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Cuba is a tropical paradise, but
it's a paradise full of surprises.
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00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,200
Beyond the cities
lives a wild mysterious island
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00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,320
teeming with uniquely Cuban animals.
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00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,360
Each bizarre creature is a story
of triumph against staggering odds.
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00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,800
How did they get here?
And how have they survived?
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00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,400
Cuba holds many mysteries
that are only now being revealed.
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00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,480
It's a story
that stretches back in time,
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00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,080
beyond the period
of human settlement.
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00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,520
It's a tale of titanic forces,
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00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:19,160
ocean currents, wild storms
and an amazing island ark.
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00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,320
Cuba has a long history, from 1492
when Columbus landed,
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00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:35,840
through the Spanish colonial period
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00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:37,840
that created so much
of old Havana,
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00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,000
to modern times of revolution,
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00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,480
Communism and the rule
of Fidel Castro.
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00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,400
Millions of tourists are drawn
to Cuba each year
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00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,560
by the attractions of music, cigars
and tobacco.
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00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,560
But beyond the fields, the cities
and the beaches lies a wild Cuba -
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00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,080
a little known world with a much
longer but equally colourful
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00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,600
and fascinating history.
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00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,320
We can see part of that history
alive and well
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00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,440
in the tropical seas
that surround Cuba.
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00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,000
The coral reefs teem with fish.
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00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,600
They can claim to be the best in the
Caribbean, and this, in part,
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00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,600
is due to Cuba's recent past.
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00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,400
For since the revolution,
in 1959,
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00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,080
these seas have
had little fishing pressure.
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00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:47,120
This reef may look much the same now
as it did thousands of years ago.
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00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:52,160
And now, as then, there are predators
searching for an opportunity.
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00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,680
The top predator
is the Caribbean reef shark.
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00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,520
The seas around Cuba
are spectacular -
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00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,720
in their clarity and the
profusion of life they support.
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00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:15,040
But the sharks and the coral fishes
are not exclusively Cuban,
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00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,200
for they can be found
elsewhere in the Caribbean.
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00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,840
If you want to see uniquely
Cuban wildlife,
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00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,960
you need to look back to the land
and to understand the nature of Cuba
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00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,400
you must go back in time.
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00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,440
Cuba's wild history
stretches back millions of years.
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00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,720
During the last Ice Age, much of the
world's water was locked up as ice
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00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:41,600
and so the sea level was lower.
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00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,000
Cuba was a bigger and broader island.
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00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:54,560
What are shallow seas today
were then lush freshwater swamps.
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00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:07,640
These swamps covered much of Cuba,
the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands
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00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,160
and must have been home
to millions of mosquitoes
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00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,440
and to a variety of other creatures,
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00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,200
including this...
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00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:18,960
the Cuban hutia.
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00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,880
These large rodents
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00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,880
can still be found today,
along with the mosquitoes.
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00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:42,280
They tend to stick to the pockets
of high ground avoiding the water...
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00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,960
..and for good reason.
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00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,720
There's another creature
that lives in the swamp -
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00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,440
Cuban crocodile.
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00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:03,320
This crocodile can grow to nearly
13 feet, and weigh 280 pounds.
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00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,480
It has the reputation of being
the most aggressive crocodile
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00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:08,640
in the world.
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00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,800
The Cuban crocodile evolved
here about two million years ago
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00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,200
and it evolved alongside the hutia.
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00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:28,080
Occasionally hutias have to venture
out to reach better feeding.
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00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,600
They're neither the most elegant
nor efficient of swimmers.
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00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,960
The commotion alerts the crocodiles.
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00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,080
Now it's a matter of time,
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00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,600
will the hutia reach dry land
before the crocodiles reach it?
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00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:20,000
The crocodile evolved to hunt hutias
and not just in the water.
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00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,920
The hutia may appear safe
when feeding in the trees,
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00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,200
but appearances can be deceptive.
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00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,120
The crocodiles have
a fine sense of smell
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00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,560
and pick up the scent of a hutia
carried on the tropical air.
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00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,640
Swimming slowly upwind,
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00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,640
they home in on the isolated tree
from over a mile away.
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00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,240
The hutia is six feet up the tree.
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00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,800
But this crocodile
has a way of reaching its goal.
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00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,160
The hutia has no way of escape.
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00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,120
The crocodiles have
all the time in the world
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00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,880
to improve their
high-jump performance.
