The Andes themselves |
安第斯山脉的山体 |
were built by forces deep in the Earth's crust. |
由深藏在地壳之下的力量造就而成 |
In this part of the Pacific, |
数百万年来 |
the ocean floor has been moving eastwards for millions of years. |
太平洋这一区域的海床一直在向东运动 |
Where the sediments meet the edge of the continent, |
在沉积物与南美大陆相遇的地方 |
they're pushed together and forced upwards. |
二者被挤压到一起向上隆起 |
This pressure creates fractures, |
压力导致岩层断裂 |
up which molten rock rises, |
熔融的岩石从断层流出 |
and is then spewed out as ash and lava from great volcanoes. |
最终化作火山灰和岩浆从巨大的火山喷涌而出 |
Nearly 200 of them stretch in a line |
贯穿南美大陆的这条线上 |
along the length of the continent. |
分布着将近两百座火山 |
Some erupt with the force of an atomic bomb |
有些火山每十秒钟喷发出的能量 |
every ten seconds. |
就相当于一颗原子弹 |
As the collision continues, the sea floor is dragged downwards, |
随着板块不断碰撞海床下沉 |
creating a deep trench just offshore. |
在海岸附近形成了深沟 |
Rich, cold waters rise up from it. |
富有营养且冰冷的海水从深沟升上来 |
And this upwelling creates an abundance of life. |
上涌的海水创造出了丰富的生命 |
Here, on the coast of Peru, |
在秘鲁的海岸上 |
there are so many sea birds fishing in the offshore waters |
数量众多的海鸟在近岸水域捕鱼 |
that the cliffs are covered in droppings over a metre thick. |
海边悬崖上覆盖着厚达一米的鸟粪 |
Humboldt penguins regard the soft guano as a good material |
在洪堡企鹅眼中鸟粪是良好的建材 |
in which to dig their nest holes. |
它们在粪堆里挖洞筑巢 |
But it's a messy business. |
但这可是个肮脏的活计 |
It's the breeding season, and more hopeful nesters arrive - |
繁殖季节到了更多企鹅想要来此筑巢 |
spotless from swimming in the sea. |
它们才从海里游上来身上一尘不染 |
Time for the residents to get cleaned up and catch some fish |
岸上的企鹅也该去清洗一番 |
for themselves and their chicks. |
给自己和企鹅宝宝们捕些鱼来吃 |
To get to the sea, |
要回到海里 |
they cross the remains of an old nesting ground. |
它们得经过一片旧巢 |
Only 100 metres to go. |
就剩一百米了 |
But the beach is already crowded with sea lions. |
但海滩上挤满了海狮 |
They, too, have come ashore to raise their young. |
它们也是上岸来养育幼崽的 |
And they don't like being disturbed. |
而且不喜欢被打扰 |
To get through such a minefield |
要穿越这样一片雷区 |
needs a bold and courageous leader. |
企鹅需要一位胆大无畏的领队 |
A brave start. |
出发很勇敢 |
A dead end. |
结局很凄惨 |
Now he's in trouble. |
现在它惹上麻烦了 |
This is going to need a bit of crowd surfing. |
要摆脱困境需要冲破海狮群 |
But now, all the sea lions are roused. |
可现在所有海狮都被吵醒了 |
Getting through them will be tricky. |
在它们之间穿行会很困难 |
A cleansing bathe in the ocean... |
清凉干净的海水浴 |
Well worth the effort. |
再辛苦也值了 |
The animals living along the Pacific Coast |
安第斯山脉阻断了 |
are cut off from the rest of South America by the Andes. |
生活在太平洋沿岸的动物与南美其他地方的联系 |
完整版请点击 |
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They form a gigantic barrier, |
山脉组成了巨大的屏障 |
stretching over 4,000 miles |
绵延六千多公里 |
from Patagonia in the south... |
从南端的巴塔哥尼亚高原 |
to Venezuela in the north. |
直到北方的委内瑞拉 |
This is the world's longest mountain range. |
这是世界上最长的山脉 |
Many peaks are over four miles high. |
许多山峰海拔超过六千米 |
