All language subtitles for Planet Earth III.01. Coasts

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[Birds chirping]

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Attenborough:
Almost 200 years ago,

whilst walking these very paths
in the English countryside

and observing the banks
and meadows near his home,

Charles Darwin developed
his groundbreaking ideas

about evolution,

casting a new light
on the natural world

and opening our eyes
to its true wonder.

Since then, we've explored
almost every part of the planet

and seen nature
in its astounding variety.

But there's still
much to discover.

♪♪

In this new series
of "Planet Earth,"

we travel to the most
astonishing wild places,

see mysterious creatures,

witness spectacular wonders

and reveal breathtaking
animal dramas.

♪♪

[Roars]

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The natural world
continues to surprise us.

♪♪

But since Darwin's time,

it has changed
beyond recognition.

Transformed by
a powerful force -- us.

We will see how animals are
adapting in extraordinary ways

to survive
the new challenges they face.

At this crucial time
in our history,

we must now look at the world
through a new lens.

This is "Planet Earth III."

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[Water crashing]

Tasmania,

Shipstern Bluff,
where two worlds collide.

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These waves have cost more than
a thousand miles of open ocean.

Building in strength.

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It's here that they meet
their explosive end.

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Coasts are dangerous
and dynamic frontiers.

To succeed here, life must adapt
to constant change.

[Birds chirping]

South Africa's
Robberg Peninsula.

Thousands of cape fur seals
gather here to breed.

[Seals calling]

This pup was born
into a crowded world.

[Calling continues]

But now at nearly a year old,
he can escape to the water.

He just has to get there.

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[Seal calls]

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There is no question as to
where this pup belongs.

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In the water he's fast
and agile.

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And he needs to be.

The rolling surf conceals
life-threatening dangers.

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[Seal cries]

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A great white shark.

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This young pup has had
a very lucky escape.

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Narrator: Join us on
an extraordinary journey...

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...to a world
never revealed before.

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Who knows what is still
out there to be discovered.

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Here on Africa's southern coast,

seals risk their lives
every time they set out to eat.

Powerful ocean currents
attract huge shoals of fish.

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But in recent years this stretch
has attracted increased

numbers of great whites, too.

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The great whites
are shrewd hunters

and use whatever cover
is available.

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[Seals calling]

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This shark won't need to eat
for another few days.

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But he's not alone.

These usually solitary hunters
are gathering

in unprecedented numbers.

A dozen at a time.

[Birds chirping]

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The seals are nimble.

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But great whites are patient.

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And have explosive acceleration.

Hitting top speed with just
five swipes of their tails.

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Cornered, the seals keep close
to the jagged cliffs.

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They're trapped.

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[Birds chirping]

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But as the great whites move in
for the kill,

the seals do something
astonishing.

Together,
they turn on their enemy.

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As more join, the mob grows.

In both number and confidence.

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The tables are turning.

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By sheer force of numbers,

these fur seals drive the
world's most notorious predator

back out to sea.

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Here, animals are adapting
to new challenges

in a rapidly changing world.

In the Arctic, monumental change
is a regular event.

Summer, visitors are arriving
en masse,

attracted by the biggest
seasonal transformation

on any coast on Earth.

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Over 300 billion tons of ice
are melting.

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Releasing nutrient rich water.

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Extraordinary newcomers appear
from the depths.

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A sea angel.

No bigger
than your little finger.

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It's eaten little for months.

Its empty stomach glows orange.

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And there are other
hungry arrivals.

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A sea butterfly.

A snail with wings.

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Both angel and butterfly
are blind.

But each monitor's minute
changes in the water

as they search for a meal.

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This angel has a devilish side.

Its mouth parts invert to form
a deadly trap of tentacles.

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From which there is little
chance of escape.

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With a stomach full of prey,

this angel has lost its glow,
but not its appetite.

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It feasts while it can.

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Both predator and prey
will soon return to the depths

before the ice transforms
this coast once again.

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[Wind gusting]

Namibia, where desert lions roam
across vast territories.

[Lion growls]

These desert cats are on
a never ending search for food.

And that has brought
these young sisters.

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Africa's infamous
Skeleton Coast.

