All language subtitles for Wild South America 6 Penguin Shores

This is a journey up the
coast of South America

following the ocean currents
through stormy seas

and some of the richest waters
on the planet.

Running over three thousand miles

from almost the Antarctic
to the tropics

these shores are truly extraordinary.

They support the greatest concentration
of marine mammals

and seabirds on earth.

But what makes these waters
so special?

What feeds these teeming millions?

From Antarctic to Equator

one creature above all
has unlocked the secret

of life on these bountiful shores

the penguin.

Our journey begins off the tip
of South America

where the continent projects
into the Southern Ocean.

With little land to break their force

furious winds rage right
around the world.

These are some of the most
tempestuous waters on the planet.

It's hard to imagine how anything could
live in a place like this

But penguins live here
in their millions.

The penguins spend months at a time
out in the Southern Ocean

but once a year
they're forced to return to land.

But getting ashore
is not going to be easy.

The dangers of riding massive waves are
nothing compared to the perils

of trying to land on slippery rocks

armed with only strong feet

sharp claws and grim determination
to get them ashore.

These aren't called rockhopper
penguins for nothing.

But why do they take such risks to
fight their way ashore?

They've come here to nest.

Few islands break the vastness
of the cold southern seas

and those that do are seldom
more than barren rock.

But a handful are larger
like the Falklands.

When sea levels were lower
they were connected to South America

but now they lie
three hundred miles off the coast.

They're not just rock

but their interior's hardly
more welcoming

a treeless expanse of windblown
tussock grass.

For the penguins

this will be home
for the next six months.

Three hundred thousand pairs of
rockhoppers breed on the Falklands

almost two thirds of
the world population.

With good breeding sites
so scarce in the Southern Ocean

they jostle for space
with all sorts of other seabirds

like black-browed albatross.

It's a rush to rear their young
while summer lasts

and the penguins face a tortuous
trek every time

they go back to the sea for food.

At least the albatross can fly

but only with help from the elements.

The Falkland's strong winds are just
what these huge birds need to take off.

But how do these cold

turbulent seas support
such great numbers of birds?

Surprisingly

the cold itself is a key to
the oceans' riches.

Cold water holds more oxygen.

That, combined with nutrients

stirred up by rough seas

and the long summer days of sunlight

makes the water very fertile.

It supports huge shoals of krill...
shrimp-like crustaceans.

They feed everything
from whales to penguins.

Porpoising like this reduces drag

so it uses less energy
than normal swimming

and it lets the penguins see where they
are going when they come in to land.

These are gentoo penguins.

They're twice the size of rockhoppers

so they're not as good
at climbing cliffs.

They nest on the beach
or flat ground inland.

The cliffs above are crowded
with king cormorants.

All the birds here have
their own preferences

and good breeding sites are
in short supply.

Gentoos force their chicks to chase them
for their food.

It's a race that sorts out the weak
from the strong.

Like most penguins
they lay two eggs

but sometimes they can only catch
enough food to rear one.

When times are hard

the winner takes all...
and the weaker chick dies.

And there's competition
from another quarter.

Piratical skuas and gulls cash in
on the penguins' hard work.

The waters offshore may be prolific

but with so many birds breeding

all have to fight
for their share of food...

The Southern Ocean
may be a tough place to live

but penguins are great survivors.

Two months after hatching

the chicks make their first
acquaintance with the sea...

its riches...
and its dangers.

Not a shark, but a killer whale.

If the whale slips under the waves

the penguins can't see it
through the surface reflections.

They have no idea where it is.

Pods of killer whales come here
every summer to hunt penguins

after their main prey
seals have left the islands.

Their technique of stealth
in the shallows

is passed on from parents to young

using dead penguins
as target practice.

As the frigid waters of
the Southern Ocean

surge around the base of the world

only the southern tip of South America
interrupts their path.

But it isn't an impenetrable barrier.

It's a maze of channels and islands.

Deep fjords extend far
into the interior

letting rich, cold water reach right to
the foot of the Andes.

The forces that carved these channels
begin high in the mountains.

Huge glaciers grind their way down
from the great Patagonian ice-sheet.

When the ice-sheet was even larger
than it is today

these glaciers scoured
deep trenches in the rock.

The valleys they created filled
with the rising waters of the sea.

Some were gouged so deep
that only just offshore

the bottom is an incredible hundred
and twenty metres down.

This labyrinth of channels is one of
the least explored areas on earth.

As the cold water pushes deep into
the heart of Patagonia

it brings with it the animals
of the southern ocean...

