Original subtitles

.

NARRATOR: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL, YOU KNOW YOU‘RE WATCHING

TELEVISION THAT IS EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: HI, I’M DYLAN DREYER.

GET READY TO JOIN US FOR ANOTHER INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE JOURNEY

TODAY ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

ON THIS EPISODE, OCEAN GIANTS TRY TO STEER CLEAR OF DANGER

AS THEY MAKE THEIR WAY TO SUMMER WATERS.

THEN WE’LL DISCOVER WHAT MAKES THE LARGEST FELINE ON EARTH

SUCH A COOL CAT WHEN TEMPERATURES RISE.

PLUS, NEW LIFE SPRINGS FORTH AND HEADS FOR THE SEA.

BUT FIRST, THIS POWER COUPLE IS ON THE PROWL IN

THE MOUNTAINS OF ITALY.

[HOWLING]

DYLAN: OUR ADVENTURE IS JUST BEGINNING HERE ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: WHEN HUMANS AND WILDLIFE INTERSECT,

THE OUTCOME IS USUALLY TRAGIC FOR THE ANIMALS.

THANKFULLY, WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION EFFORTS ARE HELPING

VULNERABLE SPECIES BOUNCE BACK.

THAT’S THE CASE FOR ONE ICONIC ITALIAN ANIMAL,

ONE SO IMPORTANT, IT’S THE ANCIENT SYMBOL OF ROME.

WE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THIS RARE AND STORIED CREATURE

IN ITS FOREST HOME.

THESE SNOWY MOUNTAIN PEAKS FORM THE BACKBONE OF ITALY.

WHILE MUCH OF EUROPE’S MEDITERRANEAN REGION ENJOYS A

MILD, WET WINTER, TEMPERATURES HERE DROP TO AS LITTLE AS MINUS

FOUR DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

[MUSIC, SNOW GUSTING]

[HORSE NEIGHING]

[CROW CAWING]

DYLAN: PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR THE MOUNTAIN’S MOST NOTORIOUS

PREDATOR.

THE ITALIAN WOLF.

THIS MALE HAS GROWN AN INSULATING WINTER COAT,

AND HE’S NOT HUNTING ALONE.

THESE TWO ARE THE ALPHA COUPLE, MATES FOR LIFE

AND LEADERS OF THE PACK.

THE ITALIAN WOLF IS SMALLER THAN THE EUROPEAN GRAY WOLF,

WEIGHING UNDER 100 POUNDS.

THESE MOUNTAINS ARE A VITAL REFUGE FOR THIS ENDANGERED

SPECIES.

THIS TIME OF YEAR, SPARSE WINTER VEGETATION MEANS THEIR PREY HAS

DISPERSED.

SO THEY PATROL HUNTING TRAILS ACROSS THEIR 40-SQUARE-MILE

TERRITORY.

[WILD BOARS SNORTING]

DYLAN: THE PAIR’S EXPERIENCE IS PAYING OFF.

THEY’RE ON TO A SCENT.

THEIR SENSE OF SMELL IS 100 TIMES BETTER THAN OURS.

RED DEER ARE A HARD TARGET FOR JUST TWO WOLVES,

SO IT’S TIME TO MAKE A LITTLE NOISE.

[HOWLING]

DYLAN: HOWLING IS A CALL FOR BACKUP WITH A 10-MILE RANGE.

THEIR PREY WON’T STAY PUT FOR LONG.

THEY MUST CLOSE THE GAP.

THEY GET WITHIN A FEW FEET, BUT THE REST OF THEIR PACK IS STILL

MILES AWAY, AND THE 220-POUND DEER ARE STANDING THEIR GROUND.

[GROWLING AND BARKING]

DYLAN: THEY TRY FOR ALMOST AN HOUR TO FIND A WEAK LINK.

BUT THE HERD IS UNITED.

[DISTANT CROW CAWING]

DYLAN: AND THIS TIME, THE ALPHA COUPLE’S CALL HAS GONE

UNANSWERED.

