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There's a story unfolding on
the west coast of Costa Rica--

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a story both ancient
and new...

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a tale of two creatures
from opposite worlds,

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each on a comeback from
their own devastating declines.

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One is the sea turtle,

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the global ocean traveler.

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The other, a magnificent cat--

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the top predators
in Central America.

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The return
of an endangered forest

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will bring them together

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in an uncommon clash
of land and sea--

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a surprising encounter
of a rare predator

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and a most unusual prey.

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How will their fates play out

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when they finally meet on
one special crescent of sand...

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called Jaguar Beach?

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Off the shore
of Central America,

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in the shallows of the Pacific,
an ancient ritual is underway.

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After more than a decade at sea,

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an olive ridley sea turtle nears
the end of her long migration.

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Guided by the Earth's
magnetic field,

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she has navigated
thousands of kilometers,

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seeking out the very beach
where she was born.

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This secluded crescent of sand

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has long provided a refuge

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for one of the world's
most beloved creatures...

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and is home
to a wild coastal community.

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Shorebirds flock to its shallows
to feed...

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under the pterodactyl
silhouettes

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of magnificent frigatebirds.

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American crocodiles slip out
of their swampy lagoons

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for an occasional
saltwater splash.

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Rising up from the beach
is one of the last habitats

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of its kind on Earth--

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a tropical forest
that's dry for half the year.

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Restored as a national park

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after it had been clearcut
for agriculture,

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its tangled woodlands sprawl

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nearly 500 square kilometers

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across Costa Rica's
mountainous west.

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The forest stretches
all the way to the ocean's edge,

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where its mangrove tendrils
filter freshwater from salt.

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The hardy trees provide a home
for over 250 species of birds.

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Yellow-naped parrots
nest in the heights.

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Orange-fronted parakeets
feast on its floral buffet.

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They share the canopy
with gymnastic spider monkeys...

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...and howlers.

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And in the understory,

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lumbering Baird's tapirs
forage for fallen fruit.

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The unusual forest opens
onto a pristine strip of sand--

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one of only a few in the world

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where olive ridley sea turtles
nest en masse.

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For nearly two decades,
biologist Luis Fonseca

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has been trekking
to this remote alcove

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to monitor nesting sea turtles.

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But after five years
on the beach,

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he arrived one morning
to a shock--

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signs in the sand that he
and the turtles were not alone.

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The first tracks were
no aberration.

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He soon saw more evidence

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that one of the most formidable
predators in the Americas

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was making a comeback
in the dry forest.

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The return of an apex predator

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was bound to send ripples
through the ecosystem...

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...so Luis decided to expand his
research to include the jaguars.

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Hoping to learn what impact
they would have on the turtles,

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he set up hundreds
of camera traps

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to capture their movements
and behavior.

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And then he waited...

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for the turtles
to emerge from the sea.

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For years at a time,
olive ridley sea turtles

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live a solitary, nomadic life
at sea.

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Their world is one
of mighty behemoths

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and lively schools of dolphins.

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Then, every year or two,

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a primeval instinct
draws them home to these shores.

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Male turtles-- identifiable
by their longer tails--

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rarely return to land
after hatching.

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But during nesting season,

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these ancient mariners patrol
the shallows looking for mates.

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Seduction begins with
a tender but clunky embrace.

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The male uses long claws
on his front flippers

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to hook onto the female's shell.

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The courtship is quick,

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but the coupling can last
for several hours.

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The female does most
of the work,

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constantly pushing
to the surface

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so they both can breathe.

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For these two ocean wanderers
and their species,

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it's a fleeting
but critical connection.

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Weeks later,
the female drags herself

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from the comfort
of her weightless, watery world.

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With her 50-kilogram frame
and short flippers,

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she's far more graceful at sea
than ashore.

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But she's determined to find
a good spot for her nest.

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Then, she starts to carve
out a deep, protective cavity.

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As she digs,

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another mother-to-be
emerges from the surf,

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carrying her own precious cargo.

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In a few months,

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this sliver of beach will
draw thousands of sea turtles

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for a mass nesting event.

