因为海洋的辽阔而显得渺小的 Dwarfed by the vast expanse of the open ocean
是这个星球上最巨大的生物 the biggest animal that has ever lived on our planet.
蓝鲸，身长30公尺 体重超过200公吨 A blue whale, 30 metres long and weighing over 200 tonnes
它身型的巨大 远超过体型最大的恐龙 lt's far bigger than even the biggest dinosaur
它的舌头有一头大象那么重 lts tongue weighs as much as an elephant
心脏约是一台车的大小 lts heart is the size of a car
它身上的某些血管宽到 可以让我们从中游过 And some of its blood vessels are so wide that you could swim down them
光是他的尾鳍 就有一台小飞机的机翼那么宽 lts tail alone is the width of a small aircraft wings
蓝鲸的流线身形接近完美 让它能够以20海里的速度航行 lts streamlining, close to perfection, enables it to cruise at twenty knots
是海洋中速度最快的动物之一 lt's one of the fastest animals in the sea
身为海洋中体积最大的动物蓝鲸赖以 维生的却是海洋中最小的生物之一 The ocean's largest inhabitant feeds Almost exclusively on one of the smallest
磷虾是一种 身长只有几公厘的甲壳类动物 krill, a crustacean just a few centimetres long
磷虾会在浅滩聚集 将海面染成一片红色 Gathered in a shoal, krill stain the sea red and a single blue
一只蓝鲸可以在一天之内 吃下4千万只磷虾 whale in a day can consume forty million of them
相较于它身型的庞大 我们对蓝鲸的了解却是微乎其微 Despite the enormous size of blue whales, we know very little about them
它们迁徙的路线仍然成谜 Their migration routes are still a mystery and
人们完全不知道 蓝鲸的繁殖的地点在哪里 we have absolutely no idea where they go to breed
蓝鲸的存在 强烈地提醒我们 They are a dramatic reminder of how much
对海洋及海洋中的生物 所知实在有限 we still have to learn about the ocean and the creatures that live there
我们的星球是一个蓝色的星球 Our planet is a blue planet
地表有70%是被水所覆盖 Over seventy percent of it is covered by the sea
光是太平洋就覆盖了半个地球 The Pacific Ocean alone covers half the globe
即使坐上飞机 横越太平洋连续飞行12小时 You can fly across it non-stop for twelve hours
除了远方小点般大的陆地外 看到的仍是一望无际的海洋 and still see nothing more than a speck of land
这一个系列的影片 将为您完全揭开 This series will reveal the complete natural history of our ocean planet from
我们这个海洋星球的自然历史 its familiar shores to the mysteries of its deepest seas
从我们所熟悉的陆地 到神秘的海洋深渊 以容量来算 海洋占去地球97%的可居地 By volume,the ocean makes up 97% of the earth inhabitable space
海洋中孕育的生物数量 远远超过陆地生物的数量 And the sheer quantity of marine life it contains far exceeds that which inhabits the land
但是生物在海洋中的分布 并不平均 But life in the ocean is not evenly spread.
海洋生物的分布 是依据饱含养份的洋流的流向 lt's regulated by the path of currents carrying nutrients
以及阳光的强度而定 and the varying power of the sun
在第一集的节目中我们将会看到 这两种力量如何交互作用 ln this first programme we will see how these two forces interact
从珊瑚礁海域到极带 控制海洋中生物分布 to control the distribution of life from the coral seas ...to the polar wastes
海洋纯粹的力量 掌控着我们的星球 The sheer physical power of the ocean dominates our planet
对全球的天气有绝对的影响 lt profoundly influences the weather of all the world
水气从海洋中升起 到天上变成了云 Water vapour rising from it forms the clouds
风起云涌卷起了风暴 最后化成甘霖落在陆地上 and generates the storms that ultimately will drench the land
狂啸着打向海岸的海浪 The great waves that roar in towards the shores
就是海洋力量 最强有力的证明 are dramatic demonstrations of its power
海浪从海洋远处而起 Waves originate far out at sea
在那里，就连轻柔的微风 都能勾起涟漪 There, even gentle breezes can cause ripples
而涟漪，会渐渐变成海浪 and ripples grow into swells
在一片汪洋中，没有陆地的阻碍 小风浪最后变成滔天巨浪 Out in the open ocean, unimpeded by land, such swells can become gigantic
海浪一直要到了浅水区 lt's only when an ocean swell eventually reaches shallow water
才会开始散开 that it starts to break
海浪在向陆地接近的同时 As it approaches the coast
下面的部分 因为与陆地的接触流速变慢 the water at the bottom of the swell is slowed by contact with the sea bed
上面的部分则仍以高速前进 The top of the swell, still travelling fast,
最后翻过下面的部分 使浪形散开 starts to roll over and so the wave breaks
海洋流动不息 The ocean never rests.
