1 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,800 NARRATOR: At the tip of South America, 2 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,520 spanning Chile and Argentina, 3 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,840 lies a remote and frozen domain. 4 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,160 It's known as Patagonia. 5 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:43,000 17 million years ago, 6 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,520 the clash of tectonic plates... 7 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,000 creased and buckled the landscape. 8 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,920 Vast glaciers shaped it 9 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,760 into an Eden like no other. 10 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,040 Isolated by sheer distance... 11 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,160 and preserved in time. 12 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,560 Adaptable and resilient creatures... 13 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:13,680 GRUNTING 14 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:15,360 NARRATOR: ...evolved unique 15 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,200 survival strategies... 16 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,160 SQUAWKING 17 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,000 NARRATOR: ...to flourish 18 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,000 across its remarkable habitats. 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,840 From precipitous mountain citadels... 20 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,080 and icy desert plateaus... 21 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,880 windswept steppe uplands... 22 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:48,800 through remote, primal forests... 23 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,960 to a mosaic of glacial valleys. 24 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:05,240 To thrive here 25 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,200 is to be as extreme as the land itself. 26 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,600 There are still places on Earth 27 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:21,680 that remain pristine. 28 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,960 Where wildlife flourishes. 29 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:31,560 These are the last regions that could be called... 30 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:33,720 Eden. 31 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:52,400 Our journey begins high in the Andean mountains. 32 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,240 Almost 5,000 miles of jagged peaks... 33 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,200 extend the length of Patagonia, 34 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,520 where their influence shapes life itself... 35 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,760 in this remote and mysterious land. 36 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,200 North of Patagonia, in the shadow of the Andes, 37 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,200 lies one of the driest, most inhospitable 38 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,000 deserts on earth... 39 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:47,800 Atacama. 40 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,360 Almost 40,000 square miles. 41 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,600 There are places here with no recorded rainfall 42 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:09,400 in 500 years. 43 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,440 Around 16,000 feet up... 44 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:21,320 the ultraviolet radiation is so intense... 45 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:27,080 it can burn human skin in minutes. 46 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,640 Yet for some, 47 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,280 this is paradise. 48 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,600 SQUAWKING 49 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,920 NARRATOR: Every spring, from as far away as southern Patagonia, 50 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,000 2,000 miles away, 51 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,640 thousands of flamingos gather. 52 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,080 Descending on shallow lagoons, 53 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:01,240 they feed on vast algal blooms... 54 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,560 and the prolific brine shrimp that flourish here... 55 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,360 from which the birds inherit their fiery coloring. 56 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,720 Every little helps when you need to attract a mate 57 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,160 in a crowd of lookalikes. 58 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:33,560 22 weeks later, 59 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,800 the lake is a nursery for thousands of chicks. 60 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,240 For safety, they stick together in creches. 61 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,640 CHIRPING 62 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,200 NARRATOR: Culpeo foxes patrol the shore... 63 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:00,640 so it pays to keep up. 64 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,520 Watchful guardians are on hand... 65 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,320 shepherding the hungry youngsters 66 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,680 to the richest feeding grounds. 67 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,400 They have just three months 68 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:34,440 to fatten up on shrimp... 69 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,480 and build the strength to fly... 70 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,360 CHIRPING 71 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,320 NARRATOR: ...before the onset of winter. 72 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,360 By April, nightly temperatures 73 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,240 fall to 22 degrees below freezing. 74 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,400 At dawn, the surface of the lake 75 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:18,240 is frozen solid... 76 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:25,400 WHIMPERING 77 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:29,560 NARRATOR: ...cutting off the food supply... 78 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,400 and imprisoning the fledglings. 79 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,280 Only adults have the strength to break their bonds... 80 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,520 and make good their escape. 81 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,400 Even as the lake begins to thaw... 82 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,880 shackles of salt and ice 83 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,520 continue to weigh the chicks down. 84 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:24,480 CHIRPING 85 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,920 NARRATOR: And with every day deeper into winter... 