欢迎收看美洲大地 This is The Americas
这段非凡的旅程 横跨地球上这片超级大陆 an extraordinary journey across Earth's great supercontinent.
地球上物种最丰富的地区 The widest variety of life on the planet.
揭露我们家园未曾述说的故事 The untold story of our home.
今晚跟着美洲大地 Tonight on The Americas...
探索狂野西部 The Wild West.
这里上演过无数传奇故事 The stage for a thousand legendary stories...
山脉形塑出所有生灵的命运 where mountains shape the lives of all who live here...
构筑出地球上最标志性的景观 in some of the planet's most iconic landscapes.
黄石国家公园 Yellowstone.
索诺拉沙漠 The Sonoran Desert.
以及壮丽的北美大平原 And the spectacular Great Plains.
这里绝非弱者的立足之地 This isn't a place for the fainthearted.
要在此栖身 需要智慧 To call this home takes ingenuity...
韧性 resilience...
乃至无畏胆识 even true grit.
狂野西部构成了北美广袤的核心地带 The Wild West forms the vast heart of North America
既有富饶草原 home to fertile prairies
亦有炙热荒漠 and sun-scorched deserts.
这些全由一条山脊所塑造 All of this is shaped by a spine of mountains...
落基山脉 The Rockies.
海拔高达14000呎 Towering over 14,000ft
是北美最高的山脉之一 some of the highest mountains in North America.
怀俄明州群峰深处 Hidden in the peaks of Wyoming
藏着一片令人心驰神往的仙境 lies a place of spellbinding beauty.
黄石国家公园 Yellowstone.
冬季时 气温可骤降至华氏零下60度 In winter temperatures can plummet to 60 below.
宽达上百呎的河流封冻 Rivers a hundred feet wide freeze
只余涓涓细流 leaving just a trickle...
厚达4呎的积雪覆盖大地 and a blanket of snow lies 4ft deep.
在这个魔幻领域中生存绝非易事 Survival in this magical world is tough.
即便是最狡猾的动物 Even for the most wily of animals
郊狼也不例外 a coyote.
在这片冰天雪地的荒野里 In this snowbound world
牠仍能嗅出生机 he can still pick up a scent.
其嗅觉相较人类灵敏数倍 His nose is many times more sensitive than ours.
经过一小时搜寻 After an hour of searching...
寻得一根冰冻野牛骨 a frozen bison bone.
聊胜于无 Better than nothing.
郊狼总是寻寻觅觅着机会 Coyotes are always on the lookout for an opportunity.
牠的宿敌 一只赤狐 难道有所发现 Now is his archrival, a red fox, onto something?
田鼠会躲在积雪下的地道中 Voles hide in a network of tunnels beneath the snow.
来碰碰运气吧 Time to try this out.
好吧 Okay.
赤狐做起来轻而易举 That fox made it look easy.
真爱现 What a show-off.
不过还有其他地方值得探索 There are other places worth a look.
并非各处都白雪无垠 Not everywhere is covered in snow.
黄石国家公园坐落于一座超级火山上 Yellowstone sits above a supervolcano...
造就出举世闻名的温泉奇观 creating its world-famous hot springs.
其规模在地球上名列前茅 This is one of the largest on Earth
名为大棱镜温泉 known as Grand Prismatic.
克罗族称此地为 The Crow Tribe called this place
"燃烧之地" "the land of the burning ground."
此地蒸腾的间歇泉 Where steaming geysers
可喷涌至150呎高空 erupt 150ft into the air.
这股热能恰好能融化河流 All this heat is just enough to thaw the river.
为割喉鳟提供一片无冰的庇护所 An ice-free haven for cutthroat trout.
问题是该如何抓到 But how to catch one?
也许抢食会更容易些 Maybe stealing dinner would be easier.
前提是能够靠近 If he can get close enough.
但水獭是以家族为单位行动 But river otters work as a family.
体重合计破百磅的愤怒水獭可不好惹 Combined, that's more than a hundred pounds of angry otters.
至少试过了 It was worth a go.
可如今牠踏上了薄冰 Now he's on thin ice.
或许该展现狂野西部上 那份永不言败的精神了 Perhaps it's time to show that Wild West never-say-die spirit
并尝试自食其力捕鱼 and try fishing for himself.
不错 Not bad.
可圈可点 Not bad at all.
这里总有地方能取暖 Here, there's always somewhere to warm up
但山区的每一天都充满艰辛 but every day is tough in these mountains.
辛苦的不只有郊狼 And not just for a coyote.
在科罗拉多的群峰间 In the peaks of Colorado
严冬持续长达八个月 winter weather lasts eight long months.
