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The great plains of Brazil are one of
South America's best kept secrets.
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Strange creatures walk in a sea of grass
the outside world hardly knows.
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00:00:54,454 --> 00:00:56,388
Theirs is a land of extremes
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00:00:56,523 --> 00:00:59,515
dominated by the fiercest
elements of nature.
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00:01:04,064 --> 00:01:07,830
For half the year
it's tinder dry and ravaged by fire.
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00:01:12,906 --> 00:01:16,342
For the other six months
it's drenched by torrential rain.
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00:01:22,248 --> 00:01:25,149
And there's another side
to this secret land.
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00:01:33,827 --> 00:01:38,389
Huge torrents of water cascade off
the grassland plain in a deluge
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00:01:38,565 --> 00:01:43,764
so mighty it creates the greatest
expanse of seasonal swamp on earth.
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00:01:50,310 --> 00:01:54,440
This is a vast wetland
that teems with wildlife.
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00:02:03,356 --> 00:02:05,916
The huge swamps
and the high grasslands
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00:02:06,059 --> 00:02:11,725
are the two extraordinary faces of
South America's Great Plains.
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00:02:22,175 --> 00:02:24,735
The swamp is called the Pantanal
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00:02:24,878 --> 00:02:28,143
a wetland the size of England
and Wales combined.
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00:02:28,281 --> 00:02:32,377
The grassy plateau surrounding
it is the Cerrado.
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00:02:32,552 --> 00:02:34,918
It's as big as the whole
of Western Europe
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00:02:35,054 --> 00:02:38,717
although 60% is now
ranchland and farms.
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00:02:39,826 --> 00:02:42,351
The last remnants of
the Cerrado's grassland
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00:02:42,562 --> 00:02:44,621
have their own unique animals.
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00:02:48,134 --> 00:02:50,898
This may look like a fox on stilts
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00:02:51,037 --> 00:02:53,232
but it's actually a maned wolf.
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00:02:58,444 --> 00:03:01,208
The wolf is the largest predator
on the open plains
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00:03:01,347 --> 00:03:03,474
but what it hunts is tiny.
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00:03:03,750 --> 00:03:07,083
Finding it is like looking
for a needle in a haystack.
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00:03:18,932 --> 00:03:21,924
Massive ears help it
pinpoint its prey.
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00:03:27,807 --> 00:03:30,867
And this is what it's after
a little mouse.
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00:03:36,115 --> 00:03:39,642
The wolf stamps on the ground to try
and panic it into running.
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If the mouse so much
as moves a whisker
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00:03:45,458 --> 00:03:46,948
it'll blow its cover.
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00:04:18,758 --> 00:04:22,694
For an animal this big
a mouse is just a mouthful.
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00:04:23,129 --> 00:04:25,597
This high plains drifter
has to keep on the move
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if it's to find enough to eat
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00:04:28,034 --> 00:04:30,059
like everything else that hunts here.
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00:04:34,107 --> 00:04:35,301
If this were Africa
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00:04:35,441 --> 00:04:37,671
the plains would be thick
with wildebeest
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00:04:37,810 --> 00:04:39,641
antelope and zebra.
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00:04:42,815 --> 00:04:46,649
The Cerrado seems empty
even lifeless.
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00:04:47,086 --> 00:04:49,646
So what's eating all the grass?
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00:04:51,357 --> 00:04:54,758
There are grazers here
countless millions
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00:04:54,894 --> 00:04:56,259
but they're hidden.
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00:04:59,565 --> 00:05:03,194
Only the turrets of their subterranean
castles give them away.
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00:05:07,340 --> 00:05:08,466
Termites.
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00:05:09,242 --> 00:05:12,973
These tiny insects are the force
that drives the grassland.
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00:05:13,513 --> 00:05:14,571
What they lack in size
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00:05:14,714 --> 00:05:17,012
they more than make up
for in sheer numbers.
46
00:05:17,917 --> 00:05:21,284
At the centre of each colony
there's a gigantic queen.
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00:05:21,421 --> 00:05:24,356
She can turn out
thirty thousand eggs a day.
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00:05:29,028 --> 00:05:31,496
Most eggs hatch into workers
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00:05:31,597 --> 00:05:34,657
but some will be soldiers
armed with massive jaws
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00:05:34,801 --> 00:05:36,496
or chemical sprays.
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00:05:37,070 --> 00:05:39,061
And the colony needs an army.
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00:05:39,205 --> 00:05:43,767
Termites are edible
and this much food doesn't go unnoticed.
53
00:05:51,551 --> 00:05:55,282
But how do predators breach
the defences of a termite mound?
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00:05:59,392 --> 00:06:01,792
Each has its own technique.
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00:06:02,462 --> 00:06:06,125
Anteaters tear a narrow gash in the wall
with powerful claws
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00:06:06,265 --> 00:06:10,065
just big enough to admit a long
sticky tongue.
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00:06:11,771 --> 00:06:14,205
There are two species here
the giant
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00:06:14,340 --> 00:06:17,138
and this one, the collared anteater.