86 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:42,120 cold and lack of food take a toll. 87 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,720 But a breath of seasonal wind offers hope. 88 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,120 CHIRPS 89 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:12,480 NARRATOR: Gaining strength... 90 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,480 it provides just enough lift... 91 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,120 for a last chance at liberty. 92 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,800 PLAYING 93 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,880 NARRATOR: Trading their rich nursery feeding grounds... 94 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,960 for the southern lowlands, 95 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,280 they'll find refuge from the grip of winter. 96 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,480 WIND BLOWING 97 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,520 NARRATOR: As the Andes runs south into Patagonia... 98 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:33,480 its tallest peaks tower 13,000 feet or more. 99 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:37,920 Despite the extreme conditions, 100 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,560 some creatures find sanctuary 101 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,440 in this remote mountain refuge year round. 102 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,040 Emerging from its burrow to catch the first rays... 103 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,520 the viscacha. 104 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:09,520 These members of the chinchilla family 105 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:12,600 are hardy mountain specialists. 106 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:19,840 Way up here, 107 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,640 sunbathing is more lifesaver than luxury... 108 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,320 raising their body temperatures 109 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,680 after the chill of night. 110 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,520 But snoozing in the sun... 111 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,680 can be a perilous pastime. 112 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:47,800 On the prowl... 113 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,720 an Andean cat. 114 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,800 These intimate images are the first ever filmed 115 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,120 of South America's rarest feline species, 116 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,200 numbering a thousand or less. 117 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,360 Twice the size of his domestic cousins, 118 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,600 he's protected from bitter cold 119 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:20,520 by dense fur 120 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:22,560 over an inch and half long. 121 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,920 But a cat still needs fresh meat for fuel. 122 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:46,920 Even when dozing, 123 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,600 those 2.5-inch ears 124 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,400 are tuned in to signs of trouble. 125 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,200 He knows he'll get another chance... 126 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,720 in over 30 square miles of territory. 127 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,280 But as global temperatures rise with climate change, 128 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,840 his cold mountain habitat is shrinking... 129 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,280 and this unique cat, 130 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,640 so perfectly adapted, 131 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,320 would overheat in warmer conditions. 132 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,560 But for now, the Andean cat continues to enjoy 133 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:58,520 its top-of-the-world life. 134 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,240 Each dawn, another of Patagonia's residents 135 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,400 awakens in its mountain eyrie. 136 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,120 The world's heaviest soaring bird... 137 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:35,720 the Andean condor. 138 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,080 At almost 30 pounds, 139 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,000 this six-month-old juvenile 140 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:52,440 has already reached his weight limit. 141 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,520 Launching at first light 142 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:58,880 could mean risking a crash landing... 143 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,440 4,000 feet below. 144 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:14,200 So, his flight plan 145 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,880 is to follow the more experienced adults. 146 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,240 Waiting patiently for thermals... 147 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,080 that rise with the strengthening sun. 148 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,840 A plucked feather lets them know 149 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:38,240 when it's safe to fly. 150 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:43,200 If it floats up, 151 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,200 they're clear for take-off. 152 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:06,360 And now a youngster can have confidence 153 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,480 in his leap of faith. 154 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:25,800 On ten-foot wings, 155 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,840 the condors soar. 156 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:36,280 Effortlessly gliding 157 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,680 over 300 miles a day in search of food... 158 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,760 across the high plateau to the east of the Andes 159 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,640 known as the steppe. 160 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,280 In the rain shadow of the mountains, 161 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,880 precipitation is largely blocked by the high peaks. 162 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,800 So in this wintry desert, 163 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,360 only grass and shrub can take root. 164 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:31,720 And yet it's more than enough 165 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,960 for the largest wild herbivore on the Patagonian steppe... 166 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:42,720 the guanaco. 