All language subtitles for Magical Land Of Oz S01 E01_track3_[eng]

BARRY HUMPHRIES: As the dawn breaks
across Australia,

the marsupials go to bed.

Except for the ones that don't.

Because there are exceptions
to every rule

in this land of wonders.

And magic does not have rules.

It has dragons...

miniature dancers...

spiky egg layers.

But the land is only
where the wild things begin.

The seas surrounding the island
hold even more wonders.

Three different oceans
circle Australia -

the cold Southern Ocean,

the calm sanctuary of the Pacific
with its reefs and islands,

the warm Indian Ocean supporting
schools of awe-inspiring predators.

Together, the three oceans create
a rich mix of marine diversity

and an explosion of life

in the magical land of Oz.

Australia's ocean wilderness

is one of the most extraordinary
places on Earth.

It is both beautiful and bountiful.

It starts with the tiniest fish...

which, in turn,

support an astonishing array
of larger creatures.

Dusky sharks are fast,
streamlined predators

that can grow over four metres
in length.

Dense schools of sardines
on this Western Australian coastline

attract their hungry mouths.

The fish are fast

and their quick shimmering changes
in direction

make it hard for the predators
to pick out an individual.

Their prey are herded
towards the shallows.

In the shallows, there's
also a group of young board riders.

Confident that the sharks
are keeping themselves busy,

the swimmers have entered the fray
for a close encounter.

There are 375 shark species
in the world,

yet only three are responsible
for most human attacks.

Dusky sharks are not amongst them.

More and more sharks join the feast,

drawn from far and wide.

From higher up, the sheer size
of the scene becomes clear.

They have become
one colossal bait ball.

A seething mass of predators
and prey spreads along the coast,

in a scale rarely seen
anywhere else on the planet.

The abundance of fish still teeming
in Australia's oceans

supports many marine predators.

But not all of them
remain underwater.

Just over 60 kilometres
off South Australia

lies Pearson Island.

Often compared to the Galapagos,

this archipelago has a precious
cargo of species

found nowhere else on earth.

The Australian sea lion is amongst
the rarest of its kind in the world.

Its population reached
dangerously low levels

after being hunted for close
on two centuries.

The world's least polluted
and best stocked waterways

have helped sea lions back
from the brink of extinction.

These are ideal fishing grounds
for a sea lion mum.

The island's small sandy bay

provides the perfect nursery
for her pups.

He's not confident enough

to follow his mother
into the waves just yet.

Alone, he watches
the more experienced youngsters

mess about in the water.

Perhaps someone close to his own age
will provide some company.

But mothers can be protective...

..and fathers horribly hostile.

[SNARLS]

[GROWLS]

The colony can be a dangerous place
to wander in search of a playmate.

Mothers come ashore and reunite
with their pups for a feed.

[SEA LIONS CALL]

But his wait continues.

In Pearson Island's toddlers' pool,

the young pup has finally
found a friend...

..from a different species...

..a long-nosed fur seal pup.

These rock pools
at the back of the bay

provide the perfect playground.

[BIRDS SQUAWK]

As the pup's hunger grows,
he watches for his mother's return.

Sea lions are some of nature's
greatest ocean acrobats.

So simply coming ashore
should be easy.

She needs to pick a landing spot.

But the crashing waves
are making it hard.

If she's not going to clear
a wave in time,

she needs to abandon the plan
for a wiser one.

The sandy beach is surely
an easier landing site.

[SQUEALS]

As fast as his flippers can carry
him, the pup runs to his mum...

..and finally gets his milk.

He will rely on his mother
for 18 months

before he must catch his own dinner,
like the older sea lions.

One of the reasons sea lions
can thrive

in the seas around southern Australia

is the abundance of prey.

And now, in winter,

one of their favourite foods is
starting to mass

in one of the most intriguing
and graceful animal congregations,

known only in these waters.

In the wide shallows of Spencer Gulf
on Australia's south coast,

as the water temperature drops below
12 degrees in winter,

a magical phenomenon takes place.

Giant cuttlefish,
up to a metre in length,

are found only in Australia.

Masters of disguise,

they can change the colour
and texture of their skin

to blend with their surroundings.

At this time of year, though,

it's all about standing out
from the crowd.

