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For centuries we've fantasized
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00:00:09,410 --> 00:00:12,746
about alien life
on other planets.
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00:00:12,746 --> 00:00:16,917
And because life
as we know it needs water,
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00:00:16,917 --> 00:00:20,121
we imagined seas on the moon,
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00:00:20,121 --> 00:00:22,690
rivers on Mars,
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and lakes beneath
Europa's icy surface.
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00:00:26,727 --> 00:00:31,132
So far,
we've discovered only dust
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except on this
watery blue marble,
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00:00:34,268 --> 00:00:38,239
where inner space
hides creatures
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00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:42,476
as weird as anything extraterrestrial.
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00:00:42,476 --> 00:00:45,012
There are oceans of oddballs...
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00:00:45,012 --> 00:00:46,714
with strange shapes,
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00:00:46,714 --> 00:00:51,185
strange rituals,
and strange bedfellows...
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00:00:51,185 --> 00:00:55,189
right here
in Earth's own
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00:00:55,189 --> 00:00:57,158
"Alien Abyss."
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00:01:04,031 --> 00:01:05,666
Sci-Fi writers
have come up
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00:01:05,666 --> 00:01:07,868
with some
pretty strange rituals
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00:01:07,868 --> 00:01:09,170
for their alien characters.
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00:01:10,404 --> 00:01:12,140
Turn off that tickle ray!
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00:01:15,143 --> 00:01:16,810
But science fiction
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00:01:16,810 --> 00:01:19,613
doesn't even scratch
the surface
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00:01:19,613 --> 00:01:22,716
of what goes on
right under our noses.
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The ocean is full
of alien lovers
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of free-love love-ins...
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00:01:33,161 --> 00:01:36,230
swashbuckling sex shifters...
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00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,270
And works of erotic alien art.
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Every animal faces
two fundamental challenges.
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There's transferring
your genetic material...
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00:01:58,352 --> 00:02:01,489
And making sure some
of your offspring survive
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00:02:01,489 --> 00:02:05,793
to carry on
your own peculiar genes.
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00:02:05,793 --> 00:02:08,929
As long as you meet
those simple criteria,
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anything goes.
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00:02:11,932 --> 00:02:14,034
And there's
some pretty strange ways
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to get your DNA
into the next generation.
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00:02:18,572 --> 00:02:21,008
Let's start with the Big Bang.
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In the beginning, darkness was
over the face of the deep...
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00:02:32,220 --> 00:02:34,988
because it was night
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at the bottom of the sea.
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00:02:38,326 --> 00:02:41,395
And then there was light.
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It was the moon,
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and verily did the squid
answer the moon's call.
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They had a massive orgy,
and everybody died.
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00:02:54,808 --> 00:02:56,677
Wait, what?
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00:02:56,677 --> 00:02:58,479
Let's back this up a bit.
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00:03:00,648 --> 00:03:03,116
This is
the opalescent squid.
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00:03:07,955 --> 00:03:11,259
It lives along
North America's Pacific Coast
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over the continental shelf.
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00:03:16,764 --> 00:03:20,568
It's an unremarkable squid
in most respects...
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medium-sized, short-lived.
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Seriously, six to nine months
of feeding on krill,
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and that's it.
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00:03:29,443 --> 00:03:31,945
But at least it ends
with a bang.
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00:03:31,945 --> 00:03:34,515
That really is
the scientific term--
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00:03:34,515 --> 00:03:36,650
big bang mating.
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00:03:37,785 --> 00:03:39,887
And so here we are,
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00:03:39,887 --> 00:03:43,957
one moonlit night half a year
or so after these guys hatched.
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All the local squid
of breeding age
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00:03:48,629 --> 00:03:52,065
have moved
into shallow inshore water...
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00:03:52,065 --> 00:03:55,202
so everyone can check
each other out.
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00:03:56,670 --> 00:03:58,872
Then the pairing up begins.
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00:04:01,375 --> 00:04:04,612
Males take willing females
in a tender embrace.
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00:04:06,547 --> 00:04:08,349
They've prepared
for this moment
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00:04:08,349 --> 00:04:10,150
by storing up packets of sperm
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00:04:10,150 --> 00:04:13,787
called spermatophores
under their mantles.
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00:04:13,787 --> 00:04:16,924
That's the part that looks
like a long pointy hat.
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00:04:19,327 --> 00:04:22,663
Mating is as simple as handing
one of these packets over
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00:04:22,663 --> 00:04:25,198
and hanging on.
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00:04:25,198 --> 00:04:28,201
Most males use
the guard strategy.
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00:04:28,201 --> 00:04:30,371
They try to hold on
to their partner
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to the bitter end.
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00:04:32,473 --> 00:04:36,977
Their plan is to make sure she
doesn't mate with anyone else.
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This is, after all,
their one shot
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00:04:40,948 --> 00:04:44,051
at staying in the gene pool.
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The guards flash angry red
at any males
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that try to muscle in.
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00:04:50,424 --> 00:04:52,660
And plenty do.
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00:04:55,796 --> 00:04:59,066
Sneaky little guys
called sneakers.
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00:05:01,369 --> 00:05:05,373
Their game plan is to sneak up
on as many females as possible
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00:05:05,373 --> 00:05:09,777
and sneakily sneak their sperm
under her mantle...
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00:05:09,777 --> 00:05:12,380
even if she's already attached.
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00:05:21,221 --> 00:05:25,759
Once the frenzy has died down,
the females lay eggs.
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These they attach to the sandy
bottom with a sticky cement.
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00:05:41,809 --> 00:05:43,176
And that's it.
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00:05:44,578 --> 00:05:47,515
Males and females have saved up
all their energy
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00:05:47,515 --> 00:05:51,051
for this one night
of synchronized mating.
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00:05:52,420 --> 00:05:55,823
And then everybody dies.
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00:05:55,823 --> 00:05:59,092
By morning,
scavengers have already eaten
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00:05:59,092 --> 00:06:01,061
most of the adults.
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00:06:03,464 --> 00:06:06,434
The eggs, with their tough
protective protein sheaths
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00:06:06,434 --> 00:06:09,970
are not that appealing.
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00:06:09,970 --> 00:06:12,940
Although the parents pay
a high price,
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00:06:12,940 --> 00:06:15,509
squid babies are cheap
to produce.
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00:06:19,179 --> 00:06:23,150
Each mom and dad pair can make
4,000 potential replacements
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00:06:23,150 --> 00:06:26,720
for themselves
and leave the rest to chance.
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00:06:32,993 --> 00:06:35,929
Octopuses,
close relatives of squid,
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00:06:35,929 --> 00:06:39,467
are easily the most alien
creatures in the ocean...
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00:06:39,467 --> 00:06:43,537
so, of course, they do
once-in-a-lifetime mating
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their own peculiar way.
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00:06:47,140 --> 00:06:50,177
They do it slowly.
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00:06:50,177 --> 00:06:52,580
In preparation,
males and females
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00:06:52,580 --> 00:06:55,215
begin digesting
their own muscle tissue
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to make sperm and eggs.
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There is one problem, though.
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00:07:01,689 --> 00:07:04,625
Mating requires meeting.
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00:07:04,625 --> 00:07:07,561
And if there's one thing
an octopus hates,
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00:07:07,561 --> 00:07:09,497
it's another octopus.
