来见见小毛豆和小维尼 Meet Squirt and Weeny.
还有它们骄傲的妈妈，克林奇 And their proud mum, Klinky.
它们属于地球上最著名的家族之一 They belong to one of the most famous families on the planet.
真正的名人和全球现象 True celebrities and a global phenomenon.
它们是一个王朝的一部分，这个王朝带来了数小时的电视节目，以及 They're part of a dynasty that has led to hours of television,
电影，甚至它们自己的粉丝俱乐部 films and even their own fan club.
我非常爱它们， I love them so much,
因为它们充满了爱 because they are full of love
在日常生活中 in their daily life.
在这种流行的背后是一项真正非凡的20年实地研究 Behind this popularity lies a truly remarkable 20-year field study.
一个突破性的项目 A ground-breaking project
由一位想要找到答案的科学家发起 started by a scientist who wanted to find out
关于合作，猫鼬教会我们什么 what meerkats can teach us about cooperation.
这花费了20年的时间和一些了不起的实验， It's taken two decades, and some remarkable experiments,
揭开它们复杂生活的神秘面纱 to unravel the mysteries of their complex lives.
使我们能够理解 Enabling us to understand
并认识到克林奇这类人所面临的挑战 and appreciate the challenges facing the likes of Klinky
和她著名的家族 and her celebrated clan.
这些人充满爱 These people are in love.
他们长途跋涉数千英里来到这里， They've travelled thousands of miles to be here,
在喀拉哈里沙漠 in the Kalahari Desert,
在非洲南部 in Southern Africa.
2005年，电视剧《猫鼬庄园》一播出， As soon as the TV series Meerkat Manor was broadcast in 2005,
猫鼬迅速成为国际明星 the meerkats were catapulted to international stardom.
我喜欢猫鼬 I love the meerkats.
我喜欢和它们在一起，和它们一起散步 I love to be around them, walk with them
还有，你知道，看看它们每天都做些什么 and, you know, watch what they do every day.
我相信它们有性格和个性 I do believe they have characters and personality.
对于不是研究人员的人来说，这很有趣， It's interesting to people who are not researchers,
这群人只是喜欢动物 but who just love the animals.
它们一起合作，像一个团队一样工作 They cooperate together, work as a team
就像一个人类家庭 and just like a human family.
赞赏社的一些成员走了 Some members of the Appreciation Society have gone
不遗余力地表达他们的爱意 to remarkable lengths to express their affection.
我画的第一个是花。她是个超级明星， The first one I painted actually is Flower. She is a superstar,
我相信，对大多数了解她的人来说她是我最喜欢的 I believe, for most people that know her and she's my favourite.
我画的第二个，她是莫扎特 The second one I painted, she is Mozart.
不幸的是，她没有一个好的家庭 Unfortunately, she cannot have a good family.
所以我画了她和她男朋友在天堂的样子， So I painted her in heaven with her boyfriend and finally,
它们有一个孩子 they have a kid together
组建一个真正美好幸福的家庭 to form a really good and happy family.
没有人能怀疑猫鼬已经成为真正的全球名人 No-one can doubt that meerkats have become truly global celebrities.
而现在，在喀拉哈里沙漠，一批新星正在孕育之中 And now, in the Kalahari, there are a new set of stars in the making.
这是功夫家族 This is the Kung Fu clan.
一群30多只的猫鼬 A 30-strong group of meerkats.
一只雌性猫鼬统治着一个猫鼬部族 One female rules a meerkat clan
负责功夫群的是八岁的克林奇 and in charge of the Kung Fu is eight-year-old Klinky.
她的忠实伙伴是宁格鲁 Her loyal partner is Ningaloo.
它和克林奇大半生都在一起， He and Klinky have been together for most of their lives,
它们之间有很强的联系 they have a powerful bond.
这是旱季的开始 It's the beginning of the dry season.
炎热的白天之后是寒冷的夜晚 Baking days are followed by freezing nights.
在晨光中， In the early morning light,
它们伸展开来 they stretch out
让它们冻僵的骨头暖和起来 and warm up their frozen bones.
功夫群的三十多名成员 The 30-strong members of the Kung Fu
是由克林奇和宁格鲁的 are made up of Klinky and Ningaloo's
儿子和女儿 sons and daughters.
还有更多的还在路上 And there are more on the way.
克林奇怀孕了 Klinky is pregnant.
它的下一窝幼崽将在六周后出生 Her next litter of pups is due in just six weeks.
她需要很多帮助来抚养她的孩子 She'll need plenty of help to raise her youngsters
在无情的旱季 in the unforgiving dry season.
但需要必须， But needs must,
团队很快就要出发了 and the group will soon set out
看看它们能从沙子里挖出什么 and see what they can dig out of the sand.
闹钟响了 ALARM CLOCK RINGS
在猫鼬项目基地， At the Meerkat Project base,
研究生志愿者的核心团队正在为新的一天做好准备 the core team of graduate volunteers are getting ready for a new day.
他们是已经发展成为 They are at the heart of what has grown into one of
迄今为止最全面的动物行为研究 the most comprehensive studies of animal behaviour ever undertaken.
这是一个组织严密的活动，参与者都是博士生 It's a highly organised operation with PhD students
以及客座教授和一个由12名志愿者研究员组成的核心团队 and visiting professors and a core team of 12 volunteer researchers.
他们要去沙漠寻找，记录， They are setting out into the desert to find, record,
称18组猫鼬的体重 and weigh members of the 18 meerkat groups
分散在39平方英里的地方 which are dispersedover 39 square miles.
研究人员很谨慎于 The researchers are careful
他们和猫鼬的任何互动 that any interaction they have with the meerkats
尽量不影响它们的行为 affects their behaviour as little as possible.
摄制组必须让动物们继续生活 The team must let the animals get on with their lives.
即便如此，也很难不被它所吸引 Even so, it's hard not to get attached.
别担心。来吧 Don't worry. Come on.
"当然，你要努力做到科学" 'You try to be, of course, scientific'
不要和它们扯上关系 and not get involved with them
当然，它们有不同的性格 but no, of course, they have different personalities
这就是猫鼬的神奇之处， and that's the amazing thing of meerkats,
和…在某种程度上把它们人性化 and...humanising them to a certain point.
