史前星球（2022）

One last egg to take away.
现在 这个小偷有机会 安静地享用偷来的蛋了
She now has a chance to enjoy her stolen egg in peace.
但它并未独自享用战利品
But this thief shares her spoils.
它用呼噜声召唤自己的孩子们
With these purring sounds, she calls her young.
这些幼崽刚刚离巢不久
Her chicks are not long out of the nest themselves.
它们需要知道这个陌生的新物体是食物
They need to learn that this strange new object is food.
然后发现如何打破它
And discover how to break into it.
或许是用喙 或许是用爪子
Maybe their beak or perhaps a claw.
成功了 虽然这次胜利 更多地依赖运气而非技巧
Success, perhaps more by luck than skill.
但对于下一代偷蛋贼来说 这仍然是一堂重要的生存课程
But still a vital lesson for this next generation of egg thieves.
在荒地上 凉爽的夜晚很短暂
In the badlands, the relief of cooler nights
紧接着是炽热的阳光倾泻
is all too soon followed by the return of the intense heat of the sun's rays.
沙子表面的温度能迅速升至摄氏70度以上
The temperature on the surface of the sand can soar to over 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
这里的水分几乎会在瞬间渗透或蒸发
Any water here soaks away or evaporates in seconds.
这是地球上最干旱的地方之一
This is one of the driest places on earth.
没有水 任何动物都无法生存
Without water, no animal can survive.
然而 这是这些小多智龙的家园
Yet this is home to these young Tarchia.
它们是生活在沙漠中的甲龙
They are desert-living ankylosaurs.
拥有厚实的甲片和巨大的棒状尾巴
Heavily armored with huge, clubbed tails.
深色“眼罩”保护着多智龙的眼睛 免受刺眼阳光的侵害
Dark patches protect the Tarchia's eyes from the glaring sun.
这就是多智龙独特的
And this is the sound
空调系统的声音
of Tarchia's very own air conditioning system.
当空气从身体内排出时 它们的大鼻子能有效地冷却空气
Their large nose cools the air as it leaves the body,
每次呼吸都能凝结并保存宝贵的水分
condensing and so conserving valuable water with every breath.
这使得它们在寻找食物的过程中
It allows them to survive long periods without drinking
可以长时间不喝水
as they search for a meal.
这里的高温形成了侵蚀风
The high temperatures here create scouring winds
将岩石切割成奇异的形状
which carve the rocks into extraordinary shapes.
但它们也会吹走地面土壤
But they also strip the ground of soil.
尽管如此 一些植物 依然在岩石缝隙间扎根
Some plants, however, manage to take root in cracks between the rocks.
哪怕只能吃上一小口 也值得为之竞争
Any meager mouthful is worth competing for.
每过一分钟 太阳就升得更高
With every minute, the sun climbs higher.
阴凉处会消失殆尽
Soon, all shade will be gone.
即使作为沙漠之主的多智龙 有时也渴望能喝上一口水
And even these masters of the desert welcome a drink sometimes.
像许多游牧民族一样
Like many nomads,
多智龙的脑海中有一幅沙漠地图
the Tarchia have a mental map of the desert
能够准确地穿越空旷的地形
and can travel across empty landscapes with unerring accuracy.
它们记住了那些天然泉水所在的稀有地点
They remember the rare places where there are natural springs.
像这样的沙漠绿洲
Desert oases like this one.
对能找到它们的动物来说简直是救命稻草
A lifesaver for animals that can find them.
倾头龙
Prenocephale.
绿洲周围的气氛常常异常紧张
Tensions often run high around an oasis...
然而 展示力量可以避免一场危险的战斗
but a display of strength can prevent a dangerous battle.
倾头龙终究不过是一种骚扰
In the end, the Prenocephale are little more than annoying.
但成年多智龙就是另一回事了
But an adult Tarchia is another matter.
尤其是体重几乎是 年幼多智龙两倍的成年龙
Especially one almost twice the youngster's weight.
它挥舞着重达22公斤的棒状尾巴
It wields a club weighing almost 50 pounds.
如果打起来 年幼的多智龙无法取胜
If this comes to a fight, the juvenile can't win.
但援军正在赶来
But reinforcements are on the way.
这一对多智龙重聚
The pair are reunited.
现在成年龙要对付之前两倍的棒状尾巴
Now there are twice as many swinging clubs for the adult to deal with.
它决定也许这里有足够的水
He decides that perhaps there is enough water here
供大家共享
for everyone to share.
年幼的多智龙终于得以安心地饮水
The young Tarchia can finally drink in peace.
然而 它们可能无法长时间休憩
But they may not be able to enjoy their rest for long.
荒地上天气变化的速度十分惊人
In badlands, conditions can change with astonishing speed.
夏季气温的上升引发了宽达数百公里的
Rising summer temperatures fuel electric storms
闪电风暴
hundreds of miles wide.
在德干 这些季节性风暴 导致风向发生改变
Here in the Deccan, these seasonal storms cause a shift in the wind direction.
几个月前 雌性伊希斯龙
And around the caldera
在这些破火山口附近产蛋
where the isisaur females laid their eggs months ago,
如今有毒气体已被风吹散
the poisonous gases have now blown away,
为幼龙宝宝提供了一个 关键的生存机会窗口
providing a critical window of opportunity.
沙子下 奇特的声音响起
There are strange sounds coming from beneath the sand.
