Original subtitles

(majestic music)

Rainforest, the richest habitat on Earth.

Teaming with millions of dramatic plants and animals.

From giant landscape gardeners

to a whole family supported by a single leaf.

Here, tiny frogs and giant spiders can become friends.

Parrots eat dirt, kangaroos climb trees,

and perhaps the birthplace of humanity.

A habitat many people still call home.

Rainforests face more threats than ever before,

but remain the last stronghold

for some truly astonishing animal families,

(birds calling)

(mysterious music)

(birds calling)

Jungle, dark,

scary, and mysterious to early explorers.

Today we know rainforests are some of the most wondrous

and important habitats on Earth.

(birds calling)

Jungle lies between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer,

a tropical belt of green

stretching across South and Central America,

Central Africa,

Indonesia,

Malaysia,

and Northern Australia.

The green paradise is thanks to a lot of water.

All rainforests are bathed

by around two meters of rainfall a year,

(rain pattering) (thunder rumbling)

(gentle music)

creating the lush, humid vegetation.

The world's biggest rainforest is the Amazon in Brazil.

More than five million square kilometers

of incredible plant diversity.

The whole of the U.K. has just 40 species of trees.

Here, there might be 300 different kinds

in a few kilometers of jungle,

as well as thousands of other plant species.

Like all rainforests, the variation in plant life

creates micro-climates,

different conditions that can be thought of

as a series of layers with their own unique qualities.

(pensive music)

From the ground up,

the dark, wet forest floor is the realm of ferns and fungi.

Shady characters that enjoy the moisture.

The conditions are kept stable by the next layer.

The dense understory.

Young trees push their way through shrubs, creepers,

and herb's.

Towering above them, the canopy.

The leaves, buds,

flowers and fruits of giant trees.

Creating a huge green umbrella over the forest.

The canopy is dense.

Filtering light and giving the forest its characteristic

dingy mood lighting.

Of course, overhead there's a fierce tropical sun.

Only the tops of the trees feel its force.

In the final story.

The emergent layer.

Each section of the forest

supports different animals and plant species,

more than 10 million varieties in total.

Most of carved out distinct niches,

specializing in one zone,

but there are a few that bridge the gap.

It's not just birds who build nests in the trees.

This cluster of leaves and branches is the nursery

for the long snouted of clowns of the forest.

Coatis.

(animals chittering)

Cousins of the raccoon.

Coatis share the mischievous burglar style face masks

and long banded tails.

But their snouts are all their own.

The little ones have been living here in the nest

for three weeks since their birth,

but they're getting fidgety

and will soon want to stretch their legs

and explore the canopy.

(ominous music)

It will be a very dangerous time for them.

They have neighbors on the floor above that would gladly

invite a young coati to dinner.

The harpy eagle,

one of the biggest predatory birds on the planet.

She's built her huge nest in the emergent layer.

The top of the forest.

Fortunately, she's grabbing branches from the canopy,

not coatis.

She uses the same nest year on year

and is constantly adding to the construction.

Her mate has brought lunch.

Not a coati this time, but a monkey.

One of their preferred prey

Eagles are long term partners

and will work together to prepare their young

for a life above the forest.

(majestic music)

Huge trees are foundation of the rainforest

and the canopy can stretch unbroken

as far as the eye can see.

Most animals seem insignificant

against the scale of the trees,

but there are a few

that can really make their presence felt.

The Congo Basin supports the second largest rainforest.

It's mostly a dense green tangle of trees.

(animals calling)

UNbroken, apart from the passage of rivers.

Except for the occasional bald spot.

These clearings are not accidental.

They are the work of giants.

Forest elephants have been coming here for centuries

to drink up mineral rich mud.

(elephant trumpeting)

(elephant roaring)

Their digging for salt

is what stops trees from re colonizing the land.

Rainforests are not good places for minerals.

The daily rainfall washes precious nutrients from the soil.

A sodium light diet leaves elephants with salt cravings.

But their apparent destruction creates opportunities

for a host of other animals and plants.

(elephant roaring)

Normally the canopy blocks out the sun,

but here light can penetrate

giving some needy plants like grass, the chance to grow.

The salty cocktails excavated by the elephants

accompanied by a fresh green salad

lures shy forest dwellers into the open.

Everything from parrots,

to buffalo.

(contemplative music)

Even some of our closest cousins.

Western lowland gorillas cautiously emerge as a troop.

