All language subtitles for 4E277A92C54CA4F41DB007DEF1F5C62D_eng

On Argentina's eastern coast, a vast,
parched desert collides with a brutal ocean.

Here, nature truly shows its teeth.

Some of the planet's most iconic species
battle the elements...

and each other.

Adapting to survive.

Producing some of the greatest shows on
Earth.

On this wild and extreme coast of
Patagonia.

Stretching over 3,000 kilometers.

From Bolivia to Cape Horn.

Argentina is South America's second
largest country.

And it's also a land of extremes.

From lush rainforests.

To parched deserts.

Giant wetlands.

To the towering peaks of the Andes.

This variety of habitats...
support a vast array of wildlife.

Making it one of the most biodiverse
countries on the planet.

But its most spectacular animals lie here.

In the remote and wild region of
Patagonia.

On the isolated beach of Punta Loma.

A large colony of sea lions are
basking... in Patagonia's summer sunshine.

This coast is home to around 100,000
southern sea lions.

One of the largest populations in South
America.

Sea lions sometimes travel hundreds of
kilometers from the coast...

in search of food.

But this colony live here all year round.

Playing and feeding in Patagonia's rich,
shallow waters.

Within the colony are smaller groups.

Each made up of multiple females.

Dominated by a single male.

Up to three times their size.

Unlike seals.

They can't hunt or walk.

Seal lions can walk on their flippers.

But these colonies are so crowded.

Finding a clear path can be difficult.

The sea lions are the only species in the
Middle East.

They not only protect their territory with
force...

but also surround it with a large ocean.

The

males protect their territory with force.

They are out to find their wildebeests.

And during the mating season, fights can
be brutal.

And so usually, younger males live
elsewhere, in bachelor groups.

But this one has decided to try his luck.

Venturing towards the females, while
the bigger bulls have their backs turned.

But he doesn't make it far.

Maybe one day, he'll be big enough to
fight back.

But for now, he wisely backs off.

But it isn't just the bulls the sea lions
need to be wary of.

There are much bigger carnivores lurking
in these waters.

Orcas.

Killer whales have
developed some of the most

sophisticated hunting techniques
seen among marine mammals.

Often working together to capture prey.

They are the only cetacean
to routinely hunt marine

mammals, and are even
capable of killing other whales.

Here in Patagonia, seal pups and young sea
lions are their staple diet.

But the smaller, more
agile sea lions can

easily outmaneuver a
killer whale in the water.

So catching one requires a savage,
but risky hunting technique.

Ambushing the sea lions on land.

This

Patagonian shoreline is one of only two
places in the world where killer whales

regularly strand themselves to catch their
prey.

But get it wrong, and the whales will be
unable to wriggle back into the water.

Slowly dying as their bodies collapse
under their own immense weight.

So today, these adults
are here to teach their

young orcas the dangerous
hunting technique.

Here in Peninsula Valdez,
at low tide, this colony of

sea lions are protected by
shallow reefs and sandbars.

Frolicking at the water's edge, the
sea lions appear to be taunting the orcas.

Enjoying the protection of the bay.

But these waters aren't as safe as they
seem.

These lethal predators are called killer
whales for good reason.

They know this beach has a huge tidal
range.

And as it changes, the South Atlantic
quickly floods a hidden channel.

Allowing the orcas to swim in.

Here in Patagonia, during
the breeding season, these

beaches are littered with
newborn sea lion pups.

It's a rich but risky food source.

So the adult whales spend
time training their young how

to purposely beach themselves
without becoming stranded.

Even when there are no pups around.

First, the adults demonstrate how to get
close to the orcas.

To be close enough to catch a seal pup.

To beach two thirds of their body.

Then, using the next wave to wriggle back
into deeper water.

They then force the young orcas to beach
themselves.

Teaching these skills demonstrates
extremely high intelligence.

And illustrates why killer whales are the
ocean's top predator.

With the sea lion pup season months away.

The elephant seals basking at the water's
edge appear to believe they aren't at risk.

But today, the orcas have changed the
rules.

Launching a surprise attack.

Propelling itself onto the shore.

This adult orca takes a large seal.

Hauling it back into the water.

It would be enough to feed the whole pod.

But he doesn't kill it.

Instead, the orca delicately carries the
seal to the center of the bay.

Then...

Surprisingly...

He lets it go.

The injured seal heads for shore.

But then the orca's terrifying game
begins.

The injured seal is caught and released.

Over and over again.

Each time the seal believes it has a
chance of escape.

The pod corral it back to deeper water.

And once it's been exhausted by the
adults...

The youngest orca is now trained on how to
strike its prey in the water.

The seal's torture continues for hours.

Before finally being put out of its
misery.

But as the sun sets...

The lagoon is emptying fast.

And the pod must now retreat to the ocean.

Or risk becoming stranded on the sand.

Now, against the clock... The adult
shepherds her pod over the sandbar.

Right past the onlooking sea lions.

For now... This lagoon offers
them a safe harbour once more.

Patagonia's rugged coastline...

Carves its way over sixteen hundred
kilometres from north to south.

