（大卫爱登堡主持）
恐龙毫无疑问是曾经存在过的最了不起 Surely, one of the most remarkable animals that has ever existed,
也绝对是最著名的动物之一 and certainly one of the most famous, is a dinosaur.
霸王龙 Tyrannosaurus rex.
这是一种能够激发 我们所有人想象力的动物 An animal to spark the imagination for all of us.
恐龙是一种什么样的动物 What kind of an animal was it?
它长什么样 如何生活 What did it look like? How did it live?
现在 科学研究 已经给出了这些问题的答案 Now, scientific research has answered such questions.
不仅仅是霸王龙 And not just about T. rex,
还有和它生活在同一时期的其他物种 but the other species that lived alongside it.
而最新的成像技术 能够把它们活灵活现地展现在我们面前 And the latest imaging technology enables us to bring them all to life.
这是六千六百万年前的地球 Planet Earth, 66 million years ago.
天空中遍布飞翔的巨兽 The skies are filled with flying giants.
海洋深处游弋着巨大的爬行动物 In the seas, monstrous reptiles patrol the depths.
陆地上的各种恐龙 And on land, dinosaurs of every kind,
都面临着生存的威胁 all facing the struggle to survive.
如今 我们对那个 曾被恐龙统治的世界已知之甚多 We now know so much about a world that was ruled by the dinosaurs.
这就是它们的故事 This is their story.
《沙漠》
本WEB版外挂字幕由 风吹来的那片云 双语合并
南美洲西部 The west of South America
是这个史前星球上最荒凉的地方之一 and one of the most desolate places on this prehistoric planet.
只有少数动物会来这里探险 Few animals venture here,
但这里是一个舞台 上演着地球上 最不寻常的聚会之一 yet it is the stage for one of the most extraordinary gatherings on Earth.
无畏巨龙 Dreadnoughtus.
它隶属泰坦巨龙类别 身高约26米 重40吨 Titanosaurs. Eighty-five feet long and weighing 40 tons.
这些都是雄性无畏巨龙 These are all males,
它们和富饶的森林觅食地相距很多公里 and they're many miles from their rich forest feeding grounds.
它们来到这里的原因只有一个 为获得交配机会而战 They come here for only one reason: to fight for the chance to mate.
成群的雌性无畏巨龙 仔细打量着新来的雄性们 Crowds of females scrutinize the newly arriving males,
评估它们力量的大小以及适不适合当配偶 assessing their strength and suitability.
这种泰坦巨龙巨大的脖子 The titanosaurs' immense necks
是由一副超轻的充满空气的骨架支撑起来 are supported by an ultralightweight air-filled skeleton.
它们中空的颈骨连接着一系列伸缩囊 Their hollow neck bones are connected to a series of bellows
能使脖子上的奇怪咽喉气囊膨胀 that inflate bizarre gular air sacs.
求偶表演令人印象深刻的雄性 会吸引最多雌性的关注 Those males with the most impressive displays will attract the most females.
这只被尘土染成白色的雄性无畏龙 This huge bull, white with dust,
两周以来一直霸占着舞台的中心 has held the center stage for two weeks.
它重达50吨 He weighs nearly 50 tons.
到目前为止 它的表演 And his display has, so far,
令所有挑战者们望而生畏 intimidated all challengers.
但这只新来的… But this new arrival…
却没有望而却步 is not deterred.
抬起如此庞大的身躯使它们精疲力尽 Lifting up such a huge body is exhausting.
这是一场耐力之战 It's a battle of endurance.
随着战斗愈发激烈 双方都试图伤到对方 As the conflict intensifies, each fighter tries to wound the other,
用每根拇指上 那像匕首一样锋利的刺去刺对方 stabbing with sharp dagger-like spikes on each thumb
并用牙齿去撕咬对方的皮 and raking the skin with their teeth.
直到最终 Until, eventually…
将对手打倒 the knockout blow.
老无畏巨龙的统治终于结束了 The old bull's rule is finally over.
