All language subtitles for Great Parks of Africa - 01x04 - 4 Eng

In the center of South Africa

is an ancient landscape
that was once an inland sea.

Now it is a mosaic
of unique habitats.

Life here has evolved ingenious
solutions to survive in these
differing environments -

Herds graze across the plains,

Predators roam the
riverine thickets,

And raptors patrol the skies.

There is nowhere in
South Africa quite like it:

This is the Karoo National Park

(lion roars)

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A small herd of Springbok
wanders across the
low-lying plains

at the foot of the
Nuweveld mountains in
the Karoo National Park.

These plains are the hottest
and driest section of the park.

Water is scarce - any rain
that falls evaporates quickly

leaving the salty
minerals leached from
the rocks and soil behind.

Springbok are hardy and
survive where many other
antelope cannot;

able to tolerate the
salt-laden vegetation growing
in the salty conditions.

In the riverine thicket nearby

a young Caracal is
watching the herd.

But he's eight months old
and has only recently left
his mother -

so the adult Springbok are
a little too large for him
to tackle.

Alone in the
unfamiliar surroundings,

he's learning to fend
for himself.

But he still finds time to
exercise the kitten within.

Every sound and odor is fresh
and exciting for the young cat.

While he has ear tufts like a
northern hemisphere lynx -
he is only distantly related.

Cats have some of the best
hearing of all mammals,

capable of hearing the
ultrasonic calls of their prey.

And like all teenagers,
he is preoccupied with food.

But, without his
mother's guidance,

he's got some work to do
on his hunting technique.

The Karoo National Park
is an 317 square mile
wildlife sanctuary,

in the arid center
of South Africa.

It lies within the Great Karoo,

a vast swathe of dry,
scrubby vegetation

stretching all the way from
the Cape to Northern Namibia.

Life here is dictated by
the availability of water

and all the plants and animals
wandering this arid world

are adapted to the
semi-desert conditions.

It was not always this way.

200-million years ago this was
a vast inland wetland

overflowing with
dense vegetation.

Home to mammal-like reptiles,

the earliest ancestors
of all mammals.

Fossils are all that remain
from this once-thriving world.

The Karoo National Park
straddles the Nuweveld
Mountains,

which form part of a great
escarpment that bisects the
interior of South Africa.

These mountains dictate the
amount of water in the park.

6,200 foot summits trap clouds
creating different habitats.

The amount of rain varies from
7 inches a year on the dry
plains at the mountains feet

to 12 inches on the
wetter middle plateau.

To more than 16 inches on
the summit of the Nuweveld
Mountains.

These differences in moisture
have profound effects

on the plants and animals
living in the park.

Springbok are gregarious,

congregating on the low open
plains during the dry season

in small mixed herds.

They eat a varied diet,

grazing tender grass and
browsing from shrubs
and succulents.

This allows them to proliferate

and they are the most numerous
plains antelope in the dry parts
of Southern Africa.

Like all Caracals, the young
male is shy and secretive.

He's one of the small cats
of Southern Africa;

Caracals are a tenth the size of
lions but are master hunters,

The mouse spots a small hole and
desperately tries to escape.

But these Aardvark scrapings
are often only

dead ends.

Riverine thickets are important.

Rivers cut through all levels
in the park,

etching the landscape, but
seldom contain flowing water.

They only run after exceptional
rains every few years,

And yet under the surface
there is still more moisture
than the surrounds

forming green veins on
the dusty brown plains.

They're magnets for life
thronged with Acacia Karoo.

A small family of Vervet
monkeys is exploring the
riverine forest.

It's the only place in the park
where they are able to survive;

Vervets are rarely seen
far from trees.

They're mainly vegetarian,
although they will eat insects
on occasion.

But in the arid Karoo,

acacias deter herbivores from
eating their precious leaves
with thorns

and the Vervets need to be
nimble enough to negotiate
the formidable thorny defenses

these are the only trees
in the park.

They're highly social and
young learn from their
parents and babysitters.

Like many primates,
mothers often hand over

the responsibility of caring
for babies to relatives.

This allows her to have
her next baby sooner.

And gives the babysitter
valuable experience

that will help with her own
offspring in the future.

This young male learns
by watching the adults.

His older sisters are eating
Acacia seed pods.

But this little one has a more
adventurous palate.

He seems to think bark is
a better option.

But he's not getting it
quite right.

Maybe his sisters know best
after all

Despite the Acacia's
formidable defensive armory,

kudu and other browsers
also target the foliage.

Where there are herbivores
predators follow.

But this male lion has
other things on his mind -

he's searching for a mate.

Lions are the largest
predators in the park.

In the Karoo, they tend
to wander alone

or in small prides seldom
numbering more than 3 or 4.