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Following years of persecution,

Namibia's lions
are now protected

and their range
is expanding again.

These are the first to be seen
on these shores for 40 years.

[Lion growls]

By day there is little
for them here.

But at night,
it's a different story.

[Birds chirping]

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Seabirds come here to roost
in the thousands.

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These hungry sisters have never
seen an opportunity like this.

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But no cats,
certainly no desert cats,

enjoy getting their paws wet.

[Lion grunts]

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These roosting cormorants
are sitting ducks for hunters

with good night vision.

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In theory.

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Birds are not a big cats
usual prey,

let alone sea birds.

And these sisters need
to get their iron.

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[Bird chirps]

Catching flying prey in the dark
is not easy,

but these lions
have acquired the knack.

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[Whale calling]

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This female southern right whale
is nearing the end of

a 5,000-mile journey
across open ocean.

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She's kept a steady course

to a special place
she has known all her life.

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Peninsula Valdés, Argentina.

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In these calm, shallow waters,
her behavior starts to change.

She rolls and shifts
her great body.

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Perhaps she's trying
to get comfortable.

[Whale cries]

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[Whales crying]

Other females are close by.

Some have been coming here
for five decades.

Seeking the shelter of this bay
at a key time in their lives.

[Whales calling]

This whale is here
to give birth.

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A new life begins.

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The calf is totally dependent
on its mother.

She's producing as much
as 200 liters of milk a day.

The strength she loses,
the calf gains.

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And it becomes more and more
independent and playful.

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In this nursery bay,
there are plenty of playmates.

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But a mother never lets
her calf stray too far.

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And will always offer
a welcome embrace.

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The family keeps in constant
contact with whispered calls.

New research has revealed that
in shallow coastal waters there

calls not only fade quickly,

but are also concealed
by the sound of waves

breaking on the shore.

So they won't attract
the attention of predators.

Not so long ago, these whales
faced a grave threat.

They were hunted
to near extinction.

But 40 years ago,
commercial whaling was banned.

Today, their population
is 12,000 strong.

And this bay now attracts
one of the largest gatherings

of these whales
anywhere on Earth.

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There are over a million miles
of coastline around the world.

Together, they constitute
the most varied habitat

on the planet.

Here on Canada's west coast,

some of the most powerful
of all ocean currents

deliver a constant supply
of nutrients

to the shores
of countless islands.

[Birds chirping]

And those that live here
take full advantage.

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This is the aptly named
wandering garter snake.

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He may seem out of place,
but he's here to eat.

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The water here is more than 10
degrees colder than the air.

But that doesn't deter
this intrepid hunter

from taking the plunge.

Under the water,
there is an abundance of food.

If you can catch it.

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Snakes are cold-blooded,

so he can't stay in these
chilly waters for long.

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Back in the sunshine,

he warms his head,
perhaps sharpening his senses.

And then with a gulp of air,
he continues his hunt.

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It's thought that garter snakes
can use their forked tongue

underwater, as they do in air,
smelling in stereo,

detecting prey
wherever it hides.

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He's got something,
a small fish.

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Now he has to land it.

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Success.

For those animals able to cross
the divide between land and sea,

there are surprising rewards.

Raja Ampat in Indonesia.

Here there's a greater variety
of animals

than on any other coast
on Earth.

The corals are protected by
mangroves, salt tolerant trees

that prop themselves
on curving aerial roots.

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These fish have learned
how to catch prey

from high in the trees.

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Archerfish use jets of water
like arrows.

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This pinpoint accuracy

requires some
complex calculations.

A hunter first estimates
the range of its target.

Then loads with a precise
amount of water.

Aiming, they allow for the
refraction and distortion

created by
the water's moving surface.

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And then...

release.

An arrow of water.

They can hit prey up
to two meters above them.

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But they're not born
with this skill.

They have to learn it,

and they do that
by studying others.

This youngster is watching
a master at work.

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It's time for the apprentice
to have a go.

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First, he must select a target.

This seems rather ambitious.

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Missed.

Others watch to learn
from his mistakes.

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Or...

to steal his prize.

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Enough is enough.

There is one way
to beat the thieves.

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The archer himself
becomes the arrow.

