All language subtitles for Absentia - 01x06 - Eng

On the southwestern
tip of Africa

lies a botanical wonderland,

A mountainous world,

covered in plants and animals,

many of which occur
nowhere else.

Along its rocky coastline,

rich waters teem with life.

This is not a park
of great beasts,

But of small
intimate relationships

woven into the fabric of life.

Nowhere else on the planet,
contains more unique species

in such a small area -

Than the incredible
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.

It's spring in the Kogelberg
Biosphere Reserve.

The park is coming to life.

An old male Puffadder is
sunning himself on an
exposed rocky surface.

He's more than three feet long

and thicker than the
business end of a baseball bat.

Snakes are cold blooded,

and their metabolism
drops during the winter

meaning they don't require
as much food.

But as the rainy days
of winter dissipate

he's feeling the first
stirrings of hunger.

It's been weeks since
his last meal.

Puffadders are vipers.

Their diamond-shaped heads
contain hinged fangs

that can inject lethal
cocktails of venom into prey.

Small mammals, lizards, frogs
and even birds are on the menu.

But he's not yet warm enough
to hunt, so for now,

he's simply relishing the
exquisite feeling of sunshine
on his scales.

The 45,000 acre Kogelberg
Biosphere Reserve

is located on the southwestern
coast of South Africa.

Unlike many African
parks however

it's not famous for
large animals,

But for its incredible
floral diversity.

The park's rugged
mountains stand over
three thousand feet high

and are draped in Fynbos.

Fynbos refers to a group of
shrubs and plants found in
South Africa's Western Cape.

It's one of the most
species-rich vegetation types
anywhere on earth.

Here, more than 150
plant species occur
per 390 square miles -

almost double that of
tropical rainforests.

At the mountain's feet, the
cold Atlantic Ocean washes
the rocky coastline.

The nutrient-rich upwelling

fuels underwater reefs which
are also bursting with life.

Cascading rivers carve steep
valleys on their way to the sea.

High in steep mountain ravines,

rare fragments of
forest survive,

surrounded by the heath land
of the Fynbos.

Only a few mammals live
in these mountains

because the vegetation
is mostly tough and unpalatable.

But what the reserve lacks in
mammals it makes up for in its
astonishing plant diversity.

The Kogelberg is part of the
Cape Floristic Region,

which contains 9,000
plant species,

70 percent of which
occur nowhere else.

Covering only .04%
of the world's surface area,

this is the highest density
and diversity of plant species
per square mile

anywhere on earth.

The Fynbos covering these
mountains is dominated by
four plant families:

Ericas or heathers,

Large flowering shrubs
called proteas,

Reed-like restios,

And underground tubers and bulbs
known as geophytes.

These all thrive in the region's
Mediterranean style climate,

With long, hot, dry summers -

And cold, wet winters.

These poor sandy soils
contain few nutrients.

Every plant and animal
living here

is adapted to the unique
challenges posed by
these conditions.

A small family of Chacma baboons

is rooting through the
restio-covered landscape
looking for food.

The dominant male
watches over his troop.

He weighs more than 100 pounds

making him one of the
largest monkeys in Africa.

Baboons are unusual monkeys.

Unlike most African primates,

they're happy on the ground
away from trees.

This allows them to live in
many different habitats.

Of these,

Fynbos shrub-landis
the most challenging.

The sandy soils of the Kogelberg
contain few nutrients and retain
little water.

Plants struggle to obtain
sufficient moisture

and must be able to withstand
the long dry summers.

So leaves are either small
or designed to limit water loss.

Fynbos gets its name from
the tiny leaves of many of
its plants.

In the poor soils growing
leaves is expensive,

so plants deter animals
from eating them.

To do this they pack their
leaves with indigestible
chemicals called tannins.

So for animals finding food
is a constant challenge.

Restios are one of the
most diverse plant groups
in the Kogelberg.

There are more than 500 species
of these evergreen, reed-like
plants in the world.

One in three of all
restios species occur here.

They more than any other
plant type typify the
Fynbos environment.

Restios range in size from 4
inches to over 9 feet in height.

They lack proper leaves
and rely on their stems
for photosynthesis.

This helps them prevent
excessive water loss in the
long dry summers.

Restios have male and
female plants whose
flowers often differ.

They're wind-pollinated

and so male flowers hang down
dropping pollen into the wind,

while female flowers tend
to be upright to catch the
wind-blown pollen.

One reason that the Kogelberg
is so diverse

is that it contains many species
that live nowhere else.

Many rare plants
with very localized
populations survive here.

And of all the plants living
in the Kogelberg,

none is more special
nor synonymous with this reserve

than the Marsh Rose.

