我们的世界并非一成不变 Our world is not always the same.
我们的眼前就隐藏着另一个世界 Hidden from our view lies a different world.
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那里的生物与我们截然不同 Creatures utterly unlike us,
时间轴&特效：
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仿若来自外星 almost alien,
它们是世上数量最庞大的生物群体 yet they are more numerous than any other group on the planet.
压制&封装：
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欢迎来到美妙的节肢动物世界 Welcome to the fascinating world of the arthropods.
蜘蛛、蝎子和昆虫 Spiders, scorpions and insects.
如今我们有了先进的摄像技术 Today we have new camera techniques
这使得我们可以比以往更为细致地 that will allow us to review in greater details
研究它们的生活 than ever before of their lives.
它们争斗、进食 The way they fight and feed
和繁殖的方式 and reproduce.
本系列运用专门开发的3D摄像技术 This series uses specially-developed 3D camera technology
分别从野外和人造环境 to study the micro world
对这个微型世界 in extraordinary detail,
进行极其详尽的研究 both on location and in specially-constructed environments.
我们将见证它们的诞生 We'll witness their birth,
它们面临的挑战 the challenges they face,
以及它们命悬一线的时刻 and the moment when their lives hang in the balance.
这或许有助于我们理解 And that may help us understand how it is
为什么如今全世界80%的动物 that today over 80% of all animal species on this planet
都是节肢动物 are arthropods.
我们在本系列中将会了解到它们是 In the series, we will see the way they have evolved
如何从比较简单的马陆发展成 from the comparative simplicity of the millipede
包含数百甚至数百万个体的群体 to vast colonies that contain hundreds, even millions of individuals.
我们将目睹动物王国最非凡的变化 We'll witness the most extraordinary transmissions in the animal kingdom.
我们会看到蚂蚁耕作 We will meet ants that farm,
蜘蛛抛网捕猎 spiders that can cast their webs
虫子利用猎物遗体伪装自己 and the bug that wears the bodies of his victims as a disguise.
欢迎来到这个奇异而危险的世界！ Welcome to a strange and dangerous world!
大卫·爱登堡
微型怪物
掠食者
从它们初现在陆地上时起 Ever since they first appeared on land,
节肢动物们就为了地盘、配偶 The arthropods have been fighting one and another
以及食物 for territory, a mate
而争斗不休 and a meal.
为了生存，所有生物都必须进食 To survive, every living thing must eat
10%左右的节肢动物 and around 10% of arthropods
以其它节肢动物为食 eat other arthropods.
动物王国中有些最非凡的狩猎策略 Some of the most remarkable hunting strategies in the animal kingdom
就发生在我们眼皮底下 are happening right under our noses.
这些是豉甲 These are whirligig beetles
生活在世界各地的水塘里 and they live on ponds throughout the world.
它们像雷达一般利用水面 They use the water surface very like radar
来探测猎物 to detect their prey.
一只竹节虫 A stick insect
被水面张力牢牢黏住了 held fast to the water by surface tension.
它的挣扎令水面荡起了阵阵涟漪 Its struggles send vibrations across the water surface.
豉甲感受到了振动 The whirligig senses them
开启了水面雷达 and puts its water radar into action.
它以大约每秒12次的转速打转 It spins at a rate of around 12 times a second.
这种旋转运动 This spinning motion
使水面荡起细波 sends tiny ripples across the water.
细波触到竹节虫会反射回来 These bounce back from the stick insect.
豉甲感应微弱回波的原理 The whirligig detects the faint echoes
与雷达相似 in much the same way as radar.
它循波靠近猎物 And it closes in on the victim.
池塘各处的豉甲都会赶来 Whirligigs all over the pond join in.
它们也有雷达 They, too, have their own radar.
竹节虫迎战这群恶徒的 The stick insect stands little chance
胜算极小 against this ferocious horde.
豉甲利用身边的环境 Whirligigs use their environment
来探知猎物的存在 to help them detect the presence of prey,
但水面 but the surface of water
并不是唯一能传递信息的介质 is not the only medium for carrying messages.