巨大的洋流，像是墨西哥湾流 Huge currents, such as the Gulf Stream,
让海水在地球上循环流动不息 keep its waters constantly on the move all round the globe
这些洋流，是控制海洋中 lt's these currents more than any other factor
生物及养分分布的主力 其影响远大于其他因素 that control the distribution of nutrients and life in the seas
一座迷失在太平洋中央的小岛 A tiny island lost in the midst of the Pacific
它是一座巨大高山的山顶 lt's the tip of a huge mountain
从几千公尺的海底 陡然地升出海面 that rises precipitously from the sea floor thousands of metres below
最近的陆地离它有300英里远 The nearest land is three hundred miles away
像这样孤立的海底山 创造出了海上绿洲 lsolated sea mounts like this one create oases
让生命能够在 where life can flourish...
一望无际的汪洋中孕育不息 in the comparatively empty expanses of the open ocean
但是这些在四周游动的生物 如果没有这一样要素 But all the creatures that swim beside it would
就根本不会出现在这里 那就是深海洋流 not be here were it not for one key factor - the deep ocean currents
在深深的水底洋流 Far below the surface they collide with the island's flanks
与小岛的侧边相撞 and are deflected upwards
带着来自深海的 丰富养分向上偏转 bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients
向上偏转的洋流 吸引了丰富的生命聚集 Such up-wellings attract great concentrations of life
这里大部分鱼类都是永久居民 Most of the fish here are permanent residents,
以浮游生物为食，浮游生物是 悬浮在海水中的植物及动物 feeding on the plankton, the tiny floating plants and animals that are nourished
已被洋流从深海中 带上来的养分为生 by the richness brought up from the depths
这些生物也吸引了 从海上而来的过客停留 And they in turn, attract visitors from the open ocean
鲔鱼 Tuna.
吃浮游生物的动物 是最好的目标 The plankton feeders are easy targets
这些海洋里的活动 吸引了其他更大型的撩食者 All this action attracts even larger predators...
鲨鱼 Sharks!
几百只的鲨鱼 Hundreds of sharks.
平滑白眼鲛通常在海上旅行 These silky sharks are normally ocean-going species
但是在东太平洋 but the sea mounts in the eastern Pacific,
像可可岛，莫裴洛岛 加拉巴哥群岛这一类的海底山 like Cocos, Malpelo and the Galapagos,
吸引平滑白眼鲛成群出没 数量甚至接近500只 attract silkies in huge groups up to five hundred strong
平滑白眼鲛 特别擅长捕捉受伤的鱼 Silkies seem to specialize in taking injured fish
经常在海底山巡游找寻机会 and constantly circle sea mounts on the look out for the chance to do so
这里的访客可不只平滑白眼鲛 But Silkies are not the only visitors
丫髻鲛会聚集成 Hammerheads gather in some of the largest shark
海洋上最大的鲨群 shoals to be found anywhere in the ocean
有时候会有上千只鲨鱼 同时绕着一座海底山巡游 Sometimes thousands will circle over a single sea mount
但是食物不是它们 群聚在此的理由 But these sharks are not here for food
而是另有原因 They have come for another reason
一些在地的生物 可以为它们做清洁的服务 Some of the locals provide a cleaning service
紧接着上一个圣婴年 Following the last El Nino year,
温度的升高 when a rise in water temperatures
让许多鲨鱼饱受霉菌感染之苦 caused many sharks to suffer from fungal infections,
而丫髻鲛来到海底山的数量 也创下纪录 the number of hammerheads visiting the sea mounts reached record levels
海底上来的养分 可以抵达各大洲的海岸 Nutrients also well up to the surface along the coasts of the continents
这里是位于南非东岸的纳塔尔 This is Natal on South Africa's eastern seaboard
现在是六月，而就在海边不远处 奇怪的黑斑块出现了 lt's June and just off-shore, strange black patches have appeared
看起来像一大片油污绵延数里 They look like immense oil slicks up to a mile long
这其实是一条有生命的滑带 But this is a living slick
千百万的沙丁鱼 Millions and millions of sardines on a marine
其生物量足以与 migration that in terms of sheer biomass
非洲草原上的羚羊匹敌 rivals that of the wildebeest on the grasslands of Africa
这些鱼群大部分的时间 These fish live for most of the time
都生活在好望角以南的冷水中 in the cold waters south of the Cape,
但是沿岸流每年都会转向 but each year the coastal currents reverse
通常由北而下 The warm Agulhas current that
温暖的安哥拉海流 usually flows down from the north
被从南而上 带有丰富营养的冷海水所取代 has been displaced by cold water coming up from the south
这些冷海水造就了 and that has brought up rich nutrients
丰富的浮游生物 They, in turn, have created a bloom of plankton
这些沙丁鱼则正在享用大餐 - and the sardines are now feasting on it
沙丁鱼向北游的同时 As the sardines travel north,
一大群掠食者紧随在后 a whole caravan of predators follow them
几千只好望角塘鹅 紧盯着这些沙丁鱼 Thousands of Cape Gannets track the sardines
它们在好望角筑巢 They nested off the Cape