年轻的胜利者取代它登上了舞台中央 The young victor takes his turn on the center stage.
对于某些无畏巨龙而言 失败的代价非常高 The price of defeat, for some, is very high.
尽管有些动物很好地适应了沙漠环境 Even though some animals are well adapted to desert conditions,
它们的生存依旧如履薄冰 their survival is often on a knife-edge.
尤其是在亚洲地区 Especially here in Asia,
这里的盛夏时节 where, in the height of summer,
气温飙升至60摄氏度以上 temperatures soar above 60 degrees Celsius…
水会瞬间蒸发 and water evaporates in an instant.
这里也有看起来很凶猛的爬行动物 There are ferocious-looking reptiles here too.
但这只小蜥蜴只有不到30厘米长 But this little lizard is only a few inches long.
在这里 想吃上顿饭从来都不容易 Here, getting a meal is never easy.
这具巨大的尸体也许是食物来源 This immense carcass could be promising.
这是一只死去的伊森龙 A dead sauropod.
对许多动物来说 这可能是一场盛宴 A potential feast for many.
但奇怪的是 一切都风平浪静 But, strangely, all is quiet.
特暴龙 Tarbosaurus…
它们是这片沙漠中相当于霸王龙的存在 the equivalent, in this desert, of T. rex.
其他生物看见它们都不敢上前 They keep everyone else away.
但对蜥蜴来说 它们可能会带来机会 But for the lizard, they might bring an opportunity.
如果有什么东西比尸体更能吸引苍蝇的话 If there is one thing that attracts flies more than a carcass…
那一定是刚吃完尸体 正熟睡的特暴龙 it's a sleeping tarbosaur that has been feeding on that carcass.
是时候大胆出击了 Time to be bold.
来了一只迅猛龙 A Velociraptor.
要小心点了 Time to be careful.
因为迅猛龙们经常一起捕猎 Because Velociraptors often hunt together.
特暴龙走了 The tarbosaurs move on.
现在翼龙可以落地了 And now the pterosaurs can come down…
也到这具尸体旁分一杯羹 and claim a share of the carcass.
对这只小蜥蜴来说 机会已然逝去 For the little lizard, the opportunity has gone.
抓住稍纵即逝的机会 是在沙漠中生存的关键 Making the most of fleeting chances is key to surviving in the desert,
有些恐龙确实能非常有效地做到这一点 and some dinosaurs manage to do so very effectively indeed.
单爪龙是沙漠生存专家 Mononykus is a desert specialist.
像许多沙漠中的动物一样 Like many desert animals,
如果想要找到足够的食物 它必须在大片区域里寻找 she must patrol a huge area if she is to find enough food.
没有毛发的光腿能帮助它保持身体凉爽 Bare legs help keep her body cool.
身上的羽毛能保护它免受阳光的照射 Feathers on her body shield her from the sun's rays,
还为它提供了超强的感知力 and they provide her with a super sense.
它脸上的羽毛形成圆盘状 帮助它探测到最微弱的声音 They form facial discs that help her detect the faintest of sounds.
这种高度敏感的方向性听觉 Such hypersensitive directional hearing
让它了解到这个空心木头的结构 以及里面藏了什么 gives her a mental map of this hollow log and what lies within.
它现在所使用的武器 正是这只猎手名字的由来 She now uses the weapon that gives this hunter its name.
单爪龙 即单只巨爪 Mononykus, single giant claw.
正是它打开白蚁巢穴所需要的工具 Just what she needs to open a termite's nest.
它还有另一件特殊的设备 And she has another special piece of equipment.
它那灵活的舌头是头的两倍长 A flexible tongue twice the length of her head.
就这样 它享用了一顿富含蛋白质的美餐 An excellent protein-packed meal,
要是白蚁没这么烦人就好了 if only termites weren't quite so irritating.
像单爪龙这样的沙漠专家 可以在这片干旱的沙漠中茁壮成长 Specialists like Mononykus can thrive in this arid desert.
