All language subtitles for BBC.Parenthood.2of5.Ocean.1080p.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org.mkv_1080p.en

(lighthearted music)

(dolphin clicking)

(dolphin creaking)

- [David] A newly born
bottlenose dolphin,

its skin still creased by
the tightness of the womb

from which it has only just
emerged.

(lighthearted music continues)

(dolphin clicking)

(lighthearted music continues)

Its mother is devoted to it,

and will care for it
for the next five years.

That is an unusually long time
for any oceangoing animal.

Most marine creatures
simply abandon their young

as soon as they appear.

(dolphin clicking)

But those who care for them,

do so in some very remarkable
ways.

(waves crashing)

(water splashing)

(lighthearted music continues)

Coral reefs occupy less
than 1% of the floor

of the world's oceans.

But they provide homes

for over a quarter of all marine
species.

(exciting whimsical music)

Indonesia's reefs are among
the most diverse on earth.

Over 2,000 species of fish live
here,

and most reproduce in
the simplest of ways.

Females release their eggs,

and the males rush in and
fertilise them.

The young are then swept away,

and few, if any, will
meet their parents again.

But one fish behaves very
differently.

The Banggai cardinalfish.

The adults spend most of
their time among sea urchins,

protected to some degree
by the urchin spines.

When a female is ready to spawn,

she leads a male away from the
show.

(whimsical music)

She displays to him,
quivering her distended fins.

And then she releases a mass of
eggs,

which he takes into his mouth.

He hasn't swallowed them.

On the contrary, he is
protecting them.

(hopeful music)

But for the next four weeks,
he won't be able to eat.

Starvation, however, is
the least of his worries.

(stirring music)

There are predators around.

Of many kinds.

(stirring music continues)

An unguarded baby fish
would be quickly eaten,

so the hatchlings stay
inside their father's mouth.

This anemone could provide
the male with a home;

for although its tentacles have
stings,

he is immune to them, but
his predators are not.

The resident anemone fish is
also immune.

But this one doesn't welcome
strangers.

(anemone purrs)

This anemone, however,
seems to have vacancies.

The male picks his moment

to leave the safety of the
urchin spines.

(tense whimsical music)

Here he's not alone.

(anemone purring)

(tense whimsical music fades)

But this anemone fish
doesn't mind sharing.

He has found a new home for his
young.

(hopeful music)

But they seem unwilling
to leave his mouth,

so he gives them a little
encouragement.

(hopeful music continues)

But there's always one
who is reluctant to leave.

(hopeful music continues)

Here, among the anemone's
tentacles,

they will remain until an urchin
appears who has vacancies.

His 30 days of fasting
have given his young

an excellent start in life.

But parental responsibilities

extend far beyond providing
shelter

for the mammals that live around
the reef.

(dolphin creaking)

(dolphin whistling)

A bottlenose dolphin
mother spends five years

showing her calf the skills
necessary for survival.

(dolphin clicking)

And she does so through play.

(dolphin whistling)

Her lessons start with a trick.

First, balance a piece
of coral on your nose.

(epic music)

Second, take it up to the
surface.

Third, drop it.

And then, before it reaches the
bottom,

(dolphin creaking)

catch it.

(dolphins clicking)

All adults can perform this
trick.

Perfecting it is, therefore,

a rite of passage for this calf.

(soft music)

(dolphin creaking)

First, balance the coral.

(quirky music)

(dolphin clicks)

This is not easy.

Try again.

(quirky music continues)

Step one, balance the coral.

(dolphin clicking)

Or bite it. And skip to step
two.

Now, catch it.

(dolphin clicking)

(quirky music continues)

(dolphin continues clicking)

(dolphin whistling)

(quirky music continues)

Got it. Just in time.

There are also other more
important skills

that a calf must learn.

(dolphin clicking)

The mother leads her youngster

to one particular kind of
coral that is almost hidden,

one that has a special
extraordinary characteristic.

It produces anti-fungal
chemicals

which dolphins rub on their
skin.

These dolphins remarkably
medicate themselves.

And they pass on this
knowledge to their young.

(dramatic music)

(dolphin whistling)

(dramatic music continues)

Passing on skills such as these

is part of good parenting.

(dolphin clicking)

(waves crashing)

The south coast of Australia.

Here the shallow sea, for 5,000
miles,

is carpeted by dense seaweed.

These underwater meadows thrive

in the cold, turbulent water.

(mysterious music)

And one remarkable fish has
evolved here

and exists nowhere else.

The weedy seadragon.

(serene music)

It's marvellously camouflaged,

and an exceptionally dedicated
parent.

