[MONKEYS CALLING]
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’RE IN AFRICA TO FIND OUT
HOW PRIMATES BECAME BIGGER, STRONGER, AND SMARTER
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
[LEMUR SCREECHES]
PREPARE TO MEET SOME OF YOUR CLOSEST RELATIVES.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
♪
OUR STORY STARTS IN THE LUSH JUNGLES OF UGANDA.
IT’S HERE IN AFRICA
THAT PRIMATES PUSHED THEIR BODIES AND MINDS
TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
THEY BECAME BIGGER, STRONGER,
AND FORMED MORE COMPLEX SOCIETIES
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.
AND IT’S IN THESE FORESTS THAT ONE GROUP EVOLVED
SOMETHING QUITE EXTRAORDINARY,
BECAUSE FOR THE APES LIVING UNDER THIS CANOPY,
IT’S ALL ABOUT ONE THING-- BRAIN POWER.
♪
FOR THESE JUNGLES ARE HOME
TO ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST SPARKS IN THE PRIMATE FAMILY...
THE CHIMPANZEE.
♪
THEIR FACES CAN EXPRESS COMPLEX EMOTIONS
WITH A SINGLE GLANCE.
♪
THEY YAWN WHEN THEY’RE TIRED,
LAUGH WHEN THEY’RE HAVING FUN...
[SCREECHING]
AND EVEN KISS TO MAKE UP AFTER A SPAT.
♪
AND JUST LIKE US, THEY ARE ENDLESSLY INQUISITIVE.
AND IT’S THIS NATURAL CURIOSITY
THAT HAS BEEN KEY TO THEIR SUCCESS.
[SCREECHING]
I’M MEETING SOME ENERGETIC 4-YEAR-OLD CHIMPS
AT A JUNGLE RESCUE CENTER
TO SET UP AN EXERCISE THAT SHOULD DEMONSTRATE
JUST HOW SMART THEY REALLY ARE.
[CHATTERING]
JUST LIKE US, CHIMPS HAVE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.
SOME ARE SHY,
OTHERS SHOW-OFFS.
SOME LIKE TO TAKE THE LEAD.
OTHERS ARE A LITTLE MORE CAUTIOUS.
BUT PERHAPS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY THING
WE SHARE WITH CHIMPS IS THE ABILITY TO LEARN
FROM EACH OTHER.
[CHATTERING]
TO DEMONSTRATE, I’VE SET UP A TEST
WITH AN UNUSED TERMITE MOUND
THAT’S BEEN FILLED WITH HONEY.
♪
THE CHIMPS HAVE HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO GET AT THE HONEY DEEP INSIDE.
♪
A FEW SUPER-SMART CHIMPS FIRST LEARNED THAT IF THEY COULD
FASHION A DIPPING STICK,
THEY COULD GET AT THE SUGARY TREAT.
[SLURPING]
AMAZINGLY, THE OTHERS WATCHED...AND LEARNED.
OVER A FEW YEARS, THIS INTRICATE BEHAVIOR
SPREAD THROUGH MOST OF THE GROUP.
♪
ONE OF OUR BOISTEROUS 4-YEAR-OLDS
HASN’T QUITE MASTERED IT YET,
SO I’M GIVING HIM A LESSON.
♪
IT’S NOT LOOKING PROMISING,
BUT AFTER SOME PERSEVERANCE...
♪
[LAUGHS]
PERFECT. HE’S SEEN ME USING THAT STICK TO GET TO THE HONEY,
AND HE’S COPIED IT,
AND THAT’S THE PROCESS OF LEARNING.
THE CHIMPANZEE’S ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT PROBLEMS
AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
HAS LED TO DIFFERENT GROUPS OF CHIMPS
DEVELOPING DISTINCT BEHAVIORS AND SKILLS.
♪
THESE ARE SO UNIQUE TO DIFFERENT POPULATIONS
THAT CHIMPS, LIKE HUMANS,
ARE SAID TO HAVE DIFFERENT CULTURES.
♪
CHIMPANZEES ARE EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT,
AND THEY USE THEIR RAZOR-SHARP MINDS
TO PUZZLE OUT AND REMEMBER HOW TO SOLVE
EVEN THE TRICKIEST OF PROBLEMS.
BUT HAVING A BIG BRAIN ISN’T JUST A CHIMP THING.
