Original subtitles

[epic orchestral music playing]

[narrator] Tonight on The Americas...

Mexico.

This is a land of ancient civilizations

and rich, vibrant culture.

Where scorched deserts

meet lush jungles,

and the most bountiful seas on the planet.

In such a kaleidoscope of landscapes,

only the most ingenious...

[buzzing]

...will make it.

[birds chirping]

Mexico lies where the North American continent

reaches the tropics.

And very different worlds sit side by side.

Dense rainforests cloak the south.

Its heart is flanked by towering mountains.

While in the north lies the Americas' hottest desert,

the Sonoran.

One of the most inhospitable places on the whole supercontinent.

[insects trilling]

Here, temperatures on the ground can reach 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

You have to be tough to survive.

And the toughest of all

is the mighty saguaro cactus.

[chirping]

They suck up every drop of water

and hold up to a thousand gallons in their trunks.

A living oasis for desert life.

[chirping]

[buzzing]

The saguaros defend their vast bodies with needle-sharp spines.

A 50-foot fortress,

which makes it the perfect home for one animal.

[drumroll playing]

A cactus pygmy owl.

[quirky music playing]

The size of a dollar bill,

she's taken advantage of others' hard work,

setting up home in an old woodpecker nest.

[chirps]

She's up early.

And this is why.

She has a family.

[chirping]

Chicks... with big appetites.

For the past month, she and her mate

have been delivering a constant supply of food.

It's hard work.

Giant lizards and kangaroo rats, twice her weight.

But there comes a time in every young owl's life

when they must be persuaded to fly the nest.

[chirps]

So Mom changes tactics.

Food deliveries...

- [twittering] - ...cease.

She's making it clear. It's time to leave.

[twittering]

But these deserts are a hotspot...

[ominous music playing]

...for predators.

Especially snakes.

And unfortunately for the chicks,

they home in on pygmy owl nests.

[ominous music continues]

[twittering]

It's now...

or never.

This will be the first time they've used their wings.

[ominous music intensifies]

And a landing in the wrong place

could prove fatal.

[twittering]

First up...

her strongest chick.

[chirping]

Her second...

is safely out too.

Well, just about.

But the third seems to have doubts.

[chirps]

[twittering]

In spite of Mom's calls,

it's a flat "no" from him.

[suspenseful music playing]

But she has a tried-and-tested trick to win him over.

[twittering]

"Lunch!"

[chirping]

Now she's got her chick's attention.

[quirky music playing]

[mother owl twittering]

[twittering]

[twittering continues]

[mother owl twittering]

And...

he's out.

That's not good.

The ground is the most dangerous place for him to be.

[twittering]

[ominous music playing]

But up in the trees,

it's not risk-free either.

A coachwhip snake is closing in on one of his siblings.

It can easily swallow a chick whole.

But not on this mom's watch.

[dramatic music playing]

[mother owl chirping]

She's seen off this ambush.

Now, to get that last chick out of danger.

[ominous music playing]

[chirping]

[twittering]

At last,

the family are safe together.

[light music playing]

They've got through the most dangerous moment in their lives,

thanks to their mom's ingenuity and spirit

in Mexico's...

toughest desert.

Stretching for almost 100,000 square miles,

the Sonoran desert is scarred by ancient volcanoes and lava flows.

A legacy of colossal forces

that have shaped the land and life of all of Mexico.

And to the west,

those same forces created a unique world.

Six million years ago,

the country's western edge was ripped from the mainland,

as the Baja Peninsula split away.

This is an ocean paradise like no other.

[majestic music playing]

The Sea of Cortez.

A place where fish fly.

And giants roam.

[majestic music continues]

The biggest animal the world has ever seen.

[spout whooshing]

A blue whale.

These warm and sheltered waters

support vast populations of fish.

[rousing music playing]

And draw in 40 percent of the world's marine mammal species.

Including dolphins

in spectacular superpods 5,000 strong.