春季直到五月才终于降临 It's May before spring finally arrives.
而许多西部故事中的反派角色 And the villain from many a Western...
准备亮相 makes its entrance.
科罗拉多这座崎岖山巅上 On this rocky peak in Colorado
海拔8000呎处 8,000ft up...
春季迅速降临 spring comes fast.
或许很难料到这种动物会在此复苏 And an animal you might not expect to find up here is stirring.
一条草原响尾蛇 A prairie rattlesnake.
这条雌蛇在地底渡过了冬季 This female has spent the winter deep underground
躲避了天寒地冻 sheltering from the cold.
还不单单只有牠 And she's not alone.
随着阳光替牠们暖身 As the sun warms their bodies
数百只蛇开始苏醒 hundreds are coming back to life.
牠们可能有八个月都未进食 They may not have eaten for eight months
于是立刻出发前往平原觅食 so they immediately head down to the plains to feed.
尽管山顶几乎没有食物或水源 But even though there's almost no food or water up here...
这只雌蛇还是留了下来 this female stays behind
因为牠怀孕了 because she's pregnant.
随着肚子逐渐增大 With a growing belly
牠变得迟缓且容易受到天敌威胁 she's becoming slow and vulnerable to predators.
因此牠待在这里 So she remains up here
方便随时逃进岩缝中 where she can easily escape into the rocks.
然而脱水且饥饿的牠 Already dehydrated and starving
这种作法恐会致命 it's a strategy that could kill her.
牠会几乎静止不动两个月 For two months, she'll barely move
尽可能保存能量 conserving all her energy.
可为了让肚里的小蛇继续成长 But for her babies to continue to grow inside her
牠仍然需要水分 she does need water.
雨滴附着在牠鳞片上的微小沟槽中 Droplets cling to microscopic grooves in her scales.
牠便能从自己3呎长的体表吸取水分 So she can suck moisture from the surface of her 3-ft-long body.
这就足以让雌蛇和小蛇存活下来 It's just enough to keep Mom and babies alive.
怀孕三个月 Three months into her pregnancy
且距上次进食已超过一年 and a year since her last meal
分娩的日子终于来临 her due date is finally here.
牠开始宫缩 Her contractions begin.
牠并非产卵 She doesn't lay eggs.
而是生下活体幼蛇 She gives birth to live young.
每只都是小型的完美响尾蛇 Each is a perfect rattlesnake in miniature
包裹在薄膜中 coiled inside a thin membrane.
迎来了第一口呼吸 The first breath.
虽然细小毒牙已经充满毒液 Although its tiny fangs are already loaded with venom
但幼蛇的响环太小 发不出招牌声响 a baby's rattle is too small to make its trademark sound.
一夜之间 By the end of the night
雌蛇又生下六只小蛇 Mom delivers six more babies.
牠们会在洞穴里过冬 They'll all spend the winter in the den.
到了明年春天 By next spring
雌蛇将会受饥长达20个月 Mom will have starved herself for 20 months.
无疑是活生生的西部巾帼英雄 She's a real-life Western heroine.
地势较低的山坡上 On lower mountain slopes
岁月已把尖峭的山脉 time has softened the jagged peaks
磨成了绵延起伏的丘陵 into gently rolling hills.
在加州的内华达山脉 In the Sierra Nevadas of California
古老橡树散布在大地 ancient oak trees are scattered across the landscape.
每当秋天到来 And come the fall
树上则挂满了珍宝 they're laden with treasure.
橡果 Acorns.
这是一只橡果啄木鸟 And this is an acorn woodpecker.
牠仰赖这些橡果来过冬 He relies on these nuts to survive the coming winter.
但必须囤积数千颗才行 But he'll need to store away thousands.
每颗橡果都必须嵌进专属的储藏孔 Every acorn must be wedged into its very own storage hole.
一颗就得敲凿整整20分钟 Each takes a full 20 minutes of chiseling
这可真是头疼 and that could be a real headache.
所幸牠们脑部对冲击力的耐受性 Fortunately, their brains can tolerate forces
远超出人类数千倍 thousands of times greater than ours can.
牠与家族成员分工合作 He and his family work as a team.
这在鸟类中极为罕见 One of the only birds in the world to do so.
团队合作还有一个益处 Teamwork is also handy
提防窃贼 to keep an eye out for thieves.
虽然牠们不分享食物 They might not share food
但与人类共存在这片肥沃丘陵 but they have shared these fertile hills with people
已有一万年之久 for 10,000 years.
牧场的发展带来转变 Ranchers brought change
也给了啄木鸟新的机遇 along with new opportunities for the birds.
