Original subtitles

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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.

IT'S TIME TO DISCOVER SOME OF THE COOLEST REPTILES AND

AMPHIBIANS AROUND.

THIS IS EARTH ODYSSEY.

COMING UP, THE RAREST COLOR IN NATURE REALLY STANDS

OUT IN A SEA OF SAND.

FIND OUT WHY IT MATTERS TO THIS SPECIES.

AND LIFE IN THE TREES ISN'T AS SAFE AS IT SEEMS.

PLUS, FROGGY GOES A-COURTING — TINY SUITORS

SHAKE A LEG.

AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE UNDER THE SEA WITH

A GENTLE GREEN GIANT.

WARMING UP TO COLD-BLOODED CREATURES STARTING

NOW ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THEY CAN SEEM CREEPY AND CRAWLY.

BUT REPTILES ARE COMPLEX AND FASCINATING CREATURES.

DEPENDING ON THE SPECIES, THEY CAN SHED THEIR SKIN, GROW A NEW

TAIL, LIVE FOR 150 YEARS, OR SWIM THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS

THE OPEN OCEAN.

IN OUR FIRST STORY, WE DISCOVER A DESERT DWELLER WITH A KNACK

FOR TURNING BLUE.

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

IN TO SOMETHING MAGNIFICENT — PETRA.

FACING EAST, SUNRISE REVEALS THIS ANCIENT CIVILIZATION.

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.

THE 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, HOW THESE MACAQUES ALERT EACH OTHER WHEN

DANGER IS NEAR.

PLUS, THIS TINY SPECIES IS A REAL SHOW-OFF WHEN IT

COMES TO LOVE.

AND THE WORLD'S LARGEST SEA TURTLE NEEDS A

HIDING PLACE FAST.

HOW COLD-BLOODED CREATURES ADAPT 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.

DYLAN: DOWN INDIA'S WESTERN COAST STRETCHES A NEARLY

1,000-MILE-LONG MOUNTAIN CHAIN KNOWN AS THE WESTERN GHATS.

IT IS DEEP IN THE SUMMER MONSOON SEASON.

THE FORESTS HERE ARE HOME TO MORE THAN 30 PERCENT OF INDIA'S

SPECTACULAR WILDLIFE, INCLUDING ITS LARGEST SNAKE SPECIES.

THE INDIAN PYTHON CAN BE MORE THAN TEN FEET LONG.

SHE'S NOT VENOMOUS, BUT SHE CAN KILL ALMOST ANY ANIMAL

IN THESE MOUNTAINS,

HUNTING IN THE TREES THAT LINE THE SLOPES.

UP ABOVE IS ONE OF INDIA'S MOST ENDANGERED

PRIMATES — THE MAGNIFICENT LION-TAILED MACAQUE.

FEWER THAN 4,000 REMAIN IN THE WILD.

THEY SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN FOREST SEARCHING FOR

FRUIT.

THIS ALPHA MALE'S MAIN JOB IS TO WATCH OVER HIS TROOP.

HE'S UNAWARE THAT THEY'RE ALSO BEING WATCHED.

DISTRACTED MONKEYS PRESENT OPPORTUNITY.

THE PYTHON IS LARGE ENOUGH TO BRING DOWN A WILD BOAR.

A LION-TAILED MACAQUE WON'T PUT UP MUCH OF A FIGHT.

BUT THE ALPHA SEES HER COMING.

THE PYTHON'S COVER IS BLOWN.

THE MACAQUES CAN REFOCUS ON FORAGING.

AND IN THE WESTERN GHATS, THE SUMMER MONSOON IS JACKFRUIT

SEASON.

GROWING AT ELEVATIONS OF MORE THAN 5,000 FEET, THEY'RE THE

LARGEST TREE-BORNE FRUITS IN THE WORLD.

WEIGHING UP TO 40 POUNDS,

ONE IS ENOUGH TO FEED AN ENTIRE TROOP OF MACAQUES.

BUT THEY PREFER TO FEED ON THE RIPEST FRUIT, SO THEY RELY ON AN

UNLIKELY HELPER TO TELL THEM WHEN A JACKFRUIT

IS READY TO EAT.

A GIANT INDIAN SQUIRREL FORAGES NEARBY.

SHE HAS A KEEN SENSE OF SMELL AND CAN EASILY SNIFF OUT RIPE

FRUIT.

THE MACAQUES WATCH HER EVERY MOVE.

THIS IS WHAT THE TROOP HAS BEEN WAITING FOR.

THEY SURROUND THE SQUIRREL, INTIMIDATING IT WITH THEIR

CALLS, READY TO MUSCLE IN AND STEAL THE FRUIT.

SHE'S FORCED TO SURRENDER.

A SNEAKY AND SUCCESSFUL TACTIC TO HARVEST THE HEAVILY FAVORED

FOOD IN THIS MOUNTAIN HABITAT.

COMING UP, HUMANS ARE NOT THE ONLY ANIMALS WHO DANCE TO

IMPRESS — CHECK OUT THESE MOVES.

AND IT'S SHARKS VERSUS TURTLES: FANTASTIC COLD-BLOODED CREATURES

ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, 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.

DYLAN: YOU MIGHT NOT THINK OF SNAKES, LIZARDS,

TURTLES, AND FROGS AS PARTICULARLY CHARISMATIC,

BUT IT TURNS OUT THESE COLD-BLOODED CREATURES SPEAK

THEIR OWN KIND OF LOVE LANGUAGE.

LET'S MEET A TINY AMPHIBIAN WHO'S REALLY GOT THE MOVES.

THE WESTERN GHATS MOUNTAINS IN INDIA ARE RECOGNIZED AS ONE

OF THE WETTEST PLACES ON EARTH.

