All language subtitles for National.Geographic.Explorer.Big.Sur-Wild.California.2010.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC5.1-[YTS.MX]

Granite cliffs conceal pristine shores.

Coastal redwoods echo
rich, undersea forests.

This majestic slice of California
remains a frontier.

It may be the greatest meeting
of land and sea on Earth.

But...its beauty is savage.

Ruthless waves hide endless battles.

Gentle meadows spawn
tawny predators.

The most sublime sunsets
are born from fire.

Survival requires sacrifice.

Life and death share the heartbeat...

of Big Sur.

Carved between San Francisco
and Los Angeles,

the "Big South" beckons.

Its magic stretches just 90 miles long
and 20 miles wide.

The San Andreas Fault creates
natural obstacles to civilization.

Big Sur is flanked
by the Santa Lucia Mountains--

and the Pacific Ocean.

Just offshore is the largest
submarine canyon in North America.

Sea otters are the protectors
of this undersea Mecca.

Otters avoid land,
but the rocky coast is mobbed

with up to five species
of seals and sea lions.

Two miles inland,
coastal redwoods hide cougars...

and newly hatched condor chicks.

East of the sequoias, Big Sur stretches
into meadows and oak woodlands.

Each unique address
could be a postcard.

But Big Sur's lifeblood is turbulent.

Dramas unfold in every niche.

The coastline is at centerstage.

The stars are Big Sur's
iconic sea otters.

These champion surfers
belong to the weasel family.

This pup is still too buoyant
to dive for food.

[pup squeaking]

His mother blows air into his fur
that renders him unsinkable.

[squeaking]

He's helpless until she returns.

Fortunately, his cry is
a unique beacon for his location.

[squeaking]

For now, this pup is secure.

When his mother mates again,
he'll be on his own.

[sea lions barking]

All-male colonies of sea lions
give personal space new meaning.

[snarling]

Shy harbor seals choose
sheltered coves to give birth.

Food for nursing mothers
is always close by.

Newborns have only weeks

before they must compete
for the ocean's banquet.

Such bounty is a magnet
for many species.

The beaches of Big Sur
attract transients, too.

Cougars have the largest range

of any mammal
in the Western Hemisphere...

besides man.

This opportunistic cat
looks for an unlucky bird

or a gift from the sea.

Beyond the surf
is an underwaterjungle.

Giant kelp supports
a dynamic, chilly, theater.

Each marine tree might grow
up to a foot per day.

Gas bladders pull the stalks
towards surface sunlight.

Instead of roots
that extend into earth,

kelp has "anchors" called holdfasts
that grip onto rocky substrates.

Sea urchins prey upon the kelp itself.

Tooth-like plates surround
an urchin's mouth

on the bottom of its shell.

Urchins attack the stalk,
eating through the stem.

These starfish relatives can
destroy entire kelp forests.

But even the sharpest
urchin spines are poor defense

against rock-wielding otters.

In Big Sur, sea otters keep
urchin numbers at bay--

which allows underwater forests
to flourish.

[otter groaning]

Their influence on the ecosystem

earns them the title
of keystone species.

Big Sur attracts
many unique creatures.

California condors
rely on an aerial view.

Until recently, only a handful
of these Pleistocene relics

were still alive on Earth.

Big Sur now boasts about 80
ofthe huge scavengers.

Every adult bird wears a number
and a GPS device

so that scientists
can monitor their lives.

Condors mate for life--
but they don't build nests.

The same ledge or hole
is used every two years,

for a single egg.

This is some of the first footage
captured inside a wild nest.

The camera was placed
by biologists

who hope to discover which condors
make good parents--and why.

But, while condors are devoted
to their families,

they largely depend
upon humans for their food.

The species will never fully recover
unless they learn to find their own.

[snorts]

The new chick has
many challenges ahead.

As days pass, the sun burns
through mist and fog.

It seems tranquil.

[cougar meows]

But serenity in Big Sur is an illusion.

Big Sur's beauty cloaks
the harsh demands of survival.

Some creatures use weapons.

Others issue warnings.

[sea lions barking]

All must ensure their future
by mastering the region's natural cycles.

The collision ofthe sea's cool temperature
and warmer land creates condensation.

A blanket of fog
often shrouds the coast.

When the mist reaches the interior,

it's the key to life for the tallest
living things on Earth.

Coastal redwoods are
a separate species,

and less massive than inland trees.

Big Sur's redwoods harvest thousands
of gallons of water every foggy morning.

These enchanted forests protect
creatures that need wet conditions.

Banana slugs graze
the forest floor.

They help the redwoods

by eating small plants
that might compete forwater.

The slugs have a defense strategy
in lieu of a shell:

their slime contains chemicals
that taste terrible.

The top predator here has
no interest in banana slugs.

Cougars are the largest cats
that purr...

[purring]

and they can leap over a bus...

[cougar meows]

...the long way.

They are solitary and like the privacy
found in redwood glens.

[meow]

The trees can only offer sanctuary
if they're intact.

Forest fires are a threat.

This tree was almost destroyed.

The condor nest inside survived
only through efforts by scientists.

In six months,
the chick may fly,

but he'll stay with the family
for another eighteen months.

His parents must leave their tree
to search for food.

[condors grunting]

As scavengers, they eat only carrion,
but they're not dirty.

Decaying flesh won't stick
to their bald heads.

Ultraviolet rays kill bacteria
on their feathers.

Even so, numbers remain low,
and individual birds are fragile.

[grunts]

Ventana Wildlife Society
puts out meat at feeding sites.

Unfortunately, California condors
need a wider variety of food.

In the prehistoric past,
coastal condors thrived

by eating dead marine mammals.

For over a century,
whaling and hunting

meant few carcasses
washed ashore here.