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But for now,

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she and the other female seem
to have it all to themselves.

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Within the forest, the area's
dominant male jaguar--

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named Alonzo by Luis--

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sets off on a midnight hunt.

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On the beach,
the first female turtle

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puts the final touches
on her nest.

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Her eggs are now hidden, but
she is still very much exposed.

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No stalking, no pouncing.

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Just a quick and easy bite
to the back of the head.

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Back in the mangroves,
Alonzo settles down to his meal.

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His powerful jaws make quick
work of the turtle's hard shell.

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The jaguar has the most
powerful bite of any big cat.

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His jaws work just
as well on the shell

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as they do
on other animals' skulls.

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His tongue isn't just
for tasting.

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It's lined
with back-facing barbs

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that may aid
with stripping flesh from bone.

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With Alonzo otherwise occupied,

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the other nesting female is
still hard at work.

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Around a hundred eggs tumble
into the nest.

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Soft, leathery shells cushion
their fall.

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In her final maternal act,
she carefully conceals them.

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Then, she returns
to her ocean world,

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never to know what becomes
of her clutch.

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Her eggs must now survive
the next 45 days--

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hidden in the sand on a beach

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where everyone is looking
for their next meal.

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Back in the mangroves,

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the turtle will feed Alonzo
for two days.

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For now, he has eaten his fill.

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But he's not the
only one dining tonight.

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As he takes a break,

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hungry scavengers move in
from the shadows.

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The scent penetrates the forest.

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A resourceful opossum
is in luck.

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He's so taken by his windfall,

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he fails to notice that someone
has come back for seconds.

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The jaguar's
leftovers will nourish

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a whole forest community.

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But Luis is concerned
for the turtles,

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because olive ridleys are
in decline around the world.

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How will the growing
jaguar population affect

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the vulnerable turtles
staging their own comeback

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here on this critical beach?

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Luis hopes his camera traps
can offer some clues.

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The cameras reveal a secret
no one expected--

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constant traffic of jaguars

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moving between
the dry forest and the beach.

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What was once a sanctuary
for Luis's nesting sea turtles

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has become a favorite hunting
ground for a forest predator.

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It's an amazing comeback story
for the big cats.

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During the 1950s and '60s,

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Costa Rica's northwestern coast
was stripped of its trees--

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replaced by
a patchwork of cattle ranches.

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Jaguars and other forest animals
all but disappeared.

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Then, in 1971,

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Costa Rica created
Santa Rosa National Park

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and let nature rebuild
the forest.

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New growth stretched
across the province,

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eventually connecting the coast
to an inland jaguar habitat.

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One by one,

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the cats followed the lure
of the resurrected forest.

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They found their way
deeper into the park,

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expanding their territory...

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all the way to the beach.

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To monitor the effects
of this surge of predators,

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Luis assembled a small team
with a passion for jaguars...

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and the patience and fortitude
to work in extreme isolation.

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These elusive animals are
what drew Carolina Perez

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from her home in Italy
to this rugged coastal outpost,

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several hours' drive

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and a mountain hike
from the nearest town.

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With only a flashlight
and a bag of batteries,

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she monitors
the project's cameras.

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They have captured
some fascinating consequences

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of the jaguars' return.

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Even pumas--
top predators themselves--

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have altered their behavior.

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They've become more active
during the day

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to avoid the new rulers
of the night.

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And they're not
above jaguar leftovers

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if it means a free meal.

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The team's cameras are offering
other revelations as well.

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Normally, a single male jaguar

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needs 130 square kilometers
of territory to himself.

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Here, an abundance of turtles
keeps competition for food low,

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and these
intensely solitary cats live

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in much closer proximity.

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This gives Luis's cameras
an unprecedented view

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into their social lives.

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Luis has recorded
jaguars mating...

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wrestling...

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and even carting off
an ill-fated dolphin.

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The project identifies
the individual cats

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by their rosettes--
the spots on their fur.

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Each jaguar's pattern is as
unique as a human fingerprint.

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In the last 10 years,
Luis's team has documented

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and named around 40
individual jaguars.

