蓝色星球（2001）

The risk paid off handsomely - the new shell is both lighter
冒险的代价甚是美好 新壳比老家轻
and stronger than the old home and it's not a moment too soon
也坚硬许多 时间算得刚好
because the tide is flowing in strongly, flooding the plains
因为此时潮水来得极猛 已经淹过这片平原
At last, the predators are free to start their foraging
肉食动物终于可以开始掠食
Both the stingrays and sharks have a highly developed electrical sense
魟鱼和鲨鱼 都有高度演化的电流感应器
which they use to search for buried invertebrates
它们用它来找寻 埋在沙中的无脊椎动物
they can sense minute movements beneath the sand
就连沙中 最细微的动作也能察觉
Finding a promising signal, this ray digs out its meal,
这只魟鱼有了可靠的讯息 挖出它的猎物
an unprotected hermit crab would have no chance
一只毫无保护的 寄居蟹只有死路一条
Within a few hours the tide ebbs out once more,
数小时内，又是退潮
and all the predators are forced to leave
所有的掠食者又得被迫离开
They will have to wait until the next high tide
它们须等到下一次涨潮
before making another feeding foray
才能再度出外猎食
At certain times of the year called the equinox,
一年中有个时节称作春分
spring tides are exceptionally large and rise even higher than normal
此时的朔望潮水特别猛 卷起的高度比平时要高
Now predators can reach the very shallowest fringes of the seagrass flats
猎食动物也可以 游至水滩中最浅的水域
These two metre long tarpon are heading further inshore still
这些长2公尺的大海鲢 正朝更里岸游去
They are heading for the mangroves
它们的目标是红树林
These flooded forests cover huge areas of the coastal shallows
这些水中森林广布沿岸浅滩
Extraordinarily, the roots of the mangrove trees
这些惊人的水笔仔
can live in salt water and they make a perfect nursery for small fish
根部可以在咸水中生存 也成了小鱼最佳的育婴房♥
Silversides and snapper find sanctuary in the maze of roots
银鱼与笛鲷在这 盘根错节的迷宫中找到庇护
big predators seldom find a way in here
大型掠食鱼进不了这里
And now the tide is falling once more
又是退潮时候
The water starts losing what little oxygen it contained
水中本就极少的含氧量 又开始下降
and quickly becomes stagnant
水又开始浑浊
Most predators have abandoned the mangroves,
大部分的掠食者离弃红树林
but these tarpon are still here trapped by the falling tide
但是这些鲢鱼 却因退潮身陷此地
The dissolved oxygen is fast running out,
水中氧气快速减少
but they have a vital survival technique...
但是它们有一个重要求生技巧
...they can breathe air
它们可以在这里呼吸
Pumped up with fresh oxygen they can easily out
体内再度充满氧气的鲢鱼 可以轻易
manoeuvre the dozy silversides
战胜闲散的银鱼
The tide has turned again
潮汐再度变换
And this is no ordinary tide
这可不是普通的浪
Since it is the equinox - the tide is rising fast
春分时节，潮浪会快速窜起
but now out to sea a hurricane is on its way, forcing the tide yet higher
但是海中♥央♥又有飓风正要来临 将潮浪卷起到更高的高度
The passing storm leaves large areas of the coast flooded by the sea...
暴风雨的侵袭 让沿岸许多地方都淹水了
...and the low lying islands like the Bahamas
地势较低的岛屿 像是巴哈马群岛
are even more prone to storm flooding
更容易因为暴风雨侵袭而淹水
The sun's power here is immense
太阳的力量 在这里是很强大的
As the tide recedes and the remaining flood water evaporates
当潮水退去，剩余的水蒸发
a remarkable transformation takes place...
惊人的改变发生了
The mud is coated with a magical world of salt
泥巴上多了一层 神奇的盐世界
Any remaining water is extremely salty - very few creatures can survive here...
