All language subtitles for Mysterious Planet Series 1 Part 4 Roof of Africa 1080p

NARRATOR: The
Ethiopian highlands.

Lost world.

Home to creatures
found nowhere else.

A monkey like no other.

Sole survivor of
a vanished tribe

that once ruled the continent.

And one of Africa's
rarest predators,

a high altitude
rat-catching wolf.

How do these extraordinary
animals survive

in this land of extremes?

And how did they get here?

To find out, we must travel to
one of the most geologically

violent places on earth.

Where awesome forces
create and destroy

and ferocious rivals
battle for dominance,

changing the course of
evolution on the roof of Africa.

Hello.

I'm David Schwimmer, and I play
a paleontologist on television,

but in real life, I'm
a pretend naturalist.

Behind me is a rat, one of
the delightful creatures

eaten in this episode
of "Mysterious

Planet, Roof of Africa."

[eerie music]

Dawn in the highlands
of Ethiopia,

a group of very unusual
animals huddle together

on the edge of the abyss.

Gelada, not Italian
ice cream but

just as tasty, a species
of monkey unlike any other

found only here, an
environment few can survive.

After spending the night
sleeping on a sheer cliff,

their day begins by
warming up in the sun.

Upon inspection, they look
to be hot air balloons.

This is a family
unit, a mature male

with a magnificent cape
of fur, several females,

and their offspring.

And these are young males, who
hang out together until they

get their own family.

But all geladas share the
same distinctive feature,

an hourglass shaped patch
of red skin on their chests,

which gives them
their unofficial name,

the Bleeding Heart Baboon.

Even in the highlands,
political branding occurs.

But geladas are not
actually baboons.

They are something unique.

They are the sole survivor of
an ancient group of monkeys

that once dominated African.

So how did they end up all alone
in this high altitude realm?

The Ethiopian highlands are one
of the most dramatic landscapes

in Africa, a vast, high
altitude plateau spiked

with dramatic peaks
and split in half

by a great shear-sided valley.

At 2 miles above sea
level, the air is thin

and UV radiation fierce.

And not a dermatologist
available anywhere.

The temperature can change
over 70 degrees in a day

from below freezing
to almost 80.

On the roof of Africa,
it's summer every day

and winter every night.

So spring is around noonish.

Once the gelada
family has warmed up,

it's time to begin
their daily commute.

Sometimes over 1,000 geladas
join up and travel together.

One of the largest gatherings
of primates on Earth.

And they're all after
the same thing, a very

unusual food for a monkey.

Pancakes?

Nope, grass.

Geladas are the only
monkey on Earth to feed

almost entirely on grass.

With nimble fingers,
they carefully

select the juiciest blades.

But grass is low in
nutrients, so geladas

have to search for
the richest meadows

and spend up to 10 hours a day
sitting, plucking, and chewing.

A monkey with the diet
of a cow, a conky.

There were once many more like
them spread across Africa,

but now the gelada is the last
of the grass-eating monkeys

isolated on the roof of Africa.

Geladas are not the only
unique animals living up here.

At their heart,
the highlands are

a great high altitude grassland,
a savanna in the African sky.

But there are no
wildebeest or zebras here.

It's too cold, and the air
is too thin for Africa's

large grazers.

There is life, you just have
to look a little closer.

Rodents.

In the Ethiopian highlands, 14
unique species of rat and mouse

have evolved to take the
place of more familiar herds.

Not sure it's something
to brag about, but how do

they thrive where others can't?

Ask the ones that
live in my wall.

Ah, by living underground.

Their burrows protect them
from the harsh climate

and the vast grasslands
sustain huge populations,

up to 15,000 rodents per square
mile, like the East Village.

The largest rodent
in the highlands

is the giant mole
rat, and he can talk.

Not really, but they
can weigh over 2 pounds

and spend most of their time
in their network of burrows.

They only emerge to quickly
grab a mouthful of food

before disappearing again,
similar to the North

American teenager.

It's wise for the rodents of the
highlands to be careful though.

Uh-oh.

Where there are rodents,
there are rodent eaters.

The Ethiopian wolf,
lean and lethal,

perfectly adapted to the high
altitude and harsh climate,

and a specialist rodent hunter.

But it's not always this easy.

Wolves must be
patient and cunning.

The rats lairs can have
multiple entrances,

so the wolf must listen
carefully to pinpoint its prey.

It's a game of hide and squeak.

It's long thin muzzle is perfect
for poking into rodent burrows.

And for blowing to
flush its victims out.

Fortunately, the rat
doesn't have a brick house.