小伊希斯龙在蛋里呼唤着彼此
Baby isisaurs are calling to each other from inside their eggs.
这有助于它们同步孵化
It helps to synchronize their hatching.
这些幼龙相对较小 身长不到30厘米
The babies are relatively tiny, less than a foot long.
这里除了妈妈的粪便 没什么可吃的
There's nothing to eat except their mothers' dung.
意想不到的是
Surprisingly,
粪便富含营养 在很多其他方面 也对幼龙宝宝至关重要
it's very nutritious and important to the hatchlings in other ways too.
它将有益的细菌带入它们的肠道
It introduces healthy bacteria into their guts,
同时还含有信息素 就像气味一样
and it also contains pheromones that, like smells,
能引导它们找到母亲所在的群体
will enable them to find their mothers' herd.
带领它们前往森林的安全之地
It will lead them to the safety of the forest.
然而 这段旅程并非易事
But the journey isn't easy.
尽管风向的改变对它们有利
The winds may have changed in their favor,
这些年幼的伊希斯龙仍面临诸多危险
but many dangers lie ahead for the young isisaurs.
温泉和冒泡的液体泥浆池
Hot springs and bubbling pools of liquid mud.
是致命的陷阱
A deadly trap.
历经两天的跋涉
After two days of trekking,
幼龙宝宝们的能量储备几近耗尽
the babies' reserves are running low...
然而母亲们再次拯救了它们
but their mothers have come to the rescue again.
小植物已在破裂的熔岩中生根
Small plants have taken root in the cracked lava,
由掉落在恐龙母亲粪便中的种子发芽
sprouting from seeds dropped in the mothers' dung.
然而新的危险正在逼近
But a new danger is heading their way.
如今有毒气体消散 掠食者也随之而来
Now the wind has cleared the toxic gases, the door opens for predators.
一只胜王龙现身
A rajasaur.
有这么多恐龙宝宝暴露在外 这也许是一场盛宴
With so many babies out in the open, this could be a feast.
熔岩裂缝成了唯一的藏身之地
Cracks in the lava are the only possible hiding place.
来了更多的胜王龙
More rajasaurs arrive.
尽管危险重重 成百上千的幼龙宝宝 终于成功抵达了森林
Despite the dangers, hundreds of babies succeed in reaching the forest.
在这里 它们将一同 躲藏在灌木丛中生活数年
Here, they will live together hidden in the undergrowth for several years.
直至最终长得足够大
Until finally
有能力加入母亲们的群体
they are big enough to join their mothers' herds.
如果幸运的话 它们中的雌性将在未来几年
With luck, the females among them will return to this crater
回到这个火山口产下自己的蛋
in years to come to lay eggs of their own.
正如许多生活在 这些恶劣环境中的动物一样
Like many animals that live in such inhospitable places,
风险巨大
the risks will be high.
然而 在史前地球的荒地上 同样蕴藏着无数机遇
But there are also great opportunities in the badlands of the prehistoric planet.
(揭秘《Prehistoric Planet》)
(恐龙是好父母吗 )
这是一个巨型恐龙的蛋化石
This is the fossilized egg of a giant dinosaur.
来自泰坦巨龙
A titanosaur.
蛋刚产出时
When freshly laid,
重约1.5公斤
it would have weighed around a kilo and a half,
外壳厚约2毫米
and its shell is about two millimeters thick.
尽管蛋很坚硬
While the eggs certainly were tough,
它们仍需要保持安全和温暖
they still needed to be kept safe and warm.
那么 恐龙是如何照顾它们的蛋呢
So how did dinosaurs take care of their eggs?
为了保护自己的蛋免受掠食者的侵害
In order to protect their eggs from predators
并保持蛋的温度 恐龙演化出一系列策略
and to keep their eggs warm, dinosaurs evolved a list of strategies.
(首席科学顾问 达伦奈什博士)
其中一个策略是筑巢
One of these strategies was to build a nest
并坐在上面
and then to actually sit on top of the nest.
我们确信某些恐龙会这么做
We know for certain dinosaurs did this
因为我们实际上有恐龙坐在巢顶的化石
because we actually have fossils of dinosaurs sat on top of nests.
在这些巢中发现的蛋里 有与成年恐龙相同种类的
Eggs found in these nests contain tiny babies of the same species
幼崽宝宝
as the adults,
这是有些恐龙
providing the first evidence
会照顾幼崽的第一个证据
that some dinosaurs looked after their young.
尽管这样可以保护蛋不受天气侵害
But although this offered protection and shelter from the elements,
但这种孵化方法也有局限
there was a downside to incubating eggs in this way.
坐在蛋上并真正照看它
Having to sit on an egg and actually look after it means
意味着要在蛋的整个发育过程中
that you are committed to the care of that egg
坚持对其进行照顾
for the entire duration of their development
直到其孵化
up until the point of hatching.
对某些恐龙而言 这是值得的
For some dinosaurs, it was a commitment worth making.
但其他恐龙 如蜥脚龙 面临着不同的挑战
But others, like sauropods, faced a different challenge.
由于许多恐龙体重达数吨♥
It's likely that some dinosaurs never sat on their eggs.
它们可能从未坐在蛋上
After all, many of these animals weighed tons and tons
(自然历史博物馆 保罗巴雷特教授)
以免在孵化前将蛋压碎
and would have crushed them before they had any chance of hatching.
那么它们又有何解决方案呢