[MONKEYS CALLING]
[HOOTING]
Patrick Aryee: PREPARE TO MEET A FEW MEMBERS OF THE CLAN.
[ORANGUTAN SCREECHING]
MISCHIEVOUS MONKEYS...
INTELLIGENT APES...
AND A CAST OF STRANGE AND ENCHANTING LITTLE COUSINS.
[MONKEY SCREECHES]
THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR CLOSEST RELATIVES ON EARTH.
FROM THE MIGHTY GORILLA
TO A PRIMATE SO SMALL IT COULD FIT IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND,
WE’RE ALL PART OF THE SAME AMAZING ANIMAL ORDER.
TODAY, THERE ARE OVER 400 DIFFERENT MEMBERS
OF OUR PRIMATE ORDER.
THEY ARE UNRIVALED ACROBATS...
DOTING PARENTS...
AND SOME OF THE SMARTEST CREATURES IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
SO, HOW DID PRIMATES BECOME SO SUCCESSFUL?
[PRIMATES CALLING]
WE’RE ON A JOURNEY TO RETRACE THE ASTONISHING RISE TO POWER
OF OUR VERY OWN PRIMATE FAMILY TREE.
[SCREECHING]
WE’VE TRAVELED TO ASIA TO REVEAL THE SURPRISING WAYS
MONKEYS AND APES CONQUERED
THE BIGGEST CONTINENT ON THE PLANET.
[GRUNTING]
♪
PREPARE TO MEET SOME OF YOUR CLOSEST RELATIVES.
[CHATTERING]
[PRIMATES CALLING]
♪
OUR STORY STARTS HERE,
IN THE FORESTS OF ASIA,
MORE THAN 55 MILLION YEARS AGO.
[MONKEYS HOWLING]
AT SOME POINT, DEEP IN THE MIST OF TIME,
AN UNFAMILIAR CREATURE APPEARED
SOMEWHERE UP IN THE CANOPY.
AS THIS MYSTERIOUS ANIMAL
TOOK ITS FIRST STEPS,
LEAPING FROM BRANCH TO BRANCH,
IT MARKED THE BIRTH OF A NEW ORDER OF ANIMALS IN ASIA,
THE PRIMATES.
[MONKEYS CALLING]
TODAY, ONE DESCENDANT OF THOSE EARLY PRIMATES
STILL HANGS OUT IN THE TREETOPS OF ASIA--
THE GIBBON.
[GIBBONS WHOOPING]
FLYING THROUGH THE CANOPY AT ASTONISHING SPEED...
[WHOOPING]
THEY CAN CLEAR OVER 30 FEET BETWEEN BRANCHES.
[HOWLING]
THESE JUNGLE ACROBATS ARE PERFECTLY ADAPTED
FOR CANOPY LIFE.
NEVER HAS AN ANIMAL LOOKED SO COMFORTABLE IN THE TREES.
♪
LOOKING AT THIS GIBBON, THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE
IS JUST HOW LONG ITS LIMBS ARE, ESPECIALLY ITS ARMS,
WHICH ARE ONE AND HALF TIMES LONGER THAN ITS LEGS.
BUT IT DOES LOOK PERFECTLY AT HOME IN THE TREES.
WITH THOSE LONG ARMS AND THEIR LIGHTWEIGHT BODIES...
GIBBONS APPEAR TO DEFY GRAVITY.
BUT THIS IS A FLYING TRAPEZE WITH NO SAFETY NET.
♪
LIVING IN THE CANOPY CAN BE A DANGEROUS BUSINESS,
AND SOMETIMES GIBBONS DO GET IT WRONG,
AND THEY’LL FALL FROM WHAT IS CLEARLY A GREAT HEIGHT,
AND IN THE PROCESS INJURE THEMSELVES OR BREAK BONES.
SO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE RAISING YOUNG
UP THERE IN THE TREETOPS.
♪
[CALLING]
THIS LITTLE ONE SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME CLINGING TO MUM,
BUT HE’S STARTING TO LEARN THE ROPES.
♪
LIKE ANY NOVICE, HE’S A LITTLE NERVOUS.
AND WHEN HE’S ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED FROM 65 FEET UP...
HE HAS TO LEARN FAST.
BUT HE SOON GETS INTO THE SWING OF THINGS.
♪
IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S PASSED HIS FIRST LESSON
IN JUNGLE SCHOOLING.
