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(suspenseful music)

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The islands of Indonesia,

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refuge for countless species of plants and animals.

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Including some of the most spectacular reptiles

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in the world.

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In the rain forest of Sulawesi,

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80% of all the species are endemic

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found nowhere else on Earth.

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And these islands are home to 15%

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of the world's coral reefs.

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(suspenseful music)

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In the mid 19th century, a young English zoologist

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spent three years here.

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Alfred Russel Wallace discovered that nature in the region

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was divided by a mysterious barrier.

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150 years later,

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a new generation of scientists explorers

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has come to solve another mystery.

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This time it's beneath the sea.

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They're diving into a world that was closed

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to the Victorian explorer

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to see if species are separated in the ocean as well.

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An expedition into the depths of the Wallace Line.

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(suspenseful music)

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(people chatting)
(dog barking)

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Padangbai on the Indonesian island of Bali.

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A team of marine biologists have returned to the region

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where Alfred Russel Wallace made his discoveries

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150 years ago.

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They want to answer some new questions about evolution.

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Matthias Kopfmuller and his scientists

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are ready to launch their expedition.

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Stop, stop, stop, stop, okay.

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All right, stop.

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Their research vessel, Ananda, sets off

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for the first morning's dive.

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(wooden boards creaking)

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(speaking in foreign language)

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(speaking in foreign language)

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Alfred Russel Wallace had noticed how different

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the plants and animals were

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in different parts of the Malayan archipelago.

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(motor buzzing)

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When he collated his data,

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he realized that a mysterious line

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seemed to cut the region in half.

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On one side where the mammals,

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on the other the big reptiles.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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There must be something under the water

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keeping the species apart,

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but Wallace had no way of looking.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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Matthias Kopfmuller's new expedition can.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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We're now positioned

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{\an8}right over Wallace Line,

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{\an8}the imaginary line Wallace plotted back then.

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{\an8}The Australasian animals are on one side

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and the East Asian animals are on the other,

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at least above the water.

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Now we have the technology to establish

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how things are underwater

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to find out whether the wildlife

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to the east and west of the line

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is separated by a deep sea trench and by ocean currents.

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(light calm music)

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It's literally an expedition into the unknown.

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The Wallace Line is actually the Wallace Band.

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It marks the boundary between two continents,

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Asia and Oceania.

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At its narrowest, it passes between two islands,

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Bali and Lombok.

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Wallacea, as this region is known,

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has one of the richest ecosystems on Earth.

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Wallace noted in his diary

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that although these islands were separated

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only by the straits,

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they were more different than England and Japan,

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even though Lombok and Bali

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were no more than 30 miles apart.

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Russel wanted to know the reason

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for this extraordinary diversity

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and why it happened here.

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1855.

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He solved the mystery after four years of work

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and observation.

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Traveling from island to island

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was a sure way to catch malaria.

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But even racked by the fever,

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he would not give up on his search

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for the origin of species.

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(dramatic music)

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He needed to know the purpose of such astounding variety.

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How could it have developed?

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Where was the evidence for a divine creator?

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(dramatic music)

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Wallace already knew that island seemed to encourage

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unusual forms of life.

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Especially here in the Malayan archipelago.

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And now, he had the insight of his life.

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That as a result of the struggle for existence

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and the natural selection of individual animals,

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entirely new species would inevitably develop.

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It was a revolutionary thought.

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(light calm music)

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As Wallace wrote down his idea,

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another man had long been working on the same theory,

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Charles Darwin.

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One of the most famous scientists

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in the history of the world,

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the spiritual father of the theory of evolution.

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His book on the evolution of species

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changed the world forever.

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But Darwin had already been working

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for 20 years on his book,

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constantly delaying the final decision to publish.

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As a clergyman, Darwin feared the public reaction

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to his theories.

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This was a time when the church still taught

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that the world was created in seven days.

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And most scientists believed

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the Earth was no more than 4,000 years old.

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(dramatic music)

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In three days and nights of fever,

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Wallace's work was completed.

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(insects buzzing)

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All his ideas were condensed into a single paper.

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It was just 20 pages long.

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Russel signed it and addressed it

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to the lead zoologist in England.

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Soon after receiving it,

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Darwin decided to publish "On the Origin of Species."

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Was this a response to Wallace's ideas?

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That may never be known.

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But Wallace is now a legend only to the experts,

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the founder of island geography

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and discoverer of the Wallace Line.

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And the Wallace Line is what the new team is looking for.

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They want to know how far down it extends

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and how a linking element like water

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can separate the species that live in it.

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From the early morning, there's been hectic activity

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on board the two research vessels.

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Everyone is concentrating on this first dive.

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(motor buzzing)
(speaking in foreign language)

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Onno Gross is a marine biologist.

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He's the scientific leader of the expedition

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and he's confident of getting results.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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{\an8}I'm pretty sure we will find differences

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{\an8}between the animals separated by the Wallace Line.

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We'll make tests, identify and map corals,

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take sediment and sand samples.

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And I'm pretty sure we'll also find new species.

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This is an area

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that has very rarely been dived.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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The team know they will need to cope

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with extreme depths and powerful currents.

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A new gas and air mix will allow the divers

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to spend more time below the surface.

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(water splashing)

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They can dive deeper

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and explore a greater area.

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(suspenseful music)
(water splashing)

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They'll need that extra capability.

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They know that the Wallace Line

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forms a deep under sea canyon here

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and the strong currents will slow them down.

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(suspenseful music)

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The nutrient-rich waters forced at high speed

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through these narrows make this a rich habitat

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for a multitude of species.

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White-tipped reef sharks, the top predators here,

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can wait lazily for their prey,

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fed ample oxygen by the rushing current.

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They feed on creatures that eat still smaller fish

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and plankton.

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An extremely rich mix of marine species exists here,

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poised above the abyss.

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(light techno music)

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A many individual fish show unexpected variations.

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This is a lionfish.

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It's stripes are usually bright red.

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The scientists have never seen these colors before.

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(light techno music)

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A manta glides by.

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Their undersides are usually white,

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the perfect camouflage when viewed from beneath

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but this one's is black.

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Are these unique genetic mutations?

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Or completely new species?

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The citizens of Wallacea are somehow bigger, stranger

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or more colorful than sea creatures

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in other shallow ocean waters.

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(light techno music)

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As they descend,

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the divers find more and more strange forms of life.

