Original subtitles

Narrator: THE ATLANTIC OCEAN--

HOME TO A HANDFUL OF ISLANDS... SMALL AND ISOLATED.

MOST AREN’T EVEN VISIBLE \h\h\h\hON A WORLD MAP.

YET THEY’RE HOME TO SOME OF EARTH’S GREATEST TREASURES:

SECLUDED BEACHES...

PROTECTED NESTING GROUNDS...

AND GEOLOGICAL WONDERS.

\h\h\hTHIS IS A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ATLANTIC...

TO SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR PLACES ON EARTH.

THEY ARE BOTH PLAYGROUNDS...

AND SANCTUARIES...

[SQUAWKING]

PLACES WHERE SOME SPECIES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTRUGGLE...

AND OTHERS THRIVE.

[HONKING]

WE’LL TREK FROM THE ARCTIC \h\h\h\h\hTO THE ANTARCTIC

\h\h\hTO DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE WILD ATLANTIC ISLANDS.

[RUMBLING]

♪

\h\hFEW PLACES ON EARTH REMAIN LARGELY UNTOUCHED

AND UNINHABITED BY HUMANS.

♪

BUT SUCH SPOTS DO EXIST

\h\h\h\h\hIN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN--

ISLANDS THOUSANDS OF MILES \h\h\h\hFROM ANY MAINLAND.

TO EXPLORE EARTH AT ITS WILDEST, WE TRAVELED THE ATLANTIC

\h\h\h\h\hTO EIGHT ISLANDS FEW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF,

MUCH LESS VISITED.

THEY’RE HARD TO FIND... \h\h\hHARDER TO REACH...

AND OFTEN DOWNRIGHT FOREBODING.

THESE DISTANT SPOTS ARE KEY

\h\h\hIN UNDERSTANDING BOTH OUR PLANET’S PAST

AND ITS FUTURE.

\h\h\h\hOUR JOURNEY BEGINS IN A NATION KNOWN FOR ICE,

BUT BORN FROM FIRE--

ICELAND.

[RUMBLING]

THIS IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST \h\h\h\h\h\hVOLCANIC ISLAND,

AND ONE OF THE BEST PLACES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON EARTH

TO EXAMINE OUR GEOLOGICAL PAST.

[RUMBLING]

ITS STUNNING LANDSCAPES FORMED AROUND 20 MILLION YEARS AGO...

\h\h\hWHEN AN UNDERWATER VOLCANO ERUPTED AND PUSHED THIS LAND UP.

♪

\hTODAY, ICELAND IS A PLACE OF EXTREMES,

FROM COOL WATERS...

TO GEOTHERMAL FIELDS.

♪

THE ISLAND’S HEAT COMES \h\h\hFROM ITS LOCATION.

\h\h\hIT’S PART OF A HUGE UNDERWATER MOUNTAIN RANGE

CALLED THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE.

ICELAND IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WHERE THE RIDGE JUTS ABOVE WATER

AND THE ONLY PLACE YOU CAN SEE

THE TECTONIC PLATES \h\h\hAT ITS HEART.

\hTHE NORTH AMERICAN AND EURASIAN PLATES,

ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS VALLEY, \h\h\hARE MOVING APART SLOWLY,

AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE \h\hFINGERNAILS GROW.

\hBUT THAT SMALL MOVEMENT HAS MAJOR RIPPLE EFFECTS.

IT CREATES CRACKS \hDEEP UNDERGROUND

WHERE MAGMA PUSHES UP, EXPANDING THE VALLEY--

\h\h\h\h\hAND ICELAND-- BY ABOUT AN INCH A YEAR.

[RUMBLING]

THE PLATE MOVEMENT ALSO FUELS ICELAND’S 30 ACTIVE VOLCANOES.

THERE’S A VOLCANIC EVENT HERE \h\h\hABOUT EVERY FIVE YEARS.

[RUMBLING]

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

\hON THE COAST, EVIDENCE OF ICELAND’S FIERY PAST

IS EVERYWHERE.

BUT HERE, VOLCANIC ROCK \hSERVES AS A SANCTUARY

FOR THOUSANDS OF SEABIRDS.

\hTHEY FLOCK TO THESE REMOTE CLIFFS FROM JUNE TO AUGUST,

AS THE ISLAND THAWS.

[SQUAWKING]

THE BIRDS ARE PREY

FOR THE NATION’S ONLY \hNATIVE LAND MAMMAL--

THE ARCTIC FOX.

