Original subtitles

(gentle orchestral music) (insects chirp)

For a small country

barely the size of Switzerland,

Costa Rica has made tremendous efforts

to protect the environment,

setting aside 1/4 of its land area

as natural parks and nature reserves.

The tropical climate and varied topography

have fostered exceptional biodiversity,

with wildlife from both North and South America.

From the peaks of volcanoes

down to the Pacific and Caribbean shores,

wildlife has flourished.

(uplifting orchestral music) (macaws squawk)

(frog calls)

(monkey grunts)

(bird screeches)

(waves crash)

Costa Rica is located midway on the isthmus

that has joined the two continents

North America and South America for 15 million years.

The east-west collision between two tectonic plates,

the Caribbean plate to the east,

and the Cocos plate between the Pacific Ocean to the west

has created this narrow strip of land

dominated by the perfect cones of its many volcanoes.

Many of these volcanoes are active,

while others are dormant.

The continuing tectonic activity has formed a chain

rising to an altitude of 3,800 meters.

Ocean winds drive the warm, damp air

up from the plains and onto the slopes.

The rising vapor cools, and as it cools,

it condenses into clouds.

Between 1,000 and 3,000 meters,

the climate has produced a biotope

typical of tropical mountain areas, the cloud forest.

(birds chirp) (gentle instrumental music)

The tallest trees form a canopy some 20 meters

above the ground.

Lush vegetation with twisted trunks and contorted branches

covers the entire area.

All along the mossy trunks, plants stretch skyward,

rising from darkness, seeking light for photosynthesis.

(water gurgles)

Warm springs are a reminder that we're on the edge

of a volcano.

The remarkable turquoise color of the river

is a natural phenomenon

due to the chemical reaction between calcium carbonate

and the sulfur in the water from deep underground.

The entire area is filled with the stench of rotten eggs.

(water crashes)

But everywhere in the cloud forest,

water is indeed the source of life

and the key to luxuriant plant growth.

Overcoming the lack of space on the crowded forest floor,

some plants called epiphytes, like orchids and lichens,

grow on the surface of trees without reaching the ground.

They gather minerals from the humus that builds up

at the bases of branches, and they filter rainwater.

Between the ground and the top of the canopy,

there is a full range of vegetation levels.

Every large tree is an ecosystem in its own right,

providing a great variety of habitats and food

for the animals of the forest.

(bird chirps)

The black-faced solitaire builds its nest in moss,

half concealed by the vegetation.

(solitaire sings)

This male sings to keep in contact with his mate.

(birds chatter)

But there's another song in the air.

(birds chatter)

One of the loudest, most penetrating songs

in the cloud forest comes from the three-waddled bellbird.

The male's head features three waddles of skin,

and his beak opens wide.

The bellbird is mainly a fruit eater,

but it could intimidate many a smaller creature.

The bellbirds and other birds

living in the cool cloud forest are often reclusive

and hard to see.

On the other hand, there's no problem

watching the many species of hummingbirds

when they display their plumage

with its characteristic metallic sheen.

(birds chatter)

Bright-colored passerines,

like this couple of flame-colored tanagers,

have to beware of birds of prey.

Luckily for them, this turkey vulture is a carrion bird,

and even if it's hungry, the tanagers would be far too fast

for any vulture to catch them.

(ambient instrumental music)

It should come as no surprise that these mysterious forests

are home to one of the world's most beautiful birds.

Watch the long, green tail feathers

protruding from a hollowed-out tree trunk.

These mountains are home

to the mythical, resplendent quetzal,

once considered divine,

and now classified as near threatened.

The female, recognized by her short tail feathers

and gray breast, is not far from the nest.

Inside, the long, green tail feathers

shows the male is at work.

(birds chatter)

The female immediately flies in to replace her partner

in warming their two hatchlings,

who are only a few days old.

The male can shake out his feathers

before flying off to hunt.

(birds chatter)

The female watches for the father to return,

when she'll have to leave,

as the nest is too small for the both of them.

About 10 minutes later, the male is back

with a grasshopper in his beak for the chicks.

They'll need a few more days

before they can eat fruit like their parents.

(birds chatter)

In the meantime, the female quetzal can rely on her partner

who conscientiously carries out his fatherly duties.