算好时间生育 这样它们羽翼初丰的幼鸟 and timed their breeding so that their newly-fledged chicks
可以随它们一起追逐鱼群 can join them in pursuing the shoals
在海底，数百只鲨鱼也加入了 Below water, hundreds of sharks have also joined the caravan
短尾白眼鲛 These are Bronze whaler sharks,
是一种生活在冷水中的鲨鱼 通常栖息在更远的南边 a cold water species that normally lives much further south
这些身长3公尺的鲨鱼 可以在丰厚的沙丁鱼中 These three-metre sharks cut such great swathes
切出一道从空中 也清楚可见的通道 through the sardine shoals that their tracks are clearly visible from the air
被这些掠食者 及海浪冲击的沙丁鱼群 Harried by packs of predators and swept in by the action of the waves,
渐渐被导近了海岸 the sardine shoals are penned close to the shore
真海豚也从海上来到加入盛宴 Common dolphin are coming in from the open ocean to join the feast
这一群就有一千只以上 There are over a thousand of them in this one school
当它们赶上沙丁鱼时 行动才真正开始 When they catch up with the sardines, the action really begins
它们会全体合作 将鱼群赶到靠近水面的地方 Working together, they drive the shoal towards the surface
海豚在靠水面的地方 比较容易捕捉到鱼 lt is easier for the dolphins to snatch fish up here
这些沙丁鱼无处可逃了 Now the sardines have no escape
因为海豚的帮忙，这些沙丁鱼游到了 塘鹅潜水的深度范围 Thanks to the dolphins, the sardines have come within the diving range of the gannets
好几百只白色羽箭射入水里 Hundreds of white arrows shoot into the sea,
在身后留下一道道长长的泡沫 leaving long trails of bubbles behind each dive
接着加入这场混战的是鲨鱼 Next to join the frenzy are the sharks
有海豚在附近 鲨鱼就会变得兴奋异常 Sharks get very excited when dolphins are around
也许是海豚会将这些沙丁鱼 赶到水面附近 That may be because they can feed particularly...
形成更紧密的鱼群 well once the dolphins have driven
让鲨鱼们吃的更好更顺利 the sardines into more compact groups near the surface
混战当中 一道道泡沫墙向上浮起 As the frenzy continues walls of bubbles drift upwards
这是结队合作的海豚所释放的 They are being released by the dolphins, working together in teams
它们利用这些泡沫 将沙丁鱼赶成更紧密的鱼群 They use the bubbles to corral the sardines into ever tighter groups
沙丁鱼很少会跨过泡沫墙 所以只好更紧密地靠在一起 The sardines seldom cross the wall of bubbles and crowd closer together
这样的泡沫网，让海豚可以 吃到每一只受困的沙丁鱼 Bubble netting in this way enables the dolphins to grab every last trapped sardine
就在大餐快要结束之时 Just when the feasting seems to be almost over,
一只布氏鲸抵达 a Bryde whale arrives
幸存者继续往北方前进 The survivors head on northwards,
这群掠食者则跟随在后 and the caravan of predators follows them
海底的养分也可以在 Nutrients can also be brought up
较无法预测的情况下 - though less predictably
被恶劣的天气带上来 - - by rough weather
尤其是接近极圈的地方 Particularly near the poles,
强烈的风暴翻搅深海 huge storms stir the depths and
带给海面上的水养分 enrich the surface waters and here,
而在南极，这里的海水 是地球上最险恶的 in the South Atlantic, the seas are the roughest on the planet
它们同时也富含非常多的养份，在这里 And very rich seas they are too, for here,
来自南方的 寒冷福克兰洋流 the cold Falklands current from the South
与来自北方的 温暖巴西洋流相遇 meets the warm Brazil current from the North
就在它们交会处 孕藏了丰富的食物 and at their junction there is food in abundance
这些黑眉信天翁 像鸭子潜水一样 These Black-browed albatross are duck-diving
找寻着被水流带到水面的磷虾 for krill that has been driven up to the surface
就像所有的信天翁一样 Like all albatross,
黑眉信天翁 也是大海上的流浪者 Black-brows are wanderers across the face of the open ocean
这种规模的群集猎食 是很少见的 A feeding assembly on this scale is a rare sight
大部分时候 Most of the time,
大海上的鸟类 都是相当分散的 the birds of the open sea are widely dispersed
但是这个捕食场 很靠近一个信天翁生育的殖民地 But these feeding grounds are close to an albatross breeding colony
而且是很特别的一个 - and a very special one
这里是杰生尖塔，位于福克兰群岛 遥远西边的偏远小岛 This is Steeple Jason, a remote island in the far west of the Falklands
在这里有世上最大的 信天翁殖民地 lt has the largest albatross colony in the world
这里住了近50万只的信天翁 There are almost half a million albatross here
这又是一场惊人的示范 an astonishing demonstration of
告诉我们海洋养分的丰富 how fertile the ocean can be
以及它所能提供的食物量甚至可以 供给不住在海中的生物食用 and how much food it can give even to creatures that do not actually live in it
要产生这么大的群体 光靠养分是不够的 Nutrients by themselves are not enough to generate these vast assemblies.
