开阔海洋 The open ocean.
覆盖了地球表面一大半 It covers more than half the surface of our planet.
然而 其大部分区域是水的荒漠 Yet, for the most part, it's a watery desert,
毫无生命 empty of life.
捕猎者一生之中都在不停寻找 Hunters here spend their lives in a constant search
稀少难获的猎物 for scarce and elusive prey.
令人惊奇的是 看似荒芜的大洋 Remarkably, this seemingly barren wilderness
却生存着一种最大型的捕猎者 is home to the largest hunter of them all
蓝鲸 the blue whale.
重达200吨 Weighing 200 tonnes
体长达30米 and 30 metres long,
这是地球上存在过的最大的动物 these are the biggest animals ever to have lived.
尽管体型巨大 Despite their immense size,
蓝鲸具有游泳动物中 最流线型的身材 blue whales are one of the most streamlined
和最高的能量利用率 and energy efficient of all swimmers.
其食物在海洋中如此分散 Their food is so scarce and widely spread
蓝鲸必须穿越整个大洋 that blue whales must journey across whole oceans
仅为饱餐一顿 just to find a single meal.
它们能以每天100英里的速度 游一周时间 They can travel over 100 miles a day for weeks at a time.
海洋中最大动物的食物 却是最微小的 The ocean's largest animal feeds on one of its smallest.
磷虾 一种小型甲壳动物 Krill, small shrimp like crustaceans.
蓝鲸张开巨嘴十分费力 Opening its gigantic mouth takes so much effort
只有磷虾群足够稠密时 that they only do so
它们才会这么做 when the swarms of krill are rich and concentrated.
这群磷虾太分散 The krill here is too scattered
甚至不值得停下来捕获 not even worth slowing down for.
这只蓝鲸踏上孤独的旅程 This blue whale's lonely search for food
继续寻找食物 must go on.
在这里 觅食的机会稀少难寻 Out here, feeding opportunities are always few and far between.
而且很短暂 And they never last long.
猎物几分钟内就会被吞净 Prey is devoured within minutes.
当一切结束 When it's all over,
捕猎者继续踏上无尽的觅食之路 the hunters must resume their endless search.
军舰鸟 Frigatebirds
是公海上的海盗 the pirates of the high seas.
它们借助信风 毫不费力地翱翔 Soaring effortlessly on the gentle trade winds,
搜索广阔的洋面寻找食物 they can scan vast tracts of ocean for food.
军舰鸟体重太轻 Frigates must be so lightweight
不能像其它海鸟那样 that they can't afford the heavy oils
双翼沾有防水的重油 that waterproof the plumage of other sea birds.
一旦弄湿 就有生命危险 So getting wet would be lethal.
对海上捕猎者来说 这看似无法突破的限制 This may seem an impossible limitation for a seafaring hunter.
但军舰鸟借助于其它动物 But frigatebirds overcome this handicap
克服了这种不利条件 with help from others.
剑鱼 Dorado.
一种快速而贪婪的海中掠食者 One of the fastest and most voracious of ocean predators.
它们靠近水面巡游 寻找猎物 They patrol close to the surface, searching for prey.
小型鱼类试图藏在起伏的波浪中 Little fish try to hide amidst the undulating swell of the ocean
那是仅有的掩护 the only cover there is.
这是一场波涛中的捉迷藏游戏 It's a game of hide and seek played out amongst the waves.
它们的掩护被吹散 Their cover blown
看起来无处可逃 escape seems impossible.
但这些非同寻常的鱼 具有特殊本领 But these particular fish have a unique ability.
它们是飞鱼 They're flying fish.
借助尾部的推动 With an extra thrust from their tails,
飞鱼再次腾空 the flying fish get airborne once more.
顺风之时 With a good wind,
它们能滑翔上百米距离 they can glide for hundreds of metres.
但这正是军舰鸟们 But this is just what the frigatebirds
期盼已久的 have been waiting for.
当军舰鸟加入捕猎队伍 When frigates join the hunt,
飞鱼简直如陷深渊 the flying fish are literally caught between the devil
任人宰割 and the deep blue sea.
如果飞鱼升得过高 If the flying fish get too much lift
很容易被军舰鸟捕捉 they become easy prey for the frigates.