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00:06:22,415 --> 00:06:25,213
Armadillos rely more on brute force.
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00:06:25,351 --> 00:06:26,909
Their tongues aren't so long
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00:06:27,053 --> 00:06:29,351
so they literally bulldoze
their way in.
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00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:38,656
Termites play a vital role
as recyclers on the Great Plains.
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00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:41,989
In the cool of the night
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they leave their mounds
and collect dry grass
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00:06:44,537 --> 00:06:45,902
and leaves to eat.
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00:06:46,539 --> 00:06:48,234
The nutrients are
then returned to the soil
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00:06:48,374 --> 00:06:49,773
in their droppings.
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00:06:50,276 --> 00:06:53,109
A termite colony is
like a production line
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00:06:53,413 --> 00:06:57,543
converting dead grass into fertiliser
and more termites.
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00:07:03,556 --> 00:07:06,650
The factory has its
own built in air conditioning.
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00:07:07,493 --> 00:07:08,653
In the heart of the mound
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00:07:08,795 --> 00:07:10,626
it's constantly cool and moist
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00:07:10,763 --> 00:07:13,732
even when the world outside
is sweltering in the heat.
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00:07:20,540 --> 00:07:22,030
Towards the end of the dry season
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00:07:22,175 --> 00:07:25,269
temperatures climb to
nearly forty degrees.
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00:07:25,611 --> 00:07:28,671
For six months of each year
there is no rain.
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As a result
these plains are treeless.
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00:07:34,921 --> 00:07:36,786
There's not a scrap of shade.
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00:07:38,024 --> 00:07:40,151
For the wolf and the flightless rheas
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there's no escape from the sun.
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00:08:00,546 --> 00:08:01,945
The wolf is no threat
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perhaps tempers are
just a little frayed in the heat.
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00:08:17,497 --> 00:08:21,160
The sun sucks the last trace
of moisture from the grass.
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00:08:22,301 --> 00:08:23,632
Far to the south-west
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00:08:23,769 --> 00:08:27,500
even the great swamp of
the Pantanal is drying out.
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00:08:48,027 --> 00:08:49,494
For creatures that live in water
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this is the hardest time of year.
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00:08:52,131 --> 00:08:55,100
Their whole world evaporates
in the heat.
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00:08:58,204 --> 00:09:01,970
Capybaras
giant cousins of the guinea pig.
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00:09:02,909 --> 00:09:06,174
These aquatic rodents are
as big as a sheep.
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00:09:06,979 --> 00:09:07,604
Just weeks ago
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00:09:07,747 --> 00:09:09,476
this was swamp hog heaven
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00:09:09,615 --> 00:09:11,845
a green lagoon, full of food.
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00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:13,752
Now it's a dusty desert.
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00:09:14,153 --> 00:09:16,849
The only grazing could be miles away.
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00:09:17,323 --> 00:09:20,121
Some of this family won't make it.
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00:09:26,332 --> 00:09:29,563
It's not just wild animals
that are suffering.
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00:09:32,338 --> 00:09:36,138
They share the Pantanal's grazing
with vast herds of cattle.
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00:09:36,275 --> 00:09:39,608
They're constantly on the move
searching for food and water.
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00:09:44,050 --> 00:09:45,915
Some die on the journey
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00:09:46,152 --> 00:09:49,747
but the ranchers' loss
is the scavengers' gain.
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00:09:52,959 --> 00:09:57,225
Black vultures gather on a cow
that's been dead for two days
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00:09:57,763 --> 00:09:59,754
but they don't have it to themselves.
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00:10:13,212 --> 00:10:14,406
A jaguar.
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00:10:16,215 --> 00:10:18,046
Seeing one in the wild, like this
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00:10:18,184 --> 00:10:22,518
is incredibly rare
especially during the day.
107
00:10:24,490 --> 00:10:28,051
Jaguars are normally hunters
not scavengers.
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00:10:28,260 --> 00:10:31,787
Their prey here are creatures
like capybaras.
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00:10:34,166 --> 00:10:37,932
But for this female
even carrion is worth guarding.
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The vultures could strip the carcass
bare in a couple of hours
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given the chance.
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00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:07,154
But why spend so much energy defending
a hunk of rotten meat?
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00:11:22,048 --> 00:11:26,883
The answer is simple
she has two cubs to feed.
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00:11:27,219 --> 00:11:31,155
Seeing cubs in the wild
is even more remarkable.
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00:11:31,557 --> 00:11:33,718
These cubs are now about a year old
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00:11:33,859 --> 00:11:36,987
and will stay with their mother
for just a few more months.
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00:11:38,130 --> 00:11:39,529
Until they're independent
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00:11:39,598 --> 00:11:41,657
she has to find food for three.
119
00:11:45,571 --> 00:11:49,132
Jaguars do sometimes kill cattle
in the Pantanal.
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00:11:49,442 --> 00:11:52,411
It gives them extra food
at this critical time
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00:11:52,578 --> 00:11:55,570
but it also brings them
into conflict with ranchers
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00:11:55,715 --> 00:11:58,149
and that can be fatal.