♪
LIVING HIGH IN THE TREETOPS MAY SEEM PRECARIOUS.
♪
BUT THERE’S A WEALTH OF FOOD IN THE CANOPY,
AND UP HERE, FEW PREDATORS CAN GET AT THEM.
THAT’S WHY EARLY PRIMATES FLOURISHED
IN THE TREETOPS OF ASIA
AND WHY GIBBONS STILL LIVE HERE TODAY.
[SQUEAKING AND WHISTLING]
THE GIBBON IS THE PERFECT JUNGLE ACROBAT,
BUT ONLY ONE OF OVER 400 EXTRAORDINARY MEMBERS
THAT MAKE UP OUR AMAZING ANIMAL GROUP.
♪
THE PRIMATE FAMILY TREE BURST INTO LIFE
AROUND 55 MILLION YEARS AGO.
[SQUAWKING]
AS IT GREW, SEPARATE BRANCHES BEGAN TO BREAK AWAY,
AS NEW MEMBERS OF OUR ORDER EVOLVED.
[SHRIEKING]
IN THE OLDEST PART OF THE TREE,
THERE ARE INQUISITIVE LEMURS.
[HOWLING AND SQUAWKING]
NEXT TO THEM IS THE ODDEST BRANCH OF ALL,
HOME TO CURIOUS LITTLE NIGHTTIME HUNTERS.
THE LARGEST AND BUSIEST BRANCHES
BELONG TO THE MONKEYS,
WITH MORE THAN 270 NOISY MEMBERS.
AND FINALLY THERE’S OUR BRANCH,
THE GREAT APES...
THE BIGGEST AND SMARTEST PRIMATES OF ALL.
TODAY, THE PRIMATE FAMILY TREE
IS ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AND DAZZLING GROUPS OF ANIMALS
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
[CHATTERING]
[THUNDER]
♪
OUR JOURNEY STARTS MORE THAN 55 MILLION YEARS AGO,
WHEN THE FIRST PRIMATES WERE ARISING IN THE JUNGLES OF ASIA.
I’VE COME TO THE ISLAND OF SULAWESI, INDONESIA,
IN SEARCH OF ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY.
[WHISTLING]
THESE BIZARRE CREATURES ARE PART OF A GROUP
THAT HAS EXISTED SINCE LONG BEFORE MONKEYS AND APES.
DURING THE DAY, THEY HIDE OUT
IN THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TREES IN THE JUNGLE.
THE SKYSCRAPERS OF THE FOREST.
THIS MAGNIFICENT STRANGLER FIG TREE IS HOME
TO ONE OF THE WEIRDEST MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY.
HIDDEN DEEP IN THIS LIVING LABYRINTH
ARE A GROUP OF STRANGE, GREMLIN-LIKE PREDATORS.
TO SEE THESE TINY TERRORS IN ACTION,
I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SUNSET.
WE CAN OBSERVE THE JUNGLE AT NIGHT LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
A BRAND-NEW LOWLIGHT CAMERA ALLOWS US TO FILM
IN NEAR TOTAL DARKNESS...
BUT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE DAYLIGHT.
THIS EXTRAORDINARY NEW TECHNOLOGY
REVEALS THE SECRET WORLD OF SOME OF OUR MOST DISTANT COUSINS...
THE TARSIERS.
THEY AREN’T MUCH BIGGER THAN A TENNIS BALL.
[SQUEAKING]
BUT FOR THEIR SIZE,
THEY HAVE SOME OF THE BIGGEST ATTRIBUTES OF ANY PRIMATE.
EACH EYEBALL IS BIGGER THAN ITS BRAIN...
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
GIVING THESE LITTLE CREATURES
NIGHT VISION 100 TIMES BETTER THAN OURS,
AND LONG, FROG-LIKE LEGS ALLOW THEM TO LAUNCH THEMSELVES...
UP TO 60 TIMES THEIR OWN BODY LENGTH.
THE LITTLE TARSIER’S SPRINGY LIMBS
AND INCREDIBLE NIGHT VISION...
MAKE THEM FORMIDABLE PREDATORS.
EACH NIGHT, THEY PING THROUGH THE TREES,
POUNCING ON UNSUSPECTING INSECT PREY.
THE TARSIER IS THE ONLY FULLY CARNIVOROUS PRIMATE.
