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(MUSIC PLAYING)
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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
Earth is the only planet
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we know of where life exists.
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- And here, it does so in abundance.
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
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The jungle is Eden.
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It covers less than 6%
of the Earth's surface,
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but its home to half of all
the plants and animals on land.
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Jungles have just the right amount
of light, water and nutrients,
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and they have had
every day for millennia.
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Life here should be easy.
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This is an indri.
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It's a primate like us,
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and these forests in Madagascar
are its home.
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But to survive here
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it has to face one major challenge.
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Paradise is crowded.
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(CROAKING)
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Life fills every niche.
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And at any one time,
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a staggering variety of species
and countless individuals
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are striving for space and food.
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Like every jungle animal,
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indri have to find their own way
to survive
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in the most competitive place on Earth.
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(HOWLING)
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(BIRDS CHIRPING)
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Jungles are complex places.
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Tangled, three-dimensional worlds
created by lush tropical vegetation.
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90% of the animals here
spend their whole lives up in the trees,
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and each of them has to find
its own way of getting around.
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Hanging 100 feet above the ground,
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a spider monkey.
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They travel in family groups
and find everything they need
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in the top storey of the jungle.
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Up here isn't a place
for the faint-hearted.
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With long limbs and a prehensile tail
that can grip like a hand,
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they're built for climbing.
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But imagine having to learn these skills
as high up as this.
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One-third of spider monkeys
never make it to adulthood.
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This youngster is only a few months old.
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Her future depends on
her ability to climb.
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Playing on a practise tree
with her older brother and sister,
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she's already learning to use her tail
as a safety line...
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(CHITTERING)
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...under her father's close watch.
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(CHITTERING)
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She's keen to join in the game,
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but she's the youngest
and, as is the way of things,
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she's not always welcome.
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So she chooses her own place to play.
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But not all trees are the same.
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This one is for more advanced climbers.
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Enthusiasm?
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Certainly.
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Technique?
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(LEAVES RUSTLING)
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Room for improvement.
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Meanwhile, some of her family
have moved on
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to look for a new patch of fresh food.
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The top of the canopy
isn't for youngsters.
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But father's not looking
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and the temptation to join
the others is irresistible.
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She'll need to be careful.
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A fall from here
will mean certain death.
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It's the first time she's been
as high as this on her own.
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As she climbs still higher,
the branches get thinner and thinner.
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(PANICKED CHITTERING)
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Her tail has caught her.
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But now she's stuck in mid-air,
unable to reach any other branch.
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Father, however, was watching.
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He's big and strong enough
to form a bridge with his body
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so that she can climb to safety.
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Lesson learned.
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But it's not just monkeys
that live here up in the treetops.
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And if you are small,
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finding the right tree
can mean a home for life.
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He's a Draco lizard.
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He's only the size of a pencil
and he eats ants.
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This one tree could provide him
with all he will ever need.
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A conveyor belt of food.
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It's a perfect place to settle down.
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Well, it would be...
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...but there's already someone here.
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This larger male is the tree's owner
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and Dracos don't share.
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The owner's flag is a warning.
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Trespassers won't be tolerated.
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The owner's not only intimidating,
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he's prepared to battle.
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A dead end.
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Safety is a long way away.
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Now he must choose.
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Fight?
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Or flee?
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Only in the jungle do you find lizards
that can soar like dragons.
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He can travel over 100 feet
in a single leap.
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It's a very fast and efficient way
to move through the jungle.
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Maybe this new tree will have food
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and no resident owner.
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- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (INSECTS SCUTTLING)
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Everything in the jungle
has to compete for space.
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Only 2% of the sun's rays
reach the ground,
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so even the plants must battle
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for the light they need
if they're to grow.
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300 years ago, this hura tree
began its race for light,
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and, every day since, it has absorbed
the water and sunshine it needed
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to grow into a giant.
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It has succeeded in doing
what every tree must do to survive.
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Rise above the bloom
of the jungle floor.
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And, what is more, its success
has given life to others.
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Its branches now carry
a thousand other plants.
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These particular ferns, figs and orchids
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live only on the branches
of other trees.
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A thousand plants
growing on one single tree.
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Throughout the forest,
this story is repeated endless times.
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As a consequence, jungles are home
to more species of plants
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than anywhere else on Earth.