这是一种“掐自己”的时刻 It's a kind of a 'pinch yourself' kind of moment
我真的在做这件事 that I'm actually doing this.
我觉得自己很幸运 I feel very lucky.
来吧。你出去吧 Come on. Out you go.
如果没有这项工作，这一切都不可能存在 None of this would have existed without the work
剑桥动物学家蒂姆·克拉顿-布洛克教授 of Cambridge zoologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock,
动物行为的世界权威 a world authority on animal behaviour.
自1993年以来，他一直是卡拉哈里猫鼬项目的掌舵人 Since 1993, he's been at the helm of the Kalahari Meerkat Project.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
他在这项研究中的任务是发现 His mission in this study is to discover exactly
是什么让猫鼬成为地球上最合作的哺乳动物 what makes the meerkat the mostcooperative mammal on Earth.
和前面的一群人一起走回家， This walking home with the group in front of you,
晚上散步回来，总是像是一种巨大的特权 walking back in the evening, always seems like an enormous privilege.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
蒂姆一直在寻找适合研究的动物 Tim had been searching for the right animal to study
有一段时间了 for quite a while.
这是一个电视节目 And it was a television programme
这第一次激发了他对猫鼬的兴趣 that first sparked his interest in meerkats.
“不比狮子故事里的流苏大， 'No bigger than a tassel on a lion's tale,
猫鼬站得很高。” 'a meerkat stands tall.'
我看过一部电影叫《猫鼬联盟》 I saw a film called Meerkats United,
我意识到猫鼬正是我要找的东西 and I realised that meerkats were exactly what I was looking for.
一个非常合作的哺乳动物，在那里我可以学会识别个体 A really cooperative mammal, where I could learn to recognise individuals
看看大家都在做什么 and see what everyone was doing.
他被迷住了 He was hooked.
所以我去了喀拉哈里沙漠，我的生活改变了 So I headed off to the Kalahari and my life changed.
功夫家族的生活也即将改变 Life is also about to change for the Kung Fu clan.
在克林奇带领这群人出去觅食之前， Before Klinky led the group out to forage,
有个问题要处理 there's a problem to be dealt with.
她的家人都很紧张 Her family are on edge.
就连她的伴侣宁格鲁也站得远远的 Even partner Ningaloo stays out of the way.
怀孕的克林奇很暴躁 Pregnant Klinky is on the warpath.
克林奇发现了她的女儿麦基夫人 Klinky spots her daughter Mrs McGee.
她认为自己在这个团体的日子屈指可数了 She has decided that her days in the group are numbered.
麦基夫人就要被驱逐了 Mrs McGee is about to be banished.
她试图保护自己 She tries to protect herself
对她母亲唯命是从 by being submissive to her mother.
这不会有帮助的 It's not going to help.
克林奇狠狠地咬了她一口 Klinky bites her viciously.
我们不需要麦基夫人 Mrs McGee is not wanted.
克林奇是无情的 Klinky is merciless.
另外两个女儿也得到了同样的待遇 Two more daughters get the same treatment.
克林奇驱逐 Klinky is banishing into exile
任何已经或可能怀孕的女儿 any daughters who are or could become pregnant.
但接着，她发现了一些东西 But then, she spots something.
碧碧，这些女儿中最弱的一个， Bebe, the weakest of these daughters,
试图不被注意到 is trying not to be noticed.
她差点就逃脱了惩罚 She almost gets away with it.
克林奇想要确保这个群体只抚养一组后代 Klinky wants to make sure the group raises just one set of offspring -
她自己的 her own.
它们都在争夺有限的资源， They're all fighting for limited resources,
任何竞争都会使克林奇的幼崽受到威胁 any competition would put Klinky's pups under threat.
她不会让这种事发生的 She won't let that happen.
克林奇已经把她的四个女儿赶出了家门 Klinky has driven four of her daughters out of her family.
它们在安全距离外孤独地看着 They watch forlornly from a safe distance.
对它们来说，流亡的生活将是艰难的 Life for them in exile is going to be tough.
不管这看起来多么残酷， However brutal this seems,
克林奇准备走得更远 Klinky is prepared to go much further
为了保护她未出生的幼崽，如果需要的话 to protect her unborn pups, if she needs to.
蒂姆·克拉顿-布洛克研究猫鼬的决定让他来到了这里， Tim Clutton-Brock's decision to work with meerkats led him here,
到南卡拉哈里，1993年 to the Southern Kalahari, in 1993.
最终，他和他的团队发现了一个空农场 Eventually, he and his team discovered an empty farm
位于南非和博茨瓦纳的边境 on the border between South Africa and Botswana.
在这个荒凉的环境中，他亲眼目睹了一切 In this desolate environment, he saw at first-hand
为什么猫鼬是最适合研究的哺乳动物， how meerkats could be the perfect mammal to study,
如果你能接近它们 IF you could get close to them.
这里的环境如此开放，当我看到它们的时候，我想， The environment is so open that when I saw them, I thought,
“哇，在这里你真的可以看到它们在做的一切。” "Wow, here you can really see everything that they're doing."
如果能让几个不同的群体习惯， If only it were possible to habituate several different groups,
那我们就能真正上位了 then we could really get on top
回答有关它们的重要问题 of answering important questions about them.
习惯化是得到动物的过程 Habituation is the process of getting an animal
变得完全不害怕你，以至于你被忽视 to become so completely unafraid of you that you are ignored.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
如果蒂姆能做到这一点，他就能近距离研究它们 If Tim could manage this, he could get close enough to study them
没有猫鼬的介意 without the meerkats minding.
猫鼬不容易和陌生人交朋友 Meerkats don't make friends with strangers easily
要进入它们的世界，没有捷径可走 and there are no shortcuts when it comes to breaking into their world.
摄制组需要在猫鼬群中行走数年 It would take the team years of walking amongst the meerkats
在灌木丛中，它们总是以一种轻柔的哼哼声宣告自己的存在 in the bush, always announcing themselves with a gentle hum.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
我在远处还能看见它们 I can still see them in the distance
而且它们还没有真的逃跑 and they're not actually running away yet.
但它们正在逐渐离开 But they're gradually moving off.
