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South America is a continent of extremes.
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It has the world's longest mountain
range... the Andes.
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In Amazonia, it has the mightiest river
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and the greatest expanse of rainforest
on the planet.
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And the driest desert on earth
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the Atacama, lies beside one of
the world's richest seas.
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South America also contains
incredible variety.
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Almost no other continent can boast
such a wealth of wildlife
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living in such a range of
different landscapes.
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Almost everywhere you go
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there's an extraordinary
diversity of life.
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00:02:32,285 --> 00:02:35,345
But how did all these unique worlds
come about?
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To understand the natural history
of South America
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we must go back in time
back to the age of the dinosaurs.
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South America was then part of Gondwana
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a massive continent
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that also included what are now Africa
Australia, India and Antarctica.
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This was a world dominated by reptiles.
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Descendants of those ancient creatures
still live in South America today.
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00:03:37,984 --> 00:03:40,612
And the forests of southern Chile
still have plants
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that the dinosaurs would have recognised
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tree ferns
and the bizarre monkey puzzle tree.
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Then, a new group of animals appeared
animals like this.
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The early mammals were small
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00:04:06,279 --> 00:04:10,340
and many were marsupials
like this shrew opossum.
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It lives in the cold
damp forests of southern Chile
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where it hunts for insects
and earthworms.
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The shrew opossum shares
these ancient forests
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with this other small marsupial.
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Local people call it
the 'monito del monte'
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or 'monkey of the mountains'.
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It's so tiny you could hold it
in the palm of your hand.
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It too eats insects
but also has a taste for fruit.
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When we think of mammals with a pouch
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00:04:53,226 --> 00:04:56,889
it's perhaps Australia with its kangaroos
that comes to mind.
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00:04:57,030 --> 00:05:01,228
But South America also has over
eighty species of marsupial
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a legacy of the time
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when the two continents
were joined together.
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Around a hundred million years ago
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the giant continent of Gondwana
slowly split apart.
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South America became an enormous island
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cut off from the rest of the world.
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The next chapter in South America's
history was violent and prolonged.
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It changed the face
of the continent for ever.
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00:05:48,981 --> 00:05:51,609
Starting some eighty million years ago
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the island was convulsed by a series
of massive volcanic eruptions
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that continue today.
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00:06:04,063 --> 00:06:07,226
Forced up by movements
deep in the earth's crust
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a huge chain of mountains arose
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00:06:09,469 --> 00:06:13,633
spanning the length of the continent
The Andes.
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Running over five thousand miles
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this is the longest mountain
chain on earth.
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At its northern end
tropical cloudforest covers the slopes
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yet its peaks are so high
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that even on the equator
they carry permanent snow and ice.
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In the central Andes
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there's a high
dry desert the altiplano.
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As you travel further south
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00:07:03,456 --> 00:07:04,821
the mountains are lower
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00:07:04,957 --> 00:07:08,120
but they're that much closer
to the Antarctic.
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00:07:32,785 --> 00:07:33,717
In the far south
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the Patagonian ice sheets
are the largest
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expanse of ice
outside the polar regions.
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They cover more
than seven thousand square miles
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and their glaciers
flow all the way to the sea.
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But even here
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in the shadow of the ice
animals survive.
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00:08:32,545 --> 00:08:34,911
In the shadow of the Patagonian icecap
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animals must survive ferocious winds
and winters of heavy snow.
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00:08:40,119 --> 00:08:42,849
Only the hardiest animals
can live here
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like guanacos South American
relatives of the camel
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and foxes.
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Even for them
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surviving the winter is a challenge
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00:09:06,312 --> 00:09:07,904
Patagonia may be severe
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but it's not the most extreme part
of the Andes.
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That's back in the heart of the range
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an oxygen-starved plateau more
than four thousand metres high.
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Here, in the Altiplano
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meltwater from the surrounding peaks
evaporates in huge salt lakes.
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Frozen by night and baked by day
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00:09:31,837 --> 00:09:33,862
these caustic saltflats must be
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one of the most inhospitable places
on earth.
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This is Salar Uyuni
in the Bolivian Andes.
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Covering four
and a half thousand square miles
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it's the largest expanse of
salt on the planet.
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Incredibly, islands in this sea of
salt actually support life.
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Viscachas.
