All language subtitles for Islands Natures Wild Laboratories S01 E01_track3_[eng]

Vancouver Island
is the largest island

on the west coast of North America.

All the habitats of this island...

..its mountains...

its freshwater...

..and its forests...

..are deeply connected to the sea.

And every animal,

from the largest to the smallest...

..has to find a way to fit into
that unique alliance

to survive.

(ROARING)

From the Arctic...

..to the tropics...

..islands are wild laboratories...

..where unique rules apply...

..and nature puts life...

..to the ultimate test.

(GROWLS)

Surrounded by the North Pacific,

Vancouver Island has
a deep connection to the ocean.

From its snow-capped mountain range

and vast network
of freshwater lakes and rivers...

..to its ancient rainforest...

..and ocean inlets
that cut deep into the island.

But it's the most intense
along its western edge.

The outer coast of Vancouver Island

is exposed to the full force
of the vast Pacific.

It's a volatile environment...

..unpredictable,
but full of opportunities.

It's prime hunting ground
for the island's dominant predator.

A wolf family is on
the prowl for any food

that the ocean may have thrown
onto the island's shore.

(EAGLE SQUAWKS)

(SNIFFING)

These are sea wolves,

smaller and genetically distinct
from their mainland cousins.

(SNIFFING)

90% of their diet
comes from the sea.

(SNIFFING)

Today, they are only finding
small fish and invertebrates

hiding under the rocks.

But the island is about
to lay on a massive feast.

(DISTANT WOLF HOWLS)

(GULLS SQUAWKING)

From deep water out in the Pacific...

..herring, in their millions,
are arriving.

The herring are coming up
to the island's rocky reefs to spawn.

Females stick their eggs
onto the rocks and seaweed.

Males broadcast their sperm,

changing the colour of the sea.

The spawn can be so vast

as to be visible from space.

With so many spawning fish
crowding the island's shallow waters,

these are perfect conditions
for a feeding frenzy.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

A single sea lion can eat
half a tonne of herring

during the spawn.

The eggs are also a big part
of this spring feast

for lots of animals...

like sea otters.

There can be hundreds
of thousands of them

on every square metre of coastline.

And even migrating birds
time their journey north

for this annual event.

A big male black bear
has just woken from hibernation.

(BEAR HUFFING)

He hasn't eaten in four months.

This protein-rich food helps to
restart his body's metabolism.

Even a top predator like the wolf

will spend hours
eating these tiny morsels.

But the spawn only lasts a week.

Soon, he'll be back
to patrolling the outer coast,

looking for his next meal.

On this island,
the impact of the sea runs deep.

Thousands of years ago,

the glaciers that covered the island
carved deep channels

into its bedrock.

When the ice retreated,

the island let the ocean
into many of these channels,

creating hundreds of kilometres
of protected tree-lined coast.

This realm is always in motion.

Tides rise and fall over four metres

every six hours...

..revealing secret food supplies...

..and then hiding them again.

It's all about timing.

Trees along the inlet's shore
provide security

for a mother black bear
and her two new cubs.

(HIGH-PITCHED YAPS)

Only a few months old,

everything out here is new to them.

Rocks left behind
as the glaciers melted

are good hunting grounds
for intertidal creatures, like crabs.

(SNIFFING)

The cubs learn by watching their mum.

(BIRD SQUAWKS)

They have a lot to learn
about seafood.

They need to eat a lot of crabs,

mussels, barnacles, and fish,
in the next five months,

to gain enough weight
to survive winter hibernation.

(BEAR SNIFFING)

(GRUNTS)

A big male bear
is also trying his luck

in the intertidal zone.

Mum's unaware of him
across the inlet...

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

..but not for long.
(GRUNTS)

Male bears sometimes
try to kill young cubs...

..either to bring the mother
into breeding readiness again...

..or simply to eat them.

Mum's got to get her cubs
out of here...

..before he gets too close.

(CUB WHINES)

(CUB CRIES)

(OMINOUS MUSIC BUILDING)

The tall trees along the shoreline

prove vital to this family now.

The cubs are born excellent climbers,

a skill that can save their lives.

The thin branches near the top

can't support a big bear.

Big trees along the island's inlet

also provide an excellent vantage...

..for some of the sharpest eyes
in the animal kingdom.