剩余的水中，盐的浓度极高 没有多少生物可以在此生存
...except these brine shrimp
除了这些丰年虾
And on the water's edge, brine flies
还有水边的咸水苍蝇以外
Both are the favourite food of an extraordinary animal
它们都是一种奇妙的动物 最爱吃的食物
The Caribbean Flamingo
它就是加勒比海火鹤
Remarkably, they actually seek out such briny places
特别的是，它们会特意寻找 这些咸水区域
they are the best spots for them to find their food
这里是它们觅食的最佳场所
And they also provide the protection the flamingos need to raise their young
这里也提供了火鹤 抚育幼子时所需的保护
Nesting sites like this are surrounded by corrosive brine
这类的筑巢地点 被具侵蚀性的咸水包围着
lt's a formidable barrier to any predators seeking to dine on flamingo chicks
对任何想以火鹤幼子为食的 掠食者来说，这里是铜墙铁壁
The Flamingo takes the precaution of building next
火鹤在巢的四周 小心高筑泥围墙
Just in case of further flatting
以防水患再起
Strangely, it's actually the power of the storm tides
奇异的是 火鹤的食物及栖息地
that gives the flamingos both their food
都是暴风雨潮水的
and a perfect habitat in which to breed
力量所带来的
The breeding of many animals in the ocean
海洋中许多动物的繁殖
is closely co-ordinated with the tidal cycles
都与潮汐循环有着密切关系
A half moon in November. lt is the time for small tides.
11月间的弦月 是低潮的时期
Christmas lsland in the Pacific
这里是太平洋上的圣诞岛
Strange happenings are afoot
有奇事即将发生
lt is one of only a few nights each year
今晚是一年中少有的夜晚
when female Christmas lsland crabs risk heading down towards the sea
母圣诞岛蟹会在今晚 冒着危险走向大海
Around the island they number in tens of thousands
成千上万的蟹群 分布在岛周围
and all of them are laden with hundreds of eggs
每只身上都背有数百颗卵
They have to shed them into the ocean if the eggs are to develop into baby crabs
它们要把卵甩到水中 卵才能孵化成幼蟹
But these are land crabs and they can neither swim nor breathe underwater
因为它们是陆生蟹，所以不会游泳 也无法在水中呼吸
There is a great risk of drowning,
它们有淹死的危险
which is why they pick the smallest tides of the month
所以选在潮汐最弱时行动
to minimise the danger
好将危险降到最低
The eggs will develop far offshore and in exactly
蟹卵会在离岸较远处生长
one month's time a great swarm of baby crabs will return,
一个月后 就会有一大群小蟹回游
again choosing the perfect tide
也是选在潮汐最佳的时机
Whether it's the daily or monthly cycle,
无论是日循环或月循环
tides are the rhythm of the ocean - its pulsing clock
潮汐是大海的节奏 是它的节拍器
For every tide brings opportunity to marine life somewhere in the world
每一个潮流都为地球上 某处的海洋生物带来生机
Now a spring tide is flooding the shallows and hunters are on the prowl
此时朔望潮将浅摊淹没 掠食者来回巡行
A small group of bottlenose dolphin are working their way
一小群瓶鼻海豚 正朝海岸上前进
inshore to start a quite extraordinary hunting campaign
准备进行一项 十分特别的猎食行动
After one successful pass the dolphin move off to start again
在一次完美的传接后 海豚马上准备重新来过
One animal peels off from the group and swims rapidly in a circle,
一只海豚离开团体 一圈圈快速游泳来卷起泥巴
stirring up the mud and driving the mullet towards the other waiting dolphins
将乌鱼赶往其他等待中的海豚
lt's a remarkable team effort and it is extremely effective
真是惊人的团队合作 而它的效率也一样惊人
The dolphin will feed like this for as long as the tide grants
海豚会在潮水深度仍在 它们活动范围的情况下
them access to the shallows
继续以这种方式在浅滩捕食
Eventually the falling tide will force the dolphin to leave the flats
最后，海豚会因退潮 而被迫离开
and the mullet will be safe once more - until the next high tide
这片浅滩及乌鱼又是安全的了 至少在下次涨潮前是如此
Because in the ocean every turn of the tide spells
在大海里，每回潮汐的来去
the difference between life and death, somewhere
都掌握着生与死的分别