史前星球（2022）

（大卫爱登堡主持）
恐龙毫无疑问是曾经存在过的最了不起
Surely, one of the most remarkable animals that has ever existed,
也绝对是最著名的动物之一
and certainly one of the most famous, is a dinosaur.
霸王龙
Tyrannosaurus rex.
这是一种能够激发 我们所有人想象力的动物
An animal to spark the imagination for all of us.
恐龙是一种什么样的动物
What kind of an animal was it?
它长什么样 如何生活
What did it look like? How did it live?
现在 科学研究 已经给出了这些问题的答案
Now, scientific research has answered such questions.
不仅仅是霸王龙
And not just about T. rex,
还有和它生活在同一时期的其他物种
but the other species that lived alongside it.
而最新的成像技术 能够把它们活灵活现地展现在我们面前
And the latest imaging technology enables us to bring them all to life.
这是六千六百万年前的地球
Planet Earth, 66 million years ago.
天空中遍布飞翔的巨兽
The skies are filled with flying giants.
海洋深处游弋着巨大的爬行动物
In the seas, monstrous reptiles patrol the depths.
陆地上的各种恐龙
And on land, dinosaurs of every kind,
都面临着生存的威胁
all facing the struggle to survive.
如今 我们对那个 曾被恐龙统治的世界已知之甚多
We now know so much about a world that was ruled by the dinosaurs.
这就是它们的故事
This is their story.
《淡水》
数百万年来 地球上的陆地
For millions of years, the lands of planet Earth
在被水不断雕琢
have been carved by water.
流经这里的河水仍在为这些大峡谷塑形
And the rivers that flow here are still shaping these great canyons.
这些地方是飞行类爬行动物的家园
Such places are the home of flying reptiles.
翼龙
Pterosaurs.
它们的皮质翅膀从手指延伸到脚踝
Their wings of skin stretch from finger to ankle.
它们一天能飞成百上千公里
And they can fly for hundreds of miles in a day.
每天晚上
Each evening,
它们成群结队地来到这个峡谷 栖息在狭窄的岩壁上
they come to this canyon in huge numbers to roost on its narrow ledges.
成群结队就会更加安全
There is safety in numbers.
不过也鲜少有 生活在陆地上的猎手来这里冒险
And anyway, few land-living hunters venture here.
但有一种猎手会来这里捕猎
But one does.
就是这种叫做迅猛龙的恐龙
A type of dinosaur. Velociraptor.
虽然有羽毛为身体保暖 但它们不会飞
Their bodies are kept warm by feathers, but they can't fly.
然而 它们异常敏捷
They are, however, exceptionally agile.
这样倒也好
And just as well.
在这里走错一步就可能是灾难
One false step here could bring disaster.
翼龙很胆小
The pterosaurs are skittish.
一有危险迹象 它们就会飞走
They will take to the air at the first sign of danger.
如果迅猛龙想抓只翼龙吃 出其不意就至关重要
If the Velociraptors are to get a meal, the element of surprise will be crucial.
轻盈的身躯和羽毛覆盖的手臂
Lightweight bodies and feathered arms help them
能帮助它们控制下降
to control their descent.
而且宽阔的尾巴能帮助它们保持平衡
And their broad tails assist them in keeping their balance.
那些歇息在种群聚集地边缘的翼龙
Those pterosaurs that are resting on the margins
会成为最容易下手的目标
of the colony will be the easiest targets.
瀑布的轰鸣声淹没了岩石滑落的声音
The roar of the waterfall drowns the sound of slipping rocks.
雌性爬到了高处
The female goes high.
两只雄性站在低处
The two males stay low.
这几只翼龙几乎进入攻击范围内了
A few pterosaurs are almost within striking distance.
它抓到了一只 但惊动了整个翼龙种群
She has one, but now the whole colony is alarmed.
混乱中 它的猎物从岩壁上滑了下去
In the chaos, her victim slips from the ledge.
雌性迅猛龙的羽毛尾巴开始接受考验
The female puts the effectiveness of her feathered tail to the test.
最后 它得到了食物
And, in the end, she gets her meal.
而那两只雄迅猛龙不得不面对整个翼龙群
The males are left to face the pterosaurs.
淡水的力量在地球各地都发挥着作用
The power of fresh water is at work all around the planet.
整个地球气温很高
Global temperatures are high.
还伴有猛烈的风暴和倾盆暴雨
There are violent storms and torrential rains.
北美大部分地区被茂密的森林所覆盖
Much of North America is covered by thick, lush forest.
这里生活着一些 曾经存在过的体型最大的食植动物
Here live some of the most gigantic plant-eaters that have ever existed.
按食物链顺序 它们也是 最凶猛猎手们的猎物
And they, in turn, are prey for the most ferocious of hunters.
霸王龙
Tyrannosaurus rex.
这只雄性老霸王龙刚刚杀死一只三角龙
This old male has just brought down a Triceratops.
但在捕猎过程中 它也受伤了
But in doing so, he's been injured.
霸王龙是专为捕食大型食草动物而生
T. rex are built for hunting large herbivores…
尽管很多食草动物 已经进化出重型防御武器
though many of those have evolved heavy defensive weapons.
