All language subtitles for Jungle 1of3 Canopyworld

Jungles cover just 6% of the planet
but contain half of all its life...

Find an insect here and chances are,
it's never been seen before...

...let alone named.

What makes the rainforest
the richest environment on earth?

ln this series we'll discover

how the sun's energy powers
this extraordinary variety of life.

l'm about to meet some amazing animals,

scale the tallest trees and explore
one of the world's last frontiers.

This sea of green stretching out below
is the greatest driving force of life

but because of its inaccessibility

it's one of the last places
on earth to be explored.

ln fact it's so hard to get up here,

at the moment we know less
about the canopy of the rainforest

than we do about the surface of the moon.

But now using special equipment
such as this cinebulle...

a motorized balloon...

we're at last able to discover
some of its secrets.

Jungles form a green band
right around the globe,

spanning the equator through
central and south America...

across Africa and south east Asia...

all the way here... to Borneo.

But what's it like to live way up
in this canopy world?

Think of a jungle and you think trees.

They're the essential ingredient
but the business end isn't down here,

it's up there.

That's where the action is and
where the animals want to be.

But to be part of that high society

you need to be more than just
a social climber, you need to be a pro.

To us, moving around 70 metres up
in the air would be a scary business.

But the animals that live up here
just make it look a breeze.

Orang-utans are the largest animals
living full time in the tree tops.

But one false move up here
could cost you your life!

Orang utans are born with a powerful grip
but they aren't born expert climbers.

And it takes time for them
to develop the skills

they need to hang out in the canopy.

Youngsters aren't weaned until
they're at least five or six years old

but they'll stay with their mothers
for much longer than that during

which time she passes on her knowledge
of the forest to them

but for these orphans
who haven't got a mother to guide them

it can be especially hard.

As they get older they have to learn
how to make he right judgement calls,

find out which branches
can take their weight

and how to cross gaps by swinging
on vines

or bending branches
to form bridges

so they can move around
the forest in search of food.

So it's no mean feat to live up there

and it can take several years
to learn the ropes.

But what's so good about the canopy
that it's worth risking life and limb?

l'm about to find out!

But to reach the top l need a bit
more than an orang-utan master class.

The first problem
is getting the rope up the tree.

The second problem
is getting me up the tree.

There's one slight snag...
l've got a real fear of heights.

And there's something else...

The trees in Borneo are the tallest
of any tropical rainforest

and this one's a mammoth.

75, 80 metres, that's nearly 250 feet
l maybe feel dizzy just looking at it

l have to take a little break

l've got a camera on my helmet

so l can actually show you the kind
of view that l am seeing from up here,

it's a really quite a long way down there.

This is really scary.

Thank Goodness!
l've made it. l'm exhausted

l am feeling a bit of vertigo
and l am very aware

that this giant's limbs are holding me up.

But what a spectacular view,
it's wonderful.

That's got to be one of the most nerve
wracking things l've ever done...

but it's the only way to really appreciate
the animals that live up here.

So here l am, about 60 metres
off the ground, up a giant menggaris tree.

lt's just fantastic...
well worth the climb.

But there is a snag... now l'm up here,
l have to stay put.

l'm just not equipped to get around.

But the animals that live here
have neat solutions to the problem.

These orang-utans use their sheer weight
to swing effortlessly between the trees.

And if you haven't got a rope,

these South American Woolly monkeys
find a grasping tail works just as well.

Spring loaded legs help these lemurs
in Madagascar get from tree to tree.

And sometimes,
just a simple leap of faith will do!

Woo! But there's one animal
that easily surpasses all the others.

And it relies simply on strength,
agility and nerves of steel.

Gibbons are the kings of swingers, the
fastest flightless animals in the canopy.

The key to the gibbon's amazing
agility is its unique wrist,

with a ball and socket joint
that lets it swing like a pendulum.

To be anywhere near as good as gibbons

l'd need fingers nearly twice
the length that l have.

At top speed, no part of the gibbon's body
is in contact with the trees...

they literally gallop through thin air!

lmagine being able to leap
1 2 metres in a single bound.

Other animals don't gallop, they glide.

Using their skin flaps like wings,

tiny dragon lizards
can glide up to 1 00 metres...

