Original subtitles

l'm going on a journey from some of the world's highest mountains...

deep into the heart of its mightiest jungle...

The Amazon...

the biggest rainforest in the world and the biggest river.

This is one of the greatest treasure-troves of life

and one of the wettest places on earth.

The Amazon - like all jungles, is locked in an intense struggle with one

of the greatest forces on the planet... water.

This is a Waterworld on an awesome scale...

A fifth of all the world's fresh water flows through the Amazon.

lt has 5 times the volume of water as the Congo,

and more than 1 0 times the volume of the Mississippi.

More water flows through the Amazon in a single day

than the Thames drains in a whole year!

ln fact, 200 million litres every second...

But water is only half the Amazon's story; the forest is the other.

Together they make up a vast jungle and river system,

spanning 9 countries of South America.

lt's an epic setting for a great drama...

This is the story of how water has the power to create life and to destroy it -

constantly transforming the greatest jungle on earth.

A fifth of all the world's plant species live here...

alongside one in 1 0 mammals... and a quarter of all birds.

There are more kinds of fish here

than in all of Europe and North America's rivers combined...

And there are monsters too... this is the anaconda, the world's largest snake...

And tucked away in these sleepy backwaters

are some of the Amazon's best-kept secrets...

Otters... but not as we know them!

These are giant river otters, up to 2 metres long!

This waterworld is so unusual and so full of surprises that here,

nearly 3000 km from the nearest ocean, there are even Jungle dolphins.

While rivers are a magnet for many animals,

secluded pools and streams offer a window into the heart of the forest,

giving us tantalising glimpses of some of its most secretive inhabitants.

But there's one kind of water that's essential to everything that lives here.

lt's rain, the sprinkler system of the entire forest...

This is the lifeblood of all rainforests....

the reason that this lush, vibrant jungle can exist,

and support so many kinds of animals.

And while in most places rain is measured in millimetres or centimetres,

here in the Amazon it's measured in metres.

But why does it rain in the rainforest?

You might think it's just part of the weather system here... but it isn't.

The forest itself can make rain...

...and it's trees like this that make it possible...

Each of these trees may suck up hundreds of litres of water every day,

but they only use some of it.

The rest goes back into the atmosphere as water vapour...

released through tiny pores on their leaves.

lt's as if the trees are breathing out... and the best time to see it is at dawn.

lt's wonderful and it's not just the view that's spectacular,

but these swirling mists... which are the breath of the forest,

the water vapour that the trees themselves have created overnight...

Winds blow the vapour out across the canopy,

collecting more moisture as they go...

This saturated air is then carried far out over the forest,

until it falls again as rain...

New trees suck up the rainwater... and so the cycle continues...

The forest acts as a giant conveyor belt of moisture,

travelling right across a continent...

ln fact, half of all the rainwater

that falls here in the Amazon is down to the trees themselves.

The scale of the system is simply staggering,

this forest is so big it creates its own climate.

A single droplet of water can take an incredible trip...

lt might be recycled through dozens of different trees and downpours,

and travel more than 3000 kilometres...

before it reaches the heights of the Andes.

Winds from the Atlantic ocean blow the water vapour westward,

watering the whole Amazon basin as it goes,

until finally it reaches an impassable barrier of mountains...

l'm high up in the Peruvian Andes, far removed from hot, steamy jungles...

But these mountains hold the key to the waters of the Amazon.

The water that the jungle trees recycle ends up here,

cooled and collected by the mountains in the form of mist and cloud...

This ensures that none of the precious water is lost...

instead, the clouds build until the mountain slopes are covered in fog...

l never imagined that the Amazon would bring me to a place like this...

it's cold and damp and can feel just like winter.

But the real surprise is that these windswept moors mark the place

where the Amazon jungle itself starts to grow...

lt's a mysterious forest...

where many plants absorb more water from the air than from the ground!

And it's up in these mountain cloud forests

that the mighty Amazon river begins too... up to 4000 metres above sea level.