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00:10:14,113 --> 00:10:18,345
These rabbit-sized rodents have to contend
with thin air, bitter cold,
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00:10:18,484 --> 00:10:20,748
and an almost total lack of water.
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00:10:21,420 --> 00:10:24,947
They get just enough moisture to survive
from their food.
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00:10:25,191 --> 00:10:26,749
Thick fur keeps them warm
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00:10:26,892 --> 00:10:30,692
and extra red blood cells help to
absorb sufficient oxygen.
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00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,031
The thin air's a problem
for this hummingbird too.
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00:10:38,170 --> 00:10:42,300
To conserve energy when it's feeding
it has to perch, rather than hover.
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00:10:47,413 --> 00:10:49,904
The high altiplano may seem hostile
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00:10:50,049 --> 00:10:53,018
but some animals actually
choose to come here.
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Flamingos come here to breed
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00:11:14,006 --> 00:11:17,533
because these caustic waters
are full of their favourite food.
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00:11:21,047 --> 00:11:24,483
They display to each other
with a massed courtship dance.
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00:11:58,551 --> 00:11:59,779
The rise of the Andes created
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whole new environments
within the mountains
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00:12:02,621 --> 00:12:05,522
but it also had
more far-reaching effects.
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00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:13,126
This great barrier changed
the climate of South America.
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00:12:25,611 --> 00:12:28,808
It also re-drew the map of
the entire continent
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00:12:28,948 --> 00:12:32,179
radically altering the course of
its major rivers.
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00:13:01,547 --> 00:13:05,005
The Iguazu Falls are one of the wonders
of the world.
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00:13:05,918 --> 00:13:07,852
Four times as wide as Niagara
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they carry sixty thousand tons
of water a second.
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Part of Amazonia was once a huge swamp
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connected to the Pacific
and the Caribbean.
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00:13:23,335 --> 00:13:26,099
The rise of the Andes broke those links
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forcing the major rivers to flow east.
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00:13:30,843 --> 00:13:36,475
One massive river now drains forty percent
of South America... the Amazon.
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00:13:41,821 --> 00:13:44,984
This is the mightiest river on earth.
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Running over four thousand miles
from the Andes to the ocean
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it carries a fifth of all the
river water on the planet.
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00:13:58,537 --> 00:14:00,562
A thousand miles
before it reaches the sea
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00:14:00,706 --> 00:14:04,540
its main channel is already
ten miles wide.
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00:14:07,213 --> 00:14:10,182
Every year the mighty Amazon
bursts its banks
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00:14:10,316 --> 00:14:13,479
flooding an area of forest
the size of England.
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00:14:25,497 --> 00:14:26,464
At the height of the flood
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00:14:26,599 --> 00:14:29,864
the trees can stand in water
ten metres deep.
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00:14:37,176 --> 00:14:40,634
The floodwaters bring
with them the animals of the river
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like boto dolphins.
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00:14:43,983 --> 00:14:45,951
Their origins are a mystery.
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00:14:46,085 --> 00:14:50,249
Could they be a relic of Amazonia's
ancient links with the oceans?
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00:14:51,423 --> 00:14:53,721
These river dolphins are almost blind
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00:14:53,859 --> 00:14:56,350
no handicap in water
that's often very muddy
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00:14:56,528 --> 00:14:59,497
because they navigate by echolocation.
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00:15:00,366 --> 00:15:03,426
Unlike marine dolphins
they have a flexible neck
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00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:05,002
so by sweeping their head
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00:15:05,137 --> 00:15:08,470
from side to side
they can scan their path ahead.
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00:15:16,749 --> 00:15:19,741
Their sonar is so precise
that they can weave their way
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00:15:19,885 --> 00:15:23,446
through a maze of submerged branches
in search of fish.
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00:15:30,329 --> 00:15:35,130
Whisker-like bristles on their lips
help them zero in on their target.
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00:15:37,169 --> 00:15:39,262
The botos' origins may be mysterious
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00:15:39,405 --> 00:15:43,000
but some of the Amazon's fish certainly
have a marine ancestry
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00:15:43,142 --> 00:15:44,803
like stingrays.
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00:15:46,178 --> 00:15:49,375
Their nearest living relatives
are in the Caribbean.
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00:15:52,251 --> 00:15:55,618
The Amazon has over
three thousand kinds of fish.