THIS MOTHER AND HER CUBS

ARE DIRECT DESCENDANTS \h\h\hOF THE ICE AGE.

THE FOXES HAVE NO NATURAL \h\hPREDATORS IN ICELAND--

YET THEIR NUMBERS ARE DECLINING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 35 YEARS.

♪

EXPERTS DON’T KNOW WHY,

BUT SUSPECT CLIMATE CHANGE, LACK OF PREY, AND POLLUTION

ARE ALL FACTORS.

[YIPPING]

THE ANIMALS’ FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN...

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON AN ISLAND THAT’S LONG BEEN THEIR HOME.

[YIPPING]

5,000 MILES SOUTH OF ICELAND,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hANOTHER PART OF THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE SURFACES.

\h\h\hJUST BELOW THE EQUATOR IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

IS ASCENSION ISLAND.

\h\h\hTHIS SPECK OF LAND IS A BRITISH TERRITORY,

WITH A POPULATION OF 800.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS \h\h\h\h\hTO GET HERE--

BY BOAT OR MILITARY AIRCRAFT.

\h\hTHE ENTIRE LANDMASS IS THE TIP OF A VOLCANO,

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH EMERGED ABOUT A MILLION YEARS AGO

IN A MASSIVE ERUPTION.

[ROARING]

♪

THE RED SOIL HERE CONSISTS \h\h\h\hOF LAVA FRAGMENTS,

CALLED CLINKER, THAT BAKE \hIN THE SUBTROPICAL HEAT.

ONE EXPLORER CALLED ASCENSION "HELL WITH THE FIRES PUT OUT."

TODAY, THE ISLAND \hOFFERS A WINDOW

INTO MANKIND’S EFFECT ON NATURE.

♪

IN 1836, A YOUNG ENGLISHMAN AND NATURALIST LANDED ON ASCENSION

AND NOTED ITS LACK OF TREES.

HIS NAME WAS CHARLES DARWIN.

\h\h\hAT THE TIME, ASCENSION WAS A BLEAK MILITARY OUTPOST

FOR THE BRITISH NAVY.

IT WAS ALSO A QUARANTINE SPOT \h\hFOR SAILORS WITH DISEASES

LIKE DYSENTERY AND YELLOW FEVER.

THERE WAS NO FRESH WATER.

BUT WHERE SOME SAW DESOLATION, \h\h\hDARWIN SAW POSSIBILITY.

[WIND WHISTLING]

\h\h\hDARWIN AND HIS FRIEND, THE BOTANIST JOSEPH HOOKER,

TEAMED UP TO SOLVE ASCENSION’S \h\hWATER PROBLEM FOR ENGLAND.

THEY ADVISED THE NAVY TO CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL CLOUD FOREST--

A FOREST THAT TRAPS SEA MIST \h\h\h\hAND PROVIDES WATER.

[WIND WHISTLING]

IN 1857, SAILORS BEGAN PLANTING AN ODD ASSORTMENT OF TREES--

FROM BAMBOO TO BANANA TREES--

ON ASCENSION’S HIGHEST POINT.

THEY OPTIMISTICALLY NAMED IT \h\h\h\h\h\hGREEN MOUNTAIN.

AMAZINGLY, THE PLAN WORKED.

LEAVES TRAPPED MOISTURE...

\h\h\h\hWHICH DRIPPED DOWN AND PROVIDED FRESH WATER.

\h\h\hTHE FOREST ALLOWED BRITISH AND AMERICAN TROOPS TO LIVE HERE

DURING BOTH WORLD WARS.

BUT ON ASCENSION, THE SOLDIERS \h\h\h\hFACED ANOTHER ENEMY--

THE SOOTY TERN...

[CACOPHONY OF SQUAWKING]

NICKNAMED THE "WIDEAWAKES" FOR THEIR NON-STOP NOISE.

DURING WORLD WAR TWO,

SOLDIERS EVEN DUBBED A NEARBY \hAIRFIELD "WIDEAWAKE FIELD."

[SQUAWKING]

THE BIRDS DISRUPTED \hTHE MEN’S SLEEP--

AND THEIR FLIGHTS--

OFTEN COLLIDING WITH PLANES \h\hON TAKEOFF AND LANDING.

\h\h\hTHE U.S. ARMY ULTIMATELY RESORTED

TO KILLING THOUSANDS OF EGGS.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMORE RECENTLY, THE BIRDS’ NUMBERS HAVE FALLEN

BECAUSE OF RATS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE RODENTS, INTRODUCED BY SHIPS LONG AGO,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hDROVE AWAY MANY BIRD SPECIES HERE--

\h\h\h\hAS DID CATS, WHICH WERE BROUGHT IN TO CONTROL THE RATS.