THEY DECIDE TO SAVE ENERGY.

IT’S A WISE CHOICE WITH TWO MONTHS OF WINTER

STILL TO SURVIVE HIGH IN THE ITALIAN MOUNTAIN.

COMING UP, ONE OF EARTH’S MOST ICONIC ANIMALS

IS SILENTLY STALKING HER PREY.

AND THIS MOTHER CAREFULLY LEADS HER ENORMOUS CALF

THROUGH TREACHEROUS WATERS.

PLUS, IT’S A LIFE-GIVING JOURNEY THAT NEVER FAILS TO

CAPTURE OUR IMAGINATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THESE

TINY TOTS EMERGE.

STAY TUNED FOR THESE REMARKABLE WILDLIFE STORIES

WHEN EARTH ODYSSEY RETURNS.

NARRATOR: WE‘LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: ON THE SOUTH ASIAN CONTINENT, INDIA IS HOME TO A

REMARKABLE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT.

THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MONSOON FORESTS ON EARTH,

DOMINATED BY THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE SEASONS.

BATTLES FOR SURVIVAL PLAY OUT DAILY.

BUT RIGHT NOW, IT’S THE PEAK OF THE DRY SEASON.

SIX MONTHS WITHOUT RAIN PUTS STRESS ON ALL THE PLANTS AND

ANIMALS.

MOVING SILENTLY THROUGH THESE TREES IS ASIA’S LARGEST

PREDATOR...

[BIRDS SINGING]

[MUSIC, WATER SWIRLING]

DYLAN: THE BENGAL TIGER.

THIS FEMALE CONTROLS THIS PRIME WOODLAND TERRITORY, A

THIRD THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN.

BUT SHE HASN’T EATEN IN MORE THAN A WEEK.

BENGAL TIGERS CAN WEIGH UP TO 500 POUNDS WITH BODIES

MORE THAN SIX FEET LONG.

THE DRY SEASON’S SPARSE FOLIAGE MAKES IT HARDER TO

HIDE WHILE SHE LIES IN WAIT.

AND THESE SPOTTED DEER HAVE EXCELLENT 310-DEGREE VISION.

IN FULL FLIGHT, HER PREY ARE FASTER THAN SHE IS.

SHE MUST GET CLOSER.

STRIPES HELP BREAK UP HER BODY SHAPE.

SHE APPROACHES DOWNWIND TO AVOID THE DEER’S POWERFUL SENSE

OF SMELL FOR AS LONG AS SHE CAN.

BUT THE DEER SENSE THE TIGER’S PRESENCE AND STARTS SOUNDING

THE ALARM.

[DEER CALLING]

DYLAN: THE CALL ALERTS THE HERD.

[CALLING CONTINUES]

DYLAN: THE CHASE IS ON.

ALTHOUGH THE BENGAL TIGER CAN RUN UP TO 40 MILES PER HOUR,

THE DEER, THIS TIME, ARE FASTER.

[TIGER PANTING]

DYLAN: ANOTHER MISS.

THE UNSUCCESSFUL CHASE HAS USED UP THE TIGER’S PRECIOUS ENERGY.

IT’S ALMOST 100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

AND TIGERS CAN’T SWEAT.

SO, SHE NEEDS TO COOL DOWN.

HER FAVORITE WATERING HOLE PROVIDES A MUCH-NEEDED

DRINK...

AND A COOLING SPA.

[WATER LAPPING]

DYLAN: AS THE WATER EVAPORATES FROM HER BODY,

IT REDUCES HER BODY TEMPERATURE.

TIGERS CAN SPEND UP TO 20 HOURS A DAY RESTING.

UNLESS SHE’S MATING OR HAS CUBS, HER DAY IS

SPENT ENTIRELY ALONE.

WITH THE TIGER DOZING, A PAIR OF THIRSTY MONGOOSE

DECIDE TO RUN THE GAUNTLET.