AS THE LAND HEATS UP DURING THE SUMMER, IT PULLS IN WATER-LADEN

AIR FROM THE OCEAN.

TORRENTS OF WATER THEN FALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS.

THIS MONSOON DRENCHES THE WESTERN GHATS FOR SIX MONTHS OF

THE YEAR, AND THESE WET CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL FOR

AMPHIBIANS.

ONE TINY SPECIES FOUND NOWHERE ELSE HAS CARVED OUT A NICHE

ALONG A MOUNTAIN STREAM.

THIS YOUNG MALE DANCING FROG LIVES HERE YEAR-ROUND.

AS THE SUMMER MONSOON COMES TO AN END, HIS CALLS SIGNAL THE

START OF THE BREEDING SEASON.

BUT BEFORE HE CAN SECURE A MATE, HE MUST ESTABLISH AND DEFEND A

TERRITORY.

HIS BRIGHT WHITE VOCAL SAC HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF A RIVAL

MALE.

BOTH FROGS ARE JUST UNDER AN INCH LONG, BUT THERE'S ONLY ROOM

FOR ONE ALONG THIS STRETCH OF STREAM.

WHO THAT IS WILL BE DECIDED NOT WITH A FIGHT,

BUT WITH A FLASH DANCE.

FIRST, THE FOOT TAP.

HIS OPPONENT RESPONDS WITH HIS OWN BEAT.

THE YOUNG MALE DECIDES TO BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS.

HE STRETCHES HIS HIND LIMB TO ITS FULL LENGTH,

SPREADING OUT HIS TOES TO EXPOSE THE FLASHY WEBBING.

IT'S A SHOW OF STRENGTH AND BREEDING PROWESS.

A FEMALE IS QUIETLY OBSERVING.

NOW THE TWO MALES HAVE AN AUDIENCE,

SO THERE'S EVEN MORE REASON TO IMPRESS.

TIME TO TAKE THIS DANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

DETERMINED NOT TO LOSE THE FIRST CONTEST OF THE SEASON, THE YOUNG

MALE'S DANCE MOVES GET PHYSICAL.

THE FEMALE LIKES WHAT SHE SEES.

THE YOUNG KING OF THE DANCE FLOOR HAS SECURED HIS TERRITORY

AND FOUND HIS PARTNER,

PASSING ON HIS WINNING DANCE MOVES TO

THE NEXT GENERATION.

COMING UP, HOW THIS GARDENER OF THE SEA KEEPS ITS

CORAL HABITAT BLOOMING.

A LITTLE REEF DIVING 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.

DYLAN: RUNNING ALONG AUSTRALIA'S NORTHEASTERN SHORELINE IS

ONE OF THE WORLD'S NATURAL WONDERS.

THIS IS THE LARGEST CORAL REEF SYSTEM ON EARTH.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF.

STRETCHING FOR MORE THAN 1,200 MILES, IT'S THE LARGEST LIVING

STRUCTURE ON EARTH, SO BIG IT'S EVEN VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

WITH AROUND 9,000 SPECIES LIVING HERE, EVERY CREATURE PLAYS A

ROLE IN THE FUNCTION OF THIS DIVERSE HABITAT.

THAT INCLUDES THE ONLY TURTLE IN THE OCEAN

THAT SURVIVES COMPLETELY ON PLANTS AS AN ADULT.

THIS GREEN TURTLE IS YOUNG, BUT SHE'LL GROW UP TO BE

ONE OF THE BIGGEST TURTLES ON THE PLANET, ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE

WORLD'S OCEANS.

FOR NOW, THE CORAL REEF IS HER HOME.

AND THIS THRIVING SEA GARDEN IS IN HER CARE.

GRAZING ON THE SEA FLOOR, SHE HELPS CONTROL

THE GROWTH OF ALGAE.

SHE'LL EAT ONLY THE TOPS OF THE PLANTS AND LEAVE THE ROOTS.

THIS ALLOWS THE CORAL TO ACCESS MORE SUNLIGHT FOR

PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PROMOTING ITS GROWTH.

AUSTRALIA'S GREAT BARRIER REEF SUPPORTS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF

GREEN TURTLES.

BUT THERE ARE ALSO MORE THAN 80 SPECIES OF SHARKS LIVING

HERE — MOST OF WHICH HUNT AT NIGHT.

SHE MUST HIDE BEFORE IT GETS DARK.

WITH SO MANY TURTLES SHARING THE REEF, SHELTER IS AT A PREMIUM.

THIS TIME SHE'S IN LUCK — A FREE CORAL HIDEOUT.

BUT ANOTHER TURTLE IS CLAIMING THIS SAFE HAVEN, SO SHE'LL NEED

TO FIND NEW ACCOMMODATIONS - AND FAST.

AS THE SUN BEGINS TO SET, EVERY HIDING SPOT IS TAKEN.

FINALLY, SHE FINDS ONE.

AND THERE'S ANOTHER CHALLENGER.

BUT THIS TIME, THE YOUNG GREEN TURTLE HOLDS HER OWN.

STAYING HIDDEN IS VITAL TO SURVIVING THE NIGHT HERE IN THE

GREAT BARRIER REEF.

BIOLOGISTS SAY THAT COLD-BLOODED REPTILES EVOLVED INTO

WARM-BLOODED AVIAN DINOSAURS ABOUT 150 MILLION YEARS AGO.

TODAY, THEY'RE BETTER KNOWN AS BIRDS.

SO WHO KNOWS WHAT FASCINATING CREATURES LIE AHEAD

IN OUR FUTURE.

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON EARTH ODYSSEY.