IT RUNS RIGHT THROUGHOUT THE FAMILY,
AND IT’S THIS COMBINATION OF INTELLIGENCE AND CURIOSITY
THAT HAS PUSHED PRIMATES BEYOND OTHER ANIMAL FAMILIES,
ALLOWING THEM TO CONQUER SO MUCH
AND SPREAD RIGHT ACROSS THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
AS PRIMATES VENTURED ACROSS AFRICA’S VARIED LANDSCAPES,
THEY EVOLVED INTO NEW SPECIES ON THE PRIMATE FAMILY TREE.
IT’S A FAMILY TREE THAT BURST INTO LIFE
AROUND 55 MILLION YEARS AGO.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ONE OF THE EARLIEST BRANCHES BELONGS TO A GROUP
THAT INCLUDES INQUISITIVE LITTLE LEMURS.
THEN COME THE TINY NOCTURNAL TARSIERS.
IN AFRICA, THE MONKEY BRANCHES WOULD FLOURISH,
WITH AROUND 70 DIFFERENT SPECIES.
FINALLY, THERE’S OUR BRANCH, THE APES,
HOME TO THE BIGGEST, BRAINIEST PRIMATES OF ALL.
TODAY, ACROSS THE WORLD, THERE ARE OVER 400 SPECIES
THAT MAKE UP OUR AMAZING ANIMAL FAMILY.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
TO FIND OUT HOW THE VERY FIRST PRIMATES
SPREAD INTO AFRICA,
WE BEGIN ON ONE OF THE OLDEST BRANCHES OF ALL.
AROUND 50 MILLION YEARS AGO,
LONG BEFORE MONKEYS AND APES AROSE,
PRIMATES SET FOOT IN AFRICA.
TODAY, THE DESCENDANTS OF THESE EARLY PIONEERS
ARE ONLY FOUND ON ONE VERY SPECIAL ISLAND,
THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR.
♪
MOST OF THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS HERE
ARE COMPLETELY UNIQUE.
IN THE ARID SOUTH, WEIRD CACTUS-LIKE FORESTS
DOMINATE THE SCENERY.
IN THIS UNUSUAL SPINY LANDSCAPE
LIVES AN EQUALLY UNUSUAL LITTLE CHARACTER.
THE LOCALS HERE CALL THESE BIZARRE ANIMALS
THE GHOSTS OF THE FOREST,
BECAUSE AS THE FLIT SILENTLY THROUGH THE TREES,
ALL YOU CATCH ARE FLEETING GLIMPSES,
BUT IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE ONE,
YOU’RE IN FOR ONE OF THE MOST FLAMBOYANT DISPLAYS
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
THESE GHOSTLY CREATURES ARE A TYPE OF LEMUR CALLED SIFAKAS.
♪
THEY HAVE LONG BACK LEGS...
POINTED SNOUTS, AND WET LITTLE NOSES.
THEY LEAP THROUGH THE FOREST WITH PINPOINT PRECISION...
MOST OF THE TIME.
BUT THESE LITTLE ACROBATS HAVE AN EVEN WEIRDER WAY
OF GETTING ABOUT THE FOREST.
♪
OH, WOW. HELLO. HELLO, LITTLE GUY.
♪
I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M THIS CLOSE TO THEM,
WILD, COMPLETELY WILD SIFAKAS.
HELLO.
SIFAKAS LIVE IN SMALL TROOPS,
USUALLY AROUND 6 INDIVIDUALS,
AND THEY GET THEIR NAME FROM THEIR DISTINCTIVE CALLS.
[SIFAKAS CALLING]
WE’VE JUST BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TROOP OF SIFAKAS,
AND THIS ONE HERE, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT MADE THIS SOUND-- "SHI-FAK, SHI-FAK"--
AND THAT’S THE ALARM CALL,
AND THAT’S WHERE THEY GET THEIR NAMES FROM.
[SIFAKA CALLING]
BUT THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING ABOUT THESE GUYS
ISN’T THE WAY THEY SOUND.
IT’S THE WAY THEY MOVE.
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY LEAVE THE BRANCHES
TO CROSS OPEN GROUND...
♪
BECAUSE SIFAKAS HAVE EVOLVED
ONE OF THE MOST PECULIAR WALKS ON EARTH.
♪
THEIR POWERFUL HIND LEGS ACT LIKE SPRINGS,
PROPELLING THEM FORWARD.
THEIR STRANGE WALK IS CALLED BIPEDAL GALLOPING,
AND THEY ARE THE ONLY MAMMALS THAT DO IT.