SEVERAL BIRD SPECIES FLED \hTO A SPOT JUST OFFSHORE

CALLED BOATSWAIN BIRD ISLAND.

\h\hTHIS 13-ACRE ISLET HAS BECOME A SANCTUARY

FOR TEN SPECIES OF SEABIRDS...

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\h\hEACH OF WHICH COLONIZES A DIFFERENT PART OF THE ISLAND.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\hTHE WHITE FAIRY TERN INHABITS NARROW LEDGES.

THESE ANGELIC-LOOKING BIRDS \hARE ACTUALLY RISK-TAKERS.

\hTHEY LAY THEIR EGGS DIRECTLY ON THE ROCKS.

WHEN A CHICK HATCHES,

THE PARENTS STAY CLOSE \h\h\hFOR A FEW DAYS.

THEN THEY START TAKING FREQUENT FISHING TRIPS

TO FEED THEIR YOUNGSTER \h\h\h\hAND THEMSELVES.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE TOP OF THE ISLET IS DOMINATED BY MASKED BOOBIES.

THE LONG-WINGED BIRDS \h\hNEST ON HIGH SPOTS

SO THEY CAN MORE EASILY \h\h\h\h\h\hTAKE FLIGHT.

THE SURROUNDING SLOPES

ARE HOME TO A BIRD THAT’S MADE \h\h\h\h\h\hA MAJOR COMEBACK--

THE ASCENSION FRIGATEBIRD, KNOWN FOR ITS RED-THROATED MALES.

FOR 180 YEARS, THEY LIVED \h\h\hONLY ON THIS ISLET,

\hDRIVEN FROM ASCENSION BY THE RODENTS AND CATS.

\hIN 2006, FERAL CATS WERE ELIMINATED FROM ASCENSION,

\h\hAND THE FRIGATEBIRDS, ALONG WITH OTHER SEABIRDS,

SLOWLY RETURNED.

TODAY, THIS IS THE MAIN SEABIRD NESTING STATION

IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

[HONKING]

ASCENSION ISLAND IS A SAFE HAVEN FOR A LONG-ENDANGERED SPECIES--

THE GREEN SEA TURTLE.

THIS FEMALE IS ONE \h\hOF ABOUT 5,000

THAT HEADS TO THE ISLAND \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO NEST.

SHE INSTINCTIVELY RETURNS TO THE BEACH WHERE SHE WAS BORN

TO LAY HER OWN EGGS.

THE FEMALE HAS TREKKED \h\h\h\h\h1,200 MILES

FROM HER FEEDING GROUNDS \h\h\h\h\h\hNEAR BRAZIL.

♪

FOR FIVE CENTURIES, MEN WOULD \h\hCAMP OUT ON THESE BEACHES

\hTO HARVEST THE ANIMALS AND THEIR EGGS FOR FOOD.

THEY’D WATCH THE 700-POUND \hANIMALS CAREFULLY DIG...

♪

THEN WAIT AS THE TURTLES NESTED.

♪

FEMALES LAY AROUND 100 EGGS...

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SHED TEARS, A WAY OF EXPELLING SALT WATER.

♪

♪

\h\hAS THE EXHAUSTED MOTHERS LUMBERED BACK TO THE OCEAN,

HUNTERS WOULD POUNCE--

\h\h\hFLIPPING THE ANIMALS AND TRAPPING THEM ON THEIR BACKS.

\h\h\hHARVESTERS KILLED UP TO A THOUSAND TURTLES EACH YEAR--

UNTIL THE PRACTICE WAS BANNED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE 1930s.

♪

IT TOOK 40 YEARS

FOR THE GREEN SEA TURTLES HERE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO REBOUND.

TODAY, ASCENSION HAS

THE SECOND LARGEST COLONY \h\hIN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

♪

\h\hHUNDREDS OF TURTLES NOW BURY MILLIONS OF EGGS HERE EACH YEAR,

WITH EACH FEMALE NESTING \h\h\hUP TO SEVEN TIMES.

♪

♪

TWO MONTHS AFTER THE MOTHERS \h\h\hLEAVE, THE EGGS HATCH.

♪

♪

THEIR SHELLS ATTRACT SCAVENGERS CALLED SALLY LIGHTFOOTS.

