Original subtitles

.

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

TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: HI EVERYONE, I'M DYLAN DREYER.

JOIN ME AS WE HEAD OUT FOR A WILD DESERT ADVENTURE HERE ON

EARTH ODYSSEY.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE, WE EXPLORE THE RUINS OF AN ANCIENT

CIVILIZATION WITH A TRUSTY AND VERY TALL COMPANION.

AND THIS DESERT DWELLER PROVES HE'S REALLY TRUE BLUE.

PLUS WHAT SPECIES CAN SURVIVE ONE OF THE SALTIEST SEAS IN THE

WORLD?

AND SOMETIMES IT REALLY DOES TAKE A VILLAGE TO BRING HOME

DINNER.

REMARKABLE DESERT TALES ARE JUST AHEAD ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: EVERYDAY, DESERT CREATURES HAVE TO NAVIGATE

INTENSE SUN AND SAND TO FIND FOOD, WATER AND SHELTER.

IN JORDAN, THERE'S AN ANCIENT PLACE WHERE LIFE HAS FLOURISHED

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THANKS IN PART TO ONE GRAND AND

GENEROUS ANIMAL, THE CAMEL.

THE MIDDLE EAST IS AMONG THE HOTTEST AND DRIEST PLACES ON THE

PLANET.

AFTER A LONG, COLD DESERT NIGHT, COLD-BLOODED ANIMALS NEED TO

RE-ENERGIZE FAST.

THIS LIZARD DOES HIS MORNING SUN-WORSHIPPING IN A CANYON

WHERE ORDINARY ROCKS AND STONES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO

SOMETHING MAGNIFICENT.

THE AGAMA LIZARD HAS CLAIMED SQUATTER'S RIGHTS IN A LOST

CITY.

PETRA.

FACING EAST, SUNRISE REVEALS THIS ANCIENT CIVILIZATION.

DATING BACK MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS, THIS METROPOLIS OF TOMBS

AND MONUMENTS WAS ONCE THE THRIVING CAPITAL OF THE NEBATEAN

EMPIRE.

AMID THE RUGGED DESERT MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS, IT WAS A DEFENDABLE

CROSSROADS OF TRADE ALONG THE SILK ROAD.

MEANING ROCK IN GREEK, PETRA IS HALF BUILT AND HALF CARVED FROM

THE MOUNTAIN.

LOST FROM THE WESTERN WORLD, IT WAS ONLY REDISCOVERED BY

EUROPEANS IN THE 19TH CENTURY.

TOMBS HIDE ANCIENT SNAKE. CARVINGS,

WHILE MOSAICS DEPICT CREATURES AND SIGNIFY THEIR RESPECT FOR

THE NATURAL WORLD.

BUT WITHOUT HARNESSING THE NATURAL GIFTS OF ONE SPECIAL

ANIMAL, THE NEBATIANS MIGHT HAVE NOT CREATED SUCH A MONUMENTAL

CITY.

WADI RUM WAS AN IMPORTANT ROUTE FOR TRADERS.

THE TRADERS WHO BUILT PETRA OWED THEIR WEALTH TO CONTROLLING THE

OASES OF THIS REGION

[CAMEL GROANING]

DYLAN: AND TO THE CAMELS KNOWN AS "SHIPS OF THE DESERT."

TODAY, BEDOUIN TRIBES STILL LIVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS OF WADI

RUM AND MAINTAIN THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CAMEL.

FOR GENERATIONS, THESE TOWERING DROMEDARIES HAVE BEEN

THEIR SUPPORT AND MEANS OF SURVIVAL HERE.

BY MID-MORNING, THE TEMPERATURE IS ALREADY NEARING 100 DEGREES

FAHRENHEIT.

BUT THE CAMEL COMES WITH ITS OWN PROTECTION.

ITS FUR COAT REFLECTS THE SUN, INSULATING THE CAMEL FROM THE

HEAT.

IT MEANS THEY RARELY SWEAT.

