All language subtitles for Nature.S44E06.Parenthood.Grasslands.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

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Incredible ingenuity,

dedication,
and extraordinary teamwork --

This is what it takes
to be a parent on our planet.

Meet the hardworking parents

raising their families,

doing all they can to protect...

...and provide
for the next generation.

Discover the extraordinary ways

animal parents navigate
their world.

But a changing planet
is forcing them to adapt.

Success for all parents

has perhaps the greatest
of consequences.

It ensures the future of life
on Earth.

This is "Parenthood."

Grasslands are full of food

for numberless families.

The grass grows continuously
like a self-stocking fridge.

But there are few places
to hide on an open plain.

So parents have problems
in keeping

their young safe
while they feed.

African wild dogs.

Expert grassland predators.

They would make quick work
of a young zebra.

It's a parent's nightmare.

The father rounds up his family,

but that does little
to deter the dogs.

So he makes
an extraordinary sacrifice.

He hangs back.

Now heis the target.

His family can escape.

This is the story
of what it takes to be a parent

in the grasslands of our planet.

Parents must constantly
balance risk and reward

in the wide-open places
of the planet.

Unusual conditions
can make that much harder.

In the winter of 2023,

California received over
50 trillion gallons of rain,

nearly double the average...

...creating a grassland
not seen for generations.

It may seem appealing, but not
for a parent adapted to deserts.

The San Joaquin kit fox,
about the size of a house cat.

The tall grass makes it hard for
her to protect her five kits.

Her kits are
a constant distraction.

This year,
all her senses are blunted.

The grass itself
muffles sounds and smells.

In a normal year, she'd be
able to see for miles around.

But she can't watch
over her kids forever.

As night falls, she's faced
by a serious dilemma.

She must find food for her kits.

But to do that,
she must leave them.

With no parental supervision,

the kits continue
to play well into the night.

She travels nearly seven miles
in search

of giant kangaroo rats.

And they only emerge at night.

But this year, hunting is harder
than it has ever been.

The long grass makes
it difficult to locate them.

Finally she catches her rat.

At the den,
her kits' unsupervised playtime

has drawn
some unfortunate attention.

A coyote.

He's twice the size of a kit fox
and one of their main predators.

Catching scent
to something amiss,

the pups escape
to their underground den.

But now the coyote knows
where to find them.

Returning home, the mother finds
her family safe

but still hungry.

One rat is not enough
to feed her five kits.

She must head out for more.

But something isn't right.

The wind has changed
its direction.

Plenty of cover for a coyote.

There's nothing she can do.

Her remaining kits
have scattered.

The four surviving kits are
here, alive and well.

This mother will have to adapt

if she is to protect her family
in this strange new grassland.

Southern England.

A single mother has
a well-tested way

of protecting her young.

Architecture.

A potter wasp is building the
last of 25 major constructions.

It's her life's work.

She must finish it
before the end of autumn.

She uses her saliva
to soften the clay...

...with which she builds
a nursery.

Once complete,
it will provide her young

with both shelter and food.

In her signature style,
she flutes the edges.

Then she spins a thread of silk.

And on it lays a single egg,

which will hatch
in a couple of days.

But her job has only just begun.

She must also fill the pot
with food.

So her offspring can develop
and emerge in the spring.

That will require her
to collect enough caterpillars

while the weather holds.

When she finds one, she
paralyzes it with her sting...

...and then puts it into
the pot...alive.

But British weather...

...is unreliable.

She can't fly when it's cold
and wet.

Time is slipping by.

The sun returns, but now time is
very short.

With the season on the turn,

she's not the only one
in a hurry.

The caterpillars are
getting restless.

They're making their way
down to the ground

to find somewhere
to spend the winter.

She herself
is almost out of time.

Just one more.

But maybe one
that is a little smaller.

With her pot
now fully provisioned,

she seals it.

Just in time.

Next year, in the spring,

her offspring
will emerge from its nursery

as an adult potter wasp.

As for the mother,
her work is done.

Within the next week,
she will die.

She will never meet
her offspring,

for whom she provided both
a safe home and an ample larder.

For many parents,
providing food is the easy part.

