1 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,320 Earth is the only planet we know of where life exists. 2 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,080 And, here, it does so in abundance. 3 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,400 The jungle is Eden. 4 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,120 It covers less than 6% of the Earth's surface 5 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,280 but it's home to half of all 6 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:00,920 the plants and animals on land. 7 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,200 Jungles have just the right amount of light, 8 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,440 water and nutrients, and they have had every day for millennia. 9 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,960 Life here should be easy. 10 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,320 This is an indri. 11 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,200 It's a primate, like us. 12 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,480 And these forests in Madagascar are its home. 13 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,200 But to survive here... 14 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,240 ..it has to face one major challenge. 15 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,600 Paradise is crowded. 16 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,920 Life fills every niche. 17 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:16,600 And, at any one time, a staggering variety of species and countless 18 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,080 individuals are striving for space and food. 19 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,680 Like every jungle animal, 20 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,160 indri have to find their own way to survive 21 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,160 in the most competitive place on Earth. 22 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,640 INDRI WAILS 23 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:06,800 Jungles are complex places... 24 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:13,760 ..tangled three-dimensional worlds created by lush tropical vegetation. 25 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:24,200 90% of the animals here spend their whole lives up in the trees. 26 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,840 And each of them has to find its own way of getting around. 27 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,360 Hanging 100 feet above the ground, a spider monkey. 28 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,840 They travel in family groups and find everything they need in the top 29 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:47,360 storey of the jungle. 30 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,000 Up here isn't a place for the faint-hearted. 31 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,600 With long limbs and a prehensile tail that can grip like a hand, 32 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,120 they're built for climbing. 33 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,720 But imagine having to learn these skills as high up as this. 34 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,960 One third of spider monkeys never make it to adulthood. 35 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,120 This youngster is only a few months old. 36 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,840 Her future depends on her ability to climb. 37 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,240 Playing on a practice tree with her older brother and sister, 38 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,720 she's already learning to use her tail as a safety line... 39 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,080 ..under her father's close watch. 40 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,800 THEY CHATTER 41 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:08,680 She's keen to join in the game but she's the youngest and, 42 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,600 as is the way of things, she's not always welcome. 43 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:16,400 SHE GIBBERS 44 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,760 So she chooses her own place to play. 45 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,600 But not all trees are the same. 46 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:33,040 This one is for more advanced climbers. 47 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,160 Enthusiasm? Certainly! 48 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:51,520 SHE GIBBERS 49 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:52,520 Technique? 50 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,200 SHE CHATTERS 51 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,400 Room for improvement. 52 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,960 Meanwhile, some of her family have moved on to look for a new patch of 53 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:05,960 fresh food. 54 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,640 The top of the canopy isn't for youngsters. 55 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:18,280 But Father's not looking and the temptation to join the others is 56 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:19,360 irresistible. 57 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,120 She'll need to be careful. 58 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,960 A fall from here would mean certain death. 59 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,880 It's the first time she's been as high as this on her own. 60 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:04,160 As she climbs still higher, the branches get thinner and thinner. 61 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,360 SHE SCREECHES 62 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,560 SHE SCREECHES 63 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:25,880 Her tail has caught her... 64 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:31,120 ..but now she's stuck in mid-air, unable to reach any other branch. 65 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:34,720 SHE SCREECHES 66 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:46,680 Father, however, was watching. 67 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:53,080 He's big and strong enough to form a bridge with his body so that she can 68 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:54,000 climb to safety. 69 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:26,320 Lesson learned. 70 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:36,520 But it's not just monkeys that live here, up in the treetops. 71 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:49,560 And, if you are small, finding the right tree can mean a home for life. 72 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,600 He's a Draco lizard. 73 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,400 He's only the size of a pencil and he eats ants. 74 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:13,960 This one tree could provide him with all he will ever need - 75 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:15,520 a conveyor belt of food. 76 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,520 It's a perfect place to settle down. 77 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:29,960 Well, it would be... 78 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,080 ..but there's already someone here. 79 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,360 This larger male is the tree's owner. 