(serene music continues)

In spring, male and female dance
together.

They mirror each other's
actions.

(serene music continues)

(serene music fades)

He seals their bond by
attaching her eggs to his tail.

The eggs are bright pink

and make him dangerously
conspicuous.

(ominous music)

But within a few weeks, the
eggs become covered by algae.

And that makes them less
obvious.

(lighthearted music)

After six weeks, his parenting
duties come to an end.

The baby dragons begin to hatch.

(lighthearted music continues)

They're just two centimetres
long,

perfect miniatures of their
parents.

(lighthearted music continues)

They share their microworld

with one of the strangest
creatures in the seas.

(uncanny music)

Skeleton shrimps.

They're seldom noticed, but
they live in oceans worldwide.

They're armed with formidable
weapons,

and they are remarkably
attentive parents.

(uncanny music continues)

About 25 juveniles cling to
their mother

until they're strong
enough to grip the seaweed.

She needs to feed them.

And the best food is at
the top of the seaweed.

(uncanny music continues)

And that is where she takes
them.

(uncanny music continues)

Carrying as many young
as this is exhausting.

And if she stops, she risks
everything.

(spines scrunching)

She falls onto an urchin,

which catches her with its tube
feet

and starts transporting
her towards its mouth.

(suspenseful music)

But she wriggles free
and resumes her climb.

(whimsical music)

Skeleton shrimps live in
colonies

and compete for the best feeding
places.

(whimsical music continues)

This looks good.

And she waits for something
edible to drift by.

This mysid is big enough to
provide a meal

for the shrimp's entire brood.

(suspenseful music)

(whimsical music)

Her young clamber over
her head to claim a share.

Once fed, they leave,

giving her a break from the
responsibilities of motherhood.

(whimsical music fades)

Seaweed, wherever it grows,

provides animals with
both food and shelter.

(animals chirping)

The Shetlands, the northern-most
of the British isles,

(otter grunts)
(otter chirping)

it has the densest population

of Eurasian otters in the world.

These three cubs are five months
old.

They're still totally dependent
on their mother for food.

(water splashes)

(water burbling)

She finds it in the seaweed,

where there are great
numbers of small fish.

(lighthearted music)

The fish are well-camouflaged
and not easy to see,

(dramatic music)

but she uses her whiskers
to feel for them.

(dramatic music continues)

(water splashing)

Otter mothers usually produce
one or two cubs at a time.

Triplets, like these, are
extremely rare,

and each cub needs to eat

a quarter of its body weight
every day.

(otter grunts)

(otter squeals)

So this mother has to catch a
lot of food.

(lighthearted music)

(otter grunts)

She must also feed well herself

if she's to survive the winter.

(lighthearted guitar music)

(water splashes)

The youngsters squabble over
every fish.

(otter squealing)

(otter grunting)

(lighthearted guitar music
continues)

(otter squeals)

The biggest, the most vigorous
cub is the first to get food.

And the smallest often goes
hungry.

(otters squealing)

This small male, however,
decides to fish for himself

and joins his mother farther out
to sea.

(water burbling)

He's caught something.

Unfortunately, it's
something that bites back.

(otter squeals)

It's a crab,

which is easy to catch,
but not very nutritious.

(soft music)

His mother has been too busy to
notice

that he has strayed.

(otter squealing)

And now he is lost.

(otter continues squealing)

(water splashing)

(otter continues squealing)

Over a quarter of otter cubs
don't survive their first year.

Many, because they lose
touch with their mothers.

(otter squeals)

All he can do is to keep
calling.

(otter continues squealing)

(otter grunts)

(lighthearted music)

(otter continues squealing)

(otter grunts)

(lighthearted music continues)

Winter in Shetland is very cold

and life becomes hard for
otters, both old and young.

(lighthearted music continues)

The bigger the cubs grow,
the more food they need,

and soon she will leave them
to find food for themselves.

(lighthearted music fades)

(wind swooshing)

California's Channel Islands

are surrounded by one of the
richest of marine nurseries,

a forest of giant kelp.

(ethereal music)

This area has now been
declared a marine reserve

where fishing is totally banned.

(ethereal music continues)

As a consequence,

over a thousand different
species of animals now live
here.

Among them giant sea bass,

which elsewhere are critically
endangered.

(ethereal music continues)

On the floor of this submarine
forest

lives a particularly territorial
species,

the garibaldi.

This male has built his nest
in the centre of his territory,

and here he cultivates a
particular kind of red algae.

He carefully prunes it

so that the females can
lay their eggs on it.

