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The Amazon is the mightiest river
on earth.
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00:00:42,509 --> 00:00:44,534
A thousand miles
before it reaches the sea
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00:00:44,677 --> 00:00:48,010
its main channel is already
ten miles wide.
4
00:00:49,416 --> 00:00:50,940
By the time it meets the ocean
5
00:00:51,084 --> 00:00:54,815
it carries a fifth of all the river water
in the world
6
00:00:55,221 --> 00:01:00,716
spilling an incredible forty five million
gallons a second into the Atlantic.
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00:01:10,336 --> 00:01:13,499
Every year, without fail
the Amazon bursts its banks
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00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,098
and floods an area of forest
the size of England.
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00:01:31,758 --> 00:01:33,726
This huge change in water level
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00:01:33,860 --> 00:01:35,555
over such a vast area
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00:01:35,695 --> 00:01:39,153
affects everything that lives here
in a dramatic way.
12
00:01:53,213 --> 00:01:57,309
Over its four thousand mile course
from the Andes to the Atlantic
13
00:01:57,450 --> 00:02:00,908
the Amazon is swollen
by some eleven hundred tributaries.
14
00:02:01,921 --> 00:02:04,219
Several are massive rivers
in their own right.
15
00:02:04,357 --> 00:02:08,259
Between them they drain
forty percent of the continent.
16
00:02:10,396 --> 00:02:13,593
Three thousand kinds of fish
live in this waterworld.
17
00:02:14,367 --> 00:02:17,461
And where there are fish
there are fish hunters.
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00:02:46,099 --> 00:02:47,657
Giant otters.
19
00:02:48,201 --> 00:02:52,934
They really are giants nearly two metres
from nose to tail.
20
00:02:54,641 --> 00:02:59,544
Local people call them 'Iobos del rio'
wolves of the river.
21
00:02:59,913 --> 00:03:02,108
They live almost entirely on fish
22
00:03:02,248 --> 00:03:05,240
though they can kill caiman
and anacondas.
23
00:03:06,186 --> 00:03:08,620
They're one of the top predators
of the Amazon
24
00:03:08,755 --> 00:03:11,451
the aquatic equivalent of the jaguar.
25
00:03:18,498 --> 00:03:22,332
Most otters are solitary
but these are very sociable.
26
00:03:22,936 --> 00:03:25,996
They live in family groups
of about half a dozen
27
00:03:26,573 --> 00:03:30,031
a mated pair and their full grown young
from previous years.
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00:03:31,511 --> 00:03:33,672
The otters bridge two worlds.
29
00:03:33,947 --> 00:03:35,778
All their food comes
from the river
30
00:03:35,915 --> 00:03:39,248
but they sleep
and rear their cubs on dry land.
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00:03:40,753 --> 00:03:44,587
So their lives are profoundly affected
by the changing level of the river
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00:03:44,724 --> 00:03:46,988
which has its origins far to the west
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00:03:47,126 --> 00:03:49,788
in the distant peaks of the Andes.
34
00:04:07,213 --> 00:04:10,046
After a first precipitous rush
from the mountains
35
00:04:10,183 --> 00:04:12,811
the river's course is flat and winding.
36
00:04:13,953 --> 00:04:16,683
For the next three
and a half thousand miles
37
00:04:16,823 --> 00:04:19,815
it drops barely two inches a mile.
38
00:04:20,927 --> 00:04:23,657
As sluggish meanders twist
across the floodplain
39
00:04:23,796 --> 00:04:25,661
their course is constantly changing
40
00:04:25,798 --> 00:04:27,891
creating new channels and lakes.
41
00:04:29,769 --> 00:04:31,828
This is more than just a river
42
00:04:31,971 --> 00:04:33,734
it's a whole river system.
43
00:04:43,016 --> 00:04:46,611
It's October
the height of the dry season.
44
00:04:46,886 --> 00:04:48,911
The Amazon is at its lowest ebb
45
00:04:49,055 --> 00:04:51,023
and showing its bare bones.
46
00:04:56,095 --> 00:04:57,960
For just a few weeks each year
47
00:04:58,097 --> 00:05:00,930
sandbanks rise clear of the water
48
00:05:01,067 --> 00:05:03,001
giving a brief window of opportunity
49
00:05:03,136 --> 00:05:06,037
for one of the Amazon's
most remarkable animals.
50
00:05:18,484 --> 00:05:20,145
Giant river turtles.
51
00:05:20,286 --> 00:05:23,312
They're one of the largest fresh water
turtles in the world
52
00:05:23,489 --> 00:05:27,084
over a metre long
and weighing more than forty kilos.
53
00:05:29,362 --> 00:05:32,991
They come back to the same place
each year to lay their eggs.
54
00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:35,096
But this is a race against time
55
00:05:35,234 --> 00:05:38,226
because the sandbanks will soon
be flooded again.
56
00:05:51,017 --> 00:05:52,484
For two weeks after they arrive
57
00:05:52,618 --> 00:05:54,916
the pregnant females bask in the sun.