80 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,440 And Dracos don't share. 81 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,760 The owner's flag is a warning. 82 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,800 Trespassers won't be tolerated. 83 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,120 The owner's not only intimidating... 84 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:15,600 ..he's prepared to battle. 85 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:29,520 A dead end. 86 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:33,760 Safety is a long way away. 87 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:41,200 Fight... 88 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:46,080 ..or flee? 89 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,760 Only in the jungle do you find lizards that can soar like dragons. 90 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,360 He can travel over 100 feet in a single leap. 91 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,200 It's a very fast and efficient way to move through the jungle. 92 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:33,800 Maybe this new tree will have food and no resident owner. 93 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,800 Everything in the jungle has to compete for space. 94 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,160 Only 2% of the sun's rays reach the ground... 95 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,560 ..so even the plants must battle for the light 96 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:59,160 they need if they're to grow. 97 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:11,080 300 years ago, this Hura tree began its race for light. 98 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:18,480 And every day since, it has absorbed the water and sunshine it needed to 99 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,520 grow into a giant. 100 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:33,880 It has succeeded in doing what every tree must do to survive... 101 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:37,960 ..rise above the gloom of the jungle floor. 102 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:54,760 And, what is more, its success has given life to others. 103 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,640 Its branches now carry 1,000 other plants. 104 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:23,520 1,000 plants growing on one single tree. 105 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,920 Throughout the forest, this story is repeated endless times. 106 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:46,120 And they, in turn, support a wealth of animals. 107 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,760 In Ecuador, the competition is at its most intense. 108 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,160 Here, there are 100 species of hummingbirds alone... 109 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,120 ..all fighting for nectar. 110 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,520 Each flower only has a small amount at any one time, 111 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:14,680 and so it's first come, first served. 112 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:24,320 One hummingbird has gone to great lengths to avoid conflict 113 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:25,800 with other species. 114 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:34,720 Swordbills are the only bird with a beak longer than their body. 115 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,720 And some flowers are too elongated for the other 99 species of 116 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,040 hummingbirds here to feed from them. 117 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,440 A swordbill's extraordinary beak, however, 118 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,360 enables it to reach the places that others can't... 119 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,560 ..the top of this flower, where the sweet nectar is produced. 120 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:16,920 It has found a solution that means it doesn't have to join the fight. 121 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,960 And, as each long flower blooms, it gives the swordbill a fresh supply 122 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,000 of food all to itself. 123 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,760 But having a beak longer than your body does have its drawbacks. 124 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,320 For a start, it's tricky to keep it clean. 125 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:09,560 Harder still, how do you preen your body feathers? 126 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:14,080 Unlike the other hummers, 127 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,200 swordbills can't reach their feathers with their beak. 128 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,880 The only option, a good old scratch. 129 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,640 It's a little unrefined... 130 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:55,400 ..but a small price to pay for an exclusive food supply... 131 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:03,840 ..especially when feeding times are only too frequently interrupted 132 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:05,920 by storms. 133 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,560 THUNDER RUMBLES 134 00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:16,080 Jungles are the richest places on Earth 135 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,280 because of one remarkable fact... 136 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,400 ..they make their own weather. 137 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,640 Every day, water rises from the surface of the leaves as vapour. 138 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,240 It's as if the trees breathe out clouds. 139 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,240 They gather over the forest until, finally... 140 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:49,360 ..they burst. 141 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,920 Rain is the lifeblood of every jungle. 142 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:21,280 And all have to do their best to endure the daily downpour. 143 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,520 In some jungles, like here in Brazil, 144 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:11,760 it rains so much that, for part of the year, the trees are 145 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:13,400 almost totally submerged. 146 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,120 The forest floor is 30 feet below the water's surface. 147 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:35,400 This is a mysterious world, a place few people have ever explored. 148 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,520 We have much to discover about the animals for which this is home... 149 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:58,160 ..including some you might never expect to find amongst trees. 150 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:27,000 A newly identified species of river dolphin found nowhere else on Earth. 151 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:40,840 DOLPHIN WHISTLES 152 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:45,880 In these black, tangled waters, they have become almost totally blind, 153 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,040 so they move slowly, 154 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:52,480 carefully using their sonar to scan the forest floor for fish. 155 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,480 If this forest can hide a new species of dolphin... 