地球表面接近一半的区域 Nearly half of the world's land surface
被沙漠或草原所覆盖 is covered by desert or grassland.
这是地球上最无遮掩的栖息地 These are the most exposed habitats on our planet.
掠食者与猎物间的关系 远比其它地区要紧张 Nowhere else is the tension between predators and prey more obvious.
在这里 奇袭的成功率微乎其微 Out here, the element of surprise scarcely exists.
猎豹 极为善于在开阔地捕猎 A cheetah, superbly adapted to hunt in the open.
只有从空中 你才能领略到 Only from the air can you truly appreciate
其惊人的敏捷与速度 its incredible agility and speed.
即使对于陆地上最快的动物 仅有速度是不够的 But even for the fastest animal on land, speed is not enough.
在这里 成功不仅依靠体能 To be successful out here requires more than physical ability.
更依靠策略 It requires strategy.
猎豹的起跑点至关重要 A cheetah's takeoff point is critical.
它的最高速度只能维持几秒钟 Her top speed can only be maintained for just a few seconds.
为了成功 它必须靠近猎物30米以内 To be successful, she must get within just 30 metres of her prey
而不被发现 undetected.
选择合适的目标很重要 Picking the right target is vital.
要选择体型小 易对付的猎物 Something small enough to handle.
最后的跟踪开始了 The final stalk begins.
母角马挡住了猎豹 The mothers block her path.
但在直接的追逐中 谁也跑不过猎豹 But in a flat-out chase, nothing can outrun a cheetah.
猎豹无法跳到体型小的角马身上 它必须绊倒猎物 Too lightweight to jump on top, she must trip her prey.
失败了 Missed!
但它的奔跑节奏控制得很好 But having timed her run to perfection,
它仍然有体力再试一次 she still has energy to try again.
这只猎豹捕猎成功了 This cheetah hunt may have been successful,
但近六成的捕猎以失败告终 but nearly 60% of hunts end in failure.
在开阔平原上 很少有动物能靠偷袭捕猎 Few can hunt by stealth on the open plains.
但只要植物长得高一点 那就有机会 But where the grass grows a little longer, there is opportunity.
一位专家级的掠食者 能够充分利用所有掩护 One specialist predator is able to use every centimetre of cover
来接近猎物 to get close to its prey.
珍珠鸡 Guinea fowl.
总是很警惕 Always on edge.
在开阔草地上偷袭捕猎 是一项挑战 Hunting by stealth in open grassland is a challenge.
如果有谁能找到 狞猫就能 But if anything can do it, a caracal can.
它是平原上最厉害的鸟类捕猎者 She is the finest bird hunter on the plains.
借助强壮的后腿 它能跳3米高 Her outsized hind legs can launch her three metres into the air,
其非凡听力能够侦测到 猎物最轻微的动静 and her magnificent ears can detect the slightest rustle of prey.
即使在最茂盛的草丛中 也无法躲避狞猫 Even in the longest grass, there is no hiding from a caracal.
一只单独的珍珠鸡 应该很容易悄悄接近 A solitary bird should be easier to creep up on.
狞猫的命中率只有十分之一 A caracal's hit rate is just one in ten.
但今天还没有结束 But the day is not over yet.
只要它会飞 If only she could fly.
并非所有的平原掠食者 都要依赖不被发现 Not all predators of the plains must rely on not being seen.
蜜獾根本无处藏身 There is no hiding a honey badger.
在大白天的开阔地捕猎 Hunting in the open, in broad daylight,
它必须谨小慎微 she's anything but subtle.
它并不需要躲藏 She doesn't need to be.
因为它的大多数猎物藏身地下 Most of her prey live out of sight, underground.
长着长爪和有力的前腿 它就是一台挖掘机 With long claws and powerful front legs, she is a digging machine.
它一天就能挖50个洞 She can dig 50 holes in a single day.
为了捉到富含营养的啮齿动物 这很值得 It's worth it, to get to highly nutritious rodents.
它的鼻子几乎能嗅到所有东西 Following her nose, she can sniff out almost anything.
即使全副武装的猎物 也无法防御蜜獾 Even the most well-armed prey are not safe from a honey badger.
它对蝎子的毒刺免疫 She's immune to the scorpion's stings,
但这不是很愉快的体验 but it's not a very enjoyable experience.
都只为了很小的回报 And all for quite a small reward.