They are so tall, they catch clouds. |
山峰之高耸入云霄 |
And so, create an environment unlike any other on the continent. |
造就了与南美洲其他地方截然不同的环境 |
The cloud forest. |
云海森林 |
Every high valley here has its own unique plants and animals. |
这里每一处高山幽谷都有其独特的动植物 |
One of them is the aptly-named Pinocchio lizard. |
这种动物恰如其名叫匹诺曹蜥蜴 |
It was first recorded here 50 years ago - and then, lost. |
五十年前人们第一次发现它然后它就消失了 |
It's only recently been rediscovered. |
直到最近才重新出现 |
Up here lives a creature so rare that it's seldom seen, |
这座山上生活着一种十分罕见的生物 |
even by those scientists who have come here to study it. |
即便来此研究它们的科学家也难得一见 |
The Andean bear. |
安第斯熊 |
Only a few thousand remain. |
其数量仅剩数千 |
They eat mostly leaves and fruit, |
它们主要以树叶和果实为食 |
often clambering up to the very top of the canopy to do so. |
经常爬上树冠高处觅食 |
He's looking for a type of miniature avocado. |
它在找一种小型的牛油果[鳄梨] |
30 metres up. |
在三十米高处 |
The only fruit remaining here is out on the thinnest branches - |
这里仅剩的果实长在最纤细的树枝上 |
too thin to support the weight of a bear. |
纤细的树枝禁受不住一只熊的重量 |
A more experienced bear has turned up and wants a go. |
一只更有经验的熊出现了它想一试身手 |
Time for young ones to watch and learn how to do it. |
轮到年轻的好好看着学习技巧了 |
The trick is to bite the branch just enough... |
窍门就是恰到好处地咬断树枝 |
To make it swing down and bring the fruit within reach. |
令其垂下果实也就触手可及了 |
Whoops. |
不好 |
Now there's a race to be first on the ground to claim it. |
现在就看谁先跑回地面抢到果子了 |
The moisture needed to create a cloud forest only occurs |
只有达到一定的海拔高度湿度刚好 |
above a certain altitude. |
才足够形成云海森林 |
So, each peak may now have its own species. |
所以每一座山峰都有其独特的物种 |
In Venezuela, there are similar small worlds |
在委内瑞拉也有类似这样的小小世界 |
created not by rain, but by rock. |
铸就这里的不是雨水而是岩石 |
A great layer of sandstone once covered this entire area, |
这一整片区域曾被厚厚的砂岩覆盖 |
but rivers cut through it. |
但河水从其间流过 |
As the valleys widened, the tablelands became first huge plateaus, |
随着溪谷越来越宽台地变成了雄伟的高原 |
then isolated, flat-topped mountains... |
继而变成了孤立的平顶山 |
And eventually towers and spires. |
最终形成了高耸的山峰 |
On the tops of the bigger ones, |
较高的山峰上 |
animals and plants have now become so different |
动植物如今已与别处千差万别 |
that they can be counted as new species. |
可以被归为新物种 |
There is no higher waterfall in the world... |
天下再没有哪座瀑布 |
than this one. |
比这里的高 |
Angel Falls. |
天使瀑布 |
Almost a kilometre from top to bottom. |
从顶部到底部有近一千米高 |
The vertical cliffs surrounding many of these mountains |
这些高山四周陡峭的悬崖在很大程度上 |
have kept them largely free from human exploitation. |
保护了它们免遭人类的开发 |
No such barriers have protected the lowlands... |
低地没有这样的天然壁垒作为保护 |
But a few patches of forest still remain. |
但仍有几片森林幸存下来 |
One in Colombia is the home |
其中一片位于哥伦比亚 |
of one of the world's rarest monkeys. |
这里是世界上珍稀猴类的家园 |
Cotton-topped tamarins. |
棉冠狨猴 |
They're critically endangered. |
它们正濒临灭绝 |
Only a few hundred families remain. |
数量仅剩几百只 |
They live largely on fruit |
它们主要以水果为食 |