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The islands between
Australia and Asia

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are among the biologically
richest on Earth.

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♪

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They are home
to the beautiful...

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and the bizarre.

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♪

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This is a world where birds
hatch from active volcanoes,

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pigs box,

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and kangaroos climb trees.

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A wealth of life shaped by
nature's most violent force,

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the power of the Earth.

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♪

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Over eons, volcanoes have forged
a land like no other.

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♪

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A place where, to survive,
life must adapt.

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[rumbling]

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Volcano birds lead
one of the most extreme lives

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in the natural world.

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[rumbling]

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Each day, dozens of birds gather
in an act of apparent madness.

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[rumbling]

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In a deadly realm of
bellowing ash and toxic gas...

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The volcano birds
are uniquely adapted

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to turn devastation
into an opportunity.

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♪

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Temperatures around the volcano
are sweltering.

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But it's this warmth
they're after.

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♪

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Volcano birds have enormous
feet, perfect for digging.

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♪

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They search for spots
around the volcano

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where the temperature
is just right...

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a balmy 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

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♪

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These coveted spots
are worth fighting for.

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♪

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And this is why.

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♪

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Her only act of parenthood is
this offering to the volcano.

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♪

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The heat of the slopes
will incubate the egg for her.

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♪

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The egg takes
a long time to hatch,

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among the longest of any bird.

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♪

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But when it does, the chick
is flying within an hour.

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♪

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With an active volcano as the
only parent it will ever know,

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the chick is on its own
from day one.

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[rumbling]

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Here, the Earth's violent power
has driven the evolution

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of an astonishing
array of species.

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This is the front line in
a story that has been unfolding

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for millions of years.

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And one that continues
to this day.

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Around 25 million years ago,

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Australia, surging north
into the tropics,

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began to collide
with Southeast Asia.

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At the tip of the continent,

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New Guinea was thrust up
amidst the carnage.

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♪

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The island's ancient connections
to Australia

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are evident in the animals
in its forests...

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some of which have undergone
a dramatic lifestyle change.

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[squawking]

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Kangaroos aren't exactly known
for climbing trees.

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♪

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But with lots of leaves
and few others to eat them,

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it was an opportunity
they couldn't miss.

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♪

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Australia's shift north
was so quick,

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tree kangaroos haven't had long
to adjust to life in the canopy.

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♪

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Their arms have become stronger,

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but it's obvious they were
originally built

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for hopping over open plains.

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Kangaroos may hold sway
in the treetops,

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but for the most part,

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New Guinea is
an island of birds.

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The largest is the cassowary.

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It's from an ancient lineage
that's roamed the Earth

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since the time of the dinosaurs.

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[squawking]

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But most extraordinary of all
are the birds of paradise.

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[squawking]

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The very story of New Guinea

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is written in their
profusion of plumes.

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[chirping]

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[whistling]

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Birds of paradise all descend
from one Australian ancestor.

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But the mountain ranges created
by the continental collision

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separated populations
from one another.

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So the birds have evolved into
several dozen different species.

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♪

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There's such an abundance
of food in the tropical forest,

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the males aren't needed
to help raise chicks.

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They put all their effort into
one thing: winning a female.

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♪

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This male bird of paradise
has one focus:

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a perfect performance.

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The female's focus is to choose
the best possible mate.

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Her inspection is thorough.

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♪

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Females are so critical,

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that every step of his routine
has been selected and perfected

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over countless generations.

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♪

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It's this ability to choose

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that drives the evolution
of new species.

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♪

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And it's led to
very different displays.

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From bizarre shape-shifting...

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...to spectacular plumage
shown off at group gatherings.

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[squawking]

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All this beauty is the result of
New Guinea's violent beginning.

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But this is a young island,
as the tree kangaroos show.

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♪

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Giant feet once perfect
for hopping

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take a long time to adapt
for climbing.

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They have a long way to go

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before mastering
the tropical treetops.

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The islands at the opposite end
of the chain

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have a very different tale
to tell.

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♪

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These western isles are home

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to some of the greatest
tree climbers on Earth,

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the primates.

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♪

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[whooping]

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The gibbon is the true master
of the treetops.

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They reach top speeds
of 30 miles an hour,

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and clear nearly 50 feet
in a single swing.

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They're the ultimate
canopy specialists,

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equipped with hooked hands
and extra-long arms.