Fewer than 250 individual plants
remain in the wild

as it only lives on moist
seeps on the cooler
south-facing slopes

where water flows continuously
past its roots.

It's a fragile habitat.

Even the slightest disturbance,

such as an animal walking
through the mossy substrate
at its feet,

can be fatal.

Only flowering in spring,

this odd-looking resident
of the Kogelberg

looks nothing like the
rest of the flowers
living in the Fynbos.

How it is pollinated
remains a mystery.

The dominant male leads his
troop down to the sea to feed
on the coastal dune vegetation.

He's experienced and knows
all the best feeding spots.

Succulents growing on the coast
offer a reprieve

from the challenging conditions
higher on the mountains.

Family life is important
for baboons.

This youngster is learning
where to find the best food in
the reserve from his elders.

He'll stay with his mother
for the first 3 months, seldom
straying far from her side.

But as youngsters grow,
they become more independent,

And begin to taste
some autonomy.

Ericas are another diverse group
of plants found in the fynbos.

They have tiny leaves to help
reduce water loss and grazing.

But other than that,
are incredibly varied.

Wind-pollinated ericas
have tiny flowers.

But not all ericas rely on
the vagaries of the wind.

Of all the species
in the Kogelberg

ericas have the most
colorful floral displays

to attract birds and insects
so they can be pollinated.

And it soon works.

A Southern double-collared
sunbird is looking for nectar.

Ericas are not the only plants
that are advertising for
animal assistance.

Proteas -

South Africa's national flower.

These are some of the largest
plant species in the Fynbos

with some species growing to
the size of small trees.

Their showy flowers are an
advertisement for pollinators.

And Cape sugarbirds can't resist
the sweet nectar on offer.

Like sunbirds they too
are important pollinators.

Visiting as many as
300 flowers a day,

they dip their heads into protea
flowers from above and become
dusted with pollen,

which they then transfer
from plant to plant.

Sugarbirds are highly adapted
to their diet

and can digest 99 percent
of all the sugars found in
the sweet nectar.

Smaller sunbirds
also visit proteas

but often cheat the flowers as
they are too small to become
dusted in pollen as they feed.

The only reliable pollinators
are sugarbirds.

And a smaller pollinator,
who is also hard at work.

Cape honey bees are also
drawn to the sugary nectar,

And while they are incidental
pollinators of species such as
this Waboom protea,

For some plants the relationship
is critically important.

This plant is aptly named
"pink-fingers" after its
springtime floral display.

During spring when it
bursts into flower

the bushes attract
swarms of bees

who busily flit from flower
to flower collecting
pollen and nectar.

The bees are a
marvel of engineering.

A small straw-like proboscis
enables them to suck up the
sweet nectar.

While electrostatically charged
hairs on their bodies and legs

help them collect pollen.

They take the pollen and nectar
back to their hive to feed
larvae and produce their honey.

The main river running through
the reserve is the Palmiet -

so named because of the
dense mats of Palmiet reeds
along its banks.

As the Palmiet winds
down to the sea

it spreads out into a
small shallow estuary,

which is perfect for
Lesser flamingos.

By kneading the bottom
with their feet they're
stirring up their food.

They're filter feeders.

Their beaks strain the
muddy soup removing
small invertebrates.

They're most active
in the morning

and once they've eaten
their fill they gather
together for safety.

And tuck their heads under their
wings for a little shuteye.

The Kogelberg's floral
wonders aren't only
restricted to dry land,

but extend 700 feet
into the ocean.

Upwelling along this coast
brings cold, nutrient-rich
water to the surface.

And this means
there is plenty of food

so both plant and
animal life are abundant.

Fed by sunlight, Giant kelp
absorb all the nutrients they
need from the water

and tower 30 feet
above the reefs in places.

In stark contrast to
the land above,

there's so much food
available underwater,

the only problem most
species have is finding
somewhere to live.

Space is at a premium.

Recently conditions on these
reefs have been changing

and no one is entirely sure why.

There's been an influx of one of
the rocky reefs' most formidable
predators.

Rock lobsters.

They are voracious.

Rock lobsters eat sea urchins

and the influx of these
crustaceans is devastating
for urchin populations.

This reduction in urchins
is affecting another
reef inhabitant -

Abalone.

These large limpet-like mollusks
need urchins to survive,

because baby Abalone settle
under urchins after spawning.

Without urchins,
they don't settle,

And so populations
are not renewed.

Abalone are a tasty delicacy and
are heavily overfished for food.

This fishing pressure,
compounded by the reduction
in their breeding success,

means this large grazer
is nearly extinct.

