All language subtitles for A.Wild.Year.On.Earth.S01E05.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

[narrator] Earth
is a restless place.

[thunder]

Its seasons driven by the orbit
around our sun.

An epic journey that sets
the rhythms of all life.

Humans honour this passage
through ritual

and celebration.

Nature marks this cycle
with its own patterns.

[dolphins clicking]

Over the course of a year,

the planet's most spectacular
events of migration,

rebirth
and transformation unfold.

[roaring]

Moment by moment,

month by month,

throughout a wild year on Earth.

As the sun rises on 1 September,

it marks Day 244
of Earth's annual journey.

The planet is two thirds
of the way through its orbit,

and the seasonal swings across
the globe

activate change
in the natural world.

Over Southern Africa,

the heat is rising.

Rain won't fall
for another two months.

The dry will only deepen.

In the Rift Valley of Zambia,

herbivores
are at breaking point.

Desperate for water,

creatures big and small converge
where the last pools exist.

The Luangwa River.

Their arrival
is closely monitored.

The dry activates a change in
hunting strategy for the lions.

Instead of roaming far and wide,

they become laser-focused
on the river's edge

and what it entices.

[spitting]

[boar grunting]

Despite their best efforts,

only a third of all attacks
end in a kill.

They can't afford to waste
more energy in this heat.

Hungry,

the pride waits for something
more worthwhile.

Every day, the buffalo herd
stampedes to the river.

The lions size them up.

One adult buffalo

offers the pride
over half a tonne of prime meat.

[dramatic music playing]

But a meal must be selected
very carefully.

If the lions get it wrong,

they risk being trampled
or gored to death.

The safest targets
are the elderly, weak or alone.

This one is all three.

[tense music playing]

The big cats are totally
satisfied by this big meal.

Even on the hottest days,

they don't need to drink water

if they can quench their thirst
on blood.

The moisture
in the buffalo's body

is also a magnet
for butterflies.

The half-digested grass
spilling from the stomach

contains salt,

which gives an essential
mineral boost.

[calming music playing]

In the dry season,
nothing goes to waste.

Across the border in Zimbabwe,

watercourses evaporate
by the day.

And lagoons shrink by the hour.

Two elderly brothers
face the worst hippo nightmare.

They instinctively
stay in their pool,

but as it dries,
the mud threatens to entomb.

The old bull decides to act

while he still has a chance,

leaving his brother behind.

To live, he must find water.

[chirping]

Sun damaged and dehydrated,
he reaches relief.

But it's far from ideal.

Hundreds of hippos are forced
into close confines

in the last deep waterholes.

Stress and aggression are high.

And every private business
is public.

But this beggar can't be choosy.

Any water is bliss.

It's also a heavily guarded
resource.

The pool is the territory
of an alpha male.

He has no intention

of making room
for this stranger.

[intense music playing]

The warning is clear,

but the old bull doesn't leave.

He has nowhere to go.

Instead, he displays
his willingness to fight.

The alpha needs
no further encouragement.

[dramatic music playing]

The pod can barely move
out of the way

as the 2-tonne bulls
go head to head.

[dramatic music
continues playing]

The old bull is forced to do
the last thing he wants to do...

leave the water.

His search resumes anew
for a place to call his own.

Zimbabwe will remain locked
in the dry season

for another two months.

But to the south-west,
reprieve comes sooner.

Early rains have reached
the fringes

of the Kalahari Desert.

[rain pouring]

It's the change of fortune

a meerkat family's
been waiting for.

Nothing escapes their gaze

as the shower unlocks
the desert's food larder.

[chattering]

[joyful music playing]

For the matriarch,
it's the excuse needed

to coax her litter
out of their underground den

for the very first time.

[joyful music playing]

[playful music playing]

They're only a few weeks old,

and until now
have only been milk-fed.

But while there's a flush
of food,

it's an opportunity
for their first foraging lesson.

[chattering]

Tackling live prey is daunting.

Especially
when it's almost your size.

To know what to do,

they need to watch and learn.

At first, the pups are presented
with easy meals.

Injured or dead.

As their confidence grows,

the lessons get harder.

They observe the mastery

and mistakes.

The rain's bounty
encourages the whole troupe

to stay out in the open,
feasting.

It's noted.

A sentinel's call relays
the threat

and urgency.

[sentinel calling]

When to run for cover

isn't something a meerkat pup
needs to be taught.

It's deep in its DNA.

[tense music playing]

[chattering]

As the danger passes,

a quick head count assures
the matriarch

everyone's accounted for.

With more rain in the air,
lessons will resume tomorrow.

Just like in the Kalahari,

September and October are months
of renewal in Australia.

Across the continent,
spring has sprung.

[buzzing and squawking]

The warmth activates termites

to come out of the woodwork.

In hot pursuit is the numbat.

