Original subtitles

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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 a wildlife Expedition to north america.

This is earth odyssey.

Today, we explore the wilds of North america, home to

Fascinating animals.

Like this formidable predator, The largest carnivore walking

The earth.

And we go the distance with These powerful travelers.

Plus, a bird that Can outrun a human

And take on a poisonous snake.

But first, these delicate Beauties are some of nature's

Heartiest flyers.

These incredible wildlife Stories are just ahead on earth

Odyssey.

[music]

Dylan: hi everyone, I am here With a very special guest

Today, dr. Rae wynn grant from Mutual of omaha's wild kingdom,

Protecting the wild on nbc.

Thanks so much for being with Us.

Dr. Rae: it's great to be here With you, dylan.

Dylan: so I grew up watching Wild kingdom.

Dr. Rae: so did I.

We have that in common.

And wild kingdom debuted in 1963, believe it or not.

Dylan: wow.

Dr. Rae: we're back on nbc now.

We're going around the world Telling stories of wild animals

And inspiring the next Generation of conservationists.

Dylan: you certainly are.

And here we are in this jungle, Rainforest type setting.

And there's really so much to See here.

Dr. Rae: I mean, we've already Seen a lot.

We've got monkeys in the tree And we've got pygmy hippos

Behind us.

But there's a lot that we're not Seeing, actually, and that's the

Insect community.

Rainforests are so biodiverse And can have tens of

Thousands of insect species per Square mile.

Dylan: wow.

So you have to watch where you Step.

Dr. Rae: that's a good idea.

Yep.

Dylan: well, you are actually Going to love our first story

Then because it is about a very Impressive insect, the monarch

Butterfly.

These creatures, they fly Thousands of miles on one of

The most remarkable migrations In the animal kingdom.

Dr. Rae: well, this I want to Learn about.

Let's watch.

Dylan: butterflies have existed On earth for more than 200

Million years, longer than Flowering plants.

Butterflies have clung to Survival despite their delicate

Bodies.

Today, they continue to impress With their feats of endurance.

None more so than the monarch Butterfly.

Each year, it embarks on a Massive two-way migration.

From their summer breeding Grounds ar north as canada,

The butterflies journey 2,500 Miles south.

They'll land in their winter Hibernation grounds in the

Conifer forests of mexico.

Come spring, they head north Again, like birds.

It's only in the north that the Monarchs find a special type of

Plant critical to their larva's Survival.

Females must lay their eggs on The underside of milkweed

Leaves.

Milkweed sap is toxic to most Other animals, but not to their

Newly hatched caterpillars.

They devour the plant with Enthusiasm.

As they consume the plant, they Also become poisonous,

Protecting them from most Predators.

After two weeks of gluttony, the Larva are ready for their

Spectacular transformation.

[music]

Dylan: spinning a cocoon of Green and gold, they emerge

From the chrysalis three weeks Later.

But most of the new butterflies Won't make it.

They live for just a few weeks, With multiple generations

Breeding and dying in the Summer.

Except for the last generation Of the season, which can live as

Long as eight months.

This final generation of the Season must find a way south, or

They'll die in the bitterly cold Northern winter.

Using the sun as a compass, the Butterflies make a life-or-death

Sprint to mexico.

But the migration is full of Hazards along the way.

[music]

Dylan: prairies that were once Full of wildflowers have been

Replaced with farmed monoculture Crops and cities.

Chemical sprays are abundant.

Heavy frosts also take their Toll.

The butterflies cross regions With barely any food or water.

Finally, in autumn, they make it To the forest north of mexico

City.

Clouds of butterflies go up into The mountains.

There, fir trees change hue from Green to a shimmering gold.

The males that have made it here Have one purpose - to mate

Before they die.

Only the females will live to Travel north once more and lay

Their eggs on the all-important Milkweed plant.

In the last days in mexico, the Males expire.

But they leave behind a Pheromone of love, a

Long-lasting scent that lingers On the trees and in the air.

A message to the next year's Migrating monarchs.

Coming up, even the fiercest Hunters need a break now and

Then.

And this bird might look like a Lightweight, but don't be

Fooled, it's a serious predator.

Plus, a species that's mastered The art of long-distance

Running.

All this and more 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: in the arctic circle, the Icy surface of the arctic ocean

Has begun to melt and break Apart.

For the polar bear, the sea ice Is a vast domain, covering

Millions of square miles.

This is where he must travel, Rest and hunt for months

On end.

This largest of bear species Feeds mainly on seals, and he

Relies on the ice to catch them.

With a landscape so sparsely Populated, it can take days to

Find a meal.

There's not a seal in sight.

But an enticing aroma on the Breeze compels the hunter

Onwards.

His survival in the cold, with Few other species, depends on

Persistence.

The polar bear searches for a Breathing hole that a seal might

Emerge from.

His exceptional sense of smell Allows him to sniff out seals

Underwater from a half mile Away, and those on top of the

Ice from 20 miles away.

His best option now is to wait.