Like fur seals.

Mostly they live on
the exposed coast

but wandering young males are
drawn into these sheltered fjords

by the rich feeding here.

They can dive as deep as 170 metres
to hunt the sea floor

but they feed mostly at night

when the fish come closer to
the surface.

Large eyes help them see
in the dark

and they may
also use echo location

The fjords are often stormy

but they're less exposed
than the open ocean

so these fur seals can take advantage
of the calm waters to rest.

On the edge of the channels
are great forests of kelp.

This giant seaweed is the fastest
growing plant in the world.

Its stems can be up to
thirty metres long.

Like any jungle
the kelp has its predators.

These aren't fur seals
but sea-lions.

They prefer to hunt in
these shallower waters

searching for animals
hiding amongst the weed.

Kelp beds are the rainforests
of the sea.

From sunlit canopy to shadowy
forest floor

they support a wealth of
strange creatures.

It's an ideal hunting ground
for sea-lions.

Like the rainforest

this is a world
that has yet to be fully explored.

Like birds of prey

the sea-lions fly among the branches
of this submarine forest.

There's forest on the land as well.

These deep valleys give a degree of
shelter from the relentless wind

and with the heavy rainfall
trees flourish.

Deep in the woods, something stirs.

The cold waters of the fjords have
even put a penguin in the forest.

These are Magellanic penguins.

Penguins may be elegant in the water

but they're not designed
for clambering over branches.

So what are they doing here?

With no broad beaches
or broken cliffs to breed on

these adaptable birds actually
nest here

scraping a hollow for their eggs
among the tree roots.

Nesting in the woods gives them
shelter from the elements

and protection against predators...

but when they have chicks to feed

they face a hard trek back to the sea.

Those strange calls gather them
into social groups on the shore

before they head out to sea.

It's no surprise that they're often
called jackass penguins.

To reach their fishing ground

the penguins have to
cross the kelp beds.

But that's where
the sea-lions are hiding.

And some sea-lions eat penguins.

Lone males are the most dangerous.

The penguins can't tell
if the sea-lion's still there.

They can't see through the water surface
and the dense kelp forest

They have to run the gauntlet
or their chicks will starve.

The only question is
when to go into the water.

It's time to chance it.

There's safety in numbers

but this straggler's
missed the group.

His chick needs feeding
so he has to take a gamble.

After killing the penguin

the sealion skins it
before eating it.

Safely out in the depths of the fjord

the penguins become the hunters
not the hunted.

Their prey here aren't krill
but fish... sardines.

Flocks of skuas
gulls and albatross follow the action.

The penguins hunt as a group

herding the fish into dense shoals.

In their panic to escape

they're driven to the surface

where they're easy prey
for the seabirds.

On land, penguins look ungainly
even comical...

but underwater
they're in their element.

They may be flightless
but here they really fly.

The fjords are more than
just sheltered feeding places.

They're highways
for all sorts of travellers.

One channel cuts all the way through
from the Atlantic to the Pacific

the Straits of Magellan.

Peale's dolphins take advantage of
this highway between the oceans.

They're small

but strong and agile

perfectly designed
for travel through kelp forests

narrow channels and strong currents.

They can reach speeds of
over 15 miles an hour.

At the Pacific end of the straits

the waters of the Southern Ocean mingle
with the cold Humboldt current.

It's channelled north
for two thousand miles

by a deep ocean trench...
as deep as the Andes are high.

This current is the key to life
on South America's west coast.

The Humboldt is also a highway
for sperm whales.

Males feed in the frozen waters
of the Antarctic

but the females and young live
all year round in the tropics.

So each year

these fifty ton giants swim
five thousand miles to find a mate.

The depth of the ocean trench along
which it travels is one reason

for the Humboldt current's fertility.

The cold water in the abyss
is rich in nutrients

from the remains of dead plants
and animals.

It's drawn to the surface

when the upper layers of water are
displaced by strong winds.

These enriched upwellings

feeds the most prolific fishing
grounds on earth.

The Humboldt current
brings the whole coast alive.

As the Humboldt surges up the coast

the rain-soaked forests of the south
are left behind.

Trees give way to the driest
desert on earth... the Atacama.

It's a strange paradox
that the world's driest land

and richest sea are found
side by side.

But even with the Humboldt current
just offshore

how could anything possibly live here?

Incredibly
this desert has penguins...

They're Humboldt penguins...
named like the current

after the 19th Century explorer
Alexander von Humboldt.