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00:07:14,401 --> 00:07:17,505
Encounters usually
lead to violence...
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Sometimes even...
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cannibalism!
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00:07:32,786 --> 00:07:37,525
Hence this male day octopus
approaches a female with care.
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00:07:39,226 --> 00:07:41,562
He has one thing
going for him, though.
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00:07:41,562 --> 00:07:44,264
Because they don't meet
many of their own kind,
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00:07:44,264 --> 00:07:47,868
the female is not fussy.
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00:07:47,868 --> 00:07:49,703
He'll do.
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Not that she's going
to stop hunting fish
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just because some guy puts
his hectocotylus inside her.
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He doesn't mind.
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00:08:02,550 --> 00:08:05,753
He's literally thinking
with his reproductive organ.
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00:08:08,388 --> 00:08:10,858
His hectocotylus
is one of his arms
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00:08:10,858 --> 00:08:12,826
adapted for sperm delivery,
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00:08:12,826 --> 00:08:17,565
and like all his arms,
it has its own brain cells.
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00:08:17,565 --> 00:08:20,233
Being able to keep
his reproductive partner
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at arm's length is quite handy
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00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:26,907
for an octo-dad
because, you know...
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00:08:26,907 --> 00:08:28,776
cannibalism.
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00:08:31,579 --> 00:08:35,749
But inseminating
is a delicate operation.
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00:08:35,749 --> 00:08:38,351
A male must
snake his hectocotylus
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00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:41,254
into his partner's siphon.
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00:08:41,254 --> 00:08:43,190
That's the tube she also uses
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00:08:43,190 --> 00:08:46,293
for breathing
and jet propulsion.
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If he succeeds,
he'll leave a packet of sperm
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in a holding area
below her ovaries
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ready for her to use.
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00:08:55,068 --> 00:08:57,470
If she doesn't eat him first,
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00:08:57,470 --> 00:09:00,874
he'll die in a matter
of months.
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00:09:07,615 --> 00:09:10,818
A female octopus may keep
her packet of sperm tucked away
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00:09:10,818 --> 00:09:15,088
for several weeks
before she's ready to use it.
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00:09:15,088 --> 00:09:16,624
When she does,
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00:09:16,624 --> 00:09:20,260
she signs
her own death warrant.
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00:09:20,260 --> 00:09:22,262
This blue-ringed octopus
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is looking
for her final resting place.
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Sorry, I mean nesting place.
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00:09:28,235 --> 00:09:33,240
Barely 20 centimetres long,
all she needs is a nice rock.
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00:09:35,743 --> 00:09:39,512
Whereas a female
giant Pacific octopus
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00:09:39,512 --> 00:09:41,649
needs a full-sized cave.
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00:09:45,653 --> 00:09:48,488
She strings her eggs up
from the ceiling,
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00:09:48,488 --> 00:09:50,323
tens of thousands of them.
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00:09:54,494 --> 00:09:56,964
She tends every one of them
for six months,
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00:09:56,964 --> 00:10:00,467
grooming and blowing
oxygen-rich water over them.
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00:10:02,369 --> 00:10:04,371
She doesn't eat.
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00:10:04,371 --> 00:10:06,406
Food scraps
could attract predators
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00:10:06,406 --> 00:10:08,842
or be a source of infection.
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00:10:11,111 --> 00:10:13,747
Her final, most alien act
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00:10:13,747 --> 00:10:17,017
is to starve herself to death
for her children.
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00:10:18,986 --> 00:10:21,922
With her last
remaining strength,
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00:10:21,922 --> 00:10:25,358
she blows the hatching eggs
out into the water.
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00:10:27,961 --> 00:10:29,863
Despite all her care,
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only one in a hundred of these
newborn orphans will survive.
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00:10:34,702 --> 00:10:38,405
The rest are insurance.
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Taken to extremes,
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this strategy of making
a lot of extra babies
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is something of a dark art.
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It's called
predator swamping...
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00:10:51,919 --> 00:11:03,363
A brutally practical way
to win at reproduction.
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Out there in the abyss,
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an alien army lurches
unseen towards the shore...
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ready to take on any predators
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that might threaten
their babies.
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00:11:14,742 --> 00:11:18,779
Their strategy--
overfeed the enemy.
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00:11:22,582 --> 00:11:25,318
The well-armored
American horseshoe crab
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looks like a spaceship
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00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,791
but, really,
it's more of a time traveler.
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They have changed very little
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00:11:34,895 --> 00:11:38,598
for 450 million years.
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00:11:38,598 --> 00:11:41,935
They're not crabs
or even crustaceans,
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but relatives
of now-extinct sea scorpions.
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Their tail has no sting.
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00:11:50,210 --> 00:11:52,145
It helps the crabs
right themselves
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00:11:52,145 --> 00:11:55,883
if they tip over
on their long spawning journey.
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00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:03,323
Some have walked
for 100 kilometres
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from the continental shelf
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00:12:04,792 --> 00:12:07,427
to be at the love-in
in Delaware Bay.
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It's business time.
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00:12:12,032 --> 00:12:14,267
They are guided by the phases
of the moon
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to spawn at extra-high tides,
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00:12:16,804 --> 00:12:19,539
laying their eggs on the beach.
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00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:25,412
The larger females
release pheromones
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00:12:25,412 --> 00:12:28,581
that drive
the smaller males wild.
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00:12:30,117 --> 00:12:33,921
The lucky ones get a ride
up the beach with a partner.
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00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:38,225
As she lays her eggs
in the sand,
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00:12:38,225 --> 00:12:40,360
he fertilizes them.
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00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,530
It's an orgy of confusion.
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00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:48,902
They haven't spent
those 450 million years
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working on their choreography.
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00:12:57,510 --> 00:12:59,712
Lesser males trail behind,
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00:12:59,712 --> 00:13:03,083
scattering sperm as they go.
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00:13:03,083 --> 00:13:04,751
On the beach,
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00:13:04,852 --> 00:13:09,056
the fertilized eggs are safe
from marine predators.
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00:13:09,056 --> 00:13:12,259
Unfortunately,
they're easy pickings
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00:13:12,259 --> 00:13:14,227
for land predators.
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00:13:19,199 --> 00:13:21,134
The eggs are an important
food source
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00:13:21,134 --> 00:13:23,203
for hordes
of migrating seabirds
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00:13:23,203 --> 00:13:27,240
that time their stopover
with this bonanza.
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00:13:29,209 --> 00:13:31,511
It looks like slaughter,
205
00:13:31,511 --> 00:13:33,513
but across the bay,
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00:13:33,513 --> 00:13:35,615
hundreds of thousands
of females
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00:13:35,615 --> 00:13:37,350
lay billions of eggs.
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00:13:37,350 --> 00:13:40,320
There is no way
the birds can eat them all.
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00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,156
That's predator swamping.
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00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:45,158
In a fortnight's time,
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00:13:45,158 --> 00:13:49,062
the survivors will hatch
and be washed into the sea.
212
00:13:50,931 --> 00:13:53,633
Clearly, there are
some strange goings-on
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00:13:53,633 --> 00:13:56,269
down there in the abyss...
214
00:13:56,269 --> 00:13:59,606
but so far, there's been
at least one familiar thing
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00:13:59,606 --> 00:14:01,441
to hold on to.