如果我一直压迫它们，它们就会跑得很快 And if I kept pressing them, they would run quickly.
所以我要做的就是告诉它们，这是我 So what I'm trying to do is to tell them that it's me.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
我根本不想躲着它们 I'm not trying to hide from them at all.
经过数千小时的辛勤工作， After thousands of hours of hard graft,
它们现在距离一个数字只有几英尺 they could now get to within a few feet of a number
猫鼬家族的 of meerkat families.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
这是一项了不起的成就 It was a remarkable achievement.
现在，这项工作可以开始了 Now, the work could begin.
如果猫鼬真的合作 If the meerkats weretruly cooperating,
团队中的每个成员都会做得更好 each individual member of the group would be doing better
而不是靠自己生活 than if they were living on their own.
为了验证这个理论， To test this theory,
蒂姆需要衡量它们互相帮助的成本和收益 Tim needed to measure the costs and benefits of them helping each other
通过测量它们的体重是增加还是减少 by measuring if they were gaining or losing weight.
他怎么才能让猫鼬们同意呢? How was he to get the meerkats to agree to that?
他开始尝试用他能想到的所有食物来引诱它们 He began by trying to lure them with every food he could think of.
任何能刺激猫鼬味蕾的食物 Anything that might tickle a meerkat's taste buds.
粉虱 Mealworms.
鸡肉 Chicken.
花生酱 Peanut butter.
炼乳 Condensed milk.
我们想尽了一切办法，看它们会不会吃 We tried everything we could find to see if they would eat it...
．．但它们根本不感兴趣 ..but they weren't interested at all.
尽管蒂姆竭尽全力烹饪 Despite Tim's best culinary efforts,
猫鼬对一切都不屑一顾 the meerkats turned up their noses at everything.
团队注意到有一种食物 The team had noticed that there was one food
它们会竭尽全力去抓住 that they would go all out to get hold of -
千鸟的蛋 plover's eggs.
这促使它们尝试新的东西 It led them to try something new.
要吃千鸟蛋，蒂姆尝试了鸡蛋 For plover's eggs, Tim tried hen's eggs.
我们想看看它们是否感兴趣 We thought we'd see whether they were interested
鸡蛋里的东西 in the contents of the eggs.
但我们发现 But what we found out was that
它们一点也不感兴趣 they weren't in the slightest bit interested.
但就在这时，蒂姆看到猫鼬正在吞食一个鸡蛋 But then, Tim saw meerkats devouring a hen's egg
在阳光下烤熟的 that had cooked in the sun.
最后，当我们发现这一点时，我们的生活完全改变了 In the end, our lives changed totally when we discovered this.
经过两年勇敢的失败， After two years of valiant failures,
这是一个顿悟的时刻 this was a eureka moment.
煮蛋渣并不能改变野外猫鼬的行为， Crumbs of boiled egg don't change the meerkats' behaviour in the wild,
但它们确实让它们变得合作 but they do make them cooperative.
这一发现是启动卡拉哈里猫鼬项目所需的动力 This discovery was the kick-start the Kalahari Meerkat project needed.
她哼哼 SHE HUMS
嘿，我的爱，来吧! Hey, my love, come!
你好，我的爱人，好吃 Hello, my love, yum-yum.
越来越多的研究人员开始加入蒂姆的项目 More researchers began to join Tim on his project.
现在，他们可以开始收集有关猫鼬的适当数据了 Now, they could begin to gather proper data on the meerkats.
当与团队合作时， When working with a group,
他们每天给一个猫鼬称重三次 they would weigh an individual three times a day.
当它们在中午起床时 When they get up, at midday
就在它们睡觉前 and just before they went to sleep.
有了无线电项圈，它们就永远不会丢失 With radio collars, they would never be lost.
所有人都得到了自己的代码和电脑文件 All the individuals were given their own codes and computer files.
和名字 And names.
现在，蒂姆可以开始为他的大问题寻找答案了 Now, Tim could start to find answers to his big questions.
为什么猫鼬想要群居呢? Why does a meerkat actually want to live in a group?
它们为什么要互相帮助? Why do they help each other out?
当它们知道的时候，它们怎么知道该做什么工作? And when they do, how do they know what job to do?
这项研究现在可以开始了， The study could now get underway,
这一切都是因为猫鼬对小零食的喜爱 all because of the meerkats' love of a tiny snack.
在功夫群，威胁性的雌性消失后， At the Kung Fu, with the threatening females out of the way,
克林奇带领她的团队进入越来越干燥的地方 Klinky leads her group into the increasingly dry
和无情的灌木丛 and unforgiving bush.
从表面上看，在这片古老的沙漠里，它们几乎没有生存的空间， On the surface, there's little for them here, in this ancient desert,
但克林奇是一个有经验的猎人 but Klinky is an experienced hunter.
如果它们挖足够多的沙子，就能找到足够多的幼虫 If they dig through enough sand, they'll find sufficient grubs
还有蝎子来喂它们一天 and scorpions to feed them all for the day.
然而，功夫群不只是捕食者 However, the Kung Fu aren't simply predators.
它们也是猎物 They're also prey.
从天上降下来的死亡的危险真的存在 There is a real danger of death descending from the skies.
但猫鼬有一个早期预警系统 But meerkats have an early warning system.
哨兵 The sentinel.
它们的工作是放哨 Their job is to keep a lookout
好让其他功夫群高手埋头 so the rest of the Kung Fu can keep their eyes down
专注于寻找食物 and focus on finding food.
当蒂姆第一次看到猫鼬哨兵时，他很感兴趣 When Tim first came across the meerkat sentinel, he was fascinated.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
配上他最信赖的煮鸡蛋， With his trusty boiled egg,
他调查了 he investigated how devoted
它们要完成它们的任务 they were to their task.
我将向你们展示我20年前尝试过的东西，来展示这个 I'm going to show you something that I tried, 20 years ago, to show this.
我要给这家伙一些他最喜欢的食物，一些鸡蛋 I'm going to offer this guy some of his favourite food, some egg.
猫鼬有工作要做 The meerkat has a job to do
而且不会动摇 and won't be swayed.