(quirky music)

Several have already done that,

so now he has a potential
brood of over 150,000.

He devotes his time to keeping
the eggs free from algae

and driving off hungry
intruders.

(quirky music continues)

(ominous music)

Some visitors, however, are
so big they're best ignored.

His most dangerous enemy,
however,

is in fact relatively tiny.

A little blue-banded goby.

(whimsical music)

Which takes advantage of
the constant intruders

to steal the garibaldi's eggs.

(whimsical music continues)

But the biggest threat of all
comes from the sea urchins.

(ominous music)

They eat virtually
everything in their path.

From the nest of a garibaldi

to the entire kelp forest.

(dramatic music)

He does all he can to
keep the urchins away.

(dramatic music continues)

His neighbours help.

Inside the reserve, there are
enough fish

to keep urchin numbers in check.

But the reserve is tiny.

Outside it, humans have
caught most of the fish

that once kept down urchin
numbers.

(poignant music)

And that, combined with
an ever-warming sea,

has created a plague of urchins

that have devastated the sea
floor.

(poignant music continues)

They have destroyed the kelp
forests

along great stretches
of California's coast.

And now we ourselves are
adding to that damage

by using our seas as dumping
grounds for our waste.

(poignant music continues)

Many animals have changed
their parental behaviour

in order to survive in this new
world.

(dramatic music)

Pale octopus are relatively
short-lived.

And this female has just over a
year

in which to breed and raise her
young.

(dramatic music continues)

To do that, she has to find a
safe den.

(pensive music continues)

She must choose carefully.
Good dens are rare.

(pensive music continues)

A discarded toilet could perhaps
serve,

but this one is engaged

and is already being fought
over.

A squirt from its owners
ink sack makes things clear.

She keeps looking.

Many of the available den
sites are too exposed.

(tense music)

She wants somewhere a
little more secluded.

This plastic pipe is also
occupied

by a male.

(uncanny music)

But he is signalling
his readiness to breed.

(uncanny music continues)

It's an irresistible
performance.

So she inspects his den.

(uncanny music continues)

It may not look like much,

but to her, apparently, it will
do.

(epic music)

He nudges her into his home.

(epic music continues)

She gives his den and
him her seal of approval,

and the two mate.

(epic music fades)

A few days later, she
starts laying her eggs

inside the pipe.

She will eventually
produce about 500 of them.

(soft music)

She strokes them with her
suckers

to keep them clear of algae.

Her home will hide her,

and is easy to defend.

(soft music continues)

But laying her eggs will be
the last act of her life.

All octopus mothers die in their
dens.

(soft music continues)

As her eggs hatch, she
takes her young in her arms

and uses her syphon to
propel them to independence.

(soft music builds up)

In their yearlong lives, 13
million tonnes of plastic

will have been dumped
onto their ocean homes.

Her final resting place

was the home that she set out to
find,

but perhaps not the grave

that anyone might consider
appropriate

for such a dedicated parent.

(poignant music fades)

(waves crashing)

As all seas change,

those species with sufficient
intelligence to adapt

are finding new ways to
support their offspring.

(downhearted music)

And there are few sea creatures

more inventive in their search
for food

than killer whales.

(whale whistles)

(epic music)

(water splashes)

They're powerful, swift, and
agile.

But the key to their success

lies beyond their physicality.

(whales whistle)

It comes from their sociability

and the way they use their
complex relationships

to teach one another.

(whales whistle)

Each family is led by its
grandmother, the matriarch.

(whales blow)

She may live into her 80s,

far beyond the age of
producing calves of her own,

(whale squeaks)

but her responsibilities
as a leader never cease.

(whales blow)

She plays a key part in
teaching them all how to hunt.

(epic music)

She initiates a chase.

And the rest of the family join
her.

(whales blow)
(epic music continues)

(water splashing)

(whales blow)

(water splashing)

But this is not a game.

(whale blows)

(water splashing)

One deliberately stop swimming

in order to enable the others

to practise a particular skill.

They push it beneath the surface

and submerge its blowhole to
prevent it from breathing.

(whale blows)

They are practising the actions

they will use to drown their
prey.

And these orca need to
be on top of their game.

(epic music builds up)

They hunt the largest
animals that have ever lived.

(whale blows)

Blue whales.

Such prey are too big
for most orca to tackle,

but this matriarch has found
one.

(suspenseful music)

(whales blow)

(water splashing)

(suspenseful music continues)

The blue whale seems to
have been caught off guard.

Working as a team,

the orca keep their victims
blowhole beneath the surface,

(suspenseful music continues)

exactly as the matriarch
taught them to do.