58
00:05:58,191 --> 00:06:00,250
This hastens the development
of the eggs
59
00:06:00,393 --> 00:06:01,826
still inside their bodies.
60
00:06:10,036 --> 00:06:10,832
When she's ready
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00:06:10,970 --> 00:06:14,064
each huge female digs a hole
a metre deep.
62
00:06:14,574 --> 00:06:17,771
In it she'll lay a hundred
soft-shelled eggs.
63
00:06:20,313 --> 00:06:23,282
But all this activity
doesn't go unnoticed.
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00:06:27,253 --> 00:06:29,744
Good sandbanks are few and far between
65
00:06:29,889 --> 00:06:33,052
so early clutches of eggs
are often accidentally dug up
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00:06:33,192 --> 00:06:34,921
by turtles nesting later.
67
00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:43,758
For the vultures too
this is a once a year opportunity.
68
00:06:49,575 --> 00:06:51,475
But it only lasts a few days.
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00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,239
The turtles will soon be gone.
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00:07:25,011 --> 00:07:28,276
In forty five days
the surviving eggs will hatch
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00:07:28,481 --> 00:07:30,676
far quicker than other turtles.
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00:07:32,552 --> 00:07:33,610
Just a week or two later
73
00:07:33,753 --> 00:07:35,880
the sandbanks will be drowned again.
74
00:07:36,823 --> 00:07:39,917
If the rivers rise early
all the eggs are lost.
75
00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,324
At the peak of the dry season
76
00:07:49,502 --> 00:07:52,699
broad reaches of river
can be almost cut off
77
00:07:52,839 --> 00:07:55,740
as sandbars separate them
from the main flow.
78
00:08:01,214 --> 00:08:03,682
Fish become concentrated
in these lagoons
79
00:08:03,816 --> 00:08:06,614
so for predators
the killing is easy.
80
00:08:08,020 --> 00:08:12,548
Caiman and egrets gather to take advantage
of the best hunting of the year.
81
00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:23,427
The fish take shelter in the reeds
82
00:08:23,536 --> 00:08:26,505
but in shallow water
they're easier to catch.
83
00:08:31,711 --> 00:08:34,509
Striking low and from the side
makes it harder
84
00:08:34,647 --> 00:08:38,515
for the egrets' prey to see them
until it's too late.
85
00:08:43,289 --> 00:08:45,450
Sometimes the caiman seem
to work together
86
00:08:45,558 --> 00:08:47,458
to herd fish into the shallows.
87
00:09:00,806 --> 00:09:04,105
The shoals of prey become
even more concentrated.
88
00:09:16,989 --> 00:09:19,890
The water literally heaves with fish.
89
00:09:20,593 --> 00:09:21,958
With so many to choose from
90
00:09:22,094 --> 00:09:24,585
there's no need to single out a target.
91
00:09:25,164 --> 00:09:27,724
A random lunge can be just
as effective
92
00:09:28,501 --> 00:09:30,093
and as each caiman strikes
93
00:09:30,236 --> 00:09:32,898
it panics fish into the jaws of another.
94
00:09:37,343 --> 00:09:39,106
But the good times won't last long.
95
00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:41,770
The caiman must make the most of them
while they can.
96
00:10:10,242 --> 00:10:13,336
A feast like this could keep them
going for months.
97
00:10:23,389 --> 00:10:26,688
For most fish
the dry season is not a good time.
98
00:10:27,293 --> 00:10:29,124
They're on everyone's menu
99
00:10:29,261 --> 00:10:32,697
and their own food's so scarce
that many will not eat for months.
100
00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,536
Some of the birds are
having a hard time too.
101
00:10:44,243 --> 00:10:46,575
Tui parakeets are seed eaters
102
00:10:46,712 --> 00:10:50,512
and the seeds of this munguba tree
are a rare treat
103
00:10:54,186 --> 00:10:57,383
The munguba uses the wind
to scatter its seeds.
104
00:10:59,091 --> 00:11:01,924
Each one is carried on
a parachute of fluff
105
00:11:02,061 --> 00:11:03,619
but if it lands in the water
106
00:11:03,763 --> 00:11:06,163
there's not much chance
of it germinating.
107
00:11:13,005 --> 00:11:16,736
These are Brycon
sometimes called South American trout.
108
00:11:23,516 --> 00:11:24,244
They're so hungry
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00:11:24,383 --> 00:11:27,784
they jump at the chance of
even these meagre mouthfuls.
110
00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,311
They can leap up to four times
their body length.
111
00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:18,269
Even at low water
the larger rivers are still navigable.
112
00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:20,228
On the Amazon's main channel
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00:12:20,372 --> 00:12:23,569
seagoing ships can reach
as far as the city of lquitos
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00:12:23,709 --> 00:12:26,143
over two thousand miles from the ocean.
115
00:12:31,150 --> 00:12:33,812
The rivers are the main arteries
of travel.
116
00:12:33,953 --> 00:12:36,820
Local people depend on them
throughout the year.
117
00:12:44,597 --> 00:12:48,499
Riverside communities rely heavily on fish
for their livelihood.