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[whooping]

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The contrast with New Guinea's
kangaroos is crystal clear.

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Gibbons have had
an enormous head start.

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[whooping]

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Their home has been
in the tropics

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for more than 100 million years.

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♪

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Gibbons have had plenty of time
to master the high life.

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[whooping]

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These western islands
are all part

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of the same continental shelf.

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During past ice ages,
when sea levels were lower,

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species from mainland Asia

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crossed freely to
Borneo, Sumatra and Java.

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These forests are filled
with mammals,

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most of which
simply walked here.

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♪

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The Sumatran rhinoceros
is a rare sight.

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Fewer than 100 are thought
to remain in the wild.

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Bizarrely, she's the world's
hairiest rhino.

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It's a feature retained
from her mainland relatives,

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the now-extinct
woolly rhinoceros

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that roamed Asia
during the last ice age.

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A hairy rhino in
a hot, humid rain forest

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may seem out of place.

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But her hair has a purpose.

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♪

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Sumatran rhinos love
a good mud bath.

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This hole left behind by
a fallen tree is the ideal spot.

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♪

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She bathes every day, dipping
herself for hours at a time.

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♪

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But these mud treatments
don't come easily.

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She has to work
to keep her tub open,

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so it collects as much
rainfall as possible.

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Here in her mud bath, the reason
for all her hair becomes clear.

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It helps the mud
stick to her skin,

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keeping her cool in the heat.

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With their impressive range
of Asian animals,

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these rain forests are some
of the biologically richest

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on the planet.

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But they, too, were
forged by fire.

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[rumbling]

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Volcanoes have ruled the islands
between Asia and Australia

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for millions of years.

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Their unpredictable nature
controls all life here.

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♪

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When the giants stir,
they create deadly realms.

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This is Ijen
on the island of Java.

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♪

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Its crater is
a cauldron of acid.

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♪

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Alongside it, toxic gas howls
from beneath the earth.

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♪

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Reaching temperatures around
1,000 degrees Fahrenheit,

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some of the gas condenses
into streams of liquid sulfur.

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There is beauty in this
poisonous landscape,

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increasing as darkness falls.

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♪

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When the gas collides
with oxygen, it catches fire,

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burning with a soft blue light.

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♪

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The liquid sulfur continues to
burn, creating rivers of fire.

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♪

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Ijen's blue flames dance
only in the darkness.

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A sight so fleeting,
that as day dawns, they vanish.

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♪

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While Ijen's crater
is a toxic world,

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other volcanoes rule
with extreme violence.

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♪

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00:20:25,037 --> 00:20:28,834
At 60 miles long
and 1,600 feet deep,

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Lake Toba is all that remains

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of the most powerful volcanic
eruption in human history.

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♪

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[rumbling]

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Toba erupted 75,000 years ago,

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ash clouds soaring into the sky.

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[rumbling]

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♪

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Despite Toba's
violent destruction,

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a land of incredible
biodiversity lies in its wake.

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00:21:24,856 --> 00:21:31,966
♪

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00:21:32,001 --> 00:21:36,316
Volcanic ash is
rich in minerals.

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00:21:36,350 --> 00:21:41,735
Over time, they break down,
making the soil very fertile.

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00:21:41,769 --> 00:21:52,021
♪

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00:21:52,055 --> 00:21:54,851
Today, the forests
around Lake Toba

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00:21:54,886 --> 00:21:58,924
are among the richest
ecosystems on Earth.

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00:22:00,857 --> 00:22:03,619
Over 10,000 different
plant species

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00:22:03,653 --> 00:22:07,416
grow on these fertile
volcanic soils.

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00:22:15,976 --> 00:22:28,954
♪

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00:22:28,989 --> 00:22:31,992
There are so many different
fruiting trees,

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the orangutans who live here
are spoiled for choice.

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♪

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Individuals develop
favorite fruits and unique diets

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00:22:50,251 --> 00:22:53,289
that they pass on
to their offspring.

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♪

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As this baby grows,
he will learn the locations

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00:23:03,610 --> 00:23:07,165
and fruiting times
of this setur tree.

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00:23:07,199 --> 00:23:13,965
♪

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00:23:13,999 --> 00:23:17,762
So while mom's favorite fruits
will form much of his diet,

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00:23:17,796 --> 00:23:22,456
nearby, another youngster could
be raised on different fruits.