如果下潜躲避上方的攻击 If they dive to evade attack from above
就会落入剑鱼之口 they could fall into the mouths of the dorado.
借助剑鱼的帮忙 With the help of the dorado,
狡诈的军舰鸟 不用弄湿一根羽毛 the wily frigatebird has become a flying fish specialist
就能轻松捕获飞鱼 and without getting a single feather wet.
并非所有大洋捕猎者 都会长途跋涉 Not all open ocean hunters are able to travel
以获取食物 in search of their food.
有些别无选择 只能等猎物送上门 Some have no choice but wait for a meal to come to them.
一丛马尾藻 漂浮在大西洋中 A mat of sargassum weed drifts in the middle of the Atlantic.
马尾藻是唯一生活在水面的海藻 Sargassum is the only seaweed to live entirely at the surface.
它从不接触海床 It never attaches to the sea floor.
这团漂浮乱叶中 This floating tangle of fronds
居住着一种奇异的大洋掠食者 is home to a surprising open ocean predator,
马尾藻鱼 the sargassum fish.
其身体的每一部分都在模仿海藻 Every part of his body mimics the weed.
它的鱼鳍比起游泳来 更适于行走 His fins are more suited to walking than swimming.
实际上 它几乎不会游泳 In fact, he can barely swim at all.
它将在海藻筏中 孤独生活一辈子 He will spend his entire life marooned on this weedy raft.
这条马尾藻鱼必须埋伏等待 This sargassum fish must lie in wait
等着在海藻中寻求庇护的动物送上门 for those seeking shelter amongst the weed.
很遗憾 它的草垫现在空无一物 Unfortunately his mat is empty for now.
但至少不必为寻找食物 But at least he's not wasting valuable energy
而耗费宝贵的能量 searching for food.
在毫无特色的海洋 In the featureless ocean,
对幼年鱼来说 这些草垫是很受欢迎的避难所 these mats are much sought after sanctuary for juvenile fish.
终于来了 At last
数周来的首次机会 his first opportunity for weeks.
它必须靠近 He must get closer.
只有离猎物几厘米远时 它才能发动攻击 He can only strike when he's within a few centimetres of his prey.
依赖于绝佳的伪装 Trusting his perfect camouflage,
它藏在水藻中 he hides in the weed.
要耐心 Patience.
还不够近 Still not close enough.
饥饿显然控制了它 Hunger is clearly getting the better of him.
这次肯定行 Surely this time.
失败了 Blown it.
它的下次机会 可能要数周以后了 It may be weeks before he gets another chance.
开阔海洋十分浩瀚 The open ocean is so vast
一些捕猎者只有团队合作 that some hunters can only find enough prey
才能捕获足够的猎物 by searching as a team.
海豚生活在高度复杂的社会群体中 Dolphins live in highly sophisticated social groups.
通过合作 Working together,
它们占据了大片的海域 they can cover a huge area of ocean.
这些是长吻原海豚 These are spinner dolphins.
它们为什么做出旋转跳跃 依然没有定论 Why they make these twisting leaps is still debatable.
很可能是一种交流方式 Perhaps it's a form of communication
或仅仅为了娱乐 or perhaps it's just fun.
众多小团体有时会聚集起来 Small groups sometimes come together,
形成数量达5000的巨型群体 forming superpods 5,000 strong.
它们正在捕猎 And these are on the hunt.
长吻原海豚是所有海豚中 最善于发声的 Spinners are the most vocal of all the dolphins.
它们使用回声定位来寻找猎物 类似于声呐 They use echolocation, a kind of sonar, to find their prey.
每只捕猎者发出一系列滴答声 Each hunter sends out a series of clicks
然后听返回的回音 and then listens for returning echoes
即使猎物在数百米以外 allowing them to scan for distant prey,
它们也能发现 hundreds of metres away.
大队分散成宽阔的捕猎阵型 The superpod spreads out into a wide hunting line,
宽度达一英里 up to a mile across
形成一堵声音的墙 producing a wall of sound.
它们正在寻找最喜欢的猎物 They're searching for their favourite prey.
灯鱼 Lanternfish.