In the absence of Abalone,
kelp is flourishing -

But it's a system out of kilter,

and nobody knows
how these changes

will affect the long-term health
of these bountiful reefs.

Where the mountains meet the sea

a family of Rock hyraxes
known as "Dassies"

is thriving on the shrubby
coastal vegetation.

This vegetation absorbs water
from the ocean spray.

As such it is tough and hardy

and only a tough character
like a Dassie can stomach
its salty leaves.

Dassies are often seen
sunning themselves

as this helps raise
their internal body temperature.

They're one of only a few
warm blooded mammals

capable of using the sun's heat
to aid their metabolism.

Dassies are unusual animals and,
despite looking like a rodent,

DNA analysis shows they're
actually more closely related

to elephants.

They're rock specialists living
on rocky outcrops from savanna

to the Fynbos and
even the coast.

They're nimble.

Small stubby toes grip the rock.

And special secretions
on their palms

increase friction
for better grip on
precarious rocky outcrops.

Along the coastal region of the
reserve many seabirds, such as
these White-breasted cormorants,

thrive on the rocky shores.

Oystercatchers also thrive here

hunting mussels and limpets,

prying the mollusks from
the rocks with their razor
sharp red bills.

Oystercatchers lay eggs in
remarkably camouflaged nests
on the sandy beaches.

Camouflage is important

with predators such as otters
and Kelp gulls on the prowl.

If parents are disturbed
they leave the eggs vulnerable,

relying on the eggs' camouflage
to protect them.

Eggs hatch in roughly 6 weeks.

The precocious chicks
are up and about within days.

They cannot fly as they are
yet to fledge into their adult
feathers,

so they have another trick
to avoid hungry eyes.

Camouflage helps
throughout their young lives

and chicks blend seamlessly into
the background kelp wrack that
comprises their home.

Young birds grow quickly

learning how to feed
from their parents.

Tiny crustaceans called
beach-hoppers occur in
huge numbers on these shores.

And the young birds make
the most of the feast on offer.

Nearby a colony of African
penguins also makes their home
in the reserve.

African penguins are the only
penguin species that breeds
on the continent.

This is one of only
three breeding colonies
on the mainland.

African penguins typically
prefer offshore islands.

But during the early 1900s

humans destroyed their
traditional homes

while harvesting seabird
droppings called guano,
which was used for fertilizer.

Millions of penguin eggs
were also collected for
the tables of Europe.

And commercial fishing stripped
the surrounding oceans of
sardines and anchovies,

the penguin's
most important prey.

Historically there were an
estimated two million breeding
pairs in southern Africa.

Now fewer than 25,000 survive.

These birds are hanging on
to survival.

The Kogelberg lies within
the Cape Fold mountains

so named for the folded rock
that is typical of the region.

The Cape Fold mountains were
thrust up millions of years ago
by tectonic forces

under the super-continent
of Gondwana.

When Gondwana split up
150-odd million years ago,

these mountains remained as the
southwestern border of the new
African continent.

They are comprised of super hard
sandstone quartzite rock,

which is resistant
to erosion but produces
nutrient-poor soils.

A tight-knit family
of Klipspringers

feeds on the scrubby
Fynbos vegetation high
on the rocky slopes.

They're agile and leap
effortlessly from rock to rock.

Specially cushioned hooves
act as shock absorbers,
increasing their grip.

Males have two short
pointed horns,

which are used in territorial
disputes with other males.

Sufficiently warmed, the
Puffadder is finally ready to
head out in search of a meal.

Puffadders almost never
hunt actively for prey.

He's an ambush predator
looking for a suitable spot
to lie in wait.

Unlike most snakes, which
move with accentuated,
side-to-side movements,

Puffadders move almost in a
straight line with a distinct
caterpillar motion.

High in the valleys protected
from frequent fires that
consume the landscape

small patches of forest survive.

These fragments of Africa's
mountain forest or
"Afromontane" forest

are some of the last
remnants in this region.

Access to sunlight drives
the forest upwards

and Yellowwoods and Stinkwoods
strive for the sunshine,

While ferns cover the
shadowy forest floor.

In the shelter of the
undergrowth, spiders
carefully set their traps -

And geckos lurk on the tree
trunks looking for insects.

The forests are fed by
the streams at their feet.

The water in these streams
is brown

because of the tannins
that leach out of the
Fynbos vegetation.

Frogs patrol the shallows,
hunting insects.

While crabs scuttle across
small sheltered pools
looking for food.

Some isolated streams
in the Kogelberg

contain crab species
that occur nowhere else.

This Cape crag lizard
is enjoying the sun.