167 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:47,880 SNORTS 168 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:50,560 NARRATOR: A relative of the camel, 169 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,400 they can gain all the moisture they need from grazing. 170 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,480 Kitted out in coats of double-layered insulation... 171 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:03,720 WIND BLOWING 172 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,280 NARRATOR: ...they withstand polar winds... 173 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,040 that howl across the open steppe. 174 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,960 For safety, they gather in large herds. 175 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,920 These grasslands are prowled... 176 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:32,760 by the puma. 177 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:45,720 HISSES 178 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,080 NARRATOR: At 300 pounds, 179 00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:51,120 an adult guanaco is three times her size. 180 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,200 A kick could leave her badly wounded. 181 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,320 WIND BLOWING 182 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:12,000 NARRATOR: With so many eyes keeping watch 183 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,000 and such little cover... 184 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,760 pumas must use the shape of the land 185 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,120 to their advantage. 186 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,000 Approaching downwind 187 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,800 to close the distance to 30 feet. 188 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:36,960 A change in wind direction... 189 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:38,720 HISSES 190 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:44,960 GUANACOS SCREECHING 191 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,160 NARRATOR: ...and her cover is blown. 192 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:56,240 GRUNTING 193 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,880 NARRATOR: But this is a resilient hunter. 194 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,240 Stalking prey for up to five hours... 195 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,720 possibly longer than any of the solitary cats. 196 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:33,160 Finally within range, she makes her move. 197 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:50,640 GUANACO SCREAMS 198 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,080 NARRATOR: This kill will feed her for four days. 199 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,600 Across the steppe, any remains are quickly targeted... 200 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,200 by the eye in the sky... 201 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:19,760 the condor. 202 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:24,240 FLIES BUZZING 203 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,720 NARRATOR: First on the scene, 204 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,480 the young male claims his prize. 205 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,960 FLIES BUZZING 206 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,480 NARRATOR: Ignoring his smaller two-foot-tall cousin, 207 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:41,800 a black vulture, 208 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,160 he tucks in, knowing he won't have long. 209 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,200 From a height of 15,000 feet, 210 00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,600 other condors can locate a carcass 211 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:01,520 from over four miles away. 212 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,800 Next to arrive, an adult male. 213 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,360 HISSES 214 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,520 NARRATOR: Standing almost four feet tall, 215 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,640 adorned with his very own crown. 216 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,200 SQUAWKS 217 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,440 NARRATOR: Condors adhere to a strict feeding hierarchy. 218 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,800 And the youngster is at the bottom 219 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:45,400 of the pecking order. 220 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:52,520 Only when he reaches maturity in just another five or so years 221 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,160 will he join the grandees at the top table. 222 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:00,600 Until then, 223 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,240 he must wait for them to retire for a clean-up... 224 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,000 HISSES 225 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,000 NARRATOR: ...before making do with leftovers. 226 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:23,240 WIND BLOWING 227 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:31,280 NARRATOR: On the plateaus below the condor eyries, 228 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,560 every spring, glacial melt water 229 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,840 pools in depressions. 230 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,640 Crystal lakes temporarily transform 231 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:46,360 the barren steppe... 232 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,560 into a paradise 233 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,480 for one of Patagonia's most precious inhabitants. 234 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,320 BIRDS SQUAWKING 235 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:00,360 NARRATOR: Driven almost to extinction 236 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,360 by invasive species... 237 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:06,360 the hooded grebe. 238 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,600 This is their time to shine... 239 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:20,520 as the world population of just over 700 gather. 240 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,360 Coinciding with the yearly mass-emergence 241 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:31,400 of mayfly. 242 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,680 The main attraction here... 243 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:38,320 is the chance... 244 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:40,640 to dance. 245 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:41,600 SINGS 246 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,280 247 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,280 NARRATOR: For a young male, 248 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,920 it's the very first opportunity to find a mate. 249 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:07,520 If he's going to be taken seriously, 250 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:12,080 he needs to channel some of the Latin flair 251 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:14,800 and flamboyance on show here. 252 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,160 SINGING 253 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:28,240 254 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,160 NARRATOR: It helps to look good too. 255 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,600 The next move could be make or break. 