All language subtitles for Tales From Zambia Series 1 2of7 Wild Heavyweights 1080p

NARRATOR:
\hThere is a place

in southern Africa

where some of
the largest animals on Earth

live side by side.

Elephant,

giraffe,

buffalo,

hippo,

Nile crocodile,

all weighing in

at more than a ton.

But it’s the hottest
and driest time of year.

Food and water
are getting scarce.

How do these giants make
it through the lean times?

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

This is the story
of amazing adaptations

and ingenious strategies,

that give these
heavyweights the edge

in one of the
hottest places in Africa.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

The Luangwa,

one of the last great,
untamed rivers in Africa.

It flows through a vast area
of pristine wilderness.

A mosaic of habitats.

From plains and woodlands,

to verdant lagoons.

But every year,
these disappear.

It’s October,
the height of the dry season.

It hasn’t rained
for six months.

The once fertile plains
have turned to dust

and the lagoons
are drying up fast.

The largest
land animal on Earth

must overcome many challenges
if it’s going to survive.

(ELEPHANTS SNORTING)

African elephants,
weighing in at
6-1/2 tons,

need a guaranteed food supply,
available 24/7.

But with the valley’s
vegetation fading fast,

the grass on the plains
is long past its best.

The woodlands
provide a refuge.

But even here,
they can’t be picky eaters.

The food is low
in nutrients.

Everything goes in,

branches, seeds, roots and
bark are all on the menu.

Their seven-foot trunk,
made up of 40,000 muscles,

is the perfect tool
for these bulk eaters,

grabbing everything
they come across.

They spend 18 hours a day,
every day,

feeding to meet their quota
of 650 pounds of food.

But after all this work,

they digest less than half
of what they eat.

And this means
a lot of dung,

over 300 pounds
every day.

For the resident troop
of yellow baboons,

it’s irresistible.

They pick through
this unusual delicacy

in search of
undigested seeds.

While the elephants are
shoveling in as much food
as possible,

the tallest animal on Earth
has a different strategy.

It’s a little more choosy
about what it eats.

This male giraffe
is sixteen feet tall,

and has the longest neck
in the world.

He can reach delicacies
others can’t,

and doesn’t need to feed
on tough and tasteless
vegetation.

An 18-inch tongue
and dexterous, tough lips

mean he can tease out
leafy treats

from the most hard
to reach places.

(LEAVES RUSTLING)

Like elephants, giraffe also
spend 18 hours a day feeding.

All this time
with his tongue out,

means it needs protection
from the sun.

A pigment called melanin
makes his tongue dark blue,

an adaptation
to prevent sunburn.

Pushing through the bushes
in search of a meal

gives plenty of opportunities
for parasites to latch on.

But a six-foot neck makes
grooming a bit awkward.

Red-billed oxpeckers
are here to lend a hand.

They keep him
fit and healthy

by picking off
disease-carrying ticks.

And in return,
they get a free meal.

(OXPECKERS CHIRPING)

But giraffe
aren’t the only giants

oxpeckers have
a special relationship with.

(BUFFALOES GRUNTING)

Buffalo make their way
towards the river.

They may be the smallest
of Luangwa’s heavyweights,

just tipping the scale
at one ton,

but unlike elephant
and giraffe,

they have strength
in numbers.

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

Mega-herds of over
1,000 buffalo roam
through the plains.

As food and water
become scarce,

smaller herds
join together,

a strategy which also protects
them against predators.

Competition for food
is higher.

But more eyes
looking for danger,

means each buffalo
can spend less time scanning

and more time feeding.

But it’s not always enough
for the old and the weak.

This time of year is a
struggle for these grazers.

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

Each buffalo
needs to scrape together
over 30 pounds of food a day.

To find enough,
they have to adapt,

expanding their diet
from grasses to leaves.

But still, this scorched
vegetation has little moisture.

It’s tough to break down.

To aid digestion
and quench their thirst,

the herd heads
to the river.

It’s one of the last
remaining sources of water
in this wilderness.

They drink
as much as they can,

up to 18 gallons a day,

before making the long
return journey to the plains.

The last of Luangwa’s
heavyweight herbivores
is the hippo.

(GRUNTING)

This male weighs
over three tons.

He is the "beachmaster,"

the dominant bull.

During the day,
he guards his territory

and a group of hippos
known as a "pod."

At this time of year,
several pods can be
squeezed together

into the largest hippo
congregations in the world,

over 300 strong.

(HIPPOS GRUNTING)

Bull hippos spend all day
asserting their dominance
over encroaching rivals.

(GRUNTING)

It’s exhausting.

But the setting sun

brings the hardworking
beachmaster

some relief from
the stresses of the day.