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Mangroves are unusually stable
coastal environments

where an archerfish can focus
on beating the competition.

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On the exposed coast
of Mexico's Yucatan,

life is precarious.

Concentrated by
the tropical sunshine,

the brine in these
shallow lagoons

cannot be tolerated
by most animals.

And yet these
Caribbean flamingos

have flown hundreds of miles
to gather here.

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These hypersaline waters
keep many predators at bay.

[Flamingos calling]

So it's here
they choose to nest.

There are more than
10,000 pairs here.

It's the largest breeding colony
in North America.

[Flamingos calling]

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Nest mounds keep chicks
clear of the brine

while they're still
at their most vulnerable.

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[Chick chirping]

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But this generation faces
a problem.

[Thunder rumbling]

The storms that come each season
are arriving earlier every year.

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And the colony lies directly
in their path.

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Rising winds create
a storm surge

that overwhelms
the most exposed nests.

[Flamingos squawking]

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[Thunder rumbling]

And then it rains.

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The adults do what they can
bailing out their nests.

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But they can only do so much.

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The storm passes but leaves
devastation in its wake.

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Most nests are submerged.

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[Chick chirps]

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The chicks are soaked and cold
and will soon perish,

unless they can get
out of the water.

[Flamingos squawking]

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The adults are unable to help.

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A chick must save itself.

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Some years no chicks survive
in this colony.

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Our coasts
are vulnerable places.

Increasingly so as rising
global temperatures

create bigger storms.

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The biggest are hurricanes.

[Thunder rumbling]

They form over
warm tropical water,

building in strength at sea.

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But their full force
is unleashed on our coasts

where 40% of the world's
human population

have made their homes.

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In this changing world,

coasts are on the front line.

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Raine Island,
one of the planet's

most important breeding sites

for one particularly
precious species.

[Bird cawing]

The green turtle.

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On a few special nights
each year,

as many as 20,000 females
come ashore here.

Their instinct to nest
is strong,

and many hold themselves

far inland
in search of nesting space.

In a single night, they may lay
as many as 2 million eggs.

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[Birds chirping]

Dawn.

This exhausted female
has nested,

but now she faces
a long return journey

through the dunes to the sea.

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As the sun rises,

she is at risk
of being baked alive.

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Every inch she travels
is grueling.

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And the ebbing tide has exposed
a rocky reef.

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It has already
claimed many lives.

[Turtle grunts]

Other females overcome
by heat and exhaustion.

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Her temperature is rising.

She has to keep going.

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[Turtle grunts]

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As many as 2,000 female turtles
may die here each year.

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[Turtle grunts]

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[Waves crashing]

But the coast
is always changing.

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And the turning tide
may yet save her.

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Half of all the green turtles
in the Pacific.

Come here to nest,

as they have done
for at least 1,000 years.

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But for how much longer?

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If sea levels rise as predicted,
within the next 30 years,

Raine Island will disappear
beneath the waves.

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Coasts are dynamic,
dangerous frontiers

and they are changing faster
than ever before

in human history.

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Life is remarkably resilient
and adapts to new challenges.

But there is a limit on how fast
it can do so.

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As far as I know, I was one of
the first people to film

on Raine Island back in 1957.

After a fortnight
of traveling north,

we at last sighted Raine Island.

From the sea
it looked no more than a low

sand bank covered in scrub,

but as we rowed ashore,
we were deafened

by the cries
of thousands of seabirds

which hung above the island
like a black cloud.

[Birds crying]

I was 31, and it was here
that I first met a green turtle.

The turtles come up
to lay at night,

and after a night spent
laying maybe over 100 eggs,

she is very weary and very
anxious to get back to the sea.

Nearly 70 years later,
the "Planet Earth III" team

are welcomed by people
whose connection to the island

goes back very much
further than mine.

Welcome to Raine.

The Wuthathi and Meriam people
have been coming here

for several thousand years.

Raine Island is a beautiful
and special place.

Like, it's nowhere else in the
planet where you come

and see this much turtles.

It's a wonder to see.

Attenborough: Since I was there,
it's been discovered

that Raine Island attracts
more nesting green turtles

than anywhere else
on the planet.