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Feather starfish, strange creatures

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with tentacles like feathers

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dance past the undersea cliff sides.

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These are scenes that Wallace or Darwin

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could never have witnessed.

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(dramatic music)

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Since their time, zoologists have identified

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about 230,000 different marine species.

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But scientists believe

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that between one and 10 million species

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still remain to be discovered.

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(hammer thumping)

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On the edge of the rock face,

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the marine biologists take samples of corals

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that have been here for thousands of years

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and samples of the rock itself.

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The microscopic creatures living on them

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will be genetically analyzed in the lab.

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(bubbles gurgling)

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They're making an inventory of the undersea cliffs

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of the Wallace Line.

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A sort of marine census.

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And this is a densely-populated region.

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This area has been a rich tropical sea

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for hundreds of millions of years,

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a hothouse for species development

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and a boundary between continents

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with very different species.

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This has made it a true cradle of marine evolution.

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(air whooshing)

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Special plastic tubes called multicorers are used

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to take samples of the different layers of sediment.

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One tube-full can contain up to 1000 Foraminiferas,

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tiny single-cell creatures, 90% of them new to science.

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These will be tested on both sides of the line.

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(dramatic music)

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Lifting bags transport the first samples to the surface.

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(suspenseful music)

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The first dive was successful and relatively easy.

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Now they want to go deeper into the canyon

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where the two sides of the line meet.

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There's a steep drop for several hundred meters.

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(suspenseful music)

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And on the way down, the divers expect to meet

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severe turbulence.

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From the water surface to a depth of about 30 meters,

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the current runs at eight knots.

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That's almost 14 kilometers an hour.

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This current drags everything that isn't attached

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into the open ocean

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or pulls it down into the depths.

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The divers are exposed to it

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and it's more dangerous than it looks.

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In fact, the current could be deadly.

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One of the divers loses his grip on the rocks

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and is fast pulled away by the current.

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(suspenseful music)

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To panic now could fatal.

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It takes calm nerves to get the situation under control.

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It's a warning.

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These currents deserve respect.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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We managed to get something,

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but it's gonna be tough.

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We thought it would be a bit easier than this.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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It's been a sobering start.

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Wow.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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I've never ever been in a current like that.

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Really, it was at least five to seven knots,

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crazy, up current, down current.

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No fun at all.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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No one Thought the currents

275
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might make them stop working.

276
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,516
They'll need a change of plan.

277
00:15:44,516 --> 00:15:48,920
(speaking in foreign language)

278
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:50,950
I really think the next time we go down,

279
00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:53,090
we should try to attach decompression bottles

280
00:15:53,090 --> 00:15:55,100
every 10 meters.

281
00:15:55,100 --> 00:15:57,810
I think it's psychologically important.

282
00:15:57,810 --> 00:15:59,500
And we should also bring out safety lines

283
00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:01,560
when we're in the current.

284
00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,670
Heavy buoys with weights

285
00:16:03,670 --> 00:16:06,084
so that we always have something to hang on to.

286
00:16:06,084 --> 00:16:09,620
(speaking in foreign language)

287
00:16:09,620 --> 00:16:12,257
Or we should lay lines from the rocks into the sea,

288
00:16:12,257 --> 00:16:14,510
20, 30 meters long

289
00:16:14,510 --> 00:16:15,820
so that if I'm swept away,

290
00:16:15,820 --> 00:16:16,980
I at least know there'll be something

291
00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:18,756
that will give me a bit of safety.

292
00:16:18,756 --> 00:16:20,570
(suspenseful music)

293
00:16:20,570 --> 00:16:23,240
Back to the edge of the abyss.

294
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,330
The divers become mountain climbers,

295
00:16:25,330 --> 00:16:27,973
each step secured by steel cables.

296
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,086
Meter by meter, they work their way down

297
00:16:31,086 --> 00:16:32,493
against the current.

298
00:16:33,599 --> 00:16:36,599
(suspenseful music)

299
00:16:38,820 --> 00:16:40,263
This time things go better.

300
00:16:41,290 --> 00:16:43,200
They pass through the current layer

301
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,623
and after 30 meters, they can slowly descend.

302
00:16:48,690 --> 00:16:51,220
At 40 meters, a quick safety check.

303
00:16:51,220 --> 00:16:53,363
Everything's fine, on they go.

304
00:16:56,001 --> 00:16:59,084
(light techno music)

305
00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,323
At 60 meters, they reach the first caves.

306
00:17:04,970 --> 00:17:07,000
Caves and grottoes are especially important

307
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,217
for the expedition.

308
00:17:08,217 --> 00:17:12,169
They're often completely closed unique ecosystems.

309
00:17:12,169 --> 00:17:15,252
(light techno music)

310
00:17:16,740 --> 00:17:20,881
Lifeforms can develop here in peace for millions of years

311
00:17:20,881 --> 00:17:23,070
untroubled by the nearby currents

312
00:17:23,070 --> 00:17:25,493
or the depths and distances of the oceans.

313
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,550
Sponges and bacteria grow on the cavern walls

314
00:17:31,550 --> 00:17:32,743
in thick red mats.

315
00:17:33,850 --> 00:17:36,310
The energy they create in metabolizing

316
00:17:36,310 --> 00:17:39,210
is the basis of all life in this region,

317
00:17:39,210 --> 00:17:40,523
the region of Wallacea.

318
00:17:42,550 --> 00:17:44,833
A lionfish stares at the intruder,

319
00:17:45,890 --> 00:17:48,432
the first human he has ever set eyes on.

320
00:17:48,432 --> 00:17:52,016
(light techno music)

321
00:17:52,016 --> 00:17:54,849
(water splashing)

322
00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:01,650
Perhaps the analysis of this small horn coral

323
00:18:01,650 --> 00:18:03,260
will provide the genetic proof

324
00:18:03,260 --> 00:18:05,410
that the Wallace Line exists under water

325
00:18:06,310 --> 00:18:08,123
as a completely natural frontier.

326
00:18:09,700 --> 00:18:12,550
or perhaps it's not a frontier but an edge,

327
00:18:12,550 --> 00:18:14,300
where changes take place faster,

328
00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:16,162
ripped along by the current.

329
00:18:16,162 --> 00:18:18,995
(dramatic music)

330
00:18:23,450 --> 00:18:26,623
It's time for the divers to return to the surface.

331
00:18:26,623 --> 00:18:29,373
(dramatic music)

332
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:32,870
Rising to the surface from 60 meters

333
00:18:32,870 --> 00:18:35,323
requires a number of stops for decompression.