它们是地球上数量最多的鱼类 They are the most numerous fish on the planet.
但这些小鱼一生大多数时间 But these small fish spend most of their time
都躲在海豚无法到达的深海 down in the deep ocean, way beyond the reach of dolphins.
只有当它们到水面觅食 It's only when they come up to the surface to feed
才会成为猎物 that they become prey.
海豚一旦发现鱼群 Once they've found a shoal,
就会以另一种方式使用声呐 the dolphins use their sonar in a different way.
它们发出强音 将鱼击晕 They stun the fish with loud blasts,
使鱼群聚在一起 then simply gather them up.
进食的时候 海豚会从鱼群下方入手 As they feed, the dolphins work the underside of the shoal
防止猎物逃回安全的深海 to stop their prey from escaping back into the safety of the deep.
几分钟时间 Within a few minutes,
只剩下零零星星的几条鱼 all that's left is a shower of scales
活着逃回深海 drifting downwards to the ocean depths.
深海目前是 The deep ocean is by far
地球上最大的生命栖息地 the largest habitat for life on Earth
生活着一些最怪异的捕猎者 and home to some of the most bizarre hunters of all.
在这里 食物远比海面要稀少 Down here, food is much scarcer than at the surface,
深海掠食者必须尽可能节约宝贵的能量 so deep sea predators must do all they can to save precious energy.
一条蝰鱼正在耐心等待 Waiting patiently, a viperfish.
其头部的器官发出特殊的光 Special light producing organs on its head
引诱猎物到它可怕的嘴边 entice prey towards fearsome teeth.
奇怪而致命的水母猎手也生活在此 Strange yet deadly jelly hunters also live here.
大多数只在漂移 Most simply drift,
拖着长有致命毒刺的触须 trailing tentacles loaded with lethal stings.
其它动物 依靠抖动的纤毛提供推力 Others, propelled by lines of beating hairs,
在黑暗中缓缓游动 glide gently through the darkness.
比罗虫 Beroe
是顶级深海水母猎手 the top deep sea jelly predator.
真的捕食其它水母 They actively hunt other jellies
比如这只栉水母 Iike this ctenophore.
为了捕获胶状的猎物 To grasp its gelatinous prey,
比罗虫的嘴里 长着长矛一样的利齿 Beroe has special teeth like spikes in its mouth.
很多深海捕猎者只是停在深渊中 Many deep sea hunters just hang in the abyss,
以保存能量 saving their energy,
引诱猎物送上门来 luring their prey to come to them.
元帅手乌贼 Chiroteuthis.
这只深海乌贼使用黏性长触须捕捉猎物 This deep sea squid fishes for prey using long, sticky tentacles.
每条触须都长着一个引诱的发光点 Each has a glowing lure,
准备攻击经过的猎物 pulsing to attract passing prey.
轻轻的抖动会增加诱惑力 A gentle twitch adds to the temptation.
在黑暗的深渊 这可是难得的大餐 Down here in the darkness, this meal is a rare bonanza.
开阔海洋可能是巨大的蓝色荒漠 The open ocean may be a vast blue desert,
但与所有荒漠一样 这里也有绿洲 but like all deserts, it has oases.
分散于广袤的空间 Scattered widely across this endless space
是数以千计的小岛 are thousands of small islands.
它们是水下山峰的顶部 These are the summits of underwater mountains,
从数英里下的海床升起 which rise up from the sea floor many miles below.
海洋山峰使深海洋流向上流动 The seamounts deflect deep ocean currents upwards,
将富含营养的海水带到表层 forcing nutrient laden water to the surface.
空旷的蓝色海洋中 出现生机勃勃的绿洲 A busy oasis in the emptiness of the big blue.
对隐藏的猎物来说 在珊瑚丛中和礁石下的隐秘洞穴里 For potential prey, there's plenty of shelter amongst the coral
到处都是可以利用的隐蔽所 and in the caves that are hidden beneath the reef itself.
小鱼在此避难 Small fish take refuge here,
以躲避大多数的掠食者 out of the reach of most of their predators.
并非全部 But not all.
狮子鱼 Lionfish.
它们不是为速度而生 They're not built for speed
在这里 成功依赖于精心的谋略 success here depends on delicate manoeuvring.
