BBC.地平线.2012.认识狗狗

than to kill food for themselves.
这简单一步却成就了非凡之举
It seems remarkable that such a simple step
狼被驯化成了狗
could turn one animal into another.
搜寻食物这项本能
But scavenging was all it took
是引发遗传连锁反应的关键
to start a genetic chain reaction
通过融入人类生活
that began turning the wolf
遗传连锁反应将狼变成了狗
into the dog by bringing us together.
正是这项发现证明了狼和狗之间
And it was this discovery of the clear link
有着显见的联♥系♥
between the dog and the wolf
并在接下来的几十年里
that was to shape our understanding
塑造着我们对狗的认知
of dogs for decades.
科学家们开始研究起狼
Scientists began to look to the wolf
试图寻找狼和狗之间的所有关联
to explain all kinds of things about the domestic dog.
狗狗身上众多匪夷所思的特征
Many of our dogs’ most puzzling traits
都可直接追溯到它们的野生祖先
could be directly traced to their wild origins.
有些现象很好解释
Some things are obvious.
比如 狗埋骨头这个现象
It’s not difficult to see why your dog buries a bone.
客厅里的狼 1988
埋下的食物对一头狼来说
It represents surplus food
意味着它将有富余食物度过接下来的一天
which for this wolf could be buried until another day.
很多狗狗都爱玩耍
Most dogs love to play
它们难以抑制地想要摇甩东西
with a compulsive urge to shake things
从拖鞋到旧玩具
from slippers to old toys.
原因变得一目了然
And the reason becomes clear
当我们看到一只野生郊狼猛然扑向猎物
as soon as we see a wild coyote pouncing on its prey
上下扔摔以杀死猎物
and killing it by tossing it,
左右摇晃以折断其脖颈
and shaking it to break its neck.
比起舔脸 狗狗更爱舔嘴
The dog isn’t so much licking the face as the mouth.
它们这样做有着特殊的原因
And it’s doing that for a very specific reason
并用着特殊的方式
and in a very specific way.
幼狼总是试图将鼻子和舌头
The young pups try to get their noses and tongues
放进成年狼的嘴里
inside the corner of the adult’s muzzle.
每个大♥陆♥ 每个狼种
Species to species and continent to continent,
都是如此
exactly the same gesture.
野狗和宠物狗也不例外
In wild dogs and in pets.
原因就是 狗狗需要主人或它的父母
And the reason? The dog wants you or, in the wild, its parent,
给它喂食
to regurgitate food.
嚎叫是一种警告手段
Growling is one means of warning.
而这同狼如出一辙
And that’s just the same with wolves.
咆哮 咧着嘴 呲出牙
Snarling, curling the lips back to expose the teeth.
都让人望而怯步
It’s all meant to make you back down.
说实话 这很奏效
And let’s face it, it works.
这就是人类最好的朋友 狼
So there he is, man’s best friend, the wolf.
了解狗的真正本性
It all seemed wonderfully simple
看似非常简单
to understand the true nature of dogs,
只需了解它们的野狼祖先便可
we just needed to look back to their wild wolf ancestor.
实则不然
But we were missing something.
如果把狗简单地看成温顺版的野狼
Simply seeing dogs as friendlier versions of the grey wolf
那我们便忽视了狗在发展进程中
was overlooking the most important factor
最重要的一个环节
of the dog’s development.
那就是我们人类
And that is us.
研究表明猎人与狼的合作关系
The partnership between hunters and wolves
是犬类进化史上极其重要的一个契机
proved to be a pivotal moment in the evolution of the dog.
从那一刻起
From that point on,
人类便开始干预犬类的繁衍
humans started to influence their breeding,
对其中某些犬种有着偏好
favouring some animals over others.
科学家们开始意识到那些早期接触
Scientists began to realise that this early contact
已经改变了犬类的进化之路
had transformed the evolutionary path of the dog.
当人类开始驯化动物
As man brought animals into domestication,
他便能够控制动物的繁殖情况
he was able to control their breeding
并根据自己的意愿适当调整
and adapt it to his own purpose.
他意识到 龙生龙凤生凤
He recognised that “Like begets like.”
本着这一原则
And on this principle,
他选择那些出色的狗进行繁殖
he bred from those animals he found useful
淘汰那些他不想要的狗
and weeded out the offspring he didn’t want.
人类会选择那些
Man would have selected animals
最容易操控 最温顺听话的动物进行驯养
that were the most handleable and the most docile.
一系列改变因此产生
As a result, a whole series of changes took place.
