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Australia...
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an island continent
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cast adrift
during the time of the dinosaurs.
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Isolated from the rest of life on land
for millions of years,
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the animals cast away here
are today like none elsewhere.
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This is a land of survivors.
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The jungles of northern Australia...
the oldest on our planet.
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Unchanged for 180 million years.
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The animals and plants here are armed...
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...built to live alongside dinosaurs.
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Now there is just one giant left.
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With claws longer than a velociraptor-
and nearly two metres tall...
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...the cassowary rules this forest.
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But the key to its success
is not its stature...
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...it's the male's abilities as a parent.
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This one's chicks are six weeks old,
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and he will raise them by himself.
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Every morsel of food is valuable
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if his chicks are to grow up
tall and strong.
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But in this forest,
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most of the fruit
is too big for the chicks.
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It must be cut up for them.
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There is food to be gathered
throughout their territory...
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...but it's not easy to find.
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He shows them how to cross water.
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But when your legs are only 20 cm long,
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a stream like this is very deep.
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One takes the plunge...
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...but for the other,
this is too daunting.
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He turns and goes back the way he came.
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Out of sight and without
his father's protection,
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he's vulnerable.
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Only half of cassowary chicks
make it to adulthood...
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...and for very good reason.
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Australia's prehistoric forests
are still full of predators.
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Many manage to survive here
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by eating almost anything
that's smaller than they are.
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He needs to find his father...
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...and quickly.
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The male hears his cries and answers...
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...using a special call that carries well
through the thick forest.
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And then a glimpse of some reassuring
bright colours.
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Their bonds are stronger than their fears.
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The male will guide and protect his chicks
for another eight months
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before he mates again.
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Australia was once part of
the vast super continent of Gondwanaland...
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...covered in forest and full of life.
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Dinosaurs dominated.
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Mammals had only just appeared.
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Then Australia began to break away.
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Cast adrift on this new island were
reptiles, birds and early mammals
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that then evolved in isolation
from the rest of the world.
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None could now leave this giant island,
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and very few could get here...
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...unless they could fly.
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A little red flying fox.
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Their ancestors flew here,
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travelling-along the chain
of volcanic islands
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that links Asia to Australia.
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00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:09,530
But their huge wings, which stretch
from their fingers to their toes,
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make it difficult for them
to walk or take off from the ground,
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so, when they want to rest,
they hang upside down in trees.
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But the bats have to drink every day.
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And they do so on the wing.
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They swoop just low enough
to wet their bellies
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and then, back in their roosts,
they will suck out the water.
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Each evening, 10,000 of them come here.
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Not all of them return.
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Every two metres of river, there is...
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...a crocodile.
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They were here long before the bats...
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...survivors from
Australia's prehistoric past.
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These dramas have been taking place
for millions of years...
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00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,288
...aerial agility...
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00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:45,681
...versus patience...
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...and deadly speed.
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00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:12,249
Australia's forests are hostile places
in which to make your home.
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00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,528
As you move inland,
the forest thins, the air cools
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and the land, as it gets higher,
changes dramatically.
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00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:44,967
The Great Dividing Range,
2,000 metres above the jungle.
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To survive here, you must be able to
tolerate really harsh conditions.
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00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:11,442
Kangaroos, like nearly all
of the continent's native mammals,
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are marsupials...
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...mammals that rear their young
usually in a pouch on the mother's belly.
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00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,485
And the young up here
certainly need such shelter.
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00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:43,242
No kangaroos can survive for long
higher than this.
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00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:06,205
But there is an even tougher marsupial
up here.
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A wombat.
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00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,485
She usually shelters underground
in a burrow,
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00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,922
but now that is under a meter... of snow,
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00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,771
together with all the grass
on which she lives.
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She weighs as much a big dog
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and has the legs of a small one...
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not ideal for deep snow.
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Fragments of bark hardly count
even as a snack...
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...and she's hungry.
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She needs grass.
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00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,524
But it's over a mile away,
across a frozen river.
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00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,491
Wombats might not be fast,
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00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:27,568
but then they don't need to be up here.
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00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,921
They can survive on next to nothing.
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A few mouthfuls will be enough food
for over a week.
