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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: At the southern
tip of the Australian continent
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00:00:12,780 --> 00:00:14,760
lies a remote island.
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00:00:19,060 --> 00:00:21,000
An immense wilderness...
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00:00:23,020 --> 00:00:25,320
..divided by mountains.
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00:00:29,660 --> 00:00:32,440
It's a world of ancient forests...
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00:00:35,140 --> 00:00:36,800
..of pristine rivers...
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..and a coastline...
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..that's both wild and beautiful.
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Its animal inhabitants are
as extraordinary
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as they are bizarre.
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This is a land of black devils...
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..and white wallabies...
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..where lights dance
in the southern sky
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and trees tower to 100 metres.
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This is Tasmania,
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the weird and wonderful isle
at the bottom of the world.
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Tasmania is full of surprises.
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Australia, yes, but with a twist.
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00:02:07,540 --> 00:02:11,240
It was once connected to
the dry Australian mainland.
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Today, along with
its plants and animals,
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it's physically cut off.
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Though it lies just to the south,
Tasmania is a world apart.
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Its isolation and cooler climate
has created a sanctuary
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unlike any other part of Australia.
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00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:44,760
And a strong seasonal cycle makes
life here very different indeed.
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Winter means a struggle for survival.
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00:03:00,860 --> 00:03:04,840
In Tasmania's mountains
there are meagre pickings on offer.
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This is the last landfall
heading south before Antarctica.
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Cold air from further south brings
snowfall and freezing temperatures
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throughout these winter months.
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Many animals, like this female
wombat, are Australian species.
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But their habits and lifestyles
are most definitely Tasmanian.
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Mainland wombats
are largely nocturnal
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but here she feeds
at any time of the day,
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kept warm by her thicker coat of fur.
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She must take every opportunity
to find food.
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Winter is felt right across
this island wilderness.
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Even lower down
in Tasmania's forests,
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temperatures can fall
below freezing.
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The first Europeans
to explore these forests
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claimed they heard devils
screaming in the night.
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(SINISTER SCREAMS)
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And so Tasmania's
most famous animal got its name.
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The Tasmanian Devil.
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Primarily scavengers,
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they can smell a carcass
from a kilometre away.
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And relative to body-size,
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they have the most powerful bite
in the natural world.
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They can easily crunch through bone.
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Devils once lived
throughout Australia,
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but vanished as the continent
dried out and humans arrived.
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Today, this is their last stronghold.
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00:06:19,540 --> 00:06:23,000
Like most Australian mammals,
they're marsupials.
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While they may appear dog-like,
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devils are more closely related
to kangaroos than canines
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and, being marsupial, they rear
their young in a pouch.
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A few weeks ago this female
gave birth to 40 young...
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..each the size of a grain of rice.
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Inside her pouch
she has just four teats,
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so only four young will survive.
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00:07:06,980 --> 00:07:10,800
A devil's race for survival
begins early.
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It's a tough start,
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00:07:18,460 --> 00:07:21,240
but this mum will dedicate
most of her year
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to looking after
the four babies who survive.
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She overcame extraordinary odds
to reach adulthood.
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00:07:31,340 --> 00:07:35,520
Now it's her turn
to raise the next generation.
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Marsupials like the devils live here
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because Tasmania was once connected
to mainland Australia.
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The island and its inhabitants
became isolated some 12,000 years ago
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when sea levels rose
following the last ice age.
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00:08:03,260 --> 00:08:07,400
But Tasmania is a window
on a far more ancient past.
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Some of these forests
have barely changed
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since dinosaurs walked the earth,
when the southern continents
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were a single landmass
called Gondwana.
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There is still a creature here
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whose ancestors roamed
that ancient supercontinent.
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It lives in Tasmania's rivers,
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and is one of the island's
longest-lived survivors.
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The Tasmanian giant lobster.
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Weighing up to five kilos
and a metre long
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they're the biggest
freshwater invertebrates
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on our planet,
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taking some 40 years
to reach full size.
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00:09:14,220 --> 00:09:18,840
Tasmania's isolation, together
with the lack of sizeable predators,
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may be one reason
why they grow so massive.
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00:09:25,020 --> 00:09:28,400
But they're not entirely free
from threat.
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Tasmanian platypuses are enormous.
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As much as three times heavier
than their mainland counterparts.