蜜獾的新陈代谢很快 With an incredibly high metabolism,
需要不断补充能量 the honey badger needs constant refuelling.
一个鸵鸟蛋是顿大餐 An ostrich egg would be a rich reward,
但这是平原上最结实的蛋 极难打碎 but they're the strongest eggs on the plains, and very hard to break into.
蜜獾得使出浑身解数 This will require all her ingenuity.
最后终于成功了 Finally, she's cracked it.
蜜獾的猎物超过50种 Honey badgers have over 50 known prey.
它们的成功 依赖于充分利用一切资源 Their success depends on their willingness to take on anything.
并非只有掠食者才具有 It's not just predators that have strategies
应对开阔平原生活的策略 to cope with life in the open.
它们的猎物也在挑战中不断成长 Their prey have also risen to the challenge.
在全世界的平原上 都生活着一种软体猎物 On plains across the world, there is one kind of soft-bodied prey
具有在开阔地生存的非凡策略 that has a dramatic solution for living in the open.
它们建造自己的堡垒 They build themselves fortresses.
辛勤工作的白蚁 Termites, hard at work.
需要5年时间 It can take five years
几代白蚁才能将蚁丘建成完全尺寸 and several generations for a mound to grow to its full size.
这是集团工程的胜利 It's a triumph of collective engineering.
黏土城堡里十分安全 Safe within their castles of clay,
保护它们免受自然的极端环境 they're protected from nature's extremes.
野火的温度可达800摄氏度 Wildfires can reach temperatures of 800 centigrade.
但在巴西的塞拉多草原上 But on Brazil's vast Cerrado grasslands,
蚁丘能够提供极好的保护 the mounds provide such good protection that here,
因此白蚁成为最繁盛的动物 termites are the most abundant form of animal life.
在堡垒的厚墙之内 Within the thick walls of their fortress,
它们过着复杂的社会生活 they live a complex social life.
在中心的是蚁后 At the centre is the queen.
在其生命过程中 它会产生数百万的卵 Over the course of her life, she will produce several million eggs.
在深处 社区成员安全不受打扰 Deep inside, the members of the community are safe and undisturbed.
但一年一次 它们不得不离开 But once a year, some are compelled to leave.
雨季触发了一场奇观 The rainy season triggers a spectacular event.
一代新生的带翅白蚁 数以百万计地出现 A new generation of winged termites - alates - emerge in their millions.
任务是拓展新的殖民地 Their mission - to start a new colony.
但数量这么多 难免不被发现 But so much abundance doesn't go unnoticed.
掠食者就埋伏在 蚁丘的外墙结构之中 Predators lurk in the fabric of the mound's outer walls.
Headlight甲虫的幼虫 Headlight beetle larvae.
它们为这一刻 已经等了一年 They've been waiting all year for this moment.
当夜幕降临 它们就爬到蚁丘的表面 As night falls, they make their way to the surface of the mound.
有数百之众 There are hundreds of them.
它们发出的光 具有致命的诱惑力 Their lights are lethally attractive.
如同飞蛾扑火 Like moths to a flame,
白蚁无法抗拒 这种生物光的闪耀 the termites cannot resist their bioluminescent glow.
每年仅有两周时间 For just two weeks each year,
塞拉多平原 被发光的蚁丘所照亮 the Cerrado is alight with glowing mounds.
甲虫幼虫必须储备食物 以应对未来数月的困难时期 The beetle larvae must stock their larders for the leaner months ahead.
食物供应如此稀少 With food in such infrequent supply,
每只幼虫需要2年才能变为成虫 it will take two years for each larva to grow into an adult beetle.
上百万带翅白蚁同步出现 The synchronised emergence of a million alates
伤亡可以忽略不计 makes these casualties insignificant.
只要有一对白蚁 就能建立新的殖民地 Only a single pair are needed to start a new colony.
它们具有数量优势 There is safety in numbers.
集群是鸟类在开阔地带生存的关键策略 Flocking is a key defence strategy for birds that live in the open.
这一策略在美洲雪雁的年度迁徙中 Few sights illustrate this better than America's snow geese
得到了更好的体现 on their annual migration.
150万只鸟 One and a half million birds,
在密苏里州的Squaw Creek停下来补充能量 stopping to refuel in Squaw Creek, Missouri.
白头海雕早已聚集 等待这次机会 Bald eagles have been gathering, waiting for this opportunity.
