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♪ ♪
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Narrator: The
central andes mountains.
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Thirteen thousand
feet above sea level.
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In this barren land
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00:00:12,446 --> 00:00:18,117
Live some of the hardiest
animals on the planet...
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... Surrounded
by caustic lagoons.
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Up here water is
precious. It gives life....
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... But also takes it away.
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00:00:37,338 --> 00:00:41,240
This is a land without mercy.
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00:00:42,076 --> 00:00:47,946
A land burned by the
sun and starved of oxygen.
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00:00:47,948 --> 00:00:54,086
And yet, despite the
odds, there is life here.
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A life... Of extremes.
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[♪ theme music ♪]
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♪ ♪
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Narrator: Running the
full length of south america,
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The andes are the
world's longest mountain chain.
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Halfway down, high peaks wall
in a 600-mile wide plateau:
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The altiplano.
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It is the highest plateau
outside of the himalayas.
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00:02:13,567 --> 00:02:18,970
For most of the
year the rivers run dry.
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This lack of water
and the cold thin air
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Make it an incredibly
difficult place to live.
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♪ ♪
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Vicuña have just
the right adaptations,
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Including an
unusually large heart and lungs
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To cope with the scant oxygen.
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00:02:41,529 --> 00:02:47,232
Females live in groups
dominated by a single male.
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As the day warms up,
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One of the females looks for
a secluded spot to give birth.
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The adult male keeps watch.
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The fawn calls out, even
before it is completely born...
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... Cementing the
bond with its mother.
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As the newborn
wrestles with gravity,
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Mom gives it some
gentle encouragement.
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The fawn's wet fur
and the biting wind
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Are not a good combination.
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To avoid getting too cold,
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It must get on its
feet and start moving...
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... As soon as possible.
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The fawn weighs just nine pounds
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And has a lot of leg to control.
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Eventually it grows more stable.
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At 20 minutes old it's
just about steady enough
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For its first drink of milk.
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Vicuña are
extremely social animals.
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It's time to meet
the rest of the herd...
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... Just as soon as it
can manage those legs.
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Vicuña identify each
other by sense of smell,
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So there's sniffing all round.
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The whole herd comes
to greet the new arrival.
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00:05:51,919 --> 00:05:53,985
Although the fawn has
met its first challenge
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00:05:53,987 --> 00:06:02,927
Of simply getting up and moving,
it's still very vulnerable,
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And will be for
the next few hours...
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Especially while it's
still so unsteady on its feet.
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By giving birth in the morning,
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Vicuña ensure that their young
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Have a chance to dry out
before night closes in...
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... Bringing with
it the bitterest cold
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Of these high andean peaks.
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♪ ♪
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The andes run 4,000 miles down
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The entire western
edge of south america.
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00:06:55,916 --> 00:06:57,582
The widest part of the chain
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Is where the high
plateau or altiplano lies --
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00:07:01,922 --> 00:07:06,425
Surrounded by tall mountains.
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00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:12,597
Here, high-altitude lakes are
formed by glacier melt and rain,
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Unable to drain away.
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00:07:15,602 --> 00:07:18,470
But there are
also white salt lakes,
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Like the salar de uyuni...
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00:07:26,279 --> 00:07:29,347
... And at the
southernmost tip of bolivia,
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The laguna colorada.
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A lake like
nowhere else on earth.
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00:07:50,904 --> 00:07:55,173
As the intense solar
radiation evaporates the water,
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00:07:55,175 --> 00:07:59,310
Mineral salts are left behind.
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00:07:59,313 --> 00:08:03,314
The lake's vivid color is
caused by microscopic algae
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That thrive in
its caustic waters.
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The algae lure
thousands of flamingos.
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Three different species
come here to feed and breed:
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The james's flamingo...
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The andean flamingo...
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00:08:22,202 --> 00:08:26,338
And the chilean flamingo.
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Each species has a
slightly different strategy
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For finding food.
