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Night...
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00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:20,720
A sea of stars
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00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,600
in a sky full of mystery.
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00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,360
This bright, clear, heavenly ocean
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00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,400
is viewed from a parallel world.
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00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,200
From a tiny constellation
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00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,200
lost in another mighty expanse...
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..the Atlantic Ocean.
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00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,560
In the heart
of this boundless immensity,
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00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,520
a tiny, unique volcanic cluster -
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the Canary Islands.
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00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,200
A micro-cosmos,
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00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:05,000
intimately bound
with the rest of the universe.
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00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,120
From the strange peaks
of its oceanic mountains,
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00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:15,080
reaching nearly 4,000 metres
into the clear blue sky,
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the stars seem so close.
19
00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:21,680
There are few places on the planet
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00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,880
where the rest of the universe
can be contemplated so intensely.
21
00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,240
Here, the connection
with the infinite, enigmatic
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00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,040
and unknowable universe
is palpable,
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and here also begins a journey
from the remotest of places,
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from the origin of life itself,
25
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,440
right up to now,
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00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,080
to witness the fruits
of millions of years of evolution.
27
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,880
The mountain peaks
of the Canary Islands
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are an exotic window
onto the universe.
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00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,840
They climb directly out of the ocean.
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00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,960
The Teide rises vertiginously,
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over barely a few dozen kilometres,
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to an altitude of 3,700 metres.
33
00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,160
It's the highest peak
in all the Atlantic Ocean
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and the third highest volcano
in the world.
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00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,680
Its summit is an island
amongst the islands,
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a remote place,
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00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,040
only suitable
for the most special of travellers.
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00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:09,960
This mountainous terrain,
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00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,960
along with the steep-sided
Caldera de Taburiente
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00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,960
on the neighbouring island
of La Palma,
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00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:19,800
share an environment
unseen anywhere else on the planet.
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00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,560
These high-mountain ecosystems
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are the most extreme places
on the Canary Islands,
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with temperatures that can vary
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between minus-16
and 34 degrees centigrade.
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In this tough, broken,
volcanic landscape
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live strange plants and animals
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that are experts in surviving
the freezing cold, the stifling heat
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and the intense solar radiation.
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(BUZZING)
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00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,200
Very few animals are so well-adapted
to this environment
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as the Tenerife
or Western Canaries lizard.
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(PLAYFUL MUSIC)
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Nine million years ago,
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this reptile's ancestors
arrived from the oldest islands -
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00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:42,560
Fuerteventura and Lanzarote -
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and gradually conquered
the entire territory
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until they reached its summit.
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00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,640
The peaks are where Tenerife lizards
have the fewest predators
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00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:03,600
and where they can pursue their
reproductive instincts unhindered.
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00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,760
Large males compete,
chasing each other
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00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:21,080
to keep rival suitors
away from females in heat.
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00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:28,080
Their courtship races
reach their peak in the spring.
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00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,400
These are intensely
indulgent moments.
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Food and sex are in abundance.
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In late spring,
the peaks of La Palma and Tenerife
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are transformed
from an unforgiving landscape
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into a fleeting but incomparable
garden of delights.
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00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,680
The striking red flowers
of the tower of jewels,
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00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,800
also known as red Tenerife
or Mount Teide bugloss,
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00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,640
are among the most beautiful
and spectacular in the world.
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In crowded colonies,
they grow only now and only here,
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00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,080
in spring, at the top of the Teide
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00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,320
and La Caldera de Taburiente.
(BUZZING)
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00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,120
Growing in columns
two to three metres high,
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00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,280
the inflorescences
of the tower of jewels
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are loaded with nectar and pollen
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00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,000
which attract many endemic insects.
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Though ephemeral,
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00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:33,520
lasting only a few weeks,
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00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:38,360
their brief lives are crucial
for the insect species on the summit.
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00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,840
Like prisoners of the peaks
that are their only home,
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the towers of jewels
mimic these volcanoes
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that seem to be suspended
from the sky.
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(EXPLOSION)
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00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,320
(SOARING MUSIC)
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00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,520
The volcanic origin
of the Canary Islands
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can be seen everywhere...
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..from the highest peaks
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00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,640
to the low-lying coasts.
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00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,680
The ocean crashes
into the Canary coastline,
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00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:46,120
revealing the islands'
fundamentally volcanic nature.
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00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,720
All of the islands of the archipelago
have steep, rugged coastlines
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00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,560
where the evidence of ancient lava
is unmissable.