狼变成了狗
And wolf became dog.
通过繁衍最温顺的犬种
By breeding from the tamest animals,
人类塑造着狗的发展方向
human beings were shaping the dog’s development.
但这种选择性繁育
But how could this selective breeding
究竟是怎样把野生动物变成家养宠物的呢
turn a wild animal into a household pet?
一项持续了半个世纪的特别实验试图揭晓答案
One unique study has spent 50 years trying to find out.
地平线 2010
狗狗的秘密生活
一项在西伯利亚进行的优秀实验
A remarkable experiment in Siberia
或许会解开 狼变狗之谜
may hold the key to understanding how wolves turned into dogs.
五十年前 苏联科学家设立了一项繁殖实验
50 years ago, Soviet scientists set up a breeding programme
他们试图驯化银狐
to try to domesticate silver foxes.
这项大规模实验
The scale of the project
打开了一扇驯养野兽的神奇之窗
has opened a remarkable window on domestication.
这里成为了全世界科学家共同瞩目的焦点
It’s become a focal point for scientists across the world.
在新西伯利亚城外的一处农场上
Here, on a farm outside the city of Novosibirsk,
试验进行到今天 仍在继续
the experiment still continues today,
由路德米拉·楚特博士负责
overseen by Dr Ludmilla Trutt.
繁殖实验始于1959年
The breeding programme began in 1959
第一批狐狸是从当地的饲养场中选出来的
when the first foxes were selected from local fur farms.
路德米拉·楚特博士
细胞学及基因学研究员
我们向笼中的狐狸靠近
We approached the animals in the cages
并记录下它们对此的反应
and recorded their reaction to us.
我们观察到 有些狐狸表现出攻击行为
We could see that some of the foxes showed aggressive behaviour,
另外一些受到了惊吓
others were frightened.
但只有百分之一的狐狸
But only one percent of them
既没有受到惊吓也没有表现敌意
showed neither signs of fear or aggression.
这百分之一的狐狸
This one percent
被选出来作为繁育基种
were selected to become the founding generation
繁殖下一代
of a new population of foxes.
每一次培育 都要经过筛选
At every generation, the selection process was repeated,
只有最温顺的狐狸才会被选作基种
with only the tamest foxes being allowed to breed.
不出三代
Within just three generations,
狐狸的攻击行为便开始消退
the aggressive behaviour began to disappear.
到了第八代 根本性变化开始显现
The radical changes came through in the eighth generation
这时的狐狸开始接触人类
when foxes started to seek contact with humans
亲近人类
and show affection to them.
最令人惊奇的是
The amazing thing was
那些刚刚会爬的幼狐 睁开双眼
that cubs who had just started to crawl opened their eyes
用急促的呼吸 热切的摇尾
and started showing affection to humans
和一阵阵嚎叫 来表现对人类的友好之情
by breathing heavily, wagging their tails and howling.
这种反应对我们来说是个惊喜
This kind of response was a big surprise to us.
半个世纪过去了
Half a century on,
第五十代狐狸比以往任何一代都要温顺
the 50th generation of foxes are tamer than ever.
五十年来 经过我们的精心挑选
So within 50 years of our intensive selection process,
这只小小喷火龙 变成了人类的朋友
this fire-breathing-dragon has turned into a human friend.
此次的西伯利亚实验是一个模型
The Siberian experiment is an accelerated model
它快速地展示了狼驯化成狗的过程
of how dogs might have been domesticated over generations.
通过选择最温驯的血脉
By choosing the tamest animals,
人类培育出一个全新的物种
human beings had created a new species,
它们与狼完全不同
quite distinct from the wolf.
经人类驯化的狗
We might have bred our dogs
比它们的野生祖先温顺得多
to be tamer than their wild ancestors,
但我们更愿意
but there were some aspects of the wolf
在它们身上保留一些狼性
we were actually rather keen to preserve.
人类早在狩猎时代
Ever since the early hunters
就发掘出狼的超凡速度和敏锐嗅觉
exploited the wolves’ superior speed and sense of smell,
此后又通过培育提高了狗的自然技能
humans have improved dogs’ natural skills through breeding,
让狗参与工作
and put them to work.
起初 人们利用狗的本能使其工作
At first, the dogs’ natural instincts were exploited,
这些工作唤起了它们的原始狼性
as they were given jobs that harked back to their wolf heritage,
比如 狩猎和放牧
hunting and herding livestock.
我们发现 狼群经常会进行伏击
Now among wolves, we know that they will often set an ambush.
地平线 1969
一个鼻子四条腿