看上去食物很多 It might look like a lot of food,
但这是冬季最后的猎物 but these are a winter prey of last resort.
雪雁几乎和鹰一样大 不是容易对付的猎物 Almost as big as an eagle, a goose is a large and difficult prey.
一整群鸟严阵以待 And the flock takes on a life of its own.
扇动的羽翼 形成无法攻破的墙 An impenetrable wall of beating wings.
在视觉的混乱中 选中一个目标几乎不可能 In the visual confusion, picking a single target is almost impossible.
白头海雕必须等情况改变 The eagles must wait for conditions to change.
每年这时候 湖面一夜之间就会冻结 At this time of year, the lake can freeze overnight.
这正是白头海雕所期望的 This is what the eagles have been waiting for.
随着湖面逐渐缩小 As the open water shrinks,
雪雁被迫越聚越紧 the geese are forced closer and closer together.
海雕将雁群赶到空中 The eagles send the flock into the air.
冲到下层制造混乱 Diving to the bottom causes panic.
此时 在鸟群中很不利 Now being in the flock is a liability.
雪雁在一片混乱中相撞 In the crammed chaos, geese collide.
有些会受伤 Some are injured.
与安全的鸟群分开后 Separated from the safety of the flock,
捕捉它们易如反掌 they're far more easy to catch.
鸟群数量巨大 海雕只捕杀了小部分 Despite the vast numbers, the eagles have only managed a few kills.
对雪雁来说 群体行动是有回报的 For the geese, travelling in a flock has paid off,
大部队继续迁徙之旅 and the vast majority continue their migration.
即使最强壮的动物 也依靠数量众多以保障安全 Even the toughest rely on the safety that comes from numbers.
对于在开阔地吃草的动物 群聚是重要的防御措施 Herding is an important defence for animals that graze in the open.
重达800公斤 Weighing up to 800 kilos,
非洲水牛聚集成 数量达1000只的巨型群体 massive cape buffalo form super-herds, over 1,000 strong.
强壮的肌肉和角 形成无法穿透的屏障 An impenetrable mass of muscle and horn.
只有非洲最大的掠食者能够对付水牛 Only Africa's largest predator can tackle buffalo.
即使它们也知道 最好不要攻击一群水牛 And even they know better than to attempt a herd.
水牛攻击性极强 即使未受到挑衅 Highly aggressive, even unprovoked,
一旦有机会 水牛就会踩踏狮子 buffalo will trample lions, given the chance.
通常来讲 维持关系依赖于相互尊重 Usually, the relationship is one of mutual respect.
在赞比亚旱季的末尾 草原上尘土飞扬 At the end of Zambia's dry season, grasslands can turn to dust.
对于水牛 这是寻找新鲜草场的无尽之旅 For the buffalo, it's an endless search for new pasture.
气温升高到超过50摄氏度 With the temperature rising to over 50 degrees centigrade,
一头成年水牛 冒着离开安全群体的危险 an adult bull risks leaving the safety of the herd
独自寻找新鲜草地 to find fresh grazing alone.
狮子通常会避免在高温天气捕猎 Lions will normally avoid hunting in such heat.
但它们也是机会主义者 But they're also opportunists.
狮子们需要在中暑之前将水牛拖倒 The lions will need to bring him down quickly, before they overheat.
即使离开了群体 一头公水牛也是可怕的对手 Even away from the herd, a bull is a formidable opponent.
它能够将狮子顶死 It could gore and kill a lion.
近乎中暑 Close to overheating,
最终它们成功将水牛拖倒在地 they finally succeed in bringing him to the ground.
但体型巨大的水牛却不准备放弃 But the massive bull is not giving up.
水牛与所有狮子的体重顽强对抗 Against the odds, and the full weight of the lions,
它重新站了起来 he regains his feet.
现在形式逆转 And it is now that the tables turn.
狮子们筋疲力尽 The lions are exhausted.
经过20分钟的对抗 After a 20-minute struggle,
只有水牛还有力气结束战斗 only the bull has the energy to finish the fight.
在这样毫无掩蔽的极端环境中 In such exposed and extreme conditions,
掠食者与猎物面临的挑战同样艰巨 the challenge for predators and their prey is at its most intense.
在非洲最高处 有一种掠食者 On the roof of Africa, one predator has adapted
为应对非凡的生存环境和猎物 形成了独特的捕食策略 its entire hunting strategy to suit its unusual home, and prey.