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00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,768
And there's not much competition for it
in this small corner of the continent.
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Snowy peaks are hardly typical
of Australia,
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but the Great Dividing Range is a remnant
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of what were once some of
the longest mountain chains on Earth.
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They connected Australia and Antarctica.
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00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,447
But then these sister continents
broke apart.
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00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:24,202
Antarctica, drifting southwards,
became locked in ice.
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00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:28,166
Australia drifted northwards
towards the equator
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and became hotter and drier.
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Woodlands developed,
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and in places where rainfall was low...
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open grasslands.
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On these grassy plains,
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animals had the space to thrive.
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These are also eastern Grey kangaroos,
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and this is their true home.
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Here, they are well fed and powerful.
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Adults can stand over two metres tall
and travel as fast as a racehorse.
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00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:21,444
And on these open plains,
you need speed...
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00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:28,011
...because where there are large herds,
there will be predators.
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Dingoes... descendants of wolves
that were brought here
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over 4,000 years ago
by human visitors from Asia.
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00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,367
This pack is led by a white female...
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...and they are hunting.
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Creating panic tests the herd.
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00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,131
Mothers with young in their pouches
might be slower...
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...but they can still outrun a dingo.
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Maybe an ambush will work.
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00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:18,047
But even young, newly independent
kangaroos seem uncatchable-.
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00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,769
Across these open, flat plains,
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the dingoes are just not fast enough.
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00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:38,120
But what makes the white female
their leader is her stamina
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and, particularly, her intelligence.
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She has run 18 miles today,
but she still doesn't give up.
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00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:55,763
A different group of kangaroos,
this time on uneven ground.
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It's what she's been looking for.
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00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:12,567
Driving them uphill,
she's struggling to keep up with them.
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00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:35,209
And as they hurtle down the other side,
the kangaroos pick up speed.
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00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,884
They will easily outpace her,
if they stay in control.
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00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:27,604
The white dingo has more than one reason
to be so relentless.
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She's a mother.
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This is a rare sight.
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Dingo pups are hardly ever seen.
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00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,127
With so much effort for just one meal,
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the open plains are tough places
on which to raise young.
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These are gumtrees.
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00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,122
They have leaves
that are poisonous to most animals.
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00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:12,969
But not the koala.
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They eat almost nothing else.
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00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,366
There are echidnas-in these forests, too...
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mammals that don't even have pouches
but lay eggs, like reptiles.
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00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:38,568
And there is an assassin here
that has only recently been discovered.
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Jotus jumping spider.
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00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,811
She's only 5mm long,
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00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:55,528
but, nonetheless,
she's a stealthy and ferocious hunter.
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00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,369
She searches for prey
among the grass stems.
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00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:24,487
She's single-minded
and focused on hunting.
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00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,008
But today might be different.
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This is something new,
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something fast...
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...and a little trickier.
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00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,723
But what is it?
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00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:58,205
Is it food?
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It's a male Jotus, looking for a mate.
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00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,409
He needs to catch her attention,
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but female Jotus-only mate once.
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If she's mated before, she might kill him.
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00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,046
He will need to seduce her with care.
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Waving his arms
makes his intentions clear.
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He's a friend, not food.
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No sign of an attack... yet.
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00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,803
But she doesn't seem
particularly impressed.
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00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,244
Time to try his best move...
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...the double paddle.
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That surely will do the trick.
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One final wave...
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...and he's tamed her.
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She stays still for just long enough.
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00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,771
And then he retreats quickly,
before she has second thoughts.
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00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,887
If you travel still further
towards the centre of Australia,
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the landscape changes yet again.
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Trees and grass disappear.
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The continent, throughout prehistory,
continued to drift north,
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and as it entered the tropics,
it got hotter and hotter.
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00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,290
Over thousands of years,
the grasslands of the centre dried,
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00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,767
and lakes and rivers turned dust.
189
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:14,730
The rocks have been reduced to sand
by the hot, blasting winds.
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00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,805
Now Australia's centre is one vast desert.
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00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,047
Its immensity is almost impossible
to comprehend.
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00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:40,165
This train running north
is a half a mile long.
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00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,481
Travelling-at nearly 50 miles an hour,
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00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,161
it takes almost three days
to get from one side to another.