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00:15:56,622 --> 00:16:01,321
This is the pirarucu
the world's largest fresh water fish.
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00:16:06,131 --> 00:16:10,124
And these are the most notorious...
piranhas.
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00:16:22,481 --> 00:16:25,973
The variety of life in these waters
is extraordinary...
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00:16:26,318 --> 00:16:30,220
and with so many fish
there are bound to be fish hunters.
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00:16:35,961 --> 00:16:37,155
In this water world
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Caiman are the top of
the food chain...
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the aquatic equivalent of the jaguar.
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00:16:52,244 --> 00:16:55,008
Red-bellied piranhas are
predators themselves
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00:16:55,147 --> 00:16:58,082
but to a caiman
they're just another mouthful.
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00:17:06,692 --> 00:17:08,557
The Amazon river and its tributaries
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00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:12,687
drain the largest expanse of
tropical rainforest on earth.
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00:17:17,469 --> 00:17:20,734
Stretching almost unbroken
from the Andes to the Atlantic
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00:17:20,873 --> 00:17:23,671
the Amazon jungle
has a greater variety of life
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00:17:23,809 --> 00:17:26,175
than any other forest on the planet.
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00:17:44,663 --> 00:17:47,188
In just over two square miles of forest
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scientists have counted
three thousand varieties of plants
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00:17:50,836 --> 00:17:53,031
five hundred and thirty kinds of birds
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00:17:53,172 --> 00:17:55,538
and eleven different species of monkeys.
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00:18:09,288 --> 00:18:14,021
There are countless reptiles
amphibians and insects.
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00:18:15,461 --> 00:18:17,656
Six hundred and fifty species of beetle
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00:18:17,796 --> 00:18:21,527
and eighty kinds of ant have been found
on a single tree.
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00:18:24,736 --> 00:18:28,638
Scientists disagree about the reasons
for this diversity
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00:18:28,774 --> 00:18:30,332
but in almost every group of animals
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the number of different species
is extraordinary.
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00:18:40,719 --> 00:18:42,118
Because there are so many species
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00:18:42,254 --> 00:18:44,882
most of them have to specialise.
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00:18:45,324 --> 00:18:48,885
Pygmy marmosets are
the world's smallest monkey.
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00:18:49,027 --> 00:18:51,723
They live on the sap of
just a few kinds of tree
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00:18:51,864 --> 00:18:55,698
gouging the bark with special teeth
to release its flow.
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00:18:58,137 --> 00:19:01,470
They're just one of
over thirty species of marmoset
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00:19:01,607 --> 00:19:03,234
and tamarin in the Amazon basin
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a group of monkeys unique to the
lowland rainforests of South America.
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00:19:18,090 --> 00:19:22,117
Like these tassel-eared marmosets
most live in family groups.
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00:19:22,761 --> 00:19:26,424
A breeding female lives with one
or more adult males
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and several youngsters.
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00:19:28,233 --> 00:19:30,463
Females typically
give birth to twins
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00:19:30,602 --> 00:19:32,593
and unusually among monkeys
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it's the father
who's left holding the babies.
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00:19:43,348 --> 00:19:46,078
Tassel-eared marmosets
are opportunists.
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00:19:46,385 --> 00:19:49,445
As well as gum, they eat insects
fruit, birds' eggs
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00:19:49,588 --> 00:19:51,749
small snakes and lizards...
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00:19:51,890 --> 00:19:54,222
almost anything
they can get their hands on.
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00:19:57,029 --> 00:19:58,519
The youngsters must develop fast
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00:19:58,664 --> 00:20:00,529
if they're to survive in the dangerous
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00:20:00,666 --> 00:20:03,134
and competitive world of the rainforest.
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00:20:22,054 --> 00:20:25,251
Amazonia lies on the eastern
side of the Andes
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00:20:25,390 --> 00:20:29,520
and here torrential tropical
rains water the prolific jungle.
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00:20:36,435 --> 00:20:39,268
But the mountains block
the moisture-bearing winds
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00:20:39,404 --> 00:20:43,306
so some of the western side receives
almost no rain.
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00:20:46,345 --> 00:20:50,611
Here lies the world's driest desert...
the Atacama.
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00:21:05,297 --> 00:21:09,825
The Atacama can go for years
with literally no rain at all.