(EAGLE CHIRPS)

Bald eagles can only catch fish
within half a metre of the surface.

So, these calm inlet waters

help them spot their prey.

A tall tree,
just above their ocean pantry...

is also a perfect place

to raise chicks.
(CHICKS CHEEPING)

(MELLOW MUSIC)

Mum comes back with breakfast.

Now, Dad gets a chance
to stretch his wings.

Competition between chicks is strong.

(CHEEPING)

Usually, only one survives.

And catching enough for two
growing chicks will get harder...

when hot summer weather drives fish
deeper into cool water.

This island will put
the eagle family to the test

in the months to come.

Oceans of salt water
surround Vancouver Island,

but its heart is a vast network

of freshwater lakes and rivers.

The freshwater network
is sustained almost entirely

by melting snow and ice

flowing off the island's mountains.

Water temperature can vary widely
through the seasons,

so to thrive here,

you have to know
how to go with the flow.

In the spring, heat and light
concentrate food production,

like algae growth near the surface...

..where a western toad tadpole
is heading up to feed.

He doesn't have any parents
to protect him...

..but he's got company.

Each morning,
he's joined by the three million

other tadpoles he was born with.

For these tiny tadpoles,

it's an epic daily migration.

The tadpoles feast on algae

growing near the warmer
surface waters...

..making them easier to find.

Freshwater leeches hunt
without eyes or ears.

They zero in on their prey

by sensing vibrations in the water.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

They can hold prey
with tremendous force

despite their small size.

Escape seems impossible.

But his luck is in today.

Over the next few weeks,

the tadpoles will feed voraciously

before morphing into adults

and escaping the island's
water realm.

Then the freshwater network
will be taken over by another species

that will transform
the entire island.

Vancouver Island hasn't
always sat snuggly alongside

the North American continent.

Two hundred million years ago,

its rocks were part of
the ocean crust,

thousands of kilometres offshore.

Over millions of years,
it crept closer and closer

until it merged
with the continental landmass.

A large part of the island today
is still made up of that ancient rock

borne from the seafloor.

Limestone.

It's made from the skeletal remains

of trillions of ancient
sea creatures...

..and is loaded with minerals.

And it lies under most
of the island's temperate rainforest.

The temperate rainforest
is the island's largest,

and most productive habitat.

And, of course,
any rainforest... needs rain.

It arrives in moisture-laden clouds
formed over the ocean,

that rise over the island's
forest mountain slopes.

Up to four metres of rain
falls every year.

(FROG CROAKING)

It is one of the wettest
non-tropical places on the planet.

All this rain shapes the island's
surface in surprising ways.

Over the millennia,

the soft limestone of the island
has been eroded,

creating the highest
concentration of caves

found anywhere in North America.

And the limestone's minerals,
washed out by the rain,

help grow some of the world's
biggest trees.

One reason that
these temperate rainforests

hold more carbon per hectare
than any other habitat on Earth.

(BIRDS TWITTERING)

(RAIN PATTERING GENTLY)

Rain is critical to life here...

..especially for
the wandering salamander.

These amphibians don't have lungs

but absorb oxygen directly
through moisture on their skin,

so the wetter... the better.

This island is like
a wild laboratory,

creating special conditions for life

found nowhere else.

In the upper canopy,

there are new species
still being discovered.

Millions of tiny insects,

many no bigger than a pinhead...

..that spend their whole lives
in clumps of wet moss,

60 metres above the forest floor.

In our world today,

this ancient rainforest
is irreplaceable.

(BIRDS TWITTERING)

(MACHINERY WHIRRING)

But it's disappearing
at an alarming rate.

(TREE TRUNKS CRACKING)
Over ten thousand hectares

of old growth forest
on Vancouver Island

are cut each year.

Over the last 150 years,

humans have cut down 77%

of Vancouver Island's forests.

Of the most productive
old growth forest,

only 3% remains.

It takes several centuries
for these ancient forests to develop.

(BIRDS TWITTERING)

Once cut, they'll never get
the chance to grow old again.

A 350-kilometre-long
backbone of mountains

runs through the centre
of the island.

These peaks are almost
2,000 metres above sea level,

but still influenced by the ocean.

Moisture carried in by the clouds

falls as snow for most of the year.

It lingers into summer,

making the growing season short...

..a real challenge for plant-eaters,

like the Vancouver Island marmot...