♪

AT LOW TIDE, THEY COMB THE BEACH FOR ANYTHING EDIBLE.

♪

AS THE CRABS CLEAN UP,

THE BABY TURTLES INSTINCTIVELY \h\h\h\hHEAD TOWARD THE OCEAN.

♪

OUT OF EVERY THOUSAND \h\h\h\h\hHATCHLINGS,

ONLY ONE WILL LIVE TO ADULTHOOD.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHOSE THAT DO WILL RETURN TO THIS BEACH...

TO MAKE NESTS OF THEIR OWN.

THROUGHOUT ASCENSION’S HISTORY,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE THING HAS REMAINED CONSTANT--

THE LAND CRABS.

\hFOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THEY WERE THE LARGEST ANIMALS HERE,

THOUGH NO ONE KNOWS \hHOW THEY ARRIVED,

SINCE THEY CAN’T SWIM.

EVERY YEAR, THE FEMALES BULK UP

FOR ONE OF NATURE’S \hTOUGHEST TREKS...

A HALF-MILE JOURNEY

\h\hFROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE SHORE TO NEST.

\h\h\h\h\hIT’S TOO HOT TO MAKE THE DESCENT DURING THE DAY...

SO THE FEMALES WAIT \h\h\hFOR NIGHTFALL.

EVEN THEN, IT’S SLOW GOING.

IT TAKES THEM A FULL WEEK \h\h\hTO REACH THE WATER.

NEXT, THE ANIMALS WAIT \h\h\h\h\hFOR A WAVE--

TO SHAKE OUT THEIR EGGS.

♪

FOR THESE NON-SWIMMERS, \hTIMING IS EVERYTHING.

♪

AFTERWARDS, THE FEMALES MAKE \h\h\h\hTHE SLOW TREK BACK.

IN THREE WEEKS, THEIR BABIES \hWILL EMERGE FROM THE OCEAN

AND HEAD HOME.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTRAVELING SOUTH DOWN THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

IS AN ISLAND GROUP EVEN MORE \h\hREMOTE THAN ASCENSION--

TRISTAN DA CUNHA.

THIS BRITISH TERRITORY NAMED AFTER A PORTUGUESE EXPLORER

ALSO SITS IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

ITS FOUR ISLANDS ARE THE TIPS \h\hOF UNDERWATER VOLCANOES--

\h\hALL IN THE PATH OF RELENTLESS WINDS

KNOWN AS "THE ROARING FORTIES."

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY MAKE THE SEVEN-DAY BOAT RIDE HERE

AN ADVENTURE IN AND OF ITSELF.

THE FIERCE WINDS BRING WHITECAPS AND RAIN...

\hUP TO THREE WEEKS OUT OF EVERY MONTH.

\h\h\h\hTRISTAN IS THE WORLD’S MOST REMOTE INHABITED ISLAND.

\h\h\hITS SINGLE VILLAGE HAS A POPULATION OF 262.

\h\h\h\hTHE SETTLEMENT SITS BENEATH QUEEN MARY’S PEAK--

THE VOLCANIC SUMMIT.

IT LAST ERUPTED IN 1961,

FORCING FAMILIES HERE \h\h\h\h\hTO EVACUATE.

♪

TWO YEARS LATER, THEY RETURNED \h\h\h\h\hTO THE FARMING LIFE

THAT DOMINATES TRISTAN.

THE MAIN CROP IS POTATOES,

\h\h\h\hWHICH THRIVE IN THE VOLCANIC ASH.

[BIRDS CALLING]

HERE, NATURE EVOLVES \h\h\hAROUND HUMANS

IN UNEXPECTED WAYS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTRISTAN IS HOME TO SEVEN SPECIES OF LAND BIRDS--

INCLUDING THESE FINCHES.

\h\hTHEY ORIGINATED FROM SOUTH AMERICA--

2,000 MILES AWAY.

BUT ON TRISTAN, THEY’VE CHANGED, EVOLVING INTO DIFFERENT SPECIES,

\h\hEACH WITH A BILL ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC KIND OF SEED.

\h\h\h\hANOTHER LAND BIRD, CALLED THE TRISTAN THRUSH,

HAS CHANGED FROM AN HERBIVORE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO A CARNIVORE.

[PENGUINS BRAYING]

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE BIRDS LURK AROUND TRISTAN’S COLONIES

OF NORTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS.

THEY PECK AT THE LARGER BIRDS’ \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOPEN WOUNDS...

AND DRINK THEIR BLOOD.

