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 AND WE'RE OFF ON A

COASTAL ADVENTURE TO MEET AMAZING ANIMALS.

THIS IS EARTH ODYSSEY.

COMING UP, SEAGULLS WITH A STRATEGY.

HOW MUSSEL BOMBING KEEPS CITY BIRDS FED.

AND DON'T MIND THE WATER, WE GO SWIMMING WITH THE OTTERS.

PLUS, SOME PLAYFUL DIVERS COME NOSING INTO SHORE.

AND THIS MYSTERIOUS UNDERSEA CREATURE KEEPS US GUESSING.

WATER WONDERS JUST AHEAD ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]

WE'RE FASCINATED BY THE WILD ANIMALS THAT SHARE OUR TOWNS AND

CITIES, BUT IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT THE ANIMALS ARE WATCHING US

TOO.

AND THAT INCLUDES SPOTTING THE BEST RESOURCES PEOPLE CAN

PROVIDE.

WE BEGIN WITH AN ATTENTIVE SEABIRD THAT HUNTS AND SCAVENGES

ON EVERY COAST AND CONTINENT IN THE WORLD.

IN PORTUGAL, THE CAPITAL CITY OF LISBON SITS ON THE BIGGEST

ESTUARY IN WESTERN EUROPE, THE TAGUS ESTUARY.

CITIES THIS BIG CAN SEEM LIKE A TOUGH PLACE FOR WILDLIFE TO

SURVIVE.

FOOD, ALTHOUGH ABUNDANT, CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET.

BUT FOR THE MOST ADAPTABLE ANIMALS, CITIES ARE AN

OPPORTUNITY.

ALONG THIS DOCK, ONE SHARP-EYED SPECIES HAS DEVELOPED AN

INCREDIBLE BEHAVIOR.

SEAGULLS ARE KNOWN TO BE FOND OF HUMAN LEFTOVERS, BUT THE GULLS

HERE ALSO LIKE NATURAL FOODS, LIKE MUSSELS.

THESE BIVALVE MOLLUSKS ARE COLLECTED BY PEOPLE AND THESE

VERY DETERMINED BIRDS.

MUSSELS HAVE A POWERFUL SHELL THAT PROTECTS THEM FROM THE

OUTSIDE WORLD.

THAT DEFENSE IS ALMOST IMPENETRABLE.

BUT THE BIRDS ARE DETERMINED TO BREAK THROUGH THAT NATURAL

BARRIER.

[QUIRKY MUSIC]

SEAGULLS DON'T HAVE A SPECIALIZED BILL ABLE TO CRACK

THE MUSSEL SHELL, SO THEY HAD TO FIND A BETTER SOLUTION.

THESE GULLS HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CITY

SURFACES LIKE CONCRETE.

THEY FLY OVER THE DOCK SEARCHING FOR THE BEST DROP ZONE.

AND THEN THEY LET GRAVITY DO THE WORK.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

MUSSEL BOMBING IS AN EXAMPLE OF TOOL USE.

OF COURSE, GETTING TO THE GOOD STUFF INSIDE ISN'T EASY.

THE SEAGULL KEEPS ON TRYING.

OVER AND OVER AGAIN, SHE DROPS THE MUSSEL TO THE GROUND.

FINALLY, SHE GETS THE RICHES INSIDE.

BUT OPPORTUNISTS ARE EVERYWHERE.

[SEAGULLS SQUAWKING]

IT'S A HIGH PROTEIN MEAL, DEFINITELY WELCOME AFTER ALL

THAT EFFORT.

THESE JUVENILE GULLS ARE WATCHING CAREFULLY, TRYING TO

LEARN THE TECHNIQUE.

ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES IT SEEMS EASIER TO JUST STEAL FROM

SOMEONE ELSE.

THESE TWO YOUNGSTERS ARE WORKING TO GET SOME SEAFOOD ON THEIR

OWN, WHICH CAN PROVE CHALLENGING.

THE EDGES OF THE RIVER ARE SURPRISINGLY SLIPPERY.

THE MUSSEL'S SHELL IS HELD TIGHTLY TOGETHER WITH STRONG,

PROTEIN-RICH THREADS, FORMING AN ADHESIVE.

