1 00:00:35,244 --> 00:00:36,884 Earth is the only planet 2 00:00:36,964 --> 00:00:39,604 we know of where life exists. 3 00:00:42,804 --> 00:00:46,604 And here, it does so in abundance. 4 00:00:50,564 --> 00:00:52,844 The jungle is Eden. 5 00:00:55,764 --> 00:00:59,084 It covers less than 6% of the Earth's surface, 6 00:00:59,404 --> 00:01:03,484 but its home to half of all the plants and animals on land. 7 00:01:07,964 --> 00:01:12,164 Jungles have just the right amount of light, water and nutrients, 8 00:01:12,524 --> 00:01:15,964 and they have had every day for millennia. 9 00:01:20,764 --> 00:01:23,484 Life here should be easy. 10 00:01:32,244 --> 00:01:33,924 This is an indri. 11 00:01:36,924 --> 00:01:38,804 It's a primate like us, 12 00:01:39,764 --> 00:01:43,724 and these forests in Madagascar are its home. 13 00:01:51,164 --> 00:01:52,884 But to survive here 14 00:01:53,884 --> 00:01:56,724 it has to face one major challenge. 15 00:02:02,964 --> 00:02:05,324 Paradise is crowded. 16 00:02:09,084 --> 00:02:11,484 Life fills every niche. 17 00:02:13,604 --> 00:02:15,364 And at any one time, 18 00:02:15,604 --> 00:02:20,044 a staggering variety of species and countless individuals 19 00:02:20,844 --> 00:02:23,604 are striving for space and food. 20 00:02:32,924 --> 00:02:34,924 Like every jungle animal, 21 00:02:35,004 --> 00:02:38,244 indri have to find their own way to survive 22 00:02:38,484 --> 00:02:41,564 in the most competitive place on Earth. 23 00:03:06,804 --> 00:03:09,284 Jungles are complex places. 24 00:03:10,724 --> 00:03:16,364 Tangled, three-dimensional worlds created by lush tropical vegetation. 25 00:03:20,244 --> 00:03:25,524 90% of the animals here spend their whole lives up in the trees, 26 00:03:26,644 --> 00:03:30,364 and each of them has to find its own way of getting around. 27 00:03:33,684 --> 00:03:36,084 Hanging 100 feet above the ground, 28 00:03:36,764 --> 00:03:38,284 a spider monkey. 29 00:03:44,204 --> 00:03:47,604 They travel in family groups and find everything they need 30 00:03:47,684 --> 00:03:49,924 in the top storey of the jungle. 31 00:03:51,484 --> 00:03:54,564 Up here isn't a place for the faint-hearted. 32 00:03:57,964 --> 00:04:01,884 With long limbs and a prehensile tail that can grip like a hand, 33 00:04:01,964 --> 00:04:03,964 they're built for climbing. 34 00:04:10,404 --> 00:04:15,164 But imagine having to learn these skills as high up as this. 35 00:04:20,564 --> 00:04:24,484 One-third of spider monkeys never make it to adulthood. 36 00:04:27,924 --> 00:04:30,644 This youngster is only a few months old. 37 00:04:33,004 --> 00:04:36,524 Her future depends on her ability to climb. 38 00:04:39,164 --> 00:04:42,524 Playing on a practise tree with her older brother and sister, 39 00:04:42,604 --> 00:04:46,164 she's already learning to use her tail as a safety line... 40 00:04:50,004 --> 00:04:52,604 ...under her father's close watch. 41 00:05:06,564 --> 00:05:08,764 She's keen to join in the game, 42 00:05:08,884 --> 00:05:12,204 but she's the youngest and, as is the way of things, 43 00:05:12,564 --> 00:05:14,284 she's not always welcome. 44 00:05:20,044 --> 00:05:23,164 So she chooses her own place to play. 45 00:05:29,324 --> 00:05:31,444 But not all trees are the same. 46 00:05:31,804 --> 00:05:35,484 This one is for more advanced climbers. 47 00:05:45,404 --> 00:05:46,564 Enthusiasm? 48 00:05:47,004 --> 00:05:48,124 Certainly. 49 00:05:53,764 --> 00:05:54,884 Technique? 50 00:05:58,484 --> 00:06:00,004 Room for improvement. 51 00:06:03,324 --> 00:06:06,004 Meanwhile, some of her family have moved on 52 00:06:06,084 --> 00:06:08,524 to look for a new patch of fresh food. 53 00:06:11,244 --> 00:06:14,124 The top of the canopy isn't for youngsters. 54 00:06:15,564 --> 00:06:17,164 But father's not looking 55 00:06:17,404 --> 00:06:21,204 and the temptation to join the others is irresistible. 56 00:06:29,244 --> 00:06:30,964 She'll need to be careful. 57 00:06:31,524 --> 00:06:34,524 A fall from here will mean certain death. 58 00:06:42,444 --> 00:06:46,404 It's the first time she's been as high as this on her own. 59 00:06:57,684 --> 00:07:01,924 As she climbs still higher, the branches get thinner and thinner. 60 00:07:26,524 --> 00:07:28,324 Her tail has caught her. 61 00:07:29,204 --> 00:07:33,244 But now she's stuck in mid-air, unable to reach any other branch. 62 00:07:46,884 --> 00:07:49,204 Father, however, was watching. 63 00:07:51,284 --> 00:07:54,644 He's big and strong enough to form a bridge with his body 64 00:07:54,724 --> 00:07:56,844 so that she can climb to safety. 