Original subtitles

.

NARRATOR: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL, YOU KNOW YOU'RE

WATCHING TELEVISION THAT IS EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: HI, EVERYONE, I'M DYLAN DREYER.

WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON AN EPIC ADVENTURE ON

"EARTH ODYSSEY".

TODAY, WE'RE CROWING THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WILD WITH A

CLOSE-UP LOOK AT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ANIMAL ICONS AROUND

THE WORLD.

THE TITLE FOR TALLEST GOES TO AN ANIMAL HEAD, SHOULDERS, AND NECK

ABOVE THE REST.

AMONG THE GREAT HERDS OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNAH, WE'LL FIND THE

WORLD'S BEST BUG REMOVER.

AND CAMOUFLAGED IN THE HIGH GRASS, THE CROWN FOR HUMONGOUS

HORNS IS IN NO DEBATE.

BUT FIRST, WE TRAVEL TO THE WATER BANKS OF THE AFRICAN

SAVANNAH, WHERE THE STARS ARE OUT FOR SOME SUN-SOAKED

SOCIALIZING.

ALL OF THIS COMING UP ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC]

ACROSS THE PLANET THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF UNIQUE ANIMAL

SPECIES WITH IMPRESSIVE TRAITS.

SOME ARE SO STAGGERINGLY BIG, INCREDIBLY SKILLED, OR

OVERWHELMINGLY BEAUTIFUL, THAT THEY CAN'T HELP BUT CATCH OUR

ATTENTION.

THEY'RE LIKE CELEBRITIES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

WE CAN GLIMPSE MANY OF THESE CREATURES AT THE WATER'S EDGE,

THE MOST POPULAR HANGOUT IN THE WILD.

SMALL OR LARGE, MAMMALS, REPTILES, OR BIRDS, MOST OF THE

ANIMALS COME TO THE RIVER AT SOME TIME DURING THE DAY.

IT'S THE DAILY TRAINING GROUND FOR THIS TEAM OF CHAMPIONS

THAT'S TRYING TO KEEP FIT.

THE ELEPHANT IS HAPPY ANYWHERE AS LONG AS THERE'S WATER.

THAT'S THE ONLY FACTOR CURBING THE SPREAD ACROSS THE CONTINENT

OF THIS OVERSIZED CHAMPION.

ELEPHANTS CAN DRINK UP TO 50 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY, SO

IT'S NO WONDER THEY PREFER TO STAY WHERE WATER IS

IN AMPLE SUPPLY.

THIS IS THE FIRST IN A WHOLE SERIES OF RECORDS.

IT HEADS FOR WATER AT THE HOTTEST TIME OF THE DAY BECAUSE

IT HAS A PRESSING NEED FOR REFRESHMENT.

ITS DARK SKIN ABSORBS A VAST NUMBER OF CALORIES AND PROVIDES

NO INSULATION.

SO, TO LOWER ITS TEMPERATURE, THE ELEPHANT RELIES ON WATER AND

ON ITS HEAVILY-VEINED EARS.

THE EARS OF AN ADULT CAN MEASURE FIVE-FEET-BY-THREE-FEET IN SIZE.

THEY'RE THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.

THE ELEPHANT'S TRUNK IS IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

BECAUSE IT'S UNIQUE IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

THIS ENORMOUS AND HIGHLY USEFUL APPENDAGE IS MADE UP OF AN

UNEQUALED NUMBER OF MUSCLE FIBERS,

MORE THAN 40,000 IN ALL.

THIS IS WHAT GIVES THE TRUNK ITS INCOMPARABLE

FLEXIBILITY AND SKILL.

THE BIGGEST TERRESTRIAL MAMMAL, IT WEIGHS IN AT MORE THAN

10,000 POUNDS.

THE ELEPHANT HAS NO COMPETITION IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT CATEGORY.

THE CLOSEST CHALLENGER, BUT STILL A LONG WAY BEHIND, IS THE

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

AT BIRTH, THE HIPPO WEIGHS ONLY ABOUT 90 POUNDS, BUT IT GROWS

QUICKLY, AND AT A YEAR OLD, A BABY LIKE THIS ONE ALREADY

WEIGHS A QUARTER OF A TON.

