ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Keith Bellows - Traveler
On the heels of a long and bruising camel ride, Keith Bellows became fascinated with the "SUV of the sand," and with the many thorny aspects of their personalities (and mating habits) most of us would rather not dwell upon.

Why you should listen

As the former editor of National Geographic Traveler, Keith Bellows stepped away from the human aspects of travel for a moment to present one of his other fascinations: animal design. And not just the beautiful, photogenic aspects of that design either. After a harrowing breakdown in the Sahara with one water bottle to share among four people, Bellows was forced to make a rendezvous via camel ride, and became certain that this animal was, in addition to being a "mean son-of-a-bitch," the most perfectly designed creature on Earth.

Convinced by the organizers that bringing a live camel to the TED Conference was not a wise idea, Bellows did the next best thing, and drafted a National Geographic film crew to go to the Washington Zoo. They returned with a film of Suki, a 2,000-pound creature in the midst of rut, with shocking capabilities lurking in his spinning tail and rear-facing genitalia, all gleefully outlined in the film. But though this creature may seem unsavory, he's perfectly adapted to survival in the harshest environments around, and critical to the survival of the nomads that call the desert home.

 

More profile about the speaker
Keith Bellows | Speaker | TED.com
TED2002

Keith Bellows: The camel's hump

凯斯贝洛 沙漠SUV的驼峰

Filmed:
215,303 views

凯斯贝洛 概述了骆驼的工程奇迹,称这有活力的生物为“沙漠中的SUV(运动型多用途汽车)”。虽然他不能将活的骆驼带到TED,但他和摄制组尽可能近距离地拍摄了一头一吨重发情中的骆驼。
- Traveler
On the heels of a long and bruising camel ride, Keith Bellows became fascinated with the "SUV of the sand," and with the many thorny aspects of their personalities (and mating habits) most of us would rather not dwell upon. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:17
[SHIT拉屎]
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00:19
This is arguably按理说 the back end结束 of the design设计 of animals动物.
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这个可以说是动物的最终产品。
00:22
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
00:25
But the reason原因 I put this up here is because
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我之所以把它放在这里是因为
00:28
when I was in Africa非洲 last year, my wife妻子 and I were driving主动 around,
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当我去年和妻子在非洲溜达的时候,
00:32
we had this wonderful精彩 guide指南,
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我们遇见了一个很有趣的导游,
00:34
who showed显示 us something that surprised诧异 both of us,
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他展示了使我们都为之惊异的东西,
00:38
and it was very revealing揭示 in terms条款 of the fascination魅力
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揭示了这来自‘动物的创造物’
00:41
that comes with the design设计 of animals动物.
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的魅力
00:43
It turns out that in about the 1880s, the missionaries传教士 came来了 to Africa非洲
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大约在19世纪80年代,传教士来到非洲,
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to spread传播 the word of Christianity基督教,
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宣传基督教,
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to teach English英语 to the natives当地人.
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教当地人英语。
00:51
And they brought blackboards黑板 and chalk粉笔.
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他们带去了黑板和粉笔。
00:53
And I'd like you to imagine想像 that that's a blackboard黑板,
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可以想象一下,这就是一块黑板,
00:55
and I just used some chalk粉笔 on there.
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而我刚刚则在上面使用了粉笔。
00:58
And they brought quite相当 a bit of this stuff东东.
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带去的就是类似这样的东西。
01:00
But over the years年份, the blackboards黑板 were fine,
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经过多年,黑板都还完好
01:03
but they ran out of chalk粉笔.
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但是他们没有粉笔了。
01:05
And this is a real真实 crisis危机 for them.
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对他们来说,这实在是一个危机啊。
01:08
And that's where the hyena鬣狗 comes in.
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正在这时,鬣狗起作用了。
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The hyena鬣狗 is probably大概 the most perfectly完美 designed设计
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鬣狗可能是世界上腐肉动物中
01:13
scavenging清除 animal动物 in the world世界.