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And they, in turn,
support a wealth of animals.
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In Ecuador the competition
is at its most intense.
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Here they are a hundred species
of hummingbirds alone.
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All fighting for nectar.
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Each flower only has a small amount
at any one time
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and so it's first come, first served.
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One hummingbird
has gone to great lengths
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to avoid conflict with other species.
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Sword-billeds are the only bird
with a beak longer than their body.
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And some flowers are too elongated
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for the other 99 species
of hummingbirds here to feed from them.
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A sword-billed's
extraordinary beak, however,
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enables it to reach the places
that others can't.
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The top of this flower
where the sweet nectar is produced.
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It has found a solution that means
it doesn't have to join the fight.
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And as each long flower blooms,
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it gives the sword-billed a fresh supply
of food all to itself.
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But having a beak longer than your body
does have its drawbacks.
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For a start,
it's tricky to keep it clean.
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Harder still, how do
you preen your body feathers?
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Unlike the other hummers,
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Sword-billeds can't reach their feathers
with their beak.
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The only option,
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a good old scratch.
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It's a little unrefined,
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but a small price to pay
for an exclusive food supply.
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Especially when feeding times are only
too frequently interrupted by storms.
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(THUNDER RUMBLES)
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Jungles are the richest places on Earth
because of one remarkable fact.
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They make their own weather.
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Every day water rises from the surface
of the leaves as vapour.
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It's as if the trees breathe out clouds.
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They gather over the forest,
until, finally...
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...they burst.
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Rain is the lifeblood of every jungle.
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And all have to do their best
to endure the daily downpour.
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In some jungles, like here in Brazil,
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it rains so much that, part of the year,
the trees are almost totally submerged.
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The forest floor is 30 feet
below the water's surface.
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This is a mysterious world.
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A place few people have ever explored.
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We have much to discover about
the animals for which this is home.
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Including some you might never
expect to find amongst trees.
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Here, a thousand miles from the sea,
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are dolphins.
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A newly identified species
of river dolphin
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found nowhere else on Earth.
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In these black, tangled waters,
they have become almost totally blind,
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so they move slowly,
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carefully using their sonar
to scan the forest floor for fish.
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If this forest can hide
a new species of dolphin,
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what else might there be here,
awaiting discovery?
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At the shallow margins
of the flooded jungle,
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rivers flow through lush vegetation.
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Here, food is so abundant,
it supports giants.
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Capybara, the biggest rodents
in the world.
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Giant otters, the size of a man.
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And the rulers of these rivers.
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Caiman.
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They grow to ten feet long,
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and kill anything
they get between their jaws.
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But there are more artful hunters
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drawn here from the surrounding forest.
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A jaguar, the supreme jungle predator.
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(SOFT GROWLING)
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The river marks
the edge of his territory.
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But here, he has competition.
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(GROWLING)
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He's now in the territory of a female.
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She has ruled this stretch of river
for five years.
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This is her place to hunt.
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Capybara are strong and wary.
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The key is stealth.
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She needs to get within three feet
if she's to pounce.
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Not this time.
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She's not the only female here.
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Each part of this jungle's edge
is ruled by a different queen.
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Few places on Earth have enough food
to support so many big cats.
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(BREATH HEAVING)
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(WHINNYING)
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The male hunts in a different way.
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Weighing almost 300 pounds,
it's hard to be stealthy.
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And with so many other jaguars around,
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he doesn't bother with wary capybara.
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He seeks a different prey.
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He's become a killer of killers.
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Jaguars have the most powerful bite...
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- (BONES CRACK)
- ...of any cat.
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And he knows
the caiman's most vulnerable point,
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the back of its skull.
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Hunters living in the dense
understorey of the jungle
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come in all shapes and sizes,
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but they share a problem.
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How to tell what is a plant
and what is prey.
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This is a game of hide and seek,
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that can be won or lost
in the blink of an eye.
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The long contest
between predator and prey
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has produced mimicry
of astounding accuracy.
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A leaf-tailed gecko
masquerading as lichen.
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Some animals take camouflage
a stage further still.
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And these streams in Costa Rica
are home to one of the most remarkable.
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A glass frog.
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A male, and tiny,
no bigger than your fingernail,
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and almost entirely transparent.