But one twelve kilometre stretch of its
sandstone cliffs...

Is home to the largest parrot
population... Anywhere on earth.

More than seventy thousand...
Patagonian conures...

Make their nests in these sheer cliffs.

Parrots are more usually associated...
With South America's dense forests.

But in this coastal habitat... A unique
adaptation... Has allowed them to thrive.

After squabbling...
Over prime position...

These birds...
Burrow their way...

Up to four metres into the sandstone...
Using their tough beaks... Just like an axe.

These burrows protect their eggs...

Allowing more young to survive.

But they also use their
beak... For preening.

Vital for removing the inevitable parasites...
From living in such a huge colony.

And the enormous numbers of
birds... Nesting in these cliffs...

Also has a direct
effect... On the landscape.

The thousands of nests here...
Destabilise the soft rock of the cliffs...

And leave them exposed... To much faster
erosion... By Patagonia's wind and waves.

But Patagonia's coastal terrain... Has
been shaped by many natural forces.

And one exerts its power...
From over 1500 kilometres away.

The western coast of this
remote wilderness... Is flanked...

By the world's longest mountain range.

Rising steeply from the Pacific...

The Andes force air upwards...
Draining all moisture from the skies...

On their western slopes.

Leaving a parched,
desiccated desert... To the east.

This arid land... Stretches all the
way... To Argentina's eastern coast.

Where it is battered... By
some of the world's largest...

And some of the most
powerful... Seas on Earth.

Fueled by strong
winds... And huge storms...

The southern Atlantic... Bombards these
cliffs... With waves... Over 12 metres high.

Carving out a landscape...
Unlike anywhere else on Earth.

But despite such extreme conditions...

This is one of nature's...
Richest ecosystems.

Both on land...

And in the sea.

The waters of southern Patagonia...

And its surrounding islands...

Are home to almost 2 million...
Southern rockhopper penguins.

That brave these tumultuous
waves... Every day...

To get back to dry land.

But survival...
Surviving this battering...

Is the easy part.

Now they need to climb hundreds of
metres...

To the safety... Of
their clifftop nests.

But a potentially deadly obstacle...

Lies in their path.

A colony... Of fur seals.

Seals are one of the penguins' main
predators.

And hundreds now stand... Between
these birds... And the hungry chicks...

Waiting at the top of the cliff.

The seal's teeth...

Can quickly dispatch a rockhopper.

But not today.

For some reason this seal colony...

Have accepted these penguins.

Letting them pass through peacefully.

On their way to their nests.

Sometimes however...
The penguins push their luck.

Luckily he gets away with it.

But another obstacle now lies ahead.

The 100 metre long... A
little pause... and we are back.

A little pause... and we are back.

Full of fish from their
hunting exploits, the

rockhoppers must also
navigate two-metre-high grass.

All the way back to their colony.

Battling through the crowd, he first
reacquaints himself with his mate,

then feeds his single surviving chick.

Rockhoppers, Rockhoppers, they lay two
eggs.

But like in almost every nest,
the first smaller egg failed to hatch.

In such a battle for space, there often
isn't enough to go round.

Starvation isn't the only threat to the
chicks up here on the cliffs.

Weaker birds will often be taken by
Patagonia's aerial predators.

But they're not the only predators.

They're also predators that lurk on the
edge of its penguin colonies.

In an amazing display of natural instinct,
thousands of pregnant elephant seals

arrive on the Argentinian coast, just
days before they're due to give birth.

This female has spent an 11-month
gestation at sea,

feeding several thousand kilometers away.

And she needed to build up her energy.

She will not feed for the duration of the
breeding season.

As she gives birth, gulls lurk menacingly.

I'm ready.

On her feet.

On her feet.

On her feet.

But it isn't the pup they're after.

It's the placenta.

This newborn pup weighs 40 kilos.

It will be nursed by its
mother for around 23 days,

gaining almost 7 kilos every
day from the fat-rich milk.

And they need to grow fast.

Their mothers will desert them when they
are less than a month old.

But it's little wonder they want to leave.

Having just given birth, the breeding
season is a brutal time for the females.

These are some of the most sexually
dimorphic mammals.

The largest males can weigh up to 10 times
as much as females,

making them impossible to fight off.

Only the dominant male is allowed to breed
in his domain.

And once he's successfully mated with all
the females, the sexually mature females,

the beach master bull decides it's time to
leave.

But the females must remain until their
pups are fully weaned, opening a short

window of opportunity for other males
hoping to reproduce.

This sub-adult is searching for any
females that haven't already mated.

But in his desperation, he is targeting
very young, immature seals.

This tiny seal won't be ready to produce
her own pups for another few years.

And even this less dominant male is ten
times her size.

And all the other females can do is watch.

But despite his size, she can't outrun
him.

And no matter how many
times she tries to escape,

he doesn't want to let
this opportunity slip away.

The biggest males are so dominant...

...that less than 10% of them...

...of male elephant seals will
successfully mate in their lifetime.

Using his sheer weight and powerful
bite...

...he repeatedly attempts to mate with
this young female.

