地球脉动（2006）

《地球脉动2》 第一季 第五集
地球上四分之一的土地
One quarter of all the land on Earth
覆盖着唯一一种伟大的植被
is covered by a single, remarkable type of plant.
它们几乎坚不可摧 一天可以长高六十厘米
Almost indestructible, it can grow two feet in a day...
连巨型动物都能藏匿其中
And be tall enough to hide a giant.
那就是草本
That plant is grass,
草本植物构建出来的世界独具一格
and the world it creates is truly unique.
印度北部的草是地球上长得最高的
The grass in northern India is the tallest on the planet,
这里是众多神奇生物的家园
home to some of the most impressive creatures to tread the Earth.
现在正当好时候
These are the good times,
可再过几个月 这些青草就会消失
but in just a few months, all this fresh growth will be gone,
动物们将被迫迁徙
and the animals will be forced to move on.
地球上的草原都是如此
That is the way things are on grasslands across the planet.
重复着富足 消亡 重生的循环
A cycle of abundance, destruction and rebirth
从而影响着栖息在这里的所有生命
that affects every creature that lives here.
草原
辽阔的欧亚草原区是地球上最大的草原地带
The largest grassland on Earth, the vast Eurasian Steppe,
覆盖距离达到地球周长的三分之一
stretches one third of the way around our planet.
英语解说 大卫·爱登堡
青草随春雨而生 也带来了新生命
Spring rain has brought fresh grass, and with it, new life.
一种冰川时代存活至今的生物 高鼻羚羊幼崽
A relic from the Ice Age, a baby Saiga antelope,
出生才三小时
just three hours old.
陪伴它的只有它的孪生兄弟
His only company, his twin.
在它们能站起来之前
Until they can stand,
母亲会将它们藏在草丛中
their mother has left them hidden in the grass.
这样应该很安全 只要保持安静
They should be safe, as long as they remain quiet.
对这两只小羊来说 时间紧迫
For these calves, the clock is already ticking.
羚羊群很快就要离开
Their herd will soon be moving on,
去寻找最新鲜的草场
seeking the freshest new grass.
高鼻羚羊四肢瘦长
Their lanky legs are a sure sign
预示着它们一生都将奔波在路上
that they're built for a life on the move.
高鼻羚羊总会产下孪生幼崽
Saiga always give birth to twins,
这样能够在草源充足时迅速繁衍
so their numbers grow rapidly just when grass is plentiful.
它们的鼻子长相奇怪 却能够勘测到
Their bizarrely shaped nose can detect fresh growth
几百公里外的青草长势
from hundreds of miles away.
这两只小羊即将与其他草原动物一样
The young twins will now begin the nomadic life
开始辽阔草原上不断迁徙的生活
they share with most animals on the world's open plains.
降雨量不足以养育森林时就会出现草原
Grasslands occur where rain is too sporadic for forests to exist.
草原生长所需的年降雨量
The rain that a grassland needs to survive for a year
可能会一次来临
might arrive all at once.
这样的暴雨在二十四小时内能达到三百毫米降雨量
Storms like these can release 12 inches of rain in 24 hours.
淋起来可不好受
Not much fun if you're out in it.
最终土壤无法继续吸收雨水
Eventually the earth can't soak up any more,
草原也完全变了样子
and the grassland undergoes a radical change.
许多植物会被淹死 而草本却会茁壮生长
Many plants would drown here, but grasses thrive.
它们长得飞快
They grow so fast,
茎叶迅速伸出水面 沐浴在阳光下
their leaves quickly rise above the water and into the sunlight.
在南非
Here in southern Africa,
降水能让世界上最奇特的草原之一改头换面
water transforms one of the most remarkable grasslands on Earth,
奥卡万戈三角洲
the Okavango.
每年都有近一万三千平方公里的草原被水淹没
Every year, 5,000 square miles of grassland are flooded.
对于狮群来说 这成了最大的问题
For one pride of lions, this poses a major problem.
虽然猎物众多
There may be plenty of prey around,
但狮子并不擅长在水中捕猎
but lions struggle to run it down in water.
狮群中有三个月的幼崽
The pride has three-month-old cubs.
它们以前从未见过水
They've never seen water before.
如果母狮们短时间内捕不到猎物
If their mothers don't make a kill soon,
这些幼崽可能撑不过这周
the cubs might not survive the week.
受洪水滋养
But fuelled by the flood,
蓬勃生长的青草吸引来新的猎物
the eruption of grass attracts new possible prey.
数量超过两千头的水牛群接踵而至
Buffalo arrive in herds 2,000 strong.
强大 好斗 抱团前进
Powerful, aggressive and united,
狮子能遇到的动物中 水牛是最危险的
they're the most dangerous animal a lion can face.
体型最大的公牛不会逃跑
The biggest bulls don't run.
