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[Paul Rudd]
Planet Earth is so spectacular,

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it's easy to miss
the smaller things in life.

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But take a closer look...

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and there's a whole undiscovered world.

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A world where tiny heroes...

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and little monsters...

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need incredible superpowers...

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to help them triumph against giant odds.

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The jungles of Latin America,

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home to more little lives

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than anywhere else on Earth.

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[birds chirping]

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Down in the leaf litter,
a new one is just beginning.

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This strawberry dart frog
is carrying her tadpole on her back.

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It's about the size of a grain of rice.

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The jungle underworld is far too dangerous
for her baby.

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[snake hisses]

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She needs to find a safe place
for it to grow.

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Way up there, in the branches
of this 40-meter jungle skyscraper.

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For a frog the size of a grape...

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this is her Mount Everest.

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Sticky feet give her grip.

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But one slip could be fatal.

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She's got plenty of company in the trees.

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From root...

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...to tip.

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There may be 5,000
different kinds of little creatures

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living in a single tree.

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[birds chirping]

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[buzzing]

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Finally, up in the canopy,
where the sun shines.

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A bromeliad plant
makes the perfect penthouse pool

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for her tadpole to grow in.

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But with so many little animals
competing for food and space,

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life in the jungle is precarious.

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Only a true specialist can survive.

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Meet the smallest monkey in the world...

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[marmoset squeaking]

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The pygmy marmoset.

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An adult will fit
in the palm of your hand.

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Being so tiny makes it hard to know
who's friend, foe or food.

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[squeaking]

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But at least they can
tap into a food source

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right beneath their feet.

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With sharp teeth, they gouge away the bark

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to create miniature wells that fill up
with delicious sugary sap.

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On a big tree, there may be
over 1,000 of them.

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Easily enough for a growing family.

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Good thing.
There are new additions to the troop.

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Each the size of a Ping-Pong ball.

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Marmosets nearly always
give birth to twins.

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Both parents share babysitting duties,
and even the older siblings pitch in...

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when they're not fighting.

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[squeaking]

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Cooperation is a way of life
for these pocket-sized primates.

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So is hanging around
in the middle of the tree.

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It's too dangerous below...

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[howler monkeys howling]

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and way too crowded above.

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Sixty times the size of a marmoset,
howler monkeys dominate up here.

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The canopy is where
80% of all life in the jungle is found.

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On the forest floor,
life is more of a struggle.

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[sniffing]

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Hardly any sunlight reaches down here,
so not much can grow.

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This pint-sized agouti
relies on what falls from above.

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[thunder rumbling]

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[rain pattering]

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Rain is the lifeblood of the jungle.

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Up to three meters falls each year.

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Every drop has a huge impact
on tiny lives.

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Showers keep the tadpole pool topped up.

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But there can be too much of a good thing.

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Water soaked up by the plants and bark
adds enormous weight to ancient trees.

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Torrential rains wash away thin soil.

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[thunder rumbles]

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Giant trees endure centuries
of drenching storms...

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until one day...

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[tree creaks]

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[tree cracking]

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When a tree this size falls...

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it leaves a big hole in jungle life.

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[insects chirping]

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The strawberry dart frog has survived.

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But her tadpole is exposed.

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And a fire-bellied ground snake
can sense it.

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There's nothing the mother can do...

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but start again.

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[birds chirping]

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A disaster for some
is a windfall for others.

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[crunches]

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Leaf-cutter ants no longer have to climb.

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The leaves are many times their size.

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But each ant can carry
ten times their own weight.

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And a colony of eight million
can strip a tree like this

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in a matter of days.

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The fallen giant attracts all sorts
of other tiny leaf eaters too.

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Unfortunately, marmosets don't eat leaves.

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And losing a major sap tree
is a huge setback.

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[squeaking]

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But these little gremlins
do have a surprisingly predatory side.

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[marmoset squeaks]

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Their spring-loaded legs can launch them
up to three meters.

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Curved claws grip
like mini grappling hooks.