[BRAYING]

♪

[HONKING]

♪

[BRAYING]

\h\h\h\hIT’S A STARK EXAMPLE OF SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

[BRAYING]

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTRISTAN DA CUNHA HAS THE WORLD’S LARGEST NUMBER

OF NORTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS,

WHICH HOP RATHER THAN WADDLE.

BUT THE SPECIES IS IN TROUBLE.

THEIR POPULATION HAS DECREASED \h\h\h\h\h90% SINCE THE 1950s.

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THEM

USED TO BE HUNTERS SEEKING THEIR DECORATIVE FEATHERS.

\h\h\h\hTODAY, THE CULPRITS ARE CLIMATE CHANGE AND OVERFISHING,

WHICH HAS CUT DOWN \hTHE FOOD SUPPLY

\h\h\h\h\hFOR BOTH THE PENGUINS AND ANOTHER TRISTAN RESIDENT...

THE SUBANTARCTIC FUR SEAL.

[PUPS CRYING]

\h\h\hTHESE PUPS LIVE IN ONE OF SEVERAL BREEDING COLONIES

THAT HAVE RE-EMERGED ON TRISTAN.

[WARBLING]

THE SPECIES WAS ONCE PUSHED TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION,

\hLARGELY BY SEALERS FROM NORTH AMERICA.

IN THE 17- AND 1800s,

\h\h\hHUNTERS SLAUGHTERED THOUSANDS OF THESE ANIMALS

FOR THEIR THICK PELTS.

THE PRACTICE STOPPED IN THE 20th CENTURY

WHEN THE SPECIES EARNED \hWIDESPREAD PROTECTION.

[BELLOWING]

\h\h\hHUNDREDS OF PUPS NOW THRIVE ON TRISTAN.

[BELLOWING]

♪

THE ANIMALS LINE THE ROCKY SHORES

DURING BREEDING SEASON \h\h\h\h\h\hEACH FALL.

BUT THEY’RE MOST AT HOME \h\h\h\h\hIN THE WATER.

♪

MOTHERS HUNT ALONE...

OR IN GROUPS...

FORTIFYING THEMSELVES TO NURSE \h\hTHEIR PUPS BACK ON SHORE.

♪

♪

\h\hTHESE MASTER DIVERS CAN PLUNGE UP TO 60 FEET

AND HOLD THEIR BREATH \h\hFOR FOUR MINUTES.

♪

\h\hTHE WATERS HERE ARE RICH WITH FOOD,

SINCE COMMERCIAL FISHING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS BANNED.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE SEALS USE THEIR SHARP EYESIGHT AND KEEN HEARING

TO TRACK DOWN FISH AND KRILL.

♪

\h\hTHESE PROTECTED WATERS ALSO TEEM WITH PLANT LIFE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOCEAN CURRENTS, ALONG WITH THE ROARING FORTIES,

\h\hSTIR UP SEDIMENT DEEP UNDERGROUND...

WHICH FEEDS TOWERING FORESTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF KELP.

THIS IS HOME TO TRISTAN’S \h\h\hMOST ABUNDANT FISH,

CALLED THE FIVE-FINGERS...

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hALONG WITH A COLOR-STREAKED SPECIES

NAMED THE TRISTAN WRASSE.

♪

THE SCHOOLS OF FISH \h\h\hAROUND TRISTAN

FEED 25 SPECIES OF SEABIRDS--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hINCLUDING YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSSES.

♪

[SQUAWKING]

THEY’RE FOUND THROUGHOUT \h\hTHE SOUTH ATLANTIC,

BUT TRISTAN IS THE ONLY PLACE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT THEY NEST.

IN AUGUST, THE BIRDS BEGIN MOVING INLAND

TO TRISTAN’S VOLCANIC PEAK.

HERE, AMONG DWARF TREE FERNS,

\hTHE ALBATROSSES BUILD THEIR NESTS.

\hPAIRS ARE MONOGAMOUS AND OFTEN RETURN TO THE SAME NESTING SITE.

♪

\h\h\hTOGETHER, THEY CARE FOR A SINGLE BABY BIRD...

[SQUEAKING]

TAKING TURNS FISHING, \h\h\h\hTHEN FEEDING.

♪

BY SPRING, THEIR CHICK \hWILL LEAVE THE NEST

AND WON’T RETURN TO LAND \h\h\h\hFOR FIVE YEARS.

♪

[SQUAWKING]

IN THE EVENINGS ON TRISTAN,

A RELATIVE OF THE ALBATROSS \h\h\h\h\hGATHERS OFFSHORE--

THE GREAT SHEARWATERS.