This patch of reef, just over
a square kilometre in size,

has been inundated with thousands
of courting cuttles.

With a ration of 11 males
to every female,

not every male is going to get lucky.

This female has accepted
the protection of a larger male.

But now he must hold on
to his mating rights

in the face of constant challenges
from eager rivals.

The males quite literally
size each other up.

By splaying out his tentacles,

turning white and angling his body
at 45 degrees,

this alpha male attempts to appear
larger than his challenger.

The female is hidden below

while waves of black
add to his display of strength.

As rivals converge on either side,

it's almost impossible
to keep his mate concealed.

While the alpha male is distracted,

his mate drifts from cover.

A smaller male sees an opportunity
and moves in.

The interloper drags her
as far as he can,

before forcing her
into his twisted embrace.

But the larger alpha male
is quick to reclaim his prize.

Like a fire hose,

he flushes out
the sperm of previous copulators.

As the last to mate, he will
be the one to fertilise her eggs.

The pair can finally get down
to the business

of finding a place to nest.

Any prospective home for their eggs
requires close inspection.

Satisfied, she begins
depositing their first clutch.

It takes around six minutes
before she can lay another egg.

So the male must guard her closely.

It's a prime nesting place,
coveted by other cuttles,

who feel their way closer to
the crevice and the fertile female.

One by one, the delicate eggs
are fixed.

To stop others entering the cave,

he flattens his body,

making him appear even larger,

doing his utmost to impersonate
a monstrous kraken.

Males venture closer,
testing his resolve.

His fatherhood is on the line.

It's a warning sign -

stay away from this monster's lair!

Despite the show of brute strength,

challengers persist.

The monster allows them
even closer,

until...

Cuttlefish expel ink
to confuse predators.

But this is a desperate attempt

to escape the clutches
of one of their own...

..the largest male on the reef.

This unique marine spectacle
was on the verge of being lost.

In a single season,

commercial fishermen caught
240 tonnes of cuttlefish

at this breeding site,

before a fishing ban
was put in place.

Today, these calm inshore shallows

allow this amorous gathering
to continue in relative peace,

while further out to sea,

storms are brewing.

In the depths of winter,
polar winds from Antarctica

whip up huge swells
across the Southern Ocean.

This is the ocean's engine room,

generating waves that will roll
across the planet.

And Australia's southern coastline
is shaped by this powerful force.

As the ocean swell nears
the outer fringes of Australia,

huge waves,
as high as seven-storey buildings,

have been recorded off Tasmania.

In winter,
many of the ocean wanderers

leave this violent sea scape...

..to seek refuge
in the Great Australian Bight.

The arid Nullarbor plain
reaches a dramatic end,

as land plummets to the ocean,
150 metres below.

Every year in winter,

Southern Right whales gather
in these cliff-side coves.

This female left her feeding
ground in the Antarctic,

and travelled over 4,000 kilometres
to give birth.

The warmer water is gentle
on her newborn,

yet to grow its insulating blubber.

She will nurse her calf here

until it's strong enough
to face the long migration south

at the start of spring.

But it's not all gentle play

for whales in these waters.

These cliff-side coves are the arena

for spectacular mating events.

At nearly 15 metres and each
weighing as much as 100 tonnes,

four males close in
on the lone female.

Dolphins become curious onlookers.

Females are known to go belly-up

in an attempt to keep their genitals
away from males,

as they wield
their supersized anatomy.

Almost four metres long,

the penis of the whale delivers
a gallon of sperm during mating.

Unlike the Southern Right whales,

this dolphin pod remains
by the coast throughout the year.

[DOLPHIN SQUEAKS]

And despite the size difference,

the dolphins are happy to share
their home with the visiting giants.

The whale even appears
to mimic its more agile playmates.

Play tends to be a preoccupation
for most of the mammals

in the southern seas.

In mid-winter,
surfers also take to the water.

It's a time when waves
are often at their best

because of the Southern Ocean swell.

And when the surf picks up,

it's not just people trying
to catch a wave.

It's also the dolphins.

Reaching up to 50km an hour,

they rocket through the waves.

Research has shown that these
synchronised displays

help male dolphins form alliances.

Of course, surfing's also fun.