IN THESE CURIOUS LITTLE CREATURES,
WE GET A GLIMPSE OF HOW THE PRIMATE STORY BEGAN.
40 MILLION YEARS, AND THESE GUYS HAVE HARDLY CHANGED AT ALL.
THEY ARE WONDERFULLY ADAPTED AS NIGHTTIME HUNTERS.
THE DARKNESS IS THEIR REALM,
AND THEY HAVE MASTERED IT PERFECTLY.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE,
TARSIERS SIT ON ONE OF THE OLDEST BRANCHES.
BUT AROUND 40 MILLION YEARS AGO,
A NEW BRANCH BROKE AWAY,
AS EARLY PRIMATES CONTINUED TO EVOLVE.
THIS GROUP HAD BIGGER BRAINS, BETTER EYESIGHT,
AND LIVED IN BIG, NOISY TROOPS.
THE MONKEYS HAD ARRIVED.
[CHATTERING AND SQUAWKING]
[WHISTLING]
TODAY, IN THE SAME SULAWESI JUNGLES OF INDONESIA
THE TARSIERS PATROL AT NIGHT...
MONKEYS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE DAY SHIFT.
[SCREECHING]
BLACK-CRESTED MACAQUES...
MONKEYS WITH MOHAWKS.
THEY LIVE IN GIANT TROOPS,
WITH UP TO 100 MISCHIEVOUS MEMBERS.
I’VE COME TO MEET A WILD TROOP
TO FIND OUT WHAT ALLOWS THEM TO LIVE IN SUCH BIG GROUPS.
APPARENTLY, IT’S ALL DOWN
TO THEIR MASTERFUL COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THESE CHEEKY CHARACTERS FOR A WHILE NOW,
AND IT’S JUST LIKE FOLLOWING AN UNRULY FAMILY GATHERING.
THERE’S CONSTANT NOISE, AND TO THE UNTRAINED EAR,
THIS MIGHT SOUND LIKE CHAOS,
BUT EVERY TINY YIP, YELP,
EVERY BARK HAS A SPECIFIC MEANING.
[GRUNTING AND CHATTERING]
WHEN YOUNG MONKEYS ARE TROUBLESOME, THIS GRUNT...
[GRUNTING]
IS WHAT IRRITATION SOUNDS LIKE.
[SCREECHING]
AND WHEN THERE’S DANGER, THIS...
[SCREECHING]
MEANS RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.
[GRUNTING]
INCREDIBLY, THESE MACAQUES HAVE
OVER A HUNDRED DIFFERENT WAYS TO COMMUNICATE.
[GRUNTING]
AND EVEN MORE REMARKABLE, THESE MONKEYS DO A LOT OF THIS
WITHOUT MAKING ANY SOUND AT ALL,
THANKS TO THEIR HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE FACES.
TO DEMONSTRATE, I’M SETTING UP A JUNGLE PHOTO BOOTH.
IT’S THOUGHT THAT BLACK-CRESTED MACAQUES
ARE SOME OF THE FRIENDLIEST MONKEYS ON EARTH.
WHEN THEY SEE A STRANGER
OR AN INDIVIDUAL THEY DON’T RECOGNIZE,
THEIR FACES LIGHT UP, AND THEY SWITCH ON THE CHARM.
AND TO SEE THIS CHARM OFFENSIVE,
I’VE BROUGHT ALONG AN UNUSUAL PIECE OF KIT
THAT THEY SHOULD FIND IRRESISTIBLE.
INSIDE THIS BOX IS A CAMERA.
IT’S HIDDEN BEHIND A ONE-WAY MIRROR.
WHEN THE MONKEYS PEER INSIDE,
ALL THEY’LL SEE IS THEIR OWN REFLECTION,
AND THINKING IT’S ANOTHER MONKEY,
THEY SHOULD GREET THEM
WITH A SERIES OF FRIENDLY FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
[LAUGHING]
♪
THAT IS BRILLIANT.
BUT LOOK WHAT THEY’RE DOING WITH THEIR FACES,
ESPECIALLY THEIR MOUTHS.
♪
THEY’RE JUST LIP-SMACKING.
THIS IS THEIR WAY OF SAYING HELLO.
DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS.
♪
AN INNOCENT-LOOKING YAWN SHOWS OFF SHARP TEETH
AND IS, IN FACT, A THREAT.
