蚂蚁世界大战——行军蚁：英语精读讲义

Some groups just don't get along. 短語動詞

有些群体就是无法和睦相处。

Every day billions of soldiers fight a merciless war on thousands of fronts

每天，数十亿士兵在成千上万的战线上进行着无情的战争，

and it's been going on for over 100 million years. 語法

这场战争已经持续了1亿多年。

The world war of the ants.

蚂蚁的世界大战。

Ants are ancient beings that arose around 160 million years ago

蚂蚁是古老的生物，大约在1.6亿年前出现，

and took over a wide variety of ecological niches 短語動詞

它们占据了各种各样的生态位，

so successfully that they became one of the dominant animals on planet Earth. 語法

极其成功，以至于成为了地球上的主导动物之一。

Today they count more than 16,000 different species

如今，它们拥有超过1.6万个不同的物种，

with over 10,000 trillion individuals.

个体数量超过10000万亿。

Collectively, ants alone

总的来说，单单是蚂蚁

make up 20% of the entire animal biomass on land. 短語動詞

就占据了陆地整个动物生物量的20%。

Similar to humans, their recipe for success is collaboration.

与人类相似，它们成功的秘诀是合作。

While a single ant is pretty useless, 語法

虽然单只蚂蚁显得毫无用处，

together they are able to achieve stunning feats. 短語搭配

但聚集在一起，它们能完成惊人的壮举。

They construct complex colonies,

它们建立复杂的蚁群，

care for livestock, pursue agriculture,

照料牲畜、从事农业，

or have complex symbiotic relationships.

或形成复杂的共生关系。

And of course, ants wage war. 短語搭配

当然，蚂蚁也会发动战争。

Even among the same species,

即使在同一物种之间，

a constant state of conflict is pretty common.

持续的冲突状态也相当普遍。

Skirmishes, raids, and full-on invasions 用詞

小冲突、突袭和全面入侵

are happening every day,

每天都在发生，

causing millions of casualties.

造成数百万的伤亡。

Let's look at some of the most interesting ones in a series of videos.

让我们在一系列视频中看看其中一些最有趣的例子。

In this one,

在这一集里，

the army ant, a swarm made for war. 短語搭配

我们来看看行军蚁，一个为战争而生的群体。

The army ant group consists of about 200 different species. 短語搭配

行军蚁群体由大约200个不同的物种组成。

Army ants do not build nests,

行军蚁不筑巢，

they live a sort of nomadic lifestyle 短語搭配

它们过着一种游牧般的生活，

with groups of millions of individuals.

有着由数百万个体组成的群体。

On a hunt, some species form large columns up to 100 m long,

在狩猎时，有些物种会形成长达100米的大型纵队，

killing and immediately dismembering every insect or small vertebrate they encounter.

杀死并立即肢解它们遇到的每一只昆虫或小型脊椎动物。

The biggest hunting parties can kill up to 500,000 animals per day.

最大的狩猎小队每天可以杀死多达50万只动物。

Some army ants specialize in hunting and consuming other social insects 短語搭配

一些行军蚁专门狩猎和吞食其他社会性昆虫，

like termites, wasps, and especially other ants.

如白蚁、黄蜂，尤其是其他蚂蚁。

Wasps are fierce and may seem invulnerable,

黄蜂很凶猛，看似无懈可击，

but if a swarm makes its way to their colonies, 短語搭配

但如果一群行军蚁进入它们的巢穴，

they don't even stand a chance. 習語

它们甚至毫无还手之力。

The much bigger and stronger wasps might kill a few of them,

体型更大、更强壮的黄蜂可能会杀死几只蚂蚁，

but they are quickly overwhelmed.

但它们很快就会被蜂拥而至的蚂蚁淹没。

Even if their queen survives an attack, 語法

即使它们的蜂后在袭击中幸存下来，

the army ants steal the colony's larvae

行军蚁也会偷走巢穴的幼虫

and quickly devour them.

并迅速将它们吞食。

There is no recovery from that.