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00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,440
On the islands with the highest
altitudes and steepest sides,
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the elevated volcanic ravines
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plunge into the sea.
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00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,760
In the north of La Gomera,
basalt columns emerge
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00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,760
like the last remnants
of Atlantic temples.
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00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:54,120
All these geological features
are the result of volcanic activity
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which started creating
each of the islands
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20 million years ago.
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00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,960
Lava is the essence of a bright,
burning universe
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of distant stars and planets.
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00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:17,960
Here, in the middle of the ocean,
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it takes beautiful
and primitive forms.
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(WIND HOWLS)
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00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:42,360
The ancient appearance
of some islands, such as Lanzarote,
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brings to mind
what the earth might've looked like
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00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,800
as it was erupting into existence.
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00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,640
The beauty of a wild and ancient land
is on display
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in the area's geological formations.
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00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,360
But life has found a way even here,
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on the most ancient
of the archipelago's islands.
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00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,120
A harsh and hostile environment,
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00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:37,000
but one which plants, lizards
and birds have all made their home.
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Volcanic landscapes are found
throughout the island group
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and each island
has become a unique place,
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thanks, in part,
to the wild tourists that visit.
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00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,040
In the remotest islets
of north Lanzarote,
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Eleonora's falcon spends the summer.
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00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:04,600
(FALCON SQUAWKS)
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00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,440
After an incredible journey
of thousands of kilometres
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00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,040
from its wintering quarters
in Madagascar,
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00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,400
they take respite in Alegranza,
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00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,200
where the last puddles
of recent rains remain.
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00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,080
Eleonora's falcons have established
their summer breeding colonies
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00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,720
on the steep sides of the volcanoes.
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00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,720
The chicks are fed exclusively
on accidental tourists -
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00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,280
migratory birds
that their parents hunt
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out in the middle of the ocean.
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00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,320
Chill winds from the Atlantic
drive the migrating birds
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00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:01,880
into the falcons' path,
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00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:06,000
but they also move the ocean currents
between the islands.
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00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,040
There, caressed by waves and wind,
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00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,760
amongst the islands that make up
this oceanic constellation,
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dolphins jump and play.
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00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,920
These too are inhabitants
of the islands and also its hunters.
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00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:45,320
A cloud of small fish
attempts to escape,
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00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,800
closing ranks
and tightening into a shoal.
141
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,120
But the dolphins pick them off
one by one,
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00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,280
enjoying the delicious snacks
brought by the currents.
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00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:20,400
Falcons in the air,
dolphins among the waves,
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00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,080
and high above everything,
the clouds,
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00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,440
pushed by the trade winds.
146
00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,840
As the trade winds -
the Alisios or easterlies โ
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00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:37,320
blow across the ocean,
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00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:42,800
they pick up moisture, which is then
transported in the form of clouds.
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00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:49,480
The lowest-lying Canary Islands
watch the clouds pass overhead,
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00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:54,400
their life-giving moisture
tantalisingly out of reach.
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00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,160
But islands
with areas of higher altitudes,
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00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,800
with summits at hundreds or
thousands of metres above sea level,
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00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:02,880
act like a barrier to the clouds,
154
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,920
which crash against them
in enraged waves.
155
00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,920
(ROUSING MUSIC)
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00:15:05,161 --> 00:15:07,800
On the Caldera de Taburiente,
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00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,320
below the peak of the Teide
or in the heights of Gran Canaria,
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00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:16,000
the clouds launch their attacks
against the kingdom of the pines.
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00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,040
(WIND HOWLS)
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00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,600
Canary Island pine trees
form their forests on high, dry land.
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00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:50,560
They are very spartan trees
and unique to this region.
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00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,040
Canary pines are robust,
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00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,120
but their leaves
are feathery and light,
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00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,800
giving them a delicate appearance.
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00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:13,520
Their long, thin needles
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00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,720
allow the pines
to capture the moisture
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00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,560
coming from the sea of clouds
that washes over them.
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00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,080
In these volcanic forests
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00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,600
lives a small and unusual group
of unique animals.
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00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,640
They arrived here slowly
from Africa and Europe,
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00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:35,080
taking a leap
to conquer this little new world.
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00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:53,440
Over time - millions
or hundreds of thousands of years -
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00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,000
they evolved into new species
and subspecies
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00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,080
that live exclusively
in the Canary pine forests.
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00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:05,560
The Tenerife blue chaffinch,
for example.