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00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,680
The leaping crocodiles
evolved on Cuba
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00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,000
in the swamps that covered
vast areas during the ice age.
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00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,680
But the swamps were
not always that large.
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00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:12,440
As the sea level changed,
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00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,720
some wetlands would have been
transformed into forests.
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00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:20,000
Today, the dry forest is the home
of many of the birds of Cuba
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00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,960
like the Cuban parrot.
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00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:28,600
Birds must have flown to Cuba
over a period of millions of years.
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00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,160
The more recent colonists,
like the turkey vulture,
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00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:36,080
have remained the same as birds
on the American continents.
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00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:41,560
Other more ancient arrivals
evolved into Caribbean birds
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00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:44,360
found on several of the islands.
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00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:57,040
But some birds are wholly Cuban,
found nowhere else on Earth.
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00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:02,560
Their ancestors, typically
woodland birds, were ideal pioneers.
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00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:05,640
They were strong flyers,
able to reach the island.
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00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,560
But once there, they stayed put
in the forests.
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00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:15,080
Over time, these birds changed into
uniquely Cuban creatures,
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00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,320
like the national bird -
the Cuban trogon.
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00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:31,280
Over many generations, the birds
adapted to their island home,
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00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,440
the process of evolution
moulding them to their surroundings.
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00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,120
There were new plants
and animals to feed on
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00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,080
and new patterns of weather
to cope with.
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00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,400
The climate has an
important influence on animals.
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00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,080
Cuba has distinct
wet and dry seasons.
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00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,640
Many of the birds evolved to breed
with the onset of the summer rains.
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00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,600
THUNDER CRASHES
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00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:26,000
The heavy rains stimulate
not only the birds.
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00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,880
This event triggers a wildlife
spectacle that begins below -
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00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:31,360
on the forest floor.
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00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,840
The trees grow
straight out of the rock.
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00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:43,040
This is an old coral reef,
exposed by the changing levels
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00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:44,680
of the sea and land.
108
00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,080
These crabs evolved about
four million years ago.
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00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,200
They're true land creatures,
but they still breathe using gills
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00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,680
like their marine ancestors,
so they dehydrate easily.
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00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:20,560
They time their emergence to the
high humidity brought by the rains.
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00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,920
The males leave the rocky-floored
forest and dig a shelter
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00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,240
in the soft soil
closer to the coast.
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00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,960
Here they wait for the females.
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00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,080
The land crabs can range in colour
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00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:41,080
from dark red to bright yellow,
but they're all the same species.
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00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:51,120
Some males mate in the shelter.
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00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:55,240
Other males mate beside
their tunnels,
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00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,960
fending off other
interested parties.
120
00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:04,720
The male's embrace may look gentle,
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00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,480
but with claws
there's a limit to tenderness.
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00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,320
Once the sperm is transferred,
the crabs separate
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00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,880
and the males and females
make their way back into the forest.
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00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,680
After a few weeks,
the females reappear
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00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:35,200
carrying their ripe eggs in a pouch.
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00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,640
Again the numbers grow as the crabs
move once more out of the forest.
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00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,280
They're headed for the sea,
their ancestral home.
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00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:51,440
The urge to spawn is so great
that nothing stops the migration.
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00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,880
The crabs climb walls
and cross paths.
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00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:00,480
They even walk through
the grounds of hotels.
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00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:07,000
Their journey may be as long as six
miles and can take several days.
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00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,320
They need to find shelter
during the hottest part of the day
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00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,560
if they're not to die of dehydration.
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00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,680
Trees provide natural cover.
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00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,920
But today the crabs can also enjoy
the benefits and luxuries provided
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00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:30,760
by tourist hotels.
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00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,960
They swarm up the windows and crawl
under the shutters
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00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:46,240
to avoid the hot ground
and direct sun.
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00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:59,120
They're quite prepared to share
a room with human guests,
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00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,880
especially if there's
air conditioning at night.
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00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,440
The next morning, the swarm
is on the move
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00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,880
on the last part of their journey.
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00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:16,160
How the crabs know where the coast
is, and in which direction to move,
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00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:17,760
is a mystery.
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00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,120
The final part is the toughest.
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00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,440
The sharp pinnacles of an old
coral reef are like
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miniature mountains for the crabs.
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00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:43,960
In the cool of the morning,
the crabs finally reach their goal.