256 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,840 Mate or wait another year. 257 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:07,760 These moves are certainly turning heads. 258 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,640 This female likes what she sees. 259 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,960 They take center stage together. 260 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,440 She'll score him on technique... 261 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:38,560 creativity... 262 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,840 and performance. 263 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,720 Top marks are awarded 264 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,680 with a frond of waterweed called milfoil... 265 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,360 which he dutifully returns. 266 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:23,920 In Patagonia, 267 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,040 even a blustery lake... 268 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:29,240 can set the scene 269 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:31,440 for a glorious romance... 270 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,920 that gives their species hope. 271 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,760 CALLING 272 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,520 While the eastern plateau of the Patagonian Andes 273 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:00,760 is defined by the dry steppe... 274 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,640 Patagonia's western slopes 275 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,480 could not offer greater contrast. 276 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,200 Millennia of flowing glaciers... 277 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,720 and raging meltwater torrents... 278 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:30,480 have sculpted a landscape of vertiginous ravines 279 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,600 and isolated valleys... 280 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:41,280 so remote that forests of living fossils 281 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,840 evoke the days of the dinosaur. 282 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:53,560 The last tracts of monkey puzzle trees on Earth. 283 00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:02,720 Canyons carved as far as the coastline 284 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,960 form one of the most extensive fjordlands 285 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,480 in the world. 286 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,160 INSECTS CHIRPING 287 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,440 NARRATOR: Bathed in moisture swept in from the Pacific Ocean, 288 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,720 rich, untouched temperate rainforests... 289 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,960 shelter prolific, primordial life... 290 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,000 found nowhere else. 291 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,600 Just over one foot tall, 292 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:36,840 the pudu, 293 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,120 the world's smallest deer. 294 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,040 Darwin's stag beetles 295 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,280 armed with monster jaws 296 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:49,680 to wrestle opponents. 297 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:58,760 And the world's most southerly hummingbird... 298 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,280 the Green-backed Firecrown, 299 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,600 can prosper despite the cold... 300 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,840 powered by sugary quintral nectar. 301 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,120 Before nightfall, it must find shelter 302 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,240 from plummeting temperatures. 303 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:31,120 INSECTS BUZZING 304 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:40,480 NARRATOR: Yet one animal curiosity 305 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,720 braves the cold after dark. 306 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:52,200 A prehensile tail 307 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:55,520 and arboreal acrobatics... 308 00:30:57,200 --> 00:30:58,520 earned it the name 309 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,680 the 'little mountain monkey', 310 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:04,720 the monito del monte, 311 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:08,720 an ancient marsupial. 312 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:19,000 Weighing less than two silver dollars... 313 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,760 allows him to survive on the slim autumn pickings. 314 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,040 But being small 315 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:40,800 also makes him vulnerable to cold. 316 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,920 As night temperatures drop to below freezing... 317 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,840 he needs shelter fast. 318 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,280 Tree holes offer refuge... 319 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:05,520 but an empty nest, nuh-uh, 320 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,400 is no good for him. 321 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:15,920 This could work. Hmm? 322 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:17,760 No one there. 323 00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:41,200 Just what he's looking for... 324 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:46,320 Company. 325 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,200 A group of five snoozing mountain monkeys... 326 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,280 that form a life-saving cocoon 327 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,560 of communal body heat. 328 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,120 A monito has one last trick. 329 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:17,760 By lowering his heart rate 330 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,560 to just three beats a minute... 331 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:25,360 he enters into torpor, 332 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:28,600 a hibernation 333 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,640 that conserves energy. 334 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:38,080 His extreme adaptation... 