1 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,840 At the southern tip of South America, 2 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,880 the Andes Mountains rise almost vertically. 3 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,640 Their very height affects life 4 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,240 throughout the continent. 5 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,720 The barren slopes look inhospitable. 6 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,160 But like all parts of South America, 7 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,960 they're actually rich with wildlife. 8 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:24,280 A family of puma. 9 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,080 They live further south 10 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,280 than any other kind of cat on Earth. 11 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,400 These cubs are only six months old, 12 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,840 entirely dependent on their mother for food. 13 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,680 She knows how to exploit this rugged landscape to her advantage. 14 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,080 And she has to do so, 15 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:14,080 if she is to catch the continent's most challenging prey. 16 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,080 Guanaco, a relative of the camel. 17 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,520 Two metres tall, and over three times the weight of a puma. 18 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,880 The mother's only hope is to go for the throat 19 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,040 and try to suffocate her prey. 20 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,120 GUANACO TRILLS 21 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:52,680 GUANACO TRILLS AND BLEATS 22 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,800 Her cubs try to help. 23 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,000 But they themselves don't yet 24 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:19,600 have the skills or the weight 25 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,840 to bring down such large prey. 26 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,920 And the mother is now badly injured. 27 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:51,960 Her wounds are severe 28 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,560 and will take weeks to heal properly. 29 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,960 But without food, her cubs won't survive for long. 30 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,480 The weather in the Andes 31 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,320 is harsh and unpredictable. 32 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,600 Snow makes the camouflage 33 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,080 on which she relies 34 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:46,760 much less effective. 35 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:55,080 But she must have food. 36 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,640 The guanaco have left her normal hunting ground. 37 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,280 And are now in the territory 38 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,440 of a much larger male puma. 39 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,080 He's just made a kill. 40 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,280 But he isn't about to share it with her. 41 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:36,960 To hunt here, 42 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,000 she'll need to leave her cubs behind 43 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,200 in the safety of their home territory. 44 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,120 Almost invisible in the shadows, 45 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,880 she's nearly within pouncing distance. 46 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,760 GUANACO TRILLS 47 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:40,920 Another failure. 48 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:05,680 GUANACO BLEATS 49 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:11,600 She's got her speed back. 50 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:31,480 Now she must hold on. 51 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,440 But she's in the male's territory, 52 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,080 so her prize isn't safe. 53 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:49,640 And her hungry cubs 54 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:51,200 are almost a mile away. 55 00:08:57,560 --> 00:08:59,160 In her weakened state, 56 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,520 she will need all her reserves of energy 57 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,040 to drag it back onto her territory. 58 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,600 Only her determination to feed her young keeps her going. 59 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:45,680 Nearly there. 60 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,120 PUMA SNARLS 61 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:05,760 This one meal 62 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,160 will barely last the whole family 63 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,040 for more than a few days. 64 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,560 Then, their mother - somehow - will have to summon the strength 65 00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:16,640 to hunt again. 66 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:29,040 Life for a hunter in this land is as hard as it gets. 67 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:45,400 The Andes themselves were built by forces deep in the Earth's crust. 68 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,280 In this part of the Pacific, 69 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,480 the ocean floor has been moving eastwards for millions of years. 70 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,920 Where the sediments meet the edge of the continent, they're pushed 71 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:03,760 together and forced upwards. 72 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,040 This pressure creates fractures, 73 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,400 up which molten rock rises, 74 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,880 and is then spewed out as ash and lava from great volcanoes. 75 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:31,480 Nearly 200 of them stretch in a line along the length of the continent. 76 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:47,200 Some erupt with the force of an atomic bomb every ten seconds. 77 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:01,720 As the collision continues, the sea floor is dragged downwards, 78 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,160 creating a deep trench just offshore. 