All language subtitles for Oceans.Weirdest.S01E03.WEBRip.x264-ION10

They say that life is a big adventure

nowhere more so than the ocean

but nature is weird.

To survive the animals have to rise
to the weirdness or die trying.

Expect the unexpected
in Mutant Misadventures.

The famous Galapagos Islands.

Home to a spectacular array of animals,

the birthplace of the theory of evolution

which was inspired by these guys,

the finch, the original mutant.

They mutated to see the different foods
available on the different islands.

Large ground finches developed
parrot-like beaks for crushing seeds.

The woodpecker finch developed
a beak for grasping grubs from trees.

The cactus finch has a probing beak
for cactus seeds.

You get the idea.

From one common ancestor

at least 18 species of finch have evolved

different beaks for different foods.

But this particular species
of ground finch

had a life-threatening problem, water.

It lives on an island
of permeable volcanic rock

where freshwater just drains through.

So how do they get a drink.

Let's see how the other residents do it.

They may look like shriveled up
old punk rockers

but marine iguanas have figured it out.

Like many notorious rockstars

they've ingested copious amounts
of a deadly chemical,

salt.

They feed on algae

consuming vast amounts
of salt in the process.

But it's the Galapagos Islands.

So they have actually mutated.

Take this old boy.

This isn't bad manners.

This is how they
get rid of all that excess salt,

through their nasal glands.

And they're all at it.

This keeps the salt levels
in their blood in check.

So other thirsty animals treat them like
reptilian dissemination class.

Ticks,

the blood provides nutrition and hydration

from this one scaly package

and that's where our finch comes back in.

It eats the ticks

getting hydration and helping out
the iguanas at the same time.

But it's the Galapagos Islands

and evolution never stops.

Almost like something straight out...

...of a horror film.

At the northern extreme of the Archipelago

the finches have cut out the middle man.

They call them the vampire ground finch.

They create wounds on sea birds.

And because the wounds aren't lethal,
the thirsty little vampires can just drink

and drink.

This behavior has been witnessed on only
two of the Archipelago's 19 islands...

...so far.

But it's the Galapagos Islands,

where evolution never rests.

What's weirder than a mutant?
A whole family of them,

so there's bound to be

Family Misadventures.

Meet the male garibaldi damselfish.

He is a popular member
of his rocky reef community

and everyone's favorite party guest.

And he can't wait to be a dad.

It's March,

garibaldi mating begins in April

so he is spending his days
preparing a safe nursery

of soft red algae

meticulously tending to his patch
for the entire month

keeping it a cozy one inch long,
perfect for doting on little darlings.

Our female garibaldi.

She is beautiful.

If she sees his nursery

she'll realize what a great dad he'd be

but he needs to woo her first
with some of his best dance moves.

It shows off how much energy he has.

Perfect for protecting the fertilized eggs
they've just created.

But she's not the maternal type.

She begins nibbling at her own eggs

which triggers

his

maximum

rage.

He banishes her from the nest.

He is now a fish obsessed.

His paternal instinct is so strong,
it fuels unbounded aggression.

Nothing is to come between him
and his little darlings.

Other females notice.

There is nothing more attractive
than a good father.

He soon mated with nearly
20 different females

and is left protecting
all the fertilized eggs

overwhelming for some.

But the male garibaldi
will never back down.

Until a few weeks later.

The last of the planktonic larvae disperse.

Once again he is a popular member
of his rocky reef community

and everyone's favorite party guest.

But come March next year,

he'll be back.

In all the vastness of the world's oceans

spare a thought for squid.

Everything, it seems, eats squid.

Seals eat squid, whales eat squid,

birds eat squid,

fish eat squid, crabs eat squid,

even squid eat squid.

You get the idea.

Squid are an integral part
of the ocean's food chain.

So how do you behave when you barely
get to live before you die?

You live at warp speed.

This is the California market squid.

It moves fast, it grows fast,
it lives fast.

At four months, he's already
reached sexual maturity

and he and his friends have one item
on their bucket list, to mate.

They congregate in sheltered water,

flashing red chromatophore cells

and using their best moves to lure in
the equally fast-living ladies.

After nearly two weeks of dancing around
each other, he's decided.

She's the one.

He wraps his tentacles around her,
they flash red to warn off rivals

and he fertilizes her eggs

then releases her.

Females lay clusters of up to 300 eggs
on the sandy substrate.