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00:12:19,438 --> 00:12:22,703
Jaguars are now threatened
throughout their range.
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00:12:22,842 --> 00:12:26,505
Only a few thousand of these
magnificent hunters are left
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00:12:26,645 --> 00:12:30,240
and the Pantanal is one of
their last strongholds.
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00:12:43,429 --> 00:12:46,364
It's now been six months
without rain.
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00:12:49,068 --> 00:12:51,559
The capybaras have to drink
every day
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00:12:52,338 --> 00:12:56,297
but every day water becomes harder
and harder to find.
129
00:13:08,154 --> 00:13:11,612
The last of their grazing shrivels
in the heat.
130
00:13:15,161 --> 00:13:18,722
The last pools are little
more than liquid mud.
131
00:13:32,244 --> 00:13:36,237
It may not be good to drink
but this is the only way to cool off
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00:13:44,156 --> 00:13:48,092
Fish trapped in these shrinking pools
are fighting for life.
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00:13:53,199 --> 00:13:55,292
This caiman has grown fat
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00:13:55,434 --> 00:13:57,994
on the seasonal
concentration of food.
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00:13:58,470 --> 00:14:00,131
But if the weather
doesn't break soon
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00:14:00,272 --> 00:14:04,231
it may get stuck in the mud
and baked to death.
137
00:14:17,556 --> 00:14:19,524
It's a waiting game.
138
00:14:22,862 --> 00:14:26,195
Nothing but rain can bring
an end to this
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00:14:26,332 --> 00:14:28,527
but the first signs of
a change in the weather
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00:14:28,667 --> 00:14:32,228
only make things worse
much worse
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00:14:37,543 --> 00:14:39,943
especially in the Grassland.
142
00:14:41,380 --> 00:14:42,278
Back in the Cerrado
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lightning ignites
the tinder-dry grass.
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00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:56,157
These fires are an annual event.
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00:14:56,295 --> 00:14:57,421
In the driest years
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00:14:57,563 --> 00:15:00,896
much of Brazil's
great plains go up in smoke.
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00:15:06,305 --> 00:15:07,602
For scavengers and hunters
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00:15:07,740 --> 00:15:09,935
the fires are an opportunity
149
00:15:10,142 --> 00:15:12,303
but for anything
that can't run or fly
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00:15:12,511 --> 00:15:14,604
these flames can be fatal.
151
00:15:27,793 --> 00:15:31,524
The fires move fast
faster than a man can run.
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00:15:35,567 --> 00:15:36,659
As they gather strength
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00:15:36,802 --> 00:15:37,894
they suck in air
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00:15:38,037 --> 00:15:40,369
from their surroundings
and generate their own wind.
155
00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:47,135
The result is a fire
that can burn for days.
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00:16:31,156 --> 00:16:34,319
This looks like the end of the world
157
00:16:34,693 --> 00:16:38,527
but fire has always been an element
of this ancient landscape.
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00:16:38,931 --> 00:16:40,193
Over millions of years
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00:16:40,332 --> 00:16:44,063
everything that lives here has
become adapted to cope with it.
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00:16:45,537 --> 00:16:47,402
Fire can even be beneficial.
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00:16:47,539 --> 00:16:50,508
It clears away accumulations
of dead grass
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00:16:50,609 --> 00:16:53,169
and returns nutrients to the soil.
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00:16:55,414 --> 00:16:56,881
Some animals are killed
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00:16:57,016 --> 00:17:01,112
but mostly the old, the sick
or the very young.
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00:17:14,133 --> 00:17:16,499
Only five centimetres
below the surface
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soil temperatures
barely rise at all.
167
00:17:22,708 --> 00:17:25,871
Insulated from the outside world
in their castles of clay
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00:17:26,011 --> 00:17:28,707
the termites are unscathed.
169
00:17:28,847 --> 00:17:30,940
Not even fire can stop them.
170
00:17:31,817 --> 00:17:34,012
The heat may have
baked their battlements
171
00:17:34,153 --> 00:17:36,519
but they're quick to
repair any cracks.
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00:17:37,723 --> 00:17:42,160
On the termite production line
work goes on as normal.
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00:17:55,374 --> 00:17:56,932
For a few days after the fire
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00:17:57,076 --> 00:17:59,601
the plains look black and lifeless.
175
00:18:00,379 --> 00:18:03,075
But appearances are deceptive.
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00:18:14,026 --> 00:18:15,857
Triggered by the heat of the flames
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00:18:15,994 --> 00:18:18,258
plants release their seeds.
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00:18:23,702 --> 00:18:26,136
They fall on a fertile bed of ash
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00:18:26,271 --> 00:18:29,707
cleared of the clutter of
last season's growth.
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00:18:37,149 --> 00:18:40,380
Within days
the grass comes alive again.
181
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,554
The fast-moving flames have
left the roots unharmed.
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00:18:45,724 --> 00:18:48,488
Fire actually stimulates new growth
183
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:50,528
but almost as quickly as it sprouts
184
00:18:50,662 --> 00:18:54,325
it's cut down again
by leafcutter ants.
