All language subtitles for Migrations.The.Big.Swim.2020.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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- [Narrator] We live on
an ever-moving planet.

(dramatic music)

It's the driver that
brings seasonal change.

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And as landscapes are altered,

wildlife must march
to its rhythm,

performing endless journeys.

As if by magic, they follow
a map, built into their DNA,

driven by instinct,

and the wisdom of the
thousands of generations

who have gone before.

Migration is a
phenomenon that wows us

as animals show incredible
feats of endurance.

Some run, some fly,

but most swim,

performing some of the
longest journeys on earth,

facing endless hurdles.

But for marine migrators,
nothing can turn the tide.

These creatures were born
ready for the big swim.

(gentle music)

Giants are on the move.

Gray whales chose
the warm waters

off the Pacific coast
of Mexico to breed.

In the clear shallows, it's
easier to keep their calves safe

from predators like sharks.

But migration is built
into the ancient DNA

of these animals.

They're driven to
keep on the move.

But as they leave coastal
lagoons and enter open ocean

to travel north, they
face danger head-on,

killer whales.

Giant members of
the dolphin family,

the sleek predators
are sometimes known

as the wolves of the sea.

(whales crashing)

Because like wolves,
they hunt in packs

and perform coordinated attacks.

They're capable of killing
even the biggest of whales,

but the adult grays are known
to put up quite a fight.

(dramatic music)

The killers are after the baby.

They must drive a wedge
between the frightened calf

and its defensive mother.

The female will do all she
can to stand her ground.

But she's outnumbered.

The killer whales chase
until the calf is tired.

They nip and push
it under water,

preventing it from
catching its breath.

Despite the mother's
efforts, it's too late.

Undertaking migration
is a huge risk.

There are many calves
that won't make it.

But by hugging the coastline,
sticking to shallow waters,

some mothers will successfully
escort their calves

across an ocean.

Gray whales perform some of
the biggest journeys of all,

a round trip of
20,000 kilometers.

This is why.

During summer, the northern
extremes of the planet

get much longer hours of
sunlight than the tropics.

More light means
more plant growth,

or in the sea, algae.

It feeds the base
of the food chain,

making the cold waters
of the North Pacific

some of the most
productive on the planet.

(soaring music)
(waves crashing)

Gray whales can
gain several tons

in just a few short months,

thanks to the shellfish they
can sift from the seabed.

But as the autumn creeps in,

the days get shorter
and the water colder.

This is no place to raise young.

So the whales quit binging
and head south again.

During its lifetime, a gray
whale covers enough ground

to get to the moon, come home,

and go back to the moon again.

These are typical drivers

to move from one
habitat to another,

to find favorable
conditions to raise young

or to exploit a
major food source.

(dramatic music)

All across the ocean,
giants are on the move.

Marine life undertake some
of the biggest migrations

on earth.

Driven by currents,
changing with the seasons,

bringing in or washing
out great riches,

motivated by the need
to be in the right place

at the right time.

The biggest animal mass on
the move isn't the giants.

It's the little guys
by sheer number.

Herring move between feeding
and spawning grounds.

Some populations also
make a winter stop off.

In the deep fields of Norway,

the fish gather in
unimaginable numbers

to sit out the worst of winter,

but as they pour into
the submarine valleys,

predators follow,

humpback whales.

These giants undertake the
longest known migrations

of any mammal, 8,000
kilometers each way.

Some reroute to cash
in on the herring,

and they are being tailed.

Killer whales,

but these ones are different.

Unlike the whale
eaters of the Pacific,

the whales here prefer fish.

They are joining the
humpbacks for a feast.

The orcas work together
to concentrate the fish,

scaring them with squeals.

(whales squealing)
(dramatic music)

And then release their weapons,

powerful blows from their tails.

The shock waves from the
strikes are so forceful

that they literally
stun the fish.

The killer whales can
hoover them up one-by-one.

(seagulls squawking)

The humpbacks are less delicate.

When they get to a tightly
packed ball of fish,

they simply open their
mouths to engulf the lot.

Pleats in their throats expand

allowing them to take in more
than 20,000 liters of water,

the amount of a fair-sized
backyard swimming pool.

Then the throat contracts
forcing the water out,

but trapping the fish
behind their baleen.

One whale can eat more than
two tons of herring a day.

The humpbacks and
the surviving herring

will resume their migration
once the weather improves,

moving to rich feeding
grounds to the north.

Food is one of the primary
motivators of migration.

Seasonal abundance is
worth the epic struggle.

For big bodies, it takes hard
work to gather enough food,

especially if you eat the
smallest creatures in the sea.

Basking sharks are the
second biggest fish on earth.

Longer and heavier
than a minibus, they
need plenty of food.

The sharks spend winter
1,000 meters or more

in the depths of the ocean.

