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.
我们研究它们的诞生 We'll witness their birth,
它们所面临的挑战 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
家 族
节肢动物之间的生存竞争 The struggle for survival amongst arthropods
往往很残酷 is often brutal.
但这正是它们成功的关键： But that's a key to their success -
只有最强者 the strongest survive
才能活下来繁衍后代 to produce the next generation.
后代的诞生 The birth of offspring
并不一定是父母职责的终点 is not always an end to parental responsibilities.
在多数节肢动物抛下幼虫 Whilst most arthropods
任它们自生自灭的时候 leave their young to fend for themselves,
也有少数会选择照顾后代 a small minority look after them.
它们构建了家族 They've become families.
在澳大利亚的热带森林里 And in the tropical forests of Australia
生活着一种很奇特的生物 lives one of the most surprising.
这是犀牛蟑螂 This is the giant burrowing cockroach.
它是世界上最大的蟑螂之一 It's one of the largest cockroaches in the world.
如果把它放在手上 If you were to hold it,
它能覆盖整个手掌 it will fill the palm of your hand.
尽管其貌不扬 Despite its appearance,
它却不是害虫 it isn't a pest.
其实它是森林里最有用的昆虫之一 In fact, it's one of the most useful insects in the forest.
澳大利亚人称之为落叶虫 Australians call it the litter bug
因为它能通过进食树叶和碎屑 because it cleans up the forest floor
清理森林地面 eating leaves and detritus.
这是一只雌虫 This one is a female.
它怀孕了 She's pregnant
正在挖掘洞穴 and she's digging a tunnel
为了繁育后代 in order to create a safe place
而打造一个安全的居所 where she can produce her young.
它的洞穴深达一米 Her tunnel is a meter deep,
相当于你或我 the equivalent of you or me
挖掘二十多米的工作量 digging down more than 20 meters.
它在这里生育幼虫 And here she gives birth.
此后 Having done so,
多数昆虫会离开 most insects would leave
任由它们的幼虫自生自灭 and their young would be left to fend for themselves,
但它不一样 but not her.
它会照顾自己的孩子数个月 She will care for her young for months
让它们在它的壳下保持潮湿和温暖 keeping them moist and warm under her shell.
它偶尔会回到地面上 Occasionally, she'll return to the surface
收集桉树叶喂养幼虫 to collect eucalyptus leaves for them to eat.
这种蟑螂能活上8年，甚至更久 This cockroach will live 8 years or more.
在此期间 During that time,
它大约会繁育150只后代 she will produce around 150 young.
对于初生儿前六个月的悉心照料 And by caring for them for the first 6 months of their lives,
确保了每一只幼虫都能 she ensures that every one of them
享有最好的开始 gets the best possible start.
最终，它们都会离开巢穴 Eventually, they will leave the nest
开始独立生活 and begin life on their own.
但有些生物的社会生活体系更完善 But some creatures have taken social living a step further.
它们的孩子从不分家 Their youngster never leave.
全家一起相守终生 The families stay together for life.
这片巨大的白丝网 This massive white silk
是一种极不寻常的蜘蛛的家 is home to a very unusual spider.
蜘蛛通常独来独往 Spiders are usually solitary,
但这些蜘蛛则不一样 but these spiders are different.
它们是群居的 They are social.
它们数百只成群地生活在一起 They live in groups up to a hundred
而且全都有着亲缘关系： and they are all related -
兄弟姐妹 brothers and sisters,
父母叔伯 parents, uncles and aunts.
都在同一片网上 all on the same web.
它们一起生活 They live side by side
共同狩猎 and hunt together.
这里的蜘蛛妈妈也照料孩子 Here, too, the mothers care for their young.
这些蛛卵孵化之后 Once these eggs are hatched,
蜘蛛妈妈会反刍出食物喂养幼蛛 she'll feed the spiderlings by regurgitating food
直到它们长到能够自己捕猎 until they are old enough to hunt for themselves.
现在 For now,
有这么多蜘蛛在网上警戒 with so many spiders guarding the web,
它放心地离开蛛卵去寻找食物 it's safe for her to leave the eggs in search of food.
这只螳螂太大了 This mantis is far too large
任何一只蜘蛛都不是它的对手 for any single spider to attack.
所以它们群起攻之 So instead, they collaborate.
附近所有蜘蛛都来帮忙拖倒它 All the nearby spiders help haul it down.
连年轻的小蜘蛛们也伸出了援手 Even the smaller young spiders lend the hand.
终于 它们的猎物耗尽了精力 Eventually, when their prey is exhausted,
蜘蛛们开始了美餐 the spiders feed.
幼蛛食用网上 It's not unusual for spiderlings
年长蜘蛛尸体的行为 to eat the bodies of older spiders
并不算稀奇 that have died in the web.
事实上，有一些群居型蜘蛛 In fact, in some species of social spider,
雌蛛在幼蛛孵化时就会死去 the mother always dies when the spiderlings hatch
幼蛛会吃掉它的尸体 and they feed on her corpse.
这样新一代得以延续 So the generations pass
家族也得以繁荣 and the family thrives.
