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To some Arctic peoples, these northern lights are the spirits of dead seals, whales and caribou.
對北極的一些人來說，這些北極光是死了的海豹、鯨魚和馴鹿的靈魂。
In fact, the aurora borealis is caused by storms on the sun.
而事實上，北極光是由太陽風暴引起的。
Huge plasma flares create solar winds that collide with our atmosphere.
大量的等離子光焰形成的太陽風和我們的大氣層相撞。
These invisible energy streams get pushed towards the south and north poles.
這些看不見的能量流被地球磁場吸引到南北兩極。
The result is nature's version of the neon light.
結果就產生了大自然的霓虹燈。
A single display can unleash as much electrical power as the United State's usage in a day.
極光單次放電就相當于美國一天的用電量。
Not many creatures are around to witness this spectacle.
不是很多生物都能目睹這一奇觀。
Because Iceland is so isolated, it is home to surprisingly few animal species.
因為冰島與世隔絕只有極少數幾種動物在此安家。
Some birds have settled here together with a few rodent species imported by humans.
其中有一些鳥類，還有幾種由人類引進的嚙齒類動物。
The only native land mammal is the Arctic fox.
唯一的本土陸生哺乳動物是北極狐。
Its ancestors were stranded in Iceland at the end of the last Ice Age.
其祖先是上次冰河世紀末期被困在冰島的。
Calmer weather gives the fox a chance to get on with the important business of finding food.
天氣相對平靜時，北極狐才有機會繼續(xù)進行尋找食物的重任。
It's a resourceful hunter.
它可是個神通廣大的獵手。
But winter means good meals are few and far between.
然而冬季里好吃的少之又少。
A Rock Ptarmigan might make a tasty snack.
巖雷鳥可能成為可口的小吃。
It's one of the few birds to remain inland during the freeze.
巖雷鳥是冰凍季節(jié)仍留在內陸的少數鳥類之一。
Feathered feet act as snow shoes.
長有羽毛的爪子就像是雪地鞋。
The Ptarmigan is a master of disguise.
雷鳥是偽裝的高手。
Pure white plumage makes it all but invisible to the foxes.
純白羽衣對狐貍來說幾乎是隱身的。
Come spring when the snow melts, it will change to a mottled brown.
來年春天，當雪融化之時它會換上斑駁的褐色羽毛。
On the mainland, the vast majority of Arctic foxes also grow pure white winter coats.
大陸上絕大多數的北極狐也都穿純白色的冬裝。
But this isolated island population is different.
但這一孤島上的群體卻與眾不同。
With no natural predators, there is little need for winter camouflage.
因為沒有天敵，冬季的偽裝就沒有多大必要。
This could be a clue as to why most foxes here maintain their dark color all year long.
這可能也解釋了為什么這里大多數的狐貍長年保持深色皮毛。
But dark coats leave them plainly visible against the snow.
然而深色外衣使它們在雪地里非常顯眼。
So the Ptarmigan has plenty of warning.
因此，雷鳥有足夠的預警。
With so little prey available, starvation is an ever present threat for the Icelandic Arctic fox.
獵物這么少，這對冰島的北極狐來說挨餓就成了長期的威脅。
It often buries leftovers as emergency rations for leaner times.
它經常把吃剩的食物埋起來用作匱乏時期的應急口糧。
Finding its stash after a snow storm is a real challenge.
暴風雪過后找貯藏品可是實實在在的挑戰(zhàn)。
