Original subtitles

- Deep in the heart of Brazil,

a band of capuchin monkeys teaches their young

the secrets of survival

in one of the Earth's largest tropical wetlands...

It's a mysterious world where fish pick fruit from trees

and ancient mammals are at home underwater.

(bird noises)

And this unruly, and improbable, gang of gardeners

shapes the tropical paradise in unexpected ways.

♪♪♪

The Pantanal...

an immense wetland in Brazil that is one of the most pristine

and biologically rich environments on the planet.

It's a low plain that covers almost 54 thousand square miles.

80% of it is underwater in the rainy season.

Here on the southern edge high up in the Bodoquena Hills,

the dry season is about to start.

(forest sounds)

But for now, the forest is so lush it's like the Garden

of Eden for this troop of brown capuchin monkeys.

(forest sounds)

This is the most critical time of this youngster's life.

So far, life for him has been easy.

He's been riding his mother's back since the day he was born.

(monkey noises)

(monkey noises) (forest sounds)

But now it's time to let go.

It will soon be time for her to mate again.

(forest sounds)

It's his first day of independence

and he's at his most vulnerable.

(monkey noises) (forest sounds)

This little guy is bold from the get go.

And he's got the hang of using his prehensile tail.

He's already ventured away from the watchful eyes of the group.

His balance is still a little shaky.

He's seen what his mother eats, but now that he's on his own

and his choice of which leaves to eat needs some refining.

(forest sounds)

(bird of prey piercing cry)

For this young capuchin, birds of prey are among the most dangerous of predators.

(bird of prey piercing cry)

The crested caracara is a scavenger

and not a threat to the monkeys.

But they don't take any chances and alert each other

with a call that says "flying predator".

(bird of prey piercing cry)

(monkey noises)

They all quickly scramble to protect the young.

(bird of prey piercing cry)

Hopefully, this youngster learnt his lesson:

if he wants to survive this season,

he'd better stay close to the troop.

This troop has ten members.

The dominant male is the focus of the group.

He sports a handsome dark crest on the top of his head.

It's why they're often called tufted capuchins.

His job is to defend the troop's territory.

And he fiercely protects them from predators.

The females are smaller than the males.

And the shape of their head is less angular.

The other troop members are juveniles.

Their rank within the hierarchy of the group

depends on their age.

They spend most of the day foraging for food,

and now it's time for breakfast at one of their favorite

outdoor picnic spots.

Capuchins will eat just about anything they can get their hands on.

Each type of food requires a different set of skills.

So the young have a lot to learn:

not just what to eat, but where to find it.

Fruits and leaves are easy pickings.

(forest sounds)

But leaves aren't that nutritious.

And in a few weeks, the fruiting season will end.

So the youngsters need to master the art of finding tasty

and nutritious insects.

Knowing where to look comes with experience.

The best spots are under the bark and inside dead branches.

They could get lucky and find eggs or juicy larvae.

It takes a keen eye and patience.

Ants are a favorite. There are lots around

and their powerful jaws can give a painful bite.

But they're worth it.

About 3 and a half ounces of ants can provide

close to half an ounce of protein to a growing capuchin.

But getting under the bark takes practice...

which the youngster doesn't have.

And after a few vague attempts...

he goes back to a low calorie diet of leaves.

Capuchins are messy eaters.

Researchers call it "destructive foraging".

The dead branches are easy to break off.

With them gone, the trees stop sending resources to weak limbs

and will redirect them to new growth.

It makes a healthier forest.

Better for the trees and the monkeys.

The monkeys are keepers of their garden.

It's only recently that scientists have discovered

how intimately the lives of the trees

and monkeys are interconnected.

Unlocking those mysteries is inspiration

for the research of Dr. Jose Sabino.

His studies reveal a surprising connection between the forest

and an omnivorous river fish:

the piraputanga.

This fish has a taste, and an eye, for low hanging fruit.

Piraputanga can jump as high as a foot and a half

to nab these fruits.

But for each hit, there are many misses.

The prize is well worth the effort.

The piraputanga's sense of hearing is

as highly developed as its vision.

It picks up sound waves that travel

through the water as vibrations.

Piraputanga rarely miss the splash of a fruit

or a seed hitting the water's surface.

As soon as one fish locates the source of the sound,

the whole school moves in.

The fish keep a watchful eye

on the monkeys hovering over the river bank.

When the monkeys move off, the fish follow.

It is a lot easier to scavenge what the monkeys drop

than picking your own fruit.

Cause when it's dinner time for the monkeys,

it's dinner time for the fish too.

The impact of this unlikely co-dependence between species

extends far above the water.

These jumping fish are also forest gardeners.

Once the seeds pass through their digestive tracts

and into the river, some are swept

by the current towards the riverbank.

Odds are, some will germinate and grow into the trees

of the lush Monkey Garden,

completing another cycle in the highlands above the Pantanal.

The monkeys and the fish depend on the forest,

just as much as the forest depends on them to flourish.

But it's only thanks to the crystal clear waters

that the monkeys and the fish can interact in this way.

