All language subtitles for Earth.Odyssey.With.Dylan.Dreyer.S07E15.1080p.WEB.h264-DiRT_track3_[eng]

.

Narrator: when you see this
Symbol, you know you're watching

Television that's educational
And informational.

The more you know on nbc.

Dylan: hi everyone, I'm dylan
Dreyer.

Get ready for an animal
Adventure, italian style.

This is earth odyssey.

On today's show, these horses
Are a european cowboy's closest

Companions.

And these bucks go to battle to
Prove they've got the right

Stuff.

Plus when the tide comes in, the
Predators are on the prowl.

And we get down to eye level
With some small but mighty

Creatures.

Join us for these extraordinary
Animal adventures here on earth

Odyssey.

[music]

Dylan: on italy's mediterranean
Coast, animals and people have

Coexisted for many thousands of
Years.

And while most wildlife prefer
To avoid humans, some species,

Like foxes, have learned to take
Advantage of their proximity to

People.

We begin in tuscany, home to
Magnificent semi-wild horses

And their cowboy caretakers.

The italian landscape is one of
The most evocative in europe.

For thousands of years, humans
Have shaped the landscape and

Left their mark on the natural
World.

Stretching from the alps to the
Mediterranean, italy is a

Biodiversity hotspot in europe.

Luckily, a vast network of
Protected areas helps preserve

The country's natural resources
And wildlife.

[music]

Dylan: one such place is the
Maremma park in tuscany.

At times a harsh and
Impenetrable environment,

The maremma straddles sandy and
Rocky coasts with hills covered

With mediterranean scrub
And vast pine forests.

Here at the foot of a mountain
Range, the sun rises over the

Mists of the ambroni river.

Grazing in the fields is one of
The region's most iconic

Animals, the maremmano horse.

Over the centurithe
Butteri tuscany's cowhands

Have been stewards of this
Ancient breed.

These horses are better able to
Withstand the changing

Conditions of the mediterranean
Environment, where drought and

Winds can limit food resources.

These sturdy horses now mostly
Live semi-wild in the maremma

Plains.

[horse whinnying]

Dylan: but some horses are still
Trained for specific tasks,

Helping the cowboy herders carry
Out their daily work.

Their day here starts at the
Crack of dawn, every day of the

Year, in any weather.

These working horses are a part
Of a traditional way of life in

Maremma.

To the locals, these animals are
As much of a part of nature and

As essen as the wilder
Creatures who make their homes

Here.

[trotting noise]

Dylan: of all the animals in the
Region, one in particular

Embodies the idea of a
Versatile, clever, and adaptable

Hunter, the fox.

Foxes know perfectly well how to
Make the most of human work and

Activities.

For example, they enjoy
Sunbathing on top of round hay

Bales.

These rolls of hay are collected
In late summer to supplement the

Cattle's diet in winter.

These food reserves attract
Mice, which eat and build their

Nests in the hay.

[mouse squeaking]

Dylan: a bit of fox stretching,
And one of them sets to work.

[music]

Dylan: mice tend to hide in
Tight, confined spaces, which

Oftentimes can work in their
Favor.

A familiar noise draws the fox's
Attention away from the mouse.

Another chance for a good meal
Is approaching.

In autumn, tractors collect the
Hay around the same time every

Day.

The rodents are confused by the
Destruction of their castle.

They're forced to move out on
Open ground.

This expert huntress has
Skillfully exploited the

Situation to grab another meal.

The cattle egrets have also
Learned to take advantage of

Human activities.

They use their long bill to
Catch insects crawling in the

Soil turned over by the big
Tractor wheels.

And they can do even better.

Undaunted by machines, with a
Few quick wing strokes, they

Rapidly fly to the perfect spot
To secure a meal.

There aren't just grasshoppers
And horseflies on their menu.

The cattle egrets have also
Learned to exploit mice as a

Source of food.

Their speed and resourcefulness
Compete with the fox's.

Not exactly cat and mouse, but
Close enough.

For the mice, their hay bale
Home makes for a life on alert

Facing two very different
Predators.

When we come back, a hidden
Camera moment for a shy young

Wolf.

And the buck stops here with
This strange call of the wild.

[low-pitched groaning]

Plus, who's a better angler,
Fish or fowl?

Stay tuned, earth odyssey will
Be right back.

Narrator: we'll be right back
To the more you know on nbc.

.

Narrator: we now return to
The more you know on nbc.

[music]

Dylan: spotting wildlin
Italy's maremma park isn't

Always easy.

But in the rocks underneath a
Falcon's perch, a lone wanderer

Is cautiously exploring.

This is the kind of place where
A hidden camera can work wonders

When it comes to filming shy
Animals, like this young wolf.

It loves to drift away from the
Pack on short solo explorations,

Training its keen sense of smell
To detect the trail of potential

Prey.

But its reputation as a fearsome
Predator doesn't always apply.