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00:21:09,968 --> 00:21:13,301
It's hard to imagine
how anything could survive here.
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00:21:27,185 --> 00:21:28,482
And yet it does.
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00:21:30,122 --> 00:21:31,521
Guanacos.
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00:21:32,524 --> 00:21:36,927
These South American camels can
tolerate extremes of heat and cold.
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00:21:37,629 --> 00:21:39,688
A desert might seem a better place
for a camel
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00:21:39,831 --> 00:21:41,628
than the snows of Patagonia
199
00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:45,066
but the Atacama is a challenge
even for them.
200
00:21:50,976 --> 00:21:54,412
Daytime temperatures
can rise to forty degrees.
201
00:21:59,885 --> 00:22:03,150
Their only relief is a dry dustbath.
202
00:22:08,260 --> 00:22:09,887
But what can they live on?
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00:22:10,028 --> 00:22:13,657
With hardly any water here
how could plants possibly grow?
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00:22:18,603 --> 00:22:24,041
This is the key to survival in the Atacama
the Pacific Ocean.
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00:22:26,812 --> 00:22:31,044
The desert is a narrow strip
between the mountains and the sea.
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00:22:31,817 --> 00:22:33,910
Moist air over the water is chilled
207
00:22:34,052 --> 00:22:37,146
by a cold ocean current just offshore
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00:22:37,322 --> 00:22:38,482
so every day
209
00:22:38,623 --> 00:22:41,751
a blanket of fog rolls
in from the Pacific.
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00:23:30,275 --> 00:23:33,711
The fog is almost the only source
of water in the desert.
211
00:23:35,347 --> 00:23:40,546
Moisture condenses on the cactus spines
enough for lichen to grow.
212
00:23:41,052 --> 00:23:42,314
And every morning
213
00:23:42,521 --> 00:23:45,490
the lichen is covered
with the precious droplets of water.
214
00:23:50,262 --> 00:23:52,492
This water provides a life-giving drink
215
00:23:52,564 --> 00:23:56,022
for the few hardy inhabitants of
the Atacama
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00:23:56,201 --> 00:23:57,532
like diuca finches.
217
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:17,179
The guanacos obtain moisture
by eating the lichen
218
00:24:17,322 --> 00:24:19,119
delicately extracting it
219
00:24:19,257 --> 00:24:23,694
from between the cactus spines
with their soft, sensitive lips.
220
00:24:27,632 --> 00:24:29,862
They also eat the flowers
of a parasitic plant
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00:24:30,001 --> 00:24:31,525
that grows on the cactus.
222
00:24:31,670 --> 00:24:35,299
Called quintral
it's sweet and full of nectar.
223
00:24:40,979 --> 00:24:43,470
Guanacos
and everything else in this desert
224
00:24:43,615 --> 00:24:44,877
are living on the edge.
225
00:24:45,517 --> 00:24:48,008
Without the moisture
from the early morning fog
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00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:51,748
life in the Atacama
would be almost impossible.
227
00:25:06,872 --> 00:25:08,237
As you travel South
228
00:25:08,373 --> 00:25:10,102
the prevailing weather
comes from the opposite direction
229
00:25:10,242 --> 00:25:13,109
so the eastern side
of the continent is dry.
230
00:25:20,185 --> 00:25:23,985
But here lack of water
is not the most extreme problem
231
00:25:24,122 --> 00:25:25,180
it's the wind.
232
00:25:29,394 --> 00:25:32,056
This is the land of the Roaring Forties
233
00:25:32,197 --> 00:25:37,294
ferocious winds that batter
the dry grassy steppes of Patagonia.
234
00:25:40,171 --> 00:25:44,608
Anything that lives here has to contend
with almost incessant gales.
235
00:25:44,809 --> 00:25:49,303
These are maras
large rodents unique to South America.
236
00:25:51,983 --> 00:25:55,578
Adult maras live and give
birth to their young in the open
237
00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,211
but they rear them in
an underground burrow
238
00:25:58,356 --> 00:26:02,417
sheltered from the cold winds
and predators like foxes.
239
00:26:06,164 --> 00:26:07,893
Mara territories overlap
240
00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:10,900
so often several pairs share a burrow.
241
00:26:11,970 --> 00:26:14,803
These warrens act as a community creche.
