生命之色（2021）

But how could that work?
但这要怎么起效呢？
Most animals looking for prey
大部分动物在寻找猎物时
have a search image in their minds.
脑海中已有了要搜寻的形象
They scan their surroundings looking for a victim
它们会扫描周围环境
that matches their expectations.
寻找符合期待的受害者
If they see something they recognise,they'll go for it.
如果它们看到了自己能认出的东西就会直接拿下
And that's where the snails' varying colours may come in.
这就是蜗牛形成不同颜色的原因
The great range of different tints and patterns,
各种不同的色彩和图案
it seems, confuses the birds.
似乎会迷惑鸟类
He's never seen one quite like this before.
鸟儿之前从没见过这样的蜗牛
And while the bird is wondering whether it's edible or not,
在鸟儿纳闷蜗牛是否可以食用的时候
the snail can slowly make a getaway.
蜗牛可以慢慢地逃离
So it seems that colour can both conceal and confuse.
所以 颜色似乎可以同时做到隐藏和迷惑
And sometimes it's used in yet a third quite different way.
有时候还有第三种不同的用途
Some poisonous animals,like this little ladybird,
有些有毒的动物 比如这只小瓢虫
use colour as a warning.
会用颜色当作警告
It's bright red,and that's a message which says,
这个明亮的红色传递的信息是：
"Keep away."
“躲远点
"I'm poisonous."
我有毒”
Red, black, and yellow are widely understood as warnings.
红色、黑色和黄色普遍被认为是警告的颜色
So the ladybird's message is a truthful one.
这只瓢虫传达的信息是真的
It is poisonous.
它有毒
But some animals that are,in fact, harmless
但有一些动物其实是无害的
have found it profitable to develop these warning colours themselves.
它们发现长出警告系的颜色对自己有利
This African queen butterfly,like the ladybird,
这只金斑蝶和那只瓢虫一样
is indeed very poisonous.
确实毒性非常大
But this is a different species entirely,a Danaid butterfly.
但这是另一种完全不同的物种金斑蛱蝶
It has almost exactly the same colouration,
它的颜色几乎完全一样
yet it's perfectly edible.
但却完全可以被食用
It is, you might say,
你也可以说
using its colours and patterns
它是用自己的颜色和图案
to tell a lie.
说了一个谎
To our eyes, and to that of the predators,
在我们的眼中在那些捕食者眼中
poisonous and non-poisonous individuals look almost identical.
有毒和无毒的蝴蝶看起来几乎一模一样
And that's the point.
这就是重点
The Danaid mimics the colours and patterns of the African queen,
金斑蛱蝶模仿了金斑蝶的颜色和图案
and so it isn't eaten.
不让自己被吃掉
Mimicry like this occurs quite frequently among insects.
这种模仿行为在昆虫中很常见
The yellow and black stripes of this harmless hoverfly
这只无害食蚜蝇的黄黑条纹
resemble the warning colours of bees and wasps that sting,
很像会叮人的蜜蜂和马蜂的警告色
so it's left alone.
所以不会有东西招惹它
Other animals use mimicry to hide.
其它的动物也会用模仿来隐藏
This moth resembles a broken twig.
这只飞蛾像是折断的树枝
A kind of mantis closely matches the shape andxa0colours of a leaf.
这种螳螂的形状和颜色很像是一片树叶
Another mantis is shaped and coloured like a flower…
另一种螳螂的形状和颜色像是一朵花…
and gets a reward for the resemblance.
还因为这样的相似得到了奖赏
And one particular caterpillar has come to look like a tiny snake.
这种特别的毛毛虫看起来像一条小蛇
While this butterfly's wings take on the appearance of dead leaves.
而这只蝴蝶的翅膀长得像是枯掉的树叶
But there are some animals which use mimicry
但也有一些动物会利用模仿
for a rather more sinister purpose.
达到更险恶的目的
And one such creature lives here on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
澳大利亚的大堡礁里就有这样一种生物
Just beneath the surface,
海面之下
the reef is a riot of colour.
珊瑚礁五彩缤纷
But that means
但这意味着
there are great opportunities for deceptions.
欺骗的机会也更多
A bluestriped blenny.
这是一条横口鳚
It lives close to a cleaning station,
它住在清洁站附近
a place on the reef where large fish come to get their parasites
这是珊瑚礁上的一处地方大鱼会游过来 让小一点的鱼
picked off by smaller fish that feed on what they remove.
吃掉自己身上的寄生虫
This little wrasse is one of these cleaners.
这条小隆头鱼就是清洁工中的一员
It has a long-standing relationship
它们之间
that relies on trust.
有着基于信任的长♥期♥关系
The big fish get a health treatment,and the little fish get a meal.
大鱼得到健康治疗小鱼可以饱餐一顿
But the blenny has learned how to exploit this trusting relationship.