有些掠食者已经发展出了 Some predators have developed
更为精密的狩猎手段 more sophisticated ways of hunting.
节肢动物中的一员：蜘蛛 One group of arthropods, the spiders,
能产生一种多用而且结实、 produce a substance so versatile, so strong,
被三万多种不同物种所用的物质： its used by 30,000 different species,
丝 silk.
它们将丝用于各种不同目的 They use it for a multitude of different purposes.
用于运输 For transport,
纺出一根细丝 spinning a filament
它们能借着随风而动的细丝 that catches in the wind
将自己抛向高处 and then lifts them aloft.
用作陷阱导索 As trap lines,
作为巢穴的内衬 as lining for their nests,
不过它们主要还是将它用于 but above all, they use it
捕捉猎物 to trap their prey.
这些惊人的蛛丝图案的作者 These striking patterns of silk
是雨林中最高效的掠食者之一： are made by one of the rainforest's most effective predators -
金蛛 Argiope,
又名圣安德鲁十字蜘蛛 the St. Andrew's Cross spider.
没人知道 Nobody is sure
为什么金蛛会在网的中间结出 why Argiope constructs this conspicuous white silken cross
这种醒目的十字白丝 at the center of her web.
有些专家认为这是一种警告 Some experts think that it serves as a warning,
不过这只苍蝇肯定没注意到 but this fly certainly didn't notice it.
金蛛用来束缚猎物 Argiope wraps her catch
防止其逃脱的 to prevent it from escaping
并非蛛网丝 using not web silk,
而是另一种无弹性的蛛丝 but a different non-stretch kind.
接着它用毒液将猎物麻醉 And then she paralyzes it with her toxic venom.
它会迟些再品尝猎物 She'll eat it later.
很快，好像又有猎物撞到网上了 Soon, another potential victim strays onto the web -
一只刺客蜘蛛 a Portia spider.
但在金蛛发动攻击之前 But before Argiope can strike,
刺客蜘蛛就退到了网的边缘 Portia retreats to the edge of the web.
它接下来的行为非常奇异 And then she does something very curious.
它拨动了精心挑选的蛛丝 She plucks on very carefully chosen strands.
产生的节律性振动 She creates rhythmic vibrations
安抚了金蛛 that calm Argiope.
金蛛没有攻击刺客蜘蛛 Instead of attacking Portia,
而是回到了蛛网的中心 Argiope returns to the the center of her web
而这正合刺客蜘蛛的心意 and that is exactly where Portia wants her
因为刺客蜘蛛猎杀其它蜘蛛 because Portia hunts other spiders
它盯上了这只金蛛 and has Argiope in her sights.
它离开了蛛网 She moves off the web
以便能够审视周围环境 so that she can survey the scene.
它持续数个小时 Over many hours,
都在附近的树枝上侦查 she move around the surrounding branches
寻找发动攻击的最佳位置 in search of the best point to launch an attack.
它用这种机械的动作 She uses these robotic movements
在金蛛面前伪装自己 to camouflage herself from Argiope.
对视力不佳的金珠来说 To poorly sighted creatures,
它看来就像一根 she probably looks like a twig
随风摆动的树枝 flattering in the wind.
这为刺客蛛争取 And this buys time
到了勘测时间 for her surveillance.
刺客蛛视力超群 Portia has superb eyesight
能够非常精确地判断出角度和距离 and she can judge angles and distances with great precision.
它正准备扑向金蛛 She's planning to pounce on Argiope.
它必须准确地落在猎物身上 She has to be exactly on target.
它的毒液瞬间杀死了金蛛 Her venom kills Argiope instantly.
正如多数蜘蛛，它不能进食固体 Like most spiders, she can't eat solid food.
所以它把消化液注入猎物体内 So she pumps her digestive juices into her prey
然后把尸体吸干 and then sucks the corpse dry.
地球是数百万种节肢动物的家园 Our planet is home to over a million species of arthropods.
如今它们是其它动物物种数的四倍 Today they outnumber other animal species 4 to 1.
它们的魅力之一就是：种类繁多 That's part of their fascination - their variety.