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And they're capturing not just
behaviors, but personalities.

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Alonzo, the 12-year-old
dominant male,

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asserts his right
to any female--

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or food-- on the beach.

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00:23:04,992 --> 00:23:09,344
Amanda, highly territorial, she
seems to be the dominant female.

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And Jorge, a young tough
on the cusp of adulthood.

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He's been gravitating
towards the females in heat.

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Tonight,
Jorge is on the prowl...

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heading to the beach
in search of an easy meal.

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And he's well-equipped
to spot one.

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His eyes are backed
with a mirror-like tissue

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that reflects light
into his retinas

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and gives all cats
their famous night vision.

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Tonight, he finds no turtles,

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but something
for other appetites.

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It's Amanda,
enjoying her own turtle catch.

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Jorge is eager to put his
adolescent prowess to the test.

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In this rare peek
into jaguar courtship,

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Jorge and Amanda take playful
breaks between couplings.

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But the interlude is cut short
when Alonzo arrives.

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Jorge beats a hasty retreat.

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Still outranked by Alonzo,

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he'll have to settle for
a fleeting tryst.

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For now, he heads back to
the forest to wait out the heat.

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Early April.

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At the peak of dry season,
the sun bakes the canopy.

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As streams dry up,
tensions rise.

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A trip to one of the few
remaining watering holes

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now means risking a run-in
with a thirsty predator.

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A family of white-faced
capuchin monkeys shelters

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high in the canopy.

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00:26:24,147 --> 00:26:27,586
But the heat is unrelenting,
and while mom naps,

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a young capuchin takes his
brother on a daring mission...

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...to drink from a small seep
in the ground.

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Bees have beaten them to it.

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He endures the thirsty swarm
for a few precious drops.

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His brother isn't quite
convinced it's worth it.

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00:27:14,458 --> 00:27:17,897
The sun beats down
across the park.

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From the forest to the beach,
life slows to a crawl.

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Even offshore,
the coastal breeze offers

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little relief to a colony
of magnificent frigate birds.

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00:27:38,787 --> 00:27:41,747
A young mom-to-be
languishes in the heat,

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00:27:41,877 --> 00:27:44,532
shielding her single egg
from the relentless sun.

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00:27:52,322 --> 00:27:55,108
She'll remain on the nest
for the next eight weeks,

248
00:27:55,238 --> 00:27:59,025
leaving only for brief spells
to find food and water.

249
00:28:21,047 --> 00:28:24,311
Inside the forest, Amanda
is also looking for water.

250
00:28:31,753 --> 00:28:34,800
But Luis's cameras
catch someone else on the hunt.

251
00:28:47,551 --> 00:28:50,990
Jorge is more interested in
a private moment than a drink.

252
00:29:08,355 --> 00:29:11,532
Amanda puts on a half-hearted
show of resistance.

253
00:29:21,368 --> 00:29:23,762
The coupling takes
less than a minute.

254
00:29:23,892 --> 00:29:27,548
Fast work, but jaguars
can mate dozens of times a day.

255
00:29:45,653 --> 00:29:48,569
In between mating,
the couple takes a stroll.

256
00:30:00,624 --> 00:30:02,844
Using scent glands
in his cheeks,

257
00:30:02,975 --> 00:30:05,978
Jorge lays his claim
to this swath of forest.

258
00:30:17,424 --> 00:30:20,688
It seems the young upstart has
stepped out of Alonzo's shadow.

259
00:30:32,047 --> 00:30:35,572
Late May--

260
00:30:35,703 --> 00:30:38,924
the beginning of the wet season
in the dry forest.

261
00:30:46,453 --> 00:30:49,630
A meter of rain falls in
just the first three weeks.

262
00:30:55,157 --> 00:30:57,464
The forest springs to life.

263
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,131
In the next five months,

264
00:31:12,305 --> 00:31:14,829
over 90% of the year's rain
will fall.

265
00:31:19,529 --> 00:31:22,489
Long-dry riverbeds
begin to flow--

266
00:31:22,663 --> 00:31:24,839
a wave of relief
for the parched forest.