These are much smaller than
typical savannah prides,

which can number up to
40 individuals.

Prides are small here because
prey densities are low in the
arid conditions.

To survive in the Karoo,
lions adopt flexible
hunting strategies

to cope with the range of
habitats within the park.

He marks a bush as he passes

it's a calling card for females
and a warning to other males.

A female is calling
to make contact.

(lion roaring)

(lion roaring)

(lion roaring)

She's wearing a collar so that
park authorities can track her.

These data provide valuable
insights into lion ecology in
semi-desert systems.

She moves on continuing
the search for her mate

No matter the altitude,
all plants in the Karoo
National Park

are adapted to dry
semi-desert conditions.

Even in wetter parts of the park
conditions are extremely arid.

Leaves are small with thick
waxy layers to help prevent
excess water loss.

Many plants protect themselves
with menacing spines to deter
herbivores.

Up on the summit, rain
falls more frequently.

But moisture also comes from
completely different sources.

Clouds condense on bushes
on its exposed summits.

In winter heavy frosts form
on the leaves.

Special anti-freeze proteins
prevent ice damage.

As this melts, the water runs
down the branches and stems
in to the soil

becoming available
to the roots.

On the middle plateau plants
get moisture from an even more
unlikely place.

A colony of Harvester ants
is on the move.

Their scouts have found
a Kapok in flower

and are working hard to stock
their underground larder.

They use their secateurs like
mandibles to pick the flowers,

And carry seeds and other
food items back to the nest

to feed larvae and workers.

Ants will search an area of
approximately 2,000 square feet

around their nests for food,
forming long trains back home.

They can carry between 10 and 50
times their own bodyweight.

These ants benefit plants and
animals in their environment.

Moisture content is higher
in their nests than the
surrounding soils.

The nests are also rich
in nitrogen, phosphorous
and potassium.

So plants growing on
harvester ant nests

produce more than twice
as much seed as those in
the surroundings.

When conditions are good,
the colony stores more seed
than it can eat,

enabling the ants to sustain
themselves when conditions
turn bad.

Most antelope in the park
congregate on the middle plateau

because this habitat offers
the best grazing.

A male Red hartebeest
stands his lonely vigil.

It's breeding season for
hartebeest and the males
have taken up territories.

They will guard these
against intruders,

patrolling the boundaries
to dissuade any would be
interlopers.

It becomes
particularly important

when female breeding herds
move through the territory.

This male sizes up his neighbor.

The proximity of the breeding
herd however creates a
problem for him.

He doesn't want to waste energy
on fighting if he can avoid it.

Having asserted his dominance
he follows the herd

because he wants to mate
with as many female as possible

while the herd is still
in his territory.

Red hartebeest are not the only
ones thinking about mating on
the middle plateau.

So are the
world's biggest birds

Ostriches.

This male is displaying his
intentions on his shins.

During breeding season his shins
turn bright pink as a display
to willing females.

He will also dance if any
female gives him the chance.

Males mate with up to
four females in a season

and the drive to reproduce
is intense.

Today however, the females
are more interested in food

than displays of bravado.

Ostriches live relatively long
lives and can reach 40 years

but predation is severe on young
birds from a number of predators

including caracal and lions.

Only one chick out of 8 to 10
clutches of eggs survives to
adulthood.

Ostriches forage on small plants
and grasses

pulling the plants out and
eating them, roots and all.

Like all dry-adapted animals,
they obtain important moisture
from the food they eat.

Neighboring Gemsbok share in
the meager pickings.

Gemsbok are extreme
desert specialists

capable of surviving in the
dunes of true deserts.

They occur across the park

but prefer to congregate
on the good feeding areas
of the central plateau.

They live in nomadic herds
usually numbering 14 or
more individuals

although herds of more than
a hundred are not uncommon.

A dominant male leads the herd -

well versed in making the
most of the frugal environment.

These herds contain
both males and females.

This is unusual;

most antelope live in segregated
male or female herds.

But here cohabiting
is essential.

In the arid park, forage
is often unpredictable

and Gemsbok can't afford for
both food and mates to be
hard to find,

so they solve one of these
problems by living together.

Higher on the mountain
near the summit

a pair of incredibly well
camouflaged rock
specialists is feeding.

Klipspringers live in tight-knit
pairs that blend into their
surroundings.

Males have two short
pointed horns,

which they use in territorial
disputes with other males.

These small antelope are
well suited to steep rocky
mountain slopes.

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

Specially cushioned hooves
act as shock absorbers,
increasing grip.

Together their exposed
rocky habitat and dexterity

means Klipspringers rarely fall
prey to terrestrial predators.

But in the Karoo, death can just
as easily come from the sky.

The Karoo National Park
contains one of the highest
densities of Verreaux's eagles

anywhere in South Africa.