..one of the rarest mammals on Earth.

There's only 250 left.

Found only on this island,

they've been badly affected
by logging

and other changes
humans have made here.

The island's mountains give them
only a few months to find enough food

to prepare for next
winter's hibernation.

So, mosquitoes are
an unwelcome distraction.

Marmots are social animals,

living in colonies
of multiple families.

Wrestling is one way that they
strengthen their social bonds.

Though, it can distract you
from potential dangers.

A single predator can wipe out
the entire colony.

Their lookout needs to be alert.

(MARMOT SQUEALING)

(SQUEALING CONTINUES)

The numbers are stable for now,

but with so few left,

and isolated on these mountaintops,

the Vancouver Island
marmot population

can't afford to lose anyone.

Along Vancouver Island's
stormy outer shores,

great quantities of logs
and driftwood accumulate.

Beneath this jumble of dense wood,

there's a dry and dark world...

..where a fearsome predator
lies in wait.

A female black widow spider.

Her venom poses little threat
to humans...

..but to an ant... it's deadly.

Her web lacks the usual
spider design aesthetic...

..but there is method
in this apparent madness.

Sticky web lines run to the ground...

..perfect for catching ants.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDING)

She uses her silk
to secure her catch...

..and injects venom and enzymes

to kill and liquefy the body.

Later, she'll return

to drink up the fruits of her labour.

This driftwood provides her
with the perfect home

in the stormy and harsh
outer coast habitat.

When you rely on finding food
on the island's shore,

it's either feast or famine.

And it's famine for
the wolves right now.

In summer, storms are rare,

so, not much washes onto the shore.

But today, he smells something
promising on the air.

(SNIFFING)

To follow his nose,

the father wolf is going
to have to swim.

Life on this island gives him
lots of practice.

Though it's draining to swim
in water barely above freezing.

He's desperate to find food
for his family.

(WHINING, YAPPING)

He has seven new pups.

Everyone is hungry.

And his mate has nothing
for them either.

Already a couple of months old,

these pups are discovering
that the island's shore

can provide for them.

But at this age,
they don't have much skill.

They are growing fast
and need food now more than ever.

(HOWLING)

(DISTANT HOWLING)

The fate of the wolf family

depends on their dad's ability
to find food

in this unpredictable habitat.

(DISTANT HOWLING CONTINUES)

Hot summer weather has warmed
the tidal inlet's surface waters.

Fish are deep,
where the water is cool...

..so fishing has been hard.

(CHICK SQUEALS)

There's only one chick left now.

The parents couldn't catch enough
to keep them both alive.

The surviving chick is fully grown,

but she can't fly.

She needs all the energy
she can get right now

to prepare for her first flight.

Flapping builds her flight muscles.

Finally, she's ready to go.

(MAJESTIC MUSIC)

She makes a perfect first flight.

Her parents will bring her food
for a few more weeks,

but soon...
she needs to hunt for herself.

While fishing conditions
are tough right now,

a new wave of opportunities
will arrive with autumn.

Vancouver Island's outer coast
is dotted with many tiny islets,

surrounded by a shallow sea...

..a habitat created
thousands of years ago

at the end of the last Ice Age.

The island was weighed down
under a kilometre-thick ice sheet.

But when the ice melted,

the island's mass rose up.

It created many new,
little islets off the coast

with shallower water between them...

..a sweet spot for life to flourish

on the edge of a cold, deep ocean.

Sunlight can penetrate
to the ocean floor,

fuelling the growth
of giant Pacific kelp.

It can grow over
half a metre in a day,

creating great underwater
forests full of life.

It's a rich and productive habitat

for the world's smallest
marine mammals...

..sea otters.

This mother and her baby

rely on all the food
that they can find in the rich,

shallow sea kelp forests
around the island's edge.

(PUP CHIRPS)

But they are also key players

in the survival
of this underwater habitat.

Sea urchins are voracious grazers...

..and they love kelp.

They have tiny tube feet
between their stiff spines...

..that they use
to move across the sea floor.

But left unchecked,

they can wipe out
most of the plant life...

..impacting the whole
marine environment.

But where there are sea otters,

they can keep them in check.

The mother sea otter can eat
dozens of them every day.

Urchins can't move fast enough
to escape a hunting otter...

..so they employ
a different strategy.

Using their tube feet,

they try to hide.