At 2,000 meters in altitude,

another couple of quetzals is ready to mate.

The nesting season runs from April to May.

If they are perching side-by-side outside the nest,

it's because the male is still working on the nest.

He hasn't finished out hollowing out the trunk

of a dead tree to make it more comfortable.

The female is quite demanding

and won't accept the nest until it's absolutely perfect.

(playful instrumental music) (birds chirp)

The female checks on how the work is coming along.

Will she approve the nest and finally take possession?

The male has worked hard and looks exhausted.

But his partner has flown out,

signaling there's more work to do.

So the male bravely resigns himself to finishing the job.

The female quetzal remains unruffled,

confident of getting her way.

This is surely a part of their mating game.

(playful instrumental music)

Throughout Latin America,

the resplendent quetzal is a symbol of freedom.

Every attempt to raise quetzals in captivity has failed.

Quetzals allow themselves to die

if deprived of their freedom.

Preserving the quetzal means preserving its natural habitat.

Creating ecological corridors to link forests together

would also promote greater genetic mixing

between populations.

(birds chatter) (insects hum)

The cloud forest is home to many other intriguing species.

What is this strange thing that looks like a furry snake,

poking around in the underbrush?

It's the tail of a white-nosed coati.

(birds sing) (insects hum)

Coatis are omnivores.

They're quick and clever and constantly in search of food.

This one's foraging under the leaves

for small vertebrates, insects, nuts, and fruit,

and nothing will distract him.

Their excellent sense of smell

helps them locate their prey,

no matter how small or how well they're hidden.

Their sharp claws do the rest.

(bird whistles)

Coatis find most of their food on the ground,

but they're ready to climb the trees as well.

The best fruits might demand more of an effort,

but coatis have perfect balance.

Male coatis tend to be solitary,

except during the mating season,

but females live in small family bands with their young.

This social structure provides protection

for the young pups,

despite the fact that adults are constantly caught up

in the search for food.

(animals chatter) (birds chirp)

Because of their mobility and voracious appetite,

coatis play a major role in the ecosystem.

After digesting fruit from the trees,

they disperse the seeds far away.

Some seeds germinate better

after transiting through their digestive systems

and being dropped to the ground with natural fertilizer.

This is one of nature's ways of spreading the forest

and promoting plant biodiversity.

(animals call) (birds chirp)

The smaller trees are frequently visited

by variegated squirrels,

so called because of their multicolored fur.

Unlike squirrels in other countries,

variegated squirrels do not store food for later

because there's no winter in Costa Rica.

There's a dry season, when it still rains,

and a rainy season when the sun still comes out.

In short, because there's never a season

without a fresh food supply,

there's no reason to store food for later.

This also means that forgotten stores

won't germinate to form new trees,

as can occur in Europe or North America.

(animals chatter)

Some of the most remarkable trees in the forest

are the various species of strangler fig.

They begin as seeds dispersed by birds

and germinate on other existing trees.

They grow branches to capture light

and send their roots down to the ground,

wrapping around the support tree.

This strangles the host tree,

which eventually dies and decays,

leaving a baroque-shaped columnar tree

around a hollow core.

These tall trees make perfect perches

for mantled howler monkeys,

so named because of the loud calls they use to communicate

and defend their territory.

(howler monkey calls)

(howler monkeys call)

These impressive calls can be heard for miles around.

(howler monkeys call)

The sound is amplified by the hyoid bone

near the vocal chords,

which is enlarged in the male mantled howler.

Any conflicts among the mantled howler monkeys

are handled simply by howling.

At the very least, this spares them the need to fight.

This monkey tends to be pretty lackadaisical,

largely owing to their diet,

which is primarily composed of leaves

that have low nutritional value and are hard to digest.

They prefer tender shoots,

which are less likely to contain toxins.

But first of all, they have to reach the shoots.

(birds chirp) (monkeys call)

Mantled howler monkeys spend the rest of their time napping.

(leaves rustle)

Despite the damp mid-day heat,

the young howlers have the time and energy to play.

The rules are simple.

Just hold on, and try not to fall.

(leaves rustle) (birds chirp)

(howler monkey calls)

Heliconia, this flower plant that grows in forests,

is highly nutritious and rich in glucose.

It's a feast for this hummingbird,

a white-necked jacobin, attracted by its red petals.