But in summertime when strong
light fuels algal growth,

they migrate to the shallows,

for feeding on the algae are
plankton, lots of plankton.

And that's what the giant
fish sieve from the seas

simply swimming open
mouthed through the shoals

and sieving the tiny creatures

with net-like structures
in their gills.

But not all migrations
are driven by food.

The waters around the Galapagos

undergo dramatic changes
through the year.

They have two key seasons.

For half the year, they're
bathed by the warm waters

of the Panama current
and trade winds

that create the
wet season on land.

But this is a hard
time for marine life.

The tropical seas are
not very productive.

But the dry season is brought
on by a shift in currents.

The Humboldt Current swarms
the Galapagos with cold water

brought up from the Antarctic.

Because the Antarctic
gets long sunlight hours,

it's highly productive.

The water flowing from it
is packed with nutrients.

Now there is a time of
abundance for the fish.

Many oceanic species visit.

(gentle music)

But not all of them
are after food.

Hammerhead sharks
are ocean wanderers,

but during their travels,
they accumulate parasites

and other blemishes
on their skin.

To fix the problem,
they hire cleaners.

A little head nod over the reef

(playful music)

is a signal that it's here
for spa treatment, not dining.

And the fish willingly oblige.

The pests and dead skin
are a feast for the fish.

And after their stop
at the health spa,

the spruced-up sharks can
continue their journeys.

Hammerheads travel for
food, cleaning services,

and to find a mate.

The Galapagos is one
of the few places

where huge aggregations occur.

They like to be discreet
when it comes to sex.

No one has ever seen it,

but it's likely the
coupling happens

during their big social events.

Many of the females have
bite wounds on their fins,

the love bites of males
holding on during mating,

testimony to their
nuptial encounters.

The Galapagos, like
many other archipelagos

and tropical coasts,
attract lots of animals

looking to enrich
their sex lives.

Green sea turtles, just
one of seven species

that undertake similar journeys.

Turtles have long, slow lives,

but they don't shy away
from some serious swimming.

(upbeat music)

Because they're reptiles,

they hatch from eggs
laid on beaches.

For five to seven years,
they make long migrations

around the Eastern
tropical Pacific

living an oceanic lifestyle.

Then they head to
coastal waters.

But the journey's
don't stop as they move

between feeding grounds.

Only once around 30 years
old do they think about sex.

After hatching, male turtles
never return to land,

but they will make their
way to breeding sites

where they hang out looking
for females on the reef.

The hopeful males
turn up every year,

(gentle playful music)

but the females only come to
breed every two to five years.

So scrums are common as
males try to lay claim

to the receptive females.

During coupling, the male
does his best to hold on.

(gentle music)

Other males will
try to muscle in.

But one-by-one, they give up

and head back to the reef
to continue their search.

Once mated, the female will
set off on yet another journey

back towards the beach
where her own life began.

Not all swimming
marathons are marine.

Across the world,
streams and rivers

host epic fish Olympics.

(upbeat music)

More than half of all fresh
water fish species migrate

between feeding, breeding,
or wintering grounds.

(slow gentle music)

In temperate regions,
winters can be cruel.

Ice-locked rivers and lakes can
make it hard to move around.

But as soon as winter's
power starts to ebb,

fish get busy.

Pike are one of the first.

It's the perfect time for
their high-energy journey.

(upbeat music)

Snow is melting all
over the landscape,

gushing into waterways,
churning oxygen into them.

The powerful fish
exploit the oxygen

in their battle
against the currents.

The epic struggle, just so that
they can deposit their eggs

in the perfect spot.

The meltwater is a valuable
resource, but it's shallow.

(dramatic music)
(fish splashing)

Like all migrations,
their struggle is an essay

in determination and endurance.

The pike run the
risk of grounding
themselves on the rocks.

And that's not the only danger.

(bird squawking)

Migrating cranes and
other birds drop in

to take advantage
of any casualties.

(birds squawking)

Eventually, most will make it

and spawn before wriggling back

to their summer feeding grounds.

The eggs develop,

and in only a few weeks, hatch,

and the tiny larvae
begin to patrol,

already feeling their
predatory instincts.

These baby pike
have never migrated,

but they are born
with the instinct.

And when they mature
in a few years,

they too will join the
epic struggle upstream.

For most fish, the
process of baby-making

is simply to squirt
out eggs and sperm

and let nature do the rest.

For other swimmers, it's
more of an uphill struggle.

An ocean giant is nearing
the end of a great journey.

Leatherback turtles are
the biggest of their kind,

little changed since the
time of the dinosaurs,

but their vast size
doesn't hold them back.

Over the year, this
female has traveled

more than 6,000 kilometers

from feeding grounds
along the coast of Canada.