A BRAVE MOVE, EVEN FOR THESE PLUCKY CARNIVORES.

THEY’RE SAFE, BUT NOT FOR LONG.

FOR AS SOON AS THE TIGRESS HAS RECOVERED, SHE’LL BE READY

TO HUNT AGAIN AMONG THE TREES.

COMING UP, AN OCEAN GIANT TAKES A PERILOUS JOURNEY

THROUGH ONE OF THE WORLD’S BUSIEST SEA LANES.

AND JUST HOW DO THESE TINY TURTLE HATCHLINGS KNOW

WHEN TO LEAVE THE NEST?

FIND OUT WHEN EARTH ODYSSEY COMES RIGHT BACK.

NARRATOR: WE‘LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IS RELATIVELY SMALL,

BUT IT’S PACKED WITH MARINE LIFE, ENOUGH TO

BE CONSIDERED A GLOBAL DIVERSITY HOTSPOT, JOINING

EUROPE, AFRICA AND ASIA.

IT’S A TRUE CROSSROADS OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS.

AND WHILE THE ISLANDS AND RESORTS THERE ARE SOME OF THE

MOST POPULAR IN THE WORLD, UNDER THE SEA IS WHERE A TRULY

AMAZING WORLD CAN BE FOUND.

THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

EXOTIC ISLANDS, SANDY COASTLINES, AND SERENE WATERS

STRETCHING THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS 22 COUNTRIES.

A PARADISE FULL OF WILD SURVIVORS,

EACH WITH THEIR OWN CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME.

SPRING IN THE STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR,

A STORIED STRIP OF WATER CONNECTING MOROCCO AND SPAIN.

AN OCEAN GIANT IS MAKING HER ANNUAL MIGRATION

FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TOWARDS THE WARMER,

SHALLOW WATERS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

THIS FIN WHALE IS MORE THAN 70 FEET LONG AND 12 TIMES HEAVIER

THAN AN AFRICAN ELEPHANT.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: SHE’S MADE THIS JOURNEY FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS.

AND THIS TIME, SHE’S GOT COMPANY.

A SIX-MONTH-OLD CALF.

ALREADY WEIGHING MORE THAN THREE TONS,

THIS CALF WON’T BE FULLY GROWN FOR 25 YEARS.

IT WILL STAY CLOSE TO ITS MOTHER FOR SIX TO EIGHT

MONTHS WHILE NURSING AND DRINK MORE THAN 100

GALLONS OF MILK A DAY.

ONCE WEANED, MOTHER AND CALF ALIKE PREFER

SCHOOLS OF SMALL FISH AND SHRIMP-LIKE

CREATURES CALLED KRILL.

BOUNTIFUL BLOOMS OF KRILL AWAIT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

TO GET THERE, THE WHALES MUST CROSS ONE OF THE WORLD’S

BUSIEST SHIPPING LANES.

[SHIP HORN BLOWS]

DYLAN: MORE THAN 300 CARGO SHIPS PASS THROUGH THIS 8-MILE-WIDE

CHANNEL BETWEEN THE CONTINENTS OF EUROPE AND AFRICA EVERY DAY.

FIN WHALES DO THEIR BEST TO AVOID COLLISIONS.

FIN WHALES ARE THE FASTEST WHALES,

ABLE TO TRAVEL AT SPEEDS OF ALMOST 30 MILES PER HOUR.

GUIDING THE CALF, SHE NAVIGATES HER WAY THROUGH THE BUSTLING

TRADE ROUTE.

BUT THE LOUD VESSELS CAN BE VERY DISORIENTING.

UNDERWATER NOISE CAN DRIVE THE WHALES IN THE WRONG DIRECTION,

AWAY FROM THEIR PREFERRED MATING AND FEEDING GROUND.

FOR THIS NEW WHALE FAMILY, THE JOURNEY TO THE

MEDITERRANEAN WAS WORTH TAKING.

THERE ARE MILLIONS OF KRILL HERE.

