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In the heart of the Americas,
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where continents collide,
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there's a land full of natural riches.
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A land of towering giants...
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..scorching sands...
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..and secret rivers.
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Where great civilisations rose...
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..and fell.
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To succeed here takes passion and spirit.
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This is a country rich in colour and culture.
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A festival of life.
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This is Mexico.
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Just south of the American border is a little-known world...
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..Northern Mexico's prairie lands.
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These dry grasslands are home
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to one of Mexico's most sociable animals...
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..the black-tailed prairie dog.
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They live in extensive colonies comprised of dozens of families,
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each with a dominant male, several females
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and their offspring.
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In May, their six-week-old pups take their first steps above ground.
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Grasses and other prairie plants provide all the food
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and moisture these vegetarians need.
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But feeding in this open terrain
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comes with risks.
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Their burrows offer an escape from birds of prey
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and coyotes.
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But they're no protection
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from one of the prairie's most persistent hunters...
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..the bullsnake.
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This powerful constrictor could easily
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suffocate an adult prairie dog.
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PRAIRIE DOG SQUEAKS
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But it's pups he's after.
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And they are hiding somewhere in their burrow.
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PRAIRIE DOG SQUEALS
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Their father would be foolhardy to follow this predator underground.
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The snake's found nothing down this hole,
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so he's on to the next.
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To save his pups, their father must somehow drive the snake away.
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PRAIRE DOG CALLS
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He stands to warn others where the snake is.
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Repeated strikes may just drive it away.
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PRAIRIE DOG CALLS
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The snake concedes defeat.
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On the open prairies, there's safety in numbers
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in this prairie-dog town.
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Thanks to their father's bravery,
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the pups are safe again.
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Northern Mexico sits at a latitude
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where high atmospheric pressure dominates.
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A little rain ever falls.
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This is Mexico's driest region.
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Much of it is desert.
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It's the least populated, wildest corner of the country.
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Journey west and conditions only get hotter,
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drier and more challenging.
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But for those who overcome these conditions,
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there are rich rewards...
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..especially on Mexico's northern prairies.
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THUNDER
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Lying in the foothills of mountains,
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at an altitude of over 5,000 feet,
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these grasslands catch a little more rain than most of the north.
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Between June and September,
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monsoon storms roll in off the Caribbean,
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helping grass to grow.
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For the rest of the year, little, if any, rain falls.
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But even during drought, there is water here.
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Deep underground,
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great reservoirs are trapped in the porous limestone bedrock.
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These giant aquifers help support
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one of Mexico's most iconic ways of life.
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INDISTINCT SHOUTS
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HORSE WHINNIES
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This is cowboy country.
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With year-round water and plenty of pasture,
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these prairies are ideal for cattle ranching.
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For centuries, people like Servando Diaz Gomez
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have worked this land.
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Cowboys are rooted in American culture,
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but their true birthplace is here in the prairies of Northern Mexico.
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In the 16th century, the Spanish
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brought cattle and horses to the north,
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and trained locals to manage their herds.
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The vaquero, or cowboy, was born.
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But the dry conditions make ranching tough.
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These grasses are easily overgrazed.
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Over the last 100 years,
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farming and drought have damaged over half of the prairies.
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But Servando is one of a pioneering band
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trying to reverse this trend.
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Using electric fences,
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he confines his herd to small blocks of pasture.
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Every few hours, they're moved on to the next block.
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The grazed area is then left to recover.
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It's a practice that's having a big impact.
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This healthy pasture is helping Servando rear twice as many cattle.
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And wildlife is thriving.
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Well-managed prairies offer a rich diet of insects and seeds
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for up to three times as many grassland birds.
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And they provide food for one of Mexico's rarest creatures...
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..the aplomado falcon.
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They range as far south as Argentina,
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but Mexico's prairies are their northern limit,
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where only a handful survive.
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Like its relative, the peregrine,
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it specialises in aerial assault.
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The falcon is much faster in level flight.
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But its prey is far quicker on the turn.
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Only one in five pursuits ends in success.
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But aplomado falcons have a secret weapon...
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..breeding pairs hunt together.
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Their prey's only chance to escape is to hide.
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The falcons need to flush the bird out...
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..and two birds are better than one.
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Working together, these birds are twice as successful.
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And every catch is vital when you're raising a family.