这片巨大的蛛网大约能坚持5年 This vast web will persist for perhaps 5 years
直到蜘蛛一家迁至别处 until eventually the family moves on.
以大家族的形式生活在一起 By living together as an extended family
并且能够相互照顾 and all looking out for each other,
让这些群居蜘蛛的生存有了保障 these social spiders have helped guarantee their survival.
但有些昆虫的运用更甚一筹 But some insects have taken this practice a stage further.
家族成员已经开始各司其职 Family members have begun to specialize.
在澳大利亚的雨林里 In the rainforest of Australia,
上百万只织叶蚁生活在一起 green ants live in groups of up to a million.
但是这些社群的初始规模并不大 But these communities have small beginnings.
这一户只有几百只蚂蚁 This family consists of just a few hundred ants
它们在寻找能够安家的地方 and they are searching for a place to build their home.
它们似乎发现了合适的地点 The family seems to have found a suitable location.
现在可以开始建造了 Now they can start construction.
最强壮的蚂蚁爬到同伴的背上 Climbing on each other's backs,
并努力去抓对面的叶片 the strongest ants reach across the gaps
将叶子拉到一起 and pull the leaves together.
它们的巢穴将由这些叶子拼接而成 Their nest will be made by joining these leaves.
但要想完成 But to do that,
还需要家里最年轻的成员来帮忙： they need help from the youngest members of the family -
幼虫 the larvae.
这些小小的白色幼虫不会活动 These tiny white youngsters are immobile,
但是却身负一项绝技 but they have a remarkable ability
而工蚁则有本事让它们出招 which the worker ants have the skills to stimulate.
当成年工蚁用触角轻抚它们时 When the adults worker stroke them with their antennae,
幼蚁就开始吐丝 the young larvae produce silk.
工蚁们用这些丝 The workers use the silk
把叶子粘在一起 to stick the leaves together.
有些工蚁把叶子拉到合适位置 Some workers pull the leaves into position
精巧的丝线编织还在继续 and the delicate silk weaving continues.
巢穴终于大功告成 Finally the nest is complete.
蚂蚁们有了结实防水的安居之所 It will provide a strong water-proof safe-home for the ants,
但它还有另外一个更重要的功能： but it serves an even more important purpose -
作为它们的首领 as home to their leader,
蚁后的住所 their queen.
它是整个家族的母亲 She is the mother of the entire family
也是唯一能繁育后代的存在 and the sole producer of young.
如果没有它 Without her,
整个蚁群就会垮掉 the community will fail.
节肢动物一般都会生下很多后代 Arthropods typically produce their young in huge numbers.
有一些会照料后代 Some look after their offspring
并按家族聚集 and stay together as families.
随着这些家族规模的增大 As these families grow in size,
它们需要组织 they need organization.
很多家庭都有中心成员： And many have a central figure -
它们的母亲 their mother,
它们的皇后 their queen.
欧洲和北美洲遍布着 Across Europe and North America,
一种昆虫 there is an insect
能直观地揭示昆虫家族 that starkly illustrates the process
选择女王的过程 by which insect families choose their queen.
这些是胡蜂 These are paper wasps
它们的家族成员不会超过80个 and they live in family groups of no more than 80 individuals.
这种较小规模的群体 The small size of the group
更易于观察 make them easy to observe
而且能看到蜂后 and shows that the queen
一直生活在女儿们的威胁之下 is constantly under threat of her daughters.
蜂后的任务是产卵 The queen's role is to lay eggs
并管制不安分的女儿们 and keeps her unruly daughters in line.
女儿们照顾幼虫： The daughters tend the young -
就是它们新生的姐妹 their newly born daughters.
为它们做清洁 They clean them
给它们喂水 and water them.
甚至要把食物为幼虫切好 They even chop up their food for them
并且一块块地 and feed it to them
进行喂食 piece by piece.
蜂后不停地在督促它的女儿们 And the queen constantly bullies her daughters
确保它们坚守岗位 to make sure they do their jobs.
但是在这样的小家族里 But in this small family,
蜂后的位置不是固定不变的 the role of queen is not fixed.
而后位之争 And deciding who is queen
以武力来决断 is settled by aggression.
这种力量的比试自有目的 These tests of strength have a purpose.
最强壮的将会成为蜂后 The strongest will become the queen.
为了避免不必要的争斗 To avoid unnecessary fights,
胡蜂们进化出了一种能力 the wasps have evolved the ability
能通过气味相互辨识 to recognize each other by smell.
有些甚至学会了 Some have even learned
像人一样进行面部识别 to recognize faces much like humans.
这使得它们能持续关注 This enables them to constantly keep track
谁击败过谁 of who has beaten whom
记住这些动荡的事实 maintaining this uneasy truth.
但是这种体系仅适用于 But the system only works
这类较小型的家族 because the family is so small.
只要再多几只胡蜂 Just a few more wasps
蜂后就没办法对付全体臣民了 and the queen would no longer be able to fight them all.
大黄蜂找到了克服这种障碍的办法 Bumblebees have found a way around this obstacle.