它们的策略是藏于无形 Their strategy is to hide in plain sight,
给猎物造成一种安全的错觉 Iulling their prey into a false sense of security.
狮子鱼的条纹具有视觉迷惑性 The lionfish's stripes are visually confusing,
使猎物无法判断它的距离 making it difficult for their prey to judge how close it is.
使用长长的鱼鳍 来掩盖尾部缓慢从容的摆动 Using its extravagant fins to hide slow and deliberate tail movements,
它靠得更近了 it edges ever closer.
它必须靠近到几厘米以内 It must get to within a few centimetres,
才能发动突然袭击 close enough for a sudden strike.
抓到了 Got one.
深海洋流养育了众多居民 The deep water currents that sustain so many residents
也将其它拜访者吸引到绿洲 also attract visitors to these oases.
平滑白眼鲛 Silky sharks.
它们在海洋山峰间旅行几百英里 They journey hundreds of miles between seamounts,
作为空旷大洋中的觅食场 using them as gathering places in the featureless ocean.
锤头鲨也加入进来 They're joined by hammerheads.
这两种鲨鱼在东太平洋的 Both these sharks constantly travel
加拉帕戈斯群岛和其它孤立海洋山峰间 between the Galapagos and other isolated seamounts
不停地巡游 in the Eastern Pacific.
没有人准确知道 它们为何聚集如此之众 No one knows for sure why they gather in such numbers,
但很大部分可能 是来这些绿洲寻找食物 but some certainly come to these oases in search of food.
一大群银河鱼 遮蔽了海洋山峰 A school of resident silversides cloaks the seamount.
如果这些小鱼离珊瑚很近 If these little fish stay close to the coral,
鲨鱼就无法捉到它们 the sharks won't be able to get at them.
别的更敏捷的来客 被潜在的盛宴所吸引 Other, more agile visitors are attracted by the potential feast.
条纹鲣鱼 Striped bonito
和金鲷鱼 and golden trevalley.
它们得将猎物从礁石中驱赶出来到水里 To get a meal, they'll need to drive their prey up and away from the reef
才能将其捕获 into open water.
只要银河鱼不远离海床 As long as the silversides stick close to the sea floor,
就能躲避掠食者 they should evade their predators.
这一次 受挫的掠食者只好去别处 This time, the frustrated hunters will have to search elsewhere
在开阔海洋中捕食 从来都不容易 there's never an easy meal in the open ocean.
环绕南极洲的南大洋 The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica.
是地球上最狂野的海域 The wildest seas on our planet.
在这里 风暴搅动海水将养分带到表层 Here, it's the storm tossed waters that bring nutrients to the surface,
产生了孤立的富饶区域 creating isolated patches of richness.
远离平静的热带地区 Far from the calm tropics,
这片饱经风雨的海洋 是信天翁的家园 this weather beaten ocean is home to the albatross.
黑眉信天翁大小如军舰鸟 Black browed albatross are the same size as frigatebirds
但有三倍重 but three times as heavy,
因此它们需要完全不同的飞行技巧 and so they need a totally different flying technique.
信天翁具有所有鸟类中最长的翼展 Albatross have the longest wingspan of any bird,
因此能够充分利用 and that enables them to exploit the power
南大洋海风的能量 of the Southern Ocean winds.
首先 它们滑翔入风中 First, they glide into the wind,
借助风的能量获得升力 harnessing its energy to give them lift.
然后转身逆风下降 以获得速度 Then they turn and descend downwind, picking up speed.
如此在风沿翱翔 Soaring on wind fronts like this,
信天翁在一天之内 an albatross can travel
就能跨越数百英里的洋面 hundreds of miles of ocean in a day
而几乎不扇动双翼 barely beating its wings.
它们经常在海上 They often spend weeks at sea,
用数周时间寻找食物 而不返回陆地 searching for prey without ever returning to land.
靠近水面的一群磷虾 食物近在眼前 Food at last, a patch of krill close to the surface.
这里的风力如此之强 Because the winds are so strong here,
即使羽毛上的防水油脂 增加了额外重量 albatrosses can afford the extra weight
信天翁也能够承担 of waterproofing oils on their feathers.
