纪录片《我们的地球》 第96期 奇幻沙漠(13)（在线收听）

In the deserts of Utah, ancient rivers flowing across sandstone country steadily widened their canyons

在犹他州的沙漠中，古老的河流冲开岩壁，不断拓宽这些峡谷

until now, the land between them has been reduced to spires and pinnacles.

直到把其间的土地削凿成今天这样的尖峰和石塔

With little or no soil to retain the water on the surface of the land, life here is scarce indeed.

由于几乎没有土壤保留地表水分，这里的生物极其稀少。

And when resources are limited, conflict is never far away.

当资源有限的时候，冲突自然不可避免。

These are Nubian ibex and they are squaring up for a duel.

这些是努比亚羱羊，它们正摆好架势准备激战。

And when trouble starts, a smart ibex knows that the best thing to do is to gain higher ground.

冲突一旦爆发，聪明的羱羊很清楚最好的战术就是占领制高点。

These are actually subordinate male ibex, but their fights are, nonetheless, serious.

这些其实是次级别的公羱羊，但它们的战斗依然十分激烈。

Losing one might mean never getting the chance to breed, ever.

失败一次或许意味着将永远失去生育权

When competitors are evenly matched, as they are here, duels can last for an hour.

同级别的参赛者在此公平竞争，决斗会持续一小时左右。

In this heat, the effort is truly exhausting.

高温下的战斗确实很耗费体力

But victory here will gain important ranking points on a male's way to the top.

但是这里的获胜者会获得重要的排名，一步步到达公羊排行榜的第一位。