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But they all use their
beaks to sieve algae --
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00:08:40,687 --> 00:08:45,690
And other microorganisms
-- from the water.
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One of the algae
produces a reddish pigment
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That not only
turns the water pink
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But also anything
that eats the algae...
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Including the brine shrimp...
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And the flamingos themselves.
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♪ ♪
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At the beginning of the
dry season, male and female
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James's flamingos
begin their courtship dance.
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00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:37,542
The display normally
takes place around noon
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And may last for
a couple of hours.
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The more experienced the birds,
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The more elaborate and
synchronized the dance.
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00:10:53,020 --> 00:10:55,753
In high summer,
the laguna colorada
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Evaporates
quicker than it fills...
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00:10:58,692 --> 00:11:02,427
Leaving a fringe
of crystalline salt.
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00:11:02,429 --> 00:11:04,562
But just northeast of here
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Lies a lake that has
dried up completely.
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The salar de uyuni, in
bolivia, is a former lakebed,
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00:11:16,977 --> 00:11:23,548
Now deeply encrusted
with lithium-rich salts.
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It's the largest expanse of salt
flats in the world -- by far.
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Its islands lie in a
sea of snow-white salt.
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00:11:56,950 --> 00:12:04,656
And yet, within this dry arid
landscape, life still prevails.
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A giant hummingbird --
the largest of its kind,
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But still not quite
an ounce in weight.
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It lives on cacti
that may be centuries old
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And produce nectar that acts
as high-grade aviation fuel.
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Living at eleven and
a half thousand feet,
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The giant hummingbird has
adapted to the thinner air.
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00:12:38,859 --> 00:12:40,992
In contrast to
other hummingbirds,
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Its wings are broader,
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And, instead of
hovering at flowers...
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... It comes in to land.
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♪ ♪
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While the cacti are flowering,
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The giant hummingbird
has all it needs to survive.
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00:13:10,824 --> 00:13:12,623
In the dry season,
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Few clouds make it into
these central highlands.
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00:13:18,031 --> 00:13:27,438
The nights are remarkably
clear and bitterly cold.
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00:13:34,447 --> 00:13:39,851
A far cry from
the heat of the day.
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00:13:49,396 --> 00:13:52,463
This extreme
daily temperature shift
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Is yet another challenge
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For the animals
trying to survive here.
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Within a couple of
weeks, the infant vicuña
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Has fluffed up enough to weather
these bitterly cold nights.
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00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,995
♪ ♪
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Ice crystals dust
the vicuñas' backs...
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00:14:30,237 --> 00:14:33,437
But their fleece is
more effective than cashmere
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At keeping out the cold.
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00:14:39,512 --> 00:14:42,647
It also protects them
from the extreme levels
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00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:48,286
Of ultraviolet light
found at this altitude.
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00:15:01,267 --> 00:15:05,670
The elements aren't the
only threats to youngsters.
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00:15:05,672 --> 00:15:08,739
When the herd moves
from its sleeping grounds,
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00:15:08,742 --> 00:15:13,578
Down to the grassier
river valleys below...
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00:15:14,681 --> 00:15:18,850
Eyes are watching.
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00:15:32,231 --> 00:15:37,602
The dominant male
stays on high alert.
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00:15:43,042 --> 00:15:45,443
Preferring the cover of night...
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The puma goes in
search of easier prey.
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00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:03,995
♪ ♪
144
00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:10,635
Come dawn, the
flamingos are dancing on ice.
145
00:16:18,678 --> 00:16:22,413
Along with their beaks,
they have another secret weapon
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00:16:22,482 --> 00:16:26,484
In their fight for survival.
147
00:16:27,487 --> 00:16:32,690
Flamingos have evolved a
remarkable system of blood flow.
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00:16:32,692 --> 00:16:34,959
Warmth passes
from their arteries
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00:16:34,961 --> 00:16:40,298
To the veins in their
legs, preventing frostbite.
