All language subtitles for Big Beasts Last of the Giants S01 E01_track3_[eng]

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(TRUMPETING)

(GROWLING)

'Across the planet...'

(ROARING)

'There are giants.

'Creatures that have pushed
their bodies to the limits.'

In this series,
I'm on a mission to find

some of the biggest animals
on the planet

and discover why, in the natural
world, size really matters.

'Travelling to Asia...'

Look at the size of that thing.

'The Americas...

'And Africa.'

Whoa! Look at the power!
Look, it's got it!

'I'll show the surprising ways
animals use bulk to survive...

'And stepping back in time,

'I'll also meet
the prehistoric monsters

'that once roamed the Earth.

'Today, many of our big animals
are in trouble.

'From plastics in
our oceans to climate change...

'It's often the biggest creatures
that are hardest hit.

'In this episode,
I'm in the Americas,

'from the forests of Alaska
to the coasts of Patagonia.

'I'm gonna get up close
to the continent's goliaths

'and discover
the crucial roles they play

'in maintaining
the health of our planet.'

Prepare to meet the big beasts,
the last of the giants.

'The backcountry of Montana, USA.

'Home to one of North America's
biggest land predators.'

(GROWLING)

'The grizzly.

'Adult males stand
up to three metres tall.

'And can use their muscle power
to take down prey as big as bison.

'But that's not the only reason
these brown bears need to be so big.

'To find out why
they've become super-sized,

'I'm going to get
as close as I dare.'

Now that is a big, big bear.

Oh, my goodness.

That guy's coming up to me.

Wow.

He's just extraordinary.

Look at those huge canines.

(ROARING)

'The only reason I can get so close

'is because this bear was rescued
as a cub and raised by humans.

'But now, he's a fully-grown
16-year-old male in his prime.'

(GROWLING)

I mean, it's only
when you get this close

that you understand the magnitude
and size of these grizzly bears.

He weighs over half a tonne,
and that's pure muscle.

Look at those claws, they're huge.

They can have claws
up to eight centimetres long.

And those shoulder muscles
mean that grizzly bears

have some of the most
powerful front limbs

of any animal on the planet.

They use that strength
to excavate their winter dens.

This is great.

So, I can actually see him
putting those muscles

and those front legs to good use.

Grizzly bears will move about
a tonne of earth make their dens.

'Brown bears spend up to seven

'of the coldest months
in hibernation.

'Relying on their fat reserves,

'they can lose a third
of their body weight.

'Only by bulking up can they
survive the bitterly cold winter.

'That's why grizzlies get so huge.

'But what makes
these giants truly astounding

'is the impact their size is having
on the world around them.

'And the best place
to see this Alaska.

'Home to the largest population
of wild grizzles on Earth.

'These coastal bears
are at their thinnest

'after a winter in their dens.

'With food scarce, tempers flare.'

(ROARING)

(GROWLING)

'But every year, nature lays on
an incredible feast for all.

'Each summer, hundreds of millions
of ocean-living salmon

'surge up these glacial rivers
to spawn in the gravel beds

'where they themselves were born.

'It's an extraordinary
mass migration.

'And for the bears,
a calorie-rich super-highway.

'Despite their bulk, grizzlies
have a surprising turn of speed.

'Muscular limbs
make them quick off the mark.

'They can reach
65 kilometres an hour.

'Driven by an insatiable biological
desire to eat known as hyperphagia.

'They can catch as many
as 30 salmon a day.

'In six months,
they can gain up to 180 kilos

'as they prepare for
another winter in hibernation.

'The leftovers from this feast
make for rich pickings.

'But surprisingly, it's not
just animals that benefit.'

(GROWLING)

'Salmon contain
ocean-borne nutrients,

'like nitrogen and phosphorous,

'that are crucial to the life cycle
of trees and plants.

'When they fish these rivers
on such a scale,

'and when they do
what bears do in the woods,

'these grizzles fertilise
the forests around them.

By bringing the salmon that they eat
up from the seat to the land,

bears are responsible
for nearly a quarter

of all the nitrogen
in the surrounding forests.

'Because of their big appetites,

'grizzlies are
monster muck-spreaders

'that fertilise the soil
and enrich their ecosystem.

