TED2011
Paul Nicklen: Animal tales from icy wonderlands
Paul Nicklen: Contos do país das marabillas rodeado polo xeo
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Mergullándose baixo o xeo antártico para achegarse á temible foca leopardo (ou leopardo mariño), o fotógrafo Paul Nicklen atopou unha nova e extraordinaria amiga. Comparte a súas graciosas e apaixoadas historias do país polar das marabillas, ilustradas con prodixiosas imaxes de animais que viven sobre e baixo o xeo.
Paul Nicklen - Polar photographer
Paul Nicklen photographs the creatures of the Arctic and Antarctic, generating global awareness about wildlife in these isolated and endangered environments. Full bio
Paul Nicklen photographs the creatures of the Arctic and Antarctic, generating global awareness about wildlife in these isolated and endangered environments. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
My journey to become a polar specialist,
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A miña viaxe de conversión en especialista polar,
00:18
photographing, specializing in the polar regions,
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fotografando e especializándome nas rexións polares,
00:21
began when I was four years old,
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comezou cando tiña 4 anos,
00:23
when my family moved from Southern Canada
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ó mudarse a miña familia dende o sur de Canadá
00:26
to Northern Baffin Island, up by Greenland.
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ó norte da illa de Baffin, preto de Groenlandia.
00:29
There we lived with the Inuit
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Alí viviamos cos Inuit (esquimais).
00:31
in the tiny Inuit community of 200 Inuit people,
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Na diminuta comunidade Inuit, formada por 200 persoas,
00:33
where [we] were one of three non-Inuit families.
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eramos unha das tres familias non Inuit.
00:36
And in this community, we didn't have a television;
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E nesta comunidade non tiñamos televisión;
00:38
we didn't have computers, obviously, radio.
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non tiñamos ordenadores, obviamente, nin radio.
00:41
We didn't even have a telephone.
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Nin sequera tiñamos teléfono.
00:44
All of my time was spent outside
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Pasaba todo o tempo fóra,
00:46
with the Inuit, playing.
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xogando cos Inuit.
00:48
The snow and the ice were my sandbox,
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A neve e o xeo eran o meu campo de xogos
00:50
and the Inuit were my teachers.
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e os Inuit eran os meus mestres.
00:52
And that's where I became
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E alí foi onde me obsesionei
00:54
truly obsessed with this polar realm.
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seriamente con este reino polar.
00:56
And I knew someday that I was going to do something
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E sabía que algún día faría algo
00:58
that had to do with trying to share news about it
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relacionado coa difusión de novas sobre el
01:00
and protect it.
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e coa súa protección.
01:02
I'd like to share with you, for just two minutes only,
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Gustaríame ensinarlles, son só dous minutos,
01:04
some images, a cross-section of my work,
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algunas imaxes, unha mostra do meu traballo,
01:06
to the beautiful music by Brandi Carlile, "Have You Ever."
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coa fermosa canción de Brandi Carlile, "Have You Ever" ("¿Algunha vez…?").
01:09
I don't know why National Geographic has done this, they've never done this before,
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Non sei por que National Geographic quixo facer isto, nunca o fixeron,
01:12
but they're allowing me to show you a few images
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pero permitíronme amosarlles algunas imaxes
01:14
from a coverage that I've just completed that is not published yet.
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dunha reportaxe que acabo de rematar e aínda non foi publicada.
01:17
National Geographic doesn't do this,
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National Geographic non adoita facer isto,
01:19
so I'm very excited to be able to share this with you.
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polo que estou moi ilusionado por poder amosarllas.
01:21
And what these images are --
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Estas imaxes son…
01:23
you'll see them at the start of the slide show -- there's only about four images --
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poderán velas ó principio da presentación, son só catro imaxes,
01:26
but it's of a little bear that lives in the Great Bear Rainforest.
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corresponden a un oso que vive no Bosque Húmido do Gran Oso.
01:29
It's pure white, but it's not a polar bear.
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É totalmente branco pero non é un oso polar.
01:32
It's a spirit bear, or a Kermode bear.
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É un oso espírito, ou oso Kermode.
01:34
There are only 200 of these bears left.
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Só quedan 200 osos Kermode.
01:36
They're more rare than the panda bear.
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Son máis escasos que o oso panda.
01:39
I sat there on the river for two months without seeing one.
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Senteime onda o río durante dous meses sen ver ningún.
01:42
I thought, my career's over.
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Pensei que a miña carreira estaba acabada.
01:44
I proposed this stupid story to National Geographic.
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Propuxéralle aquela estúpida historia a National Geographic.
01:46
What in the heck was I thinking?
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¿En que raios estaba a pensar?
01:48
So I had two months to sit there
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Así que pasei dous meses alí sentado
01:50
and figure out different ways of what I was going to do in my next life,
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e pensando qué facer na miña próxima vida
01:52
after I was a photographer, because they were going to fire me.
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despois da de fotógrafo, porque me botarían.
01:54
Because National Geographic is a magazine; they remind us all the time:
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Porque National Geographic é unha revista; lémbrannolo continuamente:
01:57
they publish pictures, not excuses.