THESE BIRDS ARE COMMON \h\h\hIN NORTH AMERICA

\h\h\h\h\hBUT ONLY BREED ON THESE REMOTE ISLANDS.

MILLIONS DESCEND ON TRISTAN \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hEACH YEAR.

\h\hTHE BIRDS SPEND THEIR DAYS FISHING.

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHEN NIGHT FALLS, THEY’LL RETURN TO THEIR NESTS

\h\h\hAND FEED THEIR YOUNG UNTIL THE SUN RISES AGAIN.

MOVING FURTHER SOUTH \hIN THE ATLANTIC...

\h\hTOWARDS THE TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA...

ARE THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

\h\hTHE CHAIN CONSISTS OF TWO MAIN ISLANDS--

EAST AND WEST--

ALONG WITH HUNDREDS \h\hOF SMALLER ONES.

\h\hTODAY THIS REMOTE CHAIN IS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS DIVERSITY.

♪

COMMERSON’S DOLPHINS PLAY \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE SURF...

♪

WHILE ON THE BEACH, \h\h\hBIRDS ABOUND.

[CHIRPING]

FIVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PENGUINS LIVE HERE,

INCLUDING THE GENTOO.

THE FALKLANDS HAVE THE LARGEST \hGENTOO POPULATION ON EARTH--

MORE THAN 120,000 PAIRS.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hDURING THE DAY, THE BIRDS BUSILY FISH ON SHORE.

[HONKING]

♪

\h\hTHEN, IN THE EVENING, THEY WADDLE INLAND TO THEIR NESTS.

FOR A TWO-FOOT-TALL PENGUIN, \h\h\h\h\hIT’S A LONG HAUL.

[HONKING]

\h\h\hTHERE ARE MORE THAN 230 BIRD SPECIES IN THE FALKLANDS.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\hTHE ISLANDS ARE HOME TO THE STRIATED CARACARA,

THE WORLD’S SOUTHERNMOST \h\h\h\h\hBIRD OF PREY.

[SCREECHING]

THIS AREA IS ALSO POPULAR WITH SOUTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS--

\h\h\hCLOSE RELATIVES OF THE NORTHERN ONES.

BUT THE SHOW STOPPERS \h\h\hON THE FALKLANDS

ARE THE BLACK-BROWED \h\h\hALBATROSSES--

NAMED FOR THE FAINT BLACK BROW \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOVER THEIR EYES.

[SQUEAKING]

TWO-THIRDS OF THE WORLD’S \h\hPOPULATION NEST HERE--

AROUND A MILLION BIRDS.

[CHIRPING AND SQUAWKING]

♪

♪

\hTHE SEABIRDS OFTEN MIX WITH THE LOCAL PENGUIN POPULATION--

BOTH PEACEFULLY...

AND NOT SO PEACEFULLY.

[SQUAWKING]

♪

[SQUAWKING]

♪

\hWHEN NESTING SEASON ENDS, THE ALBATROSSES TAKE FLIGHT.

\h\hTHEIR SEVEN-FOOT WINGSPAN MAKES FOR AWKWARD TAKEOFFS...

[SQUAWKING]

BUT EASY FLIGHT.

THE EXPERT GLIDERS CAN FLY FOR HOURS

WITHOUT A SINGLE WINGBEAT.

♪

BY RIDING AIR CURRENTS,

THEY TRAVEL THOUSANDS OF MILES \h\h\h\h\hWITH MINIMAL EFFORT.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\hAND EACH FALL, THEY RETURN TO THIS FAMILIAR SPOT TO NEST.

♪

THE FALKLANDS’ TWO MAIN ISLANDS SIT AMONG 200 SMALLER ONES.

ON MANY, TUSSOCKS OF GRASS \hHIDE THE NESTING GROUNDS

FOR SEABIRDS CALLED \hSOOTY SHEARWATERS.

\h\h\h\hLIKE GREAT SHEARWATERS, THESE BIRDS FISH DURING THE DAY

AND RETURN TO LAND AT NIGHT.

SOOTY SHEARWATERS ARE AMONG THE WORLD’S MOST ABUNDANT SEABIRDS.

BUT EXPERTS SAY THEIR POPULATION IS DECREASING.

THEIR YOUNG ARE HARVESTED \h\h\h\h\hBY THE THOUSANDS

FOR FOOD, SOAP, AND OIL.

