野性美洲（2020）

睫毛蝰蛇会在同一个地方蜷缩好几天
The eyelash viper stays curled up in the same place for several days.
它的静止是它最好的武器
Its stillness is its best weapon.
它一动不动，显然被石化了，完全不被注意到
It remains so immobile, apparently petrified, that it goes utterly unnoticed.
它的策略再一次给它带来了成功
Once again, its strategy has brought it success.
也可能不是
Or perhaps not.
变色蜥及时出现，发挥其出色的条件反射能力，并进行反击
The anole comes to just in time to engage its excellent reflexes, and fight back.
这条毒蛇，因为夜晚的凉爽仍然昏昏欲睡，
The viper, still sleepy from the cool of the night,
无法将其麻痹性毒液全部注入受害者体内，结果出人意料
was not able to inject all its paralyzing venom into its victim, with unexpected results.
奇迹般地，小安乐蜥蜴逃脱了
Miraculously, the little Anolis lizard escapes.
在辽阔的加勒比地区
Here in the gigantic Caribbean region,
那里有海滩、一片片的丛林、珊瑚礁，还有红树林
there are beaches, patches of jungle, coral reefs, and also mangroves.
这种特殊类型的林地栖息地覆盖了海岸的大♥片♥区域，
This particular type of woodland habitat covers a large area of the coast,
因为它很容易忍♥受河口的高盐度
as it can easily tolerate the heightened salinity of the estuaries.
这些沿海红树林是陆地和海洋之间的植被缓冲区，生命在这里蓬勃发展
These coastal mangrove forests are a buffer of vegetation between land and sea, where life thrives.
扭曲的树根迷宫直接从水中吸收营养
The maze of twisted roots absorbs nutrients directly from the water.
红树林是一个不可逾越的迷宫，是各种各样鸟类和鱼类的避难所
An impenetrable labyrinth, the mangrove serves as a refuge for a huge variety of birds and fish.
美洲火烈鸟是红树林居民中最引人注目的
Americans flamingos are the most conspicuous of the mangrove's inhabitants.
火烈鸟往往更喜欢开阔的浅水泻湖
Flamingos tend to prefer open shallow-water lagoons.
数百万微小的甲壳类动物，火烈鸟最喜欢的食物，生活在这些含盐的脉动中
Millions upon millions of tiny crustaceans, the flamingos' favourite food, live here in these saline arteries.
每只鸟每天吃掉数百只这种小动物
Each bird consumes hundreds of these little animals a day.
除了滋养它们，
Apart from nourishing them,
这种甲壳类动物是红色类胡萝卜素的来源，这种类胡萝卜素给火烈鸟带来了独特的粉红色♥色♥调
the crustaceans are the source of the reddish carotenoids that give the Flamingo its distinctive pink tone.
这是火烈鸟的另一个特征，让它能够以这些生物为食
And it's another characteristic feature of the Flamingo that allows it to feed on these creatures.
它奇特弯曲的喙就像一个过滤器，有力的舌头通过它泵出营养丰富的水
Its strange curved beak acts as a filter, through which its powerful tongue pumps the nutrient-rich water.
拥有更强烈颜色的雄性，这意味着营养良好和身体健康，对雌性更有吸引力
Males blessed with a more intense colour, which denotes both good nutrition and good health, are more attractive to females.
火烈鸟的群居生活，通常是友善的，
The communal life of flamingos, generally affable,
荷尔蒙退潮的时候会有点矛盾，
turns somewhat conflictive when hormones are on the ebb,
而争吵，幸运的是永远不会致命，也可能发生
and altercations, fortunately never fatal, may occur.
这些暂时的侵略行为，是加勒比的另一个独特特征所无法想象的
These temporary displays of aggression are beyond the imagining of another unique character of the Caribbean.
火烈鸟的邻居之一，它的领地在水的另一边
One of the flamingos' neighbours, whose realm is on the other side of the water.
绝大多数北美海牛生活在加勒比地区，
The vast majority of North American manatees live within the Caribbean region,
这让它们有了另一个名字，西印第安海牛
giving them their other name, the West Indian manatee.
