与巨兽同行（2005）

这次,它决定把它们挖掘出来
但Diictodon的辛劳终于得到回报
But the Diictodon's hard work pays off.
那深入的隧♥道♥
Their tunnel in the sun-baked earth is deep enough to keep them safe.
足以保住它们的性命
Gorgonopsid的鼻子
Instead, the Gorgonopsid's nose leads her back to the dried-up waterhole.
又再将它带返水坑
它发觉身边也不是那么荒凉死寂
She senses things are not as lifeless as they seem.
巨型的两栖类动物
The giant amphibian.
它要在水坑干涸前,钻进泥浆
Just before the waterhole dried up,
she must have burrowed into the damp mud,
并形成一个茧
forming a cocoon around herself,
in a last-ditch attempt to sit out the drought.
藉此作最后一次顽抗
但它正处于冬眠状态
But in her torpid state,
she's helpless as the Gorgonopsid feasts.
无可避免成为Gorgonopsid的食物
Eventually storm clouds gather,
终于暴风雨云集结
但它并未有带来雨水
but instead of rainwater they bring sand.
而是带来沙土
沙尘暴来到,并将水坑完全覆盖
The sandstorm sweeps in,
burying the waterhole completely.
盘♥古♥大♥陆♥的沙漠继续扩散
The vast Pangaean deserts continue to spread,
破坏了整个生态系统
snuffing out entire ecosystems.
Gorgonopsid终于屈服
Even the mighty Gorgonopsid has at last succumbed.
因为没有食物,它亦不能生存
With no prey, even she could not survive.
Mummified in the sand,
它躺在沙砾之下
this monster will soon be nothing but dust.
不久就成为灰尘的一部份
随后几百万年,地球因为热力
Over the next few million years,
the earth will suffocate under a stagnant blanket of heat,
导致一遍萧条
并引发出庞大的灭绝行动
sparking a mass extinction,
今次的情况,与将来恐龙遇到的
even greater than the one that will destroy the dinosaurs.
有过之而无不及
未来只属于小数体型细小的生还者
The future belongs to a tiny group of survivors,
small and adaptable enough to sit it out.
因为体型小,适应性强
它们终于克服过来
Diictodon在旱灾中继续挖掘
The Diictodon carry on digging throughout the drought.
这一对就从地下
This pair has unearthed plant tubers,
掘出藏有水份的块茎
which hold enough water and nutrients to keep them going for several months.
它提供的养份足够它们支撑几个月
几百万年过去,天气再次转变
As millions of years go by,
the climate shifts again,
爬虫最快复原,再次统领地球
and the reptiles are among the first to recover and repopulate the empty earth.
它们包括比Diictodon较大
From creatures like little Diictodon, larger, stronger herbivores evolve.
和较强壮的食草动物
These tough forerunners of mammals seem poised to seize control for good,
这强悍的哺乳动物先驱
似乎辎握了一切
但其实它们正步向死亡
but they are in fact set to play out their final scene.
三叠纪快将终结
The dawn of the Triassic era,
地球逐步恢复生命迹象
and the earth has only just begun to show signs of recovery.
沙漠已停止增长
The deserts have stopped growing,
远古的巨型树林再次回归大地
and huge forests of primitive conifer start to re-colonise the land.
食草动物率先出现
In these new forests, plant eaters recover first.
包括以下这一只
One in particular. Like most of the large reptiles,
就如大部份巨型爬虫一样
they may resemble dinosaurs,
三叠纪爬虫与恐龙相类似
but Lystrosaurus are more closely linked to mammals - and to us.
但它与哺乳动物和我们关系更密切
令人惊讶的是它们的族群
Astonishingly, their vast herds make up more than half of all life on earth.
占地球生物总数的一半
世上再没有另一种生物
Never again will a single species do so well.
能做出这种好成绩
森林之内,进化继续
Deep within the forests, though, a rival is evolving.
一种新演化而成的动物
A new type of animal, destined to change the face of life on earth.
快将改变地球面貌
派克鳄以昆虫为食物
Meet Euparkeria, a tiny insect-eater.
它对爬虫类看来没有多大威胁
He may not look much of a threat to the dominant reptiles,
但它的成功,全因它的臀部
but the key to his success is in his hip.
它的股骨,让它可以腾出双手
The way his thigh bone is attached
allows him to run on two legs, freeing his hands.
单独以双脚走路
这敏捷的身手
This kind of agility has never been seen before in reptiles,
在爬虫界可说是史无前例
并为派克鳄带来绝大优势
and gives Euparkeria an edge.
它更成新的爬虫动物
Euparkeria will lay the foundations for a new group of reptiles - the dinosaurs.
恐龙之奠基石
暴龙和梁龙等巨兽
Giants such as Tyrannosaurus and Diplodocus can all trace
都起源自三叠纪这小巧的昆虫猎人
their family tree back to this little insect hunter in the Triassic forests.
水龙兽经常团队出没
The monster herds of Lystrosaurus hoover up so much vegetation
不断移居寻找食物
that they constantly migrate to find fresh food.