阳光每日所带来的 光亮与热能 The heat and light that the sun brings everyday
也是微小的浮游生物 is also essential for the growth of the microscopic floating plants
成长所必须要的 - the phytoplankton
浮游生物则是 And it the phytoplankton
所有海洋生命的基础 that is the basis of all life in the ocean
每天，当太阳消失在地平线时 Every evening, the disappearance of the sun
就触动了地球上 below the horizon triggers the largest
最庞大的生命迁徙 migration of life that takes place on our planet
十亿公吨的海洋生物 One thousand million tones of sea creatures
从深海中升起到 靠近水面的地方寻找食物 ascend from the deep ocean to search for food near the surface
在黑夜的掩护下 吃着浮游生物 They graze on the phytoplankton under cover of darkness
虽然如此 它们的生命还是一点也不安全 Even so, they are far from safe
其他海洋中的猎食者尾随而至 Other marine hunters follow them,
有些来自好几百公尺深的水中 some travelling up from hundreds of metres below
在破晓时，整个队伍 回到深幽海水安全的怀抱 At dawn, the whole procession returns to the safety of the dark depths
月亮对海中的生物 也有很大的影响 The moon too has a great influence on life in the oceans
月球的引力 造成每日潮汐的涨退 lts gravitational pull creates the daily advance and retreat of the tides
但月亮循环不只是 But the moon has more than a daily cycle
每日的盈缺变化而已 Each month it waxes and wanes as it travels around the earth,
它的月循环 也会引发海洋上的变化 and this monthly cycle also triggers events in the ocean
哥斯大黎加的太平洋沿岸 这是个特别的夜晚 The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica on a very special night
现在午夜刚过，才正要涨潮 lt just after midnight and the tide is coming in
下弦月 The moon is in its last quarter,
刚好在满月与新月中间 exactly half way between full and new
海滩已经空了好几个礼拜 但是一切都要改变了 For weeks the beach has been empty But that is about to change
一阵大浪打来 乌龟也开始从水底出现了 At high tide, turtles start to emerge from the surf
刚开始时只有一两只 但在接下来一个小时内 At first they come in ones and twos, but within a hour,
海滩上就满满都是了 they are appearing all along the beach
它们都是雌的榄蠵龟 They are all female Ridley turtles
在接下来的6天多中 and over the next six days or so
有40万只榄蠵龟 会一起来到这座海滩 four hundred thousand will visit this one beach
在沙中产卵 to lay their eggs in the sand
在尖峰时刻 每小时会有5千只乌龟来去 At the peak time, five thousand are coming and going every hour
海滩上是如此拥挤 The top of the beach gets so crowded that
它们要爬过同伴的身体前进 they have to clamber over one another to find a bare patch
才能找到一块 可以挖土产卵的地方 where they can dig a nest hole
世界上有四分之一的绿蠵龟 A quarter of the world population
每年会在一些特定的夜晚 of Ridley turtles come to this one beach
到这个海滩来 on a few key nights each year
其它时候它们则 分散在海上各处寻找食物 The rest of the time, they are widely distributed through the ocean
最远的生活在 离此好几百里远的地方 searching for food, most -a hundreds of miles away from here
这种大量群集筑巢的习性 叫做集体上岸产卵 This mass nesting is called an arribada
这个活动如何组成，至今成谜 How it is co-ordinated is a mystery
但我们已经知道 - but we do know that's arribadas start
集体产卵发生在上弦月 或是下弦月时 when the moon is either in its first or its last quarter
它们在几天之内 就产下了4千万颗蛋 Forty million eggs are laid in just a few days
这些母绿蠵龟 By synchronising their nesting in this way
将生产日期同步化 the females ensure that six weeks later
就可以确保 孵化出的小龟数量庞大 their hatchlings will emerge in such enormous...