他在值班，他在监视捕食者 He's on duty, he's watching for predators
显然他的心思都在这上面 and his mind is obviously fixed on that.
他只是对其他事情不感兴趣 He's just not interested in other things.
这对猫鼬来说至关重要 It's vital for meerkats
有一个高度集中的哨兵随时站岗 to have a fully-focused sentinel on guard at all times.
觅食的猫鼬偶尔会抬头看一眼哨兵 Foraging meerkats glance up at the sentinel occasionally
检查它是否还在那里 to check it's still there.
如果没有人值班，它们会很快发现 They quickly notice if no-one appears to be on duty.
蒂姆正在重新做一个实验来证明这一点 Tim is recreating an experiment to show this.
非常缓慢 Very slowly.
我们现在要挡住哨兵的视线 We are now going to block their view of the sentinel
所以它们无法看到哨兵是否在值班 so they can't actually see whether the sentinel's on duty.
从猫鼬群的角度来看， From the group's point of view,
哨兵似乎消失了 it looks as though the sentinel has vanished.
它们很担心，会做出反应 They are concerned and will react.
那边现在有新猫鼬了 There's someone over there now
谁会代替他去站岗 who's going up on sentinel duty to replace him.
每个猫鼬都承担着哨兵的职责， Individuals put themselves upfor sentinel duty,
通常是在它们饱餐一顿之后 usually after they've had a good meal.
蒂姆通过喂食个体证明了这一点 Tim proved this by feeding individuals
再配上煮熟的鸡蛋 with extra hard boiled egg.
因此，它们愿意花更多的时间在观察上 As a result, they were happy to spend longer on watch.
哨兵仰望天空寻找威胁， Sentinels look up at the sky for threats,
但它们也能发现危险 but they'll also spot danger
离地面更近 closer to the ground.
作为一个团队， And working as a group,
它们可以一起恐吓这里许多最危险的动物 they can together intimidate many of the most dangerous animals here.
即使是能杀死它们的捕食者，比如眼镜蛇 Even a predator that can kill them, such as a cobra.
它们就在攻击距离之外 They stay just out of striking distance.
最终，眼镜蛇觉得自己寡不敌众 And, eventually, the cobra feels outnumbered.
合作是它们工作的核心 Cooperation is at the heart of what they do.
每个家庭成员都扮演着重要的角色， Every member of the family has an important role to play,
那么为什么占统治地位的雌性 so why does the dominant female
抛弃一些重要成员，比如她的女儿? throw out some important members, such as her daughters?
旱季开始产生影响， The dry season is beginning to bite,
而被克林奇赶出的功夫群雌性则非常绝望 and the Kung Fu females driven out by Klinky are desperate.
它们徘徊在边缘， They hang around on the fringes,
也许是希望克林奇能容忍它们回来 perhaps hoping that Klinky might tolerate their return.
但她并不打算这么做 But she has no intention of doing so.
被驱逐者压力很大 The evictees are stressed.
在过去的几天里，它们的体重减轻了 Over the last few days, they've lost weight.
作为一个小群体， As a small group,
它们太少了，一个人无法充当哨兵 there are too few of them for one to act as a sentinel.
当它们外出觅食时， When they're out foraging,
它们很容易被捕食者吃掉 they are vulnerable to being picked off by predators.
但是克林奇很坚强 But Klinky is tough.
她把被她迷住的同伴们召集在一起 She pulls together the rest of her group, who are under her spell.
没有同情的余地 There's no room for sympathy.
赶走女儿们， To chase away the daughters,
功夫群的战舞 the Kung Fu war dance
在一次可怕的团结展示中 in a fearsome display of solidarity.
被遗弃的人匆匆逃进沙漠， The outcasts scurry away into the desert,
被迫重新流亡 driven back into exile.
随着蒂姆数据量的增加， As Tim's volume of data increased,
所以猫鼬的自然秩序 so the natural order behind the meerkats'
明显残忍的行为 apparently brutal behaviour
开始显现出来 began to reveal itself.
占统治地位的女性驱逐她们的女儿 Dominant females evict their daughters
当它们达到繁殖年龄——大约三岁 when they reach breeding age - around three years old.
雌性会执行这个系统 Females that enforce this system
一生中最多能养育80只幼崽 can rear up to 80 pups over the course of their lives.
一个大的群体就等于力量 And a big group equals strength
当保卫你的领土 when defending your territory.
占统治地位的雌性会走多远 The lengths to which a dominant female will go
为了控制她的女儿，保持她的权力，没有界限 to control her daughters and retain her power knows no bounds.
功夫群洞的黄昏时分 It's dusk at the Kung Fu burrow.
经过漫长的一天，家庭的机会 After a long day, the chance for the family
培养和联系感情的机会 to groom and bond.
它们的注意力被入侵者抓住了 Their attention has been grabbed by intruders.
克林奇的弃儿们还没有放弃， Klinky's outcasts still haven't given up,
它们现在正试图找到一条回家的路， they are now trying to find a way back,
在暮色的掩护下 under cover of twilight.
克林奇已经注意到它们 Klinky has clocked them.
部落联合起来 The tribe joins together
战舞向被遗弃的人走去， and war dance towards the outcasts,
来阻止它们 to deter them.
克林奇的女儿们又得另寻他处-- Once more, Klinky's daughters will have to find somewhere else
来过夜 to spend the night.
克林奇把它们赶出去给它们施加压力， Klinky has driven them out to put them under pressure,
尤其是那些可能怀孕的 especially those that may be pregnant.
在群体之外生存的压力意味着驱逐女儿 The stress of survival outside the group means evicted daughters
通常会早产产下幼崽 will often give birth to their pups prematurely.
如果克林奇偶然碰到任何活的幼崽，她会杀死它们 If Klinky chances upon any live-born young, she will kill them.
杀婴 Infanticide.
不管这看起来多么残酷，克林奇知道 However brutal this seems, Klinky knows
如果她的女儿继续怀孕， that if any of her daughters continued their pregnancies,
它们可能会杀了她自己的孩子， they might try to kill her own pups,
所以积极进取是值得的 so it pays to be aggressive.
将来，她的女儿们会对她有用的， In future, her daughters will be of use to her,
但现在，它们只是个威胁 but for now, they're nothing but a threat.
