在成形
But her two most defining features were already forming.
那就是耳朵
Her ears...
和象鼻
and her trunk.
六个月的阿莉亚长到了西柚那么大
Now at six months, Aria is the size of a grapefruit.
但想要长成陆地上最大的动物
But becoming the largest animal on land
要经历漫长的22个月
takes a total of 22 months.
这也是哺乳动物中最长的妊娠期
The longest gestation of any mammal.
原因一般归结于一点
And that's thought to be because of one thing...
宝宝的大脑
her brain.
发育如此复杂的大脑自然费时良久
Such a complex mind takes time to develop.
阿莉亚生来就会具备所需的一切脑力
Aria will be born with all the brain power she needs.
这是件好事
And that's good news...
毕竟大象的生活并不简单
because elephant life is complicated.
比如现在 桑迪一家就受到了惊吓
And right now, something has spooked Thandi's family.
她们接到了来自另一个象群的警报
They're picking up alarm calls from another family of elephants.
象群可以察觉到远在六英里外
Our herd can detect the rumbles of another elephant
另一头象发出的隆隆声
from up to six miles away.
但声音频率太低 人类无法分辨
Sounds too low in frequency for us to hear.
大象甚至还能辨别声音传来的方向
They can even tell which direction they're coming from.
这一次 是对这一带所有象群的警告
This time, it's a warning to all in the area.
狮子们出来狩猎了
Lions are on the hunt.
成年大象在小象周围展开防御姿势
They take up a defensive stance around the young.
终于
At last...
危险解除了
the threat has passed.
在光凭眼睛无法保证安全的世界里
In a world where eyes aren't always enough,
象群也十分依赖听力
this family relies heavily on hearing for safety.
待恐惧平息 他们用大象
After the scare, they reassure each other
最重要的感官 触觉
using what might be an elephant's most important sense...
来互相安慰
...touch.
象鼻具有和我们指尖一样的神经细胞
Packed with the same nerve cells as our fingertips,
柔情脉脉的触碰将一家人紧密相连
a trunk's touch has a tenderness that binds this family together.
相互缠绕的象鼻好似在拥抱
When they entwine, it's like a hug.
轻轻一拂就像是手的爱抚
A gentle stroke like a hand's caress.
妈妈 姐姐 姨妈 她们彼此照应
Mother, sisters, aunts, they're all here for each other.
也会共同照顾桑迪和她未出生的孩子
For Thandi and for her unborn baby.
尽管她自己还全然不知
She doesn't know it yet,
但阿莉亚将得到家人们严密的保护
but Aria will have quite the entourage to protect her.
如今 妊娠期刚过四分之一
Now, just over a quarter way through her development,
阿莉亚已经完成一个重要的发育阶段
she's reached an important milestone.
她的象鼻发育成型了
Her trunk is fully developed.
象鼻中包含多达四万块肌肉
It contains a staggering 40 thousand muscles,
超过人类全身肌肉总量的五十倍
over 50 times more than we have in our entire body.
象鼻不仅能帮她建立宝贵的亲情纽带
Her trunk not only allows her to develop precious bonds with her family,
还可以成为她最万能的工具
but it will be her most versatile tool.
鼻尖手指状的突起
Finger-like projections on the end
可以帮她捡起面条般细长的物体
will enable her to pick up objects as thin as a piece of spaghetti.
但比我们用手要耗费更多的脑力
But it takes even more brain power to control than our hands.
出生之后阿莉亚还需要几个月的练习
Aria will need months of practice, even after she's born,
才能得心应手地使用象鼻
to fully get to grips with it.
目前阿莉亚能做的，就是把象鼻当成拇指
For now, one thing Aria can do is use her trunk like a thumb
放进嘴里进行必要的吸奶练习
to get in some much needed suckling practice.
象鼻就是她的奶嘴
It's her very own pacifier.
在接下来的16个月里
Over the next 16 months,
阿莉亚都会在桑迪的子♥宫♥里安然度日
Aria will continue to grow in the constant security of Thandi's womb.
然而外面的世界变幻莫测
But outside, the world around them is changing.
风景如画的大草原是象群们的家
The idyllic savannah our elephants call home
它即将展现自己冷酷无情的一面
is about to show its tougher side.
几个月过去了
As the months pass...
水坑干涸见底
water holes dry up...
绿色的牧场消失殆尽
and the green pastures disappear.
象群从未见过如此严重的旱灾
It's the worst drought they've known,
甚至一年过后仍没有要结束的迹象
and after more than a year, there is no end in sight.
怀孕22个月之后 桑迪的预产期将至
Twenty-two months into her pregnancy, Thandi is full term.
她的脚踝如今肿胀不堪
She's suffering from the elephant equivalent of swollen ankles.
下腹周围还有积液
A build-up of fluid around her lower belly.
幸好她的四肢，还能承受日益增长的体重
At least her feet can take her increasing weight.
她足足长了三千磅
-All three thousand pounds of it.
脚跟里的脂肪垫
Inside her heels are fatty pads
可以膨胀从而缓冲每一步造成的冲击
which expand upon impact to cushion every step.
这可帮了大忙，因为当所剩无几的食物也见底时
And it's just as well... as the last pockets of food vanish,
一家人又要四处奔波觅食了
the family roams far and wide to find enough to eat.
生活困难重重
-Life is tough...
但所幸大象们都有能力
...but luckily, elephants are perfectly adapted
完美地适应大自然的变故
to these huge changes.
即便还在妈妈的肚子里
Even in the womb,
阿莉亚已经在为未来的挑战做准备了
Aria is getting ready to face the challenges ahead.
现在她的体型已经是人类婴儿的30倍
Now, she is 30 times the size of a human baby.
和她的母亲一样
Just like her mom,
阿莉亚脚底也长有脂肪垫，以适应迁徙的生活
her feet have fatty pads for life on the move.
出生几分钟后她的四肢就可以站立
And her legs are ready to stand within minutes of being born
以躲避食肉动物的追捕
to stay safe from predators.
她的身体自带制冷系统来应对酷暑
To cope with the extreme heat, she even has her very own cooling system.
皮肤上的褶皱可以锁住水分
Wrinkled skin that will trap water in its crevices.
巨大的耳朵是绝佳的风扇
And ears large enough to function as the perfect fan.
经过近两年的准备 一切就绪
It's taken almost two years, but she's all set.
阿莉亚终于要和世界见面了
It's finally time for Aria to meet the world.
桑迪毫无生产经验
Thandi has never done this before.
但有妈妈和姐姐们在一旁陪伴
But with her mom and her sisters close by,
做她最强有力的后盾 桑迪准备好了
the strongest of support networks, she's ready.