它们潜水的深度不足一米 They can duck dive to no more than a metre,
因此它们依靠南大洋水面的搅动 so they rely on the churning of the Southern Ocean
将猎物带到捕食距离以内 to bring their prey up into range.
与所有鸟类一样 信天翁在陆地上繁殖 Like all birds, albatross have to breed on land,
在南大西洋 合适的岛屿很少 but suitable islands are so few in the South Atlantic
大部分岛屿拥挤不堪 that most are heavily overcrowded.
Steeple Jason 世界上最大的信天翁繁殖地之一 Steeple Jason, one of the largest albatross colonies in the world.
每年有近50万信天翁 回到这里养育后代 Nearly half a million come back here each year to raise their young.
成鸟共同分担任务 Adults share parenting duties,
每隔几天就会返回 给幼鸟喂食 returning every few days to feed their chick.
喂食完成 该向大海出发了 Feeding done, it's time to head out to sea.
它们得赶到拥挤的繁殖地边沿 They need to make their way to the edge of the packed colony
那里有足够的起飞空间 where there's more room for takeoff.
信天翁体重太大 只有在风力足够强的地方 Albatross are so heavy that they can only get airborne
它们才能腾空 in places where the wind is strong enough.
借助特殊的助跑 Using a special runway
以及有利的迎面风 with a good headwind
它顺利起飞 she's off.
在空中 海洋看起来平静无常 From the air, the ocean may appear featureless,
在水面之下 but beneath the surface,
强有力的洋流网络在不停运动 a network of powerful currents is constantly on the move.
正是这些洋流 而不是其它力量 It's these currents, more than any other force,
决定了这里的生物分布 that determine the distribution of life out here.
一整群海洋漂移者 A whole community of ocean drifters
借助洋流搭便车 hitches rides on these rivers in the sea.
远洋红蟹 Pelagic red crabs.
它们聚在一起 以微小的浮游植物和动物为食 They've gathered to feed on tiny floating plants and animals,
洋流滋养了密集的浮游生物 a bloom of plankton fuelled by the currents.
它们腿部的细毛减缓了下降 Fine hairs on their legs slow their descent
然后 尾部摆动几下 and then, with a few flicks of the tail,
它们游回来继续觅食 they swim back up to continue feeding.
洋流不仅携带这些漂流蟹 The currents that carry these wandering crabs
也成为海洋中更大型掠食者的高速通道 also serve as highways for the ocean's larger predators.
条纹马林鱼 Striped marlin.
具有完美的流线体型 Beautifully streamlined,
耗费极小的体力 就能旅行很远的距离 they can travel huge distances with minimum effort.
这些捕猎者在洋流的边界处巡游 These hunters patrol the boundaries between ocean currents,
它们的猎物时常在此聚集 where their prey often gathers.
每只掠食者都具有惊人的嗅觉 Each predator has an incredible sense of smell,
能够探测到猎物留下的微弱痕迹 able to detect faint trails left by their prey.
大猎物就在这里某处 Somewhere out here is the big prize
所有种类的捕猎者正在寻找它 and hunters of all kinds are looking for it.
一大群鱼被密集的浮游生物所吸引 Great shoals of fish are attracted to a plankton bloom.
一群沙丁鱼绵延数英里长 A single school of sardines can be many miles long.
鱼群紧紧聚在一起 数量多更安全 The fish swim tightly together, there's safety in numbers.
它们的防御依靠彼此的配合 Their defence relies on coordination.
遭到攻击时 鱼群整体移动 When attacked, the sardines move as one.
每条沙丁鱼 会立刻与近邻动作一致 Each fish instantly matches the movements of its neighbour
然后整群鱼同步移动 and the whole shoal moves in synchrony.
仅仅一只海狮 无法跟上沙丁鱼快速的反应 A lone sea lion can't keep up with their rapid reactions.
即使更多的海狮来了 Even when more sea lions arrive,
看起来也无法攻破沙丁鱼紧密无间的防御 they can't seem to break down the sardines' coordinated defences.
面对这么大的一群鱼 海狮需要分隔出 With a shoal this big, the sea lions need to isolate
更小更容易对付的一群鱼 a smaller, more manageable group of fish.