Underwater visibility here is more than 80 feet.

The bright tropical sun and shallow water are

ideal conditions for a variety of aquatic plants.

And this lush vegetation provides shelter

and nourishment for about 90 species of fish.

But one of them doesn't have just a taste for plants.

It's the dourado. He's a piscivore:

a fish that eats other fish.

Dourado means "golden" in Portuguese.

He's not related to the familiar dorado,

which is the Spanish name for mahi mahi.

His large head, powerful jaws,

and razor sharp teeth,

make him the top predator in these streams and rivers.

Even this curimbata, not much smaller than the dourado,

keeps its distance.

Adult dourados can grow up to 3 feet.

They're aggressive and smart predators, even at a young age.

Hanging out with a school of fruit

and plant eating piraputanga is the perfect cover,

and a young dourado needs all the help it can get.

It's a challenge to hunt, and a challenge to hide

in these clear waters.

Some fish use camouflage to blend into their surroundings.

These two large cichlids blend well with their background,

allowing them to protect their abundant offspring.

The female only laid her eggs 36 hours ago

and they've just hatched into tiny fry.

Several smaller fish are looking for a quick snack.

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense,

and the female finally manages to fend off the would-be diners.

This river is fed by an underground aquifer.

(forest sounds)

Water under pressure comes bubbling up

through openings all along the riverbed.

The water source is high up these mountains

and flows down from the Bodoquena Hills.

From the southern edge of the Pantanal,

the mountain range stretches northwards

for more than 125 miles.

The rocks are limestone made of calcium carbonate.

As rain water percolates down through soil

it becomes acidic and dissolves the limestone...

...transforming the landscape in a process that has been going on

for millions of years.

Calcareous mineral deposited by flowing water

settle at the bottom of springs like this one.

The minerals fuse with dead leaves,

and other organic matter to form these natural dams.

Here, over millennia, water has dissolved the sedimentary rock

and carved out steep cliffs that create updrafts

for soaring vultures.

Below the forest, deep underground,

lies a dark and mysterious honeycomb of tunnels and caves.

There are more than two hundred caves

hidden under the Monkey Garden, and many more yet to discover.

The water has gone, but evidence of its persistent

and relentless work is on full display.

Geologists are still debating the sequence of events

that led to the formation of these spectacular caves.

Unfortunately, the geological clues that would have given them

greater insights into their earliest stages

of development have disappeared, dissolved by the water.

So they look for answers in subterranean caves

where the water is still present.

Some of these water filled caves are so deep,

no one has ever reached the end of them.

These stalactites and stalagmites were formed

long ago when the cave was dry.

These spectacular dripstones, as they're called,

are the result of water seeping through the limestone.

When rainwater trickles down through the rock,

the limestone dissolves and is carried by water

through fractures in the roof of the cave.

With time, the dripping water precipitates a tiny amount

of the mineral calcite.

Over thousands of years the length and thickness

of the calcite accumulation grows,

and eventually forms a stalactite on the ceiling or,

where the drips land, a stalagmite that grows up

from the floor.

The deepest part of this cave is 130 feet below the surface.

This chamber is known as the cone room

because of the strange rock formations sprouting up

from the cave floor.

At the far end, a section has collapsed.

Changes in this dynamic underworld are evident

even on the surface.

Above, the pock-marked limestone cliffs

bear the scars of erosion.

(forest sounds)

When the walls of a giant cave collapsed,

it created an enormous sinkhole.

It's called the Buraco das Araras, the Macaws Hole.

(macaw call)

This massive sinkhole is almost 325 feet deep and 1600 feet wide.

Now it's home to a large number of raucous

and colorful red and green macaws.

(macaws calls)

Modesto Sampaio, a farmer, bought the land back in 1986.

(macaws calls)

After the sale, he discovered that he had signed up

for a giant hole and a new kind of adventure.

Modesto noticed a few pairs of red and green macaws had taken

a liking to the sinkhole.

In the Pantanal, as elsewhere,

parrot populations have been in a steady decline.

Modesto knew that this land had once been home to a much

larger number of macaws, but they'd left

when the hole became a dumpsite.

Determined to make a difference, Modesto made a plan.

He called in the fire department,

and all his family and friends.

Together they started a massive cleanup

and removed four giant truckloads of trash.

He also took on the role of gardener and planted bocajuva palm trees

that produce rich fruity nuts,

a favorite of the macaws.

Now the sinkhole is a refuge for over a hundred pairs of macaws.

(macaw call)

These spectacular birds mate for life and breed just once a year,

during the dry season.

It's just the beginning of the mating season.

Love is in the air and so are their piercing calls.

As for Modesto, he's still farming,

but he's also welcoming visitors to his Macaw Sanctuary.

(macaws calls)

Back in the Monkey Garden,

the capuchins are taking a break

before moving on to their next feeding spot.

The youngest play and wrestle.

It's a way to refine the motor skills.

The juveniles are always hungry,

and they're quite skilled at catching small animals.

Frogs, lizards, and mammals win top prize.