♪
FOLDING THE EARS BACK IS A FRIENDLY GESTURE,
AN INVITATION TO PLAY.
♪
AND IT SEEMS THERE ARE A FEW EXPRESSIONS
THEY EVEN SHARE WITH US.
[CHATTERING]
SULAWESI MACAQUES HAVE UP TO 130 DIFFERENT ACTIONS
AND EXPRESSIONS.
BUT SADLY, WE ONLY CAPTURE A FEW
BEFORE OUR EXPERIMENT IS CUT SHORT.
[GRUNTING]
BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN SOPHISTICATED WAYS
HAS BEEN KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THESE MACAQUES
AND ALL MONKEYS,
ALLOWING THEM TO LIVE IN LARGE, TIGHT-KNIT GROUPS
AND WORK TOGETHER.
[SQUAWKING]
AND IT’S THIS IN COMBINATION WITH THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS
COMPLEX EMOTIONS WITH JUST A SINGLE LOOK
THAT HAS TRANSFORMED THE WAY PRIMATES LIVE TOGETHER.
IT’S THE THING THAT SETS US APART
FROM EVERY OTHER ANIMAL ON EARTH.
[ENGINE RUNNING]
AS EARLY PRIMATES VENTURED BEYOND THE JUNGLES,
THEY BEGAN TO COLONIZE IN UNUSUAL NEW LANDS.
♪
I’M HEADED TO A GROUP OF ISLANDS OFF SOUTHERN THAILAND
TO MEET SOME MONKEY CASTAWAYS
WHO’VE CONQUERED THIS IDYLLIC-LOOKING WORLD.
♪
AND TO DO THIS, THEY’VE FIGURED OUT A BRILLIANT WAY
TO HARVEST THE FRUITS OF THE SEA.
THIS PART OF THE THAI COASTLINE IS DOTTED WITH TINY ISLANDS
WHICH HAPPEN TO BE HOME TO TROOPS OF MAROONED MONKEYS.
NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW OR WHEN THEY BECAME MAROONED HERE,
BUT THEY’VE MANAGED TO THRIVE BECAUSE THEIR CURIOUS MINDS
HAVE UNLOCKED THE SECRET OF THESE ISLAND WORLDS.
THESE ARE LONG-TAILED MACAQUES.
[CHATTERING]
THEY SPEND MUCH OF THEIR DAY
FROLICKING ON THE TROPICAL SANDS.
♪
[SCREECHING]
WHEN IT GETS TOO HOT, THEY TAKE A DIP TO COOL OFF.
♪
BUT WHAT’S THE SECRET TO THEIR LEISURELY LIFESTYLES?
[SCREECHES]
[WAVES CRASHING]
ON THE SURFACE, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE THE PERFECT LIFE,
BUT THIS ISLAND IS ISOLATED FROM THE MAINLAND,
AND FOOD IS SCARCE.
SO TO SURVIVE HERE, THEY’VE BEEN FORCED TO FIND THEIR MEALS
IN A WAY THAT’S REALLY QUITE INGENIOUS.
EVERY DAY AS THE TIDE ROLLS OUT,
THE MONKEYS STOP PLAYING...
AND TURN THEIR MINDS TO THE TASK OF FINDING FOOD.
CLAMS AND OYSTERS THAT WERE SUBMERGED
ARE NOW RIPE FOR THE PICKING.
BUT THE FLESHY TREATS ARE LOCKED WITHIN
A THICK ARMOR-PLATED SHELL.
TO GET TO THEIR DINNER,
THEY FACE THE ULTIMATE MONKEY PUZZLE.
[CHATTERING]
AND THESE GUYS HAVE CRACKED IT.
♪
[BANG]
♪
[BANG]
THESE MONKEYS HAVE FIGURED OUT
HOW TO CHISEL THEIR WAY INTO THE TOUGHEST OYSTER SHELLS.
[BANG]
♪
[BANG]
IT’S A POWERFUL REMINDER OF JUST HOW CLOSE WE ARE
TO OUR PRIMATE COUSINS.
♪
THESE LONG-TAILED MACAQUES HAVE USED THEIR BIG BRAINS
TO FIGURE OUT THE SECRET TO A LEISURELY LUNCH.
[SHELL CRACKING]
IT MIGHT SEEM SIMPLE TO US,
BUT THIS MONKEY HAS HAD TO SELECT THE RIGHT TOOL
FOR THE RIGHT JOB.
