All language subtitles for F9A2E290DA22D28C29A2048C0499C680_eng

The Andes.

Stretching over 4,000 miles, this is the
longest mountain range in the world.

Over 100 summits eclipse the western edge
of Argentina.

With their highest peak reaching almost
23,000 feet, these are mountains of

extremes, creating winds of over 70 miles
per hour.

And casting a rain shadow hundreds of
miles wide.

Every creature and plant in their wake has
had to adapt or endure to survive.

Nature here has become highly specialized.

No animal is out of reach of the Andes.

From Tierra del Fuego in the south,
to Argentina's northern border,

at almost 12 times the
size of the UK, Argentina's

terrain is a varied
expanse of rich plains,

rolling plateaus, rugged mountains,
and rainforests.

Over 10,000 species
of animals and plants are

spread out across 18
different ecoregions.

Alongside neighboring Chile, Argentina is
the most southern country in the Americas,

and encompasses around 80% of the region
known as Patagonia.

To the west, the Andes dominate the
skyline.

And ancient glaciers still carve the
rugged landscape.

In the east, the low Patagonian
desert sweeps across the

country, before plunging
into the fierce Atlantic Ocean.

The peaks of over 45
mountains tower over Argentina

at icy heights over
and above 20,000 feet.

.

In these extreme mountains, survival is
all about skill and strength.

The Andes are a stronghold for an apex
predator.

Pumas.

These big cats are solitary creatures,
and with good reason.

This female needs at
least 30 square miles of

hunting territory to find
enough food to survive.

After jaguars, these are the biggest cats
in the Americas.

Males and females can weigh as much as
humans.

Here, these cats have no natural
predators.

Conditions on the mountains are one of
their biggest killers.

The pressure to hunt is on.

And their favorite food is on the move.

These strange-looking animals are
guanacos.

Ancient ancestors of llamas.

They thrive in the foothills of the Andes.

Around half a million live here.

These guanacos are nomads, constantly
roaming in search of food.

In their quest for a meal, they forage at
altitudes as high as 14,000 feet.

In Argentina, weather conditions can
change by the minute.

The stark beauty of this region is only
matched by its hostility.

But guanacos have evolved to counter what
the mountains throw at them.

A thick shaggy coat
protects them from the

biting cold and winds
up to 75 miles per hour.

Their blood is rich to help them cope with
life at altitude.

They have four times the number of red
blood cells found in human blood.

These creatures are perfectly adapted to
life at the mercy of the mountains.

It's November, the most prosperous month
in the guanaco's calendar.

Breeding season.

This mother has been pregnant for 11 and a
half months.

And with the first signs of rain, her
grazing is interrupted by her baby's arrival.

Baby guanacos are called chilencos.

She guards him as he tackles learning to
walk.

His first steps are clumsy.

But after just five minutes, he is up.

He has no choice.

Chilencos are vulnerable in these hills.

Only 30% make it to adulthood.

The puma has a home range of over 40
square miles.

The guanacos have wandered into her patch.

They are the most protein-rich prey
available.

She won't turn down an opportunity to
hunt.

Pumas make their kill with a combination
of stealth and strength.

She is an expert ambush hunter.

And possesses one of the strongest bites
in the animal kingdom.

But guanacos are not the only prey.

They aren't easy to catch.

They outstrip her on stamina.

Able to maintain speeds of almost 40 miles
per hour.

A chance of success relies on the element
of surprise.

She's missed her chance.

But all is not lost.

With night approaching, she'll try again
in the cover of darkness.

In freezing temperatures.

Travelling as far as 20 miles overnight.

To catch her prey off guard.

As the morning sun climbs the slopes of
the Andes.

The puma's victory is revealed.

Using her incredible eyesight.

She has made a kill during the night.

And the dawn finds her still feasting.

But she needs to keep a watchful eye for
company.

There are many others in these mountains.

Who could benefit from the guanaco's
protein rich meat.

Patagonian pumas have to make 50% more
kills.

Than their North American relatives.

