Original subtitles

.

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 TO MEET FANTASTIC

ANIMALS WHO THRIVE IN THE

STRANGEST PLACES.

THIS IS "EARTH ODYSSEY."

COMING UP, THESE BABIES ARE BORN

TO RUN, BUT A CASE OF THE

WOBBLES COMES FIRST.

AND WE MEET A SPIKY PREDATOR WHO

WON'T SHOW FEAR.

PLUS, HOW TO SURVIVE A SURREAL

LANDSCAPE WHEN YOU'RE SUPER

SLOW.

AND POPPIES ARE THIS CUTIE'S

LOVE LANGUAGE.

ANIMAL ADVENTURES IN EURASIA

STARTING RIGHT NOW ON "EARTH

ODYSSEY."

[MUSIC]

[HORSE NEIGHING]

[EAGLE SCREECHING]

[BEARS GROANING]

[ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING]

DYLAN:LIVING IN

AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENT

FORCES ANIMALS TO ADAPT IN

EQUALLY EXTREME WAYS.

THE STEPPES, OR GRASSY PLAINS,

AROUND THE CASPIAN SEA ARE HOME

TO SPECIES WHO HAVE FOUND THAT

BEING A LITTLE WEIRD GIVES THEM

A REAL ADVANTAGE.

EAST OF THE CASPIAN SEA, A CROWD

OF SWEET-FACED NOMADS IS

ON THE MOVE.

THEY'RE MAKING THEIR SEASONAL

MIGRATION FROM WINTER PASTURES

IN THE SOUTHERN DESERT OF

KAZAKHSTAN TO THEIR SUMMER

FEEDING GROUNDS.

THEY ARE SAIGA ANTELOPE WHICH

HAVE ROAMED THESE PLAINS SINCE

THE LAST ICE AGE.

SOME 11,000 YEARS AGO, THEY

SHARED THIS PLACE WITH WOOLLY

MAMMOTHS AND RHINOS.

FOREVER ON THE MOVE, SAIGA

ANTELOPE CAN COVER UP TO 70

MILES IN A SINGLE DAY, BUT WILL

TAKE THEIR TIME AND CHANGE THEIR

ROUTE IF THE GRAZING IS GOOD.

FOR AN ANTELOPE, IT HAS A LARGE

HEAD AND A BULKY, BULBOUS NOSE

HANGING OVER ITS MOUTH.

THIS PECULIAR PROFILE HAS

EVOLVED FOR GOOD REASON.

IT'S BOTH AIR CONDITIONER AND

PORTABLE HEATER.

THAT BIG NOSE HELPS FILTER OUT

DUST DURING SUMMER MIGRATION,

AND IN WINTER, IT WARMS THE

FRIGID AIR SO THE TEMPERATURE IS

ALWAYS JUST RIGHT WHEN OXYGEN

REACHES THE ANTELOPE'S

HARDWORKING LUNGS.

AFTER A LONG WINTER, THE MOTHERS

TO BE IN THE HERD ARE READY TO

GIVE BIRTH.

THE CALVES ARE ALL BORN WITHIN A

WEEK OF EACH OTHER AND USUALLY

TWO A TIME.

THAT WAY, ALL THE LITTLE ONES

ARE READY TO MOVE TOGETHER.

THESE CALVES HAVE TO BE BORN TO

RUN, OR THEY WON'T SURVIVE.

ONCE THE CALVES ARE A FEW DAYS

OLD, THE HERD BREAKS INTO

SMALLER GROUPS, THEN HEADS NORTH

TO SUMMER FEEDING GROUNDS.

EVERY SUCCESSFUL BIRTH IS

CRITICAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF THIS

SMALL, STOCKY, AND NOW

THREATENED SPECIES.

THIS NEWBORN IS JUST A FEW

MINUTES OLD AND STRUGGLING TO

GET ON ITS FEET.

THE URGE TO NURSE IS ITS

STRONGEST INSTINCT, BUT FIRST IT

HAS TO MASTER THE TRICKY ART OF

WALKING WITHOUT WOBBLING.

NOT ALL SAIGA FEMALES WILL

SURVIVE AFTER GIVING BIRTH.

BUT EVEN AN ORPHANED CALF HAS A

CHANCE.

