All language subtitles for Waterworld.Africa.Series.1.2of8.Lifeblood.of.the.Kalahari.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

There is a place where water has
turned a desert into paradise.

Creating an oasis
that shimmers with vivid beauty.

Renewed each year
by an ancient river.

It is a diverse and
astonishing wilderness.

A spectacle like
no other on earth.

Where Africa's iconic
animals flourish.

Drawn together by water's
life giving force.

This is the great
Okavango Delta,

lifeblood of the Kalahari.

It's mid-winter in the
northern Kalahari,

The peak of the dry season.

This arid savanna landscape
receives less than 20 inches
of annual rain.

Only the most accomplished dry
land survivors can exist here,

But in the middle of this
ancient desert lies an
unlikely wildlife haven.

It's incredible story starts
thousands of miles away.

Eight months ago, fed by
the rains in the
Angolan highlands

the Okavango river
began to flow southeast.

Carrying 35 billion
cubic feet of water,

it flows for 990 miles,

finally reaching an ancient
floodplain in Botswana.

Here it fans out into a
myriad of channels,
streams and lagoons.

Gradually spreading to cover
some 9,900 square miles.

Bringing relief to the
once scorched earth.

And providing an oasis for
thousands of animals.

Their subsistence tied together
by a river that never finds the
ocean.

But transforms one of Africa's
great deserts into a water world
wonderland.

The Okavango delta is truly
the Lifeblood of the Kalahari.

Few animals are more at home in
the Okavango delta than the
massive Hippopotamus.

Males can grow up to three tons.

They have sharp tusks that
can grow as long as 20 inches

contained in powerful jaws.

But they are vegetarians

and these canines are used
for territorial fighting.

This combination of power and
weaponry makes them deadly.

Hippos kill more humans in
Africa than any other mammal.

Around them,
it's best to beware.

But they have a weakness.

Sensitive skin.

So they spend most of the day
submerged, avoiding the sun.

This young calf will even
suckle below the water.

Bonds between mothers and
daughters can last for years.

Waterways and broad grassy
islands are their perfect
natural habitat.

Hippos follow regular routes
through the delta's dense
vegetation

where swamps are lined by one
of the fastest growing plants
on earth.

Papyrus.

This giant sedge is the same
plant that the ancient Egyptians
once used to make paper.

The fibrous stems they favored
for their scrolls are so tough

they are indigestible to
almost all animals.

The plant grows quickly
into dense, almost
impenetrable levees

that block the flow of water
into the thirsty surroundings.

But with their huge bulk
and constant aquatic movement

hippos carve paths through
the thick papyrus.

Allowing water to flow away
from the swamp's main channels

and feed the land around it.

Making hippos integral animal
architects in the dynamic
Okavango ecosystem.

The hippos share their
domain with a multitude
of winged neighbors.

The Okavango delta is home
to 482 species of birds,

including some 33 water birds.

This high density means
that each bird

has developed special ways
to avoid conflict for resources.

Causing some
remarkable adaptations.

Like the aptly named
African spoonbills.

Together they move through the
water, searching for small fish.

Their broad flat beaks
ideally formed to snap-up
unsuspecting prey.

The Open-billed stork has a
very different specialization.

Its curved bill has a gap of
just under a quarter of an inch.

This odd shape helps them
grasp and open aquatic snails
and mussels

to get to the
tender flesh inside.

This adaptation is so successful

that the Open-billed is
one of the most common
of African storks.

The Black heron's strategy
is more elaborate.

The reason for their so-called
sun umbrella wing shaping

is still debated.

Some suggest it decreases glare
on the water's surface,

making it easier to spot prey.

Others argue it creates a
seemingly safe, shady
refuge for fish.

And the trickery goes
a step further.

The heron wiggles its
yellow toes in the mud,

which may well attract fish
like a bright lure.

Another master stalker of the
Okavango is the Hamerkop,

named for its
hammer-shaped head.

Although it has a
simpler approach,

it is generally an
effective predator.

Its prey of choice is frogs,

but today it's not having
much luck finding them.

The resourceful hunter opts
for a different technique:

dive bombing off a
well-placed island.

The hippo bull doesn't seem
to mind being used as a
hunting platform.