(lively orchestral music) (birds chirp)

During the day, hummingbirds have to feed

every 10 minutes or so, and their daily sugar intake

has to be roughly half their body weight.

That's because of their rapid metabolism.

With a heart beating nearly 1,000 times a minute.

Without food,

a hummingbird would die in less than two hours.

(birds chirp) (rain patters)

When the rain begins to fall,

filling the flower's corollas with sweet water,

the feast becomes even more intense.

Hummingbirds could add more protein to their diet,

but the small insects they'd have to catch

tend to vanish when it rains.

(birds chirp)

Between two meals,

hummingbirds perch in order to conserve energy.

They can fly backwards or hover in place.

This helps them avoid collisions

when several are attracted to the same flower.

(birds chirp)

Yet, while they can way less than 10 grams soaking wet,

a hummingbird's life is an extremely active one.

The other birds seem to dislike the rain

and take shelter as they wait for the sky to clear.

But the rain can continue for days,

and they simply have to feed.

The smallest passerines, like this olive-backed euphonia,

have no choice but to face the rain.

This male red-legged honeycreeper is all decked out

for the mating season

and can't resist the temptation of a bunch of bananas.

In the heat and rain, fruit spoils as soon as it ripens.

Birds have no trouble breaking the soft skin.

The most aggressive birds, like this blue-gray tanager,

managed to get the best spots.

The cloud forest gets over two meters of rainfall a year,

making it a paradise for frogs.

This green and black poison dart frog,

like other members of the family Dendrobatidae,

have brightly colored bodies to warn potential predators

that they are toxic.

The poison in their skin is only defensive

and is secreted only when they are under stress.

Still, the toxin is strong enough to kill a man.

One hypothesis is that Dendrobates accumulate poison

from their prey, especially ants and centipedes.

And then, suddenly, the rain stops.

(gentle instrumental music)

(birds chirp)

The sun is greeted by a multitude of bird songs.

But this blue-throated toucanet

has no time to join the symphony

because he's totally focused on feeding his chicks

and their mother.

The female hollowed out the nest.

She's currently incubating four eggs,

and it's the male's turn to feed the family.

(birds chirp)

He flies between fruit trees and the nest,

removing waste matter during each journey.

Keeping the nest clean is essential

because the couple will be using it for many years to come.

(insects buzz) (birds chirp)

A little lower, at an altitude of 1,200 meters,

the temperature climbs swiftly with the sun.

This is when the male cicadas sing,

or rather, make a strident sound

by vibrating their tymbals,

which are membranes on their abdomens.

The males have recently molted,

casting off their exuviae,

and now they're trying to attract females.

Without this distinctive sound,

who could they find the right mate

among the 35,000 known species of insects

identified in Costa Rica?

(insects hum) (birds chirp)

While beetles with their flashy colors are easy to see,

some grasshoppers are perfect at camouflage,

as they seek to remain invisible to predators.

Sometimes, it's the other way around,

with brightly-colored prey and a well-camouflaged predator.

Like most Dendrobates, the bluejeans dart frog is poisonous

and so has no reason to be discreet.

Indeed, to attract a mate, the male's approach to courtship

seems to be the same as the cicadas.

(frog chirps)

The louder the better.

(frog chirps)

In the jungle, you have to do everything you can

to get attention when you're barely two centimeters long.

(frog chirps)

A little further, a young nine-banded armadillo

is already wide awake.

This nocturnal animal is really hungry

as it emerges from its burrow in the twilight.

Guided by a powerful sense of smell,

it's searching for earthworms, small reptiles,

and especially insects.

Discovering an anthill whets its appetite even more.

Fortunately, it's protected from ant bites

by its keratin carapace and the thick skin of its belly.

(birds call)

Lower down, at an altitude of 1,000 meters,

the cloud forest gives way to a sunnier, warmer biotope.

This is the tropical rainforest.

Here, annual rainfall does not exceed two meters,

and during the dry season, from December to April,

the sun may shine several days in a row.

(water gurgles)

Here too, solfataras are a reminder

of the volcanic origin of the subsoil.

The continuous emission of hydrogen sulfide from these vents

has scarred the vegetation.

But the sulfur carried by the water

settles quickly near the source,

and the clearer water downriver can irrigate the forest.

