美洲大陆（2025）

这些不是角
These aren't antlers.
其实是巨大的大颚
They are, in fact, giant jaws.
大颚越大
The bigger they are...
雄虫就越有机会赢得伴侣芳心
the greater his chances of winning a mate.
但它得先找到雌虫
But first, he has to find one.
这些细毛能够侦测雌性气味
Microscopic hairs can detect the scent of a female.
附近似乎有一只雌虫 就在遥远的树顶
And it seems there is one, all the way up here.
三 二 一
Three, two, one...
升空
we have lift-off!
这种甲虫外号♥"飞鹿"
These beetles are known as flying deer.
原因一目了然
You can see why.
它很难飞起来
And it's hard to gain any altitude.
看来得用困难的方法了
Looks like he's got to do it the hard way.
要爬30米才到得了顶端
It's a hundred feet to the top.
等同你我爬两栋帝国大厦
The equivalent of you or I trying to scale the Empire State Building...
那么高
twice over.
终于见到女方了
Finally. There she is.
但不是只有它受到雌虫气味吸引
But he's not the only one attracted by her scent.
是情敌
A rival.
该运用这对大颚了
It's time to put these jaws into action.
看来它的对手占上风
And it seems his opponent has the upper hand.
对手稳操胜券了吗
Has his rival got it in the bag?
还不好说
Not yet!
胜负已分
We have a winner!
但可能好景不常
But it could be short-lived.
一只雌虫能吸引数十只雄虫
A female is a magnet for dozens of males.
该重回竞技场了
Time to get back into the ring.
赢不了就只能回家
It's win or go home.
奋战过后
After all that...
它只需要拿出力气爬到雌虫身边
he just has to summon up the energy to reach her.
交♥配♥完毕
Mating complete.
现在雌虫得到森林地面产卵
She now needs to lay her eggs on the forest floor.
雄虫能够助它一臂之力
And he can help her get there.
原来这些大颚不只是用来打架的
Turns out, these jaws aren't just for fighting.
向东移♥动♥
Journeying east
山脉除去了云朵的水分
mountains strip the clouds of moisture...
造就荒凉干旱的心脏地带
creating a stark, arid heart.
这是巴塔哥尼亚草原
This is the Patagonian Steppe.
这里住着活生生的恐龙
And it's home to living dinosaurs.
巴塔哥尼亚草原延伸67万平方公里
The Patagonian Steppe stretches 260,000 square miles.
几乎跟德州一样大
Nearly the size of Texas.
这里实在没什么东西能遮风挡雨
There is so little shelter from the elements
许多生物都躲藏到地下
that many here seek sanctuary underground.
但有些动物体型太大了
But some are way too big for that.
一只小美洲鸵
A Darwin's rhea.
南美洲版本的鸵鸟
South America's answer to the ostrich.
小美洲鸵身高0.9米
Three feet tall
是世上体型数一数二大的鸟类
it's one of the largest birds in the world.
这只超大的公鸟 是超级大家庭的父亲
And this super-sized male is father to a super-sized family.
大多数鸟类会父母一同照顾雏鸟
Most birds share parenting duties.
但小美洲鸵不一样
But with rheas, things are different.
母鸟下蛋后
After laying the eggs
就一走了之
the females leave.
所以得靠爸爸独自养家
So it's up to Dad to raise the family alone.
而且这只公鸟不孤单
And he's not the only one out here.
这片平原四处
All across the plains
都有尽职的父亲24小时值班
dedicated dads are on duty around the clock.
40个日夜 它们几乎一动不动
For 40 days and 40 nights, they barely move.
到了春末 爸爸的努力有了回报
By late spring, Dad's efforts have been rewarded.
14只健康的雏鸟
Fourteen healthy chicks.
现在 真正辛苦的部分开始了
Now the real work begins.
它的雏鸟要六个月后才能独♥立♥
It will be six months before his chicks are independent.
它们有很多要学的
And they have a lot to learn...
例如什么东西可以吃
like what's good to eat
以及如何保持羽毛整洁
and how to keep well-groomed.
但最重要的教训就是要集体行动
But the most important lesson is to stick together.
在这里很容易走失
Out here, it's easy to get lost.
目光锐利的鹰 很快就会抓走落单的幼鸟
And keen-eyed hawks would soon grab a lone chick.
这位邻居只剩三只幼鸟了
This neighbor has only three chicks left.
这对我们的爸爸来说是一记警钟
And for our dad, it's a warning.