但沙漠中的情况不总是一成不变 But such conditions don't always stay the same.
罕见情况下 On rare occasions,
凉爽的山风吹进来 与上升的热空气混合在一起 cooler mountain winds sweep in and mix with the rising hot air.
一场沙漠风暴带来了一场可喜的大雨 A desert storm, bringing with it welcome rain.
它可能从未见过这片土地如此湿漉漉 She may never before have seen the land soaked like this.
这场大雨以意想不到的方式 改变了这片土地 It transforms this landscape in unexpected ways.
休眠的种子突然发芽 Seeds that have been lying dormant burst into life.
几天内就改变了这片贫瘠的土地 They transform this arid landscape in a matter of days.
伴随着植物而来的是丰富的食物 And with the vegetation comes an abundance of food,
只要你知道如何抓住它 if you know how to catch it.
反鸟是一种古老的鸟 Enantiornithines, an ancient type of bird.
但也许有点太大了 很难对付 But perhaps a little too big to tackle.
要适应如此不同和陌生的世界可能很困难 It can be hard adapting to such a different and unfamiliar world.
天啊 Oh, dear.
它终于吃上了一口 Finally, she's got something.
但这些新挑战将是短暂的 But these new challenges will be brief.
在沙漠中有一件事是肯定的 One thing is certain in the desert:
灼热的高温和焦土很快就会回来 Searing heat and scorched earth will soon return.
这些花终将成为遥远的记忆 Flowers will be nothing more than a distant memory.
不仅仅是太阳无情的能量 It's not just the unrelenting power of the sun
使得沙漠如此不适宜居住 that makes deserts so inhospitable.
还有狂风 So too do winds.
在中亚地区 狂风猛烈地掠过大地 Here in central Asia, they rip across the landscape,
土地变得更加干燥 植被被连根拔起 drying out the land still further and uprooting vegetation.
大型恐龙不断迁徙 Large dinosaurs keep on the move
试图应对这些恶劣的环境 to try to cope with these harsh conditions.
这些鸭嘴龙叫巴尔斯伯迪亚恐龙 These duck-billed dinosaurs are Barsboldia.
它们是远距离迁徙专家 They are long-distance specialists
可以在没有水的情况下 在沙漠中行进相当长时间 and can go without water for an astonishing length of time.
但它们偶然也会遇到水源充足的情况 But on rare occasions, there is an abundance.
当真的下雨后 When rain does fall,
雨水会渗入土地 并在地下流动很远的距离 it can seep into the land and travel great distances underground.
直到在一些特殊的地方 地下水会升上地面 Until, in some special places, the water rises to the surface
形成一片绿洲 and creates an oasis.
开阔的水域吸引了 方圆十几公里的各种沙漠动物前来 Open water attracts desert animals of every kind from many miles away.
某种动物会比其他动物大得多 Some dwarf everyone else.
这就是蒙古泰坦巨龙 The Mongolian titan.
它们巨大无比 They are colossal.
体重超过70吨 Weighing over 70 tons,
它们是地球上曾经存在过的 最大的动物之一 they are among the biggest animals to have ever walked the Earth.
对于体型极小的单爪龙来说 来这里喝水可是险象环生 A risky place for a tiny Mononykus to come for a drink.
这里可能很拥挤 There may be a crowd,
但如果你有地球上最长的脖子 那你就能插队了 but if you've got the longest neck on Earth, you can jump the queue.
这样的聚会自然会引人注目 Such a gathering attracts attention.
特暴龙来了 A tarbosaur.
但和其他动物一样 这只猎手 来这里也只是为了喝水而已 But like everyone else, the hunter is here just for water.
随着这些口干舌燥的动物们 日以继夜地不停喝水 With so many thirsty mouths drinking day and night,
绿洲的水很快就干涸了 the water doesn't last long.
动物们也随之散去 The animals disperse,
恶劣 干旱的环境再次回归 and once again, the harsh, arid conditions return.