65 00:08:27,564 --> 00:08:28,964 Lesson learned. 66 00:08:34,884 --> 00:08:38,884 But it's not just monkeys that live here up in the treetops. 67 00:08:46,364 --> 00:08:48,124 And if you are small, 68 00:08:48,484 --> 00:08:52,164 finding the right tree can mean a home for life. 69 00:08:57,924 --> 00:08:59,604 He's a Draco lizard. 70 00:08:59,964 --> 00:09:03,844 He's only the size of a pencil and he eats ants. 71 00:09:11,324 --> 00:09:15,284 This one tree could provide him with all he will ever need. 72 00:09:16,084 --> 00:09:18,084 A conveyor belt of food. 73 00:09:21,684 --> 00:09:24,084 It's a perfect place to settle down. 74 00:09:30,884 --> 00:09:32,564 Well, it would be... 75 00:09:34,964 --> 00:09:36,804 ...but there's already someone here. 76 00:09:46,164 --> 00:09:48,964 This larger male is the tree's owner 77 00:09:49,764 --> 00:09:52,004 and Dracos don't share. 78 00:10:00,204 --> 00:10:03,244 The owner's flag is a warning. 79 00:10:06,844 --> 00:10:09,444 Trespassers won't be tolerated. 80 00:10:11,844 --> 00:10:14,004 The owner's not only intimidating, 81 00:10:16,324 --> 00:10:17,764 he's prepared to battle. 82 00:10:30,924 --> 00:10:32,284 A dead end. 83 00:10:34,164 --> 00:10:36,404 Safety is a long way away. 84 00:10:39,084 --> 00:10:40,684 Now he must choose. 85 00:10:42,524 --> 00:10:43,644 Fight? 86 00:10:47,084 --> 00:10:48,284 Or flee? 87 00:11:05,404 --> 00:11:10,444 Only in the jungle do you find lizards that can soar like dragons. 88 00:11:14,364 --> 00:11:17,924 He can travel over 100 feet in a single leap. 89 00:11:19,964 --> 00:11:23,804 It's a very fast and efficient way to move through the jungle. 90 00:11:31,444 --> 00:11:34,004 Maybe this new tree will have food 91 00:11:34,764 --> 00:11:36,324 and no resident owner. 92 00:11:44,684 --> 00:11:48,364 Everything in the jungle has to compete for space. 93 00:11:53,564 --> 00:11:56,684 Only 2% of the sun's rays reach the ground, 94 00:11:57,604 --> 00:11:59,204 so even the plants must battle 95 00:11:59,284 --> 00:12:01,804 for the light they need if they're to grow. 96 00:12:09,044 --> 00:12:13,684 300 years ago, this hura tree began its race for light, 97 00:12:15,484 --> 00:12:20,204 and, every day since, it has absorbed the water and sunshine it needed 98 00:12:20,764 --> 00:12:22,884 to grow into a giant. 99 00:12:32,084 --> 00:12:36,444 It has succeeded in doing what every tree must do to survive. 100 00:12:38,044 --> 00:12:40,804 Rise above the bloom of the jungle floor. 101 00:12:48,764 --> 00:12:52,924 And, what is more, its success has given life to others. 102 00:13:03,204 --> 00:13:06,924 Its branches now carry a thousand other plants. 103 00:13:10,884 --> 00:13:13,924 These particular ferns, figs and orchids 104 00:13:14,004 --> 00:13:16,884 live only on the branches of other trees. 105 00:13:22,164 --> 00:13:26,004 A thousand plants growing on one single tree. 106 00:13:28,204 --> 00:13:32,604 Throughout the forest, this story is repeated endless times. 107 00:13:36,804 --> 00:13:41,084 As a consequence, jungles are home to more species of plants 108 00:13:41,284 --> 00:13:43,244 than anywhere else on Earth. 109 00:13:44,324 --> 00:13:48,324 And they, in turn, support a wealth of animals. 110 00:13:53,804 --> 00:13:58,164 In Ecuador the competition is at its most intense. 111 00:14:00,284 --> 00:14:03,564 Here they are a hundred species of hummingbirds alone. 112 00:14:06,644 --> 00:14:08,644 All fighting for nectar. 113 00:14:11,364 --> 00:14:14,764 Each flower only has a small amount at any one time 114 00:14:14,924 --> 00:14:17,524 and so it's first come, first served. 115 00:14:22,004 --> 00:14:25,204 One hummingbird has gone to great lengths 116 00:14:25,404 --> 00:14:27,964 to avoid conflict with other species. 117 00:14:32,484 --> 00:14:37,244 Sword-billeds are the only bird with a beak longer than their body. 118 00:14:40,084 --> 00:14:42,284 And some flowers are too elongated 119 00:14:42,364 --> 00:14:46,524 for the other 99 species of hummingbirds here to feed from them. 120 00:14:59,124 --> 00:15:01,684 A sword-billed's extraordinary beak, however, 121 00:15:01,844 --> 00:15:05,004 enables it to reach the places that others can't. 122 00:15:09,004 --> 00:15:13,004 The top of this flower where the sweet nectar is produced. 123 00:15:14,844 --> 00:15:19,484 It has found a solution that means it doesn't have to join the fight. 124 00:15:22,364 --> 00:15:24,644 And as each long flower blooms, 125 00:15:24,724 --> 00:15:28,644 it gives the sword-billed a fresh supply of food all to itself. 