334
00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,760
Otherwise, there's a serious risk of the bends

335
00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,240
where bubbles of nitrogen form in the blood

336
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:48,803
as water pressure lessens.

337
00:18:50,740 --> 00:18:53,860
They can cause embolisms throughout the body

338
00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:56,755
resulting in paralysis or even death.

339
00:18:56,755 --> 00:18:59,505
(dramatic music)

340
00:19:00,730 --> 00:19:03,540
But by building these pauses into the dive,

341
00:19:03,540 --> 00:19:06,160
they can use them to continue their research,

342
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,152
taking samples for later analysis.

343
00:19:09,152 --> 00:19:11,902
(dramatic music)

344
00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:20,130
Back among the inhabitants of the shallows,

345
00:19:20,130 --> 00:19:22,060
the team are beginning to understand

346
00:19:22,060 --> 00:19:23,973
what the Wallace Line really is.

347
00:19:25,745 --> 00:19:28,495
(dramatic music)

348
00:19:31,550 --> 00:19:34,203
And the currents seem to play a crucial role.

349
00:19:36,558 --> 00:19:39,475
(bubbles gurgling)

350
00:19:41,890 --> 00:19:44,883
Back onboard, the samples are given a first examination.

351
00:19:46,357 --> 00:19:49,790
(speaking in foreign language)

352
00:19:49,790 --> 00:19:51,570
The simplest one-celled animals

353
00:19:51,570 --> 00:19:53,110
may give the clearest indication

354
00:19:53,110 --> 00:19:55,640
how a barrier, like the Wallace Line, works.

355
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,060
(speaking in foreign language)

356
00:19:59,060 --> 00:20:01,700
Algae, sediments, stone and coral samples

357
00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:04,010
are washed, separated and then packed

358
00:20:04,010 --> 00:20:06,060
for further examination on the main land.

359
00:20:07,700 --> 00:20:09,902
Nothing gets left out.

360
00:20:09,902 --> 00:20:12,660
(motor buzzing)

361
00:20:12,660 --> 00:20:15,580
The researchers also bring up live fish.

362
00:20:15,580 --> 00:20:18,308
They have been painlessly and harmlessly anesthetized.

363
00:20:18,308 --> 00:20:19,240
(speaking in foreign language)

364
00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:20,681
How long will it be out?

365
00:20:20,681 --> 00:20:21,910
(speaking in foreign language)

366
00:20:21,910 --> 00:20:23,200
For about another hour.

367
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,980
We gave him quite a high dose.

368
00:20:24,980 --> 00:20:26,630
He was a bit more mobile earlier.

369
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:29,440
This little scorpion fish

370
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,083
wakes up quicker than expected.

371
00:20:36,670 --> 00:20:39,010
A tiny sample is taken from his fin

372
00:20:39,010 --> 00:20:40,210
before he's thrown back.

373
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:43,690
The labs will use its DNA

374
00:20:43,690 --> 00:20:46,313
to test how widely this species is distributed.

375
00:20:48,550 --> 00:20:50,060
Using these DNA tests,

376
00:20:50,060 --> 00:20:52,270
the structures of a population can be established

377
00:20:52,270 --> 00:20:54,080
in incredible detail

378
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,103
and could prove further evidence for an underwater boundary.

379
00:20:57,990 --> 00:21:00,907
(water splashing)

380
00:21:04,868 --> 00:21:06,270
(speaking in foreign language)

381
00:21:06,270 --> 00:21:08,330
Wallacea is one of the hotspots

382
00:21:08,330 --> 00:21:10,060
{\an8}of biodiversity.

383
00:21:10,060 --> 00:21:12,290
{\an8}The oceans of the earth are colonized from here

384
00:21:12,290 --> 00:21:14,400
{\an8}with coral and fish larvae.

385
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,770
This is a nodal point that radiates a special energy

386
00:21:17,770 --> 00:21:19,290
and thus holds a special importance

387
00:21:19,290 --> 00:21:21,180
for the oceans as a whole.

388
00:21:21,180 --> 00:21:23,100
We don't fully understand it yet.

389
00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:24,200
That's why we're here.

390
00:21:26,790 --> 00:21:29,350
Few other regions can compare to Wallacea

391
00:21:29,350 --> 00:21:30,683
in biodiversity.

392
00:21:32,390 --> 00:21:35,040
The Caribbean has just 10% of the species

393
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:36,040
of coral found here.

394
00:21:37,870 --> 00:21:40,903
This is a newly discovered species of starfish.

395
00:21:41,848 --> 00:21:45,095
And since Devonian times, 400 million years ago,

396
00:21:45,095 --> 00:21:47,870
Wallacea has always been an area of sea

397
00:21:47,870 --> 00:21:49,143
and of tropical warmth.

398
00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:52,460
That makes it unique in the world.

399
00:21:52,460 --> 00:21:54,200
And it gave the animals and plants

400
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:58,143
the time and the conditions to develop in remarkable ways.

401
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,403
By comparison, the Caribbean is an evolutionary baby.

402
00:22:05,004 --> 00:22:07,754
(dramatic music)

403
00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:13,880
The expedition has now been diving here for two weeks.

404
00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:17,340
Time to move across to the other side of the Wallace Line,

405
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:19,623
the Australian side.

406
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,573
Even this short journey needs careful plotting.

407
00:22:28,130 --> 00:22:30,760
It takes skill to find the safest possible crossing

408
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:32,407
between Bali and Lumbok.

409
00:22:36,650 --> 00:22:39,950
The crew expect a powerful swell,

410
00:22:39,950 --> 00:22:42,040
one of the effects of the strong current

411
00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:43,393
just below the surface.

412
00:22:46,410 --> 00:22:48,543
And then they receive a message.

413
00:22:50,270 --> 00:22:52,490
Okay yes, we definitely need to do more

414
00:22:52,490 --> 00:22:54,573
on those things, over and out.

415
00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,090
Their second vessel, the Al Isra,

416
00:22:58,090 --> 00:22:59,303
has engine trouble.

417
00:23:01,270 --> 00:23:05,133
And the promised swell has arrived even on a windless day.

418
00:23:08,090 --> 00:23:10,270
With no engine and no wind for the sails,

419
00:23:10,270 --> 00:23:12,223
the Al Isra drifts helplessly.