IN THE FALKLANDS, SKIES THAT ONCE TURNED BLACK WITH BIRDS

\h\h\h\h\hARE BECOMING LESS AND LESS CROWDED.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\hMOVING A THOUSAND MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE FALKLANDS...

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE WINDS PICK UP, AND THE TEMPERATURE PLUMMETS.

\hTHIS ICY CLIMATE IS HOME TO SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND--

A BRITISH TERRITORY MADE FAMOUS BY ERNEST SHACKLETON.

IN 1916, SHACKLETON \h\h\hVENTURED HERE

TO SAVE THE CREW OF HIS SHIP \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ENDURANCE,

WHICH WAS CRUSHED BY ICE.

SHACKLETON TRAVERSED GLACIERS \hTO REACH A WHALING STATION,

WHERE HE LAUNCHED A RESCUE MISSION.

[CHIRPING]

[HONKING]

\h\hTODAY SOUTH GEORGIA IS UNINHABITED BY PEOPLE

BUT PACKED WITH WILDLIFE...

[HONKING]

THE GREATEST DENSITY ON EARTH.

\h\h\hFUR SEALS MINGLE WITH GENTOO PENGUINS--

\h\hBOTH OF WHICH SHACKLETON AND HIS CREW ATE TO SURVIVE.

[GRUNTING]

TODAY THE HUNTERS ARE GIANT PETRELS,

INFAMOUS FOR THEIR GLUTTONY.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\hBUT THE BEHEMOTHS HERE ARE SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS.

[BELLOWING]

THESE BULLS ARE FIGHTING

OVER NEARBY FEMALES, \h\h\h\hCALLED COWS.

\h\h\hTHE TWO-TON ANIMALS ARE NAMED FOR THEIR NOSES,

NOT THEIR SIZE.

[BELLOWING]

EACH BULL CLAIMS A TERRITORY \h\h\hFOR HIS HAREM OF COWS.

[BELLOWING]

BUT CHALLENGES CAN COME ANYTIME.

[BELLOWING]

THE STRONGEST BULLS HAVE UP TO 50 MATES.

AFTER BREEDING, THE ANIMALS \hMIGRATE TO THE ANTARCTIC--

TO FEAST ON FISH AND SQUID.

♪

NEARBY, A DIFFERENT SPECIES-- \h\h\hTHE ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL--

SEEMS PEACEFUL.

[SEALS GROANING]

BUT THEIR BEHAVIOR IS SIMILAR \hTO THEIR HULKING RELATIVES.

[WARBLING]

IRONICALLY, THIS FEISTY COLONY

INHABITS AN ABANDONED \h\h\hSEALING STATION.

[GRUNTING]

SEALERS LIVED ON SOUTH GEORGIA \h\hTHROUGH THE 18th CENTURY,

DECIMATING THE SEAL POPULATION.

[WARBLING AND GRUNTING]

NOW 95% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION LIVES HERE.

THE MOST SPECTACULAR THING ABOUT SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND

MAY BE ITS KING PENGUINS.

[CACOPHONY OF HONKING]

IT’S HOME TO NEARLY A MILLION \h\h\h\h\h\hOF THESE BIRDS...

[HONKING]

\h\hSECOND IN SIZE ONLY TO THE EMPEROR PENGUIN.

[HONKING]

♪

PARENTS KEEP THEIR NEWBORNS WARM BY BALANCING THEM ON THEIR FEET.

AS AWKWARD ADOLESCENTS,

THE YOUNGSTERS GROW A COAT \h\h\h\hOF DOWNY FEATHERS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO PROTECT THEM FROM THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES.

[HONKING]

♪

THE PENGUINS ALSO STAY WARM \hWITH COLLECTIVE BODY HEAT.

\hTHE RESULT IS ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING SIGHTS IN THE ATLANTIC.

MOVING EVEN FURTHER SOUTH, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE ARRIVE

AT SOME OF THE MOST FOREBODING \h\h\h\h\h\hISLANDS ON EARTH--

THE SOUTH SHETLANDS.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE ARCHIPELAGO SITS OFF THE COAST OF ANTARCTICA--

\h\hTHE ONLY CONTINENT WITH NO NATIVE PEOPLE.

ALL OF THIS LAND IS PROTECTED \h\h\hBY THE ANTARCTIC TREATY,

WHICH SETS IT ASIDE FOR SCIENTIFIC USE.

\hON THE NORTHERN END OF THE SOUTH SHETLANDS

IS ELEPHANT ISLAND,

WHERE SUMMER HIGHS REACH \h\h\hABOUT 34 DEGREES.