谷仓的侧壁 或许是个省力的捷径 The side of a barn might offer a labor-saving shortcut.
于是另一群啄木鸟便把握这个机会 And another woodpecker family is taking advantage.
红杉护墙板比橡树更柔软 Redwood cladding is softer than an oak tree.
凿洞就能事半功倍 So they can work twice as fast.
然而 事情并不如预期顺利 But it's not all going to plan.
虽然红杉较软 The cladding may be soft
却过于单薄 but it's also thin.
这下没那么明智了吧 Not so clever now, huh?
多么丧气啊 How frustrating.
辛苦藏的橡果都积在墙板后 All those acorns piled up behind the boards.
直到 Until...
至少牠们还有机会能痛改前非 At least now they've got another chance to do it right.
有时候 Sometimes the old ways
老方法才最可靠 are the best ways.
至于橡树上的家族 For the oak tree family
努力倒是有所成果 their work has paid off.
该来稍作歇息 盘点收获了 Time to sit back and take inventory.
牠们已安全储藏了超过四千颗橡果 They've safely stored more than 4,000 acorns.
由于牠们专挑枯枝 And since they prefer dead branches
树木毫发无伤 the trees are unharmed.
这种树叫作"粮仓树" Known as a granary
在大自然中独树一帜 this is unlike anything else in nature.
这支顶尖团队将靠着粮仓树 渡过狂野西部的寒冬 It will see this top team through the Wild West winter.
内华达山脉的高峰 The peaks of the Sierra Nevadas
挡住了从海岸涌来的雨云 block rainclouds sweeping in from the coast.
最终的结果 The result?
就是一片广袤的沙漠 其中全然不同的挑战 Vast deserts that set a very different challenge
考验着狂野西部的生物 to life in the Wild West.
纪念碑谷 Monument Valley
这片令人屏息的壮丽景色 the breathtaking landscape
是上千部电影的取景地 in which a thousand movies are set.
这里是纳瓦霍族800年来的家园 This has been home to the Navajo Nation for 800 years.
这片西部沙漠是全北美最炎热且干燥的地区 These Western deserts are the hottest and driest in all of North America.
在索诺拉沙漠 Here in the Sonoran
气温经常飙升至华氏120度 the temperature often hits 120 degrees.
为了应对 And to cope
某种生物的生存策略 one animal has a survival strategy
宛如科幻作品般神奇 that seems straight out of science fiction.
一支全由雌蚁组成的团队 An all-female team of ants.
牠们知道艰难时期即将来临 They know that lean times lie ahead.
因此这些工蚁正忙碌奔波 So these worker ants are rushed off their feet
搜集花蜜和水 collecting nectar and water
储存在地下深处 to store away deep underground.
蚂蚁在地底9呎处建造巢穴 The ants build a nest 9ft beneath the surface
里面堆满了奇形怪状的储藏罐 packed with bizarre-looking storage pots.
但转折来了 But here's the plot twist.
这些罐子 The pots...
是活的 are alive.
罐子起初是普通的工蚁 They start life as ordinary worker ants
之后不断被喂食花蜜和水 but then are constantly fed nectar and water.
随着腹部膨胀 As they swell
上头的黑色硬质片因而撑开 the black bands of their abdomens are forced apart...
直到体积大如葡萄 until they end up the size of a grape.
此时这些工蚁余生的职责 Now they're destined to spend the rest of their lives
就是悬挂在巢穴顶部 hanging from the ceiling
成为活生生的储藏罐 as a living pantry.
这个蚁种也因而得名 And that's why this species is called...
蜜罐蚁 the honeypot ant.
每只蚂蚁各司其职 Every ant plays their part.
这只巨蚁就是蚁后 This giant is the queen.
牠的体型是工蚁的三倍大 Three times the size of the workers.
并且只负责产卵 All she does is lay eggs.
统治期间可产数百万颗 Millions during her reign.
过去五年 For the last five years
牠只产工蚁卵 she produced worker eggs.
而如今牠开始产下新的阶级 But now, she's making something new.
带翅的王子和公主 Princes and princesses with wings.
飞蚁 Flying ants.
飞蚁唯一的使命就是离巢 Their sole mission is to leave
并创建新的巢穴 and start fresh colonies.
不过牠们挖掘新巢的地点 However, they can only dig a new nest
只能是经雨水软化后的土壤 in earth that's been softened by rain.
而在这片沙漠中 And in this desert
牠们可有得等了 that could mean a long wait.
在烈日的照射下 As the sun beats down
蚁群的食物供应逐渐枯竭 the colony's food supply dries up.