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00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:03,248
Australia today is the driest
inhabited continent on Earth.
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00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:11,290
Rain hardly ever falls in 70% of it.
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00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,804
From space, the continent is seen
to be stained red by iron oxide...
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00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,129
rust from its disintegrating rocks.
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00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:33,567
In the surface are lines carved by winds
over millennia.
200
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,566
The very bones of the continent
are now stripped bare...
201
00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,250
...the foundations of what once
were mountains.
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00:27:55,840 --> 00:28:01,085
At its heart stands the
great rock mountain of Uluru...
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00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:09,810
...sacred to the first people
to arrive here 60,000 years ago.
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00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:39,971
There is almost no soil here,
few plants, few animals
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00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,401
and almost no permanent water.
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00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,446
It's a place
where only the toughest can survive.
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00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,163
This is the land of reptiles.
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00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:02,083
Australia has more species of them
than any other continent.
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00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,247
The perentie, two metres long,
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00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:10,046
is the biggest here, and he's thirsty.
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00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,003
It only rains here once or twice a year.
212
00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,044
And when there isn't any rain,
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00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,290
perenties-get their water
from eating lizards.
214
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,282
There are several kinds to choose from...
215
00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:40,410
...bearded dragons...
216
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:45,882
...blue-tongued skinks...
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00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:51,491
...and thorny devils.
218
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,682
All are on the menu.
219
00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,644
The thorny devil also gets its water
from its food.
220
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,968
It's only the size of a mouse,
221
00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:13,325
but, even so, it must eat hundreds of ants
every day to get what it needs.
222
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:26,569
Most storm clouds pass by
without releasing any water.
223
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,448
But just sometimes,
224
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,131
there's a brief shower.
225
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,808
Everyone makes the most
of the opportunity.
226
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:14,643
It's so hot the droplets will disappear
within minutes.
227
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,291
But the thorny devil has a trick.
228
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,327
He's found a tiny puddle,
229
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,329
only a few millimetres... deep,
230
00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,841
and he dips his toe into it.
231
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,089
His skin is like blotting paper.
232
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,325
It collects moisture by capillary action,
233
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:59,002
sucking it up along the inter-connecting
grooves until he glistens all over.
234
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:04,923
When the water reaches his mouth,
235
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:06,371
he can collect it...
236
00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:11,207
...while still keeping his head up,
on the lookout for danger.
237
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,362
The perentie is 200 times the size
of a thorny devil.
238
00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,565
Tiny puddles and droplets
are of no use to him.
239
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:30,365
What he needs is a juicy lizard.
240
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:56,484
That was a bearded dragon
that wasn't quite quick enough.
241
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:09,042
Even the perentie sometimes
gets a chance to quench his thirst.
242
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:22,962
There is one species that has truly
conquered the Australian desert.
243
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,850
They don't wait for water to come to them.
244
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:33,649
They sometimes travel over 300 miles
in a single day to find it.
245
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,931
Australia's hardiest animal...
246
00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:42,649
...the wild budgerigar...
247
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,680
...the most accomplished
of all desert nomads.
248
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,690
These have been travelling... together
for weeks...
249
00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,251
...and that has evidently caused
a few domestic arguments.
250
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,171
This is truly an immense community.
251
00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,762
There are over 10,000 budgies
in this flock.
252
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,331
Every one of them is thirsty.
253
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,886
But although they've found
this billabong...
254
00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,082
...they must be wary.
255
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,723
A hawk... and one that eats budgies.
256
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:56,406
As long as it remains on the ground,
the budgies will risk taking a drink.
257
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,688
Once it takes to the air, however,
the budgies are in danger.
258
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:26,921
And it's not the only bird of prey here.
259
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:33,288
The budgies have a simple
but very effective defence...
260
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:35,243
they all take to the wing at once.
261
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:43,365
An aerial hunter needs to lock on to
a single target for a few seconds
262
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,323
if it is to catch it,
263
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,410
but in this swirl, that's very hard to do.
264
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:04,010
Flying in a flock keeps the budgies safe,
but they're still desperate to drink.
265
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:15,928
As soon as a particularly brave one
takes the plunge, they all do.