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00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,720
They can only spawn when the sea is
calm, for otherwise they'd risk
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00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,400
being washed off the rocks
and swept out to sea.
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00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,320
These are land crabs
and they cannot survive in the sea.
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00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,160
They shake their precious cargo
of eggs into the sea.
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00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:12,000
This is their last connection
with their ancestral home.
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00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,240
The eggs hatch immediately
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00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,920
and the next generation starts
its life in the Caribbean Sea.
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00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,760
The sea becomes a soup
of crab larvae
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00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:05,440
and the bounty does not go unnoticed.
Mullet suck in the eggs.
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00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,760
But they have no real impact -
the numbers are overwhelming.
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00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,680
For a few weeks, the coastline
of the infamous Bay of Pigs
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is awash with billions of baby crabs.
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00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,920
Wave after wave arrive
at the coast to spawn.
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00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:29,600
Every day, new crabs shed their eggs
into the Bay of Pigs.
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00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,480
Once each female's pouch is empty,
she heads back to the forest.
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00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:45,840
It's on the return journey that the
crabs face their greatest danger.
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00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,560
There are millions of them in
this one small area of Cuba.
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00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:56,520
This annual spectacle
has taken place every year for aeons.
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00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:00,440
Evolution has hard wired
it into the crabs' brains.
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00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,800
They know how to find the sea
and how to avoid dying from heat
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00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,880
and loss of water.
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00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:09,440
But evolution could not
prepare them for the modern world.
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00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,880
They have no way
to deal with traffic.
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00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,080
HORN TOOTS
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00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,840
Tourist taxis give the crabs
a chance to escape to safety.
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00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,760
But other traffic
is less considerate.
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00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,520
Instinct tells the crabs
that shade offers shelter.
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00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,880
The result is carnage.
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00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,880
TYRES CRUNCH
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00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,960
Nothing in their four-million-year
history could prepare them
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00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,240
for Russian trucks.
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00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,320
The dead ones attract
other crabs for an easy meal.
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00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,440
But for many, it's their last.
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00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,480
The walking wounded and survivors
head for the side of the road
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00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,320
and the safety of the verge
and the dry forest beyond.
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00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:53,360
They'll not venture out of the forest
again until the rains return.
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00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,560
Living in the same forest is a bird
whose ancestors may have arrived
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00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,360
on Cuba around the time
of the crabs.
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00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,400
The bee hummingbird.
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00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,440
It's the smallest bird in the world -
two inches long.
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00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:16,400
That makes it the same size
as a dragonfly.
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00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,960
The male weighs only
a five hundredth of an ounce.
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00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,760
This is half the weight of a penny.
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00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,120
Yet, despite their size,
the birds are very aggressive.
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00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:31,120
Each male defending its territory
with song and flashes of iridescence.
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00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,360
If this fails,
the males fly up over 300 feet
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00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:44,000
and then power dive down
on their opponent.
196
00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:57,600
The males display all day,
using large amounts of energy.
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00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,640
When they power dive,
they reach speeds of over 90 mph.
198
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:11,120
The wings beat 200 times per second
and the heart rate
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00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,080
is a staggering 1,000 beats
per minute.
200
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,520
The male's display
not only drives off intruders,
201
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,200
it also attracts females.
202
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,760
Like the male,
she has huge energy needs.
203
00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:30,080
Whilst incubating, she reduces her
body temperature to decrease the time
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00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,680
she must leave the eggs unguarded.
205
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,680
WINGS REVERBERATE
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00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,440
These smallest of birds
live on an energy knife-edge.
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00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:54,280
A lowered body temperature
208
00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,920
means less need for food and so the
female can return to her nest sooner.
209
00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:17,400
The male guards his patch of forest
not for the benefit of the female,
210
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,160
but for his own.
211
00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:27,520
For the territory holds his
most precious resource - flowers.
212
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,480
He may sip from as many as
2,000 flowers a day to obtain
213
00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,320
the nectar he needs to fuel
his energetic lifestyle.
214
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,160
The bee hummingbird is a miniature
specialist, feeding on small flowers
215
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,800
that insects normally visit.
216
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,040
The reason is the ancestors
of the bee hummingbird
217
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,960
did not have Cuba to themselves.
218
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,640
They shared the island with
another hummingbird
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00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,000
and today there are
still two species.