242
00:26:15,206 --> 00:26:17,231
The parents can leave their young
to go and feed
243
00:26:17,375 --> 00:26:20,105
but there's always someone
to keep an eye on them.
244
00:26:24,149 --> 00:26:27,448
The nursery can have twenty
or thirty young.
245
00:26:27,519 --> 00:26:31,956
Sometimes hungry infants try to suckle
from the 'baby-sitter'.
246
00:26:32,090 --> 00:26:33,523
She tries to drive them off
247
00:26:33,658 --> 00:26:36,821
but they can steal a tenth
of their milk this way.
248
00:26:45,170 --> 00:26:46,660
In windswept Patagonia
249
00:26:46,805 --> 00:26:50,263
a hole in the ground counts
as prime real estate
250
00:26:50,408 --> 00:26:52,740
and it's a magnet for squatters.
251
00:26:54,846 --> 00:26:58,179
Here even the birds nest underground.
252
00:27:03,788 --> 00:27:05,949
As soon as the maras backs are turned
253
00:27:06,091 --> 00:27:08,889
burrowing owls try to
take over their home.
254
00:27:16,601 --> 00:27:18,967
Could this be the moment to move in?
255
00:27:34,919 --> 00:27:36,546
But they're soon spotted.
256
00:28:24,135 --> 00:28:26,467
This time, the squatters are evicted.
257
00:28:26,604 --> 00:28:28,469
The maras keep their burrow.
258
00:28:35,013 --> 00:28:35,911
In Patagonia
259
00:28:36,047 --> 00:28:40,279
burrowing owls aren't the only birds
that nest underground.
260
00:28:42,020 --> 00:28:43,510
With no trees to nest in
261
00:28:43,655 --> 00:28:47,716
burrowing parrots excavate holes
in a sandstone cliff.
262
00:29:01,005 --> 00:29:04,532
There can be over fifty thousand birds
in these colonies.
263
00:29:05,443 --> 00:29:07,070
This is one of the few places on earth
264
00:29:07,212 --> 00:29:09,578
where parrots nest by the seaside.
265
00:29:20,225 --> 00:29:24,252
The diversity of South American wildlife
doesn't end at the coastline.
266
00:29:25,630 --> 00:29:29,532
The seas that surround the continent
are some of the richest in the world.
267
00:29:44,983 --> 00:29:49,886
Upwellings of cold, nutrient-rich water
feed huge shoals of fish...
268
00:29:50,655 --> 00:29:54,250
food in turn for seabirds
and marine mammals.
269
00:30:23,388 --> 00:30:26,551
The sheer numbers of fish here
are astounding.
270
00:30:27,192 --> 00:30:30,992
A single shoal of anchovies can be
hundreds of thousands strong.
271
00:30:33,164 --> 00:30:39,069
These huge concentrations inevitably
attract predators... dusky dolphins.
272
00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:46,370
The dolphins' migrations are synchronised
with the anchovies' movements.
273
00:30:54,052 --> 00:30:57,988
For the defenceless anchovies
there seems to be safety in numbers.
274
00:30:58,356 --> 00:30:59,254
When they come under attack
275
00:30:59,390 --> 00:31:00,982
they bunch more tightly together...
276
00:31:01,125 --> 00:31:05,186
to form a dizzying ball of
swirling fins and scales.
277
00:31:08,099 --> 00:31:12,365
The dolphins find it harder to target
any single fish in this dense mass
278
00:31:12,503 --> 00:31:14,562
so they try to break up the shoal...
279
00:31:14,706 --> 00:31:16,037
by swimming through it.
280
00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:26,607
Once the shoal has been split
281
00:31:26,751 --> 00:31:28,309
the dolphins confuse the fish
282
00:31:28,519 --> 00:31:31,545
and scatter them even more
by blowing bubbles...
283
00:31:31,689 --> 00:31:35,625
and by emitting high frequency sounds
that stun them.
284
00:31:44,969 --> 00:31:46,493
This drives them to the surface
285
00:31:46,638 --> 00:31:49,766
where they become easy prey
for seabirds too.
286
00:31:57,148 --> 00:31:58,308
Attracted by the disturbance
287
00:31:58,449 --> 00:32:02,909
yet more hunters join the attack...
southern sealions.
288
00:32:20,338 --> 00:32:21,828
Under assault from all sides
289
00:32:21,973 --> 00:32:24,942
the fish are now totally disoriented.