216
00:14:01,441 --> 00:14:05,212
It takes a female and a male
to make a baby,
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00:14:05,212 --> 00:14:07,214
doesn't it?
218
00:14:07,214 --> 00:14:09,950
Well, not quite.
219
00:14:17,958 --> 00:14:21,794
Coral reefs are fascinating,
colourful places...
220
00:14:21,794 --> 00:14:25,933
full of fascinating,
colourful creatures.
221
00:14:25,933 --> 00:14:27,634
Some of the parents here
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00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:29,937
look like they come
from outer space--
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00:14:29,937 --> 00:14:33,073
all bulging eyes
and weird appendages.
224
00:14:33,073 --> 00:14:36,343
But strangeness is
in the eye of the beholder.
225
00:14:38,245 --> 00:14:41,949
Take the traditional division
of male and female genders.
226
00:14:43,816 --> 00:14:45,953
Those fall apart on the reef,
227
00:14:45,953 --> 00:14:49,389
where gender can flow
as freely as the currents.
228
00:14:51,824 --> 00:14:53,793
Ribbon eels, for instance,
229
00:14:53,793 --> 00:14:56,163
are small morays
with colourful bodies
230
00:14:56,163 --> 00:14:59,566
and even more
colourful sex lives.
231
00:14:59,566 --> 00:15:04,004
Like other morays, they spend
much of their time in burrows,
232
00:15:04,004 --> 00:15:06,706
picking off passing fish.
233
00:15:09,309 --> 00:15:11,311
The males are blue.
234
00:15:11,311 --> 00:15:13,446
The females, yellow.
235
00:15:14,982 --> 00:15:16,783
Nothing weird about that,
236
00:15:16,783 --> 00:15:19,519
except that they are all born
237
00:15:19,519 --> 00:15:22,990
as males and black.
238
00:15:22,990 --> 00:15:26,193
Within a few years,
juvenile males turn blue,
239
00:15:26,193 --> 00:15:29,396
signalling
they're ready to mate.
240
00:15:29,396 --> 00:15:33,000
But who with
if they're all born male?
241
00:15:34,267 --> 00:15:39,006
Older versions
of themselves is who.
242
00:15:39,006 --> 00:15:41,674
When they reach
about a meter in length,
243
00:15:41,674 --> 00:15:45,545
the males turn
yellow and female.
244
00:15:47,147 --> 00:15:50,117
Ribbon eels are sequential
hermaphrodites--
245
00:15:50,117 --> 00:15:54,021
first one gender,
then the other.
246
00:15:54,021 --> 00:15:57,657
There are also fish
that swing the other way.
247
00:15:57,657 --> 00:15:59,926
Parrotfish, for example.
248
00:16:00,027 --> 00:16:02,429
They start life as females
249
00:16:02,429 --> 00:16:06,766
and only become colourful males
when they reach a certain size.
250
00:16:06,766 --> 00:16:11,038
Some gobies can change sex
repeatedly in either direction.
251
00:16:12,705 --> 00:16:14,474
They can go from producing eggs
252
00:16:14,474 --> 00:16:17,044
to producing sperm
in a matter of days,
253
00:16:17,044 --> 00:16:20,580
depending on what
the local population needs.
254
00:16:22,182 --> 00:16:25,585
Cleaner shrimp start life
as males...
255
00:16:25,585 --> 00:16:29,456
and grow up to become
monogamous hermaphrodites.
256
00:16:29,456 --> 00:16:31,158
Cute couple.
257
00:16:32,259 --> 00:16:35,062
And the sorority
of soft squishy sea slugs,
258
00:16:35,062 --> 00:16:37,497
otherwise known
as "nudibranchs"
259
00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:39,132
is also a fraternity.
260
00:16:41,234 --> 00:16:45,772
Nudis are simultaneous hermaphrodites.
261
00:16:45,772 --> 00:16:47,107
They maintain a full set
262
00:16:47,107 --> 00:16:49,509
of male and female
reproductive organs
263
00:16:49,509 --> 00:16:51,544
all their lives.
264
00:16:51,544 --> 00:16:54,414
There are over 3,000 species
of nudibranch,
265
00:16:54,414 --> 00:16:57,450
so you know
they're onto a good thing.
266
00:16:57,450 --> 00:17:01,388
They're a Mardi Gras
of dazzling colours...
267
00:17:01,388 --> 00:17:05,092
and dazzling abilities.
268
00:17:05,092 --> 00:17:07,894
This one has a detachable penis
269
00:17:07,894 --> 00:17:10,230
coiled up inside its body.
270
00:17:10,230 --> 00:17:13,933
Every time it mates,
it sheds the end of its penis
271
00:17:13,933 --> 00:17:17,104
like a lizard sheds its tail.
272
00:17:17,104 --> 00:17:19,106
For all their abilities,
273
00:17:19,106 --> 00:17:21,941
nudis still need to meet
another of their kind.
274
00:17:21,941 --> 00:17:24,544
They can't fertilize themselves.
275
00:17:26,613 --> 00:17:30,317
Being hermaphrodites guarantees
that when they do meet someone,
276
00:17:30,317 --> 00:17:33,386
it'll be someone
with the opposite sex.
277
00:17:35,122 --> 00:17:38,891
How do they decide
which one is what one?
278
00:17:38,891 --> 00:17:40,560
They don't.
279
00:17:41,994 --> 00:17:44,731
When two nudibranchs
fancy each other,
280
00:17:44,731 --> 00:17:46,366
they line up their organs,
281
00:17:46,366 --> 00:17:49,869
male to female
and female to male
282
00:17:49,869 --> 00:17:53,140
and each fertilizes the other.
283
00:17:55,242 --> 00:17:59,179
This little weirdo
is no nudibranch.
284
00:17:59,179 --> 00:18:02,349
The big giveaway?
No gills.
285
00:18:02,349 --> 00:18:05,518
That's these feathery bits
on the nudi.
286
00:18:07,254 --> 00:18:10,490
This alien dancer
is a marine flatworm,
287
00:18:10,490 --> 00:18:13,893
but it, too, is
a simultaneous hermaphrodite
288
00:18:13,893 --> 00:18:15,528
with a difference.
289
00:18:17,630 --> 00:18:20,032
Flatworms are not sharing
and caring
290
00:18:20,032 --> 00:18:22,335
like their sea slug relatives.
291
00:18:24,271 --> 00:18:27,707
When two flatworms arrange
an assignation,
292
00:18:27,707 --> 00:18:29,842
it's a duel.
293
00:18:29,842 --> 00:18:33,380
Both combatants know that
the cost of rearing children
294
00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:36,416
is much higher than
the cost of a bit of sperm.
295
00:18:36,416 --> 00:18:39,952
They fight for the right
to be the dad.
296
00:18:39,952 --> 00:18:42,755
It's called penis fencing.
297
00:18:46,293 --> 00:18:49,696
And if that's not weird enough,
get this--
298
00:18:49,696 --> 00:18:53,233
the father-to-be is the one
that manages to stab the other
299
00:18:53,233 --> 00:18:56,203
with his penis
and inject his sperm.
300
00:18:57,470 --> 00:19:00,740
Scientists call it
traumatic insemination.