十年过去了，蒂姆和他的团队 Ten years in, Tim and his team
已经习惯的猫鼬群体数量增加到15个 had increased the number of habituated meerkat groups to 15
他们监测了整个生命历史 and they'd monitored the complete life histories
将近1000个人 of nearly 1,000 individuals.
沙漠中的一个社区已经变成了一个中心 A community in the desert had become a hub
世界级的科学活动 of world-class scientific activity.
这项研究拓展到了新的领域， The study branched out into new areas,
包括曾在这里当学生的科学家 involving scientists who had worked here as students.
他们开始根据蒂姆之前的研究来解决问题 They started to tackle questions based on Tim's previous research.
他最先注意到的一件事是猫鼬 One of the first things he had noticed was that meerkats
我们一直在互相交谈， talk to each other all the time,
打了很多电话 making a huge range of calls.
这就引发了人们对他们彼此之间在说什么的疑问， And that raised questions about what they were saying to each other,
还有那些电话是什么意思 and what the calls meant.
Marta Manser教授是苏黎世大学的生物学家 Professor Marta Manser is a research biologist at Zurich University.
她是蒂姆在这个项目上的第一个博士生 She was Tim's first PhD student on the project.
她开始研究猫鼬的交流 She set about investigating meerkat communication
通过一系列巧妙的实验 with a series of ingenious experiments.
如果你把它放在这里，灌木丛后面 If you put it here, behind the bush.
在猫鼬从它们睡觉的洞穴里出来之前，道具已经准备好了 Props are set up before the meerkats emerge from their sleeping burrows.
活的捕食者很难使用 Live predators would be difficult to use
所以，玛尔塔选择了退而求其次的办法 so, instead, Marta chose the next best thing.
猫鼬颤音 MEERKATS TRILL
她记录下了它们的警报信号，并发现了猫鼬 She recorded their alarm calls and discovered the meerkats
开发了一系列的呼叫类型，一种语言， had developed a series of calltypes, a kind of language,
来警告其他动物捕食者近在咫尺 to warn the others of how close a predator is.
它们用颤音唱 THEY TRILL
以及它是什么类型 And what type it is.
不断加剧 TRILLING INTENSIFIES
猫鼬喊叫 MEERKATS BARK
随着豺狼越来越近 As the jackal gets closer,
猫鼬认出了地面捕食者 the meerkats identify the ground predator
为紧急情况做准备 and prepare for an emergency.
玛尔塔呆了几个月 Marta spent several months
让不同的捕食者来观察它们的叫声是否不同 presenting various predators to see if the calls were different.
它们叫 THEY BARK
她甚至把一只豺狼发射到空中 She even launched a jackal into the air
看看猫鼬的叫声 to see if meerkats' calls
区分地面和空中的捕食者 distinguish between ground and aerial predators.
那个实验的结果没有定论， The results of that experiment were inconclusive,
但到目前为止，她的其他爆料都是引人注目的 but her other revelations to date have been remarkable.
猫鼬进化出了一套复杂的预警系统 Meerkats have evolved a complex warning system.
用颤声说 TRILLING
它们发出的警告空中或陆地捕食者的声音 The sounds they make to warn of aerial or terrestrial predators
随着威胁越来越近而改变 change as the threat grows closer.
不断加剧 TRILLING INTENSIFIES
吠叫 BARKING
玛尔塔和她的同事们发现猫鼬 Marta and her colleagues have discovered that the meerkats
正在用一套复杂的电话说话 are speaking with a complex repertoire of calls.
它们相互传递的信息是不同的 The messages they send each other are distinct
意思很清楚 and the meaning is very clear.
给它们播放你选择的录音 Play them your choice of recording
你可以准确地预测它们的反应 and you can predict exactly how they will react.
鸣叫 CHIRPING
咆哮 GROWLING
这个声音的意思是 This sound means
“猛禽正在快速逼近。” "bird of prey approaching fast."
鸣叫加剧 CHIRPING INTENSIFIES
地洞里很安静 It's quiet at the burrow.
克林奇还没有露面 Klinky has not surfaced.
很快，原因就清楚了 Soon, it's clear why.
最后，克林奇生下了她的宝贝幼崽 At last, Klinky has given birth to her precious pups -
小毛豆和小维尼 Squirt and Weeny.
它们已经在地下呆了14天 They have been underground for 14 days.
今天，它们第一次出现在阳光下 And today, they emerge into the sunshine for the first time.
它们的眼睛才刚刚睁开 Their eyes have only just opened.
在它们面前是它们第一次看到新家 In front of them is their first view of their new home.
严酷而美丽的喀拉哈里沙漠 The harsh but beautiful Kalahari.
这个家庭在其他方面也有所成长 The family has grown in other ways too.
幼崽出生三天后， Three days after the pups were born,
克林奇允许她被驱逐的女儿们重新加入这个团体 Klinky allowed her evicted daughters back into the group.
现在它已经有了幼崽 Now that she's had her pups,
雌性不再是威胁 the females are no longer a threat.
恰恰相反 Quite the opposite.
它们被立即投入工作， They're put to work straightaway,
给小毛豆和小维尼当保姆 as babysitters to Squirt and Weeny.
这些雌性通常能够提供乳汁， These females are often able to provide milk,
所以在保持警惕的同时， so as well as keeping a lookout,
它们给新生的幼崽喂奶 they suckle the new pups.
作为回报，它们再次享受安全 In return, they enjoy the safety
成为一个大团体的一员 of being part of a big group once more.
它们轮班12小时 They take 12-hour shifts
而且对工作非常投入 and are so dedicated to the job
它们一分钟都不会离开幼崽， that they won't leave the pups for a minute,
即使它们正在挨饿 even if they are starving.
但平静很快就被打破了 But the calm is soon shattered.
克林奇发现了可疑的东西 Klinky has spotted something suspicious.
一家人迅速行动起来 The family leaps into action.
每个人都有自己的角色 Everyone has a role.
保姆们迅速行动以保护幼崽 The babysitters move quickly to protect the pups.
她的女儿们现在很有用， Her daughters are useful now,
但它们也带来了麻烦 but they've brought trouble in their wake.