Of all the rodents
in the highlands,

there is one the
wolf loves best.

A giant mole rat is a juicy
feast, if you can catch one.

Though the mole rat
has poor eyesight,

it has highly sensitive
hearing and no toothbrush.

The slightest movement,
cue wolf, and it's gone.

Damn it.

But this ruthless hunter
will not be denied.

OK, that's-- we don't
need to watch this.

Yep, that's-- OK.

Ethiopian wolves often hunt
in the geladas meadows,

but the wolves are such
specialists rodent hunters

they completely
ignore the monkeys.

Rude.

And the geladas have
no fear of the wolves.

Two unique species living side
by side on the roof of Africa.

So how did they get here?

To find out, we
need to descend deep

into the belly of the
Earth where awesome forces

are tearing Africa apart.

Suspenseful beat.

Right through the heart
of the Ethiopian highlands

is a great rift,
sheer cliffs drop two

miles down into a vast valley.

And at its northern end is
a sunken tortured landscape,

the Afar Depression,
gateway to hell.

Here, we get a glimpse of
the forces that have shaped

life in this part of Africa.

This is Erta Ale, one
of the most remarkable

volcanoes in the world.

A bubbling cauldron
of molten lava

over 1,800 degrees,
a window into what

is going on right beneath
Ethiopia and into my psyche.

It all begins 40
million years ago

when a massive column
of magma starts

melting its way towards the
Earth's surface, a super plume.

It pushes up the ground in
a huge dome like a blister.

Prom flashback.

Lava oozes through cracks in the
dome covering most of Ethiopia

in a layer over a mile thick.

And as the land continues to
rise, huge volcanoes erupt.

Today's highland's are
the weathered remains

of this volcanic dome.

Over time, life takes
hold, and in isolation

evolves to become unique.

Derek?

Yes?

Why the long face?

The super plume lurking
beneath Ethiopia

pushes up these highlands,
but it doesn't stop there.

Next, it begins to tear the
whole continent of Africa

apart.

Pushy plume.

The colossal heat from
below opens up a great rift

in the Earth's crust spreading
from the Afar Depression

splitting the Ethiopian
highlands in half

and creating a dramatic
Valley 300 miles long.

At the bottom of this
rift lives another monkey,

which has played a leading role
in the mystery of the gelada.

A group of them is on
the move across the hot,

arid Rift Valley.

At first glance, they
look like geladas,

but they are very different.

These are Hamadryas baboons.

The ancient Egyptians once
worshipped them as gods.

I mean, did you
see their red butt?

But those days are long gone.

They must struggle to survive
at the foot of the highlands.

If geladas live on
the roof of Africa,

hamadryas live in the basement,
like the average college

graduate.

There are no lush pastures
here, water and food are scarce.

Hamadryas are true baboons,
and like all baboons,

they are omnivores and
will eat almost anything.

This environment is
too harsh to be fussy.

Is he eating what I
think he's eating?

Ugh.

They are constantly on the
move foraging for any scraps

of food or poop they can find.

The alpha male keeps a
careful eye on his family,

especially the females.

It's dangerous to be so
spread out in the open,

yet they have to
move to survive.

But he knows where he is
going, and he leads his family

to a special place with deep
pools of clear water and palm

trees laden with fruit.

Where did this oasis come from?

Is this a baboon mirage?

These are the
Dollol hot springs,

say that fast three times.

The water is 113 degrees,
a baboon day spa,

heated by the same fury
beneath the earth that created

the highlands, and a reminder
of the powerful forces

that have shaped all life here.

The super plume that
lurks below Ethiopia

has created two very
different habitats

for two very different monkeys.

Although they live separate
lives today, millions of years

ago, their ancestors clashed
in a desperate struggle

for survival on
Africa's grasslands.

One tribe dominated,
while the other was

almost wiped from the earth.

High on the roof of
Africa, a troupe of geladas

are doing what they spend
almost all their time doing,

eating grass, and calculus.

It's a smart
evolutionary strategy,

though grass is nutrient poor,
there is so much of it they

don't need to fight for
food, so their society

is stable and peaceful.

Huge groups mixed together
happily and violence is rare.

But there are exceptions.

As the females of the
family graze, the alpha male

is keeping a close
eye out for trouble.

And here it comes.

A gang of young bachelor males,
troublemakers on the edge

of society, especially
if they've been drinking,

waiting and watching
for an opportunity.

It starts with the
stare down now.

Oh, I have been here before.

The alpha male
warns the intruders

first with an eyebrow raise.

You talking to me?

Then by rolling back
his top lip and exposing

his huge canine teeth.

I would have opened
with that one.