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00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,120
The Tenerife blue chaffinch
is a unique prisoner,
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00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:12,360
living in seclusion
178
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,080
in the pine forests
of only two islands,
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00:17:15,120 --> 00:17:17,680
Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
180
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,240
Its intense blue plumage,
somewhat unusual among birds,
181
00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,120
is a reminder of the universe
it inhabits,
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00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:32,720
trapped between the infinite sky
and deep blue ocean.
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00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,840
(CHAFFINCH TWEETS)
184
00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:39,080
The origin
of the Tenerife blue chaffinch
185
00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:41,560
goes back hundreds of thousands
of years
186
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,640
along the lineage of common finches.
187
00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,000
The Tenerife blue chaffinch
has evolved
188
00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,960
to be able to exploit
the Canary Island pine forests,
189
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,760
influenced by their ecological rules.
190
00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,200
This forest specialist
191
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,920
feeds almost exclusively
on pine seeds,
192
00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:19,960
so its existence depends directly
on the survival of the pine forests.
193
00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,160
(VARIOUS BIRDS TWEET)
194
00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,600
The great spotted woodpecker,
curiously,
195
00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,000
also lives exclusively
on the same islands
196
00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,520
as the Tenerife blue chaffinch.
197
00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,080
But these are arrivistes,
198
00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:57,640
having landed here from the mainland
recently,
199
00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,800
only a few thousand years ago.
200
00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,680
Discovering the large
pine-covered mountains
201
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:13,200
was like reaching paradise
for the great spotted woodpecker -
202
00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,880
a territory replete with food
and places to raise a family,
203
00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,160
without rivals
and only a few predators.
204
00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,120
Every year, the great spotted
woodpeckers confirm their conquest
205
00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:30,120
by bringing new generations
of carpenters
206
00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,480
to this unusual wooded Eden.
207
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,520
Every species
in the Canary pine forest
208
00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:01,440
has its own story to tell.
(BIRD SQUAWKS)
209
00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:07,920
Canary Island
or Canarian red-billed choughs
210
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,120
only live on the steep slopes
of Caldera de Taburiente,
211
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:12,720
on the island of La Palma,
212
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:16,760
where there are neither
blue chaffinches nor woodpeckers.
213
00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,080
They arrived here
tens of thousands of years ago
214
00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:24,320
from the Atlas Mountains in Africa,
215
00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:26,360
and on the walls of the Caldera
216
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,480
found rocky, protected areas
where they could nest.
217
00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:46,680
They easily adapted
to the most abundant resource -
218
00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,400
Canary pine seeds.
219
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:53,400
In between volcanic peaks
and scudding, moisture-laden clouds,
220
00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,400
the pine forests provide them
with a huge pantry.
221
00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:11,320
The islands, like planets
from a distant constellation,
222
00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,960
float in a blue universe.
223
00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,040
But not an empty one.
224
00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,880
The ocean surrounding
the Canary Islands' universe
225
00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,080
is full of life.
226
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,080
Barely a few kilometres
from the Canary pine forests
227
00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:53,120
that surround the ancient volcanoes,
228
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:57,360
next to the coastal cliffs
patrols a family of pilot whales.
229
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,360
(WHALES WHISTLE)
230
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,360
(HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLING)
231
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,840
Pilot whales orbit the islands
232
00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,800
like little satellites.
233
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,680
The ocean of the coastline
plummets and plunges
234
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,360
thousands of metres down.
235
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,600
The pilot whales
know how to exploit the richness
236
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:42,480
of the deep and unknown world
that lies just off the islands.
237
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,720
They dive in search of large squid
238
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,640
and then the pod returns
to the surface to breathe and play,
239
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:54,120
reaffirming their close family bonds.
240
00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:09,160
Like interstellar travellers,
241
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,680
the pilot whales
move among the currents,
242
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:16,960
following invisible paths that unite
the Canary Islands underwater.
243
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,080
And as always, far above,
the clouds slip through the skies,
244
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:35,560
heavy with their invaluable load
of fresh water,
245
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,960
urged on unceasingly
by the tireless trade winds.
246
00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,680
The ever-restless clouds
247
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:50,960
lash the steep, high sides
of the archipelago's highest islands.
248
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,080
While on the coasts,
it is warm and dry.
249
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,920
Where the clouds crash
day after day,
250
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,600
it's very wet and cool.
251
00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:22,280
Up here, where the clouds break,
252
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,760
one of the most extraordinary
woodlands on the planet endures.
253
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:34,520
This forest is almost always
enveloped by mist.
254
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,600
The mist hides its mysteries
behind a veil,
255
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,400
moved by the wind.
