地球脉动（2006）

行星地球
人类总是愿意冒着生命危险 占领地球上最高的地方
Human beings venture into the highest parts of our planet at their peril.
人们或许认为只要登上顶峰
Some might think that by climbing a great mountain
便能征服一座高山
they have somehow conquered it,
不过 我们仅仅只是这里的拜访者
but we can only be visitors here.
这是一个冰封的异域世界
This is a frozen alien world.
山 地
英配解说：大卫·爱登堡
这里是另一种极端环境
This is the other extreme -
地球上一处最低最热的地方
one of the lowest hottest places on Earth.
它的地势低于海平面100多米
It's over a hundred metres below the level of the sea.
但这里却在酝酿一座高山
But here a mountain is in gestation.
这些硫酸池暗示 地底深处正进行着大规模活动
Pools of sulphuric acid are indications that deep underground there are titanic stirrings.
这里是埃塞俄比亚境内的达纳吉尔凹地
This is the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia,
位于地球表面的大裂谷内
lying within a colossal rent of the earth's surface
巨大的陆地板块在此互相分离
where giant land masses are pulling away from one another.
熔岩经过这条地壳裂缝涌上地表
Lava rises to the surface through this crack in the crust
诞生了一连串年轻的火山
creating a chain of young volcanoes.
这座埃特阿雷火山
This one, Erta Ale,
是地球上现存持续喷发时间最长的火山
is today the longest continually erupting volcano on the planet,
岩浆湖在此沸腾了100多年
a lake of lava that has been molten for over a hundred years.
这些相同的火山作用 也造就了埃塞俄比亚高原
These same volcanic forces also created Ethiopia's highlands.
7000万年前
70 million years ago
这片土地像达纳吉尔凹地一样平坦深陷
this land was just as flat and as deep as the Danakil Depression.
熔岩从地核中漫涌上来
Molten lava rising from the earth's core
形成了绵延500英里的巨大石丘
forced up a huge dome of rock 500 miles wide,
这就是非洲屋脊
the roof of Africa.
千万年后 雨水和冰川 已将岩石雕琢成尖峰与峡谷
Over millennia, rain and ice carved the rock into a landscape of spires and canyons.
这些将近3英里高的山峰顶上
These summits, nearly 3 miles up,
住着一些非常特别的山地居民
are home to some very remarkable mountaineers -
狮尾狒
Gelada baboons.
它们是埃塞俄比亚高原的特有物种
They are unique to the highlands of Ethiopia.
它们睡觉的悬崖只有 攀岩高手才能爬得上去
The cliffs where they sleep are for expert climbers only,
而狮尾狒则有一套合适的“工具”
and Gelado certainly have the right equipment.
强壮的手指是最主要的
the strongest fingers of any primate
当然也少不了无所畏惧的气概
and an utterly fearless disposition.
不过在这样的高度 要想活下去可不太容易
But you need more than a head for heights to survive up here.
下面将向你展示狮尾狒全天的生活 看看它们如何面对挑战
A day in a Gelado's life reveals how they've risen to the challenge.
对于所有猴子来说 早晨正是“梳妆打扮”的时候
For all monkeys morning is grooming time,
一个交朋友的绝好机会
a chance to catch up with friends.
不过 与其它猴子不同的是
But, unlike other monkeys,
狮尾狒一边这么做 一边还不停地唠叨
Gelados chatter constantly while they do it.
这样手在忙活的同时也能搞好“人际关系”
It's a great way to network while your hands are busy.
但是这种社交活动不会很长
But these socials can't go on for too long.
狮尾狒全天的日程表排得很满
Gelados have a busy daily schedule
还有很多事情要做
and there's work to be done.
大部分猴类都无法在此生存
Most monkeys couldn't live up here.
这里没有食物 可以吃的昆虫也很少
There's no food and few insects to feed on.
但是狮尾狒却很特别
But Gelados are unique -
它们是世界上唯一完全以草为生的猴子
they're the only monkeys in the world that live almost entirely on grass.
它们生活的社群是所有猴类中最大的
They live in the largest assemblies formed by any monkeys.
有的甚至能达到800只
Some groups are 800 strong
如同散布在高山草场上的角马群
and they crop the high meadows like herds of wildebeest.
站在狮尾狒身旁的是西敏羱羊
The Gelados graze alongside Walia ibex,
它们也是这片高原的特有物种
which are also unique to these highlands.
这种罕见的动物通常很胆小
These rare creatures are usually very shy
但只要狮尾狒一来到身边 它们便放松警惕
but they drop their guard when the Gelados are around.
你或许会认为食草动物 总是尽量互相避让
You might expect that grazers would avoid each other's patch
但是这种特殊联盟能使双方都得到好处
but this is a special alliance from which both partners benefit.
它们可以毫无顾虑地埋头吃草
It's not so risky to put your head down
因为旁边有站岗的“哨兵”
if others are on the lookout.
西门豺
Ethiopian wolves -
它们一般不会在大白天发动进攻
they won't attempt an attack in broad daylight.
可是一到傍晚 高原便成了 一个危机四伏的地方
But at dusk the plateau becomes a more dangerous place.
吃草活动基本结束
With the grazing largely over
狮尾狒们抓住最后一点机会进行社交 然后返回睡觉的悬崖
there's a last chance to socialise before returning to the sleeping cliffs.
“即时预警系统”使大家都警觉起来
An early warning system puts everyone on the alert.
这一天结束了 和开始时一样 它们又坐在了陡峭而安全的悬崖上
Their day ends as it began, safe on the steep cliffs.