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[chews, crunches]

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And those bark-chomping teeth
are just as effective on insects.

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Hunting among tangles of fallen branches
comes easily to these miniature monkeys.

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[squeaks]

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They'll eat
pretty much anything they can grab.

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But not all is what it seems.

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An amazing display of mimicry.

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This caterpillar's impression
of a deadly snake is so convincing

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it's scary.

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After hundreds of years in shadow,

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suddenly
the forest floor is bathed in sunlight.

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Seeds that have laid dormant start small
but aim high.

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This is now a race for light.

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[rustling]

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Climbers and vines
are quick off the mark...

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smothering any saplings
as they fight for their place in the sun.

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Soon the fallen giant is carpeted
in new growth.

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And the gap is transformed
into a lush glade.

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[bird hums]

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But this is no Eden.

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Hummingbirds are as light
as a sheet of paper.

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What they lack in size,
they make up for in aggression.

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[knives slashing]

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Some have daggerlike bills and even teeth.

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All for fighting over flowers.

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[bird hums]

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Hummingbirds have to refuel
every few minutes.

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With feathered tongues,
they lap up nectar 20 times a second.

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And they need to be quick.

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The competition is relentless.

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But it doesn't have to be like this.

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The crescent-shaped flowers
of the heliconia

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are impossible
for most hummingbirds to feed from.

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But the green hermit
has a long, curved bill.

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It allows it
to feed on the nectar in peace.

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Well, almost.

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Tinier than a pinhead,

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these flower mites have nearly drunk
this heliconia dry.

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To reach the next flower,
they need to hitch a lift.

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For their size,
they're almost as fast as a cheetah.

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Racing up the hummingbird's beak...

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to stow away in its nostrils...

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ready to be airlifted
on to the next flower.

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[wings flapping]

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As the glade is overgrown,

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the forest floor
falls into darkness once more.

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Fungi thrive in these damp conditions...

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rotting away the remains of fallen trees.

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Finding fresh food here is much harder.

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[sniffing]

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A Brazil nut pod is too tough
for most animals.

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But not an agouti.

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What she can't eat now,
she'll bury for later.

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She's nervous by nature.

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And for good reason.

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A margay is only slightly bigger
than a house cat...

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but a lot deadlier.

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[growls]

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The dark forest floor
conceals many predators.

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And on a smaller scale,
they are even more sinister.

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On 40 little legs,

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this finger-length velvet worm
stalks in silence.

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Its hunting tactics
are the stuff of science fiction.

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Vibration sensors on its body
track its victim's movement.

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It must creep closer...

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to use its secret weapon...

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Web-slingers.

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The sticky strands harden in seconds.

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There's no escape.

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Tiny creatures must be on guard
at all times.

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The female strawberry dart frog
has just laid a new clutch of eggs.

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But it's the male's job to keep them safe.

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Bright red color is a warning
to predators.

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His skin secretes a deadly toxin.

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Just one problem...

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Fire-bellied snakes are immune.

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They are also highly sensitive
to any movement.

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Keep perfectly still...

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and he might just survive.

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But he can't hide from everything.

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[frog croaking]

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A rival male.

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[frogs croaking]

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He's after this territory.

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[croaking continues]

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If he claims it, he'll eat the eggs.

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This little dad
has everything to fight for.

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Both no heavier than a sugar cube,
they're evenly matched.

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They can keep this up
for over half an hour.

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The little frog is beginning to tire.

194
00:23:10,516 --> 00:23:12,346
But Dad comes out on top.

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His rival's seen off, at least for now.

196
00:23:21,818 --> 00:23:25,448
It's still two more weeks of guard duty
before his eggs hatch.

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[frog croaking]

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[buzzing]

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As the forest matures,
more intricate relationships develop.

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[bee buzzes]

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00:23:47,928 --> 00:23:50,558
This orchid bee
is on an extraordinary mission.

202
00:23:52,432 --> 00:23:55,142
He's flown over 40 kilometers to get here.

