纪录片《我们的地球》 第154期 富饶丛林(09)（在线收听）

The cacophony of competing calls seems deafening to us,

刺耳的声音震耳欲聋，

but frogs' ears are tuned to hear only the calls of their own kind.

可蛙类只能听到同类的声音。

The songs of courtship echo from all around.

蛙求爱的声音此起彼伏。

Male gliding leaf frogs leap from the treetops.

雄性红眼叶蛙，正从树顶下落。

To slow their descent, they use their huge webbed feet as parachutes.

在慢镜头下，可以看到它们用自己巨大的蹼趾控制方向，如同降落伞。

These large tree frogs spend most of their lives in the high canopy and only come down when it's time to breed.

这些大树蛙大部分时间在高高的树冠层生活，只有在交配期才下来。

Once settled, they begin to serenade their unseen females.

站定之后，他们开始给还没出现的雌蛙唱小夜曲。

Now it's time for the females to make their move.

现在是雌蛙展开行动的时候了。

There's no shortage of suitors, but this female has already made her choice.

虽然不乏众多的求爱者，可这只雌蛙已经做出了决定。

She's heading towards the loudest call because loud calls come from big frogs, and big is best.

她在朝鸣声最大的雄蛙走去，对雌蛙来讲雄蛙叫得大声就是美。

But to reach him she must run the gauntlet of a gang of smaller suitors.

雌蛙赶过去要注意其他小一号的雄蛙。

Their only chance of mating is to make a sneaky interception. He scored.

那些雄蛙的交配机会就是鬼鬼祟祟地进行偷袭。这只雄蛙得手了。

But with more females arriving all the time, it's not over until the fat frog stops singing.

有更多的雌蛙正在往那边赶去，雌蛙们不会停止移动，除非大雄蛙停止歌唱。

Feet, so vital for gliding, are now put to other uses.

脚蹼用来滑翔，也可以用来干别的事情。