The largest in
proportion to body

size of any mammal on
Earth, but his challengers

are not scared off that easily.

The bachelors charge
the alpha and appear

to have him on the run.

But it's a trick, he's leading
them away from his family.

Smart monkey.

Not that they seem
very concerned.

Why?

Because it's mostly
all for show.

The bachelor males are
challenging the alpha,

but not in a battle
to the death.

It's more about showing off.

All of the females in each
family group are related,

and they call the shots.

If this alpha male
can't demonstrate

he's fit enough to
defend the family,

they will choose another.

This combination of abundant
food and a stable social system

was a winning formula
for the geladas ancestors

when they first evolved.

And their rise was
a direct result

of the violent geological
forces that lurk

below this part of the world.

4 million years ago, Africa's
climate is much wetter

and lush forest is
widespread, but again,

the mantle plume is stirring.

As the Rift Valley continues
to unzip East Africa,

mountains rise along
its edge and the climate

of the whole continent changes.

The high terrain creates a
rainshadow and East Africa

begins to dry out.

Rainforests shrink
and grasslands grow.

A group of monkeys
called therapithicus

take advantage of this change.

They evolve to become
specialist grass eaters

and spread across Africa.

Some grow as big as gorillas.

One species even colonizes
the remote Ethiopian highlands

and becomes today's geladas.

The peaceful, grass
eating monkeys

dominate Africa's savanna
for over a million years.

Yet, geladas are
now the last of them

confined to their harsh
sanctuary in the clouds.

What brought the reign of
the therapithicus monkeys

to an end?

One of the key suspects lives
two miles below, a rival monkey

tribe that has forsaken
living peacefully

and chosen the path of war.

The violent volcanic
forces beneath Ethiopia

have forged a unique
and dramatic landscape.

These vertical cliffs
are ancient fault lines

along the floor of the Rift
Valley, an ideal sanctuary

for hamadryas baboons.

Their family structure
is the opposite

of the female dominated
geladas in the highlands above.

The alpha male is
firmly in control,

and he employs a
carrot and stick

approach to ruling the family.

He can be kind and helps
look after the young,

but any females that dare
to wander from his sight

are ruthlessly dealt with.

See, that's the
definition of harassment.

Luckily for this family
there's little need to stray.

The geothermal oasis provides
plenty of food and water.

They can stay close to each
other and the alpha male

is less concerned
about wayward females.

But like Ethiopia
itself, violent forces

bubble just below the surface
always threatening to erupt.

Lookouts sound the alarm.

War is on its way.

A rival clan wants
what they have.

The alpha males hurl themselves
into battle, apes of wrath.

Ordered society turns
to chaos, like Twitter.

The family leader is
cornered by snarling rivals,

like peer reviews
gone horribly wrong.

But there is method
to the madness.

The raiders have a
clear strategic goal.

They're not after food or water.

They're after females.

This is a mass
kidnapping, and when

they have what they
came for, they retreat,

leaving the hot springs
clan licking their wounds

and minus several young females.

Such violence couldn't be more
different from gelada society,

but is typical of baboons, and
is a key part of their success.

It was baboons that out competed
the geladas ancestors in all

but the highlands of Ethiopia
to become the dominant monkey

of Africa's grasslands,
so at least they've

got that going for them.

But again, it was geology
that provided the catalyst.

Baboons evolved in the far
South of Africa at a time

when impenetrable rain
forest stretched right

across the continent's center.

But as the Great Rift spreads
South creating new grasslands

for the ancestors of
the gelada, it also

opens up a route North for the
baboons, a corridor 3 and 1/2

thousand miles long,
an invasion route.

The aggressive,
adaptable baboons rapidly

move up the Rift Valley
and enter the realm

of the peaceful
grass-eating monkeys,

like a high school
bully in the hall,

and soon begin to
outcompete them.

And there are more
arrivals on the way.

An evolutionary explosion
of grazing mammals

also spreads North
along the Rift corridor

and soon dominates the savanna.

Even the climate turns
against the therapithicus

against monkeys.

Et tu, climate?

Africa dries out so much
that lush, green pastures

become arid scrub lands.

Adaptable baboons
can still find food,

but one by one, the grass-eating
monkeys become extinct.

I guess that's the
law of the savanna.

Leaving just a single
species isolated

in a mountain fortress.

The geladas high altitude
kingdom is too harsh

for baboons or large
grazer's to endure,

so the Ethiopian highlands
become the last stand

of the grass-eating monkeys.

Passive aggressive victory.

Another day in the Ethiopian
highlands, the rising sun

bringing relief from
the frozen night,

but Ethiopian wolves
are used to the cold.