150
00:16:44,237 --> 00:16:46,637
With three
seasons in a single day,
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Life on the altiplano
can be unpredictable.
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Something's not right...
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...With the new vicuña infant.
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It shouldn't be alone.
155
00:17:19,672 --> 00:17:26,444
Somehow, it's become
separated from the herd.
156
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:31,816
The mother
searches everywhere...
157
00:17:38,691 --> 00:17:43,694
... Listening
for a familiar cry.
158
00:17:48,902 --> 00:17:51,969
Her baby
desperately needs its milk...
159
00:17:52,038 --> 00:17:56,441
But it's heading
in the wrong direction.
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00:17:56,509 --> 00:17:59,376
Ahead of it
lies the salt flats,
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00:17:59,379 --> 00:18:03,781
And possible
death by dehydration.
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♪ ♪
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The mother is on
the right course.
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00:18:15,595 --> 00:18:20,398
But the fawn is
heading further away.
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00:18:40,286 --> 00:18:45,623
Finally, she sees it.
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♪ ♪
167
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Soon, it's suckling once more.
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00:19:13,786 --> 00:19:19,190
Salt pans are a haunting
memory of long-lost lakes.
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00:19:19,192 --> 00:19:22,593
But remnants of the
altiplano's ancient water world
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Can still be found...
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... At lake titicaca.
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00:19:34,273 --> 00:19:37,408
Here, glacier
melt and rain collect
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00:19:37,476 --> 00:19:42,613
To form the largest
lake in south america.
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00:19:42,615 --> 00:19:46,017
And at more than twelve
and a half thousand feet
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00:19:46,085 --> 00:19:47,418
Above sea level --
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The highest large
lake in the world.
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00:19:54,694 --> 00:19:58,229
With little oxygen in
the air or the water,
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The lake's inhabitants
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00:19:59,566 --> 00:20:05,069
Need very special
adaptations to survive.
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00:20:06,839 --> 00:20:10,841
The loose baggy skin of
the titicaca water frog
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00:20:10,843 --> 00:20:13,777
Increases its surface area,
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00:20:13,780 --> 00:20:19,250
Allowing it to extract
more oxygen from the water.
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00:20:32,799 --> 00:20:36,267
This giant
one-and-a-half-foot-long frog
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00:20:36,269 --> 00:20:43,274
Never leaves the water,
and never breathes the air.
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00:20:43,276 --> 00:20:51,315
It gets all the oxygen it needs
entirely through its skin.
186
00:20:52,551 --> 00:21:00,091
If oxygen levels drop,
the frog performs pushups.
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00:21:05,565 --> 00:21:09,833
This increases water flow
over its thin baggy skin,
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00:21:09,836 --> 00:21:15,473
And boosts the amount
of oxygen it absorbs.
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00:21:19,845 --> 00:21:22,980
It's the perfect
collection of adaptations
190
00:21:23,049 --> 00:21:28,286
For an aquatic
life at high altitude.
191
00:21:30,657 --> 00:21:34,792
♪ ♪
192
00:21:34,860 --> 00:21:40,664
This extraordinary land was
forged by volcanic forces...
193
00:21:40,667 --> 00:21:43,200
And is still warmed by magma
194
00:21:43,202 --> 00:21:47,672
Boiling beneath
the earth's surface.
195
00:21:51,544 --> 00:21:56,880
The sulphurous springs at sol
de mañana in southwest bolivia
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00:21:56,883 --> 00:22:01,719
Are 16,000 feet above sea level.
197
00:22:18,571 --> 00:22:21,438
Although the
landscape looks ancient,
198
00:22:21,441 --> 00:22:24,041
It's one of the
youngest and most dynamic
199
00:22:24,110 --> 00:22:28,279
Parts of the earth's crust.
200
00:22:36,722 --> 00:22:43,694
Boiling mud pools are a window
into the hellish world below.