海滩上的掠食者吃都吃不完 numbers that predators on the beach
这样就会有一定数量的小乌龟 are overwhelmed and a significant proportion
可以逃过魔爪，安全抵达大海 of the baby turtles will get past them and make it to the water
为什么母龟要用月的盈缺 But why do the females use a cue from the moon
做一同产卵的暗号？ to help in synchronising their nesting?
部分的答案在隔日破晓时 就可以一窥究竟 Part of the answer to that becomes clear at dawn on the following morning
早晨的掠食者刚抵达 正要享用第一顿餐食 The day shift of predators are arriving for their first meals
退潮会将沙子洗去 露出刚产下的蛋的道理 Vultures have learnt that the returning tide
秃鹰老早就懂了蛋会因为潮汐 can wash freshly laid eggs out of the sand
而暴露在外的危险 The risk of eggs being exposed by the surf
也许是让乌龟的集体 may be part of the reason why turtle arribadas
在上弦或下弦月时 产卵的原因之一 tend to occur around the last or first quarter of the moon
在这个时候 月亮不是满月也不是新月 lt's on such days as this, when the moon is neither full nor new,
潮汐是最弱的 海上也比较平静 that the tides are weakest and the sea is likely to be calmer
在这段时间，母龟 So at these times, it easier for the female turtles
可以克服海浪来到水面上 to make their way through the surf
而它们产下的蛋 and there less chance of their eggs
也比较不会因冲刷而暴露在外 而被秃鹰吃掉 being washed out of the sand and being taken by the vultures
月亮每个月的循环 及它对潮汐的影响 The moon monthly cycle and its influence on the tides triggers
引发了一连串的海洋生态事件 many events in the ocean, from the spawning of the corals
从大堡礁珊瑚的产卵 到鱼类繁殖的循环 on the Great Barrier reef to the breeding cycles of fish
但是还有一个更长的节奏 But there an even longer rhythm
带给一切事物最全面的影响 that has the most profound effect of all
就是太阳的年周期 - the annual cycle of the sun
太阳与地球的相对位置 The sun position relative to the earth changes
在一年当中不断改变 这也是造成季节的原因 through the year and it this that produces the seasons
在北方，当太阳开始升得越来越高 就表示春天来了 ln the north, spring comes as the sun begins to rise higher in the sky
就在西北美的岸边 Off the coast of North West America,
海洋因为 太阳不断增加的强度而改变了 the seas are transformed by the increasing strength of the sunshine
在阿拉斯加，海岸的水域 Here in Alaska the coastal waters turn
因为浮游生物突然暴增而变绿 green with a sudden bloom of phytoplankton
在深远的大海中 度过冬天的鲱鱼 Herring that have spent the winter far out to sea,
算好了回到浅水域的时间 好碰上浮游生物的大繁殖 time their return to the shallow waters to coincide with this bloom
它们以惊人的数量靠近 They come in vast numbers and initiate
并开启了海洋中 最具生产力的食物链 one of the most productive food chains in all the oceans
座头鲸就在食物链的最顶端 Humpback whales are at the top of that food chain
春天时她们会在热带 温暖的夏威夷水域中生育 They have spent the winter breeding in the warmer tropical waters off Hawaii
但是那里的食物太少 But there was little food for them there
这群鲱鱼提供了它们 全年大部分的食物来源 This herring bonanza provides the vast majority of their food for the year
北方海狮与加州海狮 Stellar and Californian sea lions
每年也会从海上回来 享用这些鲱鱼 also return from the open ocean each year to feast off the herring
鲱鱼本身则不是为了食物而来 The herring themselves, however, have not come here for food
它们正要开始繁殖 They are about to breed
它们继续往更浅的水域前近 没有任何东西可以阻挡它们 Nothing deters them as they head for even shallower waters
这里的水更浅 Now the waters are so shallow that glaucous
绿灰翅鸥甚至可以 直接从水面下截取活鱼 -winged gulls are able to snatch live fish from just below the surface
不理会这些攻击及折损 ln spite of these attacks and losses,
鲱鱼继续前进 the herring swim on until
直到抵达母鱼 they reach the vegetation that the females
赖以产卵的植被层为止 need if they are to lay
每只母鱼可产下2万颗卵 Each female produces around twenty thousand eggs
这些卵非常黏稠 - and they every sticky
公鱼在母鱼产卵后迅速抵达 The males arrive soon after the females
并释出像乳白色云带的精子 have spawned and release their sperm in vast milky clouds
很快地 这场交配大会的剩余物资 Soon the excesses of the herrings' sexual spree
就在海面上 形成一层厚厚的浮渣 creates a thick, white scum on the surface
精子的凝块 会一整季阻塞在海岸边 Through the season curds of sperm clog the shores for hundreds of miles,
从南边的英属哥伦比亚省 一直到北边的阿拉斯加 from British Columbia in the South all the way to Alaska in the north
几天后产卵大会结束 After a few days this gigantic spawning
鲱鱼也会回到汪洋大海中 comes to an end and the herring head back out to deeper waters,
留在身后的是它们受精的卵子 leaving behind them fertilised eggs plastered...
