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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: At the southern
tip of the Australian continent
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lies a remote island.
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00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,680
An immense wilderness...
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..divided by mountains.
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00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,000
It's a world of ancient forests...
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..of pristine rivers...
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..and a coastline...
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..that's both wild and beautiful.
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Its animal inhabitants are
as extraordinary
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as they are bizarre.
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This is a land of black devils...
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..and white wallabies...
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..where lights dance
in the southern sky
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and trees tower to 100 metres.
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This is Tasmania,
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the weird and wonderful isle
at the bottom of the world.
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Tasmania is full of surprises.
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Australia, yes, but with a twist.
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It was once connected to
the dry Australian mainland.
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Today, along with
its plants and animals,
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it's physically cut off.
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Though it lies just to the south,
Tasmania is a world apart.
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Its isolation and cooler climate
has created a sanctuary
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unlike any other part of Australia.
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00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,320
And a strong seasonal cycle makes
life here very different indeed.
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00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,440
Winter means a struggle for survival.
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00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,400
In Tasmania's mountains
there are meagre pickings on offer.
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00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:20,240
This is the last landfall
heading south before Antarctica.
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Cold air from further south brings
snowfall and freezing temperatures
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throughout these winter months.
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00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,900
Many animals, like this female
wombat, are Australian species.
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But their habits and lifestyles
are most definitely Tasmanian.
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Mainland wombats
are largely nocturnal
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but here she feeds
at any time of the day,
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kept warm by her thicker coat of fur.
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She must take every opportunity
to find food.
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Winter is felt right across
this island wilderness.
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Even lower down
in Tasmania's forests,
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temperatures can fall
below freezing.
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The first Europeans
to explore these forests
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claimed they heard devils
screaming in the night.
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(SINISTER SCREAMS)
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And so Tasmania's
most famous animal got its name.
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The Tasmanian Devil.
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Primarily scavengers,
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they can smell a carcass
from a kilometre away.
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And relative to body-size,
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they have the most powerful bite
in the natural world.
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They can easily crunch through bone.
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Devils once lived
throughout Australia,
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but vanished as the continent
dried out and humans arrived.
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00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,960
Today, this is their last stronghold.
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Like most Australian mammals,
they're marsupials.
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While they may appear dog-like,
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devils are more closely related
to kangaroos than canines
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and, being marsupial, they rear
their young in a pouch.
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A few weeks ago this female
gave birth to 40 young...
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..each the size of a grain of rice.
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Inside her pouch
she has just four teats,
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so only four young will survive.
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00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,360
A devil's race for survival
begins early.
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It's a tough start,
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but this mum will dedicate
most of her year
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to looking after
the four babies who survive.
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She overcame extraordinary odds
to reach adulthood.
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Now it's her turn
to raise the next generation.
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Marsupials like the devils live here
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because Tasmania was once connected
to mainland Australia.
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The island and its inhabitants
became isolated some 12,000 years ago
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when sea levels rose
following the last ice age.
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00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,960
But Tasmania is a window
on a far more ancient past.
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Some of these forests
have barely changed
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since dinosaurs walked the earth,
when the southern continents
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were a single landmass
called Gondwana.
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There is still a creature here
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00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,920
whose ancestors roamed
that ancient supercontinent.
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It lives in Tasmania's rivers,
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and is one of the island's
longest-lived survivors.
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The Tasmanian giant lobster.
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Weighing up to five kilos
and a metre long
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they're the biggest
freshwater invertebrates
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on our planet,
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taking some 40 years
to reach full size.
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00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:17,300
Tasmania's isolation, together
with the lack of sizeable predators,
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may be one reason
why they grow so massive.
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00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:26,960
But they're not entirely free
from threat.
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00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,960
Tasmanian platypuses are enormous.
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As much as three times heavier
than their mainland counterparts.
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It's an adaptation
to the cooler southern climate.
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This male is after tiny invertebrates
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found on the riverbed,
including young lobsters.
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And to stay warm in winter,
he must find a lot.
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He needs to keep moving.
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00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:21,500
With no large predators
to worry them,
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platypuses here get about
in an unusual way.
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Only in Tasmania
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does the Platypus walk
between rivers in broad daylight.
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Out of water it's easy to see why
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the platypus was once dismissed
as a fraud, the work of a hoaxer.