At night,
like all hippos,

he leaves the river
to graze on land.

A military-grade
thermal camera,

which sees heat
instead of light,

reveals his feeding habits
in incredible detail.

Using tough,
sharp-edged lips

he plucks grass instead
of biting it with his teeth,

allowing him
to graze shorter grass

than any other
heavyweight.

He has to eat
90 pounds of vegetation.

When grass is
in short supply,

and your table manners
are this sloppy,

it can take all night.

In high concentrations,
hippos can leave devastation
in their wake.

The beachmaster would be
a feast for these lions.

They’re the Nsefu pride,
and they’re 14 strong.

But armor-like skin,
over two inches thick,

and 20-inch tusks
make him formidable prey.

It will take the whole pride
to bring him down.

(DUNG SPLATTERING)

He splatters dung,

a rather unsubtle warning

for the lions
to get out of the way.

(HIPPO GRUNTING)

(HIPPO GRUNTING)
(LIONS GROWLING)

He’s too big and strong
for the pride.

They will have to wait
for smaller prey.

(ELEPHANT GROANING)

The elephant herd
has even less to worry
about than hippos.

After a day of feeding,
it’s time for a quick nap.

Elephants sleep for four
to five hours a day.

While lying down, the calf
is at her most vulnerable,

but the herd will
take it in turns

to listen out
for any threats.

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

For buffalo,

the dark is what
nightmares are made of.

This is when the lions
are most active.

As the lightest
of the heavyweights,

a buffalo is a much
easier target than a hippo

and one of the Nsefu pride’s
favorite prey.

A big buffalo could feed
them for up to three days.

The buffalo have
poor eyesight and hearing.

At night,

they rely on their exceptional
sense of smell,

letting them know when
to stand and when to run.

(BUFFALO SNORTS)

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

The herd tries to stay
in a tight group.

Separation means
being outnumbered,

and outgunned.

This buffalo has lost
the safety of the herd.

(BUFFALO SNORTS)

(LION GROWLS)

He’s not defenseless.

Sharp horns
curl around his head
to form a bone shield,

known as a "boss."

One powerful strike
could kill a lion.

(LIONS GROWLING)

But he can’t take
them all on alone.

(BUFFALO BELLOWING)

He bellows to bring in
reinforcements.

(BUFFALO BELLOWING)

A buffalo’s strength
lies in group-defense.

Distress calls have been known
to bring herds to the rescue.

(BUFFALO BELLOWING)
(LIONS GROWLING)

The lions might be able
to take one down,

but two together
is just too much.

(LIONS GROWLING)

The Nsefu pride will have
to go hungry, for now.

(LION EXHALES)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(HIPPO GRUNTING)

As the day dawns,
and the hippos return to
the safety of the river,

the rest of the bush’s
inhabitants stir.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Tens of thousands
of red-billed quelea
take to the air.

They are the most
numerous birds on Earth,

ten billion strong.

(CHIRPING CONTINUES)

At under an ounce each,
they may not be heavyweights,

but the flock’s combined
weight is more than a buffalo.

Having stretched their wings,
they settle down to drink.

(WATER SPLASHING)

(SPLASHING CONTINUES)

Only a young crocodile would
bother with such small prey.

It will be decades
before this one grows

into the river’s
apex predator.

This huge crocodile
could live for 100 years

and will never
stop growing.

He might end up more than
twenty feet long.

And the Luangwa River
is full of these giants.

Here, more are found than
anywhere else in Zambia.

Nile crocodiles are
the only predator in Africa
to weigh more than a ton.

They are Luangwa’s
final heavyweight.

These reptilian giants
are so successful,

they have barely changed
in over 200 million years.

There’s an uneasy truce between
the river’s heavyweights.

This crocodile could easily
take a newly born hippo.

But with its mother close by,
it’s not worth the risk.

(GRUNTING)

A fully-grown hippo can
bite a crocodile in half.

While hippos are
struggling to find a meal,

the dry season can provide
easy pickings for a crocodile.

Old and weak herbivores
are struggling

to make it through
this tough time of year.

All the crocodiles
have to do is wait.

And they have plenty
of time on their side.

After a big meal,

it will be two years before
this dominant crocodile
has to eat again,

so food is rarely
an issue.

He faces
a very different challenge
to the other heavyweights.

Crocodiles are ectothermic,

their environment controls
their body temperature.

In the cool morning air,

crocodiles are
slow and sluggish.

It will take some time
to raise their temperature

to an optimal
90 degrees Fahrenheit.

But their heavily
armored skin hides
a secret adaptation.

Each scale contains
a rich network of capillaries.