(birds chirp)

Abundant water and generous sunlight

have led to a unique variety of plants.

The flowering trees burst into bloom,

each in turn as the seasons change.

(gentle orchestral music)

Plants of the bromeliad family,

which often grow on other trees, have large flowers

with a huge variety of colors and shapes.

(bird chatters)

With 1,200 species,

orchids are among the most common flowers.

Their beauty, fragrance, and colors

compete to attract birds and pollinating insects,

particularly butterflies.

Butterflies suck up nectar through their long proboscis,

which is sometimes as long as their abdomen.

Rubbing against the stamen, the male part of the flower,

the proboscis picks up pollen,

which will then pollinate the pistil of the same flower

or another flower of the same specie.

Like bee populations,

butterfly populations are declining worldwide,

and this is a major concern.

The Earth has 2,500 species of flowering plants,

and 85% of them depend on insects for pollination.

This pale owl butterfly has nothing to fear.

To discourage predators,

its wings are marked with an ocellus, or eyespot,

that mimics the eye of a reptile.

The upper side of the wings of this peleides blue morpho

are bright blue, but the underside is brown

to blend in with the surrounding vegetation

when the butterfly is at rest.

(water gurgles)

(birds chatter)

If there's one species that doesn't want to blend in

with the environment, it's this keel billed toucan.

Its beak is 15 centimeters long,

and it can reach even the most distant fruit,

and it helps with grooming,

which sometimes toucans do with obvious pride,

especially during their breeding season.

(birds chatter)

Yellow-throated toucans may have fewer colors,

but their bill is just as effective

for smoothing their feathers.

In a natural environment teeming with insects and parasites,

birds spend much of their time

scratching, cleaning, and preening their plumage.

While some birds' appeal is based on their bright colors,

other birds, like the great potoo use camouflage.

The nocturnal great potoo sleeps by day,

mimicking a tree branch.

(birds warble)

Even if it maybe be hard to sleep through the squawking

of the Montezuma oropendola and their acrobatics.

(birds squawk)

The brown hooded parrot is much more discreet.

These small parrots live in groups

of a dozen or so individuals,

but they can also get away from the others

to feast on the best trees.

And this fruit is attracting a lot of interest.

The trees in poorer health

are infested by various larvae, mollusks, and insects

to the delight of the cinnamon woodpecker,

who's willing to work to capture them under the bark.

(birds call)

(leaves rustle)

The most insatiable feeders

are possibly the black-handed spider monkeys,

who vary their diet by moving from tree to tree.

Up to the age of three months,

young monkeys travel only on their mothers' back,

holding on with their prehensile tail.

They won't break free until their a year old,

after their mothers have taught them

to recognize edible leaves, fruit, and insects.

Despite their natural curiosity,

young black-handed spider monkeys must avoid toxic plants.

Scientists believe that this learning effort

and the memorization it involves

have contributed to developing the intelligence

of spider monkeys.

They're actually ranked third for intelligence

behind the orangutan and the chimpanzee.

(playful instrumental music)

(birds call)

For the youngest ones who aren't yet capable

of picking fruit on their own,

there is the temptation to steal,

despite the likelihood of being caught.

(insects buzz)

Pinching someone else's food would require

both skill and tact.

(leaves rustle)

(birds chatter)

Larceny may have ended in failure and in being scolded,

but there's nothing more comforting than mother's milk.

Each female bears just a single baby monkey

every two to four years.

The rate of reproduction of spider monkey is too low

to offset the effect of poaching and deforestation,

especially in the countries neighboring Costa Rica.

The black-handed spider monkey is therefore considered

an endangered species.

(monkeys call)

Living at altitudes below 500 meters

and capable of reaching the age of 50,

scarlet macaws are less endangered.

The female can lay two or three egg a year,

providing that she accepts a mate.

Couples spend lots of time bickering,

and the sound is deafening for this red-eyed frog,

which only wants to sleep in peace during the day.

During delousing sessions,

the slightest mistake in grooming can cause a fight.

(macaws squawk)

Despite the quarreling,

this couple will stay together all life long.

The ceremonial smoothing of feathers

helps to maintain the flame.

But once again, beware of clumsy beaks.

(macaws squawk)

The red-eyed tree frog is now fully awake,

but won't go hunting for insects

until after sunset.

