All language subtitles for Islands.of.Wonder.S01E01.WEBRip.x264-ION10

In the tropical waters
of the Indian Ocean

lies the oldest island
on earth...

...Madagascar.

It's home to a staggering array
of ancient habitats.

From the inhospitable deserts
of the West...

to the lush rainforests
of the East...

people and wildlife here

have risen to the challenges
of this unique place.

Isolated for longer
than any other island...

life has had time to evolve
in the most remarkable ways...

...creating a world of wildlife
unlike anywhere else

on our planet.

Across the globe, islands lie
isolated in vast seas...

...home to remarkable
animal castaways...

...and extraordinary human
cultures.

These islands of wonder
cradle precious life

found nowhere else
on planet Earth.

Nearly 90 million years ago,

Madagascar was born
when one giant landmass,

known as Gondwana,
broke apart.

As Asia split from Africa,

Madagascar was cast adrift.

At over 200,000 square miles,

it's a vast island,
almost the size of Texas.

At its heart
lie the Highlands...

...an immense mountainous spine

that defines the island's
climate.

Warm, wet air is blown in off
the Indian Ocean,

drenching the East side
of Madagascar with rain.

But the mountains block this
rain from reaching the West,

creating
a great expanse of desert.

This arid landscape stretches
halfway up the West Coast.

And it was here,
around 55 million years ago,

that a few animal castaways
arrived.

It's thought that they survived
on rafts of vegetation

washed 300 miles across the sea
from Africa.

And one of the very first
mammals to arrive here.

was an ancient species
of primate.

Their direct descendants
still live in the desert today.

Ring-tailed lemurs.

In the cool dawn
of the desert...

they soak up the warmth
of the early morning sun...

saving vital energy.

But this young lemur's survival

depends on the troop
finding enough food...

...not easy when their home
is in the harshest corner

of this arid world.

Known as the Spiny Forest,

it's entirely unique
to Madagascar...

Miniscule leaves

have little to offer
a growing lemur.

So the troop must devote up
to 8 hours a day

scouring
this parched desert for food...

...driven to even
the most hostile vegetation.

The sticky sap that oozes
out of euphorbia plants

can be caustic
and burn human skin.

Yet ringtails are resistant
to their corrosive powers.

Euphorbia sap is
also rich in fats...

...precious fuel for their
growing youngster...

...a unique adaptation
that may just allow

this young lemur to survive
the harsh conditions

of this hostile desert.

Ringtails are just one
of the island's many lemurs.

A family of primates
found only on Madagascar.

Over millions of years,

their ancient ancestors

gradually spread out from
the arid Western deserts...

...crossing the highlands...

...and eventually arriving
in the rainforests of the East.

Slowly adapting
to the challenges

of these remarkable landscapes,

they've evolved into over
100 species of lemur.

Their story echoes
all across Madagascar.

Isolated for longer
than any other island,

those that arrived here have had
to become as unique

as the island itself.

Just a few thousand years ago,

people were the last to arrive
on this ancient island.

They, too, had to adapt

to Madagascar's vast array
of extreme landscapes.

On the arid West Coast...

the Vezo people rely entirely
on the ocean for food.

The skills needed to survive
are learned at an early age.

And families will spend weeks
out at sea,

fishing its waters.

But not all human colonizers
stayed on the coast.

Over time,
people pushed further inland...

finding ingenious ways
to survive the desert.

Just 20 miles from the coast
lies the village of Ampotaka.

It's October and temperatures
reach over 100 degrees.

The dry season here
can be long.

not a drop of rain
has fallen for 10 months.

With the nearest supply
over 40 miles away,

life is a daily struggle.

The remains of this year's
melon harvest

provide just enough water to
cook with.

At 62, Adolphe has lived through
the driest of years.

Today, Adolphe is
joined by his son Leris

to visit an iconic giant...

one that holds the key
to surviving

in this waterless part
of the island.

The baobab,
known as the tree of life.

Its thick, gnarled trunk
hides an ancient secret.

Naturally holding over
twenty thousand gallons of water

within its structure,

a baobab tree can grow up
to 100 feet...

...and survive for three years

without a single drop of rain.

These giants have been
a lifeline for Adolphe's family

for generations.

By hollowing out
the broad trunk,

they created a tank in which
they could store water

through the long dry season.

Each baobab tank can hold
hundreds of gallons of water,

but this dry season
has been long,

and their tree is already empty.

It's an important opportunity
to trim back the growing bark...

maintaining the tank's size.

Everything must be prepared
for the brief rains ahead.

By digging big trenches
near the tree...

Adolphe and Leris will be able
to collect the rainwater

and refill their baobab.

Adolphe inherited 7 tanks
from his father...

...but just one of them
still has water inside.

With enough water
for just a few weeks,

Adolphe can only hope that
things will soon change.

Survival in this desert depends
on the arrival of the rains.

On the forest floor,
there are signs

that the weather is changing.

Tiny Labord's chameleons,
just over an long,

begin to hatch.

Unique to Madagascar,

they live for only
four months...

the shortest lifespan
of any land vertebrate.