290
00:32:25,343 --> 00:32:27,834
Trapped at the centre of
this feeding frenzy
291
00:32:27,979 --> 00:32:29,139
they don't stand a chance.
292
00:32:56,374 --> 00:32:59,775
Magellanic penguins mop up
the last survivors.
293
00:33:05,550 --> 00:33:09,509
At the end, all that's left
are tiny fish scales...
294
00:33:10,121 --> 00:33:12,646
drifting down into the deep.
295
00:33:17,562 --> 00:33:22,158
For almost a hundred million years
South America was an island.
296
00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:24,700
Its animals evolved in isolation
297
00:33:24,836 --> 00:33:28,272
cut off from the rest of the world
by the surrounding sea.
298
00:33:29,340 --> 00:33:30,932
But around three million years ago
299
00:33:31,075 --> 00:33:33,339
the same kind of movements of
the earth's crust
300
00:33:33,511 --> 00:33:38,949
that built the Andes raised a land bridge
joining North and South America.
301
00:33:40,518 --> 00:33:43,817
Animals could now pass easily
between the continents.
302
00:33:44,088 --> 00:33:47,489
The impact on South America
was profound.
303
00:34:01,272 --> 00:34:06,039
Among the first mammals to arrive
were these... coatis.
304
00:34:06,477 --> 00:34:08,536
Relatives of the North American racoons
305
00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:12,445
they're active, agile
intelligent and adaptable.
306
00:34:18,289 --> 00:34:21,816
They quickly colonised this land
of new opportunities.
307
00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:25,496
Today they're found as far south
as Argentina.
308
00:34:35,006 --> 00:34:39,238
These early invaders soon made
South America's forests their own.
309
00:34:43,081 --> 00:34:46,016
For the continent's original inhabitants
like the sloth
310
00:34:46,150 --> 00:34:48,482
life would never be the same again.
311
00:34:49,754 --> 00:34:53,520
These brash newcomers
were just so fast.
312
00:34:56,027 --> 00:34:59,588
Sloths are lethargic by nature
as well as by name.
313
00:34:59,764 --> 00:35:03,427
They have a low body temperature
and very slow metabolism.
314
00:35:13,077 --> 00:35:16,979
Sloths have hung on by doing
one thing supremely well
315
00:35:17,115 --> 00:35:19,447
eating and digesting leaves.
316
00:35:25,289 --> 00:35:27,689
Coatis succeed
because they're opportunists
317
00:35:27,825 --> 00:35:30,453
quick to seek out any new snack.
318
00:35:30,895 --> 00:35:33,659
They leave sloths behind
at the starting line.
319
00:35:37,301 --> 00:35:39,792
They're social animals
living in bands of up
320
00:35:39,937 --> 00:35:42,064
to twenty females and their youngsters.
321
00:35:42,507 --> 00:35:44,737
And they're omnivorous eating fruit
322
00:35:44,876 --> 00:35:48,835
insects, spiders, slugs, fish, snakes
birds and mammals...
323
00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:50,777
almost anything they can find.
324
00:35:59,757 --> 00:36:01,884
A flexible nose
and a good sense of smell
325
00:36:02,026 --> 00:36:04,756
help them sniff out the slightest chance
of a meal.
326
00:36:20,578 --> 00:36:24,912
These early colonists were soon followed
by others larger
327
00:36:25,049 --> 00:36:28,883
and more deadly
like the jaguar.
328
00:36:31,589 --> 00:36:36,925
South America had large carnivores
before cat and dog-like marsupials.
329
00:36:37,261 --> 00:36:41,095
But many had already died out
before the newcomers got here.
330
00:36:52,743 --> 00:36:55,268
Coatis may have had it easy
when they first arrived
331
00:36:55,413 --> 00:36:59,008
but once large hunters followed
life became tougher.
332
00:37:29,580 --> 00:37:32,174
On the whole, the invaders
were very successful.
333
00:37:32,316 --> 00:37:35,080
Some may have out-competed
the original inhabitants
334
00:37:35,219 --> 00:37:36,846
others may have eaten them
335
00:37:36,988 --> 00:37:39,855
but many of the new animals simply
moved into spaces
336
00:37:39,991 --> 00:37:41,515
that were already empty.