The dominant male,

the Silverback leads the way

and under his watchful gaze,

the whole troop can pig out on lush sedges and herbs.

It's not long before bellies are bulging

and the pudgy primates can waddle back to the jungle.

(elephant trumpeting)

Primates inhabit all of the world's jungles

(dramatic music)

apart from this one,

This is the Northeast corner of Australia.

(serene music)

The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest on earth.

Little changed for 180 million years.

Australia broke away from the other continents of the world

early on.

Its inhabitants evolved in isolation and are truly unique.

(birds calling)

There are no primates here.

No monkeys swinging through the trees.

Instead tree kangaroos.

These wacky marsupials have gone full circle

in their evolution.

The earliest ancestors lived in the rainforest trees.

They moved to the ground and started to hop,

gradually evolving into wallabies and kangaroos.

Ideally suited for bounding over open ground.

But the tree kangaroos returned to the canopy

where they could enjoy the foliage with little competition.

The kangaroo shape is only slightly modified

and it might take this Joey a while

to get the hang of climbing safely through the branches.

(playful music)

Any young arboreal animals have to find their feet quickly

or face a lethal fall.

(kangaroo screeching)

Especially in the giant trees of the Amazon.

(gentle music)

The coatis, now over a month old, are keen to explore.

Their tails are longer than the raccoons

to help keep their balance and grip the branches

To deliver her litter,

the coati mother sought solitude in the branches,

but now she encourages her youngsters to leave the nest.

It's time to rejoin the clan.

Step one, a lot of sniffing.

Only females and their young live in groups.

Dad's no longer around.

Won't take long for the clan to unite.

A good safety strategy in the forest.

They're not the only socialites hanging about.

Oropendola like company.

(birds calling)

In noisy colonies,

they carefully construct architectural wonders,

hanging nests.

(birds calling)

The complicated structures are built

to try and keep their chicks out of the reach of snakes.

(birds calling)

They're more or less predator proof

(pensive music)

Until a toucan arrives.

Dressed like a circus clown,

she looks more panto than predator.

But that colorful beak is ideal for reaching into nests.

The colony unite, doing their best

to drive the marauder away.

But not soon enough to stop him from kidnapping.

(birds calling)

Birds are like spectacular jewels

in the crown of the forest

and few steal the show more than macaws,

the largest of parrots.

(birds calling)

though the dazzling hues

look like they'd stand out like a sore thumb,

the bold geometric blocks of color,

break up any recognizable bird shapes.

Making them surprisingly hard to spot in the canopy.

They move from one tree to another to find the ripest fruit,

their favorite food.

(birds calling)

Again, rain forest food is a bit bland.

There's not much salt, but like the African elephants,

the birds are driven to find some.

So they form noisy flocks,

colorful clouds that descend on a rotating river banks

to munch on mineral rich soil.

(birds calling)

(contemplative music)

More than half of the world's bird species

live in rainforest,

each carving out their own distinctive niche.

(birds calling)

This specialization has led to a spectacular array

of shapes and sizes.

Most are delicate beauties,

but there are giants.

The Australian rainforest boasts the biggest.

(pensive music)

(water splashing)

(peaceful music)

The huge, flightless cassowary.

In many bird species, females are bigger than males.

And this is one big girl.

About the height and weight of the average man.

She has an appetite to match and listens carefully

for the thud of falling fruit

that might guide her to her next meal.

(water sloshing)

While Australia has the biggest rain forest birds,

South America is home to the smallest.

(wings humming)

This hummingbird weighs about as much as a penny,

She and the nest she carefully constructs

are so tiny that they can be supported by single leaf.

The minute nursery of leaves and moss

has been woven together with spider silk,

making it flexible, but strong.

(wings humming)

The smaller a warm blooded animal is

the higher its metabolism

because it needs so much energy to stay warm.

To keep up the calorie count.

She must eat every 10 minutes or so.

And so spends most of time dashing to find flowering plants

and the sugary energy, rich nectar she craves.

(wings humming)

The chick must do something of a sword swallowing act

every time he wants food.

(wings humming)

And in between meals, he's gently rocked asleep

in his hummingbird hammock.

(playful music)

The tiny birds are kept so busy

that they barely notice the coati clan moving through.

The cubs are finally ready to bridge the gap

from the canopy to the forest floor.

Excitement spreads through the youngsters.

This should be a foraging mission,

but all they can think of is fun and games,

But they need to be careful.

