纪录片《南太平洋》 第35期 四海为家（03）（在线收听）

This show of strength finally gets her attention.

这段展示最终引起了雌鸟的关注

The best-dressed Goldie gets the girl.

羽毛最美的戈氏天堂鸟找到了伴侣

But while his feathers may have secured him a mate,

天堂鸟的羽毛虽然可以吸引异性

they're not strong enough to carry him off the island

却不足以飞离小岛

and further east across the South Pacific.

更无法从遥远的东方穿越南太平洋

Birds of paradise sacrificed flight efficiency for flights of fancy

它们卖力飞行，只是为了华丽的表演

So who did manage to colonise the South Pacific?

是谁成功开拓进南太平洋?

New Guinea's enormous landscape is carved up into thousands of isolated valleys.

新几内亚广袤的陆地由数千座独立的山谷构成

Each shelters huge numbers of potential colonisers.

每座山谷都庇护着数量庞大的开拓者

Amazingly, one in twenty of the world's insect species may live here.

令人惊讶的是，这里的昆虫种类占地球上所有种类的1/20

As well as almost 300 species of mammal, like the bizarre, egg-laying, long-nosed echidna.

同时还有近300种哺乳动物，例如奇异的卵生长鼻针鼹

There are even kangaroos that have taken to the trees.

甚至还有喜欢依树而居的树袋鼠。