数百万年来 在水的冲刷雕刻下 Over millions of years, water has carved some deserts
一些沙漠形成了壮观的地貌 into spectacular landscapes…
就像北非这里一样 as here in North Africa.
这些峡谷为沙漠访客提供了特殊的机会 These canyon lands offer some desert visitors special opportunities.
巴巴里翼龙是翼龙的一种 它凭借自己5米的翼展 With a 17-foot wingspan, Barbaridactylus, a type of pterosaur,
能毫不费力地利用热气流 can exploit the thermals with effortless skill…
因此能飞行极远的距离 and so cover great distances,
尽管一些巴巴里翼龙顶着 巨大的头冠也没关系 despite the fact that some have enormous head crests.
每年 成千上万只雄性和雌性 巴巴里翼龙都会聚集在天空中的 Every year, males and females gather at these special places in the sky
这些特殊地方 in their thousands.
在这些偏远的高原巅峰没有地面捕食者 There are no ground predators on the summits of these isolated plateaus,
所以这里是安全的着陆点 so they're safe places on which to land.
体型大的雄性巴巴里翼龙 会选择一个区域进行求偶表演 Large males select an area in which to perform their displays
与此同时 急切的年轻单身汉们 在头顶上空盘旋 whilst eager young bachelors circle overhead.
领土占有者警告任何挑战者离开 Territory holders warn off any challengers.
而有时需要采取暴力手段来强调这种警告 A message that sometimes needs to be violently reinforced.
但不一定要成为重量级选手才能取胜 But you don't necessarily have to be a heavyweight to succeed.
有些雄性不会长出巨大的头冠 There are some males that don't develop the huge head crest.
它们是看起来像雌性的狡猾雄性 They are sneaky males that look like females
因此 可以尝试不被发现 and so, can try to remain unnoticed.
这是一个危险游戏 It's a dangerous game to play…
因为体型大的雄性一直在定期巡逻 because the large males are regularly on patrol.
它们会进行求偶表演 And they perform their displays.
狡猾的雄性被发现了 The sneak has been spotted.
但事实上 But in fact…
它引起了那只大体型雄性的“性趣” he caught the eye of the large male.
但这只狡猾的雄性假扮成 一只不情愿的雌性 But the sneak pretends to be a reluctant female…
拒绝了大体型雄性的求爱 and rejects the male's advances.
现在该回去完成手头的任务 Now, back to the mission in hand…
是时候出招了 and time to make his move.
成功了 Success.
大体型的雄性虽然看起来更有吸引力 Large males might seem more attractive,
然而对于雌性来说 为了确保生育出最健康的后代 but the females, it seems, ensure producing the fittest young
似乎与尽可能多的伴侣交配才会万无一失 by mating with as many partners as they can…
不管这些伴侣是拥有华丽的头冠 还是诡计多端 whether they're impressively adorned or just sneaky.
不仅仅只有非凡 奇异的动物 It's not just extraordinary, bizarre animals
生活在这史前星球的沙漠里 that live in the deserts of the prehistoric planet.
这里也有奇异 超凡脱俗的风景 There are strange, otherworldly landscapes too.
比如在南美洲 Such as here in South America.
这也许看起来像是一层雪 This may look like a dusting of snow,
但这些巨大的丘陵不是由沙子组成 而是由石膏组成的 but these great dunes are composed not of sand, but of gypsum.
石膏是一种易溶于水 细小的白色矿物 Gypsum is a fine, white mineral that dissolves in water so easily,
它只能以固体形态 存在于地球上最干燥的地区 it can only exist in solid form in the driest areas on Earth.
由于这些丘陵非常干燥 在这里生活几乎是不可能的 These dunes are so dry that living here is almost impossible.
然而有些恐龙却成功做到了 Yet some dinosaurs manage to do so.
独孤龙是一种小型鸭嘴龙 Secernosaurus, a type of small hadrosaur.