[DOLPHINS SQUEAK]

While dolphins frolic,

below the water's surface

there are far darker goings-on.

Port Phillip Bay is
on the doorstep of Melbourne.

But very few of its residents,
including me,

have ever witnessed
the eerie marine spectacle

that mysteriously unfolds
in these shallows

for a few weeks every winter.

At nearly half a metre in width,

giant spider crabs are amongst
the world's largest crustaceans.

Seldom seen, they spend the year
scavenging on the seabed.

But this crab's spider senses
are tingling.

It's time for a change.

It's soon joined by others.

Normally dwelling in depths
of up to 800 metres,

these crabs migrate to the shallows
each winter,

not to mate but to moult,

to shed their old shells.

It's believed the winter's drop
in temperature

triggers this mass migration.

Before long,
the ocean floor is writhing

with a carpet of claws
and spindly legs -

sometimes several creatures thick.

In the world above,
life continues as usual.

While just a few metres below,

thousands of giant spider crabs

are entering the most vulnerable
stage in their lives.

Scratching at its face
is a sure sign

this crab's transformation has begun.

In order to grow, the crab must
remove its old shell

and reveal a new one beneath.

Its new orange shell, though larger,

is flexible and able to bend

as the crab works its way out.

However, this temporary softness
will prove its downfall.

It's one of the first
to expose its new soft shell.

And its hard-bodied neighbours
waste no time

in seizing an opportunity for a meal.

When growing a new shell,

crabs need as much protein
as they can get,

no matter how macabre the source.

Once a leg is plucked from a victim,

the attacker quickly retreats
with its prize.

Despite the perils of moulting
in the midst of cannibals,

these crabs are playing
a numbers game.

There's a greater threat
to their kind.

Smooth stingrays,

armed with venom-tipped tails,

have stalked the crabs
to the shallows.

These are the largest stingrays
in the world,

but they have no need
for toxic barbs here.

Swooping over the scrum
of panicked shellfish,

the ray vacuums up the crabs.

Defenceless crustaceans are sucked
from their soft shells.

The carnage continues
well into the night,

the rays gorging themselves
to bursting point.

Yet, with this many crabs
moulting at once,

even the most insatiable rays
can't eat them all.

But then, a week or two later,

just as suddenly as they arrived,

they are gone...

..disappearing back to the deep,

where their lives
largely remain a mystery.

A few leftovers from the feast
of rays are all that remain.

One reason for Australia's
many marine marvels

is that while the Southern Ocean
chills the south,

two more oceans bring
warm tropical water from the north.

In the west, it's the Indian Ocean.

In the east, the mighty Pacific.

The huge area of continental shelf
shapes life here.

It forms gentle sloping beaches,

and the coast is dotted with islands.

Off the New South Wales coast
sits a rather special place.

Cabbage Tree Island is the only
island in the entire region

which remains covered in rainforest.

The tall slender palms have given
rise to an extraordinary seabird,

evolved for this
very specific habitat.

Beneath the forest canopy,

the rocky slopes are littered
with nooks and crannies.

And at the right time of year,

a little ball of fluff

can invariably be found
inside each one.

It is the world's only breeding
colony of Gould's petrel.

This chick is around
three weeks old.

It's left alone while its parents
are fishing at sea.

The spider poses no real threat.

But best not to take your chances

when a spider's 15cm leg span

is wider than you are.

By nightfall, there's still no sign
of Mum or Dad.

But then...

..a somewhat undignified entrance.

But landing takes practice.

And it's a skill seldom used...

..by petrels.

This species spends years at sea
without touching dry land.

So walking over a rocky forest floor
is an alien sensation.

To make matters trickier,

almost every available hole
under a rock...

..has a chick in it.

It's believed the adults
use a keen sense of smell

to find their way back
to their nest hole.

But it doesn't appear
to be a fail-safe method.

Wrong hole.

Finally, after some searching,

mum and chick are reunited,

and chick gets a meal
of regurgitated squid.

Over the next 12 weeks,
night after night,

crash-landing after crash-landing,

chicks all over this tiny island

will wait for parents to return...

..until the one night
when they won't come back.

Four months later, with only
a tiny crown of fluffy down left,

the petrel chick has been abandoned
by its parents.