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As he needs to be.
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Almost everything that walks past here
could eat him.
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Even a cricket.
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His best chance
is to stay absolutely still,
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and trust that the cricket
looks right through him.
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Danger passed,
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and that's just as well,
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because he is a father.
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And he's guarding
some very precious eggs.
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For the last few weeks,
females, one after the other,
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have visited him
and entrusted him with their offspring.
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Some are now almost ready to hatch.
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There are several clutches on the leaf,
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and those at the top,
the most recently laid,
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are barely a day old.
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But in the jungle,
there's always someone out to get you.
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This wasp is a specialist hunter
of frog's eggs.
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It's noticed the wriggling tadpoles
at the bottom of the leaf.
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He mustn't move.
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The youngest eggs
are the most vulnerable,
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and he can't guard them all.
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But these tadpoles are not as helpless
as they might appear.
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Incredibly, the un-hatched tadpoles
can sense danger,
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and the oldest and strongest
wriggle free,
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and drop into the stream below.
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The eggs at the top
of the leaf, however,
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are still too young to hatch,
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and now the wasps know they're there.
250
00:33:54,444 --> 00:33:59,084
But the male's back looks very like
the youngest cluster of eggs.
251
00:34:03,124 --> 00:34:05,884
And that seems to confuse the wasps.
252
00:34:28,324 --> 00:34:31,724
Using his on body as decoy
is a huge risk.
253
00:34:32,804 --> 00:34:34,964
The wasps' stings could kill him.
254
00:35:02,724 --> 00:35:06,044
He's managed to save most of his young.
255
00:35:10,404 --> 00:35:14,004
He'll have to remain on guard
for another two weeks.
256
00:35:15,404 --> 00:35:18,284
But in the jungle,
just surviving the day
257
00:35:18,684 --> 00:35:20,564
can count as a success.
258
00:35:34,844 --> 00:35:36,364
With the coming of the night,
259
00:35:36,524 --> 00:35:40,444
a new cast of jungle characters
takes to the stage.
260
00:35:44,204 --> 00:35:48,684
Flying insects begin to glow
as they search for mates.
261
00:35:52,924 --> 00:35:55,204
Fungi, unlike plants,
262
00:35:55,444 --> 00:35:58,044
thrive in the darkness
of the forest floor.
263
00:36:00,724 --> 00:36:04,524
They're hidden, until they begin
to develop the incredible structures
264
00:36:04,724 --> 00:36:06,404
with which they reproduce.
265
00:36:09,364 --> 00:36:12,924
Each releases
millions of microscopic spores
266
00:36:13,084 --> 00:36:15,124
that drift invisibly away.
267
00:36:20,644 --> 00:36:23,604
Many have fruiting bodies
that reach upwards
268
00:36:23,684 --> 00:36:26,284
to catch any feeble current
there might be
269
00:36:26,364 --> 00:36:27,804
in the clammy air.
270
00:36:32,004 --> 00:36:36,284
But this one, as it grows,
becomes luminous.
271
00:36:49,004 --> 00:36:52,724
Why fungi light up
has remained a mystery...
272
00:36:59,484 --> 00:37:00,564
...until now.
273
00:37:09,284 --> 00:37:12,604
Scientists studying
the brightest fungi in the world
274
00:37:13,044 --> 00:37:14,724
think they may have an answer.
275
00:37:20,124 --> 00:37:23,724
Like a beacon,
the light attracts insects...
276
00:37:29,964 --> 00:37:31,884
...from far and wide.
277
00:37:40,044 --> 00:37:41,604
To this click beetle,
278
00:37:42,044 --> 00:37:44,164
a bright light means only one thing,
279
00:37:44,604 --> 00:37:46,244
a female click beetle.
280
00:37:48,044 --> 00:37:49,804
So, he flashes in reply.
281
00:38:01,604 --> 00:38:04,604
But he doesn't get
the reception he was expecting.
282
00:38:09,204 --> 00:38:12,284
Confused, he starts
searching for a female
283
00:38:12,644 --> 00:38:14,484
and that helps the fungus.
284
00:38:16,564 --> 00:38:17,884
By the time he gives up,
285
00:38:18,124 --> 00:38:20,684
he's covered in the fungus' spores.