(water splash)

(suspenseful music continues)

(water continues splashing)

(suspenseful music crescendos)

The hunting of blue whales by
orca

has only recently been
documented,

a new behaviour that is a
response

to changes in their ocean home.

But many animals today are
finding it hard

to change their habits.

A trawler, fishing off
the coast of South Africa,

it has attracted thousands of
seabirds

(waves crashing)

and hundreds of fur seals.

The trawler's presence
illustrates the problem

that all these animals are now
facing.

They're having to compete
for their food with us.

(birds squawking)

This trawler has collected its
fish from the ocean's depths,

(water splashing)

but such fish are low in
nutrients.

(bird croaks)

They're junk foods for
the birds and the seas.

(water splashing)

(birds squawking)

An adult Cape gannet male
is flying in this crowd.

He's picked up what he can,

and now he must begin the long
flight back to his family.

(waves crashing)

His home is Malgas Island,

the world's second-largest
Cape gannet colony.

(birds squawking)

Using his own particular call,

he locates his lifelong
partner and their chick.

(birds continue squawking)

(lighthearted music)

But the fish he has scavenged
doesn't contain enough energy

to nourish his chick.

Gannet chicks need rich, oily
foods

such as sardines and anchovies,

the natural prey of these
gannets.

As the parents change guard,

the mother takes her turn
and heads out to sea.

She must find suitable food
if their chick is to survive.

(waves crashing)

(birds squawking)

Cape gannets have nested on
Malgas Island for generations.

But due to our overfishing,

the gannets must now
fly further out to sea

to find what they need.

(pensive music)

At last, a hopeful sign.

(water splashing)

Common dolphins.

(suspenseful music)

The gannet mother knows
they will lead her to food.

(suspenseful music continues)

(water splashing)

And she's not alone.

(birds squawking)

(water continue splashing)

(dolphin whistles)

Sardines.

(birds squawking)

She dives at 50 miles an hour,

(water splashes)

(suspenseful music)

but fails to catch anything.

The dolphins now encircle the
sardines,

(suspenseful music continues)

and drive them upwards, trapping
them against the surface.

For the gannets, it's the time
to strike.

(water splashing)

(suspenseful music continues)

They dive as deep as 20 metres.

(suspenseful music continues)

The mother makes one last dive

(water splashes)

and catches one more fish.

(water splashes)

(birds shrieking)

(lighthearted music)

Now she has enough food for her
chick.

(waves crashing)

(lighthearted music continues)

(birds squawking)

This hard one meal is the
last she will give this chick.

(lighthearted music continues)

(birds continue squawking)

It's now ready for independence.

(pensive music)

The chick makes its way
to the edge of the colony

where the wind is strongest.

But first, she has to find
her way to 40,000 neighbours.

(birds squawking)

She joins dozens of others,

all preparing for their first
flight.

(waves crashing)

She watches others make their
attempt.

Those who catch the wind
lift off and are away.

Those who don't have to face
the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.

(waves crashing)

And great danger lurks beneath
the waves.

(bird squawks)

(suspenseful music)

(waves crashing)

Cape fur seals.

(suspenseful music continues)

(bird squawks)

(water splashing)

(suspenseful music continues)

Gannets aren't usually taken by
seals,

but in this depleted ocean,

prey of any kind is worth
living.

(fur seal grunts)

(birds squawking)

(tense music)

(bird squawks)

The food she took from her
parents

will only sustain her
for a further day or so.

She waits for a gust of wind.

(waves crashing)

(tense music)

(wings fluttering)

(tense music continues)

Her timing is not good.

(tense music continues)

(fur seal grunts)

(suspenseful music)

(water splashing)

(suspenseful music continues)

Safe in the shadows.

Few get such a second chance.

(suspenseful music continues)

She must try again.

(bird squawking)

(suspenseful music continues)

(fur seal grunts)

(waves crashing)

(epic music)

She's made it.

(waves crashing)

The depleted ocean will remain

a hugely challenging place for
her.

But the oceans are
ecologically very resilient

and they can recover faster
than any other habitat on earth

given the right protection.

Gannet parents stay together
for life, up to 20 years.

If their ocean home is
given the chance to recover,

the vast shoals of fish
on which so many depend

could reappear within the
lifetime of these parents

(birds squawking)

and they could live to
see a brighter future.

(birds squawking fades)

(lighthearted music)

The "Parenthood" crew

travelled to South Africa's
Malgas Island

to film the remarkable parenting
story

of the endangered Cape gannet.