'But worryingly, outside of Alaska,
only 1500 grizzlies remain.

'Throughout history,
big animals like bears

'have often struggled to adapt
to changing conditions.

'Two million years ago,
a much larger ancestor

'of the grizzly reigned
throughout the Americas.

'The giant short-faced bear.

'Weighing in at 1,600 kilos...

'It was a powerful meat-eater.

'But when leaner,
meaner predators evolved,

'its size was no longer
was an advantage,

'and this gigantic bear
disappeared from our world.

'The remaining Alaskan grizzlies
are having such a profound impact

'that they continue to feed

'part of the largest temperate
rainforest in the world.

'But giants are making
even greater waves in our oceans.'

'My journey through the Americas to
find its biggest creatures

'now takes me south, to the deep
waters of the Caribbean.

'There's a giant here
whose huge size

'is helping to maintain
the health of our oceans.'

The creature I'm on the lookout for
is a true sea monster,

a real life Moby Dick that can grow
to the size of a double decker bus.

'The sperm whale.

'They're the largest
of all the toothed predators

'with the biggest brains
in the animal kingdom.

'These deep sea specialists
spend most of their lives

'hunting squid in the abyss.

'Tracking sperm whales
is a challenge.

'But fortunately,
they hold another record.

'They're also the loudest animals
on the planet.

'They make booming clicks,

'powerful shockwaves that can be
heard up to 10 kilometres away.

'Self-style whale whisperer,
Andrew Armour,

'is helping me pinpoint them
using an underwater microphone.'

So, we stick this in the water
and we spin it around

and wherever we get
sounds the loudest

is where the whales
are coming from.

Your job now is
to listen to the clicks.

Right, let's give it a go.
Let's hear from some whales.

'Like an underwater Morse code,

'whales communicate using
patterns of clicks known as codas.'

Talk to me.

(CLICKING)

Is it click click,
click click click?

Listen to it.
(CLICKING)

Yeah, there we go.
Click click, click click click.

You've got it.
(CLICKING)

That's the Caribbean codas.

We know these are Caribbean whales
from that sound.

(CLICKING)

So this coda, this pattern of sounds
and clicks that they make,

that's specific? That's unique
to Caribbean sperm whales.

Yes. So we know they're homeboys.

(CLICKING)

That's where the whales are,

so we're gonna crank up
and get outta here.

Let's go find the whales, Patrick.

'Sperm whales are found
in all the oceans of the world

'and new research suggests that
each population has its own dialect.

'When it comes to understanding
these intelligent creatures,

'we're only just
scratching the surface.'

Whale at the surface!

There she goes! There!
Oh, yeah, yeah.OK, got her?Yeah.

Five minutes!

'Between dives, sperm whales
rest for up to ten minutes.

'They take around 50 breaths
to fully re-oxygenate their blood.

'This is my chance to get up close.'

I still don't forget my first time
with the sperm whales.

You seem them coming at you
and you see that big head

and you feel the clicks.

You could feel it right
in your chest, you know?

It's scary.

'Bubbles from scuba gear
could spook the whales

'so I've been learning to free dive.

'But nothing can
prepare you for this.

'A female, approaching on her side.

'She's over 12 metres long.

'A prehistoric beast that has barely
evolved in ten million years.

'Her head alone takes up
one third of her body.

'Her nose a powerful
natural sonar system

'that allows her
to home in on her prey.

'Long, powerful jaws
house 50 sharp teeth,

'each weighing over a kilogram.

'I don't wanna get too close.

'But up here on the surface,
I'm not her target.

'Sperm whales spend
85 per cent of their lives

'hunting deep in the ocean.

'Their muscles have adapted

'to contain an oxygen-storing
protein called myoglobin.

'So the bigger they grow,
the more oxygen they can carry,

'which gives them
more time to hunt for good.

'That is why size is key
to the sperm whale's success.

Oh, wow.

That is one of the most incredible
things I've ever seen in my life.

'I was trying my best
to keep up with her,

'but she was motoring along.

'And with just
one flick of her tail,

'she dove deep into the abyss.

'Sperm whales can reach
depths of over two kilometres

'and can stay beneath
the surface for up to 80 minutes.

'They are the ultimate free diving
champions of the natural world.'

Amazing.

Oh!