286
00:38:22,204 --> 00:38:24,844
And as he continues
his quest for a female,
287
00:38:24,924 --> 00:38:28,004
he carries these spores
to other parts of the forest.
288
00:38:31,684 --> 00:38:36,044
And there are even stranger things
glowing in the jungle night.
289
00:38:40,004 --> 00:38:44,924
These are the multi-coloured lights
of a railroad worm.
290
00:38:46,244 --> 00:38:48,084
It's not really a worm,
291
00:38:48,284 --> 00:38:51,204
but a poisonous,
caterpillar-like beetle.
292
00:38:54,524 --> 00:38:58,164
The yellow lights warn other creatures
to keep out of its way.
293
00:39:07,684 --> 00:39:10,284
It's hunting for millipedes.
294
00:39:20,484 --> 00:39:22,484
When it finds the trail of one,
295
00:39:22,804 --> 00:39:25,404
it switches off its yellow lights.
296
00:39:31,764 --> 00:39:35,204
Now, it only has
a red light on its head.
297
00:39:40,524 --> 00:39:43,364
Millipedes can't see red light.
298
00:39:48,484 --> 00:39:52,244
So, to them,
the railroad worm in stealth mode
299
00:39:52,484 --> 00:39:54,204
is virtually invisible.
300
00:40:06,724 --> 00:40:09,324
And that is the end of the millipede.
301
00:40:21,684 --> 00:40:23,364
Competition in the jungles
302
00:40:23,444 --> 00:40:27,684
forces animals to specialise
in every aspect of their life,
303
00:40:28,644 --> 00:40:30,044
including courtship.
304
00:40:32,644 --> 00:40:35,484
This has produced
some of the most beautiful
305
00:40:35,564 --> 00:40:38,284
and elaborate displays on the planet.
306
00:40:41,164 --> 00:40:42,164
(CAWING)
307
00:40:43,844 --> 00:40:46,404
A male red bird-of-paradise
308
00:40:47,404 --> 00:40:50,124
competing to attract
the female by dancing,
309
00:40:52,124 --> 00:40:54,604
one has come to survey what's on offer.
310
00:41:06,404 --> 00:41:07,684
(CAWING CONTINUES)
311
00:41:12,284 --> 00:41:14,524
She is an independent lady
312
00:41:14,604 --> 00:41:17,644
and she will select
whichever male takes her fancy.
313
00:41:35,484 --> 00:41:36,964
She makes her choice.
314
00:41:55,444 --> 00:41:58,404
But now she doesn't seem quite so sure.
315
00:42:06,724 --> 00:42:07,764
No.
316
00:42:08,724 --> 00:42:11,604
Perhaps he's just a little too keen.
317
00:42:24,964 --> 00:42:27,204
Maybe he'll have better luck tomorrow.
318
00:42:36,484 --> 00:42:39,844
Red birds-of-paradise
display in the tree tops.
319
00:42:43,124 --> 00:42:47,444
Other members of the family
dance in the gloom of the forest floor.
320
00:42:50,484 --> 00:42:53,724
This is a Wilson's bird-of-paradise.
321
00:42:55,364 --> 00:42:56,684
He's brightly coloured,
322
00:42:56,964 --> 00:42:58,684
but about the size of a sparrow.
323
00:43:02,364 --> 00:43:04,644
He's lived most of his life alone.
324
00:43:05,604 --> 00:43:07,204
But now he's an adult,
325
00:43:07,284 --> 00:43:09,764
and he too needs to attract a mate.
326
00:43:14,324 --> 00:43:17,284
This little patch of light
might help him do so.
327
00:43:23,684 --> 00:43:26,244
First, he tidies things up.
328
00:43:26,844 --> 00:43:30,324
Showing off in this jumble of leaves
wouldn't be easy,
329
00:43:31,804 --> 00:43:36,164
and his beauty will stand out better
against a plain background.
330
00:43:44,204 --> 00:43:48,124
He doesn't want bright leaves
to divert a visitor's attention.
331
00:43:48,804 --> 00:43:50,204
They all need to go.
332
00:43:53,964 --> 00:43:55,484
Even the green ones.
333
00:43:58,284 --> 00:44:00,164
Especially the green ones.
334
00:44:09,724 --> 00:44:11,164
His stage is set.