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00:19:01,306 --> 00:19:05,436
These ants are second only
to termites as recyclers.
186
00:19:06,879 --> 00:19:10,178
There can be a million
or more in a single nest
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00:19:10,315 --> 00:19:13,876
and up to thirty nests
in a hundred metre square.
188
00:19:17,990 --> 00:19:20,857
They forage up to two hundred metres
from the nest
189
00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:24,121
following scent trails to
find their way home.
190
00:19:30,302 --> 00:19:31,894
A single ant is tiny
191
00:19:32,037 --> 00:19:35,632
but it can carry twenty times
its own body weight.
192
00:19:36,241 --> 00:19:39,904
Together the tonnage they shift
is extraordinary.
193
00:19:40,312 --> 00:19:44,305
They can take ten percent of
all the new grass.
194
00:19:51,123 --> 00:19:55,150
Unlike termites
ants can't digest grass.
195
00:19:55,394 --> 00:19:56,918
Back in their underground nest
196
00:19:57,062 --> 00:20:00,828
they shred it into tiny pieces
and grow fungus on it
197
00:20:00,966 --> 00:20:03,457
and the ants then eat the fungus.
198
00:20:07,973 --> 00:20:10,771
And this eats ants.
199
00:20:12,544 --> 00:20:16,207
But in the Cerrado the ants' nests
are often deep underground
200
00:20:16,348 --> 00:20:20,580
so the giant anteater finds it
simpler to tackle termites.
201
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,496
It uses its long front claws to rip
202
00:20:37,636 --> 00:20:40,969
through the termite mound's hard
outer shell.
203
00:20:41,173 --> 00:20:44,142
Even so
this isn't an easy meal.
204
00:20:44,476 --> 00:20:46,273
The instant their defences
are breached
205
00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:48,811
soldier termites rush to
repel the invader
206
00:20:48,947 --> 00:20:51,780
with bites and irritant sprays.
207
00:20:53,352 --> 00:20:56,014
They can really get up your nose
208
00:20:56,154 --> 00:20:58,714
so for the anteater
this has to be fast food.
209
00:20:58,857 --> 00:21:01,951
It seldom spends longer
than a minute at any one nest
210
00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:04,927
but there's no shortage of mounds
to choose from.
211
00:21:09,434 --> 00:21:12,835
Anteaters have roamed these plains
for millions of years
212
00:21:12,971 --> 00:21:17,499
time for them to become one of the
most specialised of all insect eaters.
213
00:21:17,743 --> 00:21:19,870
With their half-metre-Iong
sticky tongue
214
00:21:20,012 --> 00:21:22,742
powerful forelimbs
and sharp claws
215
00:21:22,881 --> 00:21:25,679
they're supremely
adapted to this way of life.
216
00:21:36,561 --> 00:21:38,620
As it wanders from mound to mound
217
00:21:38,764 --> 00:21:41,892
the anteater leaves a trail of
destruction in its wake.
218
00:21:42,167 --> 00:21:44,897
But the termites aren't defeated.
219
00:21:47,039 --> 00:21:48,370
As soon as it's gone
220
00:21:48,573 --> 00:21:53,442
the workers rush to repair the breach
with soil, saliva and dung.
221
00:21:56,281 --> 00:21:58,306
Any hole could admit predatory ants
222
00:21:58,450 --> 00:22:01,078
and it destroys the colony's
vital air conditioning
223
00:22:01,219 --> 00:22:03,312
so they have to move fast.
224
00:22:24,810 --> 00:22:28,906
In just a few hours
the mixture sets hard as concrete.
225
00:22:39,558 --> 00:22:41,321
As you look across
the treeless plains
226
00:22:41,460 --> 00:22:45,191
of the Cerrado the termite turrets
dominate the landscape.
227
00:22:45,664 --> 00:22:49,122
And they are home
for more than just termites.
228
00:22:52,571 --> 00:22:56,803
Their cool interiors provide
the only shade and shelter.
229
00:22:56,942 --> 00:22:58,603
But how do you get in?
230
00:23:03,982 --> 00:23:05,813
This bird has the answer.
231
00:23:06,518 --> 00:23:09,715
It's a flicker
a kind of woodpecker.
232
00:23:10,555 --> 00:23:14,218
In forest, its relatives nest
in holes in trees
233
00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:18,318
so it's well able to hammer its way
into a termite mound.
234
00:23:19,131 --> 00:23:22,692
In a living colony
the termites might repair the breach
235
00:23:22,834 --> 00:23:25,667
but deserted mounds are soon
riddled with holes
236
00:23:25,804 --> 00:23:29,262
and where the flickers go
other animals can follow.
237
00:23:32,210 --> 00:23:35,373
They're perfect spots for wasps
to build their papery nests
238
00:23:35,547 --> 00:23:37,174
protected from the elements.
239
00:23:43,355 --> 00:23:48,520
As home or lookout post
all sorts of animals use termite mounds.
240
00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:01,872
Even the maned wolf
has a use for them.
