Episode Details

The baobab tree is a special thing to see. During the dry season, its leafless branches look like roots coming from a thick trunk. It appears as if someone took a tree from the ground, flipped it on its head and put it back into the earth. 

猴面包树是一处特别值得一看的东西。 在旱季，它光秃秃的树枝看起来就像从粗大的树干上长出来的根。 看起来就像有人从地上取下一棵树，将其翻转，然后将其放回土中。 

That is why the tree is sometimes called the "upside down tree." 

这就是为什么这棵树有时被称为“颠倒树”。 

Baobab trees grow in Madagascar, mainland Africa and Australia. The origins and history of the baobab have been something of a mystery. But a new study that looked at all eight recognized species helps tell the baobab's story. 

猴面包树生长在马达加斯加、非洲大陆和澳大利亚。 猴面包树的起源和历史一直是个谜。 但一项针对所有八种已识别物种的新研究有助于讲述猴面包树的故事。 

The baobab originated in Madagascar about 21 million years ago. It reached the African continent and Australia sometime in the past 12 million years, researchers found. Madagascar, an island off Africa's southeastern coast, has a large ecosystem. It is home to many kinds of plants. 

猴面包树起源于大约 2100 万年前的马达加斯加。 研究人员发现，它在过去 1200 万年的某个时候到达了非洲大陆和澳大利亚。 马达加斯加是非洲东南沿海的一个岛屿，拥有庞大的生态系统。 它是多种植物的家园。 

Two baobab lineages went extinct in Madagascar. But the lineages established themselves elsewhere, one in mainland Africa and one in Australia, the study showed. 

马达加斯加的两个猴面包树谱系灭绝了。 但研究显示，这些谱系在其他地方建立起来，一个在非洲大陆，一个在澳大利亚。 

It appears that baobab seed pods floated from Madagascar to mainland Africa, located about 400 kilometers to the west. The seeds also traveled to Australia, nearly 7,000 kilometers to the east. 

看来，猴面包树的种子荚是从马达加斯加飘到了以西约 400 公里处的非洲大陆。 这些种子还到达了以东近7000公里的澳大利亚。

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