And this is why,

the long sandy beaches of
an island of Western Africa

where her own life
began many decades ago.

Her streamlined body is
the perfect hydrofoil.

Powered by huge flippers,
she can fly through the ocean

at more than 30
kilometers per hour.

But now on the beach, every
stride is a monumental struggle.

She must drag her one-ton
bulk above the tide line,

searching for the perfect spot,

not so high up the
beach that it dries out,

but not low enough for it to
get waterlogged by a high tide,

and with just
enough sun exposure

to create the
perfect temperature.

She's aiming for a nest
that holds at 27.5 degrees.

If she gets it right,

she'll produce equal
numbers of boys and girls.

If the nest is warmer,
more will be female,

and cooler will
result in more males.

She will make this gargantuan
journey up the beach

several times during the season,

and each time deposit
around 100 rubbery,

ping pong ball-sized eggs.

(inspirational music)

She gently covers the nest site

and begins a hard
exit back to the sea.

This is the end
of her motherhood.

In two months time, the
eggs will be ready to hatch,

but they will do so alone,
again driven by instinct

to take up their
lifetime of journeys.

(waves lapping)

Migrations have long captured
the human imagination,

but few more so than
the journey of salmon.

These mighty fish don't
just move themselves

from one area to another,

but from fresh water to the
sea and then back again,

forcing transformations that
literally destroy their bodies.

It's the unstoppable
instinct of migration.

(birds chirping)

Salmon begin life
hatching from eggs

in small freshwater
streams far inland.

Several very different
life phases lie ahead.

Newly-hatched salmon
are known as alevin.

Tiny tails push along
the big yolk sacs

that nourish them while
their bodies grow.

Gradually, the delicate
translucent forms

start to look more fish-like.

These are par, small,
stripey, freshwater fish

that can forage for
little organisms

in the streams
where they hatched.

For six months or more,
sometimes even a few years,

their lives will
remain constant.

But then a cue from deep within

(upbeat music)

tells the fish to
move downstream.

Their bodies are changing
inside as well as out

to cope with the transition
from clean, fresh water,

to the high salt content

and lower temperatures
of the open ocean.

After a few years, up to five
depending on the species,

adult salmon feel an
unignorable urge to breed,

and they begin their
titanic journeys

to the place of their birth.

The fish follow the
earth's magnetic fields

to aim for the coast,

then recognize
the chemical smell

of the river they were born in,

using that path to
guide them inland.

(birds chirping)
(water flowing)

As they enter the shallows,

predators gather to greet them.

These bears have been
waiting for several days,

knowing that any moment
the flood gates will open

with fleets of salmon
charging into the rivers.

For bears, the salmon
run is a vital resource.

It's no surprise that they
camp out waiting for the fish.

(dramatic music)

Bears only have a narrow
window before winter

when they can bulk up.

They need huge amounts of
fat stored in their bodies

if they are to survive
their long winter sleep.

Some populations are
totally dependent

on the salmon migration.

It comes at just the right
time for them to top off.

It literally makes
the difference between
life and death,

something worth fighting for.

But as the rivers
fill with fish,

the normally solitary bears
develop a temporary tolerance.

There's enough
fish for everyone.

(playful music)

Gulls, crows, and eagles gather.

There are so many salmon

that the bears simply
nibble off the best bits

and move on to the next.

There are plenty of
scraps for watchful birds.

A big bear might consume

2 or 3,000 kilos
of fish per season.

For the fish that
dodge bear claws,

the struggles have barely begun.

(water gurgling)
(foreboding music)

Many species spawn at elevation,

so not only must they
battle against the current,

but also scale mountains.

Athletes of the fish world,
salmon can climb waterfalls.

Triggered by the
change in chemistry

and lower salt
level of the rivers,

they change the way
they use their bodies.

Instead of the muscle groups

that normally power
fast, straight swimming,

they switch to ones that
power bursts of speed.

Bending in a tight S-shape,
flipping from side to side,

they create thrust
against the water

and launch themselves
into the air.

Skyrocketing, they can
clear three meters.

Some battle hundreds
of kilometers inland,

through strong
currents and rapids.

A few populations
swim 1,400 kilometers

into mountain ranges,

climbing more than 2,000
meters in elevation,

and all the while their bodies

are undergoing massive changes.

Some species radically
alter their appearance

ready for the breeding season.

None more so than the sockeye.

Normally sleek and silver,

they now display fiery
red breeding colors.

The males grow massively
enlarged shoulder humps,

so they look pumped up
to impress the girls

and intimidate rivals.

Exhausted, the fish
that have dodged death

finally reached the
spawning streams.

While they've been traveling,

the females have been
developing eggs inside them,

and they are now ready to
deliver their precious cargo,

known as roe.

(gentle music)

They select only
fast-flowing streams

where the current will
flow over the eggs,

keeping them clean
and well oxygenated.

