All language subtitles for Gladiators 04

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR:
In America's temperate Northwest...

...shrouded by forests...

...and encircled by high peaks...

...lies a tidal arena of
glacial streams,

salt marshes

and shorelines.

The animals that survive here

are hardened to the elements.

Half-tonne predators...

...fierce aerial fighters...
(EAGLES SCREECHING)

...and small, but mighty hunters.

They are resourceful opportunists,

adapted to endure
this wintery wilderness,

and, when spring arrives...

...they go into overdrive.

(GROWLING)

They fight to rule the sky...
(EAGLES SCREECHING)

...and wrestle
to assert their dominance.

(ROARING)

and use their cunning

to capitalize on a narrow window
of available food.

Opportunities are fleeting.

(GROWLING)

So, as the clock runs down

on this time of plenty,

it's do...

...or die.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

After six months of brutal cold...

...America's Northwest coast
is bathed in warm, spring sun.

It's awoken one of
the elders of this arena.

(BEAR HUFFS)

Brown Bear.

He survived the winter,
hibernating in his mountain den.

He made the journey down
into the tidelands a week ago...

...and his metabolism is ramping up.

Over winter, he lost
a third of his body weight.

He's starving...

...and he's on a mission to feed.

He needs to make the most
of these warmer months,

and bulk up
before the cold returns.

(CRUNCHING)

The best food for him,
after his long hibernation,

is sedge grass.

It's packed with protein.

So, this lush meadow
is his lifeline.

But the grass is just an appetizer.

Later in the season,

the stream running through it
will be teeming with salmon.

(GRUNTING)

(CRUNCHING GRASS)

But keeping this feeding
spot for himself...

...won't be straightforward.

Other bears are waking
from their sleep...

...all looking for a place to feed.

(TENSE MUSIC)

This time of year
isn't just about eating.

It's the time to
reestablish hierarchy

for the rest of the season.

A large male is heading for
Brown Bear's patch.

(TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES)

Brown Bear must eat
14 kilos of grass each day,

to gain the weight he needs.

Fighting, when
he's this low on energy,

isn't the smart thing to do.

(INTRUDER GROWLING)

He recognizes the outsider's scent,

a male he's encountered before.

Brown Bear has learned to read
the subtle posture changes,

that can reveal a rival's hand.

(INTRUDER GROWLS SOFTLY)
And he knows...

...his opponent, is agitated.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

(GROWLING)

Brown Bear tries to settle him
with a stern paw.

An all-out brawl could see
both bears getting gravely injured.

He turns his body side on,

signalling that
he's not looking for a fight.

But the outsider wants to escalate.

(INTRUDER ROARS)

He senses an opportunity to
advance up the social hierarchy.

(BOTH ROARING)

He grapples Brown Bear
with his claws and teeth,

a clear attempt
to establish dominance.

His loose pelt makes it hard
for the challenger to keep hold him.

He lands a bite on Brown Bear's ear,

with enough force
to crack a bowling ball.

(ROARING)

(ROARING CONTINUES)

It's too much
for Brown Bear to take.

Experience tells him,

that he doesn't need to meet
every dominance battle head on.

Risking injury so early
in the season, isn't smart.

So, he backs away... for now.

(BROWN BEAR PANTING)

(BROWN BEAR HUFFS)

Brown Bear has to concede

a prime spot
in this riverside meadow.

He must now use
his wisdom and experience

to stake his claim on
a new feeding spot elsewhere.

(TRANQUIL MUSIC)

As the spring sun
warms this arena...

...creatures of all kinds
are emerging...

...to cash in
on the improving conditions.

(CHIRPING)

Soaring over them all...

...Bald Eagle.

She spent the winter
further south...

...where the lakes remained ice-free.

Now she's back to make the most
of the spring weather,

that, each year, turns this bay

into a rich fishing territory.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

For the past twelve seasons,

she's successfully
staked her claim here.

Her four-square-kilometre territory

is not just important for food...

...but also...

...for continuing her bloodline.

(CHICKS CHEEPING)

Sitting 50 metres up
in a Douglas fir...

(LOUD CHIRPING)

...is the large nest she first built
with her lifelong partner

over a decade ago.

Each year, the pair return
to raise a new brood of chicks.

And this year's eight-week-old
youngster, is growing fast.

With an extra mouth to feed,

protecting her territory
is of the utmost importance.

And this season,
an invader has arrived early.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

A juvenile bald eagle...

...probing the area
to see if she can fish here.

This confident outsider,
is clearly trying its luck.

(SCREECHING ECHOES)

Bald Eagle's high-pitched
territorial call is her war cry.

