All language subtitles for Baby Animals Series 1 11of13 Joined at the Hip 1080p

Newborn mammals
are entirely dependent

on their moms.

Baby koalas and howler monkeys
hold on for dear life,

while mum gives them
everything they need.

But soon enough,
mum, and sometimes dad,

passes on the skills
their offspring need

to survive on their own.

(♪♪♪)

(Birds chirping)

It's cozy here

and this baby
clearly likes this spot.

Who wouldn't?

This is Reg.

He's a 7-month-old koala,

wrapped in his mother's arms,

living the good life
at Caversham Wildlife Park

in Perth, Australia.

Reg leads a life that's a bit
out of the ordinary.

Koalas are known to be solitary

and temperamental as adults
in the wild,

but in the zoo, these animals
are a tight-knit clan,

joined at the hip.

They're very clingy.

They share mum sometimes.

They interact while playing
in the trees together.

Sometimes you will see

two or three young joeys
on the one mother,

while the other ones
are off grooming.

Koalas are often referred
to as koala "bears."

We can thank 18th-century
settlers in Australia for that.

They were struck by the koalas'
bear-like appearance.

It was an honest mistake.

But they're actually marsupials,

with the trademark pouches
to carry their young.

Joeys are very attached
to their mums.

Reg is at the age where
he's just starting to explore.

Like other koalas,

he'll live his life
in eucalyptus trees.

He's pretty outgoing
at the moment.

He's just learning to climb

and be independent slowly
of his mother.

He'll still be with his mother
for another 3 to 4 months

until he actually ventures off
full-time from her.

For the time being,

Reg is still mostly nursing
on his mother's milk

for nourishment.

He'll continue to nurse
until he's about a year old.

But he has also started
to eat eucalyptus leaves.

The leaves are the mainstay
of the koala diet,

even though
they're highly toxic.

How do koalas eat them
without being poisoned?

It's because
koalas have a long gut

with special bacteria
that can metabolize the toxins.

As adults, koalas can eat
up to 2 pounds of leaves a day!

That's impressive,
compared to their body weight,

which can be anywhere
between 15 and 25 pounds.

Digesting all those leaves
takes energy!

So koalas are slow-moving
and sedentary,

sleeping up to 22 hours a day.

To prepare for a full-time
eucalyptus diet,

Reg will have to eat a special
form of his mom's poop.

It's called "pap".

When Reg makes the switch
from milk to leaves,

the pap will give him
the special gut bacteria

needed to digest
tough eucalyptus leaves.

Now that is an interesting
rite of passage!

If Reg were in the wild,

he'd learn to fend for himself
in a few months' time.

The joey would actually
leave the mother at 12 months

and probably never
see her again.

Especially,
if they're a young male,

they get sent away
from the group.

It's a life of a solitary koala.

They would have to face
the possibility,

if they're a male,
of extending their food range

to find their own location

where other males
are not gonna pick on them.

And as a female,
finding a group of koalas

that would accept her
into the area

that they could share.

In the wild,

young koalas have some important
steps to take

before they're ready
to venture out on their own.

So they'd have to be
totally weaned.

They'd have to locate different
species of their food trees

and then they have to cross
from tree to tree on the ground.

So they have to learn
the survival skills

of when to do it for protection
from other animals.

For now, Reg and his mates
at the zoo are getting stronger.

The joeys have learned
already wonderful climbing
skills.

They've built
their forearm muscles,

their leg muscles.

They've learned their balance
and stance.

And that's already a very strong
climbing animal.

Eat, sleep,

practice a little climbing
and repeat...

...with plenty of cuddle time
with mom.

The cutest thing
that the joeys do, I would say,

is snuggle.

If ever a keeper comes in
to an enclosure,

they love to get on you,

have a little climb
and a snuggle.

It is so cute.

It's summer
in the Scottish Highlands

and nature is in full bloom.

The grass and heather

aren't the only things
having a growth spurt.

Animals too, including some

that haven't been seen
in these parts

for thousands of years.

Now that they're here,
it's hard to miss them.

The antlers
are a bit of a giveaway.

Moose are back
in the British Isles,

where they're
known as European elk.

In the UK,
there's only six places

that actually have
European elk.