79 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,880 Rich, cold waters rise up from it. 80 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,960 And this upwelling creates an abundance of life. 81 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,240 BIRDS CAW 82 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,680 SEA LIONS ROAR 83 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,520 CAWING INTENSIFIES 84 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:31,080 Here, on the coast of Peru, 85 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,880 there are so many sea birds fishing in the offshore waters 86 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,320 that the cliffs are covered in droppings over a metre thick. 87 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:45,000 Humboldt penguins regard the soft guano as a good material 88 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,200 in which to dig their nest holes. 89 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:52,960 But it's a messy business. 90 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:05,760 It's the breeding season, and more hopeful nesters arrive - 91 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,560 spotless from swimming in the sea. 92 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,480 Time for the residents to get cleaned up and catch some fish 93 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,200 for themselves and their chicks. 94 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:33,760 To get to the sea, they cross the remains of an old nesting ground. 95 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,000 Only 100 metres to go. 96 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,440 But the beach is already crowded with sea lions. 97 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,440 They, too, have come ashore to raise their young. 98 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,040 And they don't like being disturbed. 99 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:40,480 To get through such a minefield needs a bold and courageous leader. 100 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,480 SEA LIONS ROAR 101 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:50,560 A brave start. 102 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:57,440 A dead end. 103 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:00,120 Now he's in trouble. 104 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:10,840 This is going to need a bit of crowd surfing. 105 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,040 But now, all the sea lions are roused. 106 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,880 Getting through them will be tricky. 107 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:11,880 A cleansing bathe in the ocean... 108 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:14,640 ..well worth the effort. 109 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,040 The animals living along the Pacific Coast 110 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:22,760 are cut off from the rest 111 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:25,320 of South America by the Andes. 112 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,920 They form a gigantic barrier, 113 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,680 stretching over 4,000 miles 114 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:38,840 from Patagonia in the south... 115 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:41,440 ..to Venezuela in the north. 116 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,240 This is the world's longest mountain range. 117 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,720 Many peaks are over four miles high. 118 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,440 They are so tall, they catch clouds. 119 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:09,680 And so, create an environment unlike any other on the continent. 120 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:24,800 The cloud forest. 121 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:33,840 Every high valley here has its own unique plants and animals. 122 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,040 One of them is the aptly-named Pinocchio lizard. 123 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,320 It was first recorded here 50 years ago - and then, lost. 124 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,760 It's only recently been rediscovered. 125 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:11,560 Up here lives a creature so rare that it's seldom seen, 126 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,640 even by those scientists who have come here to study it. 127 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:19,160 The Andean bear. 128 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,680 Only a few thousand remain. 129 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:38,080 They eat mostly leaves and fruit, 130 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,480 often clambering up to the very top of the canopy to do so. 131 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,880 He's looking for a type of miniature avocado. 132 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:22,320 30 metres up. 133 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,520 The only fruit remaining here is out on the thinnest branches - 134 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,560 too thin to support the weight of a bear. 135 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:47,920 A more experienced bear has turned up and wants a go. 136 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,480 Time for young ones to watch and learn how to do it. 137 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,200 The trick is to bite the branch just enough... 138 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,720 ..to make it swing down and bring the fruit within reach. 139 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:29,400 Whoops. 140 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,000 Now there's a race to be first on the ground to claim it. 141 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,040 The moisture needed to create a cloud forest only occurs 142 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:11,400 above a certain altitude. 143 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,280 So, each peak may now have its own species. 144 00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:27,640 In Venezuela, there are similar small worlds created not by rain, 145 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:28,640 but by rock. 146 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:36,600 A great layer of sandstone once covered this entire area, 147 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,200 but rivers cut through it. 148 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,360 As the valleys widened, the tablelands became first 149 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:50,240 huge plateaus, then isolated, flat-topped mountains... 150 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:02,000 ..and eventually towers and spires. 151 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,840 On the tops of the bigger ones, animals and plants have now become 152 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:20,680 so different that they can be counted as new species. 153 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,040 There is no higher waterfall in the world... 154 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:52,280 ..than this one. 155 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:56,600 Angel Falls. 