335
00:44:12,284 --> 00:44:14,684
A central pole
and a little patch of light...
336
00:44:15,684 --> 00:44:16,844
It's perfect.
337
00:44:20,924 --> 00:44:24,324
And now he must hope
a female hears his call.
338
00:44:24,404 --> 00:44:25,404
(CAWING)
339
00:44:35,724 --> 00:44:37,724
He can wait here for weeks on end.
340
00:44:40,364 --> 00:44:42,404
(CAWING)
341
00:44:47,964 --> 00:44:49,604
At last, a female.
342
00:44:52,644 --> 00:44:54,644
Time to take up position.
343
00:44:57,404 --> 00:45:00,684
She will judge him
by the brightness of his feathers.
344
00:45:06,524 --> 00:45:09,244
But for the female
to see him at his best,
345
00:45:09,484 --> 00:45:13,364
he needs her to perch
directly above his stage,
346
00:45:15,204 --> 00:45:16,364
under the light.
347
00:45:19,884 --> 00:45:23,164
This might be his only chance to shine.
348
00:45:29,844 --> 00:45:32,724
Now, when she's looking
directly down on him,
349
00:45:32,804 --> 00:45:35,884
he reveals a display for her eyes only.
350
00:45:42,124 --> 00:45:44,324
In the gloom of the forest floor,
351
00:45:44,404 --> 00:45:47,924
he is a dazzling blaze
of iridescent green.
352
00:45:50,164 --> 00:45:52,884
The brightest leaf in the forest.
353
00:46:01,404 --> 00:46:03,244
And that does the trick.
354
00:46:13,204 --> 00:46:15,604
Each animal must find its own way
355
00:46:15,684 --> 00:46:18,484
of surviving the competition
of the jungle.
356
00:46:31,604 --> 00:46:34,724
This crowded world
is so full of invention
357
00:46:34,804 --> 00:46:40,724
that almost all kinds of animals on land
can trace their origins back here...
358
00:46:45,524 --> 00:46:47,084
Including us.
359
00:46:50,644 --> 00:46:55,484
These forests in Madagascar
are home to one of our distant cousins.
360
00:46:59,564 --> 00:47:04,404
This female indri has fought
to keep this particular patch of forest
361
00:47:04,524 --> 00:47:07,284
safe for herself and her family.
362
00:47:08,044 --> 00:47:09,044
(HOWLING)
363
00:47:17,524 --> 00:47:20,484
Every morning, the family
come together to sing,
364
00:47:21,524 --> 00:47:25,804
their way of reminding others
that this is their home.
365
00:47:31,964 --> 00:47:35,404
Indri are so closely adapted
to living here,
366
00:47:35,604 --> 00:47:38,244
that now they can live nowhere else.
367
00:47:42,204 --> 00:47:46,004
For them, and the billions of animals
with whom they share their home,
368
00:47:47,284 --> 00:47:49,764
the jungle is a sanctuary.
369
00:47:54,124 --> 00:47:55,644
But this is changing.
370
00:48:00,004 --> 00:48:03,684
Even in the ten years
since the head of this family was born,
371
00:48:03,884 --> 00:48:07,684
one million hectares of the rainforest
have been destroyed
372
00:48:08,044 --> 00:48:09,604
in Madagascar alone,
373
00:48:11,524 --> 00:48:15,364
and, with it, half the indri families
that once lived there.
374
00:48:20,844 --> 00:48:24,284
The local people say
the indris are our brothers
375
00:48:24,604 --> 00:48:27,004
and their song is a call to remind us
376
00:48:27,164 --> 00:48:29,844
that we too once depended on the jungle.
377
00:48:38,804 --> 00:48:43,004
This Eden is still a place
of wonder and magic.
378
00:48:48,444 --> 00:48:52,044
Something surely worth protecting.
379
00:49:09,804 --> 00:49:13,444
Jungles are still some of
the least-explored places on Earth
380
00:49:13,644 --> 00:49:15,084
and with good reason,
381
00:49:16,044 --> 00:49:18,004
they are testing places to work.
382
00:49:21,764 --> 00:49:23,924
Here in the flooded forest of Brazil,
383
00:49:24,244 --> 00:49:28,924
the team are on the trail of a newly-
discovered species of river dolphin.