266
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,681
But once on the water,
they are easier to target.
267
00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,289
They must drink quickly
and stick together.
268
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,568
The last ones to leave
will be the ones in most danger.
269
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:27,441
Only one has been taken
from a flock of 10,000.
270
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,530
In a few days,
they will leave the area,
271
00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:41,165
on their never-ending search
272
00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:44,682
for the next brief opportunity
to feed and drink.
273
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,329
As the continent continued to drift north,
274
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,762
it eventually entered warm, tropical seas.
275
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:15,411
And here,
in the crystal-clear, sunlit water,
276
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:18,410
just a metre or two beneath the surface,
277
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:20,602
life proliferated.
278
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:28,485
Coral grows into reefs
in these shallow seas.
279
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,488
This is Ningaloo...
280
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,282
...today one of the richest
anywhere in the world.
281
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:51,248
Thousands of species of fish
and all kinds of other organisms
282
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:54,170
thrive in these coral cities.
283
00:38:55,600 --> 00:39:00,686
And they have attracted
the most ancient of living predators.
284
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,809
Sharks.
285
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:15,609
They were around 200 million years
before the dinosaurs.
286
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:21,370
They're fast and agile,
287
00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:25,041
well able to pick off the small reef fish.
288
00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:30,642
But they come here for bigger rewards.
289
00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,886
These are fish from the open ocean,
290
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,369
and every so often, for some reason,
they swim over the reef.
291
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:58,647
The small fish swirl like the budgies,
and for the same reason.
292
00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:02,970
It makes it harder for a hunter to
single out a particular target.
293
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,406
But, in fact, the sharks aren't trying
to catch them individually.
294
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:23,761
They're driving them closer to the shore,
penning them against the beach.
295
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:33,566
Slowly, the sharks drive
each new wave of fish into shallow water,
296
00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:36,206
and the bait ball grows.
297
00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:48,968
More sharks arrive,
some from many miles away.
298
00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:00,041
And still the sharks don't attack.
299
00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,083
They're waiting...
300
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:05,844
...for the right moment.
301
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,451
Millions of fish are now trapped
in these shallow waters.
302
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:23,444
It only happens like this
once in every decade or so.
303
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:32,850
The time has come to strike.
304
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:48,082
For the sharks, this is a bonanza.
305
00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:52,202
They work together.
306
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,961
Each shark now fills its stomach.
307
00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:08,286
These shallow seas
are exceptionally rich in sharks.
308
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:14,529
There are more species here
than anywhere else on Earth.
309
00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:30,768
Australia is not only fringed
by rich reefs
310
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:36,284
but girdled with islands...
some big, some small.
311
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,331
Off the south coast
lies by far the biggest of them.
312
00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:49,569
Tasmania.
313
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:56,445
And that has its own special marsupial...
314
00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:01,360
...one that seldom appears
until after dark.
315
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,681
The Tasmanian devil.
316
00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:16,525
Many predators inhabit
a territory packed with prey.
317
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,405
But here,
there's nothing like that for them.
318
00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:32,166
Each may travel for miles
night after night,
319
00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:36,604
prepared to eat anything it can find,
dead or alive.
320
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,805
The shoreline is a good place to search.
321
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:53,402
There might be some small creatures
to catch here,
322
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:55,887
or maybe something
that the tide has brought in.
323
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:09,882
The carcass of a wallaby
has been washed ashore.
324
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:22,770
Tasmanian devils can eat
40% of their body weight in one session,
325
00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,565
and they have hugely powerful jaws.
326
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,321
They tackle everything... even bones.
327
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:34,811
Back at the den,
328
00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:37,651
there are other hungry mouths.
329
00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:47,490
Her two youngsters are six months old.
330
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:55,082
They still rely on their mother's milk,
but they're feeling peckish!
331
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:02,407
There must be something solid
they could find for themselves
332
00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,249
while they're waiting for a drink.
333
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:13,685
Is this food?
334
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,281
That possum smells tasty...
335
00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:29,160
...but it's a little high up.
336
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:34,126
This looks more promising.
337
00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,767
At last, a giant stick!
338
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:51,688
Not bad for a first go.