The dense vegetation of the understory

can conceal many dangers.

Their antics wake a killer.

The rattlesnake has a deadly venom.

(rattlesnake buzzing)

But fortunately it gives a warning before it strikes.

The rattle is its first line of defense.

At first it draws the curious cubs,

but they have the good sense to back off

before the snake launches its full attack.

Mother decides her family better head up.

That's enough adventure for one day.

(birds calling)

The dark and dingy forest floor

is a world in its own right?

The creatures that have learned to exploit it.

They are dependent on gifts from above.

Fallen leaves, slowly rot, enriching the ground.

Many canopy inhabitants.

Play their part in feeding the understory,

often under the cover of darkness.

(pensive music)

Forests can seem spooky when the lights go out.

Many creepy crawlies are ready to go bump in the night.

And for many people bats are the ultimate specters.

But of course like all animals,

they just go about their business

and are vital to the health of the forest.

Many bats are insect hunters

and help control populations of biting insects

and other pests.

But there are some that favor a more vegetarian diet.

By moving from flower to flower to feed

the bats are spreading pollen, fertilizing plants.

(mysterious music)

By day bees and other insects are well known pollinators.

Bats are the night shift.

Bats are among the most abundant of all mammals

with more species than any other mammalian family

in both diversity and abundance.

They account for one fifth of mammal-kind.

Some are smaller solitary, but others are big and social.

In such huge numbers,

the presence of these giants really makes a difference.

By night,

they fly from tree to tree, covering huge distances.

Not only helping the plant's sex life,

but consuming its fruit.

Then as they travel, they eject the remains.

Seeds are carried in their droppings

and spread far and wide.

It's a courier service that helps trees colonize

new parts of the forest.

Then as the sun begins to rise,

the bats hang themselves up,

ready to sleep through the day.

Even in rest.

the huge colonies play their part,

showering the forest floor beneath nutrient rich guano.

but it's not the only way nutrients are transported

from one layer to the next.

(insects calling)

Leaf cutter ants are perhaps the hardest workers

in the rainforest.

Here in the Amazon, tireless workers use oversized jaws

to trim off large pieces of leaf.

(gentle music)

Every morsel is not for the individual,

but to be transported home for the good of the colony.

Each can carry 20 times its own body weight,

even down the vertical tree trunks.

The leaves are not food for ants.

Instead they use it to feed fungi.

They are miniature farmers.

They build their nests,

offering protection to the fungi

and carefully cleaned the mounds to keep germs

and other pests at bay.

Periodically they feed,

harvesting a little of their carefully cultivated crop.

The ants will attack anything that invades their home.

And yet, somehow this frog passes unharmed.

The ants communicate

with their own special chemical signals,

helping them to identify other members of their colony.

But the frog has cracked that code.

It secretes a chemical signature,

almost identical to the ants.

Welcomed as a member of the family,

the frog can use the climate controlled chambers

in the ants' nest as a safe place to raise its own young.

Live in bodyguards are useful.

(pensive music)

For this little mouse,

the forest floor is a risky place to raise her young.

From birth they are pink blobs.

They can't see or hear.

They are totally defenseless when danger looms.

The large fangs of a tarantula can pack a punch,

capable of unleashing more than enough venom

to kill a mouse.

But the mother stands her ground.

The spider decides to avoid a potentially damaging bite

from an angry mother.

She has a family of our own to protect.

The spider's lair, the stuff of nightmares.

A deadly place for anyone who takes a wrong turn.

Is this frog on a suicide mission?

It's another cheater who has everything under control,

Whether the frog mimics the spider's own scent

or whether there is a more complex recognition is unknown,

but there are certain kinds of frogs

and certain large spiders that seem to be friends

or at least leave each other unharmed

so they can share the same digs.

It's thought that the tiny frogs

might help keep the tarantula's nursery

free from parasites

while the diminutive amphibian

is in turn protected by the spider.

There are more than 50 million species of invertebrates

making a living in rainforests

and many more that humans haven't yet discovered.

They inhabit every part of the forest

from the tree tops to deep underground.

Their weight combined far outweighs the mass

of mammals and birds.

They are vital to the functioning of the forest,

keeping plants in check and providing food

for many other species.

An African beetle is being stalked by a stealth hunter.

(dramatic music)

The praying mantis.

Its folded arms like coiled springs,

ready to reach out and grab their prey

with needle covered limbs.