AFTER A WHILE, THIS GULL GETS HIS PRIZE, BUT THE SLIPPERY WALL

IS A BOTHER.

NOW HE HAS TO PASS THE FINAL TEST.

HE EXECUTES EVERYTHING PERFECTLY.

BUT ANOTHER BIRD IS READY TOO.

[SEAGULLS SQUAWKING]

LUCKILY, THE MUSSEL WILL STILL BE THERE TOMORROW.

AND SO WILL THESE REMARKABLE FLIERS, READY WITH A PLAN.

COMING UP, THESE UNDERWATER ACROBATS ARE ON A MISSION TO GO

FISHING.

PLUS, WHAT'S BEHIND A DOLPHIN'S FOREVER SMILE?

AND WE DIVE INTO AN UNDERSEA PARADISE FILLED WITH COLORFUL

CHARACTERS AND JUMBO TRAVELERS.

MORE 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.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: THESE MOUNTAINS ARE THE BIRTHPLACE OF SOME OF THE

BIGGEST RIVERS IN THE COUNTRY.

NOURISHED BY A NEAR CONSTANT SOURCE OF WATER, THE RIVER

BEGINS ITS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY HERE AT AN ALTITUDE OF

6,000 FEET.

IT STARTS SLOWLY AS A SMALL STREAM, BUT GRAVITY TAKES OVER

ON THE WAY DOWN.

[ADVENTUROUS MUSIC, WATER TRICKLING]

IN THE UPPER REACHES, MOUNTAIN STREAMS ARE FULL OF STRENGTH.

ALL OF THIS WATER JOINS TO FORM RIVERS, BUILDING IN POWER TO

CREATE RAPIDS.

THE WATERS ARE RICH IN OXYGEN AND THE IDEAL PLACE FOR INSECTS

TO REPRODUCE.

IN SPRING, THEY FILL THE AIR WITH THEIR PRESENCE.

[WHIMSICAL MUSIC]

THIS ATTRACTS SPECIALIZED HUNTERS.

BEFORE THE INSECTS GET THEIR WINGS, THEY MUST COMPLETE THEIR

METAMORPHOSIS UNDERWATER.

FOR SOME, THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

A DIPPER.

THEY ARE CUNNING HUNTERS.

NOTHING ESCAPES THEIR EYES.

DIPPERS ARE PERFECTLY ADAPTED TO THESE TURBULENT WATERS WHERE

THEY ACTIVELY SEARCH FOR FOOD.

THEIR STREAMLINED BODY MAKE THEM EXCELLENT DIVERS.

THEY FEED MOSTLY ON INSECTS, LARVAE AND SMALL FISH.

THIS AQUATIC ROCKY WORLD IS THE DIPPER'S DOMAIN.

EVERY SPRING, THEY NEST IN NEARBY WATERFALLS, IN PLACES

INACCESSIBLE TO MOST ANIMALS.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC]

HIDDEN IN THE HOLE, THE CHICKS ARE STILL TOO SMALL TO LEAVE THE

NEST.

HERE, THEY ARE MORE PROTECTED FROM PREDATORS THAT ARE ALWAYS

LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY.

THE DIPPER MUST CONTINUE ITS SEARCH FOR FOOD TO BE SUCCESSFUL

IN RAISING ITS OFFSPRING.

THESE ROUGH WATERS ARE POPULATED BY MANY SPECIES OF FISH.

INCLUDING TROUT.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

THEY JOIN HERE TO FEED AND REPRODUCE.

THE SHALLOW, COLD WATERS ARE IDEAL FOR THE FIRST YEARS OF

THEIR OFFSPRING, BEFORE THEY START THEIR JOURNEY TOWARDS THE

SEA.

BUT THEIR PRESENCE ALSO ATTRACTS OTHER SPECIES.

FOR THE OTTER, THIS CAN BE A FEAST.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

BUT FIRST IT HAS TO CATCH THE FISH, WHICH MAY NOT BE EASY.

OTTERS ARE AMAZING ACROBATS.

THEY SEEM TO GLIDE EFFORTLESSLY UNDERWATER.