241
00:24:11,583 --> 00:24:12,880
On these featureless plains
242
00:24:13,018 --> 00:24:16,647
they make convenient posts
for scent marking its territory
243
00:24:16,788 --> 00:24:19,689
like lamp posts for a dog
on a city street.
244
00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:31,895
The October skies begin to fill
with clouds until
245
00:24:32,037 --> 00:24:36,940
with a cataclysmic storm
the long dry season comes to an end.
246
00:25:10,175 --> 00:25:14,612
The six month drought gives way
to six months of rain.
247
00:25:18,817 --> 00:25:22,810
The Cerrado's climate swings
from one extreme to the other.
248
00:25:23,755 --> 00:25:27,020
The animals of the plain
have survived drought and fire
249
00:25:27,158 --> 00:25:29,217
but how will they cope with this?
250
00:25:30,695 --> 00:25:33,493
Termite mounds give shelter to
many animals
251
00:25:33,632 --> 00:25:37,659
but anything small caught in the open
could easily drown
252
00:25:38,136 --> 00:25:40,229
like these leafcutter ants.
253
00:25:45,343 --> 00:25:48,744
The rains are the second
face of the Cerrado.
254
00:25:49,047 --> 00:25:50,344
For everything that lives here
255
00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:54,747
they bring new challenges
and new opportunities
256
00:25:54,886 --> 00:25:56,410
though for the next six months
257
00:25:56,555 --> 00:25:59,251
they'll have to put up
with this daily drenching.
258
00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:31,480
At dawn
a cold mist clothes a land
259
00:26:31,623 --> 00:26:34,956
that only days before would have
been shimmering in the heat.
260
00:26:49,107 --> 00:26:53,271
Fast-rising rivers fill with floodwater
from the grassland.
261
00:27:01,052 --> 00:27:05,455
Their banks are lined with
the few large trees that grow here
262
00:27:05,624 --> 00:27:08,354
home for blue and yellow macaws.
263
00:27:20,505 --> 00:27:21,597
Swollen by the rains
264
00:27:21,740 --> 00:27:23,799
the rivers rush to
the edge of the plateau
265
00:27:23,942 --> 00:27:26,502
and plunge towards
the Pantanal below.
266
00:28:09,287 --> 00:28:13,917
The first flush of fresh water signals
the start of a new season.
267
00:28:14,225 --> 00:28:15,556
Caiman gather in the shallows
268
00:28:15,694 --> 00:28:18,219
for what will be a high point
of their year.
269
00:28:23,034 --> 00:28:27,266
Huge shoals of fish are on the move
to their spawning grounds.
270
00:28:27,505 --> 00:28:29,973
Some migrate hundreds of miles.
271
00:28:30,775 --> 00:28:34,768
The caiman congregate in the best places
to intercept them.
272
00:28:39,350 --> 00:28:40,749
Male caiman are territorial
273
00:28:40,885 --> 00:28:45,549
but they put their rivalries aside to
take advantage of this glut of food.
274
00:28:49,394 --> 00:28:53,490
Lying in the water with your mouth
open may look a bit optimistic
275
00:28:53,631 --> 00:28:54,996
but it does work.
276
00:28:56,534 --> 00:28:58,832
There are so many fish that sooner
277
00:28:58,970 --> 00:29:01,268
or later they'll swim into
these waiting jaws.
278
00:29:16,688 --> 00:29:21,125
This lazy way of fishing only works
when the water is still shallow.
279
00:29:21,359 --> 00:29:23,156
Once the rivers burst their banks
280
00:29:23,294 --> 00:29:26,263
the fish spread out
and become much harder to find
281
00:29:26,397 --> 00:29:30,163
so the caiman make the most of
this opportunity while it lasts.
282
00:29:38,710 --> 00:29:39,734
Further downstream
283
00:29:39,878 --> 00:29:44,212
the rivers lose themselves
in the vast expanse of the Pantanal.
284
00:29:51,823 --> 00:29:54,883
This is home to one of
the world's rarest parrots
285
00:29:55,026 --> 00:29:57,119
the hyacinth macaw.
286
00:30:00,698 --> 00:30:03,292
There are less than five thousand
in the wild
287
00:30:03,434 --> 00:30:05,959
and most of them live here
in the Pantanal.
288
00:30:06,538 --> 00:30:09,473
It's also the largest
of all the macaws.
289
00:30:12,277 --> 00:30:17,510
They feed entirely on palm nuts
a hard nut to crack.
290
00:30:18,016 --> 00:30:20,314
But not for the hyacinth macaw.
291
00:30:20,451 --> 00:30:24,444
They have the most powerful beak of
any bird in the world.
292
00:30:38,469 --> 00:30:41,700
The lagoons of the Pantanal
are beginning to fill.
293
00:30:42,373 --> 00:30:46,503
The swamp is so huge and so flat
that it takes four months
294
00:30:46,644 --> 00:30:49,272
for the floodwaters to reach
the far side.
295
00:31:06,331 --> 00:31:08,561
As the rising water creeps
across the plain
296
00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:10,930
the cattle are forced to move again.