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publican imaxes, non escusas.
01:59
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:04
And after two months of sitting there --
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E tras dous meses alí sentado…
02:06
one day, thinking that it was all over,
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un día, pensando que todo rematara,
02:08
this incredible big white male came down,
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apareceu un incrible gran macho branco,
02:10
right beside me, three feet away from me,
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xusto ó meu lado, a un metro de distancia,
02:12
and he went down and grabbed a fish and went off in the forest and ate it.
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baixou, colleu un peixe, meteuse no bosque e comeuno.
02:15
And then I spent the entire day living my childhood dream
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Pasei todo o día vivindo o soño da miña infancia
02:18
of walking around with this bear through the forest.
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de percorre-lo bosque con este oso.
02:21
He went through this old-growth forest
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El atravesou este bosque antigo,
02:23
and sat up beside this 400-year-old culturally modified tree and went to sleep.
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tumbouse onda unha árbore de 400 anos, culturalmente modificada, e durmiu.
02:26
And I actually got to sleep within three feet of him,
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E eu puiden durmir a un metro de distancia del,
02:29
just in the forest, and photograph him.
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en pleno bosque, e fotografalo.
02:32
So I'm very excited to be able to show you those images
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Por eso estou moi ilusionado de poder amosarlles estas imaxes
02:35
and a cross-section of my work that I've done on the polar regions.
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e unha mostra do meu traballo nas rexións polares.
02:37
Please enjoy.
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Espero que lles guste.
02:40
(Music)
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(Música)
02:44
Brandi Carlile: ♫ Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods? ♫
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Brandi Carlile: ¿Algunha vez camiñaches en soidade polos bosques? ♫
02:50
♫ And everything there feels just as it should ♫
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♫ Todo alí séntese como debería ser ♫
02:55
♫ You're part of the life there ♫
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♫ Alí formas parte da vida ♫
02:57
♫ You're part of something good ♫
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♫ Eres parte de algo bo ♫
03:00
♫ If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods ♫
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♫ Se alguna vez camiñaches en soidade polos bosques ♫
03:06
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
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♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
03:11
♫ If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods ♫
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♫ Se alguna vez camiñaches en soidade polos bosques ♫
03:16
♫ Have you ever stared into a starry sky? ♫
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♫ ¿Algunha vez contemplaches un ceo estrelado? ♫
03:21
♫ Lying on your back, you're asking why ♫
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♫ Tumbado de costas, pregúntaste por qué ♫
03:26
♫ What's the purpose? ♫
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♫ ¿Cal é o propósito? ♫
03:28
♫ I wonder, who am I? ♫
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♫ Pregúntome, ¿quen son? ♫
03:31
♫ If you've ever stared into a starry sky ♫
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♫ Se algunha vez contemplaches un ceo estrelado ♫
03:37
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
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♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
03:43
♫ Aah, ah, aah ♫
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♫ Aah, ah, aah ♫
03:48
♫ Ah, oh, oh, ah, ah, oh, oh ♫
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♫ Ah, oh, oh, ah, ah, oh, oh ♫
03:55
♫ Have you ever stared into a starry sky? ♫
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♫ ¿Algunha vez contemplaches un ceo estrelado? ♫
04:05
♫ Have you ever been out walking in the snow? ♫
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♫ ¿Algunha vez camiñaches pola neve? ♫
04:10
♫ Tried to get back where you were before ♫
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♫ Querendo volver ó inicio ♫
04:15
♫ You always end up ♫
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♫ Sempre terminas ♫
04:17
♫ Not knowing where to go ♫
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♫ Sen saber a ónde ir ♫
04:23
♫ If you've ever been out walking in the snow ♫
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♫ Se algunha vez camiñaches pola neve ♫
04:28
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
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♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫
04:34
♫ Aah, ah, aah, ah, aah ♫
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♫ Aah, ah, aah, ah, aah ♫
04:38
♫ Ah, ah, oh, ah, ah, oh, ah ♫
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♫ Ah, ah, oh, ah, ah, oh, ah ♫
04:46
♫ Oh, ah, ah, ah ♫
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♫ Oh, ah, ah, ah ♫
04:49
♫ Ah, ah, oh, ah, ah, oh, oh ♫
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♫ Ah, ah, oh, ah, ah, oh, oh ♫
04:57
♫ If you'd ever been out walking you would know ♫
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♫ Se algunha vez saíches a camiñar, deberías sabelo ♫
05:04
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
05:08
Paul Nicklen: Thank you very much. The show's not over.
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Paul Nicklen: Moitas gracias. O espectáculo aínda non rematou.
05:11
My clock is ticking. Okay, let's stop.
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O meu reloxo segue a soar. Está ben, paremos.
05:13
Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
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Moitas gracias. Agradézollo.
05:15
We're inundated with news all the time
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Continuamente asolágannos con novas
05:18
that the sea ice is disappearing
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sobre a desaparición de xeo mariño,
05:20
and it's at its lowest level.
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que está ó seu nivel máis baixo.