420
00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:16,280
Nothing for it but to attach a line

421
00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,695
and tow her to calmer waters.

422
00:23:18,695 --> 00:23:21,528
(waves splashing)

423
00:23:27,709 --> 00:23:29,740
For a theoretical barrier,

424
00:23:29,740 --> 00:23:31,640
the Wallace line is quite an obstacle.

425
00:23:33,034 --> 00:23:35,867
(waves splashing)

426
00:23:38,090 --> 00:23:41,000
The engine is soon repaired, but nevertheless,

427
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,040
it's decided that the two ships will separate.

428
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,113
The Al Israel will stay on the Asian side of the line.

429
00:23:48,980 --> 00:23:51,853
The Ananda continues eastwards.

430
00:23:53,117 --> 00:23:55,867
(dramatic music)

431
00:24:00,247 --> 00:24:01,836
(speaking in foreign language)

432
00:24:01,836 --> 00:24:04,650
We'll see you in two weeks on Komodo, okay?

433
00:24:04,650 --> 00:24:07,133
You come from the east and welcome from the west.

434
00:24:10,500 --> 00:24:12,330
The crew of the Ananda drop a buoy

435
00:24:12,330 --> 00:24:14,363
with a satellite transmitter overboard.

436
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,340
This is a perfect opportunity

437
00:24:17,340 --> 00:24:19,750
to test the strength and direction of the current

438
00:24:19,750 --> 00:24:21,431
over days and weeks.

439
00:24:21,431 --> 00:24:25,348
(speaking in foreign language)

440
00:24:30,339 --> 00:24:32,790
(speaking in foreign language)

441
00:24:32,790 --> 00:24:33,950
The difficulty of examining

442
00:24:33,950 --> 00:24:36,060
{\an8}the distribution of marine species

443
00:24:36,060 --> 00:24:37,170
{\an8}is of course quite different

444
00:24:37,170 --> 00:24:39,290
{\an8}from the problems Wallace faced.

445
00:24:39,290 --> 00:24:42,060
After all, the situation is clear for land animals

446
00:24:42,060 --> 00:24:44,960
and they can't get from one island to another

447
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,673
because there's water in between or too much water.

448
00:24:49,470 --> 00:24:52,220
But marine species spread in their larvae phase

449
00:24:52,220 --> 00:24:54,113
and they're distributed by drifting.

450
00:24:55,290 --> 00:24:56,580
That means we shall have to use

451
00:24:56,580 --> 00:24:58,670
the most refined technical methods

452
00:24:58,670 --> 00:25:01,910
to distinguish the creatures from each side of the line

453
00:25:01,910 --> 00:25:04,699
and to be sure that they are really different.

454
00:25:04,699 --> 00:25:07,370
(speaking in foreign language)

455
00:25:07,370 --> 00:25:09,510
So the schooner Ananda set sail

456
00:25:09,510 --> 00:25:12,823
for the Australian oceanic side of the line.

457
00:25:15,610 --> 00:25:17,463
This is deepest Wallacea.

458
00:25:19,070 --> 00:25:21,123
It's a journey into another world.

459
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:29,047
The world of reptiles and of the reticulated python,

460
00:25:30,462 --> 00:25:32,733
the longest reptile on Earth.

461
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:37,450
These snakes can reach 12 meters in length

462
00:25:37,450 --> 00:25:38,653
in favorable conditions.

463
00:25:39,930 --> 00:25:42,450
The local people fear them for their strength

464
00:25:42,450 --> 00:25:43,593
and aggressiveness.

465
00:25:45,533 --> 00:25:46,500
(dramatic music)

466
00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:49,490
They can still be found in places unchanged

467
00:25:49,490 --> 00:25:52,503
since Wallace explored here, 150 years ago.

468
00:25:54,780 --> 00:25:57,793
Once, reptiles were the dominant form of life on Earth.

469
00:25:58,903 --> 00:26:02,310
(water splashing)

470
00:26:02,310 --> 00:26:05,150
And many of today's species have barely changed

471
00:26:05,150 --> 00:26:06,873
since the time of the dinosaurs.

472
00:26:08,799 --> 00:26:11,549
(dramatic music)

473
00:26:14,610 --> 00:26:16,490
In most of the Earth's regions,

474
00:26:16,490 --> 00:26:18,403
there are very few reptiles left.

475
00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,470
But here, in the rivers and dense rainforests of Wallacea

476
00:26:24,470 --> 00:26:26,640
on the Australian side of the line,

477
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,453
they still dominate life.

478
00:26:32,860 --> 00:26:35,720
There have never been any big meat-eating mammals

479
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,999
on the Australian eastern side of the Wallace Line.

480
00:26:38,999 --> 00:26:42,300
(dramatic music)

481
00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:46,230
So now reptiles, like this salt-water crocodile

482
00:26:46,230 --> 00:26:48,550
are at the top of the food chain.

483
00:26:48,550 --> 00:26:52,500
They're bigger and more fearsome here than anywhere else.

484
00:26:52,500 --> 00:26:55,250
(dramatic music)

485
00:27:05,370 --> 00:27:06,487
Snake expert, Mark Auliya,

486
00:27:06,487 --> 00:27:08,480
doesn't want to miss this chance

487
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,013
to research into some of his favorite species.

488
00:27:13,130 --> 00:27:15,683
He's left the ship on a special mission.

489
00:27:20,590 --> 00:27:23,643
He's looking for deep and complex cave systems.

490
00:27:29,717 --> 00:27:34,384
The breeding grounds and nurseries for the giant snakes.

491
00:27:38,125 --> 00:27:42,042
(speaking in foreign language)

492
00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,820
Caves help unique forms of life to evolve on land

493
00:27:50,820 --> 00:27:52,033
as well as in the sea.

494
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,210
And this great cave system on the island of Flores

495
00:27:57,210 --> 00:27:59,540
is home to countless microorganisms,

496
00:27:59,540 --> 00:28:02,650
millipedes, scorpions, and spiders

497
00:28:02,650 --> 00:28:05,410
like this giant tailless whip scorpion

498
00:28:05,410 --> 00:28:08,373
as big as the palm of a hand, but completely harmless.

499
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:13,730
And this is a perfect habitat

500
00:28:13,730 --> 00:28:15,703
for thousands and thousands of bats.

501
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:23,870
In slits, holes, and on ledges and outcrops,

502
00:28:23,870 --> 00:28:26,893
they nestle and hang suspended in the fetid atmosphere.