156 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,720 Almost a kilometre from top to bottom. 157 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,720 The vertical cliffs surrounding many of these mountains 158 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,280 have kept them largely free from human exploitation. 159 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,200 No such barriers have protected the lowlands... 160 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,840 ..but a few patches of forest still remain. 161 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:32,760 One in Colombia is the home of one of the world's rarest monkeys. 162 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,080 Cotton-topped tamarins. 163 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,120 They're critically endangered. 164 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,240 Only a few hundred families remain. 165 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,120 They live largely on fruit 166 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:10,760 and are particularly fond of tree sap. 167 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:17,480 This is packed with sugars, so it also attracts insects. 168 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,240 But tamarins like them, too - 169 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,760 a little bit of protein to add to their diet. 170 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:38,640 There used to be over 50,000 species of insect to choose from. 171 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,960 But as the forest has shrunk around them, it's becoming more difficult 172 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:50,160 to find the right ones. 173 00:24:58,760 --> 00:24:59,760 COW MOOS 174 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,680 South America is changing. 175 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:07,080 MOOING CONTINUES 176 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:15,160 Over 95% of Colombia's lowland forest has now been cleared. 177 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,480 Farming has taken the biggest share. 178 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,480 This patch of forest is now isolated. 179 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:44,040 The few tamarin families here are now cut off 180 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:45,560 from the rest of their species. 181 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,120 And beyond their boundary lies an alien world. 182 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,160 COW MOOS 183 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,920 Today, more than 2,000 species of animal in South America 184 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:04,920 are under threat. 185 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:14,440 All across the continent, forest is being steadily cut down 186 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,440 and replaced by farms. 187 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,800 Images from space reveal the scale of the destruction. 188 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:46,600 Throughout South America as a whole, an area of forest the size 189 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,440 of a football pitch is being lost every five seconds. 190 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,720 Of all the forests at risk, 191 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,720 perhaps the most precious lies in the very heart of the continent. 192 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,880 The Amazon rainforest, the largest on Earth. 193 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:35,120 Over two million species of plants and animals now live here... 194 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:41,240 ..more than is found on any other of the Earth's seven continents. 195 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:12,440 Food is so abundant that some male birds, instead of helping with 196 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,480 nest duties, try to mate with as many females as possible. 197 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,920 This is a male mannequin showing off to a female. 198 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:26,680 He does so by dancing. 199 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,440 And he has a team of subordinate males to help him. 200 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,880 By supporting him now, they may themselves eventually become leaders 201 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,600 and get a chance to mate. 202 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,680 The team is assembled, and the performance begins. 203 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:02,600 She takes a closer look. 204 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,720 The top male signals the end with a final flourish. 205 00:29:58,520 --> 00:29:59,640 What's the verdict? 206 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:08,960 Not good enough. 207 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:12,000 Unbelievable. 208 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,080 So...it's back to practising. 209 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:37,080 Each animal species in this crowded environment has to have its own way 210 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,120 of creating a niche for itself. 211 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,400 This is a poison dart frog. 212 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:53,200 Males raise their young in a very special way. 213 00:30:57,080 --> 00:31:00,880 A father will place each one of his tadpoles in its own 214 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:02,720 tiny pool of water. 215 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,800 This is one - nice and safe. 216 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,400 He might have up to five other tadpoles... 217 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:19,600 ..but he needs to remember where he put each one of them. 218 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:25,280 This one isn't doing so well. 219 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,160 His tiny puddle has all but dried out. 220 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,920 The tadpole will die unless its father can find 221 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:36,040 a better place for it. 222 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:40,840 If dads are good for one thing... 223 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,160 ..it's piggyback rides. 224 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:58,160 Fathers are no bigger than a human thumbnail, but this enables them 225 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,600 to get to places that others can't. 226 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:04,680 This could be perfect. 227 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,200 The only problem is that there's no food here. 228 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:18,840 Fathers need help. 229 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:27,040 Somewhere in this forest... 