But there's no guarantee a seal Will surface right here.

Eventually, the bear spies a Seal on the ice.

In this environment, there's no Chance of a subtle approach.

There's nowhere to hide.

The seal senses a threat.

The bear is a good swimmer.

He can't beat a seal, but polar Bears can hold their breaths for

Two minutes.

Ambush is his only chance.

[music]

Dylan: he is not close enough.

[music continues]

Dylan: he will spend half his Life hunting, but less than 2%

Of attacks are successful.

Each year, hunting becomes more Difficult as the ice melts

Faster and grows thinner.

[music]

Dylan: his habitat is Disappearing, disrupting

Hunting patterns and threatening The species' survival.

Finally, the bear is able to Rest.

Curling up in the middle of the Frozen sea, he settles in for a

Winter's nap.

Coming up, in the desert, one Very clever bird knows just how

To stake out a snake.

Plus, a marathon migration Proves that running with the

Herd pays off.

Don't go away.

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: when a venomous snake is Coiled to strike, it's hard to

Imagine many challengers Taking it on.

But in the canyons of the American southwest, one bird

Shows no fear when it comes to Confronting a reptile with a

Deadly reputation.

Take a look.

Near the end of the day in the Southwestern desert, a prowler

Is on the hunt.

A rattlesnake.

This one is scouring the rocky Grounds for signs of a rodent

Meal.

Heat-sensitive pits in the Rattlesnake's face can detect

The warm bodies of small Mammals, allowing it to see a

Heat image of its prey.

[music]

Dylan: rattlesnakes are ambush Predators.

They lie in wait for their prey.

And while they don't seek out People, they will strike and use

Their fangs to protect Themselves.

And their bite can be deadly, Especially to smaller prey.

Not many animals will stand Their ground against this highly

Venomous snake.

But there is one american Inhabitant that will take it on.

The roadrunner.

The iconic bird is perfectly Able to fly, but it's famous for

Its running speed and its Willingness to take on

Formidable opponents.

It spends most of its time on The ground, hunting prey.

But perhaps more surprising is Its desire to eat some of the

Most unappetizing animals Imaginable, from bugs to rodents

To rattlesnakes.

The roadrunner has a remarkable Strategy to dispatch the deadly

Rattlesnake without injuring Itself.

First, the bird drops its wings, Using them like a shield.

[music]

Dylan: then, the roadrunner Begins to circle and antagonize

This juvenile snake, trying to Wear it out.

[music continues]

Dylan: although some rattlesnake Species can grow up to 8 feet,

This young snake is far smaller.

There's no win for the Roadrunner today.

In the battlegrounds of the wild West, there are no guarantees.

Coming up, these four-legged Newborns have to get up to speed

In a hurry.

A trip to the tundra when earth Odyssey returns.

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 north america, the Yukon ranges provide animals

Just enough sustenance to Survive months of sub-zero

Temperatures.

This enormous herd of porcupine Caribou have made it through

A lean winter.

But now the seasons are Shifting.

It's spring, the females are Pregnant, and the caribou have

Grown restless.

They're ready to head north to Their calving grounds.

The porcupine caribou's journey Is the longest animal land

Migration in the world.

More than 200,000 individuals Will run more than 1,500 miles.

They move from the forests of The canadian yukon to the arctic

National wildlife refuge in Alaska.

Called caribou in north ama, They're better known as reindeer

In europe and asia.

The herd creates a dramatic Spectacle as they head towards

The greener pastures of their Calving ground.

They thunder across ancient North american trails as they

Have for more than 3,000 years.

This season's weary travelers Arrive to a summer of arctic

Color.

The top layer of the tundra has Melted.

Fresh vegetation provides Essential nutrition for the

Lactating mothers.

Around 40,000 calves are born Each year.

[music]

Dylan: the infants grow quickly.

Amazingly, within a week, the Newborns can run as fast as

Their mothers, more than 45 Miles per hour.

But even in this extreme Environment, specialist hunters

Are watching.

[wolves howling]

Dylan: arctic wolves also prowl The tundra.

They, too, travel long distances To find food, and they have

Their own offspring to feed.

The youngest caribou are easier Prey.

A mother searches for her calf, But it's fallen behind the herd.

A chase can begin in seconds.

[music]

Dylan: but this calf is lucky.

More than 10% of calves will be Taken by predators in the first

Month.

But for those that survive the Summer, a first long migration

Back is beginning soon.

As they learn to run with the Herd, they will face a constant

Battle for food while hoofing it Over miles of terrain.

Predators, like these wolves, Will keep them constantly on the

Move.

But the porcupine caribou seem To draw their vital energy from

The size and momentum of the Herd.

The majestic migration of the Monarch butterfly, or the

Amazing adaptation of the owl's Night vision, reminds us of

Wonders of wildlife in north America and around the world.

No matter where they are, each Animal species has a unique set

Of qualities waiting to be Discovered.

Thanks for watching.

I'm dylan dreyer.

See you next time on earth Odyssey.

[music]