大黄蜂蜂后并不靠蛮力统治 Instead of dominating by brute force,
而是通过化学手段指挥家族 their queen controls a family with chemicals.
大黄蜂蜂群个体能达到300只左右 Bumblebees are able to live in larger families of about 300.
大多是负责收集蜂蜜和花粉的工蜂 The majority are workers who collect nectar and pollen
喂养家族的其他成员 to feed the rest of the family.
这是它们的蜂后 And this is their queen.
丰腴的腹部装满了蜂卵 Her swollen abdomen is full of eggs.
只有它能产卵 She alone lays.
所以它是族中所有大黄蜂的母亲 So she is the mother of every bee in the family.
为了防止它的后代争夺后位 To prevent competition from her offspring,
它释放出一种化学信息素 she releases a chemical of pheromone
能让工蜂们不愿意自己产卵 that renders the workers unwilling to lay eggs themselves.
它们不能生育幼蜂 Unable to produce larvae,
于是就成了蜂后的手下 these offspring become the queen's workers
打理家中的日常事务 looking after the day to day running of their home.
它们清理巢穴底部的垃圾 They clean up the debris at the bottom of the nest
用蜂蜡建造并修补巢穴墙壁 and build and repair the nest walls using wax.
它们填满并照管特别的粮仓 They fill and look after special food stores
或是蜜罐 or honey pots.
它们用蜜喂养蜂后产下的幼虫： They use this honey to feed new larvae produced by their queen,
它们的姐妹 their own sisters.
工蜂将会杀死那些 And if any larvae aren't perfect,
有缺陷的幼虫 the workers will kill them.
蜂后用化学控制整个家族 The queen's chemical control of her family is total.
但是从昆虫家族的规模来说 But by the standard of some insect families,
这算是小的 this one is small.
整个北半球都分布有大黄蜂 Bumblebees are found all over the northern hemisphere.
它们大约有200个不同品种 There are about 200 different species of them.
但是蜂后释放的信息素 But pheromones released by the queen
只能控制一定数量的个体 can only control a certain number of individuals,
大概不超过一百只 a hundred or so at the most.
要组织更大的群体 To organize bigger colonies,
工作者需要实现相互间信息的传递 workers need to be able to send messages to one another.
这就不再是控制 It's no longer about control.
而是交流 It's about communication.
在非洲的雨林里 In the rainforest in Africa,
有些昆虫形成了极大的家族群体 some insects live in immense families.
因为解决了交流问题 By solving the issue of communication,
它们的规模变得几乎不受极限 their size has become almost limitless.
这些是牧蚁 These are driver ants.
多达五千万个体的群体 With up to 50 million individuals,
已经不仅仅是一个家族了 this is more than just a family,
而是殖民地 it's a colony.
蚁后是所有成员的妈妈 The queen is the mother of them all.
它是唯一能够繁殖的个体 She is the only individual that's able to reproduce.
成百上千万蚂蚁构成的整个社群 And the entire community in their millions
存在的原因就是为了支持它 exists purely in order to support her.
和我们见过的那些更简单家庭一样 Like all the simpler families we've seen,
它们的成功以等级制度为基础 their successes build on hierarchy
而劳动分工则使之成为可能 and is made possible by division of labor.
每只蚂蚁都有特定任务 Every ant has a specific role
不管是要照顾幼蚁 whether it's tending to larvae,
保卫巢穴 guarding the nest
还是为整队姐妹带路 寻找食物来源 or guiding the column of its sisters 264 00:19:36,967 --> 00:19:38,321、 to a source of food.
但它们能够运作的距离范围 But the distance over which they can operate
和家族的规模 and the sheer size of their family
都是以交流为基础而实现的 is made possible by communication.
交流是让简单的 Communication is the key
家庭成为复杂殖民地的关键 to making a simple family a complex colony.
成群的昆虫 A collection of insects
能力远远超过个体的简单累加 that is far greater than the sum of it parts
能够实现不逊色于 and capable of achieving feats
那些大块头动物的壮举 equal to those of far larger animals.
在所有节肢动物的创新中 Of all the arthropod innovations,
最具革命性的就是在巨大群体里 the most revolutionary has been the ability
共同生活的能力 to live in immense colony.
这使得它们能够 That has enabled them
集群狩猎 to hunt on mass,
构建庞大的建筑作为居所 to build huge constructions for their homes
并且支配它们的周边环境 and to dominate their surroundings.
下一集里 Next time,
我将研究节肢动物的这项顶尖成就 I want to look at this pinnacle of arthropod achievement.
巨大的群体 Vast colonies
能够塑造它们周边的世界 capable of shaping the world around them,
白蚁构建的城堡 termites that build castles
换算成人类的尺度后将有两公里高 that, on our scale, would be 2 kilometers tall.
蜜蜂通过舞蹈来进行交流 bees that communicate by dancing,
还有蚂蚁能大规模的种植菌类 and the ants that farm fungus on a grand scale.
这些生物个体都极为渺小 These creatures are individually tiny,
但它们生活在极为庞大的群体中 yet they live in colonies that are truly immense
它们行如一体 and they act entirely as one.
它们一起构成了一个超级生物 Together they form a single super organism.