201
00:22:48,334 --> 00:22:49,667
The altiplano sits above
202
00:22:49,735 --> 00:22:54,839
A partially
molten magmatic soup --
203
00:22:55,675 --> 00:22:58,676
The force behind many
of the volcanic eruptions
204
00:22:58,744 --> 00:23:02,413
That have shaped this land --
205
00:23:02,415 --> 00:23:07,551
And many of the
eruptions still to come.
206
00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:10,421
In these difficult
conditions only the most
207
00:23:10,423 --> 00:23:17,461
Exceptional animals can
survive, let alone thrive.
208
00:23:21,033 --> 00:23:24,635
The chilean flamingos
have paired up and made nests
209
00:23:24,703 --> 00:23:26,303
From the mineral-rich mud
210
00:23:26,305 --> 00:23:31,242
Around the margins
of the laguna colorada.
211
00:23:34,447 --> 00:23:38,115
Families cluster together,
perhaps as a communal defense
212
00:23:38,117 --> 00:23:45,322
Against predators such
as puma and the culpeo fox.
213
00:23:47,326 --> 00:23:49,193
There'll be no
escaping the neighbors
214
00:23:49,261 --> 00:23:53,130
For the next few weeks.
215
00:23:55,468 --> 00:23:59,269
Each couple produces a single
egg that rests on a mound
216
00:23:59,272 --> 00:24:03,741
About a foot across
and four inches high...
217
00:24:03,809 --> 00:24:06,677
Just in case the
water level rises.
218
00:24:06,679 --> 00:24:10,714
♪ ♪
219
00:24:23,095 --> 00:24:28,732
Some animals might
never get to breed.
220
00:24:29,702 --> 00:24:35,572
A herd of young male vicuña
wanders a barren no-man's land,
221
00:24:35,575 --> 00:24:40,244
Excluded by dominant
males but not yet old enough --
222
00:24:40,246 --> 00:24:44,648
Or strong enough -- to
defend harems of their own.
223
00:24:44,717 --> 00:24:49,453
♪ ♪
224
00:24:49,455 --> 00:24:53,057
The rocks around are
veined with precious minerals,
225
00:24:53,125 --> 00:24:59,329
But blades of grass
are much harder to find.
226
00:24:59,332 --> 00:25:03,133
There is almost
nothing to eat here...
227
00:25:03,135 --> 00:25:07,137
Unless you're after vicuña.
228
00:25:07,206 --> 00:25:13,010
A culpeo fox is
scavenging for his next meal.
229
00:25:16,282 --> 00:25:21,218
The vicuña are
blissfully unaware.
230
00:25:27,627 --> 00:25:30,694
It seems it's in luck.
231
00:25:35,635 --> 00:25:39,570
♪ ♪
232
00:25:39,638 --> 00:25:42,673
A mother and fawn.
233
00:25:46,712 --> 00:25:50,814
But this is no fresh kill.
234
00:25:54,453 --> 00:25:56,386
Unfortunately for the fox,
235
00:25:56,389 --> 00:26:00,190
The carcasses have
been here a while,
236
00:26:01,794 --> 00:26:06,697
And the best bits
have already been taken.
237
00:26:12,271 --> 00:26:17,508
The remains are
as dry as the land.
238
00:26:20,413 --> 00:26:25,649
The fox is forced
to carry on its way.
239
00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:44,635
Moving down the western
slopes of the central andes,
240
00:26:44,637 --> 00:26:46,570
To the foothills...
241
00:26:46,572 --> 00:26:50,774
... The land turns to desert...
242
00:26:50,843 --> 00:26:56,447
... And becomes one of
the driest places on earth.
243
00:26:56,515 --> 00:27:00,117
Rain showers can be years apart,
244
00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:05,289
So cacti need
long-term water storage.
245
00:27:10,796 --> 00:27:13,063
Animals too have adapted
246
00:27:13,065 --> 00:27:18,035
To get through times
of punishing drought.
247
00:27:18,671 --> 00:27:23,206
A marsupial called the elegant
fat-tailed mouse opossum
248
00:27:23,209 --> 00:27:29,013
Stores fat in its tail
and draws on it as needed.