As they bask,
blood flows to the surface,

is heated by
the sunlight,

and then returns
to warm the body.

As these reptiles
are heating up,

warm-blooded heavyweights
are trying to cool down.

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

Mud coats
the buffalo’s skin

in a protective layer,
like sunscreen

and also helps
to remove parasites

and soothe insect bites.

But the lagoons
are drying fast,

their mud becoming thick,
sticky sludge.

(BUFFALOES SNORTING)

Every year, buffaloes run
the risk of getting stuck.

(VULTURES CAWING)

Getting stuck
means getting eaten.

(VULTURES CAWING)

For most, this lagoon still
has enough water to be safe.

It acts like a beacon
for all the valley’s
warm-blooded residents.

Including the largest
of the heavyweights.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING SOFTLY)

Temperatures
in the Luangwa Valley

regularly hit
120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Staying cool is a constant
problem for the elephants.

They’re so big and round,

they find it hard to lose
heat from their inner core.

They don’t sweat,

water’s too precious
to waste on thermoregulation.

So they have other
ingenious adaptations
to help them cool down.

Wrinkled skin means
a larger surface area
to radiate heat.

Unlike fur, the elephant’s
sparse, bristly hair

lets air flow
close to the body,

increasing heat loss
by up to 20%.

But their most effective
heat management adaptation

is their ears,
the largest on Earth.

They are so large,

they increase an elephant’s
total surface area

by up to 25%.

More space, from which
they can lose heat.

A rich network
of blood vessels

brings heat
to the surface.

As elephants flap
their giant ears,

air passes over
the intricate web,

cooling the blood
and lowering
their temperature.

But when it’s
120 degrees Fahrenheit,

even these adaptations
aren’t enough.

There’s only
one thing left to do.

(TRUNK BLOWING)

Muddy water may help
the herd cool down,

but it’s not
the most thirst-quenching.

They prefer
a cleaner drink.

(TRUMPETING SOFTLY)

They’re not the only thirsty
animals heading to the river.

The Nsefu pride
have beaten them to it.

Lions are a threat
to the young calf.

(LIONS GROWLING)
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)

The pride may have
got here first,

but thirst
drives the herd on.

(TRUMPETING)

The adult elephants
keep the calf safely
tucked between them,

while making it clear
they’re not to be messed with.

(LION ROARING)

(TRUMPETING)

(TRUMPETING)

(GROWLING)

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)
(GROWLING CONTINUES)

(TRUMPETING)

(GROWLING)
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)

With their message
delivered,

it’s safe for
the herd to drink.

Their trunks make
quick refreshment easy.

They don’t sip through it,
like a straw.

They suck up more than
2-1/2 gallons with
each giant sniff,

which they then squirt
into their mouth.

They are thirstier
than any other heavyweight,

and can down almost
60 gallons every day,

enough to fill a bathtub.

Mid-morning is when most
of the valley’s wildlife
comes out to drink.

But not all animals
are lucky enough
to have a trunk.

For a giraffe,

drinking is
a little more complicated.

Reaching the water requires
some expert maneuvering.

And simply lowering her head
could be fatal.

While upright,
a giraffe’s heart can beat
up to 170 times a minute

to pump blood to the brain,
six feet above.

This raises her blood pressure
to twice that of any other
mammal her size.

When she drinks,
blood rushes down the neck

and floods towards
the brain with gravity.

If unchecked,

the force would
cause brain damage
and certain death.

To stop this, her arteries
have especially thick walls

keeping them
from rupturing.

And extra one-way valves
in her jugular vein
prevent backflow.

When her head is lowered,
the valves close,

stopping backflow blood
from rushing into her brain.

As she tosses
her head back,

they open, and blood
flows back to the body.

She is perfectly adapted
to the hellish heat
of the dry season.

Slender legs and a long neck
increase her surface area,

letting her lose heat
much faster than an elephant.

In times of need,
dark patches on her skin,

known as
"thermal windows,"
are activated.

Blood vessels dilate
under the patches,

increasing blood flow
and releasing more heat.

The patches also have more
and larger sweat glands,

which cools the blood flowing
through the thermal window.

A difference of up to
50 degrees Fahrenheit

can be seen between
these hot, radiating patches

and the spaces
in between.

All these adaptations

mean a giraffe
can go weeks without drinking
at the cruelest time of year.

Even longer than a camel.

It’s the middle of the day.

Most animals
have taken shelter from
the sun’s blistering heat.

But the cold-blooded
Nile crocodile

has only just warmed up.

It’s time to hunt.

As the water levels
have fallen,

giant catfish have
become concentrated
in ever-shrinking pools,

making them
easier to catch.

Sensory pits line
a crocodile’s snout.