230 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,480 ..is... 231 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:33,520 ..Mum. 232 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:50,440 A female could do something a male cannot. 233 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,560 But first, Dad must lead his partner to their hungry tadpole. 234 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:15,560 And Mother deals with the problem. 235 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,240 She lays a single unfertilised egg. 236 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:34,280 And her tadpole gets a much-needed meal. 237 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:42,400 For the next six weeks, parents continue their rounds - 238 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,400 an extraordinary test of teamwork and memory. 239 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:54,200 Warmed by the tropical sun, 240 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:58,240 the Amazon's trees release so much moisture from the surface 241 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,880 of their leaves that they create their own clouds. 242 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:03,720 THUNDER RUMBLES 243 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,840 And these, over the course of a year, 244 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,680 release up to six metres of rain. 245 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,240 The water flows through the saturated forest 246 00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:18,400 along 1,000 streams. 247 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:26,200 They eventually unite to form the largest river of them all. 248 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:31,960 The Amazon carries more water 249 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,360 than the world's next seven biggest rivers combined. 250 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:42,320 Some sections of its banks are particularly sought-after. 251 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:57,080 Scarlet macaws travel over 50 miles to visit them. 252 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,640 Macaw couples bond for life, 253 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,440 and may stick together for over 40 years. 254 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,560 Pairs return to favourite trees - ones they've known for decades. 255 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,360 Parents provide their chicks with fruits and seeds. 256 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:37,360 But they're far from the ocean, and their diet lacks salt. 257 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:41,800 Without it, the chicks' brains and bones will not develop properly. 258 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,600 So, someone has to go and fetch it. 259 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,120 Many other creatures are looking for the same thing. 260 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:09,160 A clay lick. 261 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:15,880 The earth here may be 40 times richer in valuable minerals 262 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,600 than anywhere else in the surrounding forest. 263 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,320 Over a dozen species of parrot jostle for space. 264 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:32,720 There's a strict order in who feeds first. 265 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,440 Everyone is in a rush to fill up and get airborne. 266 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:12,640 Parents have to carry over five kilograms of clay to their nest 267 00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:14,560 before their chicks are ready to leave. 268 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:21,360 Once fledged, these young will follow their parents 269 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:23,200 for up to a year, 270 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,840 learning where to find the salts. 271 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:43,080 Many of the great riches of South America lie far beyond 272 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:44,080 the Amazon basin. 273 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,640 Over 1,000 miles to the south of the Amazon, 274 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,160 there's one creek unlike any other on the continent. 275 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:15,160 Here, at Bonito, freshwater springs bubble up from deep underground. 276 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:24,440 Filtered through limestone, they create crystal-clear pools. 277 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:30,520 And in them live some remarkable fish. 278 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:34,480 Piraputanga. 279 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,400 The water is so clear that they're able to see 280 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,000 what is going on above its surface. 281 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,320 Brown capuchins are up there, looking for a meal. 282 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:03,720 The piraputanga watch them attentively. 283 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,600 Wherever the monkeys go along the banks, 284 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:09,880 the fish follow. 285 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:23,040 The monkeys are on their daily search for ripe fruit - 286 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:27,400 and the fish cannot, by themselves, know where that might be. 287 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:31,960 But here it is. 288 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:46,000 And fortunately, the monkeys aren't the neatest of feeders. 289 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:06,920 Every scrap is fought over. 290 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,680 One monkey has the job of keeping an eye out for danger. 291 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:35,000 Anacondas are the largest of all snakes. 292 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:42,320 They grow to over 200 kilos. 293 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:48,640 And they usually stalk their prey from the water. 294 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:56,360 But it's not fish that they're after. 295 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:12,080 If the monkeys stray too close to the water, 296 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:13,320 they will be in danger. 297 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,560 CAPUCHIN CHIRPS The scout gives a warning call. 298 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:45,080 That might have to be the end of the monkey's meal for today. 299 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,960 But now the piraputanga know where the fruit is. 300 00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:56,440 And there's still plenty left on the tree. 301 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,120 In the monkey's absence, they go for it themselves. 