It's been weeks since it's had
anything to eat at all.

Hunger, desperation and instinct
need to sufficiently combine

before it has the will
to make its move.

For those who don't,
the island holds no future.

The young bird decides
it's time to leave the nest.

Seabirds like petrels
rely on the wind

to give them the lift needed
for take-off.

But down here
beneath the forest canopy,

the air is listless.

An ill-judged effort at flight
could be its last.

Sharp palms and jagged rocks
don't make for good crash mats.

If it's going to stand any chance
of getting off the island,

it will need to get out
from under the canopy.

But trees cover the whole island.

There's only one thing for it.

And webbed feet and wings
are not ideal climbing equipment.

But the petrels here have evolved
sharp claws and a hooked beak

to aid their ascent.

As the saying goes,
if at first you don't succeed...

Attempting the climb again

pushes the starving fledgling
closer to exhaustion.

Panting, the fledging wraps its wings
around the trunk

for a moment's respite,

using its tail feathers
as a prop to rest.

Frantic wing flapping helps
to propel the bird up the tree.

Having made it to the top,
more obstacles lie in wait.

The thick stems at the centre
of the palm fronds

are lined with sharp spikes.

Feathers are easily entangled.

Part fall, part flight,

either way it's airborne

and it won't touch land again
for five or six years.

As the Gould's petrels head off
to a life far out at sea,

other ocean wanderers are being drawn

to Australia's Pacific coastline.

Once a year, humpback whales
pass Cabbage Tree Island

on their journey north.

They have come to give birth
to their young in the warm shallows.

The most famous of all
is one of myth and legend.

Migaloo, the albino humpback whale.

His name means "white fella"
in Aboriginal language

and his pale colour is most likely
due to a rare genetic mutation.

Believed to be 32 years old,

Migaloo is in his prime,

and he knows how to
demonstrate his power.

Scientists believe that
tail slapping and rolling

is a form of communication
between whales.

His companion applauds
with a tail slap of its own.

First sighted in 1991,

Migaloo was thought to be
the only white whale in existence.

Since that time,
newborn white calves

have been spotted in the Pacific
around New Zealand and Australia.

It's thought that Migaloo
may be the father

of some of these pale youngsters.

Migaloo travels up and down
the humpback highway,

as he makes the journey
from Antarctica

to the Great Barrier Reef.

And while the reef is famously home

to some of the ocean's
most colourful characters...

..it's also home to some
of the ocean's most endangered.

Ancient mariners,
such as the green sea turtle,

have for thousands of generations
returned here every year.

She has come back to lay her eggs
in the very same place

where her life began.

With flippers designed
for sea and not sand,

hauling her 200-kilo body
up onto the shore

is an enormous effort.

The expectant mother is able
to carefully carve out

a nest in the sand...

..her one and only act
of parental care.

She deposits a clutch
of around 100 eggs.

As she returns to the waves,
more mothers clamber up the beach.

In fact, many, many more.

14,000 turtles can come ashore here
in a single night.

In a single year,
the turtles of Raine Island

could lay as many as 36 million eggs.

Two months later,
the sand begins to stir.

A hatchling begins
its frantic race to the water.

But by night,
ghost crabs haunt this beach.

Flapping flippers
are its only defence

in a desperate attempt to get free.

Exhausted from its escape...

..it unwittingly walks
right into the arms

of a waiting ghost crab.

But luck is on its side.

Running the gauntlet,

the baby turtle makes it
to the open ocean.

It's estimated that just about
one in a thousand hatchlings

survive to adulthood.

From here, the young turtles travel
on currents circling Australia.

Some will swim further east
into the South Pacific.

Others may travel north towards Asia.

The separation of the land
between Asia and Australia

creates a passageway
for tropical water to flow.

Because of this,
it's the only continent

with warm water flowing south
on both coasts.

Currents jettison
into the Indian Ocean,

and the rush of tropical water
spills south

along the Western Australian shore.

This coastline is
the world's most pristine...

..an example of what marine
ecosystems should look like -

healthy, interconnected,

teeming with life.

30 kilometres off the Kimberley
coast lie the Lacepede Islands.

18,000 pairs of brown boobies
nest here.

