Original subtitles

(critters chirping)

The Amazon rainforest covers the eastern third

of Ecuador at an average elevation of 300 meters,

then stretching across the middle of the country,

the Andes rise to nearly 6,000 meters above sea level,

creating a virtually insurmountable barrier

for Amazonian wildlife to cross.

On the other side of the Andes, planes running down

to the Pacific Ocean provide a more hospitable

climate for wildlife.

The Western slopes are covered by forest

with a dense population of animal species,

but the environment is wetter

and cooler than on the eastern side,

and so is inhabited by different species.

The upsurge of the Andes Mountains is thus responsible for

what is called speciation of the original wildlife.

Finally, well off the coast like the Galapagos,

the archipelago whose very isolation gives Ecuador its

unique fauna and contributes

to the country's mega-biodiversity.

(inspiring music)

From the snow cap peaks of the Andes,

the altitude falls sharply to the west

to a lush cloud forest.

(wildlife chatter)

This part of northwestern Ecuador is home

to over 850 species of birds.

The male masked trogon relies on his bright plumage

to seduce a female.

He perches in the sunlight, hoping to draw attention.

His less colorful mate is motionless on a branch nearby.

That's how she hunts remaining utterly still,

capturing insects that pass within her reach.

Woodcreepers, on the other hand,

are a family of active hunters.

They expend more energy in moving,

but the effort is rewarded as they capture more food.

The red-tailed squirrel is no slouch either when it comes

to locating plants,

but unlike squirrels in other countries,

there's no need to store food for the winter,

as food is plentiful all year round.

In short, when hunting or gathering food,

active or passive, each species has its own approach.

Even if there are not really any seasons,

the climate can change suddenly over the course of a day.

The humidity coming from the Pacific Ocean

condenses over the mountains.

The clouds soon spread from the valleys to the ridges,

and as they cool, they fill the forest

with a mysterious fog and mist.

(eerie music)

The Andean cock-of-the-rock is not one

to get lost in the mist.

Each day at dawn and dusk,

the males return to a specific part of the forest.

Then they wait until there are enough

cocks-of-the-rock gathered together.

They're waiting and hoping for the presence of females

who are much more discreet in their

plumage and their behavior.

The males now seem to be particularly excited.

They do their best to display their feathers in the light.

That's because their colors,

especially in the ultraviolet range,

and therefore invisible to the human eye,

provide vital information

to females about their overall health

and their ability to reproduce.

(birds chirping)

The vigorous courtship display is intended

to draw the attention of future mates.

The youngest males and others that lack

the necessary characteristics will never

be chosen by females,

but still they take part in the courtship displays impelled

by instinct to follow the leaders.

As a general rule,

male birds in the tropics have brighter colors than birds

from more northern or southern latitudes.

Given the huge number of species here,

perhaps there's a need to be be recognizable,

especially in the dense vegetation.

Continuing in the cloud forest,

but a little lower, around 2000 meters above sea level,

the crimson-rump toucanet

also displays his beautiful colors.

He can find water to quench his thirst in the epithetic

plants well above the forest floor that hang like feeders

for both birds and frogs.

Toucanets often build their nests

in abandon woodpecker nests.

At the end of the breeding season,

both parents feed their young.

Even if the toucanet is primarily a fruit eater,

chicks sometimes refuse what their parents bring

and prefer insects, which are richer in protein.

Still the fruit will not go to waste.

Even after hatchlings have flown the nest,

some continue to beg for food,

as is the case with the plate-billed mountain toucan.

(birds chirping)

This adult is probably hoping to feed in peace,

but one of the youngsters,

although already a sub-adult,

steals the fruit right out of his parents' beak.

Toucans are energetic, expressive, and extremely loud.

They make no attempt to be inconspicuous,

as they have few predators

because of the impressive size of their beaks.

What's more, yellow-throated toucans

often stay high in the canopy,

which provides a degree of safety.

Living in pairs or in small groups,

they spend lots of time socializing.

They spend much of their day delousing, playing, bickering,

and sometimes sparring.

A related species, the Choco toucan,

is distinguished by its darker lower beak.

They sometimes occupy the same forest

and feed on the same trees.

They carefully select fruits for ripeness

and swallow them whole.