\h\h\hTHIS DESOLATE LANDSCAPE IS A HAVEN FOR CHINSTRAP PENGUINS,

\h\h\hNAMED FOR THE BLACK BAND OF FEATHERS UNDER THEIR HEADS.

THOUSANDS OF THE BIRDS LIVE HERE IN RELATIVE PEACE,

SINCE THERE ARE FEW \hNATURAL PREDATORS.

[SQUAWKING]

[SQUIRT]

FOR THEM, PARENTHOOD \hIS A TEAM EFFORT.

MALES HUNT FOR ROCKS \h\hTO BUILD NESTS.

♪

\hTHEY CAREFULLY CONSTRUCT CIRCULAR STONE ENCLOSURES

\hTO PROTECT EGGS FROM THE ELEMENTS.

[SQUAWKING]

♪

WHEN FEMALES ARRIVE,

\hTHE PARENTS WILL TAKE TURNS KEEPING THEIR OFFSPRING WARM.

IN THEIR OFF HOURS,

\h\hTHESE PENGUINS PLUNGE INTO THE 30-DEGREE WATERS

TO FISH FOR KRILL.

[SQUAWKING]

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY WITHSTAND THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES

THANKS TO TIGHTLY PACKED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFEATHERS,

\h\hWHICH PROVIDE A WATERPROOF COAT,

ALONG WITH PLENTY OF BLUBBER.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\hWHEN BREEDING SEASON ENDS, THE PAIRS HEAD BACK OUT TO SEA.

\hON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE SOUTH SHETLANDS

IS DECEPTION ISLAND,

NAMED FOR ITS DECEPTIVE HARBOR.

\h\h\h\hTHE HORSESHOE SHAPE CREATES AN UNEXPECTED HAVEN

IN THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT.

THE ENTIRE ISLAND IS THE CALDERA OF AN ACTIVE VOLCANO.

AROUND DECEPTION, COLD AIR COLLIDES

WITH THE WARMTH OF THE ISLAND--

CREATING A LOW-HANGING MIST.

♪

THIS IS A PLACE OF CONTRASTS.

SNOW DOTS RED VOLCANIC ASH

FROM A MASSIVE ERUPTION AROUND 10,000 YEARS AGO.

\hFREEZING WATER LAPS ON BLACK LAVA BEACHES,

\h\h\hWHERE WILDLIFE WAS ONCE WIPED OUT.

AND AMID THE SNOW AND ICE,

THE EARTH BELOW IS SO HOT, \h\h\h\h\hIT BOILS WATER.

\hIN 1906, WHALERS ESTABLISHED A BLEAK OUTPOST ON DECEPTION.

WHALING WAS A WORLDWIDE INDUSTRY THROUGH THE 19th CENTURY.

HERE, WHALERS BUILT MASSIVE IRON BOILERS

TO EXTRACT OIL FROM THE ANIMALS.

♪

\h\h\h\hTHE BLEACHED BONES OF THE WHALES THEY HUNTED

STILL LITTER THE GROUND.

[WARBLING]

♪

TODAY, ALL OF ANTARCTICA IS A WHALE SANCTUARY...

[WHOOSH]

AND A FEEDING GROUND FOR HUMPBACK WHALES.

[WHALES MOANING]

\h\h\h\h\h\hEVERY YEAR, THEY TRAVEL 3,000 MILES

FROM THEIR CALVING GROUNDS

TO FEAST IN THESE RICH WATERS.

[SQUEALING]

[MOANING]

[SQUEAKING]

IT’S ONE OF THE LONGEST JOURNEYS ON EARTH

FOR ONE OF EARTH’S \hLARGEST MAMMALS.

♪

[SQUEALING]

♪

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, THE ISLANDS SCATTERED DOWN THE ATLANTIC

\hGIVE US A GLIMPSE OF EARTH UNPLUGGED.

[SQUAWKING]

\h\h\h\h\hTHESE REMOTE SPOTS ARE SAFE HAVENS FOR SOME SPECIES...

AND TESTING GROUNDS FOR OTHERS.

THEY OFFER WINDOWS INTO EVOLUTION...

AND SPACES FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE FORCES OF NATURE WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH AND PULL.

[RUMBLING]

[SQUAWKING]

AND THESE EIGHT ISLANDS \hWILL REMAIN ELUSIVE...

SPECKS OF LAND...

IN THE WILD ATLANTIC OCEAN.

♪