To take advantage of the shoals of fish
just offshore

they have to nest in the desert.

This appears to be the ultimate
challenge for a penguin.

The woolly chicks, especially

don't look as though they could cope
with a hot climate.

And squabbling for food
must make it even worse.

Penguins do have to be tough
and adaptable to live here

but it's actually not
as hot as it appears.

The cold Humboldt current
keeps the narrow strip of land

just inshore quite cool.

So long as the penguins keep close to
the water, they can survive

The penguins are here
because of the fish.

Just a little further up the coast are
the richest fishing grounds of all

the richest in the world.

The Humboldt current runs
close offshore

and here the vigorous upwellings
feed huge shoals of anchovies.

This paradise of surf and seafood
is called Paracas.

Paracas is a place of superlatives.

Just one of its sea-lion colonies
can have thirty thousand animals.

With so many packed together

it's hard for the bulls to keep control
of their harem of females.

Disputes are inevitable.

Paracas has more than sea-lions.

All kinds of bird flock here
to take advantage

of the huge shoals of anchovies

whose populations are estimated
not in millions, but trillions.

There are thought to be well
over five million birds

consuming a thousand tons of
anchovies a day.

The cormorant colonies alone contain
literally millions of birds.

There are three nests to
every square metre

and the colonies cover whole islands

the largest concentrations of birds
in the world.

There's standing room only
for Peruvian boobies too.

Nesting on islands keeps them safe
from four-footed predators

but it's no defence against attack
from the air.

Humboldt penguins take full advantage
of the rich fishing offshore

but for them, living in Paracas
has its own set of challenges.

Knowing how to ski on sand comes in handy
if you can't fly.

But at the foot of the slope

they have a much bigger problem
to overcome.

Their way to the sea is blocked...
by potential penguin eaters.

There are so many sea-lions
that there's no way round.

They have to make a dash for it.

In fact

the sea-lions here are
so well fed with fish

that the penguins are in more danger
of being squashed than eaten.

Thanks to the cold Humboldt current

Paracas is one of the
wildlife spectacles of the world.

But what happens
if the cold water disappears?

In El Nino years

a change in the prevailing wind brings
in warm water from the tropics.

The fertile upwellings are suppressed.

The fish literally vanish.

El Nino spells disaster
for almost everything that lives here.

With no fish to feed them

the animals must either leave...
or starve.

In El Nino years

only scavengers
like the condor grow fat.

The fish move far out into the ocean

but the birds and animals are tied to
their breeding colonies on land.

All the young die...
and many of their parents starve too.

El Nino's effect on the Atacama coast
can be catastrophic.

The only winners are the condors

which come down from the Andes
to feast on the fallen.

Yet even they find it hard to survive

once the first glut of food
from El Nino's victims has been exhausted.

El Nino is part of a natural cycle.

In time, the cold ocean current
is restored

the fish return, and slowly the seabirds
and sea-lions increase.

But as the world gets hotter
because of global warming

El Nino comes more often.

There's less time for wildlife to recover
before the next crash.

The Humboldt penguin is already rare.

Will it survive the next El Nino?

The Humboldt current is the key to life
in this barren land

and so far
it has always returned after El Nino.

For over two thousand miles

the current hugs the shores
of South America.

Now, deflected by the coast of Peru

it turns west... out into the blue.

The bull sperm whales are still following
this highway in the sea.

They've swum more than four thousand miles
from the frigid waters of the Antarctic

and they still have several hundred miles
to go to their rendezvous on the equator.

For the last leg of their journey

they have new companions...
bottlenosed dolphins.

Far out into the Pacific
the ocean floor is alive.

The bubbles are signs
of volcanic activity

that's built mountains four

and a half thousand metres high

so high that their summits
now rise above the waves.

Lying six hundred miles west of
the coast of South America

these barren cones
are the Galapagos islands.

A visit to the Galapagos
helped the young Charles Darwin

develop his theory of evolution.

He would have seen all sorts
of strange animals

like giant tortoises
and the islands' thirteen kinds of finch.

One does the job of a woodpecker...
using a cactus spine as a tool.

Another finch has become a bloodsucker
an avian vampire bat.

All the finches
have their own unique way of life

yet all are descended
from a single seed-eating ancestor.

Everywhere you look
there's something extraordinary.

A lizard that lives in the sea

A cormorant that can't fly.

Because the islands are so isolated

the few colonists that reached them
had the place to themselves.

With no competition

they could develop in all sorts
of unlikely ways.