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Conservationists have put up platforms
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to protect the precious chicks from ravens and owls.
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Precious because they are so rare.
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There are only five pairs here,
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and these are the only ones to successfully breed this year.
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But with conservationists and ranchers
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looking out for these spectacular birds,
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they've hopefully got a brighter future.
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Teamwork is important for many in Mexico's prairies.
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So, too, is bravery.
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Charros are traditionally dressed cowboys
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who compete in Mexico's official national sport...
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..the charreria.
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What was once a friendly competition between neighbours
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hundreds of years ago
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is now the ultimate display of cowboy bravado.
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Each team of charros is made up of specialists
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who perform nine different equestrian events across the day...
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..that showcase all the cattle handling,
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riding and roping skills used in cowboy life.
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The most dangerous is saved until last.
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Martin specialises in el paso de la muerte...
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..the pass of death.
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Galloping at full speed,
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he has to jump onto the back of a wild, untamed horse
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and hang on without reins.
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If he falls, he'll be trampled.
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Martin now risks everything to secure victory for his team.
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In the burning north, success favours the brave.
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Mexico's prairies run along the edge of great mountain ranges -
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the Western and Eastern Sierra Madres.
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Over 10,000 feet high,
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they intercept moist air coming from the Pacific Ocean
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and Gulf of Mexico.
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Beyond the prairies, the land is starved of rain...
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..creating one of the biggest deserts in North America.
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The Chihuahuan Desert.
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It covers an area larger than Britain...
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..and receives about half as much rain as the prairies.
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But in the heart of this desert
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is one of Mexico's greatest natural wonders...
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..the valley of Cuatro Cienegas.
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It may look barren...
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..but this valley hides an oasis.
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Here, aquifers break the surface,
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creating a water world.
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Most of these pools, known locally as pozas,
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are fed by thermal springs,
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where underground water is forced to the surface by geothermal heat.
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Millions of years ago,
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when this region was much wetter,
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ancient waterways brought fish into this valley.
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As the climate dried, the waters receded,
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and fish became isolated in pools,
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evolving into many new species.
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16 species live here,
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half of them found nowhere else on Earth.
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Including this one,
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a Cuatro Cienegas cichlid.
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This female has a family...
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..and she is the most devoted mother.
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Stirring up the sediment,
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she exposes tiny plankton for her fry to feed on.
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But the biggest challenge isn't feeding her babies,
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it's protecting them.
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Some cichlids have evolved into predators...
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..and in this small pool there are few places to hide.
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From dawn until dusk, she must defend her brood.
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She has no time to feed herself,
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and is getting weaker by the day.
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But it's worth it.
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Without her help, her young would never survive.
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When they're a centimetre long,
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they will fend for themselves.
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Until then, this mother must give her all.
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An astonishing diversity of life
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has evolved in this valley.
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It's home to more unique species
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than anywhere else on the North American continent.
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That's the exception to the norm.
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Most of this great desert is dominated
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by just a few hardy souls.
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And one plant copes better than most...
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..the creosote bush -
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so-called because it smells like wood preservative.
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Locals call it la gobernadora -
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the governess.
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And it governs for a very long time.
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One plant is known to have survived
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for over 11,000 years.
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It's brilliant at coping with drought.
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Tiny, resin-coated leaves
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drastically reduce water loss.
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And its shallow roots quickly soak up any moisture...
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..stopping anything growing in between.
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Creosote has truly conquered this desert.
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Its success has been exploited by a creature
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that's addicted to creosote...
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CHIRPING SOUNDS
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..the creosote bush grasshopper.
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It's one of the few animals that can stomach this plant.
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It's resinous leaves are indigestible to most animals,
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but this grasshopper eats nothing else.
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It's even evolved to look like this plant
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to avoid becoming food itself.
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Most of the bushes have their own resident male.
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GRASSHOPPERS CHIRP
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Their calls let other males know this bush is occupied.
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They're also very attractive to the opposite sex.
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This newly-arrived female is exactly what he's been waiting for.
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But they are not alone for long.
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Another male flies in.
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A female is worth fighting for.
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He must throw his rival out of his bush.
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Easier said than done with so many legs.
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Victory for the resident male.
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But he's just one of millions of battling grasshoppers
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in this endless expanse of creosote.
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GRASSHOPPERS CHIRP
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Hundreds of miles to the west,
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the vast Chihuahuan Desert meets great mountains.