118
00:12:50,002 --> 00:12:52,596
For the people
as for the natural predators
119
00:12:52,738 --> 00:12:56,037
low water is also the best time
to make a catch.
120
00:13:08,087 --> 00:13:10,487
Laden with silt
from the distant mountains
121
00:13:10,623 --> 00:13:12,614
the rivers are often very muddy.
122
00:13:13,959 --> 00:13:16,621
It's hard to see much under water
during the day
123
00:13:17,129 --> 00:13:19,461
At night, the problem is even worse.
124
00:13:20,499 --> 00:13:24,595
Infra-red cameras let us
follow the action in total darkness.
125
00:13:25,070 --> 00:13:27,903
But how do the fish find their way?
126
00:13:30,709 --> 00:13:33,906
Some, like these Candiru
have an acute sense of smell.
127
00:13:34,847 --> 00:13:38,180
They can detect the slightest
trace of blood or decay.
128
00:13:43,155 --> 00:13:46,556
Fish trapped in fishermen's nets
are easy meat.
129
00:13:47,426 --> 00:13:48,791
Like aquatic vultures
130
00:13:48,928 --> 00:13:51,556
the Candiru home in
on the scent of flesh
131
00:13:51,697 --> 00:13:54,291
and strip the carcass from within.
132
00:13:59,605 --> 00:14:03,439
A close relative of these Candiru
has the most unsavoury reputation
133
00:14:03,542 --> 00:14:05,009
of any fish in the Amazon.
134
00:14:05,477 --> 00:14:07,877
It's a parasite rather than a scavenger
135
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,139
and it's attracted to blood and urine.
136
00:14:10,983 --> 00:14:14,009
It's been known to swim right up
into people's bodies
137
00:14:14,153 --> 00:14:18,021
wedging itself inside
with backward-pointing spines.
138
00:14:25,731 --> 00:14:28,632
Other fish deploy much stranger senses
139
00:14:31,871 --> 00:14:35,068
...ones that we can scarcely
begin to visualise.
140
00:14:40,212 --> 00:14:43,670
They generate an electric field
around their body.
141
00:14:44,016 --> 00:14:47,179
Any object in their path
distorts the field.
142
00:14:47,620 --> 00:14:50,748
They detect the changes
with receptors in their skin.
143
00:14:54,994 --> 00:14:58,020
This extraordinary sense allows them
to find their way
144
00:14:58,163 --> 00:15:00,358
around in the murkiest of water
145
00:15:00,699 --> 00:15:03,167
and to detect and catch their prey.
146
00:15:08,574 --> 00:15:10,940
They also use it to communicate.
147
00:15:16,315 --> 00:15:19,512
Most electric fish generate
a very weak field
148
00:15:19,652 --> 00:15:20,880
but not this one.
149
00:15:21,754 --> 00:15:22,743
To local people
150
00:15:22,888 --> 00:15:25,516
it's one of the most feared fish
in the Amazon
151
00:15:25,891 --> 00:15:27,449
the electric eel.
152
00:15:33,098 --> 00:15:36,590
Its two metre long body
is a gigantic battery.
153
00:15:36,735 --> 00:15:40,796
It can deliver a jolt of six hundred volts
a shocking defence
154
00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:42,567
enough to kill a child
155
00:15:42,708 --> 00:15:45,074
and more than enough to
stun its prey.
156
00:15:55,387 --> 00:15:57,617
As the rivers shrink to
their very lowest
157
00:15:57,756 --> 00:16:00,520
some of the channels are
entirely cut off.
158
00:16:00,793 --> 00:16:04,923
Here, predators and prey become
even more concentrated.
159
00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:11,463
Territorial male caiman have
put aside their differences
160
00:16:11,603 --> 00:16:13,764
to take advantage of the glut of food
161
00:16:14,573 --> 00:16:18,304
but in such cramped conditions
disputes are inevitable.
162
00:16:29,088 --> 00:16:30,112
Despite the crowds
163
00:16:30,255 --> 00:16:32,553
there are still plenty of fish
to go round.
164
00:16:36,028 --> 00:16:39,657
But that doesn't remove the temptation
to steal someone else's.
165
00:17:09,261 --> 00:17:12,059
Even theft is scarcely worth
the energy.
166
00:17:12,231 --> 00:17:13,926
The heron keeps its meal.
167
00:17:17,703 --> 00:17:20,035
For fish hunters
these are the good times
168
00:17:20,172 --> 00:17:22,572
though not without their annoyances.
169
00:17:23,475 --> 00:17:25,340
Caiman may look armour plated
170
00:17:25,477 --> 00:17:27,638
but there are chinks
in their defences.
171
00:17:31,150 --> 00:17:32,742
With only their heads out of water
172
00:17:32,885 --> 00:17:36,252
they're still a target for
blood-sucking horseflies.
173
00:17:39,191 --> 00:17:42,024
Even a harmless butterfly
can be a nuisance.