156 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,760 ..what else might there be here, awaiting discovery? 157 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,480 At the shallow margins of the flooded jungle, 158 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,280 rivers flow through lush vegetation. 159 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:25,520 Here, food is so abundant, it supports giants. 160 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:30,880 Capybara, the biggest rodents in the world... 161 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:34,640 GRUNTING 162 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,240 ..giant otters the size of a man... 163 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:41,680 THEY SQUEAK 164 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,720 ..and the rulers of these rivers... 165 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:48,000 SPLASH 166 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,080 ..caiman. 167 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,760 They grow to ten feet long and kill anything 168 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,680 they get between their jaws. 169 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,200 But there are more artful hunters... 170 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,680 ..drawn here from the surrounding forest. 171 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,640 A jaguar, the supreme jungle predator. 172 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:34,880 The river marks the edge of his territory... 173 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,440 ..but here he has competition. 174 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:43,840 THEY GROWL 175 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:47,760 THEY ROAR 176 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,160 THEY GROWL 177 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,440 He's now in the territory of a female. 178 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,960 She has ruled this stretch of river for five years. 179 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,840 This is her place to hunt. 180 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,400 Capybara are strong and wary. 181 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,680 The key is stealth. 182 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,440 She needs to get within three feet if she's to pounce. 183 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:43,480 Not this time. 184 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:56,400 She's not the only female here. 185 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:22,760 Few places on Earth have enough food to support so many big cats. 186 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:25,600 LOW GROWL 187 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,920 The male hunts in a different way. 188 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,560 Weighing almost 300 lbs, it's hard to be stealthy... 189 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,880 ..and with so many other jaguars around, 190 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,480 he doesn't bother with wary capybara. 191 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,240 He seeks a different prey. 192 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,360 He's become a killer 193 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:43,680 of killers. 194 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:14,200 Jaguars have the most powerful bite of any cat. 195 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,120 And he knows the caiman's most vulnerable point... 196 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:24,920 ..the back of its skull. 197 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:28,640 CRUNCHING 198 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,720 Hunters living in the dense understorey of the jungle 199 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,160 come in all shapes and sizes. 200 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:03,680 But they share a problem. 201 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:13,640 How to tell what is a plant, and what is prey. 202 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:21,360 This is a game of hide and seek that can be won or lost 203 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:23,120 in the blink of an eye. 204 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,960 The long contest between predator and prey 205 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:00,560 has produced mimicry of astounding accuracy. 206 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,440 A leaf-tailed gecko masquerading as lichen. 207 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:51,880 Some animals take camouflage a stage further still... 208 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,400 ..and these streams in Costa Rica 209 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,040 are home to one of the most remarkable. 210 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,760 A glass frog. 211 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:27,440 A male, and tiny, no bigger than your fingernail 212 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,600 and almost entirely transparent... 213 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:34,240 ..as he needs to be. 214 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:42,560 Almost everything that walks past here could eat him, 215 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:44,000 even a cricket. 216 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:53,200 His best chance is to stay absolutely still and trust that 217 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,240 the cricket looks right through him. 218 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,280 Danger passed, 219 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,880 and that's just as well, 220 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,760 because he is a father... 221 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:32,400 ..and he's guarding some very precious eggs. 222 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:40,320 For the last few weeks, females, one after the other, 223 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,440 have visited him and entrusted him with their offspring. 224 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,520 Some are now almost ready to hatch. 225 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,440 There are several clutches on the leaf, and those at the top, 226 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,680 the most recently laid, are barely a day old. 227 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,320 But in the jungle, there's always someone out to get you. 228 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:21,120 This wasp is a specialist hunter of frogs' eggs. 229 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,280 It's noticed the wriggling tadpoles at the bottom of the leaf. 230 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:34,160 He mustn't move. 231 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,280 The youngest eggs are the most vulnerable, 232 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:39,840 and he can't guard them all. 233 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,640 But these tadpoles are not as helpless as they might appear. 