南極洲的極寒之冬
Midwinter in Antarctica
大自然最偉大的故事之一
and one of nature's most extraordinary stories
即將開篇
is about to begin.
在凜冽的狂風 暴風雪和極寒中
Through two months of biting winds, blizzards and unimaginable cold,
這一羣雄性帝王企鵝
these male emperor penguins
每一隻都在孵化自己珍貴的蛋
have each nurtured a single precious egg.
一個接一個 他們迎來了小小的新生命
One by one, they welcome their tiny chicks into the world.
但並不是所有的蛋都孵化了
But not all eggs will hatch
還有一位父親正在等待
and one father is still waiting.
一位鄰居來炫耀他的新寶寶
A neighbour shows off his own new youngster.
他的叫聲能夠鼓勵幼鳥打破蛋殼
His calls will encourage the chick to emerge.
終於 族羣中最年幼的成員誕生了
Finally, the youngest member of the colony is born.
但要在這個世界最嚴酷的育兒所長大
But growing up in the world's most extreme nursery
是一個嚴峻的挑戰
will be a huge challenge,
在六個月中
for in just six months
他必須學習到足夠的技巧
he must have learned enough to fend for himself
才能在廣袤的南冰洋中養活自己
in the great Antarctic Ocean.
這是有關一隻神奇小企鵝的戲劇化故事
This is the dramatised story of one extraordinary little bird.
小 雪
一隻企鵝的故事
企鵝媽媽們不在小企鵝身邊
Far from their chicks,
過去兩個月中 她們一直在抓魚養肥自己
the mothers have spent the last two months catching fish and fattening up
而爸爸們就被留在原地
while the fathers were left alone
孵化他們的蛋
to hatch their eggs.
現在 她們趕着回去餵養自己的孩子
Now, the race is on to get back and feed their young.
在摩肩接踵中 這位就是小雪的媽媽
Among the excited crowd is Snow Chick's mother.
她帶着一肚子的魚 要去給新生的寶寶餵食
She's got a belly full of fish for her newborn,
但在那之前
but between them
她要艱難跋涉60英里 穿越冰封的海洋
is a gruelling 60-mile trek across the frozen sea.
她們搖搖擺擺的速度不超過每小時2英里
Waddling at less than 2mph,
得走上好多天才能到家
it will take many days to get home.
她們的本能驅動她們前進
Instinct drives them on
她們的寶寶能否存活就要看她們能否準時到達
their babies' lives depend on them arriving in time.
回到育兒所 爸爸開始和小寶寶熟悉起來
Back at the colony, the father is getting to know his chick.
他給他餵了點高卡路里的寶寶奶汁
He gives him some high-calorie baby milk
這是從他喉嚨的腺體裏分泌出來的
produced from a gland in his throat.
但這些奶汁只能維持幾天
But these supplies will only last a few days.
與此同時 他的媽媽正在往這裏趕
It's just as well his mother is on her way.
在母性本能的驅動下
Following her maternal instinct,
她和其他的雌企鵝
she and all the other females
穩步向着家裏趕路
are making steady progress on their journey home.
但有些地方 冰層非常薄
But in places, the ice is wafer-thin.
冰層下方 一頭狩獵者正在跟蹤
Below, a predator tracks their every move.
一頭豹海豹 企鵝們最大的天敵
A leopard seal, the penguins' greatest enemy.
小雪的媽媽感覺到了危險
The chick's mother senses danger.
幸虧她夠警醒
She was right to be cautious.
破碎的冰層是一個死亡陷阱
Broken ice is a death-trap.
對其他媽媽來說
For the rest,
她們唯一關心的只有自己的寶寶
their chick is their only concern.
但海豹只需要一個獵物
But the seal needs just one victim.
好險
A near miss
她還需要跋涉40英里
and she still has 40 treacherous miles ahead of her.
小雪在等媽媽回家時
While the chick waits for her return,
外面的氣溫也降到了零下30度
outside temperatures are at -30.
但包裹着他的育兒袋就像是保溫袋一樣
But the pouch covers him like a tea cosy
令他能保持37度的舒適體溫
and keeps him at a comfy +37 degrees.
對一個新手爸爸來說
For a new father,
帶着腳上的寶寶走路非常難保持平衡
walking with a chick on your feet is a tricky balancing act.
他很快會掌握訣竅的
He'll get the hang of it soon.
企鵝媽媽們也正在冰天雪地裏奮鬥
The mothers are also struggling with the icy conditions
她們正在穿越的
and they are crossing
是地球上最嚴酷的地帶
some of the toughest terrain on earth.