301
00:19:04,110 --> 00:19:05,878
And finally in our roundup
302
00:19:05,878 --> 00:19:08,381
of alternative reproductive strategies,
303
00:19:08,381 --> 00:19:11,684
a shout-out to the seahorses.
304
00:19:11,684 --> 00:19:14,454
These most bizarre-looking fish
305
00:19:14,454 --> 00:19:17,123
have perhaps the most novel
division of labor
306
00:19:17,224 --> 00:19:19,826
among the sexes.
307
00:19:19,826 --> 00:19:21,594
Mom made the eggs,
308
00:19:21,594 --> 00:19:25,798
but it's dad that incubates
them in his brood pouch.
309
00:19:27,099 --> 00:19:28,901
This alien dad boldly goes
310
00:19:28,901 --> 00:19:32,239
where no other fathers
have gone before...
311
00:19:32,239 --> 00:19:33,973
into labor.
312
00:19:35,708 --> 00:19:38,745
It works for them
because it frees the female up
313
00:19:38,745 --> 00:19:41,981
to start making
a new batch of eggs.
314
00:19:43,883 --> 00:19:45,618
But even
more traditional creatures
315
00:19:45,618 --> 00:19:47,587
can have
some seriously strange ways
316
00:19:47,587 --> 00:19:49,856
to spawn the next generation.
317
00:19:52,158 --> 00:19:56,529
Sometimes making new life
is dicing with death.
318
00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:09,542
Penguins may be familiar,
but they're aliens twice over.
319
00:20:12,479 --> 00:20:15,415
Birds so fully adapted
to the life aquatic
320
00:20:15,415 --> 00:20:19,286
that, on land,
they're like fish out of water.
321
00:20:19,286 --> 00:20:22,755
And yet,
that terrestrial environment
322
00:20:22,755 --> 00:20:25,157
is where they go
to raise their young.
323
00:20:31,664 --> 00:20:34,233
King penguins
are slightly smaller relatives
324
00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:36,436
of the more famous emperor.
325
00:20:36,436 --> 00:20:39,005
They breed
on rocky subantarctic islands
326
00:20:39,005 --> 00:20:41,207
like South Georgia.
327
00:20:44,811 --> 00:20:48,147
They share the emperor's
fancy clothes...
328
00:20:48,147 --> 00:20:52,018
so you might think you know
how this tale goes.
329
00:20:52,018 --> 00:20:53,686
You don't.
330
00:20:53,686 --> 00:20:57,324
This one is much darker
and disturbing.
331
00:21:00,126 --> 00:21:02,662
It starts out normally enough.
332
00:21:02,662 --> 00:21:04,831
One fine spring day,
333
00:21:04,831 --> 00:21:08,701
some prospective penguin
parents waddle up the beach.
334
00:21:08,701 --> 00:21:11,504
Before they start courting,
they moult.
335
00:21:11,504 --> 00:21:14,006
Got to look your best.
336
00:21:14,006 --> 00:21:16,809
Fresh feathers are ready
at the start of summer
337
00:21:16,809 --> 00:21:19,045
when their food
is most plentiful.
338
00:21:19,045 --> 00:21:22,382
It's a great time
for highly energetic activities
339
00:21:22,382 --> 00:21:23,616
like courting...
340
00:21:25,752 --> 00:21:27,654
mating...
341
00:21:27,654 --> 00:21:30,890
and taking it in turns
to incubate the egg.
342
00:21:32,459 --> 00:21:35,895
It gets really busy
when the thing hatches.
343
00:21:37,530 --> 00:21:41,401
The little darlings
are insatiable.
344
00:21:41,401 --> 00:21:46,172
Cue weeks and weeks
of fishing and feeding...
345
00:21:46,172 --> 00:21:49,442
fishing, and feeding.
346
00:21:52,479 --> 00:21:54,080
The brown, fluffy chicks
347
00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,883
segregate themselves
in crèches.
348
00:21:56,883 --> 00:22:00,152
They're so big
and un-chick-looking
349
00:22:00,152 --> 00:22:03,122
that early explorers thought
they were a separate species,
350
00:22:03,122 --> 00:22:06,593
which they called
"the wooly penguin."
351
00:22:06,593 --> 00:22:08,895
And then comes the alien twist.
352
00:22:10,296 --> 00:22:13,900
Winter is here,
and the chicks are not ready.
353
00:22:18,170 --> 00:22:20,440
Having diligently fed them
for weeks,
354
00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,175
their parents abandon them.
355
00:22:30,517 --> 00:22:33,953
The chicks must fast
through the winter.
356
00:22:33,953 --> 00:22:37,223
One breeding season
simply isn't long enough
357
00:22:37,223 --> 00:22:39,626
to raise them to adulthood.
358
00:22:44,230 --> 00:22:46,198
Come the following spring,
359
00:22:46,198 --> 00:22:49,301
mom and dad return
to find the survivors
360
00:22:49,301 --> 00:22:51,303
and fatten them up again.
361
00:22:51,303 --> 00:22:53,773
Still alive, Junior?
Wake up!
362
00:23:02,081 --> 00:23:05,084
Junior fledges
just as summer arrives,
363
00:23:05,084 --> 00:23:07,954
and food in the sea is
plentiful again.
364
00:23:07,954 --> 00:23:09,922
That's good.
365
00:23:09,922 --> 00:23:12,925
By now, it's too late
in the season for mom and dad
366
00:23:12,925 --> 00:23:16,195
to start a new family
with any hope of success.
367
00:23:18,197 --> 00:23:20,199
But they do it anyway.
368
00:23:20,199 --> 00:23:22,735
That's not so good.
369
00:23:23,770 --> 00:23:26,939
These late-born chicks
usually die.
370
00:23:28,307 --> 00:23:30,276
But at least that frees
mom and dad up
371
00:23:30,276 --> 00:23:33,145
to start early again
in their third year.
372
00:23:35,147 --> 00:23:37,149
Strange birds.
373
00:23:45,191 --> 00:23:50,062
If birds can swim,
then why shouldn't fish...
374
00:23:52,699 --> 00:23:54,400
Fly?
375
00:24:03,242 --> 00:24:07,680
These magnificent mutants
have fins so aerodynamic,
376
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,717
they can leave the sea behind.
377
00:24:11,784 --> 00:24:13,152
In the right conditions,
378
00:24:13,152 --> 00:24:16,222
they can fly
for hundreds of meters.
379
00:24:22,895 --> 00:24:25,765
The wide-open seas
of the Caribbean
380
00:24:25,765 --> 00:24:28,768
are bound with freaky
flying fish.
381
00:24:31,738 --> 00:24:36,242
The sea
and the airspace above...
382
00:24:36,242 --> 00:24:41,080
flying is a great way
to escape marine predators.
383
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,884
There's no telling
where they'll touch down.
384
00:24:50,990 --> 00:24:54,293
This flock is looking
for a place to spawn...
385
00:24:54,293 --> 00:24:58,230
but they're open-water fish,
always on the move.
386
00:24:58,230 --> 00:25:02,569
No solid reefs
or seagrass beds for them.
387
00:25:02,569 --> 00:25:05,938
So, when nature provides
a suitable landing pad,
388
00:25:05,938 --> 00:25:08,007
they waste no time.
