昆虫王国 Insectia ============ 记录片之家倾情奉献 http://www.jlpzj.net/ 本字幕仅供学习交流，严禁用于商业用途 ============ 听译&时间轴：样子@纪录片之家
时光旅行者 Time Traveler ============ 记录片之家倾情奉献 http://www.jlpzj.net/ 本字幕仅供学习交流，严禁用于商业用途 ============ 听译&时间轴：样子@纪录片之家
想不想见见奇妙的东西？ Do you want to see something fantastic?
来看一眼 Just take a look.
这个三维图像 This three dimensional image
从史前时代直接存留至今 has come to us straight from the prehistoric age.
对这只昆虫来说，在几百万年前 Time stopped for this insect
时间就已不再流逝 millions of years ago.
我们的摄像机也算非常精密 Our camera may be very sophisticated,
但却没法带我们回到过去 but it cannot take us back to the past.
这是我们真正的时光旅行机器 This is our real time-travel machine -
一块琥珀 a piece of amber.
被这种奇异的物质保存的每个标本 Every specimen preserved in this remarkable substance
都有自己的故事 has its own story to tell,
述说着气候 about the climate,
植被 the vegetation
和自己的生活 and its own life
而那个世界如今已经永远消失了 from a world that has disappeared for ever.
我们要出发去多米尼加共和国 We are off to the Dominican Republic
在那里有更多这样的时光旅行者 where more of these fascinating time travelers
在等着我们 are waiting for us.
我们的旅程开始 We began our journey
要在一个城市短暂停留 with a quick stop-over in a city
那就是圣多明各 that was founded 500 years ago -
建于五百年前 Santo Domingo,
它是美洲最古老的城市之一 one of the oldest cities in the Americas.
克里斯托弗·哥伦布1492年到达 Christopher Columbus arrived on the Island of Hispaniola
伊斯帕尼奥拉岛 in 1492.
从最一开始 From the first day,
他就知道会找到无价的宝藏 he knew he would find invaluable treasure
因为当地居民送给了他一双鞋 because the inhabitants gave him a pair of shoes
上面用琥珀做装饰 inlaid with pieces of amber.
情景也很合适 And appropriately enough,
雕像所指的好像就是 the statue seems to be pointing in the direction
琥珀博物馆的方向 of the Museum of Amber.
这个博物馆是圣多明各最有名的 This museum is one of the most famous tourist attractions
旅游景点之一 in Santo Domingo.
人们从古时候就开始用琥珀 People have been making ornaments out of amber
进行装饰 since ancient times.
它曾被看做 It was always considered
是准宝石 a semiprecious stone.
其实它是聚合物 It's actually a polymer,
一种自然形成的塑料 a kind of natural plastic
摸上去较软 that is soft to the touch
富有金色光泽 with a rich golden sheen.
在二楼 On the second floor
有博物馆的主人卡利戴德先生 is the magnificent collection of Senor Caridad,
出色的收藏 the owner of this museum.
他的所有琥珀 All of his amber pieces
有含有奇妙的化石 contain amazing fossils,
其中很多是昆虫 many of which are insects.
在十九世纪中期 In the middle of the 19th century,
科学家们开始研究 scientists began to investigate
琥珀令人惊异的属性 the surprising properties of amber.
他们想到的第一个问题就是 The first question that comes to mind is
这些植物和昆虫 how did plants and insects
是怎样进入这个漂亮的包裹里的 get inside such beautiful packages.
我正在马德里自治大学的校园里 I'm here on the campus of the Universidad Autonoma
来解开谜团 to solve the mystery,
找到多米尼加共和国 了不起的琥珀制造者 to find the descendent of the greatest amber producer
如今的后代 in the Dominican Republic.
这是一棵角豆树 This is an Algarrobo.
两千万年前 20 million years ago,
这些树木的祖先占据着 this tree's ancestors dominated
原始的森林 the primeval forest
那时的森林覆盖全岛 that covered the whole island.
我们如今发现的所有琥珀 All the amber we find today
都是这些古树树脂 is the byproduct of the raisin
带来的副产品 of these ancient trees.
把你的表往回调 So set your watches back
两千万年 20 million years.