It reverberates across the bay,
warning the intruder.

But the youngster isn't deterred.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Bald Eagle's 7,000 feathers
work in unison,

producing maximum lift

with flawless aerial control.

(SCREECHES)

The juvenile's
wing and tail feathers,

are longer than an adult's.

They're better suited
for slow soaring.

(SCREECHES)

But Bald Eagle's shorter feathers
produce less resistance,

allowing her to flap faster

and fly with greater speed.

(SCREECHING)

Using its tail as an airbrake,

the juvenile wheels around
to get behind her.

To minimize drag,

the juvenile spreads
its wing tips wide

then turns for the attack.

(SCREECHING)

Bald Eagle splays her taloned feet

to lock onto the youngster.

By folding back her wings,
she forces it downwards.

(SCREECHING)

The juvenile's feathers
aren't waterproof.

A sitting duck.

(TENSE, OMINOUS MUSIC)

Bald Eagle drops
into a highspeed dive...

...and goes for the strike.

She aims eight needle-sharp
talons at her target.

The juvenile twists
to avoid being impaled...

...and only narrowly escapes injury.

The juvenile gets escorted
out of the bay...

...leaving Bald Eagle in peace...

...to secure her next meal.

The price for presiding over
this prime fishing spot

is a daily battle
against opportunists.

As spring progresses,

competition will only
get more intense.

The tidelands are about to undergo
a dramatic transformation...

...inviting a host of new opponents
into this arena.

At high tide,
deep water covers the tidal flats.

Below the waterline...

...new arrivals are moving in.

This is a toadfish.

Each year, the spring conditions

lure millions of them
to spawn along the coast.

Right now, the toadfish
is safely hidden underwater.

But in the coming days,

this shore will undergo
a dramatic change...

...exposing a seafood feast...

...that will attract
predators of all kinds.

Bald Eagle must be ready to fight.

While the fate of the animals
above the waterline

hangs in the balance...

...in the freshwater stream
that feeds the estuary...

...there's another small,
but deadly creature

preparing for a battle of its own.

Dragonfly nymph.

A five-centimetre-long,
aquatic hunter.

She survived the winter
by burying herself in the sediment.

By entering a state of
suspended animation,

she was able to withstand
the freezing temperatures.

But now she's out,

she's ready to feed.

Her strategy?

The ambush.

Each of her huge eyes is
made of 30,000 parts.

80% of her brain is
dedicated to processing vision...

...giving her a 360-degree
view of her world.

(TENSE, OMINOUS MUSIC)

She strikes her prey
with her pincers

in ten milliseconds,

and drags it towards her mouth.

(CRACKLING SOUND)

This beetle releases
a foultasting chemical.

Nymph opts to find
a more palatable meal.

Luckily, the spring conditions
have delivered

a bounty of newly-hatched fish.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

The powerful grasp
of Nymph's serrated jaws

makes it impossible
for the fish to shake free.

Only the most powerful of insects
can hunt vertebrates.

Her paired mouth parts
grind together

to slice through
the flesh and bone.

(CRUNCHING)

She cleans her weaponry,

ready for the next meal.

She must make the most
of the springtime riches...

...because this year
is Nymph's most critical yet.

She's lived in this stream
for four years,

and if she can make it to summer,

she'll shed her skin

and emerge into a fully-winged
adult dragonfly.

But to survive,
she must be on her guard...

...ready to take on an age-old foe.

Surviving the tidelands

isn't just about powerful jaws
and brute strength.

Great Blue Heron's tactic

is to slip beneath the radar.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

He's a one- metre-tall sneak thief,

creeping on stilt-like legs,

scanning the landscape

with his powerful, binocular vision.

90 percent of his waking time
is spent hunting.

In the still water,
he moves meticulously,

without a ripple.

He then waits, motionless,

for any prey to wander close.

The fish in these slow-moving
streams are just small fry.

Soon, a rare tide
will offer up a bigger prize.

The only snag?

That fishing spot
is closely guarded.

(TENSE, OMINOUS MUSIC)

Bald Eagle's territory.

Poaching fish
from a territorial raptor,

will be a high-stakes game.

(EAGLE SCREECHES)

Finally, the moment has come.

The tidelands begin
their dramatic transformation.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

As water drains from the estuary,

the tide starts to fall.

But a few times a year,
the tides here get supercharged.

When a full or new moon
passes close to Earth...

...its gravitational pull
is amplified.

The perigean spring tide.

The water level drops
many metres below normal...

...exposing a one-and-a-half
kilometre stretch of oyster beds.

Thousands of toadfish

are stranded and exposed

across this vast, tidal expanse.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

From the forests behind the beach...