[BANGING]
SPECIFIC FOODS NEED A SPECIFIC STONE TOOL--
IN THIS CASE, A SHARP, POINTED ROCK,
WHICH IT CAN USE TO CHISEL AWAY AT THOSE OYSTERS.
♪
[BANG]
FINDING THE BEST STONE RELIES ON TRIAL AND ERROR.
AND LIKE ANY TASK USING TOOLS, IT CAN TAKE A WHILE TO MASTER.
FOR YOUNG MACAQUES, THE BEACH IS THEIR CLASSROOM.
♪
MACAQUES AREN’T BORN WITH THE ABILITY
TO MANIPULATE STONE TOOLS.
IT’S SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE TO LEARN.
YOU COULD SAY IT’S A BIT LIKE AN APPRENTICESHIP.
THEY’LL SIT AND WATCH THE OLDER ONES,
BUT THEY WON’T HAVE MASTERED THEIR OWN TECHNIQUE
UNTIL THEY’RE AT LEAST TWO YEARS OLD.
[SQUEAKS]
IT’S A WORTHWHILE SKILL TO MASTER.
[BANG]
ONCE A YOUNG MACAQUE HAS MASTERED THE TECHNIQUE,
IT CAN HARVEST THE PROTEIN-RICH SHELLFISH.
THIS FRESH SEAFOOD DIET GIVES GROWING MACAQUES
THE ENERGY THEY NEED.
[BANGING]
WATCHING THESE CLEVER MONKEYS HARD AT WORK,
IT’S CLEAR TO SEE THAT THERE’S FAR MORE
THAN JUST BRUTE FORCE AT PLAY HERE.
TO SUCCEED, THEY’VE APPLIED THEIR BRILLIANT MINDS
AND WORKED OUT HOW TO ACCESS THIS ABUNDANCE OF SEAFOOD,
AND IT’S THIS RESOURCEFULNESS THAT’S LED TO THE MACAQUE
BECOMING THE MOST WIDESPREAD OF ALL MONKEYS ON EARTH.
WHETHER IT’S MOUNTAINS, FORESTS, OR BEACHES,
THEIR SHARP MINDS HAVE PUZZLED OUT
THE BEST WAY TO SURVIVE.
♪
[BANG]
AS EARLY MONKEYS SPREAD ACROSS ASIA,
THERE WERE SOME LANDSCAPES
EVEN BIG BRAINS COULDN’T HELP THEM CONQUER.
MONKEYS ALSO NEEDED TO ADAPT THEIR BODIES
TO EACH NEW ENVIRONMENT, WITH ASTONISHING RESULTS.
♪
IN THE REMOTE MANGROVE SWAMPS OF BORNEO,
THERE’S A RARE MONKEY
THAT’S BEEN TOTALLY SHAPED BY ITS SURROUNDINGS.
SO MUCH SO, IT’S PERHAPS THE STRANGEST-LOOKING MEMBER
OF OUR FAMILY.
THEY ALSO HAVE AN ODD NICKNAME.
LOCALS CALL THEM DUTCH MONKEYS.
SOME OF THE VERY FIRST EUROPEANS TO VENTURE
INTO THESE DENSE JUNGLES WERE DUTCH EXPLORERS.
NOW, FOR THE LOCALS ALREADY LIVING HERE,
THEY WOULD HAVE SEEMED VERY UNUSUAL INDEED.
WITH THEIR LIGHT-COLORED HAIR
AND PALE SKIN BURNT RED BY THE SUN,
THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN UNLIKE ANY PERSON THEY’D EVER MET BEFORE.
BUT THEY DID REMIND THEM OF SOMETHING.
♪
THEY REMINDED THEM OF THESE GUYS,
THE PROBOSCIS MONKEY.
THE MALES HAVE BY FAR
THE BIGGEST NOSES OF ANY PRIMATE.
♪
SO BIG...THEY EVEN MAKE EATING AWKWARD.
♪
COMBINED WITH THEIR SWOLLEN POTBELLIES...
THEY’RE UNLIKELY TO WIN ANY BEAUTY CONTESTS.
BUT THEIR PECULIAR LOOKS ARE A RESULT OF THEIR ABILITY
TO ADAPT TO THIS REMOTE PART OF THE PLANET.