Some snakes can glide too...

and even steer themselves
from one branch to another...

And this frog has webbed feet that act
like tiny parachutes to break its fall...

Seeing how easily animals move through
the canopy makes me realize

how ill equipped
we are for life in the trees.

Wouldn't it be fantastic

if l could just step off this branch
and fly though the air.

But there is a way l can fly.

One way they can get a better
overview of the canopy

and find out how it works
is using this cinebulle.

As with any hot air balloon,

we have to take off at dawn
when the air is still.

But the advantage of this cinebulle
is that it has an engine...

so we can steer and we're not totally
at the mercy of the wind.

This is spectacular... my first chance
for a bird's eye view of the canopy.

lt's a real revelation!

Now l can see the whole forest
spread out beneath me.

Just look at the sheer size
of those trees...

and there are millions down there,

as far as l can see in every direction...
all bursting with life.

lt's like sailing over a sea of leaves...

l thought l might be scared but actually
it is just so exciting to be up here.

We're skimming the treetops.

From up here the rainforest looks
as complex as any manmade metropolis.

Each tree is like a huge tower block
reaching into the sky.

But unlike our cities,
this one is completely solar powered...

and each individual tower is designed
to maximise the sunlight.

Every tree crown is shaped to capture
as much light as possible.

The upper canopy absorbs 90% of the sun,

while lower down,
the little that does get through

is trapped by other trees perfectly
formed to snap up what's left.

These layers are so seamless that very
little light reaches the forest floor.

Stretching out beneath me right here
is an incredible solar factory.

Each tree is powered by
thousands and thousands of leaves.

Like trillions of tiny solar panels
they harness the sun's energy,

strange to think that
a humble leaf is responsible

for the single most important reaction
on the planet: photosynthesis.

Plants everywhere use photosynthesis -
the process of converting sunlight,

carbon dioxide and water into food.

But here, it's done on a massive scale.

This is the most productive
living system on the planet.

ln these equatorial rainforests,

where the tropical sun is
so intense all year round,

the energy produced in the canopy

could power a thousand cities
the size of New York.

And it's not just trees that are
so hungry for this solar energy -

other plants want a piece
of the action too.

Giant trees like this provide
a perfect spot for huge roof top gardens.

From the forest floor you'd never
guess the canopy was hiding

such an explosion of colour...

There are even garden ponds up here -

which are always great
for attracting wildlife.

These bromeliads in South America
are one of the few places

where drinking water
collects in the treetops.

ldeal for a thirsty coatimundi
or woolley monkey.

Not only are they handy drinking fountains

but they also make
good breeding pools for frogs...

Amazingly,
some even harbour predatory crabs!

So whether it's lunchtime or bath time,

all the plants and animals
up here are linked -

involved in countless close,
relationships.

And the sheer variety
and numbers are astonishing...

one in 1 0 of all the world's plants
can be found up here...

and there are more animals living in
the canopy than anywhere else on earth...

which is why it just shakes,
rattles and rolls with life!

Here in the rainforest, there are
thousands of different types of tree,

each one with a multitude of residents.

But as with any property
it's location, location, location...

and there's lots of competition
for the perfect penthouse home.

For hornbills, finding the right tree
is crucial to survival.

They need a roomy nesting hole -

usually made when a large branch
falls off a mature tree...

which doesn't happen very often.

Scientists have installed
surveillance cameras into nest holes

like this to get
an intimate kind of big brother

view into the private lives of hornbills.

These unique pictures show a female
hornbill making herself at home.

She needs to feel
as comfortable as possible

because she's going to be
a prisoner in here for up to 4 months.

Once in, she starts preparing
to seal up the door...

She's plugging the entrance with mud,

pieces of wood and sticky fruit -
and leaving just a very narrow slit.

And the reason
why she shuts herself away...

is to lay her egg and protect her chick.

From now on, she'll depend entirely
on her partner to survive.

He makes about ten or more runs a day,
bringing back about a kilogram of food,

a varied diet of fruit, insects,
small reptiles and young birds.

He stores it in his throat,

and once back at the nest,
regurgitates it for his family.

With such intensive care,
the chick grows fast...

and eats mum out of house and home.