220
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,080
The Cuban Emerald is over twice
the size of the bee hummingbird,
221
00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,240
but still smaller than a chickadee.
222
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:23,240
The Cuban Emerald,
223
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:28,120
like the smaller bee hummingbird,
is found nowhere else on Earth.
224
00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:33,080
The two hummingbirds evolved on Cuba
and, by becoming different in size,
225
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:35,120
avoided competing with each other.
226
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:08,000
Being bigger, the Cuban Emerald
is more of a generalist
227
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,440
and feeds from
a wider range of blossoms.
228
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,200
They include this
curiously shaped flower.
229
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,840
But this blossom is not
designed for hummingbirds.
230
00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,800
The birds are really plundering
nectar
231
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,960
destined for another creature,
one that only appears after sunset,
232
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,880
and then only on the
darkest of nights.
233
00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:44,920
These creatures shun light
and can only be recorded
234
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,480
by infra-red or black light.
235
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:52,520
Nectar-feeding bats fly as far
as 50 miles in search of food.
236
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:56,040
They first detect
flowering trees by scent.
237
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:57,840
After the initial approach,
238
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,320
the bats then use their
powers of echolocation.
239
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,240
The flower's shape reflects
a narrow beam of ultra-sound
240
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,720
back to the bats,
guiding them to the nectar.
241
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,840
The bats extract the nectar
in less than a second.
242
00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:30,800
Nectar is a rich source of energy and
the bats quickly fill their stomachs
243
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,320
and then return to their cave.
244
00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,320
Here, the nectar feeding bats
are not alone,
245
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:40,160
for there are over
30 species found on Cuba.
246
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:43,000
Like the birds,
the different kinds of bats
247
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,480
arrived over many millions of years.
248
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,920
Many of the secrets of Cuba's
bats have been discovered
249
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:54,840
by Professor Gilberto Silva.
250
00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,960
He's studied them for over 50 years.
251
00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,320
Cuba is largely composed of
limestone and is riddled with caves.
252
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:09,360
There's a higher density of caves in
Cuba than any other place on Earth.
253
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:14,880
This particular cave
is the home to a rather special bat.
254
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,280
Years ago, when Gilberto first
entered its sleeping chamber,
255
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:19,960
he nearly died -
256
00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,120
there was so little
oxygen to breathe.
257
00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:26,320
How the bats survive
in their anoxic chamber
258
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:28,520
remains one of Cuba's mysteries.
259
00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:37,160
Nowadays, Gilberto waits outside
for the bats to come to him.
260
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,400
Like the nectar bats
they will not fly in light.
261
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,240
Gilberto captures them
using the sound of their wings alone.
262
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:57,680
Only when safely in the hand,
can he use a lamp.
263
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:02,720
The butterfly bat has that very
Cuban characteristic of being small.
264
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:07,240
In fact, it can claim to be
the smallest bat in the world.
265
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:12,160
Like the diminutive hummingbird, this
tiny bat can only be found on Cuba.
266
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,360
Other species of bats
crowd larger caverns.
267
00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:26,240
The combined body heat of
hundreds of thousands of them
268
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,320
raises the temperature to
over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
269
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:34,280
The urine-soaked floor ensures
the chamber is very humid.
270
00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:36,640
Perfect for bats...
271
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:41,040
and purgatory for anyone other
than a dedicated bat scientist.
272
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,880
Cuba is home to millions of bats.
273
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,600
And with so many bats, it's no
surprise that there's a predator.
274
00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,240
The cave boa.
275
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:08,360
These snakes have a special technique
for catching their prey.
276
00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:12,680
In the pitch dark, the draft of a
wing beat stimulates them to strike.
277
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,400
The caves that
are home to the snakes and bats
278
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,640
were formed by underground rivers.
279
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,080
Over millions of years, as the
level of land and sea fluctuated,
280
00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,560
these rivers found new courses.
281
00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:56,800
New caves were created
and old ones drowned.
282
00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:00,360
The result is that water filled
caverns are scattered throughout
283
00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:02,920
the limestone landscape
of the dry forest.
284
00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,560
Some connect with the sea
and have salt water.
285
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:15,200
Here, surrounded by forest,
reef fish can feed on fruit.
286
00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,440
These caverns
reveal their past to divers.
287
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:40,040
Their chambers are decorated
with stalactites and stalagmites
288
00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,960
that could only have formed
when the cave was full of air.