'Long dives mean they can
satisfy huge appetites.

'Each day, adults eat up to
a tonne of fish and squid.

'Globally, it's been shown
that sperm whales

'are taking the same amount
of fish from our oceans

'as all the world's fisheries.

'But what makes them
so important for us all

'is what they do when they
surface from this feast.'

I noticed that there was a brown
mist that came out at the end.

I think I have
an idea of what it was.

Well, that's the poo!
(BOTH LAUGHING)

You see a cloud and that's the poo.

That's what the sperm whale's
all about.

'Sperm whale faeces is full
of iron and nitrogen.

'Once deposited at the surface,

'it feeds great blooms
of plant plankton.

'When these microscopic plants
photosynthesise,

'they remove harmful carbon dioxide
from our atmosphere

'and sink it to the safety
of the ocean floor.

'Latest science
shows that sperm whales

'are responsible for
a 200,000 tonne carbon dump

'in the Southern Ocean alone,

'with extraordinary benefits
to our planet.'

Now we must continue
to protect these big beasts

and allow them
to do what they do best,

diving into the deep
and returning to the surface

with nutrients
that re-feed the ocean

and play a vital role in
the battle against climate change.

'For 300 years,
we hunted sperm whales,

'slashing their numbers
by two thirds.

'Only now are we
beginning to understand

'the amazing ways that some
of our biggest beasts

'are helping to protect us all.'

'My journey to meet
the biggest beasts of the Americas

'now takes me south
to a remote corner of Brazil.

'This 150,000 square kilometre
wetland and surrounding plateau

'harbours some seriously
super-sized animals.

'The biggest cat in the Americas,

'the floodplain jaguar grows twice
as big as others on the continent.

'On the riverbanks, capybara,
the world's largest rodents,

'prolific grazers
that are top of the menu

'for the gargantuan beast
I want to track down.

'This reptile can grow
to become as long as a bus

'and as wide as 30 centimetre ruler.

'I'm on the search for

'the biggest snake in the world,
the green anaconda.

'The Bodoquena Plateau is one of
the last remaining strongholds

'for this giant ambush predator.

'Adult females are the largest,
weighing up to a quarter of a tonne.

'Known to live for up to 30 years,
they never stop growing,

'regularly shedding their skin

'to accommodate their
ever-burgeoning body.

'I'm joining a team of experts

'to find out why the
green anaconda is so vital

'to the future of
this unique wilderness.

'As we venture up-river,
we encounter other giants.

Can you hear that?
(GRUNTING)

That is the sound
of giant river otters.

They are really elusive.

(GASPS) River otters! (LAUGHS)

'There are only 5,000
giant otters left in the wild.

'Most of them are here.

This is a real treat.

'Nearly two metres
from head to tail,

'they are voracious hunters.

'The waterways teem with
over 300 different species of fish.

'Giant otters keep
their numbers in check

'and allow the nutrient-rich rivers

to sustain a huge
diversity of life.'

This is really exciting because
if we've got giant river otters here

that means that this entire
ecosystem is really, really fertile.

'In this largely
untouched wilderness,

'where all species can thrive,
and all of life is connected,

'big predators are vital
for keeping things in balance.

'Up-river on the plateau,

'we're closing in
on the green anaconda.

'The team have fitted a few of these
giant snakes with radio tags.

'We're tracking them down
to monitor their breeding success.

'This female is
about five metres long.

'And she's not alone.

This is just incredible behaviour.

I don't wanna disturb this female

because right now
she is in a breeding ball.

There are about three or four males
coiled round her body.

'Each dry season, up to 13 males
will compete to mate

'with one much larger female.'

(HISSING)

'With tiny spur-like limbs, a relic
from their ancient lizard ancestors,

'males vie for her attention and
coax her into a position to mate.'

She's just tasting the air.

That forked tongue is picking up
all the scent molecules

and so she must be aware
of our presence

and she's just writhing
back and forward.

'To give her the best chance
of mating successfully, we move on.

'Further up-stream, the team get
a signal from another female

'they witnessed in a breeding ball
several weeks ago.

I think she's in that direction.

(BEEPING)

Yeah, we're getting closer to her.

I can't see her
anywhere up on the bank

which is where I'd expect her to be.

So whereabouts is she, Juliana?

