All language subtitles for Earth.Odyssey.With.Dylan.Dreyer.S07E16.1080p.WEB.h264-DiRT_track3_[eng]

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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]