337
00:37:41,892 --> 00:37:44,918
Today, almost half of
South America's mammal families
338
00:37:45,062 --> 00:37:47,292
are North American in origin.
339
00:37:50,868 --> 00:37:53,268
Eventually the immigrants
in this new found land
340
00:37:53,404 --> 00:37:56,066
spread to all corners
of the continent.
341
00:38:07,618 --> 00:38:09,984
As the invaders adapted to
their new surroundings
342
00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:12,487
some evolved into new forms.
343
00:38:15,893 --> 00:38:21,593
A simple, dog-like ancestor gave
rise to this the maned wolf.
344
00:38:23,868 --> 00:38:25,301
Like a fox on stilts
345
00:38:25,469 --> 00:38:30,065
this long-legged predator hunts
the grassy plains of southern Brazil.
346
00:38:30,274 --> 00:38:34,472
It eats small animals and must
travel far to find enough to eat.
347
00:38:42,486 --> 00:38:46,286
The great plains are one of South America's
most ancient landscapes.
348
00:38:46,991 --> 00:38:48,515
Throughout the continent's history
349
00:38:48,659 --> 00:38:51,184
they've remained relatively unchanged.
350
00:38:51,562 --> 00:38:56,625
Today they have a strange mixture
of animals the old and the new.
351
00:39:01,906 --> 00:39:05,273
Deer are relatively recent arrivals
from North America.
352
00:39:05,443 --> 00:39:07,308
On the plains they rub shoulders
with animals
353
00:39:07,445 --> 00:39:12,041
that have been here
for tens of millions of years...
354
00:39:14,819 --> 00:39:15,843
Like the rhea
355
00:39:15,986 --> 00:39:18,716
South America's equivalent
of the ostrich.
356
00:39:32,236 --> 00:39:35,637
If the maned wolf is one of the most
recent animals on the plains
357
00:39:35,773 --> 00:39:38,105
this is one of the oldest
358
00:39:39,744 --> 00:39:41,439
The giant anteater.
359
00:39:43,247 --> 00:39:45,875
It's one of the most specialised
insect-eaters on earth
360
00:39:46,016 --> 00:39:49,918
and that bizarre snout is one of
its secret weapons.
361
00:39:54,625 --> 00:39:57,219
The snout houses a long sticky tongue
362
00:39:57,361 --> 00:40:00,091
ideal for delving into termite mounds.
363
00:40:00,498 --> 00:40:02,591
But first you've got to break in.
364
00:40:05,236 --> 00:40:07,727
Termite mounds can be almost
as hard as concrete
365
00:40:07,872 --> 00:40:11,137
so you also need a set of
very powerful claws.
366
00:40:20,284 --> 00:40:23,082
The giant anteater is one of
the few surviving members
367
00:40:23,220 --> 00:40:24,244
of a group of animals
368
00:40:24,388 --> 00:40:27,880
that has lived in South America
for over fifty million years.
369
00:40:33,030 --> 00:40:36,693
This is another one, the armadillo.
370
00:40:37,268 --> 00:40:39,896
Armadillos and
anteaters survived the invasion
371
00:40:40,037 --> 00:40:43,598
because they specialise in food
the invaders can't tackle.
372
00:40:44,041 --> 00:40:46,839
They eat mostly ants and termites.
373
00:40:48,179 --> 00:40:52,138
The maned wolf doesn't compete
with them because it prefers mice.
374
00:40:59,890 --> 00:41:01,949
But catching them isn't easy.
375
00:41:25,950 --> 00:41:29,477
All that effort
for just one tiny mouthful.
376
00:41:34,558 --> 00:41:36,287
The animals of today's South America
377
00:41:36,427 --> 00:41:40,955
are a pale shadow of what was once
here two ton armadillos
378
00:41:41,098 --> 00:41:43,862
flesh-eating birds three metres tall
379
00:41:44,001 --> 00:41:47,300
a giant ground-living sloth
the size of an elephant.
380
00:41:50,207 --> 00:41:54,075
The ground sloth disappeared less
than ten thousand years ago.
381
00:41:54,211 --> 00:41:57,044
What drove these giants to extinction?
382
00:42:00,918 --> 00:42:04,115
Long after the land bridge linked
North and South America
383
00:42:04,255 --> 00:42:07,053
there was one last great invasion
384
00:42:07,191 --> 00:42:09,284
the most far-reaching of all.
