All language subtitles for Islands.of.Wonder.S01E02.WEBRip.x264-ION10

In the heart of South East Asia

lies the tropical island
of Borneo...

...the third-largest island
on Earth.

This is a lost world,

home to the beautiful

and the bizarre...

...where lizards fly...

...plants have become
carnivores...

...and people hunt underwater.

It may seem like paradise...

...but from it's sun-drenched
shores...

through ancient jungles...

to its mountainous heart...

...it's a struggle
just to survive...

but this struggle has led to
extraordinary adaptations...

and given rise to possibly
the greatest diversity of life

found on any island.

Isolated in vast tropical
seas...

...they are home to remarkable
animal castaways...

and extraordinary
human cultures.

These islands of wonder
harbor precious life

found nowhere else
on planet Earth.

Off the coast of Asia,

330 miles east of Singapore

and a thousand miles
north of Australia

lies the island of Borneo.

Its shores are fringed
by a tangle of mangroves

and flooded forests...

criss-crossed
by a network of rivers.

This waterlogged world
is the last stronghold

for a primate found
no where else on Earth...

The proboscis monkey...

This male's enlarged nose
serves one key purpose...

to attract a mate.

And his super-sized snout

has secured him a harem
of adoring females...

...and their offspring.

It will take this baby
7 long years

to grow a nose
to rival his father's.

But for these monkeys,

their pot-bellies
are the key to their survival.

There is precious
little nutrition to be found

in the bitter leaves
of these flooded forests.

Proboscis have evolved
an enlarged gut

to extract any goodness
there is.

Still, only the youngest leaves
have enough nutrition

to be worth eating.

So the male must lead his troop
up to a mile a day

in search of fresh growth.

But their route
is often blocked...

by one of the many rivers
that cut through the forest...

...patrolled by giant
predators...

...like the saltwater crocodile,

which grows to more
than 16 feet long

and can weigh up to a ton.

To reach the young,
juicy leaves on the other side,

the group will have to cross.

But the male is hesitant.

Instead, it's the alpha female
who takes the lead.

The rest of the troop
quickly follow.

Sounds of their splashes
carry 700 feet

through the water

and can draw unwanted attention.

But unlike most other monkeys,

proboscis are excellent
swimmers.

To survive here,
they have evolved webbed feet.

Finally, the reluctant male
makes his move.

But a mother and baby
have been left behind.

The baby must hang on
for dear life.

This time the whole family
has made it...

...even the most vulnerable.

At last they can feed
on the succulent fresh leaves.

The challenge of living in this
beautiful

but difficult environment

forces these monkeys to risk
their lives in search of food,

changing their behavior
and their bodies.

It is this way
all across Borneo,

where over 6,000 unique species
have adapted

to face these challenges
over thousands of years...

evolving from ancestors that
were isolated here long ago.

Borneo was once joined
to Thailand

and mainland Malaysia...

Part of a vast landmass,

home to one of
the oldest forests on Earth.

But when the last ice age ended
10,000 years ago,

sea levels rose,

leaving Borneo and
its ancient forests stranded.

The surrounding shallows
are now home

to some of the richest
coral reefs in the world.

A single reef can support
more species of coral

than the entire Caribbean Sea.

For the people that live
on Borneo's coast,

accessing these submerged riches

has led to
an extraordinary adaptation.

The Bajau Laut --
People of the Sea.

Over generations of diving,
their bodies have transformed.

Their spleens are 50%
larger than average.

It's believed this provides
their blood

with more oxygen for diving.

They can hold their breath
for over 3 minutes

and spend 60% of
their day hunting underwater,

longer than almost any other
human being.

The Bajau Laut
settled on Borneo's coasts

around a thousand years ago.

Villages like Tatagan may only
be 20 miles

from the nearest town...

but the 200 or so people
who live here

still rely on the sea
for nearly all their needs.

Rajamil Wali and his son Fidel
are traditional fishermen.

But they're having to adapt
to the modern world.

Plastic is the scourge
of today's oceans,

but for Rajamil and Fidel,
it provides an opportunity.

Rajamil is teaching his son

how to turn this plastic
into something useful.

The lure will have
to be convincing

to trick the reef's
most intelligent resident...

...the reef octopus.

With his new fishing technique,

Rajamil can catch enough octopus
to support his whole family.

Adapting to change,
the Bajau continue to live off

one of richest coral reefs
in our seas.

But as you head inland,

conditions get tougher,
pushing life to extremes.

Just 10 miles from the coast
lies a steamy jungle world,

one of the last
surviving fragments

of an ancient
lowland rainforest.

Covering an area larger
than California,

less than a square mile can hold
thousands of species of trees.