[SQUAWKING]
♪
THE JUNGLE MANGROVES IN WHICH THEY LIVE LOOK LUSH,
BUT LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING.
THE LEAVES ARE TOUGH AND TOXIC,
AND VERY FEW ANIMALS CAN ACTUALLY STOMACH THEM.
BUT THE PROBOSCIS MONKEY CAN HANDLE THIS DIET,
AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO THEIR WELL-ROUNDED BELLIES.
PROBOSCIS MONKEYS HAVE
SEVERAL BACTERIA-FILLED STOMACH CHAMBERS
THAT BREAK DOWN THE TOXIC LEAVES.
SO THEY CAN EASILY CHOMP AWAY ON FOOD
THAT OTHER MONKEYS JUST CAN’T STOMACH.
BUT WHY THE BIG NOSES?
TO DEMONSTRATE, I NEED TO LURE THEM CLOSE
WITH THE PROBOSCIS EQUIVALENT OF A CATCALL.
I’VE GOT THE LOVE SONG OF THE MALE,
WHICH I’M GONNA PLAY USING THIS SPEAKER,
AND HOPEFULLY IT SHOULD ACT
AS AN IRRESISTIBLE DRAW FOR THE FEMALES,
BUT ALSO A BIT OF A THREAT FOR THE MALES.
EITHER WAY, IT SHOULD GET THEM
A BIT CLOSER TO THE WATER’S EDGE.
[BEEP]
[MONKEY BELLOWING ON SPEAKER]
IT’S NOT LONG BEFORE MY CALLING
ALERTS A RIVAL MALE TO THE RIVERBANK.
[MONKEY BELLOWING ON SPEAKER]
AND SOON, HE STARTS TO HONK BACK.
[BELLOWING]
IT MUST BE THE MALE MAKING THAT SOUND.
IT’S JUST GOING, "AUGH, AUGH, AUGH."
[BELLOWING]
THAT BIG THING SOUNDS SO WEIRD.
THE ONLY THING...
[MONKEY GRUNTING]
WEIRDER THAN HOW THEY LOOK IS HOW THEY SOUND.
[MONKEY BELLOWING ON SPEAKER]
BIZARRELY, IT’S THIS LOVE CALL...
[BELLOWING]
THAT’S THOUGHT TO BE THE SECRET BEHIND THAT NOSE.
[MONKEYS BELLOWING AND GRUNTING]
PROBOSCIS MONKEYS LIVE IN TROOPS,
WITH ONE MALE, A HAREM OF FEMALES,
AND THEIR YOUNG.
TO IMPRESS HIS FEMALE FOLLOWERS,
THE MALE TRIES TO PRODUCE
THE DEEPEST, LOUDEST CALL HE CAN.
[LOW GRUMBLING]
[BELLOWING]
AND THEY CAN MAKE THOSE REVERBERATING CALLS
BECAUSE THEIR HUGE HONKERS ACT LIKE GIANT AMPLIFIERS.
[BELLOWING]
IT’S THOUGHT THAT THE BIG NOSE OF THE MALE
ACTS AS A RESONATING CHAMBER, SO THE BIGGER THE NOSE,
THE LOUDER THE CALL.
[BELLOWING]
AND THE SECRET BEHIND THE BIGGEST NOSE IN THE JUNGLE?
WELL, IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO COME DOWN
TO IMPRESSING THE OPPOSITE SEX.
[SQUAWKING]
TO US, THEY MAY APPEAR COMICAL.
BUT THESE MONKEYS ARE PERFECTLY ADAPTED
FOR LIFE IN THE SWAMPS.
THEY’RE ONE OF THE ONLY LARGE MAMMALS
THAT CAN LIVE HERE.
[CHATTERING]
BY ADAPTING THEIR BODIES AND USING THEIR BIG BRAINS...
MONKEYS WERE ABLE TO REACH NEW FRONTIERS ACROSS ASIA.
AND TWO MILLION YEARS AGO,
THE MONKEY FAMILY WAS SPREADING.
WHILE MANY STUCK TO THE TROPICAL FORESTS...
A FEW PIONEERING LITTLE MONKEYS
BEGAN TO PUSH THEIR WAY FARTHER NORTH...
INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL CHINA...