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It's an adaptation
to the cooler southern climate.
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This male is after tiny invertebrates
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found on the riverbed,
including young lobsters.
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And to stay warm in winter,
he must find a lot.
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He needs to keep moving.
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00:10:20,260 --> 00:10:23,040
With no large predators
to worry them,
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platypuses here get about
in an unusual way.
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Only in Tasmania
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does the Platypus walk
between rivers in broad daylight.
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Out of water it's easy to see why
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the platypus was once dismissed
as a fraud, the work of a hoaxer.
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00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:08,320
But down here he is in his element.
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00:11:10,900 --> 00:11:15,440
His strange assemblage of body parts
soon begins to make sense.
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Webbed feet help him move...
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..while his otter-like fur
keeps him warm.
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00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:31,160
His beaver-like tail stores fat.
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00:11:33,100 --> 00:11:37,080
But the platypus is best known
for its duck-like bill...
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..which it uses to find food.
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00:11:45,140 --> 00:11:47,600
Underwater, he's completely blind.
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00:11:52,620 --> 00:11:55,200
Not ideal for avoiding rocks.
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00:11:58,740 --> 00:12:03,720
But some 40,000 receptors in the bill
detect electrical signals
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given off by the muscles
of prey animals.
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00:12:11,900 --> 00:12:15,600
With the need to eat a lot
just to keep warm,
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a platypus can stay on the hunt
for some 12 hours a day.
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Though also found on the mainland,
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Tasmania's platypuses are by far
the biggest and boldest.
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00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:46,400
They, like others, are adapted
to the island's isolation
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and cooler climate.
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Lying 240km south of Australia...
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..Tasmania is surrounded
by a vast expanse of open ocean.
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00:13:23,460 --> 00:13:26,760
To the west, the next landfall
is South America...
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..thousands of kilometres away.
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00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:38,960
To the south lies
the great Antarctic continent.
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00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:48,920
And as winter comes to an end,
new arrivals come ashore to breed.
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Penguins.
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00:13:57,260 --> 00:13:58,880
Hidden among the rocks,
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00:13:58,940 --> 00:14:01,880
this female has two
newly-hatched chicks...
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..but nothing to feed them.
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00:14:08,460 --> 00:14:13,760
Her partner left some 14 hours ago
and is yet to return.
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00:14:16,740 --> 00:14:18,960
He's out fishing.
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00:14:19,020 --> 00:14:21,240
But, quite unlike any other penguin,
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he must wait for nightfall
to leave the water.
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00:14:29,740 --> 00:14:33,280
Gulls and birds of prey
patrol the coast by day.
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00:14:34,220 --> 00:14:37,200
It's only safe to return
after sunset.
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00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:46,520
That is because
these are little penguins.
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00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:52,880
At only 30 centimetres tall,
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00:14:52,940 --> 00:14:55,960
they're the smallest penguins
in the world.
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And with nests
several hundred metres inland...
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..the only safe way to get there
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00:15:07,180 --> 00:15:09,520
is to make a dash in the darkness.
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00:15:16,220 --> 00:15:18,480
There's safety in numbers.
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00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:33,680
(PENGUINS CALL)
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With hundreds of nests
in the colony,
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00:15:42,620 --> 00:15:46,520
the night soon fills
with the calls of returning adults...
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..the sound of early spring
on Tasmania's coast.
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(PENGUINS CALL)
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00:16:19,460 --> 00:16:23,520
This will be a welcome meal
for the newly-hatched chicks.
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00:16:28,980 --> 00:16:31,160
The little penguins' presence
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00:16:31,220 --> 00:16:34,040
is a reminder of
Antarctica's proximity.
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00:16:38,140 --> 00:16:42,280
But, while early spring
brings them ashore to breed,
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00:16:42,340 --> 00:16:45,880
it also brings
wild and unpredictable weather.
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00:16:49,220 --> 00:16:53,840
Prevailing winds carry most
of the bad weather from the West...
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(THUNDER RUMBLES)
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..and Tasmania's mountains
cause much of the rain
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to fall on the western half
of the island.
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(THUNDER CRASHES)
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The result divides Tasmania in two,
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00:17:29,620 --> 00:17:33,600
with a wet western side
and a dry eastern side.
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00:17:44,060 --> 00:17:48,520
Some western areas are among
the wettest in all of Australia.