来自对手群体的三只雄性游弋者 Three roving males from a rival group
想和克林奇的女儿们交配 are looking to mate with Klinky's daughters.
这些是不受欢迎的客人 These are unwelcome visitors.
如果它们闯入小组 If they break into the group,
它们甚至可以试图推翻她的搭档宁格鲁， they could even try to overthrow her partner, Ningaloo,
破坏功夫群 and disrupt the Kung Fu.
克林奇的幼崽将任由它们摆布 Klinky's pups would be at their mercy.
赌注不能再高了 The stakes couldn't be higher.
克林奇在宁格鲁的支持下发起进攻 Klinky is on the offensive, backed up by Ningaloo.
其余的家族成员也跟着来了 The rest of the family follow.
雄猫鼬悄悄溜走了 The males slink away.
目前，功夫群已经解决了威胁 For now, the Kung Fu have dealt with the threat.
但游荡的雄猫鼬随时都可能回来 But the roving males could be back at any time.
猫鼬很喜欢有观察者在身边 The meerkats are so comfortable having observers around
仅仅因为身处其中， that, simply by being amongst them,
探险队可以发现最了不起的东西 the team can discover the most remarkable things.
与雌性不同，雄性猫鼬开始离开它们的家庭 Unlike the females, male meerkats begin to leave their families
当它们三岁时—— when they are three years old -
它们不能和它们的姐妹交配 they can't mate with their sisters.
在这个时候，它们访问其他团体 At this time, they visit other groups
蒂姆一直想知道 and Tim has always wanted to understand
这些流浪的雄性是如何生活的 how these roving males get on.
他哼哼 HE HUMS
漫游者盯上了竞争对手的一只雌性 The rover has got his eye on a female from a rival group.
这是一个有风险的行业 It's a risky business.
它被这群雄猫鼬不断追赶 He is being chased repeatedly by the males from this group.
如果它们能抓到它 And if they can catch him,
它们有可能会杀了它 there's a danger they'll kill him.
漫游者靠得太近 So rovers that get too close
被对手们逮个正着 and get caught by the opposition,
被杀的情况并不少见 not uncommonly get killed.
所以它们很容易跳动 So they're quite jumpy.
如你所见，它们…… And, as you can see, they're...
因为怕被人看见，所以它们就走了 a bit careful about being seen, so they tend to go
爬来爬去，然后一直往外看 creepy-crawly and then, look out all the time.
但他绝对不会考虑进食， But he's absolutely not thinking about feeding,
他一心想着性 his mind is on sex.
四处游荡的雄猫鼬性欲旺盛，很少停下来吃东西 Roving males are so overcome with lust that they rarely stop to eat.
它们可以一次花上好几天的时间去追逐它们想要的东西 They can spend days at a time chasing the object of their desire.
但这是一个值得冒的风险 But it's a risk worth taking.
他只会在边缘徘徊 He'll just stay on the edge
来来回回， and keep coming and keep going again,
它会试图接近灌木丛后面的一只雌性 and he'll try and get access to one of the females behind a bush.
这个漫游者太过冒险了 This rover has pushed his luck too far
它惊动了一只在群体边缘觅食的雄性 and has disturbed a male foraging on the edge of the group.
他的身份暴露了 His cover is blown.
看，这群人在跳战舞， Ah, look, here the group is in war dance,
所以这个小组现在开始认真对待这个问题了 so the group are now actually taking this seriously
而不是一只雄性追赶它， and instead of one male chasing him,
整群人都在追他 the whole group are now chasing him.
对猫鼬来说，一群战舞是非常吓人的 To a meerkat, a whole group war dancing is extremely intimidating
不难理解他为什么要保持距离 and it's not difficult to understand why he keeps his distance
当所有人都盯着他的时候 when the whole group have their eyes on him.
雄猫鼬繁殖后代的唯一机会 A dominant male's only chance of breeding
是离开自己的小组加入或另找一个 is to leave his own group and either join or found another one
和不相关的雌性相好 with unrelated females.
成功的可能性很小， The chances of success are slim,
但一只雄性猫鼬必须要成功， but a male meerkat has to make a go of it,
如果他的基因不会灭绝的话 if his particular genetic line isn't to die out.
雷声隆隆地 THUNDER RUMBLES
一场暴风雨带着滂沱大雨从头顶上掠过 A storm, swollen with rain, passes overhead.
这应该标志着旱季的结束 It should signal the end of the dry season
带来了今年的第一场雨 and bring the first rains of the year.
到了晚上，一场巨大的雷暴即将来临 By night, a huge electrical storm threatens.
但云并没有下雨 But the clouds haven't let go of their rain.
随着气温上升，干旱即将来临 As the temperature rises, a drought is imminent.
功夫群的猫鼬还在等待雨水的到来 The Kung Fu are still waiting for the rains to arrive.
幼崽小毛豆和小维尼现在已经六周大，完全断奶了 Pups Squirt and Weeny are now six weeks old and fully weaned.
它们需要在这片极度干燥的沙漠中寻找固体食物 They need to find solid food somewhere in this bone-dry desert.
它们和家人一起外出觅食， They accompany their family on foraging trips,
但它们还太小，不能自己捕捉食物 but they're still too young to catch their own food.
它们不停地呼唤乞求， They make endless begging calls,
但它们的父母克林奇和宁格鲁没有回应 but their parents, Klinky and Ningaloo, don't respond.
它们用颤音 THEY TRILL
它们没有被忽视 They're not being ignored.
它们用颤音 THEY TRILL
在新恢复的家庭里， In the newly restored family,
还有其他25只猫鼬可以帮忙 there are 25 other meerkats available to help.
下属的帮助者泄露了秘密 The subordinate helpers give away
它们捕获的食物多达一半 up to half the food they catch.
它们照顾幼崽的需要，就像照顾自己的一样 They look after the pups' needs as much as their own.
但小毛豆和小维尼不会总是得到这么多帮助 But Squirt and Weeny won't always get this much help.
在接下来的两个月里，它们必须学会自己觅食 Over the next two months, they will have to learn to feed themselves.
随着蒂姆项目规模的扩大， As Tim's project grew in size,
加入该团队的研究人员 the researchers who joined the team
正在迅速进入新的领域 were rapidly moving into new areas.