THESE SMALL CRUSTACEANS ARE A WELCOME FEAST AFTER A LONG

VOYAGE.

THESE GENTLE GIANTS FEAST WITHOUT TEETH.

THEY’RE FILTER FEEDERS.

THE FIN WHALE TAKES ENORMOUS GULPS OF WATER.

WHEN SHE CLOSES HER MOUTH, SPECIAL RAKE-LIKE PLATES

ON HER JAW CALLED BALEEN ALLOW THE WATER TO FLOW OUT,

LEAVING BEHIND A NUTRITIOUS MEAL.

THANKS TO WATERS LIKE THESE, THESE GIANT MAMMALS CAN HAVE

LONG LIFESPANS, UP TO 80 OR 90 YEARS AND BEYOND.

PLENTY OF TIME FOR THIS WHALE FAMILY TO ENJOY THE SAFETY OF

THE SUMMER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

AFTER ALL, THERE’S ROOM TO EXPLORE.

FROM THE STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR, THE SEA STRETCHES 2,500 MILES

EAST.

COMING UP, IT’S TIME FOR THESE HATCHLINGS TO LEAVE THE

NEST AND FOLLOW THE LIGHT OF THE MOON.

FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THIS INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE STORY

WHEN EARTH ODYSSEY RETURNS.

NARRATOR: WE‘LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: IT’S LATE SUMMER AND TEMPERATURES ARE AT THEIR PEAK

IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

THIS IS HOME TO AN ANCIENT AND ICONIC CREATURE.

AFTER TWO MONTHS, A RARE LOGGERHEAD TURTLE’S DIFFICULT

JOURNEY OUT OF THE SEA AND UP THE BEACH TO BUILD A NEST

IS FINALLY PAYING OFF.

[SAND SHIFTING]

DYLAN: HER HATCHLINGS ARE DIGGING OUT OF THEIR SANDY NEST.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: 10 TIMES LIGHTER THAN HER MOTHER, THE TINY ONE-OUNCE

HATCHLING FOLLOWS IN HER FOOTSTEPS, GUIDED BY THE LIGHT

OF THE MOON.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

DYLAN: TO THIS LITTLE ONE, A JOURNEY DOWN TO SEA LEVEL IS

A DANGEROUS MARATHON.

[WAVES CRASHING, MUSIC]

DYLAN: WITH HUNGRY GHOST CRABS SEARCHING FOR STRAGGLERS.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

DYLAN: BUT THE CRABS ARE PICKING FIGHTS WITH EACH OTHER.

IT’S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TURTLE HATCHLINGS TO

SNEAK BY.

THE SHALLOWS ARE ONLY A FEW FEET AWAY NOW.

ONE FINAL PUSH...

SAFE.

[WAVES CRASHING]

DYLAN: THE BABY TURTLES HEAD STRAIGHT INTO THE WAVES,

ORIENTING THEMSELVES FOR THE SEA BEYOND.

BY DAYBREAK, THE NEST IS EMPTY.

MORE THAN 200,000 HATCHLINGS MAKE IT INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN

EACH YEAR.

BUT THEIR FIRST FEW MONTHS WILL BE THE MOST PERILOUS.

ONLY ONE IN EVERY THOUSAND SURVIVE TO ADULTHOOD IN THE BUSY

MEDITERRANEAN SEA BECAUSE OF NET FISHING, POLLUTION,

AND SHIP TRAFFIC.

THANKFULLY, THESE BEAUTIFUL WATERS STILL NURTURE SOME OF THE

MOST FASCINATING MARINE CREATURES ON EARTH.

[MUSIC ENDS]

DYLAN: PROTECTING RARE AND VULNERABLE ANIMALS HELPS KEEP AN

ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM HEALTHY.

SAVING EVEN THE SMALLEST OF CREATURES CAN MAKE A BIG

DIFFERENCE.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

I’M DYLAN DREYER.

WE HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US AGAIN FOR ANOTHER WILDLIFE ADVENTURE

HERE ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]