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最完美的设计了。
01:15
It strip-mines带状地雷 carcasses尸体, and it has amazing惊人 teeth,
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他们嚼食尸体残骸,他们那惊人的牙齿
01:19
because it enables使 the hyena鬣狗 to essentially实质上 eat bones骨头.
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使他们可以嚼食骨头。
01:24
Now, the end结束 product产品 of that action行动 is up on the board here.
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现在,上述行为最终产物就在这板上了。
01:30
And what the missionaries传教士 would do is, they'd他们会 walk步行 around
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而传教士们呢,则会到到处走走,
01:34
and they'd他们会 pick up hyena鬣狗 shit拉屎.
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然后捡起鬣狗的粪便。
01:37
And the incredible难以置信 thing about hyena鬣狗 shit拉屎 is, it makes品牌 great chalk粉笔.
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而鬣狗粪便的最美妙之处在于:它们能造出很好的粉笔。
01:41
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
01:42
Now, that's not what I'm here to talk about,
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但我却不是来说这个的,
01:44
but it is a fascinating迷人 aspect方面 of animal动物 design设计.
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不过这的确是“动物产品”一个很让人着迷的方面。
01:48
What I'm here to talk about is the camel骆驼.
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我来,是要谈论骆驼的。
01:51
When I started开始 talking to Richard理查德
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当我和理查德说起
01:53
about what I was going to speak说话 about,
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我将要介绍的东西时,
01:55
I had recently最近 come back from Jordan约旦,
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我刚从约旦回来,
01:57
where I had an amazing惊人 experience经验 with a camel骆驼.
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在那里我和一头骆驼有了一段奇妙的经验。
02:01
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
02:04
And we were in the desert沙漠 --
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我们当时在沙漠里——
02:06
Richard理查德 Wurman沃尔曼: That's the end结束 of this talk!
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里查德·沃曼:今天的演讲就到这里!
02:07
Keith基思 Bellows风箱: Yeah, yeah.
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Keith Bellows:好,好
02:08
We were in the desert沙漠, in Wadi河道 Rum朗姆酒, in a small Jeep吉普车.
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我们正在沙漠里,在月亮峡谷,一辆小吉普车上,
02:11
There were four of us -- two Bedouin贝都因人 drivers司机 --
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当时有4个人,两个贝多因司机
02:14
and you can just imagine想像, this expanse广阔 is an ocean海洋 of sand,
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你可以想象,这广阔的沙的海洋:
02:18
105 degrees, one water bottle瓶子.
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105度,只有一瓶水。
02:21
And we were driving主动 in what they told us
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而我们正驾驶着他们所谓的
02:24
was their very, very best最好 Jeep吉普车. Didn't look like it to me.
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最最好的吉普车。当然我不这么觉得。
02:28
And as we started开始 to go through通过 the desert沙漠, the Jeep吉普车 broke打破 down.
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当我们开始准备穿越沙漠时,吉普车发生故障了,
02:34
The guys got out, they put the hood引擎罩 up,
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他们支起铁箍
02:36
they started开始 working加工 under the hood引擎罩,
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开始修理,
02:38
got it going again. About a hundred yards, it broke打破 down.
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在让吉普又行驶了100码之后,车再次坏了
02:40
This went on about six or seven times,
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这一过程重复发生了六七次。
02:42
and we were getting得到 more and more alarmed惊慌,
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我们变得越来越慌,
02:44
and we were also getting得到 deeper更深 and deeper更深 into the desert沙漠.
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我们也进入沙漠也越来越深。
02:46
And eventually终于, our worst最差 nightmare恶梦 happened发生:
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最终,最可怕的恶梦发生了:
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they flooded the engine发动机.
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引擎熄火了。
02:51
And they said, "Ah, no problem问题! We just get out and walk步行."
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于是他们说:“啊,没关系!我们可以下车步行。”
02:55
And we said, "We get out and walk步行?"
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然后我们说:“我们下车步行?”
02:57
One water bottle瓶子 -- remember记得, guys -- four people.
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只有一瓶水——同志们啊——有四张嘴。
02:59
And they said, "Yeah, yeah, we'll walk步行. We'll find some camels骆驼."