174
00:17:55,574 --> 00:17:58,702
The first showers hint
at a change of season
175
00:17:58,844 --> 00:18:00,402
a promise of rising water
176
00:18:00,546 --> 00:18:02,639
and better times to come
for fish now
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00:18:02,781 --> 00:18:06,410
trapped at the mercy of predators
like caiman and egret
178
00:18:14,026 --> 00:18:15,118
For the cormorants too
179
00:18:15,260 --> 00:18:17,785
the best of the fishing
will soon be over.
180
00:18:20,332 --> 00:18:22,300
Released from
their dry season prison
181
00:18:22,468 --> 00:18:25,437
the fish will spread out
and become harder to catch.
182
00:18:26,171 --> 00:18:29,038
They'll be too scattered to
feed a flock like this.
183
00:18:47,392 --> 00:18:50,919
The dry season may be coming to an end
but not just yet.
184
00:18:52,264 --> 00:18:54,596
This is only an isolated shower.
185
00:18:54,867 --> 00:18:57,734
It will take much more to
set the fish free.
186
00:19:02,074 --> 00:19:06,534
The first rain can even make things worse
for them... much worse.
187
00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:08,837
The cold rainwater sinks
188
00:19:08,981 --> 00:19:13,213
displacing warmer
and less oxygenated water below.
189
00:19:18,056 --> 00:19:23,289
Decaying vegetation and bubbles of
hydrogen sulphide rise from the depths.
190
00:19:23,662 --> 00:19:26,790
This lethal cocktail
makes oxygen levels plummet
191
00:19:26,932 --> 00:19:29,628
and fish are soon gasping for breath
192
00:19:32,471 --> 00:19:35,133
The topmost film of water
where it touches the air
193
00:19:35,274 --> 00:19:37,037
still has the most oxygen
194
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:41,044
so desperate fish skim the surface
to avoid suffocation.
195
00:19:53,058 --> 00:19:55,959
Most kinds of fish seem to be affected.
196
00:20:07,272 --> 00:20:07,897
For the birds
197
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,203
this may be the last opportunity
to make a killing.
198
00:20:21,420 --> 00:20:25,754
The distressed fish are easy prey
for the cormorants and egrets.
199
00:20:34,933 --> 00:20:38,801
With so much on the menu
they ignore the dead and dying
200
00:20:39,204 --> 00:20:41,536
but not all of these will go to waste.
201
00:20:46,144 --> 00:20:46,906
For the vultures
202
00:20:47,045 --> 00:20:49,775
this is another brief window
of opportunity.
203
00:20:50,882 --> 00:20:55,342
Fish kills are sudden and short-lived
and the dead fish soon sink.
204
00:20:57,089 --> 00:20:59,990
Black vultures
have an acute sense of smell.
205
00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:04,653
The stench of rotting fish draws them
to the feast in increasing numbers.
206
00:21:26,418 --> 00:21:28,978
There is too much
even for the vultures.
207
00:21:29,121 --> 00:21:33,558
The victims of this natural disaster
can number tens of thousands.
208
00:21:46,538 --> 00:21:50,372
Isolated local showers
turn to more general rain.
209
00:21:55,747 --> 00:22:00,150
The Amazon basin gets a massive
three metres of rain a year
210
00:22:01,553 --> 00:22:04,784
most of it concentrated
in just a few months.
211
00:22:07,492 --> 00:22:09,357
The timing of the rainy season varies
212
00:22:09,494 --> 00:22:12,463
from one part of
this vast catchment to another
213
00:22:12,597 --> 00:22:14,565
but the result is the same everywhere
214
00:22:14,833 --> 00:22:17,734
a slow but inexorable
rise in the river level.
215
00:22:24,176 --> 00:22:28,374
The changing season has a profound
effect on everything that lives here.
216
00:22:28,547 --> 00:22:31,141
Swollen by the rain that falls
within the basin
217
00:22:31,283 --> 00:22:33,683
the rivers are soon full to the brim.
218
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:43,855
But there's more to come.
219
00:22:48,133 --> 00:22:49,964
In the cloud forests of the Andes
220
00:22:50,102 --> 00:22:54,163
the annual rainfall can be
an incredible six metres.
221
00:23:02,214 --> 00:23:05,081
When that joins with snowmelt
from the high peaks
222
00:23:05,217 --> 00:23:07,208
the results are dramatic.
223
00:23:37,048 --> 00:23:39,744
It may be days or even weeks
before these torrents
224
00:23:39,885 --> 00:23:42,649
make their full impact
on the floodplain forest
225
00:23:42,788 --> 00:23:44,779
hundreds of miles to the east.
226
00:23:47,225 --> 00:23:50,092
But already, animals are on the move.
227
00:23:55,967 --> 00:23:59,130
The rain that has already fallen
here waterlogs the soil
228
00:23:59,271 --> 00:24:00,795
and raises the humidity
229
00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:04,071
and that triggers
a remarkable migration.
230
00:24:12,150 --> 00:24:16,109
The small creatures of the leaf litter
move upwards, into the trees.
231
00:24:17,689 --> 00:24:20,590
Soon, their world will be transformed.