猎食者中最明显的例子就是 And that variety is evident in the predators
以其它虫子为食的虫子 the bugs that hunt other bugs.
其中最巧妙的 And the most ingenious of all
就是蜘蛛 are the spiders.
多数蜘蛛用蛛网捕捉猎物 Most spiders capsule their prey in a web.
丝线上面的胶质黏住猎物 Glue on the silken filaments traps a victim
同时蛛丝的振动 and vibrations through them
告诉蜘蛛美食在等着它 tell the spider that her meal is waiting.
不过蛛网有着各种形状和形式 But webs come in many shapes and forms
不同的蜘蛛喜欢在不同的地方 and different spiders have favored different places
结蛛网 in which to construct them.
圆木的内部 The inside of a log.
适合捕捉甲虫甚至小型爬行动物 is a good place to catch beetles and even small reptiles.
这些杂乱的丝线里 This tangle of silk
住着澳洲最让人害怕的蜘蛛之一： is the home of one of the Australia's most feared spiders -
剧毒的黑寡妇蜘蛛 the highly venomous red-back.
尽管外观混乱 Despite its appearance,
实际上这种蛛网相当复杂 this web is actually highly complex
而且设计非常精良 and very finely engineered.
其中包含蜘蛛所制造的最坚韧蛛丝 It contains some of the strongest silk produced by any spider.
结实到能够让它捕捉并搬运 So strong that she can catch and transport prey
远大于自己的猎物 far larger than herself.
它先用丝线把挣扎的甲虫 First, she winds strands of silk
捆得无法动弹 around the struggling beetle to immobilize it.
当甲虫精疲力尽后 When the beetle tires,
它就下口 she bites.
它必须把猎物拖到自己住的那部分 She must pull her victim up to the part of web
蛛网上 where she lives.
它开始扯断并重新连接这些丝线 She starts snipping and reattaching the lines of silk.
这些丝线都被绷紧了 These lines are under tense.
就像是弹簧 They're spring-loaded
能让黑寡妇蜘蛛 and that allows the red-back
在网上拖动巨大的重量 to haul huge weights around her web.
微小的雄性看着 The tiny male watches
它搬运猎物 as she retrieves her catch.
蜘蛛丝能像橡皮筋一样伸缩 Spider silk is as stretchy as elastic,
却比钢丝还难以弄断 but harder to snap than steel.
月出日落 As day turns to night
森林被黑暗吞没 and the forest is plunged into darkness,
夜行掠食者开始出穴狩猎 nocturnal predators are coming out to hunt.
其中就包括撒网蜘蛛 One of them is Deinopis -
也叫鬼面蜘蛛 the ogre-faced spider.
在热带地区随处可见 She is found throughout the tropics
它使用蛛丝的方法非常奇特 and she uses silk in a very different way.
它将网变成一张渔网 She has turned it into a net.
它树枝似的身体在树从间很难发现 Her stick-like body make her hard to spot amongst branches.
中间那对巨眼的敏感度 Her huge central pair of eyes
是人眼的两千倍 are 2,000 times more sensitive than ours.
为了保持性能 And to keep it that way,
它后眼的视网膜每天都要 she completely rebuilds the retina at the back of each eye
完全更新 every single day.
这让它能在几乎全黑的环境下捕猎 They enable her to hunt in almost complete darkness.
它用一些丝线把自己吊在 She hangs an inch or so above the forest floor
离地面一英寸左右的地方 from a series of silk lines.
它发动了攻击 She strikes.
把网张开罩在猎物身上 She stretches the net over her prey
然后用丝线把它裹得动弹不得 and then wraps it in silk to immobilize it.
最后 At last,
它才开始悠然地消化这餐美餐 she begins the slow process of digesting her meal.
对猎物而言，这种死法至少很痛快 For her prey, at least the end is quick.
它的速效毒液几乎瞬间致死 Her fast acting venom kills almost instantly.
不过毒液也能有其它用途 But venom can have other uses
而有些猎物就没那么幸运了 and some victims are not so lucky.