384
00:49:30,244 --> 00:49:31,884
So little is known about it,
385
00:49:31,964 --> 00:49:34,284
that just finding it
will be a challenge.
386
00:49:35,764 --> 00:49:40,444
Their base for five weeks is a hut
on the only bit a dry land around,
387
00:49:41,804 --> 00:49:43,804
but it's already occupied.
388
00:49:44,084 --> 00:49:46,764
MAN: It appears
someone's been making a nest.
389
00:49:46,884 --> 00:49:48,084
ATTENBOROUGH: A resident rat.
390
00:49:48,164 --> 00:49:49,364
WOMAN: Come here, little rat.
391
00:49:49,604 --> 00:49:51,084
ATTENBOROUGH: And on
the food cupboard...
392
00:49:52,244 --> 00:49:53,284
WOMAN: Hello!
393
00:49:54,364 --> 00:49:55,564
You a bit shy?
394
00:49:55,804 --> 00:49:56,804
(TEAM LAUGHS)
395
00:49:59,484 --> 00:50:01,204
ATTENBOROUGH:
If the housemates are hostile,
396
00:50:01,404 --> 00:50:03,204
the hitchhikers are even worse.
397
00:50:05,764 --> 00:50:07,124
A large spider.
398
00:50:08,404 --> 00:50:09,644
WOMAN: Oh, my God.
399
00:50:10,884 --> 00:50:13,284
ATTENBOROUGH: And a colony
of aggressive red ants,
400
00:50:13,364 --> 00:50:14,484
looking for a ride.
401
00:50:15,044 --> 00:50:16,364
JP MAGNAN: If we knock into them,
402
00:50:17,164 --> 00:50:20,244
they'll board the boat
like a bunch of pirates
403
00:50:20,724 --> 00:50:23,364
and they'll gnaw our faces off.
(LAUGHS)
404
00:50:25,244 --> 00:50:27,084
ATTENBOROUGH:
That might not be quite true,
405
00:50:27,164 --> 00:50:30,684
but intimidating animals
are the least of their problems.
406
00:50:33,124 --> 00:50:35,524
The flooded forest is not only vast,
407
00:50:35,604 --> 00:50:36,804
it's impenetrable.
408
00:50:37,084 --> 00:50:39,004
And this new species of dolphin
409
00:50:39,084 --> 00:50:44,524
could be anywhere in 150, 000
square miles of tangled tree tops.
410
00:50:46,724 --> 00:50:48,204
But the crew have a plan.
411
00:50:49,444 --> 00:50:52,644
Dolphins use sound to find their way
through the flooded forest
412
00:50:52,844 --> 00:50:54,924
by making clicks. Sonar.
413
00:50:56,164 --> 00:50:59,964
Waterproof microphones allow the crew
to eavesdrop on the dolphins
414
00:51:00,204 --> 00:51:01,404
and so follow them.
415
00:51:05,724 --> 00:51:07,484
But that's easier said than done.
416
00:51:11,604 --> 00:51:13,204
So this is the clear path.
417
00:51:13,964 --> 00:51:15,044
Can you see it?
418
00:51:15,724 --> 00:51:16,764
There.
419
00:51:23,924 --> 00:51:25,164
ATTENBOROUGH: It takes them a week
420
00:51:25,244 --> 00:51:27,444
to get the first glimpse
of this new species
421
00:51:27,524 --> 00:51:30,084
and even then,
it lasts less than a second.
422
00:51:33,324 --> 00:51:36,284
There appears to be only one dolphin.
423
00:51:39,964 --> 00:51:43,684
And frustratingly, it can pop up
anywhere without warning.
424
00:51:46,524 --> 00:51:47,804
CROWLEY: I've been looking
through the water
425
00:51:47,884 --> 00:51:50,764
and kind of seen the bodies
kind of appear out of the murk
426
00:51:50,844 --> 00:51:52,284
every now and then...
(IMITATES EXPLOSION)
427
00:51:52,364 --> 00:51:53,484
disappear again.
428
00:51:56,164 --> 00:51:57,564
ATTENBOROUGH: Eventually, the dolphin
429
00:51:57,644 --> 00:51:59,964
leads the crew to an open gap
in the forest.