256
00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:43,560
The laurissilva...
257
00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,240
This subtropical forest,
258
00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,320
hidden between clouds
and volcanic peaks,
259
00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,640
is a true lost paradise,
260
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:55,920
millions of years old.
261
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:08,680
Laurissilva, or laurel forests,
262
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,800
are botanical relics
of the Neogene period
263
00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:16,920
that took up refuge in some corners
of El Hierro and Gran Canaria.
264
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,400
But it's on Tenerife, La Palma
and especially La Gomera
265
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,520
that the last great laurel forests
266
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,880
have survived to this day.
267
00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,720
The laurissilva
is a mysterious jungle -
268
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,960
wet and fertile.
269
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,360
The lichens and mosses
that cover the trunks and branches
270
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,280
absorb the water
that hangs heavy in the atmosphere -
271
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:04,840
woodland experts
in milking the clouds.
272
00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,080
Every square centimetre
of laurel forest
273
00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:18,960
is dedicated to absorbing moisture
from the mist.
274
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:24,000
Drop by drop,
a constant flow is created,
275
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,800
allowing countless lianas, ferns
and species of trees to grow here
276
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,680
and nowhere else in the world.
277
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:53,600
This exuberant, enigmatic atmosphere
is home to other lost beings,
278
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,640
other prisoners of the mist.
279
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,200
Living like forest phantoms,
or will-o'-the-wisps,
280
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,760
some birds' fates depend entirely
on the survival of the laurissilva,
281
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:07,760
their only home.
282
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:22,080
Bolle's pigeons move discreetly among
the branches of the ancient trees
283
00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,840
of the unique Canarian jungle.
284
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,320
Hidden among lichens and lianas,
285
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:34,800
they seek the nutritious fruits
that grow all year.
286
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,760
Bolle's pigeons barely make a sound
287
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,040
and flee at the first hint
of a threat.
288
00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,880
They only let their guard down
when taking their daily bath
289
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:59,560
or when drinking from the abundant
puddles found in the laurel forest.
290
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:15,680
The laurel,
or white-tailed laurel pigeon,
291
00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:18,320
is as discreet and elegant
as Bolle's,
292
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:21,560
but can escape the laurel forest
to reach open country,
293
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,440
even heading to the cliffs
and into ravines,
294
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,360
where it establishes its nests
and looks for food.
295
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,440
Laurel pigeons, shy and skittish,
296
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,320
are very terrestrial birds.
297
00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,080
They band together in small flocks
that roam among the leaf litter,
298
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:51,040
gathering seeds, grains
and fallen fruits.
299
00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:58,920
The pigeons of the Canary Islands
300
00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:03,480
are perhaps as old
as the very forests where they live.
301
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,720
Other birds, in comparison,
302
00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,400
are more recent arrivals.
303
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,560
From its birth,
this small constellation of islands
304
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,520
has received the advance parties
of explorers
305
00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:21,200
on an eternal search.
306
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:28,320
Both occasional visitors and pioneers
from the natural world,
307
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,080
with greater or lesser fortune,
308
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,800
stake their claims on new territories
309
00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:36,840
on islands
in a state of constant change.
310
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,440
And although it might appear
almost counterintuitive,
311
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,720
the most sought-after places
by wild travellers
312
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,160
are the most extreme.
313
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:52,400
Violent, exaggerated geography
314
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,200
turns out to be just what some of
the Canaries' most remarkable beings
315
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,240
like best.
316
00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:08,440
Volcanic ravines are the result
of aggressive processes of erosion
317
00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:13,680
that have excavated the land here
to produce amazing locations.
318
00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,000
Deep, sheer-sided gorges,
319
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,200
measuring hundreds of metres
in height,
320
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,920
form some of the most characteristic
landscapes of the Canary Islands.
321
00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:36,080
The highest islands
are the most abrupt,
322
00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:40,120
possessing
the most extraordinary chasms.
323
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,280
These are perhaps the most
characteristic natural features
324
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:44,920
of Canarian geology.
325
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:54,960
These ravines are home
to stunning ecological tapestries.
326
00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,600
The plants and animals
of these gorges
327
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:05,840
are extraordinarily
closely connected.
328
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,000
(PLAYFUL MUSIC)
329
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:22,920
(BUZZING)
330
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:31,840
Gran Canaria giant lizards
are the masters of these ravines
331
00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:36,520
and, as such,
their main ecological protagonists.
332
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:46,520
These lizards move over
the whole area to fulfil their role.
333
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:53,600
Canaries lizards
are almost wholly herbivorous.
