All language subtitles for The.Americas.S01E01.The.Atlantic.Coast.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.H264-FLUX.Hi

[bird squawks]

[cub growls]

[narrator] Welcome
to The Americas.

[epic orchestral music playing]

An extraordinary journey...

[gushes]

...across Earth's
great super continent.

[blasts]

[faint squawk]

From the northern
reaches of Canada...

through the breathtaking
landscapes of the United States.

[thunder crashes]

[horses neighing]

South to the iconic
Amazon rainforest...

and the very tip...

[grunts] ...-...of Patagonia.

Capturing the widest variety
of life on the planet.

[epic music continues]

Five years in the making,

with 180 separate expeditions.

Revealing new discoveries...

[cracks]

...only found here.

For the first time...

experience the strength...

the heart...

- the hope.
- [calf bleats]

The untold story...

of our home.

[epic orchestral music playing]

[epic orchestral
music continues]

Tonight on The Americas...

The Atlantic Coast.

A world of wonder.

[snorts]

[neighing]

Where enchanted seas...

meet fairy-tale forests.

And life finds a home
amongst the bright lights...

- [siren blaring]
- ...of a new world.

Although over 100 million people
live on America's East Coast,

this is also where you find

200,000 square miles
of historic forest.

And where the Carolinas'
vast coastal plains

slip beneath the waves.

Reemerging as the ever-shifting
sands of the Outer Banks.

These islands are home
to surprising castaways.

[birds calling]

[horse snorting]

Wild horses.

They live a perilous life,

braving tides and
strong currents.

[snorting]

Legend has it their
ancestors were marooned here

when the ships of conquistadors
were wrecked on these shores.

But one stallion is
doing very well here.

[dramatic music playing]

He rules this part
of the island,

carpeted in lush meadows.

And at its heart lies
the key to his success.

A fresh water spring.

[huffing]

Controlling this vital
supply gives him power.

For a decade, he's defended
the well and his family...

from other stallions.

He bears the scars to prove it.

But at 15 years old, the
stallion may be past his prime.

Losing one big fight...

[snorting]

...could mean the
end of his reign.

[birds calling]

That fight looks
to be on the cards.

[bee buzzing]

Because it's breeding season.

He can smell that one of
his mares is ready to mate.

To heighten his senses,

he curls his lips, in what's
known as the Flehmen response.

But other stallions
have noticed too.

Including...

his arch rival.

[suspenseful music playing]

This intruder may have
dainty white feet,

but he's 500 pounds

of testosterone-fueled attitude.

[snorting]

[dramatic music playing]

The aging stallion must
rise to the challenge.

Like prize fighters,

they size each other up.

Stamping.

And posturing.

The intruder is
younger and bigger,

but the wily old stallion has
years of combat experience.

A stamp of his foot says,

"Bring it on."

[intense music playing]

[both neighing]

[intense music continues]

The old stallion skillfully
dodges flying hooves.

[neighing]

He takes one ferocious
kick to the chest

but rears up to avoid
the knockout blow.

That...

was the challenger's best shot.

And it wasn't enough.

The stallion runs the
intruder off his land.

[panting]

Victory for the veteran means
he can stay with his family.

And his place on these
unique islands is secure,

for now.

But here, danger
is never far away.

Out to sea, Atlantic
waters are deadly.

Both above

and below.

In the waters just off the
coast of North Carolina,

this sand tiger is heading
to a shark rendezvous.

Ten feet long with
teeth to die for,

this female certainly
looks the part.

But she is about to reveal a very
different side to her nature.

Sand tiger sharks are
surprisingly sociable.

Every summer, hundreds
assemble here.

But the purpose of these
extraordinary gatherings

is still a mystery
to scientists.

They happen in a
place of eerie beauty

known as "the graveyard
of the Atlantic."

More than 2000 ships have met
their end on this coastline,

from Spanish galleons
and pirate ships

to merchant vessels
sunk in World War II.

These rusting hulks
create new habitats,

swiftly colonized
by many creatures.

Including vast shoals of scad.

[lively music playing]

[rumbling]

But these little fish
have a big problem.

They're on the menu.

For jacks.

30-pound high-speed hunters.

And not just one of them.

[tense music playing]

The scad must seek safety.

And they find it
somewhere extraordinary.

With...

the sharks.

[calm music playing]

The scad use the sand
tigers as bodyguards.

Each shark finds itself cloaked
in a shimmering veil of tiny scad.

[calm music continues]

It's a remarkable relationship

and one rarely filmed.

A hidden wonder

where the human world and
the natural world meet.

Journey 200 miles up
the Atlantic Coast,

and you'll discover the
largest estuary in the U.S.,

Chesapeake Bay.

Where 150 rivers meet the sea.

It's here that this
true American icon

is forced to meet its
greatest challenge head-on.

- [gentle music playing]
- [birds chirping]

Winding through
Maryland and Virginia,

the streams and rivers
that feed Chesapeake Bay

are a haven for wildlife.