她們尖銳的爪子能抓住冰面
Their sharp claws grip the ice,
而腳上的鱗片 就像是鞋底紋路一樣
while scales on their feet act like treads.
但有些地方雪融化後又再度結冰
But where the snow melts and re-thaws
導致冰面異常滑溜
it creates slippery conditions that
連企鵝都站立不穩
even a penguin finds challenging.
回到育兒所
Back at the colony,
小雪出生已經一星期了
it's been a week since the chick was born.
在這樣的溫度下
At these temperatures,
生存全賴是否能有足夠的食物
survival depends on getting enough to eat.
他的爸爸努力過了
His father tries,
但沒有更多的奶汁可喂
but there's nothing left to give.
企鵝媽媽們還在奮力趕路
The mothers battle on.
可惜的是 有些年份 她們沒能準時回家
Sadly, some years, they simply don't make it in time.
小雪越來越虛弱
The chick is getting weaker by the hour.
終於 幾個疲憊的身影出現了
Then, at last, some weary figures appear.
企鵝媽媽風塵僕僕 精疲力盡
Utterly exhausted by the walk,
但在她能見到孩子之前
the mother still has one final challenge
還有最後一個難題要解決
before she can meet her chick.
找到他
Finding him.
這裏有三千多對企鵝父子
There are over 3,000 fathers with chicks here
即使在企鵝眼裏 他們看上去也都一樣
and, even to penguins, they all look the same.
小雪的時間不多了
For the chick, time is running out.
但企鵝們想到了一個辦法
But the penguins have a solution.
企鵝爸爸們排成一列
The fathers get in line
爸爸帶着小雪也加入了隊伍
and dad and his chick join them.
他們排成了認親長隊
They form an identity parade.
她只需要一路走過去辨認
All she has to do is simply work her way along the line.
好像挺簡單的
Sounds simple enough,
但在千鵝一面的企鵝羣中
but among all the penguin lookalikes
她的伴侶還是很難辨認
her partner is still tricky to recognise.
所以她時不時要停下來鳴叫
So, every so often, she stops and calls.
她的叫聲是獨特的
Her cry is unique
企鵝爸爸也用自己獨特的叫聲回應
and the father responds with a call of his own.
這纔是她希望聽到的聲音
It's what she was hoping to hear.
在海中渡過兩個月
After two months at sea
又在冰上跋涉60英里後
and a 60-mile trek across the ice,
她終於及時回到了家
she's made it back in the nick of time.
在大自然奇蹟般的安排下
In a miracle of natural timing,
他喫到了一口能救命的食物
he gets a morsel that will save his life.
現在輪到媽媽來照料寶寶了
It's now his mother's turn to take over the childcare...
但他們必須要小心
..But they must be careful -
小雪在冰面上多待幾秒鐘都可能凍死
a few seconds too long on the ice and their chick will die.
終於 一家團圓了
Finally, they unite as a family.
他們之間的羈絆
The bond they share
是自然界中最神奇的事情之一
is one of the most remarkable in nature.
在此後的五個月中
For over the next five months,
他們會輪流去海里覓食並帶回家
they'll take it in turns to trek to the sea to bring back food
餵養不停長大的寶寶
for their ever-growing baby.
他的爸爸爲了養育小雪忍♥耐了那麼久
His father endured so much to get the tiny chick this far.
離別依依不捨
Saying goodbye is hard.
這一次 他不再回頭
This time, there's no looking back.
四個星期之後 他會帶着新鮮的食物回來
In four weeks, he will return with fresh supplies.
但首先要走完往返120英里的路
But first, there's the little matter
才能到達大海
of a 120-mile round-trip to the sea.
現在 輪到媽媽來喂他了
Now, it's Mum's turn to feed him.
天然的防腐劑
A natural preservative
令魚肉保持新鮮 就像當天捕獲的一樣
has kept the fish as fresh as the day it was caught.
小雪也許心滿意足了
The chick may be satisfied,
但他的爸爸已經四個月沒喫東西了
but his father hasn't eaten for four months.
他和其他飢腸轆轆的企鵝爸爸們一起
He and the rest of the hungry fathers
向着大海踏上了兩天的漫長路程
are now two days into their long walk to the sea.
但有時候 冰層會給他們開闢一條捷徑
But sometimes, the ice offers a short-cut.
一個冰洞
An ice hole,
通往海洋的捷徑
a portal to the sea
能夠讓他們少走好幾天的路
which could cut their journey by days.
當你餓得眼冒金星時
And when you're famished,
探查一下還是值得的
it's got to be worth investigating.
但這樣的冰洞並不是憑空出現的
But such holes don't appear by themselves.
肯定有什麼關竅
There had to be a catch.