看起来很像狐狸 A wolf that looks like a fox.
埃塞俄比亚狼过着独居生活 The Ethiopian wolf lives an isolated life,
隔绝在海拔3000米的荒凉世界中 cut off in a bleak world, 3,000 metres above sea level.
正如其它狼 如果要成功养育后代 As with other wolves, the whole pack must work together
一群狼就必须合作 if young are to be reared successfully.
领头母狼得留下照顾幼崽 The alpha female must stay and nurse the pups.
每天早晨 群体其它成员一起出发 But every morning, the rest of the pack set out together.
它们共同巡视高原领地的边界 Jointly, they patrol the perimeter of their highland territory.
与其它狼不同 它们捕猎时会分开 But unlike other wolves, they split up when it comes to hunting.
这些狼独自应对猎物 These wolves face their prey alone.
一只巨大的鼹鼠 A giant mole rat.
作为狼的猎物 看起来很奇怪 It might look like strange prey for a wolf,
但这是高原上最好的食物 but it's the best food to be had on these high plains.
比体型较小的草地鼠强多了 Better than the smaller grass rats.
到处都有啮齿动物 但在此捕猎并不容易 There are rodents everywhere, but hunting here is no picnic.
在开阔地貌中 橙色的狼无处藏身 There's no hiding an orange-coloured wolf in this open landscape.
而草地鼠极为警惕 And the grass rats are hyper-vigilant.
这些鼹鼠很小心 从不离巢穴太远 The mole rats are careful to never fully leave their burrows.
每只狼都有捕捉这些啮齿动物的独特技巧 Every wolf has its own unique strategy to catch these rodents.
这只狼耐心等待 This one plays a waiting game.
这只狼迎难而上 This one tackles the challenge head-on.
但它们毕竟不像蜜獾那样善于挖掘 But they're no honey badgers when it comes to digging.
这只狼不在乎猎物跑到地下 This wolf doesn't care if the prey go underground.
它用不同的技术捕捉草地鼠 He has a different technique for grass rats.
它发怒 大喘气 He huffs, and puffs.
像这样往洞里吹气 Blowing down the holes like this,
希望将猎物赶到地面 he hopes to flush his prey to the surface.
太机智了 Genius!
这仅仅是一只干瘦的老鼠 But it's only a meagre grass rat.
捕捉更大的鼹鼠 还得更老练才行 Catching the larger mole rat requires a bit more craftiness.
它们的视力很差 Their eyesight is poor,
但狼任然需要放轻脚步 but the wolf still needs to tread carefully.
鼹鼠对地上的震动极为敏感 Mole rats are acutely sensitive to vibrations in the ground.
老太太一样的步伐 看似很有效 Grandmother's footsteps seems to be working.
哎呀 Oh, dear.
被一只鼹鼠骗了 Outwitted by a mole rat.
这只狼很幸运 Luckily for the wolf,
总有一只鼹鼠 冒险离洞口远了一点 there's always one that's tempted to go a bit too far.
终于成功了 At last.
栖息地越极端 挑战就越艰巨 The more extreme the habitat, the more extreme the challenge.
纳米布沙漠 地球上最荒芜的地区之一 The Namib Desert - one of the most exposed places on Earth.
随着太阳升高 所有动物都寻找掩护躲避酷热 As the sun climbs high, everybody takes cover from the extreme heat.
除了Hotrod蚂蚁 Everybody except the hotrod ant.
当其它动物隐蔽起来 它们的一天才刚刚开始 As others take refuge, their day is just beginning.
清理巢穴 Cleaning out the nest.
灼热的沙子有70摄氏度 The sand can reach a scorching 70 centigrade.
蚂蚁用长腿将身体托离地面 The ants' long legs raise their bodies above the surface,
温度会低10摄氏度 where it's ten degrees cooler.
如果它们站着不动 就会被烤熟 But if they stand still, they will fry.
它们必须不断移动 不然就会面临与猎物同样的命运 They must keep moving or risk the same fate as their quarry -
一些不堪酷热而倒地的生物 the creatures that have collapsed from heat stroke.
虽然埋得很深 但是个凉快的好地方 Too deeply buried, but a good place to cool off.
觅食的决定必须要快 Foraging decisions must be fast.
太大了 Too big.
正合适 Perfect.
要赶紧返回巢穴 不然也会死 Back to the nest before they also die.
但它们已经步入雷区 But they've strayed into a minefield.