加勒比海的红树林、河流和海岸是这种温和大动物的家园
The mangroves, rivers, and coasts of the Caribbean are the home of this gentle giant.
海牛过着平静的生活
Manatees lead a calm life.
加勒比海为它们提供了多达60种不同类型的植物性食物，从藻类到红树林的叶子
As food, the Caribbean supplies them with up to 60 different types of plant, from algae to the leaves of the mangrove.
这种纯草食性的饮食、它们的体型和宁静的天性为它们赢得了另一个名字:
This exclusively herbivorous diet, their size, and pacific nature have earned them another name:
海奶牛
sea cows.
成年海牛重近半吨♥，消化系统足够长，可以处理大量的植物性物质
Adult manatees weigh almost half a ton and have a digestive system long enough to process huge amounts of vegetable matter.
它们浓密的胡须对触摸，甚至对水的运动都很敏感，因此可以作为导航工具
Their thick whiskers are sensitive to touch and even to the movements of the water, and so act as navigation aids.
它们帮助这些水生食草动物在泥泞的水中移♥动♥和定位海底沙拉
They help these aquatic grazers both move and locate their seabed salads in muddy water.
海牛大部分时间都在平静的水域进食
Manatees spend most of their time feeding in calm waters.
它们每天需要吃掉大约50公斤的植物物质
They need to eat about 50 kilos of plant material every day.
海牛的生活平静而节俭
The life of a sea cow is peaceful and frugal.
它们没有天敌，只有人类，人类既捕猎它们，又改变它们的自然栖息地
They have no natural predators, only humans, who both hunt them and alter their natural habitats.
尽管看起来很笨重，但海牛是优雅的，容易游泳的
Despite their apparent ponderousness, manatees are graceful, easy swimmers.
多亏了这种敏捷性，幼崽在出生的头两年都不会离开母亲的身边，
Thanks to this agility, a calf will not leave its mother's side for the first two years of its life,
一直在吃它的营养奶，从位于前肢后面的乳♥头♥获得
feeding all the while on her nutritious milk, obtained from mammary nipples located behind its forelimbs.
在和它们的妈妈一起游泳时，幼崽学会了如何在加勒比海水域寻找食物和庇护所
While swimming alongside their mothers, the young learn how to look for food and shelter in the Caribbean waters.
海牛的身体上覆盖着藻类，
Manatees' bodies are covered with algae,
藻类通过搭 水下移♥动♥房♥子的顺风车，从营养和光线中获益
which benefit from nutrients and light by hitching a ride on their underwater mobile home.
这个水生花♥园♥也吸引了其它动物，比如以藻类为食的蝴蝶鱼
This aquatic garden also attracts other animals, such as butterfly fish, which feed on the algae.
多亏了这种共生关系，
Thanks to this symbiotic relationship,
海牛被保持干净，鱼被免费提供相对轻松的一餐
the manatees are kept clean and the fish are provided with a free and relatively effortless meal.
供应加勒比海的水不仅来自于汹涌的河流或热带风暴
The waters that supply the Caribbean do not only come from mighty rivers or tropical storms.
墨西哥海岸的河流并不多
There aren't many rivers on the Mexican coast.
雨水聚集在加勒比海水域尤卡坦丛林，然后消失，被大地吞噬
The rain that accumulates in the Caribbean waters the Yucatan jungles and then disappears, swallowed by the earth.
这里的水溶解了石灰岩，形成了地下河流
The water here dissolves the limestone rocks and forms underground rivers.
几千年来，加勒比海一直是侵蚀了无数洞穴和天坑的水源
For thousands of years the Caribbean has been the source of water that has eroded innumerable caves and sinkholes.
在这些巨大的洞穴中，有些产生了天然坑，即丛林中的露天池
Some of these gigantic cavities produced cenotes, open-air lagoons within the jungle.
虽然这些地方的起源完全是自然的，但它们似乎是从童话故事中搬出来的
Although entirely natural in origin, these places seem lifted out of fairy tales.