234 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:16,520 Incredibly, the unhatched tadpoles can sense danger, 235 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:21,360 and the oldest and strongest wriggle free and drop into the stream below. 236 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,000 The eggs at the top of the leaf, however, 237 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,720 are still too young to hatch, 238 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:48,000 and now the wasps know they're there. 239 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,880 But the male's back looks very like the youngest cluster of eggs... 240 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,880 ..and that seems to confuse the wasps. 241 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,560 Using his own body as a decoy is a huge risk. 242 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,520 The wasp stings could kill him. 243 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,760 He's managed to save most of his young. 244 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:13,360 He'll have to remain on guard for another two weeks, 245 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:18,240 but in the jungle, just surviving the day can count as a success. 246 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:34,520 With the coming of the night, 247 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:38,040 a new cast of jungle characters takes to the stage. 248 00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:46,360 Flying insects begin to glow as they search for mates. 249 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:55,480 Fungi, unlike plants, thrive in the darkness of the forest floor. 250 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,560 They're hidden until they begin to develop the incredible structures 251 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:04,040 with which they reproduce. 252 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,920 Each releases millions of microscopic spores 253 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:12,960 that drift invisibly away. 254 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:23,240 Many have fruiting bodies that reach upwards to catch any feeble current 255 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:25,280 there might be in the clammy air. 256 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,800 But this one, as it grows, 257 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,200 becomes luminous. 258 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:50,440 Why fungi light up has remained a mystery... 259 00:36:57,320 --> 00:36:58,520 ..until now. 260 00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:10,680 Scientists studying the brightest fungi in the world 261 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,080 think they may have an answer. 262 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,320 Like a beacon, the light attracts insects. 263 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:29,800 From far and wide. 264 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:42,520 To this click beetle, a bright light means only one thing - 265 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:46,000 a female click beetle, 266 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,480 so he flashes in reply. 267 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:02,240 But he doesn't get the reception he was expecting. 268 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:12,160 Confused, he starts searching for a female, and that helps the fungus. 269 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,360 By the time he gives up, he's covered in the fungus's spores. 270 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:22,800 And, as he continues his quest for a female, 271 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,920 he carries these spores to other parts of the forest. 272 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:34,160 And there are even stranger things glowing in the jungle night. 273 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:42,760 These are the multicoloured lights of a railroad worm. 274 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:48,920 It's not really a worm, but a poisonous, caterpillar-like beetle. 275 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,880 The yellow lights warn other creatures to keep out of its way. 276 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:08,280 It's hunting for millipedes. 277 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:23,080 When it finds the trail of one, it switches off its yellow lights. 278 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:32,840 Now it only has a red light on its head. 279 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,240 Millipedes can't see red light. 280 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:51,880 So, to them, the railroad worm in stealth mode is virtually invisible. 281 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:07,040 And that is the end of the millipede. 282 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:23,520 Competition in the jungles forces animals to specialise 283 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,480 in every aspect of their life, 284 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:27,920 including courtship. 285 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:35,120 This has produced some of the most beautiful and elaborate displays 286 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:36,720 on the planet. 287 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:44,520 BIRD SQUAWKS A male red bird-of-paradise, 288 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,960 competing to attract a female by dancing. 289 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,280 One has come to survey what's on offer. 290 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:12,360 She is an independent lady, 291 00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:17,440 and she will select whichever male takes her fancy. 292 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,600 BIRDS SQUAWKING 293 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:34,880 She makes her choice. 294 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:56,200 But now she doesn't seem quite so sure. 295 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:09,440 No? Perhaps he's just a little too keen. 296 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,080 Maybe he'll have better luck tomorrow. 297 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:41,000 Red birds-of-paradise display in the treetops. 298 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:44,880 Other members of the family dance in the gloom of the forest floor. 299 00:42:48,240 --> 00:42:51,720 This is a Wilson's bird-of-paradise. 300 00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:56,480 He's brightly coloured, but about the size of a sparrow. 301 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:05,120 He's lived most of his life alone, but now he's an adult, 302 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,560 and he too needs to attract a mate. 303 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,000 This little patch of light might help him do so. 304 00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:24,760 First, he tidies things up. 305 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:29,720 Showing off in this jumble of leaves wouldn't be easy, 306 00:43:29,720 --> 00:43:33,920 and his beauty will stand out better against a plain background. 307 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:46,680 He doesn't want bright leaves to divert a visitor's attention. 