Their droppings will spread the seeds further away,

thus contributing to the regeneration of the forest.

The long-wattled umbrellabird feeds a little higher up,

indifferent to the presence of the toucans.

What looks like a neck tie, the long wattle of feathers

hanging under his throat is specific to the adult male.

He can inflate it to attract females

during courtship displays.

When food is plentiful, birds are more willing

to share the same resource.

Birds aren't the only animals that help

to disperse plant species.

Rodents, like this female Central American agouti

also sustain the forest by scattering seeds

in their droppings.

Highly vulnerable when in the open,

she knows she can rely on her streamlined

body profile to quickly burrow into the thickest cover

to escape from danger.

Before allowing her young to join,

she conscientiously inspects the feeding grounds,

often at the base of trees where birds are feeding

and she will remain particularly alert

until her young return to the safety of the underbrush.

Many species enjoy the fruit of wild avocado trees,

none more than the golden-headed quetzal,

which routinely feasts on their fruit, the avocateo.

The spectacled bear also loves these small fat rich fruits.

These females spend most of her time in the high altitude

valleys over 3,500 meters

above sea level, but for three or four weeks in October,

she descends to feast on the fruit

of the wild avocado trees.

She'll hoist her body, some 70 kilograms,

up these thin branches where the avocateos grow.

Her keen sense of smell leads her to the ripest fruits,

which she selects one by one.

And when she can't reach the very tip

of the most heavily laden branches, she breaks them off

and lets them fall to the ground

where she can eat them later.

Tired by her acrobatic exertions,

she takes a break to digest

The spectacled bear is the only bear species

found in South America.

Today, it is the most endangered species of bear,

with only a few thousand individuals

still living in the wild.

Only one third of its habitat in Ecuador is designated

as a protected area,

and this habitat is surrounded by zones

of rampant deforestation.

Clearing to make way for farmland is especially a danger

because the spectacled bear is considered a threat to crops

and thus falls victim to poaching.

In any event, as evening falls,

this young female can still enjoy these fleeting moments

of peace and serenity.

At sunset, between two showers, the sun sometimes shows

through the clouds briefly before sinking below the horizon.

Then it fills the haze with a range

of stunning colors from orange to pink

to purple in just a few minutes time.

Once darkness falls, predators and prey play a game of hide

and seek with their transparent skin and organs,

glass frogs may be harder to detect,

but they too must find a mate,

which is what this male frog is doing

with its loud mating calls.

(frog mating calls)

At the edge of the forest,

a common potoo also begins his mating song.

(water rushing)

At daybreak, deep in this canyon,

there is a strange aerial ballet.

The light barely reaches the ground here.

That suits this small colony of oilbirds just fine.

These cave-dwelling birds like the darkness,

spending their days in nests deep in caves

or in narrow canyons,

which provide protection as they sleep.

After a night feeding on fruit, each couple returns

to its nest to navigate in the dark.

Not only do oilbirds have highly sensitive retinas,

but they are also the only bird species

to use echo location, like bats.

Their broad wings allow them to fly slowly

with time enough to detect obstacles.

And when dawn breaks, oilbirds can look forward

to a well-earned day of sleep.

(soft music)

Other creatures are particularly fond of the sun's rays,

butterflies, bright and colorful,

flying from flower to flower throughout the day.

By sucking up nectar from deep inside flowers.

They play a vital role as pollinators.

(whimsical music)

With its 12 centimeter wig span,

the helenor blue morpho is one of the largest

diurnal butterflies.

The female lays her eggs one-by-one in the hollow of a leaf.

10 days later, the caterpillar hatches

and ventures over leaves that it will feed upon.

With each successive molt, it grows rapidly,

continuously changing its colors.

After two to three months,

its last molt transforms the caterpillar into a chrysalis.

After 15 days without food,

the butterfly finally reaches maturity.

That's when the morpho is most vulnerable.

It cannot fly until its wings have dried.

And then the helenor blue morpho finally appears free

from the force of gravity.

This beautiful butterfly

with metallic blue wings now has a lifespan of only one

to three months, time to feed, to pollinate,

and most importantly, to reproduce.

Hummingbirds are barely larger than a butterfly,

just as colorful, and they too love nectar from flowers.