335 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,560 transforms a chilly wood 336 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,280 into the lap of luxury. 337 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,360 As Patagonia's temperate rain forest 338 00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:58,880 descends to sea level... 339 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,240 daytime temperatures rise to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 340 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,080 And if your body is around 50 percent fat... 341 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,760 it pays to take to the shade. 342 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:25,800 The Southern elephant seal. 343 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,600 At over four tons, 344 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,040 the largest seal on Earth. 345 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,040 Hauling out in this glacial bay... 346 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,000 BARKING 347 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,800 NARRATOR: ...gives them a chance to spruce up their fur... 348 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,600 with a restorative molt. 349 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,320 In the past, this left them vulnerable. 350 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,360 SNORTS 351 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,480 NARRATOR: Hunters prized their blubber and meat. 352 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,320 GRUNTING 353 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:12,560 NARRATOR: Today, thanks to strict protection, 354 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,040 this is a healthy colony of 70. 355 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:23,000 But seniority is still being disputed, 356 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,520 as in any group of young males. 357 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,320 BELLOWING 358 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:33,080 NARRATOR: If menacing bellows aren't enough, 359 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,600 blows aimed at toughened neck hide 360 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:40,600 establish who's the boss of who. 361 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,720 GRUNTING 362 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:10,680 NARRATOR: But this adult alpha, 363 00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:13,120 with his outstanding nose, 364 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,360 pays little heed to whippersnappers 365 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,760 half his size. 366 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:22,840 By early evening, 367 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:24,320 they've worked up an appetite... 368 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,000 so they head out into the fertile waters 369 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,440 that provide these giants 370 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:33,840 with all the food they need. 371 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,920 These coastal fjords owe their productivity... 372 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,360 to Patagonia's vast ice fields. 373 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:57,520 Outside Antarctica, 374 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:01,200 they're the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. 375 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:09,720 Since forming in the last ice age, 376 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:13,480 they have incrementally advanced, 377 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:14,880 carried forward 378 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:18,560 by 5,000 gigatons of weight. 379 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,880 From mountain to coast... 380 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,280 San Rafael Glacier extends 20 miles up the valley. 381 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:48,280 The height of summer is when it's most active. 382 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,160 Its 100-foot face fractures... 383 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:13,240 into icebergs the size of small houses. 384 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:21,840 They gradually melt away... 385 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:29,200 unlocking the store of volcanic nutrients 386 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,680 carried from the mountain tops. 387 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,800 But now, due to climate change, 388 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,240 this is one of the fastest-disappearing glaciers 389 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:45,720 on the planet. 390 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:21,480 Half its previous height, 391 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:25,240 it calves more than 60 feet every day. 392 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:53,440 Releasing a potential overdose of fertilizer 393 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:55,040 into the fjord... 394 00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:59,600 that threatens the delicate balance... 395 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,800 of this ecosystem. 396 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:14,760 Glacial melt water... 397 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,720 mingled with rich Antarctic currents... 398 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:25,160 allow Patagonia's extensive coastline... 399 00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:30,640 to sustain some of the greatest concentrations 400 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:33,360 of marine life on Earth. 401 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,320 SEABIRDS SQUAWKING 402 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:44,880 NARRATOR: After a day's hunting in waters 403 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:46,960 abounding in fish and squid... 404 00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:56,120 around two million Magellanic penguins 405 00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,760 return to feed their young. 406 00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:05,520 Some trudge over a mile inland... 407 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:09,760 heading for their colony. 408 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:13,840 In Monte Leon, 409 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:16,440 87,000 penguins 410 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,440 crowd into just three miles of coastline. 411 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:29,280 PENGUINS HONKING 412 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,080 NARRATOR: Myriad burrows, 413 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:33,200 up to six feet deep, 414 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,920 have been dug by generations of penguins. 415 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:41,800 HONKING 416 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:48,080 NARRATOR: Each bunker is fiercely contested. 