[Birds chirping]

So many, isn't it?
As soon as you're up,

you're like,
"Oh, there are a lot."

And the crew soon meet
some other residents, too.

This is behind
the behind the scenes.

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[Laughs]

See you, mate.

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Attenborough: The team are here
to record

the mother turtles perilous
journeys back to the sea.

Moloney: Oh, God.

Attenborough: Trapped turtles
can often feed themselves

with the help
of the rising tide.

It merely just a bit more
to the right.

They're back.
Yeah, there.

Attenborough: But in this case,

Keron makes the decision
to intervene.

Ready?
One, two, three.

Yeah, anytime we're here,
we'll walk the beach.

Any turtles that have no chance
of making it back to the ocean,

if we can save them,
we save them

because every turtle
is precious.

Attenborough: At the time
of my first visit,

little was known to outsiders
about Raine Island.

But for the last few decades,

scientists have been working
with the Wuthathi

and Meriam people to understand
more about this special place.

Scientists have been coming
to Raine Island

Robertson: since about the mid
'70s, and over that time

they've been monitoring
the nesting population here.

Attenborough: This work
involves long hours...

98.7, yeah.

...and a certain degree
of patience.

Yeah.
[Laughs]

Oh.

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We're going to be wearing
half of Raine Island

by the end of tonight.

Helping the year's first
hatchlings is a little easier.

Robertson:
So we'll take these ones
down to the water's edge,

so hopefully that we'll see
these turtles back here

laying eggs in 30 years time.

Attenborough: With the help
of this dedicated team,

Raine Island's turtles
might seem

to have a good future.

But research is revealing
a hidden threat.

[Birds chirping]

The direct effects
of climate change.

You want to hold this
against the flat part

of the data logger?

A developing turtle's sex

is determined
by the temperature of its nest.

Higher temperatures
produce female hatchlings.

The temperature of the sand
on Raine Island

is now at a record high,

so 99% of the turtles
that hatch here are female.

More alarmingly, we now know
this has been the case

for at least the last 20 years.

You do the math.

All females, no males,
what's going to happen?

There's going to be
a population crash

and there'll be no more turtle.

Attenborough: Work is underway
to find solutions,

but that's not
their only problem.

Not only are temperatures
rising, sea levels are, too.

Increasingly, high tides on rain

are flooding many
of the nests from below,

drowning the developing turtles
before they hatch.

Robertson: It's really
upsetting.

You'll dig down to check
to see success,

and you get down to the nest

and you're just
pulling up dead eggs.

Attenborough: To try and stop
this happening

they have devised
a heavy-duty solution.

[Engine revving]

These machines have been shipped
hundreds of miles

from the Australian mainland
to reshape the beach.

[Truck beeping]

They have already shifted sand
that would fill 16 Olympic-sized

swimming pools
and doubled the number

of safe nesting sites.

The hope is that this will
ensure that over 5 million

more eggs
will hatch in the next decade.

But from then on,

the future of Raine Island
looks very uncertain.

Robertson:
At this stage, we think
that we have until about 2050

until we start seeing massive
impacts of sea level rise.

It's crazy to think that,
you know,

the work that we do here,

someone might not be doing this
in 30 years time

because there's no island
to do it on.

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Murray: What sort of world
is it going to be

for my children
and their children?

Is there going to be
anything for -- for them

or is it all in vain?

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We'll always be here fighting
for Raine Island,

the turtles,
but we can't do it alone.

We need government
and big business to wake up

and see what they're doing
to the planet

and get real.

♪♪

Attenborough: This little fellow
is newly hatched from an egg

which had been laid
a month or so earlier,

and he too is very anxious
to get down to the sea.

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Having at last successfully
reached the water,

he's still got a great number
of hazards to face

before he grows up.

Little did I know then
what hazards that little turtle

would have to face
or the extraordinary lengths

to which people would go
to protect it and its island.

In the 66 years since my visit,
Raine Island has remained

the most important green turtle
nesting site on the planet.

The question is,
can it last another lifetime?

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[Singing in native language]

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Thriving in this varied world

sometimes demands
surprising behavior.

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♪ Close your eyes

This is "Planet Earth III".