They're packed with protein.

The adults are busy, blissfully grooming.

An individual's rank in the troop hierarchy dictates

the amount of grooming they'll give and receive.

The higher up you are, the more you receive,

but, in a surprising twist, the higher up you are also means

the more you give!

So the top groomer is the dominant male.

He spends the most time engaged in grooming!

But now he signals it's time to move.

There's a tree on the other side of their territory

that should be ripe for picking!

Right on cue, the piraputanga are also on the move.

(monkey noises)

But they lose track of the monkeys when the troop leaves the river's edge

and disappears into the forest.

The capuchin's territory is about 2000 acres.

On average, they'll travel about a mile a day

on their arboreal highways,

even more when food becomes scarce

at the height of the dry season.

The group waits for the youngest to catch up.

The dominant male stays in the middle of the troop.

The lower ranking adults are at the front of the pack.

They're the first line of defense in case of an attack.

This young one is almost four years old

and he travels these routes with ease.

Finally, the group reaches its destination:

a fig tree covered with ripe fruit.

And there are other fruit trees nearby.

The young male gobbles them up as fast as he can,

but he's just broken the golden rule:

the dominant or alpha male always gets first dibs.

(angry monkeys noises)

The young male is not ready to challenge

the alpha male and quickly retreats.

Peace returns as they spread out to feed.

Below, on the forest floor,

the sound of quarreling monkeys

lures an agouti to the base of the tree.

The agouti is a South American rodent

the size of a large rabbit.

And, just like the piraputanga fish,

its sensitive ears are attuned to the sounds

of the feasting monkeys in the treetops.

The soft thud of fruits and nuts hitting the forest floor

is his invitation to the traveling feast.

Like most rodents, the agouti has sharp front incisors,

good for gnawing on and cracking open tough nuts.

Even though it's still early in the dry season

and there's plenty of food, the agouti likes to plan ahead.

They bury thousands of nuts and seeds and keep the locations

fresh in their memory by revisiting the cache sites

every four or five days.

The caches is containing emergency rations

for when the drought sets in.

If the agouti never returns, the buried seeds won't go to waste.

Some of the fruits and some of the nuts will grow into trees,

making the agouti another gardener in the forest.

Despite their small size, agouti play an important role

in the regeneration of the forest.

(bird call)

There's another forest dweller that helps to tend

the forest garden, but it has a much larger impact.

Tipping the scale at more than 650 pounds,

the lowland tapir is the largest land mammal in South America.

It's one of the few giant mammals that survived

the late Pleistocene extinctions,

a little over ten thousand years ago.

They look much the same now as they did then.

Their great appetite and sheer bulk

make them an important landscaper in the Monkey Garden.

They open trails in the forest

as they travel in search of food.

They're herbivores and eat almost 100 pounds of leaves,

shoots, branches, grasses, and fruits, each day.

Just like the agouti, they disperse seeds

as they roam about the forest.

But these are larger seeds and they spread them over

a wider area, as their home range is about 600 acres.

Although they look like pigs, tapirs are related

to horses and rhinoceroses.

Tapirs are excellent swimmers and divers.

They can stay underwater for several minutes...

and have a short prehensile trunk, which is really

an extended nose and upper lip that they use as a snorkel.

It's one of the tricks that helps them escape

their main predator, the jaguar.

In the water, they eat aquatic plants, wash off ticks,

and cool down.

His splayed toes help create traction in the slippery mud.

He's a bulky animal, but doesn't make much noise

as he heads back into the forest to wait for cooler temperatures

to start feeding again.

He'll be waiting alone. Tapirs lead

solitary lives and only reproduce once every two years.

Their slow reproductive rate makes them particularly

vulnerable to habitat loss,

and their population has been dwindling.

But here in the Pantanal, several initiatives have been put in place

to monitor and protect this endangered species.

As the dry season sets in,

the waters of the Monkey Garden start to recede...

...and leave salts and minerals on the sun burned rocks.

It's a microscopic buffet for these butterflies,

especially for the males, who need salt to reproduce.

Butterflies are easy prey.

About half of them are killed before they have a chance

to mate and reproduce.

They can be quite territorial

but here it's common to see butterflies of different species

share an area, like this Cramer's 88 in the middle

of a group of other butterflies.

There's strength in numbers

as it's harder for predators to pick out an individual.

As temperatures soar past the 100 degrees Fahrenheit mark,

even coldblooded butterflies need to cool down,

so they close their wings.

Tropical butterflies are often light colored

so their scales reflect light and absorb less heat.

The youngest member of the capuchin family

is still learning the ropes under the watchful eyes

of the whole troop.

His mother isn't the center of his world anymore...

...but he needs his extended family for guidance,

learning by example and by experience.

In just a few months, food will be scarce,

so he'll rely on the troop's intimate knowledge

of its territory to survive the long dry season of the Pantanal.

Their piece of paradise is inextricably linked to the seasons,

but for now these unlikely gardeners flourish

in the heart of Brazil in this spectacular tropical wetland.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)