After five weeks
there's only room inside the hole for him.

Once a pair have found their ideal home,
they'll keep on coming back for years.

So trees like this are critical to
the survival of these endangered birds.

lf this nest isn't available next year,

this chick's parents
may never find another.

The canopy is such a prime location, even
plants are in a race to reach the top!

These climbing lianas take a fast track

to the sun by crawling up
the trunks of trees.

Because they don't have
to support themselves,

they can channel
all their energy into growth...

shooting up towards the light
at breakneck speed!

Once they've gone as high as they can go,

they climb over the tree crowns,
knitting the canopy together.

Over decades a single liana
may grow as a thick as a tree...

and can reach a staggering length...
of more than a kilometre.

And they are great
for hanging around in...

They are flexible and very very strong.

But it's not just me and Tarzan
who make use of the lianas.

For bugs these lianas are like highways.

Allowing them to commute
from tree to tree.

The lianas are a godsend for all kinds
of animals, providing a safe bridge.

And these bridges can take you up...
down... and across!

Canopies with lots of these highways
in the sky are home to many more animals.

After all, such a sophisticated
3D transport system

is bound to attract more commuters.

So what are all these animals up here for?

The answer is simple - food.

And some of the best sources
of food are flowers.

The flowers are an open invitation.

Like flashing neon lights they can be seen
for miles across the high rise city.

They are like billboards,
advertising the latest jungle eateries.

As in any city, there are different
restaurants for different tastes.

And a single tree may have
as many as 600,000 flowers,

producing hundreds of litres
of nectar every day.

This is a coral tree.
lt's a favourite amongst the birds.

Trees pollinated by birds lay on
huge quantities of sugary nectar...

energy on tap.

Any one type of tree may only be
in flower for a week or so,

but different types flower
at different times -

so somewhere or other,
there's always a meal to be had.

But it's insects
who are the main clientele...

ln payment for a hearty meal,
they help to pollinate the trees...

in fact they pollinate
90% of all plants in the canopy...

So it's no surprise that
this place is really buzzing.

These are giant honey bees and each year
they migrate hundreds of kilometres,

timing their journey to arrive
as the rainforest blooms.

The colony - up to 40,000 strong -

returns every year to nest
in the branches of the same tree.

Giant honey bees are 3 times
the size of European bees

and can pack twice the sting!

So predators are best to heed
the warning in this wave...

it's an alarm that goes off
if the bees feel threatened.

Even the orangs' thick fur
isn't completely sting proof...

l wouldn't stand a chance!

But still... compared to my next
assignment, giant bees don't sound so bad!

First, take 2 kilometres of rope
and drape it over the treetops.

Second, you need a balloon
filled with helium.

Third, get someone with
a bad fear of heights -

and you've got the recipe for
another thrilling experience.

This is the only way l can hang about
in the outermost tips of the trees...

and the nearest l can get
to being a canopy animal!

And l'm off...

This is the most incredible feeling...

This is quite hard work.

l'm about 250 feet up,

that's about the same as being
on the 21 st floor of a building.

This bubble is full of helium and
so l should be at neutral buoyancy.

And when l get stuck in the branches,
which is the one problem about this,

l should just be able to give
a little bounce off a branch

and get lift-off which should just
take me floating over the treetops!

So much for that idea!

Best not to look down.

lt's a very long way...

lt's just fantastic up here.

And this is what l come to find.

Got ya.

Figs are one of the most reliable
sources of food in the forest.

When a fig tree comes into fruit,
it's like switching on a beacon,

advertising the opening
of a new restaurant.

Animals of all descriptions home in,
some from miles away.

ln fact some figs are visited by
more than 1 00 different species...

everything from hornbills
and orang utans...

to gibbons and tree squirrels...
sometimes all in a single day!

Figs come in various colours and sizes
but they all provide a reliable meal.

And the more visitors
the better to disperse their seeds.

Young orang utans learn from their mothers

where and when the trees
come into fruit each year.

They travel miles across the canopy,

keeping an eye on restaurant opening times
and testing figs to see if they're ripe.

This memory map is an essential part
of their jungle survival kit.

A fig feast only lasts a couple of weeks
but as one comes to an end,

somewhere another is beginning...

and the jungle traffic heads
off in a new direction...