这些奇怪的锥形沙坑 都是死亡陷阱 Each of these strange, cone-shaped pits is a deathtrap
凶残的掠食者 就在其中心 with a brutal predator at its centre.
这是蚁狮的幼虫 Here lie antlion larvae -
一种微型伏击掠食者 双螯藏有毒液 tiny ambush predators with venom-filled pincers.
一些蚂蚁想要逃脱 但蚁狮有别的招数 Some ants manage to escape, but the antlion has other tricks.
它将沙子抛入空中 引起一场崩塌 Flinging sand into the air, it creates an avalanche.
在这个死亡圆锥里 In this cone of death,
坡面很陡 蚂蚁脚下的沙子不断滑动 the walls are so angled that the sand slips beneath the ant's feet.
砂砾下雨般从天而降 逃脱几乎不可能 As boulders rain from the sky, escape seems almost impossible.
好险 Phew!
有些蚂蚁一去不返 但蚂蚁们继续工作 Some have been lost, but the hotrods are still going.
终于找到了像样的猎物 At last, a decent prize.
但搬走它就另当别论了 But carrying it off is another matter.
现在的任务是将猎物肢解 The race is on to dismember the prey
同时避免自己中暑 without getting heatstroke themselves.
另一个陷阱 Another trap.
丝质的圈套 A silken snare.
Spoor蜘蛛展开黏性的沙斗篷 A spoor spider has spun a sticky cloak of sand,
藏在下面的阴凉处 and hides in the cool beneath.
振动将它吸引到地面 Vibrations bring it to the surface.
被卷进去后就无法逃脱 Reeled in, escape is impossible.
困在沙网里 蚂蚁被太阳的热力烤焦 Bound into the sandy web, the ant is cooked in the heat of the sun.
蚂蚁动弹不得 死期不远 Unable to move, death comes fast.
在傍晚 蚂蚁队伍面临最后一个难题 By late afternoon, the troops face one last problem.
现在太热了 It's now so hot
对流风吹过沙丘表面 that convection winds have sprung up across the dunes.
终于到家了 还有足够整个群体的食物 Finally, home, and with enough food for the whole colony.
它们忍受着正午的太阳 收获来之不易的回报 They have endured the midday sun and reaped the reward.
有一片栖息地 比纳米布沙漠更加荒芜 One habitat is even more exposed than the Namib.
巨大的南非埃托沙盐田 面积达200平方英里 2,000 square miles - the vast salt pan of Etosha in southern Africa.
环境最严酷的开阔地 The most extreme open arena.
难以想象 什么地方会更无遮掩 It's hard to imagine anywhere with less cover.
然而 这里也有动物生存 Nonetheless, there are animals here.
浅浅的水坑吸引了所有动物 A meagre waterhole brings everyone close together.
狮子能独自生存 Lions can survive alone,
但在埃托沙的旱季 合作至关重要 but in Etosha's dry season, cooperation is vital.
在这里生存 要靠群体的力量 Living here requires teamwork.
这种极端地形 迫使他们下赌注 This extreme landscape has forced them to up their game.
而现在 捕猎是不可能的 For now, hunting is impossible.
到处都有眼线 Eyes are everywhere.
这些伏击掠食者 完全无处藏身 There is absolutely nowhere for these ambush predators to hide.
猎物们知道自己很安全 The prey know they are safe.
狮子不擅长短跑 Lions are not good sprinters.
兽群轻易就能逃开 The herds stay easily out of range.
空中发生了变化 But change is in the air.
狮子的机会来了 This is the lions' time.
一场巨大的风暴正在形成 空气中尘土飞扬 A vast storm gathers, blowing dust into the air.
兽群变得躁动不安 Unease spreads amongst the herds.
它们的感官被蒙蔽 突然变得易受攻击 Their senses muffled, they're suddenly vulnerable,
因为无法听到或闻到掠食者 unable to hear or smell their predator.
每只雌狮悄悄就位 Each lioness takes her place, undetected.
尽管无处藏身 With nowhere to hide,
狮群已经学会利用 自然提供的转瞬即逝的掩护 this pride has learnt to exploit the fleeting cover nature provides.
所有狮子一起分享战果 All will share the meal.
只有通过团队合作 它们才能养育下一代 Only by working together can they provide for the next generation
并在地球上最荒芜的栖息地 顽强生存下来 and survive in the most exposed habitat on the planet.