417 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,200 HONKING 418 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:07,920 NARRATOR: The stakes are high. 419 00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:13,640 Darkness brings danger 420 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:17,280 to those with nowhere to hide. 421 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,800 Captured using heat-sensitive technology... 422 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:38,160 a female puma 423 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:40,440 is on the hunt. 424 00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:47,520 Equipped with keen night vision... 425 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:56,080 PENGUINS HONKING 426 00:42:57,240 --> 00:42:59,760 NARRATOR: ...she passes through the colony 427 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,200 virtually undetected by the penguins... 428 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,240 whose low-light sight... 429 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:11,360 is comparatively poor. 430 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:22,840 On the beach, they're easy pickings. 431 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,120 HONKING 432 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,240 NARRATOR: Panic spreading through the colony... 433 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,040 does nothing to deter her. 434 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:04,920 She'll catch eight or more. 435 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:11,400 Too many for her to eat... 436 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:16,480 but she's a mother. 437 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:22,480 She needs to provide for her cubs. 438 00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:37,880 HONKING 439 00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:48,640 NARRATOR: At 12 weeks old, 440 00:44:48,680 --> 00:44:51,200 they're too young to hunt for themselves. 441 00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:58,960 In behavior only recently observed, 442 00:45:00,720 --> 00:45:04,240 penguins now provide a rich food source for pumas. 443 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,960 At dawn, the family heads five or more miles inland. 444 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:40,640 Returning to their home in the low-lying steppe. 445 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:58,120 SHEEP BLEATING 446 00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,680 NARRATOR: Over the last 100 years, 447 00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:03,320 as much as 90 percent of their habitat 448 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:05,520 has been overgrazed by sheep... 449 00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:11,600 forcing natural prey to move away... 450 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:21,520 and leading farmers into conflict with the puma. 451 00:46:24,240 --> 00:46:25,680 But there is hope. 452 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:32,120 Some are returning farmland... 453 00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:36,000 to the natural state... 454 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:49,080 allowing areas of steppe to rewild. 455 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:57,120 In this world of extremes, 456 00:46:57,160 --> 00:46:58,480 adaptability... 457 00:46:59,920 --> 00:47:01,880 is the key to success. 458 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:18,720 As long as we protect 459 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:21,200 such a unique and varied habitat... 460 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:29,200 for Patagonia, 461 00:47:29,240 --> 00:47:31,760 life at the very ends of the Earth... 462 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:37,160 could be an everlasting Eden. 463 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:56,840 NARRATOR: Filming for over a year... 464 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:01,800 the Eden team braved the ever-changing 465 00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:05,080 MAN: Typical Patagonian summer. 466 00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:07,520 NARRATOR: ...and extreme conditions 467 00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:09,600 of Patagonia. 468 00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:11,360 MAN: Look at that! 469 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:13,880 That is whopping! 470 00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:18,920 NARRATOR: Employing the latest filming technology, 471 00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:20,720 the crew set out to capture 472 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:22,840 groundbreaking new behaviors... 473 00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:26,360 from its coasts... 474 00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:29,880 and pristine lowland forests... 475 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:33,760 MAN: Go, go, go, go, go! 476 00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:37,400 NARRATOR: up to the high peaks of the Andes... 477 00:48:39,120 --> 00:48:42,680 in search of its rarest wildlife. 478 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:45,920 MAN: We really don't know that much about the Andean cat. 479 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:49,200 Imagine this is like a mini snow leopard. 480 00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,720 NARRATOR: With closer encounters than they had bargained for. 481 00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:54,880 MAN: I just found in my tent. 482 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:58,360 NARRATOR: But the greatest challenge 483 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:00,120 was to tell the story 484 00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:03,600 of flamingo chicks' epic struggle to fledge 485 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:08,160 in some of the most testing conditions on Earth. 486 00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:16,640 Camera operator Tom Ross and team 487 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:20,840 venture into the vast and unforgiving Atacama Desert. 488 00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:25,280 TOM: It's freezing cold at night, 489 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:27,160 it's boiling in the midday. 490 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:28,960 It's basically like working on a knife edge. 491 00:49:31,240 --> 00:49:33,240 NARRATOR: Timing their arrival to coincide 492 00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:35,960 with the peak of the flamingo nesting season... 493 00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:43,520 only to be confronted with devastating news. 494 00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:46,280 As you can tell all around me, 495 00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:48,520 there are thousands of empty nests. 496 00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:52,880 NARRATOR: This year, the adult flamingos 497 00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:55,640 have abandoned their newly-laid eggs. 498 00:49:56,560 --> 00:49:58,400 The rangers believe that this could be due 499 00:49:58,440 --> 00:50:00,880 to the climate, it's been hotter and drier this year. 500 00:50:02,040 --> 00:50:04,120 Last year there was 500 born, 501 00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:05,520 and this year there's none. 502 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:09,560 To realize and see that first-person... 