很明显，一种复杂的合作形式是核心 It was clear that a complex form of cooperation is at the heart
猫鼬家族的成员 of the meerkat family.
现在，一些科学家想要观察事物 Now, some of the scientists wanted to look at things
喜欢创新、学习和传统 like innovation, learning and tradition.
在过去的十年里， Over the last ten years,
亚历克斯·桑顿博士设计了一系列 Dr Alex Thornton has designed a series
来找出信息是如何通过猫鼬传播的 of tests to try to find out how information spreads through meerkat
社会和它们如何创新 societies and how they innovate.
我设计了一系列创新任务来观察哪些人 I designed a series of innovation tasks to look at which individuals
在小组中可能会创新解决新问题的方法 in groups would be likely to innovate solutions to new problems.
在这个实验中，一只蝎子被拿来喂猫鼬 In this experiment, a scorpion is served to a meerkat
装在改良的饭盒里 in a modified lunch box.
为了吃到零食， To get to the snack,
它的本能是尝试走第一条路线 its instinct is to try and take route one
穿过透明的塑料墙 through the clear plastic walls.
但有些猫鼬可以学会把这种本能放在一边 But some meerkats can learn to put aside that instinct
采取不同的方法 and take a different approach.
还有一条路可以进去 There's another way in.
转动盖子 Turn the lid.
事实上，有可能解决这些问题的人 In fact, the individuals that were likely to solve them
是低级的从属个体，尤其是雄性 were low-ranking subordinate individuals, and particularly males.
优势个体能够通过偷窃获得食物， Dominant individuals were able to get food by stealing,
所以它们不需要创新 so they don't need to innovate.
需要创新的是底层员工 It's the low-ranking individuals that need to innovate
因为，本质上，需要是发明之母 because, essentially, necessity is the mother of invention.
尤其是雄性，因为是雄性 And especially the males, because it's the males
它们会离开自己出生的群体， who will leave their natal group,
去其他地方寻找繁殖机会， to go and look for breeding opportunities elsewhere,
所以当它们离开时，它们真的会面临困难 so they're really going to face hardship when they leave.
它为它们支付了费用 And it pays for them
去尝试寻找新的获取食物的方法 to try and figure out new ways of getting food.
在沙漠中，猫鼬必须非常有创造力 In the desert, a meerkat has to be very inventive
能抓到什么就吃什么 and eat just about anything it can get its paws on.
千足虫,蜥蜴, Millipedes, lizards,
沙蛙，甚至蛇 sand frogs and even snakes
都在菜单上 are all on the menu.
如果猫鼬可以选择， If a meerkat had a choice,
它每次都会去找蝎子 it'd go for a scorpion every time.
它有讨厌的刺和坚硬的爪子， It has a nasty sting and tough claws,
但它富含蛋白质 but it's packed full of protein.
随着时间的推移，猫鼬已经弄清楚了如何对付它们 Over time, the meerkats have worked out exactly how to take them on.
在哪里压制住它们 Where to hold them down.
去哪里咀嚼 Where to crunch.
对小毛豆来说，这就像一场游戏，他想加入其中 To Squirt, it looks like a game and he wants to join in.
但现在还没有 But not yet.
亚历克斯对猫鼬学习的速度非常着迷 Alex was fascinated by how quickly meerkats learned
来解决相当棘手的问题 to solve quite tricky problems.
多年来，各种研究表明 Over the years, various studies suggested
有些物种的幼崽是由成年动物教会解决问题的， that the young of some species are taught problem-solving by adults,
但这从未得到过明确的证明 but it had never been clearly demonstrated.
如果这可以在猫鼬身上得到证实， If it could be proved with meerkats,
这意味着猫鼬可以做一些事情，在当时， it would mean that meerkats could do something that, at the time,
只在另一种哺乳动物身上观察到过 had only ever been observed in one other mammal -
人类 humans.
小毛豆和小维尼需要自己学习如何杀死蝎子 Squirt and Weeny need to learn how to kill a scorpion for themselves.
所以年长的帮手会教它们 So the older helpers are going to teach them.
第一步是让老师去除刺 The first step is for the teacher to remove the sting
然后让它们去对付一只活的但无害的蝎子 and then leave them to tackle a live but harmless scorpion.
当它们能够处理这些时，下一步就是教它们 When they can handle that,the next step is to teach them
如何为自己咬下活蝎子的刺 how to bite the sting off a live scorpion for themselves.
在当时，这是一个重要的发现 At the time, it was an important discovery
因为这是第一个证据 because it was the first evidence
野生动物确实会教书 that wild animals do teach.
人们普遍认为教学是一种 It was commonly thought that teaching was something that
只发生在人类社会中 happened only in human societies.
所以通过找到在猫鼬身上教学的证据， So by finding evidence for teaching in meerkats,
我们可以开始拼凑拼图了 we could begin to start to piece together a puzzle
关于教学是如何发展的， of how teaching might have evolved,
所以我们能够观察猫鼬是如何教学的 so we were able to look at how the meerkats teach.
现在亚历克斯把这些拼凑起来了， Now that Alex had pieced this together,
他开始注意另一个有趣的方面 he began to look at another intriguing aspect
猫鼬的行为 of meerkat behaviour.
就像我们一样，它们有不同程度的热情 Just like us, they have different levels of enthusiasm
关于早上从床上跳起来 about leaping out of bed in the morning.
不仅仅是父母 It's not just the parents
它们挣扎着把幼崽带出洞穴 who struggle to get their pups out of the burrow.
对于整个家庭来说，有一个早起的传统 For whole families, there's a tradition of early rising
或者睡懒觉永远不会变，即使是很多年 or having a lie-in that never changes, even over years.
这是传下来的 And it's passed down
代代相传 from generation to generation.
在十多年的时间里， Over a period of more than a decade,
我们会发现邻近的一群人会起得晚， we'll find that one neighbouring group will get up late,
邻近的另一群人会早起 another neighbouring group will get up early.
事实上，我们几乎可以用它来设置闹钟 And, in fact, we can almost set ouralarm clocks by it.
就像法国没有下午茶一样， So just as you don't have afternoon tea in France,
但你在英国有 but you do in England,
猫鼬向它们的群体展示了特定的传统 the meerkats show specific traditions to their groups.
