All language subtitles for Paradise.Islands1

The islands between
Australia and Asia

are among the biologically
richest on Earth.

They are home
to the beautiful...

and the bizarre.

This is a world where birds
hatch from active volcanoes,

pigs box,

and kangaroos climb trees.

A wealth of life shaped by
nature's most violent force,

the power of the Earth.

Over eons, volcanoes have forged
a land like no other.

A place where, to survive,
life must adapt.

Volcano birds lead
one of the most extreme lives

in the natural world.

Each day, dozens of birds gather
in an act of apparent madness.

In a deadly realm of
bellowing ash and toxic gas...

The volcano birds
are uniquely adapted

to turn devastation
into an opportunity.

Temperatures around the volcano
are sweltering.

But it's this warmth
they're after.

Volcano birds have enormous
feet, perfect for digging.

They search for spots
around the volcano

where the temperature
is just right...

a balmy 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

These coveted spots
are worth fighting for.

And this is why.

Her only act of parenthood is
this offering to the volcano.

The heat of the slopes
will incubate the egg for her.

The egg takes
a long time to hatch,

among the longest of any bird.

But when it does, the chick
is flying within an hour.

With an active volcano as the
only parent it will ever know,

the chick is on its own
from day one.

Here, the Earth's violent power
has driven the evolution

of an astonishing
array of species.

This is the front line in
a story that has been unfolding

for millions of years.

And one that continues
to this day.

Around 25 million years ago,

Australia, surging north
into the tropics,

began to collide
with Southeast Asia.

At the tip of the continent,

New Guinea was thrust up
amidst the carnage.

The island's ancient connections
to Australia

are evident in the animals
in its forests...

some of which have undergone
a dramatic lifestyle change.

Kangaroos aren't exactly known
for climbing trees.

But with lots of leaves
and few others to eat them,

it was an opportunity
they couldn't miss.

Australia's shift north
was so quick,

tree kangaroos haven't had long
to adjust to life in the canopy.

Their arms have become stronger,

but it's obvious they were
originally built

for hopping over open plains.

Kangaroos may hold sway
in the treetops,

but for the most part,

New Guinea is
an island of birds.

The largest is the cassowary.

It's from an ancient lineage
that's roamed the Earth

since the time of the dinosaurs.

But most extraordinary of all
are the birds of paradise.

The very story of New Guinea

is written in their
profusion of plumes.

Birds of paradise all descend
from one Australian ancestor.

But the mountain ranges created
by the continental collision

separated populations
from one another.

So the birds have evolved into
several dozen different species.

There's such an abundance
of food in the tropical forest,

the males aren't needed
to help raise chicks.

They put all their effort into
winning a female.

This male bird of paradise

a perfect performance.

The female's focus is to choose
the best possible mate.

Her inspection is thorough.

Females are so critical,

that every step of his routine
has been selected and perfected

over countless generations.

It's this ability to choose

that drives the evolution
of new species.

And it's led to
very different displays.

From bizarre shape-shifting...

...to spectacular plumage
shown off at group gatherings.

All this beauty is the result of
New Guinea's violent beginning.

But this is a young island,
as the tree kangaroos show.

Giant feet once perfect
for hopping

take a long time to adapt
for climbing.

They have a long way to go

before mastering
the tropical treetops.

The islands at the opposite end
of the chain

have a very different tale
to tell.

These western isles are home

to some of the greatest
tree climbers on Earth,

the primates.

The gibbon is the true master
of the treetops.

They reach top speeds
of 30 miles an hour,

and clear nearly 50 feet
in a single swing.

They're the ultimate
canopy specialists,

equipped with hooked hands
and extra-long arms.

The contrast with New Guinea's
kangaroos is crystal clear.

Gibbons have had
an enormous head start.

Their home has been
in the tropics

for more than 100 million years.

Gibbons have had plenty of time
to master the high life.

These western islands
are all part

of the same continental shelf.

During past ice ages,
when sea levels were lower,

species from mainland Asia

crossed freely to
Borneo, Sumatra and Java.

These forests are filled
with mammals,

most of which
simply walked here.

The Sumatran rhinoceros
is a rare sight.

Fewer than 100 are thought
to remain in the wild.

Bizarrely, she's the world's
hairiest rhino.

It's a feature retained
from her mainland relatives,

the now-extinct
woolly rhinoceros

that roamed Asia
during the last ice age.