But one group of giants
dominate...

the Dipterocarps.

Towering up to 330 feet high,

they are the tallest rainforest
trees in the world.

Their branches form
a unique canopy world...

...that is home to the world's
largest tree-dwelling animal...

...the Bornean orangutan.

In orangutans, the bond between
mother and baby is very strong,

and this youngster will stay
with his mother

for up to 8 years.

He has a lot to learn.

Many of the forest
leaves here are poisonous...

but his mother can identify
around 500 species

that are safe to eat.

Remarkably, though,

we now know their knowledge
goes much further.

Twentinolosa is part of a group

that has been studying
the orangs here

for over 20 years...

...one of the longest-running
studies of its kind

anywhere in the world.

One particular
orangutan has led researchers

to a breakthrough discovery.

Years of carrying a heavy baby

have taken their toll.

It appears Indah is suffering
from aching joints.

The medicinal paste
she creates contains

powerful anti-inflammatories
thought to ease her pain.

Indah's vast knowledge
of these ancient forests

includes a treatment
for arthritis.

This is the first time
an animal

has been found to medicate
with anti-inflammatories.

Imagine what else is left to be
discovered in this rich canopy?

90% of Borneo's jungle life
is found up here.

A single tree can hold 1,000
different species.

This leads to intense
competition for food and space.

To survive in these crowded
canopies...

life has evolved
in wondrous ways.

Borneo has over twenty species
of gliding reptile...

...more than any
other island on Earth.

At night,
a whole new cast emerges...

...including one creature that
has the key to a food source

unavailable to most...

...the exquisitely decorated
lantern bug.

It feeds directly
from the giant trees,

using a specialized proboscis,
like a drinking straw,

to suck out the sugary sap.

Any excess is expertly
fired away

with a spring-loaded spatula
in its abdomen.

But nothing on Borneo is wasted.

One shrewd species of gecko

has learned its way
to a free meal...

All it has to do is wait...

...its nose carefully positioned
in the firing line.

The astonishing lives
of the animals here

are shaped by the competition
for food,

but the contest to find a mate
is just as strong.

In these forests, the night air
is dominated by the sound

of 180 species of frog...

...singing for a mate.

The bigger the frog,
the louder the call.

But this male tree-hole frog is
barely bigger than a fingernail.

He'll need to do
something special

if he wants to be heard
by any nearby females.

She may only be yards away...

...but the chorus from the
other frogs is deafening.

This tiny male, however,
has a trick.

He searches for a tree hole.

The size and shape of the hole
are critical.

He then does something
remarkable.

It begins with a sound check.

Too low.

He changes pitch.

Too high.

That's it!

At this specific frequency,
the tree hole resonates,

amplifying the sound
and broadcasting the call

more than 160 feet
across the forest.

For a female,
it's music to her ears.

With superb directional hearing,

she can home in on his calls.

Finally the tiny couple meet.

Hidden from predators,
the tree hole will go on

to make an ideal nursery
for their tadpoles.

Compared to the abundance
of life in the treetops...

...on the forest floor,
it's an impoverished world.

In these lowland forests,
30 miles or so from the coast,

the giant tree roots suck up
most of the nutrients...

leaving the soil depleted.

Since Borneo was cut off
10,000 years ago,

it's thought that many
of the large mammals died off.

With little to eat down here,

many that did persist
have shrunk.

Confined to her protected
forest sanctuary...

...the exceedingly rare
Bornean sun bear.

Weighing just 130 pounds,

it's the smallest bear
in the world.

This fallen branch
is a prized treat.

Filled with wood grubs
and beetles.

Nothing is wasted...
even a noxious millipede.

But it's not enough to sustain
even this little bear.

The real prize sits high above.

Guided by her exceptional
sense of smell...

...the sweet scent of honey.

For larger bears, this beehive
may be out of reach.

But being small helps
defy gravity.

With sharp claws and rough pads
on her feet,

she can ascend 130 feet,

higher than any other bear.

To make it in Borneo's
jungle treetops,

this miniature acrobat has
become more monkey than bear.

For those confined to
the depleted forest floor,

survival requires
innovative solutions.

Deep into the jungle, mysterious
signs line the forest paths,

left by indigenous hunters

that have inhabited
this island's jungle

for over 4,000 years.

Etat Nyato and Geran Jengan
are Penan, native Borneans,

and still reliant on their
intimate knowledge of the forest

to find food.

The cut bark oozes
a deadly poison.

Once concentrated,
it's so potent

it can stop
a human heart in seconds.

The thickened mixture makes
for lethal poison darts.

Geran and Etat can
now target prey

hiding high up
in the forest canopy.