503
00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:29,810
And they're a prime source of food

504
00:28:29,810 --> 00:28:31,600
for young reticulated pythons

505
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,803
who use them to hone their hunting skills.

506
00:28:40,330 --> 00:28:42,333
Pythons don't poison their victims,

507
00:28:43,290 --> 00:28:45,830
they wrap themselves around their prey at lightning speed

508
00:28:45,830 --> 00:28:46,730
and strangle them.

509
00:28:50,330 --> 00:28:52,066
So they're not easy to catch.

510
00:28:52,066 --> 00:28:53,583
(speaking in foreign language)

511
00:28:53,583 --> 00:28:55,176
(grunting)

512
00:28:55,176 --> 00:28:59,093
(speaking in foreign language)

513
00:29:02,410 --> 00:29:03,810
No luck with this first one.

514
00:29:04,802 --> 00:29:06,975
(speaking in foreign language)

515
00:29:06,975 --> 00:29:09,030
It was three and a half meters long,

516
00:29:09,030 --> 00:29:09,863
nearly four.

517
00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:13,750
Why didn't you grab its neck?

518
00:29:13,750 --> 00:29:15,370
Because if I let go of its tail,

519
00:29:15,370 --> 00:29:16,363
it gets away.

520
00:29:18,186 --> 00:29:21,019
(bats screeching)

521
00:29:25,481 --> 00:29:30,223
Things work better on the second go.

522
00:29:30,223 --> 00:29:32,710
(speaking in foreign language)

523
00:29:32,710 --> 00:29:34,320
This python is still young,

524
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,293
but it's already longer than a man.

525
00:29:38,252 --> 00:29:40,920
(speaking in foreign language)

526
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:43,170
And it doesn't like having the tables turned.

527
00:29:54,855 --> 00:29:55,920
(speaking in foreign language)

528
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:57,470
{\an8}So, here it is.

529
00:29:58,727 --> 00:30:01,970
{\an8}It must be about, I'd say, three meters long

530
00:30:01,970 --> 00:30:03,209
maybe just over.

531
00:30:03,209 --> 00:30:07,126
(speaking in foreign language)

532
00:30:08,820 --> 00:30:12,213
When they're that size, they eat smaller prey like bats.

533
00:30:13,507 --> 00:30:17,424
(speaking in foreign language)

534
00:30:18,501 --> 00:30:20,470
When he reaches four meters,

535
00:30:20,470 --> 00:30:23,713
it'll probably leave the cave ans search for larger prey.

536
00:30:28,705 --> 00:30:30,983
Auliya starts his examination.

537
00:30:34,745 --> 00:30:36,400
(speaking in foreign language)

538
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,760
Now you can see its windpipe.

539
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,660
The inside of the mouth looks healthy.

540
00:30:43,350 --> 00:30:44,730
These snakes have been here

541
00:30:44,730 --> 00:30:47,037
for 140 million years.

542
00:30:47,037 --> 00:30:50,730
(speaking in foreign language)

543
00:30:50,730 --> 00:30:52,030
Smaller snake species

544
00:30:52,030 --> 00:30:54,480
develop poisonous fangs much more recently

545
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:56,813
probably to kill fast moving land mammals.

546
00:30:59,210 --> 00:31:02,420
No one is quite sure how snakes originally evolved.

547
00:31:02,420 --> 00:31:03,410
They probably developed

548
00:31:03,410 --> 00:31:05,810
from small creatures living underground.

549
00:31:05,810 --> 00:31:08,950
The loss of their lemons and their extraordinary length

550
00:31:08,950 --> 00:31:11,100
could be an evolutionary adaptation

551
00:31:11,100 --> 00:31:15,408
to the narrow passages, nooks and crannies of a cave.

552
00:31:15,408 --> 00:31:17,554
(insects buzzing)

553
00:31:17,554 --> 00:31:21,471
(speaking in foreign language)

554
00:31:23,970 --> 00:31:26,840
This young python will soon leave its nursery

555
00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,453
and go out into Wallacea in search of prey.

556
00:31:32,334 --> 00:31:36,190
(speaking in foreign language)

557
00:31:36,190 --> 00:31:39,140
Today, DNA analysis helps us understand

558
00:31:39,140 --> 00:31:41,400
the evolution and distribution of snakes,

559
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,323
like these pythons.

560
00:31:45,990 --> 00:31:48,440
Mark Auliya has already discovered two new species

561
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,920
of reticulated python on islands of Wallacea,

562
00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:53,793
isolated by sea and currents.

563
00:31:55,195 --> 00:31:57,945
(dramatic music)

564
00:32:00,180 --> 00:32:01,786
But the scientists are not the only ones

565
00:32:01,786 --> 00:32:04,093
who've discovered the habitat of the pythons.

566
00:32:07,930 --> 00:32:10,030
Poachers, smugglers, and dealers

567
00:32:10,030 --> 00:32:12,103
are also after the rare animals.

568
00:32:18,900 --> 00:32:22,160
Mark Auliya uses his contacts with illegal dealers,

569
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:26,263
usually Chinese immigrants, to monitor this illicit trade.

570
00:32:27,927 --> 00:32:30,677
(dramatic music)

571
00:32:41,226 --> 00:32:45,143
(speaking in foreign language)

572
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,313
It helps that he speaks several local dialects fluently.

573
00:32:51,212 --> 00:32:55,290
(speaking in foreign language)

574
00:32:55,290 --> 00:32:57,760
The dealers aren't interested in live snakes.

575
00:32:57,760 --> 00:32:59,860
They can make a fortune selling the skins.

576
00:33:05,390 --> 00:33:09,400
For the python it means a long wait and a cruel fate

577
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,150
for only when the snake has molted

578
00:33:11,150 --> 00:33:13,400
is the new skin at its best,

579
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:14,863
ready to be harvested.

580
00:33:14,863 --> 00:33:18,780
(speaking in foreign language)

581
00:33:31,690 --> 00:33:34,750
This five meter snake tries to resist

582
00:33:34,750 --> 00:33:36,644
but there will be no escape.

583
00:33:36,644 --> 00:33:40,644
(speaking in foreign language)

584
00:33:45,390 --> 00:33:47,900
On the black market, a snake like this

585
00:33:49,020 --> 00:33:50,623
is worth $1,000.

586
00:33:54,490 --> 00:33:56,763
The snake is condemned by its own beauty.