To eat the same amount.

These cats have serious competition.

The mountains conceal countless
carnivores.

Who want their share.

Life is tough at these altitudes.

Most choose lower climbs.

With food so scarce.

The puma must eat as fast as she can.

And run before the scavengers arrive.

One carnivore.

Has an aerial advantage.

The

condors are the real masters of these
mountains.

They are amongst the largest flying birds
in the world.

This male has a wingspan of over 10 feet.

Perfect for effortless gliding.

He weighs 30 pounds.

As much as the average dog.

With such heft.

The condor capitalizes on the mountain's
strong winds.

And morning thermals.

Soaring to heights of 18,000 feet.

With minimal effort.

From his airborne vantage point.

He has spotted the puma's prize.

From several miles away.

But he's not the first to arrive.

An Argentine grey fox.

Is making the most of the free meal.

Andean condors are carrion feeders.

And opportunistic thieves.

With a sharp hooked beak.

And an insatiable appetite.

The condor makes light work of ripping
apart.

What remains of the dead guanaco.

Caracaras also arrive to take a share of
the bounty.

In just a few hours.

Nothing but bones will be left.

The harsh reality of life in the
mountains.

Does little to detract from their desolate
beauty.

This is a landscape.

30 million years in the making.

Beneath the South Pacific Ocean.

Lies the Nazca tectonic plate.

Millions of years ago.

It collided.

And was forced under the South American
plate.

Forcing the land above to buckle.

And rise.

Lifting an ancient seabed.

Far above the surface.

Over the course of 30 million years.

Creating some of the highest mountains.

And volcanoes.

In the world.

Changing the landscape of South America.

Forever.

Volcanic ash carried on the wind.

Cloaked and petrified the forests.

That once covered this land.

Leaving behind incredible stone monuments.

To the landscape of the past.

A reminder that Argentina.

Was once covered in rich green forests.

The Andes have rewritten the natural
history of Argentina.

Creators of this moon-like landscape.

In the high plateaus of the Andean
mountains.

At an altitude of around 11,000 feet.

Strange geometric shapes.

Criss-cross a wide white landscape.

Salines Grandes.

Is one of South America's biggest salt
pans.

Enjoy the!!

Literally translating as salt desert.

This is the remains of what was once an
ancient lake.

Trapped by the rising of the Andes.

The lake disappeared.

Over 10,000 years ago.

Today the wind continually strips the
surface of the lake bed.

Carrying tiny pieces of salt.

Far across the Patagonian step.

But not all salt pans are such vacant
wastelands.

Laguna Brava, or Brave Lake, lies just west
of Salinas Grandes at over 13,000 feet.

Like much of the Andes,
the volcanoes that surround

this salt pan are an
indication of its ancient origins.

It's still possible to find mud pools like
these high in the mountains.

Nearly 2,000 acres make up this salt pan
water mirror.

A shard of silver in a patchwork of
colour.

In spring, the dusty hues
of the desert are brought to

life with the arrival of a
flamboyant seasonal visitor.

Flamingos.

Thousands have descended on Laguna Brava.

Their pink colouration
comes from their diet of shrimp

and algae, which they
filter from the salty shallows.

They have migrated here from nearby
Bolivia and Chile.

The reason why soon becomes clear.

This dusty plateau, high in the mountains,
becomes a stage for a spectacular dance.

This is no frivolous footwork.

Flamingos use dance to find a partner.

If a female is impressed
with the male's moves, she

will leave with him and
they will mate for life.

The water here is too salty for most other
animals.

Most of the wildlife in the mountains
relies on using initiative.

The guanacos have followed water down the
mountain to a plateau lake.

With spring in full force, the herd swells
in numbers as the final chalengos are born.

Only two weeks after birth, the mothers
are ready to mate again.

Nearly all the offspring in this herd
share the same father.

But it's not an easy life for the dominant
male.

Younger, fitter males frequently challenge
his hierarchy.

And finding time to mate can be a
struggle.

He chases the young contender,
attempting to trip and injure.