但掠食者数量太少 鱼群仍然占据优势 But with so few predators, the fish still have the advantage.
海狮能做的就是 将沙丁鱼群困在水面 All the sea lions can do is keep the sardines at the surface
然后等别人帮忙 and wait for others to join them.
金枪鱼 Tuna.
形式开始逆转 Their arrival changes everything.
金枪鱼从下方进攻 Tuna attack from below,
切断沙丁鱼逃回深水区的退路 cutting off the sardines' escape route down to deeper water.
接下来出现的是水剃鸟 Next to appear, shearwaters
不仅善于飞行 在水下也惊人的敏捷 excellent fliers, but also surprisingly agile underwater.
如此多的掠食者从各方向进攻 With so many predators attacking from all sides,
沙丁鱼数量的优势逐渐消失 the advantage starts to shift away from the sardines.
随着鱼群聚得更紧密 As the fish pack ever tighter,
它们的鱼群策略 对掠食者更加容易 their shoaling strategy now makes it easier for the hunters.
短尾真鲨 Copper sharks.
它们嗅到了水中的血腥味 They've scented blood in the water.
令人吃惊的是 掠食者从不彼此攻击 Surprisingly, perhaps, the predators never attack one another.
它们一起合作 将鱼群围成球形 They work together to corral the ball of fish,
轮流一口口地吞食 taking turns to grab a mouthful.
普通海豚 Common dolphins.
随着鱼群变得更小 As the shoal gets ever smaller,
每条沙丁鱼都拼命藏到中间 each sardine scrambles desperately to hide in the middle.
而现在 无处可逃 But now, there's no escape.
一条布氏鲸收拾了残局 A Bryde's whale finishes off the feast
不到一小时 数吨沙丁鱼被吞噬干净 tonnes of sardines devoured in less than an hour.
掠食者们消失在蔚蓝之中 The predators melt away into the blue
继续彼此的独行生活 going their separate ways once more.
这条蓝鲸仍在寻找食物 This blue whale is still searching for a meal
以满足巨大的胃口 to satisfy its giant hunger.
体型如此庞大 Being so large,
它必须平均每天捕获4吨食物 it must catch an average of four tonnes of food a day.
但可能接连数天不进食 But many days may pass without feeding at all.
正是蓝鲸巨大的体型 使它能够游动最远的距离 It is their great size that enables blue whales to travel the furthest,
漫游热带到两极的每一片海洋 roaming every ocean from the tropics to the poles.
一群浓密的磷虾 Trapped against the surface by fish,
被鱼困在水面 a dense patch of krill.
这条蓝鲸终于找到了 This blue has finally found
期盼已久的猎物 what it's been searching for for so long.
这是一顿值得为之张开巨口的大餐 A meal big enough to make opening its massive mouth worthwhile.
磷虾群蔓延数百米 The krill swarm is hundreds of metres across
十分紧密 and packed tight.
蓝鲸朝着猎物做好准备 The whale lines up on its prey,
瞄准磷虾群最致密的部分 targeting the densest part of the shoal.
带着充满扩张的咽喉 游泳十分费力 It takes so much effort to swim with a fully extended throat
蓝鲸在无形之中停滞下来 that the whale virtually comes to a standstill.
蓝鲸使用舌头将水排出嘴外 The whale uses its tongue to force the water out of its mouth,
使用排列在颚部的鲸须板 将磷虾困住 trapping the krill on plates of hairy bristles that line its jaw.
但过滤这么多水 十分费时 But it takes time to sieve so much water.
这给了更灵活的捕猎者以机会 And that gives more nimble hunters their chance.
蓝鲸可能不如其它捕猎者那么敏捷 Blue whales may not be as agile as other hunters,
但它们不必如此 but they don't need to be.
巨口一张 In one giant mouthful,
它们就能吞下整群磷虾 they can swallow whole swarms of krill.
没有别的捕猎者更适于 No other predator is better suited
利用开阔海洋提供的分散资源 to exploit the scattered riches that the open ocean can provide.
蓝鲸 The blue whale
全世界海洋中最大的捕猎者 the greatest hunter in all the world's oceans.