此时蜜罐蚁的牺牲起了作用 Now the honeypots' sacrifice pays off.
每只蜜罐蚁开始 把存于体内的花蜜反刍出来 Each begins to regurgitate the nectar stored within its body.
由工蚁分食 Shared around by the workers
如此恰好足以供养整个蚁群 it's just enough to keep the whole colony alive.
暂时如此 For now.
但在索诺拉沙漠 But in the Sonoran
并非所有个体都有团队支持 not everyone has a team to back them up.
特别是这只单亲妈妈 Especially this single mom.
一只美国大山猫 A bobcat
还带着双倍麻烦 with double trouble.
一对双胞胎幼崽 Twins.
牠的小猫才几周大 Her kittens are just a few weeks old
完全仰赖母乳 and totally dependent on her milk.
雌猫一天得喂奶四次 Mom needs to feed them four times a day.
为了做到这点 牠急需水源 And to do that, she urgently needs water.
不像蚁群 Unlike the ant colony
牠没有存粮能依赖 she doesn't have a store to fall back on.
所以必须离开孩子 So she must leave her family
独自外出 and venture out alone.
这片土地两个月来未曾降下一滴雨 This land hasn't received a drop of rain in two long months.
牠面临艰巨挑战 She's got her work cut out.
小猫的存亡全靠牠了 The survival of her kittens depends on her.
即便有存粮 Despite their stores
蜜罐蚁也渐感绝望 even the honeypot ants are getting desperate.
由于僧多粥少 With so many extra mouths to feed
假如干旱持续 if the drought continues
存粮将会耗尽 their supply will run dry
蚁群终究会全数饿死 and they'll all starve.
极度干旱的索诺拉沙漠里 In the bone-dry Sonoran Desert
所有生物皆引颈盼望着同一件事 everyone is waiting for one thing.
天降甘霖 Rain.
暴雨持续得不久 The storm doesn't last long.
但已经足够了 But it's enough.
山猫会连续猛喝水五分钟 A bobcat will gulp water for five minutes straight.
小猫 The tiny kittens
焦急地等待着母亲归来 are anxiously waiting for Mom's return.
终于啊 About time too.
现在牠们终于能解渴了 Now they can get a drink at last.
精力恢复后 Fully revived
牠们又重操拿手本领 they're back to what they do best.
牠们对沙漠暗藏的危险却是了解甚少 What little they know of the dangers of the desert.
对蚂蚁来说 For the ants
雨水浸透的土地 the rain-soaked ground
正是牠们期待已久的 is exactly what they've been waiting for.
工蚁完成最后的飞行检查 The workers complete last-minute flight checks.
牠们准备好要起飞了 And they are cleared for takeoff.
几分钟内 数百对拍动的翅膀满天飞 Within minutes the air is filled with hundreds of fluttering wings.
终于能进行使命任务了 They can do what they were born to do.
在沙漠中建立新巢 Set up new colonies across the desert.
东方千哩处 A thousand miles to the east
便是北美大平原 lie the Great Plains
面积5亿英亩 covering 500 million acres
横跨10州 and ten different states.
落基山脉矗立其侧 They're flanked by the Rockies
使空气南北流动 which funnel air north and south
形成了美国风力最强的地区 creating the windiest place in the US.
当温暖的南风碰上寒冷的北风 When warm winds from the south collide with cold northerlies
怪物就此诞生 monsters are born.
雷暴 Thunderstorms.
强度是世界上数一数二的 Some of the most powerful in the world.
其能量可媲美一百颗核弹的总和 They can contain the same energy as a hundred nuclear bombs.
干旱草地瞬间起火 Dry grass is ignited in a flash.
中西部的火灾每年能烧毁 超过一百万英亩的土地 Fire in the Midwest can ravage over a million acres every year.
大火肆虐 And in its wake
改变了这里的生命 life here is transformed.
野火看似是灾难 Wildfires may seem like a disaster
事实上却造就了大平原的模样 but, in fact, they make the Great Plains what they are.
火灾防止了树木过剩 Fire prevents trees from taking over
并触发了自然重生的循环 and sparks off a natural cycle of rebirth.
这些草看似枯死了 The grasses may appear to be dead.
实则深入地底15呎以上 But by extending more than 15ft below the surface
根系依然活着 their roots live on.
这下草根能从灰烬中吸取养分 Now they absorb nutrients from the ash.
几周后 And within weeks
新生嫩草引来了饥肠辘辘的野牛群 fresh new growth attracts eager herds of bison.
美洲最大的陆生哺乳动物 The largest of America's land mammals
重达一吨 weighing in at a ton
肩高六呎 and standing 6ft tall at the shoulder.