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00:23:22,491 --> 00:23:25,459
Today, it's rambutan.

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00:23:25,494 --> 00:23:31,845
♪

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00:23:31,879 --> 00:23:34,951
These orangutans have
the volcanoes to thank

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00:23:34,986 --> 00:23:38,817
for the sheer variety of fruits
on the island.

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00:23:38,852 --> 00:23:42,925
♪

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00:23:42,959 --> 00:23:48,137
On Sumatra, young volcanic soil
supports an abundance of life.

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00:23:48,171 --> 00:23:52,590
But as soil ages,
it becomes less fertile.

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♪

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00:23:57,284 --> 00:23:59,597
Borneo is an ancient island,

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00:23:59,631 --> 00:24:05,879
much of its rock thrust up
tens of millions of years ago.

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00:24:05,913 --> 00:24:08,157
Without fresh volcanic ash,

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some plants have had
to take extreme measures

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to find nutrients.

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They've become carnivores.

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00:24:28,418 --> 00:24:31,939
These are carnivorous
pitcher plants.

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00:24:31,974 --> 00:24:34,873
Their traps are modified leaves.

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00:24:34,908 --> 00:24:38,877
As the blade opens, the large
vein in the center of the leaf

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continues to extend outward.

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00:24:46,057 --> 00:24:49,785
Over several weeks,
the tip inflates.

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00:24:49,819 --> 00:25:08,942
♪

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Finally, the deadly trap
is revealed.

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00:25:14,395 --> 00:25:20,574
A liquid-filled chamber
with no escape.

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00:25:20,609 --> 00:25:23,508
With more than 30 species
of pitcher plants,

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Borneo is their heartland.

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Sizes and positions
of traps vary,

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00:25:35,209 --> 00:25:41,457
but all share a common goal:

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00:25:41,491 --> 00:25:44,356
lure in prey with nectar.

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♪

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00:25:53,745 --> 00:26:00,372
A slippery rim sends the prey
plummeting into the pitcher,

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00:26:00,407 --> 00:26:04,825
where digestive fluids dissolve
the victims' bodies.

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00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:13,178
Beyond this basic method, some
have even more astonishing ways

267
00:26:13,213 --> 00:26:17,631
to get the nutrients they need.

268
00:26:17,666 --> 00:26:22,222
A few pitcher plants engage
in remarkable relationships

269
00:26:22,256 --> 00:26:25,950
that stretch beyond carnivory.

270
00:26:31,127 --> 00:26:34,993
The broad, exposed back wall
of the pitcher plant hemsleyana

271
00:26:35,028 --> 00:26:39,549
has evolved to reflect
the sonar of a small bat.

272
00:26:44,934 --> 00:26:46,660
After a night on the wing,

273
00:26:46,695 --> 00:26:50,802
the pitcher is
an ideal resting spot.

274
00:26:52,908 --> 00:26:56,532
It's a perfect fit,
just wide enough to stop the bat

275
00:26:56,566 --> 00:27:00,122
from slipping down
into the digestive fluids.

276
00:27:02,711 --> 00:27:06,473
♪

277
00:27:06,507 --> 00:27:08,993
The traps provide
a parasite-free

278
00:27:09,027 --> 00:27:11,512
and cool place to sleep.

279
00:27:11,547 --> 00:27:15,793
♪

280
00:27:15,827 --> 00:27:18,347
It's a great arrangement
for the bat,

281
00:27:18,381 --> 00:27:20,590
but how the hemsleyana benefits

282
00:27:20,625 --> 00:27:24,767
isn't clear until
evening arrives.

283
00:27:24,802 --> 00:27:33,086
♪

284
00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:38,885
As it stirs, the bat pays
its way in poo,

285
00:27:38,919 --> 00:27:43,372
supplying nutrients the plant
can't get from the soil.

286
00:27:48,895 --> 00:27:53,658
This hemsleyana has
become a bat toilet.

287
00:27:53,693 --> 00:27:57,282
Just one of the many ways
nature has adapted life

288
00:27:57,317 --> 00:28:00,251
on Borneo's ancient soils.

289
00:28:09,881 --> 00:28:11,676
The violent, shifting earth

290
00:28:11,711 --> 00:28:15,611
ensures that change
is the only certainty

291
00:28:15,645 --> 00:28:19,235
on the islands between
Asia and Australia.