And the Hamerkop's strategy
pays off.

Past his prime and long since
banished from the herd,

the old hippo bull now makes
this lonely wallow his home.

Where even the company of
the noisy Hamerkops is
better than none.

Other clever water birds also
employ temporary hippo islands.

Like the Okavango's
deep water expert:

the African darter.

It has body plumage
that holds water

and heavier bones
than other bird species.

These act like a diver's
weight belt.

Allowing it to dive for more
than a minute and a half,

up to 20 feet deep.

But wet feathers can
reduce body temperatures
to a dangerous level,

forcing darters to dry
themselves in the sun
between dives.

As the winter floods arrive and
flow through the delta's system,

they support more than
just aquatic life.

The abundance of water fuels
enough plant growth to feed
Africa's giants.

A five-ton elephant bull needs
around 660 pounds of food a day.

And the delta provides
enough food

to support more than a
hundred thousand elephants.

Making it one of the last
strong holds for these
largest of land mammals.

Good news for
the African jacana.

It follows in the
elephant's wake,

Snapping up insects
disturbed by the mammoth feet.

Jacanas thrive in the delta.

Their elongated toes easily
hold their small bodies aloft,

allowing them to travel light
on floating islands.

For the jacanas, prime
property must include a
foundation for nests,

feeding grounds and
stepping stones across
the surface.

For the latter, one plant
fits the bill perfectly.

Water lilies.

Their long stalks have
air canals, keeping the
plant afloat.

Allowing buds to blossom
above the surface.

Around five days later
the stalk retracts in a spiral,

pulling the fertilized bloom
back underwater

where it will develop
into a fruit.

Later erupting with seeds
to be spread by the current.

As the delta's waters
inundate the landscape,

lilies abound.

And they are a relished by some.

This elephant isn't going
to let a mouthful of grit
ruin his meal.

A quick rinse and
it's ready to eat.

While the elephants
devour stalks,

the Chacma baboon
is more particular.

He's only after the roots.

Dexterous hands and
opposable thumbs

allow baboons to pick the
juiciest bits of the lilies.

Although they can survive in the
driest corners of the continent,

in the delta Chacma
baboons thrive.

Here their population density

is six times as great

as the Chacma baboons living
in the nearby Namib desert.

This family is fifty strong.

Meaning there are always
eyes peeled for predators.

When you're off guard,
strength in numbers is crucial.

Troops have strict hierarchies

determining access to
the best forage.

A flash of razor-sharp
canines is sufficient warning
to back off.

Babies ride jockey-style
on their mothers' backs

from between six and
twelve weeks old.

Baboons have
incredibly varied diets.

Eating everything from
grasses and fruit to insects

and on the rare occasion

even small antelope.

But, for now, these youngsters
are too distracted to eat.

Troops can cover up to 9 miles
a day while foraging.

Their long arms allow for
efficient movement and
foraging on the ground.

All of these factors have made
baboons one of the most
successful primates in Africa.

But the floods also
bring danger.

Water levels restrict movement,

forcing them to travel along
predictable routes on their
daily journeys.

And they're not the only ones
using these routes.

With its abundance
of animal life,

the Delta is home
to many predators.

And none is more dangerous
to baboons than the Leopard.

Weighing about 130 pounds,

his short, powerful legs
keep him low to the ground.

Where he is camouflaged
against the delta's long grass.

This male patrols his territory,

which can cover just
under 250 square miles.

He has unique markings
of black dots

and roughly broken circles
called rosettes that take
infinite forms.

Meaning no two leopards
are alike.

Leopards are the most
wide-spread of all wild
African cats,

occurring across the continent.

Solitary and secretive,
adults associate only for
long enough to mate.

This male scent-marks
his territory fastidiously.

A warning to other males, and
an advertisement to any females
in the area.

Being more active at night,

he may travel as far as 15 miles
under the cover of darkness.

The arrival of the floods
ensures a variety of small
herbivores in his territory.

As long as they remain fed,
so will he.

The delta is the lifeblood for
carnivore and herbivore alike,

providing food in abundance.

And the African buffalo
prefers an early breakfast.

This gregarious grazer
thrives in the Okavango.

