求偶游戏（2021）

所有的生命都是由繁殖的需要驱动的
All life is driven by the need to breed.
不过 对于一些人来说
Though,for a few,
这样做的可能性是压倒性的
the odds of doing so are overwhelmingly against them.
深海
The deep ocean
地球上最大、人口最少的栖息地
The largest and least-populated habitat on Earth.
住在这里的人似乎来自另一个世界
Those that live here appear to come from another world .
他们的大部分生命都是在黑暗中度过的
and much of their lives are spent alone in the blackness.
所以很难找到任何潜在的合作伙伴
So finding any potential partner is hard,
而要把握好时机就更难了
and getting the timing right is even harder.
如此极端的机会游戏
Such an extreme game of chance
导致了所有策略中最奇怪的策略之一
has led to one of the most bizarre strategies of all.
扇鳍琵琶鱼
A fanfin anglerfish.
在她的腹部 她有一个看起来很奇怪的鳍
On her belly,she has what seems to be an odd-looking fin.
事实上 它是一种微小的寄生雄性琵琶鱼
It is,in fact,a tiny parasitic male anglerfish.
当他遇到她时
When he met her,
这是他一生难得的寻找配偶的机会
it was his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure a mate.
所以他咬了她一口
So he bit into her.
他的血液系统与她的血液系统融合
His blood system fused with hers.
现在他完全依赖她了
Now he is entirely dependent on her.
她死,他也会死
So much so,that when she dies,he will die,too.
在那之前 他生命中唯一的功能就是让她的卵子受精
Until then,his sole function in life is to fertilise her eggs.
这种极端的承诺
This extreme commitment
确保两者都能成功
ensures that both can succeed
在他们奇怪的交♥配♥游戏中
in their bizarre version of the mating game.
大多数玩交♥配♥游戏的生物
Most creatures that play the mating game
如果他们要成功 就必须解决主要的问题
must solve major problems if they are to succeed.
但在俄♥罗♥斯♥的这些沙丘中
But among these sand dunes in Russia,
狂风可以改变不稳定的沙地面貌
where howling winds can transform an unstable landscape,
对一种动物的挑战
the challenge for one animal
几乎不能可挡
is almost overwhelming.
一只雄性蟾蜍头 飞龙科蜥蜴
A male toad-headed agama.
他一生都在这个沙丘上度过
He spends his entire life on this dune.
一年一次 他会试着找一个伴侣
Once a year,he'll try to find a mate.
只有他有一个合适的洞穴,她才会感兴趣
She would only be interested if he has a suitable burrow
她可以在里面产卵
in which she can lay her eggs.
但在他的流沙世界里
But in his world of shifting sands,
稳定的洞穴很难找到
good burrows are hard to come by.
当风大的时候
And when the wind is strong,
它们可能会在几分钟内消失
they can be lost in a matter of minutes.
所以他渴望尽快吸引一位雌性
So he's keen to attract a female as quickly as he can.
他的黑色尖尾就是这样做的
And his black-tip tail is his way of doing so.
他被注意到了
He's been noticed.
现在他必须引诱她回到他的洞穴
Now he must entice her back to his burrow.
相反 她以自己的邀请回答
Instead,she replies with an invitation of her own.
他又试了一次——更有活力
He tries again - with more vigour.
她还是一动不动
She still doesn't move.
没有用
Turns out .
她已经有一个洞穴了
she already has a burrow .
也不会放弃这么宝贵的财产
and is not about to abandon such a valuable property.
这让他进退两难
Which presents him with a dilemma.
接受她的邀请可能意味着他得到了伴侣
Accepting her invitation may mean he gets a mate,
但离开意味着,他有可能把自己的洞穴丢给竞争对手
but leaving means he risks losing his burrow to a rival male.
怎么办？
What to do?
欲望战胜了他
Desire gets the better of him,
他搬到了她的地方.
and he hotfoots it over to her place.
但仔细观察之后
But after a closer look .
她觉得他不适合她
she decides he's not for her.
当他转身的时候
And while his back is turned .
最坏的情况已经发生了
the worst has happened.
一只雄性竞争对手,发现了它没有守卫的洞穴
A rival male has spotted his unguarded burrow.
但他不会不战而退
But he won't give it up without a fight.