389
00:25:09,809 --> 00:25:11,711
The early birds
launch themselves
390
00:25:11,711 --> 00:25:13,179
onto the palm frond
391
00:25:13,179 --> 00:25:15,347
and wiggle
into the safest crevices
392
00:25:15,347 --> 00:25:16,716
to spawn.
393
00:25:23,322 --> 00:25:26,593
Below the waves,
more flying fish respond,
394
00:25:26,593 --> 00:25:30,597
working themselves up into
a lather of eggs and sperm.
395
00:25:32,899 --> 00:25:34,967
Within minutes,
hundreds of fish
396
00:25:34,967 --> 00:25:37,069
cover the floating island.
397
00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:45,044
The drive to find a safe place
for their eggs is so strong,
398
00:25:45,044 --> 00:25:48,414
some become entombed
in their own spawn.
399
00:25:52,284 --> 00:25:55,287
The survivors leave
the next generation
400
00:25:55,287 --> 00:25:59,626
to drift with the currents
and hatch who knows where.
401
00:26:00,860 --> 00:26:03,195
It's time to fly.
402
00:26:07,199 --> 00:26:10,136
Straddling two worlds
is never easy.
403
00:26:10,136 --> 00:26:13,272
You'll always be
part alien in both.
404
00:26:13,272 --> 00:26:17,209
Sea turtles are land animals
that returned to the sea
405
00:26:17,209 --> 00:26:19,245
millions of years ago.
406
00:26:19,245 --> 00:26:21,948
They must surface to breathe.
407
00:26:21,948 --> 00:26:24,050
That's turned
their mating ritual
408
00:26:24,050 --> 00:26:26,185
into a dance with death.
409
00:26:28,655 --> 00:26:32,524
This receptive female has
a male hanging off her back.
410
00:26:36,663 --> 00:26:37,997
Scrap that.
411
00:26:37,997 --> 00:26:42,201
She has a whole bunch of males
trying to get on her back.
412
00:26:43,302 --> 00:26:45,371
The first guy won't let go,
413
00:26:45,371 --> 00:26:48,708
hoping to prevent any other
males mating with her.
414
00:26:50,342 --> 00:26:54,080
Pretty soon,
an all-out brawl erupts...
415
00:26:58,818 --> 00:27:00,586
On her back.
416
00:27:03,489 --> 00:27:06,092
She's treading water
with multiple hitchhikers
417
00:27:06,092 --> 00:27:08,227
weighing her down.
418
00:27:08,227 --> 00:27:10,529
She's a champion breath-holder,
419
00:27:10,529 --> 00:27:14,366
but this is
an underwater workout.
420
00:27:14,366 --> 00:27:17,704
If she can't surface,
she'll drown.
421
00:27:27,213 --> 00:27:29,415
Such testosterone tournaments
422
00:27:29,415 --> 00:27:31,918
are not uncommon
in the animal world,
423
00:27:31,918 --> 00:27:35,587
but there are other ways
to win a partner over.
424
00:27:35,587 --> 00:27:40,126
How about making a bit
of a song and dance?
425
00:27:46,432 --> 00:27:48,735
The song
of the humpback whale...
426
00:27:50,903 --> 00:27:53,205
Ethereal...
427
00:27:53,205 --> 00:27:55,207
otherworldly...
428
00:27:55,207 --> 00:27:58,811
alien even...
429
00:27:58,811 --> 00:28:02,314
and utterly mysterious.
430
00:28:02,314 --> 00:28:04,851
Here's what we do know--
431
00:28:04,851 --> 00:28:06,518
only the males sing
432
00:28:06,518 --> 00:28:09,088
and only
in the breeding season.
433
00:28:09,088 --> 00:28:11,758
So it has something
to do with sex.
434
00:28:15,962 --> 00:28:19,598
During the winter, the waters
around Hawaii resound
435
00:28:19,598 --> 00:28:22,134
with this submarine,
soul music.
436
00:28:26,305 --> 00:28:30,109
The half-hour songs
have structure and phrasing.
437
00:28:31,443 --> 00:28:35,114
Catchy new tunes
spread from male to male.
438
00:28:37,784 --> 00:28:40,286
It's some sort
of communication...
439
00:28:41,888 --> 00:28:43,455
Perhaps the closest thing
440
00:28:43,455 --> 00:28:47,794
to an alien language
we have on Earth.
441
00:28:47,794 --> 00:28:50,296
Mothers with young calves
442
00:28:50,296 --> 00:28:52,631
are the object
of the singers' attention,
443
00:28:52,631 --> 00:28:55,167
because right after
she gives birth,
444
00:28:55,167 --> 00:28:57,937
she ovulates.
445
00:28:57,937 --> 00:29:00,572
Does this male's soulful music
446
00:29:00,572 --> 00:29:03,442
help to trigger that process?
447
00:29:03,442 --> 00:29:06,312
Is it a tender serenade
448
00:29:06,312 --> 00:29:09,115
or a warning to other males?
449
00:29:09,115 --> 00:29:11,083
All have been suggested,
450
00:29:11,083 --> 00:29:14,821
but the truth is
we have no idea.
451
00:29:14,821 --> 00:29:17,957
What's soon apparent
is that singing alone
452
00:29:17,957 --> 00:29:20,126
isn't enough to win her over...
453
00:29:21,660 --> 00:29:24,030
Not with an entire
fleet of bulls
454
00:29:24,030 --> 00:29:26,598
all with the same idea.
455
00:29:29,301 --> 00:29:31,170
When the song is over,
456
00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:34,473
testosterone gets
the better of the males.
457
00:29:34,473 --> 00:29:37,944
Mom takes off, baby in tow,
458
00:29:37,944 --> 00:29:41,914
and her suitors in hot pursuit.
459
00:29:41,914 --> 00:29:46,652
They blow bubble curtains
to disorientate their rivals...
460
00:29:46,652 --> 00:29:50,990
and showcase their strength...
461
00:29:50,990 --> 00:29:52,524
by lashing out
462
00:29:52,524 --> 00:29:55,862
and making an altogether
less musical cacophony.
463
00:29:59,165 --> 00:30:01,868
This heat run takes
a lot of energy.
464
00:30:06,505 --> 00:30:09,876
The biggest males with
the biggest energy reserves
465
00:30:09,876 --> 00:30:11,810
have the advantage...
466
00:30:12,979 --> 00:30:16,515
And presumably
the best chance to mate
467
00:30:16,515 --> 00:30:18,951
if she accepts him.
468
00:30:18,951 --> 00:30:20,987
We can't be sure of that
469
00:30:20,987 --> 00:30:25,224
because no one has ever seen
humpbacks make the beast
470
00:30:25,224 --> 00:30:27,293
with two humps.
471
00:30:29,495 --> 00:30:32,231
If you don't have
the chops for a song,
472
00:30:32,231 --> 00:30:34,533
try a visual serenade.
473
00:30:36,835 --> 00:30:39,471
No one knows
how to turn on the colour
474
00:30:39,471 --> 00:30:42,841
like the flamboyant cuttlefish...
475
00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:46,412
an intelligent life form
that likes to flaunt it
476
00:30:46,412 --> 00:30:48,547
when it flirts.
477
00:30:54,086 --> 00:30:57,689
This tiny walking cuttlefish
lives and loves
478
00:30:57,689 --> 00:31:01,427
on the sandy seafloor
around Indonesia.
