Baikal is the oldest lake in the world
贝加尔湖是世界上最古老的湖泊
and despite the harsh conditions, life flourishes here in isolation.
尽管生存条件恶劣,生命仍在这个与世隔绝的地方得到了兴盛
80% of its species are found nowhere else on Earth, including the world's only freshwater seal.
湖里80%的物种在地球上其它地方都不存在,包括世界上唯一的淡水海豹
With this seal and its marine-like forests of sponges,
有了这种海豹再加上海底森林一般的海绵
Baikal seems more like an ocean than a lake.
贝加尔湖看起来更像是海洋,而不是湖泊
There are shrimp-like crustaceans, giant amphipods as large as mice.
这种长得像虾一样的甲壳动物是一种大型端足类动物,它有老鼠那么大
They are the key scavengers in this lake.
它们是湖里不可或缺的“清洁工”
The water here is just too cold for the bacteria that normally decompose the dead.
由于湖水过于寒冷,分解尸体的细菌很难在此存活
Most rivers do not end in lakes but continue their journey to the sea.
大部分河流并非止于湖泊,而是一直奔向大海。