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The equator. It runs across the scorched plains of east Africa.
赤道。它横跨东非洲的焦土平原。
This is as far from the Poles as you can get.
它是离两极最远的地方。
But ice and snow are here too up in the mountains.
但这里也有冰和雪，就在山上。
Every continent on earth has such high snowfields.
地球上每块大陆都有这种海拔高的雪原。
And each has its own community of animals that have adapted in their own way to the crushing conditions that come with the cold.
每个雪原也都有其独特的动物群，用自己的方式适应伴随寒冷而来的严酷条件。
Dawn in east Africa, on the high slopes of mount Kenya... 4,000 metres up.
东非的黎明，在肯尼亚山的高坡上，四千米之上。
The temperature is just beginning to creep above freezing.
温度才刚升至冰点以上。
It's hardly the place where you would expect to find a cold-blooded reptile.
你通常不会期待在这种地方看到冷血爬行动物类。
But there is one that lives up here, the high-casqued chameleon.
但就有一种住在上面这边，头盔变色龙。
This female has survived the night's freezing temperatures
这只雌性从夜晚的结冰温度中撑了过来，
by allowing both her metabolism and her heart rate to drop significantly.
借由大幅降低自己的新陈代谢率和心率。
Now, in the morning, she needs to eat.
现在到了早上，它需要进食。
But it's so cold, she can't move her legs.
但太冷了，它移动不了它的腿。
Her spring-loaded tongue, however, still works.
但是它像装有弹簧一样的舌头还能用。
As the sun rises higher in the sky, frozen land begins to thaw.
随着太阳在空中越升越高，冻结的土地开始解冻。
And the giant lobelias spread their leaves to soak up the sunshine.
巨山梗菜已经打开，它们的枝叶来吸收阳光。
With her body temperature still only five degrees celsius, the chameleon becomes more mobile, and climbs up to bask in the sun.
虽然体温还只有摄氏五度，变色龙变得更有活动力，往上爬来晒太阳。
Her skin darkens... enabling her to absorb the sun's heat more quickly.
它的皮肤颜色变深，让它能更快吸收太阳的热度。
She is pregnant, and soon her temperature reaches 20 degrees celsius, which gives her the energy she needs to give birth.
它怀孕了，体温很快就会达到二十摄氏度，能给它生产所需的能量。
Most chameleon species lay eggs, but here it's too cold for an egg to develop in the open.
大多的变色龙物种都生蛋，但这里太冷，蛋无法在外发育。
So she produces live young. It takes just an hour for her to give birth to six baby chameleons.
所以它用胎生的方式生产。生六只变色龙宝宝，只花了它一小时。
One of the advantages of life on the frozen peaks is that there are fewer predators here, and less competition for food.
生活在冰冻的山顶上，其中一项好处就是这边没什么掠食者，觅食时也比较少竞争对手。
But there's a reason why comparatively few reptiles live in the high mountains.
但相较之下，很少爬行动物类住在高山上是有理由的。
As the sun sets, the temperature falls to below zero in a matter of minutes.
日落之后，温度会在几分钟内降到零度以下。
The babies must act fast.
宝宝们必须动作快。
To escape the nightly freeze, they need the cover of thick vegetation.
为了避免在夜晚被冻结，它们需要厚植被的覆盖。
A young chameleon caught out in the cold, will quickly lose its ability to move, and may well die.
一只年轻的变色龙如果暴露在寒冷之中，会很快失去行动能力，然后很可能会死亡。
Most, however, react instinctively and find shelter as quickly as they can.
但它们大多数都会本能地尽快找掩蔽。