249
00:27:31,216 --> 00:27:33,550
It can even shrink
its internal organs
250
00:27:33,552 --> 00:27:38,755
To save energy
when food is scarce.
251
00:27:38,758 --> 00:27:45,295
Hunting at night avoids
the crippling heat of the day.
252
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:53,437
But the red
scorpion also works nights.
253
00:28:02,248 --> 00:28:05,115
Its sting is not the most toxic,
254
00:28:05,184 --> 00:28:11,055
But it's
inflammatory and very painful.
255
00:28:18,664 --> 00:28:25,402
One of these animals is walking
towards a nasty surprise.
256
00:28:30,009 --> 00:28:36,780
But which is
predator and which is prey?
257
00:28:39,218 --> 00:28:42,553
Narrator: By the
light of the moon,
258
00:28:42,621 --> 00:28:48,325
The opossum and
the scorpion close in.
259
00:29:08,247 --> 00:29:13,550
The sharp-toothed hunter
disarms its venomous prey.
260
00:29:13,986 --> 00:29:16,520
The elegant
fat-tailed mouse opossum
261
00:29:16,522 --> 00:29:19,623
Gets a much-needed meal...
262
00:29:24,596 --> 00:29:28,465
And -- thanks to
that elegant fat tail --
263
00:29:28,467 --> 00:29:30,534
It can save some for later.
264
00:29:30,602 --> 00:29:34,605
♪ ♪
265
00:29:51,490 --> 00:29:56,226
On the altiplano, night-frosts
and relentless winds
266
00:29:56,295 --> 00:30:01,164
Have carved hard rock
into dramatic sculptures...
267
00:30:01,167 --> 00:30:05,135
... Creating ideal homes...
268
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,742
... For viscacha.
269
00:30:14,713 --> 00:30:17,647
These rock-hoppers
look like rabbits,
270
00:30:17,650 --> 00:30:22,753
But they're more
closely related to guinea pigs.
271
00:30:23,322 --> 00:30:30,060
Crevices in the shattered rock
offer shelter -- and escape.
272
00:30:32,264 --> 00:30:36,466
Only extreme
survivors, like viscacha,
273
00:30:36,535 --> 00:30:41,772
Can make a living from
such sparse vegetation.
274
00:30:44,476 --> 00:30:50,280
To squeeze that bit more
from their low-protein diet,
275
00:30:50,349 --> 00:30:54,150
They eat their own
feces, absorbing any nutrients
276
00:30:54,153 --> 00:30:57,821
That were missed
the first time round.
277
00:30:57,890 --> 00:31:00,824
Not having to graze so
much enables the viscacha
278
00:31:00,893 --> 00:31:04,761
To conserve energy
in the midday sun...
279
00:31:04,830 --> 00:31:08,098
... And to sleep.
280
00:31:08,100 --> 00:31:11,168
But not too deeply...
281
00:31:11,236 --> 00:31:13,169
Agile young viscacha
282
00:31:13,172 --> 00:31:19,309
Are a favorite food
of the rare andean cat.
283
00:31:24,449 --> 00:31:28,385
And this one has
another mouth to feed.
284
00:31:28,453 --> 00:31:32,456
♪ ♪
285
00:31:50,676 --> 00:31:53,476
It's a bad day
for the viscacha...
286
00:31:53,479 --> 00:31:57,414
... But a good day for
these highly endangered cats,
287
00:31:57,416 --> 00:32:03,754
Of whom there may be as
few as 1,500 left in the wild.
288
00:32:03,822 --> 00:32:07,824
♪ ♪
289
00:32:16,302 --> 00:32:20,837
When the rainy season finally
arrives in the altiplano,
290
00:32:20,839 --> 00:32:26,076
So too does the grass.