Cocooned in their sacs, the young
will hatch in as little as three weeks.

Their destiny fulfilled,
both male and female squid

die.

The seafloor littered
with new and expired life.

Nearly the entire population of squid
replaces itself annually this way

because even in death everything it seems

eats squid.

Their death is vital, thanks, squid.

When it comes to mutants,
the more you look,

the weirder they become.

Why lead a life less ordinary,
when you could live a life more mutant?

This is a ribbon eel. Isn't he beautiful?

His blue and yellow coloring identify
him as a mature male.

Juvenile males are smaller
and sooty black.

And females,

well, that's a bit complicated,
and we'll get back to that later.

Ribbon eels like to eat fish

but they're such flighty things.

So easily spooked.

And he is stunning.

It's hard to miss three feet
of swimming ribbon eel,

so, he keeps most of himself hidden.

Hanging out in his burrow to hunt

swaying with the current and no
sudden movements make for calm fish.

Pronounced external nostrils help him
sense where they are.

And even when they're so close
he can almost reach them

it won't make any sudden movements.

Got it!

Until he is certain of the catch.

Non-territorial, he is happy
to hang out with other eels.

Look, two males.

Two males.

Two more males.

Every single ribbon eel is born male.

Now, remember when I said, and females.

Well, that's a bit complicated.

When two males share a burrow

often one will become female through
a little-understood process

called protandrous hermaphroditism.

And she'll emerge almost entirely yellow.

Complete with reproductive organs
and the ability to mate.

A beautiful solution from a beautiful eel.

You have to wonder, what's in a name?

The emperor shrimp seems regal

giving carriage and protection to
no benefit of his seafloor subjects.

Emperor angelfish were worshipped
by their cleaner shrimp assembly.

And everyone just loves a clownfish.

Then there are those less fortunate
in the name game, the hagfish,

the warty frogfish.

But the most unfortunate name of all
has to be the sarcastic fringehead.

Look, there's one poking his
fishy head out of his shell.

He's got no real fringe to speak of

and he won't answer me, so I can't tell
you if he is actually sarcastic or not.

He's lucky to have that shell, you know.

On the seafloor, protective homes are
at a premium

because of things like that spider crab,

those legs are easily
as long as the eight-inch fringehead.

But look at him standing his ground.

Good man. Maybe he should be called
territorial fringehead.

They fiercely protect their homes.

These two are closer than you'd expect.

Usually, this close, they'd fight to exert
dominance and claim both territories

by going, whoa, full mutant.

They fan out their specially
designed jaws

as much as four times as big as
when they're closed.

The colors and size are designed
to intimidate.

The bigger the jaw, the more dominant
the fringehead.

The easiest way to tell?
By pressing jaws together.

Yup,

he was always going to win,
and he even got the girl.

How wonderful.

Affairs of the heart aren't always
so simple, especially when you're weird.

Love, it's all around, it lifts us up
and gives us wings.

Meet those looking for mutant love.

You have to take pity on the wolf-eel.

He's not what you'd call
classically handsome

and he's all alone.

He spends his days near his cave yearning
for a mate to spend his life with.

Four years old and seven feet of longing,

if only he had a partner
to share meals with,

to appreciate his ability to eat
even the spikiest morsels.

That could be the most disgusting thing
this rockfish as seen today.

His teeth may be a crooked mess
but they can crush tough prey.

There is great hunting to be done
around his cave

and it's got plenty enough room for two.

She must be out there somewhere.

Finally, she's everything
he's been looking for.

It's a whirlwind romance

but they'll stay together for life.

The happy couple are expecting.

Ten thousand beautiful wolf-eel babies

wrapping themselves around them for safety
and taking turns to feed.

Once hatched, the larvae
immediately leave their parents,

swimming away on the ocean current.

Most will perish, but those who don't
grow into juveniles

and eventually, mature into adults.

Who spend their days yearning,

waiting for the one,

their lifelong love.

In the animal kingdom,

the rhythm of life is made up
of different beats.

But if life is a dance,

then spinner dolphins

are the ballet.

Their lean torpedo-shaped bodies
mutated for peak performance.

Spinning up to seven rotations
in a single leap,

possibly to get rid of parasites,

probably to communicate

and definitely to show off.

But no ballet is complete
without a prima ballerina.

Live and beautiful,
she has only just come of age,

and she already has a host of males
wanting to mate.