This is where l really start my journey through the Amazon...

in a secret garden of mosses and lichens...

home to the real life Paddington Bear...

They're actually called spectacled bears - and it's easy to see why!

They range all across the Andes, including, of course, darkest Peru!

They're real cloud forest specialists...

but, unlike Paddington, they don't need red wellies and duffle coats to survive.

Their dense fur keeps out the cold and damp.

Cloud forests really live up to their name, they're soaking... all year round.

lt's just dripping with moisture,

it's the wettest kind of forest there is and underfoot it's so soggy,

it's like walking across a bog.

And this is what makes the cloud forest so important.

By absorbing water from the clouds and trapping it in the soil,

it acts as a kind of giant sponge...

collecting water for the whole Amazon system.

This makes the cloud forest a paradise for plants... and rather surprisingly

it's the natural home of many of our beloved garden flowers.

Like begonias! Or fuchsias.

But no chance of such exotic visitors in my garden!

Here's one flower you probably don't grow back at home - an Angel's trumpet -

with its own personal pollinator, the sword-billed hummingbird.

ln this cloudy light, plants need to make sure

they're not overlooked by pollinating birds and insects...

So some - like these orchids - are among the most vivid,

flamboyant flowers in the world...

Cloud forests really are super saturated...

it can rain any day of the year... but too much water can be a problem.

So most of the plants here have waxy, water-resistant leaves,

complete with gutters and drip tips to drain away excess rain...

So much rain falls in the cloud forest - up to 7 metres a year -

that even this giant sponge can't possibly absorb it all...

And as water is constantly on the move,

there's only one way for it to go and that's down...

As it trickles and cascades and flows through these mountains,

it very gradually wears down the rocks, picking up minerals and nutrients...

This liquid fertiliser

is then washed downstream to trees thousands of kilometres away.

The Andes don't just collect water for the Amazon forests -

they provide plant food too.

Just look what happens when these mountain streams get faster and join forces!

These are water features we could only dream of...

Amazingly, some creatures, like these torrent ducks,

spend their whole lives on a permanent white water ride!

Right from the moment they leave the nest,

these little ducklings teeter on the brink of being washed away...

But somehow these tiny tots learn how to duck and dive and beat the current...

and they're not alone...

What were once gentle streams are now raging torrents...

...from now on, we go by river...

And the best way to appreciate the sheer force of this water... is to ride it...

And by the way, this is the dry season...

the river's only running at quarter of full flow!

Thousands of waterways like this pour down from all across the Andes,

trading the cool mountain cloud forests for the hothouse of the lowlands...

...slowing down and spilling out across the great Amazon basin.

Down here is what we really think of as the jungle...

...thousands of kilometres of dark, impenetrable forest...

This is the jungle of legend!

Home to fabulous creatures... and untold dangers...

Now at last it's time for me to explore the forest itself...

This is great... look at the size of some of these trees;

it's nature at its most exuberant.

Looking up at the canopy it's like looking at a cathedral...

And once you've got your eye in you see strange surprises everywhere.

Some scientists believe a third of the world's insects

and other creepy crawlies live in the Amazon.

There are so many, most don't even have a name.

Even air is full of life...

butterflies like these handsome heliconias are one of the Amazon's highlights...

This is a morpho...

But where there's beauty, there are also beasts!

This wealth of insects makes fast food for hunters, like the Saddleback tamarin.

But in the jungle, it's wise to watch what you pu

and there are some small creatures you should just leave well alone...

This is a poison arrow frog.

lt's called that because its skin makes poison

which the local lndians use to tip their arrows...

There's one kind in Colombia,

which is so poisonous it'll kill you if you touch it.

This brilliant diversity of life is all around.

The Amazon is so vast and so varied, even the water comes in different colours.

Clear water streams like this...

White water, full of sediment, that makes it look like chocolate.

And perhaps - most remarkable of all - black water...

lt's just like tea because of all the tannins dissolved from dead leaves...

And different kinds of water mean different kinds of fish...