Back in 2009,

we had the first calf
born in the British Isles

in nearly a thousand years.

It's a comeback tale.

And you're looking
at the newest chapter.

Twins, born at
the Highland Wildlife Park

near Aviemore, Scotland.

The species, which once roamed
the forests here,

has been extinct
in the British Isles

since about 900 AD.

But they're still found
in Scandinavia

and northern Russia.

European elk were brought back
to the UK in 2007.

So far, they've settled in well
at the Park.

The birth of twins

doubled the park's population
in one fell swoop.

This is dad, Bob,

and this is Cas, their mother,

formerly the only two
European elk in the preserve.

Moose calves are heavily
dependent on their mother

for the first year
of their life.

In fact, these two
are most often by Cas's side.

The female is called Siri
and the wee male is called Ari.

They're really confident.

They follow mum and dad
all around the enclosure.

Ari is relatively wee
compared to Siri.

He was born small, but healthy.

Now he's starting
to gain on his sister.

The calves sport orange fur.

That will change
as they grow older

and as the weather turns cold.

For now,
they're enjoying summer

and an endless supply of leaves
delivered to their feet.

Moose are browsers
and the park provides them

with a steady diet of willow,
rowan and birch,

with the side orders of heather

and, in winter, pine needles.

As babies, the most important
part of their diet

is mum's milk.

But they don't have long
to enjoy it.

Cas will be weaning them
by summer's end.

They're growing
by leaps and bounds.

And boy, can they bound!

In their first week of life,
baby moose can outrun humans.

Right now, they're usually
making a beeline for mum.

She is very good,
she's very attentive.

She knows
where the safe places are

to take the calves away
from the public eye

if she wants them
to go off-show for a bit.

Dad keeps an eye on
his family

At 8 years of age,
Bob is mature in every sense.

It's a tight family unit,
for the time being.

He's very kind
to the females.

He doesn't chase them,
he's not too bossy.

So the calves are
not only learning from mum

but they're also learning
from dad as they're developing.

Whatever they're doing
and wherever they are,

this family communicates well

with body language
and with vocals.

It's a lot of little noises
that are reassuring noises

but they're also

move-over-you're-in-my-space-
eating-my-food noises

and they're kinda like...
(Mimics grunting)

Those sort of noises.

In the wild,
food is just one thing

these calves
would have to compete for.

A good mate would be another.

That's where antlers come in.

All Ari has right now
are two little bumps.

They'll stay small
for the first year.

As he develops,
he'll look more like his dad.

First,
he'll grow some facial hair.

This beard is called a "bell".

And then he'll start growing
his proper antlers.

And, like all male moose,

he'll have to grow
a full set every year.

At the beginning of the year,

the stags will have
this amazing set of antlers.

Around about March time,
they'll cast them

and it's almost like a little
bit like havin' a wobbly tooth.

They'll be wobbly one day

and then they'll just
fall off one day.

It doesn't hurt them.

Then they start growing
new antlers,

sprouting an inch each day.

That requires
a phenomenal amount of energy.

The soft fur on these antlers
is where that energy comes from.

It's called "velvet",

and it supplies blood
to keep antlers growing.

Every August,
that blood supply is cut off,

the velvet dries up,
and the antlers become hard,

ready to fight with.

It's all about
having the best antlers,

being the strongest bull
you can,

to win the best girls

and to win as many girls
as what you can.

Several months have passed.

Bob's mating is done
for the season.

Cold weather has set in.

He's standing by his family.

(Elk grunting)

In the wild now,
the male wouldn't be with them,

he'd be off.

But at the minute,
he's still quite happy

to be around the female
and the youngsters

and they all get on very well.

The calves are 6 months older
and bolder.

They've had a good summer
fattening up

and have shed their orange fur.

And then comin' into
the winter,

it'll go into sort of
a dark brown,

a few flecks of grey through
it as well.

But they've both put
sort of the weight on,

the nice bulk to keep 'em warm
durin' our winters up here.

By next summer,
Siri and Ari will be moving

to other reserves
throughout the UK.

So they have just a few months
to learn

as much as they can from mum.