267
00:31:37,547 --> 00:31:41,464
A slow greening
spreads across the hills,

268
00:31:41,595 --> 00:31:45,338
transforming Santa Rosa
into a coastal oasis.

269
00:32:00,744 --> 00:32:03,747
Capuchins feast on nuts
and ripe berries.

270
00:32:18,284 --> 00:32:20,025
A woodpecker chick gets
her food delivered

271
00:32:20,155 --> 00:32:21,200
right to the nest.

272
00:32:27,684 --> 00:32:30,339
And as the forest begins
to stir,

273
00:32:30,470 --> 00:32:34,691
the promise of new life
also arrives by sea.

274
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:43,744
Late summer.

275
00:32:43,918 --> 00:32:46,399
August winds bring an air
of anticipation.

276
00:32:53,493 --> 00:32:56,670
Beyond the break,

277
00:32:56,757 --> 00:33:00,065
female olive ridley sea turtles
begin to assemble.

278
00:33:12,599 --> 00:33:14,601
They're one
of only two turtle species

279
00:33:14,731 --> 00:33:20,128
that gather in a synchronized
mass nesting event--

280
00:33:20,302 --> 00:33:23,784
an arribada--
Spanish for "arrival."

281
00:33:31,487 --> 00:33:34,795
The first few females
converge offshore.

282
00:33:34,925 --> 00:33:37,102
Soon, hundreds arrive.

283
00:33:50,898 --> 00:33:54,902
The shallows fill
with a constellation of turtles.

284
00:33:55,076 --> 00:33:57,774
They're all waiting for
a mysterious signal

285
00:33:57,861 --> 00:33:59,646
humans have yet to decipher...

286
00:34:06,870 --> 00:34:10,831
...a cue that the time is right
to head ashore.

287
00:34:38,467 --> 00:34:40,252
Over the next few months,

288
00:34:40,382 --> 00:34:43,994
thousands will pour forth
from the ocean--

289
00:34:44,082 --> 00:34:48,695
an armada of mothers, bringing
the next generation to the sand.

290
00:35:06,495 --> 00:35:08,018
It's one of the natural world's

291
00:35:08,106 --> 00:35:11,239
timeless
and spectacular sights...

292
00:35:11,370 --> 00:35:13,850
a ritual of renewal

293
00:35:13,981 --> 00:35:16,549
that may date back
to the age of the dinosaurs.

294
00:35:33,609 --> 00:35:37,135
The beach becomes
a sea of churning sand.

295
00:35:53,238 --> 00:35:55,109
In a single season,

296
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,939
this small crescent--
just over a kilometer long--

297
00:35:59,069 --> 00:36:02,334
will be filled with
up to seven million eggs.

298
00:36:10,907 --> 00:36:12,909
But on Jaguar Beach,

299
00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:16,478
a successful hatch
is far from guaranteed.

300
00:36:21,048 --> 00:36:26,053
As the arribada subsides,
Carolina gets to work.

301
00:37:12,752 --> 00:37:16,582
These 45 days mark a dangerous
period for the baby turtles.

302
00:37:18,758 --> 00:37:20,803
As they incubate in the sand,

303
00:37:20,934 --> 00:37:23,719
relentless predators
stalk them from above.

304
00:37:36,210 --> 00:37:38,125
On most nesting beaches,

305
00:37:38,299 --> 00:37:40,867
wild dogs, foxes and coyotes--

306
00:37:40,997 --> 00:37:43,783
so-called mesopredators--

307
00:37:43,957 --> 00:37:46,438
plunder nests
for the protein-packed eggs.

308
00:37:56,535 --> 00:37:58,624
Using the tools
of shoestring science,

309
00:37:58,754 --> 00:38:00,408
Carolina is trying to track

310
00:38:00,582 --> 00:38:02,280
how many of these nests
will be raided.

311
00:38:25,390 --> 00:38:28,480
The bottles make it easy to see
if a nest has been disturbed.