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00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:54,080
It rains here nearly every day.
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00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:03,160
And all the water supports
a surprising spectacle.
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00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:22,480
Caught in a bizarre trap,
these insects are doomed.
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00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:34,120
How they got stuck only
becomes apparent as night falls.
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00:18:43,940 --> 00:18:48,920
These strange lights belong
to the larvae of a type of gnat.
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00:18:52,660 --> 00:18:55,760
The light is formed
by a chemical reaction
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in the larva's abdomen,
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and can be turned on and off at will.
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00:19:02,740 --> 00:19:07,760
The sticky threads hang from
its silk and mucus-laden nest.
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00:19:09,980 --> 00:19:14,560
Insects drawn to the light
are ensnared, then devoured.
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00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:28,240
Each glow worm's thread is made up
almost entirely of water,
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00:19:28,300 --> 00:19:31,760
so the high rainfall
in Tasmania's wet west
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provides ideal conditions.
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00:19:44,260 --> 00:19:48,680
And the rain that supports
these tiny glow-worms
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00:19:48,740 --> 00:19:53,040
also sustains one of the largest
organisms on the planet...
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..mountain ash.
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00:20:01,540 --> 00:20:03,920
They are a type of eucalyptus...
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..fast-growing trees that evolved
on the dry Australian mainland.
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In Tasmania they become giants.
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00:20:19,220 --> 00:20:22,720
Strangely, for trees
living in a wet forest,
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00:20:22,780 --> 00:20:25,640
they need fire to reproduce.
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00:20:38,940 --> 00:20:43,200
The mountain ash
stores its seeds in small pods...
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00:20:46,060 --> 00:20:48,960
..which are released
as the pods burn.
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00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:58,040
Beneath the ash, the seeds live on,
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00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:02,320
quickly germinating without
competition from other plants.
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00:21:04,460 --> 00:21:08,200
This makes sense in a dry habitat
with regular fire...
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00:21:12,740 --> 00:21:17,080
..but not in Tasmania's wet forests.
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00:21:25,260 --> 00:21:30,000
Young mountain ash can grow
at a rate of several metres a year.
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00:21:43,060 --> 00:21:48,160
All that holds them back is
the next fire or a lack of water...
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00:21:52,460 --> 00:21:56,720
..and that is the secret
behind their staggering height.
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00:22:04,260 --> 00:22:08,800
In Tasmania's damp west,
fire is so infrequent
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00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:11,920
these trees keep growing
for centuries.
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00:22:21,180 --> 00:22:24,320
Those standing in this valley
all germinated
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00:22:24,380 --> 00:22:28,880
following the same devastating fire
400 years ago.
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00:22:31,540 --> 00:22:35,600
Today they reach almost
100 metres into the sky.
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00:22:51,180 --> 00:22:54,880
They may have evolved
on the dry Australian mainland,
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00:22:54,940 --> 00:23:01,080
but it's Tasmania's wet forests
that have turned mountain ash trees
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00:23:01,140 --> 00:23:04,160
into the tallest flowering plants
on Earth.
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00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:19,600
The moisture-laden air
that blows in from Tasmania's west
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00:23:19,660 --> 00:23:23,160
brings several metres
of rainfall each year.
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00:23:28,460 --> 00:23:30,800
Although it can rain most days,
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00:23:30,860 --> 00:23:34,640
winter and spring
are the wettest times
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00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:37,520
and seasonal waterfalls
burst into life.
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00:23:45,580 --> 00:23:47,720
All who live here must adapt
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00:23:47,780 --> 00:23:51,640
to the regular downpours
and cooler temperatures.
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00:23:54,460 --> 00:23:57,640
And like so many of
Tasmania's species,
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00:23:57,700 --> 00:24:00,760
their adaptations set them apart.
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00:24:13,140 --> 00:24:15,360
It may not look like it,
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00:24:15,420 --> 00:24:19,400
but this is the closest
living relative of the platypus.
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00:24:21,700 --> 00:24:26,440
The echidna, Australia's most
widespread native mammal.
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00:24:32,460 --> 00:24:36,120
But while mainland echidna
are all spines,
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00:24:36,180 --> 00:24:39,560
this Tasmanian one
is mostly covered in hair
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00:24:39,620 --> 00:24:41,320
to help keep him warm.