IT MAY LOOK A LITTLE UNGAINLY,
BUT THEY CAN COVER 4 FEET IN A SINGLE BOUND...
WHICH MEANS THEY CAN QUICKLY GET BACK
INTO THE SAFETY OF THE TREES.
BUT UP HERE, THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING ABOUT
BECOME EVEN TRICKIER.
THE VERTICAL BRANCHES OF THE OCOTILLO TREE
ARE COVERED IN NEEDLE-LIKE THORNS.
BUT THIS IS THE SIFAKAS’ REALM.
UP HERE, THEY BECOME THE MOST GRACEFUL MOVERS IN THE FOREST.
♪
THEY CAN LEAP 20 FEET BETWEEN BRANCHES.
♪
THICK LEATHERY PADS ON THEIR HANDS AND FEET
ARE THOUGHT TO OFFER PROTECTION FROM THE SPIKES
AS THEY LAND.
♪
THIS IS AN AERIAL BALLET
SEEN ONLY IN THE ANCIENT FORESTS OF MADAGASCAR.
♪
SIFAKAS ARE JUST ONE OF OVER A HUNDRED DIFFERENT SPECIES
OF LEMUR IN MADAGASCAR.
MOST LIVE IN THE TREES,
BUT THERE’S ONE UNUSUAL LITTLE LEMUR
THAT PATROLS THE FOREST FLOOR,
AND THEY CAN BE RECOGNIZED BY A TELLTALE SIGN.
[LEMURS SQUEAKING]
♪
[SQUEAKING]
RING-TAILED LEMURS,
THE GANGSTERS OF THE LEMUR WORLD.
THESE HARDY LITTLE BANDITS
SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME ON THE GROUND.
THEY LIVE IN FEISTY GROUPS OF UP TO 30 MEMBERS,
AND THEY CAN BE HIGHLY TERRITORIAL.
[SCREECHING AND SQUEALING]
BUT IT’S NOT THE MALES THAT LEAD THE TROOP,
IT’S THE FEMALES.
[SQUAWKING]
THEY’LL CHASE OFF RIVALS AND DEFEND THEIR TURF...
♪
ALL WHILE CARRYING BABIES ON THEIR BACKS.
[SQUEAKING]
♪
THE FEMALES IN THESE TROOPS ARE SO CLOSE
THEY EVEN COINCIDE THEIR PREGNANCIES.
SO THEY ALL GIVE BIRTH AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME EACH YEAR,
WHEN FOOD IS MOST PLENTIFUL.
FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS,
THEIR TINY OFFSPRING GET A PIGGYBACK RIDE,
BUT THERE COMES A TIME
WHEN THEY HAVE TO FIND THEIR OWN FEET.
♪
THIS YOUNGSTER THINKS HE’S READY TO GO IT ALONE,
BUT HIS FIRST STEPS IN THE TREES
PROVE TO BE PRECARIOUS.
[SQUEAKING]
UNDER MUM’S WATCHFUL EYE,
OUR YOUNG EXPLORER SOON GETS A LITTLE MORE DARING.
[SQUEAKING]
AND WHEN HE’S DONE, HE CAN ALWAYS JUMP ONTO MUM’S BACK.
[SQUEAKS]
YOUNG LEMURS NEED TO GROW UP FAST.
MALES USUALLY LEAVE THE TROOP
WHEN THEY’RE JUST A FEW YEARS OLD,
BUT YOUNG FEMALES STAY IN THE SAME TROOP FOR LIFE.
AND IF THEY’RE STRONG AND HEALTHY,
THEY COULD GROW UP TO BE LEADER OF THE PACK.
LEMURS MIGHT NOT BE THE BIGGEST,
BUT THEY ARE FANTASTICALLY HARDY LITTLE ANIMALS.
THEY ARE THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE NON-HUMAN PRIMATE FAMILY
TO MAKE IT TO THIS REMOTE ISLAND.
ISOLATED HERE FOR 50 MILLION YEARS,
THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO THRIVE,
BECAUSE BACK ON MAINLAND AFRICA,
THINGS WERE CHANGING.
A NEW CHAPTER WAS UNFOLDING
THAT WOULD CHANGE THE PRIMATE FAMILY FOREVER.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE,
NEW SPECIES WERE EVOLVING AND FILLING UP THE BRANCHES.
LEMURS OCCUPIED ONE OF THE OLDEST BRANCHES,
BUT THEIR NOISY NEIGHBORS THE MONKEYS WERE GAINING GROUND,
SPREADING ONTO THE GREAT PLAINS OF AFRICA.