别让孩子走远
Keep your family close.
那是什么声音
What is that?
是雏鸟求救的叫声
It's a distress call from a chick.
但不是它的孩子
But not one of his.
那对这个超级奶爸来说不成问题
That's no problem for this superdad.
雄性小美洲鸵的父性本能极强
Male rheas have such strong paternal instinct
如果发现走失的幼鸟 小美洲鸵会直接
that if they find any lost chick, they will adopt it
当场收养
on the spot.
当你已经有14只幼鸟 再多一只又算什么
And when you already have 14, well, what's another one?
巴塔哥尼亚草原的夏季 带来猛烈的西风
The summer in the Patagonian Steppe brings ferocious westerly winds.
时速超过112公里的强风横扫大地
Gusts of over 70 miles per hour scour the land
触发的事件规模之大
triggering events so large
从太空都看得见
they can be seen from space.
沙尘暴
Dust storms.
沙尘暴会肆虐数百公里
They rage for hundreds of miles...
直到抵达巴塔哥尼亚的大西洋岸
until they reach Patagonia's Atlantic Coast.
数百万吨♥富含铁的沙尘被扫入海中
Millions of tons of iron-rich dust are swept into the ocean
让海水充满养分
flooding it with nutrients...
以惊人的规模滋养生命
and fueling life on an astonishing scale.
巴塔哥尼亚丰饶的海域吸引巨兽前来
Patagonia's rich seas attract giants.
体重超过4吨♥ 这些是全球最大的海豹
Weighing over four tons, these are the largest seals on Earth.
成年公海豹体型媲美皮卡车
Fully-grown bulls are the size of a pickup truck.
但象鼻般的大鼻子
But it's their colossal trunk-like nose
才是它们的命名由来
that has earned them their name.
象鼻海豹
Elephant seals.
六万头象鼻海豹为了繁衍
Sixty thousand gather on the remote shores
在偏远的瓦尔德斯半岛聚集
of Península Valdés to breed.
但只有地位最高的雄性才有交♥配♥权
But only the most dominant bulls have the right to mate.
见过不败的重量级冠军
Meet the undefeated heavyweight champion...
海滩大王
The Beachmaster.
两个月来 它守着后宫不让对手接近
For two months, he's guarded his harem from rivals.
想当然 它累坏了
And not surprisingly, he's exhausted.
但它不可能真正休息
But he can never really rest.
有竞争对手找上一头母海豹碰运气
A contender is trying his luck with one of the females.
海滩大王发出警告
The Beachmaster sounds a warning.
它的大鼻子 能将音量放大至130分贝
His huge nose amplifies the sound to 130 decibels.
跟手提钻一样大声
It's as loud as a jackhammer.
但这并不足以吓退对手
But it's not enough to deter his opponent.
海滩大王该耀武扬威一下了
Time for this beachmaster to throw his weight around!
两只公海豹立起来都有3米高
Both bulls stand 10 feet tall
并且配备满口尖牙
and are armed with razor-sharp teeth.
海滩大王正付出打斗数月的代价
The Beachmaster is paying the price for enduring months of fighting.
它体力快透♥支♥了
He's flagging.
落败意味着输掉一切
Defeat would mean losing everything.
最后一推
One final push...
把对手逼回海中
forces his opponent back out to sea.
今天是它胜出
He's the winner today.
但还有更致命的难关来势汹汹
But there are deadlier challenges on the way.
巴塔哥尼亚的大西洋岸 吸引着海中最聪明的掠食者
Patagonia's Atlantic Coast draws the ocean's smartest predator.
虎鲸
Orca.
它们在这儿学会了难得一见的本领
Here, they have learned to do something hardly ever seen.
登陆猎杀海豹
To hunt seals on dry land.
在这段海岸
Along this coast
这只虎鲸是目前已知 会如此猎食的16只虎鲸之一
this orca is one of only 16 known to hunt this way.
科学家把它取名为茉莉
Scientists have named her Jasmine.
它是女家长 率领一家子成长中的青少年
She is the matriarch responsible for a family of growing adolescents
现在还有了一个孙子
and now, a grandchild, as well.
青少年该帮忙养家了
The teenagers need to start earning their keep.
但巴塔哥尼亚毫无掩蔽的海岸 不适合初学者
But Patagonia's exposed coast is no place for a beginner.
幸好茉莉知道完美的训练场
Luckily, Jasmine knows the perfect training ground.