我们星球上的生命（2023）

2.52亿年前
252 million years ago...
我们的星球正在死亡
and our planet is dying.
史上最大的灭绝事件令世界一片荒凉
The biggest extinction event in history has left the world barren...
如死一般寂静
and deathly silent.
但是本集将讲述少数…
But this is the story of the few...
幸存者的故事
...that survived.
《我们星球上的生命》
双语合并：村儿南
第 4 章：冷血动物
（2.52亿年前）
三叠纪开始
The start of the Triassic Period...
熔岩河逐渐平息
and the rivers of fire are gradually subsiding.
因此
In their wake,
冷却的熔岩覆盖了一片区域
cooling lava covers an area
有半个美国那么大
half the size of the United States...
表层厚达三千米
...in a crust up to three kilometers deep.
火山气体导致全球气温飙升
Volcanic gases have caused global temperatures to soar.
森林和珊瑚礁
Forests and reefs
被彻底毁灭
have been annihilated.
数亿年的进化
Hundreds of millions of years of evolution,
付之一炬
gone.
然而 在这里
Yet here,
一片黑色之下
hidden in the blackened landscape...
隐藏着机遇
lies opportunity.
因为有一种生物 依靠死亡的有机物兴旺发展
For there is one particular life-form that thrives on dead organic matter.
真菌
Fungi.
世界成了末日般的坟场
With the world an apocalyptic graveyard,
这是真菌的理想世界
fungi were in their element.
在几千年中
And for a few thousand years...
这些简单的生物
these simple organisms
成为了地球的主宰
became the dominant life-form on Earth.
但是二叠纪灭绝的幸存者
But not every survivor of the Permian extinction
并非都依赖死亡而获得成功
relied on death for their success.
有一种卑微的生物
One lowly creature
刚好处于占领世界的完美位置
found itself perfectly placed to take over the world.
水龙兽
Lystrosaurus...
哺乳动物的古代祖先
...an ancient ancestor of the mammal.
这种奇怪的猪一般大小的生物
This curious, pig-sized creature
习惯于在地下挖洞
was used to burrowing underground
在洞穴中寻找庇护
and seeking refuge in caves,
其他动物死去的时候
a way of life that saved it
这种生活方式拯救了它
when other animals were dying.
曾经不幸的弱者
Once hapless underdogs,
如今成为巨灾中的少数幸存者之一
they are now one of the few lucky survivors of Armageddon.
由于灭绝事件导致大部分植物毁灭
With most vegetation destroyed by the extinction,
因此寻找食物非常困难
finding food is hard.
但是水龙兽坚韧不拔
But Lystrosaurus are resilient
而且能够在大♥片♥区域内觅食
and able to forage over large areas.
它们不断移♥动♥
They're constantly on the move,
寻找根、块茎和小片复苏的植物
searching for roots, tubers, and small pockets of regrowth.
但它们不是仅存的幸存动物
But they weren't the only animal survivors.
许多形式的生命
Life in many forms
活了下来
found a way.
水龙兽简单但具有适应性的生活方式
Lystrosaurus's simple but adaptable lifestyle
将带来惊人的回报
would reap astonishing rewards.
竞争很少 而且没有大型捕食者
Facing little competition and no large predators,
火山喷发使它从食物链底端的挖洞者
the volcanic eruptions turned it from a bottom-of-the-food-chain burrower...
变为地球的动物继承者
...to the animal that inherited the Earth.
在大灭绝之后的岁月中
In the years following the mass extinction,
它们占据了陆地脊椎动物的四分之三
they made up three-quarters of all vertebrate life on land,
这是其他动物从未做到过的
something no other animal has ever done.
但它们的统治无法持续
But their dominance couldn't last,
因为大灭绝中的另一个幸存者
for another survivor of the mass extinction
正在崛起
was on the ascent
这得益于地球结构的巨大变化
thanks to huge changes to the very structure of our planet.
数千万年来
For tens of millions of years,
地球的大♥陆♥一直在汇聚
the Earth's continents had been converging,
在世界的一边形成一片广阔的海洋
creating a vast ocean on one side of the world...
在另一边形成了一个巨大的陆地
and a single immense land mass on the other,
超级大♥陆♥“盘♥古♥大♥陆♥”
the supercontinent of Pangaea.