[loud honking]

But they are also among North
America's busiest waterways.

To thrive here takes a
particular kind of attitude.

A bald eagle,

the Atlantic Coast's
great success story.

In the 1970s, there were no
eagles on this stretch of river.

But thanks to protection

and the banning of
harmful pesticides,

and now there are more
than 300 breeding pairs.

Their numbers are soaring.

[uplifting music playing]

With a seven-foot wingspan

and eyesight five
times better than ours,

this female looks
the perfect predator.

But for a bird that
likes to hunt fish,

she has one major flaw.

She's not built to
take off from water.

For all her power,
fishing is not easy.

Missed again.

For most of the year,
she can do well enough.

But in the spring,
everything changes.

[suspenseful music playing]

Ospreys arrive.

Birds of prey supremely
adapted to just one thing...

fishing.

[dramatic music playing]

[splashes]

In March each year, 20,000 ospreys
migrate here from the south.

They stay for the summer
to raise their chicks.

[chirping]

Now they're in the
eagle's territory.

Ospreys can hit the water...

[splashes]

...at 70 miles an hour.

Their long legs stretch
down to grab fish

three feet below the surface.

Equipped with waterproof feathers,
take-off is no problem for them.

[chirping]

They're taking...

a lot of her fish.

Outclassed on home turf.

[crying]

It's time to impose a fish tax.

[dramatic music playing]

Bald eagles have some powers
that ospreys can't match.

Audacity.

Persistence.

And sheer strength.

[dramatic music playing]

[osprey squealing]

[splashes]

Daylight robbery.

A quick barrel roll.

[calling]

And it's time for
her to collect.

North America's

comeback queen.

[languid music playing]

Flourishing on this
most crowded coast.

Almost a third of Americans
make the Atlantic Coast home.

The towns and cities we build

have been the biggest
force of change here.

Where animals can sometimes find
themselves in an alien world.

But here in the suburbs...

[insects chirping]

...there are aliens
living among us.

[eerie music playing]

This peaceful corner of Maryland

is about to be invaded.

On a sleepy Maryland street,

something is stirring.

[eerie music playing]

And it is not alone.

This male and
thousands of others

have spent 17 years

deep underground.

They're called
periodical cicadas,

and each is on a
critical mission

to secure the next generation.

But things here have changed.

Seventeen years earlier, George
W Bush was in the White House.

No one had heard
of a smart phone,

and many suburban developments

were still plots of woodland.

Instinct drives
the swarm to climb.

Many fall at the first hurdle.

But this male has
found a good spot.

A tall tree.

The ideal place

to make a dramatic
transformation.

[eerie music continues]

[rustling]

Breaking free from the
husk of his old body,

he unfurls new wings.

And his adult form is revealed.

Around him, the
others change, too...

ahead of the next
stage of the mission.

It might seem a beautiful
day in the neighborhood...

[dog barks]

...but the human residents
wake to an audio onslaught.

[cicadas buzzing loudly]

The volume can
exceed 96 decibels.

It's like a rock concert
in your front yard

with cicadas on vocals.

[loud buzzing continues]

But for the cicadas, this
isn't a horror story.

[gentle music playing]

It's a romance.

And the language of love

is music bug style.

With many males
for every female,

it isn't straightforward.

Mm, perhaps three's a crowd.

[soft music playing]

Maybe she's the one.

It's time for a cicada serenade.

[buzzing]

Vibrating his body
like a tiny violin.

Dee waits for a special
signal from her.

[loud buzzing]

And there it is.

A snap of her wings
that shows his charms

have won her over.

After 17 years of waiting,

a brief encounter is all it
takes to fertilize her 500 eggs.

For the males, adult
life is very short.

After just a month,

it's all over.

Now their bodies will nourish
the soil for the next generation.

While above, the female
lays her precious eggs.

A few weeks later, the young
will drop to the ground

and burrow deep into the earth.

When they emerge
in 17 years' time,

who knows what they'll find?

To keep up with the pace
of the modern world,

animals have to be versatile.

Meet one of the most
adaptable in all the Americas.

She can think and feel her
way through any challenge.

Getting a drink out of a
water-filled tree hole?

No problem.

But she'll need all
her wits about her

because this raccoon
doesn't live in the woods.

[cars honking]

- She's a New Yorker.
- [siren wails]

["Empire State of Mind"
by Alicia Keys playing]

New York City...

Home to eight million people.

[man] Come on...

♪ Ooh, New York... ♪

[narrator] But even here,
the wildlife finds a way.

Making the most of 20,000
acres of parks and gardens...

is one of the cleverest
animals in the Americas.

[upbeat music playing]

A raccoon.

Country raccoons are nocturnal.

But here, they emerge
in the daytime as well,

so they must be wary

of people, dogs and cars.

Be kinda street-smart.

This female needs
to take extra care.

She's a mom.

The wall provides high-rise
living for her growing family.

[kits chirping]

These kits are four months old,

and they share their home
with an older brother.

He's getting ready to
leave home for good.