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00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,880
But down here he is in his element.
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00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:14,000
His strange assemblage of body parts
soon begins to make sense.
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Webbed feet help him move...
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..while his otter-like fur
keeps him warm.
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00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,720
His beaver-like tail stores fat.
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00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,640
But the platypus is best known
for its duck-like bill...
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..which it uses to find food.
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00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,160
Underwater, he's completely blind.
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00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,760
Not ideal for avoiding rocks.
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00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:02,180
But some 40,000 receptors in the bill
detect electrical signals
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given off by the muscles
of prey animals.
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With the need to eat a lot
just to keep warm,
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a platypus can stay on the hunt
for some 12 hours a day.
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Though also found on the mainland,
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Tasmania's platypuses are by far
the biggest and boldest.
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00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:44,860
They, like others, are adapted
to the island's isolation
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and cooler climate.
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Lying 240km south of Australia...
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..Tasmania is surrounded
by a vast expanse of open ocean.
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00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,320
To the west, the next landfall
is South America...
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..thousands of kilometres away.
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00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,520
To the south lies
the great Antarctic continent.
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00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:47,480
And as winter comes to an end,
new arrivals come ashore to breed.
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Penguins.
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00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,340
Hidden among the rocks,
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00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,440
this female has two
newly-hatched chicks...
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..but nothing to feed them.
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00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:12,320
Her partner left some 14 hours ago
and is yet to return.
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00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,420
He's out fishing.
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00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:19,700
But, quite unlike any other penguin,
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he must wait for nightfall
to leave the water.
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00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,840
Gulls and birds of prey
patrol the coast by day.
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00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,760
It's only safe to return
after sunset.
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00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,080
That is because
these are little penguins.
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00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,340
At only 30 centimetres tall,
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00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,520
they're the smallest penguins
in the world.
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And with nests
several hundred metres inland...
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..the only safe way to get there
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00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,080
is to make a dash in the darkness.
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00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,040
There's safety in numbers.
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00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,240
(PENGUINS CALL)
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00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,020
With hundreds of nests
in the colony,
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00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,080
the night soon fills
with the calls of returning adults...
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..the sound of early spring
on Tasmania's coast.
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(PENGUINS CALL)
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This will be a welcome meal
for the newly-hatched chicks.
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00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,620
The little penguins' presence
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00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,600
is a reminder of
Antarctica's proximity.
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00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,740
But, while early spring
brings them ashore to breed,
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00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,440
it also brings
wild and unpredictable weather.
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00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:52,400
Prevailing winds carry most
of the bad weather from the West...
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00:17:12,120 --> 00:17:14,580
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
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..and Tasmania's mountains
cause much of the rain
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to fall on the western half
of the island.
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00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,900
(THUNDER CRASHES)
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00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,020
The result divides Tasmania in two,
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00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:32,160
with a wet western side
and a dry eastern side.
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00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,080
Some western areas are among
the wettest in all of Australia.
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00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,640
It rains here nearly every day.
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00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:01,720
And all the water supports
a surprising spectacle.
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00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:21,040
Caught in a bizarre trap,
these insects are doomed.
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00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:32,680
How they got stuck only
becomes apparent as night falls.
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00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:47,480
These strange lights belong
to the larvae of a type of gnat.
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00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,220
The light is formed
by a chemical reaction
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in the larva's abdomen,
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and can be turned on and off at will.
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00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:06,320
The sticky threads hang from
its silk and mucus-laden nest.
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00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:13,120
Insects drawn to the light
are ensnared, then devoured.
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00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:26,700
Each glow worm's thread is made up
almost entirely of water,
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00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:30,220
so the high rainfall
in Tasmania's wet west
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00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,720
provides ideal conditions.
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00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:47,140
And the rain that supports
these tiny glow-worms
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00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:51,600
also sustains one of the largest
organisms on the planet...
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..mountain ash.
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00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,480
They are a type of eucalyptus...
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..fast-growing trees that evolved
on the dry Australian mainland.
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00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:14,360
In Tasmania they become giants.
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00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,180
Strangely, for trees
living in a wet forest,
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00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,200
they need fire to reproduce.
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00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,760
The mountain ash
stores its seeds in small pods...
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00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,520
..which are released
as the pods burn.
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00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:56,500
Beneath the ash, the seeds live on,
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00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,880
quickly germinating without
competition from other plants.