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他们说:“是的是的,我们步行吧。我们会找到一些骆驼的。”
03:03
So we got out and walked, and sure enough足够,
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于是,我们下了车步行,果然,
03:05
about half a mile英里, we came来了 over the crest波峰 of this hill爬坡道,
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大概半英里,我们来到了山顶,
03:07
and there was a huge巨大 gathering搜集 of Bedouin贝都因人 with their camels骆驼.
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那里有一大群贝多因人还有他们的骆驼。
03:10
The guy went up and started开始 dickeringdickering,
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他们前去交易,
03:12
and 10 dollars美元 later后来, we had four camels骆驼.
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付了10美元, 换来4头骆驼。
03:15
They went down like elevators电梯; we got on them. They went back up,
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骆驼们像升降机一样降低,我们骑上去,它们再升上去。
03:18
and the Bedouin贝都因人 -- each Bedouin贝都因人, four of them --
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然后这4个贝多因人,每个都,
03:21
got behind背后 each of the camels骆驼 with a little whip鞭子.
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在骆驼后面装了小鞭子。
03:24
And they started开始 slashing削减 away at the back of the camels骆驼,
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然后他们开始鞭打骆驼后面,
03:27
and they started开始 galloping舞动.
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骆驼们就开始飞奔了。
03:28
And if you've ever been on a camel骆驼,
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如果你曾骑过一头骆驼,
03:29
it is a very, very uncomfortable不舒服 ride.
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就会知道那有多不舒服了。
03:32
There's also one other aspect方面 about these camels骆驼.
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关于这些骆驼的另一点就是,
03:35
About every一切 10 steps脚步, they lean back
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差不多每走10步,它们就向后倾斜,
03:37
and try to take a chunk out of your leg.
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试图从你腿上除去一大块肉。
03:39
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
03:40
So we kept不停 on going,
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我们继续前行,
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and this camel骆驼 kept不停 on trying to take a chunk out of my leg.
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这骆驼也继续努力试图去掉我腿上的肉。
03:45
And eventually终于, three miles英里 later后来, we arrived到达 at our destination目的地,
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最终,走了3英里后,我们到达了目的地,
03:48
where a Jeep吉普车 was supposed应该 to meet遇到 us.
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一辆吉普车在那里接我们。
03:50
And the camels骆驼 come down again like elevators电梯,
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于是这些骆驼又像升降机一样下降,
03:52
we sort分类 of clumsily笨拙 get off,
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我们笨拙地下来,
03:54
and they -- obviously明显 -- try to take another另一个 chunk out of my leg.
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而他们,很显然,又尝试从我腿上除去另外一块肉。
03:57
And I've developed发达 a very wonderful精彩 relationship关系
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到此时,我已经和这个生物建立了
04:00
with this creature生物 by this point,
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一段美妙的关系。
04:02
and I've realized实现 that this is a mean son儿子 of a bitch婊子.
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我意识到,它真不是什么好东西,
04:06
And much meaner寡情, by the way, than the Bedouin贝都因人 who greeted欢迎 me
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而且比那个迎接我的贝多因人还要难相处,
04:09
and tried试着 to sell me one of his 26 daughters女儿
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那个想把他26个女儿之一嫁给我,
04:12
to take back to the States状态.
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并把她带回美国的人。
04:14
So as we talked, Richard理查德 and I,
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正当我们——理查德和我,交谈时,
04:16
I said, "You know, maybe I should bring带来 a camel骆驼.
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我说:“也许我该带回来一头骆驼,
04:18
I think the camel骆驼 is the best最好 designed设计 animal动物 in the world世界."
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我觉得它是世界上动物界中最完美的设计。“
04:20
And he kind of went, "Nah. I don't think we want to be bringing使 a camel骆驼."
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然后他回应道:“不,我不觉得人们希望这么做。”
04:23
And you should be really glad高兴 we decided决定 not to bring带来 the camel骆驼.
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你们真该感谢我决定不把骆驼带过来,
04:26
So I did the next下一个 best最好 thing.
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我做了接下来要说的这件好事。
04:29
I went to the Washington华盛顿 Zoo动物园. Richard理查德 said,