587
00:33:57,784 --> 00:34:00,701
(mysterious music)

588
00:34:04,340 --> 00:34:06,830
Such deliberate destruction seems a crime

589
00:34:06,830 --> 00:34:08,910
at a time of wholesale extinctions

590
00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:14,343
for 70 species disappear every day.

591
00:34:15,230 --> 00:34:17,540
That's 500 every week

592
00:34:17,540 --> 00:34:21,443
and 27,000 in a year, lost forever.

593
00:34:28,237 --> 00:34:31,740
(dramatic music)

594
00:34:31,740 --> 00:34:34,010
Thankfully, most of Wallacea's animals

595
00:34:34,010 --> 00:34:35,740
escape the poachers

596
00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:37,950
and in the wild, the reticular python

597
00:34:37,950 --> 00:34:40,913
has evolved a special solution to ensure its survival.

598
00:34:42,180 --> 00:34:43,783
It has taken to the sea.

599
00:34:51,240 --> 00:34:54,210
This way, it can make the most of living in archipelago

600
00:34:54,210 --> 00:34:55,410
of thousands of islands.

601
00:35:02,810 --> 00:35:06,310
Skimming between the reefs, islets, and sand banks

602
00:35:06,310 --> 00:35:07,393
completely at home.

603
00:35:08,340 --> 00:35:11,340
(suspenseful music)

604
00:35:18,300 --> 00:35:20,200
In the search for new territory,

605
00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,233
it even swims out into the ocean.

606
00:35:24,950 --> 00:35:26,770
Individual pythons are often found

607
00:35:26,770 --> 00:35:28,993
surviving far from their original habitat.

608
00:35:33,210 --> 00:35:34,940
They have colonized every island

609
00:35:34,940 --> 00:35:37,100
in the Indo-Malaysian region,

610
00:35:37,100 --> 00:35:39,043
even the smallest and most remote.

611
00:35:40,570 --> 00:35:42,313
And they're not the only migrants.

612
00:35:43,990 --> 00:35:47,450
The ocean currents transport fruits, seeds, and nuts

613
00:35:47,450 --> 00:35:48,850
over thousands of kilometers

614
00:35:49,980 --> 00:35:53,063
until they make landfall on some deserted island.

615
00:35:54,268 --> 00:35:55,799
(mysterious music)

616
00:35:55,799 --> 00:35:58,549
(waves crashing)

617
00:36:00,610 --> 00:36:05,610
Often, there's a stowaway on a bundle of twigs or creepers.

618
00:36:05,864 --> 00:36:08,781
(mysterious music)

619
00:36:14,100 --> 00:36:17,780
A single log or a branch torn off in a storm

620
00:36:17,780 --> 00:36:19,970
can serve as a natural raft

621
00:36:19,970 --> 00:36:23,053
that may be underway for weeks or even months.

622
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:26,670
Small land creatures cross seas

623
00:36:26,670 --> 00:36:29,683
using only this flotsam and jetsam as a lifeboat.

624
00:36:31,170 --> 00:36:32,420
And as soon as they land,

625
00:36:34,410 --> 00:36:36,750
there's another struggle for survival

626
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,813
which sometimes can be almost too successful.

627
00:36:47,370 --> 00:36:50,640
This prehistoric looking giant was once an ordinary lizard

628
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,513
until it landed on a particular island in the archipelago.

629
00:36:57,140 --> 00:36:59,840
This is the Komodo dragon.

630
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:02,893
With no other predators, it grew and grew.

631
00:37:04,050 --> 00:37:07,073
A mature male can be more than three meters long.

632
00:37:09,770 --> 00:37:11,270
The Komodo archipelago

633
00:37:11,270 --> 00:37:14,560
is surrounded by particularly strong currents,

634
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:17,943
completely impossible for such large unwieldy animals.

635
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,290
And so as they grew,

636
00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:25,103
the dragons became prisoners of their own island.

637
00:37:26,310 --> 00:37:28,533
Prisoners of their own size.

638
00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:35,980
And yet, a close Wallacean relative

639
00:37:35,980 --> 00:37:38,120
developed quite differently.

640
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:42,003
This is Varanus salvator, the water monitor.

641
00:37:47,220 --> 00:37:49,300
He developed a much slimmer and longer body

642
00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:50,700
than his land-locked cousin.

643
00:37:52,300 --> 00:37:54,640
His long tail has developed flat sides

644
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:56,873
to make him a perfect underwater swimmer.

645
00:37:57,707 --> 00:38:00,290
(techno music)

646
00:38:20,235 --> 00:38:24,255
An adult dragon can dive for up to 20 minutes.

647
00:38:24,255 --> 00:38:27,338
(light techno music)

648
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,900
It's hard to believe that this is actually a land creature

649
00:38:39,900 --> 00:38:42,103
and closely related to the Komodo dragon.

650
00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:46,283
(light techno music)

651
00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,530
Slipping through the water like a prehistoric shadow,

652
00:39:01,530 --> 00:39:04,020
he gives us an idea of how the seas looked

653
00:39:04,020 --> 00:39:06,271
when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

654
00:39:06,271 --> 00:39:09,021
(waves crashing)

655
00:39:13,140 --> 00:39:15,010
His amazing swimming skills

656
00:39:15,010 --> 00:39:16,260
have made the water monitor

657
00:39:16,260 --> 00:39:19,143
the most widely distributed lizard on Earth.

658
00:39:20,999 --> 00:39:23,749
(waves crashing)

659
00:39:25,556 --> 00:39:28,306
(dramatic music)

660
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:03,163
The Ananda has anchored in a quiet bay on Flores Island.

661
00:40:06,950 --> 00:40:08,840
Matthias Kopfmuller is following a hint

662
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,430
by a zoologist friend

663
00:40:10,430 --> 00:40:13,297
that this island has its own giant lizard.

664
00:40:18,950 --> 00:40:21,643
And Mark Auliya wants to see for himself.

665
00:40:25,070 --> 00:40:28,520
They need to walk to the eastern tip of the island.

666
00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:30,580
They've given themselves just one day

667
00:40:30,580 --> 00:40:31,903
out from the expedition.

668
00:40:33,383 --> 00:40:35,200
(speaking in foreign language)

669
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:38,992
Soon, Auliya find signs of a large reptile's presence.

670
00:40:38,992 --> 00:40:42,085
(speaking in foreign language)

671
00:40:42,085 --> 00:40:45,085
(suspenseful music)

672
00:40:49,218 --> 00:40:54,218
And the flock of flying foxes up ahead may be a clue.