They are some of the heavier
Okavango inhabitants,

weighing as much as 1700 pounds.

And have developed
symbiotic relationships

with birds like oxpeckers
and cattle egrets,

which exchange a cleaning
service for meals of ticks.

The buffalo drinks at least
once a day

but there is an animal here that
has a greater need for water

Red lechwe.

They are among the most water
dependent of all antelopes.

Locally common to the Okavango,

they thrive on new growth along
the margins of floodplains.

To make the most of
this feeding niche,

lechwe follow the water's
seasonal advance and retreat.

But the lechwe needs the delta
for more than just food.

When threatened,
they head for water.

Powerful legs and a leaping gate
enable them to travel quickly
across the floodplains,

where they are safe
from most predators.

But not all.

The depths hold one of
the delta's most
successful predators.

The Nile crocodile.

Large specimens can grow
to 15 feet long

and weigh more than a ton.

With eyes and nostrils
on top of their heads,

they are well adapted for ambush
tactics beneath the surface.

They hunt for mainly fish
and large mammals.

The lechwe would make
an excellent meal.

But on dry land the crocodile
stands no chance of catching
them.

There are other more substantial
options on the reptilian
hunter's menu.

Waterbuck are twice
the lechwe's size.

Males weigh in at
around 500 pounds

and sport
impressive curved horns,

which can reach lengths of
up to three feet.

These handsome antelope need
to drink several times a day
to avoid dehydration.

Unlike the lechwe, they prefer
dry grassland for grazing.

And retreat to the cover of
vegetation when threatened.

This combination of factors
makes viable territories hard
to come by.

But the delta provides
for all their needs.

A breeding male will sometimes
tolerate the presence of a
younger bachelor,

as long as he doesn't attempt
to mate with any females.

But at around six years the
younger male thinks he is ready

to challenge for dominance.

A challenge that is
quickly dispatched with.

Baboon troops are also
governed by strength.

And this alpha male has
won the right to breed.

Mating is often a public affair.

Accompanied by a tell-tale call.

If the female conceives, the
troop will have a new member
in six months.

Copulation is often followed
by grooming.

A crucial tool in maintaining
group cohesion.

And cementing relationships
between troop members.

While some species rely
directly on the delta's waters,

this Greater kudu herd
have a less direct dependence.

Although they need to drink,

kudu can go for longer periods
without water than lechwe and
Waterbuck.

For them the delta's
dense vegetation is key;

providing both sustenance
and cover from predators.

Making the Okavango islands
excellent habitat for the kudu.

This bull is fully mature,
with an impressive set of horns.

Growing up to 6 feet,

they are longest horns
of any antelope.

While kudu aren't territorial,

he has something here
worth fighting for.

A cow.

Kudu are seasonal breeders and
with the delta in full flood,

now is the time for this pair.

But for elephants, reproduction
can be an altogether more
dramatic affair

African elephants live in
breeding herds of related cows,

led by a matriarch.

But there is a large bull in
this herd, attracted by a cow
in estrus.

He's not the only male around,

and another bull attempts to
impose himself on the young cow.

Scenes like this are not
uncommon and cows often escape.

The chase ends only if
the bull can catch her.

But the larger bull will not
tolerate this kind of behavior

emitting deep rumbles
in warning.

He drives off the rogue.

After the drama, the herd heads
off for a cool, calming drink.

And what better for an
African elephant after
quenching its thirst

than a wallow in the mud.

The mud helps cool the
elephants, and protects their
skin from the harsh African sun.

It also acts as a
pest deterrent.

After coating themselves
elephants will scratch off
the thick layer,

removing parasites with it.

Having utilized the abundance of
water and mud here in the delta,

the herd is well equipped
to continue its day.

Elephants aren't the
only ones enjoying the
Okavango's masses of mud.

Warthogs love a good mud bath.

These are the only pigs adapted
to grazing in a savanna habitat.

But they don't have the
elephants' advantage of
a long trunk.

Kneeling allows them access
to short grass.

Like the elephants they
also have ivory tusks.

Growing to as long as 23 inches,

they're used largely in fights
with other warthogs.

The thick, protruding lumps of
skin below the eye protect the
hogs from serious harm.