...Heron makes his advance
towards the oyster beds.

Bald Eagle's long-distance vision

is eight times better than ours.

She could spot a rabbit
at three kilometres.

If Heron is spotted
in her territory,

he could be attacked,
even killed.

He pauses to scan the exposed
tidal flat for dangers.

These extreme low tides
will only last a few days.

To capitalize on
the optimum fishing window,

he needs to move now.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

The exposed oysters are razor sharp.

But Heron's long toes
act like snowshoes,

spreading his weight.

His large eyes
have a built-in zoom lens.

He switches between
telescopic and closeup vision

to find the fish
caught in the tidal pools.

A meaty toadfish.

To defend itself,
it extends its spiky dorsal fin.

So Heron uses his beak as a spear,

to sever its spinal cord.

The activity hasn't gone unnoticed.

With her nest nearby,

Bald Eagle has a zero-tolerance,
no-fishing policy.

But Heron is just getting started.

His large stomach can expand
to hold half his bodyweight in fish.

(EAGLE SCREECHES)

Bald Eagle's counter strike
kicks into gear.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Soaring 100 metres above the bay...

...her keen eyesight
allows her to calculate

her exact angle of attack.

She tucks her wing
and dives at a speed

close to 160 kilometres an hour.

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

Only now, does Heron
clock the incoming attack.

There's no time
to swallow his catch.

(TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES)

(HERON SQUAWKS)

He throws his wings wide
and wields his sharp beak.

(HERON SQUAWKS)

Eagle twists to dodge it

and delivers
a devastating body slam.

Heron recovers
to reclaim his fish...

...and a mouthful of seaweed.

Bald Eagle is three times
faster than Heron.

But Heron is lightweight,

with superior endurance.

With his two-metre wingspan,

he banks steeply,
dodging the attack.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Heron's heavy payload of fish
is slowing him down.

He can no longer keep hold
of his pirated meal.

Heron flees to
the outer fringes of the bay...

...but Bald Eagle's problems
are just beginning.

The extreme low tides have drawn
all comers from across the region.

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

Adults and juvenile eagles from
many kilometres away are arriving,

hoping to fish here.

(EAGLE SCREECHING)

And more great blue herons
are arriving, too.

Her territory has become overrun.

And the outsider eagles are trying
to assert their dominance

at this lowtide feast.
(EAGLES SCREECHING)

(SCREECHES)

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

(TENSE MUSIC)

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)
With her nest nearby,

Bald Eagle doesn't take kindly
to trespassers.

To reassert her rule,

she must deliver
a powerful show of strength.

She fixes her sights on a
large adult female with a beakful.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Her target takes flight
with the spoils...

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

...but Bald Eagle
can't let her get away.

The rival skillfully
guards her catch

with a mid-air barrel roll.

Bald Eagle picks her moment
and goes all in...

...sending her opponent into a spin,

forcing it to drop the meal.

But the rival has travelled
hundreds of kilometres

for the chance to fish
in this prime territory.

She's prepared to fight.

Bald Eagle locks onto her,

dragging her to the ground.

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

Then, she circles back,
and rushes the rival.

(EAGLES SCREECHING)

Bearing her powerful,
crushing talons...

...the challenger
is outmaneuvered and outdone.

She flees.

While the eagles
have been squabbling...

(BIRDS CAWING)

...the bay has descended into chaos.

(BIRDS CAWING)

(CAWS)

And a familiar foe
is taking full advantage.

Heron.

He's caught enough toadfish
to sustain him for days.

Stuffed with a kilo of food...

...he returns
to the cover of the forests.

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

Only when the tide turns,

will calm return
to Bald Eagle's beach.

(HIGH-PITCHED CAWING)

Along the coast,

Brown Bear is working the
extreme low tide to his advantage.

(BEAR HUFFING)

Following his nose,

he locates a hidden treasure.

Clams.

Brown Bear's
ten-centimetre-long hooked claws

aren't just for fighting.

They're tin openers.

It's a skill that only the
smartest bears have mastered.

Brown Bear shucks enough
to take the edge off his hunger.

But clams are
a labour-intensive food.

And a more enticing smell
is in the air.

(SNIFFING)

With his face to the wind,

Brown Bear follows his nose.

(SNIFFING, HUFFING)

His sense of smell is
seven times more sensitive

than a bloodhound's.

(SNIFFING)

The part of his brain
that identifies smells,

is five times bigger
than a human's.

And now, it's picked up
the trail of something

that could be
the find of the season.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

In the stream above the estuary...

...Dragonfly Nymph is edging closer

to the day she can fly away.

