它一天能够生长一米 It can grow up to a metre a day,
使其迅速傲视四周 fast overtaking the other plants around it.
长得愈发高挺 长势愈发猛烈 The taller it grows, the faster its growth rate,
数日间便拔地而起 凌驾于灌木丛之上
so that in a matter of days it towers above the undergrowth,
并且持续向着天际进发 and continues reaching for the sky.
对于出身草根的它而言 干得还不赖 Not bad for what is essentially a grass.
它就是竹子 It's bamboo.
时机成熟 Given the chance,
竹子将造就出支配整个地域的庞大竹林
bamboo will create immense forests, dominating entire areas.
竹林的踪迹遍及整个中国的西南部 Bamboo forests occur across southwest China,
一路向东直至上海都能看到它的身影 all the way to Shanghai.
或许世界上最高耸挺拔的竹子 But probably the highest persity of bamboos in the world
却悠然生长在云南的山谷之中 is found on the hills and valleys of Yunnan.
尽管外表坚硬 竹子的腹中却空无一物
Though incredibly strong, bamboos have hollow stems,
为一切能够寻径而入的生命 创造了天然完美的庇护所
a perfect shelter for any creatures which can find a way in.
这是甲虫开凿的一个入口 This entrance hole was made by a beetle
但却为完全不同的生物做了嫁衣 but it's being used by a very different animal.
竹节蝙蝠 A bamboo bat.
它是世界上最小的哺乳动物 体型和大黄蜂差不多一样大
The size of a bumblebee, it's one of the tiniest mammals in the world.
整个聚居地内里多达25只竹节蝙蝠 The entire colony, up to 25 bats,
挤在比一个茶杯的空间还要狭小的竹节里
fits into a single section of bamboo stem, smaller than a tea cup.
这简直就是挤油渣 It's quite a squeeze!
竹节内一半的空间属于竹蝠宝宝 Half the colony are babies.
尽管只有一周大而已 他们的体型却长得和妈妈一般大小了
Though barely a week old, they are already almost as big as their mums.
喂养这帮疯长的小家伙实在是件苦差事 Feeding such a fast-growing brood is hard work.
蝙蝠母亲们只在每晚薄暮降临后外出寻觅食物
The mums leave to hunt just after dusk each night.
小家伙们被留下来看家 Back in the roost, the young are left on their own.
翅膀上独特的肉趾帮助他们攀爬竹壁
Special pads on their wings help them to grip on the bamboo walls -
绝大多数时候 most of the time.
小竹蝠们在剩下的空间里用伸展腰肢整理翅膀
The young bats use the extra space to prepare for a life on the wing
为日后的飞行早做准备 by preening and stretching.
就像罐头里的沙丁鱼挤得满满的 将成为容易被蛇攻击的目标
Packed in like sardines, they would make an easy target for a snake.
但是蛇却没有收获的机会 But the snake has no chance of getting in.
入口的宽度比铅笔还要细 The entrance is thinner than the width of a pencil.
当蝙蝠妈妈回来时 When the mothers return,
穿过狭窄的入口 必须要依靠它们与众不同的扁平颅骨
they can push through the narow entrance only because of their unusually flattened skulls.
同样还是需要用力才能挤进去 But it's still a squeeze.
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