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00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,760
This makes sense in a dry habitat
with regular fire...
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00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:15,640
..but not in Tasmania's wet forests.
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00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:28,560
Young mountain ash can grow
at a rate of several metres a year.
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00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:46,720
All that holds them back is
the next fire or a lack of water...
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00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:55,280
..and that is the secret
behind their staggering height.
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00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:07,260
In Tasmania's damp west,
fire is so infrequent
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00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,480
these trees keep growing
for centuries.
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00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,780
Those standing in this valley
all germinated
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00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:27,440
following the same devastating fire
400 years ago.
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00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,160
Today they reach almost
100 metres into the sky.
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00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,340
They may have evolved
on the dry Australian mainland,
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00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:59,540
but it's Tasmania's wet forests
that have turned mountain ash trees
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00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,720
into the tallest flowering plants
on Earth.
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00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:18,060
The moisture-laden air
that blows in from Tasmania's west
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00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,720
brings several metres
of rainfall each year.
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00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,260
Although it can rain most days,
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00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:33,100
winter and spring
are the wettest times
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00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,080
and seasonal waterfalls
burst into life.
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00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,180
All who live here must adapt
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00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,200
to the regular downpours
and cooler temperatures.
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00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:56,100
And like so many of
Tasmania's species,
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00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,320
their adaptations set them apart.
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00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:13,820
It may not look like it,
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00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,960
but this is the closest
living relative of the platypus.
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00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:25,000
The echidna, Australia's most
widespread native mammal.
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00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,580
But while mainland echidna
are all spines,
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00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,020
this Tasmanian one
is mostly covered in hair
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00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:40,120
to help keep him warm.
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00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:51,060
The milder spring months mean
an abundance of his favourite food -
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00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,160
ants.
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00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,260
But when you're this hairy,
your food gets stuck everywhere,
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00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:04,440
which is a pain
when it can bite back.
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00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:13,920
Time to move on.
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00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,300
As spring turns to summer,
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00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,620
Tasmania's inhabitants
get some relief
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00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:30,880
from the wild and cool weather.
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00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,640
It's now that the young devils
are ready to leave the den.
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00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:55,340
They've been out
of their mother's pouch for a while
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00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,080
but have remained safely hidden away.
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00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:06,440
Fully weaned, this is the start
of their independence.
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00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,140
This young female will have to learn
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00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,840
to survive and find food
all by herself.
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00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:31,160
What's more, she and her sibling
are much smaller than an adult.
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00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,760
They could easily be killed.
227
00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,920
This will be her way out of danger.
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00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,900
Heavier adults can't climb,
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00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,520
so there are some benefits
to being small.
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00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:04,540
Over the next few months,
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00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,300
she'll also find
much of the food she needs
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00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,400
up here in the treetops.
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00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,540
But grubs and birds' eggs alone
won't be enough
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00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,080
to sustain her as she grows.
235
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:34,360
(GROWLS AND SHRIEKS)
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00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:37,860
If she's to make it to adulthood,
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00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:41,040
she needs to find
more substantial meals.
238
00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,060
And that brings her
into direct competition
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00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:50,640
with dangerous
and more powerful adult devils.
240
00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:01,920
The scent and sound
of crunching bones draw her in.
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00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:06,880
But she needs to be careful.
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00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:18,620
Less than half
of all newly-weaned youngsters
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00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,000
make it to adulthood.
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00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:24,220
(SCREECHES)
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00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:28,280
If she is to survive,
she needs to earn her place.
246
00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,840
There's no telling
how this adult might react.
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00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,640
Confronting a stranger at a carcass
is a gamble...
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00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,660
..but one she needs to take.
249
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,760
(SCREECHES AND GROWLS)
250
00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:30,240
Spurred on by hunger,
she seems to have the upper hand.
251
00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,020
It looks as though
her gamble has paid off.
252
00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:07,760
But her competitor
won't let the carcass go that easily.
253
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,320
The adult could kill her
with a single bite.
254
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,760
But that's not
how devil society works.
255
00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,300
Despite living
most of their lives alone,
256
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,800
devils can and do share.
257
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,060
They defend only
the amount of meat they can eat
258
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,240
rather than the whole carcass.
259
00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,980
The pecking order has less to do
with size and strength
260
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,880
and more to do
with whoever wants it most.