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These high sierras catch more rain than the desert below,
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enabling forests to grow.
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Offering a refuge for a special plant
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with the hottest reputation.
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THEY SPEAK SPANISH
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Every autumn, Armida Elena Contreras Duron
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and her husband Eliazar head out to their mountain ranch
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to pick wild chillies called chiltepin.
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These plants might have a fiery nature,
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but they can be remarkably delicate.
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They don't like constant exposure to the desert sun.
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But this woodland provides enough shade for them to thrive.
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6,000 years ago, this wild plant started a food revolution
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when it was first domesticated here in Mexico.
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It's given rise to thousands of varieties of chillies worldwide.
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And with fruit 20 times hotter than jalapenos,
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it gives a spectacular kick to Armida's cuisine.
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And an awful lot of chillies.
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Every type of chilli has a unique flavour.
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Chiltepins are particularly cherished
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because they are arrebatado,
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meaning rapid, or violent.
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They're hot, but their heat subsides quickly, and that's addictive.
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To Armida and her family, it's part of their national identity.
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These mountain forests are one of the few places
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where wild chiltepin thrive.
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And because of our love of this spicy plant,
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its descendants have spread all around the world.
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In the foothills to the west,
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the sun has shaped another desert
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that couldn't look more different.
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Stretching over 100,000 square miles,
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the Sonoran Desert covers much of Northwest Mexico.
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And it's home to the most iconic desert plant of all...
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..the saguaro cactus.
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The Sonoran Desert is hotter and drier than the Chihuahuan.
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And one way to cope is to become gigantic.
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Towering up to 18 metres,
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saguaros can store great reserves of water.
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THUNDER
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During summer storms, a season's rain can fall in just a few hours.
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00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:16,000
The saguaro is built to take advantage of this.
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Its shallow roots stretch as wide as the cactus is tall,
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00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:25,200
and its split trunk allows it to expand like an accordion,
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00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,400
enabling the largest cacti
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00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,600
to absorb one tonne of water during one storm.
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00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:41,240
It's enough water to last for a year,
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00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:45,200
making saguaros the lifeblood of this desert.
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Even in a drought year, saguaros bloom.
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00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,320
They're a magnet for wildlife.
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00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:15,280
Almost every creature here relies on this plant,
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00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,080
and not just as a source of food and moisture.
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00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,160
Most of the older cacti are pockmarked with nest holes...
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00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,280
..excavated by Gila woodpeckers.
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But squatters often move in.
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00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:50,680
In this world of giants,
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it helps to be tiny.
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00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,920
Not much bigger than a sparrow,
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00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:03,880
ferruginous pygmy owls easily squeeze into woodpecker holes.
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00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,920
And this female has a family to feed.
300
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,720
Deep inside, chicks are safe.
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00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:27,160
And not just from predators.
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Outside is 40 degrees...
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00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:42,880
..but this plant's enormous stores of water
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00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,760
keep the interior up to eight degrees cooler
305
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:47,560
than the surroundings.
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00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,920
A vital refuge for a family of tiny owls
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00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:02,480
in the crippling heat of the day.
308
00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:20,280
At night, the daytime heat is lost to the heavens.
309
00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:33,680
With such clear skies and no light pollution,
310
00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:37,760
Northern Mexico is one of the best places on Earth
311
00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:39,760
to stargaze.
312
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:56,120
Under the cooler conditions, the desert comes alive.
313
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,160
Many animals switch to a night routine
314
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,120
to avoid the heat of the day.
315
00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:18,120
Including one of Mexico's most infamous residents.
316
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:24,560
The scorpion.
317
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:34,680
Mexico is home to the greatest diversity of scorpions on Earth
318
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,680
and the Sonoran Desert is a stronghold.
319
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:50,520
But even fearsome predators must tread carefully.
320
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,480
Others are listening in.
321
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:06,040
In the desert, you've got to grab any opportunity for a meal,
322
00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,080
no matter how dangerous.
323
00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:17,240
Pallid bats have become scorpion-hunting specialists.
324
00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:34,600
Their large ears are especially sensitive,
325
00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,240
capable of hearing the footsteps of their prey.
326
00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:50,000
As long as this scorpion stays still, it's safe.
327
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:57,640
But this bat has another way of increasing its chances.