This is the natural home of many fish we'd normally see in an aquarium...

Red-tailed catfish use their long 'whiskers' to feel their way

through the dark or murky water.

And hatchet fish lurk just below the surface,

ready to flip out if danger threatens!

ln black water, cardinal tetras need bright colours

to keep track of other members of their shoal.

And gangs of angelfish hang out around the tangled roots

and branches for protective camouflage.

Back on land giant jungle tree are also havens for life...

...for the harpy eagle and the toucanette

these old boughs offer a secure nest site...

...and larger animals, like the coati and the tamandua,

feel safe in the treetops too.

But even the mightiest trees are vulnerable.

Rainforest rivers are dangerously unpredictable, especially when in flood...

This cutting edge can swallow 25 metres of riverbank each year...

Wrenching the giants of the forest to their deaths.

And this is the aftermath... it's like a crashed space-rocket,

and where once this tree would have played a vital role in the forest,

now all it is, is food for termites.

This is a drama played out over and over throughout the whole Amazon basin.

As l get further downstream,

the sheer numbers of tree carcasses make the rivers dangerous to navigate...

lt's yet another stark reminder... of the power of water.

The rivers form huge cliffs as whole slices of the forest disappear...

This destruction isn't all bad -

it creates the venue for the biggest and most raucous of all jungle parties!

Enormous flocks of parrots and macaws are gathering,

attracted by a very special kind of party food...

The sky is full of birds... More and more keep coming...

There are hundreds and hundreds of parrots in lines along the seams of minerals.

The reason for this gathering is that these birds eat seeds,

which are laced with highly poisonous toxins.

Clay and minerals found in these cliffs are a lifesaving antidote.

lt must taste nice

because there does seem to be quite a lot of bickering over lumps of clay.

l love the way they come in, calling as though greeting each other...

These get-togethers are just as much about socialising.

As one scientist put it, you don't just go down to the pub because you're thirsty.

Couples stay faithful to each other all their lives

and the chicks actually remain with their parents for two or three years.

l can really understand why people like having them as pets,

they are so beautiful and intelligent and friendly,

but this is the way l like to see them,

socialising with each other and flying free.

The clay these birds love is exposed by swollen rivers sweeping by...

But the same force that cuts the cliffs on one side of the river

has the opposite effect on the other...

Here, instead of destroying the land, the river helps create it,

producing some rather unexpected scenery...

Although this is a riverside, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were by the sea.

There are beaches in the Amazon - but they're not your average holiday beach.

Stingrays a metre across hunt in the shallows and caiman lurk,

waiting to take anything that comes for a drink.

But once a year, thousands of visitors can hit these jungle beaches...

the world's largest freshwater turtles haul up en masse to lay their eggs.

Each female may lay up to 1 00, but both eggs and turtles are a local delicacy,

so today these gatherings are becoming increasingly rare.

And it's not just egg thieves that pose a problem for the turtles...

Breeding here is a race against time...

the eggs must hatch before the wet season floods wash the beaches away...

Turtles are powerless to stop this... but jungle plants fight back,

mounting a military style campaign...

Tessaria plants are in the front line in the fight to claim back new territory...

These paratrooper plants invade as airborne seeds...

lt's the dry season, the enemy is at its weakest,

so this is their chance to entrench their position.

These tiny plants are vital - where they lead, others can follow...

Next, reinforcements arrive... Massed ranks of cane...

like the infantry, which help to consolidate the position.

And behind them the heavy guns... cecropia trees.

Each wave of plants creates the right conditions

for the next to germinate and grow... until finally, the jungle wins the battle.

But it doesn't win the war...

Although the trees reoccupy the beaches,

it's the rivers that are really in control.

They're always on the move - meandering in giant loops across the floodplain...

Nothing stays the same... the waterways constantly redesign the jungle tapestry.

But rather than leaving behind a trail of destruction,

they create tranquil lakes...

forgotten cul-de-sacs that have their own special character.