The cormorant may be flightless

but it's an expert swimmer

superb at winkling out prey
from submerged lava fields.

The Galapagos lie right at the end
of the Humboldt current.

It reaches the islands
for only part of the year

and its arrival is erratic
and unpredictable.

Birds are constantly testing to see
if the rich, cold water has arrived.

When it does

the flush of food triggers
an orgy of breeding.

Blue-footed boobies are foot fetishists.

The bluer your feet

the more healthy
and fit you're likely to be

a sure turn-on for a potential mate.

These are waved albatross.

Almost the entire world population breeds
on one island in the Galapagos

but only when the cold currents
make conditions just right.

Flightless cormorants also celebrate
the arrival of the cold water.

Like all the birds here

the secret of their success
is irregular breeding

nesting only when cold water
brings them food.

With limited opportunities to breed

it's even more important
to pick the right partner.

Some birds go to extraordinary lengths
to impress a potential mate.

Like the boobies blue feet

the male frigate bird's red pouch
is a good

if slightly overblown way
of showing how fit he is.

The female booby can't spend forever
choosing between subtle shades of blue.

The Humboldt current is here.

She must seize the day
and pick a mate.

Some boobies have well grown chicks
from an earlier time of plenty

when the cold water was last here.

They take full advantage of
the new flush of food.

But they're not the only ones
looking for a meal.

The Galapagos have their own pirates...
frigate birds.

In this land of opportunists

they'll stop at nothing to
steal someone else's food.

Down on the shoreline
live the most extraordinary

of the islands'
many strange inhabitants.

Marine iguanas...
the only salt water lizards in the world.

They eat algae... seaweed...
growing on rocks between the tides

so they have to wait
for the water to go down

before they can feed.

They live only on shores
exposed to cold currents

but the arrival of the cold water
is a double-edged sword.

Its nutrients stimulate the growth
of the algae they eat

but because the lizards
are cold-blooded

the cold water slows them down
and could even kill them.

The best algae grow
close to the low tide mark

so it's a race to eat all they can
before the rocks are covered again

and their bodies are
chilled to danger point.

Strong claws
and a good grip are essential

if you're not to be swept away.

For most iguanas
life is ruled by the tides.

But the big males have another option.

Below the low tide mark

the growths of algae are more luxuriant

because the rocks are always covered.

The males use the heat of the
tropical sun to exploit them.

They expose the greatest possible
surface to its warming rays.

Because their bodies are larger

they can store more heat
and don't chill down so quickly.

When they've warmed to
an optimum thirty five degrees

they take to the water.

Down here
they can take advantage of a food supply

that's out of reach
for the smaller iguanas.

They can hold their breath
for twenty minutes or more.

But they have to feed fast.

Every minute they spend here

the heat is draining from their body.

If their temperature falls too low

they will be unable to move...
and they'll die.

It's time to go.

The cold waters of the Humboldt

bring southern species
all the way to the equator.

But when cold currents give way
to the warm Equatorial Current

sea temperatures almost double.

A whole new set of fish appears.

This is an ocean crossroads

with an amazing diversity
of marine life.

Hammerhead sharks are drawn here
in their hundreds.

It's thought they follow electromagnetic
'maps' on the sea floor.

No one knows exactly what attracts them.

There's certainly an abundance of food

but their gathering in huge shoals
suggests these mysterious fish

may also come here to socialise
and breed.

Hammerheads are not the only ones
that come to breed here.

For the bull sperm whales
this is journey's end

the culmination of
a five thousand mile odyssey

that's brought them all the way
from the Antarctic to the equator.

At last, they join the females
they've come so far to find.

Head butting and tooth rasping sort out
who's dominant.

The winning bulls will mate
with several females

For others, the journey
will have been in vain

and in just a few weeks

they'll take the long swim back
to the Southern Ocean.

This is the end of the road
for the sperm whales

and for the Humboldt current too.

But the Humboldt still
has one final surprise to spring.

This cold flow has even
put a penguin on the equator...

the Galapagos penguin.

They can thrive here in the tropics only
because the current brings the rich

cold water on which they depend.

Over the course of our three
and a half thousand mile journey

no creatures have proved
so adaptable as penguins.

On land, they can deal with everything
from forest to desert.

But it's underwater
that their true genius is revealed.

These are superb fish catchers.

Penguins have colonised almost the
entire west coast of South America...

but they could never have done so
without the Humboldt current.

All the way from the Southern Ocean
to the equator

that chill river in the sea feeds
everything that lives here.

It's the key to life
on these penguin shores.