整片附着在每块石头 每片植被上面 on every rock and strand of vegetation
产卵的时间是算好的 两个星期后 They time their spawning so that two weeks later,
这些卵孵化时 when these eggs start to hatch,
浮游生物的数量 也到达了每年的最高峰期 the annual plankton bloom will have reached
而这些新生的鱼苗 its height and the new-born fish fry
也有了享用不完的食物 will have plenty to eat
但此时，这些卵则让 来自海洋或陆地 But in the meantime, all these eggs provide food
各种不同的生物结队前来觅食 for armies of different animals both below and above the surface
上百万只的鸟类 飞来分享鲱鱼卵大餐 Millions of birds arrive to collect a share of the herring bounty
有些鱼卵取得极易 Some of it is easily gathered,
因为海潮已将它们冲刷上岸 for millions of eggs have been washed up onto the shore
卵里所包含的热量 对候鸟来说特别珍贵 This encapsulated energy is particularly valuable to migrating birds
这些碎浪矶鹞 These surfbirds are on their way
正要飞向 to their breeding grounds in the Arctic
它们在北极的产卵地 and they have to come down to refuel
鲱鱼卵正投其所好 Stranded herring eggs are just what they need
贝氏海鸥吃的是 就在水面下方的卵 Bonaparte gulls collect the eggs just below the surface of the water
在海湾较外围处 大群鸭子聚集 Further out in the bay, huge flocks of ducks have gathered
它们大部分是冲浪海番鸭 They are mostly surf scoters
属潜水鸭类 可以到数公尺深的水下觅食 - diving ducks - that can feed off the bottom several metres down
鱼卵的产量如此丰富 There are such huge quantities of eggs
就连熊一类的大型动物 that even such a big animal as a bear
都觉得应该来凑一脚 finds it worthwhile to collect them
鲱鱼产卵对沿岸许多动物来说 The spawning of the herring is a crucial event
是一件关系着生死存亡的大事 in the lives of many animals all along the coast
产卵与浮游生物盛产同时发生 The whole event coincides with the plankton bloom
在短短三周内就结束 and within just three short weeks it all over
候鸟离去，继续它们的旅程 The migratory birds leave to continue their journey north
它们在明年鲱鱼回来之前 不会回到这里 They will not come back until the herring also return next year
在鲱鱼产卵结束后 As the herring spawning finishes,
其他流浪者也抵达沿岸 other migrants are starting to arrive just offshore
灰鲸 Grey whales
它们随着太阳北上 They have followed the sun north
它们也来此寻找 and they too are seeking the food
应浮游生物盛产而生的食物 that is generated by the bloom of the phytoplankton
磷虾吃浮游生物 灰鲸再以磷虾维生 Krill are feeding off it and these whales are feeding on the krill,
用它们挂在上颚的鲸须 skimming it from the surface with the filter plates of baleen
做滤板捕食磷虾 that hang from their upper jaws
灰鲸的迁徙路程 Grey whales make one of the longest migrations
是海洋生物中最长程之一 undertaken by any marine mammal
来回共长一万两千英里 - a round trip of 1 2,000 miles or
从它们在墨西哥附近的生育地 so from their breeding grounds off Mexico
沿着北美沿岸 along the entire coast of North America
一路上汲到北极海 right up to the Arctic ocean
它们在海岸附近航行，由雄性 They travel close to the coast with the males
及不会生育的雌性领头 and non-breeding females leading the way
队伍最末 是刚生产完的雌性 The last to start are the cows that have just given birth
它们在等幼鲸长到够大够强壮 They have to wait until their new-born calves
能够承受长程旅途的辛苦 are sufficiently big and strong to tackle such an immense journey
过程的缓慢是必定的 Their progress is necessarily slow
母鲸一定要跟在幼鲸身边 The mothers must stay alongside their young
但就连强壮的幼鲸 每天也只能游个几海里 and even a strong calf can only travel at a couple of knots
它们靠岸边更近 They stick even closer to the shore
有时只有200公尺远 often within just 200 metres
杀人鲸了解到 Killer whales.