It keeps a discreet watch on its surroundings,

with semi-transparent eyelids over its big red eyes.

(animals chatter)

As twilight fades, the calm returns.

(birds chirp) (animals call)

Even this family of howler monkeys high in a tree

are dining in silence.

Better not let the big cats, ocelots, cougars, or jaguars,

know where you are before falling asleep.

(insects chirp)

The night is filled with the sound of insects.

Predators are resting or waiting in ambush.

The most alert creatures are the spiders,

particularly tarantulas.

On the lookout for prey near the entrance to their burrow,

tarantulas eat insects, reptiles, and small rodents

by injecting digestive enzymes to liquefy their flesh

before sucking out the liquid.

Woe to any creatures that vibrates their web.

Leaf cutter ants,

which provide nutrients to the fungi they feed upon,

are unlikely to be caught by tarantulas

because they carefully follow the path

of there own pheromones, leading back to the anthill.

The kinkajou is mainly a fruit eater

but is ready to use its long tongue to catch ants

or maybe a tiny frog.

Many nocturnal animals play it safe

by blending into the background.

Whatever happens, this will be a good night for some,

while others won't live to see the following day.

(gentle instrumental music)

Barely a few meters above sea level,

coastal plains are crisscrossed by channels and marshes.

There are no roads across this muddy maze,

abandoned to tropical humidity,

and that's good news for the wildlife here.

At daybreak, this black-crowned night heron

stands sentinel over the surroundings.

Better to stand above the water,

where an American crocodile is watching and waiting.

(birds chirp)

Here, there are species that cannot coexist with humans,

such as Baird's tapir.

This one is resting, unaware of the looming danger.

(suspenseful music)

This is also one of the last sanctuaries for the jaguar,

the big cat whose territory

once spanned both North America and South America

is now confined to a few pockets of impenetrable jungle.

Sightings are extremely rare.

Still, they can sometimes be spotted catching the sun

on the banks of a river, always on the lookout

for creatures crossing its territory.

The black vulture and the white-headed capuchin

both prefer to get away, more or less discreetly,

while the going is good.

(animals chatter)

Luckily for them, the jaguar is sated

and only wants to rest in peace and quiet.

Despite weighing 70 kilograms,

the jaguar moves in silence,

and its spotted coat can quickly vanish in the vegetation.

(birds chirp)

There are other big cats prowling on the forest floor.

It's much smaller than the jaguar,

but the ocelot is also very discreet.

While spending much if its time perched on branches,

the ocelot prefers to hunt on land.

It obviously cannot attack a tapir

but takes on all kinds of rodents, small reptiles,

and even careless birds.

Snakes often remain motionless to watch their prey,

and they move in silence.

This bird snake, a member of the Colubridae family,

is searching for bird eggs, but its tongue detects a smell

much stronger than any bird.

Some 20 collared peccaries are moving

in the bird snake's direction.

(leaves rustle)

Snakes have poor eyesight,

but their forked tongues

let them locate the origin of any scent

using the sense of smell

the same way we can locates sounds using both ears.

Peccaries are not a threat to the snake

unless they sense they are in danger.

The snake, nevertheless, prefers to wait

till the peccaries have gone before continuing on its way.

Now that there's no danger of being trampled,

the reptiles can come back into the open.

This young black spiny-tailed iguana is looking for insects.

Like all iguana species,

it will switch to flowers, fruits, and leaves,

but only after reaching adulthood.

For the time being, it still needs a high-protein diet.

These sleepy little bats

won't be competing with the iguana for flies.

Because insects are scarce,

it falls back on some vegetarian fare.

When the iguana reaches adulthood,

its skin darkens, and it grows dorsal spines.

Green iguanas are the most impressive lizard species

in Costa Rica.

They live hear rivers and streams.

The male green iguana can easily grow

to 1.5 meters in length.

His dragon's head can certainly impress smaller lizards.

Reptiles spend much of their time thermoregulating,

that is adjusting their body heat

by shifting their exposure to the sun.

It's complicated because their scales

don't provide much insulation from the heat.

Luckily for them, the absolute stillness of smaller lizards

makes them easy prey for herons,

especially this boat billed heron.

(animals chatter)

This is the common basilisk lizard.

Only the male has the characteristic dorsal crest.