297
00:31:20,411 --> 00:31:23,244
The Pantanal is left to
its natural inhabitants
298
00:31:23,381 --> 00:31:24,871
like the capybara.
299
00:31:25,016 --> 00:31:27,507
Now they're in their element.
300
00:31:34,659 --> 00:31:36,217
With the onset of the flood
301
00:31:36,361 --> 00:31:40,764
the Pantanal becomes one of the greatest
wildlife spectacles on earth.
302
00:31:43,234 --> 00:31:46,533
There are nearly seven hundred
different kinds of bird here.
303
00:31:46,638 --> 00:31:49,630
The newly filled swamps are alive
with fish and frogs
304
00:31:49,774 --> 00:31:53,835
molluscs and insects
almost anything a bird might want.
305
00:31:57,582 --> 00:32:01,109
There's a mass of fresh green growth
for the capybaras.
306
00:32:01,653 --> 00:32:04,121
Their grazing helps to keep
the water open
307
00:32:04,255 --> 00:32:07,247
and that means even easier fishing
for the birds.
308
00:32:38,923 --> 00:32:40,220
As the floods advance
309
00:32:40,358 --> 00:32:43,020
birds time their nesting
to take advantage
310
00:32:43,161 --> 00:32:45,527
of the flush of food
to feed their young.
311
00:32:51,235 --> 00:32:53,795
Woodstorks crowd their nests
into the few trees
312
00:32:53,938 --> 00:32:55,599
that rise above the water.
313
00:32:56,607 --> 00:32:59,542
There can be many thousands
in these colonies.
314
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,649
Storks are fish eaters
315
00:33:10,788 --> 00:33:13,985
though they'll take frogs
and even snakes.
316
00:33:14,125 --> 00:33:15,114
Here in the Pantanal
317
00:33:15,259 --> 00:33:18,194
they have four hundred kinds
of fish to choose from.
318
00:33:22,333 --> 00:33:24,494
The capybaras are breeding too.
319
00:33:24,569 --> 00:33:28,369
The large herds of the dry season
have split into family parties
320
00:33:28,539 --> 00:33:32,100
each with a single male
and several females and young.
321
00:33:36,447 --> 00:33:38,847
The mothers operate a kind of creche.
322
00:33:39,384 --> 00:33:43,411
One's left holding the babies
while the others graze.
323
00:33:45,623 --> 00:33:48,820
She even allows the other
female's young to suckle.
324
00:33:56,067 --> 00:33:59,161
But it's a hard life being
a baby capybara.
325
00:33:59,971 --> 00:34:03,099
Only one in twenty live beyond
their first year.
326
00:34:07,512 --> 00:34:11,642
An anaconda could swallow
a full grown capybara whole
327
00:34:11,783 --> 00:34:13,045
let alone a baby.
328
00:34:23,628 --> 00:34:26,358
But it seems no one has told
these youngsters.
329
00:34:38,676 --> 00:34:41,406
An anaconda can
grow to ten metres.
330
00:34:41,546 --> 00:34:43,605
It's the heaviest
snake in the world.
331
00:34:45,216 --> 00:34:49,550
On land, this legendary giant
may look slow and clumsy.
332
00:34:51,122 --> 00:34:52,111
Underwater
333
00:34:52,256 --> 00:34:56,420
it's fast and graceful
and a killer.
334
00:35:02,366 --> 00:35:03,333
During the wet season
335
00:35:03,501 --> 00:35:05,765
the Pantanal blooms
with more aquatic plants
336
00:35:05,903 --> 00:35:11,739
than anywhere else on earth ideal
cover for the anaconda.
337
00:35:18,249 --> 00:35:22,549
This young capybara swims almost
gracefully underwater
338
00:35:22,687 --> 00:35:25,247
but it's no match for an anaconda.
339
00:35:26,757 --> 00:35:30,056
The snake's flickering tongue smells
out its prey
340
00:35:30,194 --> 00:35:32,560
however murky the water.
341
00:35:39,403 --> 00:35:40,631
The hunt is on.
342
00:35:49,814 --> 00:35:53,147
Rather late in the day
his mother senses danger.
343
00:35:58,589 --> 00:36:01,319
It's been a lucky escape
for this wanderer.
344
00:36:08,966 --> 00:36:12,197
He's shaken, but not stirred.
345
00:36:18,376 --> 00:36:21,504
For the capybaras
the living's easy now.
346
00:36:22,580 --> 00:36:23,239
Just weeks ago
347
00:36:23,381 --> 00:36:26,373
this was a desert of cracked
dry mud.
348
00:36:26,517 --> 00:36:29,486
Now it's a floating meadow
full of food.
349
00:36:31,322 --> 00:36:32,653
At the height of the flood
350
00:36:32,790 --> 00:36:36,226
sixty thousand square miles
disappear underwater.
351
00:36:36,928 --> 00:36:40,364
The Pantanal becomes
the greatest wetland on earth.
352
00:36:43,401 --> 00:36:47,269
But the change of season
has an effect far beyond the Pantanal.