For this young male,
it's a race against time.

In the dry season
there is little food...

but his hatching
is perfectly timed.

It's December and the start
of the rainy season.

The parched landscape
is transformed

into a flush of green.

Just what a growing
chameleon needs.

With unique eyes that can move
independently of each other,

he can spot a meal
from any direction.

Then, by locking both eyes
onto his target,

he can judge distance...

...with deadly accuracy.

With an abundance of food,

he can grow to five times
his size.

By February, he's transformed
into an adult male,

with a striking horn he hopes
will catch the eye

of a potential mate.

A female approaches.

But he's not the only one
in pursuit.

With such short lives,
there is fierce competition

for a chance to mate.

With his rival out of the way,

he hasn't got long
to take this opportunity

before his short life
will be over.

After just four months,
this male and female

have succeeded
in securing the next generation.

As the dry season returns...

not a single adult Labord's
chameleon will be left alive.

The entire population existing

just as eggs,

buried underground,

waiting for
the next rains to come.

Arid regions cover more than
half of Western Madagascar...

...including one of its most
extreme habitats...

...the Grand Tsingy.

More than 500 square miles
of sharp limestone pinnacles...

...towering over 400 feet.

They've been slowly eroded
by rain over millions of years.

The deep ravines
hold moisture...

allowing tiny pockets of forest
to grow.

They provide an oasis
for an extraordinary lemur...

...found only in this corner
of Madagascar...

Decken's sifaka.

This youngster was born
just three months ago...

but he's already mastering
the vital skill of leaping.

No cluster of trees has enough
leaves to sustain a troop of 8.

To provide enough food
for her son,

this female must seek out
fresh vegetation...

...and run a deadly gauntlet...

...crossing the exposed rocks

to reach the next pocket
of food.

The limestone shards are sharp
enough to shred human skin.

But protected by thick,
rubbery soles...

and with springy long legs
that can leap up to 30 feet...

...these lemurs have evolved
into blade runners.

Safely across,
they claim their reward...

...fresh leaves, essential
for both mother and son...

Over millions of years,
the Decken's sifaka evolved

to overcome the extreme
conditions of the Grand Tsingy.

But as Madagascar's lemurs

continued to spread east
across the island...

they encountered its most
formidable barrier.

over 100 miles east
of the Grand Tsingy...

the Highlands.

It's these towering peaks

that create Madagascar's
uniquely divided climate.

Rising over 6,000 feet...

they capture the full force
of seasonal rain

blowing in from the East.

Millions of years of rainfall
have carved fertile valleys...

prime rice-growing land,

the staple food of the people
of Madagascar.

Just a few thousand years ago,

settlers from Asia
brought the skills

to turn even
the steepest mountains

into terraced rice paddies.

Over 1,000,000 tons
are produced here every year,

all by subsistence farmers.

Marivelo
owns 4 paddy fields,

providing just enough rice
for her family of 10.

It's January,

the height of
the rainy season,

and the most important time
for any rice farmer.

Each pound of rice needs over
300 gallons of water to grow.

With rainwater flooding
the rice paddies,

Marivelo must now get ready
for planting.

Instead of plowing the soil,

she uses her most
prized possession.

Originally from Asia,
these are zebu cattle.

All the stampeding hooves
perfectly churn up the ground.

An ancient practice,
unique to Madagascar,

it brings the whole
community together.

With the soil prepared,

it's time to get planting.

To make the most
of the peak rains,

Marivelo and her daughters
have to work fast.

All: Whoooo!

It's a highly skilled task...

perfected over generations.

All: Whooo!

They're precision planters.

Despite their speed,
every blade is 8 inches apart,

ensuring maximum yield.

In three months time,

the rice crop should be ready
for harvest,

providing
Marivelo and her family

with enough food
for the year ahead...

...unless the crop is struck

by one of the most destructive
creatures on the planet.

Locusts.

They're normally
solitary insects.

But when there's an abundance
of crops...

their numbers can reach
plague proportions.

These flightless
marching hoppers

devour everything in their path.

But their devastation
is about to reach a new level.

Morphing into fully
fledged adults...

now they can take to the air

in their billions.

A swarm this size
may only appear

once in a decade in Madagascar.

Traveling over
50 miles a day...

they can consume
over 40,000 tons of food...

...including the farmers'
precious rice crops.

But upon reaching
the Highlands...

the plague is finally halted
by heavy mountain rains.

Wet wings prevent the locusts
from flying,

until eventually, the swarm
runs out of food and dies.

Beyond the Highlands,
the land to the east is bathed

in warm, wet air,

blown in off
the Indian Ocean.

Receiving 10 times more rainfall
than the West...

this side of the island
is home to lush rainforests.

When Madagascar's
ancient castaways

eventually made it here,

they flourished.

Over time, creatures evolved
in extraordinary ways

colonizing every leaf
and vine.

Today, two-thirds
of the island's

unique plants and animals

are found here
in the Eastern rainforests.

The forest floor provides
a haven

for another ancient
African immigrant.