05:22
And in fact, scientists were originally saying
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E de feito, os científicos que ó principio dixeron
05:24
sea ice is going to disappear in the next hundred years, then they said 50 years.
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que o xeo desaparecería nos próximos 100 anos, despois dixeron 50 anos.
05:27
Now they're saying the sea ice in the Arctic,
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Agora din que a extensión do xeo do Ártico
05:30
the summertime extent is going to be gone in the next four to 10 years.
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durante o verán desaparecerá en 4 ou 10 anos.
05:33
And what does that mean?
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¿Que significa isto?
05:35
After a while of reading this in the news, it just becomes news.
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Despois dun tempo véndoo nos informativos, convértese nunha simple noticia.
05:38
You glaze over with it.
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Insensibilizámonos.
05:40
And what I'm trying to do with my work is put faces to this.
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O que procuro facer co meu traballo é poñerlle imaxes a isto.
05:42
And I want people to understand and get the concept
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Quero que a xente comprenda e sexa consciente
05:45
that, if we lose ice,
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de que, se perdemos o xeo,
05:47
we stand to lose an entire ecosystem.
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perdemos un ecosistema enteiro.
05:49
Projections are that we could lose polar bears; they could become extinct
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As previsións calculan que os osos polares poderían extinguirse
05:52
in the next 50 to 100 years.
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nos próximos 50 ou 100 anos.
05:54
And there's no better, sexier,
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E non hai mellor mega-especie,
05:56
more beautiful, charismatic megafauna species
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máis sensual, fermosa e carismática
05:59
for me to hang my campaign on.
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coa que sustentar a miña campaña.
06:02
Polar bears are amazing hunters.
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Os osos polares son cazadores incribles.
06:04
This was a bear I sat with for a while on the shores.
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Este é un oso co que me sentei por un momento á beira do mar.
06:06
There was no ice around.
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Non había xeo arredor,
06:08
But this glacier caved into the water and a seal got on it.
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só un glaciar afundido na auga e unha foca enriba del.
06:10
And this bear swam out to that seal --
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O oso nadou ata chegar onda ela
06:12
800 lb. bearded seal --
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(unha foca barbuda de 360 kg),
06:14
grabbed it, swam back and ate it.
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colleuna, tróuxoa de volta e comeuna.
06:17
And he was so full, he was so happy and so fat eating this seal,
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E estaba tan farto, tan ledo e gordo comendo a foca
06:20
that, as I approached him --
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que, segundo me achegaba a el
06:22
about 20 feet away -- to get this picture,
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(a uns seis metros de distancia) para tomar esta fotografía,
06:24
his only defense was to keep eating more seal.
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a súa única defensa era seguir comendo máis foca.
06:26
And as he ate, he was so full --
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Tiña tal enchenta
06:28
he probably had about 200 lbs of meat in his belly --
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(con, probablemente, uns 90 kg de carne no seu estómago)
06:31
and as he ate inside one side of his mouth,
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que, mentres comía por un lado da boca,
06:33
he was regurgitating out the other side of his mouth.
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vomitaba polo outro.
06:36
So as long as these bears have any bit of ice they will survive,
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Así que mentres estes osos teñan algún xeo sobrevivirán,
06:39
but it's the ice that's disappearing.
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pero o xeo está a desaparecer.
06:42
We're finding more and more dead bears in the Arctic.
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Atopamos cada vez máis e máis osos mortos no Ártico.
06:45
When I worked on polar bears as a biologist 20 years ago,
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Cando me adicaba ós osos polares como biólogo, fai 20 anos,
06:47
we never found dead bears.
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nunca atopamos osos mortos.
06:49
And in the last four or five years,
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E nos últimos catro ou cinco anos,
06:51
we're finding dead bears popping up all over the place.
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atopamos osos mortos por todas partes.
06:53
We're seeing them in the Beaufort Sea,
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Vémolos no mar de Beaufort,
06:55
floating in the open ocean where the ice has melted out.
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aboiando en mar aberto onde o xeo se derreteu.
06:57
I found a couple in Norway last year. We're seeing them on the ice.
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Atopei un par deles en Noruega o ano pasado. Vémolos no xeo.
07:00
These bears are already showing signs
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Estes osos amosan sinais
07:02
of the stress of disappearing ice.
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do estrés que lles supón a desaparición do xeo.
07:05
Here's a mother and her two year-old cub
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Aquí temos a unha nai e a súa cría de dous anos.
07:08
were traveling on a ship a hundred miles offshore in the middle of nowhere,
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Viaxabamos nun barco a 160 km mar adentro, en medio de ninguna parte,
07:11
and they're riding on this big piece of glacier ice,
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e eles estaban sobre este gran anaco de xeo glacial,
07:13
which is great for them; they're safe at this point.
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o que é unha sorte para eles; aquí están seguros:
07:15
They're not going to die of hypothermia.
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non morrerán de hipotermia,
07:17
They're going to get to land.
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chegarán a terra.
