野性英伦（2023）

它们用敏锐的嗅觉和五双眼睛搜寻
They hunt using a keen sense of smell and five pairs of eyes.
小蟾蜍要想到达树林就必须冒险前进
The toadlets must keep going if they want to reach the woods.
如果它们不够快 等待它们的命运是残酷的
If they're not quick enough, their fate is grim.
整个吞噬
Consumed whole.
水蛭可以用身体的任何一端抓住猎物
The leeches can grab with either end of their body
还有三副牙齿
and three sets of teeth.
小蟾蜍一旦被抓住就无路可逃
Once caught, a toadlet has no escape.
虽然有一两只被夺去生命
But for every one that is taken,
但有数百只安全逃到了树林里
hundreds make it to the safety of the woods.
对于大多数的小蟾蜍来说 这是一个有着快乐结局的恐怖故事
For most of these toadlets, it's a horror story with a happy end.
在不列颠群岛 我们有世界上最稀有
In the British Isles, we have one of the world's rarest
最美丽的淡水栖息地
and most beautiful freshwater habitats.
白垩溪
Chalk streams.
世界上只有200条左右
Only around 200 exist in the world
其中超过四分之三流经英国
and over three-quarters of those flow here in England.
凉爽、富含矿物质的水流
A reliable flow of cool, mineral-rich water
从下面的白垩层冒出来
bubbles up through the chalk below
并支撑着一个丰富的淡水群落
and supports a rich freshwater community.
河床上有东西在蠕动
On the riverbed, something stirs.
这只小昆虫在过去的两年里
This young insect has spent the last two years
掩埋在碎石中
buried in the gravel.
有强壮的前腿 羽毛状的鳃和流线型的身体
With strong front legs, feathery gills and a stream-lined body,
它非常适应水下生活
it's excellently adapted to life underwater.
但现在是五月下旬 一切即将改变
But it's late May, and everything is about to change.
当你只有2厘米长的时候
Even breaking through the surface is a challenge
即使是突破表面也是一个挑战
when you're just 2cm long.
最后当它的翅膀展开
Finally, as its wings unfurl,
这只成年后的雄性蜉蝣开始了
the little creature starts a new life as an adult
新的生活
a male mayfly.
它现在只剩下几天的生命了
He now has just a few short days to live,
所以它很快就为它的第一次飞行做好准备
so he quickly prepares for his first flight.
而且越快越好
And the sooner the better.
下面的鱼是第一个注意到这个春天的宝藏的
The fish below are the first to notice this springtime bonanza.
没过多久 水面上的动物也开始注意到了
And it's not long before those above water also get their eye in.
它需要升空
He needs to get airborne.
但这是刚从煎锅里出来
But it's out of the frying pan
又跳入火中
and into the fire.
至少蜉蝣的优势在于数量众多
At least the mayfly have the advantage of great numbers.
一周内就会有超过一百万只
In just a week, more than a million will emerge
仅这条河
from this stretch of river alone.
雄蜉蝣要做的第一件事就是向河岸游去
And the first thing the male does is head for the river bank.
蜉蝣在昆虫中是独一无二的 在它们完全成长之前
Unique among insects, mayfly undergo a second adult moult
经历了第二次成虫蜕皮
before they're fully mature.
它的一生都在为这一刻而努力
His whole life has been building to this moment.
它终于准备好了
And finally, he's ready.
它在河的上空高飞
He flies high above the river
加入了求偶之舞
and joins the mating dance.
和其它雄性一起起起伏伏
Rising and falling with the other males,
它展开尾巴炫耀自己的空中本领
he spreads out his tail, showing off his aerial prowess.
这些都是为了吸引雌性
It's all for the benefit of the females,
她们现在正从水下浮出水面
who are now emerging from the water below.
很快 河岸上到处都是交♥配♥的情侣
Soon, the river bank is alive with mating pairs.
每只雄蜉蝣都会继续跳舞 直到精疲力竭而死
Each male will continue to dance until he dies of exhaustion.
河岸上的小洞
A small hole in the river bank
是这条河上最神秘的居民之一的家
home to one of the most secretive of the river's residents.
鼩鼱
A shrew.
这个是母的
This one, a female,
和你的拇指差不多大小
is pretty small about the size of your thumb.
体型小意味着热量损失也快
Being small means she loses heat quickly
必须不停地进食
and must eat almost constantly.
三小时不进食可能是致命的
Three hours without food could be fatal
所以当岸上的食物不足时
so when supplies on the bank get low,
她必须到别处去找食物
she must find food elsewhere.
她是一只水鼩
She's a water shrew.