完美的蓝绿色海水，迷宫般的长廊，以及巨大的房♥间
Perfect turquoise waters, labyrinthine galleries, and enormous chambers
饰有无数钟乳石和石笋
adorned with countless stalactites and stalagmites.
但远非想象，它们是无数动物物种的理想栖息地和觅食地
But far from imaginary, they are the ideal habitat and feeding place for an infinity of animal species.
在加勒比海，洞穴和天然坑是另一个世界
The caves and cenotes are a world apart within the Caribbean.
其中许多居民是神秘的，至今未被发现
Many of their inhabitants are mysterious, and as yet undiscovered.
但其它的，如翠鸰，或时钟鸟，已经是许多代土著文化的重要特征
But others, such as motmot, or clock birds, have been important features of indigenous cultures for many generations.
玛雅人认为，翠鸰尾巴的钟摆运动吸引了蚊子，在天然坑中蚊子非常多
The Mayans believed that the pendulum movement of the motmot's tail attracted mosquitoes, which are very abundant in cenotes.
而这里的天然坑和洞穴蕴藏着更强大和意想不到的秘密
And the cenotes and caves here hold even more powerful and unsuspected secrets.
只需要等到太阳开始落山
One only needs to wait until the sun begins to set.
低语开始从地球内部升起
A murmur begins to rise from inside the earth.
微弱的振翅声，高音，
The faint flapping of wings, high-pitched,
几乎听不见的尖叫声，是一场规模宏大的奇观的序幕
almost inaudible shrieks, are the prologue to a spectacle of massive proportions.
加勒比海附近的一些洞穴是数百万蝙蝠的家园，它们在一瞬间就活了过来
Some caves near the Caribbean Sea are home to millions of bats that come to life in an instant.
一开始，只有少数，也许是最饥饿的，在白天的睡眠后出现
At first only a few, perhaps the hungriest, emerge after their daytime slumbers.
但在几分钟内，地球以全速喷出数百万生物
But within a few minutes, the earth spews forth millions of creatures at full speed.
螺旋状和云状的蝙蝠聚集在一起，然后在周围的丛林中散开
Spirals and clouds of bats that congregate, then disperse through the surrounding jungle.
加勒比海蝙蝠的多样性令人震惊
The variety of Caribbean Bats is astounding.
中美洲的加勒比地区拥有地球上数量最多的蝙蝠种类，
The Caribbean region of Central America has the largest number of bats genera on the planet,
还有超过170种
and more than 170 species.
蝙蝠在加勒比海的生态中扮演着重要的角色
Bats play a fundamental role in the ecology of the Caribbean.
它们每晚吃掉成吨♥的昆虫，为成千上万朵花授粉，传播丛林的种子
They consume tons of insects every night, pollinate thousands of flowers, and disperse the seeds of the jungle.
如果没有蝙蝠，地球上的雨林将变得更小
With without bats, the rain forests all around the planet would be lesser places.
蝙蝠黑暗潮湿的家园，
The dark, humid homes of the bats,
数千个分散在该地区的洞穴，最终是无休止的加勒比风暴的结果
the thousands of caves scattered throughout the region, are ultimately a result of the unending Caribbean storms.
加勒比海沿岸散布着无数的海湾、港湾和小海湾
All around the Caribbean coastline are scattered an infinite number of gulfs, bays, and coves.
在这里，一只长鼻浣熊正在寻找任何惊喜
And it's here that a coati is looking for any surprises
加勒比海可能会留在沙滩上的白色细沙
that the Caribbean Sea might have left on the fine white sand of the beach.
长鼻浣熊是加勒比海地区真正的寻宝者
Coati are the true treasure hunters of the Caribbean.
长鼻浣熊寻找漂流者的遗骸
They seek out the remains of castaways.
长鼻浣熊有力的鼻子能指引它们找到被潮水击倒的动物或被海浪抛起的果实
Their powerful noses guide them to any animal defeated by the tides or fruits thrown up by the waves.