430
00:52:10,724 --> 00:52:12,924
WOMAN: We made it. Yay!
431
00:52:16,404 --> 00:52:18,204
ATTENBOROUGH: Here, at last,
there may be a chance
432
00:52:18,284 --> 00:52:19,764
of getting something in the cam.
433
00:52:27,284 --> 00:52:28,324
Their first shot.
434
00:52:28,764 --> 00:52:32,084
But again,
a single breath and then it's gone.
435
00:52:36,044 --> 00:52:37,684
- WOMAN: Hey!
- MAN: Hello, you.
436
00:52:38,164 --> 00:52:40,004
ATTENBOROUGH: With the dolphin
as close as this,
437
00:52:40,084 --> 00:52:41,924
the crew can try a different technique,
438
00:52:42,484 --> 00:52:45,124
towing an underwater camera
behind the boat.
439
00:52:48,684 --> 00:52:51,644
The dolphin literally just came up
parallel to it.
440
00:52:52,564 --> 00:52:54,964
ATTENBOROUGH: The problem is
that the water is so murky
441
00:52:55,204 --> 00:52:59,004
that the dolphin is almost invisible,
even when right next to the camera.
442
00:53:06,404 --> 00:53:08,924
However, now the dolphin
is in this channel,
443
00:53:09,004 --> 00:53:10,964
the crew can try a different tack.
444
00:53:17,444 --> 00:53:19,204
(WHIRRING)
445
00:53:19,684 --> 00:53:22,444
Michael Sanderson is a drone operator.
446
00:53:25,444 --> 00:53:27,484
As long as the dolphin's in open water,
447
00:53:27,564 --> 00:53:29,884
it might be possible
to follow it from the air.
448
00:53:33,724 --> 00:53:35,884
So, we've worked out,
the dolphins seem to be here
449
00:53:35,964 --> 00:53:37,564
and we can do the drone work.
450
00:53:38,364 --> 00:53:40,724
So, this is our, kind of, best bet.
451
00:53:41,684 --> 00:53:44,284
ATTENBOROUGH: Leaving Michael
and his drone on the sandspit,
452
00:53:44,364 --> 00:53:46,484
the crew head back to open water.
453
00:53:47,604 --> 00:53:50,324
But this is called the flooded forest
for a reason.
454
00:53:53,364 --> 00:53:55,204
The rain here can be torrential.
455
00:53:55,604 --> 00:53:58,004
And although storms
normally pass quickly,
456
00:53:58,124 --> 00:54:00,564
this one is clearly not a normal storm.
457
00:54:05,724 --> 00:54:07,044
MAN: Is it not working?
458
00:54:07,444 --> 00:54:09,044
ATTENBOROUGH: The motor has broken,
459
00:54:09,204 --> 00:54:12,164
and with the boat flooding,
the crew must head for the bank.
460
00:54:18,444 --> 00:54:20,924
Looked like the rainstorm was gonna pass
and it hasn't passed us.
461
00:54:21,284 --> 00:54:23,164
It hasn't passed at all.
It's very, very heavy,
462
00:54:23,724 --> 00:54:25,924
and I'm soaked through the skin.
463
00:54:27,484 --> 00:54:28,884
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
464
00:54:29,844 --> 00:54:30,884
ATTENBOROUGH: They're stranded.
465
00:54:31,404 --> 00:54:33,004
The kit is getting drenched,
466
00:54:33,484 --> 00:54:34,644
trees are falling,
467
00:54:34,804 --> 00:54:37,044
and Michael is trapped
somewhere down river.
468
00:54:37,844 --> 00:54:40,324
This is the hardest rain
I've ever seen in my life.
469
00:54:40,444 --> 00:54:41,524
It's incredible.
470
00:54:41,764 --> 00:54:43,364
MAN: I'm hoping Michael's all right.
471
00:54:44,444 --> 00:54:46,924
And there's been tree-fall
all up around behind us.
472
00:54:47,644 --> 00:54:50,484
Michael is down there
on a tiny little sandspit,
473
00:54:50,564 --> 00:54:53,844
with the other boat...
474
00:54:55,044 --> 00:54:56,164
It's kind of scary.
475
00:54:58,804 --> 00:55:00,764
ATTENBOROUGH:
After two hours, a break in the storm
476
00:55:00,844 --> 00:55:03,564
gives Michael a chance
to rejoin the team.