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我去了华盛顿动物园。理查德说:
04:32
"I want you to get up close and personal个人 with this camel骆驼.
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“我希望你可以近距离接触这头骆驼。
04:35
I want you to inspect检查 its mouth, look at its teeth.
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我希望你观察它的嘴,它的牙齿。
04:38
Go underneath it. Go above以上 it. Go around it.
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看它的上面、下面,绕着它走。
04:41
Pull its tail尾巴 up; take a look in there.
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拉起尾巴,看看里面
04:44
I want you to get as close to that camel骆驼 as you possibly或者 can."
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我希望你可以尽你所能地接近它。“
04:47
So, I got a National国民 Geographic地理 film电影 crew船员. We went down there,
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所以我找来国家地理摄影组,我们去到那里,
04:52
and I took one look at this camel骆驼.
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看了看这头骆驼。
04:56
It is a 2,000 pound creature生物 who is in rut发情.
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这是一头2000磅的骆驼,它正在发情期。
05:01
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
05:04
Now, if you've ever seen看到 a 2,000 pound camel骆驼 in a rut发情,
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如果你曾经看到过一头处在发情期又重2000磅的骆驼,
05:06
it is a scary害怕, scary害怕 thing to behold不料.
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你就知道这有多恐怖了。
05:10
And if Richard理查德 thought I was getting得到 in the ring with that camel骆驼,
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如果理查德认为我想和那骆驼搭上关系,
05:14
someone有人 was smoking抽烟 Bedouin贝都因人 high grade年级.
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那有人就要在贝多因狠狠抽烟了。
05:16
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
05:17
So we got as close to it as possible可能,
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所以我们努力接近它,
05:21
and I'm going to share分享 this -- Chris克里斯, if you want to roll this film电影 --
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接下来我要和你们分享这段。克里斯,请播放视频
05:24
and then I'm going to show显示 you a little bit more
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下面我会更多地向你们展示
05:26
about the design设计 of camels骆驼.
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骆驼的设计。
05:27
Do you want to roll the film电影?
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请放
06:07
(Video视频) Hello你好. This is Keith基思 Bellows风箱 with the National国民 Geographic地理 Camel骆驼 Investigation调查 Unit单元.
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嗨,我是 Keith Bellows, 正和国家地理调查组在一起。
06:10
I'm here to look at the ultimate最终 desert沙漠 machine.
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我是来这看看终极沙漠机器的。
06:23
And you'll你会 note注意 I started开始 chewing咀嚼 gum
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你们可以发现我开始嚼口香糖,
06:25
because I was around this camel骆驼 all day.
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因为我已经呆在这骆驼边上一整天了。
06:27
Senior前辈 Keeper管理人: That's it, that's it, OK. No! See, now he's getting得到 a little overexcited过度兴奋.
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专职饲养员:就是这样!不!看,它现在有点亢奋了。
06:30
So we'll need to be very careful小心 around him. Don't let him get you.
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所以我们在它边上时必须非常小心。千万别让它废掉你。
06:56
Now, you can see copious丰富 amounts of saliva唾液 in there. [Unclear不清楚]
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现在你可以看到它嘴里有大量的唾液。
07:03
I call myself the unstable不稳定 stable稳定 boy男孩.
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我称自己“不安分的稳健牛仔”
07:05
Their nose鼻子 -- you can see his nose鼻子 is flared喇叭形 right now.
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它们的鼻子——你可以看到它的鼻孔张开。
07:08
When they're in rut发情 -- they're similar类似 to seals密封件
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它们发情的时候,很像海豹
07:11
in the way, like, a seal密封 has to open打开 its nose鼻子 to breathe呼吸.
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海豹需要张开鼻孔呼吸,在这方面
07:17
And they're similar类似. They have to kind of consciously自觉 open打开 their nose鼻子.
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它们是相似的。它们有意识地张开鼻孔。
07:21
Ears耳朵? They are small. But they have excellent优秀 hearing听力.
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至于耳朵?耳朵很小。不过它们听力很好。
07:26
But not a big -- for instance, in zebras斑马, they have a huge巨大 ear
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耳朵算不上大,举例来说,斑马的耳朵很大。
07:31
that's very mobile移动, so they can actually其实 turn them both around.
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非常灵活,所以可以转动
07:36
And they use them in the same相同 way we use our binocular双眼 vision视力.