Figs may be good for animals
but they may spell disaster to the trees.

This little seedling of destruction
is a strangler fig.

lt sends down these roots

and when they reach the ground
this tree's fate is sealed.

As it grows a strangler takes hold
of its chosen tree in a lethal embrace...

Spreading slowly but surely
to form a living cage

from which there is absolutely no escape.

But it's not just massive trees that
play host to these super plant parasites.

They'll get a grip on anything
that will support them.

These are the ruins of Angkor
in Cambodia...

part of a lost civilization
that was only rediscovered in 1 960.

So tight is the stranglers' grip that
in some cases they're the only thing

that's keeping these 600 year old
temples standing.

lf strangler figs have
so much power over stone,

what happens when their strength
is unleashed on a living tree?

Over decades, they constrict its growth
and slowly smother it to death...

All traces of the tree

that once supported this strangler fig
have now completely disappeared.

ln here is where the original tree
has rotted away.

Leaving just this lattice work of roots

which makes a fantastic living
climbing frame.

lt's absolutely amazing this tree.

Full of creepy crawlies but l am just
hoping that there aren't any snakes.

Most of this stuff looks as
if it could be full of them.

But l'm nearly at the top.

The strangler fig's remarkable
strategy has enabled

it to get a head start and win
a place high in the canopy.

For any tree, reaching the canopy
takes huge amounts of time and energy.

But a few go even further and stick out
head and shoulders above the rest.

Some of these giant menggaris

and dipterocarp trees can tower
almost 90 metres tall...

that's like a 30 storey skyscraper.

But there's a price to pay
for reaching these dizzy heights.

lt's tough at the top!

And things are about
to get tougher for me too.

l've got to get up there at the hottest,
most uncomfortable time of day.

lt's noon,

much too dangerous for the balloon...
the hot air is too turbulent.

Which is why, here in Borneo,
biologists use a giant crane.

Here at the very top of the canopy

it can be more like a desert
than a tropical rainforest.

Lack of water and
the intense heat of the sun

can make it pretty unpleasant
both for me and the trees.

That's why many of the leaves
of canopy trees

are tilted in such a way to avoid
the direct heat of the midday sun.

And instead catch the less damaging
rays of the morning and late afternoon.

After a few hours baking in intense
tropical sun, it's now reached 35 degrees.

By mid afternoon all anyone can do is
sit it out...

l'm starting to wilt too...

The heat's uncomfortable,
but it can also be dangerous.

lt stirs up unstable air currents...
and that means trouble...

Storms can come in very fast up here

especially in the afternoon
when the air heats up.

You certainly don't want to be around
when they arrive.

l'm in one great big lightning conductor,
and l can't risk staying up here!

But to see what happens next
we've left some cameras in the canopy.

The wind buffets these branches
with tremendous force...

at up to 80 kilometres an hour...

Have you ever seen rain like this?

Even the trees are in danger of drowning!

They need to shut
their breathing pores and dump

that extra water as fast as possible.

Gosh, l'm glad l'm not up there right now!

lt can't be much fun for
the animals that live up there.

Orang utans have thick oily rainproof fur

but that doesn't mean
they enjoy getting soaked!

At least these downpours
are usually short and sharp...

and when the sun breaks through,
the water soon evaporates...

and the whole jungle starts to steam...

As evening falls,

there's time for the canopy crowd to relax
before getting an early night.

Orang utans build themselves
a cosy nest from branches,

but they must make sure
it'll take their weight...

You don't want to fall out of bed here!

Peace... but not for long...
the night shift is ready to clock on.

The forest population is about to explode

with a huge influx
of visitors for the night.

Outside the mouth of this hillside cave

and l'm about to witness
one of the rainforest's

most breathtaking spectacles...

You can hear the noise
building inside the cave.

These are wrinkled lip bats and they're
all heading out into the forest to hunt.

This is a rush hour

to rival the commuter movements
of the busiest cities in the world.

There are over half a million bats
living in this cave

and they are pouring out
at some 60,000 a minute.

That's 1 000 a second.

And the sound is incredible...

it's just like the wind rustling
through the leaves of a tree.

l've been watching for a full half hour,
and they're still coming...

but l'm going to have to leave them to it

and prepare for my
own nigh-time manoeuvres.