躲在田园诗般的沙滩里的众多螃蟹也不容忽视
The multitude of crabs that hide in the idyllic sand can't be ignored, either.
加勒比海每天都给海滩补货，就像一个露天的阿卡迪亚式超♥市♥
The Caribbean restocks the beach daily, as if it were an open-air Arcadian supermarket.
只要有一点技巧和耐心，就能挖掘出被遗弃的宝藏
With a little skill and patience, abandoned treasures can be unearthed.
加勒比海的湿度
The Caribbean Sea, with its humidity,
它的风暴和温暖对其范围内的干燥土地♥产♥生了强大的影响
its storms, and its warmth exerts a powerful influence on the dry land found within its confines.
光是湿热就导致了生命的爆发，转化成了地球上一些最丰富的生态系统
The moisture and heat alone causes an explosion of life that translates into some of the richest ecosystems on earth.
这里鸟类的多样性就是这种慷慨的一个例子
The diversity of birds here is an example of this bounty.
在加勒比海上空盘旋、扑动和潜水的600多种鸟类中，
Among the more than 600 species of birds that hover, flutter, and dive around the Caribbean,
鹦鹉，不停地尖叫，可能是最显眼的
parrots, with their incessant screaming, are possibly the most conspicuous.
鹦鹉特别适应温暖的热带生态系统，是一种聪明的鸟类
Parrots, which are especially adapted to warm tropical ecosystems, are intelligent birds.
大多数鹦鹉都知道如何利用丛林提供的丰富水果
Most parrots know how to exploit the enormous wealth of fruits that the jungle offers.
也就是说，在这个世界上不平凡的地方，总有惊喜的空间
That said, in this extraordinary part of the world, there's always room for surprises.
似乎有些父母已经进化成了猎手
It seems that some parents have evolved into hunters.
科学家们发现，一些种类的丛林鹦鹉会用动物来源的蛋白质来增加它们的植物性饮食，
Scientists have discovered that some species of jungle parrots augment their plant-based diet with proteins of animal origin,
尤其是昆虫
especially that of insects.
这对鸟围攻了一个白蚁丘，迫使它的居住者暴露出来
This pair of birds lay siege to a termite mound to force its occupants out into the open.
当它们试图重建家园的时候，这些鸟会吃到心满意足
While they try to rebuild their home, the birds eat to their hearts' content.
但在加勒比海数量众多的猎手中，鹦鹉几乎算不上外行
But the parrots are barely amateurs among the Caribbean's very numerous hunters.
加勒比海的猎手中，有一些是地球上最毒的动物
Among the hunters of the Caribbean are some of the most poisonous animals on the planet.
珊瑚蛇
Coral snakes.
明亮、鲜艳、迅速
Bright, colourful, and rapid.
它们躲在丛林的地面上，等待另一条蛇穿过它们的道路
They hide on the jungle floor and wait until another snake crosses their path.
闪电般的动作和它的表亲被注射了致命的毒液
A lightning-fast movement and its cousin is injected with deadly venom.
但消化另一条蛇是一项巨大的努力
But consuming the other snake is a huge effort.
猎物和猎手一样长，但努力是值得的
The prey is as long as the hunter, but the effort is worth it.
这顿饭可以维持珊瑚蛇几个月的生命
This meal will sustain the coral snake for several months.
在附近，离海滩只有几米远的地方，还有其它同样明亮、色彩斑斓、暗示性的珊瑚
Close by, just a few metres from the beach, there are other corals just as bright, colourful, and suggestive.
它们为加勒比海带来了生机
These bring life from the belly of the Caribbean Sea.
加勒比地区是地球上一个独特的地方
The Caribbean region is a unique place on earth.
它拥有从海底开始的多样性和丰富的野生动物
It possesses a diversity and a wealth of wildlife that begins in the depths
并延伸到美洲最荒凉的大部分地区，
and extends over a gigantic portion of the wildest parts of America,
它赋予生命的海水和令人鼓舞的、爱抚的海浪的影响远远超出了海洋本身
the influence of its life-giving waters and encouraging, caressing waves reaching far beyond the sea itself.