他们仗着身形庞大 并不惧怕狮子
They're simply too huge to be scared of lions.
重达九百公斤 他比五头母狮加起来都重
At 900 kilos, he weighs more than all five lionesses combined.
虽然狮群占据了数量优势
The pride do have numbers on their side,
但如果被水牛角扫到 可能会直接丧命
but one sweep of his horns could be deadly.
一头母狮正面诱敌
One distracts the bull up front,
她的姐妹从后方进攻
while her sisters attack from behind.
母狮们必须想办法压倒公牛
The cats must somehow topple the buffalo,
但沼泽太过湿滑 脚底无法借力
but with swamp under foot, they can't get any traction.
公牛逐渐虚弱
The bull is weakening,
但狮群也露出疲态
but the lions are tiring, too.
现在是体力与毅力的双重考验
It's now a battle of will as much as strength.
要想活下去 公牛必须想办法甩掉母狮
To live, the bull must somehow shake off the lioness.
这头公牛受了伤
The bull is wounded,
但幸亏有五厘米厚的牛皮 他会慢慢痊愈
but thanks to his two-inch-thick hide, he will recover.
而狮群 只能忍♥饥挨饿了
For the pride, these are hungry times.
但等到水位降低 便会有新生命来临
But, ultimately, once the water recedes, there will be new life,
也就有了新的食物来源
and new food to benefit all.
只要条件适宜 草本植物可以在短短几天内
In the right conditions, grasses have the extraordinary ability
完成从发芽到开花的全过程
to grow from first shoots to flower in a matter of only days.
青草变成一棵棵微型果树
Grasses become the miniature equivalents of fruiting trees.
对于住在其中的生物来说
And for creatures living within the grass,
这样的草丛就像雨林一样高大葱郁
this is a landscape as vast and towering as any rainforest.
非常适合建造小树屋
And excellent place to build a tiny tree house
供巢鼠居住
for a harvest mouse.
夏季的欧洲草原食物充盈
During summer, European meadowlands are full of food,
只看谁能捷足先登
but only for those that can reach it.
爬草比爬树更困难
Climbing grass is harder than climbing trees,
主要是因为草茎不会静止不动
not least because their stems just won't stay still.
她的尾巴可以抓握物体 就像第五只手
Her prehensile tail acts like a fifth limb,
让她如林中穿梭的猴子一般敏捷灵活
so she's as agile as a monkey clambering around in a tree.
和森林中一样
And just as well,
这片草丛中最好的食物
for the best food in this tiny forest
也在植株最顶端
is at the very top of its canopy.
但爬到高处觅食 就会暴露自己
Feeding up here, she's exposed.
一只仓鸮
A barn owl.
动作不算灵巧
Not her finest move...
但也算成功逃命
But it did the trick.
巢鼠鲜少在地面行动
Harvest mice seldom go all the way down to the ground.
这里的世界复杂而危险
It's a tangled and dangerous world down here.
但她能够通过解读头顶的草茎来辨明方向
But she can read the pattern of the stems overhead like a map,
从而找到回家的路
and so find her way home.
时机刚好
And not a minute too soon.
幼崽嗷嗷待哺
There are mouths to feed.
她的宝宝们必须迅速长大
Her babies must fatten up quickly.
他们要趁着夏季食物充盈时
They need to harvest the summer grasses
尽量进食成长x7f
while they're still rich with food.
非洲稀树草原亦是如此
On the African savannah, too,
应季时草地生命丰富多彩
seasonal grasses are filled with life,
但却不会持续太久
but it won't last long.
红喉蜂虎是卓越的空中猎手
Carmine bee-eaters are superb aerial hunters,
十分擅长捕食飞行中的昆虫
experts at catching insects in midair.
但它们无法将猎物赶出草丛
But they have no way of flushing their prey out of the grass.
一旦警觉起来 大多数昆虫会静止不动
Once alarmed, most insects stay put.
红喉蜂虎需要找帮手来捣乱
The bee-eaters need someone to stir things up a bit.
一只灰颈鹭鸨
A kori bustard.
它是世界上体重最大的飞禽
It's the world's heaviest flying bird,
凭它庞大的身躯 应该能轰出一些虫子
so it should be bulky enough to kick up some insects.
成功了
Bingo!
直到有别的蜂虎加入
Until someone else comes along
打乱它的计划
and cramps your style.
没关系 也许等会还有更好的机会
Never mind, perhaps there are bigger opportunities ahead.
鸵鸟怎么样
What about an ostrich?
它们是体重最大的鸟类
The heaviest bird of all.
这次有足够的交通工具了
This time there's more than enough transport to go around.
很快 几乎每只鸵鸟都有了自己的乘客
Soon, almost every ostrich has its own passenger.
不过搭便车的也得意不了多久
But free riders are only tolerated for so long.
蜂虎真正需要的
What the bee-eaters really need
是体型大到根本注意不到它们的动物