07:19
But unfortunately, 95 percent of the glaciers in the Arctic
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Pero desafortunadamente, o 95% dos glaciares no Ártico
07:21
are also receding right now
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estanse a retirar
07:23
to the point that the ice is ending up on land
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ata o punto onde o xeo remata na terra
07:25
and not injecting any ice back into the ecosystem.
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sen introducir xeo de novo no ecosistema.
07:29
These ringed seals, these are the "fatsicles" of the Arctic.
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Estas focas oceladas son as "larpeiradas" do Ártico.
07:31
These little, fat dumplings,
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Estas pequenas bolas de masa,
07:33
150-pound bundles of blubber
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paquetes de 70 kg de graxa,
07:36
are the mainstay of the polar bear.
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son o alimento básico do oso polar.
07:38
And they're not like the harbor seals that you have here.
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E non son como as focas de porto que hai aquí.
07:41
These ringed seals also live out their entire life cycle
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Estas focas oceladas tamén teñen un ciclo vital
07:44
associated and connected to sea ice.
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enteiramente asociado ó xeo mariño.
07:47
They give birth inside the ice,
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Paren no seu interior
07:49
and they feed on the Arctic cod that live under the ice.
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e aliméntanse co bacallao do Ártico que vive baixo el.
07:52
And here's a picture of sick ice.
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Aquí temos unha imaxe de xeo enfermo.
07:54
This is a piece of multi-year ice that's 12 years old.
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É un fragmento de 12 anos de antigüidade con varios estratos.
07:57
And what scientists didn't predict is that, as this ice melts,
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O que os científicos non prediciron foi que, segundo este xeo se derrete,
08:00
these big pockets of black water are forming
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fórmanse esas grandes bolsas de auga negra
08:03
and they're grabbing the sun's energy
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que recollen a enerxía solar
08:05
and accelerating the melting process.
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o que acelera a fusión.
08:07
And here we are diving in the Beaufort Sea.
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Aquí estámonos a mergullar no mar de Beaufort.
08:09
The visibility's 600 ft.; we're on our safety lines;
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A visibilidade é de 180 m; temos os cables de seguridade;
08:12
the ice is moving all over the place.
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o xeo móvese por todas partes.
08:14
I wish I could spend half an hour telling you
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Gustaríame ter media hora para contarlles
08:16
about how we almost died on this dive.
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cómo case morremos nesta inmersión.
08:18
But what's important in this picture is that you have a piece of multi-year ice,
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Pero o realmente importante desta imaxe é ese fragmento de xeo multiestrato,
08:21
that big chunk of ice up in the corner.
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ese gran anaco da esquina superior.
08:23
In that one single piece of ice,
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Nese único anaco de xeo
08:25
you have 300 species of microorganisms.
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hai 300 especies de microorganismos.
08:27
And in the spring, when the sun returns to the ice,
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Na primavera, cando o sol retorna ó xeo,
08:30
it forms the phytoplankton, grows under that ice,
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o fitoplancton crece baixo ese xeo,
08:32
and then you get bigger sheets of seaweed,
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forma maiores follas de algas
08:35
and then you get the zoo plankton feeding on all that life.
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e o zooplancton aliméntase de toda esa vida.
08:37
So really what the ice does
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Así que o xeo en realidade
08:39
is it acts like a garden.
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actúa como unha horta.
08:41
It acts like the soil in a garden. It's an inverted garden.
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Como a terra dunha horta. É unha horta ó revés.
08:44
Losing that ice is like losing the soil in a garden.
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Perder ese xeo é como perder o solo dunha horta.
08:46
Here's me in my office.
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Aquí estou na miña oficina.
08:48
I hope you appreciate yours.
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Espero que vostedes valoren a súa.
08:50
This is after an hour under the ice.
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Está tomada tras unha hora baixo o xeo.
08:53
I can't feel my lips; my face is frozen;
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Non sinto os beizos; teño cara conxelada;
08:55
I can't feel my hands; I can't feel my feet.
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non sinto as mans; non sinto os pés.
08:57
And I've come up, and all I wanted to do was get out of the water.
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Subín e todo o que quería era saír da agua.
09:00
After an hour in these conditions,
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Despois dunha hora nesas condicións
09:02
it's so extreme that, when I go down,
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tan extremas, cando baixo,
09:04
almost every dive I vomit into my regulator
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casi en cada inmersión vomito no meu regulador,
09:06
because my body can't deal with the stress of the cold on my head.
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porque o meu corpo non poder aturar o estrés do frío na miña cabeza.
09:09
And so I'm just so happy that the dive is over.
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Así que síntome feliz cando a inmersión remata.
09:11
I get to hand my camera to my assistant,
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Pásolle a cámara ó meu axudante,
09:13
and I'm looking up at him, and I'm going, "Woo. Woo. Woo."
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míroo e dígolle "woo, woo, woo",
09:16
Which means, "Take my camera."
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que significa, "colle a cámara".
09:18
And he thinks I'm saying, "Take my picture."
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E el cre que estou dicindo "faime unha foto".
09:20
So we had this little communication breakdown.
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Tivemos un pequeno problema de comunicación.