312
00:38:33,267 --> 00:38:35,748
During recent arribadas,

313
00:38:35,835 --> 00:38:38,794
the bottles have helped them
document an encouraging trend

314
00:38:38,925 --> 00:38:41,667
that they believe is tied
to the return of the jaguars.

315
00:38:57,857 --> 00:38:59,598
It seems the jaguars
are keeping

316
00:38:59,685 --> 00:39:02,209
smaller predators
off the beach--

317
00:39:02,340 --> 00:39:04,864
inadvertently protecting
the turtles' eggs.

318
00:39:06,605 --> 00:39:08,911
As Carolina works,

319
00:39:09,085 --> 00:39:11,523
she's constantly aware of the
jaguars' presence in the dark.

320
00:40:15,369 --> 00:40:18,981
Carolina isn't the only one
patrolling the night.

321
00:40:19,112 --> 00:40:22,550
Amanda has caught wind
of a late-night snack.

322
00:40:37,913 --> 00:40:40,089
It's easy pickings
on Jaguar Beach...

323
00:41:18,301 --> 00:41:20,129
...and from
the size of her belly,

324
00:41:20,260 --> 00:41:22,175
it looks like Amanda
is eating for two.

325
00:41:25,961 --> 00:41:27,441
But Amanda
won't be the only mom

326
00:41:27,572 --> 00:41:30,270
whose success is tied
to the turtles.

327
00:41:35,797 --> 00:41:37,886
About a kilometer offshore,

328
00:41:38,017 --> 00:41:40,628
the frigatebird colony
is noisier than usual.

329
00:41:46,155 --> 00:41:48,418
Across their island outpost,

330
00:41:48,549 --> 00:41:50,943
hundreds of downy hatchlings
begin to stir.

331
00:42:01,257 --> 00:42:05,305
The first-time mother awakens to
her hungry and persistent chick.

332
00:42:11,180 --> 00:42:12,965
For their first five months,

333
00:42:13,052 --> 00:42:14,836
frigatebird chicks
depend entirely

334
00:42:14,967 --> 00:42:17,143
on their mothers for food.

335
00:42:29,590 --> 00:42:33,333
Chicks that don't get fed...
don't last long.

336
00:42:45,432 --> 00:42:47,260
Mom has to hunt...

337
00:42:47,390 --> 00:42:49,479
and fast.

338
00:42:49,567 --> 00:42:52,134
But she knows exactly
where to go.

339
00:43:02,710 --> 00:43:05,321
The last month and a half have
been quiet on the beach--

340
00:43:05,408 --> 00:43:07,019
since the end of the arribada.

341
00:43:13,068 --> 00:43:16,202
But today,
something is different.

342
00:43:24,993 --> 00:43:27,692
The sand begins to shift.

343
00:43:40,139 --> 00:43:42,402
The beach erupts with new life.

344
00:44:20,396 --> 00:44:21,920
For the hatchlings,

345
00:44:22,050 --> 00:44:24,618
digging their way to the surface
is just the beginning.

346
00:44:46,205 --> 00:44:49,512
It's a long way to the water...

347
00:44:49,643 --> 00:44:51,123
and there's a gauntlet
to be run.

348
00:44:58,391 --> 00:45:01,220
For a creature
only five centimeters long,

349
00:45:01,350 --> 00:45:03,657
almost everything
is an obstacle.

350
00:45:19,542 --> 00:45:21,153
A fallen branch blocks the path.

351
00:45:30,292 --> 00:45:32,599
At last,
she's on the open beach.

352
00:45:34,993 --> 00:45:37,691
But here,
the dangers multiply.

353
00:45:49,268 --> 00:45:52,010
The young frigatebird mother
swoops in right on time.

354
00:46:05,501 --> 00:46:08,853
One by one, hatchlings
are carried off into the sky.

355
00:46:15,773 --> 00:46:19,037
A spiny-tailed iguana launches
an aggressive ground attack.

356
00:46:34,226 --> 00:46:36,097
Even the crustaceans close in.

357
00:46:38,796 --> 00:46:40,754
Ghost crabs are
surprisingly strong.