But in this arena,

nothing is guaranteed.

(MENACING MUSIC)

Lurking in the weeds,
another monster.

Giant Waterbug.

At six centimetres long,

he's one of the largest
aquatic insects on Earth.

Twice as big as Nymph...

...and her biggest obstacle
to reaching adulthood.

He can take down prey
many times his size.

He'll even eat his own young.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Fine hairs on Nymph's legs,

sense subtle changes
in the underwater currents.

They alert her
to something large nearby.

A potential meal?

Curiosity lures her closer.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Around a rock...

...the mystery creature
becomes apparent.

They each see the other as prey.

Nymph makes the first move.

But she's too close for
her pincers to be effective...

...and Waterbug drags her
underneath him, to pin her.

Nymph twists,

allowing her to break free.

Her tail end works like a jet ski...

...forcing out a pressured
stream of water

to propel her forwards.

More agile? Maybe.

But Waterbug is stronger.

He pins her a second time,

and tries to use
his needle-like beak

to inject her
with digestive saliva.

Nymph's exoskeleton is covered
in a tough armour plating.

Waterbug searches for
any soft spot to insert his beak.

Nymph, is unable to wrestle free,

but there's a lifeline.

She can breathe underwater
through gills in her abdomen.

Waterbug is an air breather.

The battle is sapping his oxygen.

If Nymph can keep up the fight,

Waterbug will be forced
to break for the surface.

He adjusts his body to reach up.

It's all Nymph needs to break free.

Deploying a snorkel
from his rear...

...Waterbug breathes in
as fast as he can.

He traps air under his wings
like a scuba tank.

Then races to find Nymph.

But he's too slow.

Nymph's camouflage,
is like a cloak of invisibility.

She disappears into the murk.

She's now one day closer
to gaining her wings.

Waterbug, must continue
his hungry hunt.

Brown Bear, has followed
the alluring scent trail.

A whale,
washed up in a recent storm.

20 tonnes of highly calorific meat.

It's a goldmine.

(FLIES BUZZING)

But there's a catch.

Someone else has discovered it, too.

A large male...

...and two females...

...enjoying the feast
of a lifetime.

The male tolerate females
sharing the carcass with him...

...as they aren't a threat
to his place in the hierarchy.

There's a high chance
they'll allow him

to mate with them, too.

(HUFFING)

If Brown Bear wants
a place at this table,

he must fight for it.

Ears forward and mouth open...

(GROWLS)

...he makes his intentions clear.

This time,
he's ready for an all-out brawl.

(GROWLING)

The females sense
they won't be able to eat in peace

and move off.

But the big male, stands firm.

(HUFFING)

(GROWLS)

(TENSE MUSIC)

(ROARING)

Each bear weighs over 450 kilos.

(ROARING CONTINUES)

Their front legs are
the strongest of any predator.

And their jaws are capable of
killing bison and wolves.

But taking on one of their own kind
is a different story.

Brown Bear, in the left corner,
senses they're an even match.

(HUFFING, GROWLING)

To assert his dominance,

he must convince the opponent
that he's tougher.

The opponent
rises on his hind legs,

to over two-and-a-half metres tall.

But he can't keep a footing
amongst the boulders.

Brown Bear swipes at his legs,

trying to knock him off balance.
(ROARING)

The challenger is wrongfooted.

And Brown Bear pushes him back
into the water.

(ROARING CONTINUES)

Dominance fights like this are won
by wearing down the opposition.

It's a drawn-out wrestling match,

with each bear trying to tire
the other into submission.

Brown Bear's relentless
biting and pawing

is overwhelming his competition...

...slowly exhausting him.

His rival is outbattled
and drained of energy.

While the defeated male
nurses his wounds...

...Brown Bear tucks into
his 20-ton prize of whale meat.

The blubber alone, contains
some 8,000 calories per kilo.

He'll gain close to three kilos
with each sitting...

...ensuring he'll be sufficiently fat
to survive the next winter.

(BEAR GROWLS)
(WOLF SNARLS)

The wolves will have to
make do with the scraps.

Brown Bear's successful
display of dominance

hasn't gone unnoticed.

A female has returned
to show her interest.

And with the competition
now long gone,

these two can be left in peace.

(EAGLE CALLING)

All across the tidelands...

...the good weather
has delivered on its promise.

Under the golden sun

daring strategies
have allowed the boldest,

and the bravest,
to reap great rewards.

Once more, calm has returned
to the tidal flats.

And new chapters are being written.

These animals
have won their battles,

and their prize?

To live another day...

(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)

...and survive another winter...

...in America's wild tidelands.

(BROODING THEME MUSIC)