With only a few exceptions,

the species living on the western side of the Andes

are different from those on the eastern side.

Like many birds, they can distinguish a broader spectrum

of colors than the human eye,

especially wavelengths in the ultraviolet region.

They're particularly attracted

by blossoms in the oranges and reds.

After untold generations of feeding on the same families

of flowers, hummingbird's beaks have evolved.

Various species have evolved beaks of different lengths

and curvatures, species thus tend

to specialize in specific flowers,

allowing the available food resources

to be shared among the species.

Because genuine congestion can arise around the flowers

with the most readily accessible nectar.

(birds chirping)

Hummingbirds are perfectly skilled in hovering.

Some species can flap their wings up to

80 times every second.

They can move with such speed because their brain

and nervous system can perceive their surroundings almost

instantaneously, and their hearts are capable

of reaching 1,000 beats per minute.

Hummingbirds are fascinating

for their physiology and their elegance.

Moving further west, the foothills of the Andes

plunge down toward a vast coastal plane.

The humidity from the Pacific Ocean moves inland

and maintains continuous moisture for plant life.

(wildlife chittering)

The forest becomes even more mysterious

with the call of the mantled howler monkey.

This large arboreal monkey uses its prehensile tail

to maintain a secure posture when feeding or resting.

Females are identifiable by their light colored coat,

while young males are darker before becoming almost black.

Howlers live in small groups with about 10 members,

including the dominant older male,

two or three other males, the females, and they're young.

Mantled howlers are particularly fond of fruits

to supplement their usual diet

of leaves, which are poor in nutrients

and difficult to digest.

That's why they pay so much attention

to the fruit trees, coming each day to inspect

the same branches for ripe fruits

and picking the best with acrobatic moves, if need be.

Each group of howler monkeys tries to demarcate

its territory to include the areas richest in food.

This is done by the males

who stake out their claim against the other groups.

(monkeys howling)

These impressive cries are amplified

by the hyoid bone, located near the vocal cords,

which is enlarged in males.

The calls can be heard for several kilometers around

and serve to keep the different groups

of howler monkeys apart

by marking their respective positions.

The aim is to prevent any physical confrontation,

as howler monkeys are not really fighters.

On the contrary, their low energy diet

tends to make howlers somewhat sluggish.

They like nothing better than to spend all day resting

and digesting in peace.

On the other hand, younger howler monkeys

have energy to spare.

Playing in the trees increases their dexterity as they train

to avoid falling, if they can.

With all this commotion, the adults are unlikely

to have much of a nap.

At a slightly lower altitude,

the air is rich with the salty ocean spray

and the vegetation suddenly changes.

This is where the Pacific meets the land,

where the cliffs resist the onslaught of the waves.

In this wet, gray climate,

this family of yellow-crowned night herons

has the beach to itself.

They wait for the tide to go out to fish

for shellfish and crustaceans.

This beach may look like the end of the world,

and yet beyond the gray wall of the horizon,

Ecuador harbor's yet another ecological treasure,

listed as a world nature heritage site by UNESCO.

(dramatic music)

A fully protected sanctuary for animal species

that are unique in the world, The Galapagos Islands.

(swelling music)

The Archipelago is located a thousand kilometers off the

coast of Ecuador.

The island's volcanic origin is obvious.

These are craters that have emerged from the seas.

Lava flows have sometimes merged to form a single island.

The most recent islands in the west are only a million years

old and some of their volcanoes still erupt

from time to time.

This is why the lava flows have little or no plant cover.

The landscape is rugged and austere,

apparently not particularly suitable

for sustaining life.

These lava fields hold pools of brackish water,

enough to attract birds.

Small groups of American flamingos come here often,

filtering food from the mud and water.

These islands were formed too recently

and are too isolated to have been colonized by land mammals.

The volcanic rock seems lifeless, until it reaches the sea.

(whimsical music)

Because red rock crabs are swarming at the water's edge.

They can't really be discreet,

with their beautiful multicolored shells

as they scramble over the lava blocks with a mix of caution

and boldness unlike any other species.

They're especially careful when they encounter

other creatures along the coast

Falling into the water,

they could easily end up in the jaws of a shark.