334
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,000
They mostly feed
on endemic fruits and flowers.
335
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,640
This diet makes these reptiles
336
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:19,440
the main dispersers and pollinators
of the plants of the ravines.
337
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,760
Many plant species owe their survival
338
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,800
and their distribution
to the lizards.
339
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,440
But they are not the only ones
responsible
340
00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,160
for pollinating and dispersing seeds.
341
00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,440
Small archipelago birds, such as
the Canary Islands chiffchaff,
342
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,640
are actively involved
in the reproduction
343
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,760
of their favourite plants.
344
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,320
Birds and flowers have co-evolved in
a mutually beneficial relationship.
345
00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,640
The birds exclusively exploit
a very nutritious food
346
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:22,640
and, in return,
the plants reproduce effectively.
347
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,920
But part of the symbiotic harmony
and diversity of the ravines
348
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,640
also depends on predators.
349
00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:46,280
The gullies offer excellent locations
350
00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,280
for a little falcon.
351
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,560
(BIRD SQUAWKS)
352
00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:10,560
The prior conquest of the islands
by insects, reptiles and small birds
353
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,680
allowed Canarian kestrels
to take up residence
354
00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:15,680
without fear of going hungry.
355
00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:32,600
The diversity of resources here,
and the kestrel's adaptive capacity,
356
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:34,720
has meant that
the Canary Islands kestrel
357
00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:38,760
is now the most common raptor
on the archipelago.
358
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,840
The Canary Island lizards,
the kestrel's favourite food,
359
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:48,320
lost their paradise when these
little birds of prey arrived.
360
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:06,880
The kestrels are masters of the sky
above the tiny islands.
361
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,240
But the archipelago is also sea.
362
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:15,680
(LIVELY MUSIC)
363
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:27,360
The space between the islands
is not at all an interstellar void.
364
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,560
The sea binds the islands together
365
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:37,720
and with them
forms a unique place on the planet.
366
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,480
Universal travellers from sea and sky
367
00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,920
pass here from their birth.
368
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:17,200
Explorers, astronauts taking flight
to other worlds -
369
00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,000
whales, such as sperm whales,
370
00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:23,520
and many other cetaceans
swim among the volcanoes.
371
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,560
The combination
of geographical situation,
372
00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:34,080
ocean currents, submarine relief
and climate
373
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,000
have made the Canaries archipelago
one of the richest places,
374
00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:41,080
in terms of cetaceans, in the world.
375
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,720
Here, rather than separate,
376
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,480
the sea unites two worlds -
377
00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:55,320
the solid and the liquid.
378
00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,120
Each island offers
its own set of opportunities
379
00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:05,040
to travellers brave enough
to cross the ocean.
380
00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:10,880
Ancient forests,
381
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,840
cloud-dwelling pine woodland...
382
00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:18,640
..towering peaks...
383
00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:25,240
In the Canary Islands,
lost in the ocean,
384
00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:28,320
a complex world has been created.
385
00:37:34,240 --> 00:37:38,240
But there is also room for
the most fundamental ecosystems...
386
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:44,840
..such as desert.
387
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:47,000
(SOMBRE MUSIC)
388
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,840
The influence of the nearby Sahara
389
00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,120
is keenly felt on islands
such as Fuerteventura,
390
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,520
Lanzarote
and the south of Gran Canaria.
391
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:48,840
The beauty and breadth of the desert
occupies the heart of these islands.
392
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:01,920
Surprising animals
leave their own traces in the sand.
393
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:08,720
Here, African travellers
have found hospitable habitats.
394
00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:27,640
The Canarian houbara,
a small bustard,
395
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:30,640
arrived a mere 20,000 years ago
396
00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:32,600
and discovered desert plains
397
00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:36,120
offering an excellent opportunity
to live.
398
00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:44,920
Among the jables, the local dunes,
399
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,840
the houbara found plants and insects
attractive and plentiful enough
400
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,680
for it not to need to return
to its African origins.
401
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:08,280
The peculiar wealth of this desert,
which occasionally bursts into bloom,
402
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:11,200
also provides refuge to stone curlews
403
00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:15,400
hiding their camouflaged eggs
among the bushes.
404
00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,680
(PLAYFUL MUSIC)
405
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:46,040
The Canarian stone curlew's plumage
406
00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:50,720
allows it to virtually disappear
when the flowery desert is in bloom,
407
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,120
hiding it from gulls.