This headlock is a test of strength.

Fighting can be vicious.

As each male tries to attack the other's
most prized possession.

Protecting one's assets during battle
isn't an easy task.

Finally,

the newcomer gives up.

He knows he won't always lose.

Order has been restored.

For now.

East of the Andes.

Stretching from the foothills is a barren
wasteland.

The Patagonian Steppe covers 260,000
square miles.

An area almost as large as Texas.

The mountains cast a rain shadow across
Argentina that can be seen from space.

As summer approaches,
the temperatures during

the day rise by 25
degrees in a matter of hours.

What little rain the plateau receives
through spring stops altogether.

The dry air that crests the mountains
becomes so cold at these heights that when

it meets the Andes' eastern flanks,
it rapidly falls.

As it follows the slopes down, the air
picks up speed due to compression changes.

Creating winds over 70 miles per hour.

Which hurtle down the Andes' slopes.

And spread out across Argentina's desert.

The seventh largest in the world.

Sandstone canyons are sculpted by the
winds.

And animals and plants
must do all they can to

protect themselves from
the extreme elements.

One peculiar creature has
found the best way to escape

the howling gales is to
make its home underground.

These strange rabbit-like animals are
members of the rodent family.

Patagonian Mara are closely related to
guinea pigs.

With short front legs and four sharp
claws, they are well adapted to digging.

It's the females who have dug this burrow
in the soft sandstone.

Here, babies from different families are
raised together in a communal nursery.

Protected from the elements as well as
predators.

Unusually for rodents, the Mara are active
during the day.

And spend most of their waking hours
either grazing or basking in the hot

Patagonian sun.

Mara parents are monogamous and a female
will only nurse her own offspring.

Using her keen sense of smell,
she's able to detect her own.

Impostors aren't tolerated.

With so many predators around,
it's important to have a lookout.

It doesn't take much to make them nervous.

With a single alarm call from a neighbour,
everyone races to safety.

The babies dive underground.

And the adults scatter.

In a very peculiar way.

This bizarre hopping allows the Mara to
travel surprisingly fast.

Almost 30 miles per hour.

Thankfully, it's a false alarm.

Maras aren't the only weird and wonderful
creatures on the steppe.

In this treeless landscape, even owls have
learned to live on the ground.

Like many of Patagonia's residents,
burrowing owls use underground nests to

protect their young from the cold,
sand-laden winds of the steppe.

The Mara's nest is a natural habitat.

But unlike the Mara, these owls don't
always excavate their own.

Instead, they'll use a burrow owned by
someone else.

And they won't give it up without a fight.

This is a steppe standoff.

Once they have procured
the burrow, the female lays

seven eggs, which she
will incubate for a month.

In summer, the chicks will make their
first foray outside the nest.

But until then, the winds of the steppe
are only just bearable.

Here in the Patagonian
steppe, every corner of

the compass offers
vast, uninterrupted views.

The creatures of the desert might be
unaware of the Andes.

But even this far east, Argentina's
landscape is defined by the mountains.

In the sand-blasted passageways
between hardy shrubs,

one enterprising animal is
at home in the wilderness.

The wild boars are the only animals in the
wild.

Everything about the large, hairy armadillo
is perfectly adapted for desert life.

Patagonia is the furthest southern limit
of this creature's range.

Like all armadillos, its head and body are
covered in protective, bony plates.

Long, coarse hairs also add a protective
layer.

This species is an accomplished digger.

Its powerful claws make light work of
burrowing.

And special membranes
in its nose allow it to

extract oxygen from the
soil without inhaling any.

Armadillos have poor
eyesight, but they make

up for it with a
fantastic sense of smell.

Unusually for an armadillo this far south,
conditions have created meat eaters.

This one capitalizes on an abandoned kill.

A hare's misfortune is a lucky break for
the armadillo.

Armadillos are usually omnivores.

Those that live closer to the equator
mainly eat insects and plants.

But here the large,
hairy armadillo has had to

find a way to cope with
the lack of resources.