Red rock crabs can be scavengers when the opportunity arises

and thus help to clean the shores.

But most often they're content

with the small algae they pick up from the rocks.

When the water is cold, they warm themselves in the sun.

(waves crashing)

Under the sea spray where the waves break over the rocks,

the ocean temperature is no higher than 17 degrees

Celsius during the season.

While the Galapagos are situated close to the equator,

they're influenced by the cold Humboldt Current flowing from

the South Pacific.

But the islands are periodically affected

by various warm currents, as well.

The convergence of these ocean currents creates a unique

set of weather conditions unlike those

of any other tropical islands.

Except for three small towns,

these islands are totally unspoiled.

They host large colonies of birds,

such as these magnificent frigatebirds.

The males are black with a red membrane under the throat

while females and immature birds are lighter in color.

Frigatebirds are agile in flight

with a two meter wingspan, flying low over the waters

as they fish.

Their plumage is not waterproof,

they cannot dive or even swim.

Each couple has a single chick, which both parents care for

during its first five months when it stays in the nest.

To attract a mate, each male builds the most beautiful nest

he can, settles in, and inflates his gular sac,

the red pouch under his beak.

Then they vie for the attention of the females

as they fly overhead.

(birds chirping)

Males compete fiercely for the best nesting sights.

Espanola Island is practically the only nesting place

of the waved albatross, also called the Galapagos Albatross,

which is classified as a critically endangered species.

Couples mate for life,

but still perform their ritual courtship dances every year.

(whimsical music)

The albatross nests on the ground between rocks,

without building a secure nest.

When the egg rolls, and is trapped under a rock,

it's harder to incubate,

but fortunately, albatrosses won't give up

and do their best to keep the egg warm.

(wind howling)

(waves crashing)

The marine iguana begins its day by warming in the sun.

It needs a body temperature of around 38 degrees Celsius

for its muscles to function best.

Its dark skin quickly absorbs the sun's rays.

Then it heads to the shore to graze on the algae

that make up most of its diet.

But this menu is pretty meager,

so the marine iguana ventures into the water at low tide

to seek more food in the ocean.

Unfortunately, the algae it's interested in grow

mostly in the cold season.

(whimsical music)

Even if other iguana species can swim,

only the marine iguana can dive

and can easily hold its breath

and stay underwater for 10 minutes

at a depth of five meters.

Its powerful tail and legs with claws

let it fight against the current and waves,

while its small scales protect against

scratching on the rocks.

The iguana stays in the water for only 10 minutes,

so its body temperature falls no more than

10 degrees Celsius.

Back on the shore with a full belly,

the marina iguana looks slow and sluggish.

The overcast sky means they can't warm up quickly

by basking in the sun,

but by huddling together they can regain a little warmth.

At regular intervals, marine iguanas seem to spit.

What they are doing is sneezing out salt,

which is filtered from their blood by their salt glands.

Some may go for another swim late in the day.

Marine iguanas are good swimmers and excellent climbers.

Yet when Charles Darwin wrote about his time in the

Galapagos, he described them as,

"Large, most disgusting, clumsy lizards."

The marine iguana has evolved considerably from its

terrestrial ancestor over the past four

and a half million years,

during which time they have evolved the abilities needed

to survive on these shores.

And as they fall asleep on the sun-warmed rocks,

they seem in perfect harmony with their environment.

The day now breaks on Santiago Island.

(sea lion barking)

The din of the birds is a rousing wake up call

for this young Galapagos sea lion, born just a few days ago.

The other members of the small colony are getting a few more

minutes sleep.

Waking on an empty stomach,

this young sea lion is demanding to be fed.

Females give birth to one cub each year on average,

but for a variety of reasons, only half of them survive

beyond two years of age.

One threat to the species is the dwindling supply of fish

that they feed on, which El Nino brings

warmer ocean currents.

This forces sea lions to fish further offshore

and at greater depths

where they encounter more predators, such as sharks.

Sea lions are quite territorial.

They live in small colonies made up of

either a dominant male and his harem

or only single males.

(sea lion barking)

As is often the case with highly gregarious social species,

young sea lions spend a lot of time playing,

which prepares them for fishing and for fighting as adults.

And what could be better than diving into the ocean?