埃塞俄比亚的火山正处于休眠期
The Ethiopian volcanoes are dormant,
可是其它地方的火山仍在怒吼
but elsewhere others still rage.
火山构成了地球上最长山系的主干
Volcanoes form the backbone of the longest mountain chain on our planet -
南美洲的安第斯山脉
the Andes of South America.
这座巨大的山脉 从赤道向南极绵亘5000英里
This vast range stretches 5,000 miles from the Equator down to the Antarctic.
它的形成是由于太平洋板块
It formed as the floor of the Pacific Ocean
俯冲到南美洲板块之下 造成它的边缘隆起
slid beneath the South American continent, buckling its edge.
最南端矗立着巴塔哥尼亚山脉
At the southern end stand the mountains of Patagonia.
现在是盛夏时节
It's high summer,
可是安第斯山的天气 是全球山区气候中最不稳定的
but the Andes have the most unstable mountain weather on the planet
暴风雪会在毫无征兆的情况下来袭
and storms can erupt without warning.
气温直线下降
Temperatures plummet
羊驼和它们新生的幼仔 只好忍♥受突如其来的风雪
and guanacos and their newborn young must suddenly endure a blizzard.
可以说是在一天之中度过了四季
Truly, all seasons in one day...
美洲狮
A puma -
安第斯山区的狮子
the lion of the Andes.
美洲狮通常独来独往 隐秘莫测
Pumas are usually solitary and secretive.
这么一大家子在光天化日之下 外出实属罕见
To see a group walking boldly in the open is extremely rare.
这个家庭由一只母狮和4只小狮组成
It's a family - a mother with four cubs.
母狮只能利用这个短暂的夏天 教会小狮在山区生存的技能
She has just one brief summer in which to teach them their mountain survival techniques.
把4只小狮养到这么大 是很了不起的业绩
Rearing four cubs to this age is an exceptional feat,
那是因为它有一片富饶的领地
but she does have an excellent territory,
食物和水都很充足
rich in food and water.
虽然小狮已长到和它们的母亲差不多大
Although the cubs are now as large as their mother,
它们仍需要依靠母狮获取食物
they still rely on her for their food.
小狮至少还需要一年时间 才能学会独自狩猎
It will be another year before the cubs can hunt for themselves.
如果没有母狮的技术和经验
Without their mother's skill and experience
它们肯定无法活过第一个冬天
they would never survive their first winter.
凛冽的山风在崖坡上呼啸肆虐 生命根本无法在此扎根
Battered by hurricane force winds, these slopes are now lifeless.
在更远的北方 它们还潜藏着其它危险
Further north, they hold other dangers.
雪崩时速可达250英里/小时 足以摧毁路过的一切
Moving at 250 miles an hour, an avalanche destroys everything in its path.
位于美国的落基山脉
In the American Rockies
每年冬季会发生10万次毁灭性的雪崩
a 100,000 avalanches devastate the slopes every winter.
巨大的山系脊梁从巴塔哥尼亚 一直延伸到阿♥拉♥斯加
This huge mountain chain continues the great spine that runs from Patagonia to Alaska.
尽管落基山地荒凉凄冷
The slopes of the Rockies, bleak though they are,
却能为一些动物提供越冬场所
provide a winter refuge for some animals.
灰熊妈妈正走出巢穴
A mother grizzly emerges from her den
长达6个月的地下冬眠结束了
after six months' dozing underground.
两只小熊紧跟着它们的母亲
Her two cubs follow her
第一次踏足这个陌生的户外世界
and take their first steps in the outside world.
这些陡峭的斜坡也是小熊的庇护所
These steep slopes provide a sanctuary for the cubs.
公熊只要有机会就会吃掉它们
A male bear would kill and eat them given the chance.
不过大型动物很难爬到这个地方
But big animals find it difficult to get about here.
公熊体型可能是母熊的2倍
Males may be twice the size of a female
但即使是母熊也已是举步艰难
and even she can have problems.
可是它的幼崽在雪地里却是轻松自如 体型也和一般动物差不多
Her cubs, however, make light of the snow and of life in general.
母熊面临着一个进退两难的选择
But the mother faces a dilemma:
它已经6个月没有吃东西了
it's six months since she last fed
它的乳汁也即将耗尽
and her milk is starting to run dry.
它必须尽快离开这个安全的斜坡“托儿所”
She must soon leave the safety of these nursery slopes
把它的幼崽带离山地
and lead her cubs away from the mountain.
若是稍有耽搁 整个家族就会面临饥荒
If she delays, the whole family will risk starvation.
夏天揭露了落基山的真实面目
Summer reveals the true nature of the Rockies.
剥去雪层之后
Stripped of snow,
山峰裸♥露♥出斧凿般的造型
the peaks bear their sculpted forms.
山地动物只有此时才能 向更高的地方拓展疆土
Only now can mountaineers reclaim the upper reaches.
两英里高的碎石崖上 似乎不可能有生命存在
Two miles up the crumbling precipices seem devoid of life.
可是那里仍有动物
But there are animals here -
一只灰熊
a grizzly bear.
很奇怪这样的动物为何 会爬到如此高的碎石斜坡上
It seems to be an odd creature to find on these high rocky slopes.
真不知道这里有什么吸引着它
It's hard to imagine what could have attracted it here.
在每年的这个时候 熊必须为越冬储备脂肪
At this time of the year bears should be fattening up for the winter.
然而却有一定数量的灰熊 聚集在这片不毛之地
Yet they gather in some numbers on these apparently barren slopes.