09:23
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
09:26
But it's worth it.
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Pero paga a pena.
09:28
I'm going to show you pictures of beluga whales, bowhead whales,
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Verán hoxe imaxes de belugas, baleas de Groenlandia,
09:30
and narwhals, and polar bears, and leopard seals today,
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narvais, osos polares e focas leopardo,
09:33
but this picture right here means more to me than any other I've ever made.
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pero esta imaxe ten maior significado para min que calquera outra que fixera nunca.
09:36
I dropped down in this ice hole, just through that hole that you just saw,
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Mergulleime nese burato do xeo, o burato que viron fai un momento,
09:39
and I looked up under the underside of the ice,
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mirei cara arriba baixo o xeo
09:41
and I was dizzy; I thought I had vertigo.
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e mareeime; pensei que estaba a sufrir vertixe.
09:43
I got very nervous -- no rope, no safety line,
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Puxénme moi nervioso (non tiña cable de seguridade,
09:45
the whole world is moving around me --
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o mundo enteiro daba voltas arredor de min)
09:47
and I thought, "I'm in trouble."
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e pensei "teño problemas".
09:49
But what happened is that the entire underside
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Pero o que pasaba era que a parte inferior do xeo
09:51
was full of these billions of amphipods and copepods
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estaba repleta de miles de millóns de anfípodos e copépodos
09:54
moving around and feeding on the underside of the ice,
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movéndose dun lado ó outro e alimentándose na parte inferior,
09:57
giving birth and living out their entire life cycle.
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nacendo e vivindo alí todo o seu ciclo vital.
09:59
This is the foundation of the whole food chain in the Arctic, right here.
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Estes son os alicerces de toda a cadea trófica do Ártico, aquí a temos.
10:02
And when you have low productivity in this, in ice,
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Cando o xeo se reduce,
10:05
the productivity in copepods go down.
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a productividade dos copépodos tamén descende.
10:08
This is a bowhead whale.
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Aquí temos unha balea de Groenlandia.
10:10
Supposedly, science is stating
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Segundo a ciencia,
10:12
that it could be the oldest living animal on earth right now.
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podería ser o animal máis antigo da Terra.
10:15
This very whale right here could be over 250 years old.
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Este exemplar daquí podería ter máis de 250 anos.
10:18
This whale could have been born
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Esta balea puido nacer
10:20
around the start of the Industrial Revolution.
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a comezos da Revolución Industrial.
10:22
It could have survived 150 years of whaling.
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Quizais sobreviviu a 150 anos de caza de baleas.
10:25
And now its biggest threat is the disappearance of ice in the North
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Hoxe, a súa maior ameaza é a desaparición do xeo no norte
10:28
because of the lives that we're leading in the South.
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causada polo tipo de vida que vivimos no sur.
10:31
Narwhals, these majestic narwhals
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Narvais, estes maxestosos narvais,
10:33
with their eight-foot long ivory tusks, don't have to be here;
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cos seus cairos de marfil de 2,5 m, non terían que estar aquí;
10:36
they could be out on the open water.
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poderían estar en mar aberto
10:38
But they're forcing themselves to come up in these tiny little ice holes
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Pero vense obrigados a meterse nestes diminutos buratos no xeo
10:41
where they can breathe, catch a breath,
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onde poden respirar, tomar un respiro,
10:43
because right under that ice are all the swarms of cod.
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porque baixo este xeo hai bancos de bacallao.
10:46
And the cod are there
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E o bacallao está aí
10:48
because they are feeding on all the copepods and amphipods.
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porque se alimenta cos copépodos e anfípodos.
10:51
Alright, my favorite part.
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Ben, a miña parte favorita.
10:54
When I'm on my deathbed,
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No meu leito de morte
10:56
I'm going to remember one story more than any other.
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lembrarei unha historia máis que ningunha outra.
10:58
Even though that spirit bear moment was powerful,
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Aínda que o momento co oso Kermode foi impactante,
11:01
I don't think I'll ever have another experience
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creo que non volverei a ter outra experiencia
11:03
like I did with these leopard seals.
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semellante á que vivín cunhas focas leopardo.
11:05
Leopard seals, since the time of Shackleton, have had a bad reputation.
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Dende os tempos de Shacketon, as focas leopardo teñen una sona moi mala.
11:08
They've got that wryly smile on their mouth.
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Teñen ese sorriso irónico na boca,
11:10
They've got those black sinister eyes
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eses sinistros ollos negros
11:12
and those spots on their body.
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e esas manchas polo corpo.
11:14
They look positively prehistoric and a bit scary.
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Teñen un aspecto decididamente prehistórico e dan algo de medo.
11:17
And tragically in [2003],
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E traxicamente, en 2004 [2003],
11:19
a scientist was taken down and drowned,
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unha científica foi capturada e afogada
11:22
and she was being consumed by a leopard seal.
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por unha foca leopardo, que se alimentou con ela.
11:24
And people were like, "We knew they were vicious. We knew they were."
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E a xente dixo: "Sabiamos que eran sanguinarias. Sabiámolo".