But raccoons aren't the only ones
with a taste for city living.

[suspenseful music playing]

A red tailed hawk,

and it has its sights set

on the kits.

[chirping]

Mom is alert to any
sign of trouble.

[suspenseful music intensifies]

Come on, come on. Back inside.

With that hawk nearby,

she needs to stick around.

[bird squawking]

There may be safety in numbers,

but this is becoming
a tight squeeze.

And something's gotta give.

But it's best to
wait for nightfall.

This city may never sleep.

But luckily,

hawks do.

It's a chance for the eldest kit

to bid farewell to the family.

[sniffing]

[gentle music playing]

As Mom watches him go,

he's tentative at first.

He's on his own now.

She must stay with
her younger kits.

But soon, he's free
soloing with ease.

[upbeat lively music playing]

His supersensitive paws help
him find the safest footholds.

[sniffing]

And they're not bad for
shucking snails, either.

But alone on the parapet, he
needs to keep on his toes.

[siren blaring]

Yeah. Nice move.

[car engines whine]

He seems ready to face
the city on his own.

In fact, there's evidence
that an urban upbringing

makes raccoons better
at problem-solving.

[leisurely music playing]

He's gonna be just fine.

[siren echoes]

[insects chirping]

[mellow music playing]

Away from the magical
bright lights of New York

is a different fairytale world.

Deep in the Appalachian woods,

for a few bewitching
summer nights,

fireflies take the stage.

Males flash

to attract females.

The chemical light they produce

is one of the most energy
efficient on Earth.

[lively music playing]

For the fireflies,

flashing in synchrony
increases their impact.

For us, it's pure wonder.

[joyful music playing]

Forests cover 65 percent
of the Atlantic Coast.

In one corner of Tennessee,
there are so many trees,

they seem to create smoke.

In fact, it's a unique fog.

This is the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.

And here, one black bear mom

is having trouble with
some very hungry cubs.

[cub whines]

[bird squawking]

It's late summer in
the Smoky Mountains,

the national park with the
greatest biodiversity in America.

[buzzing]

The huge range of
trees and plants

provides a varied menu
for this mother bear

and her six-month-old cubs.

With winter just
a few months away,

they need to pile on the pounds.

And there's one food that
will help them get there.

Cherries.

[sniffing]

They're high in
fats and protein,

so it's crucial the cubs
make the most of them.

But someone beat them to it.

A trespasser.

An adult male.

And what's worse,

males sometimes kill cubs.

[brays]

[tense music playing]

He's no match

for a protective mom.

[suspenseful music playing]

[huffs]

Now the family can focus
on getting those cherries.

[grunts]

[lively music playing]

The tasty fruits are
not easy to reach.

Especially if you're a cub.

Mom's got a workaround.

[snaps]

Her cubs, though, don't
yet have the strength...

or the skill.

But they do appear
to be fearless.

This is going out on a limb.

At just 30 pounds, the
cubs are light enough

to climb to the
ends of branches.

But a fall from this
height could be fatal.

They've got the hang of it.

And these
calorie-packed cherries

will help the cubs to gain
the weight they'll need

to survive the coming winter.

[bright music playing]

The Smokies are a magical place,

and as America's most
visited national park,

they bring that
magic to millions.

Heading north,

the ancient Appalachians
formed the backbone

of the Atlantic Coast.

Eventually, their
weathered peaks

reached New England.

Two hundred years ago, the woods
here were cleared for agriculture.

But when many
farmers headed west,

the forest made a
spectacular return.

And now there are six
and a half billion trees.

In the heart of Massachusetts
stands a queen of the woods.

A red oak tree,

known here as Triple Oak.

[soothing music playing]

She has weathered
130 years of change.

Right now, she faces the
inevitable turn of the seasons.

Throughout the long
days of summer.

Her leaves captured
the sun's energy,

using green chlorophyll to produce the
sugar she needs to thrive and grow,

and the oxygen we
need to breathe.

But winter is coming.

The shorter days mean there won't be
enough sunlight to power her leaves.

So Triple Oak must do
something remarkable.

She withdraws her chlorophyll.

As the green pigment
is extracted,

all the other
colors are revealed.

[upbeat music playing]

For a few short weeks,

Triple Oak wears a
gown of burnished gold.

[birds chirping]

But her work isn't finished.

In winter storms,

a tree in full leaf catches the
wind like a ship in full sail.

She could be uprooted

so her leaves must go.

Triple Oak creates a layer of cells
that seal the leaf off from its twig.

Denied the tree's life
support, the leaf dies...

[crackles]

...and is cast aside.

Triple Oak then heals the scar.

[bird squawks]

A process she repeats
200,000 times.

[spirited music playing]

Across New England,

countless oaks, maples, beech
and birch all follow suit.

[spirited music continues]

A spectacle so vast,

it can be seen from space.

New England in the fall is one

of planet Earth's
greatest natural wonders.

[spirited music continues]

And it happens on our
very own doorstep,

on America's spellbinding
Atlantic Coast.