但是横口鳚学会了如何利用这种信任关系
It leaves its hole and starts looking for a meal.
它离开自己的洞穴开始寻找食物
But the big fish don't seem to trust it.
但是大鱼似乎并不信任它
It's time for a change of costume.
是时候换套衣服了
Filmed close up,under controlled conditions,
通过在可控的条件下近距离拍摄
we can see how the blenny's brown stripes turn black.
我们可以看到横口鳚的棕色条纹如何变成了黑色
The pigment cells in its skin expand and contract
它皮肤中的色素细胞会扩张和收缩
to bring about this subtle change…
产生这种微妙的变化…
but it's enough to do the trick.
但这还达不到它要的效果
The blenny now looks very similar
横口鳚现在看起来很像是
to a juvenile cleaner wrasse.
幼年的清洁工隆头鱼
It's a devious disguise,
这是一种狡猾的伪装
and one that will help it take advantage of the arrangement
它将会利用这种伪装
the cleaner wrasse has developed with its clients.
在清洁工隆头鱼和顾客的关系中捞上一把
It's spotted a target.
它发现了一个目标
A butterflyfish.
一条鲽鱼
The blenny hangs back,
横口鳚跟在后面
allowing an established cleaner wrasse to start work.
先让熟练的清洁工隆头鱼开始工作
Now the blenny slowly moves in,
然后 横口鳚缓慢地移♥动♥过来
as if to offer the same service as the wrasse.
假装像隆头鱼一样提供着服务
But once within range…
但一旦进入范围…
it strikes.
它动手了
Its razor-sharp teeth have removed not just dead skin,
它那锋利的牙齿咬下的不只是死皮
but a chunk of flesh.
还有一大块肉
This isn't the treatment the butterflyfish was expecting.
这不是蝶鱼期待的治疗
The blenny's deceit may work for a time,
横口鳚的骗局可能会管用一阵子
but eventually it has consequences.
但最终也会产生一些后果
Reef fish begin to associate
岩礁鱼在被横口鳚
the distinctive colours of a cleaner wrasse
咬疼了之后
with the pain of the bites of a blenny.
会认为那是颜色鲜明的清洁工隆头鱼
Then they will eventually stop coming to this cleaning station.
然后 它们再也不会来这个清洁站
And that is bad for business for the blenny too.
对横口鳚来说 这桩买♥♥卖♥♥也就砸了
So it's time to let things cool off.
所以 是时候让事情冷静下来
A quick change back to brown and its deception is over.
迅速变回棕色 骗局结束
For now.
不过只是暂时
All the while,
从始至终
it keeps its eye on the cleaning station
它都盯着清洁站
and waits for its next target.
等待着下一个目标
Some animals change colour for short periods of time
有些动物会为了欺骗别人
in order to deceive others,
在短时间内改变颜色
but some use colour mimicry permanently,
但有些动物则会永久地模仿某种颜色
as a method of persuading a different species to rear their young.
用这种方式说服不同物种来抚养自己的后代
One such creature lives here on the grasslands of Southern Zambia.
赞比亚南部的草原上就生活着这样的一种生物
A nest, hidden in the grass.
草丛里藏着一处巢穴
It belongs to a pair of common waxbills.
属于一对常见的梅花雀
They are busy feeding their chicks.
它们正忙着喂雏鸟
The hungry youngsters open their beaks
饥饿的幼鸟张开了嘴
to display a conspicuously patterned gape,
展示出了明显的图案
which says,xa0in effect,"Food here, please."
仿佛在说着：“请往这里喂食”
And the parent obeys.
父母们也照做了
But among them, in this nest,
但是 在这个巢穴里
there is an impostor.
有一个冒牌货
One is significantly bigger than the rest.
它比剩余的雏鸟都大得多
It hatched from an egg
孵出它的那只蛋
that was surreptitiously laid in the waxbills' nest
是被一只针尾维达鸟
by a pin-tailed whydah.
偷偷放进梅花雀巢中的
Having done so,xa0she flew away,
做完这件事后 针尾维达鸟就飞走了
leaving her young to be cared for by the waxbills.
把幼鸟留给梅花雀来抚养
But why do the waxbills feed this impostor?
但为什么梅花雀会喂食这个冒牌货呢？
The parent birds recognise their young by the pattern of their gapes.
鸟家长们是靠幼鸟张嘴后的图案来识别幼鸟
And the black and white markings
黑白的斑纹
are characteristic of their species.
是其物种的特征
But the impostor's markings
但是冒牌货的纹路
closely mimic those of its nest-mates.
和巢内其他伙伴们十分相似
And because it's bigger,it takes nearly all the food,
因为体型更大它几乎吃掉了所有的食物
and the young waxbills get little or none.
小梅花雀几乎什么都不剩了
Two weeks later,
两周之后