126 00:15:44,404 --> 00:15:48,404 But having a beak longer than your body does have its drawbacks. 127 00:15:53,244 --> 00:15:56,044 For a start, it's tricky to keep it clean. 128 00:16:08,284 --> 00:16:11,844 Harder still, how do you preen your body feathers? 129 00:16:14,924 --> 00:16:16,364 Unlike the other hummers, 130 00:16:16,444 --> 00:16:19,324 Sword-billeds can't reach their feathers with their beak. 131 00:16:27,204 --> 00:16:28,684 The only option, 132 00:16:29,124 --> 00:16:30,684 a good old scratch. 133 00:16:49,244 --> 00:16:51,324 It's a little unrefined, 134 00:16:53,684 --> 00:16:57,964 but a small price to pay for an exclusive food supply. 135 00:17:01,524 --> 00:17:07,124 Especially when feeding times are only too frequently interrupted by storms. 136 00:17:15,724 --> 00:17:20,764 Jungles are the richest places on Earth because of one remarkable fact. 137 00:17:24,124 --> 00:17:26,244 They make their own weather. 138 00:17:31,764 --> 00:17:36,204 Every day water rises from the surface of the leaves as vapour. 139 00:17:38,604 --> 00:17:41,644 It's as if the trees breathe out clouds. 140 00:17:44,644 --> 00:17:47,804 They gather over the forest, until, finally... 141 00:17:50,724 --> 00:17:52,044 ...they burst. 142 00:18:06,644 --> 00:18:10,164 Rain is the lifeblood of every jungle. 143 00:18:19,844 --> 00:18:23,844 And all have to do their best to endure the daily downpour. 144 00:19:06,604 --> 00:19:09,404 In some jungles, like here in Brazil, 145 00:19:09,764 --> 00:19:15,684 it rains so much that, part of the year, the trees are almost totally submerged. 146 00:19:24,804 --> 00:19:28,524 The forest floor is 30 feet below the water's surface. 147 00:19:31,964 --> 00:19:34,244 This is a mysterious world. 148 00:19:35,084 --> 00:19:38,124 A place few people have ever explored. 149 00:19:46,804 --> 00:19:50,964 We have much to discover about the animals for which this is home. 150 00:19:55,364 --> 00:20:00,604 Including some you might never expect to find amongst trees. 151 00:20:14,164 --> 00:20:16,924 Here, a thousand miles from the sea, 152 00:20:17,444 --> 00:20:19,204 are dolphins. 153 00:20:24,204 --> 00:20:27,284 A newly identified species of river dolphin 154 00:20:27,404 --> 00:20:29,364 found nowhere else on Earth. 155 00:20:42,844 --> 00:20:47,844 In these black, tangled waters, they have become almost totally blind, 156 00:20:48,084 --> 00:20:49,684 so they move slowly, 157 00:20:50,164 --> 00:20:55,084 carefully using their sonar to scan the forest floor for fish. 158 00:21:00,444 --> 00:21:04,044 If this forest can hide a new species of dolphin, 159 00:21:05,164 --> 00:21:08,284 what else might there be here, awaiting discovery? 160 00:21:14,084 --> 00:21:16,684 At the shallow margins of the flooded jungle, 161 00:21:16,764 --> 00:21:19,684 rivers flow through lush vegetation. 162 00:21:23,484 --> 00:21:27,964 Here, food is so abundant, it supports giants. 163 00:21:30,444 --> 00:21:33,484 Capybara, the biggest rodents in the world. 164 00:21:38,884 --> 00:21:41,724 Giant otters, the size of a man. 165 00:21:46,444 --> 00:21:48,564 And the rulers of these rivers. 166 00:21:50,084 --> 00:21:51,244 Caiman. 167 00:21:53,364 --> 00:21:55,284 They grow to ten feet long, 168 00:21:55,364 --> 00:21:58,164 and kill anything they get between their jaws. 169 00:22:03,884 --> 00:22:06,644 But there are more artful hunters 170 00:22:08,484 --> 00:22:11,124 drawn here from the surrounding forest. 171 00:22:23,284 --> 00:22:27,204 A jaguar, the supreme jungle predator. 172 00:22:34,444 --> 00:22:37,484 The river marks the edge of his territory. 173 00:22:39,324 --> 00:22:41,844 But here, he has competition. 174 00:23:04,084 --> 00:23:06,804 He's now in the territory of a female. 175 00:23:12,484 --> 00:23:16,364 She has ruled this stretch of river for five years. 176 00:23:18,764 --> 00:23:21,404 This is her place to hunt. 177 00:23:50,764 --> 00:23:53,844 Capybara are strong and wary. 178 00:23:57,124 --> 00:23:59,084 The key is stealth. 179 00:24:17,324 --> 00:24:21,964 She needs to get within three feet if she's to pounce. 180 00:24:44,644 --> 00:24:46,004 Not this time. 181 00:24:56,684 --> 00:24:58,924 She's not the only female here. 182 00:25:00,644 --> 00:25:04,964 Each part of this jungle's edge is ruled by a different queen. 183 00:25:15,724 --> 00:25:20,444 Few places on Earth have enough food to support so many big cats. 184 00:25:46,644 --> 00:25:49,164 The male hunts in a different way. 185 00:25:56,684 --> 00:26:00,924 Weighing almost 300 pounds, it's hard to be stealthy. 