A promiscuous bunch,
they'll mate with multiple females,

but she's currently
the one in the spotlight.

A small ensemble of males separates
her from the rest,

and being just as promiscuous as them,

she'll mate with all of them.

Spinner dolphin penetration usually lasts
for less than 20 seconds.

But most will be given multiple
opportunities to perform.

It may sound like a grueling process

but it's a way for the female
to ensure pregnancy.

And it's believed she ultimately
gets to choose her lead

selecting which partner's sperm
will fertilize her egg

and the most beautiful move of all,

all males will protect the newborn calf
believing it's their own

and after three years of child-rearing

she'll be back,

center stage, ready to dance once more.

Mutants move in weird ways

and those ways only get weirder.

When the going gets tough,
the tough get mutant.

It's time to run with the tough crowd.

Hydroids.

They might look like plants

but they're actually an entire colony of
deadly animals known as polyps.

They hold venomous stingers called
nematocysts at anything that comes close.

So most things don't.

But skeleton shrimp

are not most things

they are hard as nails.

Though they're so tiny we might have to
point them out to you from time to time

like this, hello, fella.

Anyway, back to the story.

Skeleton shrimp are so hard

they not only survive on venomous hydroids

they thrive,

using them for protection and blending
right into the background for safety.

They use the hydroid to help them
reach out into the current

filter-feeding on detritus,
and ambush hunting, snatching prey.

Skeleton shrimp movement
is a total body experience

bending and straightening their
fused bodies to move.

They are so hard that
even life starts with death.

Some males have a poisonous spine,
used as a puncturing weapon.

They fight for the right to mate.

It's win or die.

Females are so hard they can only mate
after they have molted their exoskeleton.

That's what this one is doing now.

The male can only fertilize her eggs
before her new exoskeleton hardens

like her heart.

Females sometimes kill males
after copulation.

But she spares him.

She broods the eggs in her pouch.

Skeleton shrimp young are so hard they
hatch fully formed and come out swinging.

Literally living off their mother,

vying for space on her
and scraping food off her body to survive.

Until she finally evicts them

sending them off to make
their own hard way

in a hard, hard world.

That sounds like hoofbeats.

They look like horses.

You thought this was about oceans.

Well, you were right.

Because this stallion and his harem

are Camargue horses

also known as the horses of the sea.

They live in southern France

where the Mediterranean Sea meets
the Rome delta

and their kind have roamed these wetlands
for many centuries,

loving,

raising young,

and looking good.

Gradual loss of pigmentation gives
the adults their rare uniform white coats

and they are more petite than other
equine species.

The stallion certainly inherited the looks

but,

he's also inherited life in
a brutal environment.

Salty marshes battered by icy winds
and floods in winter

scorched to draught

in summer.

To breed, his harem needs food,
which can be in scant supply

but they have mutated to survive on
weeds and reeds

too tough for most to digest.

Sometimes going for long periods
with no food at all

but the proud stallion leads ever onward.

Guiding his harem on strong limbs
that trudge through the marshlands

and broad hooves

specially adapted to handle their
waterlogged environments.

They march across
miles of wetlands together,

united in survival.

But there is one battle
the stallion must face alone.

A young colt vying for top position.

His darker coat signals his youth.

If triumphant he'll lead the harem.

The stallion is too strong
for the young challenger.

There will be more challenges

but for now,
he leads his harem in victory.

The horses of the sea

beautiful against the brutal backdrop
of their wetland home.

Not all mutants have the looks.

Some just look weird.

Sometimes what nature gave you
just isn't enough.

Meet the mutants who like to
push fashion boundaries.

Crabs are built to survive.

They pour their energy into creating
tough, rigid exoskeleton shells

to encase their bodies,

giving them enough protection
to freely roam the sea floor.

Freely?

Nature doesn't work that way.

Enter the octopus.

Enter the cuttlefish

with senses honed for crab hunting.

Suckers restrain,

tentacles snatch,

sharp beaks crush

and poisonous saliva paralyzes.

So much for protection.

Which might explain why hermit crabs

don't bother growing a shell.

They use someone else's.

Because most of their exoskeleton
never hardens.

So they hide their soft bodies
in borrowed shells.

Maximum protection, minimum effort.

But this young crab's in trouble,

he's outgrown his shell.

So he makes a beeline for a bigger one.

But it's occupied.