203
00:23:58,355 --> 00:23:59,475
And he's not alone.

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00:24:02,734 --> 00:24:07,664
All of them males,
and all after one thing.

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Not pollen.

206
00:24:12,870 --> 00:24:13,910
Perfume.

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00:24:16,498 --> 00:24:18,168
This orchid produces a fragrance

208
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that will make him irresistible
to female bees.

209
00:24:23,297 --> 00:24:25,757
So he collects as much as he can.

210
00:24:28,177 --> 00:24:29,597
But if he's not careful...

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he'll drown in it.

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00:24:44,985 --> 00:24:46,395
There's only one way out.

213
00:24:54,912 --> 00:24:56,412
It's a tight squeeze.

214
00:25:02,127 --> 00:25:04,957
And the orchid won't let him leave
without a parting gift.

215
00:25:09,593 --> 00:25:11,803
A pollen package stuck to his back.

216
00:25:21,396 --> 00:25:23,976
The little bee's mission for a mate
continues,

217
00:25:24,983 --> 00:25:26,403
but the orchid's work is done.

218
00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:46,205
For the pygmy marmosets,
life seems to be returning to normal.

219
00:25:50,217 --> 00:25:52,467
Insects are harder to come by these days.

220
00:25:56,139 --> 00:25:57,219
Not a problem.

221
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They've been busy
digging new sap wells in new trees.

222
00:26:10,112 --> 00:26:11,992
Their noisy neighbors are back too.

223
00:26:12,072 --> 00:26:13,912
[howler monkeys howling]

224
00:26:18,579 --> 00:26:22,999
Making a racket, hogging the food...

225
00:26:32,009 --> 00:26:33,429
and creating a mess.

226
00:26:42,394 --> 00:26:43,774
When nature calls,

227
00:26:44,938 --> 00:26:47,268
it falls on the little guys
to sort it out.

228
00:26:54,531 --> 00:26:57,951
This tiny superhero keeps things clean
in the canopy.

229
00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:07,335
A beetle, only the size of a dime.

230
00:27:08,504 --> 00:27:09,924
But no job is too big.

231
00:27:17,888 --> 00:27:19,058
From 20 meters up...

232
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he just holds on tight.

233
00:27:43,580 --> 00:27:45,750
And here comes
the rest of the cleanup crew.

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00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:03,135
The dung balls are rolled away
to be buried.

235
00:28:06,270 --> 00:28:07,480
Food for their young.

236
00:28:10,691 --> 00:28:12,691
And fertilizer for the forest.

237
00:28:19,199 --> 00:28:23,199
The jungle is a complex world
full of amazing little animals.

238
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All with their own unique role to play.

239
00:28:32,129 --> 00:28:34,969
And these tiny primates
have found their place too.

240
00:28:41,555 --> 00:28:44,385
Their crowded little patch of forest
is ever-changing.

241
00:28:48,437 --> 00:28:51,357
But for now, life is sweet.

242
00:28:56,195 --> 00:28:57,235
And down below...

243
00:28:58,614 --> 00:29:01,414
One Brazil nut the agouti left behind...

244
00:29:07,206 --> 00:29:09,416
Slowly growing in the shadows.

245
00:29:13,086 --> 00:29:14,506
Playing the long game.

246
00:29:17,424 --> 00:29:22,434
From small beginnings, giants emerge.

247
00:29:34,358 --> 00:29:37,188
The jungle might look
like an endless sea of green...

248
00:29:40,739 --> 00:29:45,579
but each and every tree
is home to a universe of little wonders.

249
00:29:51,166 --> 00:29:52,576
A strawberry dart frog

250
00:29:53,085 --> 00:29:55,915
looking to find a safe place
for her tiny tadpole.

251
00:30:00,300 --> 00:30:01,390
She better get moving...

252
00:30:13,981 --> 00:30:15,981
to raise the next generation.

253
00:30:17,943 --> 00:30:19,613
It's a long journey...

254
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all the way up.