289
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:59,880
The water is crystal clear, filtered
by its journey through the limestone
290
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,200
and light can penetrate
deep into the cavern.
291
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,560
But beyond the limits of daylight
292
00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:20,520
is a world into which only
specialised cave divers may venture.
293
00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:32,840
The divers always explore as a team,
for this is dangerous work.
294
00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,160
This Cuban cave diving group
295
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:44,720
has been exploring and mapping
this dark world for many years.
296
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,680
These inner recesses of the Cuban
underworld hold their own secrets -
297
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:10,200
the remains of a human
that fell in long ago.
298
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,640
But there's life here too -
299
00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:37,520
over 500 yards from the surface,
beyond the narrowest of passageways.
300
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,600
The life this deep
in the cave has evolved
301
00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,760
to live in perpetual darkness.
302
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,160
The light of the diver's torch
may be the first
303
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:13,160
that this fish has ever experienced.
304
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,960
And it doesn't like it.
305
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,320
The fish's scientific name
is lucifuga -
306
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,240
the animal that flees from light.
307
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,720
And that's most appropriate.
308
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,800
Little is known about these unique
Cuban cave dwellers,
309
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,440
for they're rarely visited
and shun light.
310
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:42,840
It's thought they evolved from fish
that lived in the depths of the sea.
311
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:44,840
That dark world
312
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,920
may well have prepared their
ancestors for life in these caverns.
313
00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:53,240
Here, they slowly lost their eyesight
and the pigment in their skin -
314
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,120
becoming mysterious
ghost-like creatures.
315
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:07,640
It should surprise no-one that fish
arrived on Cuba by swimming,
316
00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:08,960
but 12 million years ago
317
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,760
a less obvious candidate
arrived by the same means.
318
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,840
The ancestors of this lizard,
the rock iguana, crossed the sea
319
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:26,600
from Central or South America -
a distance of 125 miles or more.
320
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:35,200
Though they look incongruous, the
iguanas are actually good swimmers
321
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:40,240
and when they tire, they can inflate
their chests and float like corks
322
00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:42,560
whilst they take a break.
323
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:50,440
By a combination of hitching lifts
on floating vegetation, drifting
324
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,760
and swimming, a few iguanas found
their way to the shores of Cuba.
325
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,440
Those that did,
became the founders of a dynasty.
326
00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,400
No competitors and lots of space -
327
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,000
Cuba must have seemed a paradise.
328
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,600
A paradise, that is,
apart from the flies.
329
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,480
FLIES BUZZ
330
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:50,480
The large flies accompany the iguanas
and drink the fluid in their eyes.
331
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,360
Like most creatures that arrive
on islands -
332
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,440
but unlike the bee hummingbird
and the butterfly bat -
333
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,000
the iguanas grew large.
334
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:04,000
An adult male can be five feet long
and weigh as much as 20 pounds.
335
00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,800
Despite their fierce appearance
and impressive size,
336
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:14,600
rock iguanas are, for the most part,
peaceful vegetarians.
337
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:25,960
The iguanas arrived on Cuba
before the crocodiles
338
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,880
and many of the birds, bats and fish.
339
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:32,000
But another kind of lizard
had colonised Cuba
340
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,560
long before the iguanas.
341
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:36,320
They were carried to these shores
342
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:41,360
on rafts of floating vegetation,
as long ago as 30 million years.
343
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,880
At that time the sea level
was changing rapidly
344
00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,160
turning mountain ranges into islands.
345
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:54,560
And isolated on each island,
new species
346
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,840
of these small Anolis lizards
evolved.
347
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:05,280
Today, there are around
55 different species
348
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,120
of these fiercely
territorial creatures.
349
00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:17,800
Some species are adapted to life
on the rocky forest floor.
350
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:20,760
Others live on sedges and grasses.
351
00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:26,160
Many dispute for space
on the bushes and low trees.
352
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,400
They all have a dewlap,
but have evolved
353
00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:31,680
different ways of showing it off.
354
00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:01,120
There are even anoles in the tops of
tallest palms, like this blue anole.
355
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,960
The story of the anoles is a
clear example of an ancestral animal
356
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:18,680
evolving into many different species
to fill all the different habitats.
357
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,000
The anoles have had 30 million years
to evolve
358
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:29,040
into a huge array of species, each
carving a niche for itself on Cuba.