A new pair of boobies
is hoping to start a family.

Their courtship is under way.

With a weedy offering,
he attempts to woo her.

Perhaps another try.

No, surely his efforts
have been sufficient.

But maybe not.

At the height
of the breeding season,

chicks of all sizes
crowd the rocky shore.

As with humans, boobies approach
parenting in a variety of styles.

Some respond to the nagging
of the chicks immediately.

Others are less attentive.

Chicks born earlier in the season

are taking part in
beak skills lessons.

Becoming adept
at flipping sticks and stones

will help with manipulating
slippery fish mid-flight.

As the temperature rises
to over 40 degrees,

parents hover like a beach umbrella
over their chicks.

Communication between this pair
is on point.

They are the perfect tag team,

taking domestic duties in turn,

allowing the other to go fishing.

Out at sea,
the boobies move en masse.

They have spotted splashing
in the distance.

A school of tuna and sharks

have driven a bait ball of sardines
to the surface.

Before long, frigatebirds
join the plunder.

Having got their fill, the birds
head home to their hungry chicks.

Some frigatebirds haven't
bothered to head out to sea.

There's good reason
these birds are known

as the pirates of the skies.

Larger and faster than the boobies,

they can bully the smaller seabirds
into giving up their lunch.

Outmanoeuvred, it's forced
to disgorge its food in midair.

Yet another chick will go hungry.

On shore, the tiny chick's wait
for a meal should finally be over.

The mates greet each other,
but lunch was stolen.

Now the onus of providing a meal
falls to the other parent,

with added pressure.

Fortunately, it's the time of year

when the westerly winds strengthen
the flow of currents,

fueling the plankton blooms.

This sudden bounty of food
attracts many mouths...

..including the biggest fish
of them all, the whale shark.

Despite their imposing size...

..they feed on microscopic plankton.

Chemicals released by the plankton
are carried on the ocean current.

The whale sharks follow
their sensitive noses

to find these blooms
in the waters of Ningaloo.

With a large resident population
of whale sharks in the area,

scientists want to understand

how individuals
are related to each other.

To do this, the scientist needs
a sample of each whale shark's DNA,

and he's come up with a rather
unusual way of doing this.

Remarkably, the giant animal will
hang very calmly in the water column

whilst its nose is scratched.

Completely relaxed,

the shark seems to enter
a dream-like state,

allowing the scientist to scrape
tiny parasites off the shark's body.

These parasites, known as copepods,

chew the shark's skin

and drink their blood.

In return for the DNA sample,

the whale sharks get rid
of a few freeloaders.

Research has now shown that
Australian whale sharks

are the offspring
of ocean-wandering parents,

from as far away
as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,

where they can be targeted
by commercial fishermen.

Here in Ningaloo,

the juvenile giants
have a precious sanctuary

where they are a protected species.

These gentle creatures prove not
all sharks are ravenous meat eaters.

But in Australian waters,

there are always other sharks
who fit the stereotype.

Shark Bay, in Western Australia,

and the water is as warm as a bath.

The faintest trace of blood
in the water sends a signal.

While an entire whale carcass
is like a siren going off,

alerting sharks for miles around.

Tiger sharks.

Threatened globally,

but here it's
a recently discovered hotspot

for these majestic predators.

A frail old whale,
having succumbed to its end,

becomes a banquet for the tigers.

These perfect predators have hunted
the world's oceans

for more than 50 million years,

but they're not above
a bit of scavenging.

The feeding frenzy
has attracted tour boats.

The passengers are treated
to ringside seats

for the grisly feast.

Such impressive schools of predators

show Australia's ocean wilderness

is still filled with life.

Predators are the ultimate
expression of a healthy ocean.

But while scenes like this
once dominated our planet,

today they are ever diminishing.

Such a rare and remarkable spectacle

is also a reminder of whose territory
the ocean really is.

The abundance and diversity
of Australia's ocean realm

provides another opportunity...

..for the island nation
to lead the world

in marine conservation,

at a time when global oceans
are under threat.

Australian waters not only nurture
unique species found nowhere else,

but also provide protection
to species from distant shores.

And because of this,

there's no underwater world more
worthy of safeguarding than here,

in the magical land of Oz.