673
00:40:54,370 --> 00:40:56,700
Normally, these giant bats sleep during the day,

674
00:40:56,700 --> 00:40:58,103
suspended in the trees.

675
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,133
A predator must have disturbed them.

676
00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:04,813
(bats screeching)

677
00:41:10,478 --> 00:41:12,228
And then they see it,

678
00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:15,593
a giant lizard in the undergrowth.

679
00:41:16,497 --> 00:41:19,414
(leaves crunching)

680
00:41:28,590 --> 00:41:31,720
(speaking in foreign language)

681
00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:34,503
A pale yellow, three-meter long dragon.

682
00:41:37,170 --> 00:41:40,100
The splashes of pink and gray in its scales

683
00:41:40,100 --> 00:41:41,950
match perfectly with its environment.

684
00:41:43,410 --> 00:41:45,510
Evidence that this lizard has been isolated here

685
00:41:45,510 --> 00:41:47,360
for millions of years.

686
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,040
Yet, this is a Komodo dragon.

687
00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:51,740
It probably came here from Komodo

688
00:41:51,740 --> 00:41:54,803
when a landbridge still connected the two islands.

689
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:59,360
When the waters rose, the two animals developed separately

690
00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,260
into different species

691
00:42:01,260 --> 00:42:03,743
and the giant of Flores gained its new coat.

692
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:07,930
The visitors mustn't get too excited.

693
00:42:07,930 --> 00:42:10,430
If this animal is related to the Komodo dragon,

694
00:42:10,430 --> 00:42:12,733
the chances are it's extremely aggressive.

695
00:42:13,936 --> 00:42:16,741
(birds chirping)

696
00:42:16,741 --> 00:42:18,180
(camera clicking)

697
00:42:18,180 --> 00:42:21,930
But these animals, and their cousins on Komodo,

698
00:42:21,930 --> 00:42:24,530
that have lived here since the time of the dinosaurs

699
00:42:25,470 --> 00:42:27,170
are well on the way to extinction.

700
00:42:33,199 --> 00:42:36,199
(suspenseful music)

701
00:42:41,970 --> 00:42:44,200
Back on the ship, they're planning the dives

702
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:48,114
to the easy of the Wallacea Line, on the Asian side.

703
00:42:48,114 --> 00:42:52,031
(speaking in foreign language)

704
00:42:54,806 --> 00:42:56,410
Watch watch out for the currents.

705
00:42:56,410 --> 00:42:58,640
We know they increase towards the west.

706
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:00,694
So don't forget your safety lines.

707
00:43:00,694 --> 00:43:03,560
(speaking in foreign language)

708
00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,463
Don't worry, we'll be careful.

709
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:07,833
Conditions here

710
00:43:07,833 --> 00:43:09,833
call for some unusual solutions.

711
00:43:13,210 --> 00:43:15,330
The divers are pulled through a tropical lagoon

712
00:43:15,330 --> 00:43:17,690
on an underwater trapeze.

713
00:43:17,690 --> 00:43:19,950
It's less rocky on this side of the line.

714
00:43:19,950 --> 00:43:22,993
So the team can inspect a greater area at higher speed.

715
00:43:24,855 --> 00:43:27,938
(light techno music)

716
00:43:30,810 --> 00:43:33,663
A plankton net is dragged through open waters.

717
00:43:34,630 --> 00:43:36,620
It scoops up innumerable thousands

718
00:43:36,620 --> 00:43:38,720
of these tiny plants and animals,

719
00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:40,853
the start of the marine food chain.

720
00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:45,190
If they find something interesting,

721
00:43:45,190 --> 00:43:47,090
the others dive down to take a sample.

722
00:43:58,630 --> 00:44:01,700
Reef fish are anesthetized with oil of violets

723
00:44:01,700 --> 00:44:04,687
before being taken on board for examination.

724
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:15,043
The plankton net fills up in the open ocean.

725
00:44:21,690 --> 00:44:24,650
A manta ray rises from the depths.

726
00:44:24,650 --> 00:44:27,200
It's following the clouds of plankton.

727
00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:28,850
It couldn't survive without them.

728
00:44:30,333 --> 00:44:33,278
(dramatic music)

729
00:44:33,278 --> 00:44:34,793
And neither could we.

730
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:38,470
A quarter of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere

731
00:44:38,470 --> 00:44:40,620
is produced by phytoplankton,

732
00:44:40,620 --> 00:44:43,253
the plant part of this gigantic biomass.

733
00:44:46,327 --> 00:44:50,074
(speaking in foreign language)

734
00:44:50,074 --> 00:44:52,907
(water splashing)

735
00:44:55,660 --> 00:44:58,890
And the exact composition of the plankton here in Wallacea

736
00:44:58,890 --> 00:45:02,283
is once again influenced by the fast-moving waters.

737
00:45:04,192 --> 00:45:08,192
(speaking in foreign language)

738
00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:13,713
A shrimp.

739
00:45:14,870 --> 00:45:17,238
Yes, brought along by the current.

740
00:45:17,238 --> 00:45:19,100
(speaking in foreign language)

741
00:45:19,100 --> 00:45:22,100
(suspenseful music)

742
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:33,300
Every night,

743
00:45:33,300 --> 00:45:36,010
thick clouds of these minuscule animals and plants

744
00:45:36,010 --> 00:45:39,170
rise towards the surface of Wallacea's waters

745
00:45:39,170 --> 00:45:41,220
where they're distributed by the current.

746
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:43,770
A ribbed jellyfish,

747
00:45:43,770 --> 00:45:45,370
a greedy filtration eater

748
00:45:45,370 --> 00:45:47,203
feeds here to its heart's content.

749
00:45:48,459 --> 00:45:51,459
(suspenseful music)

750
00:45:55,530 --> 00:45:58,713
Plankton swarms around a giant drifting salp,

751
00:45:59,707 --> 00:46:01,330
a form of jellyfish,

752
00:46:01,330 --> 00:46:04,723
a live colony of thousands of individual animals.

753
00:46:05,790 --> 00:46:07,000
A swarm of salps

754
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,700
can measure up to a hundred thousand square kilometers

755
00:46:10,700 --> 00:46:15,553
and can absorb almost 4,000 tons of CO2 a day.