A common fairy bluebird.

It's a meager kill,

not enough to feed themselves,
let alone their families.

But the Penan have an ingenious
way of reaching out to others.

Along the path,

they plant sticks on
which they leave messages.

A single feather signifies
they have caught a small bird.

And a folded, empty leaf shows
that they are hungry

and in need of food.

It's an ancient sign language
known as "Oroo."

With more than 50
different symbols,

the Penan can communicate

across 100 square miles
of lowland forest.

Geran and Etat have found
a welcome note

left by fellow hunters.

With their unique sign language

and communal bonds,

the Penan have overcome
the challenge

of finding enough food
on Borneo's forest floor.

With every step inland,
Borneo changes.

Fifty miles from the coast,
the elevation begins to rise,

and the lowland jungle

gives way to enormous caves...

and Deer cave is one of the
largest subterranean chambers

in the world.

Almost 700 feet wide
in places,

it's big enough
to fly a jumbo jet through.

And it holds a secret
as to why these lowland forests

are so poor in nutrients.

As the sun sets,
a great exodus begins.

Emerging from caves across
the island,

millions of bats spread out
over the forest.

Bat hawks have been waiting
for just this moment.

They gorge themselves
on this easy meal.

But it will have little effect
on the bats' numbers.

Bats are the most numerous
mammal on the island...

and their impact is immense.

The bats from Deer Cave alone

are thought to catch up

to 33 tons of forest
insect every night.

At dawn they return to the caves
to roost...

where their excrement
falls like rain...

...building, over centuries,
mountains of guano

more than 50-feet high.

Feeding on it is one of

the largest concentrations
of cockroaches

in the world.

As well as a wealth
of other creatures...

...foot-long centipedes...

giant cave spiders...

...even a cave crab.

This horde is Borneo's
lost treasure.

Almost half of the jungle's
precious nutrients

end up
hidden inside these caves...

stripped from the impoverished
forests outside by the bats.

A hundred miles in,

running through the center
of the island,

is the toughest world of all,

one that has driven
even greater diversity.

Mountains that are home to even
more extraordinary creatures

found nowhere else on earth.

Their range runs over 500 miles

through the center
of the island.

At over 13,000 feet,
Mount Kinabalu is one

of the highest peaks
in South East Asia.

Moist air from below

cools and condenses
into a thick veil of cloud.

Here it rains
almost every day...

...the water washing away
any goodness in the soil.

Sheltering in ravines
lie dwarf forests...

the trees stunted
from the lack of nutrients.

These extreme conditions
have pushed one group of plants

to extraordinary lengths
to survive.

Pitcher plants.

They have become carnivores.

With the promise of nectar,

the plant lures
in its victims...

...onto its slippery edge.

Below lies a pool of deadly
digestive enzymes...

from which there is no escape.

The captives' bodies
slowly dissolve

in the pitcher's
stomach-like vessel...

providing the plant
with the nutrients

so lacking in the soil.

Borneo holds over forty
species of pitcher plant,

the greatest collection
in the world,

including
the Hemsleyana pitcher.

It's after something
much bigger than insects...

...a woolly bat.

Rather than using nectar
as bait...

the pitcher's flat lid
is perfectly shaped

to reflect the bat's sonar.

...drawing it in.

But the woolly bat is safe.

After a night's hunting,

this bat needs
a place to shelter.

Rather than fall
into its lethal pool,

the bat fits snuggly
into the pitcher's tapered cup.

In the heat of the day,

the pitcher's waxy walls
even keep its guest cool.

How the plant benefits

only becomes apparent

at dusk.

The nocturnal guest awakens...

...leaving behind its payment.

Once again, it's nutrient-rich
bat droppings,

and this plant has ensured
its very own supply...

delivered daily.

Living in its impoverished home,

this extraordinary plant,
like all life on Borneo,

has been shaped by
its struggle to survive.

But with the arrival of
industrial logging and farming

in the last 50 years,

all this has changed.

Today, over half its ancient
rainforests have been cleared.

Felled for timber,

much of the land has been
turned into vast plantations

for crops such as palm oil.

With the destruction
of the forests,

researchers like Twentinolosa

are increasingly concerned

about the future of Borneo's
most iconic resident...

...the orangutan.

Despite the challenges
of this island,

orangutans,
like so much life on Borneo,

have survived in these forests
for thousands of years.

But they may not withstand
the impact of the modern world.

From its bustling coral reefs...

...ancient forests...

...and remote mountain peaks...

...Borneo may appear a paradise.

But to survive here, life has
had to adapt in extreme ways...

leading to almost
unparalleled diversity...

...and making Borneo a unique,

but fragile, Island of Wonder.