THEY CAN ONLY STAY SUBMERGED FOR AS MUCH AS EIGHT MINUTES,

SO THEY HAVE TO COME UP TO BREATHE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

FOR THE FISH, IT MIGHT BE A CHANCE TO ESCAPE.

BUT LIFE HERE CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT.

COMING UP, HIGH-SPEED DOLPHINS GIVE US A THRILL WHEN THEY COME

FISHING IN FRESH WATER.

AND THEY HAVE SUPERIOR BRAINS INSIDE SQUISHY BODIES.

HOW THESE INCREDIBLE ANIMALS SURVIVE 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: DOLPHINS ARE POWERFUL SWIMMERS, KNOWN TO TRAVEL GREAT

DISTANCES ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS.

BUT ONE SPECIES HAS FOUND FERTILE FEEDING GROUNDS ALONG

PORTUGAL'S COAST.

FOR DOLPHIN BIOLOGISTS AND EVERYDAY ADMIRERS, IT'S A GOLDEN

OPPORTUNITY TO SPOT THESE HUNTERS CLOSE TO THE SHORE.

[BRIGHT MUSIC]

AFTER A LONG JOURNEY FROM IBERIA'S HIGHLANDS, SOME RIVERS

FORM DELTAS AND ESTUARIES RIGHT BEFORE REACHING THEIR FINAL

DESTINATION.

WETLANDS ARE THE MOST PRODUCTIVE HABITATS ON THE PLANET.

TWO OF THE LARGEST ESTUARIES IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA ARE FOUND

HERE IN THE SOUTH OF PORTUGAL.

DESPITE THE STRONG HUMAN PRESENCE IN THE REGION, WILDLIFE

HAS ADAPTED AND THRIVED.

THESE ALLUVIAL PLAINS ARE INTERTIDAL ZONES WHERE THE

RHYTHM OF THE SEA SETS THE PACE OF LIFE.

HERE WE CAN FIND A VERY SPECIAL MAMMAL,

A GROUP OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS.

THIS PARTICULAR GROUP LIVES IN THESE WATERS BETWEEN THE RIVER

AND THE SEA.

[MUSIC CONTINUES, WATER SPLASHING]

IT'S THE ONLY GROUP THAT IS KNOWN TO DO IN THE ENTIRE

PENINSULA.

THEY ARE THE BRIGHTEST STARS OF THE ESTUARY.

THEIR PRESENCE CONTRIBUTES A LOT TO THE CONSERVATION OF THIS

PROTECTED AREA.

FARTHER TO THE NORTH, THE ESTUARY OF THE LONGEST RIVER ON

THE PENINSULA IS HOME TO AN ASTONISHING VARIETY OF BIRDS.

THE LAND HERE IS EXTREMELY FERTILE, AND HUMAN INTERVENTION

IS VERY INTENSE.

[ADVENTUROUS MUSIC]

THE BIRDS THAT LIVE HERE AND THOSE WHO ARE PASSING BY KNOW

THAT THESE EXPOSED SOILS ARE RICH IN LARVAE, INSECTS, AND

CRAYFISH.

SPOONBILLS, WITH THE HELP OF THEIR SPECIALIZED SPOON-SHAPED

BEAKS, ARE EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE HUNTERS.

FOR THEM, THIS IS A FEAST.

BUT AT THE MOMENT, FOOD IS NOT THEIR ONLY CONCERN.

IT'S EARLY SPRING, AND THE SPOONBILLS ARE STARTING TO THINK

ABOUT MATING.

THIS COUPLE WILL FORM A SOLID BOND, AND THEY WILL BUILD A NEST

TOGETHER TO CARE FOR THEIR SOON-TO-BE YOUNGSTERS.

BUT FOR THAT, THEY MUST FIRST FIND THE IDEAL LOCATION.

AND FARTHER UPSTREAM, THERE IS JUST THE PERFECT PLACE.

THIS SMALL ISLAND HAS BECOME A TRUE SANCTUARY, A BIRD HAVEN.

IT IS HOME TO HUNDREDS OF BIRDS OF MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES.

THERE ARE NO PREDATORS HERE.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE LACK OF SPACE.

THIS IS A CROWDED NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE SPOONBILL COUPLE MANAGES TO FIND A SPOT.