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它们就像我们用眼睛一样用耳朵
07:39
They use them to pinpoint查明 sound声音.
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所以它们可以用耳朵定位声音来源
07:42
The desert's沙漠的 extremely非常 windy有风 as well as being存在 very cold.
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沙漠风沙很大,也很寒冷。
07:45
So not only do they have the very long eyelashes睫毛,
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所以它们不只有长睫毛和
07:49
but there's the secondary次要 -- I guess猜测 you'd call it the [unclear不明] or whatever随你.
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还有双重,随便你叫它什么了(应该是双重眼睑)
07:56
It's this hair头发 that's above以上 the eyes眼睛, and below下面 it it's longer.
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就是眼睛上部的毛,还有下部的毛,更长些
08:01
Most people think that the humps store商店 water.
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很多人认为驼峰是储水的
08:04
They don't. They store商店 fat脂肪.
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其实不是的,它们是储存脂肪的。
08:09
But -- now, I'm not a chemist化学家, but basically基本上 what happens发生 is
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虽然我不是化学家,不过基本上原理就是
08:13
the fat脂肪 is oxidized氧化 by their breathing呼吸.
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储存的脂肪通过呼吸被氧化
08:18
And that will turn it into actually其实 usable可用 water.
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从而产生可用的水分。
08:24
Like a lot of predators大鳄, they walk步行 on their toes脚趾.
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像很多食肉动物一样,它们用脚走路
08:27
But there's a big, fat脂肪 pad in there that squishessquishes out.
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不过脚下有肉垫,
08:32
They're like sun太阳 shoes, but, you know, with sand.
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就像太阳鞋(一种品牌沙滩凉鞋)。
08:37
Hooves? They don't have traditional传统 hooves,
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蹄?它们没有传统的蹄,
08:42
but they do have one, like, big nail.
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不过有一个大蹄甲。
08:45
You can't really see too clear明确. The fur's皮毛的 kind of grown长大的 over.
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你看不太清楚,因为毛遮住了。
08:48
But they use their tails尾巴 a lot, especially特别 in rut发情.
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不过它们常用到尾巴,特别是在发情的时候。
08:51
He will urinate排尿 and spin his tail尾巴
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它会撒尿然后旋转它的尾巴
08:55
to spread传播 the urine尿 around
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将尿到处撒
08:58
and make him more attractive有吸引力.
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这会让它更有吸引力。
09:01
I don't know why that would be, but it works作品 for them. (Laughter笑声)
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我是不知道为什么会那样,不过对他们来说是有效的,
09:04
So, what the hell地狱.
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所以,管它呢。
09:07
Now, they will also defecate大便 in certain某些 areas.
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它们会在某些地方排便
09:10
Generally通常, they poop船尾 wherever哪里 they want to,
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一般情况下,它们在任何它们想的地方排,
09:13
but during their rut发情, they will defecate大便 in perimeter周长 areas.
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不过在发情期,它们会在周边区域内排便。
09:20
I don't know if you've read or heard听说 about the sub-sonic次声波 sounds声音 from elephants大象 --
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不知道你有没有听说过大象的亚音
09:26
you know what I mean, like, "Br-r-rBR-RR!"
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知道我在说啥吧,像 “Brr-r-r!”一样的
09:29
These big, big rumbling隆隆 sounds声音. He will do the same相同 thing.
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巨大的隆隆声。它会做一样的事情。
09:32
You can actually其实 see, right here, it will vibrate颤动.
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实际上,你可以看到,就在这里,它会震动。
09:35
We weigh称重 our animals动物.
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我们会替动物称重。
09:38
Unfortunately不幸, he's a very aggressive侵略性 animal动物,
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不幸的是,它很有攻击性。
09:42
so he's actually其实 destroyed销毁 some of the scales.
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所以它已经毁了几个秤了。
09:45
We had these big things that I weigh称重 the bison野牛 on, for instance.
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我们有这种专用巨型体重秤,用来对付好比野牛这样的大家伙。
09:48
I'm guessing揣测 that he -- well, he's at least最小 1,600 pounds英镑.
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我猜这这头骆驼至少有1600磅重。
09:51
But I would put him closer接近 to 2,000.
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可能接近2000磅了。
09:54
He's basically基本上 a walking步行 mulch护根 pile.