They're famous for their ability to run on water

using their long hind legs and toes.

They stay close to rivers and streams,

watching for mangoes to ripen on the trees.

(mango thuds)

(percussive instrumental music)

Their tiny teeth can't bite through the skin of the mango,

so they feast on overripened fruit.

The green iguana has more powerful jaws,

so that's less of a problem.

Still, there's lots of competition for overripe fruit

that's bursting out of its skin.

Failure means the iguana has to settle for leaves,

which aren't as sweet, for the time being.

Green iguanas may look awkward,

but their good swimmers and excellent climbers.

Their powerful toes and sharp claws grasp branches

as they climb for food, cool fresh air,

and peace and quiet high in trees.

(macaws squawk)

But they don't get much of a friendly welcome

form the scarlet macaws.

(macaw squawks)

Macaws live in groups without a hierarchy,

but they have a pecking order for eating.

The oldest macaws come first and get the best locations

using their beak like a third foot.

(macaws squawk)

Only when the older ones fly off

can the younger, less experienced macaws

move to the same trees to pick the remaining nuts.

Cracking nuts and removing the contents

is a skill that young birds are quick to learn.

Between two morsels,

they squawk to let the rest of the group know they're there.

The Central American squirrel monkey

seems a bit stressed out by the racket.

This monkey is also looking for fruit

especially to feed the two month old youngster.

The squirrel monkey is the smallest

of the four species of primates living in Costa Rica,

smaller than the howler monkey,

the black-handed spider monkey,

and the white-headed capuchin.

(birds chirp)

Brown-throated sloths, on the other hand,

hardly move at all, whether alone or carrying their young.

They sleep 13 hours a day,

and the first thing they do when they wake up

is to take a rest.

The reason is their extremely slow metabolism.

They take 15 to 20 days to fully digest the leaves they eat.

They have a bowel movement only once a week,

and that's the only time they leave the tree

to go to the ground, though nobody actually knows why.

In any event,

the sloth seems perfectly content with its existence.

There's not much that can keep it from sleeping.

Certainly not the deep courting song

of the male great curassow, who's trying to attract a mate.

(birds chatter) (bird warbles)

But the female would have to be ready to listen,

unlike this white-lined tanager

that's hunting a pretty large spider.

(animals chatter)

Here, a male Cherrie's tanager is preening his feathers

while keeping an eye on his female.

Soon, it will be nesting time for the species,

and that means building a cozy nest.

(birds call)

That's also why this pale-billed woodpecker

has spent the past few days hollowing out the trunk

of a dead tree.

The pecking seems to have awakened the proboscis bats

that were sleeping in a nearby tree.

This bear-throated tiger heron

shows that we can't be far from a mangrove estuary,

where a singular natural phenomena occurs.

(gentle orchestral music)

For several hours, with each rising tide,

rivers flow backwards, away from the sea,

as the rising tide floods the river's mouth,

and beyond the beach,

we see the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean.

(uplifting orchestral music) (waves crash)

(birds call)

The shoreline all along the wild coasts of Costa Rica

is much like the rest of the country,

a meeting place for nature.

Here, volcanic rock plunges into the ocean,

and the sun's heat gathers up the water

that'll be carried to the mountain peaks.

This is the intertidal zone,

where marine wildlife and terrestrial fauna meet.

Hermit crabs scuttle into new shells,

and painted ghost crabs, which burrow underground,

are prey to the seabirds overhead.

(birds call)

Shorebirds and wading birds feed at the river's mouth.

This little blue heron begins its meal

with some freshwater crustaceans

and needs some liquid to help wash down the crayfish.

A few quick strides bring the heron to saltwater fish,

fish that can't escape their sharp beaks,

even if they swim towards the open sea.

It's here on the original beaches

that the animal populations

from North and South America first met and mingled

in the great melting pot of Central American wildlife.

(gentle instrumental music)

This is where the green turtle

struggles to lay her eggs in the sand

in order to perpetuate the specie.

These shores are sanctuaries,

where the green turtle hatchlings scramble into the ocean

to face their destiny.

These are the beaches where other animals

will nest in the sand or dig their burrows

and see the sunset over the pacific ocean,

where we can hope that nature will be preserved today

and flourish tomorrow.

(midtempo orchestral music)