They may hunt alone,
but like all wolves,

they rely on the
pack to survive.

Their day always begins
with social bonding.

Oh, yeah, can you get that?

Thank you.

Thank you.

And the newest
members of the pack

emerge from their
den to greet the sun.

Yeah, that's a lot of cuteness.

While the babysitter guards
the pups, the rest of the pack

goes out on patrol.

Hey, pups, you'll be kings
of all that you survey.

The bad news, all
you eat are rats.

DNA analysis has revealed
the Ethiopian wolf's

closest ancestor is the
greywolf of Europe and Asia.

How did they end up in
the highlands of Ethiopia?

Teleport?

Simple, just like this.

They traveled across
frozen grasslands.

After being torn apart
by volcanic fire,

Ethiopia goes through
one more dramatic change.

This time because of ice.

100,000 years ago the
Earth is in the grip

of its last major Ice Age.

Frozen grasslands
stretch from the Arctic

to Northern Africa allowing
the Ethiopian wolf's

ancestor to simply walk its
way onto a whole new continent.

After another
successful hunting trip,

the pack returns to the den
with bellies full of rodents,

hopefully dead, which they
regurgitate for their young.

Oh, who's picking these clips?

Ugh.

In just a few
months, the pups will

be hunting rats for themselves.

Yeah.

But for now, they're
still enjoying

the best of both
worlds, fresh rats

and fresh milk, rat milkshakes.

Awesome.

It's good they're well-fed
because every Ethiopian wolf

pup is precious.

There are less than 500 of their
species left on the planet.

20,000 years ago,
the world begins

to thaw as the Ice Age recedes.

The wolf's habitat
disappears everywhere

except in the
Ethiopian highlands,

a frozen island in a warm sea.

Today, Ethiopian wolves have
become such specialist rodent

hunters, they can't
survive on anything else,

like me and ramen.

And since their prey
lives nowhere else,

the wolves are stranded here.

The better they get
at hunting rodents,

the more they lock themselves
deeper into a desperate battle

for survival.

One of the rarest
carnivores on Earth,

too specialized for its own
good, which ironically might

be a play by Virginia Woolf.

At the foot of the
Ethiopian highlands,

the hamadryas family is
once again on the move.

As they walk, they send
visual signals to one another.

A red swollen behind signals
that a male is a mature adult,

or that a female
is ready to mate.

Well, hello.

Since they're
always on the move,

having these signals on their
rear makes them easy to see.

No kidding.

It's a feature
shared by all baboons

and a couple of guys I know.

This Rift Valley helped
their ancestors become

the dominant monkey
of Africa's grasslands

by invading the realm of the
grass-eating therapithicus

monkeys and driving
them from the earth,

except for one species.

Two miles above, the geladas
are safe in their high altitude

sanctuary, but one
mystery remains.

Why do they have that
distinctive red patch

on their chests,
the bleeding heart?

Geladas are not baboons.

They are the last of the
grass-eating monkeys,

and since they spend
their days sitting down,

it's no use having their sexual
signals on their behinds.

Oh, I get it now.

So they wear them
on their chests,

where everyone can see them.

Right.

Their highland home was created
by a super plume of magma

beneath Ethiopia, which
uplifted a vast volcanic dome

and created a refuge
for a small group

of tough and unique animals.

Free of competitors
and wet enough

to nourish lush pastures, the
Ethiopian highlands became

a sanctuary in the African sky.

The last place these magnificent
monkeys can call home.

Their ancestors were
driven from the lowlands

by hordes of baboons, but
there is another primate

that helped wipe them out.

What?

Who?

Us.

Oh, OK, sorry.

At the same time that
baboons were expanding

into the African grasslands,
the ancestors of our own species

came down from the trees and
migrated up the Rift Valley.

Fossil evidence shows they
preyed on the geladas ancestors

along the way.

The decline of
their kind coincided

with the rise of ours.

And today, the grass-eating
monkeys face a new invasion.

Ethiopia is one of the fastest
growing countries in the world,

home to over 100
million people, and

the highlands contains
some of the most

fertile land in Africa.

Now, the most remote reaches
of the geladas kingdom

are being colonized
by humans, and

the grass-eating monkeys
are once again being

driven from their pastures.

I have opposable thumbs,
why are you messing with me?

Ah, I'm out of here.

As the day draws to an
end, the temperature

quickly begins to drop.

Winter is coming, as it
does every night up here.

The geladas return to
their sleeping cliffs.

The last of their kind,
alone with their bleeding

hearts on the roof of Africa.