几十年捕食重甲猎物让它遍体鳞伤
Decades of battling armored prey has scarred his body.
有一次战斗甚至使它失去了尾巴尖
One battle even cost him the tip of his tail.
这些新的伤口更加严重
These new injuries are more serious.
它岁数已经很大 伤口感染非常危险
At his great age, infection is a real risk.
河水可以帮它清洗伤口
River water could help to clean his wounds.
它很有希望活下来 再战斗一天
He stands a good chance of living to fight another day.
但这一天可能会比预期来得更快
But that day could come sooner than expected.
出现了另外一只霸王龙
Another T. rex.
不速之客
A stranger.
但这只新来的霸王龙有一种不同的气味
But this newcomer has a different smell.
是只雌性霸王龙
It's a female.
它更年轻 体型更小
She's younger and smaller.
但尽管如此 它也可能是一个对手
But nonetheless, she might also be a rival.
然而 雄性明确表示不想打架
He, however, makes it clear that he's not interested in fighting.
它更想交♥配♥
He would prefer to mate.
雌性似乎也同意了
She seems to approve.
霸王龙的面部区域对触碰非常敏感
The facial area of a tyrannosaur is very sensitive to touch,
它们在用鼻子爱抚
and they nuzzle.
它巨大的体型和战斗留下的伤疤 证明它是个幸存者
His great size and his battle scars are evidence that he is a survivor.
也许在雌性眼里 这一点让雄性 显得是一个具有吸引力的伴侣
And that perhaps, in her eyes, makes him an attractive partner.
于是 它们待在一起
So, they stay together.
在接下来的几周里 它们会频繁交♥配♥
And in the coming weeks, they mate frequently.
最终 它最多可以产15个蛋
Eventually, she'll lay up to 15 eggs.
这些蛋也带来了繁衍下一代的希望
And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
依赖淡水的栖息地 可能发生迅速而彻底的变化
Habitats that depend on fresh water can change rapidly and radically.
在中亚的部分地区
In parts of central Asia,
大量的季节性降雨将河流填满
heavy seasonal rains fill the rivers until, eventually,
最终 河水会漫过河岸
they overflow their banks.
周围的平原被洪水所淹没
The surrounding plains are flooded.
一种极为奇特的恐龙穿过了这片水域
And through the water wades one of the most bizarre of all dinosaurs.
这就是恐手龙
Deinocheirus.
它甚至比霸王龙还高
It's even taller than T. rex.
它巨大的喙类似鸭嘴 能非常有效地
And its massive duck-bill snout is very effective
收集水生植物
in gathering water plants.
这只雄恐手龙狼吞虎咽
This male feeds voraciously,
在漫长的旱季它几乎没怎么进食
having eaten very little during the long dry season.
水生植物营养丰富
Water plants are rich in nutrients.
它巨大弯曲的爪子长达20厘米
And his huge, curved claws, eight inches long,
能把深埋在水下的植物捞上来
enable him to dredge them up from deep beneath the surface.
它本身就是小型生物的食物来源
He himself is a source of food for smaller creatures.
吸血蝇寄生在它的外皮上
Bloodsucking flies, which infest his coat.
它们令人恼火 甚至让它感到疼
They're irritating and even painful.
虽然它能用巨大的爪子好好抓挠一下
And while his huge claws enable him to have a good scratch…
但总有一些够不着的地方
there are always some spots that are just out of reach.
要想挠到这些地方 它需要帮助
To get to them, he needs assistance.
一棵枯树可能就是它要找的帮手
A dead tree. That could be the answer.
感觉好多了
That's much better.
现在它可以回去进食了
And now he can get back to feeding.
但几乎完全由潮湿植物组成的饮食
But a diet that consists almost entirely of wet vegetation
确实会造成一个不可避免的结果
does have one inevitable consequence.
某种动物的食物变成了 许多其他生物的肥料
What was food for one becomes fertilizer for many others.
像恐手龙这么大的恐龙每年能产生
And a giant as big as Deinocheirus can produce
超过20吨♥的粪便
over 20 tons of dung every year.
在南非
Southern Africa.
这里每年的降雨也会造成洪水
Here, too, the annual rains create floods.
这片土地变成了如迷宫般的狭窄水道
And the land turns into a maze of narrow channels
在无数小岛间穿流
running between countless small islands.
这里现在是一片沼泽森林
This is now a swamp forest.
它吸引了地球上有史以来最大的
And it attracts one of the largest flying animals that has ever lived
飞行动物之一
on planet Earth.
一种叫做风神翼龙的巨型翼龙
A giant pterosaur. Quetzalcoatlus.
这是只雌性风神翼龙
This is a female.
它的翼展超过9米
Her wings are over 30 feet across.
它因为一个特殊的原因来到这里
And she's come here for one particular reason.
海水上涨所形成的小岛
The small islands created by the rising waters
正是它产卵的好地方
are just the place for her to lay her eggs.
风神翼龙无疑是飞行大♥师♥
Quetzalcoatlus are certainly masters of flight.