[bird squawking]

Dylan: it's shy, always ready
To run away.

The young wolf is alarmed by
Something it smells in the air.

[thunder]

The sound of thunder heralding
The coming storm sends it

Darting away.

The storm is intensifying.

[thunder]

Dylan: like columns of water,
The rain pours over the sea,

Then reaches the mainland.

The abundance of water and the
Still warm climate make

Earthworms, insects, and other
Invertebrates emerge from their

Burrows in the ground.

[music]

Dylan: after the rains of the
Last few days, the sturdy fallow

Deer are eager to resume their
Activities.

They plan to cross the river and
Get to the woods on the other

Side.

[music continues]

[distant low-pitched groaning]

Dylan: a dark, cavernous call
Fills the park's forests.

[low-pitched groaning continues

Dylan: it's the mating call of
Fallow bucks.

Every autumn, the herd convenes
In the dark woods, far from

Prying eyes, to select the best
Match.

The does assess each suitor
Carefully.

As darwin clearly understood, in
Much of the animal world, it's

The females that choose the best
Father for their young.

And they mainly do so based on
Physical strength and good

Health.

The opponents confront each
Other, assessing body size.

All this activity is exhausting
For the bucks, as they need to

First fight rivals, and then
Work to keep the females close

By and away from the other
Males.

If the bellowing, the parades,
And the intimidation don't work,

There's no option left but to
Fight.

[music]

Dylan: mighty antlers collide
Violently and intertwine.

Whichever pushes the opponent
Back, wins.

[music continues]

Dylan: in the end, the one
Claims victory.

The rival has to walk away, but
At least with its head held

High.

Coming up, sea bass race to the
River with some high-flying

Competition.

And these ants know a thing or
Two about teamwork, when earth

Odyssey comes right back.

Narrator: we'll be right back
To the more you know on nbc.

.

Narrator: we now return to
The more you know on nbc.

[music]

Dylan: the place where a river
Empties into the sea is called

Stuary.

And these special places where
Salt and fresh water mix are

Rich with life.

But the animal species here are
At the mercy of the tides.

Every day when the sea rushes
In, a battle begins, both to

Find food and to avoid being
Eaten.

Take a look.

A major feature in italy's
Maremma landscape is the ombroni

River.

Its meandering banks, covered
With vegetation, carve the plain

Like the coils of a giant snake.

Towards the mouth, the river's
Waters slow down their race to

The sea.

The rising tide pushes schools
Of young fish, mullets, and

Smelts towards the river, where
They're at home in the brackish

Waters.

The herons are among the firstt

Moves in the murky waters of the
Ombroni.

However, the birds are not the
Only ones lying in wait.

Large sea bass are hungry, too.

These highly adaptable sea
Predators patrol the final

Stretch of the river.

[music]

Dylan: the little egrets,
Flocking to the shore in large

Numbers, also feel the
Anticipation.

But the sea bass are the first
To start the attack.

[music continues]

[water splashing]

Dylan: the little egrets join
The hunt.

Mullets seek safety by jumping
Out of the water.

It looks like a hopeless
Carnage.

But the small fish are fast and
Very, very abundant.

And the vast majority of them
Manage to escape.

Within a few hours, the tide
Pulls back to the sea, and the

Sea bass hunters retreat back to
The mediterranean.

Coming up, a tiny species
Constructs its own road through

The forest.

More amazing wildlife stories
Right after this on earth

Odyssey.

Narrator: we'll be right back
To the more you know on nbc.

.

Narrator: we now return to
The more you know on nbc.

[music]

Dylan: in an italian pine
Forest, bizarre tracks run

Across the grass.

Amazingly, these paths were made
By insects, specifically

Thousands of harvester ants.

With painstaking care, they
Build tracks to travel more

Efficiently.

These hordes of worker ants are
Always busy foraging for food.

The purpose of this intense
Activity is collecting plants

And their seeds.

No fallen seed is wasted.

Ants can lift impressive
Weights, many times their own.

Their strength derives from
Their small body size, which

Results in a favorable ratio of
Surface area to volume and

Muscle mass.

Basically, it requires very
Little effort for ants to lift

Their own body, which leaves
Them with a lot of muscle power

To lift other things.

However, these insects can rely
On their determination and

Mutual help.

Unity is strength for harvester
Ants.

When the seeds found on the
Ground are not enough, harvester

Ants collect them directly from
The plants.

And sometimes, even these plant
Eaters will consider a

Mediterranean snail a good meal.

All the ants need to do is take
It down from the plant and break

Through its semi-rigid mucus
Seal.

That's teamwork.

We've seen how biodiversity
Contributes to the beauty and

Energy of italy's maremma
Region.

In any ecosystem, different
Species count on their shared

Habitat to provide food and
Shelter.

Thanks for joining us today on
Earth odyssey as we explore the

Captivating world of wildlife.

I'm dylan dreyer.

See you next time.

[music]