But he's inexperienced and she isn't
receptive.

Now battered and bleeding... ...the
young seal is becoming exhausted.

But after yet another failed attempt...

...she spots her chance and makes a dash
for the water.

And as the older seals have already
learned...

...amongst the waves, she'll have more
chance of evading him.

And just in time...

...she makes it safely to the water.

And for this male... ...his
attempt to reproduce...

...drifts away.

The southern tip of Patagonia's coast.

This archipelago...

...is known as Tierra del Fuego...

...the Land of Fire.

But this entire region... ...was
actually carved... ...by ice.

At its southernmost point...
...Cape Horn... ...Antarctica...

...is just a thousand kilometers away.

And even in the height of summer...
...Tierra del Fuego's glaciers...

...continue to shape the landscape.

Around 9,000 years ago... ...the ocean
broke through the tip of this continent...

...completely isolating Tierra del
Fuego... ...from mainland Patagonia.

But despite the harsh climate...
...this close to the South Pole...

...the planet's most notorious
seabird... ...makes these cliffs its home.

With a wingspan of almost...
...two and a half meters...

...this black-browed albatross...
...will spend years at a time at sea.

But has returned here...
...for the breeding season.

Along with almost 200,000 others.

These birds are found on cliffs...
...right across the Southern Ocean.

Although often solitary when at sea...

...albatross pairs mate for life.

And like many penguins...

...their beak clattering... ...is
all part of their courtship ritual.

Reacquainting themselves...
...after spending the year...

...thousands of kilometers apart.

They usually return... ...to
the same nests each year.

Raising a single chick...

...in a solid pillar-like structure.

The chicks remain on their
nest... ...for around four months.

Being fed by the parents once a day...

...on regurgitated fish.

And these young birds...
...need to build their strength.

In just a few weeks...

...they will have one chance...

...to launch themselves...

...safely from these sheer cliffs.

And once they take flight...

...they won't return to land...

...for at least two years.

Late November...

...on the northern Patagonian coast.

And the thousands of Magellanic
penguins... ...are still in their burrows.

And for good reason.

Like most of the penguins here...
...this bird laid a clutch of two eggs...

...forty days ago.

They've been incubated... ...by
both adults... ...taking shifts...

...of around two weeks.

While the other bird...
...searches for food.

The first egg... ...is
now ready to hatch.

It's a slow process.

And the mother must keep
it warm... ...as it emerges.

The first chick... ...hatched...
...roughly two days before the other.

It is therefore larger...

...and better able to obtain
food... ...from the parents.

Once hatched...

...the young penguins...

...are brooded...

...for around a month.

There's only one
thing... ...on the menu.

Regurgitated fish.

Often the second chick...

...will die from starvation.

But this mother...

...is doing her best...

...to share equally.

At around four weeks
old... ...these chicks...

...will be left unattended...

...as both parents...
...head out to hunt.

But unless... ...there is an
overabundance... ...of fish...

...this smaller chick...

...will probably perish...

...before it ever gets a
chance... ...to leave the nest.

By February...
...in Patagonia...

...it's time for Magellanic... ...Penguin
chicks... ...to fend for themselves.

The adult penguins...
...have now molted...

...and are restless...
...to get back in the ocean.

Right now... ...algae blooms... ...big
enough... ...to be seen from space...

...are attracting billions...

...of fish... ...to Patagonia's...
...northern waters.

In turn... ...these shoals... ...attract
predators... ...from all directions.

But with so many predators...

...even this many fish...
...won't last forever.

The penguins... ...must move
now... ...if they are to follow...

...the shoals northward.

This could be the last time... ...these
penguins will touch... ...dry land...

...for six months.

And despite being... ...perfectly
adapted... ...to their life at sea...

...many will not return at all.

Patagonia's vast
array... ...of penguins...

...attract a predator...
...just as agile.

Sea lions.

In Patagonia... ...wherever
you find penguins...

...you will usually find...
...these deadly hunters.

On this island...
...just off the coast...

...this colony of Gentoo penguins...

...must enter the water...
...to feed their chicks.

And this sea lion knows it.

As they edge... ...towards the water...
...he attempts... ...to catch them on land.

He causes confusion...

...scattering the group.

But here... ...he is
slow... ...and clumsy.

But in the water...

...he'll be a deadly assassin.

So he decides...
...to lie in wait...

...knowing the penguins... ...must
eventually risk... ...entering the water.

Cautiously...

...they make their move.

These Gentoo's...

...are the fastest...
...swimming birds on earth.

But the sea lion... ...is
more than their equal.

There may be...
...safety in numbers...

...in the water.

...but the sea lion
works... ...to split the pack.

And this Gentoo...
...is now in his sights...

...and his fate...

...is sealed.

From the glaciers... ...of Tierra
del Fuego... ...to the arid... ...desert...

On the beaches of the north, Argentina's
Patagonian coast is a land of extremes.

Stretching over 1,600
kilometers, this remote and often

inhospitable corner of the
earth attracts millions of animals.

They must battle this region's harsh
conditions and each other in order to

survive and even thrive in this unique
habitat.