232
00:24:29,334 --> 00:24:33,031
But up in the treetops
predators are waiting for them.
233
00:25:09,674 --> 00:25:11,198
For many of the leaf litter animals
234
00:25:11,343 --> 00:25:13,868
the shift to the treetops proves fatal.
235
00:25:14,145 --> 00:25:15,703
So why do they move?
236
00:25:23,154 --> 00:25:24,849
It can take two months
237
00:25:24,990 --> 00:25:28,949
but finally the rain and snowmelt
from the Andes make their mark.
238
00:25:29,561 --> 00:25:32,052
The rivers are already full
from rain in the lowlands
239
00:25:32,197 --> 00:25:33,824
and can take no more.
240
00:25:34,132 --> 00:25:36,657
Now they overflow into the forest.
241
00:25:40,839 --> 00:25:44,900
The reason for that mass migration
from the leaf litter becomes clear.
242
00:25:45,043 --> 00:25:48,206
The forest floods to
a depth of ten metres.
243
00:25:50,382 --> 00:25:52,475
The flood changes the lives
of everything
244
00:25:52,584 --> 00:25:53,812
that lives here.
245
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,811
Even the giant otters
are on the move.
246
00:25:58,523 --> 00:26:01,287
Their dry season dens
are now underwater
247
00:26:01,459 --> 00:26:04,053
so they have to move their young
to higher ground.
248
00:26:05,764 --> 00:26:08,790
This year's cubs are still
too small to swim far
249
00:26:08,934 --> 00:26:11,562
so the adults carry them
in their jaws.
250
00:26:28,186 --> 00:26:30,051
Giant otters are territorial
251
00:26:30,188 --> 00:26:34,454
and the group's range has to include dens
for both low and high water.
252
00:26:52,777 --> 00:26:56,213
The whole family share the task of
looking after the young.
253
00:26:57,582 --> 00:27:00,244
It will be two or three years
before their elder brothers
254
00:27:00,385 --> 00:27:03,650
and sisters leave to start
a family of their own.
255
00:27:11,997 --> 00:27:15,125
Few predators will
tackle a full grown giant otter
256
00:27:15,266 --> 00:27:19,327
but infants can be killed
especially by caiman.
257
00:27:41,660 --> 00:27:43,560
Safely installed in their new home
258
00:27:43,695 --> 00:27:47,461
the otters will stay here
until the floodwater recedes.
259
00:27:54,906 --> 00:27:56,237
At the height of the flood
260
00:27:56,374 --> 00:27:58,740
Amazonia is transformed.
261
00:27:59,344 --> 00:28:01,972
An entirely new habitat
has been created
262
00:28:02,113 --> 00:28:04,445
a waterworld that can drown
the forest
263
00:28:04,582 --> 00:28:08,484
for ten miles either side
of the main river channel.
264
00:28:19,297 --> 00:28:20,855
At the peak of this inundation
265
00:28:20,999 --> 00:28:26,562
the rivers engulf an incredible fifty
seven thousand square miles of forest
266
00:28:26,705 --> 00:28:29,230
an area the size of England.
267
00:28:33,378 --> 00:28:37,075
The trees can stand in water
for six months or more.
268
00:28:37,348 --> 00:28:40,010
But this drowning is something
that happens every year
269
00:28:40,151 --> 00:28:42,984
and many will turn the flood
to their advantage.
270
00:28:52,864 --> 00:28:56,800
Branches where birds once perched
now shelter fish.
271
00:28:57,502 --> 00:29:00,266
Freed from the dry season confines
of the riverbed
272
00:29:00,405 --> 00:29:02,396
they spread out into the forest.
273
00:29:03,441 --> 00:29:05,932
This is their season of plenty.
274
00:29:17,722 --> 00:29:19,883
Predators follow the fish
into the forest
275
00:29:20,024 --> 00:29:22,515
but now it's much harder
for them to hunt.
276
00:29:22,727 --> 00:29:24,160
Their prey are more scattered
277
00:29:24,295 --> 00:29:26,422
and have more places to hide.
278
00:29:29,267 --> 00:29:33,829
The hunters include one of the Amazon's
most remarkable animals.
279
00:29:37,142 --> 00:29:38,666
The Boto dolphin.
280
00:29:39,310 --> 00:29:41,710
This river dolphin is almost blind
281
00:29:41,846 --> 00:29:45,543
but the water here is often so muddy
that eyes are useless.
282
00:29:45,683 --> 00:29:49,244
It finds its way through the branches
by using sonar.
283
00:29:50,722 --> 00:29:54,453
Unlike its marine relatives it
has a very flexible neck
284
00:29:54,592 --> 00:29:59,120
so it can sweep its head from side
to side to scan the water ahead
285
00:29:59,497 --> 00:30:01,522
and to catch fish.
286
00:30:21,719 --> 00:30:24,085
Because there is so much
decaying vegetation
287
00:30:24,222 --> 00:30:27,988
the water in the flooded forest
is very low in oxygen.
288
00:30:29,494 --> 00:30:32,088
That's no problem
for an air-breathing dolphin
289
00:30:32,230 --> 00:30:34,425
but how do fish survive here?