They'll be watchin' her
where she goes for the best food

and which food
is gonna be better for them,

where the streams are for her
to drink from.

They'll still be picking up
a lot from her

until they leave the park
and go on to new homes.

They're still young,

but Siri and Ari
will play a role

in restoring
the European Elk population

to their ancient
stomping grounds.

In the animal world,
Asian small-clawed otters

could be poster animals
for the saying

"all for one and one for all."

Sticking together,

that's the secret
of their survival.

These pint-sized otters
are the smallest

of the 13 different species
of otters

found around the world.

And when they're born,
they are absolutely miniscule.

Three months ago,

at the Dudley Zoo
near Birmingham, England,

mother otter Kia
and father, Buddy,

had a litter of four pups.

At that time,

the tiny blind pups weighed
less than 2 ounces each.

Now they're big enough to survey
their territory

with mum and dad.

(Otters squeaking and grunting)

Kia and Buddy
already have the foundation

for strong family ties.

They'll stay together
forever.

They'll produce roughly

about two litters
every single year.

So it's quite a lot of offspring
actually produced.

As their offspring
are growin' up,

they'll stay with them.

So they'll stay as
a big family unit.

These babies will be ready
to have pups of their own

by the time they're 2 or 3.

Until that time,
mum keeps the pups in line.

The mother is very,
very protective of her babies.

She'll attack anything
that comes near them.

To the point, where they're
a bit over protective.

(Squeaking)

Kia is definitely watchful.

But she can also be
pretty friendly.

They do a lot of kissin'.

They'll groom each other
for bondin'.

They'll share food.

Well,
they'll share most of the time.

On some occasions, you may
see mother otters or an adult
parent

take a fish from a baby.

And just because
they're teaching it a lesson

that it needs to work
for its own food.

Not sharing offers
a bit of a reality check.

(Otter chomping)

It's not always
going to be provided

because if the babies think

the adult's gonna bring us
the food,

they're never gonna start
foraging,

they're never gonna start
to learn.

Meals at the zoo
are scattered everywhere

to encourage foraging.

(Otters chomping)

Today's meal is fish
and is hidden--

Where else?

We put a lot of it in
the water,

encouraging them
to go in the water

'cause in the wild,

that's where they find
a lot of their food.

Those short claws help them
find and hold on to a good meal.

(Otter chomping)

They get that name
because of their nails.

They don't actually protrude
further than their toes.

This gives them dexterity

and they're able to feel
for their food

such as mollusks
and crustaceans.

Although they spend
more time on land

than any other otter species,

these little ones are ideally
suited to an aquatic life.

Otters are perfectly adapted
for water life

from their eyes to their tails.

When they're swimmin',

they're actually using
their legs, their feet

and almost doin'
like a doggy paddle.

Their hands are actually webbed.

Kia and her family

like to cement their family bond
in many ways,

as do all
Asian small-clawed otters.

Otters communicate
a lot of the time

with different types
of vocalizations,

roughly 12 to 13,

which they're doin'
through their mouths.

It sounds a lot like
high-pitched squeals

at a different tones.

(Otter chittering)

Each call
has a distinct meaning.

(Otter squeals)

Anything from alarm to distress
to a friendly hello.

(Otter chitters)

But they don't just rely
on sound.

They rely on smell as well.

And the family
that smells together

stays together.

They'll actually scent mark
a lot of stuff.

They've got a special glands
on the underside of their tail.

So when they're excretin' feces
and fecal matter,

which is called "spraint",

they'll actually attach
the scent to their poo.

They'll all produce
the same scent

and if any intruders
were coming in and scentin',

they'll all know
that that was the intruder.

Talk about closing ranks
on outsiders!

They have other
defense strategies too.

(Birds chirping)

In their native habitat in Asia,

they prefer the protection
of mangroves,

swamps and murky waterways.

Otter families hide away in dens
known as "holts".

They're often found along
muddy riverbanks.

And life in the zoo
doesn't dampen that instinct.

Otters will naturally use
these for protection

and areas to sleep in.

They're often found underground

and they'll take nest materials
such as plants.

That's where they're safe
from predators

and that's where they'll
rear litters, keep their babies

and most of the time
that's where they keep safe.