292
00:28:19,270 --> 00:28:27,105
♪

293
00:28:27,140 --> 00:28:32,007
To survive, life must adapt
and seize opportunities.

294
00:28:32,041 --> 00:28:36,977
♪

295
00:28:37,012 --> 00:28:39,290
And nothing presents
an opportunity

296
00:28:39,324 --> 00:28:42,776
quite like
an entirely new island.

297
00:29:17,846 --> 00:29:19,606
With new land to colonize,

298
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,127
species just need a way
of getting there.

299
00:29:26,509 --> 00:29:30,824
Plants are the obvious
early colonizers of any island.

300
00:29:34,276 --> 00:29:37,279
Grasses, their seeds
blown on the wind,

301
00:29:37,313 --> 00:29:41,455
are some of the very first
to arrive.

302
00:29:41,490 --> 00:29:45,701
♪

303
00:29:45,735 --> 00:29:49,118
Others take to the sea
to make the crossing.

304
00:29:49,153 --> 00:29:58,093
♪

305
00:29:58,127 --> 00:29:59,853
Coconuts can still germinate

306
00:29:59,888 --> 00:30:03,892
after a couple months
of floating in the open ocean.

307
00:30:06,239 --> 00:30:10,519
Liquid inside the coconut helps
the young plant get a foothold

308
00:30:10,553 --> 00:30:13,591
beneath the baking tropical sun.

309
00:30:20,287 --> 00:30:25,223
♪

310
00:30:25,258 --> 00:30:28,744
Animals swim these
tropical waters, too.

311
00:30:28,778 --> 00:30:34,543
♪

312
00:30:34,577 --> 00:30:37,477
With its streamlined body
and flattened tail,

313
00:30:37,511 --> 00:30:42,033
monitor lizards can swim
between the islands.

314
00:30:42,068 --> 00:30:59,809
♪

315
00:30:59,844 --> 00:31:02,260
As a scavenger and a carnivore,

316
00:31:02,295 --> 00:31:06,747
they're well equipped to find
the food they need to survive.

317
00:31:06,782 --> 00:31:26,146
♪

318
00:31:26,181 --> 00:31:28,286
By air and by sea,

319
00:31:28,321 --> 00:31:35,052
new islands are soon filled
with a rich diversity of life.

320
00:31:35,086 --> 00:31:38,365
And some animals play
an important role

321
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:42,783
in turning a few trees
into a rain forest.

322
00:31:42,818 --> 00:31:44,716
[chirping]

323
00:31:46,891 --> 00:31:49,273
[chirping]

324
00:31:49,307 --> 00:31:53,691
Fruit bats can bring new life
to distant worlds.

325
00:31:57,281 --> 00:32:02,010
As evening approaches,
the roost stirs.

326
00:32:02,044 --> 00:32:12,089
♪

327
00:32:29,382 --> 00:32:33,144
Under cover of darkness,
they leave their new island home

328
00:32:33,179 --> 00:32:36,147
and fly miles across the water
to the mainland

329
00:32:36,182 --> 00:32:38,908
in search of fruiting trees.

330
00:32:38,943 --> 00:32:58,066
♪

331
00:32:58,100 --> 00:33:02,553
By dawn, the bats return to the
safety of their island roost,

332
00:33:02,587 --> 00:33:05,211
bellies full of fruit.

333
00:33:05,245 --> 00:33:15,152
[chirping]

334
00:33:15,186 --> 00:33:17,671
And now, in their droppings,

335
00:33:17,706 --> 00:33:22,711
they deliver the seeds
of those fruits to the island...

336
00:33:22,745 --> 00:33:24,954
literally.

337
00:33:27,612 --> 00:33:31,064
The bats deliver large batches
of seeds each day,

338
00:33:31,099 --> 00:33:34,067
with their own dose
of fertilizer.

339
00:33:34,102 --> 00:33:41,005
[chirping]

340
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:48,495
♪

341
00:33:48,530 --> 00:33:53,052
Turning a handful of trees
into a thriving rain forest.

342
00:33:53,086 --> 00:34:01,129
♪

343
00:34:01,163 --> 00:34:03,096
Cut off from their mainland kin,

344
00:34:03,131 --> 00:34:07,721
inhabitants of these islands
evolve into new species.