The pits allow it
to detect movement,

rather than see
in the murky water.

Lying still,

crocodiles wait for
a fish to come too close.

And explode into action.

The giant catfish
can be quite a mouthful,

but the crocodile’s 60 teeth
are built to grip.

While the crocodiles
relish the midday heat,

the beachmaster and his pod
are struggling.

There’s no shade from
the scorching midday sun.

(HIPPOS GRUNTING)

Their thick skin
means they’re at risk
from overheating.

The skin alone can weigh
more than half a ton,

almost a fifth
of a hippo’s weight.

(GRUNTING)

It secretes a thick,
oily-red liquid,

a natural moisturizer
and sunblock.

But the most effective
strategy to avoid the sun,

is to stay submerged
for much of the day,

in the protective
muddy waters.

They seek out the
deepest spots in the river

and sleep
completely underwater.

Even though
they’re asleep,

every now and again they
come up for a breath of air.

(EXHALES)

(WATER BUBBLING)

But as the dry season
takes hold,

the river keeps dropping.

If it gets too low,

much of the river will be
too shallow to cover them.

The consequences for
many hippos will be fatal.

The river is the main source
of water left in the valley

and animals concentrate
along its banks.

For the herbivorous
heavyweights,

elephant, giraffe,
hippo and buffalo,

competition within species,
for resources and mates,
becomes fierce.

(TRUMPETING)

Tempers flare.

Fights break out.

(GRUNTING)

For the beachmaster,

a spot in the deepest
part of the river

is worth fighting for.

He may look docile,

but this heavyweight is
one of the most aggressive
animals on Earth.

(GRUNTING FIERCELY)

Scar covered
and battle hardened,

he has to protect his
300-foot stretch of the river.

He’s in his prime.

His reign has lasted
for almost four years,

but each dry season
has been a relentless battle.

All along the river,

falling water levels are
forcing hippos to search
for a deeper spot.

The beachmaster’s kingdom

is under threat
from rival males.

(HIPPOS GRUNTING)

Smaller, submissive males
may be tolerated,

but fully grown bulls
must be met head-on.

What a challenger
may have in strength,

the beachmaster
makes up for in experience.

Gaping his jaws
150 degrees wide,

he displays his arsenal.

Canines for slashing
and incisors for stabbing.

The stakes are high.

Losing will force him
out of the water

and expose him
to the searing sun.

(LIPS SMACKING)

Lip smacking,
the rival tries
to intimidate him.

The beachmaster squares up,

hoping the rival
will back down.

No such luck.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

The beachmaster
forces the challenger
out of the river.

When evenly matched,

a serious fight
is settled on land.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

They clash face-to-face,

protecting their flanks from
each other’s slashing tusks.

Incisors inflict
serious puncture wounds
in the lower jaw.

The beachmaster, on the left,
goes on the offensive.

Getting under his jaw,
he forces his rival
onto the back foot.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Biting down with a force of
almost a ton per square inch,

the beachmaster delivers
a decisive blow.

(SNORTING)

Experience wins out.

The beachmaster retains
his deep-water kingdom,
for now.

(GRUNTING)

But it won’t be long
until the next challenger
comes along.

For the loser,
severely weakened,

and with no deep water
to rest in,

the consequences
can prove fatal.

(HIPPO GROANS)

(WATER SPLASHING)

The reptilian heavyweights
gather for the feast.

(HIPPO GROANS)

The biggest and strongest
of the Nile crocodiles

open up the carcass
for the others.

The less dominant
just have to be patient.

Snapping down,

these heavyweights generate
2-1/2 tons of force
per square inch,

the strongest
bite on Earth.

They can’t chew,

instead they throw
their weight around.

Latching on and spinning,
their one-ton bodies

in a maneuver
known as a "death roll,"

they rip chunks of flesh
and swallow them whole.

They tolerate each other,

the most dominant
feeding first.

But if there’s a dispute,

the biggest and
strongest one always wins.

Nothing goes to waste.

Crocodiles have the strongest
stomach acid in the world.

They will eat everything,
from blubber to bones.

They also swallow stones,
which stay in their bellies,

helping crush
and break up food,

once it reaches
their stomach.

By dawn,
the carcass will be gone.

Nothing will remain.

The dry season
is almost at an end.

Soon rains
will quench the earth

and trigger an explosion
of new growth.

Most of Luangwa’s heavyweights
have made it through
the hardest time of year.

The fact that these
huge animals can survive
in such an extreme land,

is a testament to
their remarkable and
impressive adaptations,

honed over
millions of years.

From the giraffe’s tongue,

to the elephant’s ears,

these giants
are perfectly equipped

to see out
both feast and famine.

♪

♪