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00:24:47,660 --> 00:24:52,600
The milder spring months mean
an abundance of his favourite food -
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00:24:52,660 --> 00:24:54,280
ants.
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00:24:58,980 --> 00:25:02,800
But when you're this hairy,
your food gets stuck everywhere,
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00:25:02,860 --> 00:25:05,880
which is a pain
when it can bite back.
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00:25:13,300 --> 00:25:15,160
Time to move on.
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00:25:24,460 --> 00:25:26,840
As spring turns to summer,
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00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:30,160
Tasmania's inhabitants
get some relief
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00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:32,320
from the wild and cool weather.
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00:25:45,900 --> 00:25:50,080
It's now that the young devils
are ready to leave the den.
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00:25:53,300 --> 00:25:56,880
They've been out
of their mother's pouch for a while
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00:25:56,940 --> 00:25:59,520
but have remained safely hidden away.
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00:26:03,460 --> 00:26:07,880
Fully weaned, this is the start
of their independence.
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00:26:19,340 --> 00:26:21,680
This young female will have to learn
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00:26:21,740 --> 00:26:25,280
to survive and find food
all by herself.
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00:26:27,900 --> 00:26:32,600
What's more, she and her sibling
are much smaller than an adult.
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00:26:35,140 --> 00:26:37,000
They could easily be killed.
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00:26:39,540 --> 00:26:42,360
This will be her way out of danger.
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00:26:47,780 --> 00:26:50,440
Heavier adults can't climb,
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00:26:50,500 --> 00:26:52,960
so there are some benefits
to being small.
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00:27:04,460 --> 00:27:06,080
Over the next few months,
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00:27:06,140 --> 00:27:08,840
she'll also find
much of the food she needs
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00:27:08,900 --> 00:27:10,840
up here in the treetops.
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00:27:22,300 --> 00:27:26,080
But grubs and birds' eggs alone
won't be enough
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00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:28,520
to sustain her as she grows.
235
00:27:33,740 --> 00:27:35,800
(GROWLS AND SHRIEKS)
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00:27:37,460 --> 00:27:39,400
If she's to make it to adulthood,
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00:27:39,460 --> 00:27:42,480
she needs to find
more substantial meals.
238
00:27:45,620 --> 00:27:48,600
And that brings her
into direct competition
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00:27:48,660 --> 00:27:52,080
with dangerous
and more powerful adult devils.
240
00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:03,360
The scent and sound
of crunching bones draw her in.
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00:28:06,260 --> 00:28:08,320
But she needs to be careful.
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00:28:16,860 --> 00:28:20,160
Less than half
of all newly-weaned youngsters
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00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:22,440
make it to adulthood.
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00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:25,760
(SCREECHES)
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00:28:25,820 --> 00:28:29,720
If she is to survive,
she needs to earn her place.
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00:28:31,860 --> 00:28:35,280
There's no telling
how this adult might react.
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00:28:39,740 --> 00:28:43,080
Confronting a stranger at a carcass
is a gamble...
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00:28:47,980 --> 00:28:50,200
..but one she needs to take.
249
00:28:50,260 --> 00:28:52,200
(SCREECHES AND GROWLS)
250
00:29:27,620 --> 00:29:31,680
Spurred on by hunger,
she seems to have the upper hand.
251
00:30:02,580 --> 00:30:05,560
It looks as though
her gamble has paid off.
252
00:30:05,620 --> 00:30:09,200
But her competitor
won't let the carcass go that easily.
253
00:30:20,580 --> 00:30:23,760
The adult could kill her
with a single bite.
254
00:30:25,460 --> 00:30:28,200
But that's not
how devil society works.
255
00:30:34,100 --> 00:30:36,840
Despite living
most of their lives alone,
256
00:30:36,900 --> 00:30:39,240
devils can and do share.
257
00:30:41,460 --> 00:30:44,600
They defend only
the amount of meat they can eat
258
00:30:44,660 --> 00:30:46,680
rather than the whole carcass.
259
00:30:48,740 --> 00:30:52,520
The pecking order has less to do
with size and strength
260
00:30:52,580 --> 00:30:55,320
and more to do
with whoever wants it most.
261
00:30:57,460 --> 00:30:59,600
As this youngster is learning,
262
00:30:59,660 --> 00:31:02,560
it's all about
who can shout the loudest.