186 00:26:03,924 --> 00:26:06,524 And with so many other jaguars around, 187 00:26:07,044 --> 00:26:09,924 he doesn't bother with wary capybara. 188 00:26:16,284 --> 00:26:18,324 He seeks a different prey. 189 00:26:41,484 --> 00:26:45,524 He's become a killer of killers. 190 00:27:11,604 --> 00:27:15,164 Jaguars have the most powerful bite... 191 00:27:15,244 --> 00:27:16,564 ...of any cat. 192 00:27:19,884 --> 00:27:22,764 And he knows the caiman's most vulnerable point, 193 00:27:25,204 --> 00:27:26,924 the back of its skull. 194 00:27:54,884 --> 00:27:58,644 Hunters living in the dense understorey of the jungle 195 00:27:59,004 --> 00:28:01,164 come in all shapes and sizes, 196 00:28:04,124 --> 00:28:05,964 but they share a problem. 197 00:28:11,964 --> 00:28:15,844 How to tell what is a plant and what is prey. 198 00:28:19,164 --> 00:28:21,284 This is a game of hide and seek, 199 00:28:21,724 --> 00:28:24,604 that can be won or lost in the blink of an eye. 200 00:28:55,404 --> 00:28:58,684 The long contest between predator and prey 201 00:28:59,084 --> 00:29:02,724 has produced mimicry of astounding accuracy. 202 00:29:20,164 --> 00:29:24,684 A leaf-tailed gecko masquerading as lichen. 203 00:29:49,844 --> 00:29:54,284 Some animals take camouflage a stage further still. 204 00:29:58,404 --> 00:30:03,444 And these streams in Costa Rica are home to one of the most remarkable. 205 00:30:14,204 --> 00:30:15,844 A glass frog. 206 00:30:23,764 --> 00:30:28,164 A male, and tiny, no bigger than your fingernail, 207 00:30:29,564 --> 00:30:32,884 and almost entirely transparent. 208 00:30:35,124 --> 00:30:36,484 As he needs to be. 209 00:30:39,444 --> 00:30:43,044 Almost everything that walks past here could eat him. 210 00:30:44,644 --> 00:30:45,844 Even a cricket. 211 00:30:51,004 --> 00:30:54,404 His best chance is to stay absolutely still, 212 00:30:54,884 --> 00:30:57,444 and trust that the cricket looks right through him. 213 00:31:19,404 --> 00:31:20,604 Danger passed, 214 00:31:22,364 --> 00:31:24,284 and that's just as well, 215 00:31:25,804 --> 00:31:28,164 because he is a father. 216 00:31:31,884 --> 00:31:34,724 And he's guarding some very precious eggs. 217 00:31:38,924 --> 00:31:42,124 For the last few weeks, females, one after the other, 218 00:31:42,324 --> 00:31:45,724 have visited him and entrusted him with their offspring. 219 00:31:49,124 --> 00:31:51,724 Some are now almost ready to hatch. 220 00:31:55,844 --> 00:31:58,004 There are several clutches on the leaf, 221 00:31:58,244 --> 00:32:01,004 and those at the top, the most recently laid, 222 00:32:01,404 --> 00:32:03,044 are barely a day old. 223 00:32:08,924 --> 00:32:12,684 But in the jungle, there's always someone out to get you. 224 00:32:18,764 --> 00:32:23,084 This wasp is a specialist hunter of frog's eggs. 225 00:32:25,244 --> 00:32:29,604 It's noticed the wriggling tadpoles at the bottom of the leaf. 226 00:32:35,284 --> 00:32:36,484 He mustn't move. 227 00:32:37,524 --> 00:32:40,084 The youngest eggs are the most vulnerable, 228 00:32:40,524 --> 00:32:42,044 and he can't guard them all. 229 00:33:02,204 --> 00:33:05,924 But these tadpoles are not as helpless as they might appear. 230 00:33:14,044 --> 00:33:18,204 Incredibly, the un-hatched tadpoles can sense danger, 231 00:33:18,604 --> 00:33:21,564 and the oldest and strongest wriggle free, 232 00:33:21,644 --> 00:33:23,684 and drop into the stream below. 233 00:33:41,404 --> 00:33:43,684 The eggs at the top of the leaf, however, 234 00:33:43,804 --> 00:33:46,084 are still too young to hatch, 235 00:33:47,804 --> 00:33:50,604 and now the wasps know they're there. 236 00:33:54,444 --> 00:33:59,084 But the male's back looks very like the youngest cluster of eggs. 237 00:34:03,124 --> 00:34:05,884 And that seems to confuse the wasps. 238 00:34:28,324 --> 00:34:31,724 Using his on body as decoy is a huge risk. 239 00:34:32,804 --> 00:34:34,964 The wasps' stings could kill him. 240 00:35:02,724 --> 00:35:06,044 He's managed to save most of his young. 241 00:35:10,404 --> 00:35:14,004 He'll have to remain on guard for another two weeks. 242 00:35:15,404 --> 00:35:18,284 But in the jungle, just surviving the day 243 00:35:18,684 --> 00:35:20,564 can count as a success. 244 00:35:34,844 --> 00:35:36,364 With the coming of the night, 245 00:35:36,524 --> 00:35:40,444 a new cast of jungle characters takes to the stage. 246 00:35:44,204 --> 00:35:48,684 Flying insects begin to glow as they search for mates. 