The owner doesn't like the intrusion

and puts up a fight.

Disaster.

The young crab has been pulled
from his protective shell.

His soft little uncalcified
exoskeleton naked

and exposed for all to see.

In times of grave danger

they say you should channel other
survival stories for inspiration.

And his relative the anemone crab
has a great one.

She's eccentric,

accessorizing her protective shell
with anemones.

They enjoy greater access to food
as she moves around

and in turn offer her extra protection,

like the time she walked directly
into the path of danger.

An octopus.

He could smell her delicious flesh
under her anemone coat.

All he had to do was reach out
and touch her,

but he couldn't do it.

Her anemones are packed full of
you know what,

nematocysts.

Those tiny little stingers that
detonate on impact.

Too much for the octopus to handle
and enough to ensure her survival.

Survival,

a crowd of onlookers gather

as the naked young crab
desperately clings to his assailant,

trying to gain access
to a bigger shell and safety,

but now he's been locked out of
two of them

sensing the drama, the crowd watch on
from the sidelines with shellfish snacks.

Finally, a passerby intervenes,

and outnumbered, his assailant
beats a hasty retreat.

The young crab can finally claim
the large shell as his own.

Of course, he needs to be
able to move to in it,

and it's too big, so he's right back
where he started,

his old shell. It's a tight fit,

but at least he's protected.

In the ocean,

it's common to be named for your mutation

like the giant green anemone.

The spiny devilfish,

and the big-belly seahorse.

Then there's the coconut octopus.

As his nickname suggests,
he loves coconuts

but he'll try any shells on for size

because he's looking for the perfect fit.

Early in their evolution octopuses
lost their protective shells

in favor of agility and intelligence.

So at just under six inches
from tip to tentacle

he uses his setup as portable protection

hiding from predators and prey alike

because as a keen ambush predator

shells also make for good hunting.

He drills his beak into the crab shell
and injects it with paralyzing venom

so it's easy to eat in his happy place.

When searching for the perfect
protective setup

it pays to be open minded.

Every option should be tired on for size.

It's tough,

it's roomy.

He can close it.

Um, but there's something not quite right.

He just can't put his tentacles on it.

Some shells look the part.

That looks like a good fit,

but you just can't tell until you squish
your skeleton free body in there

and try it out.

Maybe a bit hard

but to lug these shells around
till they're needed

they should feel just right.

Best move on.

Only he and the algae octopus have been
witnessed walking in this way

without shells moving quickly in disguise
is another clever defense

but it's limited,

and the seafloor can be a dangerous place.

So if he needs to, he'll hide in it.

It's often when you're close to giving up,

the universe provides.

Oh, yeah!

Love at first feel.

The perfect fit.

It's even got that new shell smell.

He may be nicknamed coconut octopus,
but right now he's as happy as a clam.

They say good things take time,
so weird things must take even longer.

Time,

it can be on your side
or it can work against you,

either way, it will make you mutant.

A coral atoll,

a stunning lagoon
surrounded by protective coral reef.

It is the most diverse ecosystem
in the ocean

and a thing of beauty.

But,

it's a mutant.

How did it get here? To find out

we need to go back in time.

The sea may be calm

but there's an island a-brewing.

An underwater volcano is erupting.

Eighteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit
of flowing molten rock

surging into the mighty ocean.

The larva keeps coming.

It hardens and builds

breaking the surface of the ocean,

growing ever skyward

becoming

an island.

An island on borrowed time.

Geological forces are already causing it
to sink back into the seafloor.

But how do you go from a sinking island

to the ocean's most diverse ecosystem?

To find out

we need to go here.

Small animals called
coral polyps are spawning.

Triggered once a year after a full moon
when the water temperature is just right.

To synchronize the release of their
eggs and sperm into the water column.

Creating a fertile soup of larvae

searching for a new place to call home

and as luck would have it

there's a newly formed island nearby.

Travelling on the current

the coral larvae eventually land
and settle on the new island

just beneath the water surface

where they thrive in the warm sunlight

feeding on detritus and planktonic larvae.

Hard coral grow ever larger

continuously building
their protective exoskeletons.

As the island keeps sinking

they continue to grow

until...

After millions of years

the volcanic island has completely
sunk back into the seafloor

leaving behind

a coral atoll.

A spectacular example

of what can be accomplished.

In the quest for survival

that lies behind all our
mutants misadventures.