This could be the trickiest test of all...
as if it wasn't hard enough in daylight,

now l'm about to climb up
in the canopy in the dark...

We know little enough
about the canopy during the day time

but we know almost nothing
about it at night,

and there is only one way to find out more

and that's by spending
a night up in the branches.

This is a real step into the unknown...

but l'm determined to get up there
for a canopy sleepover.

Many rainforest animals
are only active in the dark...

so who knows what l'm going to find!

Like the orang utans,
l've got my own nest for the night.

But mine's a platform
more than 30 metres up

and barely big enough for me
to stretch out...

l'm definitely going to tie myself on!

Right this is home for the night
but l am not going to bed just yet.

At night the forest changes
character completely.

90% of the animals
that live here are nocturnal

and we have rigged up some infra
red surveillance cameras in the hope

that we can catch some of the action.

So all that's left for me to do
is switch off my torch

and switch on the infra red lights.

As soon as the lights go out you realize
how ill equipped we are in the dark.

For us this is an alien world
of sound and smell...

There's something moving around
in the tree right above me.

What l need is my torch.

Ah that's better.

l don't know what that was but...
we've picked up a snake on camera.

And he's certainly not camera shy...

lt's a reminder of just
how many venomous snakes,

insects and spiders are
on the prowl up here at night...

Let's hope he doesn't end up
in my sleeping bag!

Well, l can't see much, but it sounds
as if there's plenty going on...

The night life's really hotting up...

But where have all those wrinkle lip bats
gone that l saw earlier.

There is one way to find out.
And that's using this: a bat detector.

Bats calls tend to be between
about 1 5 and 200 kilohertz

which is way too high
for our hearing range

but this converts it into sound
that we can hear.

lf l just set it so that it picks up
a wide range of frequencies,

we should be able to see what's out there.

l'm picking up some pretty strange sounds.

Bats come to the canopy
for a midnight feast...

because this is where the insects are.

And there are plenty
of rich pickings to be had.

ln a single night they can consume
half a million pounds of insects -

that's the equivalent
of two million quarter pounders.

But not all bats eat insects.
Some eat nectar.

A great many trees in forests

around the world rely exclusively
on bats to pollinate their flowers.

Here in South East Asia
one in three mammals is a bat

and their value to rainforests is immense.

The flower of the durian fruit is large,
white and fragrant...

and it only opens in the dead of night.

ln other words, it's perfectly designed
to be noticed by pollinating bats.

ln fact, whichever rainforest you're in,

you'll find a whole variety
of flowers that rely on them.

But bats don't just help out
with pollination.

Some eat fruit...
and scattered seeds far and wide.

lt's about 3 in the morning,
and it's just freezing cold.

l've got to find a jumper...

lt's just so exposed.

The temperature can drop
by about 20 degrees.

And every now and again l remember
that l'm perched 1 00 feet up in the air.

But l'm not complaining...
after all this l've got my reward...

a visit from a real canopy rarity.

This is a bear cat...
its local name is a binturong.

lt may look cute but binturongs
can reach 2 metres long

and eat whatever they can catch.

These youngsters are a few months old

and already have an acute sense
of smell and hearing.

They also have highly sensitive eyes
to help them get around and hunt at night.

The binturongs might be
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed...

but l'm fading fast...
and it's time to try and catch 40 winks...

Well, l've survived the night up here,

and this has got to be
the most spectacular way to wake up.

What a beautiful morning.

The whole forest
has come alive with bird song

and the sound of those
beautiful gibbons calling.

They're up early,
laying claim to their patch of forest...

Dawn is the best time to truly appreciate
how full of life the canopy is.

lt's just magical.

The rainforest is richer in life
than anywhere else on earth...

and the canopy is the jewel in its crown.

Each of these thousands of trees
has its own unique community...

from the tiniest insects
to some of our closest relatives.

Nearly half of all known creatures
on the planet live in the Canopy World...

but even more astonishing is that,
right here,

there may be just as many other species
that no one's ever seen.

Once it was out of reach,

but now, finally, we are able to explore
the secrets of the canopy....

...the world's last high frontier...