302 00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:18,320 Success or failure is just a matter of millimetres. 303 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:36,800 With a split-second adjustment, 304 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,040 the fish bends in mid-air 305 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:40,600 and collects the prize. 306 00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:08,400 The piraputanga's extraordinary feeding technique relies on 307 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,200 these waters remaining clear. 308 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,080 But today, the future of South America's rivers 309 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:21,720 has become uncertain. 310 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,400 As the human population has grown, 311 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:30,680 people have become more and more 312 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:34,480 reliant on its rivers for one of the essentials of modern life. 313 00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:38,760 Power. 314 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:46,760 Two thirds of South America's energy now comes from hydro electricity. 315 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:52,600 No other region on Earth is so dependent upon it. 316 00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,840 But the way these dams are managed can cause problems 317 00:43:57,840 --> 00:43:59,440 farther downriver. 318 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:08,920 These are the Iguazu Falls. 319 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:19,600 If the dams upriver suddenly release their excess, 320 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,600 Iguazu can double in size. 321 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,120 And that can cause major problems for animals that live here. 322 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:41,440 These are great dusky swifts. 323 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:45,000 They fly alarmingly close to the thundering torrent... 324 00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:49,080 ..and then vanish. 325 00:44:55,760 --> 00:45:00,040 Miraculously, they're able to fly right through the curtain of water. 326 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,720 And they do so because they've built their nests 327 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:09,600 behind the thundering curtain. 328 00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:17,280 Their enemies - falcons, like this caracara - can't follow them. 329 00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:22,360 So, the swift chicks are safe. 330 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:42,880 But now, humans have created new problems for the swifts. 331 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,360 Just as some of the chicks are starting to fly, 332 00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:51,000 the spill over the dams is released in full force. 333 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:08,600 As the torrent grows, parents give up on the last perches. 334 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:24,280 Now the chicks are alone. 335 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:33,680 But they don't yet have their parents' waterproof feathers. 336 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:43,000 Every year, these sudden surges of water sweep some to their death. 337 00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:49,120 CHICK CHIRPS VIGOROUSLY 338 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:56,000 The chicks have never seen the world beyond the falling waters. 339 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:10,520 Unless they can find a way through, 340 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:12,240 they will not survive. 341 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,680 Amazingly, driven by blind instinct, 342 00:47:38,680 --> 00:47:41,560 chicks do manage to power their way through. 343 00:47:56,560 --> 00:48:00,200 These remarkable birds have colonised a niche 344 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,200 in which few can survive. 345 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:10,240 Yet their future - and that of all wildlife in South America - 346 00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:15,640 will depend on us striking a balance between the needs of humans 347 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:21,320 and animals on the richest and most diverse continent on Earth. 348 00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:44,040 To film one of South America's most elusive predators, 349 00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:48,120 the Seven Worlds team will travel to the far south of the continent. 350 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:58,880 Their aim was to capture footage of wild pumas hunting. 351 00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:04,440 But what the team encountered was the struggle of a mother 352 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,480 desperate to feed her family. 353 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:14,760 Chile's Torres del Paine covers nearly 1,000 square miles. 354 00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:20,960 Cameraman John Shier has been coming here for eight years, 355 00:49:20,960 --> 00:49:25,120 but even he has never witnessed a successful puma hunt. 356 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:28,720 With so much ground to cover, 357 00:49:28,720 --> 00:49:33,240 the crew use the latest technology to scout from the air. 358 00:49:33,240 --> 00:49:35,480 Bertie is setting up the drone, 359 00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:38,200 cos it helps find the cats. 360 00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:41,960 Get a unique perspective on exactly where they are in this habitat. 361 00:49:47,720 --> 00:49:50,640 But expert tracker Roberto Donoso 362 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:53,280 has 15 years' experience here, 363 00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:54,760 and he relies on help 364 00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:56,720 from a surprising local. 365 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:02,720 No-one can spot a puma 366 00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:04,480 as well as a guanaco. 367 00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:07,240 GUANACO TRILLS 368 00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:11,240 John is first to pick up the clues. 369 00:50:11,240 --> 00:50:13,920 Hey. Cat? Cat, yeah. Cat. Got a cat, OK. 370 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:19,760 You can see the... 371 00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:22,360 ..guanaco from the other side, alarm-calling. 372 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:25,880 GUANACO TRILLS 373 00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:31,680 That cat is just sat on the ridge. 374 00:50:31,680 --> 00:50:34,360 And the full moon has just risen right behind it. 375 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:37,200 It's almost cheesy. 