477
00:55:03,764 --> 00:55:07,004
Just got caught in one of the heaviest
storms I've ever seen.
478
00:55:07,844 --> 00:55:09,964
It got up to this much water on the tarp
479
00:55:10,364 --> 00:55:11,524
and the other one.
480
00:55:12,124 --> 00:55:14,164
So, this one might...
481
00:55:14,524 --> 00:55:16,084
I don't know if this
is gonna live anymore,
482
00:55:16,164 --> 00:55:17,644
'cause that was on the floor.
483
00:55:18,164 --> 00:55:21,004
ATTENBOROUGH: It looks like
it's game over for the drone.
484
00:55:21,644 --> 00:55:23,244
NAPPER: Yeah,
it's pretty scary, wasn't it?
485
00:55:25,684 --> 00:55:29,484
ATTENBOROUGH: Over the next 12 hours,
the storm returns again and again.
486
00:55:30,924 --> 00:55:32,684
If this bad weather continues,
487
00:55:32,764 --> 00:55:36,004
the crew may not able
to get back out to the dolphin.
488
00:55:37,524 --> 00:55:38,524
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
489
00:55:41,484 --> 00:55:42,604
The next morning...
490
00:55:44,004 --> 00:55:45,004
Clear skies,
491
00:55:45,604 --> 00:55:47,364
and the drone might be fixable.
492
00:55:48,364 --> 00:55:49,924
But the longer it takes,
493
00:55:50,004 --> 00:55:54,124
the more chance that the dolphin
will have return to the flooded forest,
494
00:55:55,004 --> 00:55:57,084
and then it will be back to square one.
495
00:55:59,604 --> 00:56:01,724
But, finally, their luck is in,
496
00:56:03,924 --> 00:56:05,804
the dolphin is still there.
497
00:56:08,204 --> 00:56:12,284
For the first time, they have a chance
to film from the water and the air
498
00:56:12,364 --> 00:56:13,644
and finally discover
499
00:56:13,724 --> 00:56:16,204
what this elusive animal
is really doing.
500
00:56:17,964 --> 00:56:19,004
They were in the boat
501
00:56:19,084 --> 00:56:20,884
and they were looking around
and going, "Yeah..."
502
00:56:21,004 --> 00:56:22,044
And some bubbles.
503
00:56:22,964 --> 00:56:23,964
Some more bubbles.
504
00:56:24,044 --> 00:56:26,884
We were flying with the drone
and we could see dolphins.
505
00:56:27,164 --> 00:56:29,804
And what they thought
they could only see only one dolphin,
506
00:56:30,364 --> 00:56:31,524
we saw five.
507
00:56:31,764 --> 00:56:33,244
And they had no idea.
508
00:56:33,844 --> 00:56:37,004
ATTENBOROUGH: The crew are surprised
to find these dolphins aren't solitary,
509
00:56:37,124 --> 00:56:39,164
but come together to hunt as a team.
510
00:56:40,044 --> 00:56:42,804
CROWLEY: It's not until you see stuff
with the drone, that you suddenly go,
511
00:56:43,044 --> 00:56:44,564
"I thought that was one dolphin there, "
512
00:56:44,804 --> 00:56:46,444
and then you count,
and there were five.
513
00:56:47,564 --> 00:56:49,284
And then you're looking in one place,
514
00:56:49,364 --> 00:56:51,524
and they are all behind you,
laughing at you.
515
00:56:51,884 --> 00:56:55,164
ATTENBOROUGH: This new perspective
has given the crew a first glimpse
516
00:56:55,284 --> 00:56:57,404
into a mysterious jungle animal
517
00:56:57,484 --> 00:57:00,284
in one of the least-known
corners of the Earth.
518
00:57:09,244 --> 00:57:10,284
Next time...
519
00:57:10,524 --> 00:57:13,884
A land of extremes,
that pushes life to the limit.
520
00:57:15,724 --> 00:57:19,724
Animals have extraordinary ways
of dealing with the hostile conditions.
521
00:57:21,444 --> 00:57:24,444
Creating the most epic
survival stories on Earth...
522
00:57:25,684 --> 00:57:27,324
These are deserts.