CARRYING MORE THAN 200 POUNDS, GOOD FOOTWEAR IS ESSENTIAL FOR

TRAVEL.

A LARGE LEATHERY PAD WITH TWO TOES AT THE FRONT HELPS MAKE THE

GAIT OF A CAMEL SILENT AND KEEPS IT FROM SINKING INTO THE SAND.

WHILE THICK, LEATHERY SKIN ON ITS LEG JOINTS ENABLE IT TO

KNEEL ON THE HOT SAND WHEN IT'S TIME TO REST.

THE SUN SERVES AS THE BEDOUIN'S NATURAL GPS.

SO IT'S TIME TO REST HIS CAMELS AND MAKE A FIRE TO WARD OFF ANY

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.

COMING UP, THE RAREST COLOR IN NATURE REALLY STANDS OUT IN A

SEA OF SAND.

FIND OUT WHY IT MATTERS TO THIS SPECIES.

AND WE VISIT THE LOWEST POINT ON EARTH WITH A DEEP CONNECTION TO

THE DESERT.

PLUS, IT'S HARVEST TIME, AND THEY'RE A TINY TEAM LIKE NO

OTHER.

A WORLD OF NATURAL WONDERS IS STILL TO COME ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

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: THIS MORNING'S SUNRISE OVER THE JORDANIAN DESERT

BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO A FLAMBOYANT CREATURE.

BASKING ON ROCK FACES, THE UNMISTAKABLE SINAI AGAMA LIZARD

NEEDS TO WARM UP QUICKLY FOR A MORNING OF SHOWMANSHIP.

IT'S MATING SEASON, SO HE IS SEARCHING FOR A PODIUM ON WHICH

TO PERFORM.

LIKE OTHER AGAMA LIZARDS, HIS NODS AND PUSH UPS ARE A SIGN

OF HIS DOMINANCE.

BUT IT IS HIS COLOR THAT REALLY GIVES HIM A LEG UP.

TURNING BLUE DURING MATING SEASON HELPS HIM STAND OUT AND

ATTRACT A SUITOR'S ATTENTION.

WITH AGE, THE VIVID BLUE COVERS MORE AND MORE OF HIS BODY AND

INCREASES HIS CHANCES.

BUT ATTRACTING ATTENTION CAN ALSO WORK AGAINST YOU IN

JORDAN'S DESERTS.

THIS PERSIAN HORNED VIPER HAS A TASTE FOR LIZARDS.

BEING NOCTURNAL, THIS IS HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO EAT BEFORE

THE SUN GROWS TOO STRONG.

STUNTED SHORT HORNS MEAN THESE SNAKES ARE OFTEN KNOWN AS FALSE

HORNED VIPERS.

BUT UNDERESTIMATING THIS ASSASSIN COULD BE YOUR LAST

MISTAKE.

HE PACKS ENOUGH VENOM TO CAUSE PARALYSIS IN A HUMAN.

ONE BITE IS ALL HE NEEDS TO BRING DOWN HIS PREY.

FOR AN AMBUSH, STEALTH IS CRITICAL.

THE BOBBING BLUE AGAMA SHOULD KEEP HIS WITS ABOUT HIM.

BUT IT'S GETTING LATE FOR THE FALSE HORNED VIPER.

AVOIDING OVERHEATING IS CRITICAL.

HUNTING WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE SUN'S ENERGIES SLIP AWAY AND

NIGHT FALLS ONCE AGAIN.

COMING UP, TINY TEAMWORK WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND.

HOW AN ANT'S ANTENNAE MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

AND WE TAKE AN UNDERSEA PLUNGE AT THE EDGE OF THE DESERT.

COME ALONG FOR AN AQUATIC TREASURE HUNT 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: IN THE DESERT, WATER VAPOR OR HUMIDITY CAN BE NEAR

ZERO.

AND WITH FEW CLOUDS, THERE'S LITTLE PROTECTION FROM THE SUN'S

RADIATION.