灰鲸会循着不变的路径迁徙 They have learnt that grey whales follow traditional routes
它们可以很轻松地袭击幼鲸 The killers have no trouble in overtaking
及它们身边无微不至的母鲸 a calf and its devoted mother
通常杀人鲸会不间断呼叫彼此 Normally, they continually call to one another,
但是现在都安静下来了 but now they have fallen silent
母灰鲸及小灰鲸 不知道自己已经被盯上了 The mother grey whale and her calf have no idea that they have been targeted
迎头赶上灰鲸 只是最容易的部分 Catching up with the grey whales is the easy part for the killers
杀人鲸必须小心翼翼 They have to be cautious for they are only...
因为它们的身体 只有母灰鲸的一半大 about half the size of the grey whale mother
母灰鲸的尾鳍 可以造成很大的杀伤力 She can inflict real damage with her tail
但是杀人鲸的猎物不是它 而是它的幼鲸 But the killers are not after her They are after her calf
只要幼鲸能够继续游下去 As long as the mother can keep it on the move,
就能确保自己的安全 母鲸则尽全力催促 it will be safe and she does her best to hurry it along
刚开始时杀人鲸会 避免与母鲸太过接近 At first the killers avoid getting too close...
只在一旁以等速前进 to the mother but just keep pace alongside
它们知道幼鲸 They know that the calf,
以此速度前进 到最后一定精疲力竭 going at this speed, will eventually tire
经过三小时的奋游 After three hours of being harried in this way
幼鲸耗尽体力再也游不动了 the calf becomes too exhausted to swim any further
母鲸被迫停下 The mother has to stop
杀人鲸等待的正是此刻 This is the moment the killers have been waiting for
开始试着逼近幼鲸与母鲸之间 They start to try and force themselves between mother and calf
与母鲸分开的幼鲸 A calf, separated from its mother,
毫无自我防卫的能力 will not be able to defend itself
杀人鲸黑色的背鳍 Time and again the black fins
出现在斑驳的灰鲸中间 of the killers appear between the mottled backs of the grey whales
杀人鲸最后终于成功 At last the killers succeed
让幼鲸落单了 它们开始改变战术 And now that they've got the calf on its own, they change their tactics
它们跳到幼鲸上方 试着要将幼鲸推到海面下 They leap right on to the calf and try to push it under
它们试着要让幼鲸灭顶 They are trying to drown it
幼鲸做垂死的挣扎 The calf snatches a desperate breath
母鲸越来越忧虑紧张 The mother becomes increasingly agitated
疯狂似地要将幼鲸推回水面 Frantically, she tries to push her calf back
让它可以呼吸 to the surface so that it can breathe
但是现在幼鲸已经虚弱到 需要母亲身体的支撑 But now it is so exhausted that it has to be supported by its mother's body
杀人鲸仍不放弃 The killers won't give up
像狼群一样，轮流骚扰灰鲸 Like a pack of wolves, they take turns in harassing the whales
现在整群都涌上了 Now the whole pod is involved
其中一只张口就咬 One of them takes a bite
海面很快地被幼鲸的血染红 Soon the sea is reddened with the calf's blood
杀人鲸则再度靠拢 准备做最后一击 and the killers close in for the final act
幼鲸已死 The calf is dead
在六个小时猎食行动后 杀人鲸终于得到了战利品 After a six-hour hunt, the killer whales have finally won their prize
失亲的母鲸 则必须独自继续北上的旅程 The mother, bereft, has to continue her migration north on her own
将自己小心呵护在体内13个月 She leaves behind the carcass of a calf that
还耽误自己觅食旅程 she cherished for thirteen months in her womb
的幼鲸残骸留在身后 for which she delayed her own journey to find food
这15只杀人鲸 花了六个小时猎食 The pod of fifteen killer whales spent over six hours trying to kill this calf
在成功之后 But now, having succeeded,
却只吃了幼鲸的下颚及舌头 they have eaten nothing more than its lower jaw and its tongue
在海洋中 这么珍贵的食物绝不会被浪费 Valuable food like this will not go to waste in the ocean
再过不久 尸体就会沉到深海海底 Before long the carcass will sink to the very bottom of this deep sea
就算是在深海底 鲸鱼的身体也不会被随意浪费 But even there, its flesh will not be wasted
在超过一英里的幽暗海底 Over a mile down in the total darkness of the deep ocean
是另一只灰鲸的身体 一只30吨重的成鲸 - the body of another grey whale, a thirty ton adult
它在几周前才沉到这里 lt settled here only a few weeks ago
但已经吸引了上百只盲鳗前来 Already, it has attracted hundreds of hagfish
这些食腐动物身长超过半公尺 These scavengers, over half a metre long
有一只手臂的粗细 只有深海才看的到它们的踪迹 and as thick as your arm, are only found in the deep sea
它们被充塞在几英里的水域中 They have been attracted by the faint whiff of
微弱的腐蚀气味吸引前来 decay suffusing through the water for miles around
它们的头埋在灰鲸的身体中 With their heads buried in the whale's flesh,
用分布在身侧的腮呼吸 they breathe through gill openings along the sides of their bodies
它们是非常原始的生物 They're very primitive creatures
甚至不是真正的鱼类 因为它们没有颚的构造 - not even true fish, for they lack jaws.