[rousing choral music playing]

[orca squeals]

It sets the scene...

for a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

The most remarkable showdown in the ocean.

The Sea of Cortez is one of the most bountiful seas on Earth.

And that brings opportunities

for one of its smartest predators.

[squealing]

Orca live in close-knit families called "pods"

and communicate using a series of pulsed calls and whistles.

Each pod has its own unique dialect.

[calling]

To thrive, they must hunt together several times a day.

[soft music playing]

[orcas calling]

And now the family has one more mouth to feed.

At two years old, this calf is at a critical stage of life.

Her mother's milk is no longer enough,

so her future now depends on her family's hunting skills.

[spout puffs]

The pod fall silent.

It's time...

to listen.

[whistling]

[whistling, clicking]

That is the sound of bottlenose dolphins.

The orca can hear their prey

long before they see it.

This family are one of the only pods in the world known to hunt dolphins.

Behavior so rare

that it has hardly ever been seen before.

To succeed, they must use the element of surprise.

[suspenseful music playing]

Even breaking the surface to breathe could give them away.

The adults can hold their breath for 15 minutes.

But a calf can only hold hers half that time.

She needs air.

[music intensifies]

[puffs]

The cover is blown.

And the chase...

is on.

[dramatic music playing]

One dolphin splits from its group,

a mistake that gives the orca a chance.

Working as a team, they coordinate their hunt.

And one by one,

they take turns to tire the prey they so desperately need.

[dramatic music intensifies]

They close in for the kill.

[music fades]

[calling, whistling]

The hunt... is over.

The dolphin is shared out.

And the calf gets the food she's depending on.

[squealing, clicking]

This clever teamwork...

is learned from one generation to the next

and allows the orcas to support their family in this unique sea.

[adult orca calls]

In these waters, life can flourish in the most unlikely places.

As the Earth's crust ripped apart to form the Sea of Cortez,

volcanic activity created new islands.

[gentle music playing]

The most remote of all

is San Pedro M�rtir.

Over 30 miles from the mainland,

this lonely pinnacle of rock is the perfect rendezvous

for seabirds looking for love,

[birds squawking]

Mexico's very own Temptation Island.

[squawking]

Each year, thousands of seabirds

find their way to the isolated island of San Pedro M�rtir

in search of romance.

[buoyant music playing]

Including the best-named bird in all of Mexico.

- [squawks] - The blue-footed booby.

It's breeding season.

And this male

is in a long-term relationship.

Their bond is all based around one thing.

- [squawks] - You guessed it.

Those bright blue feet.

The intensity of the blue signals just how fit and strong he is.

So the bluer, the better.

Thanks to the pigment in his fishy diet,

he already has a knockout pair.

But to keep them this way,

it's time for him to go fishing.

[squawking]

Once they bond with each other,

booby pairs are normally set for life.

But not all boobies...

play by the rules.

A quick two-step from someone else catches her eye.

Could this male's feet be even bluer and better

than her partner's?

[bright music playing]

[whistling]

His whistle display shows he's eager.

[whistling]

With a honk of interest...

[honking]

...her head's been turned.

[whistling]

But now there's going to be trouble.

Her old flame is back.

He seems pleased with the look of his feet.

But his partner is looking at somebody else's.

He's not going to stand for that!

[fierce squawking]

[intense music playing]

[loud squawking]

That showed him.

Our hero may have seen off his rival.

But his relationship looks like it's on the rocks.

[whistling]

Maybe a gift will help.

A well-chosen stone?

Not impressed.

Perhaps a softer approach.

[honking loudly]

Hmm... that seems to have done the trick.

And they pick up right where they left off.

[bright music playing]

[clucking]

[honking]

[squawking]

But on this island,

temptation is never far away.

Mexico's coastlines stretch nearly 7,000 miles.

And heading south, the very nature of the land changes.

This is a tropical world.

Here, forces below ground have pushed the earth skywards,

creating a maze of mountains.