The softest flesh is eaten first.

As the temperatures
climb in the midday sun,

the armadillo needs
to retreat underground.

Where his meal can be saved for later.

Even in the steppe's
smallest residence, the

mountains have been the
driving force for evolution.

Even though it has fully formed wings,
this dartling beetle cannot fly.

Over the course of thousands of years,
its wings have fused together.

It has no chance of taking flight in such
gusts.

The only way for this beetle to escape is
to fly.

To escape the fierce winds is to bury
himself until it's safe to come out again.

He's an expert excavator.

It's not just the animals here that have
had to adapt to the desert.

Plants have also evolved to cope in the
harsh conditions.

This agave plant is a succulent specially
adapted to storing water.

The leaves are coated
in a wax-like substance to

prevent water evaporating
through the surface.

And are shaped to allow the plant to
efficiently capture water from rain and dew.

The needles on this
plant defend it from

animals attempting to
get at its water supply.

They are so tough that ancient
civilizations used them as sewing needles.

Even the grasses of the steppe are hardy
survivors.

Blanketing Patagonia for millions of
years.

Every living creature
and plant in Patagonia's

desert is locked in
a battle with thirst.

One of Argentina's most
feared residents is well

adapted to the arid
conditions of the steppe.

This male tarantula gets most of his
liquids from his prey.

But at this time of year, his focus is on
more pressing matters.

He's on the hunt for a female.

He'll travel for weeks on end in his quest
for a female.

It isn't long before he finds a burrow
entrance with all the right signs.

Traces of her web outside the burrow
contain pheromones.

Chemical messages to alert passing males
of her presence.

He taps the ground to send a coded message
to the female tarantula inside.

He's checking if she's open to visitors.

If he gets this wrong
or the message is lost in

translation, she might
come out only to kill him.

But luckily, she's in the mood for
romance.

He strokes her legs gently but quickly in
order to subdue her.

Sending her into a paralysed trance.

Using small hooks on his front legs called
tibial spurs, he keeps her fangs away from

him in case she suddenly decides she'd rather
have the male as a snack than a suitor.

The male has specially adapted organs
called pedipalps which carry a small

pocket of spider silk, sprayed with his
sperm.

While the female is under
his spell, he quickly deposits

the packet of sperm into the
female's reproductive organs.

The female will remain in
her trance for another few

minutes, giving him enough
time to make it to safety.

Later, she'll use his sperm to fertilise
her eggs.

This female could have over 400 babies
this year.

For the male, it's time to hit the road
again and find the next burrow.

Some of the desert's residents are already
in the throes of parenthood.

But this is no doting mother.

In real relationships, it's the father who
does most of the work.

Two months ago, after mating and laying
her eggs, the female abandoned her

unhatched offspring and their father spent
40 days incubating the eggs.

These chicks all hatched within 36 hours
and have been on the run ever since.

They are now in their 30s.

Rhea are flightless birds, so they must
keep moving to avoid predators.

Staying close together and communicating
with whistles when one falls behind.

When fully grown, they run at speeds of
almost 40 miles per hour.

Their father is devoted.

For six months, he will stay with them,
guiding them across the steppe and showing

them how to forage for roots, seeds and
leaves.

It is an endlessly nomadic existence.

The Patagonian steppe stretches the entire
width of Argentina.

Over 800 miles east of the Andes, the desert
finally plunges into the South Atlantic.

Here, the animals of the steppe coexist
with visiting ocean voyagers.

Desert intermingles with sandy beaches.

Since their formation 30
million years ago, the Andes

have defined the landscape
of much of Argentina.

From the slopes to the sea, these
mountains dictate the climate.

Creators of the howling Patagonian winds.

Gatekeepers of the rain.

The extreme conditions of the
Andes have forced the animals and

plants of Argentina to evolve
and adapt in unimaginable ways.

Only at the coast
does their control abate

into the waves of the
fierce Atlantic Ocean.

Across Argentina, the steppe bears the
scars of the Andes rule.