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它实际上就是一个行走的松土机。
09:57
We're kind of like buds, but I'm also a male as well and he's -- KBKB: He sees看到 you as competition竞争? Senior前辈 Keeper管理人: Yeah, exactly究竟.
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我们都挺喜欢花苞的,虽然我和它都是雄性
10:02
And it makes品牌 him very dangerous危险 at this time of year.
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这让它在每年这个时候变得危险。
10:05
Don't even think about it. Don't think about it!
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不要想,想都不要想!
10:08
But now, we're going to meet遇到 -- out! Out!
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现在,我们将要见面,外面
10:15
Out!
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外面!
10:18
No.
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10:21
Out!
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外面!
10:47
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
10:48
KBKB: What I didn't show显示 you was -- you got that swinging摆荡 thing going?
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我没给你们看的是——记得那个旋转的尾巴么?
10:53
Well -- and you're glad高兴 I didn't show显示 you this.
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你们会庆幸我没给你们看的。
10:56
One of the other things about the camel's骆驼 beautiful美丽 design设计
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另一项有关于骆驼的美好设计就是
10:59
is that its penis阴茎 points backwards向后.
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它的阴茎是向后的。
11:01
That way the camel骆驼 can dip its tail尾巴 in the stream,
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所以它可以用尾巴蘸精液
11:05
and just whacker好大 the entire整个 area around him.
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然后重击它周围的整个区域。
11:09
And that's how he really marks分数 his territory领土.
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那也是它标记它领土的方式。
11:12
Now, what you also didn't see was that --
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同样你也没看见的是——
11:14
and you may可能 have noticed注意到 in the pen钢笔 beside him
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你可能已经注意到在它边上的围栏——
11:17
and, by the way, the camel's骆驼 name名称 is Suki索奇.
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顺道一提,这骆驼叫Suki
11:20
In the pen钢笔 beside him is Jasmine茉莉花.
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在它边上围栏里的那头叫Jasmine。
11:22
Jasmine茉莉花 has been his mate伴侣 for some time.
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Jasmine 是它的母亲。
11:24
But on this particular特定 occasion场合, it was very, very clear明确
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不过在这个特殊时刻,很明显地,
11:28
that as horny角质 as Suki索奇 was, Jasmine茉莉花 was having none没有 of it.
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像Suki这么饥渴的
11:33
And so we started开始 thinking思维.
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我们开始思考,
11:35
Well, if poor较差的 old Suki索奇 is in search搜索 of a mate伴侣,
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如果可怜的Suki正在寻找配偶,
11:39
what would Suki索奇 do to find the perfect完善 mate伴侣?
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为了找到一个合适的配偶,它会做什么呢?
11:42
So I'm going to show显示 you another另一个 film电影.
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所以我接下来要给你们看另一段视频。
11:43
But before I do, I just want to mention提到 that
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播放之前,我想要提一下,
11:46
this animal动物 truly is a sort分类 of the SUVSUV of the sand,
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它实在是某种程度上的沙上的SUV;
11:50
the ship of the desert沙漠. It's so vital重要 to the inhabitants居民 of the areas
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沙漠之舟。它对那些地方的居民实在是
11:58
in which哪一个 the camel骆驼 is found发现 -- largely大部分 Mongolia蒙古 and Sahara撒哈拉 --
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非常重要(大部分在蒙古和撒哈拉沙漠)
12:01
that there are 160 words in Arabic阿拉伯 to describe描述 the camel骆驼.
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以至于,阿拉伯语有160种对骆驼的称呼。
12:07
And if this is a creature生物 that was designed设计 by committee委员会,
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如果这种生物是某委员会设计的,
12:09
it's certainly当然 been like no committee委员会 I've ever been on.
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我肯定没有参与过那个委员会。
12:12
So here's这里的 what Suki索奇 would do in search搜索 of a mate伴侣.
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Suki在寻找配偶时,是这样做的:
12:18
Can you roll it, please?
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放片,谢谢~
12:20
(Video视频) Camel骆驼 seeking camel骆驼.
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本骆驼正在找寻另一半的它
12:22
Lusty精力充沛 beast desires欲望 attractive有吸引力 & sincere真诚 mate伴侣.