One of Australia's rarest
marsupials.

Mirroring the meerkats
in Africa,

numbat babies also venture out
at this time of year.

Spring rains
flush the landscape.

An echidna rouses
from hibernation, hungry.

On the other side
of the swollen river

is her favourite foraging site.

[calming music playing]

On the grassy plains
of Eastern Australia,

springtime's arrival means
a breeding boom for kangaroos.

The boss of a mob
flexes his muscles.

This spring he's at the top
of the hierarchy,

and doesn't like the way

a subordinate is prepping
his boxing gloves

and drooling
over his harem of females.

[tense music playing]

The boss reminds them
all of his dominance,

by marking his territory.

Paying no heed,

the lower-ranked male
inches closer to the females.

There's only one thing to do.

The boss must put him
in his place.

[dramatic music playing]

Authority affirmed,

the boss focuses
on wooing the females.

Although kangaroos breed
all year round,

spring's fresh,
protein-rich grass

activates a production line
of babies.

[gentle music playing]

Mother kangaroos
can fall pregnant

while still nursing joeys.

The buck knows it well.

And will fight for their favours
all spring.

Young males
start boxing practice early.

It takes a while
to refine moves.

And to learn to fight fair.

[playful music playing]

They kick and claw their way
to the top of the hierarchy.

Each full of ambition

to be the top buck
in a future spring.

Just as kangaroos
rely on spring's grass

to kickstart family,

humans also time their lives
around growing seasons.

In south-west China,

the world's most important crop
is ready for harvest.

Monsoon rains irrigated
the paddy fields.

Summer's sun ripened the grain.

Now in September,

the rice is ready.

The rice pickers are part
of a 10,000-year-old tradition.

Filling the food bowls
of the world.

China dedicates an area as big
as Italy to rice fields,

while agriculture
takes up over a third

of the planet's land surface.

But most of the earth is ocean.

And it's the oceans

that are key drivers
of our climate and weather.

During September,

changes in sea temperature

in the eastern equatorial
Pacific intensify the wind.

This wind charges
towards South America

collecting huge quantities
of moisture as it goes.

Welcoming the water
is the Choco Rainforest.

September is the start
of the wet season,

in what is already

one of the wettest places
on Earth.

And someone
is singing in the rain.

It's a male golden dart frog.

[singing]

He sings to activate
female admirers

to come to his territory.

[singing]

It's an anxious wait.

Finally, a female fan.

But does she like his serenade?

[male dart frog singing]

With her at close range,

he offers her a final heartfelt
reprise of his love song.

[singing]

Success.

The male escorts her
through his territory,

as they choose
a suitable nest site.

He gives her space
while she lays her eggs.

Then she's gone for good.

The male fertilises the eggs
externally.

Then, over the two weeks
it takes the eggs to hatch,

he's their dedicated guardian.

As tiny tadpoles,
they are vulnerable to predation

and can't stay in their
leaf-litter cradle for long.

But they haven't got legs yet
to hop to the nearest stream.

So their father

comes to the rescue.

In an evolutionary brainwave,

he piggybacks them
through the forest.

Safely in the stream,

the tadpoles will take
two or three months

to morph into frogs.

The male dart frog
wastes no time

on long goodbyes.

Before another downpour
drowns him out,

it's time
for a repeat performance.

[male dart frog singing]

As calendar days pass,

the sun reaches a point
where it's positioned

directly above the equator.

[triumphant music playing]

Between 21 September and 24,

the planet's terminator line,
visibly dividing day and night,

runs in perfect parallel
to the axis from pole to pole.

For 24 hours,

the northern and southern
hemispheres

experience the same length
of daylight and night-time.

This is called the Equinox.

It marks the start of autumn
in the northern hemisphere.

Days progressively shorten,

inspiring a terrestrial
wardrobe change.

As the sun's rays weaken,

deciduous trees withdraw
nutrients from the leaves.

[triumphant music playing]

This seasonal fall

turns the landscape

into a kaleidoscopic
oil painting.

Humans are bewitched
by the colours,

then bothered by the debris.

In wilder places,

where leaf litter
is left to lie,

magic spawns.

Fungi are quintessential
autumn species.

October's coolness,
wetness and decay

activate their fruiting bodies,

which break the surface
in the form of mushrooms,

toadstools, puffballs
and moulds.

Fungi speed up rot,

providing rich nutrients
for other plants.

Without their work
processing the dead,

the living world
would grind to a halt.

Millions of species of fungi
exist and occupy every habitat.

They're a favourite food

for autumn foragers.

Hedgehogs are also on the prowl,

ensuring they're fat enough
to survive winter's hibernation.

If not,
it may be a never-ending sleep.

And for red deer,
a war cry means one thing.

[crying]

The start of autumn's
rutting contest.