一开始她有点不情愿
She's somewhat reluctant at first.
因为在水下她会更快地失去热量
Underwater, she will lose heat even faster.
但当她需要冒险时 她必须这样做
But needs must, so when she does take the plunge,
她动作很快
she works at great speed.
在实际的情况下无法看清发生了什么
In real time, it's impossible to see what's going on.
但放慢速度后 可以看出她是多么适应
But slowing things down reveals how marvellously adapted she is
水下的环境
to the underwater world.
她脚上的硬毛就像脚蹼
Stiff hairs on her feet act like flippers
把尾巴变成了方向舵
and others on her tail turn it into a rudder.
她能闭着眼睛游泳
She swims with her eyes closed
展开的胡须帮助她感知猎物
fanning out her whiskers to help her sense her prey.
最值得注意的是
And, most remarkably,
她能闻到水中的气味
she can detect smells down here.
她放出微小的气泡
She lets out tiny bubbles of air
捕捉水中的气味颗粒
to pick up scent particles in the water.
这被称为嗅泡泡
It's known as bubble sniffing.
但使用这种技术意味着她很快就会耗尽氧气
But using this technique means she quickly runs out of air.
这一次 好在一切顺利
This time, everything comes together.
蜻蜓幼虫是一顿大餐
A dragonfly larva is a huge meal
但很难制♥服♥
but hard to subdue.
是时候使用她最后的武器了
It's time to use her final weapon.
鼩鼱是英国唯一一种唾液有毒的哺乳动物
Water shrews are the only mammal in Britain with venomous saliva.
所有的野生动物都在某种程度上依赖于淡水
All wildlife is dependent, to some extent, on freshwater.
但是在英国每条河流都被污染了
But here in England, every single river is polluted.
农业径流和人类排泄物倾倒
Run-off from farming and dumping of human waste
导致藻类大量繁殖
causes algae to bloom.
这会减少氧气 使植物窒息
This reduces oxygen, chokes the plants,
让野生动物赖以生存的河流退化
and degrades the rivers on which our wildlife depends.
当河流接近它们旅程的终点时 它们的速度会减慢
As rivers approach the end of their journeys, they slow,
芦苇床能够生根发芽
and beds of reeds are able to take root.
萨福克郡现在是冬末
Here in Suffolk, it's late winter.
赤鹿
Red deer.
这个广阔的区域是鲜为人知的庇护所
This huge area is a little-known winter refuge
英国最大的陆地哺乳动物就栖息于此
for Britain's largest land mammal.
鹿踏出的小路在芦苇丛中留下了痕迹
The paths the deer create make gaps in the reeds.
在开阔的水面上
And on the open water,
凤头鸊鷉
great crested grebes.
虽然是年初
It may be early in the year,
但它们的求偶之舞已经开始了
but their mating dance is already well under way.
作为序幕 鸟儿们摇着头
As a prologue, the birds shake their heads,
炫耀它们的羽毛和打扮
showing off their plumage and preening
确保它们的羽毛处于最佳状态
to make sure their feathers are in tiptop condition.
服装准备好了 开始上演第一幕
Costumes ready, act one reaffirms any bonds
重叙旧情
that were made in previous years.
单身的鸟儿呼唤着伴侣
Single birds call for a partner
摆出一种被称为猫态的姿势造型
before adopting a posture known as the cat display.
这是发出邀请
It's an invitation
再来个二重奏
for a duet.
似乎已经被接受了
It seems to have been accepted.
这对情侣步调一致
The pair are falling into step.
但是它们被一个对手打断了
But they are interrupted by a rival.
另一只雄鸊鷉也正在寻找伴侣
Another male is looking for a partner
双方展开激烈的争斗
and starts a sharp-beaked argument.
不过 结局还好
But all's well that ends well.
对手被赶走了
The rival is seen off
两人开始了二重奏的终幕
and the pair begin the final act of their duet
青草舞
the weed dance.
这些复杂的舞蹈加深了双方的情感纽带
These complex displays create a bond between the pair
促使它们在抚养后代时能够在一起
which will keep the two together as they raise their young.
几周后 第一只雏鸟出现了
A few weeks later, and the first chick appears,
紧接着是第二只
shortly followed by the second.
父母双方轮流照顾雏鸟
Both parents care for the chicks, taking turns to babysit
另一方寻找食物
while the other finds food.
它们甚至从自己的背上取下羽毛
They even take feathers from their own backs
然后喂给雏鸟
and feed them to the chicks
保护小肚子不受锋利的鱼骨伤害
to protect tiny tummies from sharp fish bones.