328
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:06,960
It stalks its prey.
329
00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:21,440
The slightest flinch will give the scorpion away.
330
00:42:50,120 --> 00:42:52,920
Its sting is no defence.
331
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:56,160
Pallid bats are immune to scorpion venom.
332
00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:05,240
By learning how to hunt one of the desert's most common creatures,
333
00:43:05,240 --> 00:43:08,520
these bats have found a unique way to prosper
334
00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:10,360
in this difficult environment.
335
00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:16,040
It's a big meal, too,
336
00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,960
and a vital source of moisture in such a dry place.
337
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:41,080
On the western edge of the Sonoran Desert,
338
00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:44,800
daytime conditions couldn't be more extreme.
339
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:51,360
This is El Pinacate.
340
00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:55,720
A landscape with a violent past.
341
00:43:55,720 --> 00:44:01,080
Pitted with volcanic craters and extensive lava flows.
342
00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:08,560
Temperatures can reach 56 Celsius.
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00:44:10,240 --> 00:44:12,840
Years can pass without rain.
344
00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:22,320
In 1970, astronauts on the Apollo 14 mission
345
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:26,200
came here to test their lunar equipment...
346
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,960
..because the conditions have created a moonscape.
347
00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:50,120
This is Mexico's driest region.
348
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:01,040
All the more surprising as it borders the sea.
349
00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:14,880
The Sonoran Desert stretches for hundreds of miles along
350
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,560
Mexico's Pacific coast
351
00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:19,720
and the Gulf of California.
352
00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:27,320
These waters have helped shape this parched coastline.
353
00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:34,320
Fed by the cold Californian current,
354
00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:38,800
these seas produce cool and dry onshore winds,
355
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:40,880
starving the land of moisture.
356
00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:45,080
Clouds struggle to form...
357
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,640
..creating a coastal desert that extends far out to sea.
358
00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:11,520
In the most isolated corner of the Gulf of California
359
00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:13,520
is a true desert island.
360
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,480
Isla San Pedro Martir.
361
00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:33,920
Giant cardon cacti are one of the few things that can withstand
362
00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:36,280
the drought-ravaged conditions.
363
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:44,240
There's no fresh water...
364
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:48,520
..and few obvious opportunities for a meal.
365
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:58,040
But it's home to an especially resilient resident.
366
00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,440
The side-blotched lizard.
367
00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:11,920
Endemic to this island, it's ancestors became isolated on this
368
00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:15,200
barren outcrop seven million years ago.
369
00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:31,840
Being marooned would have been a death sentence for most creatures,
370
00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:36,720
but this stowaway has made a remarkable success of being stranded...
371
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,200
..because of a banquet found just offshore.
372
00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,920
The cold seas that created this desert island are some of
373
00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:06,640
the richest on earth.
374
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:15,040
Nutrient-rich waters are forced to the surface around islands like
375
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:17,800
Isla San Pedro Martir,
376
00:48:17,800 --> 00:48:20,760
fuelling an explosion of marine life.
377
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:45,800
In May, the island is transformed into one of the world's largest
378
00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:48,960
breeding colonies of this aptly-named bird...
379
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:52,160
..the blue-footed booby.
380
00:48:55,480 --> 00:48:59,600
It's the lifeline this lizard has been waiting months for.
381
00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:07,520
Raising a family is a messy affair.
382
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,840
Nests are littered with leftovers.
383
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,560
And this lizard has learned to eat fish.
384
00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:35,520
But to secure a meal, it has to be quick,
385
00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:37,680
there's an awful lot of competition.
386
00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:56,080
These birds have had an extraordinary impact on the lizards
387
00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:57,720
isolated on this island.
388
00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:07,640
With so few species to share this unusual bounty,
389
00:50:07,640 --> 00:50:10,480
they have completely overrun this place.
390
00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:28,920
This island has one of the world's highest densities of lizards...
391
00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:33,760
..over 30 times more than the Mexican mainland.
392
00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:42,040
They are the ultimate proof that even the most barren places
393
00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:43,560
can be bountiful.
394
00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:48,960
If you can find a way,
395
00:50:48,960 --> 00:50:53,120
you really can thrive in Mexico's burning north.
396
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,400
Mexico is blessed with an astonishing diversity of life.
397
00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:05,960
A country bursting with colour...