290
00:30:37,435 --> 00:30:41,462
The Pirarucu is the largest
freshwater fish in the world.
291
00:30:42,473 --> 00:30:44,065
It can grow to three metres
292
00:30:44,209 --> 00:30:47,542
and weigh nearly a hundred
and fifty kilos.
293
00:30:50,281 --> 00:30:53,717
Like the dolphin
this giant has to breathe air.
294
00:30:57,655 --> 00:30:58,485
Every few minutes
295
00:30:58,623 --> 00:31:01,820
it comes to the surface
and takes a gulp of oxygen.
296
00:31:03,361 --> 00:31:06,125
All sorts of other fish
share this ability.
297
00:31:09,901 --> 00:31:13,860
The electric eel absorbs oxygen
through the lining of its mouth.
298
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:17,735
It acts like a lung.
299
00:31:20,345 --> 00:31:24,247
Many of the Amazon's fish have a high
concentration of red blood cells
300
00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:26,475
which makes their gills more effective
301
00:31:26,618 --> 00:31:28,916
but they also take air
from the surface.
302
00:31:35,860 --> 00:31:40,092
A swamp eel traps great gulps of air
in its inflated throat.
303
00:31:47,272 --> 00:31:48,762
Animals that live in the trees
304
00:31:48,907 --> 00:31:52,604
also need special skills to survive
in the flooded forest
305
00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:54,575
like being able to swim.
306
00:32:04,789 --> 00:32:08,190
Sloth and spider may seem
unlikely swimmers
307
00:32:08,326 --> 00:32:11,090
but their own form of freestyle
is now the best way
308
00:32:11,229 --> 00:32:12,787
for them to move between trees.
309
00:32:28,079 --> 00:32:31,810
If you can't swim, climb or fly
you can't stay here
310
00:32:32,717 --> 00:32:35,481
so this waterworld has none
of the usual forest animals
311
00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:37,713
like deer or peccaries.
312
00:32:45,296 --> 00:32:46,854
The sloth may not be fast
313
00:32:46,998 --> 00:32:49,398
but it's a good swimmer
and climber.
314
00:33:01,245 --> 00:33:04,612
The most unexpected creatures
take to the water.
315
00:33:07,385 --> 00:33:10,912
Fire ants even turn the flood
to their advantage.
316
00:33:13,057 --> 00:33:15,252
When their forest floor nests
are drowned
317
00:33:15,393 --> 00:33:17,452
they set sail on a living raft
318
00:33:17,562 --> 00:33:20,622
formed from their own
inter-linked bodies.
319
00:33:28,239 --> 00:33:29,501
Drifting with the current
320
00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,666
they can end up far away
from their old home.
321
00:33:33,878 --> 00:33:36,745
All they need for a new colony
is on the raft
322
00:33:36,881 --> 00:33:39,975
including the next generation.
323
00:33:43,955 --> 00:33:46,287
But the voyage has its hazards.
324
00:33:47,625 --> 00:33:49,525
Fire ants have a painful sting
325
00:33:49,660 --> 00:33:51,594
but that doesn't stop fish
picking them off
326
00:33:51,729 --> 00:33:53,526
as they drift through the forest.
327
00:34:10,114 --> 00:34:13,277
Eventually the rafting ants
make landfall.
328
00:34:14,986 --> 00:34:18,046
This tree will provide a refuge
until the waters fall
329
00:34:18,189 --> 00:34:21,852
and they can return
once more to the forest floor.
330
00:34:26,697 --> 00:34:28,187
If their eggs are to survive
331
00:34:28,332 --> 00:34:31,768
they must find shelter
from the drying heat of the sun.
332
00:34:41,045 --> 00:34:44,071
A crack in the bark
is a perfect nest site
333
00:34:46,684 --> 00:34:49,380
and the tree comes
with a built-in food supply.
334
00:34:50,788 --> 00:34:52,915
Others have already taken refuge here.
335
00:34:53,057 --> 00:34:56,185
They arrived even before
the flood had started.
336
00:35:02,733 --> 00:35:05,167
The lizard has now got competition.
337
00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:18,840
These insects are all
on the fire ant menu
338
00:35:18,983 --> 00:35:21,645
but they seem strangely reluctant to jump.
339
00:35:27,358 --> 00:35:29,326
Those that do take the
plunge may find
340
00:35:29,494 --> 00:35:32,827
that they've leapt
from the frying pan into the fire.
341
00:36:05,596 --> 00:36:07,996
Fish are quick to
take advantage of any insects
342
00:36:08,132 --> 00:36:09,793
that fall into the water.
343
00:36:10,468 --> 00:36:12,561
For some, like the metre-Iong Aruana
344
00:36:12,703 --> 00:36:14,864
they're a large part of their diet.
345
00:36:21,179 --> 00:36:23,079
The fish may not
have eaten for months
346
00:36:23,214 --> 00:36:25,842
so now it's time to fatten up.