Known as 'oxbow' lakes, they're really stranded river bends,

left behind when the main river cuts through the neck of an old loop.

ln contrast to the turbulence of river life,

these lakes are still and peaceful...

sanctuaries for all kinds of animals and birds...

...fishing holes for egrets... cormorants... and snake birds.

Here l'm hoping for a glimpse of something really special... yes!

There they are... giant river otters!

They're spending a lot of time milling around this area,

so the den is probably close by.

They live in extended families,

where older youngsters help to look after the babies.

lt's only actually when they get out of the water

that you appreciate the size of them.

The adults are up to about 35 kilos, that's a very big otter.

Some people call the otters 'wolves of the river'...

and like their namesakes, they're skilled hunters that work in packs.

They are such graceful swimmers and wonderfully agile hunters,

they make catching prey seem like pure fun...

Sadly, families of otters like this are a rare sight today.

They were nearly hunted to extinction for their thick waterproof fur.

Now though, they're protected,

so hopefully, their future should start to look better.

But like everything else in this waterworld,

the otters will have to adapt to a changing environment.

Their tranquil lakes won't last forever...

Swamp palms often mark the old location of a dried up oxbow lake.

Like all rainforest plants, the palms fight for a space to grow in...

and the shallow edges of the lakes are a soft target for invasion...

Slowly but surely they move in,

until the lake is transformed, ending up as a palm swamp...

The fruit of these aguahe palms are a favourite of jungle animals.

But they provide much more than food.

They're known locally as the Tree of Life,

but even in their death they're very useful.

Dead palms are like derelict buildings and squatters are quick to take advantage...

These house hunters - blue and gold macaws -

are always on the lookout for a cosy nest site,

and the hollow trunks of rotting palms are perfect.

Security is top priority...

it takes a month for the mother to incubate her eggs

and then almost another three months for the chicks to fledge.

And with prime real estate in such short supply,

the parents can't even afford to trust their neighbours...

Rogue pairs would kill to get their foot in the door!

So if you're a macaw with an ideal home, you guard it well!

The macaws can't rely on these dwellings forever;

this area is earmarked for redevelopment...

The forest is taking over.

lt's the final chapter in this water-driven cycle of change.

lt's incredible that a river simply changing course

can so dramatically transform the whole landscape around it...

And that means that the very spot where l am standing can be:

A forest

A river

A cliff

A beach

A lake

A swamp

And maybe eventually a forest again...

And it's this incredibly dynamic system that makes the Amazon so rich and diverse.

ln a world where nothing's permanent,

the plants and animals that live here have to be flexible...

The rivers rule... and shape the lives of everything around them.

And it's only from the air

that you can really get your head round the true scope of the system as a whole...

flying for hours across a vast ocean of green...

Thousands of tributaries snake across this jungle,

and eventually they all combine to make one massive waterway...

the mighty Amazon river itself...

This is the largest flood plain in the world,

draining an area almost the same size as Australia.

The scale of it is just mind blowing...

lt's 6,51 6 kilometres long, and that's not even including the bends.

And at points the banks can be 1 1 kilometres apart.

lt's the world's largest river.

But it's not just the Amazon's statistics that are huge -

it's home to some real monsters too.

This jumbo-sized fish is the pirarucu.

lt can reach more than four metres long and weigh a quarter of a ton -

that's about the same as 4 of me!

And this fish has a shocking reputation.

lt's the giant electric eel,

and it can generate up to 800 volts - enough to kill a man.

Black caiman also cruise these waters...

but perhaps most spine chilling of all is the world's largest snake...

the anaconda, thicker than my waist... and capable of swallowing me whole!

Which is why l'm staying up here!

There's one monster though, even the mighty river can't withstand,

and that's the fury of the tropical wet season...

ln the tropics there are just two seasons, Wet and Dry.

But the Amazon basin is so huge, even if one part is drying out,

somewhere within the river's reach it's always raining.

And when the wet season combines with melt water from the Andes...

even the Amazon river is overwhelmed...

The result is flooding on a massive scale.