It may look like a hedgehog,

but this is a tenrec,

found only on Madagascar.

They give birth to more babies

than any other mammal...

as many as 32

in a single litter.

Like the lemurs, they've evolved
over time

into many different species...

adapting in unique ways
to their forest home.

At 4 weeks old,
these streaked tenrecs

are just 5 inches long,
but nearly fully grown.

Eagerly sniffing out a meal

with their flexible snouts...

they can eat over
30 worms a day.

In these crowded forests,
dangers are everywhere...

A deadly Madagascan ground boa.

At the first sign of any threat,

the mother has an ingenious way
to raise the alarm.

She rubs together
modified spines on her back,

creating a high-pitched sound
that's hard for US to hear,

but not for her young.

Cutting through the noise
of the forest,

the youngsters quickly home in
on her alarm call.

This unique form
of communication

is used by no other mammal
on the planet.

The sheer abundance of life here
has resulted

in some of the island's
most unusual creatures...

each evolving in extreme ways
to beat the competition.

Under the cover of darkness,
the pelican spider emerges...

...aptly named
for their long jaws.

He canproduce silk,

but he doesn't build a web
to catch food.

Instead, he hunts down
his next meal.

Using his extra long arms...

he searches for clues...

...like a silk thread.

Following these guidelines

leads him
straight to his prey...

...because this spider

is a spider killer.

Silently he can creep up
on his unsuspecting victim.

Not so simple when
your dinner has eight eyes.

But he is a persistent hunter.

Another potential victim --

a female orb web spider.

But in the safety of her web,

she's surrounded
by a sticky fortress.

What to do?

Fortunately, the pelican spider
has had millions of years

to fine-tune his technique.

Mimicking the movements
of a struggling fly,

he lures her towards him.

His massive, pelican jaws hold
her safely away from his body,

avoiding her lethal bite.

And only after he's injected her
with his own venom

is it safe to have his dinner.

With such intense competition
for food

in these Eastern rainforests,

even Madagascar's lemurs

have been pushed to evolve
in the most extreme ways.

This is an aye-aye...

filmed in a special enclosure.

Her favorite food
is insect larvae,

which can only be found deep
inside the branches of trees.

But the aye-aye has evolved
a truly unique way

of hunting them down...

a technique that's thought
to take 4 years to master.

By tapping on the tree,

she can hear where
the branch is hollow.

But one of her highly adapted
fingers has another job.

At 3.5 inches long,

it's perfect
for hooking out grubs.

Madagascar's unique wildlife

has had millions of years
to slowly evolve.

But in the last
few thousand years,

the pace of change of island
life has increased rapidly,

with some devastating
consequences...

...examples of which have only

just been discovered...

in Madagascar's remote
Western desert.

This pool is a portal to a
previously unexplored world.

In 2015, divers ventured

into a vast network
of flooded passages.

Over 160 feet below the surface,

they entered
a truly magical underworld...

discovering over 7 miles
of connected tunnels...

...and some of the biggest
underwater chambers

in the world.

But it's what they found
inside these caves

that was their most astounding
discovery.

A vast graveyard...

the preserved remains
of mysterious creatures.

Horned crocodiles.

A puma-like predator,

and even pygmy hippos.

But most impressive of all...

the skulls of giant lemurs

that grew to the size
of a gorilla.

All now extinct on Madagascar.

Their demise coincided
with the most disruptive change

in Madagascar's long history.

Just a few thousand years ago,
the arrival of people.

Today, our impact
on the island

is greater than ever before.

Madagascar's forests
are disappearing

faster than
in any other tropical country...

cleared mainly
for subsistence farming.

As little as 20% of the island's
original forest remains.

And the impact on Madagascar's
unique wildlife

has been devastating.

95% of lemurs are now
threatened with extinction...

...making them the most
vulnerable group of mammals

in the world.

One of the most endangered

is found
in the East of the island,

the greater bamboo lemur.

Like all lemurs, they are
highly specialized.

Bamboo makes up nearly
95% of their diet...

...despite the fact
that these shoots

are packed
full of deadly cyanide.

Every day each lemur
can eat enough poison

to kill 5 humans...

...surviving only because
they have evolved

to withstand
its toxic effects.

This unique adaptation

means they have these thickets
all to themselves...

but it also means
they're trapped here,

unable to live anywhere else.

As their bamboo forests
are cleared for agriculture...

...the lemurs are left

with little to eat
and quickly disappear.

The greater bamboo lemur

was once thought
to have gone extinct.

But thanks to a recent
concerted effort

to protect them...

there is now
a glimmer of hope.

In the last year, this group
had a record number of babies,

adding 72 to their
total population of just 500.

The greater bamboo lemur is just
one of thousands

of remarkable creatures
found only on Madagascar...

...each one conquering
the challenges

that they've faced here

over millions of years.

From the arid deserts
of the West...

...to the island's
mountainous heart...

...and into the lush rainforests
of the East...

...now they face the challenges
of our changing world.

But with our protection,

there is hope that
this ancient island of wonder

can continue to thrive
for millions of years to come.