358
00:46:49,894 --> 00:46:52,418
Another hatchling looks
destined for a similar fate.

359
00:46:59,729 --> 00:47:03,255
With a survivor's determination,
she fends off the attack.

360
00:47:08,738 --> 00:47:10,610
She races for the ocean.

361
00:47:18,879 --> 00:47:20,446
One final close call...

362
00:47:25,668 --> 00:47:28,541
...and then...

363
00:47:28,671 --> 00:47:30,760
the finish line.

364
00:47:43,469 --> 00:47:47,342
She plunges
into a salty marine world,

365
00:47:47,473 --> 00:47:50,302
where she'll spend years
before returning to this beach.

366
00:47:58,701 --> 00:48:01,791
She'll swim out
past the rocky retreat,

367
00:48:01,922 --> 00:48:04,011
where the frigatebird mom
can now feed her chick

368
00:48:04,142 --> 00:48:05,665
a magnificent meal.

369
00:48:11,932 --> 00:48:14,152
Only one in a thousand
of these baby turtles

370
00:48:14,326 --> 00:48:15,893
will survive to adulthood.

371
00:48:20,201 --> 00:48:22,029
But Luis believes
these hatchlings got

372
00:48:22,160 --> 00:48:24,162
some surprising help

373
00:48:24,292 --> 00:48:27,556
from the forest predator
that takes their mothers

374
00:48:27,687 --> 00:48:29,254
but safeguards their nests.

375
00:49:06,508 --> 00:49:09,990
Luis's team has found
that jaguars kill less than 1%

376
00:49:10,164 --> 00:49:12,558
of the beach's nesting mothers.

377
00:49:12,732 --> 00:49:15,430
And by warding off threats
to the eggs,

378
00:49:15,561 --> 00:49:18,477
the predator has become
the protector.

379
00:49:30,619 --> 00:49:32,273
On the island,

380
00:49:32,404 --> 00:49:34,145
the frigatebird chicks
continue to gorge

381
00:49:34,232 --> 00:49:35,929
on the hatchling bounty...

382
00:49:45,634 --> 00:49:47,680
...and in the forest,

383
00:49:47,810 --> 00:49:51,249
Amanda is caught on camera
doing something strange.

384
00:49:55,862 --> 00:49:57,733
She tears off
bite-sized portions

385
00:49:57,907 --> 00:49:59,605
from her latest turtle catch.

386
00:50:16,752 --> 00:50:21,453
A few days later, Luis's cameras
provide an adorable explanation.

387
00:50:32,681 --> 00:50:36,120
Amanda with her
curious new cubs.

388
00:50:46,434 --> 00:50:48,393
For the next two years,

389
00:50:48,567 --> 00:50:51,004
Amanda will teach her cubs
how to survive...

390
00:50:56,140 --> 00:50:58,316
...and guide them
through the dry forest

391
00:50:58,403 --> 00:51:01,493
that helped bring her species
back to this special beach.

392
00:51:11,068 --> 00:51:15,028
The rebirth
of Santa Rosa's forest

393
00:51:15,159 --> 00:51:18,379
and the resurrection
of its magnificent top predator

394
00:51:18,553 --> 00:51:20,860
has restored
an ancient relationship.

395
00:51:31,914 --> 00:51:34,526
The renewed partnership
has healed the connection

396
00:51:34,613 --> 00:51:36,528
between
vastly different worlds...

397
00:51:43,012 --> 00:51:45,624
...from the forest...

398
00:51:45,754 --> 00:51:49,062
to the air...

399
00:51:49,193 --> 00:51:50,542
to the deep ocean...

400
00:51:54,546 --> 00:51:56,983
...to the beach where the lives
of all their inhabitants

401
00:51:57,114 --> 00:51:58,202
intertwine...

402
00:52:03,729 --> 00:52:05,426
...where two creatures reunite

403
00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:08,516
as they were
for thousands of years...

404
00:52:08,647 --> 00:52:13,347
predator, prey--

405
00:52:13,478 --> 00:52:16,568
unlikely allies
in each other's survival...