247 00:35:52,924 --> 00:35:55,204 Fungi, unlike plants, 248 00:35:55,444 --> 00:35:58,044 thrive in the darkness of the forest floor. 249 00:36:00,724 --> 00:36:04,524 They're hidden, until they begin to develop the incredible structures 250 00:36:04,724 --> 00:36:06,404 with which they reproduce. 251 00:36:09,364 --> 00:36:12,924 Each releases millions of microscopic spores 252 00:36:13,084 --> 00:36:15,124 that drift invisibly away. 253 00:36:20,644 --> 00:36:23,604 Many have fruiting bodies that reach upwards 254 00:36:23,684 --> 00:36:26,284 to catch any feeble current there might be 255 00:36:26,364 --> 00:36:27,804 in the clammy air. 256 00:36:32,004 --> 00:36:36,284 But this one, as it grows, becomes luminous. 257 00:36:49,004 --> 00:36:52,724 Why fungi light up has remained a mystery... 258 00:36:59,484 --> 00:37:00,564 ...until now. 259 00:37:09,284 --> 00:37:12,604 Scientists studying the brightest fungi in the world 260 00:37:13,044 --> 00:37:14,724 think they may have an answer. 261 00:37:20,124 --> 00:37:23,724 Like a beacon, the light attracts insects... 262 00:37:29,964 --> 00:37:31,884 ...from far and wide. 263 00:37:40,044 --> 00:37:41,604 To this click beetle, 264 00:37:42,044 --> 00:37:44,164 a bright light means only one thing, 265 00:37:44,604 --> 00:37:46,244 a female click beetle. 266 00:37:48,044 --> 00:37:49,804 So, he flashes in reply. 267 00:38:01,604 --> 00:38:04,604 But he doesn't get the reception he was expecting. 268 00:38:09,204 --> 00:38:12,284 Confused, he starts searching for a female 269 00:38:12,644 --> 00:38:14,484 and that helps the fungus. 270 00:38:16,564 --> 00:38:17,884 By the time he gives up, 271 00:38:18,124 --> 00:38:20,684 he's covered in the fungus' spores. 272 00:38:22,204 --> 00:38:24,844 And as he continues his quest for a female, 273 00:38:24,924 --> 00:38:28,004 he carries these spores to other parts of the forest. 274 00:38:31,684 --> 00:38:36,044 And there are even stranger things glowing in the jungle night. 275 00:38:40,004 --> 00:38:44,924 These are the multi-coloured lights of a railroad worm. 276 00:38:46,244 --> 00:38:48,084 It's not really a worm, 277 00:38:48,284 --> 00:38:51,204 but a poisonous, caterpillar-like beetle. 278 00:38:54,524 --> 00:38:58,164 The yellow lights warn other creatures to keep out of its way. 279 00:39:07,684 --> 00:39:10,284 It's hunting for millipedes. 280 00:39:20,484 --> 00:39:22,484 When it finds the trail of one, 281 00:39:22,804 --> 00:39:25,404 it switches off its yellow lights. 282 00:39:31,764 --> 00:39:35,204 Now, it only has a red light on its head. 283 00:39:40,524 --> 00:39:43,364 Millipedes can't see red light. 284 00:39:48,484 --> 00:39:52,244 So, to them, the railroad worm in stealth mode 285 00:39:52,484 --> 00:39:54,204 is virtually invisible. 286 00:40:06,724 --> 00:40:09,324 And that is the end of the millipede. 287 00:40:21,684 --> 00:40:23,364 Competition in the jungles 288 00:40:23,444 --> 00:40:27,684 forces animals to specialise in every aspect of their life, 289 00:40:28,644 --> 00:40:30,044 including courtship. 290 00:40:32,644 --> 00:40:35,484 This has produced some of the most beautiful 291 00:40:35,564 --> 00:40:38,284 and elaborate displays on the planet. 292 00:40:43,844 --> 00:40:46,404 A male red bird-of-paradise 293 00:40:47,404 --> 00:40:50,124 competing to attract the female by dancing, 294 00:40:52,124 --> 00:40:54,604 one has come to survey what's on offer. 295 00:41:12,284 --> 00:41:14,524 She is an independent lady 296 00:41:14,604 --> 00:41:17,644 and she will select whichever male takes her fancy. 297 00:41:35,484 --> 00:41:36,964 She makes her choice. 298 00:41:55,444 --> 00:41:58,404 But now she doesn't seem quite so sure. 299 00:42:06,724 --> 00:42:07,764 No. 300 00:42:08,724 --> 00:42:11,604 Perhaps he's just a little too keen. 301 00:42:24,964 --> 00:42:27,204 Maybe he'll have better luck tomorrow. 302 00:42:36,484 --> 00:42:39,844 Red birds-of-paradise display in the tree tops. 303 00:42:43,124 --> 00:42:47,444 Other members of the family dance in the gloom of the forest floor. 304 00:42:50,484 --> 00:42:53,724 This is a Wilson's bird-of-paradise. 305 00:42:55,364 --> 00:42:56,684 He's brightly coloured, 306 00:42:56,964 --> 00:42:58,684 but about the size of a sparrow. 307 00:43:02,364 --> 00:43:04,644 He's lived most of his life alone. 