We can't see her on the riverbank,
so she's probably under the water.

She's in the water?

'To see if she's pregnant,
there's no choice but to get in.

'This huge female is
at least seven metres long.'

That snake is massive.

And you know what? I think
she looks even bigger than normal.

What I thought was a tree trunk
was a body of this snake.

I can clearly see a huge bulge,
which means that she's pregnant.

'The largest can give birth
to up to 50 live young.

'A new generation
of big predators bodes well

'for the future of this
delicately balanced ecosystem.'

Pfft. That is an incredible beast.

'Today, the green anaconda
is the heaviest snake in the world.

'But 16 million years ago,

'far bigger serpents
ruled the Americas.

'Fossils were found
in a Colombian mine

'of a snake that stretched

'almost one and a half times
the length of a London bus.

'The titanoboa
weighed over a tonne

'and grew up to a metre wide.

'But it's thought
these cold-blooded giants

'failed to adapt to
an abrupt change in temperature

'and died out forever.

'The lush waterways
of Brazil remain a haven

'for over 4,000 plant
and animal species.

'The delicate balance of life
is maintained by top predators

'keeping prey populations in check.'

(GROWLING)

'For now, at least,
the big beasts of Brazil

'can still act as guardians
of their rich and fragile realm.'

'Through the Americas, I've seen
how giants are vital for our planet.

'But we're living through
a period of unrivalled change

'and history tells us
that during these times,

'the biggest animals are often
the first to disappear.

'Until recently,
South America was home

'to a whole host
of colossal creatures.

'Flightless terror birds
towered three metres tall.

'Their long beaks
could shatter bone.

'The glyptodon was a giant armadillo
that grew to the size of a car.

'And huge ground sloths
loomed as tall as giraffes.

'But around 11,000 years ago,
these lumbering giants

'were unable to adapt
to a shift in climate

'and were all driven to extinction.

'Today, the biggest, heaviest
creatures left on the continent

'are found on the beaches
of Argentina.

'But what makes them extraordinary
is how they're working alongside us

'in a race to understand
our changing planet.

'Each spring draws huge gatherings
of the most bizarre of beasts.

'The southern elephant seal.'

(SQUEAKING)

'It's pupping season.

'Females return to land
to give birth and nurse their young.

'In just three weeks,
they'll have them weaned

'and be ready to breed again
with the dominant male.'

(GROWLING)

'Known as the beachmaster,

'this male has established
a harem of over 90 females.

'A four-tonne torpedo of blubber,

'he can be up to ten times
the size of the females.

'To ensure his lineage, he must
guard them from rival bulls.'

(GROWLING)

'The beachmaster uses his bulk
to scare off smaller intruders

'and warning calls
that reach 120 decibels.'

(ROARING)

'But sometimes, he faces
a far bigger challenge.

'An equally huge bull
willing to take him on.

'Only one in ten males on this beach
will ever secure the chance to mate.

'The stakes couldn't be higher.

'The beachmaster is defeated.

'He retreats,
leaving the stronger bull

'to take over the harem and give
rise to a new generation of giants.

'In a few weeks,
the breeding season will be over

'and the whole colony
will head back out to sea.

'It's in the largely
unexplored Southern Ocean

'that these big beasts
are using their size

'to join us in
a very different fight.

'Elephant seals can travel
up to 20,000 kilometres a year

'and dive deep beneath the Antarctic
sea ice in search of squid.

'Scientists have fitted them
with satellite tags and sensors

'and the data they're helping
to gather suggests an ominous trend.

'In recent years, the sea ice has
melted faster than ever recorded.

'We're harnessing the power
of these huge, ocean-going pioneers

'and working with them to monitor
the health of our planet.

'There's something undeniably
awe-inspiring about big animals.'

But what connects them all
is the crucial role

they play within their ecosystem.

'Across the Americas...'

(GROWLING)

'Big beasts are acting
as guardians of their realm.

'In a world where
all of life is connected,

'we must live
and work alongside them

'and allow their size to help
sustain our fragile Earth.'

If we lose our giants, we risk

upsetting the delicate balance
that they maintain.

And so it's now more than ever,

with our increasing ability
to shape the planet,

that we learn from these big beasts

and protect them
for generations to come.

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