347
00:36:29,220 --> 00:36:32,018
Wind and rain dislodge
a steady supply of insects
348
00:36:32,156 --> 00:36:34,454
from the crowded canopy above.
349
00:36:41,766 --> 00:36:43,961
Even if it's not
actually in the water
350
00:36:44,101 --> 00:36:46,934
an insect still may not be safe.
351
00:36:53,711 --> 00:36:57,306
All sorts of other fish
make the most of the windfalls.
352
00:36:59,150 --> 00:37:03,052
Needle fish cruise the surface
picking off anything small.
353
00:37:06,457 --> 00:37:08,152
Like some other fish in the Amazon
354
00:37:08,292 --> 00:37:12,422
and the dolphins
these little fish have a marine origin.
355
00:37:15,299 --> 00:37:17,859
They spend most of their time
near the water surface
356
00:37:18,002 --> 00:37:19,469
hunting by sight.
357
00:37:20,037 --> 00:37:23,768
That slim profile may help to
camouflage them.
358
00:37:34,118 --> 00:37:37,645
Their long 'beak' is ideal
for seizing prey.
359
00:37:42,293 --> 00:37:44,318
The rising water triggers an event
360
00:37:44,495 --> 00:37:47,896
that will affect the lives of almost
everything that lives here.
361
00:37:59,910 --> 00:38:03,471
It's now that the trees
in the flooded forest fruit.
362
00:38:18,462 --> 00:38:21,898
Many trees depend on the flood to
disperse their seeds.
363
00:38:22,633 --> 00:38:23,998
By the time they germinate
364
00:38:24,135 --> 00:38:27,571
the water will have carried them
far away from their parent tree.
365
00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:33,306
But drifting with the flow isn't
the only way seeds can travel.
366
00:38:36,013 --> 00:38:37,640
In this strange new world
367
00:38:37,782 --> 00:38:41,013
some trees use fish
to scatter their seed.
368
00:38:43,587 --> 00:38:45,817
The fish eat the fleshy
part of the fruit
369
00:38:45,956 --> 00:38:48,925
but the hard seeds pass
through their gut unharmed.
370
00:39:04,008 --> 00:39:06,033
This is a good time for fish.
371
00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:08,737
They gather wherever fruit falls.
372
00:39:11,248 --> 00:39:14,411
And where there are fish
there are fishers.
373
00:39:27,765 --> 00:39:29,630
Most of the predatory birds have gone
374
00:39:29,767 --> 00:39:33,066
but not this one
a little green heron.
375
00:39:50,554 --> 00:39:53,955
Most fruit-eaters have an equal
partnership with the trees.
376
00:39:54,091 --> 00:39:56,889
They spread their seeds
in return for food.
377
00:40:01,599 --> 00:40:03,965
But some fish don't play
by the rules.
378
00:40:05,603 --> 00:40:07,127
They eat the seeds
379
00:40:07,271 --> 00:40:11,139
crunching them up and destroying
rather than dispersing them.
380
00:40:12,476 --> 00:40:17,573
Tambaqui have a powerful sense of smell
to lead them to fruiting trees.
381
00:40:24,622 --> 00:40:26,522
They have powerful jaws, too
382
00:40:26,657 --> 00:40:31,492
well able to crush hard seeds
such as this walnut-like supacaio.
383
00:40:32,897 --> 00:40:36,333
Little of what they eat will
ever get the chance to germinate.
384
00:40:53,184 --> 00:40:56,278
The flood is also a good time
for the Uakari.
385
00:41:00,224 --> 00:41:04,092
These monkeys live in loose
groups of thirty to fifty.
386
00:41:06,630 --> 00:41:08,530
They seldom come down to the ground
387
00:41:08,666 --> 00:41:12,932
preferring to travel through the treetops
in elegant leaps and bounds.
388
00:41:14,772 --> 00:41:16,330
So when the forest floods
389
00:41:16,507 --> 00:41:18,236
they have no need to swim.
390
00:41:24,148 --> 00:41:27,515
These bizarre monkeys live
only in floodplain forests
391
00:41:27,651 --> 00:41:31,052
where they take full advantage
of the flush of new fruit.
392
00:41:56,580 --> 00:41:59,549
Local people call this
'the English monkey'.
393
00:41:59,850 --> 00:42:03,286
Its red face reminds them
of a gin-swilling white man
394
00:42:03,487 --> 00:42:05,614
who's been out too long in the sun.
395
00:42:05,890 --> 00:42:08,450
In fact
the red face is a sexual signal
396
00:42:08,526 --> 00:42:11,359
a sign of potency and good health.
397
00:42:14,331 --> 00:42:16,231
Uakaris are one of the few monkeys
398
00:42:16,367 --> 00:42:19,530
that live in this riverine forest
all year round
399
00:42:19,670 --> 00:42:22,867
surviving on leaves and unripe fruit.
400
00:42:23,207 --> 00:42:24,299
With their strong jaws
401
00:42:24,508 --> 00:42:28,069
they can tackle food
that would be too tough for other animals.
402
00:42:34,418 --> 00:42:38,377
The seasonal flooding of the forest
leaves nothing untouched.