它们吃东西不用咬的 - They feed, not by biting, but by
而是用两排角状的牙齿 将血肉挫下 rasping off flesh with two rows of horny teeth
一只盲鳗可以在几个小时内 ln just a few hours,
吃下超过本身体重数倍的腐肉 a hagfish can eat several times its own weight of rotting flesh
下一个抵达现场的是眠鲨 Next to arrive - a sleeper shark
为了保存体力 它的移动非常缓慢 lt moves so slowly to conserve energy
像它这样巨大的动物 - an important strategy for so large
要在这么险恶的环境中生存 这是非常重要的策略 an animal surviving in such a poor habitat
眠鲨生活在超过一英里的海底 Sleeper sharks live over a mile down
可以长到超过7公尺的长度 and grow to over seven metres long
它们可以好几个月不进食 They can go for months without food,
就在海底潜行等待 slowly cruising along the bottom, waiting for rare bonanzas,
鲜少从海上掉下来的大奖 such as this one, to arrive from above
整群各式不同的食腐动物 A whole range of different deep-sea scavengers
会有很长一段时间 以这具残骸为食 will feast on this carcass for a long time
直到残骸上的最后一点养份 也被蚕食殆尽为止 before all its nutriment has been consumed
18个月后剩下的只有 一具完整光裸的骨骸 Eighteen months later, all that is left is a perfect skeleton, stripped bare
被浮游生物捕捉 The sun's energy that was captured
转化成生命 and turned into living tissue by the floating
组织的阳光 phytoplankton has been transferred from
就这样在层层食物链中传递 one link to another in the food chain
一直到了这个星球上 and has ended up as far away from the sun
离阳光最远的地方 as it is possible to be on this planet
深深的海底 - at the bottom of the deep sea
但是一些能量 也会从海底回到地面 But some energy also returns from the deep
好几百万只的猫眼石乌贼 正在前往浅水区的途中 Millions of opalescent squid are on their way to the shallows
它们浮到这里来交配 They have come up here to mate
当雄体抓住雌体时 它们的触手转为红色 As the males grab the females, their tentacles flush red
一年中的大部分时候 For most of the year these squid
这些乌贼都活在 超过500英里的深海中 live at a depth of around 500 metres
它们只在这个广大的交配场所 停留数个星期 They only come together in these great breeding schools for a few weeks
估计光一群乌贼群 就含有超过4000公吨的生物体 Just one school was estimated to contain animals that weigh around 4000 tonnes
一波又一波从深海中升起 Wave after wave rise from the depths
很快地在浅水域的海床 and soon the seabed in the shallows is strewn
就紧密布满了 长好几公尺的卵囊 with dense patches of egg capsules several metres across
每当一只母乌贼产下一个卵囊 As each female adds another capsule to the pile
公乌贼就会争相要让卵囊受精 the males fight to fertilise its contents
乌贼远道而来产卵的原因 The squid make their huge journey
是因为产下的卵 into the shallows because their eggs
在温暖的水域中成长较快 will develop faster in the warmer water here
跟深海底比起来 刚孵化出的乌贼苗 and when the young emerge, they will find more
也比较容易在这里找到食物 food more easily than they would in the ocean depths
新的一天破晓 海床上布满绵延数里的卵囊 Dawn the next morning and the seabed for miles around is covered in egg capsules.
乌贼都已离去 The squid themselves have all gone
有许多已经死亡 也有些会回到它们在深海的家 Many will have died, but some will have returned to their home in the deep
直到下次产卵期前 它们才回来 They will not return to the light of the sun until the next time they are driven up by the urge to spawn