261
00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,060
As this youngster is learning,
262
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:01,120
it's all about
who can shout the loudest.
263
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,300
Devils may have a fearsome reputation
264
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,080
but the reality is quite different.
265
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,640
Summer brings warmer temperatures
across Tasmania.
266
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,320
While in the west
it still rains frequently...
267
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,440
..summer is most apparent in
the dry eastern half of the island.
268
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,980
The driest areas of Tasmania
receive 80% less rainfall
269
00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,080
than the wettest.
270
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,260
Here the landscape is
more reminiscent
271
00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,000
of parts of the Australian mainland.
272
00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,940
For marsupials
that graze the open grasslands,
273
00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:20,200
there's a bounty of fresh shoots
in these warm summer months.
274
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,060
And although life here may appear
more typically Australian,
275
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:35,660
the effect of Tasmania's isolation
is felt just as strongly
276
00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,320
in this dry half of the island.
277
00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:48,760
It's given this group of wallabies
something of a Tasmanian twist.
278
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:53,760
They've turned white.
279
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,360
About 100 of them live
within this population.
280
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,100
They're so poorly camouflaged
281
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,400
that anywhere else
they'd be easily killed.
282
00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:23,540
On Tasmania however,
283
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:26,620
there aren't any predators
big enough to kill a wallaby,
284
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,800
so many live full adult lives.
285
00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:38,960
And without the normal controls,
their numbers are growing.
286
00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,740
But although this may appear
a predator-free paradise,
287
00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,040
there are killers here.
288
00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:03,840
One of Tasmania's deadliest animals
lives in these dry forests.
289
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:15,080
It's a species of ant
known as the jack jumper.
290
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:39,920
Jack jumpers evolved on
the ancient Gondwanan supercontinent.
291
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:45,600
Workers hunt alone...
292
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:49,980
..a very primitive behaviour
among ants,
293
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,080
which are mainly social.
294
00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:56,780
And instead of using scent to hunt,
295
00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:59,480
they rely on acute vision.
296
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:08,400
They sting their victims to death
with a venom that can kill humans...
297
00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:12,140
..making these
one of the deadliest animals
298
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,240
in all of Australia.
299
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:37,060
Jack jumper ants are
particularly abundant
300
00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,480
in this dry half of Tasmania.
301
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:47,840
Their nests are small mounds
within which their larvae are raised.
302
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,260
Workers cover the nest
with dark materials
303
00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:59,720
to help absorb warmth
in the cooler southern climate.
304
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,880
In midsummer however,
temperatures soar...
305
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,680
..and the nest risks overheating.
306
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:26,620
But jack jumpers have
a surprising way
307
00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:29,400
of coping with the intense sunlight.
308
00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:42,000
On hotter days,
they switch building materials.
309
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:49,120
Now the workers cover the nest
in white stones.
310
00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:02,080
These reflect the sun's energy,
keeping the young cool inside.
311
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:11,200
It's an inventive solution
to Tasmania's changing seasons.
312
00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,140
The dry eastern forests can be
a challenging place
313
00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:25,320
in the heat of midsummer.
314
00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,100
But one of Tasmania's
few marsupial predators
315
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,120
avoids the worst of this heat
by hunting at night.
316
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,660
It's the eastern quoll,
317
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,680
a close relative
of the Tasmanian devil.
318
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,540
They're very rare, but summer sees
an increase in numbers
319
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:04,680
as juveniles leave the den.
320
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:13,680
Quolls are solitary hunters...
321
00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,720
..and in summer are drawn
to these dry pasture lands.
322
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:29,880
There's a rich bounty of moths
and grubs at this time of year.
323
00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:33,480
(GROWLS)
324
00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:40,440
But, with lots of youngsters around,
competition can be intense.
325
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:44,720
(GROWLS)
326
00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:00,160
It's every quoll for itself.
327
00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:25,260
Like Tasmanian devils,
328
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:29,360
eastern quolls were once found
on the Australian mainland.
329
00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,980
Today, this dry
eastern half of the island
330
00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:37,080
is their last refuge.
331
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,300
And, with an abundance
of summer insects,
332
00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:45,560
they have every chance of thriving.
333
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,000
Summer is almost over...
334
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:08,460
..and as autumn arrives,
335
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,080
the stage is set
for a bizarre ritual.