353
00:36:47,939 --> 00:36:49,406
Right across the great plains
354
00:36:49,540 --> 00:36:52,008
the rains bring a flowering
of new life.
355
00:36:52,310 --> 00:36:55,711
Back on the high plateau
the Cerrado is in bloom.
356
00:37:00,351 --> 00:37:02,683
For now, the hard times are over.
357
00:37:03,054 --> 00:37:04,715
The explosion of growth triggered
358
00:37:04,855 --> 00:37:08,291
by the rains brings a flush of food
for the rheas
359
00:37:08,593 --> 00:37:11,460
and these rare pampas deer.
360
00:37:29,513 --> 00:37:31,743
The anteaters
have been breeding, too.
361
00:37:37,355 --> 00:37:39,346
As they wander
between termite mounds
362
00:37:39,523 --> 00:37:42,048
they travel as much
as six miles a day.
363
00:37:43,227 --> 00:37:46,094
It will be months before the infant
can walk that far
364
00:37:46,230 --> 00:37:48,664
so it hitches a piggy-back ride
from its mother.
365
00:37:55,106 --> 00:37:57,074
The grass has grown tall
366
00:37:57,208 --> 00:38:00,006
almost tall enough to
hide the maned wolf
367
00:38:00,144 --> 00:38:02,408
only those ears give it away.
368
00:38:03,981 --> 00:38:07,473
The wolf's no threat to full grown rheas
or pampas deer
369
00:38:07,618 --> 00:38:09,518
but it could take their young
370
00:38:10,254 --> 00:38:13,223
though a rhea's kick
packs a lethal punch.
371
00:38:27,271 --> 00:38:30,297
Rheas and deer often feed together.
372
00:38:31,842 --> 00:38:35,107
The deer has acute hearing
and a good sense of smell.
373
00:38:41,118 --> 00:38:45,020
The rhea has superb eyesight
and a high viewpoint.
374
00:38:45,356 --> 00:38:46,482
Working together
375
00:38:46,590 --> 00:38:50,492
bird and deer make an effective
early warning system.
376
00:38:50,928 --> 00:38:53,692
A wolf or a jaguar would be hard
put to take them
377
00:38:53,831 --> 00:38:55,696
by surprise during the day.
378
00:38:57,535 --> 00:38:59,264
But under cover of darkness
379
00:38:59,403 --> 00:39:01,633
it could be a different story.
380
00:39:23,728 --> 00:39:24,626
It's at night
381
00:39:24,762 --> 00:39:27,993
that the wolf's true nature
is revealed.
382
00:39:29,533 --> 00:39:32,366
Night vision cameras give us
the first real insight
383
00:39:32,503 --> 00:39:36,701
into the nocturnal behaviour of
this shy and solitary hunter.
384
00:39:45,316 --> 00:39:49,616
Using its own natural night vision
it set its sights.
385
00:39:54,859 --> 00:39:57,350
Would a skunk make a good meal?
386
00:40:03,701 --> 00:40:05,532
In fact, this smelly animal
387
00:40:05,669 --> 00:40:08,194
is the last thing a wolf
would want to tackle.
388
00:40:08,806 --> 00:40:11,639
But it's found something
the wolf is after.
389
00:40:13,711 --> 00:40:14,973
Fruit.
390
00:40:20,584 --> 00:40:23,917
For the six months of the dry season
the wolf eats mice
391
00:40:24,054 --> 00:40:25,316
but during the rains
392
00:40:25,456 --> 00:40:28,584
this hunter lives
almost entirely on fruit.
393
00:40:29,260 --> 00:40:32,320
Its favourite is a relative
of the tomato
394
00:40:32,563 --> 00:40:36,090
the 'fruta do lobo'
fruit of the wolf.
395
00:40:36,634 --> 00:40:40,434
It grows on a low spiny bush
the lobeira.
396
00:40:41,305 --> 00:40:43,239
But there's another surprise.
397
00:40:43,374 --> 00:40:46,434
A second maned wolf
arrives on the scene.
398
00:40:48,579 --> 00:40:51,241
The wolves usually
live alone spending their days
399
00:40:51,382 --> 00:40:55,512
and nights criss-crossing the plains
in a never-ending search for food.
400
00:40:55,653 --> 00:40:58,486
Everything they eat is so small
and widely dispersed
401
00:40:58,622 --> 00:41:03,719
that each animal needs a territory of up
to ten square miles to support it.
402
00:41:04,995 --> 00:41:08,931
The boundary is scent marked
with urine and faeces
403
00:41:09,066 --> 00:41:11,830
no entry signs
for other wolves.
404
00:41:12,136 --> 00:41:15,333
So this encounter
is a very rare sight.
405
00:41:36,393 --> 00:41:38,759
This playful greeting suggests
these animals
406
00:41:38,896 --> 00:41:40,625
already know one another.
407
00:41:41,131 --> 00:41:43,827
Are they a mother and one of
last year's young
408
00:41:43,968 --> 00:41:46,232
or are they a mated pair?