339
00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:01,842
Their mother will protect and feed
these youngsters for another three months.
340
00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:08,647
Their survival is important to her,
but also for us...
341
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:14,329
...because these are one
of the last devil families in the world.
342
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,411
Tasmanian devils are now endangered...
343
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,522
...found in only a few places,
344
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:31,168
such as this remote islet
off the coast of Tasmania.
345
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:40,847
But they once lived
across the whole of Australia.
346
00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:45,165
Evidence that this was so
347
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:50,047
can be seen nearly 2,500 miles away
from the devils' family den,
348
00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:54,006
on Australia's northern coast.
349
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,364
This great stretch of boulders
350
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:11,090
is covered by the largest concentration of
prehistoric images anywhere in the world.
351
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,367
Over one million pictures of wildlife...
352
00:47:24,720 --> 00:47:26,210
...and among them...
353
00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:29,610
...a Tasmanian devil.
354
00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:37,241
It was engraved on stone
60,000 years ago
355
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:41,081
by some of the first human beings
to reach the continent.
356
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,371
Then, just 200 years ago,
357
00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:53,203
European settlers arrived
with guns and dogs, foxes and cats.
358
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:58,530
Together, they decimated
Australia's unique wildlife.
359
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:08,530
This was one of the continent's
biggest animal predators...
360
00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:11,246
a marsupial wolf, or thylacine-.
361
00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:18,121
The last-known remaining one
was filmed in 1936
362
00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:20,481
in a zoo just before it died...
363
00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:26,687
...and so brought the final extinction
of its species.
364
00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:34,968
These rocks are now its memorial.
365
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:43,320
And they may become that
for the Tasmanian devil as well.
366
00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:51,687
Mammals in Australia are disappearing
faster than anywhere else on Earth.
367
00:48:55,680 --> 00:49:00,720
They succeeded in adapting to life
as their home changed around them.
368
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,609
But now they face
their greatest challenge...
369
00:49:05,720 --> 00:49:09,805
the change to their world
brought by humanity.
370
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:15,931
Which of its unique species
will survive the coming decades
371
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,202
now depends on us.
372
00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:34,243
The most
ambitious shoot for the Australia team
373
00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:38,843
was filming the continent's top predator...
the dingo... hunting.
374
00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:46,088
Elusive and shy, they're rarely seen.
375
00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:55,203
The crew journeyed
to the high plains of Australia,
376
00:49:55,320 --> 00:50:00,850
where park rangers had reported sightings
of a white dingo and her pack.
377
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:07,364
In their first week,
the team confirm the sightings...
378
00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:08,641
There she is.
379
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,367
...and begin to catch glimpses.
380
00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:15,849
But with the dingoes
constantly on the move,
381
00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,726
keeping track of them is a challenge.
382
00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:23,606
They teleport-around,
because you just lose them in the grass.
383
00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:25,051
It's madness.
384
00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:29,324
Each time the crew arrive to set up...
385
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,402
...they're too late.
386
00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:45,842
I couldn't believe how far she'd gone.
387
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:48,486
By the time we managed to drive
over the brow of the hill,
388
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,887
she was a kilometre away.
389
00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:55,203
If they lose them,
it could take days to find them again.
390
00:50:57,280 --> 00:51:02,241
And searching in outback Australia
can be dangerous work.
391
00:51:10,480 --> 00:51:13,802
Brown snakes
are one of the world's most venomous.
392
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:18,722
And it's not only the snakes
that have a nasty bite.
393
00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:19,841
Oh, dear!
394
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:21,200
Look at that.
395
00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:24,006
Sorry.
396
00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:30,887
Turns out I just stood in an ants' nest.
397
00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:39,646
Over the coming weeks, the dingoes
continue to give the crew the runaround.
398
00:51:40,960 --> 00:51:43,008
With such a large area to search,
399
00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:46,169
they enlist the help
of two additional cameramen.
400
00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:52,327
Dan is a dingo expert
and studied them for five years,
401
00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:55,250
and even he struggled to follow them.
402
00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:59,809
Dingoes are Australia's most heavily
persecuted native animal...
403
00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:02,400
...and that makes them
404
00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:05,171
so incredibly elusive and hard to film.
