This is a fish, a lungfish. It's been cocooned in mud and mucus underground for months, waiting for the waters to rise. Primitive lungs allow it to breathe air as it searches for the nearest pool. But reaching water doesn't mean safety. The shoebill stork is a giant of the swamp, well over a metre tall. Its bizarre beak is perfectly designed for feeding in muddy water where prey is difficult to target. A huge beak increases the chance of success. It's surprising what a muddy pool can hide. As the flood reaches its height, the Sudd has doubled in size. Now covering 32,000 square kilometres, it's one of the world's biggest wetlands. For a few months, this water world is left to nature. For some, it's paradise.


这是一只鱼——肺鱼。它在泥浆底下隐居了好几个月，就等着洪水来临的时刻。原始的肺部使它在搜寻最近的水坑时能够呼吸空气，但泛滥却并不意味着安全无虞。身高超过一米的鲸头鹳是沼泽地区的巨兽。怪异的嘴喙是在难以定位猎物的泥水中捕食的完美工具：大嘴提升了捕食的成功率。泥水能隐藏的东西令人惊奇。当洪水涨到最高水位时，苏德沼泽的面积扩增到之前的两倍大。如今占地广达三万两千平方公里，这里成为世界上最大的湿地之一。有几个月的时间，这片水乡泽国就专属于自然万物，成为某些生物的天堂。