These nest high on the
forbidding dolerite cliff faces

and hunt a range
of small animals.

They are large eagles with
a wingspan of almost 10 feet

and are capable of carrying off
rabbits and hares,

as well as small antelope
and even young Springbok.

But 9 out of 10 of their meals
in the Karoo

are Rock hyraxes
also known as Dassies.

Dassies live almost exclusively
on rocky habitats and cliffs.

They're well adapted
to jumping between rocks.

Special glands keep their
feet moist helping to
increase friction.

They are able to feed on the
poorest resources if necessary.

Stomachs full of microbes
break down even the
toughest Karoo vegetation.

They are often seen
sunning themselves on
exposed rocky surfaces.

Although they are
warm-blooded mammals,

they have surprisingly variable
body temperatures

and are even capable of
absorbing heat from the sun

just like coldblooded animals
such as lizards.

Dassies feed in the close
proximity of their rocky homes

and never venture too far
out of the safe zone

so if attacked they can
quickly scuttle for cover.

It's breeding season
for the eagles.

In the Karoo pairs mate
nearly every year.

Verreaux's eagles are monogamous
and pairs spend years together,

usually only splitting
after failed breeding attempts.

Incubating eggs is the
domain of the female

and she will spend 94 to 97
percent of the time on the nest

compared to the male's
1 to 3 percent.

This female incubates two eggs,

but chances are only one
will make it:

9 out of 10 second chicks
are killed by the first hatched.

Her partner keeps a
watchful eye on the nest
from the cliffs nearby.

Another pair is courting.

They soar together on the
thermal updrafts before
landing on a cliff top to mate.

After mating, the male
delivers branches and
green sprays to the nest

to help cement the relationship.

The dolerite cliffs forming
the upper levels of the
Nuweveld Mountains

are perfect for both
eagles and Dassies.

White streaks on the rocks
stained by Dassie urine
mark established dens.

Dolerite formed as magma
flowed to the surface
millions of years ago.

This molten rock spilled
onto the surface

and is the reason many of
the Karoo mountains have
characteristic flat tops.

Softer rock has been
eroded away over eons

leaving these imposing
cliff faces standing above
the desolate plains.

Other arid adapted specialists
that do well on the summit are
Mountain zebras.

More than 500 live in the
park - the highest density
in the world.

Only a handful of Southern
Africa's parks contain
two zebra species.

At the foot of the mountains

small numbers of White-legged
plains zebra fossick through
the vegetation.

Higher up on the rocky slopes
Mountain zebras pick their way
through the stony landscape.

They're easily differentiated.

Mountain zebras are smaller,

have a conspicuous fold of
skin under their chin called
a dewlap

and a very different
stripe pattern,

which most noticeably continues
all the way down their legs to
the hooves.

Plains zebra have
shadow stripes,

and the pattern doesn't
extend round the belly
and down the legs.

All zebras eat mainly grass

and are always found in
relatively open areas where
sweet young shoots grow best.

No matter which habitat,

finding food in the dry
surroundings of the Karoo is
a constant challenge.

Kudu avoid this by remaining in
the thick riverine vegetation.

They're not fussy and
eat a range of plants.

Kudu are ruminants and
after browsing for a few
hours each morning

they will spend the heat of the
day chewing the cud.

To aid digestion
food is chewed,

Swallowed

Regurgitated

And chewed some more.

This helps break down the
complex cellulose in the plant
material they eat.

The young Caracal starts a
deadly game of cat and mouse.

It might seem cruel but it's to
make his prey safer to eat.

Cats play with their food to
ensure that it's too weak to
harm them,

thereby preventing
serious injury,

as even a small bite
can lead to infection.

They only play with food
that they can afford to.

If the risk of their prey
escaping is too great they tend
to go straight for the kill.

Driven by an instinct to remove
fur or feathers from his prey,

he licks the mouse.

On larger kills he will remove
the fur before eating it,

but on a mouse it's
not worth the effort.

When the time comes the cat
kills its prey with one bite

severing the spinal cord.

Caracal comes from the Turkish
"karakulak" meaning black ear.

He carefully spits out the
intestines.

Cats rarely eat the
innards of their prey.

It's a tiny meal.

Caracal are capable of taking
prey three times their own size.

But he's satisfied for now.

On the open plains,
Gemsbok forage in the
early morning light.

This is to obtain not just food
but also water.

Vegetation contains the most
moisture in the morning.

And when water is in
such short supply

it's important to maximize the
uptake in the food that's eaten.

Preventing water loss is
important for all animals
living here.

Gemsbok allow their body
temperature to soar way above
lethal limits for most mammals -

anywhere between
96 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

This reduces the amount of water
they would lose to transpiration

by trying to keep their
body temperature down.

