也门索科特拉岛【人类动脉】第16期
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背景知识:
索科特拉岛(名字来自梵语,意为“极乐岛”),印度洋西部一群岛,属也门索科特拉省。其位置在阿拉伯半岛以南约350公里,非洲之角以东,阿拉伯海与亚丁湾的交接处。该群岛由4岛组成,群岛面积3650平方公里,主岛面积3635平方公里。该岛与大陆板块已经隔绝1800万年,长期的地理隔离生成了很多特有动植物。索科特拉岛37%的植物(共825种)、90%的爬行动物和95%的蜗牛都是岛上独有的。由于其稀有生物品种多,因此被认为是“印度洋的加拉帕戈斯”。2008年列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录。
视频文本:
Stepping onto Socotra Island is like setting foot on an alien landscape. This place is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth. Located in the Arabian Sea, south of Yemen, the island separated from the mainland of Africa between six and seven million years ago. There are nearly 700 endemic species on Socotra that are found nowhere else on the planet. Perhaps the most head-turning of Socotra's species is the dragon's blood tree. These strange umbrella shaped trees dot the island. Its top-heavy design is actually an adaptation to Socotra's arid climate. The large green crown provides shade which reduces evaporation in a place that sees very little rainfall. This otherworldly gem has experienced threats to its ecology from human development. But the United Nations stepped in in 2008 designating it a UNESCO heritage site.