479
00:31:05,664 --> 00:31:09,601
It's one of only three known
toxic cephalopods.
480
00:31:11,203 --> 00:31:14,840
So people have assumed
that its famous flamboyance
481
00:31:14,941 --> 00:31:17,443
is some sort of warning signal.
482
00:31:20,112 --> 00:31:22,581
But recently
scientists have discovered
483
00:31:22,581 --> 00:31:25,751
that the flamboyant
cuttlefish's natural state
484
00:31:25,751 --> 00:31:28,020
is actually rather drab.
485
00:31:29,788 --> 00:31:32,558
They're usually so well camouflaged,
486
00:31:32,558 --> 00:31:34,961
scientists don't notice them...
487
00:31:34,961 --> 00:31:38,730
perfect for a daytime hunter.
488
00:31:38,730 --> 00:31:41,867
They only turn on
their spectacular display
489
00:31:41,968 --> 00:31:44,136
for two reasons.
490
00:31:44,136 --> 00:31:47,673
One is to tell
a camera operator to back off.
491
00:31:48,807 --> 00:31:52,011
The other is
when they want some.
492
00:31:54,213 --> 00:31:57,083
The much smaller male
has a visual vocabulary
493
00:31:57,083 --> 00:31:59,218
of seduction.
494
00:31:59,218 --> 00:32:04,156
The female usually stays drab
and utterly ignores him.
495
00:32:10,096 --> 00:32:13,832
He makes tender
kissing gestures with his arms
496
00:32:13,832 --> 00:32:17,069
and strobes
his admiration for her.
497
00:32:21,573 --> 00:32:24,376
And then...
498
00:32:24,376 --> 00:32:27,613
Is this the moment she turns
into an alien monster
499
00:32:27,613 --> 00:32:30,116
and devours him?
500
00:32:30,116 --> 00:32:31,750
No.
501
00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:35,187
This terrifying gesture
is her way of telling him
502
00:32:35,187 --> 00:32:38,124
he's been accepted.
503
00:32:38,124 --> 00:32:41,627
He gallantly responds
by depositing a packet of sperm
504
00:32:41,627 --> 00:32:44,496
near her mouth
for her to use at will.
505
00:32:51,803 --> 00:32:54,840
Mom lays her eggs
somewhere vaguely safe,
506
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,043
and that's her job done.
507
00:33:04,050 --> 00:33:07,319
Her hatchlings
are perfect miniatures.
508
00:33:08,854 --> 00:33:11,357
They erupt flamboyantly...
509
00:33:15,961 --> 00:33:19,698
But soon settle down
into cryptic colours.
510
00:33:23,269 --> 00:33:27,073
If you can't sing
or serenade in semaphore,
511
00:33:27,073 --> 00:33:30,076
then you'd better be handy.
512
00:33:30,076 --> 00:33:34,080
You're going to have
to build a love nest.
513
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:46,192
But what sort of alien fish
makes a nest?
514
00:33:46,192 --> 00:33:49,428
The sea, with its
shifting waves and currents,
515
00:33:49,428 --> 00:33:50,662
is a difficult place
516
00:33:50,662 --> 00:33:53,565
to construct
a monument to love.
517
00:33:55,101 --> 00:33:58,270
Very few fish
can truly be called builders.
518
00:33:58,270 --> 00:34:01,607
It's an altogether alien thing
to do down here.
519
00:34:04,009 --> 00:34:06,678
The fact that the garibaldi
tries it at all
520
00:34:06,678 --> 00:34:09,315
in California's
swirling kelp forests
521
00:34:09,315 --> 00:34:12,284
makes him
a very strange fish indeed.
522
00:34:13,819 --> 00:34:17,323
His nest is the dark patch
on this rock.
523
00:34:17,323 --> 00:34:18,790
Don't laugh.
524
00:34:18,790 --> 00:34:20,226
He's carefully constructed it
525
00:34:20,226 --> 00:34:22,361
by trimming a patch
of red algae
526
00:34:22,361 --> 00:34:23,729
to the right length
527
00:34:23,729 --> 00:34:26,165
and eating away
everything else.
528
00:34:28,334 --> 00:34:33,139
To be fair, the females don't
seem that impressed either.
529
00:34:33,139 --> 00:34:34,740
What they're really looking for
530
00:34:34,740 --> 00:34:37,943
is a nest
that already has eggs in it.
531
00:34:37,943 --> 00:34:40,879
After all,
that must mean other females
532
00:34:40,879 --> 00:34:44,015
thought he was worthy.
533
00:34:44,015 --> 00:34:47,886
So how does a guy attract
that all-important first female
534
00:34:47,886 --> 00:34:51,257
to his empty nest?
535
00:34:51,257 --> 00:34:54,193
He's gonna have to dance.
536
00:34:54,193 --> 00:34:59,165
Once he convinces one female,
the rest will follow.
537
00:35:20,552 --> 00:35:24,490
A week later,
his hard work and suave moves
538
00:35:24,490 --> 00:35:26,225
have paid off.
539
00:35:26,225 --> 00:35:30,262
His nest is laden
with masses of yellow eggs.
540
00:35:32,030 --> 00:35:35,534
He's now busier than ever
seeing off egg thieves,
541
00:35:35,534 --> 00:35:37,736
real or imagined.
542
00:35:53,819 --> 00:35:55,787
In a bizarre twist,
543
00:35:55,787 --> 00:35:59,358
dad can be
the worst egg thief of all.
544
00:35:59,358 --> 00:36:03,395
The females like to lay
their eggs next to fresh ones,
545
00:36:03,395 --> 00:36:06,365
so papa garibaldi
eats some of the older ones,
546
00:36:06,365 --> 00:36:08,500
gambling that
they'll be replaced
547
00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:10,602
by even more fresh eggs.
548
00:36:15,607 --> 00:36:19,245
For decades, the garibaldi nest
was the state of the art
549
00:36:19,245 --> 00:36:21,880
as far as fish nests
were concerned.
550
00:36:23,549 --> 00:36:26,918
We only really showed it to you
to emphasize how impressive
551
00:36:26,918 --> 00:36:29,755
the next international man
of mystery
552
00:36:29,755 --> 00:36:31,990
really is.
553
00:36:31,990 --> 00:36:33,992
Around the turn of the century,
554
00:36:33,992 --> 00:36:37,095
it seems aliens
landed in Japan.
555
00:36:38,630 --> 00:36:40,098
We can infer this
556
00:36:40,098 --> 00:36:43,101
because they made
their signature crop circles.
557
00:36:47,673 --> 00:36:51,109
Curiously, they only invaded
this one shallow bay
558
00:36:51,109 --> 00:36:53,312
off Amami Island.
559
00:36:54,913 --> 00:36:56,382
Question was,
560
00:36:56,382 --> 00:37:00,386
who or what
was making the circles?
561
00:37:00,386 --> 00:37:03,054
Was it an octopus's garden...
562
00:37:05,056 --> 00:37:07,559
The lair
of an evil super villain...
563
00:37:09,395 --> 00:37:12,331
The work of a school
of merry pranksters...
564
00:37:14,199 --> 00:37:16,935
Or a bizarre
natural phenomenon?