But it is the shorter lower
tusks which inflict the
real damage.

They grind against the
upper tusks to form a
razor sharp point.

Used to slash and stab in
self-defense against predators.

But even the toughest quarry
may fall prey to an experienced
killer.

An adult warthog met
its demise overnight.

Leopards will catch and kill
almost anything including
reptiles, birds and fish.

But they prey mainly on
mammals, suffocated with
a strangling bite.

A full grown warthog weighs
around 140 pounds.

A big meal for the leopard.

He may return to feed on
the same carcass for days,

stashing it in the safety
of a tree, out of the reach
of scavengers.

But for now, well fed and
content, relaxation is the
order of the day.

While predators like the leopard
and crocodile thrive on land and
in water,

another formidable creature
dominates the delta's skies.

The majestic African fish eagle.

The Okavango delta's swamps,
channels and lagoons

provide habitats for more fish
eagles than anywhere else on
the continent.

These powerful eagles
hunt from elevation,

swooping down to nab fish as
heavy as six and a half pounds.

Yet despite their
reputation for fishing,

these raptors are known thieves,

stealing fish from birds
including kingfishers
and Saddle-billed storks.

But the Saddle-billed stork
is an unlikely victim.

As it towers over the eagles
at five feet tall,

and weighs up to 15 pounds.

Like the fish eagles,
Saddle-bills form
monogamous breeding pairs.

But they are relatively scarce,

with only one pair per 38
square miles in the delta.

They use their colorful bills
to spear and grasp prey,

easily seen in
the shallow pools.

This fish is a substantial meal.

But swallowing it
presents it a challenge.

The stork's struggle has caught
the attention of the fish eagle.

But he arrives too late.

Having missed out on stealing
a meal from the stork,

the eagle finds easier pickings

in the form of a large nest
of young Red-billed buffalo
weavers.

The baby birds are a valuable
source of extra protein for the
raptor.

For the fish eagle, its early
years of life can be tough.

It takes up to five years for
the birds to gain their adult
plumage.

Until then their youth is
betrayed by motley speckles
and grey facial skin.

Driven from their early homes,

the juveniles are forced
to lead a nomadic existence,

Roaming between areas not
already under the control of
territorial adults.

These unclaimed areas can be few
and far between,

resulting in congregations
of youngsters.

In the fifth year of life
facial skin yellows.

But remaining breast speckles
still have to give way

before they are ready to
compete with other adults
for riverside real estate.

While the young fish eagles
are just starting out in life,

this old buffalo bull is
in his twilight years.

Unable to compete with
younger, fitter males for
dominance within a herd,

he has been exiled.

As buffalos get older they
lose the hair on their sides,

and his hairless flank
reveals his advanced age.

Life in the delta means crossing
channels like these regularly.

And the buffalo has learnt to
be wary of what lurks beneath
the surface.

But a juvenile crocodile is
far too small to pose a threat.

His bulk makes him immune to all
except the largest predators

free to live out his last few
seasons in wandering solitude.

Meanwhile not far upstream,

another old bull is using
his most remarkable attribute:

his trunk.

Elephants have the most
inclusive diet of any herbivore.

Even the incredibly fibrous
papyrus isn't inedible to him.

He uses his powerful yet
dexterous trunk, made up of
more than 50,000 muscles

to choose the tastiest leaves.

To power such massive bodies,

elephants must spend
up to 16 hours a day feeding.

Working their trunks
almost endlessly.

Elephants are the ultimate
combination of dexterity
and strength.

A fitting icon for the
great Okavango.

In the coming months,

these strong flowing channels
will dry to a trickle as the
floods recede.

The great herds will move off
to other grazing further afield.

But the cycle will continue as
rain falls on distant mountains,

And the mighty Okavango river
arrives once more

to cast precious water
across the vast Kalahari.

For the animals of
the Okavango Delta,

life is contingent on one
of nature's great anomalies

A river that flows from distant
highland into the middle of a
desert.

Fuelling growth in profusion

and supporting
all manner of life.

For as long as the mighty
Okavango river flows,

this wonderland of abundant life
and variety will persist.

Remaining the lifeblood
of the Kalahari.

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