405
00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:08,003
They're very scared of humans.
406
00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:13,444
Dingoes have lived in Australia
for over 4,000 years,
407
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:17,770
but when Europeans arrived with livestock,
they were seen as a threat.
408
00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:23,089
Today, they continue to be shot,
poisoned and trapped,
409
00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:25,441
which explains why they avoid the crew.
410
00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:30,326
So Dan suggests a new approach.
411
00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:36,205
From the air, they have a better view.
412
00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:41,484
Now they can track the dingoes
and follow their trails.
413
00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:47,885
And they notice the white dingo repeatedly
returning to the same patch of forest.
414
00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:54,363
Ben, the park ranger, goes to explore...
415
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:56,005
Dog's had a scratch in here.
416
00:52:58,560 --> 00:52:59,846
Old roo-leg.
417
00:52:59,960 --> 00:53:02,804
...and unearths a den site.
418
00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:04,570
Den site in here. Look at it. Jeez.
419
00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:08,685
Only a handful of wild dingo dens
420
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:11,326
have ever been filmed,
so the team set up a stakeout.
421
00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:23,882
And after a few days waiting...
422
00:53:29,280 --> 00:53:32,523
To the best of my knowledge,
this is some of the first footage
423
00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:34,210
of wild dingo pups at the den.
424
00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:40,883
Being able to capture this really
intimate, up-close footage is amazing.
425
00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:43,287
Really, really special.
426
00:53:44,720 --> 00:53:47,644
The den site is a major breakthrough.
427
00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:54,090
Now the team can find the white dingo
each morning...
428
00:53:54,200 --> 00:53:55,361
Yeah, I've got her.
429
00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:58,802
...and begin to understand
her hunting patterns.
430
00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:05,522
At this point, she's just testing
the water to see which...
431
00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:09,690
...which ones are weaker, or if there are
any joeys around that she can hunt easily.
432
00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:16,205
But her chases cover such vast distances
433
00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:20,291
that filming them from start to finish
is impossible.
434
00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:24,849
Time for the final crew members.
435
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:32,291
With the filming helicopter,
436
00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:37,930
the team can stay airborne for long enough
to capture her marathon hunts.
437
00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:43,922
But to be successful, the ground and
aerial team will need to work together.
438
00:54:46,480 --> 00:54:48,767
So we've got spotters
all around the valley,
439
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:50,803
and if anything happens,
if anything moves,
440
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:52,126
we can run to the helicopter
441
00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:55,608
and we can be up in the air
in about three minutes and filming.
442
00:54:55,720 --> 00:54:59,247
We're just on standby all morning
and all afternoon.
443
00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:06,244
With nine people monitoring
the white dingo's every move,
444
00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:08,408
all they can do...
445
00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:10,481
...is wait.
446
00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:21,888
Until one morning...
447
00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:25,482
She really looks like she's eyeing-up
those roos-over there.
448
00:55:25,600 --> 00:55:27,329
She's just stopped
and just looking at them.
449
00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:34,605
Yeah, she's definitely
looking for some roos. Over.
450
00:55:39,360 --> 00:55:42,409
With the dingo on the move,
the hunt seems imminent.
451
00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:51,883
As the helicopter prepares to launch,
the ground team keep track of her.
452
00:55:59,320 --> 00:56:01,240
Yep, she's running, she's running,
she's running.
453
00:56:15,400 --> 00:56:16,811
She looks good.
454
00:56:34,280 --> 00:56:35,770
Finally able to keep up,
455
00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:41,808
the team film these dingoes
hunting kangaroos for the first time,
456
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:46,323
adding to the little we know about
these remarkable predators.
457
00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:51,931
After five weeks
following the white dingo,
458
00:56:52,040 --> 00:56:55,442
the team are left in awe of her.
459
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:57,085
She's worked so hard,
460
00:56:57,200 --> 00:57:00,170
catching roos
and looking after her babies,
461
00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:02,681
and it's been just amazing.
462
00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:05,490
I'll never forget it.
463
00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:15,009
Next time...
a world transformed by mankind...
464
00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:18,931
...where extraordinary animals
are found...
465
00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:23,011
...in surprising places.
466
00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:32,211
Europe.
38230
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