263
00:31:05,660 --> 00:31:08,840
Devils may have a fearsome reputation
264
00:31:08,900 --> 00:31:11,520
but the reality is quite different.
265
00:31:22,900 --> 00:31:27,080
Summer brings warmer temperatures
across Tasmania.
266
00:31:31,980 --> 00:31:34,760
While in the west
it still rains frequently...
267
00:31:38,460 --> 00:31:42,880
..summer is most apparent in
the dry eastern half of the island.
268
00:31:48,780 --> 00:31:53,520
The driest areas of Tasmania
receive 80% less rainfall
269
00:31:53,580 --> 00:31:55,320
than the wettest.
270
00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:03,800
Here the landscape is
more reminiscent
271
00:32:03,860 --> 00:32:06,440
of parts of the Australian mainland.
272
00:32:14,140 --> 00:32:17,480
For marsupials
that graze the open grasslands,
273
00:32:17,540 --> 00:32:21,640
there's a bounty of fresh shoots
in these warm summer months.
274
00:32:28,460 --> 00:32:32,600
And although life here may appear
more typically Australian,
275
00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:37,200
the effect of Tasmania's isolation
is felt just as strongly
276
00:32:37,260 --> 00:32:39,760
in this dry half of the island.
277
00:32:44,940 --> 00:32:50,200
It's given this group of wallabies
something of a Tasmanian twist.
278
00:32:53,140 --> 00:32:55,080
They've turned white.
279
00:33:06,980 --> 00:33:10,800
About 100 of them live
within this population.
280
00:33:16,700 --> 00:33:18,640
They're so poorly camouflaged
281
00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:21,840
that anywhere else
they'd be easily killed.
282
00:33:23,300 --> 00:33:25,080
On Tasmania however,
283
00:33:25,140 --> 00:33:28,160
there aren't any predators
big enough to kill a wallaby,
284
00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:31,240
so many live full adult lives.
285
00:33:36,460 --> 00:33:40,400
And without the normal controls,
their numbers are growing.
286
00:33:50,860 --> 00:33:55,280
But although this may appear
a predator-free paradise,
287
00:33:55,340 --> 00:33:57,480
there are killers here.
288
00:34:00,220 --> 00:34:05,280
One of Tasmania's deadliest animals
lives in these dry forests.
289
00:34:11,700 --> 00:34:16,520
It's a species of ant
known as the jack jumper.
290
00:34:36,980 --> 00:34:41,360
Jack jumpers evolved on
the ancient Gondwanan supercontinent.
291
00:34:44,980 --> 00:34:46,680
Workers hunt alone...
292
00:34:48,820 --> 00:34:51,520
..a very primitive behaviour
among ants,
293
00:34:51,580 --> 00:34:53,240
which are mainly social.
294
00:34:55,540 --> 00:34:58,320
And instead of using scent to hunt,
295
00:34:58,380 --> 00:35:00,920
they rely on acute vision.
296
00:35:05,460 --> 00:35:09,840
They sting their victims to death
with a venom that can kill humans...
297
00:35:10,980 --> 00:35:13,680
..making these
one of the deadliest animals
298
00:35:13,740 --> 00:35:15,480
in all of Australia.
299
00:35:35,140 --> 00:35:38,600
Jack jumper ants are
particularly abundant
300
00:35:38,660 --> 00:35:40,920
in this dry half of Tasmania.
301
00:35:44,260 --> 00:35:49,280
Their nests are small mounds
within which their larvae are raised.
302
00:35:53,740 --> 00:35:56,800
Workers cover the nest
with dark materials
303
00:35:56,860 --> 00:36:01,160
to help absorb warmth
in the cooler southern climate.
304
00:36:06,180 --> 00:36:09,320
In midsummer however,
temperatures soar...
305
00:36:12,580 --> 00:36:15,120
..and the nest risks overheating.
306
00:36:24,940 --> 00:36:28,160
But jack jumpers have
a surprising way
307
00:36:28,220 --> 00:36:30,840
of coping with the intense sunlight.
308
00:36:39,300 --> 00:36:43,440
On hotter days,
they switch building materials.
309
00:36:46,460 --> 00:36:50,560
Now the workers cover the nest
in white stones.
310
00:36:58,140 --> 00:37:03,520
These reflect the sun's energy,
keeping the young cool inside.
