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As the hours of sunlight continue to lengthen across the Arctic Circle, seals are holing out onto the icecap to give birth. It's the pupping season.
随着北极圈内光照时间不断增加，海豹们纷纷从冰面下钻出洞来进行分娩。这是小海豹的季节。
Harp seal pups are born covered in white woolly fur. This helps insulate them until they built up enough blubber to keep warm and it's a perfect camouflage against the snow.
鞍纹海豹刚出生时裹着毛茸茸的白色皮毛。这在它们形成脂肪层前有助于保暖而且在雪地上也是种极好的伪装。
Seals are the main source of food for polar bears and whilst on the ice, the pups are very vulnerable.
海豹是北极熊的主要食物来源，而小海豹在冰面上时极易遭到袭击。
The seals wean their pups within just two weeks, so they can take to the sea as quickly as possible.
海豹会在幼崽出生后仅两周就断奶以使它们能够尽快地进入大海。
Their mother's milk is extremely rich, nearly half fat, so pups grow very quickly, gaining over two kilograms of weight each day.
海豹的母乳极富营养几乎有一半是脂肪，所以小海豹成长得很快每天可以增加超过两公斤的体重。
Of all the seals that live in Arctic, the hooded seal spends the shortest time out on the ice. After just four days, this pup will be weaned and ready to escape to the ocean.
在北极地区的所有海豹当中冠海豹在冰面上停留的时间是最短的。仅仅四天之后小海豹就将断奶，准备撤往海中。
This is the shortest weaning period than any mammal on earth.
这是地球上所有哺乳动物里哺乳期最短的。
The adult seals will mate soon after the female gives birth. So the males wait near by, biding their time.
成年海豹会在母海豹分娩后不久就再次进行交配。所以公海豹们就在附近徘徊等待着时机。
Male hooded seals have a unique way of intimidating their rivals when competing for territory and females.
雄性冠海豹在争夺领地和配偶时会用一种独特方式来威胁竞争对手。
The scarlet balloon is an elastic membrane blown out of one nostril.
这种红色气囊是具有弹性的薄膜，通过一个鼻孔进行膨胀。
It holds around six liters of air and can inflate to the size of a football. But when this display fails to settle a contest it gets physical.
它里面含有六升的空气可以膨胀到一只足球的大小。不过当这种炫耀无法解决争端时就得诉诸武力了。
Male hooded seals can weigh up to four hundred kilos and are known for been aggressive and antisocial.
雄性冠海豹体重可达四百公斤，以强烈的攻击性以及不合群的性格而著称。
The pushing and shoving can end in bloodshed.
相互的推搡碰撞最终可能成为流血冲突。
The life of all the seals in the Arctic is dominated by the threat of polar bears.
北极地区所有海豹的命运都会被北极熊的威胁所左右。
The ringed seal has a population of up to seven million, making it the most common seal in the Arctic Circle.
环斑海豹的数量高达七百万，这使它们成为北极地区最普通的海豹。
Ringed seals are the main prey of polar bears.
而环斑海豹也是北极熊的主要猎物。
Like all marine mammals, the seals need to surface to breathe.
与其它海洋哺乳动物一样海豹也需要探出水面呼吸。
They are maintaining a number of breathing holes in the ice.
它们在冰面上维持一些用来呼吸的小洞。
When out on the ice, they are wary of the attack and stay close to these holes.
当它们处于冰面上时就呆在这些洞附近，谨防遭到袭击。
This is their quick escape route back to the ocean.
这是能快速逃回海里的捷径。
Catching them is not easy.
想捉住它们并不容易。
Ringed seal pups are not weaned for several weeks and so their mothers hide them in dens beneath the ice. If this pup is to survive, it must remain hidden.
小环斑海豹几周内不会断奶，所以海豹妈妈把它们藏在冰面下的洞穴里。如果小海豹想活下来，就必须藏好。
But polar bears have an extremely powerful sense of smell. They can smell a pup from over kilometer away even under the snow.
但北极熊有很强大的嗅觉功能。它们可以从一公里外嗅到小海豹的气味即使躲在雪下也嗅得到。
The pups are on the alert. Any signs of the bear above will send the pups in the escape hole to the ocean below.
小海豹们非常警惕。冰面上稍有任何北极熊的动静，它们就会从洞中向下逃入海里。
Almost all polar bear hunts end in failure.
北极熊几乎所有的捕猎行动都以失败告终。