[birds chirping]

For a few months each year,

these peaks catch moisture as it rolls in from the Pacific.

[thunder rumbling]

And it falls as torrential rain.

[serene music playing]

[birds chirping]

These humid tropical forests provide ideal conditions

for rare and precious natural jewels.

Orchids.

Mexico is home to over a thousand species.

Almost half of them found nowhere else on Earth.

Many release an intoxicating signature scent,

sending one resident into a frenzy.

[buzzing]

- [birds chirping] - [animal calling]

The tropical mountain forests of Mexico's southwest

provide for a creature

who is a passionate collector of scent.

[ethereal music playing]

[buzzing]

A male orchid bee.

To attract a mate, he must create his own perfume.

He sweeps up scents with special brushes

and mixes them in pockets on his back legs.

And it's not just orchids he needs.

These bees can travel 30 miles,

collecting as many as 40 different smells

because the more complex the cologne,

the more attractive the bee.

[buzzing]

But there's one scent this master perfumier needs most of all.

The Stanhopea orchid.

[magical music playing]

Unfortunately, its flowers only open just a few days each year.

And worse,

he has a rival.

[buzzing]

[frantic music playing]

Male bees compete to collect the most seductive scent.

A little leaf wax.

A whiff of fungus.

[frantic music continues]

And our hero adds a hint of rotted wood.

While the rival...

spots a workaround.

A dead orchid bee

with pockets full of scent...

that can be stolen.

But it could turn out to be one big mistake

because at last,

the Stanhopea has burst into flower.

And our hero is right there

to cash in.

[triumphant music playing]

Now he can get the final ingredient.

The secret sauce.

But it doesn't come for free.

The orchid deposits pollen on his back.

So this bee will fertilize the next Stanhopea he visits,

ensuring the orchid's future.

In the meantime, he's completed his ultimate perfume.

And once a female gets a whiff of it,

the chemistry will be perfect.

[buzzing]

To the east, Mexico's mountains fall away

to a landscape that couldn't be more different.

Here, more than 11 million years ago,

a huge limestone plateau collided with the mainland

and formed the Yucatan Peninsula.

[majestic music playing]

It's nearly 75,000 square miles

cloaked by the largest tropical forest in North America.

[birds chirping]

[chirping continues]

[chittering]

Mexican spider monkeys.

Acrobatic experts...

in treetop travel.

[light music playing]

But this is a skill that takes time to master.

[chittering]

So...

for the first two years of life,

transport is courtesy of Mom.

To nurse her baby, she needs to eat four pounds of fruit every day.

[lively music playing]

The problem is,

it's the dry season,

and fruit is scarce.

Luckily, Mom has a mental map of the forest

and knows a place that will always provide.

The trees here are laden with fruit.

And there's a surprising reason why.

These forests were once home to one of the greatest civilizations

in human history.

[epic music playing]

The Maya.

Standing here are the ruins of a once great city,

Calakmul.

The people that lived here planted many fruit trees,

a legacy that lives on today.

In the seventh century,

Calakmul supported more than 50,000 people.

But there is a mystery here.

Almost every other civilization built their major cities

next to a source of water.

But throughout the Yucatan, there's not a single river,

lake, or even a stream.

So how did the Maya thrive?

They knew that this forest held a unique secret.

For the ancient Maya to thrive in the forests of the Yucatan,

they had to find water.

[birds chirping]

They needed help from an unusual guide.

One with a distinctive call

that they could follow.

[squawking]

Turquoise-browed motmots, like these,

led the Maya to hidden freshwater pools

deep underground called "cenotes."

Virtually every cenote has its own resident motmot colony.

[squawks]

The Maya not only depended on the cenotes for water,

they believed they were portals

into the underworld.

These labyrinths, running over a thousand miles,

form the longest flooded cave system in the world.

[mystical music playing]

And some are less explored than the surface of the moon.

