纪录片《南太平洋》 第59期 四海为家（27）（在线收听）

The mourning gecko. It is the ultimate castaway...

鳞趾壁虎。它是最后的漂流者

the marathon winner on the long journey from New Guinea.

它是来自新几内亚的长途马拉松冠军

Incredibly, the female has done away with the need for a mate.

很难想象，雌鳞趾壁虎已经放弃了交配的需求

Instead, she simply produces eggs that need no fertilisation.

它只是简单地产下卵，无需雄性授精

So one single female washed up on an island could start a whole population.

一个被冲上岛的雌鳞趾壁虎就可以繁衍出整个群体

Along with this extraordinary ability, these thick-skinned and salt-resistant geckos

除了这个非凡能力以外，这些厚皮耐盐的壁虎

could also survive long sea passages on rafts, and even the force of cyclones.

在长途航海中，即使遭遇飓风，也能在漂浮筏上长久生存

But there is more to the gecko's story than this.

然而这里有比壁虎漂流更为新奇的故事

Less than 2,000 years ago, something happened that was to revolutionise the spread of plants and animals.

大约在2000年前，一件大事彻底改变了动植物的分布。