398
00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:11,280
..and the richest natural heritage...
399
00:51:14,720 --> 00:51:20,160
..with a spirit and vibrancy found nowhere else on Earth.
400
00:51:34,520 --> 00:51:36,160
In making this episode,
401
00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:39,440
the crew travelled to some of Mexico's remotest regions,
402
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:42,800
capturing remarkable animal behaviour in the wild.
403
00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:49,600
But there was one exception - pallid bats.
404
00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,600
They cover many miles of desert every night
405
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:55,240
hunting scorpions in the pitch-black -
406
00:51:55,240 --> 00:51:58,640
impossible to film under natural conditions.
407
00:52:00,080 --> 00:52:03,920
So the crew teamed up with bat scientist Winifred Frick,
408
00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:06,880
who studies how these bats feed in captivity.
409
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:12,240
With her help, they brought the desert into a special bat lab
410
00:52:12,240 --> 00:52:15,280
to hopefully film this rarely-seen behaviour.
411
00:52:18,840 --> 00:52:22,920
This makeshift lab on the Baja Peninsula may not be remote,
412
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:27,400
but it's still presents problems for cameraman Luke Barnett.
413
00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:31,600
It's dark, it's 40 degrees, stuff keeps not working
414
00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:35,920
and power supplies keep packing up, so it's going to be a challenge.
415
00:52:37,280 --> 00:52:40,400
While the finishing touches are put to the set,
416
00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:45,120
Winifred is looking after the stars of the show backstage.
417
00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:46,880
I just think they're beautiful.
418
00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:50,920
They've got these big ears, they have this...almost this little
419
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:54,200
piggy snout, they've just got a lot of character to their face.
420
00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:58,560
For her studies, Winifred catches wild bats
421
00:52:58,560 --> 00:53:01,680
which she releases a few weeks later.
422
00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:05,360
She feeds and weighs them every day to make sure they're healthy.
423
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:11,520
To understand their predatory behaviour for scorpions
424
00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:13,840
and understand... I mean, scorpions, they eat,
425
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:16,520
we have to bring them into the flight cage because
426
00:53:16,520 --> 00:53:18,000
you can't record that in the wild
427
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:20,120
because we don't know where a scorpion is going to be
428
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:21,840
and when the bat's going to hit it.
429
00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:28,400
To enter the bat's world, the crew switch to night shifts,
430
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:33,160
filming in complete darkness using infrared cameras.
431
00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:35,160
But will the bats perform?
432
00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:51,080
Well, it's been quite slow, really,
433
00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:54,240
cos the bats aren't used to the environment perhaps.
434
00:53:54,240 --> 00:53:56,560
And the bats are somewhere in the corner.
435
00:53:56,560 --> 00:53:57,800
I think they're all huddling.
436
00:53:57,800 --> 00:54:00,720
They've got a better idea, they've gone to sleep.
437
00:54:00,720 --> 00:54:04,920
Yeah, midnight and we're all a bit tired and a bit hot.
438
00:54:09,720 --> 00:54:12,040
It ends up being an exhausting
439
00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:16,480
and fruitless first evening for them all.
440
00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:20,680
And a quiet few hours soon turns into a quiet few nights.
441
00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:26,480
Without knowing when a bat might strike,
442
00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:29,360
Luke and the team must stay alert.
443
00:54:30,520 --> 00:54:35,520
Easier said than done when working all night in 40-degree heat.
444
00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:38,160
- We're losing you.
- I know.
445
00:54:40,040 --> 00:54:43,320
The bats are resting. The bat biologist is resting.
446
00:54:43,320 --> 00:54:47,800
Must be the worst bit about being a bat biologist, not falling asleep.
447
00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:50,120
- You find it hard?
- Yeah.
448
00:54:50,120 --> 00:54:52,440
Well, it's funny, I'm actually not a night person.
449
00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:55,080
So my joke is I'm the world's worst bat biologist
450
00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:57,360
cos I'm also claustrophobic.
451
00:54:57,360 --> 00:55:00,760
- So not a night person, I don't like to go into caves.
- Brilliant.
452
00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:08,520
It's now just come up to six o'clock in the morning
453
00:55:08,520 --> 00:55:12,080
and we started about five with great expectations.
454
00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:13,960
A few came down and circled around,
455
00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:17,800
but there wasn't a lot going on, so it's very disappointing.