336
00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:30,300
Familiar screams fill the forest.
337
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,680
(SHRIEKS AND GROWLS)
338
00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,540
It may not look like it
339
00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,400
but these devils
are becoming amorous.
340
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,340
An eligible male clings on
341
00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:57,080
as a female guides him
back to the den.
342
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,980
Female devils are
receptive three times
343
00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:11,240
over a short period
during the breeding season.
344
00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:14,460
To ensure the fittest offspring,
345
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:18,120
she'll try to mate
with as many big males as she can.
346
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:22,780
And to increase
his chances of fatherhood,
347
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,800
he must keep her in here
for as long as possible.
348
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:36,880
Inside the den, he moves her around
in an effort to mate.
349
00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,020
To protect her from his biting grip,
350
00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:44,720
the skin around her neck has
thickened over the last few weeks.
351
00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:53,980
Though it may appear aggressive,
352
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:59,080
this is part of a bizarre
and complicated breeding system.
353
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:17,920
They'll remain in here,
mating regularly, for several days.
354
00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:37,260
In spite of that fearsome scream,
355
00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:41,400
there is a sensitive side
to these much-maligned creatures.
356
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:48,760
Far from devilish, they are simply
very determined survivors.
357
00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:59,200
The devil mating season
marks autumn's arrival.
358
00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:14,180
Each evening,
359
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:18,120
flocks of Cape Barren geese
return to their roost.
360
00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:33,560
Their silhouettes in the sunset,
a sign that the year is ending.
361
00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:57,900
Back on the coast,
362
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:01,800
the longer nights bring with them
a stunning spectacle...
363
00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:18,580
..the southern lights,
364
00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,960
a reminder that the next stop
from here is Antarctica.
365
00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,300
For Tasmania's little penguins,
366
00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:50,560
the breeding season has finished.
367
00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:53,960
Only adults remain at the colony.
368
00:44:56,960 --> 00:44:59,860
They've spent the last few weeks
fattening up at sea,
369
00:44:59,960 --> 00:45:01,960
almost doubling their weight.
370
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:13,380
The efforts of raising chicks
371
00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:17,280
have left them in need
of a new set of feathers.
372
00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:26,840
Little penguins go through what's
known as 'catastrophic moult'...
373
00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,880
..shedding some 10,000 feathers
all at once.
374
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:44,340
Because their feathers keep
them warm and waterproof,
375
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:48,600
they can't return to sea
until they've grown new ones.
376
00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:01,460
For three long weeks
they're stuck on dry land,
377
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:03,560
unable to feed.
378
00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,960
It's a long wait
for a little penguin.
379
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:33,480
The year is almost over.
380
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:40,080
And, high in the mountains,
there's time for one last surprise.
381
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:52,760
These are southern beech trees...
382
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,840
..unique to Tasmania.
383
00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,300
Their changing colour makes
for an autumn
384
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:07,440
unlike anywhere else in Australia.
385
00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:12,980
These are the only trees
on the continent
386
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:16,400
to drop their leaves
during the cooler months.
387
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:24,540
The southern beech trees'
closest living relatives
388
00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,180
are found
thousands of kilometres away
389
00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:29,280
in South America.
390
00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:44,540
This rare splash of autumnal colour
lasts just a few weeks
391
00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:49,000
as, across the whole of Tasmania,
temperatures begin to drop.
392
00:47:55,720 --> 00:47:58,900
June marks the start
of the winter season
393
00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:02,780
and, for the devils,
the beginning of new life.
394
00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:05,980
With young already inside her pouch,
395
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:09,520
she will provide milk for them
through the harshest months.
396
00:48:10,600 --> 00:48:15,880
Her life and theirs,
tied to Tasmania's seasonal cycle.
397
00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:26,340
Just 12,000 years ago,
398
00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:29,840
Tasmania separated
from its mainland parent.
399
00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:39,660
The island is young, yet rich in life
400
00:48:39,760 --> 00:48:42,600
and with a long and ancient past.
401
00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:49,980
Now Tasmania,
and the animals it supports,
402
00:48:50,080 --> 00:48:54,040
are on a different course
to the rest of Australia.
403
00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:07,920
It is, as a result, home to a cast
as weird as they are wonderful.
404
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:20,280
Indeed, there's nowhere on earth
quite like Tasmania.
31397
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