11:27
And so people love to form their opinions.
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Á xente encántalle opinar.
11:29
And that's when I got a story idea:
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Entón ocorréuseme unha idea para unha historia:
11:31
I want to go to Antarctica,
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quero ir á Antártida,
11:33
get in the water with as many leopard seals as I possibly can
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meterme na auga co maior número posible de focas leopardo
11:35
and give them a fair shake --
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e darlles unha oportunidade:
11:37
find out if they really are these vicious animals, or if they're misunderstood.
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descubrir se son animais sanguinarios ou, pola contra, incomprendidos.
11:40
So this is that story.
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Esta é esa historia.
11:42
Oh, and they also happen to eat happy feet.
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Ah, e tamén adoitan comer pingüíns.
11:45
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:48
As a species, as humans, we like to say penguins are really cute,
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Como humanos, gústanos decir que os pingüíns son moi feitiños,
11:51
therefore, leopard seals eat them, so leopard seals are ugly and bad.
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por iso, se as focas leopardo os comen, as focas leopardo son feas e malas.
11:54
It doesn't work that way.
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Pero non funciona así.
11:56
The penguin doesn't know it's cute,
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O pingüín non sabe que é feitiño
11:58
and the leopard seal doesn't know it's kind of big and monstrous.
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e a foca leopardo non sabe que é grande e monstrosa.
12:00
This is just the food chain unfolding.
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Só se trata da cadea alimentaria en acción.
12:03
They're also big.
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Tamén son grandes.
12:05
They're not these little harbor seals.
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Non son como as foquiñas dos portos.
12:07
They are 12 ft. long, a thousand pounds.
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Miden 3,5 m e pesan case media tonelada.
12:09
And they're also curiously aggressive.
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E tamén son curiosamente agresivas.
12:12
You get 12 tourists packed into a Zodiac,
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Temos 12 turistas empacados nunha Zodiac,
12:15
floating in these icy waters,
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aboiando nas augas xeadas,
12:17
and a leopard seal comes up and bites the pontoon.
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unha foca leopardo emerxe e morde o pneumático.
12:19
The boat starts to sink, they race back to the ship
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O bote comenza a afundirse, volven correndo ó barco,
12:22
and get to go home and tell the stories of how they got attacked.
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regresan a casa e contan a historia de cómo foron atacados.
12:24
All the leopard seal was doing --
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O único que facía a foca leopardo…
12:26
it's just biting a balloon.
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era morder un globo.
12:28
It just sees this big balloon in the ocean -- it doesn't have hands --
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Soamente ve un gran globo no océano… non ten mans…
12:30
it's going to take a little bite, the boat pops, and off they go.
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dalle unha dentadiña, o bote pínchase e alá van.
12:33
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
12:35
So after five days of crossing the Drake Passage --
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Así que tras cinco días cruzando a Pasaxe de Drake…
12:38
isn't that beautiful.
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¿Non é fermoso?
12:41
After five days of crossing the Drake Passage,
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Tras cinco días cruzando a Pasaxe de Drake,
12:44
we have finally arrived at Antarctica.
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por fin chegamos á Antártida.
12:46
I'm with my Swedish assistant and guide.
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Estou co meu axudante e guía sueco.
12:48
His name is Goran Ehlme from Sweden -- Goran.
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O seu nome é Goran Ehlme, de Suecia. Goran.
12:52
And he has a lot of experience with leopard seals. I have never seen one.
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E ten moita experiencia coas focas leopardo. Eu nunca vin ningunha.
12:55
So we come around the cove in our little Zodiac boat,
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Así que chegamos á baía na nosa pequena Zodiac
12:58
and there's this monstrous leopard seal.
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e atopamos esta monstrosa foca leopardo.
13:00
And even in his voice, he goes, "That's a bloody big seal, ya."
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E incluso él di, "éche unha foca condeadamente grande, si".
13:02
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
13:04
And this seal is taking this penguin by the head,
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E esta foca ten ó pingüín collido pola cabeza
13:07
and it's flipping it back and forth.
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e abanéao dun lado ó outro.
13:09
And what it's trying to do is turn that penguin inside-out,
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O que quere facer é darlle á volta ó pingüín
13:11
so it can eat the meat off the bones,
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para poder comer a carne dos ósos,
13:14
and then it goes off and gets another one.
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despois déixao e colle outro.
13:16
And so this leopard seal grabbed another penguin,
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E esta foca leopardo colleu outro pingüín,
13:18
came under the boat, the Zodiac,
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foise baixo o bote, a Zodiac,
13:20
starting hitting the hull of the boat.
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e empezou a golpear o casco.
13:22
And we're trying to not fall in the water.
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Nós intentábamos non caer á auga.
13:24
And we sit down, and that's when Goran said to me,
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Sentámonos e Goran dixo,
13:27
"This is a good seal, ya.
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"esta é unha boa foca, si.
13:29
It's time for you to get in the water."
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É hora de que te metas na auga".
13:31
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
13:34
And I looked at Goran, and I said to him, "Forget that."