359
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:33,600
But there were animals on Cuba
before the anoles arrived.
360
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:35,960
One possible ancient Cuban
361
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:40,120
can be found in the woods that clothe
these steep limestone mountains.
362
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:46,560
The Cuban tody is diminutive.
363
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,400
There are only five species of
tody in the world -
364
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,720
all found on Caribbean islands -
365
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,760
and the Cuban tody
is the most colourful of them all.
366
00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,840
TODY CHEEPS GENTLY
367
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,440
Todies defend a tiny patch of forest.
368
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:09,280
They're real stay-at-homes,
rarely leaving their territory
369
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,080
and never leaving the shelter
of the forest.
370
00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,400
They feed by snatching insects
off leaves,
371
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,640
flying no more than a few yards
on short rounded wings.
372
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:24,040
Is it conceivable that this tiny
bundle of feathers could have flown
373
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,480
125 miles across the sea to Cuba?
374
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,640
Well, the tody
may not have moved to Cuba.
375
00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:35,240
Cuba may have travelled to the tody.
376
00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:36,800
Millions of years ago,
377
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:41,080
before Panama existed, Cuba was
much closer to the continent.
378
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,080
At that time,
the tody could easily have fluttered
379
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:46,240
the short distance from America.
380
00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:53,720
In Cuba's remote rainforests
live other creatures
381
00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:55,920
that can claim to be ancient Cubans.
382
00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:59,720
Their ancestors
joining the island before the tody.
383
00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:05,440
This is an Eleutherodactylus frog.
384
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,800
It is one of over 60 species.
385
00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,640
Like the Anolis lizards,
they've carved up Cuba.
386
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:17,240
Some live on the forest floor,
others along the streams.
387
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:21,400
There are even
Eleutherodactylus frogs
388
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,840
in the treetops,
living amongst the air plants.
389
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,080
You could argue that the todies may
have flown to Cuba
390
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:30,880
and that these small frogs
may have survived
391
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:33,080
a long sea journey
aboard a raft.
392
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,440
But scientific evidence suggests
393
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:40,440
that they were early pioneers that
hopped aboard 70 million years ago.
394
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:44,160
They have one big advantage
as pioneers.
395
00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:47,680
Their tadpoles
don't need fresh water.
396
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,720
In less than 20 days,
the embryo transforms
397
00:38:53,720 --> 00:38:58,720
from a few cells to a miniature
adult inside its transparent sphere.
398
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:13,480
This remarkable adaptation allowed
the frogs to live far from water.
399
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:15,960
These small frogs emerged
from their eggs
400
00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:20,480
to colonise Cuba, from the treetops
to the forest floor.
401
00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:28,600
Luis Diaz is the Cuban authority
on Eleutherodactylus frogs.
402
00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:32,040
He and his colleagues
have discovered new species
403
00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:33,720
in the last few years.
404
00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:38,760
The most remarkable of these
was found as recently as 1996.
405
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,880
They live in the leaf litter
on the rainforest floor.
406
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:46,400
To find them,
you have to kick up a bit of a fuss.
407
00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:04,080
The creature has
a very Cuban distinction.
408
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,120
In a family of small frogs,
it is the smallest.
409
00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:13,160
In fact, it's the smallest
four-legged creature in the world.
410
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,040
This is an adult.
411
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:21,880
It's a third of an inch long.
412
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,240
The frog fits
comfortably on a thumbnail.
413
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:38,760
At this size,
a female can only produce one egg.
414
00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:43,200
These frogs may have reached
the limits of miniaturisation.
415
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:54,760
Cuba's journey
didn't start 70 million years ago
416
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:56,480
when the frogs joined.
417
00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:59,600
It was on the move before then.
418
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:04,600
Going back in time, Cuba was not
in the Caribbean, but the Pacific.
419
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,920
Could any animals have lived on Cuba
420
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,280
as it moved
through the Pacific Ocean?
421
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:22,160
For part of that journey
Cuba itself may have been submerged.
422
00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:26,560
So the seas are the most likely place
to look for an animal whose ancestors
423
00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:31,560
may have prowled the rocky shoreline
of Cuba around 80 million years ago.
424
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:39,000
The Goliath grouper
lives in rocky canyons and caves.
425
00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:42,480
Today, it can be found in both
the Caribbean and Pacific,
426
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:47,560
so its ancestor might have patrolled
Cuban Pacific waters long ago.