Now seals and whales
are abundant again.

Scientists hope the condors
can catch up.

The entire Eastern Pacific
gray whale population

migrates through Big Sur
twice per year.

Baby whales are kept
on the mother's shore side,

to protect them from sharks.

Today grays and humpbacks

plunder Big Sur's
rich, food-laden seas.

California's Central Coast
is the pathway

between Arctic summer
feeding grounds

and tropical breeding areas
for many species.

[sea lion barking]

This seal pup has nearly made it
through the first critical weeks.

He may stay here--
or move elsewhere.

Big Sur's tribe of otters
enjoys permanent residency.

Our obsession with their pelts
in the 1700's

nearly wiped out the species.

A small raft in Big Sur
escaped the fur trade,

and every otter alive here today
is descended from those few survivors.

Sea otters have the densest fur
of any animal.

In a single inch,
otters have more hairs

than found on an entire
human head.

They look cuddly...

but both males and females
are fierce.

Some call them "kelp grizzlies."

Mating takes place year round
and can be violent.

This male holds his partner
by her nose

to combat the surf
and potential rejection.

[sea lion barking]

Renewal takes many forms
along the coast.

One death enables
the cycle of life to continue.

[gulls squawking]

Despite Big Sur's merciless nature,
most species are stable.

The jury is still out
on California condors.

Condors rely on keen vision
to locate food.

Other scavengers use
their acute sense of smell.

Turkey vultures can detect gas
released at the beginning of decay--

from miles away.

While the condors fight extinction,
turkey vulture numbers are stable.

To survive in the wild, California condors
must see their meal...

then beat the vultures to the table.

Part of Big Sur's evolutionary tale
is surviving extreme change.

Plants and animals of tide pools
straddle two different homes.

Residents are tough
and delicate at the same time.

Anemones fold their tentacles
into their bodies,

which prevents them from drying out
when exposed to the air.

Twice per day life is submerged...

and then exposed.

Perhaps this extreme
inter-tidal environment

is where sea life
first came to land.

Big Sur's marine animals live
in rare proximity to terrestrial creatures.

This diverse range of habitats,
so close together,

exists nowhere else in the world.

East of the sea lies the redwood belt
and Big Sur's savannah.

Geological barriers have made it difficult
for reptiles to move here.

But a few snakes thrive.

[rattling]

Rattlesnakes have pits
near their nostrils

that sense temperature change
within a fraction of a degree.

Their forked tongues act
as a directional guide.

Rubber boas are rarely seen,
as they prefer to live underground.

When threatened, they roll into a ball
and use their tail as a decoy.

Birds of prey aren't limited
by mountains.

Juvenile red-tailed hawks
rarely survive their first two years.

Many die in crash landings
while learning to fly.

This young female is healthy
and able to hunt.

She spots activity
from the height of one mile

with vision eight times more powerful
than a human's.

Coyote families prowl Big Sur's meadows.

Supremely adaptable,

coyote mothers use den sites
vacated by other animals.

These pups are only
a few weeks old,

but are already wired
for independence.

Coyotes must be wily.

Cougars, hawks and turkey vultures
can snatch small pups.

The vultures are even
more aggressive with carrion.

Their large nostrils pick up
the smallest scent particles.

Today, Big Sur's condors
have failed to spot a natural meal...

but the turkey vultures feast.

During summer,
coastal fog increases...

and the sea ripens
with potential.

The otter pup bravely tries
for his own food.

His tastes are inherited
from his mother.

He still needs to learn
how to keep his catch.

Most of this season's seal pups
already face the world alone.

Along with sea lions,

they now venture farther
out to sea and into danger.

Throughout Big Sur,
summer brings peril.

Lightning strikes and arson
easily ignite dry grass and chaparral.

Embers can quickly blow
into a full-fledged inferno.

The smallest are the first to die
from heat and smoke.

Without long legs or strong wings,
there's no escape.

Cougars won't return until it's safe.

Once a fire runs its course,
life resumes.

Some plants depend
upon fire to reproduce.

Seeds lie dormant until extreme heat
melts their outer coating.

It took millions of years
for California's native plants

to adapt to natural fire cycles.

In less than a century, humans
have altered the pace so much

that plants struggle to keep up.

Most of Big Sur's natives adapt
to changing demands--

but California condors
might die out.

The new condor chick
is out of the nest,

but still depends
on his parents for food.

He will need all
that Big Sur can provide

to live for 50 years.

The otter pup is about
to be on his own:

in less than six months,
his mother will have a new baby.

By now, young seals
are completely independent.

Survivors grow stronger every day.

[sea lion barking]

There are many casualties
within the sea lion community.

Sometimes sharks
only wound their targets.

Despite grave injuries,
this male won't give up.

Some of his comrades already
decompose among the rocks.

Without fog, the condors are
finally able to see potential food.

They spy the perfect meal.

Dominant birds eat first

and take the choicest parts
of a carcass.

A condor's beak can pierce
the toughest hide.

This is the first footage
captured by a film crew

of California condors
feeding in the wild.

They don't allow a turkey vulture
intruder to share.

This triumph for the prehistoric birds
could be their turning point.

It's a healthy start
for the young condor chick.

[condors grunting]

Big Sur is never predictable.

Sea otters nearly vanished
from the ocean.

Today, under protected status,
thousands play here again.

The Central Coast was bereft
of great whales for decades.

Now large numbers pass through
Big Sur and Monterey Bay.

This is a merciless place--
but residents are stubborn.

Tragedy constantly occurs--

but close by, victory celebrates.

It's impossible to predict
what tomorrow might bring.

In secret and savage Big Sur,

the bold and the bravest
will survive.

Subtitle by AdySim