He's the largest crag lizard
in the region,

measuring 6 inches
from snout to tail.

Like Puffadders,
they're ambush predators

and they use elevated rocky
vantage points to pounce on
their invertebrate prey.

Smaller lizards
are also targets.

While the Kogelberg doesn't have
large numbers of big mammals

it does contain some
surprisingly voracious
predators,

but these are not
your typical killers.

In a nearby seep a unique
collection of plants waits
in ambush.

All plants living in the
nutrient-poor soils of
the Kogelberg

are adapted to obtain
valuable nutrients from
the poor sandy soils.

While some legumes rely
on underground partnerships
with microbes

to help their roots absorb
nitrogen and other food,

And others such as proteas

have specially designed
micro-roots to ensure
sufficient uptake,

These sundews have come up
with an ingenious solution.

Their leaves glisten with sweet,
sticky drops to attract insects,

but are in fact a death trap.

Insects landing on the sticky
leaves get stuck in the goo.

The plant then digests the
insect prey and absorbs its
valuable nutrients.

Roridula, the largest
carnivorous plants in
the reserve,

have taken carnivory to
a whole new level.

They can't digest the insects
they catch themselves.

So they've entered into
a partnership.

Bugs patrol the leaves and eat
any insects caught by the plant.

They then defecate
on to the leaves

allowing the plant to absorb the
nutrients from this feces.

Plants receive as much as 70%
of their nitrogen this way.

It's a unique relationship.

The bugs rely on the plants
to catch their food

and the plant benefits from
the bugs' digestive abilities.

Only two species of bugs occur
on each Roridula species.

And they have a mutually
essential relationship.

If either of these species
disappears

the other will also vanish
from the mountains forever.

One reason that the Kogelberg is
so diverse is the large number

of plants that rely on
Anoplolepis or Pugnacious ants
to distribute seeds.

In the Fynbos shrub-land
vegetation this is a critical
relationship.

A scout finds the
fallen restio seed.

Soon the whole team is roped in
to retrieve the valuable prize.

The seed's white fatty region,
called an eliasome, is food
for the ants.

But it's not only the ants
that benefit,

the plant benefits too.

By burying the seed underground
in their nests,

the ants protect the seed
from herbivores such as mice.

But while looking for the seeds
and sweet nectar to eat,

mice also serve a
different purpose.

Protea species are known
for their tall showy flowers,

which they use to attract
insect and bird pollinators.

But some species of proteas
have flowers that grow close
to the ground.

And these rely on mice
to pollinate them.

More than 35 species of
proteas rely on these
unusual pollinators.

Mice nosing around the flowers
looking for nectar get covered
in pollen,

which they carry from flower
to flower and plant to plant.

The ants not only protect
protea seeds from mice

By burying them underground

they keep the seeds safe from
the frequent fires that rage
across Fynbos landscapes.

Ants don't move seeds far
from parent plants.

Which means seedlings grow
only in the immediate vicinity

restricting gene flow
and isolating populations.

Over millions of years,
isolated populations
develop into new species

and this is one reason why
diversity is so high.

The Puffadder has found
an ideal spot.

He's well hidden and the
rocks of the Kogelberg
are busy with mice.

It's only a matter of time
until something springs
his deadly trap.

While some snakes lie in wait,
others are active hunters.

In a nearby outcrop a Spotted
House snake is stirring.

They are mainly nocturnal

but like the Puffadder he's
feeling hunger pangs following
a long cold winter,

and so he's started his search
early this evening.

He's well adapted to
his rocky existence.

A flattened head and body allows
him to navigate the smallest
cracks in search of prey.

He's hunting lizards and geckos.

But rock agamas such as this one
are experts at hide and seek.

They're exquisitely camouflaged
and blend into the rock.

This time it works; the spotted
house snake has passed him by.

Unlike solitary hunters,
like snakes,

baboons are gregarious and
rely on each other to survive.

This mother is removing
ticks and fleas from her baby.

Mothers are under pressure to
get enough food for themselves

so they can provide enough milk
for their young.

Societies are strictly regulated

and subordinates often lavish
dominant females with
attention to curry favor.

This helps build cohesion
among the troop,

which gives this family a
valuable edge in this
challenging environment.

On the mountainous coast
of the southwestern Cape,

plants and animals exist side
by side in an unforgiving
landscape.

This is one of the most
diverse places in the world.

Incredibly rare plants

intersperse the carpet of
species-rich Fynbos.

Offshore, rich waters
bursting with food
teem with life.

On both land and sea
life here is both intricate,

and spectacular.

And there is nowhere else
on earth quite like it.

This is the biological
wonderland of the
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.

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