427
00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:53,240
It ventures out at night onto
the sandy plains of the sea floor.
428
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:57,880
It has an epicurean's taste for
lobster, but a glutton's appetite.
429
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:05,520
This Goliath grouper
weighs 440 pounds
430
00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:10,120
and so a four pound spiny lobster
is just a bite-sized snack.
431
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:25,120
A grouper this large
can consume many lobsters in a night.
432
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:35,880
All big groupers are females,
as the males change sex as they grow.
433
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:50,720
The mouth on a six foot long female
is over a foot and half across.
434
00:43:00,680 --> 00:43:04,560
Plenty of room for another lobster.
435
00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:22,200
The ancestral Goliath grouper
may have lived in Cuban waters
436
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:24,240
millions of years ago,
437
00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:28,520
but could the ancestors of any
Cuban land animals have lived there?
438
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:32,480
We can never be sure,
but a bird might have.
439
00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:36,640
Flamingos are strong flyers
and have an ancient heritage.
440
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:40,320
There are fossils
from over 50 million years ago.
441
00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:42,680
Ancestral flamingos
could have colonised
442
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:44,840
the muddy shores of an ancient Cuba,
443
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,200
in the periods
when it was above the sea.
444
00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:57,400
Today, Cuba is home
to the largest colony
445
00:43:57,400 --> 00:43:59,520
of Caribbean flamingos in the world.
446
00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:03,160
Over 100,000 birds.
447
00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:06,800
They nest close together
in a remote part of the coast.
448
00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,520
FLAMINGOS BICKER
449
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:13,440
They seem to need the company
450
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:17,560
of other flamingos,
but still bicker over space.
451
00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:30,200
The rich thick mud
is a great benefit to the flamingos.
452
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:34,400
It stops predators from approaching
the colony and it provides
453
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,760
the raw material for the nests.
454
00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:41,440
But it also clogs the feathers
of the nesting birds.
455
00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:57,920
The nesting flamingos
have a strict daily routine.
456
00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,800
They sit during the heat of the day
to protect the eggs
457
00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:03,800
from the tropical sun.
458
00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:10,280
Then, as the day cools, they gather
into groups and fly
459
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:12,720
to the nearest fresh water
to drink and bathe.
460
00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,880
This could be an image
from the distant past.
461
00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:36,880
A daily routine that may have
taken place millions of years ago.
462
00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:58,160
If there were land animals on
Cuba over 80 million years ago,
463
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:02,880
they may well have been flamingos,
though we may never know for certain.
464
00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:09,720
But no land animal could lay claim
to the title of the oldest Cuban.
465
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:11,560
That must go to a creature
466
00:46:11,560 --> 00:46:14,000
that could have visited
primordial Cuba.
467
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:16,080
When it was still being created
468
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:20,480
by the forces of the Earth,
over 600 miles out, in the Pacific.
469
00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:29,280
Cuba then would have been a raw,
new island with little vegetation.
470
00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:38,240
But its remoteness
and lack of land animals
471
00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:42,720
would have suited
this possible first wild Cuban.
472
00:46:42,720 --> 00:46:47,120
For it would have required
only a sandy beach.
473
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:52,800
Cuba was born 100 million years ago,
474
00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:56,880
but there would have been turtles
then, as there are today.
475
00:46:56,880 --> 00:47:00,600
For these marine reptiles
have a most ancient lineage.
476
00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:11,320
Female turtles only come ashore
to lay their eggs.
477
00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:13,480
Dry land is not their world
478
00:47:13,480 --> 00:47:15,760
and they're clumsy
and uncomfortable here.
479
00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:27,960
The whole visit
takes little more than an hour.
480
00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:30,880
And then the turtle
returns to its world -
481
00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:32,520
the sea.
482
00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:34,840
But a brief visit just like this
483
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:39,440
may have been the very first life
on Cuba.
484
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:50,800
The story of wild Cuba
runs for 100 million years.
485
00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:54,400
In that time, as the island moved
from the Pacific to the Caribbean,
486
00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:57,320
many creatures have arrived
on its shores.
487
00:47:57,320 --> 00:48:02,320
Today, their descendents live
alongside more familiar Cuban icons.
488
00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:09,120
But it is these unique creatures
489
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:13,200
that make Cuba
the wild island of the Caribbean.
42841
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