一旦他发现了猫鼬的一个传统， Once he had discovered one tradition amongst meerkats,
他想看看是否还有其他传统可以传承 he wanted to see if other traditions could be passed
从个人到个人 from individual to individual.
所以他设计了一个实验来验证这一点 So he devised an experiment to test this.
他想知道猫鼬能否识别出奖励的形状， He wanted to know if a meerkat could recognise a shape for a reward,
如果其他猫鼬 and if other meerkats
可以学习遵循这个新的传统 could learn to follow this new tradition.
我们所做的是，在一些猫鼬群体中， So what we did is that in some groups of meerkats,
我们训练了一个人，我们称之为演示者， we trained one individual, who we called the demonstrator,
让所有人都看不到 out of sight of everyone else
接近其中一个字母而不接近另一个字母 to approach one of the letters but not the other.
每个字母都有回报 Each letter has the reward
旁边的沙子里埋着鸡蛋屑 of egg crumbs buried in the sand next to it.
如果它们想喝，还可以选择其他的水 With an alternative choice of water if they want it.
示范者被教走 The demonstrator is taught to go
去找他的款待 to the letter Y to find his treat.
亚历克斯发现当 What Alex found was that when
其他未经训练的猫鼬最先到达， other untrained meerkats first arrived,
它们忽视了自己的天性 they ignored their own natural instincts
在它们能闻到的地方挖出食物 to dig up food where they could smell it.
相反，它们跟随第一只猫鼬的足迹 Instead, they followed the lead of the first meerkat
向着字母Y， towards the letter Y,
通过社会学习建立一种新的传统 establishing a new tradition by social learning.
就像一个新夜总会或餐馆的时尚一样， Just like a fad for a new nightclub or restaurant,
字母Y很快就变成了要去的地方 the letter Y soon becomes THE place to be.
这是十年来最严重的干旱， It's the worst drought of the decade,
功夫群就在中间 and the Kung Fu are in the middle of it.
几乎12个月没有下雨 Almost no rain for 12 months.
小毛豆和小维尼差不多三个月大了 Pups Squirt and Weeny are nearly three months old.
在干燥的土地上，几乎没有食物可以挖 In the parched earth, there's little food to dig for.
这家人越来越少了 The family are growing thin.
强风横扫受灾地区 Strong winds sweep across the stricken land.
当它们在喀拉哈里沙漠上涌动时，激起了巨大的沙尘暴 As they surge over the Kalahari, they whip up huge dust storms.
功夫群的猫鼬很紧张 The Kung Fu are nervous.
它们迷失了方向 They are disorientated
彼此失去联系 and lose touch with each other.
暴风雨使它们四散奔逃 The storm sends them fleeing in all directions.
暴风雨终于过去了 The storm finally passes.
但在混乱中，这群猫鼬分开了 But in the chaos, the group have become split up.
它们渴望找到彼此 They are desperate to find each other.
最后，克林奇遇到了她的一只幼崽 Eventually, Klinky comes across one of her pups.
这是小毛豆 It's Squirt.
但他的弟弟小维尼失踪了 But his brother Weeny is missing.
克林奇发现了另一群人 Klinky spots another group.
它们是竞争对手吗? Are they rivals?
她不太清楚 She doesn't quite know whether
要么带着她衰落的家族去打仗，要么逃跑 to lead her diminished family into battle or to flee.
但当它们靠近时， But as they come closer,
它们互相认识 they recognise each other.
是它们的家人 It's the rest of their family.
小毛豆和小维尼团聚了 Squirt and Weeny are reunited.
功夫群人在十年来最严重的干旱中幸存了下来 The Kung Fu have survived the worst drought for ten years.
小毛豆和小维尼正在学习如何照顾自己…… Squirt and Weeny are learning how to look after themselves...
．．克林奇的家人都在她身边 ..and Klinky has all her family around her.
当它们在日落时休息， As they rest at sunset,
它们已经度过了最糟糕的时期 they are through the worst.
幼崽们已经顺利度过了最脆弱的阶段 The pups are now successfully through their most vulnerable stage.
再一次作为一个大团队， And together again as a big group,
它们的处境比大多数人都好 they are better placed than most
为了在即将到来的任何挑战中生存下来 to survive whatever challenges are set to come their way.
今天，数百万人知道并喜爱这些猫鼬 Today, millions of people know and love these meerkats.
只有我…… Just me...
但它们成为超级巨星的唯一原因是它们的耐心 But their superstar status only came about because of the patience
蒂姆和他的团队的毅力 and perseverance of Tim and his team.
每次我离开一段时间后回到喀拉哈里沙漠， Every time I come back to the Kalahari after a time away,
我总觉得这是一次神奇的经历 it always strikes me as a magical experience
被接纳到这样一群动物中间 to be accepted into the middle of a group of animals like this
这样你就能看到它们的正常行为， so that you can watch them going about their normal behaviour,
它们的自然生活 their natural lives.
在这个距离上， And at this distance,
你可以看到事情的发展 you can see things going on
就算你坐在100米外也看不见 that you'd never see if you were sitting 100 metres away.
在过去的20年里，他们的观察引导我们 During the past two decades, their observations have led us
来了解一些关于猫鼬的惊人真相 to understand some remarkable truths about meerkats.
不仅仅是它们如何合作， Not just how they cooperate,
而是每个个体成员的个性 but the personality of each individual member.
在这种严酷而富有挑战性的环境中， In this harsh and challenging environment,
个人是无法靠自己成功的 individuals cannot make it on their own.
对猫鼬来说，寻找足够的食物和抚养幼崽 For meerkats, finding enough to eat and raising pups
是很多人的工作 is the work of many.
因为猫鼬是终身伴侣， And because meerkats mate for life,
它们的帮手是自己的孩子 their helpers are their own children.
孩子们正在帮助抚养它们的兄弟姐妹 The kids are helping to raise their full brothers and sisters.
家庭成员团结合作是有意义的 It makes sense for families tostick together and to cooperate.
因为在严酷的喀拉哈里沙漠 Because in the harsh Kalahari,
要么合作，要么死 it's cooperate or die.
机翻校对 chenym