A hairy rhino in
a hot, humid rain forest

may seem out of place.

But her hair has a purpose.

Sumatran rhinos love
a good mud bath.

This hole left behind by
a fallen tree is the ideal spot.

She bathes every day, dipping
herself for hours at a time.

But these mud treatments
don't come easily.

She has to work
to keep her tub open,

so it collects as much
rainfall as possible.

Here in her mud bath, the reason
for all her hair becomes clear.

It helps the mud
stick to her skin,

keeping her cool in the heat.

With their impressive range
of Asian animals,

these rain forests are some
of the biologically richest

on the planet.

But they, too, were
forged by fire.

Volcanoes have ruled the islands
between Asia and Australia

for millions of years.

Their unpredictable nature
controls all life here.

When the giants stir,
they create deadly realms.

This is Ijen
on the island of Java.

Its crater is
a cauldron of acid.

Alongside it, toxic gas howls
from beneath the earth.

Reaching temperatures around
1,000 degrees Fahrenheit,

some of the gas condenses
into streams of liquid sulfur.

There is beauty in this
poisonous landscape,

increasing as darkness falls.

When the gas collides
with oxygen, it catches fire,

burning with a soft blue light.

The liquid sulfur continues to
burn, creating rivers of fire.

Ijen's blue flames dance
only in the darkness.

A sight so fleeting,
that as day dawns, they vanish.

While Ijen's crater
is a toxic world,

other volcanoes rule
with extreme violence.

At 60 miles long
and 1,600 feet deep,

Lake Toba is all that remains

of the most powerful volcanic
eruption in human history.

Toba erupted 75,000 years ago,

ash clouds soaring into the sky.

Despite Toba's
violent destruction,

a land of incredible
biodiversity lies in its wake.

Volcanic ash is
rich in minerals.

Over time, they break down,
making the soil very fertile.

Today, the forests
around Lake Toba

are among the richest
ecosystems on Earth.

Over 10,000 different
plant species

grow on these fertile
volcanic soils.

There are so many different
fruiting trees,

the orangutans who live here
are spoiled for choice.

Individuals develop
favorite fruits and unique diets

that they pass on
to their offspring.

As this baby grows,
he will learn the locations

and fruiting times
of this setur tree.

So while mom's favorite fruits
will form much of his diet,

nearby, another youngster could
be raised on different fruits.

Today, it's rambutan.

These orangutans have
the volcanoes to thank

for the sheer variety of fruits
on the island.

On Sumatra, young volcanic soil
supports an abundance of life.

But as soil ages,
it becomes less fertile.

Borneo is an ancient island,

much of its rock thrust up
tens of millions of years ago.

Without fresh volcanic ash,

some plants have had
to take extreme measures

to find nutrients.

They've become carnivores.

These are carnivorous
pitcher plants.

Their traps are modified leaves.

As the blade opens, the large
vein in the center of the leaf

continues to extend outward.

Over several weeks,
the tip inflates.

Finally, the deadly trap
is revealed.

A liquid-filled chamber
with no escape.

With more than 30 species
of pitcher plants,

Borneo is their heartland.

Sizes and positions
of traps vary,

lure in prey with nectar.

A slippery rim sends the prey
plummeting into the pitcher,

where digestive fluids dissolve
the victims' bodies.

Beyond this basic method, some
have even more astonishing ways

to get the nutrients they need.

A few pitcher plants engage
in remarkable relationships

that stretch beyond carnivory.

The broad, exposed back wall
of the pitcher plant hemsleyana

has evolved to reflect
the sonar of a small bat.

After a night on the wing,

the pitcher is
an ideal resting spot.

It's a perfect fit,
just wide enough to stop the bat

from slipping down
into the digestive fluids.

The traps provide
a parasite-free

and cool place to sleep.

It's a great arrangement
for the bat,

but how the hemsleyana benefits

isn't clear until
evening arrives.

As it stirs, the bat pays
its way in poo,

supplying nutrients the plant
can't get from the soil.

This hemsleyana has
become a bat toilet.

Just one of the many ways
nature has adapted life

on Borneo's ancient soils.

The violent, shifting earth

ensures that change
is the only certainty

on the islands between
Asia and Australia.

To survive, life must adapt
and seize opportunities.

And nothing presents
an opportunity

quite like
an entirely new island.