311
00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:12,640
It's an inventive solution
to Tasmania's changing seasons.
312
00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:24,680
The dry eastern forests can be
a challenging place
313
00:37:24,740 --> 00:37:26,760
in the heat of midsummer.
314
00:37:38,740 --> 00:37:42,640
But one of Tasmania's
few marsupial predators
315
00:37:42,700 --> 00:37:46,560
avoids the worst of this heat
by hunting at night.
316
00:37:49,220 --> 00:37:52,200
It's the eastern quoll,
317
00:37:52,260 --> 00:37:55,120
a close relative
of the Tasmanian devil.
318
00:38:00,460 --> 00:38:04,080
They're very rare, but summer sees
an increase in numbers
319
00:38:04,140 --> 00:38:06,120
as juveniles leave the den.
320
00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:15,120
Quolls are solitary hunters...
321
00:38:18,140 --> 00:38:22,160
..and in summer are drawn
to these dry pasture lands.
322
00:38:26,460 --> 00:38:31,320
There's a rich bounty of moths
and grubs at this time of year.
323
00:38:32,860 --> 00:38:34,920
(GROWLS)
324
00:38:37,700 --> 00:38:41,880
But, with lots of youngsters around,
competition can be intense.
325
00:38:44,060 --> 00:38:46,160
(GROWLS)
326
00:38:59,100 --> 00:39:01,600
It's every quoll for itself.
327
00:39:25,060 --> 00:39:26,800
Like Tasmanian devils,
328
00:39:26,860 --> 00:39:30,800
eastern quolls were once found
on the Australian mainland.
329
00:39:33,220 --> 00:39:36,520
Today, this dry
eastern half of the island
330
00:39:36,580 --> 00:39:38,240
is their last refuge.
331
00:39:41,740 --> 00:39:44,840
And, with an abundance
of summer insects,
332
00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:47,000
they have every chance of thriving.
333
00:40:01,820 --> 00:40:04,440
Summer is almost over...
334
00:40:07,700 --> 00:40:10,000
..and as autumn arrives,
335
00:40:10,060 --> 00:40:13,520
the stage is set
for a bizarre ritual.
336
00:40:28,580 --> 00:40:31,840
Familiar screams fill the forest.
337
00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:34,120
(SHRIEKS AND GROWLS)
338
00:40:43,220 --> 00:40:45,080
It may not look like it
339
00:40:45,140 --> 00:40:47,840
but these devils
are becoming amorous.
340
00:40:53,460 --> 00:40:55,880
An eligible male clings on
341
00:40:55,940 --> 00:40:58,520
as a female guides him
back to the den.
342
00:41:06,460 --> 00:41:09,520
Female devils are
receptive three times
343
00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:12,680
over a short period
during the breeding season.
344
00:41:14,020 --> 00:41:16,000
To ensure the fittest offspring,
345
00:41:16,060 --> 00:41:19,560
she'll try to mate
with as many big males as she can.
346
00:41:21,460 --> 00:41:24,320
And to increase
his chances of fatherhood,
347
00:41:24,380 --> 00:41:28,240
he must keep her in here
for as long as possible.
348
00:41:33,980 --> 00:41:38,320
Inside the den, he moves her around
in an effort to mate.
349
00:41:40,220 --> 00:41:42,560
To protect her from his biting grip,
350
00:41:42,620 --> 00:41:46,160
the skin around her neck has
thickened over the last few weeks.
351
00:41:52,940 --> 00:41:55,520
Though it may appear aggressive,
352
00:41:55,580 --> 00:42:00,520
this is part of a bizarre
and complicated breeding system.
353
00:42:14,620 --> 00:42:19,360
They'll remain in here,
mating regularly, for several days.
354
00:42:36,620 --> 00:42:38,800
In spite of that fearsome scream,
355
00:42:38,860 --> 00:42:42,840
there is a sensitive side
to these much-maligned creatures.
356
00:42:45,620 --> 00:42:50,200
Far from devilish, they are simply
very determined survivors.
357
00:42:56,460 --> 00:43:00,640
The devil mating season
marks autumn's arrival.
358
00:43:14,020 --> 00:43:15,720
Each evening,
359
00:43:15,780 --> 00:43:19,560
flocks of Cape Barren geese
return to their roost.