But, higher temperatures
affect the brain,

so gemsbok have a network of
tiny blood capillaries in their
nasal cavities,

which cools the blood
before it reaches the head.

Smaller animals, such as
Steenbok, suffer even more

trying to regulate their
body temperature.

They stand less than
one-and-a-half feet tall.

And being this small means they
absorb relatively more heat than
other larger animals.

This is because their
surface area is large
compared to their volume.

The smaller you are
the bigger the problem.

Like Steenbok, Klipspringer
also suffer, but they have a
special coat to help.

Their hair is hollow,
trapping extra air,

thereby maximizing
its insulating abilities.

This helps keep the animals cool
during the day and warm at night

when temperatures often fall
below freezing in winter.

Eland are also adaptable to
a range of conditions

and large herds live on the
middle plateau of the park.

They occur in a range of
habitats from moist savannas
to semi-deserts.

Eland have a variable diet
mostly browsing fruits,

leaves, seeds, herbs and tubers.

They will also graze grasses
when they are tender and green.

Perfectly adapted to semi-desert
conditions, eland can go without
drinking indefinitely.

In the absence of water eland
vary their body temperature

allowing it to climb 13 degrees
Fahrenheit during the day

and then cool back down
in the evening.

This tolerance means eland
don't waste precious water

on evaporative cooling
in dry conditions.

Eland also feed largely at night
and in the early morning

to get the most water possible
from their food.

Being big helps eland buffer the
effects of variable conditions.

But this comes at a cost -

sustaining this great size
means eland must forage widely

and are always on the move.

Another family is also on
the move looking for food.

Chacma baboons are the largest
monkeys in Southern Africa.

Unlike Vervets, they're adapted
to living on the ground.

They're masters of making do
and eat just about every
edible plant they find.

Baboons live in troops
numbering from 8 to 200

and are led by a
single dominant male.

Vervet monkeys also live
in close knit families

of up to 40 individuals.

These are highly regulated and
there is a strict pecking order.

A dominant male leads the troop.

His blue scrotum proudly
advertises his status.

Males will also size off
against each other in brazen
displays of manhood.

Female society
is also regulated.

Mothers feed their youngsters
for six months.

After weaning, young males
leave the family when they
reach maturity,

but females stay home for life.

Grooming helps maintain
relationships within the group,

and leading ladies receive
the most attention.

In contrast grooming is less
common amongst males.

A much smaller family is in
search of its prey among the
riverine forests.

Bat-eared foxes live in groups
of two and sometimes three.

Supersensitive ears track prey;

only Fennec foxes have bigger
ears for their size.

The Bat-eared fox is
the only Canid

that has deviated significantly
from preying on other mammals.

Their small teeth and
narrow snout are designed
to catch insects.

Beetles are on the menu
as are, surprisingly, termites.

Harvester termites are
collecting food for their nests.

Unlike Harvester ants however

they target mainly grass and
especially frost or
drought-killed vegetation.

Grass contributes as much as
94 percent off their diet.

Their nests can extend as much
as 20 feet underground.

Deep within the nest, their
larvae digest and distribute
all the food to the colony.

This builds colony cohesion

and individuals with
unfamiliar gut microbes

are chased out of the nest.

Termites rigorously defend
their nests and attack even
the smallest intruders.

The young Caracal is
monitoring his surroundings
from the termite mound.

He has an important stash nearby
and has to be careful.

If a larger predator such as a
leopard or lion finds him they
will kill him.

Even other older male Caracals
pose a threat.

The young male has made
a substantial kill.

It's a hare, too big to eat
at one sitting,

so he will guard his kill
as long as possible

to prevent it being stolen
by jackals or other scavengers.

Caracals may be small cats but
they're fierce when it comes
to fighting for their dinner.

He carefully removes the
rabbit's fur before
devouring the fresh meat.

His flesh diet helps him
overcome the arid Karoo,

and he obtains most of the
moisture he needs to survive
from the meat he eats.

The Bat-eared fox continues
his search for food.

At night, they focus on finding
as many termites, worms and
grubs as possible.

In the Karoo where food is
often limited, a worm like this
is a juicy treat.

Nearby the young Caracal is
finishing up the last scraps
of his meal.

It's his first major kill since
leaving his mother's side, and
nothing goes to waste.

For now, as the Milky Way
spirals above him in the clear
Karoo skies

the pressure is off, and it will
be a few days before he'll have
to kill again.

The interior of South Africa is
a spectacular arid environment.

Home to animals
both big and small,

All beautifully adapted to
the imposing conditions.

Life abounds in the
spectacular landscapes.

Conditions here are
dictated by water

and all life marches
to its tune.

For many this land is
the heart of South Africa

and at its core is one of
its great wild places.

This is the
Karoo National Park.

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