With new land to colonize,

species just need a way
of getting there.

Plants are the obvious
early colonizers of any island.

Grasses, their seeds
blown on the wind,

are some of the very first
to arrive.

Others take to the sea
to make the crossing.

Coconuts can still germinate

after a couple months
of floating in the open ocean.

Liquid inside the coconut helps
the young plant get a foothold

beneath the baking tropical sun.

Animals swim these
tropical waters, too.

With its streamlined body
and flattened tail,

monitor lizards can swim
between the islands.

As a scavenger and a carnivore,

they're well equipped to find
the food they need to survive.

By air and by sea,

new islands are soon filled
with a rich diversity of life.

And some animals play
an important role

in turning a few trees
into a rain forest.

Fruit bats can bring new life
to distant worlds.

As evening approaches,
the roost stirs.

Under cover of darkness,
they leave their new island home

and fly miles across the water
to the mainland

in search of fruiting trees.

By dawn, the bats return to the
safety of their island roost,

bellies full of fruit.

And now, in their droppings,

they deliver the seeds
of those fruits to the island...

literally.

The bats deliver large batches
of seeds each day,

with their own dose
of fertilizer.

Turning a handful of trees
into a thriving rain forest.

Cut off from their mainland kin,

inhabitants of these islands
evolve into new species.

Long isolation
defines the islands

that lie between
Australia and Asia.

Separated by
deep water channels,

these islands belong
to neither realm.

Some were born of fire.

Others were torn away
as the continents collided,

carrying animals with them.

On the island of Halmahera, the
forests are home to a stowaway,

cut adrift for
some 11 million years.

Before dawn, the males gather.

The standardwing
bird of paradise.

Their aerial display
is totally unique,

as are their
translucent feathers.

Very little is known about
these peculiar creatures.

Their display seems to be
a bizarre mix of the gatherings

and dances of New Guinea's
birds of paradise.

They're adorned like
the plumed dancing birds.

But daylight also reveals
an iridescent breast shield,

much like the shape-shifters.

Standardwings are perhaps the
most unusual bird of paradise.

But on the island of Sulawesi,
Halmahera's neighbor,

lives even stranger stowaways.

Sulawesi is made up of land
from both Australia and Asia

and is home to a mix of animals

that evolved on the two
completely different continents.

This mineral spring,
hidden deep in the rain forest,

sets the stage
for a bizarre cast.

There are creatures
on the island of Sulawesi

that have been isolated here
since the ancient past.

The true stars are the shy
and seldom-seen babirusas.

The babirusa is a type of pig,

cut off from
their Asian relatives

for as long as 20 million years.

They've evolved
into unique pigs.

Their piglets lack stripes
and are born in ones and twos,

rather than large litters.

Babirusas emerge from the forest
in family groups,

with dozens visiting
the spring each day.

So many come to drink
that it soon gets overcrowded.

Much to the frustration
of the local macaques.

As strange a spectacle
as this is,

nothing quite compares
to the male babirusa.

Its tusks grow through
the roof of its mouth.

According to local lore,

males use them to hang
from branches while sleeping.

No one seems to know for sure,

but they're apparently
not for fighting.

When male babirusas face off,

the conflict is settled
by boxing.

Another unique creature joined
the boxing babirusas on Sulawesi

when the island collided
with yet another land mass.

Like the babirusa,

the bear cuscus has been
confined to Sulawesi

for some 20 million years.

Its prehensile tail
acts like an extra hand,

helping it move through
the rain forest trees.

But the bear cuscus is
actually a marsupial.

It drifted here
all the way from Australia.

Northern Sulawesi,
a land of fire,

tells a different story.

Thanks to the volcanoes,

the rain forests here are more
robust than those further south.

So these crested macaques
have a rich and varied diet.

There's so much fruit

that they can live in troops
over 100 strong.

With so many living
side by side,

communication is an essential
part of keeping the peace.

Each expression conveys
a different message,

so others know
how they're feeling,

be it threatened, aroused,
or submissive.

These are the most sociable
macaques in the world.

They can spend hours
grooming each other.

Sulawesi is this region's
most extraordinary island.

It's an ancient land
of stowaways

torn from different worlds,
ruled by the Earth's raw power.

Over millions of years,

the power of fire
has turned these islands

between Asia and Australia

into some of the biologically
richest places on our planet,

and created a home for some
incredibly unique creatures.