尽管它们可以靠食用低质量饮食而生存 Although they can survive on a poor-quality diet,
每隔十年左右 这个地区就会变得极度干燥 every decade or so this area dries out so extremely
致使几乎所有的植被都会枯萎死亡 that almost all the vegetation shrivels and dies.
由于需要照顾幼崽 这样的情况可能会导致这群恐龙灭绝 With young to care for, this could be the end of the herd.
但一些年长 经验更丰富的独孤龙 But some of the older, more experienced individuals
可能还记得其他潜在的食物和水源所在地 may remember other potential sources of food and water.
它们知道 想要生存下去 试图离开这片沙漠不是解决方法 And they know that the way to survive is not to try to leave the desert
而是要继续穿越沙漠中炙烤的沙丘 but to continue traveling across its baking dunes.
伴随着狂风和流沙 沙漠总是在移动 With high winds and shifting sands, the desert is always on the move.
这使辨别方向变得很困难 And that makes navigation tricky.
独孤龙群喜欢在夜间行进 The herd prefers to travel at night.
不仅是因为夜间更凉爽 It's not only cooler
而且独孤龙们在夜间 能获得一张地图 使它们可以 but also reveals a map that could enable an animal to find its way
穿越这片毫无特点却千变万化的沙漠 through the featureless yet ever-changing desert.
一张挂在夜空中的地图 A map in the sky.
像许多迁徙动物一样 Like many migrating animals,
鸭嘴龙可以识别由天体构成的路标 hadrosaurs can recognize celestial signposts.
白天 炙热的太阳仍然从头顶照射下来 By day, the blistering sun still beats down from overhead.
即使能找到阴凉的地方 这里也可能是一些鸭嘴龙旅程的终点 Even if they can find shade, this for some could be journey's end.
但是还有一些其他的东西可以帮到它们 But there is something else that may help them.
远处 海浪冲击着海岸线 发出低沉的隆隆声 The deep, rumbling sound of waves crashing onto the distant shoreline
这声音穿越了沙丘 绵延十几公里 travels for miles through the dunes.
由于这种声音十分低沉 很多动物都听不到 The sound is so low that many animals cannot hear it.
但鸭嘴龙可以 因此它们能够跟随这声音 找到通往海岸的路 But hadrosaurs can, and so are able to find their way towards the coast.
但在这片沙漠里 它们还需要克服一个困难 But this desert still has one more obstacle that must be overcome.
巨大的海岸沙丘挡住了它们的去路 Giant coastal dunes block their path.
在这种险峻而不稳定的沙子里行进 每走一步都会消耗能量 Steep, unstable sand saps energy with every step.
它们成功到达了目的地 They have made it.
它们获得的第一个奖励 就是舔舐凝结在皮肤上的水珠 And their first reward is to lick droplets of water that condense on their skin
水珠来自沙丘和海洋交接处形成的雾气 from the fog that forms where dunes and ocean meet.
这片雾也滋养着富饶的海岸天堂 And this fog also nourishes a rich coastal paradise.
目前这足以养活这群鸭嘴龙了 This is enough to feed the herd for now,
但食物一旦耗尽 它们将被迫继续前进 but once it runs out, they will be forced to move on…
再一次在这史前星球的沙漠中 and once more endure the trials of life
忍受生存的考验 in the deserts of the prehistoric planet.
《Prehistoric Planet》下集预告 Next on Prehistoric Planet,
这是地球上曾存在过最奇怪的恐龙之一 one of the strangest dinosaurs that has ever lived.
一个奇怪的 有着鸭嘴般吻部的巨兽 在广阔的内陆沼泽中觅食 A bizarre, duck-billed giant feeds in a vast inland swamp.
随着淡水从源头流向海洋 And as fresh water flows from source to sea,
它塑造了所流经地区所有生命的形态 it shapes the lives of all it touches.
要想了解这些故事背后的科学 To discover the science behind the stories,
请去《Prehistoric Planet》 网页了解更多 go now to the Prehistoric Planet show page.
字幕翻译：谭萱