But far from being a disaster,

it produces the most amazing world of all - the flooded forest.

Around 1 20,000 square kilometres of rainforest is submerged.

This doesn't happen anywhere else - it's the largest flood on earth.

lt's a surreal, fantastic place where one world suddenly becomes another...

For half the year this forest is much like any other,

but for the other half it's a topsy-turvy world that's stranger than fiction.

The trees are adapted to spend six months of the year

standing in up to 20 metres of water.

Fish swim where flowers once grew...

And a whole cast of forest creatures -

from the tapir to the armadillo - has to sink or swim!

The three-toed sloth now has to doggy paddle when it wants to change tree...

While the water-loving jaguar has a more graceful style...

And smaller creatures have emergency procedures too.

Fire ants link legs to make a raft and float their young to safety.

Anything that can climb heads upwards, to the treetops...

Meanwhile, great shoals of fish invade the flooded trees...

with all this brand new territory,

it's bonanza time to feed and breed... a whole new world.

Fish take over the diet of the forest animals,

plucking stranded insects from the water surface...

But it's not just fish that take advantage of the floods.

Many trees release their fruit and seeds during this time...

Some float away to colonise new areas, while others become fish food...

Some fish help to disperse the seeds...

a job that in a 'normal' forest would be done by animals,

like monkeys and toucans.

But then, this is no ordinary jungle...

Here, there's even the fish equivalent of a parrot...

the pacu, which can crack nuts with its beak-like jaws...

These waters may look cool and calm...

but, believe me, you don't want to take a dip!

There are lots of piranha in here.

Actually, piranhas aren't quite the bloodthirsty killers you might think.

They're only dangerous if there's blood in the water,

or if they get trapped somewhere without enough food...

But if they're hungry and overcrowded,

just a whiff of blood can spark a feeding frenzy...

But even the piranhas have their enemies...

The packed shoals are juicy mouthfuls for the caiman's crushing jaws...

Some hunters of the flooded forest don't make such a splash, though,

which makes them much more difficult to see.

l'm looking for one of the most surprising

and enchanting creatures in the entire Amazon...

l've heard of an unusual way of attracting them.

l'm not entirely convinced, but let's give it a go...

The reason l'm splashing the water and whistling and playing music,

is that l am trying to lure one of the most mysterious animals in the Amazon...

Apparently they are very curious and all this noise should grab their attention...

l'm not sure if this is quite their scene.

No, still nothing.

Well, this is obviously a hit... a glimpse of a boto... a pink river dolphin!

They just surfaced for a few seconds,

which might be partly why they have such an intriguing reputation.

They're the stuff of Legends;

local people here think that they might whisk women off into the night...

l can't resist...

l'm just going to have to go and see if l can get a closer look...

The water's dark and murky,

but the dolphins use echolocation to sense what's around them with sound.

And their flexible necks help them scan from side to side.

So they know what's going on...

But l've got no idea where they are... so they can easily catch me out.

And they certainly have no problem catching fish.

They do look almost ghostly in the gloom...

l'm not surprised the botos have such a magical reputation!

Well, despite my top DJ mix, that's about all you get, just a tantalising glimpse.

The flooded forest is truly unique... and an extraordinary ending to my journey...

Everything living here has to survive incredible extremes...

Where else do trees swap flocks of birds for fish?

But the flooded forest is just one part of the Amazon.

This massive rainforest, fed by towering mountains...

creates a gigantic cradle of life...

with more variety than anywhere else on earth.

Driven by clouds... sculpted by rivers...

...and transformed by floods...

...this is a waterworld that spans a continent.

Millions of animals and plants depend on it.

But if we take away the trees, the whole system will crumble...

and the Amazon basin could dry out - forever.

Though that's just what we're doing.

Each year, areas the size of whole countries are being stripped of trees.

And recently the pace of destruction has increased to an alarming rate.

lmagine if this waterworld and all its life was turned to dust.

For now at least, the Amazon is still the biggest and richest rainforest on earth.

The challenge is to keep it that way...