前一个时代♥开♥始的干旱
The drying that started in a previous era
如今又迎来热浪
is now compounded by searing heat.
温度攀升至60摄氏度
Temperatures spike to 60 degrees Celsius.
沙尘暴横扫内陆
Sandstorms scour the interior.
沙丘升高至超过一千米
Dunes rise over a kilometer high...
逐渐形成 地球史上最大、环境最恶劣的沙漠
gradually forming the largest and most hostile desert the planet has ever seen.
然而在这片贫瘠而无生命的陆地边缘
Yet on the margins of this barren and lifeless landscape,
又有一群幸存者在崛起
another group of survivors was on the rise.
如今它们依然主宰着我们的沙漠
And they still dominate our deserts today.
这是南美洲的阿塔卡马沙漠
This is the Atacama in South America.
从三叠纪开始 这里就是一片沙漠
It's been a desert here since the Triassic Period.
有些地方数十年没下过一滴雨
Some parts have gone decades without a drop of rain,
然而有一种动物在这里蓬勃发展
yet one type of animal thrives here.
蜥蜴
Lizards.
它们是极为适应干旱环境的爬行动物
They're reptiles, supremely adapted to this dry environment.
有坚韧的鳞片皮肤
They have tough, scaly skin
所以不会在烈日曝晒下干瘪
so they don't shrivel in the baking sun.
相反 太阳为它们提供能量
Instead, the sun fuels them...
将它们的冷血加热
heating their cold blood
使其能够高速奔跑
so they can reach racing speeds.
但即便是沙漠中的爬行动物 也需要解渴
But even desert reptiles need to quench their thirst.
水从地下渗出
Water seeping up through the ground.
很不幸 这些水洞几乎和死海一样咸
Unfortunately, these water holes are almost as salty as the Dead Sea.
喝这些水等于给自己判处死刑
Drinking this would be a death sentence...
因此这些蜥蜴 从一个意想不到的地方获取水源
so these lizards get their water from an unexpected source,
一种祖先也在大灭绝中幸存的动物
an animal whose ancestors also survived Armageddon.
昆虫在大灭绝中遭受重创
Insects were hit hard in the mass extinction,
但有一些幸存了下来
but some made it through.
如今 水蝇是处理咸水的专家
Today, these brine flies are salt specialists,
将水淡化
desalinating the water,
在这个过程中
and in the process,
将自己变成蜥蜴的完美小水瓶
making themselves into perfect little water bottles for lizards.
难点在于如何捕捉
The challenge is catching them.
终于吃到了
Finally.
但就在它以为问题已经解决时
But just when it thinks it's cracked it,
麻烦出现了
trouble on the horizon.
理想的捕蝇地点很受欢迎
These prime fly-catching spots are in high demand...
当地居民不喜欢分享
...and the locals do not like to share.
双方僵持不下
A stalemate,
但这是在另一只蜥蜴的领地上
but on another lizard's territory.
饥渴的蜥蜴抓住机会
The thirsty lizard seizes the moment...
充分利用对方忙于作战的良机
making the most of their distraction...
不论多么短暂
no matter how brief.
蜥蜴是终极的沙漠居民
The ultimate desert dwellers,
坚韧不拔
lizards are tough and resilient,
就像它们古老的祖先一样
just like their ancient ancestors.
回到三叠纪
But back in the Triassic,
即将改变历史进程的 是更大的爬行动物
it was much larger reptiles who would change the course of history.
（2.48亿年前）
二叠纪灭绝之后的400万年中
In the four million years since the Permian extinction...
水龙兽占据主导地位
...Lystrosaurus have dominated.
它们出现在 一个几乎空无一物的世界中
They emerged into an almost empty world
尽情收割
and have been reaping the rewards.
生命很美好
Life is good.
但这些哺乳动物的祖先
But these mammal ancestors
几乎没有竞争对手和捕食者
have had little competition or predators,
直到这一刻的到来
until now.
随着地球的复苏
With the planet recovering,
一些爬行动物长得异常巨大
some reptiles have grown to epic proportions.
这是引鳄
This is an Erythrosuchid.
长近三米 是当时最大的捕食者
Nearly three meters long, it's the biggest predator of its time.
水龙兽群很容易受到攻击
Herds of Lystrosaurus are an easy target.
面对这种新型爬行动物 它们毫无办法