[MONKEYS CALLING]
HERE, THEY WOULD GROW BIGGER AND STRONGER
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
AROUND 10 MILLION YEARS AGO,
THE CLIMATE ACROSS AFRICA BEGAN TO DRY OUT...
♪
OPENING UP VAST, EXPANSIVE SAVANNA.
FOR THE PRIMATE FAMILY, THIS BROUGHT NEW CHALLENGES
AND DANGERS.
OUT HERE, THERE WAS NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM PREDATORS.
TO CONQUER THESE HAZARDOUS PLAINS,
MONKEYS WOULD HAVE TO ORGANIZE THEIR TROOPS
WITH MILITARY PRECISION.
I’M ON MY WAY TO MEET A GROUP OF VERY MISCHIEVOUS MONKEYS
THAT THRIVE OUT ON THESE PLAINS,
AND TO SURVIVE OUT HERE, THEY’VE EVOLVED TO LIVE
IN SOME OF THE BIGGEST, MOST COMPLEX GROUPS
OF ANY PRIMATE.
AND TO FIND OUT HOW SO MANY MONKEYS
CAN LIVE IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY,
I’M HOPING TO GET RIGHT INSIDE THE TROOP.
[GRUNTING]
CHACMA BABOONS.
THESE GUYS ARE THE MOST AT HOME ON THE GROUND.
THEY ROAM THE SAVANNA IN SPRAWLING TROOPS
THAT REACH UP TO 80 STRONG.
THIS TROOP IN SOUTHERN NAMIBIA IS MADE UP OF YOUNG ORPHANS.
♪
THEY’RE USED TO HUMANS
BUT STILL INTERACT VERY MUCH LIKE A WILD TROOP,
AND THAT MEANS PLENTY OF MONKEYING AROUND.
[SCREECHING]
LIKE BOISTEROUS CHILDREN ON THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND,
THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF HIJINKS...
[SCREECHING]
FROM TUSSLES ON THE TREETOP...
[SCREECHING]
[CLAPS]
TO ENDLESS ROUGHHOUSING.
[SCREECHING]
IT APPEARS FUN,
BUT THERE’S MORE TO THIS CHAOS THAN MEETS THE EYE.
ON FIRST GLANCE, IT MIGHT SEEM
LIKE THEY’RE ALL BEST OF FRIENDS,
BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT NO TWO BABOONS ARE BORN EQUAL.
IN EVERY TROOP, THERE’S A VERY STRICT HIERARCHY,
THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS.
AND THAT STATUS QUO IS RUTHLESSLY ENFORCED
BY THE MORE DOMINANT MEMBERS OF THE TROOP.
[SCREECHING]
MALES SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES
FIGHTING THEIR WAY UP THE RANKS.
BUT FOR FEMALES, IT’S A DIFFERENT STORY...
[SCREECHING]
BECAUSE EVERY FEMALE IS BORN WITH A RANK,
A RANK THAT USUALLY STAYS WITH HER FOR LIFE.
IN THIS TROOP,
ONE WAY THE PECKING ORDER SHOWS ITSELF
IS IN WHO GETS TO HOLD THE BABIES.
♪
THIS LITTLE 6-WEEK-OLD ORPHAN
HAS RECENTLY BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE GROUP.
ALL THE FEMALES WANT TO PLAY WITH HIM.
BUT WITH SO MUCH COMPETITION, IT COMES DOWN TO PULLING RANK.
IT’S NOT SO MUCH BABY-SITTING-- MORE BABY-STEALING.
[SCREECHING]
♪
[SCREECHING]
BUT IT’S THE HIGHEST-RANKING FEMALE WHO ULTIMATELY
WINS THE BATTLE FOR BABY.
ALL THIS ATTENTION IS QUITE EXHAUSTING.
[YAWNS]
[SCREECHING]
THE PECKING ORDER IN THIS TROOP IS CONSTANTLY BEING TESTED.
[SCREECHING]
BUT THE BABOONS AT THE TOP SHOULD ALWAYS WIN.
[SCREECHING]
I WANT TO PUT THIS STRICT HIERARCHY TO THE TEST,
SO I’M ENLISTING THE HELP
OF CONSERVATIONIST MARLISSE VAN VURREN.
SHE RAISED THESE ORPHAN BABOONS
AND KNOWS THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE TROOP
BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE.
SO WE KNOW THEY LIKE TO PLAY WITH BABIES.