它们随季侯雨出动
They follow the seasonal rains,
但每年来到南极洲
and each year in Antarctica this brings them to the edge of a huge escarpment.
它们都会经过一处悬崖
The only way down for these cumbersome animals is through a deep ravine.
要走下去就要穿过一座深谷
族群多在晚上出动
The herd moves mostly at night, and come sunset,
至日落时分
它们就会开始这危险的旅程
they begin the dangerous descent.
穿过山谷要花上几个小时
It will take several hours for all of them to pass through the ravine,
在某些地方它们只能排成单行
and in some parts there's only space to move in single file,
轻易受到猎食者攻击
which leaves them very vulnerable.
水龙兽视力敏锐,嗅觉灵敏
Lystrosaurus have sharp eyesight and a very good sense of smell.
But in these cramped conditions it's hard to spot trouble ahead.
但今次它们亦察觉不到前面有麻烦
夜间出没的凶猛猎人正在暗角监视
They're being watched by a vicious nocturnal hunter - a therocephalian.
它是Therocephaiian
Therocephaiian是很强的对手
Lystrosaurus are strong opponents,
但它不消任何体力
but this hunter doesn't rely on power to make a kill.
就能将猎物捉住
这记攻击非常迅速
The attack is swift, and seems to have been unsuccessful.
但看来是失败了
不过这猎食者有一秘密武器
But this predator's secret weapon is a poisonous bite.
就是毒液
它比黑曼巴蛇的毒性更强
Its venom is more lethal than a black mamba's,
毒液迅速渗透水龙兽的血液
and it quickly floods the Lystrosaurus's blood stream.
现在只消等待毒力发作
All the therocephalians have to do is wait for it to take effect.
受害者倒下了
The victim collapses, but the herd moves on without concern.
但族群并没有注意到
它们之间是没有社交联♥系♥的
They have no social bonds.
The therocephalians close in for the kill.
水龙兽被包围
悬崖下,水龙兽正面对最大的挑战
Dawn at the foot of the escarpment,
and here the Lystrosaurus will face their biggest challenge yet.
它们要横过河里
They need to cross a river, but its banks are lined with open jaws.
但河口上布满了无数尖牙
加斯马吐龙属是鳄鱼
Chasmatosaurs are the earliest ancestors of crocodiles and alligators.
和短吻鳄最早的祖先
过度咬合是为了保证攻击猎物后
Their strange overbite means once they get their teeth into a victim,
猎物不能伺机逃脱
there is no chance of escape.
它们通常不会集体出没
They don't normally gather in such numbers,
今次只为出席一次盛会
but they're here for a special event - the annual migration of the Lystrosaurus.
那是水龙兽的年度大迁徙
这对派克鳄而言
If you're a Euparkeria, the river's not a great place for hunting insects.
定不是一处捕猎昆虫的好地方
但它有的是速度
But he has speed on his side.
日出,加斯马吐龙属走近水边
As the sun rises, the Chasmatosaurs are drawn towards the water.
它们有的自水龙兽上年来过之后
Some of them haven't eaten
since the Lystrosaurus last passed this way a year ago.
就再没有进食过
它知道进餐的时间又到了
Now they sense it's time to feed again.
排前面的水龙兽终于来到河流
The front of the vast Lystrosaurus herd finally reaches the river.
它们是游泳高手
They're strong swimmers, but drowning is not the danger here.
但它们怕的并非河水
They linger at the river's edge, reluctant to go in.
它们站在河边,迟迟未敢下去
爬虫动物有较大的脑袋
For reptiles, they have relatively large brains,
它们记得上年在这里发生过的事情
and they remember what happened last year.
但随着水龙兽的数目愈来愈多
But with more Lystrosaurus arriving all the time,
迫使它们开始行动
the backlog will soon force them in.
猎人正向它们招手
On the other side, lush grazing beckons,
终于第一只水龙兽跳进河流
and eventually the first one takes the plunge.
A strong swimmer, he quickly makes it to the other side.
它是游泳高手,以高速到达对岸
但因为堤岸陡峭
But with the steep banks,
he's still got to find a place where he can get ashore,
它要寻找上岸的地方
但停留时间愈久
and every extra moment in the water increases the risk.
它的处境就愈危险
More and more Lystrosaurus warily strike out for the other side.
愈来愈多水龙兽游过对岸
But now the predators are homing in.
猎食者亦在这时加入
第一位选手终于成功到达对岸
The first swimmer has made it, and clambers ashore.
但其他队员,可没有它那么好运
But many of the herd now entering the water will not be so lucky.
大屠♥杀♥过后
Despite the carnage,
the herd is soon reforming on the other side.
族群在对岸重整过来
猎食者饱餐完毕,各人疲惫不堪
The predators are quickly sated and exhausted.
虽然有大量水龙兽死亡
Although many Lystrosaurus are dead,
但仍有小部份得以生存
it's still only a small proportion of the herd.
不过这爬虫动物的风光期不长
The dominance of these strange mammal-like reptiles is short-lived.