385
00:42:25,042 --> 00:42:28,102
No one knows exactly
when the first people arrived
386
00:42:28,245 --> 00:42:31,373
or even how they came
by boat along the coast
387
00:42:31,515 --> 00:42:33,745
or overland from North America.
388
00:42:43,127 --> 00:42:46,893
We do know they've been here
for at least twelve thousand years
389
00:42:47,131 --> 00:42:50,294
and they soon penetrated
every part of the continent
390
00:42:50,434 --> 00:42:54,268
from the sea coast to the high peaks
of the Andes.
391
00:43:01,111 --> 00:43:03,443
The first hunter-gatherers
may have hastened
392
00:43:03,547 --> 00:43:06,072
the extinction of creatures
like the giant sloth
393
00:43:06,283 --> 00:43:09,184
but they made little direct
impact on the landscape.
394
00:43:20,230 --> 00:43:22,460
But the development of
settled agriculture
395
00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:25,592
eventually changed
the face of South America.
396
00:43:32,910 --> 00:43:34,775
Elaborate civilisations flourished
397
00:43:34,912 --> 00:43:37,642
in the most remote corners
of the mountains.
398
00:43:39,149 --> 00:43:43,381
Their last monuments can still
be seen high in the Andes
399
00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:48,184
in the ruins of the legendary Inca city
of Machu Picchu.
400
00:44:08,545 --> 00:44:10,945
People even changed the animals.
401
00:44:11,181 --> 00:44:12,978
Around seven thousand years ago
402
00:44:13,117 --> 00:44:15,745
they domesticated wild relatives
of the guanaco
403
00:44:15,886 --> 00:44:18,480
to produce Ilamas and alpacas.
404
00:44:20,491 --> 00:44:23,358
As sources of meat and wool
and beasts of burden
405
00:44:23,494 --> 00:44:26,486
these were the key to survival
in the high Andes.
406
00:44:31,769 --> 00:44:33,896
These domestic animals
are still important
407
00:44:34,038 --> 00:44:36,529
to the people of the altiplano today
408
00:44:36,674 --> 00:44:38,505
and are an integral
part of their culture.
409
00:44:45,182 --> 00:44:47,810
By selectively breeding
from their wild ancestors
410
00:44:47,951 --> 00:44:50,476
the mountain people have
developed different aspects
411
00:44:50,587 --> 00:44:52,987
of the animals to suit different needs.
412
00:44:55,292 --> 00:44:57,817
Llamas are better pack animals
and have good meat
413
00:44:57,961 --> 00:45:01,488
whereas alpacas are more valued
for their dense wool.
414
00:45:10,174 --> 00:45:12,267
Llama fairs, and even races
415
00:45:12,476 --> 00:45:14,944
are a high point
on the local calendar.
416
00:45:15,079 --> 00:45:17,479
And they're more than
just an excuse for a party.
417
00:45:25,222 --> 00:45:26,553
The animals carry weights
418
00:45:26,690 --> 00:45:28,487
so the race is a test of stamina
419
00:45:28,625 --> 00:45:31,788
especially at this high altitude.
420
00:45:54,518 --> 00:45:57,351
Traditional cultures have survived
in places like this
421
00:45:57,521 --> 00:46:00,615
because they are so isolated
from the outside world.
422
00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:31,849
Wildlife too survives
423
00:46:31,989 --> 00:46:35,686
because much of the continent remains
isolated and remote.
424
00:46:39,363 --> 00:46:42,799
People may have irretrievably changed
parts of South America
425
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:44,963
but it's a vast continent
426
00:46:45,102 --> 00:46:48,037
and much of it is too extreme
for people to settle.
427
00:46:52,242 --> 00:46:56,736
So it still retains huge areas of
stunning wild landscapes.
428
00:46:57,014 --> 00:47:01,212
For sheer variety it's
without rival anywhere on earth.
429
00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:39,145
South America's natural landscapes
430
00:47:39,289 --> 00:47:44,090
and their wildlife owe their existence
to the continent's unique history.
431
00:47:44,795 --> 00:47:47,821
They're the latest spectacular chapter
in a story
432
00:47:47,965 --> 00:47:51,924
that has been unfolding
for over a hundred million years.
36518
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