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精力充沛的我期待着迷人而真诚的她
12:25
I'm seven ftFT., 2,000 lbs., with brown棕色 hair头发/eyes眼睛, long legs ...
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俺高7英尺,重2000磅,拥有棕色的毛发,修长的四肢……
12:27
and I'm very well ... hung鸿.
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而且,俺有巨根!
12:34
I'm TEDTED Camel骆驼.
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我就是TED骆驼
12:36
The perfect完善 desert沙漠 machine.
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沙漠中的利器
12:40
I'm smartly巧妙 designed设计.
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俺就是睿智设计的体现
12:42
Eyelashes睫毛 that keep out sand and a third第三 eyelash睫毛 that works作品 like a
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又长又厚的睫毛就像雨刷,
12:45
windshield挡风玻璃 wiper雨刮器.
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阻挡了风沙
12:49
A distinguished杰出的 nose鼻子,
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一个与众不同的鼻子……
12:52
with nostrils鼻孔 lined to filter过滤 out sand and dust灰尘,
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搭配过滤沙尘的鼻孔……
12:56
and a groove that catches渔获 moisture湿气.
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还有专门储水的水囊(胃)
13:00
Amazingly令人惊讶的是 full充分 lips嘴唇
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性感厚唇……
13:04
that allow允许 me to eat practically几乎 anything that grows成长.
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使俺可以吃任何植物。
13:09
Callouses on my knees膝盖 that let me kneel下跪 comfortably舒服.
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俺有坚硬的膝盖,即使跪低都很舒服。
13:15
Leathery似皮革的 chest胸部 pads that beat击败 the heat.
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强韧的胸垫抵御酷热。
13:18
Short fur毛皮 that keeps保持 my skin皮肤 cool.
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短毛使我保持冷静
13:22
Long legs that allow允许 heat to escape逃逸.
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长腿驱散炎热
13:27
And my hump驼峰?
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我的驼峰?
13:30
Ogden奥格登 Nash纳什 once一旦 wrote:
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奥尔登.纳什(美国诗人)曾这么写道:
13:32
"the camel骆驼 has a single hump驼峰; the dromedary单峰驼 two,
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“骆驼有一个驼峰,单峰驼两个
13:34
or else其他 the other way around. I'm never sure. Are you?"
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或者双峰驼一个?我一直无法搞清,你呢?
13:37
Here's这里的 a hint暗示:
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给你点提示:
13:39
BactarianBactarian,
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(?)
13:41
Dromedary单峰驼.
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单峰骆驼
13:46
My hump驼峰 contains包含 up to 80 lbs. of fat脂肪 -- but doesn't store商店 H2O.
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我的驼峰可以储存80磅脂肪,不是水哦
13:50
I'm built内置 to last.
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我耐力强
13:55
I'm the go-to animal动物 when the oasis绿洲 is dry.
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当绿洲干枯,我就是救星
13:59
I usually平时 won't惯于 sweat until直到 my body身体 reaches到达 105 degrees F --
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不到105华氏度我就不流汗
14:01
enough足够 to fry an egg.
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那温度都可以煎蛋了
14:04
I'm able能够 to lose失去 40 percent百分
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即使是减重40%
14:06
of my weight重量 without dying垂死.
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我依旧顽强地活着
14:09
(Most animals动物 would if they lost丢失 half that much.)
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大部分动物就算光是做到我一半的程度就挂了
14:13
I'll drink five to seven gallons加仑 of water a day.
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我一天可以饮5到7加仑水
14:19
But go without for more than a month.
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接下来一个多月不再喝都可以
14:21
I'm powerful强大.
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我是强大的!
14:23
Able能够 to pack up to 400 lbs.
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可以负重400磅
14:25
of cargo货物,
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的货物
14:28
outrun逃脱 a horse
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跑得比马快……
14:32
and cover 26 miles英里 on a good day.
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状态好时日行26英里
14:34
Camelot柯莱特.
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[此图为杰奎琳,美国的媒体经常把肯尼迪担任总统的时期比作Camelot(其妻杰奎琳可能是第一个这样比喻的)]
14:38
Jackie成龙 O. once一旦 said that traveling旅行 by camel骆驼
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杰奎琳 曾这样说:骑着骆驼行走
14:40
made制作 riding骑术 an elephant seem似乎 like taking服用 a jet喷射 plane平面.
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会让人觉得骑大象就像坐喷气飞机。
14:47
Yet然而 my large, soft柔软的 feet allow允许 me to navigate导航 sand.