SO ANIMALS LEARN TO MOVE WITH THE UTMOST EFFICIENCY, AND THAT

MAKES SOME VERY CHOOSY ABOUT HOW AND WHERE THEY SPEND THEIR

DESERT DAYS.

TAKE A LOOK.

LOCATED ALONG THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY THAT BEGINS 3,700 MILES

AWAY IN EASTERN AFRICA, THE DANA BIOSPHERE RESERVE IS

SHAPED BY LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, AND GRANITE.

IT'S HOME TO JORDAN'S MOST DIVERSE SPECIES AND HABITATS.

THE DRY, OPEN GRASSLANDS AND ROCKY VALLEYS PROVIDE THE

PERFECT HABITAT

FOR THE PALESTINE SUNBIRD.

[BIRDS TWEETING]

DYLAN: FEMALES HAVE DARKER BROWN FEATHERS FOR CAMOUFLAGE,

WHILE MALES LIKE TO ATTRACT ATTENTION WITH THEIR IRIDESCENT

GREEN AND BLUE.

DARTING AND HOVERING USES UP VALUABLE ENERGY,

SO THESE VERY SELECTIVE BIRDS PICK ONLY SPECIFIC FLOWERS WHERE

THE SUGAR CONTENT IS HIGH.

AS THE SUN RISES, SO DOES THE TEMPERATURE.

AND THE EFFICIENT FARMERS OF DANA AREN'T WASTING ANY TIME.

HARVESTER ANTS FORAGE BEFORE IT GETS TOO HOT.

CLIMBING BLADES OF GRASS THE EQUIVALENT SIZE OF AN 18-STORY

BUILDING, THEY PAINSTAKINGLY CUT AND REMOVE INDIVIDUAL SEEDS.

MEANWHILE, OTHER FORAGERS MARCH THEM HOME.

THERE'S NO ONE LEADER, BUT THERE IS A METHOD TO THEIR MADNESS.

EACH TIME THEY MEET A FELLOW COLONY ANT, THEY COMMUNICATE

THROUGH SMELL, TOUCHING THEIR ANTENNAE.

PATROLLER ANTS DECIDE THE DIRECTION OF FORAGING FOR THE

DAY.

CHEMICAL MARKERS LEFT ALONG THE TRAIL RECRUIT MORE FORAGERS AND

BUILD THE ARMY.

THEY CONSTANTLY WEIGH THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR SPEED OVER

WHAT THEY'RE BRINGING HOME.

TOO HEAVY, AND IT'S NOT WORTH MOVING.

THESE ANTS WON'T EAT WHAT THEY COLLECT, THOUGH, AND ARE WORKING

TO FEED THE YOUNG LARVA BACK AT THEIR BASE.

WHILE THE HIGHWAY OF ANTS PLOWS THROUGH THE GRASSLAND, OTHERS

ARE BACK AT THE COLONY'S ENTRANCE AND CONCENTRATE ON

CLEANING.

PILING UP HUSKS OF THE STRIPPED SEEDS IN A MIDDEN, THEY

MAINTAIN EXCELLENT ANT HYGIENE.

NO ONE ANT HAS A SET TASK, SO THEY CAN QUICKLY REACT TO

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES.

POOR, UNWELCOME GUESTS.

THE TORTOISE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN 220 MILLION YEARS.

MADE OF KERATIN, THE SAME SUBSTANCE FOUND IN FINGERNAILS,

HIS SHELL PROVIDES AN IMPENETRABLE ARMOR SHOULD HE

WANDER TO THE WRONG PLACE.

THE ANTS SWARM OVER HIM, REACTING TO THE INVASION.

BUT OBLIVIOUS TO THE MAYHEM AND UNINTERESTED IN LUNCH, THE

TORTOISE CONTINUES HIS SLOW AND STEADY MARCH.

UP NEXT, A SURPRISING OASIS IN THE SANDS.

CAN ANYTHING SURVIVE IN THESE DESERT WATERS?