毒液既能用于攻击，也能用于防御 Venom can be used for both defense and attack,
但有些节肢动物还有更精妙的用法 but some arthropods use it in a more subtle way -
不是用于猎杀 not to kill,
而是控制 but to control.
在非洲和南亚的一些林地里面 In the woodlands in Africa and South Asia
生活着一种动物，它精妙的用毒法 lives a creature that has mastered the use of venom
举世罕见 like few others.
看看扁头泥蜂 Meet the jewel cockroach wasp.
它斑斓的身体在林地地面非常醒目 Her iridescent body stands out brightly against the forest floor,
但这鲜艳颜色的用途仍不为人所知 yet the purpose of the bright coloration is not known.
显然所有看到它的虫子 Certainly any bug that does spot her
都避之而唯恐不及 would do well to steer clear.
它并非 She hunts,
为自己而狩猎 but not for herself.
这只蟑螂 This cockroach
正是它要找的对象 is exactly what she's been looking for.
它比泥蜂强大许多 It's much larger and stronger than she is.
但泥蜂仍然发动了进攻 Nevertheless, she attacks.
它不会杀了蟑螂 She won't kill it.
而是要活捉它 She wants it alive.
它先给蟑螂注入一种毒液 First, she injects it with a venom
让蟑螂的前腿麻痹 that paralyzes its front legs.
这能防止它反抗 This prevents it fighting her off.
现在它将第二种毒液 Now she injects a second venom
直接注入蟑螂的脑部 directly into its brain.
奇妙的是 Amazingly,
这让蟑螂立刻失去了 this instantly stops the cockroach
应对危险的能力 responding to danger.
蟑螂变得完全温驯了 It becomes completely docile.
它把猎物带进了一个地洞中 She leads her victim to an underground burrow.
泥蜂将在洞穴中 Here she'll lay her egg
直接把卵产在蟑螂身上 directly onto the cockroach's body.
它把洞口用树叶封上 She conceals the burrow's entrance with leaf litter.
阻止其它掠食者 This will stop other predators
发现它的蟑螂和幼虫 finding the cockroach or her lava.
前五天，幼虫吸食蟑螂的体液 The lava spends five days sucking the cockroach's body fluids.
之后它将钻到蟑螂体内 Then, it will burrow inside
开始大吃 and begin to feed.
它先吃掉最不重要的部分 It eats the least essential parts first
将神经系统 and saves the nerve system
和呼吸系统留到最后 and the breathing system for last.
这个过程大概会持续十天或更久 The process then takes ten days or more.
在这期间 And for all that time,
蟑螂是活的 the cockroach is alive
但却无力反抗 and powerless to respond.
在这几周内 Over a period of weeks,
幼虫不断地生长和发育 the lava continues to grow and develop.
直到最后整只蟑螂只剩下 until eventually all that remains of the cockroach
空空如也的躯壳 is a dead empty husk.
里面会钻出一只发育成熟的泥蜂 And from it emerges a fully mature adult wasp
它将继续重复这个可怕的循环 ready to repeat the gruesome cycle for itself.
我们看到了节肢动物 We have seen some of the deadly ways
以致命的手段折磨对方 in which arthropods prey upon one another.
这些动物的狩猎方式 The way these creatures hunt
塑造了它们的身体和生活 has shaped their bodies and their lives.
节肢动物的生存之战 The struggle for survival amongst arthropods
也一样残酷 is also brutal,
不过这正是它们成功的秘诀 but that's a key to their success -
由最强壮的幸存者来繁殖下一代 the strongest survive to produce the next generation.
在下一集里 In the next program,
我将研究性欲是 I'll be looking at how the desire of sex
如何使虫子塑造出如此繁多的形态 can shape the bugs into a bewildering array of forms.
我们将会发现 We'll see how courtship
求偶并非如我们所看到的那样 is not always what it seams.
有些雄性通过贿赂雌性换来性交 Some males bribe females into having sex
有些则使用欺骗 and others trick them.
我们将会看到新生代微型怪物 And we'll see the next generation of micro monsters
小心翼翼地踏足 take their first tentative steps
它们微小却危机不断的世界 into their small and often dangerous world.