这个场景在数千万年前的 巨大角豆树森林里面 This scene took place everyday millions of years ago
每天都在上演 in the great Algarrobo forest.
一只住在树皮缝隙里面的甲虫 A beetle living inside a crack in the bark of a tree
从藏身处爬出来 walks out of its hiding place
巡视自己的地盘 to patrol its territory.
在树干上方不远处 A little further up the trunk,
有一根树枝被风折断 a branch has been broken by the wind.
树木产生大股树脂流 The tree produces a flood of raisin
来堵住伤口 to plug up the wound
防止昆虫进入到里面 and to prevent insects from penetrating it.
粘稠的树脂滴流 The trickle of thick liquid
很快变成洪流 soon becomes a flood
带走了它的第一个受害者 carrying away its first victim.
一群蚂蚁 A troop of ants,
把树干当成公路 using this tree trunk as a highway,
遭到了这股树脂的突然袭击 are completely surprised by this torrent of raisin.
它们被淹没 They are submerged
这些工蚁形成了静止的画面 forming a still life of workers
以行进队形被永远困住 trapped forever in marching formation.
一只黄蜂 A wasp,
被树脂的糖味吸引而来 attracted by the sugary smell of the raisin,
离这股粘稠的陷阱 approaches the sticky trap
靠得太近了 a little too closely.
树脂一遇到空气 The raisin immediately starts to harden
就立刻开始硬化 as it comes into contact with the air.
然后真正的奇迹发生了 Then a real miracle takes place.
树脂里奇妙的防腐物质 The raisin's amazing preservative substances
穿透进入到昆虫体内 penetrate the insect bodies
破坏了所有微生物和细菌 and destroy all germs and bacteria.
每一丝水分都不会留下 Every trace of water or humidity is removed.
标本被完全脱水 The specimen is completely dehydrated
它的组织不再会腐败 and its tissue will no longer deteriorate.
这就是为什么有些昆虫 This is why we find insects
像这只蜉蝣一样纤弱 as delicate as this mayfly
却在数千万年后仍然完整 still intact after millions of years.
现代树木 Modern trees
不再像古代角豆树那样 don't produce as much raisin
产生那么多树脂 as the ancient Algarrobos.
不过琥珀的形成 But the amber is created
仍是一模一样 exactly the same way.
这块琥珀里的分子 The molecules in this chunk of raisin
已经开始融合 have started to fuse.
不过还需要几千万年的时间 But it will take a few million years more
才会变得像琥珀那么坚硬 before it becomes as hard as amber.
渐渐地 Gradually,
树脂会被灰尘和植物碎片覆盖 dust and plant debris will cover the raisin.
有些树脂块会被冲走 Some pieces will be washed away
带到河流的底部 and carried to the river bottom
甚至进入大海 or even off to sea.
时光飞逝 Over time,
它们会被盖上成吨的沉积物 they will be covered by tons of sediment.
琥珀被埋藏得比从前海盗 Amber is buried deeper than the treasures
在伊斯帕尼奥拉岛海岸 once hidden by pirates
埋藏的宝藏还要深 along the coast of Hispaniola.
我们将会旅行到这个国家的北部 We will have to travel to the north of the country to find it,
去环绕圣地亚哥市的群山 to the mountains surrounding the city of Santiago.
尽管琥珀被埋在深处 Even if the amber is buried,
我们却可能得向上爬一段 才能找到它们 we may have to do some climbing to get to it.
这些山脉由地质力量形成 These mountains were formed by geological forces
它们从海底升起 that raised the seabed
含琥珀矿脉的沉积层 and layers of sediment
也随之一起升起 that trapped the amber veins.
有时候 Sometimes,
能从开放的矿坑 amber can be extracted
找到琥珀 from open pit mines.
不过在这里 But here,
矿层从山中穿过 the seam runs straight through this mountain.
通常矿工们要挖一百多米的隧道 才能到达 Often, the miners must tunnel more than 100 meters to reach it.
这是非常累人的工作 It's backbreaking work
通常伴随着令人窒息的潮热 often performed in stifling heat and humidity.
隧道越深 As the tunnel goes deeper,
氧气就越少 oxygen becomes scarce.