308 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:47,960 They all need to go. 309 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:53,160 Even the green ones. 310 00:43:56,240 --> 00:43:57,920 Especially the green ones. 311 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:10,120 His stage is set. 312 00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:13,560 A central pole, and a little patch of light. 313 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:14,600 It's perfect. 314 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:22,040 And now, he must hope a female hears his call. 315 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:23,640 HIGH-PITCHED SQUAWKING 316 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:35,720 He can wait here for weeks on end. 317 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:47,640 At last, a female. 318 00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:52,760 Time to take up position. 319 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:58,640 She will judge him by the brightness of his feathers. 320 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,240 But for the female to see him at his best, 321 00:45:07,240 --> 00:45:12,840 he needs her to perch directly above his stage, 322 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:14,080 under the light. 323 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:20,960 This might be his only chance to shine. 324 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:32,040 Now, when she's looking directly down on him, he reveals a display 325 00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:33,880 for her eyes only. 326 00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:42,520 In the gloom of the forest floor, 327 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,320 he is a dazzling blaze of iridescent green. 328 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,720 The brightest leaf in the forest. 329 00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:00,920 And that does the trick. 330 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:15,400 Each animal must find its own way of surviving the competition 331 00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:16,720 of the jungle. 332 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:34,240 This crowded world is so full of invention that almost all kinds 333 00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:38,360 of animals on land can trace their origins back here... 334 00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:44,920 ..including us. 335 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:53,240 These forests in Madagascar are home to one of our distant cousins. 336 00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:02,280 This female indri has fought to keep this particular patch of forest 337 00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,640 safe for herself and her family. 338 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:09,000 HIGH-PITCHED SHRIEKS 339 00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:19,600 Every morning, the family come together to sing, 340 00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:23,320 their way of reminding others that this is their home. 341 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:33,240 Indri are so closely adapted to living here 342 00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:36,040 that now they can live nowhere else. 343 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:45,240 For them and the billions of animals with whom they share their home, 344 00:47:45,240 --> 00:47:47,640 the jungle is a sanctuary. 345 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:53,760 But this is changing. 346 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:01,800 Even in the ten years since the head of this family was born, 347 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:05,760 one million hectares of the rainforest have been destroyed 348 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:09,400 in Madagascar alone, 349 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:13,000 and, with it, half the indri families that once lived there. 350 00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:23,360 The local people say the indris are our brothers and their song is 351 00:48:23,360 --> 00:48:27,360 a call to remind us that we, too, once depended on the jungle. 352 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:40,880 This Eden is still a place of wonder and magic. 353 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,800 Something, surely, worth protecting. 354 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:11,480 Jungles are still some of the least explored places on Earth, 355 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:13,880 and with good reason. 356 00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:15,800 They are testing places to work. 357 00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:22,160 Here in the flooded forests of Brazil, 358 00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:26,600 the team are on the trail of a newly discovered species of river dolphin. 359 00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:32,000 So little is known about it that just finding it will be a challenge. 360 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:39,840 Their base for five weeks is a hut on the only bit of dry land around, 361 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:42,240 but it's already occupied. 362 00:49:42,240 --> 00:49:44,760 It appears someone's been making a nest. 363 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:46,080 A resident rat. 364 00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:50,160 Hello, little rat. And on the food cupboard... 365 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:52,920 Hello. Are you a bit shy? 366 00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:01,000 If the housemates are hostile, the hitchhikers are even worse. 367 00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:05,000 A large spider. 368 00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:07,480 Oh, my God. 369 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:12,760 And a colony of aggressive red ants looking for a ride. 370 00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:14,880 Shall we knock into them? 371 00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:18,600 They'll board the boat like a bunch of pirates, 372 00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:19,920 and they'll gnaw our faces off. 373 00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:25,120 That might not be quite true, 374 00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:28,480 but intimidating animals are the least of their problems. 375 00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:33,480 The flooded forest is not only vast, 376 00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:38,080 it's impenetrable, and this new species of dolphin could be anywhere 377 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:42,160 in 150,000 square miles of tangled treetops. 378 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:45,960 But the crew have a plan. 379 00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:50,880 Dolphins use sound to find their way through the flooded forest 380 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:52,800 by making clicks. Sonar. 381 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:58,040 Waterproof microphones allow the crew to eavesdrop on the dolphins, 382 00:50:58,040 --> 00:50:59,360 and so follow them. 383 00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:05,200 But that's easier said than done. 384 00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:19,320 Can you see it? There. 