360
00:43:29,740 --> 00:43:35,000
Their silhouettes in the sunset,
a sign that the year is ending.
361
00:43:58,060 --> 00:43:59,440
Back on the coast,
362
00:43:59,500 --> 00:44:03,240
the longer nights bring with them
a stunning spectacle...
363
00:44:18,020 --> 00:44:20,120
..the southern lights,
364
00:44:20,180 --> 00:44:24,400
a reminder that the next stop
from here is Antarctica.
365
00:44:47,060 --> 00:44:49,840
For Tasmania's little penguins,
366
00:44:49,900 --> 00:44:52,000
the breeding season has finished.
367
00:44:52,940 --> 00:44:55,400
Only adults remain at the colony.
368
00:44:58,300 --> 00:45:01,400
They've spent the last few weeks
fattening up at sea,
369
00:45:01,460 --> 00:45:03,400
almost doubling their weight.
370
00:45:12,660 --> 00:45:14,920
The efforts of raising chicks
371
00:45:14,980 --> 00:45:18,720
have left them in need
of a new set of feathers.
372
00:45:23,460 --> 00:45:28,280
Little penguins go through what's
known as 'catastrophic moult'...
373
00:45:31,300 --> 00:45:34,320
..shedding some 10,000 feathers
all at once.
374
00:45:42,460 --> 00:45:45,880
Because their feathers keep
them warm and waterproof,
375
00:45:45,940 --> 00:45:50,040
they can't return to sea
until they've grown new ones.
376
00:45:59,260 --> 00:46:03,000
For three long weeks
they're stuck on dry land,
377
00:46:03,060 --> 00:46:04,640
unable to feed.
378
00:46:16,100 --> 00:46:19,400
It's a long wait
for a little penguin.
379
00:46:32,580 --> 00:46:34,920
The year is almost over.
380
00:46:36,620 --> 00:46:41,520
And, high in the mountains,
there's time for one last surprise.
381
00:46:51,060 --> 00:46:54,200
These are southern beech trees...
382
00:46:56,020 --> 00:46:58,280
..unique to Tasmania.
383
00:47:02,780 --> 00:47:05,840
Their changing colour makes
for an autumn
384
00:47:05,900 --> 00:47:08,880
unlike anywhere else in Australia.
385
00:47:11,820 --> 00:47:14,520
These are the only trees
on the continent
386
00:47:14,580 --> 00:47:17,840
to drop their leaves
during the cooler months.
387
00:47:22,460 --> 00:47:26,080
The southern beech trees'
closest living relatives
388
00:47:26,140 --> 00:47:28,720
are found
thousands of kilometres away
389
00:47:28,780 --> 00:47:30,640
in South America.
390
00:47:41,300 --> 00:47:46,080
This rare splash of autumnal colour
lasts just a few weeks
391
00:47:46,140 --> 00:47:50,440
as, across the whole of Tasmania,
temperatures begin to drop.
392
00:47:57,060 --> 00:48:00,440
June marks the start
of the winter season
393
00:48:00,500 --> 00:48:04,320
and, for the devils,
the beginning of new life.
394
00:48:04,380 --> 00:48:07,520
With young already inside her pouch,
395
00:48:07,580 --> 00:48:10,960
she will provide milk for them
through the harshest months.
396
00:48:11,940 --> 00:48:17,320
Her life and theirs,
tied to Tasmania's seasonal cycle.
397
00:48:24,860 --> 00:48:27,880
Just 12,000 years ago,
398
00:48:27,940 --> 00:48:31,280
Tasmania separated
from its mainland parent.
399
00:48:37,660 --> 00:48:41,200
The island is young, yet rich in life
400
00:48:41,260 --> 00:48:44,040
and with a long and ancient past.
401
00:48:47,940 --> 00:48:51,520
Now Tasmania,
and the animals it supports,
402
00:48:51,580 --> 00:48:55,480
are on a different course
to the rest of Australia.
403
00:49:03,460 --> 00:49:09,360
It is, as a result, home to a cast
as weird as they are wonderful.
404
00:49:16,580 --> 00:49:21,720
Indeed, there's nowhere on earth
quite like Tasmania.
405
00:49:29,340 --> 00:49:31,400
Captions by Red Bee Media
406
00:49:31,460 --> 00:49:33,400
Copyright Australian
Broadcasting Corporation
33164
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