403
00:42:38,556 --> 00:42:42,185
Everything that lives here has to adapt...
or move on.
404
00:42:42,826 --> 00:42:46,159
Remarkably
people stay here right through the year.
405
00:42:46,297 --> 00:42:49,130
Their houses are built on stilts
or rafts
406
00:42:49,266 --> 00:42:51,029
to raise them above the flood
407
00:42:51,168 --> 00:42:53,193
as are their chicken coups.
408
00:43:09,186 --> 00:43:11,017
Watering the plants may be easy
409
00:43:11,155 --> 00:43:15,285
but a floating platform is now the
only place to grow vegetables.
410
00:43:16,093 --> 00:43:17,720
This is a challenging time.
411
00:43:17,861 --> 00:43:19,852
Most people depend on fish
412
00:43:19,997 --> 00:43:23,330
but the shoals of the dry season
are scattered through the forest
413
00:43:23,500 --> 00:43:25,661
and so harder to catch.
414
00:43:29,306 --> 00:43:32,673
All sorts of predator
are having a hard time.
415
00:43:33,277 --> 00:43:38,874
Even fearsome hunters like piranhas are
reduced to scavenging for scraps.
416
00:43:43,020 --> 00:43:44,715
Of all the Amazon's fish
417
00:43:44,855 --> 00:43:47,949
these have the most notorious reputation.
418
00:43:48,926 --> 00:43:51,656
They could strip a chicken to
the bone in seconds
419
00:43:51,795 --> 00:43:54,355
if it were careless
enough to fall in.
420
00:44:09,179 --> 00:44:11,773
Living on the water
does have some advantages
421
00:44:11,915 --> 00:44:13,746
at least for children
422
00:44:13,884 --> 00:44:15,078
though most of us wouldn't
423
00:44:15,219 --> 00:44:17,517
want piranhas in our swimming pool.
424
00:44:20,991 --> 00:44:21,685
In fact
425
00:44:21,825 --> 00:44:24,521
their ferocious reputation
is undeserved.
426
00:44:24,662 --> 00:44:26,027
Only in the dry season
427
00:44:26,163 --> 00:44:28,461
when they're concentrated
in landlocked pools
428
00:44:28,599 --> 00:44:30,294
are they truly dangerous
429
00:44:31,502 --> 00:44:33,834
So for now it's safe to swim.
430
00:45:27,391 --> 00:45:29,154
People can live without dry land
431
00:45:29,293 --> 00:45:32,660
at least for a while
but otters can't.
432
00:45:33,230 --> 00:45:36,927
They need a dry den to sleep in
and rear their young.
433
00:45:38,102 --> 00:45:40,229
They're now
deep in the flooded forest
434
00:45:40,370 --> 00:45:42,270
well away from the open river
435
00:45:42,406 --> 00:45:44,897
hunting fish hidden in the trees.
436
00:45:48,345 --> 00:45:51,212
The easy times of the dry season
may have gone
437
00:45:51,348 --> 00:45:54,476
but otters are supreme predators.
438
00:46:00,958 --> 00:46:03,426
Their webbed feet and paddle-like tails
439
00:46:03,527 --> 00:46:08,464
their strength and agility make them a
match for even the most elusive fish.
440
00:46:40,497 --> 00:46:43,591
If fish are hard pressed to
escape an otter hunting alone
441
00:46:43,734 --> 00:46:47,534
they're even less able to get away
when they hunt as a pack.
442
00:46:52,776 --> 00:46:54,676
Often the whole family fishes together
443
00:46:54,812 --> 00:46:57,144
driving their prey into a tight shoal
444
00:46:57,281 --> 00:46:59,306
or trapping them against a bank.
445
00:47:07,591 --> 00:47:09,115
The rewards of communal fishing
446
00:47:09,259 --> 00:47:12,490
are one of the most important benefits
of family life.
447
00:47:21,605 --> 00:47:22,765
Over the months to come
448
00:47:22,906 --> 00:47:25,966
the floodwater will slowly drain
from the forest.
449
00:47:26,310 --> 00:47:29,279
The rivers will once again
be confined to their channels
450
00:47:29,479 --> 00:47:32,778
and the otters will return to
their dry season dens.
451
00:47:38,956 --> 00:47:42,448
Giant otters are an indicator
of a healthy river.
452
00:47:42,559 --> 00:47:44,891
Only where they have a plentiful
supply of fish
453
00:47:45,028 --> 00:47:48,191
and can live undisturbed do
they survive.
454
00:47:55,639 --> 00:47:59,075
There are many threats to the world's
last wild places
455
00:47:59,209 --> 00:48:02,872
but the sheer scale of the Amazon
could be its salvation.
456
00:48:03,013 --> 00:48:07,541
It's far too mighty to control
dam, or divert.
457
00:48:10,153 --> 00:48:12,678
The massive yearly flood
makes it a hostile home
458
00:48:12,823 --> 00:48:15,087
for all but a few people
459
00:48:15,225 --> 00:48:20,720
and means this watery wilderness
may always remain untamed.
37986
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