456
00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:23,320
The bats never go hungry as Winifred feeds them every day.
457
00:55:23,320 --> 00:55:27,640
But after five frustrating nights, the team needs to rethink.
458
00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:30,240
A raised set makes filming more manageable,
459
00:55:30,240 --> 00:55:32,720
but Winifred thinks this is the problem.
460
00:55:32,720 --> 00:55:34,320
We may have to accommodate them,
461
00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:37,200
rather than hoping that they're going to accommodate us.
462
00:55:37,200 --> 00:55:39,480
I think make it work with the cameras and everything,
463
00:55:39,480 --> 00:55:42,040
trying to get the set down on to the ground level
464
00:55:42,040 --> 00:55:44,440
- will be the next thing to try.
- Sure.
465
00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:53,400
We've had to lower the set,
466
00:55:53,400 --> 00:55:56,680
so hopefully now the bats will fly around much more over the top.
467
00:55:56,680 --> 00:55:59,600
It's not been a job that we really wanted to do
468
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:03,000
cos all we want to do is have a cold shower and sleep, so...
469
00:56:04,840 --> 00:56:07,760
Yeah, another night coming up.
470
00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:14,480
With a more bat-friendly filming set, there's renewed hope.
471
00:56:14,480 --> 00:56:15,880
This looks awesome, you guys.
472
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:19,000
This looks like exactly where they'd be hunting out in the wild
473
00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:20,480
and getting it down on the floor.
474
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:24,600
I think it's going to be really key. So I feel pumped. This looks good.
475
00:56:27,160 --> 00:56:29,680
As the bats start to stretch their wings,
476
00:56:29,680 --> 00:56:32,360
they're already showing a lot more interest.
477
00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:37,520
And Luke manages to get some great flying shots of these bats
478
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:38,840
in hunting mode.
479
00:56:47,880 --> 00:56:49,560
It was much better today,
480
00:56:49,560 --> 00:56:53,800
we lowered the set to the floor and it seemed to make a big difference,
481
00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:56,200
the bats are flying right over the set for a change,
482
00:56:56,200 --> 00:56:59,120
rather than around the outside, low to the ground, so...
483
00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:01,360
we're all feeling a bit more excited.
484
00:57:04,520 --> 00:57:07,560
But Luke still hasn't managed to film the key shot
485
00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:09,360
of a bat catching a scorpion.
486
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:14,360
As wildlife cameramen know only too well,
487
00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:17,680
capturing behaviour takes patience.
488
00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:20,440
With only a couple of days of filming left,
489
00:57:20,440 --> 00:57:22,480
the bats finally settle in.
490
00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:32,520
- Look at that.
- Oh, look at that. He's moved back.
- Oh!
491
00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:37,200
I can't believe... He's just gone again. We just got a shot.
492
00:57:37,200 --> 00:57:39,240
That is such a relief.
493
00:57:39,240 --> 00:57:40,680
That makes...
494
00:57:40,680 --> 00:57:43,640
That makes me happy because it means that at last we've actually got
495
00:57:43,640 --> 00:57:45,800
what is looking like a sequence.
496
00:57:45,800 --> 00:57:49,000
Without that moment of capture, we'd have nothing.
497
00:57:51,360 --> 00:57:55,840
And there's behaviour that Winifred has never seen before.
498
00:57:55,840 --> 00:57:58,200
When it comes in, it cups it straightaway.
499
00:57:58,200 --> 00:57:59,840
Yeah.
500
00:57:59,840 --> 00:58:02,720
Yeah, look, she just makes that awesome tent with her wings
501
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:04,560
and her tail.
502
00:58:04,560 --> 00:58:06,720
And the only way out is teeth.
503
00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:11,000
We just never get to see this in the wild.
504
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:12,480
This is amazing.
505
00:58:12,480 --> 00:58:14,640
Oh, that is beautiful.
506
00:58:17,680 --> 00:58:19,240
- Off she goes.
- Yeah.
507
00:58:21,240 --> 00:58:25,080
It's time to take the bats back to their wild desert home.
508
00:58:28,600 --> 00:58:30,120
There... She's off.
509
00:58:31,200 --> 00:58:33,400
It's been a unique glimpse into
510
00:58:33,400 --> 00:58:36,840
the life of one of Mexico's most secretive animals.
38623
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