AND WHAT ABOUT NEW OBJECTS AND TOYS?
Marlisse: WELL, IF IT’S NOT SOMETHING NATURAL, YOU KNOW,
A FOOD THAT THEY FOUND OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
THEN IT’S POWER, WHO ENDS UP ON THE END WITH IT,
UM, AND THE WINNER NORMALLY IS THE HIERARCHY,
THE TOP OF THE GROUP,
AND THERE’S ONE FEMALE IN THIS GROUP,
AND HER NAME IS KLICKI, AND SHE WILL PUSH
AND MAKE SURE SHE HAS IT. SO SHE’LL--
THERE’S NO GRAY AREAS.
SHE’LL BEAT THEM UP IF SHE DOESN’T GET IT.
Patrick: PERFECT. I WANT TO SEE THIS IN ACTION.
NOW, I’VE BROUGHT A TOY FOR THEM.
Marlisse: OK.
Patrick: IT’S A LITTLE CAMERA.
SO THIS IS, LIKE YOU SAID,
SOMETHING WHICH THEY NORMALLY WOULDN’T SEE.
SO THE HOPE IS, REALLY, WE’LL GIVE THIS
TO ONE OF THE LOW-RANKING MEMBERS OF THE TROOP,
AND IT WILL KIND OF WORK ITS WAY UP THE PECKING ORDER
UNTIL IT GETS TO KLICKI.
Marlisse: YEAH. LET’S SEE.
Patrick: SO, WHO SHOULD WE GIVE IT TO FIRST?
Marlisse: HEY, GIVE IT TO THIS ONE COMING TO YOU.
[GROANING]
Patrick: HERE YOU GO. LOOK. PLAY WITH THIS.
DON’T BITE IT, THOUGH.
THIS IS BOBBY. HE’S A LOW-RANKING MALE,
WHICH SHOULD MEAN THE CAMERA
IS QUICKLY PASSED UP THE HIERARCHY.
AT FIRST, NO ONE ELSE SEEMS INTERESTED,
AND BOBBY WANTS TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.
SO ACTUALLY, HE’S PLAYING A VERY CLEVER GAME.
HE’S MAKING SURE HE’S KEEPING AN EYE
ON ALL THE DOMINANT MALES, ALL THE DOMINANT FEMALES,
AND JUST KEEPING JUST ENOUGH DISTANCE.
[SCREECHING]
WHEN THE OTHERS START GETTING INTERESTED,
BOBBY TAKES TO THE TREES.
♪
[SCREECHING]
SO FAR, SO GOOD.
Marlisse: HERE HE COMES. HE STILL HAS IT.
AND LOOK AT HIM. HE’S VERY PROUD OF HIMSELF.
♪
Patrick: BUT THEN KLICKI, THE DOMINANT FEMALE,
STAKES HER CLAIM ON THIS NEW TOY.
[SCREECHING]
AH, HERE WE GO. LOOK. NOW THEY’RE CHASING.
[SCREECHING]
BECAUSE OF HER HIGH RANK,
SHE THINKS THE CAMERA IS RIGHTFULLY HERS,
AND KLICKI IS PREPARED TO FIGHT FOR IT.
[MARLISSE SHOUTS]
[BABOONS SCREECHING]
Patrick: JUST AS MARLISSE PREDICTED,
KLICKI, THE HIGH-RANKING FEMALE, GETS WHAT SHE WANTS.
[SCREECHING]
POOR BOBBY HAS BEEN PUT FIRMLY IN HIS PLACE,
PROVING THAT HIERARCHY IS EVERYTHING.
♪
WITH ALL THIS INFIGHTING,
BABOON SOCIETY MIGHT SEEM TOUGH,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A LOW-RANKER.
♪
BUT CHACMA BABOONS, LIKE MANY MONKEYS,
HAVE A WAY OF KEEPING THE PEACE--
GROOMING.
THEY SPEND SEVERAL HOURS A DAY PAMPERING EACH OTHER.
FOR ALL THEIR NITPICKING,
LOWER-RANKING BABOONS CAN FORM ALLIANCES
WITH THOSE OF HIGHER STATUS.
WHEN MONKEYS MOVED OUT OF THE FORESTS
ONTO THE OPEN PLAINS,
LIVING IN LARGER GROUPS WAS ESSENTIAL.
WITH NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM PREDATORS,
MANY EYES WERE NEEDED TO SCAN FOR DANGERS
AND SEARCH FOR FOOD.