OTHER MOTHERS IN THE HERD WILL

SOMETIMES NURSE A FOUNDLING.

WHEREVER THE SAIGA ANTELOPE

TRAVEL, FAITHFUL SCAVENGERS

TRAIL BEHIND, CASTING DARK

SILHOUETTES ABOVE.

ONE OF THE LARGEST BIRDS OF

PREY, BLACK VULTURES ARE FIERCE

FIGHTERS, BUT GENTLE PARENTS.

VULTURE PARENTS INVEST A LOT OF

TIME AND ENERGY RAISING A SINGLE

CHICK EACH YEAR.

THAT PRECIOUS CHICK'S EVERY NEED

WILL BE MET FOR AROUND SIX

MONTHS.

A FLAT-TOPPED PISTACHIO TREE IS

THE PERFECT PLATFORM FOR A

VULTURE'S NEST.

THE FATHER VULTURE RETURNS WITH

A CROP FULL OF FOOD, BUT IT'S

THE MOTHER WHO WILL CAREFULLY

FEED THEIR OFFSPRING.

HER DEVOTION SEEMS ENDLESS.

THE FEATHERLESS CHICK CAN EASILY

OVERHEAT IN THE MIDDAY SUN, SO

SHE SPREADS HER WINGS INTO AN

IMPROVISED PARASOL.

NOW THAT'S THROWING SHADE IN A

GOOD WAY.

COMING UP, SOMEONE HAS EYES ON

THIS HEDGEHOG.

AND IT'S BUBBLE, BUBBLE, TOIL,

AND TROUBLE FOR THIS ADVENTUROUS

TORTOISE.

PLUS, WE FOLLOW THESE FEISTY

FORAGERS UNDERGROUND, AN

INCREDIBLE INSIDE LOOK WHEN

"EARTH ODYSSEY" RETURNS.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO

"THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC."

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: THE STEPPES AND DESERTS

OF THE CASPIAN ARE HOME TO A

SMALL, BUT SURPRISINGLY RAVENOUS

PREDATOR.

USUALLY NOCTURNAL, A HUNGRY

LONG-EARED HEDGEHOG WILL

OCCASIONALLY FORAGE IN LATE

AFTERNOON.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THIS LITTLE

BUNDLE OF NEEDLES LOOKS

PERFECTLY INNOCENT.

BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE

DECEPTIVE.

ONE OF THE MOST VORACIOUS

HUNTERS IN THE DESERT, IT'S CUTE

AND DANGEROUS IN EQUAL MEASURE,

ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE AN INSECT.

LONG-EARED HEDGEHOGS ARE ABLE TO

SURVIVE AS LONG AS TEN WEEKS

WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER.

ADULT HEDGEHOGS CAN SEEM

UNSTOPPABLE, ARMED WITH AN

AGGRESSIVE INSTINCT AND SHARP

SPINES.

BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE UP FOR THE

CHALLENGE.

THE EURASIAN EAGLE OWL HAS

EXCELLENT LONG-DISTANCE VISION.

WHILE MANY OWLS ONLY HUNT AT

NIGHT, THIS SPECIES HAS EYES

WHICH ALLOW THEM TO HUNT DURING

THE DAY.

LONG-EARED HEDGEHOGS MAKE UP

ONE-SIXTH OF ITS DIET.

THIS HEDGEHOG EITHER DOESN'T SEE

OR DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE EAGLE

OWL'S THREAT.

BUT ONCE THE OWL SWOOPS CLOSER,

IT'S TIME TO RUN.

DIGGING INTO LOOSE SAND AROUND A

BURROW SAVED THE DAY WITH

SECONDS TO SPARE.

THE COAST LOOKS CLEAR FOR THIS

SPIKY NIGHT RANGER NOW SAFE FROM

AERIAL ATTACK.

WHEN NIGHT FINALLY FALLS, THE

LONG-EARED HEDGEHOG SHOWS HOW

WELL IT'S ADAPTED FOR A MOONLIT

LANDSCAPE.

LONG EARS LIKE RADAR DISHES

ALLOW IT TO DETECT APPROACHING

PREDATORS AS WELL AS RADIATING

HEAT TO KEEP IT COOL.