THERE WITH TWO HUNGRY CHICKS, THE COUPLE FEEDS THEM CONSTANTLY

BY TAKING TURNS.

EVEN SO, THE CHICKS NEVER SEEM TO BE SATISFIED.

AND THEY KEEP ASKING FOR MORE.

IT SEEMS THAT THIS STRATEGY DOES YIELD RESULTS.

SOME SPECIES LIVE HERE PERMANENTLY, WHILE OTHERS ARE

JUST PASSING THROUGH.

THIS ISLAND IS A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF THE EXPLOSION OF LIFE

ONE CAN FIND AROUND THE IBERIAN PENINSULA, WHERE NATURE SHOWS

ONCE AGAIN HER EXTRAORDINARY RESILIENCE.

COMING UP, THESE TURQUOISE WATERS LIE FARTHER NORTH

THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

WE EXPLORE A MAGICAL KELP FOREST 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: NEAR PORTUGAL'S CAPITAL LIES ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

SHORELINES ON THE IBERIAN PENINSULA.

[MAJESTIC MUSIC]

CHALK CLIFFS AND GREEN FORESTS MERGE WITH TURQUOISE WATERS.

IT'S AN UNUSUALLY CALM SPOT ON THE TUMULTUOUS ATLANTIC COAST.

KELP AND CORAL REEFS HERE ARE KEY TO SUSTAINING THIS UNUSUALLY

RICH ENVIRONMENT.

THE WATERS HERE ARE NURSERIES FOR MANY SPECIES OF FISH.

AQUATIC STORIES ARE WRITTEN EVERY DAY FROM THE MOMENT OF

BIRTH TO THE LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE.

GREAT SCHOOLS OF FISH CAN BE FOUND HERE ALL YEAR ROUND.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

PLANTS NORMALLY FOUND ON THE WARMER MEDITERRANEAN COASTS ALSO

GROW IN THIS PROTECTED BAY.

A CUTTLEFISH IS ON THE HUNT.

THIS IS AN AMBUSH PREDATOR.

DESPITE THEIR NAME, THE CUTTLEFISH AREN'T FISH.

THEY'RE MOLLUSKS CLOSELY RELATED TO OCTOPUS AND SQUID.

[CURIOUS MUSIC]

FOR THIS SPECIES, PATIENCE PAYS OFF.

THE CUTTLEFISH REMAINS PERFECTLY STILL.

A CLOUD OF SHRIMP IS APPROACHING.

THE UNSUSPECTING SHRIMP ARE ALL AROUND HIM AND THEY'RE RIPE FOR

THE PICKING.

THE SHRIMP RELY ON AN OLD STRATEGY: SAFETY IN NUMBERS.

BUT AGAINST SUCH A STEALTHY PREDATOR, THERE IS NOTHING THEY

CAN DO.

IT'S A LUCKY FEAST FOR THE CUTTLEFISH.

FARTHER OUT TO SEA, AN IMMENSE OCEAN TRAVELER HAS REACHED THE

ATLANTIC COAST.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

FOR MILLENNIA, GREAT OCEANIC CURRENTS HAVE BROUGHT ALL KINDS

OF WANDERERS TO THESE COASTS.

THEY COME HERE FOR THE PROMISE OF FOOD.

IN WARMER MONTHS AND WITH THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES

KRILL AND SQUID ARE PLENTIFUL.

IN FACT THERE'S ENOUGH FOOD HERE FOR THE LARGEST AMONG THE ANIMAL

KINGDOM.

WHALES.

THE IBERIAN WATERS WORK AS A HIGHWAY FOR SEVERAL SPECIES OF

WHALES, INCLUDING SPERM WHALES AND BLUE WHALES.

AFTER FEEDING HERE, THEY'LL CONTINUE THEIR LONG-DISTANCE

JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD'S OCEANS AND HOPEFULLY RETURN.

IT'S AMAZING HOW FISH, REPTILES, BIRDS AND MAMMALS

ALL NAVIGATE WILDLY DIFFERENT AQUATIC HABITATS.

THANKS FOR SHARING OUR WATER WORLD ADVENTURES TODAY.

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]