♪
[BABY BABOON WHINING]
CHACMA BABOONS LIVE IN ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX SOCIETIES
OF ANY PRIMATE.
BUT SOME OF THEIR CLOSE COUSINS WILL TAKE TROOP LIFE
TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
[BARKS]
THE SIMIEN MOUNTAINS, ETHIOPIA.
♪
RISING TO NEARLY 3 MILES ABOVE SEA LEVEL,
THIS IS THE ROOF OF AFRICA
AND HOME TO PERHAPS THE MOST MAJESTIC OF ALL MONKEYS,
THE GELADA.
♪
TODAY, THEY’RE ONLY FOUND IN THESE VERDANT HIGHLANDS.
[GELADAS CALLING]
GELADAS SPEND THEIR NIGHTS ON THE STEEP, ROCKY SLOPES,
OUT OF REACH OF PREDATORS,
AND EVERY MORNING, THEY CLAMBER UP TO THE SUMMIT.
♪
THE MALES HAVE LUXURIANT GOLDEN LOCKS
AND DEEP RED MARKINGS ON THEIR CHESTS.
MOST SURPRISING, WHEN THEY YAWN,
THEY REVEAL THESE.
TEETH LIKE THIS ARE USUALLY ONLY SEEN IN TOP PREDATORS.
[YAWNING]
BUT THESE GUYS ARE MOSTLY VEGETARIAN.
SO WHY ARE THEY SO LONG IN THE TOOTH?
[SCREECH]
WELL, IT’S PARTLY DUE TO SHEER NUMBERS.
[SCREECHING]
GELADAS LIVE IN MEGA-TROOPS OF UP TO 1,200 INDIVIDUALS.
EVERY MORNING, THEY MOVE AS ONE ACROSS THE HIGH PLATEAUS
IN SEARCH OF FRESH FEEDING GROUNDS,
THE MASS MARCH OF THE MONKEYS.
BUT WHEN THEY STOP TO FEED,
YOU NOTICE THIS HUGE CROWD
IS MADE UP OF MANY SMALLER FAMILY GROUPS.
EACH ONE HAS A MALE, SEVERAL FEMALES,
AND THEIR BABIES.
[SQUEAKING]
THEY SPEND THEIR DAYS FEEDING ON FRESH GRASS SHOOTS
AND PLAYING AROUND.
[SCREECHING]
IT SEEMS A PEACEFUL LIFE.
BUT THERE’S TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON.
GANGS OF BACHELOR MALES WATCH ON.
LIKE TROUBLESOME TEENAGERS, THEY WAKE UP LATE
AND SPEND THEIR DAYS PLOTTING.
THEIR AIM IS TO CHALLENGE THE RESIDENT MALES
AND WIN CONTROL OF A HAREM.
♪
THEY BEGIN TO CLOSE IN ON THEIR TARGET,
SINGLING OUT ONE INDIVIDUAL MALE.
BUT DOWN BELOW, HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE UP TO.
IT’S A GELADA STANDOFF.
♪
BOTH SIDES WANT TO APPEAR AS THREATENING AS POSSIBLE.
THIS IS WHERE THOSE TEETH COME IN.
♪
THE BIG RESIDENT MALE LEAVES HIS HAREM
AND APPROACHES THE GANG.
HE NEEDS TO SHOW THEM WHO’S BOSS AROUND HERE.
♪
THE ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST HIM, 6 TO 1.
♪
[SCREECHING]
HE SEEMS FEARLESS,
BUT WHAT’S SURPRISING IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
[SCREECHING]
HE TURNS AND SCAMPERS.
BUT THIS ISN’T COWARDICE.
IT’S A PLANNED TACTIC TO SHOW THOSE YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS
WHO’S GOT THE MOST STAMINA.
[SCREECHING]
AND THEY QUICKLY TIRE.
THE BACHELOR BOYS ARE DEFEATED,
BUT THEY’LL BE BACK TOMORROW,
AND OUR RESIDENT MALE RETURNS TO HIS FAMILY A HERO.
IN GELADA MEGA-TROOPS WITH MORE THAN 1,000 MONKEYS,
MALES NEED A WAY TO SCARE OFF RIVALS...
[SCREECHING]
AND KEEP THEIR FAMILIES SAFE.
AND THAT’S WHY THESE VEGETARIANS
HAVE EVOLVED THOSE FEROCIOUS-LOOKING FANGS.