385 00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:25,400 It takes them a week to get their first glimpse of this new species, 386 00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:27,800 and even then, it lasts less than a second. 387 00:51:31,440 --> 00:51:33,520 There appears to be only one dolphin. 388 00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:41,440 And, frustratingly, it can pop up anywhere without warning. 389 00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:47,360 Been looking through the water and seeing bodies kind of appear 390 00:51:47,360 --> 00:51:51,000 out of the murk, and then disappear again. 391 00:51:54,160 --> 00:52:02,920 Eventually, the dolphin leads the crew to an open gap in the forest. 392 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:10,840 We made it! Yay! 393 00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:17,560 Here, at last, there may be a chance of getting something in the can. 394 00:52:25,320 --> 00:52:29,600 Their first shot, but again, a single breath, and then it's gone. 395 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:37,920 Hello, you. With the dolphin as close as this, 396 00:52:37,920 --> 00:52:40,400 the crew can try a different technique - 397 00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:42,840 towing an underwater camera behind the boat. 398 00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:49,240 Dolphin literally just came up parallel to it. 399 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,880 The problem is that the water is so murky, that the dolphin is 400 00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:56,800 almost invisible, even when right next to the camera. 401 00:53:04,280 --> 00:53:06,960 However, now the dolphin is in this channel, 402 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:08,600 the crew can try a different tack. 403 00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:19,960 Michael Sanderson is a drone operator. 404 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:25,680 As long as the dolphin's in open water, 405 00:53:25,680 --> 00:53:27,720 it might be possible to follow it from the air. 406 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:34,520 We've worked out the dolphins seem to be here, 407 00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:38,440 and we can do the drone work, so this is our kind of best bet. 408 00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:42,280 Leaving Michael and his drone on the sand spit, 409 00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:44,240 the crew head back to open water. 410 00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:48,040 But this is called the flooded forest for a reason. 411 00:53:51,240 --> 00:53:53,280 The rain here can be torrential, 412 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:56,040 and although storms normally pass quickly, 413 00:53:56,040 --> 00:53:58,120 this one is clearly not a normal storm. 414 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:05,560 Is it not working? 415 00:54:05,560 --> 00:54:08,360 The motor has broken, and with the boat flooding, 416 00:54:08,360 --> 00:54:09,880 the crew must head for the bank. 417 00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:18,280 It looked like the rainstorm was going to pass, 418 00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:21,360 and it hasn't passed at all. It's very, very heavy, 419 00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:23,760 and I'm soaked through to the skin. 420 00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:31,400 They're stranded, the kit is getting drenched, 421 00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:38,600 trees are falling, and Michael is trapped somewhere down-river. 422 00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:42,440 It's incredible. I'm hoping Michael's all right. 423 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:45,560 And there's been tree fall all up around behind us. 424 00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:48,480 Michael's down there on a tiny little sand spit, 425 00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:51,600 with the other boat, with his opticopter out. 426 00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:54,240 Kind of scary. 427 00:54:56,680 --> 00:54:57,960 After two hours, 428 00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:01,600 a break in the storm gives Michael a chance to rejoin the team. 429 00:55:01,600 --> 00:55:05,680 Just got caught in one of the heaviest storms I've ever seen. 430 00:55:05,680 --> 00:55:10,800 Got up to this much water on the tarp, and the other one, so 431 00:55:10,800 --> 00:55:13,320 I don't know if this is going to live any more, 432 00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:16,040 because that was on the floor. 433 00:55:16,040 --> 00:55:19,400 It looks like it's game over for the drone. 434 00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:21,400 Yeah, it was pretty scary, wasn't it? 435 00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:27,200 Over the next 12 hours, the storm returns again and again. 436 00:55:28,920 --> 00:55:30,760 If this bad weather continues, 437 00:55:30,760 --> 00:55:33,520 the crew may not be able to get back out to the dolphin. 438 00:55:39,200 --> 00:55:41,960 The next morning, 439 00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:45,160 clear skies, and the drone might be fixable. 440 00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:49,760 But the longer it takes, the more chance that the dolphin 441 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:52,880 will have returned to the flooded forest, 442 00:55:52,880 --> 00:55:54,680 and then it'll be back to square one. 443 00:55:57,400 --> 00:55:59,400 But finally, their luck is in. 444 00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:03,240 The dolphin is still there. 445 00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:08,360 For the first time, they have a chance to film 446 00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:11,880 from the water and the air, and finally discover 447 00:56:11,880 --> 00:56:14,000 what this elusive animal is really doing. 448 00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:18,800 They were in the boat and they were looking around and going, 449 00:56:18,800 --> 00:56:21,120 "Yeah, there are some bubbles." 450 00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:25,040 We were flying with the drone and we could see dolphins, 451 00:56:25,040 --> 00:56:29,560 and while they thought they could only see one dolphin, we saw five. 452 00:56:29,560 --> 00:56:31,800 And they had no idea. 453 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:37,840 The crew are surprised to find these dolphins aren't solitary, 454 00:56:37,840 --> 00:56:41,080 You're starting to see stuff with the drone that you suddenly go, 455 00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:43,280 "I thought there was one dolphin there," and 456 00:56:43,280 --> 00:56:47,160 then you count that there are five and then you're looking in one place 457 00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:49,760 and they're all behind you, laughing at you. 458 00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:53,160 This new perspective has given the crew a first glimpse 459 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:55,280 into a mysterious jungle animal 460 00:56:55,280 --> 00:56:58,640 in one of the least-known corners of the Earth. 461 00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:11,560 Next time - a land of extremes that pushes life to the limit. 462 00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:19,240 Animals have extraordinary ways of dealing with the hostile conditions. 463 00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:23,720 Creating the most epic survival stories on Earth. 464 00:57:23,720 --> 00:57:25,280 These are deserts.