308 00:43:05,604 --> 00:43:07,204 But now he's an adult, 309 00:43:07,284 --> 00:43:09,764 and he too needs to attract a mate. 310 00:43:14,324 --> 00:43:17,284 This little patch of light might help him do so. 311 00:43:23,684 --> 00:43:26,244 First, he tidies things up. 312 00:43:26,844 --> 00:43:30,324 Showing off in this jumble of leaves wouldn't be easy, 313 00:43:31,804 --> 00:43:36,164 and his beauty will stand out better against a plain background. 314 00:43:44,204 --> 00:43:48,124 He doesn't want bright leaves to divert a visitor's attention. 315 00:43:48,804 --> 00:43:50,204 They all need to go. 316 00:43:53,964 --> 00:43:55,484 Even the green ones. 317 00:43:58,284 --> 00:44:00,164 Especially the green ones. 318 00:44:09,724 --> 00:44:11,164 His stage is set. 319 00:44:12,284 --> 00:44:14,684 A central pole and a little patch of light... 320 00:44:15,684 --> 00:44:16,844 It's perfect. 321 00:44:20,924 --> 00:44:24,324 And now he must hope a female hears his call. 322 00:44:35,724 --> 00:44:37,724 He can wait here for weeks on end. 323 00:44:47,964 --> 00:44:49,604 At last, a female. 324 00:44:52,644 --> 00:44:54,644 Time to take up position. 325 00:44:57,404 --> 00:45:00,684 She will judge him by the brightness of his feathers. 326 00:45:06,524 --> 00:45:09,244 But for the female to see him at his best, 327 00:45:09,484 --> 00:45:13,364 he needs her to perch directly above his stage, 328 00:45:15,204 --> 00:45:16,364 under the light. 329 00:45:19,884 --> 00:45:23,164 This might be his only chance to shine. 330 00:45:29,844 --> 00:45:32,724 Now, when she's looking directly down on him, 331 00:45:32,804 --> 00:45:35,884 he reveals a display for her eyes only. 332 00:45:42,124 --> 00:45:44,324 In the gloom of the forest floor, 333 00:45:44,404 --> 00:45:47,924 he is a dazzling blaze of iridescent green. 334 00:45:50,164 --> 00:45:52,884 The brightest leaf in the forest. 335 00:46:01,404 --> 00:46:03,244 And that does the trick. 336 00:46:13,204 --> 00:46:15,604 Each animal must find its own way 337 00:46:15,684 --> 00:46:18,484 of surviving the competition of the jungle. 338 00:46:31,604 --> 00:46:34,724 This crowded world is so full of invention 339 00:46:34,804 --> 00:46:40,724 that almost all kinds of animals on land can trace their origins back here... 340 00:46:45,524 --> 00:46:47,084 Including us. 341 00:46:50,644 --> 00:46:55,484 These forests in Madagascar are home to one of our distant cousins. 342 00:46:59,564 --> 00:47:04,404 This female indri has fought to keep this particular patch of forest 343 00:47:04,524 --> 00:47:07,284 safe for herself and her family. 344 00:47:17,524 --> 00:47:20,484 Every morning, the family come together to sing, 345 00:47:21,524 --> 00:47:25,804 their way of reminding others that this is their home. 346 00:47:31,964 --> 00:47:35,404 Indri are so closely adapted to living here, 347 00:47:35,604 --> 00:47:38,244 that now they can live nowhere else. 348 00:47:42,204 --> 00:47:46,004 For them, and the billions of animals with whom they share their home, 349 00:47:47,284 --> 00:47:49,764 the jungle is a sanctuary. 350 00:47:54,124 --> 00:47:55,644 But this is changing. 351 00:48:00,004 --> 00:48:03,684 Even in the ten years since the head of this family was born, 352 00:48:03,884 --> 00:48:07,684 one million hectares of the rainforest have been destroyed 353 00:48:08,044 --> 00:48:09,604 in Madagascar alone, 354 00:48:11,524 --> 00:48:15,364 and, with it, half the indri families that once lived there. 355 00:48:20,844 --> 00:48:24,284 The local people say the indris are our brothers 356 00:48:24,604 --> 00:48:27,004 and their song is a call to remind us 357 00:48:27,164 --> 00:48:29,844 that we too once depended on the jungle. 358 00:48:38,804 --> 00:48:43,004 This Eden is still a place of wonder and magic. 359 00:48:48,444 --> 00:48:52,044 Something surely worth protecting. 360 00:49:09,804 --> 00:49:13,444 Jungles are still some of the least-explored places on Earth 361 00:49:13,644 --> 00:49:15,084 and with good reason, 362 00:49:16,044 --> 00:49:18,004 they are testing places to work. 363 00:49:21,764 --> 00:49:23,924 Here in the flooded forest of Brazil, 364 00:49:24,244 --> 00:49:28,924 the team are on the trail of a newly- discovered species of river dolphin. 365 00:49:30,244 --> 00:49:31,884 So little is known about it, 366 00:49:31,964 --> 00:49:34,284 that just finding it will be a challenge. 367 00:49:35,764 --> 00:49:40,444 Their base for five weeks is a hut on the only bit a dry land around, 368 00:49:41,804 --> 00:49:43,804 but it's already occupied. 369 00:49:44,084 --> 00:49:46,764 It appears someone's been making a nest. 370 00:49:46,884 --> 00:49:48,084 A resident rat. 371 00:49:48,164 --> 00:49:49,364 Come here, little rat. 372 00:49:49,604 --> 00:49:51,084 And on the food cupboard... 