291
00:32:27,512 --> 00:32:29,245
The baby vicuña is now
292
00:32:29,248 --> 00:32:32,382
Perfectly
insulated against the wet,
293
00:32:32,384 --> 00:32:38,355
But it'll be a while until
it's fully weaned onto grass.
294
00:32:41,727 --> 00:32:46,663
[thunder]
295
00:32:47,933 --> 00:32:53,704
Here, the rainy
season lives up to its name.
296
00:32:57,743 --> 00:33:02,145
Surrounded by
mountains and with no outflow,
297
00:33:02,147 --> 00:33:08,719
The level of the
laguna colorada keeps rising.
298
00:33:12,624 --> 00:33:19,496
The rain also floods the
vast salar de uyuni salt flats.
299
00:33:19,498 --> 00:33:25,535
[thunder]
300
00:33:56,668 --> 00:34:00,637
♪ ♪
301
00:34:07,479 --> 00:34:10,414
Just inches deep in water,
302
00:34:10,482 --> 00:34:18,655
The salar de uyuni becomes
a mirror to the heavens.
303
00:34:55,861 --> 00:35:01,131
Higher up, the rainclouds
meet a wall of cold air.
304
00:35:01,199 --> 00:35:05,202
♪ ♪
305
00:35:06,872 --> 00:35:10,406
Undeterred by the
new blanket of snow,
306
00:35:10,409 --> 00:35:13,209
The vicuña herd
makes the daily migration
307
00:35:13,212 --> 00:35:16,546
From its higher,
safer sleeping grounds
308
00:35:16,548 --> 00:35:20,784
To these lower grazing areas...
309
00:35:22,354 --> 00:35:27,824
... Though their
normal camouflage is blown.
310
00:35:38,637 --> 00:35:40,837
At six weeks old, the youngster
311
00:35:40,839 --> 00:35:44,641
Has done well to
survive this far.
312
00:35:44,643 --> 00:35:47,644
But it's not out of trouble yet.
313
00:35:47,646 --> 00:35:49,846
Up to 30 percent
of vicuña babies
314
00:35:49,915 --> 00:35:56,519
Are taken by puma or fox
within their first four months.
315
00:35:56,522 --> 00:36:02,492
But the ever-watchful
puma's lost its cover too.
316
00:36:03,328 --> 00:36:08,131
Without the element of surprise
it can't keep pace with vicuña,
317
00:36:08,133 --> 00:36:13,069
Who can sprint
from a standing start.
318
00:36:15,073 --> 00:36:19,709
So, the herd can relax a bit.
319
00:36:23,282 --> 00:36:27,317
♪ ♪
320
00:36:32,357 --> 00:36:35,692
But the stormy
weather has been catastrophic
321
00:36:35,694 --> 00:36:38,094
For some of the flamingos.
322
00:36:38,096 --> 00:36:43,066
Nests lie flooded and abandoned.
323
00:36:45,704 --> 00:36:49,906
Other flamingos
have been luckier.
324
00:36:49,908 --> 00:36:54,110
♪ ♪
325
00:36:58,450 --> 00:37:02,785
Eggs resting that bit
higher above the cold water
326
00:37:02,788 --> 00:37:06,556
Have already hatched.
327
00:37:13,198 --> 00:37:15,798
For the first two
months of their life,
328
00:37:15,801 --> 00:37:20,103
Chicks need their parents.
329
00:37:21,606 --> 00:37:26,643
But they'll start
exploring after just one week.
330
00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:34,417
Some strike out more
adventurously than others.
331
00:37:37,422 --> 00:37:43,793
But it's easy for a hatchling
to stray too far from home.
332
00:37:44,563 --> 00:37:48,365
It's not long before one
of the parents realizes
333
00:37:48,433 --> 00:37:50,433
That its chick is missing.
334
00:37:50,435 --> 00:37:51,935
It listens out...
335
00:37:57,108 --> 00:38:02,445
Parents and chicks can
recognize each others' calls.
336
00:38:08,053 --> 00:38:15,292
Even so, at this tender
age, it's a long way home.