不过琥珀的诱惑非常大 But the lure of amber is very powerful.
如你所见 As you can see,
这里的一切都要手工完成 everything here is done by hand
因为机器的振动 because machine vibrations
能够打碎琥珀 could smash the amber.
我要前往圣地亚哥 I'm off to Santiago
去把这些石头擦亮 to get these stones polished.
这是魔法时刻 This is the magic moment.
久远以前就已消失的昆虫 Insects which have long ago disappeared
在我们眼前重见天日 are reborn before our very eyes.
我们在这里发现了树皮和食菌小蠹 What we find here are bark and ambrosia beetles
这个结果并不意外 and that should come as no surprise.
角豆树产生的很多树脂 Much of the raisin produced by the Algarrobo trees
就是为了控制这些小钻机 was to keep these tiny drilling machines under control.
如今这些甲虫的后代 Today, the descendants of these beetles
仍然终生在树皮下 still spend their lives digging tunnels
和树干里挖隧道 under bark or inside tree trunks.
小螨虫甚至会爬到它的背上 Small mites might even grab onto their backs
在树木间搭顺风车旅行 for a free ride from one tree to another.
每块新的琥珀 Every new amber piece
里面都有不同昆虫 reveals different insects
它们都曾经在角豆树附近生活 that were once living around the Algarrobo tree.
这里是一只等待伏击的螳螂 Here's a mantis waiting in ambush.
靠近树木的根部 Lower down near the root,
一只蜈蚣正在追踪猎物 a centipede is tracking its prey.
一只蜘蛛把网布在小树枝上 A spider has put on its web among a small branch.
稍远处，一只飞虫正要起飞 Further along, a fly is taking off.
掠食者感到了空气中的振动 The predator senses vibrations in the air.
这是飞虫在靠近并落到网上 It's the fly approaching and it lands in the web.
蜘蛛突然抓住了猎物 In a flash, the spider grabs it prey.
一束阳光洒在一群蚂蚁身上 A sun beam falls on a cloud of ants
它们被永久定格在交配场景之中 caught in the fever of their mating dances.
雌性和雄性相互追逐 Males and females chase
求偶并进行交配 and court each other and mate
直到永世 for all eternity.
在研究琥珀里的昆虫时 When we study insects in amber,
我们意识到它们中 we realize that many of them
很多在当时都很先进 were pretty advanced for their time.
就说这些无刺蜂 Take these stingless bees.
它们两千万年前 Well, they were building cities
就在建造城市 20 million years ago.
它们仍然用树脂 They still use raisin to build
构建巢穴的内部结构 the internal structures of their nests.
非常有可能的是 In all likelihood,
它们的祖先就使用角豆树的树脂 their ancestors used Algarrobo raisin
因为发现了很多困在琥珀里的工蜂 since many worker bees have been found trapped in it.
收集树脂是个危险的活儿 Gathering raisin was a dangerous business
因为掠食者会在树脂池旁 等待捕捉猎物 because predators would prowl around these raisin pools.
其中最可怕的 Perhaps the nastiest of them all
是一种猎蝽 was an assassin bug.
这种昆虫会把前腿裹上树脂 This insect would coat its front legs with raisin.
它只需要 All it had to do then
用粘粘的腿抓住可怜的蜜蜂就行 was grab a poor bee with these sticky legs
然后再用尖嘴扎死猎物 and stab it with this pointed beak.
最让人称奇的是 What the most surprising is
有些特定的猎蝽 that certain assassin bugs
现在还在使用这一战术 still use this tactic today.
它们有时候会待在 Sometimes they position themselves
无刺蜂蜂巢的入口处 at the entrance to a stingless bees' hive.
它们确实能够消灭整个蜂群 They can literally wipe out an entire colony
因为这些蜜蜂在起飞 because the bees are vulnerable
和降落时防御最弱 when they take off and land.
不过猎蝽还有另外一个花招 But assassin bugs have another trick up their sleeves.
这些困在网里的蜜蜂很慌乱 The bees trapped in my net are panicking.
所以它们会释放一种化学物质 So they emit a chemical substance
警告其它蜜蜂 that alerts the other bees.
不过猎蝽 But the assassin bugs
也认识这种气味 also recognize this smell.