373 00:49:52,244 --> 00:49:53,284 Hello! 374 00:49:54,364 --> 00:49:55,564 You a bit shy? 375 00:49:59,484 --> 00:50:01,204 If the housemates are hostile, 376 00:50:01,404 --> 00:50:03,204 the hitchhikers are even worse. 377 00:50:05,764 --> 00:50:07,124 A large spider. 378 00:50:08,404 --> 00:50:09,644 Oh, my God. 379 00:50:10,884 --> 00:50:13,284 And a colony of aggressive red ants, 380 00:50:13,364 --> 00:50:14,484 looking for a ride. 381 00:50:15,044 --> 00:50:16,364 If we knock into them, 382 00:50:17,164 --> 00:50:20,244 they'll board the boat like a bunch of pirates 383 00:50:20,724 --> 00:50:23,364 and they'll gnaw our faces off. 384 00:50:25,244 --> 00:50:27,084 That might not be quite true, 385 00:50:27,164 --> 00:50:30,684 but intimidating animals are the least of their problems. 386 00:50:33,124 --> 00:50:35,524 The flooded forest is not only vast, 387 00:50:35,604 --> 00:50:36,804 it's impenetrable. 388 00:50:37,084 --> 00:50:39,004 And this new species of dolphin 389 00:50:39,084 --> 00:50:44,524 could be anywhere in 150, 000 square miles of tangled tree tops. 390 00:50:46,724 --> 00:50:48,204 But the crew have a plan. 391 00:50:49,444 --> 00:50:52,644 Dolphins use sound to find their way through the flooded forest 392 00:50:52,844 --> 00:50:54,924 by making clicks. Sonar. 393 00:50:56,164 --> 00:50:59,964 Waterproof microphones allow the crew to eavesdrop on the dolphins 394 00:51:00,204 --> 00:51:01,404 and so follow them. 395 00:51:05,724 --> 00:51:07,484 But that's easier said than done. 396 00:51:11,604 --> 00:51:13,204 So this is the clear path. 397 00:51:13,964 --> 00:51:15,044 Can you see it? 398 00:51:15,724 --> 00:51:16,764 There. 399 00:51:23,924 --> 00:51:25,164 It takes them a week 400 00:51:25,244 --> 00:51:27,444 to get the first glimpse of this new species 401 00:51:27,524 --> 00:51:30,084 and even then, it lasts less than a second. 402 00:51:33,324 --> 00:51:36,284 There appears to be only one dolphin. 403 00:51:39,964 --> 00:51:43,684 And frustratingly, it can pop up anywhere without warning. 404 00:51:46,524 --> 00:51:47,804 I've been looking through the water 405 00:51:47,884 --> 00:51:50,764 and kind of seen the bodies kind of appear out of the murk 406 00:51:50,844 --> 00:51:52,284 every now and then... 407 00:51:52,364 --> 00:51:53,484 disappear again. 408 00:51:56,164 --> 00:51:57,564 Eventually, the dolphin 409 00:51:57,644 --> 00:51:59,964 leads the crew to an open gap in the forest. 410 00:52:10,724 --> 00:52:12,924 We made it. Yay! 411 00:52:16,404 --> 00:52:18,204 Here, at last, there may be a chance 412 00:52:18,284 --> 00:52:19,764 of getting something in the cam. 413 00:52:27,284 --> 00:52:28,324 Their first shot. 414 00:52:28,764 --> 00:52:32,084 But again, a single breath and then it's gone. 415 00:52:36,044 --> 00:52:37,684 - Hey! - Hello, you. 416 00:52:38,164 --> 00:52:40,004 With the dolphin as close as this, 417 00:52:40,084 --> 00:52:41,924 the crew can try a different technique, 418 00:52:42,484 --> 00:52:45,124 towing an underwater camera behind the boat. 419 00:52:48,684 --> 00:52:51,644 The dolphin literally just came up parallel to it. 420 00:52:52,564 --> 00:52:54,964 The problem is that the water is so murky 421 00:52:55,204 --> 00:52:59,004 that the dolphin is almost invisible, even when right next to the camera. 422 00:53:06,404 --> 00:53:08,924 However, now the dolphin is in this channel, 423 00:53:09,004 --> 00:53:10,964 the crew can try a different tack. 424 00:53:19,684 --> 00:53:22,444 Michael Sanderson is a drone operator. 425 00:53:25,444 --> 00:53:27,484 As long as the dolphin's in open water, 426 00:53:27,564 --> 00:53:29,884 it might be possible to follow it from the air. 427 00:53:33,724 --> 00:53:35,884 So, we've worked out, the dolphins seem to be here 428 00:53:35,964 --> 00:53:37,564 and we can do the drone work. 429 00:53:38,364 --> 00:53:40,724 So, this is our, kind of, best bet. 430 00:53:41,684 --> 00:53:44,284 Leaving Michael and his drone on the sandspit, 431 00:53:44,364 --> 00:53:46,484 the crew head back to open water. 432 00:53:47,604 --> 00:53:50,324 But this is called the flooded forest for a reason. 433 00:53:53,364 --> 00:53:55,204 The rain here can be torrential. 434 00:53:55,604 --> 00:53:58,004 And although storms normally pass quickly, 435 00:53:58,124 --> 00:54:00,564 this one is clearly not a normal storm. 436 00:54:05,724 --> 00:54:07,044 Is it not working? 