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Mirei a Goran e díxenlle "olvídao".
13:37
But I think I probably used a different word starting with the letter F.
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Aínda que creo que en realidade lle dixen unha grosería.
13:41
But he was right.
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Pero tiña razón.
13:43
He scolded me out, and said, "This is why we're here.
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Abroncoume e dixo "estás aquí por isto.
13:45
And you purposed this stupid story to National Geographic.
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E propuxécheslle esta estúpida historia a National Geographic.
13:47
And now you've got to deliver.
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Agora tes que entregala.
13:49
And you can't publish excuses."
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E non podes publicar escusas".
13:51
So I had such dry mouth --
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Tiña a boca seca,
13:53
probably not as bad as now --
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quizais non tanto como agora,
13:55
but I had such, such dry mouth.
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pero tiña a boca moi, moi seca.
13:59
And my legs were just trembling. I couldn't feel my legs.
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Tremíanme as pernas. Non podía sentilas.
14:02
I put my flippers on. I could barely part my lips.
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Puxen as aletas. Apenas podía abri-los beizos.
14:04
I put my snorkel in my mouth,
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Metinme o tubo de respiración na boca
14:06
and I rolled over the side of the Zodiac into the water.
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e mergulleime na auga.
14:09
And this was the first thing she did.
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E esto foi o primeiro que ela fixo.
14:11
She came racing up to me, engulfed my whole camera --
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Veu a toda velocidade e tragou a cámara
14:14
and her teeth are up here and down here --
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(e os seus dentes están aquí abaixo e aquí arriba),
14:17
but Goran, before I had gotten in the water, had given me amazing advice.
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pero Goran, antes de ir á auga, dérame un consello fantástico.
14:20
He said, "If you get scared, you close your eyes, ya, and she'll go away."
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Dixera, "se tes medo, pecha os ollos e ela marchará".
14:24
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
14:27
So that's all I had to work with at that point.
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Así que iso era todo o que tiña que facer.
14:29
But I just started to shoot these pictures.
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Pero empecei a tomar estas fotos.
14:31
So she did this threat display for a few minutes,
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Ela manteu a exhibición ameazante durante algún minutos
14:33
and then the most amazing thing happened -- she totally relaxed.
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e entón ocorreu algo asombroso: relaxouse por completo.
14:36
She went off, she got a penguin.
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Foise e colleu un pingüín.
14:38
She stopped about 10 feet away from me,
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Detívose como a uns tres metros de distancia,
14:40
and she sat there with this penguin, the penguin's flapping, and she let's it go.
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sentouse co pingüín mentres este batía as ás e deixouno ir.
14:43
The penguin swims toward me, takes off.
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O pingüín nadou cara a min, libre.
14:46
She grabs another one. She does this over and over.
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Colleu outro. E fixo isto unha e outra vez.
14:48
And it dawned on me that she's trying to feed me a penguin.
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Deime conta de que quería alimentarme cun pingüín.
14:50
Why else would she release these penguins at me?
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¿Por que outro motivo podería estar botándomos senón?
14:54
And after she did this four or five times,
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E tras facer isto catro ou cinco veces,
14:57
she swam by me with this dejected look on her face.
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nadou cara a min cunha mirada de desalento.
15:00
You don't want to be too anthropomorphic, but I swear that she looked at me
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Non queremos ser moi antropomórficos, pero xuro que parecía dicir
15:03
like, "This useless predator's going to starve in my ocean."
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"este depredador inútil vai morrer de fame no meu océano".
15:05
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
15:10
So realizing I couldn't catch swimming penguins,
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Como vía que eu non podía coller pingüíns en movemento,
15:12
she'd get these other penguins and bring them slowly towards me,
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colleu outros e tróuxomos lentamente,
15:14
bobbing like this, and she'd let them go.
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abaneándoos así e soltándoos.
15:16
This didn't work.
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Isto tampouco funcionou.
15:18
I was laughing so hard and so emotional
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Eu ría a gargalladas, tan emocionado
15:20
that my mask was flooding, because I was crying underwater,
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que a miña máscara estaba mollada, porque choraba baixo a auga
15:22
just because it was so amazing.
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ante algo tan abraiante.
15:24
And so that didn't work.
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Así que isto tampouco funcionaba.
15:26
So then she'd get another penguin and try this ballet-like sexy display
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Entón colleu outro pingüín e intentouno cun baile sensual,
15:28
sliding down this iceberg like this. (Laughter)
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esvarando así baixo o iceberg.
15:31
And she would sort of bring them over to me and offer it to me.
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Achegábamos e ofrecíamos.
15:33
This went on for four days.
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Esto continuou así durante catro días.
15:35
This just didn't happen a couple of times.
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Non foron só un par de veces.
15:37
And then so she realized I couldn't catch live ones,
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Logo viu que eu non podería colle-los pingüíns vivos,
15:39
so she brought me dead penguins.
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así que tróuxomos mortos.
15:41
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
15:44
Now I've got four or five penguins floating around my head,
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Agora tiña 4 ou 5 pingüíns aboiando arredor da miña cabeza
15:48
and I'm just sitting there shooting away.