Males clash antlers

to gain access
to females and breeding rights.

Every battle counts.

Thousands of kilometres away,
in the north of Canada,

a distant relative
of the red deer

is also activated by autumn.

October's declining weather

acts like a starter gun
for caribou.

It's time to run

racing winter,

to warmer pasture
600 kilometres south.

[triumphant music playing]

So begins the longest
land migration on Earth.

They move as one,
like schooling fish.

Each guided
by a built-in compass.

Females lead the charge,

accompanied by new calves
born four months ago.

Males bring up the rear,
heads held high

despite the heavy weight
of antlers.

Their path is well-worn,

traversed
for thousands of years.

This older female

has made the return trip
for over a decade.

She knows the perfect pace
to keep up with the herd

as well as care for her calf.

Her youngster was born to run.

When only a day old,

he was already faster than an
Olympic sprinter. He will need
to run his personal best now.

Grey wolves are expert
caribou hunters.

And this migration
is their gravy train.

[dramatic music playing]

The calf's natural fitness

and instinct
to stay close to his mother,

saves his life.

Other calves are not so lucky.

The wolf pack divides
to conquer.

[dramatic music playing]

The herd press on.

The unforgiving rocky terrain
is perilous.

But it's not just the earth

that mars their marathon
with danger.

Rivers cross
their migratory route,

forcing the herd
to become waterborne.

For the calf,

the crossing is proving more
challenging than a wolf chase.

He's had no practice

and can't keep up
with his mother.

[sad music playing]

[crying]

She hears his calls
and turns back.

S he keeps upstream from him,

shielding him
from the pull of the current.

Each river crossing brings them
closer to their destination,

but it's three months
of running to get there.

The promise of forest,

food and rest
spurs the great deer onwards.

With winter
biting at their heels.

Across the Atlantic Ocean,

temperatures
are also starting to fall.

In the British Isles,
a chill is in the air.

Summer fields fall fallow.

October's crisp weather

is the best growing time
for apples.

Orchards hang heavy with fruit.

While the windfall
attracts all sorts of insects.

It's just rewards
for the honey bee,

whose springtime flower duties
help pollinate the trees.

But their buzz of excitement

attracts unwanted attention.

Hornets are Europe's largest
social wasp and carnivorous.

Although they like a sugar hit
once in a while,

they haven't come
for the apples.

In autumn, the hornets
are more murderous than ever.

Winter will kill most of them.

Before it does,
they have mouths to feed.

[buzzing]

[tense music playing]

Their queen has produced
a new generation of rulers.

Before now,

she sired only asexual workers
to do her bidding.

But in autumn,

she creates sexually active
drones and future queens.

They are fattened in haste.

Before autumn ends,

these special larvae
must develop,

reproduce and disperse.

The threat of winter activates
autumn preparations

throughout the animal kingdom.

Human kingdoms, too.

Across Europe,

castles were built to be both
war and weatherproof.

Most critical

as conditions deteriorate
into winter.

The ability to adapt to season

shaped a fiefdom's destiny
as much as battle.

But castles aren't just built
with bricks and mortar.

In Catalonia,

the most celebrated towers
rising from the ground

are made with human limbs.

[triumphant music playing]

The art of the castells

is a UNESCO
recognised cultural tradition.

October is the main competition
month for castell teams,

requiring hours of practice.

Strength, balance, courage
and wisdom' is their motto,

pushing them to new heights.

By the end of October,

Europe becomes colder
and darker by the day.

But in the South Pacific,

each day brings more sunlight
and warmth.

Things are heating up.

The warm tropical seas
surrounding Tonga

inspire romance.

And it starts with a song.

A female humpback whale

hears it loud and clear.

It's the tell-tale melody
of a male,

travelling through the abyss.

[underwater calling]

Requiring no further
introduction,

the balladeer arrives.

The two titans are now so close,
they can eyeball each other.

For two months,
they have swum from Antarctica

to reach
this Polynesian paradise.

October is the humpback's
breeding season.

Which means the pair isn't alone
for long.

Other males
have also heard the song.

For them,

it's a call to action.

[underwater calling]

The female is suddenly pursued
by half a dozen virile hopefuls.

[dramatic music playing]

The 'heat run' is on.

[dramatic music playing]

The chase is a test
of strength and endurance.

And becomes
increasingly aggressive.

[dramatic music playing]

Finally,
the competitors fall away.

Leaving the balladeer as victor.

After mating,

the female turns her sights
back south again.

When she returns here next year,

she will birth her fist calf.

With male harmonics once again
her background music.

[whale singing]

October comes to an end.

It's closure for two months
of intense activation.

In the southern hemisphere,
summer's in the air.

In the northern hemisphere,
winter waits in the wings.

Without a moment to spare,

the planet's inhabitants
prepare for the final chapter

of this wild year on Earth.