都侧向一面
Each flanks the other
努力让自己看起来更大
and tries to make themselves look bigger.
入侵者被送走了
The intruder is seen off .
但这是一场空洞的胜利
but it's a hollow victory.
风越来越大 沙子吞没了有争议的洞穴
The wind picks up,and sand engulfs the contested burrow.
当它消失时
As it disappears .
他的成功机会也是如此
so do his chances of success -
直到风停下来，他可以再试一次
until the wind dies down,and he can try again.
领土对某些人来说可能很重要
Territory may be important for some .
但寻找伴侣的需要对所有人来说都是至关重要的
but the need to find a mate is vital for all.
一个解决办法是只为一个伴侣奉献一生
One solution is to devote a lifetime to just one partner.
但这只有在有足够的分配数量时才有效
But that only works when there are enough to go round.
莱桑岛信天翁
A Laysan albatross.
半年多以来,
For over half the year,
她独自在辽阔的太平洋上搜寻
she has scoured the vast Pacific alone,
寻找食物
searching for food.
现在她回来了
And now she is returning
去她在夏威夷的繁殖地
to her breeding grounds in Hawaii.
莱桑岛的，一辈子一对
Laysans pair for life.
反复的展示巩固了他们的长♥期♥关系
Repeated displays cement their long-term relationship.
两个成年的，只养一只小鸟
It takes two adults to raise just one chick .
所以有一个愿意分担为人父母责任的伴侣
so a partner willing to share the burden of parenthood
是成功与失败的区别
is the difference between success and failure.
但这只雌性是靠她自己的
But this female is on her own.
她被一个不忠的雄性勾引后抛弃了
She was seduced and then abandoned by an unfaithful male.
不贞的雄性不再扮演更重要的角色
Adulterous males play no further part
照顾他们的婚外蛋
in looking after their extramarital eggs.
她不能独自抚养她的小鸟
She cannot raise her chick alone.
她必须找个搭档
She must find a partner.
这里所有可用的雄性都已经被带走了
All the available males here are already taken .
但她还没有用尽她的选择
but she hasn't exhausted her options just yet.
一个新来的人引起了她的注意
A new arrival catches her eye.
但她需要发现
But she needs to discover
这是否是她可以信赖的伴侣
whether this is a partner she can rely on .
她建议跳支舞
and she does so by suggesting a dance.
他们看起来很般配
They seem a perfect match.
但这是一场不同的比赛
But it's a match with a difference .
因为她的舞伴
because her dance partner .
是另一位雌性
is another female.
这个二重唱证实了他们的承诺
This duet confirms their commitment .
共同抚养一只小鸟
to raising a chick together.
几天之内,
Within a few days,
她下了一个大蛋
she lays a single large egg.
这种努力耗尽了她的精力
The effort drains her of energy.
为了恢复健康，她必须返回大海去喂食
To recover,she must head back to sea to feed.
当她不在的时候 她是完全依赖
And while she's away,she is totally reliant
她新找到的伴侣孵蛋
on her new-found partner to incubate her egg.
如果他们要成功 她必须完全信任她
She must put all her trust in her if they are to succeed.
三周后 她回来了
Three weeks later,she's back .
吃饱了 准备轮到她了
well fed,and ready to take her turn.
但有点不对劲
But something is wrong.
她的宝贝蛋已被推出巢外
Her precious egg has been pushed out of the nest.
看来她毕竟不能信任她的伴侣
It seems she couldn't trust her partner,after all.
更糟糕的是
Worse still .
当她不在的时候
while she's been away .
她的搭档也下了一个蛋！
her partner has also laid an egg!
原来她也已经交♥配♥了
It turns out she,too,had mated
在进入这种关系之前
before entering this relationship.
但是两个鸟蛋会产生问题。
But two eggs create a problem.
他们只能孵化一个
They can only incubate one .
因为他们必须轮流喂食
because both must take turns to feed.
想要孵化自己的鸟蛋的冲动是压倒性的
The urge to incubate her own egg is overwhelming.
但是里面的小鸟
But the chick within
已经变冷，死了
has grown cold,and died.
所以她献身于
So she devotes herself
给唯一活着的蛋
to the only egg left alive.
她的搭档的
Her partner's.
两个月后
Two months later .
她的决定得到了回报
Her decision pays off.