(whimsical music)

Even when they're on their own,

a sea lion always finds something amusing to do.

But with two or more, there's a genuine water ballet.

Iguanas and sea lions live in perfect harmony

and even share the best diving spots

with the Galapagos Penguins.

These birds are much smaller than their Antarctic

counterparts because they don't need fat reserve

to resist the extreme cold,

even if they depend on the cold, fish rich waters

of the Humboldt current.

(upbeat music)

Yet, once again, El Nino and global warming

are threatening the penguins

by interfering with the cold Humboldt Current,

and thus their food supply.

The same danger threatens the flightless cormorant.

Their wings have become smaller with evolution.

Here on these islands they serve no purpose,

as there are no predators to flee from.

And unlike penguins that use their wings for swimming,

flightless cormorants use only their legs to swim.

This avian morphological evolution demonstrates

that nature is capable of adapting to change,

but once again, this requires tens of thousands

of years or even longer.

The current rate of climate change is far too rapid

for the adaptations needed for the survival

of threatened ecosystems to occur

without irreversible damage.

Mangroves are under threat in every tropical region

of the world, yet mangroves are vital.

Here in the Galapagos on Isabella Island, they are a haven

of peace for the green sea turtle.

(enchanting music)

The newborn turtles develop in these calm waters

before venturing out into the open sea.

Here the turtles find enough algae to feed on

and can also meet other turtles.

What about the notion that green turtles living in the sea

somehow adapted to life on land to the point

of evolving into the celebrated Galapagos tortoises?

No, in fact, that didn't happen.

That hypothesis was false, as genetic analysis

of both species has confirmed.

So how did land tortoises come to live on these islands?

The most likely explanation is

that their ancestors were swept into the sea by storms

and carried here by the Humboldt Current.

Able to survive for days without drinking,

some would've washed up alive on these shores

and their reproductive instinct would've done the rest.

The same reproductive instinct seems to be driving

the male tortoise on the right.

But after checking,

it turns out that the other tortoise is also a male,

so he's not welcome and he's in the way.

In this case, the smaller of the two is forced to yield.

This blue-footed booby would also like to attract a mate.

He is collecting twigs to lay out a nest.

(bird chirping)

Then it's time to capture the attention

of females flying in the vicinity.

This mating display consists in showing off

his bright blue feet.

The deep blue color is a sign of health,

a decisive argument for female boobies.

A brood typically consists of two or three chicks.

The parents take turns to incubate

and then feed them, diving for fish and then regurgitating.

If there isn't enough food for all,

only the first-born is fed.

Red-footed boobies build their nests in trees.

They need to find just the right materials for their nests,

even if both of them have to work together.

The problem is that everyone wants the same twigs.

Swallow-tailed gulls avoid that problem altogether

by not using twigs and branches,

which are relatively scarce on the most arid islands.

They simply gather small shells

and pebbles in a depression,

so they're single egg won't roll away.

(bird squawking)

The chick is fed by parents regurgitating.

But when the prey is too large, like this squid,

adults will keep it for themselves.

Most of these seabirds nest in colonies

where they all stay together.

But some couples, like these nazca boobies,

may prefer to perform their mating ritual

away from the others.

(birds squawking)

The setting sun brings an end-of-the-world sensation

to the Galapagos Islands.

Ecuador is indeed a world apart,

rich with its forests, mountains, and shores.

These exceptional ecosystems deserve to be preserved,

especially here in the Galapagos,

where the animals live in harmony with one another

in complete freedom without the least fear of humans.

The only concerns these pelicans have seems

to be finding a mate, building a nest,

and of course feeding.

But even if these unspoiled areas are being protected

locally, the threat they face is on a global scale.

Climate change is affecting the cold water currents

that carry food to these islands.

Nature, of course, has the power to adapt, to evolve,

and even to give rise to new species.

But this takes time,

and for now what's happening is the opposite.

Species are disappearing hundreds of times faster

than in the last 65 million years,

and this is causing a vicious circle

because the less variety there is,

the more fragile ecosystems become.

Ecuador's biodiversity today seems truly extraordinary,

but it is just the result of nature in action.

In fact, what would be even more extraordinary would be

for us to find the strength to save these ecosystems

while there is time before it is too late.

(uplifting music)