Giving them an education
is much more difficult.

This cheetah mother has
single-handedly fed

her three cubs
for eight long months.

Ten more and they must be
able to feed themselves.

Playfighting develops
their physical skills.

And they can learn a lot about
prey through trial and error.

Such as which kind is most
likely to fight back.

But she must provide them
with an opportunity

to learn one skill
in particular.

A faun, too young to run far,
has been abandoned.

But she doesn't kill it.

Cheetah cubs don't instinctively
know how to make a kill,

and even simply making contact
with prey can be dangerous.

So for this lesson,

the mother provides something
her cubs can tackle safely.

With practice over,
it's time for a test.

This wildebeest calf is too big

for her cubs to bring
down by themselves,

but they may have learned
enough to be of help.

Mother leads the chase.

The calf is escaping.

Her cub realizes
that his mother needs help.

He holds on,
enabling her to reposition.

Cheetah mothers work
alone in educating their cubs.

But some parents require
a partner just to keep

their young safe.

The Eurasian steppe.

Two million square miles
of grassland,

the biggest on the planet.

It's an exposed place
in which to raise a family.

Parenting here
requires teamwork.

Demoiselle cranes travel over
3,000 miles to nest in Mongolia.

They feed on grass and insects.

And here both are plentiful.

Protecting the eggs
requires two diligent parents.

One stays with the eggs...

...while the other feeds.

However, parents must be
prepared to face the unexpected.

There is a growing threat to
almost every grassland on Earth.

Globally, the number
of domesticated livestock

has tripled
over the last century,

so there is far less space
for wild animals.

Their clumsy new neighbors are
more dangerous than they look.

One hoof wrong
and the eggs could be lost.

One parent tries
to redirect the herd.

But the sheep aren't taking
the hint.

And the stakes have
just got a little higher.

The parents have no choice.

They must fight together.

Enough is enough.

It's time
to deploy the crane kick.

Job done.

But the crane parents' task
has only just started.

The pair will continue
to protect their chicks

for nearly a year.

Sharing the load certainly makes
parenting easier.

And for some families,
even two parents are not enough.

African wild dogs need
the help of their whole family

to raise their young.

A breeding pair
cannot do it alone.

The whole pack is responsible
for parenting

the next generation.

And this pack has been
unusually successful.

30 members strong,

it's three times
the average size.

Such numbers should be an asset.

But over half of them still have
some growing up to do.

The teenagers are something
of a liability.

Their inexperience can ruin
a hunt before it even starts.

Their parents have
a big job ahead to control them.

A really big job.

The matriarch of the pack
is nursing.

She has another 10 puppies
back in the den.

She and her partner
must find enough food

for the whole family.

Buffalo are seldom attacked
by wild dogs.

Their size, horns, and numbers

make them potentially
very dangerous.

But with so many mouths to feed,
the bigger the prey, the better.

The pack size could give them
a chance...

...if the youngsters behave
properly.

The herd is heading
out to feed in the grassland

where they'll be more exposed.

The odds of a successful hunt

are shifting in the pack's
favor.

The adults steer the pack
into position

at the edge of the forest.

There, they will be
able to get closer to the herd.

Now they must select
an individual.

The matriarch knows
they must be patient.

Timing is key.

But once again, the youngsters
break cover too soon.

Their enthusiasm has given
the buffalo time

to form a defensive group.

They themselves
are now in danger.

They've moved too close,
too quickly.

And worse, they're chasing
the biggest buffalo in the herd.

So big they could kill
a young dog

with a single well-placed kick.

The matriarch seems to know that
their chances are dwindling.

Selecting a target within the
trees is almost impossible.

The youngsters have wasted
their chance.

The parents, however,
are watching for a weak buffalo

to make a wrong move.

An unprotected calf.

It won't provide a meal
for everyone,

but it's better than nothing.

This time the youngsters
are following their parents.

But now the odds
clearly favor the buffalo.

There will be
many more failed hunts

before the teenagers are
of any real help.

But with time and practice,

they will become
experienced enough to assist

in raising the next generation.

For many parents, practice is
essential for success.

India.

This Hanuman langur is pregnant
for the first time.