337
00:38:26,672 --> 00:38:29,806
Until its
filter-feeding beak matures,
338
00:38:29,874 --> 00:38:33,410
The hatchling
can't eat solid food.
339
00:38:33,478 --> 00:38:38,281
Instead, it
relies on crop milk --
340
00:38:38,883 --> 00:38:40,883
A secretion produced in glands
341
00:38:40,886 --> 00:38:45,088
Along the
parents' digestive tracts.
342
00:38:47,693 --> 00:38:51,160
The fact that both parents
can produce this fatty milk
343
00:38:51,163 --> 00:38:55,965
Is a distinct
advantage for flamingo chicks,
344
00:38:56,034 --> 00:38:57,633
Though the heavy rains mean
345
00:38:57,636 --> 00:39:01,304
There will definitely be
fewer of them this year.
346
00:39:01,373 --> 00:39:05,375
♪ ♪
347
00:39:09,381 --> 00:39:14,317
Storms pass, but
their effect lingers on.
348
00:39:14,319 --> 00:39:17,721
On the lower
foothills of the central andes,
349
00:39:17,789 --> 00:39:24,494
Once-dry land begins to bloom.
350
00:39:27,799 --> 00:39:34,270
Long-dormant seeds
wake, and germinate.
351
00:39:41,279 --> 00:39:44,347
A bounty like this
doesn't happen every year,
352
00:39:44,349 --> 00:39:49,686
So animals are
quick to exploit it.
353
00:40:05,703 --> 00:40:08,438
It's a brief flourish,
354
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:09,839
But it's enough for the flowers
355
00:40:09,908 --> 00:40:16,513
To pollinate and
disperse their seeds.
356
00:40:21,319 --> 00:40:27,056
Higher up in the altiplano,
the streams still flow.
357
00:40:27,058 --> 00:40:32,362
It's a time of
plenty for the vicuña.
358
00:40:42,407 --> 00:40:44,274
With lots of food to go round,
359
00:40:44,342 --> 00:40:46,009
The youngsters can relax
360
00:40:46,077 --> 00:40:52,081
And enjoy the intensely
social side of vicuña life.
361
00:40:56,488 --> 00:40:59,355
But, within
months, the dominant male
362
00:40:59,357 --> 00:41:02,291
Will force the
adolescents out of the group.
363
00:41:02,294 --> 00:41:04,828
♪ ♪
364
00:41:04,896 --> 00:41:07,831
In preparation,
the young vicuña
365
00:41:07,899 --> 00:41:12,702
Are slowly
building their strength.
366
00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:18,575
Their heart muscles are
already packed with capillaries
367
00:41:18,643 --> 00:41:23,813
For channeling the
little oxygen there is up here.
368
00:41:25,049 --> 00:41:33,756
Of course, the best way to
build strength... Is to play.
369
00:42:02,887 --> 00:42:08,624
As they grow, they will develop
their acceleration and agility,
370
00:42:08,627 --> 00:42:14,697
And attain a top speed
of around 30 miles an hour.
371
00:42:19,304 --> 00:42:23,473
For now, they're
just having fun.
372
00:42:51,536 --> 00:42:55,338
Countless generations of vicuña
373
00:42:55,340 --> 00:43:01,744
Have established their
place on the vast altiplano.
374
00:43:01,746 --> 00:43:03,746
Like all the animals here,
375
00:43:03,815 --> 00:43:08,618
They live surrounded
by huge active volcanoes,
376
00:43:08,686 --> 00:43:15,959
Rarified air, and
poor salty ground.
377
00:43:16,027 --> 00:43:20,630
In the extreme conditions
of the high central andes,
378
00:43:20,698 --> 00:43:27,770
To survive at all is a
triumph against the odds.
379
00:43:27,772 --> 00:43:32,708
Proof that life can flourish...
380
00:43:32,711 --> 00:43:37,480
... Even in the most
inhospitable of places.
32528
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