广大牛群每年跋涉一千哩 Vast herds cover a thousand miles a year
寻找最鲜美的牧草 in search of the best grazing.
这些大块头对热量的需求极大 These beefcakes demand a lot of calories.
然而在南达科他 But here in South Dakota
这只老公牛没时间进食 this old male has no time to dine.
而是忙着靠打斗来获取交配机会 He's too focused on fighting for the chance to mate.
牠已为此掉了将近200磅 He's lost almost 200 lbs trying
仍然未能成功吸引雌性 and still no success with the ladies.
想确认雌性是否处于发情期的牠 一点也不低调 Confirming a female is in heat isn't subtle.
这可能是牠今年交配季的最后机会 She could be his last chance in this year's rut
因此牠决定守在雌牛身边 so he'll stay by her side.
不过牠将迎战一名挑战者 But she has competition from a rival
而且对方更年轻 and a younger one at that.
这只老公牛得站稳立场 This old bull needs to stand his ground.
若双方都不让步 If neither backs down
打斗就无可避免了 a brawl is inevitable.
牠俩势均力敌 They're closely matched
但老公牛善用地形 but the old bull uses the terrain to his advantage.
最终获胜 Victory.
赢得了雌性芳心 And with it, he does get the girl.
两百年前 Two hundred years ago
野牛数量约有六千万头 there were around 60 million bison.
在短短30年的过度捕杀后 After just 30 years of intensive hunting
一度仅剩不到千只 there were fewer than a thousand left.
如今牠们受到保护 Now they're protected
数量逐步回升 and with their numbers recovering
吸引了大量人群来观看其交配季 people flock to watch the rut.
但我们对大草原的影响其实更加深远 But we've had an even greater impact all across the prairie.
这片开阔平地很适合发展农业 The flat open land is perfect for agriculture...
尤其是大规模农业 on an industrial scale.
这里是美国的粮仓 It's America's breadbasket.
如今逾八成的北美平原都成了农田 More than 80 percent of all North American prairie is now farmland.
这个环境对多数野生动物着实不易 It's a difficult place for most wildlife.
但还是有些例外 But there are exceptions.
恐龙的后代 Descendants of dinosaurs.
内布拉斯加州的田野中 Here, in the fields of Nebraska...
沙丘鹤在北迁途中稍作停留 sandhill cranes make a pit stop on their migration north.
牠们每年造访这片大平原的惯例 They've been coming to this part of the Great Plains every year
自上次冰河时代结束后就已存在 since the end of the last Ice Age.
牠们旧的觅食地早已消失 Their ancient feeding grounds are long gone
如今却有新的契机可善用 but they've now taken advantage of a new opportunity
收成后剩下的玉米粒 corn kernels left over from the harvest.
夕阳西下时 As dusk falls
鹤群飞往夜间栖息地 the cranes head off to roost.
普拉特河 On the Platte River
密西西比河的一条支流 a tributary of the mighty Mississippi.
河道特别宽而浅 It's unusually wide and shallow.
对鹤来说相当理想 Perfect for cranes.
牠们能轻松地走进水中 They can wade right out into midwater.
使得郊狼无法偷偷靠近 So coyotes can't sneak up on them.
只能捡食因恶劣天气 They make do with the odd one
而丧生的零星少数 that succumbed to the elements.
鹤群停留时 While they're here
进入了求偶期 the courting season begins.
这只年轻雄鹤试图要展现自己 This young male is hoping to make an impression
雌鹤们也在打量牠 and the females are checking him out.
对鹤来说 For cranes
爱意 the language of love
由跳舞来传达 is dance.
牠成功吸引了一只雌鹤的目光 He's caught one particular female's eye.
若雄鹤的舞步打动了雌鹤 If his moves impress her
雌鹤就会依样画葫芦 she'll copy them.
整套动作以芭蕾般的优雅舞步作结 The routine builds to its balletic finale.
无论未来好坏 For better or worse
牠们将会相伴余生 they'll be together now for the rest of their lives.
时间可能长达30多年 And that can be over 30 years.
随着天色渐暗 As the light fades
越来越多鹤到此加入这场合唱 more and more birds arrive to join the chorus.
全球八成的沙丘鹤 Eighty percent of the world's sandhill cranes roost
栖息在普拉特河 on the Platte River.
数量超过五十万只 That's over half a million cranes.
这是地球上野生动物的奇观之一 One of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet
但在奇妙的狂野西部 but just another day in the extraordinary world
这天再平凡不过了 of the Wild West.
待续
谢谢观赏