376 00:50:39,640 --> 00:50:41,160 Our very first puma. 377 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:47,600 Once John starts to get his eye in, 378 00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:51,400 he realises he's being watched by more than one cat. 379 00:50:58,160 --> 00:50:59,720 It's crazy - so we're sitting here, 380 00:50:59,720 --> 00:51:02,120 we've got this young male 381 00:51:02,120 --> 00:51:04,640 over the ridge, so we've got that cat. 382 00:51:04,640 --> 00:51:08,600 While you're sitting here, you hear other guanaco alarming other spots. 383 00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:11,520 And you realise that... there's just cats roaming 384 00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:13,400 all around the landscape. 385 00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:17,440 Over the coming days, John sees more puma than ever before. 386 00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:23,280 The situation is like nothing the crew expected. 387 00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:26,760 For a long time, we used to say that trying to spot puma was so 388 00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:28,640 unusual and so rare. 389 00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:31,640 But the real remarkable thing is, actually, 390 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:33,720 we're seeing cats every day. 391 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:39,680 And to think that there's this many puma around is just incredible. 392 00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:43,200 After decades of persecution by humans, 393 00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:45,800 puma are now protected in southern Chile 394 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:47,320 and making a comeback. 395 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:54,720 But to stand any chance of seeing them hunt, 396 00:51:54,720 --> 00:51:57,960 the crew would need to find just the right cat. 397 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:06,280 Three weeks in, John has spotted something promising. 398 00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:07,600 He alerts the crew. 399 00:52:10,880 --> 00:52:14,720 RADIO: Not that far, it's just up here to my right, 400 00:52:14,720 --> 00:52:16,600 about 100 yards from me. 401 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:18,400 See, he's to the right. 402 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:21,600 But closer to... Oh, I got him. Yeah, yeah. 403 00:52:23,040 --> 00:52:24,880 Wow. That's four, all right. 404 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:28,120 Looks like a pride of lions. 405 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:34,840 A mother with three cubs - and Roberto knows exactly who she is. 406 00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:39,880 Her name is Sarmiento. 407 00:52:42,560 --> 00:52:46,800 Her struggle to feed her family is now the crew's main focus. 408 00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:51,680 The challenge is to keep up. 409 00:52:53,920 --> 00:52:59,080 A mother on the search for food will roam vast distances. 410 00:52:59,080 --> 00:53:01,200 Seven miles, they've walked. 411 00:53:01,200 --> 00:53:03,320 Haven't stopped walking. 412 00:53:03,320 --> 00:53:06,320 For the crew, this means dragging heavy equipment 413 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:07,840 over difficult terrain. 414 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:14,440 So, we've been following the cats so much that there's now 415 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:16,040 a hole in the bottom of my shoe. 416 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:22,600 Unpredictable weather makes it even harder. 417 00:53:40,720 --> 00:53:43,280 Five weeks in... 418 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:47,080 ..and John finally thinks Sarmiento might have some luck. 419 00:53:47,080 --> 00:53:49,520 So, it's more of a hope, but I think she's going to get 420 00:53:49,520 --> 00:53:50,880 one of these guanaco today. 421 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:53,280 There's been a big herd that's streaming into this valley. 422 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:55,240 And for the last two hours, she's just been watching them 423 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:56,680 with laser focus. 424 00:53:56,680 --> 00:53:58,920 Fingers crossed today's the day. 425 00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:12,600 GUANACO SCREECHES 426 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:27,200 HE SIGHS 427 00:54:30,760 --> 00:54:32,920 She fought so hard, the guanaco fought really hard. 428 00:54:32,920 --> 00:54:34,680 In the end, she didn't get it. 429 00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:37,920 It's amazing how she has to fight to just get a meal, to survive. 430 00:54:37,920 --> 00:54:41,240 Trying to take down an animal as large as a guanaco 431 00:54:41,240 --> 00:54:43,480 has left Sarmiento badly injured. 432 00:54:45,520 --> 00:54:48,080 RADIO CHATTER 433 00:55:06,320 --> 00:55:09,000 Every failed attempt, she gets weaker. 434 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:12,880 Yeah. Got it. It was close, but she got thrown off pretty good. 435 00:55:14,000 --> 00:55:16,920 But a hungry mother doesn't give up easily. 436 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:25,080 There's a group of guanacos down there. 437 00:55:25,080 --> 00:55:28,560 So, we're trying to get in a good position to launch the drone. 438 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:30,720 He's here. Yeah, I got it. 439 00:55:30,720 --> 00:55:31,720 She's coming down. 440 00:55:33,840 --> 00:55:36,840 The crew will only have seconds to get into position. 441 00:55:42,720 --> 00:55:44,760 50. 50 metres. 50. 442 00:55:48,600 --> 00:55:50,640 ON RADIO: OK. 20. 20 metres. 443 00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:51,760 It's time. 20 metres. 444 00:55:56,720 --> 00:55:59,160 Go on, it's running, it's running! 445 00:56:13,600 --> 00:56:15,840 Witnessing this life-and-death battle 446 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:17,200 is difficult. 447 00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:25,080 But at last, John sees Sarmiento provide for her cubs. 448 00:56:26,200 --> 00:56:28,320 I feel greatly relieved. 449 00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:31,240 It's been 30 days, 100 miles of walking with her, 450 00:56:31,240 --> 00:56:33,000 and...we finally got her doing it. 451 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:38,360 During the chase, I was thinking, "This time, please, get it down." 452 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:41,000 There's been three chases where it got away. 453 00:56:42,840 --> 00:56:45,920 The cubs have got food now, she had to fight for it. 454 00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:49,840 Conservation efforts here have given these secretive cats 455 00:56:49,840 --> 00:56:55,040 a rare safe haven, enabling the team to capture a filming first... 456 00:56:56,680 --> 00:57:00,480 ..and tell the remarkable story of a fearless mother 457 00:57:00,480 --> 00:57:03,080 at the far edge of South America. 458 00:57:08,640 --> 00:57:10,880 Next time... 459 00:57:10,880 --> 00:57:15,360 ..a continent marooned during the time of the dinosaurs, 460 00:57:15,360 --> 00:57:17,120 where the castaways... 461 00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:21,200 ..are like nothing else on Earth. 462 00:57:28,320 --> 00:57:29,760 Australia.