503 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:11,560 it's quite hard-hitting. 504 00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:17,160 NARRATOR: The team head higher 505 00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:19,680 into the heart of the Atacama Desert... 506 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,400 in the hope that the flamingos are still breeding 507 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:32,600 in the cooler conditions up here. 508 00:50:36,480 --> 00:50:37,920 But recent flooding 509 00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:40,480 has created waterlogged plains, 510 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,760 making their passage near impossible. 511 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:46,680 ENGINES REVVING 512 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:51,840 JUSTINE: Our rescue car 513 00:50:51,880 --> 00:50:54,280 is now also stuck in the mud, 514 00:50:54,320 --> 00:50:57,480 um, so we're gonna have to rescue the rescue car 515 00:50:57,520 --> 00:50:59,720 ENGINE REVVING 516 00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:03,080 NARRATOR: Being so remote, there's no other help on hand... 517 00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:07,720 so there's little choice but to wait 518 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:09,600 until the plains dry out. 519 00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:16,480 Three days later... 520 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:18,560 WOMAN: Yeah! 521 00:51:19,720 --> 00:51:20,960 NARRATOR: ...back on the road. 522 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:22,240 MAN SHOUTS IN JOY 523 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:27,720 NARRATOR: The team finally reach 524 00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:30,520 one of the highest and most remote salt flats 525 00:51:30,560 --> 00:51:31,760 in Atacama. 526 00:51:34,520 --> 00:51:36,000 Their reward? 527 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:38,040 A healthy colony 528 00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:40,640 of newly-hatched flamingo chicks. 529 00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:51,560 They're just little bundles of joy to watch. 530 00:51:52,520 --> 00:51:54,000 Their gangly legs, 531 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:56,040 their little giblet wings, 532 00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:57,680 and, you know, they run like a kid 533 00:51:57,720 --> 00:52:00,080 with a cape around the school playground, 534 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:03,400 trying to fly like Superman. 535 00:52:07,360 --> 00:52:09,360 NARRATOR: Tom can now settle in 536 00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:11,160 for a month of hide-work, 537 00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:15,520 charting their early development. 538 00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:23,200 But the extreme conditions that come 539 00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:25,720 with working in this high-altitude desert... 540 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:28,840 begin to take their toll. 541 00:52:30,240 --> 00:52:32,440 TOM: Going through nearly knee-deep mud, 542 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:35,320 it's an absolute mission. 543 00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:39,560 Um... the lack of oxygen 544 00:52:39,600 --> 00:52:43,120 is really hard to deal with. 545 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:46,200 Some people, like myself, get headaches. 546 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:50,120 Um... I mean, everything you do, 547 00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:51,920 is exhausting. 548 00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:01,040 NARRATOR: Toughing it out brings benefits. 549 00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:07,120 The locals are becoming more friendly. 550 00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:09,200 TOM: It's taken weeks and weeks and weeks 551 00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:11,520 for these flamingo chicks to get accustomed to us. 552 00:53:13,760 --> 00:53:16,240 And this morning, 553 00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:18,760 they've literally just walked straight past me 554 00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:20,600 without a care in the world. 555 00:53:25,600 --> 00:53:27,920 NARRATOR: To capture the chicks' full story, 556 00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:31,080 the crew returns two months later 557 00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:34,120 to face even more extreme conditions. 558 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:38,240 By early winter, 559 00:53:38,280 --> 00:53:40,440 the chicks must cope with temperatures 560 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:42,240 that drop to sub-zero. 561 00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:46,200 TOM: Not only were they pinned in 562 00:53:46,240 --> 00:53:47,960 from the night before, 563 00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:50,280 they also have these shackles of ice and salt 564 00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:52,120 which weigh them down. 565 00:53:53,960 --> 00:53:56,520 They've only just started to fledge, 566 00:53:56,560 --> 00:53:58,680 and they can't fly because they're full of ice. 567 00:53:59,440 --> 00:54:01,360 It's just crazy. [CHUCKLES] 568 00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:06,720 NARRATOR: After over three months of sharing their company, 569 00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:10,480 witnessing all they have endured, 570 00:54:10,520 --> 00:54:14,040 Tom has formed a deep attachment to the chicks. 571 00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:17,800 One of the hardest things of filming wildlife, 572 00:54:17,840 --> 00:54:19,920 is... it's not 573 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:22,520 the braving the elements, 574 00:54:22,560 --> 00:54:26,480 it's more of a mental and emotional rollercoaster, 575 00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:29,280 especially when you film something that's so young 576 00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:31,920 and you see them perish one by one. 577 00:54:33,120 --> 00:54:35,920 They have absolutely everything thrown at them, 578 00:54:35,960 --> 00:54:36,760 absolutely everything. 579 00:54:39,240 --> 00:54:41,960 It's just true to how hardy 580 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,920 these flamingos are because 581 00:54:44,960 --> 00:54:47,120 it's absolutely savage up here. 582 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,320 NARRATOR: Though the hardship of their early lives 583 00:54:53,360 --> 00:54:55,840 was sometimes emotional for the crew... 584 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:02,120 the safety offered by this extreme habitat 585 00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:04,320 means flamingos in Patagonia... 586 00:55:06,600 --> 00:55:08,520 will continue to flourish.