With complex food chains everywhere

it's not always easy to see who is hunting who.

There is always something bigger.

The next link in the food chain.

(animals calling)

The Amazon's coatis will eat almost anything

and use their sharp claws and long snouts

to rummage through the leaf litter for any grubs,

bugs, lizards just about anything they can find.

But their noisy troops can attract trouble of their own.

(dramatic music)

They are being watched by the Amazons greatest predator.

The jaguar.

A master of stealth,

the cat uses its spotted coat to blend in

and set an ambush for its prey.

Fortunately, it's attention is distracted

by a band of peccary, pig like animals

that rummage through the mud for nuts and roots.

(pensive music)

(peccary snorting)

Their family groups or sounders are usually on high alert.

(peccaries squealing)

Bacon is always a welcome feast,

but the Jaguar takes its time.

(peccary snorting)

(birds calling)

When it moves,

padded feet silence every footstep.

(peccary snorting)

But the coati mother spots, the cat.

(upbeat music)

Her family race to get out of reach.

Sounding the alarm.

The coatis give the peccary a lucky break.

The Jaguar reflects on its failure.

Better luck next time.

Back in the trees.

The coatis don't need to go hungry.

They love fruit and nuts.

As they forage,

they knock some of their crop to the ground,

sharing some nutrients

from the top to the bottom of the forest.

The fallen fruits will feed

some of the true ground dwellers.

(playful music)

The heaviest animals in South America,

tapirs are certainly not built for climbing,

but their prehensile trunks are ideal to gathering leaves

and fallen fruit.

There is one dropped crop that defeats them,

the Brazil nut.

Down here, only one animal has the tools for the job.

The builtin nutcracker teeth of an agouti.

Dropped fruit is not always the blessing it appears to be.

A duiker, a small forest antelope,

has found some fallen treasure

in its African rain forest home.

It's fallen from the hands of Bonobos.

(pensive music)

The question is, was it dropped accidentally or on purpose?

Perhaps it was a clever lure.

The agile primates pounce on their dinner guests.

Bonobos are often considered the most peaceful of primates,

but they are certainly not vegetarian.

The carcass is shredded and shared around the troop

with priority for the best bits,

going to the highest ranking individuals.

(contemplative music)

Setting traps and using tools are common traits in Bonobos

and they're chimpanzee lookalikes.

Primates really thrive in the lush rainforest.

The abundance and quality of food here

fueled their evolution and led to increased brain size

and intelligence.

(serene music)

And it didn't stop with chimps.

This was the journey that led to the evolution

of our own ancestors.

(vocalizing)

Still today,

there are unique peoples and cultures

in remote corners of the jungle.

There are about 1000 distinct indigenous tribes

living in rainforest,

each with their own customs, languages,

and ancient knowledge.

And the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people

depend directly on living in the rainforest.

(fire crackling)

But now ironically,

we seem to be turning on the very birthplace

of our family tree.

Rainforest hardwoods like teak and mahogany

are very valuable.

Millions are cut for timber.

These trees are huge.

But there might only be a few big enough

in one area to harvest.

Still lesser trees are cut to get to the giants.

And when the giants fall,

(dramatic music)

they crush dozens of smaller trees.

A huge area can be destroyed to harvest

just a few large trees.

They can bring great profits

to the owner of a logging company.

But it's a one off reward.

When they have gone,

the forest will probably never recover.

(birds calling)

There is no sustainability here.

One person gets rich, but at a loss to all of the plants,

animals and people in the region.

In West Africa, 90% of the rainforest is already gone.

Many species, including our closest cousins,

the great apes, are at threat.

And the roads built for logging

open up the forest for poaching and other illegal harvest

of natural resources.

(dramatic music)

We can all help.

70 to 80% of wood from Brazil and Indonesia

has been taken illegally.

Check for certification of any wood products

to make sure that they were harvested sustainably.

In Brazil, 80% of the deforested areas

are used for rearing beef cattle.

We could stop eating imported beef

and reduce meat in our diets.

Reducing the need for land.

(cow bellowing)

Palm oil is another rapidly growing industry,

clearing rainforest to use the land.

We can avoid products containing palm oil.

A lot of rainforest trees are mushed up to make paper.

Consumers can buy recycled paper and recycle what you use.

They seem like little steps, but if everyone did them,

the future of the rainforest

and the health of the planet and its incredible wildlife

would look a lot more secure.

(serene music)

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