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e eu limitábame a estar alí botando fotos.
15:52
And she would often stop and have this dejected look on her face
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Ela detíase a miúdo con esa mirada de desalento,
15:54
like, "Are you for real?"
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como dicindo "¿Vai en serio?".
15:56
Because she can't believe I can't eat this penguin.
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Porque non podía crer que eu non puidera comelos.
15:58
Because in her world, you're either breeding or you're eating --
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Porque no seu mundo só te apareas e comes…
16:00
and I'm not breeding, so ...
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e eu non me estaba a aparear.
16:02
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
16:04
And then that wasn't enough; she started to flip penguins onto my head.
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Iso non foi todo; comezou a botarme os pingüín á cabeza.
16:07
She was trying to force-feed me. She's pushing me around.
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Quería alimentarme pola forza. Presionábame.
16:09
She's trying to force-feed my camera,
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Tentaba alimentar a miña cámara pola forza,
16:11
which is every photographer's dream.
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o soño de todo fotógrafo.
16:14
And she would get frustrated; she'd blow bubbles in my face.
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Defraudada, botábame burbullas á cara.
16:17
She would, I think, let me know that I was going to starve.
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Penso que quería facerme saber que ía morrer de fame.
16:19
But yet she didn't stop.
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Pero aínda así non se detía.
16:21
She would not stop trying to feed me penguins.
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Non deixaba de intentar alimentarme con pingüíns.
16:23
And on the last day with this female
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E durante o último día con esta femia,
16:25
where I thought I had pushed her too far,
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cando pensei que a levara demasiado lonxe,
16:27
I got nervous because she came up to me,
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púxenme nervioso porque se achegou a min,
16:30
she rolled over on her back,
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púxose de costas
16:32
and she did this deep, guttural jackhammer sound, this gokgokgokgok.
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e fixo un son profundo, gutural, como de martillo neumático, gokgokgokgok.
16:35
And I thought, she's about to bite.
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E pensei, está a punto de trabarme.
16:37
She's about to let me know she's too frustrated with me.
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Vaime facer saber que está moi frustrada pola miña culpa.
16:40
What had happened was another seal had snuck in behind me,
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O que ocorrera era que outra foca se metera detrás de min
16:43
and she did that to threat display.
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e ela facía aquilo como ameaza.
16:45
She chased that big seal away, went and got its penguin
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Perseguiu á gran foca ata que se foi, voltou,
16:47
and brought it to me.
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colleu un pingüín e tróuxomo.
16:49
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
16:52
That wasn't the only seal I got in the water with.
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Non foi a única foca coa que estiven na auga.
16:54
I got in the water with 30 other leopard seals,
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Estiven con outras 30 focas leopardo
16:57
and I never once had a scary encounter.
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e nunca tiven un encontro perigoso.
17:00
They are the most remarkable animals I've ever worked with,
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Son os animais máis notables cos que traballei,
17:02
and the same with polar bears.
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tamén os osos polares.
17:04
And just like the polar bears,
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E, como os osos polares,
17:06
these animals depend on an icy environment.
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dependen dos glaciares.
17:11
I get emotional. Sorry.
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Emociónome. Desculpen.
17:14
It's a story that lives deep in my heart,
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É unha historia que levo no corazón
17:17
and I'm proud to share this with you.
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e estou orgulloso de compartila con vostedes.
17:19
And I'm so passionate about it.
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Apaixóame.
17:21
Anybody want to come with me to Antarctica or the Arctic, I'll take you; let's go.
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¿Alguén quere vir comigo á Antártida ou ó Ártico? Lévoos, vamos.
17:24
We've got to get the story out now. Thank you very much.
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Agora temos que espallar a historia. Moitas gracias.
17:26
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
17:28
Thank you.
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Gracias.
17:30
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
17:34
Thank you.
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Gracias.
17:36
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
17:42
Thank you. Thanks very much.
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Gracias. Moitas gracias.
17:44
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
17:46
Thank you.
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Gracias.
17:48
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paul Nicklen - Polar photographerPaul Nicklen photographs the creatures of the Arctic and Antarctic, generating global awareness about wildlife in these isolated and endangered environments.
Why you should listen
Paul Nicklen grew up one of only a few non-Inuit in an Inuit settlement on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada -- a childhood that taught him the patience, stamina and respect for nature required for his beat in the frigid climes of Earth’s polar regions. Best known for his vivid and intimate wildlife photos for National Geographic, Nicklen started out a biologist in the Northwest Territories, gathering data on such species as lynx, grizzlies, and polar bears. Today he bridges the gap between scientific research and the public, showing how fragile and fast-changing habitats are profoundly affecting wildlife.
During the course of his workday Nicklen regularly comes face-to-face with fantastic creatures: narwhals, Arctic foxes, elephant seals, and more. His most amazing experience? An underwater encounter with a leopard seal who for four days tried to feed him penguins through the "mouth" of his lens.
Paul Nicklen | Speaker | TED.com