[YAWNING]
THE GELADAS AND BABOONS ON THE OPEN PLAINS AND PLATEAUS
ARE JUST SOME OF THE HUGE RANGE OF MONKEYS
THRIVING ON MAINLAND AFRICA.
[CHATTERING]
WHILE ON THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR,
THE LEMURS ARE STILL LEAPING THROUGH THE FOREST.
♪
[LEMUR SCREECHING]
BUT THE PRIMATE STORY IN AFRICA HAS ONE MORE EPIC CHAPTER.
♪
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE,
THE MONKEY BRANCHES WERE FULL OF CHATTERING CHARACTERS.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
BUT THERE’S ONE MORE BRANCH CRUCIAL TO OUR STORY...
[PRIMATES CALLING]
OUR BRANCH, THE APES.
MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,
THERE WERE NUMEROUS DIFFERENT SPECIES.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
TODAY, ONLY A HANDFUL REMAIN.
WE’VE ALREADY MET THE CHIMPANZEE,
AN APE WITH EXTRAORDINARY INTELLIGENCE.
BUT IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS OF UGANDA
LIVES ONE GIANT APE OF MYTHICAL STATUS.
THIS JUNGLE HERE IN UGANDA
IS KNOWN AS THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST,
AND AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS,
IT’S ONE OF THE WILDEST PLACES IN AFRICA.
IT’S ALSO ONE OF THE FEW PLACES ON EARTH
WHERE YOU CAN STILL SEE
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL PRIMATES...
♪
THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA.
IN TERMS OF SIZE,
GORILLAS ARE UNDOUBTEDLY THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT APES.
[GORILLA GROWLS SOFTLY]
THEY WEIGHT AROUND 2 1/2 TIMES AS MUCH
AS AN AVERAGE HUMAN MALE
AND CAN REACH UP TO 420 POUNDS.
♪
SO, WHY DID THEY GROW SO COLOSSAL?
TO FIND OUT, I’M HOPING TO COME FACE TO FACE
WITH OUR GIANT PRIMATE COUSINS.
AS THEIR NAME SUGGESTS,
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS LIVE ONLY AT ALTITUDE,
MOST MORE THAN A MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
SO THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO GET TO THEM,
AND THAT’S UP.
YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS IS CALLED THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST.
IT’S A DENSE, TANGLED WEB OF VEGETATION.
AND FOR THOSE EARLY EXPLORERS
WHO WERE TRYING TO FIND THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA,
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING BUT DAUNTING CHALLENGE.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS WERE FIRST DOCUMENTED IN 1902
BY A GERMAN EXPLORER, CAPTAIN BERINGE.
IN HIS DIARY, HE DESCRIBES
THE LOW, RUMBLING NOISE THEY MAKE.
WHEN YOU HEAR THAT NOISE, YOU KNOW YOU’RE CLOSE.
[GORILLAS GROWLING SOFTLY]
WE CAN FINALLY HEAR THEM.
AND I WAS TOLD THAT YOU DEFINITELY HEAR THE GORILLAS
BEFORE YOU SEE THEM.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
YOU’VE GOT THIS THICKET OF JUNGLE.
YOU CAN’T SEE ANYTHING.
AND THEN ALL YOU HEAR IS THIS LOUD, DEEP BELLOW,
AND YOU KNOW THAT IT’S COMING FROM
A CREATURE THAT IS 2 1/2 TIMES YOUR SIZE.
SO, UH, YEAH, IF I SAID I WASN’T NERVOUS,
MAYBE THAT...MAYBE THAT WAS A LITTLE LIE. [LAUGHS]
AND THEN, AFTER 3 HOURS OF BUSHWHACKING,
I FINALLY GET MY FIRST GLIMPSE.
♪
WHOA. THAT’S ONE OF THE FEMALES.
WHAT STRIKES ME IS HOW GENTLE THEY APPEAR,
CONSIDERING THEY ARE THE LARGEST PRIMATE ON THE PLANET.
BUT THEN I NOTICE SHE ISN’T ALONE.
♪
THIS ADORABLE BABY GORILLA IS ABOUT A YEAR OLD,
AND BABY GORILLAS WILL STICK BY THEIR MOTHERS
FOR THE FIRST FEW YEARS.
THEY WON’T STRAY MORE THAN A FEW METERS.
GORILLA FAMILIES ARE MADE UP OF SEVERAL FEMALES
AND THEIR BABIES.