It won't be long
before she gives birth.

But she's not ready yet.

Many parenting skills are
not instinctive for langurs.

If this young female
wants to give her newborn

the best start in life,

she must learn how to be
a mother before she gives birth.

Fortunately, being part of
a troop provides an opportunity

for her to practice.

Time for some prenatal classes.

But parents are often choosy
about who they allow to babysit.

The expectant mother
has to persuade someone

to give her a chance.

Baby snatching isn't
the best start.

She must take
a gentler approach.

But babysitting is harder
than it looks.

Mishandling a baby
could be fatal for both the baby

and her social standing.

That's better.

She's even learned when it is
that an exhausted mother

could use a helping hand.

These newly acquired skills
will prepare her for parenthood.

And just in time.

Last night, she moved away
from the troop and gave birth.

Tender moments like these
create a bond with her baby.

But away from the troop,

the pair are vulnerable,
and there are some things

for which
it is impossible to prepare.

Feral dogs on the lookout
for an easy meal.

A newborn baby monkey is
an obvious target.

She needs to find a way back
to the safety of the troop...

...without injuring her baby.

The troop rally round her.

Her practice has paid off.

Now that she's returned
to the safety of the troop,

she has as many
trusted babysitters

as any mother could wish for.

Where conditions are hostile,

parents may need to band
together.

Temperatures in the Kalahari
can exceed

a staggering
110 degrees Fahrenheit.

So these sociable weaver
parents have joined forces

with other families

to build a climate-controlled
home for their young.

The nest they produce is
the largest built by any bird.

A thatched roof weighing
over a ton

is a very effective shield
against the worst of the heat.

A single pair couldn't
possibly build such

an enormous construction.

It takes a whole community
to do that.

At least half the parents
also have helpers --

offspring from previous years
who stick around to babysit.

The helpers feed the chicks,
maintain the nest,

and watch out for danger.

As the day gets hotter,
snakes become more active.

This cobra could eat
every single chick in the colony

in a matter of days.

But the community has
other ideas.

It's a neighborhood watch
with wings.

But a less visible threat
is building.

The temperature is rising.

It's only a couple of degrees
above average.

But as the heatwave drags on,
every family is affected.

Even a small rise
in the temperature

can have big consequences.

Parents and helpers alike
are too hot to look for food,

maintain the nest,

or watch out for danger.

All they can do
is sit in the shade.

It's every bird for itself.

The chicks are left alone
for hours at a time.

An adult shows up.

But it's from
a different family.

And it isn't here to help.

Scientists don't understand
exactly why,

but more chicks are ejected
from a colony

during heat waves
than at any other time.

The social order starts
to break down

even when the rise in
temperature is quite small.

It seems that most families here

are living on the very edge
of what is tolerable.

They're only just coping with
a world 3.6 degrees warmer.

But the temperature
is still rising.

The world is changing
so quickly.

To ensure a future
for the next generation,

parents everywhere
will have to forge a new path.

The end of summer.

High up
on the Patagonian plateau.

In order to produce milk
for her calf,

this guanaco needs to feed
constantly.

She's also pregnant.

Snow comes early at
high altitudes,

covering what's left
of the grass.

Grazers are driven downhill
in search of food.

When they reach
the lowest elevations,

the guanaco will have
enough shelter and food

to see them through the winter.

They just need to get there.

But fences now cut
across the landscape.

They're almost impossible
to avoid.

Adult guanaco can get across.

But calves usually can't.

In her haste,
she leaves her calf

on the wrong side of the fence.

She is desperate to move on.

The demands of both pregnancy
and producing milk are high.

And good winter grazing
in the valley is so close.

He will not survive alone.

Going back will mean a longer,
less certain path.

Nevertheless, she rejoins him.

There are
nearly a hundred thousand miles

of fences in Patagonia.

It's not possible
to avoid them completely.

She must find a safer route
through for them both.

He tries again.

There's something different
about this fence.

The top line has been removed.

She's done all she can.

Now he must make the jump.

Together they rejoin the herd

for the last leg
into the valley.

The changing world is forcing
parents everywhere to make new

and difficult choices
in order to protect

and provide
for the next generation.