437 00:54:07,444 --> 00:54:09,044 The motor has broken, 438 00:54:09,204 --> 00:54:12,164 and with the boat flooding, the crew must head for the bank. 439 00:54:18,444 --> 00:54:20,924 Looked like the rainstorm was gonna pass and it hasn't passed us. 440 00:54:21,284 --> 00:54:23,164 It hasn't passed at all. It's very, very heavy, 441 00:54:23,724 --> 00:54:25,924 and I'm soaked through the skin. 442 00:54:29,844 --> 00:54:30,884 They're stranded. 443 00:54:31,404 --> 00:54:33,004 The kit is getting drenched, 444 00:54:33,484 --> 00:54:34,644 trees are falling, 445 00:54:34,804 --> 00:54:37,044 and Michael is trapped somewhere down river. 446 00:54:37,844 --> 00:54:40,324 This is the hardest rain I've ever seen in my life. 447 00:54:40,444 --> 00:54:41,524 It's incredible. 448 00:54:41,764 --> 00:54:43,364 I'm hoping Michael's all right. 449 00:54:44,444 --> 00:54:46,924 And there's been tree-fall all up around behind us. 450 00:54:47,644 --> 00:54:50,484 Michael is down there on a tiny little sandspit, 451 00:54:50,564 --> 00:54:53,844 with the other boat... 452 00:54:55,044 --> 00:54:56,164 It's kind of scary. 453 00:54:58,804 --> 00:55:00,764 After two hours, a break in the storm 454 00:55:00,844 --> 00:55:03,564 gives Michael a chance to rejoin the team. 455 00:55:03,764 --> 00:55:07,004 Just got caught in one of the heaviest storms I've ever seen. 456 00:55:07,844 --> 00:55:09,964 It got up to this much water on the tarp 457 00:55:10,364 --> 00:55:11,524 and the other one. 458 00:55:12,124 --> 00:55:14,164 So, this one might... 459 00:55:14,524 --> 00:55:16,084 I don't know if this is gonna live anymore, 460 00:55:16,164 --> 00:55:17,644 'cause that was on the floor. 461 00:55:18,164 --> 00:55:21,004 It looks like it's game over for the drone. 462 00:55:21,644 --> 00:55:23,244 Yeah, it's pretty scary, wasn't it? 463 00:55:25,684 --> 00:55:29,484 Over the next 12 hours, the storm returns again and again. 464 00:55:30,924 --> 00:55:32,684 If this bad weather continues, 465 00:55:32,764 --> 00:55:36,004 the crew may not able to get back out to the dolphin. 466 00:55:41,484 --> 00:55:42,604 The next morning... 467 00:55:44,004 --> 00:55:45,004 Clear skies, 468 00:55:45,604 --> 00:55:47,364 and the drone might be fixable. 469 00:55:48,364 --> 00:55:49,924 But the longer it takes, 470 00:55:50,004 --> 00:55:54,124 the more chance that the dolphin will have return to the flooded forest, 471 00:55:55,004 --> 00:55:57,084 and then it will be back to square one. 472 00:55:59,604 --> 00:56:01,724 But, finally, their luck is in, 473 00:56:03,924 --> 00:56:05,804 the dolphin is still there. 474 00:56:08,204 --> 00:56:12,284 For the first time, they have a chance to film from the water and the air 475 00:56:12,364 --> 00:56:13,644 and finally discover 476 00:56:13,724 --> 00:56:16,204 what this elusive animal is really doing. 477 00:56:17,964 --> 00:56:19,004 They were in the boat 478 00:56:19,084 --> 00:56:20,884 and they were looking around and going, "Yeah..." 479 00:56:21,004 --> 00:56:22,044 And some bubbles. 480 00:56:22,964 --> 00:56:23,964 Some more bubbles. 481 00:56:24,044 --> 00:56:26,884 We were flying with the drone and we could see dolphins. 482 00:56:27,164 --> 00:56:29,804 And what they thought they could only see only one dolphin, 483 00:56:30,364 --> 00:56:31,524 we saw five. 484 00:56:31,764 --> 00:56:33,244 And they had no idea. 485 00:56:33,844 --> 00:56:37,004 The crew are surprised to find these dolphins aren't solitary, 486 00:56:37,124 --> 00:56:39,164 but come together to hunt as a team. 487 00:56:40,044 --> 00:56:42,804 It's not until you see stuff with the drone, that you suddenly go, 488 00:56:43,044 --> 00:56:44,564 "I thought that was one dolphin there, " 489 00:56:44,804 --> 00:56:46,444 and then you count, and there were five. 490 00:56:47,564 --> 00:56:49,284 And then you're looking in one place, 491 00:56:49,364 --> 00:56:51,524 and they are all behind you, laughing at you. 492 00:56:51,884 --> 00:56:55,164 This new perspective has given the crew a first glimpse 493 00:56:55,284 --> 00:56:57,404 into a mysterious jungle animal 494 00:56:57,484 --> 00:57:00,284 in one of the least-known corners of the Earth. 495 00:57:09,244 --> 00:57:10,284 Next time... 496 00:57:10,524 --> 00:57:13,884 A land of extremes, that pushes life to the limit. 497 00:57:15,724 --> 00:57:19,724 Animals have extraordinary ways of dealing with the hostile conditions. 498 00:57:21,444 --> 00:57:24,444 Creating the most epic survival stories on Earth... 499 00:57:25,684 --> 00:57:27,324 These are deserts.