565
00:37:18,069 --> 00:37:22,574
After ten years of searching,
the culprit turned out to be--
566
00:37:22,574 --> 00:37:25,010
drum roll, please...
567
00:37:27,613 --> 00:37:30,482
E, none of the above.
568
00:37:30,482 --> 00:37:33,585
It was a nondescript,
12-centimeter-long fish
569
00:37:33,585 --> 00:37:36,822
no one
had ever heard of before.
570
00:37:36,822 --> 00:37:39,090
Not an actual extraterrestrial
571
00:37:39,090 --> 00:37:41,760
but new and very alien
to science.
572
00:37:46,498 --> 00:37:49,335
Take a bow,
white-spotted pufferfish
573
00:37:49,335 --> 00:37:52,404
from Amami Island
off southern Japan.
574
00:37:59,177 --> 00:38:01,513
This small sand-colored fish
575
00:38:01,513 --> 00:38:04,015
living in a featureless
sandy bay
576
00:38:04,015 --> 00:38:05,451
does something so odd
577
00:38:05,451 --> 00:38:08,520
that it's the only fish
that does it.
578
00:38:12,991 --> 00:38:14,660
Art.
579
00:38:22,368 --> 00:38:25,537
Like so many male endeavours,
580
00:38:25,537 --> 00:38:29,408
his art serves one purpose...
581
00:38:29,408 --> 00:38:32,043
to impress a female.
582
00:38:32,043 --> 00:38:34,913
There, that should do it.
583
00:38:34,913 --> 00:38:36,948
But let's back this up a bit...
584
00:38:36,948 --> 00:38:38,384
because this love nest
585
00:38:38,384 --> 00:38:40,652
is a marvel of science
and engineering,
586
00:38:40,652 --> 00:38:42,187
as well as art
587
00:38:45,023 --> 00:38:46,758
He starts
on a featureless plane
588
00:38:46,758 --> 00:38:48,494
of mostly coarse sand.
589
00:38:51,262 --> 00:38:53,399
But he knows
that female puffers
590
00:38:53,399 --> 00:38:57,536
like to lay their eggs
in soft, fine sand.
591
00:38:57,536 --> 00:39:01,540
And he's too well camouflaged
to attract attention.
592
00:39:02,941 --> 00:39:06,311
He sets to work,
solving both problems.
593
00:39:08,313 --> 00:39:11,282
First,
he clears a rough circle.
594
00:39:11,282 --> 00:39:15,921
Then he starts plowing furrows
from the outside to the centre.
595
00:39:18,924 --> 00:39:22,794
With only his fins for tools,
he works for ten days or more
596
00:39:22,794 --> 00:39:26,131
to make an intricate design
two meters across.
597
00:39:32,904 --> 00:39:36,174
His geometric precision
can only be described
598
00:39:36,174 --> 00:39:38,343
as out of this world.
599
00:39:44,483 --> 00:39:47,486
No matter from which direction
the current flows,
600
00:39:47,486 --> 00:39:51,322
it funnels the finest sand
to the middle of his nest.
601
00:39:55,761 --> 00:39:59,498
There, his pièce de résistance.
602
00:40:01,733 --> 00:40:04,670
Now for those
finishing touches...
603
00:40:07,405 --> 00:40:11,376
And just try
résistance-ing that, ladies.
604
00:40:13,945 --> 00:40:17,616
His masterwork
quickly gets noticed.
605
00:40:17,616 --> 00:40:21,453
He stirs up the fine sand
to show it off.
606
00:40:32,263 --> 00:40:35,300
A peck on the cheek.
607
00:40:35,300 --> 00:40:37,769
And watch closely.
608
00:40:37,769 --> 00:40:41,773
Ten days of tireless work
have led up to this moment.
609
00:40:45,210 --> 00:40:47,779
Talk about an anticlimax.
610
00:40:49,481 --> 00:40:50,716
The male stays
611
00:40:50,716 --> 00:40:53,552
to see if he can attract
a few more females
612
00:40:53,552 --> 00:40:55,854
and to protect
his developing eggs
613
00:40:55,854 --> 00:40:58,189
from the resident, evil genius.
614
00:41:18,009 --> 00:41:21,012
But the male no longer
maintains his nest.
615
00:41:26,585 --> 00:41:29,054
It slowly deteriorates.
616
00:41:38,730 --> 00:41:41,700
When his eggs hatch
in a few weeks' time,
617
00:41:41,700 --> 00:41:44,903
he'll start
a completely new work of art.
618
00:41:50,809 --> 00:41:54,379
A parent dedicated enough
to protect his eggs
619
00:41:54,379 --> 00:41:57,583
is hard to find in the sea.
620
00:41:57,583 --> 00:42:01,086
Most marine creatures
simply sow their wild oats
621
00:42:01,086 --> 00:42:03,755
and let nature take its course.
622
00:42:05,657 --> 00:42:07,593
Extremists gather
in huge numbers
623
00:42:07,593 --> 00:42:09,595
to broadcast
their genetic material
624
00:42:09,595 --> 00:42:11,863
to the world in unison.
625
00:42:21,139 --> 00:42:22,974
In the Alien Abyss,
626
00:42:22,974 --> 00:42:26,978
broadcast spawning is the rule
rather than the exception.
627
00:42:29,648 --> 00:42:33,284
Even the coral itself does it.
628
00:42:33,284 --> 00:42:35,721
What is broadcast spawning?
629
00:42:37,155 --> 00:42:40,692
All the males and females
release eggs and sperm
630
00:42:40,692 --> 00:42:43,962
into the water
at exactly the same time.
631
00:42:50,836 --> 00:42:53,204
This magical wonder
of the natural world
632
00:42:53,204 --> 00:42:55,641
is the reef mating with itself.
633
00:42:57,308 --> 00:43:00,178
Timing is everything.
634
00:43:00,178 --> 00:43:01,913
Guided by the moon,
635
00:43:01,913 --> 00:43:06,517
the corals spawn
in supernatural synchronicity.
636
00:43:10,689 --> 00:43:13,091
In the space
of half an hour or so,
637
00:43:13,091 --> 00:43:17,028
millions of coral polyps
release eggs and sperm
638
00:43:17,028 --> 00:43:18,930
into the water.
639
00:43:18,930 --> 00:43:21,933
Each is only viable
for a few hours,
640
00:43:21,933 --> 00:43:26,571
so they need to get together
quickly to create new life.
641
00:43:26,672 --> 00:43:28,373
To maximize their chances,
642
00:43:28,373 --> 00:43:31,743
the fatty egg and sperm cells
float up to the surface,
643
00:43:31,743 --> 00:43:34,379
where there'll be
in closer contact.
644
00:43:34,379 --> 00:43:38,149
The newly created embryos
will drift off on the currents
645
00:43:38,149 --> 00:43:40,886
to start new colonies elsewhere.
646
00:43:42,220 --> 00:43:44,956
The famous plankton soup
that feeds everything
647
00:43:44,956 --> 00:43:46,958
from jellyfish to whale sharks
648
00:43:46,958 --> 00:43:49,861
is made up almost entirely
of the eggs
649
00:43:49,861 --> 00:43:53,231
and developing young
of broadcast spawners.
650
00:43:56,702 --> 00:43:59,270
A tidal channel
in one coral atoll
651
00:43:59,270 --> 00:44:03,775
attracts one of the world's
largest spawning aggregations.