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但我巨大而柔软的足,使我可以在沙中行走
14:52
(Is that why the Bedouin贝都因人 claim要求 I can dance舞蹈?)
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可能那就是为啥贝多因人称我可以跳舞了吧?
14:57
I'm a good provider提供商, too.
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我还是一个很好的供应者
14:59
Bedouins贝都因人 call the camel骆驼 the Gift礼品 of God.
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贝多因人称我们为上帝的礼物。
15:01
No surprise.
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不必惊奇
15:03
Tents帐篷 and rugs地毯 are made制作 of my hair头发.
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我的毛可以做帐篷和地毯
15:05
My dried bones骨头 are prized珍贵 as a sort分类 of ivory象牙.
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我风干后的骨头珍贵如象牙
15:07
My dung is burned as fuel汽油. My milk牛奶 is used for cheese起司.
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我的粪便燃烧可以做燃料。我的乳汁可以做奶酪。
15:09
"Camels骆驼 are like angels天使," a Bedouin贝都因人 once一旦 said.
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“骆驼就像天使”一个贝多因人曾这样说过
15:14
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
15:16
Thank you. I just want to leave离开 you with one last thought,
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谢谢。最后我要留给大家一个思考问题,
15:20
which哪一个 is probably大概 the most important重要 thing to take away.
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以下哪样最值得带走:
15:25
Humans人类 -- the animal动物 -- are pretty漂亮 lucky幸运 creatures生物 because, by and large,
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人类--动物--是幸运的生物,因为大体上来说,
15:31
we really don't have to adapt适应 to our environment环境;
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我们不用适应环境,
15:35
we adapt适应 our environment环境 to us.
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我们让环境适应我们。
15:37
And we've我们已经 seen看到 that repeatedly反复 through通过 this conference会议 --
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这是从过往TED演讲中,我们一次又一次体会到的,
15:40
not just this year, but in past过去 years年份.
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不只今年,还有去年。
15:42
But this creature生物 that you've just seen看到
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但刚刚我们所见到的生物,
15:45
ultimately最终 adapts适应, and keeps保持 adapting适应 and adapting适应.
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它最终却让自己适应环境,而且还在不断改变自己去适应。
15:48
And I think when you look at the animal动物 kingdom王国,
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当你看着动物界的时候,
15:50
that is one of the most remarkable卓越 things.
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这就是其中一个卓越的发现。
15:52
It doesn't have an environment环境 that adapts适应 to it;
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它不需要一个被改造的环境;
15:54
it has to adapt适应 to the environment环境.
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而是,它主动去适应这个环境。
15:56
Ricky瑞奇, thank you very much for having me.
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Ricky,谢谢你邀请我。
15:58
RWRW: That's terrific了不起. Thank you.
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RW:精彩,谢谢。
Translated by Mavis CHEN
Reviewed by Qian Yue

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Keith Bellows - Traveler
On the heels of a long and bruising camel ride, Keith Bellows became fascinated with the "SUV of the sand," and with the many thorny aspects of their personalities (and mating habits) most of us would rather not dwell upon.

Why you should listen

As the former editor of National Geographic Traveler, Keith Bellows stepped away from the human aspects of travel for a moment to present one of his other fascinations: animal design. And not just the beautiful, photogenic aspects of that design either. After a harrowing breakdown in the Sahara with one water bottle to share among four people, Bellows was forced to make a rendezvous via camel ride, and became certain that this animal was, in addition to being a "mean son-of-a-bitch," the most perfectly designed creature on Earth.

Convinced by the organizers that bringing a live camel to the TED Conference was not a wise idea, Bellows did the next best thing, and drafted a National Geographic film crew to go to the Washington Zoo. They returned with a film of Suki, a 2,000-pound creature in the midst of rut, with shocking capabilities lurking in his spinning tail and rear-facing genitalia, all gleefully outlined in the film. But though this creature may seem unsavory, he's perfectly adapted to survival in the harshest environments around, and critical to the survival of the nomads that call the desert home.

 

More profile about the speaker
Keith Bellows | Speaker | TED.com