345
00:34:07,756 --> 00:34:13,486
♪

346
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,936
Long isolation
defines the islands

347
00:34:15,971 --> 00:34:19,388
that lie between
Australia and Asia.

348
00:34:22,150 --> 00:34:24,566
Separated by
deep water channels,

349
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,535
these islands belong
to neither realm.

350
00:34:28,570 --> 00:34:31,780
Some were born of fire.

351
00:34:31,814 --> 00:34:35,508
Others were torn away
as the continents collided,

352
00:34:35,542 --> 00:34:40,306
carrying animals with them.

353
00:34:40,340 --> 00:34:44,586
On the island of Halmahera, the
forests are home to a stowaway,

354
00:34:44,620 --> 00:34:48,659
cut adrift for
some 11 million years.

355
00:34:51,938 --> 00:34:54,596
Before dawn, the males gather.

356
00:34:54,630 --> 00:34:58,289
[chirping]

357
00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:06,573
The standardwing
bird of paradise.

358
00:35:06,608 --> 00:35:09,024
[chirping]

359
00:35:09,058 --> 00:35:17,170
♪

360
00:35:17,205 --> 00:35:21,795
Their aerial display
is totally unique,

361
00:35:21,830 --> 00:35:25,730
as are their
translucent feathers.

362
00:35:25,765 --> 00:35:40,745
[squawking]

363
00:35:45,785 --> 00:35:50,169
Very little is known about
these peculiar creatures.

364
00:35:50,203 --> 00:36:00,075
♪

365
00:36:00,109 --> 00:36:02,698
[squawking]

366
00:36:02,733 --> 00:36:06,737
Their display seems to be
a bizarre mix of the gatherings

367
00:36:06,771 --> 00:36:12,674
and dances of New Guinea's
birds of paradise.

368
00:36:12,708 --> 00:36:15,884
They're adorned like
the plumed dancing birds.

369
00:36:15,918 --> 00:36:20,095
But daylight also reveals
an iridescent breast shield,

370
00:36:20,129 --> 00:36:22,787
much like the shape-shifters.

371
00:36:22,822 --> 00:36:31,727
♪

372
00:36:31,762 --> 00:36:38,009
Standardwings are perhaps the
most unusual bird of paradise.

373
00:36:43,567 --> 00:36:47,191
But on the island of Sulawesi,
Halmahera's neighbor,

374
00:36:47,226 --> 00:36:50,401
lives even stranger stowaways.

375
00:36:50,436 --> 00:36:56,476
♪

376
00:36:56,511 --> 00:37:01,550
Sulawesi is made up of land
from both Australia and Asia

377
00:37:01,585 --> 00:37:03,587
and is home to a mix of animals

378
00:37:03,621 --> 00:37:07,625
that evolved on the two
completely different continents.

379
00:37:07,660 --> 00:37:13,390
♪

380
00:37:13,424 --> 00:37:17,290
This mineral spring,
hidden deep in the rain forest,

381
00:37:17,325 --> 00:37:21,363
sets the stage
for a bizarre cast.

382
00:37:26,955 --> 00:37:29,751
There are creatures
on the island of Sulawesi

383
00:37:29,785 --> 00:37:33,962
that have been isolated here
since the ancient past.

384
00:37:42,867 --> 00:37:48,321
The true stars are the shy
and seldom-seen babirusas.

385
00:37:48,356 --> 00:37:53,775
♪

386
00:37:53,809 --> 00:37:56,536
The babirusa is a type of pig,

387
00:37:56,571 --> 00:37:58,504
cut off from
their Asian relatives

388
00:37:58,538 --> 00:38:02,024
for as long as 20 million years.

389
00:38:04,268 --> 00:38:07,927
They've evolved
into unique pigs.

390
00:38:07,961 --> 00:38:14,416
♪

391
00:38:14,451 --> 00:38:18,972
Their piglets lack stripes
and are born in ones and twos,

392
00:38:19,007 --> 00:38:21,527
rather than large litters.

393
00:38:21,561 --> 00:38:32,538
♪

394
00:38:32,572 --> 00:38:35,748
Babirusas emerge from the forest
in family groups,

395
00:38:35,782 --> 00:38:39,441
with dozens visiting
the spring each day.

396
00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:49,831
So many come to drink
that it soon gets overcrowded.