652
00:44:03,775 --> 00:44:07,545
No, not the sharks.
653
00:44:07,545 --> 00:44:09,715
They're here
to watch the show--
654
00:44:09,715 --> 00:44:11,582
watch and snack.
655
00:44:13,985 --> 00:44:16,254
700 or more gray reef sharks,
656
00:44:16,254 --> 00:44:20,425
collectively known
as the wall of sharks.
657
00:44:20,425 --> 00:44:23,461
More apex predators
than could possibly survive
658
00:44:23,461 --> 00:44:25,296
in such a small area,
659
00:44:25,296 --> 00:44:28,633
if it wasn't for one thing.
660
00:44:28,734 --> 00:44:30,802
A progression
of different fish species
661
00:44:30,802 --> 00:44:34,740
come here to broadcast spawn
over the winter months.
662
00:44:34,740 --> 00:44:36,775
The most spectacular show
663
00:44:36,775 --> 00:44:40,145
is the one put on
by the camouflage grouper.
664
00:44:44,883 --> 00:44:48,019
Camouflage groupers
from all over French Polynesia
665
00:44:48,019 --> 00:44:51,189
descend on Fakarava Atoll
to spawn.
666
00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:57,595
The groupers are
sequential hermaphrodites.
667
00:44:57,595 --> 00:45:01,366
They start life as females,
which are slightly darker.
668
00:45:04,369 --> 00:45:05,771
The older male fish
669
00:45:05,771 --> 00:45:09,140
are normally solitary
and territorial.
670
00:45:09,140 --> 00:45:13,244
Confronted with so many rivals,
they get into fights.
671
00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:17,682
Some mute
their camouflage colours
672
00:45:17,783 --> 00:45:20,952
in an attempt
to avoid confrontations.
673
00:45:20,952 --> 00:45:23,822
But often,
it's just too crowded.
674
00:45:30,061 --> 00:45:32,898
Because groupers come
from far and wide,
675
00:45:32,898 --> 00:45:36,167
they not only maximize
their chances of success.
676
00:45:36,167 --> 00:45:39,905
They also minimize inbreeding.
677
00:45:39,905 --> 00:45:42,507
Their numbers build
for two weeks,
678
00:45:42,507 --> 00:45:45,043
leading up to the full moon.
679
00:45:45,043 --> 00:45:47,946
By day, an eerie truce holds
680
00:45:47,946 --> 00:45:51,149
between the sharks
and their snacks.
681
00:45:56,121 --> 00:45:58,990
The sharks are
nocturnal predators.
682
00:46:04,029 --> 00:46:07,165
At night,
they turn into highly active,
683
00:46:07,165 --> 00:46:10,668
agitated hunters
that ferret out food.
684
00:46:22,647 --> 00:46:26,184
Thanks to the massive
aggregations of spawning fish,
685
00:46:26,184 --> 00:46:30,055
hundreds of sharks rarely need
to leave the area.
686
00:46:35,260 --> 00:46:39,530
Morning reveals brutal injuries
among the survivors.
687
00:46:39,530 --> 00:46:41,867
These must be
some of the bravest
688
00:46:41,867 --> 00:46:44,602
prospective parents
in the ocean.
689
00:46:46,437 --> 00:46:50,041
Finally, at dusk on the night
of the full moon,
690
00:46:50,041 --> 00:46:53,244
the groupers
are ready to spawn.
691
00:46:53,244 --> 00:46:56,214
The females take in water
to hydrate the eggs
692
00:46:56,214 --> 00:46:58,716
they have been carrying
all this time,
693
00:46:58,716 --> 00:47:01,119
causing their bellies to swell.
694
00:47:02,487 --> 00:47:05,323
Groups of groupers
rise into the tide
695
00:47:05,323 --> 00:47:08,193
to release millions
of eggs and sperm...
696
00:47:17,402 --> 00:47:20,538
While still dodging the sharks.
697
00:47:27,178 --> 00:47:30,748
Within an hour and a half,
it's all over.
698
00:47:37,388 --> 00:47:41,326
The extra-high full moon tide
sweeps the fertilized embryos
699
00:47:41,326 --> 00:47:45,096
out to sea
to join the plankton soup.
700
00:47:46,364 --> 00:47:49,634
Groupers spawn
conventionally for fish,
701
00:47:49,634 --> 00:47:52,337
just on an alien scale.
702
00:47:52,337 --> 00:47:54,605
But what
about the secondary players
703
00:47:54,605 --> 00:47:55,941
in this tale...
704
00:47:55,941 --> 00:47:57,508
the sharks?
705
00:47:57,508 --> 00:48:00,811
As it turns out,
they're the real weirdos
706
00:48:00,811 --> 00:48:02,413
when it comes to mating.
707
00:48:09,654 --> 00:48:12,357
Sharks don't broadcast
their eggs and sperm
708
00:48:12,357 --> 00:48:14,392
to the world.
709
00:48:14,392 --> 00:48:18,196
They're strictly person
to person...
710
00:48:18,196 --> 00:48:21,967
and it's awfully awkward...
711
00:48:21,967 --> 00:48:24,135
because doing it
in the open water
712
00:48:24,135 --> 00:48:28,806
is about as easy as it would be
in the weightlessness of space.
713
00:48:30,675 --> 00:48:34,645
And the only thing these freaky
fish have to hold on with...
714
00:48:36,047 --> 00:48:37,815
Is their teeth...
715
00:48:42,853 --> 00:48:45,423
Which makes it
almost impossible for him
716
00:48:45,423 --> 00:48:48,193
to pump air over his gills.
717
00:48:52,030 --> 00:48:55,366
If she's not interested,
the female can arch her tail
718
00:48:55,366 --> 00:48:57,068
to prevent access,
719
00:48:57,068 --> 00:49:00,705
knowing he'll run
out of breath.
720
00:49:00,705 --> 00:49:02,140
Only if she consents
721
00:49:02,140 --> 00:49:04,109
can he insert
one of his claspers
722
00:49:04,109 --> 00:49:06,711
into her cloaca.
723
00:49:09,914 --> 00:49:13,518
He fills a sack that runs
along his belly with seawater
724
00:49:13,518 --> 00:49:17,122
to pump his sperm inside her...
725
00:49:17,122 --> 00:49:19,590
before he suffocates.
726
00:49:25,230 --> 00:49:28,499
Whether it's
alien crop circles,
727
00:49:28,499 --> 00:49:32,103
otherworldly orgies...
728
00:49:32,103 --> 00:49:35,206
or synchronized spawning...
729
00:49:35,206 --> 00:49:37,875
the most bizarre rituals
in the ocean
730
00:49:37,875 --> 00:49:40,345
are usually
about finding a mate
731
00:49:40,345 --> 00:49:42,347
and passing on your genes.
732
00:49:44,249 --> 00:49:46,284
But you have to wonder,
733
00:49:46,284 --> 00:49:49,754
who are the real aliens
down here--
734
00:49:49,754 --> 00:49:53,091
the creatures going about
their business
735
00:49:53,091 --> 00:49:54,892
or the ones in space suits
736
00:49:54,892 --> 00:49:57,195
recording what goes on
737
00:49:57,195 --> 00:50:00,565
down in the Alien Abyss?
55121
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