这是一种毁灭性的打击。

When army ants discover another ant colony,

当行军蚁发现另一个蚂蚁群落时，

they immediately attack.

它们会立即发起攻击。

Now you might think this would be a more even battle, 表達脈絡

你可能会认为这会是一场势均力敌的战斗，

but it's not.

但并非如此。

Because army ants act as a social unit, 短語搭配

因为行军蚁是作为一个社会单位行动的，

they are especially dangerous and effective.

它们特别危险且高效。

Most army ants are not particularly impressive individually,

大多数行军蚁个体并不特别出众，

but they can overwhelm their victims with sheer numbers 短語搭配

但它们能以绝对的数量优势压倒受害者，

before the victim colony can mount an effective defense. 短語搭配

让受害蚁群来不及组织有效的防御。

And so invasions tend to be won by the attackers 語法

因此，入侵往往以攻击者的胜利告终，

and the prey colony is damaged significantly

猎物蚁群受到严重破坏

or is exterminated.

甚至被彻底消灭。

Interestingly, army ants don't fight army ants.

有趣的是，行军蚁并不攻击行军蚁。

When two swarms encounter each other in the wild,

当两个行军蚁群在野外相遇时，

they either pass through each other, 語法

它们要么穿过彼此，

ignoring the other swarm,

无视另一个群体，

or both colonies just move away,

要么两个群体各自离开，

which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. 短語搭配

这从进化的角度来看是合理的。

Army ants that fought other army ants

那些与其他行军蚁交战的行军蚁

probably eradicated themselves millions of years ago.

可能在数百万年前就已经自我灭绝了。

Indeed, they're so deadly that other ant species had to specialize to survive their presence.

事实上，它们如此致命，以至于其他蚂蚁物种不得不进化出特殊能力才能在它们面前生存。

Many species just panic and evacuate their nest when they notice army ant scouts,

许多物种在发现行军蚁侦察兵时会惊慌失措地撤离巢穴，

carrying as many larvae with them as they can, 語法

随身带走尽可能多的幼虫，

in order to return and rebuild after the attack. 語法

以便在袭击结束后返回重建。

Other species have invented living bunkers since fighting is so futile.

其他物种发明了“活体掩体”，因为战斗太徒劳了。

They have worker classes that have big square heads.

它们有长着巨大方头的工蚁阶层。

When army ants show up, 短語動詞

当行军蚁出现时，

they use them to block the entrances to their nests,

它们用这些头来堵住巢穴的入口，

so the attackers have to give up after a while. 短語動詞

这样攻击者在一段时间后就不得不放弃。

But not everybody is afraid of army ants. 語法

但并非所有物种都害怕行军蚁。

Leafcutter ants form some of the largest and most complex societies

切叶蚁形成了除人类之外

of any animal other than humans. 短語搭配

最庞大、最复杂的动物社会之一。

They live in extensive nests many meters deep and across,

它们生活在深达数米、横跨极广的大型巢穴中，

harboring millions of citizens

容纳着数百万的“公民”，

with a highly sophisticated division of labor. 用詞

并拥有高度复杂的劳动分工。

Like huge soldiers 100 times more massive than a worker. 語法

比如体型比工蚁大100倍的巨型兵蚁。

Their sole purpose might be to defend their colonies against army ants. 短語搭配

它们存在的唯一目的可能就是保卫蚁群免受行军蚁的攻击。

They still have a nemesis, though.

不过，它们仍然有克星。

The diet of the army ant species Nomamyrmex esenbeckii

行军蚁物种 Nomamyrmex esenbeckii 的饮食

consists mostly of the larvae of other ants.

主要由其他蚂蚁的幼虫组成。

Compared to other army ants,

与其他行军蚁相比，

they have a more robust soldier caste.

它们拥有更强壮的兵蚁阶层。

So far, they are the only known species that can successfully attack a mature colony of leafcutters. 語法

到目前为止，它们是已知唯一能成功攻击成熟切叶蚁群的物种。

When they find a leafcutter colony,

当它们发现切叶蚁群落时，

hundreds of thousands attack in a long column.