WHERE HIGH ALTITUDE AND EXTREME WEATHER
CAN TODAY CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO PLUMMET
TOWARDS MINUS 4 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
[CHATTERING]
TO STAND ANY CHANCE OF SURVIVING HERE,
THESE HARDY MONKEYS HAD TO PUSH THEIR BODIES
IN EXTREME WAYS.
♪
MEET THE GOLDEN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY.
♪
SO HOW DOES A PRIMATE THAT EVOLVED IN THE TROPICS...
SURVIVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES?
[SQUEAKING]
THE ADULTS HAVE LONG GOLDEN MANES FOR INSULATION.
[SQUEAK]
EVEN THE BABIES HAVE THICK POLAR SUITS...
WITH FURRY EARS AND MITTENS TO KEEP THEM WARM.
[SQUEAKING]
BUT PERHAPS THEIR STRANGEST FEATURE
IS THEIR NOSE.
INSTEAD OF FLESHY SNOUTS,
THEY HAVE OPEN NOSTRILS THAT WARM THE FREEZING AIR
AS THEY BREATHE IN.
♪
ANOTHER KEY TO THEIR SURVIVAL IN SUBZERO TEMPERATURES
HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LOOKS.
[SQUAWKS]
IT’S ABOUT BEHAVIOR.
[SQUAWKS]
THESE MONKEYS LOVE TO HUG,
AND IT’S BY HUDDLING TOGETHER,
OFTEN WITH BABIES IN THE MIDDLE,
THAT THEY KEEP EACH OTHER WARM IN THE BITTER COLD.
THEY LIVE IN GROUPS WITH UP TO 70 MEMBERS.
SO THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF BODIES
TO HELP THEM THROUGH THE LONG WINTER MONTHS.
♪
THE GOLDEN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY IS LIVING PROOF
OF HOW BRILLIANTLY PRIMATES CAN ADAPT
TO DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES...
[CHATTERING]
AND WHY TODAY THERE ARE MORE THAN A HUNDRED DIFFERENT SPECIES
ACROSS ASIA.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
MONKEYS OCCUPY THE BUSIEST, NOISIEST BRANCHES
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
BUT AROUND 25 MILLION YEARS AGO, A NEW BRANCH GREW,
HOME TO A NEW TYPE OF PRIMATE.
THEY HAD LONGER, STRONGER ARMS,
EVEN BIGGER BRAINS,
AND MOST LOST THEIR TAILS.
THIS IS OUR BRANCH, THE GREAT APES.
TODAY, ONE OF OUR CLOSEST RELATIVES
STILL HANGS OUT IN THE JUNGLES OF BORNEO AND SUMATRA...
[SQUEAKING]
THE ORANGUTAN.
ITS NAME MEANS "PERSON OF THE FOREST,"
AND IT’S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY.
♪
TO DISCOVER JUST HOW SIMILAR WE ARE TO THESE GREAT APES,
I’VE COME TO A JUNGLE RESCUE CENTER
TO MEET AN INQUISITIVE LITTLE ORANGUTAN CALLED OCTO.
HELLO.
[LAUGHS]
WHAT A COOL-LOOKING CHARACTER.
[SNIFFING]
AT FIRST, OCTO SEEMS A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS.
[SNORTING]
BUT IT’S NOT LONG BEFORE HE REVEALS HIS MISCHIEVOUS STREAK.
OOH! HA HA! HEY.
AND HE SEEMS DETERMINED TO INTERRUPT ME.
IT’S NEAR ENOUGH IMPOSSIBLE...
EVEN THE ONLOOKERS START TO HECKLE FROM THE SIDELINES.
NOW, WE TAKE HAVING THUMBS FOR GRANTED, BUT...
[ORANGUTAN RAZZING]
[LAUGHING]
♪
IT’S ONLY AFTER THEY SETTLE DOWN
THAT I’M ABLE TO GET A PROPER LOOK AT YOUNG OCTO.
AT 2 YEARS OLD, THIS YOUNG ORANGUTAN
IS SUCH--HEY-- A BRILLIANT CLIMBER.
BY THE TIME HE’S AN ADULT,
HE’LL HAVE THE REACH OF ABOUT 6 1/2 FEET.
THOSE ARMS ARE SO LONG.
BUT IT’S NOT JUST HIS ARMS
THAT ALLOW HIM TO MOVE THROUGH THE TREE WITH EASE,
IT’S ALSO DOWN TO HIS LEGS.