所以它们立即冲到我的网上 So they rush immediately to my net
想要不费力就吃到美餐 in order to find an easy meal.
有人怀疑猎蝽经过了数千万年 One suspects it took the assassin bug millions of years
才能辨识这种气味 to recognize that odor.
多亏了琥珀 Thanks to the amber,
我们才能够证明 we can prove it.
琥珀里的昆虫 也带给我们宝贵的信息 Insects in amber also give us valuable information
能了解到它们生活的古代热带森林 about the ancient tropical forest where they live.
比如这个漂亮的网状物 This magnificent lacework, for example.
这是一种大豆娘的翅膀 It's the wing of a large damselfly.
这就说明当时伊斯帕尼奥拉岛上 This is evidence that must have been bromeliads
肯定有凤梨 on Hispaniola
因为这种豆娘的现代后代 because their modern descendents
产卵只选在这种植物 only lay their eggs in the water
叶子形成的水库里面 of the leaf reservoir of these plants.
反过来，植物碎片也能证明 Inversely, plant fragments can also prove
某种昆虫的存在 the existence of certain insects.
琥珀里保存的相思树花 Acacia flowers preserved in amber
表明那时也有相思树蚁 show that Pseudomyrmex ants existed then
因为它们总是住在相思树里 because they always live inside Acacia trees.
我们能说白蚁的社会生活 We can say that the social life of termites began
在两千多万年前就开始了 more than 20 million years ago
这名光荣捐躯的勇敢兵蚁 as shown by this brave soldier
就是很好的说明 died on the field with honor.
这只小小的半翅目昆虫 This tiny Homopteran
为它的后代留下了实在的遗产 has left a solid heritage for its descendents -
蜡质扇子 A wax fan
经历了千万年光阴 that has crossed thousands of millennia
都没少一片扇羽 without losing a feather.
我们在琥珀里找到的昆虫 The insects we find in amber
揭示了它们在进化史上 了不起的成功 reveal both the great successors and resounding defeats
和巨大的失败 that have marked their evolution.
就算我们费尽全力 Despite all our efforts,
也无法再次重建 we will never be able to recreate
壮丽的原始森林 the majestic primal forest.
几乎所有我们在琥珀中 Almost all the species of plants
发现的植物和昆虫物种 and insects we find in amber
如今都已经消失 have disappeared today,
它们是一场大灭绝的牺牲品 the victims of mass extinction.
灾难也许是随着气候的变化而开始 Perhaps the catastrophe began with a climate change
或是因为大陆过来的 or with the invasion of competing species
竞争物种 from the continent.
昆虫对最细微的变化都很敏感 Insects, sensitive to even the slightest change,
很可能最先受到影响 were probably the first to be effected.
随着它们的消亡 With their demise,
引发了多米诺骨牌效应 a domino effect was set in motion.
授粉者的消失 The disappearance of pollinators
导致了很多植物物种的迅速衰落 led to the swift decline of many plant species
而整个生态系统 and the entire ecosystem
也很快崩塌 soon crumbled.
就连角豆树也会不见 Even the Algarrobos would disappear
只留下成千上万的微小残骸 leaving behind thousands of tiny relics
冻结在琥珀之中 frozen in amber
这是它们留给未来的遗产 as their legacy for future generations.
仿佛一夜之间 Almost from one day to the next,
猎蝽这样的特化掠食者 specialized predator like assassin bugs
因为仅仅进食无刺蜂 that focus just on stingless bees
而发现没有了猎物 found they had no prey.
这些昆虫的消失 The disappearance of all these insects
带来的悲惨命运波及到 also had terrible consequences
岛上的爬行动物 for reptiles, bird
鸟类和以昆虫为食的哺乳动物 and other insect-eating mammals on the island.
如今，人类行为正在导致 另一次大规模灭绝 Today, human activities are causing another massive extinction
甚至比过去的一些自然灾难 还要严重 even more damaging than some past natural disaster.
每次我在注视琥珀里的昆虫时 Every time I see an insect in amber,
我都问自己： I ask myself:
“我们还会有多久 "How much time do we have
“才变成为过去的残骸？” "before we become a relic of the past?"