THEY’RE LED BY ONE GIANT MALE, THE SILVERBACK.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
IT’S NOT TOO LONG BEFORE HE MAKES HIS ENTRANCE.
AH. WHOA.
[LAUGHS]
RIGHT. SO, I CAN NOW SEE THE SILVERBACK,
THE LEADER OF THIS FAMILY, AND WHAT A MAGNIFICENT CREATURE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT HE IS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT
IN COMPARISON TO THE FEMALES--
THAT HUGE FOREHEAD, THAT CREST ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.
THAT’S WHERE ALL THOSE JAW MUSCLES ATTACH.
THAT’S WHERE HE GETS THAT POWERFUL BITE.
AND HIS HANDS AND ARMS ARE JUST ENORMOUS.
THE SILVERBACK IS NOT ONLY THE LEADER OF THE FAMILY,
BUT ALSO THE PROTECTOR.
THIS MALE BEARS THE SCARS TO PROVE IT.
WELL, THIS SILVERBACK LOOKS LIKE A GENTLE GIANT,
BUT HE CAN BE FEROCIOUS,
AND A FEW DAYS AGO, HE WAS IN A FIGHT WITH ANOTHER MALE,
AND HE’S GOT TWO SCARS TO SHOW FOR IT,
ONE ON HIS HEAD, AND ONE ON HIS HAND.
BUT THAT IS THE LIFE OF A SILVERBACK
THAT HAS A FAMILY TO PROTECT.
HIS AIM IS TO LOOK AFTER HIS FEMALES AND HIS OFFSPRING.
PROVIDING SECURITY IS ONE REASON
MALE GORILLAS HAVE BECOME SO ENORMOUS.
THE BIGGEST MALES ATTRACT THE MOST FEMALES
AND SO HAVE THE MOST OFFSPRING.
FOR GORILLAS, BIG IS BEST.
BUT THERE’S ANOTHER REASON THEY’VE BECOME
THE GIANTS OF THE PRIMATE FAMILY.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
AND I CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THIS
WHEN ANOTHER SILVERBACK UNEXPECTEDLY STEPS OUT
INTO A JUNGLE CLEARING.
♪
I AM JUST IN AWE OF THIS ANIMAL.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS ARE VEGETARIANS,
BUT AT THIS ALTITUDE,
THERE’S VERY LITTLE ENERGY-RICH FRUIT,
SO 85% OF THEIR DIET IS MADE UP OF NUTRIENT-POOR LEAVES.
IT’S INCREDIBLE TO THINK
THAT THE MASSIVE BULK OF A MOUNTAIN GORILLA
COMES ONLY FROM THE VEGETATION THEY EAT,
AND AN ADULT CAN MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH 25 KILOGRAMS A DAY.
TO DIGEST SUCH A HUGE BULK OF VEGETATION
REQUIRES AN EQUALLY HUGE STOMACH,
AND BIG STOMACHS REQUIRE BIG BODIES.
SO IT’S EATING A POOR-QUALITY DIET
AND HAVING TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILY
THAT EXPLAINS WHY GORILLAS HAVE BECOME
THE GIANTS OF THE PRIMATE FAMILY.
[GRUMBLING]
BUT THE BEST IS YET TO COME,
WHEN A PASSING 3-YEAR-OLD MALE
STOPS TO CHECK ME OUT.
THIS IS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED AND SO UNBELIEVABLE.
HELLO. HELLO. HELLO.
[CHUCKLES]
MY GOODNESS.
I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT.
THAT IS ME COMING FACE TO FACE, NOT ONLY FACE TO FACE,
BUT HAND TO HAND WITH A YOUNG MOUNTAIN GORILLA.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I’VE BEEN INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO GET SO CLOSE
TO THESE GENTLE GIANTS.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS ARE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.
TODAY, THERE ARE ONLY AROUND 900 LEFT.
THEY ARE PERHAPS THE MOST PRECIOUS
OF ALL OUR PRIMATE COUSINS.
♪
PRIMATES HAD CONQUERED EVERY CORNER OF AFRICA,
FROM THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR
TO THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA.
TO DO SO, SOME HAD BECOME ACROBATS,
OTHERS GANGSTERS,
AND SOME HAD BECOME MASTERMINDS.
♪
BUT ALL BECAME SUCCESSFUL...
[HOWLING]
AT ADAPTING TO SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS.
THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
AND COOPERATE AS A GROUP
SET THE STAGE FOR OUR OWN EVOLUTION.
[BANG]
♪
[SCREECHING]
♪