WITH ITS SUPERPOWERED HEARING

AND ITS HARDWORKING NOSE, THE

HEDGEHOG IS AN UNSTOPPABLE

HUNTER.

BUT IT MAY BE ABOUT TO MEET ITS

MATCH.

HIGHLY TOXIC VENOM, SHARP

ALERTNESS, AND AN AGGRESSIVE

TEMPERAMENT MAKE THE SAW-SCALED

VIPER A HIGHLY SKILLED PREDATOR.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS

SNAKES ON EARTH, YET THE

HEDGEHOG WALKS RIGHT UP TO IT.

THOUGH RELATIVELY SMALL COMPARED

TO THE HEDGEHOG, ONE BITE FROM

THIS VIPER CAN STILL BE FATAL.

[SNAKE MAKING SOUND]

IT COILS

ITS BODY AND RUBS ITS SCALES

TOGETHER TO MAKE A SAWING SOUND.

AS IT BECOMES MORE AGITATED, THE

NOISE BECOMES FASTER AND LOUDER.

[SOUND CONTINUES]

THIS IS THE

SOUND OF THE SNAKE'S FEAR.

ONE FALSE MOVE IS ALL IT TAKES.

THE VIPER HAS COME TOO CLOSE.

FOR NOW, THIS LONG-EARED

UNDERDOG REMAINS THE UNDEFEATED

CHAMPION OF THE DESERT.

COMING UP, A MUD VOLCANO

IS NO JOKE.

AND GATHERING FLOWERS TO SAVE

FOR THE WINTER.

MORE CLEVER CREATURES WHEN

"EARTH ODYSSEY" COMES RIGHT

BACK.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO

"THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC."

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: SOME PLACES ON EARTH HAVE

TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED.

THAT'S THE CASE WITH THE STRANGE

FIELDS OF MUD VOLCANOES BUBBLING

AROUND THE CASPIAN SEA.

HERE, ONE ANIMAL MANAGES TO JUST

BARELY CLIMB OUT OF TROUBLE.

MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, THIS WAS

AN OPEN SEA TEEMING WITH

MICROSCOPIC LIFE.

THE CASPIAN REGION HOLDS

APPROXIMATELY 282 TRILLION CUBIC

FEET OF NATURAL GAS AND AROUND

48 BILLION BARRELS OF OIL.

NATURAL GAS WELLS UP FROM BELOW

AND ERUPTS, CREATING HUGE

MUDFLOWS FROM DEEP BELOW THE

EARTH'S CRUST.

GEOLOGISTS CALL THESE MUD

VOLCANOES.

OF THE WORLD'S ESTIMATED 700 MUD

VOLCANOES, HALF ARE FOUND NEAR

HERE.

BUT IT'S A TREACHEROUS PLACE TO

FORAGE.

A SPUR-THIGHED TORTOISE IS

LOOKING FOR A DRINK, BUT IS

FINDING MUCH MORE THAN IT

BARGAINED FOR.

THEY'RE NOT VERY GOOD AT

SWIMMING, BUT LUCKILY, THEIR

RATIO OF LUNG SIZE TO BODYWEIGHT

HELPS THIS ONE FLOAT.

THAT GIVES IT A CHANCE TO CLIMB

OUT OF THE MUD TO SAFETY.

TALK ABOUT A CLOSE CALL.

THROUGH A MAZE OF SHALLOWS AND

CONCEALED CHANNELS, THIS FLOODED

LANDSCAPE PROVIDES THE SETTING

FOR A SECLUDED SPAWNING.

AS EVENING APPROACHES A LOUD

CHORUS SHATTERS THE PEACE.

[FROGS CROAKING]

AMOROUS MALE

MARSH FROGS CROAK THEIR HEARTS

OUT TO ATTRACT EGG-LADEN MATES.

THEY'RE THE LARGEST FROGS IN

EURASIA.

FEMALES ARE ABOUT HALF-A-FOOT

LONG.

[FROGS CROAKING]

EACH CLUTCH OF

EGGS CAN BE MORE THAN 1,000

STRONG.

SPAWN BECOME TADPOLES WITHIN TEN

DAYS.

BUT MANY DON'T LIVE MUCH LONGER.