HIS HIPS ARE REALLY FLEXIBLE,
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THE WAY THAT HE MOVES THEM.
SOMETIMES IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S DOING SPLITS
BETWEEN TWO BRANCHES.
BUT THE REAL SECRET TO THIS LITTLE GUY’S SUCCESS...
COMES DOWN TO A FEATURE HE SHARES WITH US...
HIS THUMBS.
WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED--
OOH! HA HA! WATCH OUT.
BUT HAVING A THUMB GIVES US SUCH INCREDIBLE DEXTERITY.
JUST IMAGINE NOT HAVING A THUMB
AND TRYING TO DO A SIMPLE TASK
LIKE DOING THE BUTTONS UP ON YOUR SHIRT
OR OPENING A DOOR.
IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
BUT HAVING A THUMB THAT PIVOTS AROUND,
THAT YOU CAN USE AND CLASP AND GRIP WITH YOUR HANDS,
MAKES THEM SUCH POWERFUL TOOLS,
ESPECIALLY FOR CLIMBING TREES LIKE THIS.
ORANGUTAN HANDS HAVE INCREDIBLY LONG FINGERS AND ARMS.
THAT’S WHAT ALLOWS THEM TO MOVE SO COMFORTABLY
THROUGH THE FOREST CANOPY.
♪
BUT HUMANS AND ORANGUTANS DO HAVE ONE STRIKING SIMILARITY.
IT’S IN THE WAY WE BRING UP OUR BABIES.
[SUCKING]
OTHER THAN HUMANS, ORANGUTANS HAVE
THE LONGEST CHILDHOOD OF ANY PRIMATE,
AND THIS LITTLE ONE IS GONNA STICK WITH ITS MOTHER
UNTIL IT’S AROUND 8 YEARS OLD.
AND SHE IS ITS LIFELINE.
THE BOND BETWEEN ORANGUTAN MOTHER AND YOUNGSTER
IS SAID TO BE THE MOST INTENSE BOND
IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
♪
BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE NEST, MUMS DEDICATE ALMOST A DECADE
TEACHING THEIR OFFSPRING EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW
TO SURVIVE IN THE FOREST.
♪
BUT JUST LIKE OUR LITTLE ONES,
ORANGUTANS EVENTUALLY GROW UP.
AND I GET TO SEE HOW BIG THEY GET
WHEN A WILD MALE ORANGUTAN POPS IN FOR A SNACK.
♪
BOY, HE LOOKS SO IMPRESSIVE.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS MALE AND THE FEMALES
IS CLEARLY VISIBLE.
HE’S AT LEAST TWICE THEIR SIZE,
AND HIS HAIR JUST LOOKS LIKE A MAGNIFICENT CLOAK.
THEY ARE THE LARGEST
TREE-DWELLING ANIMAL IN THE WORLD.
AND LOOK AT THE SIZE OF HIS HANDS.
THEY ARE GIGANTIC.
BUT AS MUCH AS HE HAS THAT INCREDIBLE POWER,
ENOUGH TO LIFT HIS ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT UP A TREE,
HE ALSO HAS THE DEXTERITY AND THE ABILITY
TO GENTLY HANDLE THOSE BANANAS. INCREDIBLE.
♪
WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON WITH THESE GREAT APES--
OUR DEXTEROUS HANDS, BIG BRAINS, AND LONG CHILDHOODS.
[SCREECHING]
THESE FEATURES WERE PART OF A WINNING BLUEPRINT
THAT HELPED APES AND MONKEYS SPREAD ACROSS ASIA,
BUT ALSO BEYOND.
♪
THE EARLIEST PRIMATES LIKELY AROSE IN ASIA.
THEY ADAPTED THEIR BODIES AND BEHAVIORS
TO CONQUER THE FORESTS, BEACHES,
AND EVEN THE SNOWY LANDSCAPES OF THIS GIANT CONTINENT,
BUT THEIR STORY DIDN’T END HERE.
MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, EARLY ASIAN PRIMATES
VENTURED INTO NEW LANDS,
WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND THRIVE...
[SHRIEKING]
[GRUMBLING]
♪
[CHATTERING]
CREATING BRILLIANT ADDITIONS TO OUR AMAZING FAMILY TREE.
♪
[GROWLING AND SHRIEKING]
♪
[SQUEAKING]
♪
[SQUEAKING]
[SCREECHING]
♪