It's a place only the world's most experienced divers

attempt to venture.

Home to seemingly alien life forms.

A blind cave fish,

with no pigment or eyes.

Why would you need them in the endless darkness?

And an entirely new species

never filmed before,

cave brittle stars.

They survive on organic matter,

which here can take thousands of years to decay.

Deeper in the cave,

there are even stranger discoveries.

A place that plays tricks with your mind.

[mystical music continues]

This isn't the surface.

It's a boundary between two water worlds.

Beneath is heavier salt water from the ocean,

and above, lighter fresh water that filters down through the rocks.

It's called a "halocline."

And living here, is an animal that you could say time forgot.

A venomous remipede.

A living fossil from before the dinosaurs.

It's recently been discovered that its kind are the ancestors

of all living insects,

over half of all life on our planet.

Beyond the halocline,

these hidden caves lead towards the ocean,

where they flow into another magical water world.

Mangrove forests.

[soft music playing]

[chittering]

Mangroves can survive in salt water.

The only tree that can.

They have specialized pores on the surface

that both filter out the salt

and take in the oxygen dissolved in the seawater.

There are more mangroves in Mexico than anywhere else on the continent.

[chittering]

And they support one of the country's most iconic

and mysterious creatures.

Hidden amongst the vast mangroves of Mexico's west coast,

are one of the country's most stealthy hunters.

[squealing]

[panting]

Jaguar.

Mexico is home to almost 5,000 of these big cats.

In many places, they have been protected.

In some, the population has increased.

Jaguars were revered as gods by ancient civilizations.

They were seen as rulers of the underworld.

The guardians to accompany souls from this world to the next.

[soft music playing]

Where death is not the end,

but a part of the cycle of life.

Today, people gather around the gravesites of loved ones

in D�a de Los Muertos,

Day of the Dead.

Candles guide souls back to their relatives.

But it's also a celebration

that coincides with another long-awaited return.

[soft music continues]

As the forests of Central Mexico welcome millions...

of monarch butterflies.

Each one believed to represent a soul of the departed.

They have just completed one of the greatest migrations

in the Americas.

To escape the harsh winters in Canada and the US,

they've traveled 3,000 miles,

crossing cities, plains, and deserts

to be here.

[majestic music playing]

Beneath the volcanic slopes of Central Mexico

is an enchanted forest.

The perfect shelter and climate for the monarchs to spend winter.

These sleeping beauties hibernate here for four months.

They need to stay close to each other for warmth.

But some are running out of energy.

[somber music playing]

Freezing temperatures on the forest floor can be fatal.

[somber music continues]

This fallen male tries to warm up his flight muscles,

but it's too cold to get them going.

[birds chirping]

High above him,

the first rays of spring sunshine.

[bright music playing]

Bathed in this warmth, the monarchs are preparing to take to the skies.

[insects clicking]

But the forest floor

is still dark and cold.

He must use the last of his strength

if he's to reach the sunlight.

[insect chirps]

At last, the security of his colony.

As temperatures continue to rise,

he and the rest of the butterflies

can now take flight.

[bright music playing]

Together, they have survived another winter...

and will soon leave to return to the north.

[enchanting music playing]

Their remarkable ability to find this one special forest

amongst Mexico's kaleidoscope of landscapes

allows these beautiful butterflies to flourish.

One of the greatest natural wonders on Earth.

[narrator] Flamingos. They gather here for a dance-off,

hoping to find a mate.

[upbeat music playing]

The Americas, our home.

Where giants roam.

New life transforms and a leap of faith is taken

in the name of love.

? Ever cry tears into clear waters? ?

[narrator] There's magic to be found...

? Through ancient Earth I'll go in wonder ?

...in your own back yard.

? Wander again ?

? Yeah, wandering, wandering, wandering ?

? Wandering, wandering, wandering ?

[narrator] This is where spectacular stories...

unfold.

[singer vocalizing]

[upbeat music continues]

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