GREAT DIVING BEETLES HUNT IN THE

SHALLOWS, AND TADPOLES ARE A

FAVORITE PREY.

THE BEETLE'S LARVAE MAY LOOK

DIFFERENT, BUT IT HAS ALL OF ITS

PARENTS' HUNTING INSTINCTS.

THERE'S A GOOD REASON THE LARVAE

ARE NAMED WATER TIGERS.

AND NOT ONLY TADPOLES ARE IN

DANGER.

A LACK OF TEETH WON'T PREVENT

THIS HUNGRY BUG FROM FEEDING.

IT'S AN ACQUIRED TASTE.

COMING UP, THEY'RE EXPERTS AT

ACTIVATING STEALTH MODE.

THE SECRET LIVES OF GERBILS WHEN

"EARTH ODYSSEY" RETURNS.

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: THE RUGGED TERRAIN OF THE

CASPIAN SEA'S WESTERN SHORES

GIVES WAY TO MILES OF PRAIRIE TO

THE NORTH.

THIS IS THE CASPIAN DEPRESSION,

A HUGE, DRY GRASSLAND.

BUT IN EARLY MAY, SNOWMELT

BRINGS LIFE BACK.

FOR A BRIEF MOMENT IN SPRING, AN

EXPLOSION OF CRIMSON TRANSFORMS

THE STARK LANDSCAPE.

POPPIES CREATE A BRIGHT BLOOMING

MEADOW.

DESPITE THEIR BOLD RED COLOR,

POPPY PETALS ARE THIN AND

FRAGILE, AND THE FLOWERS QUICKLY

GO TO SEED.

ONE FURRY INHABITANT MAKES THE

MOST OF THE SHORT MASS BLOOM.

GREAT GERBILS ARE THREE TIMES

LARGER THAN THE ONES KEPT AS

PETS.

ACCOMPLISHED EXCAVATORS, THEY

INHABIT A LABYRINTH OF

UNDERGROUND TUNNELS.

AN AREA THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL

FIELD COULD EASILY ACCOMMODATE

UP TO 3,000 BURROWS.

POPPIES ARE ONE OF THE GREAT

GERBIL'S FAVORITE FOODS, AND IN

RETURN, THEIR NUTRIENT-RICH

DROPPINGS HELP CREATE A FERTILE

SEED BED.

THE FLOWERS WILL BE GONE IN LESS

THAN TWO WEEKS, SO A FEMALE

QUICKLY HARVESTS THE CROP, THEN

CARRIES IT INTO HER BURROW.

THE FLOWERS ARE PRESERVED TO EAT

LATER IN THE COLD HUMIDITY OF AN

UNDERGROUND LARDER.

GREAT GERBIL FAMILIES LIVE IN

GIANT CATACOMBS WITH SEPARATE

CHAMBERS FOR STORING FOOD.

THERE'S A MILE AND A HALF OF

TUNNELS AND HIDDEN NURSERIES FOR

NEWBORNS.

THOSE SECRET BUNKERS ARE WHERE

THIS MOTHER CAN NURSE HER YOUNG.

A PROLIFIC BREEDER, HER FIRST

LITTER WILL BE BORN IN FEBRUARY.

BY JUNE, SHE'LL PRODUCE TWO MORE

LITTERS WITH A DOZEN PUPS IN

EACH.

FAMILY CLEARLY COMES FIRST FOR

THESE HIGHLY SOCIAL AND

EVER-ALERT CREATURES WHO KNOW

THAT NOTHING CAN BE TAKEN FOR

GRANTED IN THIS TRULY DIVERSE

WILDERNESS.

IN THE FACE OF MANY CHALLENGES,

THE CASPIAN REGION OFFERS

WILDLIFE A REFUGE.

AND AGAINST ALL ODDS, EVEN AN

UNDERDOG CAN THRIVE.

WE'VE JUST SEEN HOW NATURE

SOLVES THE PROBLEMS OF SURVIVAL

IN EXTREME HABITATS.

AN ANTELOPE'S EXTRA-LARGE NOSE

OR A HEDGEHOG'S HIGH-POWERED

HEARING REMIND US HOW ADAPTABLE

ANIMALS CAN BE.

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON

"EARTH ODYSSEY."

[MUSIC]