But sea otters
still get enough of them

to protect the island's
kelp forest...

..and maintain the biodiversity
on its outer coast.

It's autumn on Vancouver Island,

and its rivers have begun
to call in an animal

that will turn the tide
in every corner of the island.

Salmon are returning from years
spent far out in the Pacific.

They've been following the smell
of the tiniest drops of fresh water

amongst billions of litres
of ocean water.

It's led them to the mouth
of the river where they were born.

And a welcoming committee is waiting.

This is the biggest moment
of the year

for the island's black bears.

(GROWLS)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Making it through winter hibernation

depends on how much salmon
they can catch.

(GROWLS)

The bear cubs have grown a lot,

but still need to put on more weight.

And they haven't learned to fish yet.

It means the mother bear
has to catch salmon for three...

..and it's life-and-death out here.

(ROARS)

Tensions are high.

(ROARING)

For one cub...
(CUB CRIES)

..it's just too much.

(GRUNTING)

He's going to watch from
the safety of the treetop.

But the other, doesn't seem fazed
by the action out here.

She wants to try
and catch something of her own.

Mum shows her how it's done.

(ROARS)

The bold cub wants some of that.

Hunger seems to overcome fear.

(GROWLING)

(SQUEALS)

But salmon fishing is just too scary.

She missed.

But maybe there's another way.

That big male's got one.

Doesn't matter he's twice her size...

..she'll do anything
to feed her cubs.

(BOTH ROARING)

Naked aggression pays off.

With a mother like this,

both cubs are going to be
in good shape

to make it through the winter.

(CUB YAPS)

For the young eagle,

the return of the salmon
is a real lifeline.

(SQUAWKS)

Her parents have stopped feeding her,

and she hasn't eaten for days.

But with all the salmon
in these shallow rivers...

..this is her best chance
to catch her first fish.

It takes a lot of
eye-talon coordination.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

And her timing...

is off.

But she has to keep trying.

(SQUAWKS)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDING)

She's done it.

The island's freshwater habitat
will provide her

with plenty of practice
over the coming weeks,

to set herself up for winter.

As autumn progresses,

the island draws the ocean's bounty
deeper inland.

Like arteries,

the island's river network
distributes these returning fish

deep into its heartland.

The salmon are trying to reach

the spawning grounds
where they hatched.

Many of these rivers flow through
the island's limestone cave network.

It's one of the only places
on the planet

that has a salmon migration
underneath the forest.

In the heart of the island,

the salmon reach
their final destination.

They begin to dig the nests
and lay the eggs

that will start their epic
life cycle all over again...

..and bind their offspring's
fate to the island.

The freshwater network has now
distributed thousands of tonnes

of ocean-raised salmon
throughout the island.

It's here, that the bears
play a critical role

in replenishing the island.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

They move the salmon
from the freshwater habitat

into the depths of the rainforest.

The discarded remains are
full of ocean nutrients

like nitrogen and phosphorus.

When the salmon decay,
they fertilise the forest.

It's how the trees
in this rainforest grow

to be some of the tallest
in the world.

It's a unique relationship
between the ocean and the forest...

..that lies at the heart
of all life on Vancouver Island.

As autumn takes hold,

stormy weather along
the outer coast begins again.

Waves crashing onto the exposed shore

mean new opportunities.

It gives the father wolf
a much better chance

of hitting the jackpot.

The summer has been a lean time
for his family.

But today, his luck is in.

A massive sperm whale carcass,

a deep-sea species,

that a storm has blown
onto the island's shore.

This is his first big meal in weeks.

The rest of the pack
is not far behind.

There is plenty of food to go around.

40,000 kilos of protein and fat

will last them for months.

The mother wolf is bringing home
takeaway tonight.

The pups are going
to have lots to eat now.

(PUPS YAPPING)

As autumn turns into winter,

the weather out here
will continue to get worse.

Good news for the wolves.

Gifts on the island's shoreline
are going to be more frequent now.

And under the watchful eye
of their father...

..the pups will have the best chance
to survive their first year of life

on the island.

From the outer coast and inlets...

..to the mountaintops,

from the ancient forest...

to fresh water...

the relationship between land and sea

lies at the heart
of Vancouver Island's richness

and diversity,

filling it with life,

making it one of the most
extraordinary islands

on the planet.

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