WE'LL DO A DEEP DIVE 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: THE SUN'S POWER DOESN'T JUST AFFECT THE FLORA AND THE

FAUNA.

IT SHAPES ENVIRONMENTS.

THE DEAD SEA IS THE LOWEST POINT ON THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET.

FOR CENTURIES, IT HAS BEEN FED BY THE JORDAN RIVER.

BUT IT'S DISAPPEARING.

EVAPORATION CONCENTRATES SALT INTO WHAT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE

GREATEST MINERAL RESERVOIRS KNOWN TO MAN.

BUT WITH NO RIVERS THAT FLOW FROM IT, THE SUN ALONE IS

ESTIMATED TO REDUCE IT BY SIX FEET EACH YEAR.

AS A RESULT, THE DEAD SEA IS ONE OF THE SALTIEST IN THE WORLD.

MORE THAN 43 BILLION TONS OF SALT ARE THOUGHT TO BE IN THE

DEAD SEA.

PENINSULAS OF CAST SALT HAVE BEEN CREATED.

LINES OF THIS FALSE LAND DEPICT THE DROP IN WATER LEVEL, WHILE

DEPOSITS HAVE SHAPED ORNATE CASTS.

BUT IT ALSO HIDES A HIDDEN WORLD.

THE LAKE'S SALTINESS MEANS THAT LARGER ORGANISMS, SUCH AS FISH

AND FROGS, CAN'T SURVIVE IN THE THE DEAD SEA.

BUT RECENT DIVING EXPEDITIONS HAVE REVEALED SEVERAL CRATERS.

LYING AT A DEPTH OF 100 FEET, THEY WERE COVERED IN A FILM OF

NEW BACTERIAL AND MICROBIAL FUNGI SPECIES.

PROOF THAT EVEN IN ONE OF JORDAN'S MOST EXTREME HABITATS,

WHERE THE SUN REACHES, LIFE EXISTS.

THE SUN HAS FAR-REACHING POWERS, BUT ITS PENETRATING

RAYS ALSO HAVE MANY BENEFITS FOR JORDAN'S WILDLIFE.

THAT'S ALSO TRUE WHERE JORDAN'S SOUTHERN COAST MEETS THE RED

SEA.

CORAL NEEDS SUNLIGHT TO SURVIVE AS THEY GROW.

THEY'RE FED BY THE ALGAE THAT LIVE INSIDE THEM.

THE ALGAE PRODUCES OXYGEN FOR THE CORAL AND PROVIDES FOOD,

HELPING THEM GROW FASTER.

CORAL ARE ACTUALLY ANIMALS, NOT PLANTS.

CORAL POLYPS PULSE WATER THROUGH THE COLONY, WHICH

INCREASES OXYGEN LEVELS.

AS NEW WATER IS PULLED IN, IT IMPROVES THE ALGAE

PHOTOSYNTHESIS RATES BY UP TO 10 TIMES.

IN TURN, THIS ECOSYSTEM PROVIDES FOOD FOR LARGER MARINE LIFE,

LIKE THE HAWKSBILL TURTLE.

TURTLES PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THIS ECOSYSTEM'S HEALTH.

USING THEIR SHARP, HAWK-LIKE BEAKS TO PENETRATE THE SPONGE'S

OUTER ARMOR, THE TURTLES EXPOSE THE SOFT INTERNAL PARTS TO OTHER

SPONGE-EATING ANIMALS.

THE SEA TURTLE'S PECULIAR DIET ALSO HELPS KEEP SPONGE

POPULATIONS IN CHECK, FREEING UP SPACE ON REEFS FOR OTHER

ORGANISMS TO SETTLE AND GROW.

IT'S A PERFECTLY BALANCED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUN, SEA,

PLANTS, AND AMAZING ANIMALS.

DESERT DWELLERS SHOW US HOW USING RESOURCES WISELY MAKES

LIFE POSSIBLE IN EARTH'S MOST CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING.

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]