Whether it's a burrow
underground in the wild,

or a little wooden house
at the zoo,

at the end of the day,
there's no place like home.

(Monkey howling)

The residents
of the Santa Ana Zoo

in Santa Ana, California,
are used to this sound.

(Monkey howling)

It's not an alarm clock,

although it can be
pretty alarming

if you don't know what it is.

(Monkey howling)

It's the sound of a troop
of black howler monkeys

doing what comes naturally.

This is Grita,

one of several howlers
that live here.

She has a 6-week-old baby,
but it's very hard to spot.

Like most primates at that age,
it's stuck to mum 24/7.

So the zoo hasn't been able
to get close enough

to find out
if it's a boy or a girl.

Initially, they're
clutched onto mom, all the time

and they ride on mom.

and then as they get older,
they start exploring

and slowly they start extending
the distance from mom.

If a newborn
weren't enough to manage,

Grita also has
a 2-year-old son, Blake.

And she has
a 10-month-old daughter,

Charlie.

These siblings
keep the troop occupied.

And heading up this troop
is Thaddeus.

He's the only black
howler monkey in this troop

who's actually black.

The females and youngsters
of this species

are golden-brown.

Even howlers that don't share
the same mother get along.

So it's become a family affair.

This troop of howler monkeys
in our zoo

are very, very close-knit.

The dad has two wives,
so to speak,

and all the little kids
and they all get along.

They all hang around
with each other all the time.

There's obviously a dominance
and discipline

that occurs between
all the adults

and then between the siblings,

the young siblings
and the older siblings.

But it's just like
one big happy family.

The slow pace of life
is similar in the zoo

as it would be in the wild
for black howler monkeys.

13 species of howlers
live in the forests

of Central and South America.

Black howlers live in groups
of 5 to 20 monkeys.

The key difference is
that these monkeys

are endangered in the wild,
and safe here.

In the wild,
adolescent males and females

eventually leave or get
kicked out of their troops

and join new ones.

For Blake and Charlie,

that means
moving to another zoo.

But for now, they're happy
playing and spending time

with this bunch.

Charlie's tail helps her antics.

She's a natural born swinger,
as are all howlers.

These tails are prehensile

and it means they can use them
like another arm.

They're very sensitive
and strong,

handy for carrying things,
for balance,

or just hanging around.

They can be as long
as a monkey's body.

So when Charlie grows
to full size,

that will be about 3 feet
of body

and another 3 feet of tail!

Charlie and Blake certainly seem

to have monkeying-about
figured out.

They definitely show
normal behaviors of monkeys:

climbing around trees
and playing

and getting into trouble
like normal little kids do.

Although,
they're still learning...

They're just not as skilled

so they don't tend to jump
as far

and do as many of the gymnastics
that you see the adults do.

The monkeys are skilled
at finding food.

Although, howlers are mostly
leaf-eaters in the wild,

the zoo gives them foods
like kale and other vegetables.

Mama digs for the good stuff,

sweet carrots
at the bottom of the bin.

When Charlie's
not monkeying around,

she's taking it easy.

Howler monkeys can spend

as much as 80%
of their day resting.

That's because their bodies are
designed to eat leaves,

which have little nutrition.

And digesting them
takes a lot of energy!

So, even though
Charlie and her troop

get other foods at the zoo,

she's just doing
what she was meant to do.

Even she needs
to rest occasionally.

And what about that howling?

Howler monkeys are the loudest
land animal in the world!

That sound can carry
for 3 miles.

Howler monkeys can project
their voice.

They actually have pouches
and a very large larynx.

Their-- lower part of their neck
inflates

and they can resonate
the sounds in there

and then project them.

(Monkey calls)

In the wild,

the howling happens
early in the morning

and at night.

It's how the monkeys
stake out territory

and warn competitors.

But in the zoo,

Charlie's family doesn't have
any rival neighbors.

So the calls happen
a little less frequently.

And while the howls sound
sad or angry,

this tight-knit family
is thriving.

That's great news for an animal
that's endangered in the wild.

Mammal moms and dads
want to give their babies

a good start in life.

But parents can only do so much.

Eventually,
their offspring learn

what it takes
to fend for themselves

and make their own way.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)