756
00:46:16,551 --> 00:46:19,551
(suspenseful music)

757
00:46:21,270 --> 00:46:23,390
This is a living stream of nourishment

758
00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:29,003
transported by the ocean currents around the entire globe.

759
00:46:30,474 --> 00:46:33,474
(suspenseful music)

760
00:46:42,172 --> 00:46:45,422
(light dramatic music)

761
00:46:46,477 --> 00:46:49,260
Or just as far as the next coral reef

762
00:46:49,260 --> 00:46:51,940
where other animals, attached to the rocks,

763
00:46:51,940 --> 00:46:53,303
wait for easy prey.

764
00:46:54,780 --> 00:46:57,530
(dramatic music)

765
00:47:07,610 --> 00:47:10,920
Feather stars are ghostly flowers,

766
00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:12,970
stretch their tentacles into the current.

767
00:47:17,330 --> 00:47:20,690
Thousands of hungry mouths, waiting for food supplies

768
00:47:20,690 --> 00:47:21,827
from the open sea.

769
00:47:32,350 --> 00:47:36,343
Scientists are discovering more and more life in the oceans.

770
00:47:44,350 --> 00:47:48,100
Up to 20,000 individual plants and animals

771
00:47:48,100 --> 00:47:49,970
and thousands of different species

772
00:47:49,970 --> 00:47:52,080
live in every liter of this water

773
00:47:55,580 --> 00:47:58,023
and each has a role in the ecosystem.

774
00:47:59,497 --> 00:48:02,247
(dramatic music)

775
00:48:12,570 --> 00:48:16,060
Marine organisms, like this fire sea urchin,

776
00:48:16,060 --> 00:48:18,940
are responsible for many important metabolic processes

777
00:48:18,940 --> 00:48:19,773
in the sea.

778
00:48:21,890 --> 00:48:23,860
Each one of these strange creatures

779
00:48:23,860 --> 00:48:25,780
has a contribution to make

780
00:48:25,780 --> 00:48:29,781
to the biochemical cycles of the entire planet.

781
00:48:29,781 --> 00:48:32,531
(dramatic music)

782
00:48:45,830 --> 00:48:46,943
Two weeks later,

783
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:52,870
the Ananda is on its way back to its sister ship,

784
00:48:52,870 --> 00:48:54,700
the Al Isra, which has been waiting

785
00:48:54,700 --> 00:48:56,733
on the western side of the Wallace Line.

786
00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:01,680
The scientific evidence

787
00:49:01,680 --> 00:49:04,490
of a biological frontier under the water

788
00:49:04,490 --> 00:49:05,963
is beginning to arrive.

789
00:49:08,630 --> 00:49:10,500
Tests have been carried out on the samples

790
00:49:10,500 --> 00:49:13,093
by the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

791
00:49:14,250 --> 00:49:17,470
They've been checking for inherited characteristics.

792
00:49:17,470 --> 00:49:19,860
DNA analysis should show great differences

793
00:49:19,860 --> 00:49:21,230
between the animals and plants

794
00:49:21,230 --> 00:49:24,570
on the east and west sides of the Wallace Line.

795
00:49:24,570 --> 00:49:26,030
And the confirmation comes

796
00:49:26,030 --> 00:49:28,379
in a radio conversation with the lab.

797
00:49:28,379 --> 00:49:30,380
(speaking in foreign language)

798
00:49:30,380 --> 00:49:32,420
So you received the samples we sent

799
00:49:32,420 --> 00:49:34,396
a couple of weeks ago, over.

800
00:49:34,396 --> 00:49:35,408
Yes, we of course,

801
00:49:35,408 --> 00:49:36,241
we received the samples, over.

802
00:49:36,241 --> 00:49:38,250
Okay and did you have a chance to do

803
00:49:38,250 --> 00:49:39,930
some first analysis on those?

804
00:49:39,930 --> 00:49:43,410
Positive, we did a genetic test, over.

805
00:49:43,410 --> 00:49:44,840
Okay, that sounds fantastic.

806
00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:48,520
So how does that compare with them previous publications

807
00:49:48,520 --> 00:49:50,306
on those issues?

808
00:49:50,306 --> 00:49:52,180
Perfect, over.

809
00:49:52,180 --> 00:49:57,180
Okay, so basically we can say that we have first hints

810
00:49:57,700 --> 00:49:59,880
that the Wallace line is confirmed

811
00:49:59,880 --> 00:50:02,775
with these genetic analysis, over.

812
00:50:02,775 --> 00:50:04,568
Yes, you're totally right.

813
00:50:04,568 --> 00:50:05,513
Great differences, over.

814
00:50:05,513 --> 00:50:08,433
Okay, yes, thanks very much and over now.

815
00:50:09,730 --> 00:50:11,631
Little doubt remains.

816
00:50:11,631 --> 00:50:12,632
(speaking in foreign language)

817
00:50:12,632 --> 00:50:14,460
That would mean what Wallace found out

818
00:50:14,460 --> 00:50:17,383
150 years ago also holds good beneath the water.

819
00:50:18,300 --> 00:50:20,273
There is a marine Wallace Line.

820
00:50:24,230 --> 00:50:26,580
The expedition has been a success.

821
00:50:27,540 --> 00:50:28,697
Pleasure.
<v ->Good, so far.

822
00:50:29,813 --> 00:50:31,273
(men chuckling)

823
00:50:31,273 --> 00:50:33,136
(speaking in foreign language)

824
00:50:33,136 --> 00:50:35,900
(dramatic music)

825
00:50:35,900 --> 00:50:37,450
And now it's time to pack up.

826
00:50:38,605 --> 00:50:41,355
(dramatic music)

827
00:50:46,510 --> 00:50:48,490
The northeast monsoon

828
00:50:48,490 --> 00:50:51,222
will soon make further work impossible.

829
00:50:51,222 --> 00:50:53,972
(rain trickling)

830
00:51:00,820 --> 00:51:03,693
Wallacea will increasingly become a threatened habitat.

831
00:51:05,700 --> 00:51:09,433
The variety of species is already being destroyed by humans.

832
00:51:11,530 --> 00:51:14,803
Wallace recognized that 150 years ago.

833
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:19,380
But if we lose the opportunity to study the interdependency

834
00:51:19,380 --> 00:51:23,440
of animals, plants, and habitats in a place like this,

835
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:27,017
we will be missing a chance to help secure our own future.

836
00:51:28,388 --> 00:51:31,138
(dramatic music)