397
00:38:49,865 --> 00:38:53,662
Much to the frustration
of the local macaques.

398
00:38:56,838 --> 00:38:59,288
As strange a spectacle
as this is,

399
00:38:59,323 --> 00:39:03,810
nothing quite compares
to the male babirusa.

400
00:39:08,815 --> 00:39:13,164
Its tusks grow through
the roof of its mouth.

401
00:39:16,029 --> 00:39:17,721
According to local lore,

402
00:39:17,755 --> 00:39:22,553
males use them to hang
from branches while sleeping.

403
00:39:22,588 --> 00:39:24,590
No one seems to know for sure,

404
00:39:24,624 --> 00:39:27,144
but they're apparently
not for fighting.

405
00:39:27,178 --> 00:39:29,767
[squealing]

406
00:39:29,802 --> 00:39:32,356
When male babirusas face off,

407
00:39:32,391 --> 00:39:35,946
the conflict is settled
by boxing.

408
00:39:35,980 --> 00:39:57,623
♪

409
00:39:57,657 --> 00:40:02,041
Another unique creature joined
the boxing babirusas on Sulawesi

410
00:40:02,075 --> 00:40:06,079
when the island collided
with yet another land mass.

411
00:40:08,288 --> 00:40:18,609
♪

412
00:40:18,644 --> 00:40:20,266
Like the babirusa,

413
00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:23,925
the bear cuscus has been
confined to Sulawesi

414
00:40:23,959 --> 00:40:26,375
for some 20 million years.

415
00:40:26,410 --> 00:40:32,727
♪

416
00:40:32,761 --> 00:40:36,627
Its prehensile tail
acts like an extra hand,

417
00:40:36,662 --> 00:40:40,562
helping it move through
the rain forest trees.

418
00:40:40,597 --> 00:40:46,844
♪

419
00:40:46,879 --> 00:40:50,469
But the bear cuscus is
actually a marsupial.

420
00:40:50,503 --> 00:40:54,990
It drifted here
all the way from Australia.

421
00:40:55,025 --> 00:41:08,659
♪

422
00:41:08,694 --> 00:41:11,835
Northern Sulawesi,
a land of fire,

423
00:41:11,869 --> 00:41:15,424
tells a different story.

424
00:41:15,459 --> 00:41:26,194
♪

425
00:41:26,228 --> 00:41:27,885
Thanks to the volcanoes,

426
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:34,167
the rain forests here are more
robust than those further south.

427
00:41:34,202 --> 00:41:42,244
♪

428
00:41:44,902 --> 00:41:50,080
So these crested macaques
have a rich and varied diet.

429
00:42:03,611 --> 00:42:05,371
There's so much fruit

430
00:42:05,405 --> 00:42:10,100
that they can live in troops
over 100 strong.

431
00:42:18,798 --> 00:42:21,249
With so many living
side by side,

432
00:42:21,283 --> 00:42:26,150
communication is an essential
part of keeping the peace.

433
00:42:32,950 --> 00:42:36,298
Each expression conveys
a different message,

434
00:42:36,333 --> 00:42:38,369
so others know
how they're feeling,

435
00:42:38,404 --> 00:42:43,236
be it threatened, aroused,
or submissive.

436
00:42:43,271 --> 00:42:48,587
[chattering]

437
00:42:50,899 --> 00:42:55,455
These are the most sociable
macaques in the world.

438
00:42:57,665 --> 00:43:00,909
They can spend hours
grooming each other.

439
00:43:00,944 --> 00:43:16,200
♪

440
00:43:16,235 --> 00:43:20,860
Sulawesi is this region's
most extraordinary island.

441
00:43:20,895 --> 00:43:34,218
♪

442
00:43:34,253 --> 00:43:36,669
It's an ancient land
of stowaways

443
00:43:36,704 --> 00:43:42,019
torn from different worlds,
ruled by the Earth's raw power.

444
00:43:51,373 --> 00:43:52,961
Over millions of years,

445
00:43:52,996 --> 00:43:56,033
the power of fire
has turned these islands

446
00:43:56,068 --> 00:43:58,484
between Asia and Australia

447
00:43:58,518 --> 00:44:02,626
into some of the biologically
richest places on our planet,

448
00:44:02,661 --> 00:44:08,080
and created a home for some
incredibly unique creatures.