They're joined by Cape gannet
expert, Dr. Zanri Strydom.

- I really have a
passion for Cape gannets.

They've all got specific
different personalities.

I really like their parenthood
strategies.

They're just different to
other species of seabirds.

- So what we can see is,
soon as you arrive here,

there's a huge colony of birds,
seabirds.

There's a lot of sounds, a lot
of smells.

- [David] And vast quantities

of dried gannet droppings,
guano.

(whimsical music)

- [Mae] We've got some strong
Northwesterlies blowing.

It's just blowing the
guano just everywhere.

- It's quite bad in your eyes
actually.

Do you feel the same?
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
(Mae exclaims)

I just had feather blowing into
my mouth.

(camera lens squeaks)

- [David] The living
conditions are a challenge,

but the island's most
alarming feature for the crew

are the vast swathes of empty
nests.

- Although it's really
impressive,

you can also clearly see
what it used to be like,

how big the population
was, and now what it is.

This was all nests,
right up until the house.

Active nests, all of this.

And now the colony starts way
back there.

Absolutely crazy.

- The single largest
threat to the Cape gannet

is the decline of food
resources.

Within just one generation
of gannets, 24 years or so,

this colony has experienced
a dramatic decline.

- The colony acts as this visual
barometer

to the state of the ocean,

and it is really hard to see
what happens

in the ocean sometimes and
how much we've taken from it

and to think what animals are
having to do to adapt to it.

- [David] The gannets aren't the
only ones

suffering from a lack of food.

- [Crew Member] On the right,

just where the waves crashing
now.

- [David] Starving cape fur
seals

are also switching to new prey.

(bird squawking)

- [Crew Member] Oh.

(crew member speaks
indistinctly)

- There's not enough fish.

And what some seals have now
learned

is that the gannets carry
fish in their stomach.

In a day, just one day,

we can have a hundred or
more predated out at sea.

- [Crew Member] No.
- In just one day.

- [David] Up to 10,000
fledglings

can be predated in a year,

accelerating the colony's
demise.

But remarkably, some fledglings
escape

and offered a little help from
Zanri.

- As a researcher, I know that
there's always still hope.

It's so important to not think,

"Oh, I'll just leave him to
die."

That chick could've lived
for another 24 years or so.

And then in those 24 years,

they can reproduce at least 20
times.

So you don't just lose that one
fledgling,

you lose those 20 chicks
that he could've produced

as a parent one day.

So we, all of a sudden, saw
this juvenile Cape gannet.

He's been bitten by a seal.

We'll have a boat coming
out today to the island

to come and fetch this little
guy

and we'll take him to the
hospital

where he will undergo an
operation,

and then he'll be
released in a month or so.

- [David] A month later,

Zanri visits Cape Town's
SANCCOB,

a seabird rehabilitation centre

where injured fledglings are
recovering.

(birds shrieking)

- So we're currently at SANCCOB

and we're very excited to be
seeing

how the gannets have been doing

after they've been
rescued off the islands.

(birds shrieking)

(poignant music)

- [Volunteer] Okay, next.

- [David] Since being rescued,

the birds have been cared for
daily by SANCCOB's volunteers.

- [Volunteer] 2.66.

- [David] They undergo
final health checks.

- And for the chest...

- [David] Ensuring that they're
fit

to be released into the wild

and begin their life of
independence.

- Okay, chest is clear.
Body condition is good.

Oh, sorry buddy.

Okay, you can go in the pool.

(water splashes)

(birds shrieking)

(water sprayer hissing)

- So here we are, spraying them
down.

This is extremely important

because getting this mist on
them

stimulates them to slap their
wings

because they need to
strengthen their muscles.

Some of them look like they
already want to take off.

Almost. It's a good sign.

(lighthearted music)

- [David] The following morning,

the eight birds that Zanri
rescued

are ready for their big day.

(bird squawking)

(lighthearted music continues)

- So everything boils down to
this.

It's been weeks of hard work,

trying to get these
birds happy and healthy.

And now, finally, they are
back where they belong.

(lighthearted music continues)

Here we go.
(water splashes)

Woo-hoo!

(water splashing)

Last one, let's go.

Get you back into the ocean.

(water splashes)

(lighthearted music continues)

He wants to go.

He's going. He's going.

Oh, nice! Success!

First one off.

- [David] Rehabilitating these
chicks

is vital to the recovery
of this endangered species.

But if they are to have their
own chance of parenthood,

it's up to us to ensure that
they, and generations to come,

will have an ocean worth
inheriting.

(lighthearted music)

(lighthearted music fades)