数十万只蚂蚁会排成长队发起攻击。

The moment the leafcutter ants notice the army ant attack, 語法

切叶蚁察觉到行军蚁攻击的那一刻，

they go into crisis mode and immediately alert their soldiers, 短語搭配

它们就会进入危机模式，并立即向兵蚁发出警报，

who very quickly swarm to the site of attack.

兵蚁会迅速蜂拥至遇袭地点。

A frontline develops that can be a few meters wide

一条可能有几米宽

and up to a meter deep.

深达一米的前线形成了。

The leafcutter soldiers go head-to-head with the army ants, 習語

切叶蚁兵蚁与行军蚁正面交锋，

locking on them and trying to cut through their heads.

死死咬住它们并试图切断它们的头。

Smaller leaf cutter workers help by grabbing the enemies.

较小的切叶蚁工蚁则通过抓住敌人来协助。

Small teams carry out attacks behind the frontline 短語動詞

小分队在前线后方展开攻击，

where they dismember their enemies by ripping their legs from their bodies.

将敌人的腿从身体上扯下来以此肢解敌人。

The attackers, meanwhile, 表達脈絡

与此同时，攻击者

try to swarm their victim's soldiers and sting them to death in a mob. 短語搭配

试图包围受害者的兵蚁并群起将其蛰死。

Despite the powerful defense and the determined response, 語法

尽管防御坚固、反击果断，

the army ants are still superior in numbers. 短語搭配

行军蚁在数量上仍然占据优势。

So without knowing if the battle can be won,

因此，在不知道战斗是否能获胜的情况下，

the leafcutters prepare for the worst. 習語

切叶蚁会做最坏的打算。

Workers rush to create barricades

工蚁们争先恐后地建立路障，

and seal off as many entrances to their nest as possible 短語動詞

并尽可能多地封死巢穴入口

to secure their route.

以确保它们的退路安全。

If the leafcutters are not able to repel the invaders

如果切叶蚁未能击退入侵者

or at least barricade enough of their entrances in time, 短語搭配

或者至少没有及时封住足够的入口，

the army ants swarm the nest,

行军蚁就会涌入巢穴，

overrunning all opposition.

碾碎所有的反抗。

They penetrate deep into the hidden chambers

它们深入隐藏的腔室，

and steal tens of thousands of the leafcutters' brood to eat them.

偷走成千上万只切叶蚁幼虫来饱餐一顿。

Even if the leaf cutter colony survives,

即使切叶蚁群幸存下来，

this is a heavy blow. 習語

这也是一次沉重的打击。

Regardless who's won the war, 語法

不管谁赢得了战争，

thousands lay slain on the battlefield.

战场上都会留下成千上万的尸体。

When the army ants attack,

当行军蚁发起攻击时，

death follows them. 習語

死亡如影随形。

But there are other species that form much more dangerous ant armies.

但还有其他物种构成了更加危险的蚂蚁大军。

Species that form supercolonies

有些物种形成的超级蚁群

covering thousands of square kilometers

覆盖数千平方公里，

over multiple continents,

跨越多个大陆，

engaging in wars kilometers across.

参与绵延数公里的战争。

They deserve their own video, though.

不过它们值得单独做一期视频。

No matter the scale, 語法

不管规模大小，

war is a part of ant existence,

战争是蚂蚁生存的一部分，

be it between huge colonies 語法

无论是在巨大群体之间，

or small groups trying to fend off a raid. 短語動詞

还是在试图抵御突袭的小群体之间。

In tropical rainforests,

在热带雨林中，

but also in the cracks of the concrete

或者就在我们每天走过的

we walk over every day.

水泥缝隙里。

Humans have decided that war is not a thing that they want to do a lot anymore.

人类已经决定不再频繁地发动战争。

For ants, though,

然而对于蚂蚁来说，

the other ant will always be the enemy.

其他蚂蚁永远是敌人。

No, some groups just don't get along. 表達脈絡

没错，有些群体就是无法和睦相处。