409
00:41:46,604 --> 00:41:48,595
Male and female share a territory
410
00:41:48,739 --> 00:41:52,266
but because their food is so scattered
they rarely meet.
411
00:42:04,522 --> 00:42:07,582
Perhaps the lobeira fruit
has brought them together.
412
00:42:16,667 --> 00:42:18,396
Even at this time of plenty
413
00:42:18,536 --> 00:42:22,199
each wolf still needs a large area
to feed itself.
414
00:42:26,410 --> 00:42:30,312
As people encroach on the last natural
remnants of the Cerrado
415
00:42:30,447 --> 00:42:33,416
it's ever harder for the wolves
to make a living.
416
00:42:33,651 --> 00:42:38,350
Over the entire continent
fewer than four thousand remain.
417
00:42:47,331 --> 00:42:52,564
The rains are a trigger
for one final extravagant act of nature.
418
00:43:13,924 --> 00:43:16,825
What is about to happen is
the most spectacular
419
00:43:16,961 --> 00:43:18,895
event of the Cerrado's year
420
00:43:19,029 --> 00:43:22,294
but the conditions
have to be just right.
421
00:43:33,010 --> 00:43:35,706
On just a few days each year
in the still
422
00:43:35,846 --> 00:43:38,041
humid air after a heavy downpour
423
00:43:38,182 --> 00:43:42,619
all the termite colonies
produce swarms of winged adults.
424
00:43:48,926 --> 00:43:50,359
These males and females
425
00:43:50,561 --> 00:43:53,394
are the founders
of a new generation.
426
00:43:58,636 --> 00:44:02,436
The swarms mingle in an aerial dance
of courtship.
427
00:44:07,277 --> 00:44:10,610
To find an unrelated mate
and start a new colony
428
00:44:10,748 --> 00:44:12,682
they have to leave
the safety of the mound
429
00:44:12,816 --> 00:44:14,374
and its protective army.
430
00:44:19,289 --> 00:44:22,315
That gives a window of opportunity
for hunters.
431
00:44:28,932 --> 00:44:31,492
Predatory ants attack
the emerging termites
432
00:44:31,568 --> 00:44:33,832
before they even
have a chance to fly.
433
00:44:47,251 --> 00:44:48,513
Some of these ants actually
434
00:44:48,585 --> 00:44:51,520
live in the outer walls of
the termite mounds.
435
00:44:52,256 --> 00:44:55,953
For most of the year they share
an uneasy peace with the termites
436
00:44:56,093 --> 00:44:58,186
but when faced
with this tempting bonanza
437
00:44:58,328 --> 00:45:01,092
the ants become
the neighbours from hell.
438
00:45:13,277 --> 00:45:15,939
The ants work overtime to
stock their larders
439
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:19,049
but they can make little impact
on such hordes.
440
00:45:20,851 --> 00:45:22,785
By emerging all at the same time
441
00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,651
the termites overwhelm their predators
by sheer numbers.
442
00:45:29,359 --> 00:45:30,485
At the end of the day
443
00:45:30,561 --> 00:45:34,053
they're still pouring from their mounds
by the million.
444
00:45:48,412 --> 00:45:53,145
Night brings a final incredible twist
to the termites' tale.
445
00:46:18,142 --> 00:46:22,476
Like galaxies in a starry sky
every mound comes alive
446
00:46:22,546 --> 00:46:25,640
with a thousand twinkling
points of light.
447
00:46:30,988 --> 00:46:33,684
And the lights are lethal.
448
00:46:34,525 --> 00:46:38,052
These nocturnal snatchers
are luminous beetle grubs
449
00:46:38,195 --> 00:46:40,060
living in the termite mounds.
450
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:46,299
Termites and flying ants are attracted
by the light.
451
00:46:46,436 --> 00:46:49,337
The grubs are sensitive to touch
and vibration.
452
00:46:49,540 --> 00:46:52,873
If anything lands within range
they grab it.
453
00:47:01,451 --> 00:47:03,442
For the beetle grubs
as for so many others
454
00:47:03,587 --> 00:47:05,521
the annual swarming of the termites
455
00:47:05,656 --> 00:47:08,716
is a golden opportunity to
lay in supplies.
456
00:47:13,030 --> 00:47:16,466
Of all the creatures
that share the termites' castles of clay
457
00:47:16,600 --> 00:47:19,569
these must be the most remarkable.
458
00:47:43,260 --> 00:47:47,492
South America's great plains
are an ancient landscape.
459
00:47:47,965 --> 00:47:51,560
They were here long
before the forests of the Amazon.
460
00:47:51,702 --> 00:47:53,169
Over millions of years
461
00:47:53,303 --> 00:47:56,067
their inhabitants
have evolved the most complex
462
00:47:56,206 --> 00:47:58,697
and intimate of relationships.
463
00:47:59,142 --> 00:48:02,009
But only the most resilient of animals
can live here
464
00:48:02,145 --> 00:48:05,478
those that can meet
the challenge of elemental extremes.
465
00:48:05,616 --> 00:48:09,985
Drought, Flood and Fire.
38097
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