408
00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:06,360
Gulls come from the coast
to hunt locusts,
409
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,880
but they will happily take a seat
at a lunch table
410
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:12,840
of a stone curlew's nest
with an egg inside.
411
00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:32,960
Gulls are aggressive and dangerous,
412
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:34,280
so the stone curlews,
413
00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:37,760
barely perceptible
in their excellent camouflage,
414
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,000
hold their position
with admirable sang-froid
415
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,880
until the danger has passed.
416
00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,120
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
417
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:09,480
The wild travellers who came, saw
and conquered the archipelago
418
00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:13,840
have created a complex
ecological network.
419
00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,040
A recent arrival found no competitors
420
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:19,600
and so took its place
at the top of the food pyramid...
421
00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:26,160
..a Canarian subspecies
of the Egyptian vulture,
422
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:28,560
the guirre.
423
00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,640
This is the only carrion-eater
on these islands.
424
00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:40,320
Barely 2,500 years ago,
425
00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:44,960
the first humans landed on the
islands with their flocks of goats.
426
00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,960
The guirres followed not far behind.
427
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:05,480
(BUZZING)
428
00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:07,600
While all Egyptian vultures in Europe
429
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:12,280
migrate every year between Africa and
Europe to complete their life cycle,
430
00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:15,520
their Canarian cousins
have found no need to travel
431
00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,960
beyond the islands' boundaries
any more.
432
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:38,280
The deserts above which
the guirre flies
433
00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:40,520
merge with the coastline.
434
00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:51,320
Sea winds push the sand
towards the interior of the islands,
435
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,560
creating voluptuous dunes.
436
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:55,600
(SOARING MUSIC)
437
00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:07,120
A silky white sheet of fine sand
438
00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:10,760
is laid out
on top of the volcanic rock.
439
00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:20,280
These are the crushed remains
of shells and conches,
440
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,280
forming endless beaches.
441
00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:45,640
On the beaches of the Canaries,
442
00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,400
the quintessences of two worlds -
443
00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:51,560
the terrestrial and the marine -
meet.
444
00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:25,040
In addition to the migrating birds
445
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:29,600
that make their rest stop on the
Canary Island coasts, further inland,
446
00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,320
strange creatures of alien aspect
447
00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:36,160
rapidly create
their peculiar designs.
448
00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:46,800
These tiny star maps
449
00:45:46,840 --> 00:45:50,400
are in fact deadly traps.
450
00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:02,520
Antlion larvae build their traps
to catch other insects.
451
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:04,760
One after another is sacrificed
452
00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:07,880
without a hint of remorse.
453
00:46:30,720 --> 00:46:33,640
Just a few metres away,
on the other side of the beach,
454
00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:36,200
where the ocean
surrounds the islands,
455
00:46:36,240 --> 00:46:40,360
another surprising creature
lies submerged.
456
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,480
The Canaries are the last refuge
of many beings
457
00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,200
who have been decimated
in other seas.
458
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:01,000
In the case of the angelshark,
or monkfish,
459
00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:04,880
good numbers of this flattened shark
survive here.
460
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:12,280
Angelsharks, like the antlions
on the nearby shore,
461
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,040
use the sand to hide...
462
00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:19,680
..and to hunt!
463
00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:21,920
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
464
00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:28,720
In addition to the angelshark,
465
00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:30,520
these deep and rich waters
466
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,120
are home to hundreds of species
of plants and animals
467
00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:38,440
that depend on the islands
to survive.
468
00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:49,320
Below the surface, above the waves
or soaring high through the sky,
469
00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:53,960
wild travellers and explorers have,
since time immemorial,
470
00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:58,960
laid in a course for the small
constellation of Canary Islands.
471
00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:14,080
(DOLPHINS WHISTLE)
472
00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:40,400
As if a mirror of the sky above,
473
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:45,080
starfish tirelessly move
across the infinite sands.
474
00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:48,160
Every day,
from the bottom of the ocean
475
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:51,520
to the tops of the volcanic peaks,
476
00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:56,480
a miniature universe, made from
the same elements as the stars above,
477
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,080
lives out its intense life.
478
00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:08,200
And like the constellations that move
through the universe beyond,
479
00:49:08,240 --> 00:49:09,800
the Canary Islands,
480
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:14,120
floating in the Atlantic,
lonely but lush,
481
00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:16,760
ancient but ever-renewed,
482
00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:20,960
intimately bound to the stars
and to infinity,
483
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:27,160
await the arrival of new intrepid,
interstellar explorers.
484
00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:33,000
AccessibleCustomerService@sky.uk
37055
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