With a few sweeps of the tail,

a female can scoop
out a gravelly nest

into which she deposits the roe.

As she's laying,
eager males gather.

There's stiff competition,

but the males have also
been developing weapons.

Their jaws have become
elongated and arched,

and packed full of
canine-like teeth.

Like nightmarish crocodiles,
they can nip at rivals

They try to fight their
way to the top of the line

to be alongside the
spawning female.

The victim will mark his triumph

by squirting sperm over
the roe-filled nest.

With fertilization complete,

the female gives another
few sweeps of her tail,

stirring up gravel to
gently cover the eggs.

Then finally, their
unimaginably demanding mission

is complete.

The energy required
to fight inland,

the massive impact of
remodeling their bodies

to cope with fresh water
and to arm them to breed,

and the art of spawning
have all taken their toll.

They also haven't
eaten for months.

Their withered bodies have
given all they have to give

and literally fall apart.

After one of the most
epic journeys on earth,

they find peace back in
the rivers of their birth.

But the salmon's death

is perhaps their
greatest gift of all.

In their struggles, the
fish have carried nutrients

from the sea in their bodies.

As they rot, the nutrients
are released into the water,

providing essential minerals
to the surrounding landscape.

This ensures that
their offspring

will grow up in rich
waters full of food,

but way beyond that,

they're literally
fertilizing an entire forest

and everything that lives in it.

Without salmon, the forest
would be a poorer place,

all thanks to the driving
force of migration.

Of course, bears and birds
are not the only predators

the migrating salmon face.

Fishermen also
descend on the rivers

for the sport of luring
salmon to their bait

and fighting the powerful fish.

Fortunately in most places,

the harvest doesn't
have a massive impact

on the salmon stocks.

But many human activities do.

By its very nature, migration
puts animals in danger.

In some places,
fishing, development,

and other human activities
may be controlled

to help protect wildlife,

but migrators don't recognize
international boundaries.

They might be
protected in one area,

but then exploited in the next.

Their wanderings
make it very hard

to strategize their protection,

and it's especially tough
for marine migrators.

The swimming animals
spend most of their lives

underwater and out of sight.

It's hard to see what's
going on in their lives.

Data is lacking, but
already clearly shows

that the majority of
species are in decline.

These international travelers
really do belong to everybody

and need everyone's
help to survive.

(whales squealing)

And there is another
more recent challenge

that humans have caused.

Our activities have altered
the gases in the atmosphere

and change the
chemistries of the seas.

Climate change affects the
seasons all over the world.

Migrating animals might
arrive too early or too late

to find the
conditions they need.

Research reveals that
80% of marine migrators

have already changed
the routes and timings

that they have been
following for eons.

Some have altered their course

by as much as 1,000 kilometers.

Warmer seas are less productive.

Some species seem able to
adapt quickly to the changes,

but are showing massive die-offs

due to starvation and
breeding failures.

More than ever,
we need to manage

and minimize our
footprint on the planet,

for the sake of migrators
as well as ourselves.

But there is hope.

Despite the odds, life
shows tremendous resilience.

On that quiet beach
of Western Africa,

the sand seems to
spring to life.

Both green and
leatherback hatchlings

are digging their
way from the ground.

It's already been
an arduous task.

They've had to tunnel
through the weight

of more than 50 centimeters of
sand that covered their nest.

But the challenge
has barely begun.

Though you could fit a handful

of these tiny turtle
hatchlings in your pocket,

they're destined to become

among the largest
reptiles on earth,

if they can make
it down the beach.

The tiny flappers looking
more like bath toys

than ocean travelers must
somehow make it to the sea.

Instinct drives them
in the right direction.

They paddle along
making little angels

in the sand as they go.

But even little
ridges in the sand

are like mountain ranges
for creatures born to swim.

Not all will make it.

Some are imprisoned by debris
washed up on the beach.

Small and vulnerable
out in the open,

even tiny crustaceans can
become lethal predators.

Any dawdling, and the
red ghost crabs strike.

Much bigger shadows
fall across their path.

The keen eyes of a
pied crow guide it

to what it expects
to be an easy meal,

(dramatic music)

though a Palm-nut
vulture has other ideas.

The onslaught is relentless.

But turtles are born
to a life of migration.

The urge to begin their journeys

compels them to tackle
the challenges head-on.

Only one in 1,000 will survive,

but turtles, like many
migrants, make it work,

and they have for
millions of years.

Their instincts run deep
to keep on the move.

They're undistractible,
answering to a call

written in their DNA.

They just keep swimming.

Animals that migrate are some
of the toughest on earth.

They have learned to
face hardship head-on

to get the best out
of their environment,

and in doing so enrich the
environment for others,

including us.

(victorious music)

(fish splashing)