THE WEIGHT OF AN ADULT HIPPOPOTAMUS VARIES CONSIDERABLY

ACCORDING TO THE INDIVIDUAL.

[HIPPOS GRUNTING]

A MALE WEIGHS FROM ONE TO THREE TONS, OR MORE THAN 6,000 POUNDS,

BUT A FORMIDABLE FEMALE CAN WEIGH MORE THAN AN

ORDINARY MALE.

THIS MEANS THAT IT'S OFTEN DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH MALE

FROM FEMALE FROM A DISTANCE.

IN THIRD PLACE ON THE HEAVYWEIGHT PODIUM IS

THE WHITE RHINOCEROS.

IN FACT, IT HAS A MORE IMPRESSIVE MASS THAN THE HIPPO,

BUT IT WEIGHS LESS.

A MALE WEIGHS ABOUT TWO TONS.

THAT'S A TOP RANKING AMONG THE SPECIES, BUT THERE ARE BOTH

CHAMPIONS AND RECORDS IN EVERY SPECIES.

THE FRONT HORN ON A RHINOCEROS MEASURES, ON AVERAGE, ABOUT

TWO FEET LONG.

AS ONE OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM,

IT SEEMS ONLY FITTING THE RHINO IS MOST WELL-KNOWN FOR ITS MOST

INTIMIDATING FEATURE.

COMING UP, AN ANIMAL WILLING TO STICK THEIR NECK OUT FOR SOME

RECOGNITION.

AND WE'LL GET A GLIMPSE OF ONE OF NATURE'S MOST PROLIFIC PEST

CONTROLLERS.

PLUS, A BOVINE BREED THAT GIVES NEW MEANING TO THE TERM

"LONGHORN".

THIS AND MORE WHEN "EARTH ODYSSEY" RETURNS.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: AS WE CONTINUE ON OUR JOURNEY LOOKING AT THE CHAMPIONS

OF THE SAVANNAH, ANOTHER UNSURPRISING RECORD GOES TO THE

ELEPHANT.

IT HAS THE BIGGEST TEETH IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

ITS TUSKS ARE IN FACT ITS UPPER INCISORS.

THEY GROW MORE IN THE MALE THAN IN THE FEMALE AND IN DIFFERENT

WAYS ACCORDING TO THE REGION.

THEIR GROWTH IS LARGELY CONDITIONED BY THE ENVIRONMENT

AND THE FOOD AVAILABLE.

THIS YOUNG MALE WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF GROWING GREAT

TUSKS IF HE LIVED IN A DAMP TROPICAL REGION.

BUT REGARDLESS OF ENVIRONMENT, ELEPHANTS' TUSKS GROW THROUGHOUT

THEIR LIVES BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO ENAMEL EXCEPT AT THE TIPS.

AND THEY HAVE ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC.

THEIR GROWTH ACCELERATES NOTICEABLY WHEN THE ANIMAL GETS

OLDER.

IN THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT, THE TUSKS OF A TEN-YEAR-OLD MALE CAN

WEIGH UP TO TEN POUNDS EACH,

BUT THEY CAN REACH MORE THAN 100

POUNDS WHEN THE ANIMAL REACHES THE AGE OF 40.

WITH THE FEMALE, IT'S FIVE TIMES LESS.

IT'S DIFFICULT TO JUDGE ACCURATELY THE SIZE OF A

LIVING ELEPHANT.

A BIG MALE LIKE THIS ONE CAN BE UP TO TEN FEET TALL.

THE FEMALES ARE SMALLER.

BUT EVEN THESE MASSIVE WONDERS OF THE WILD PALE IN COMPARISON

TO THE HEIGHT OF ANOTHER AFRICAN INHABITANT,

THE GIRAFFE.

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT IN THIS LEAGUE, THE GIRAFFE IS THE

UNCONTESTED CHAMPION OF THE SAVANNAH.

FEWER PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE IS A GREAT DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE SEXES.

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS OF DISTINGUISHING A MALE GIRAFFE

FROM A FEMALE.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT THE ANIMAL'S HORNS.

THERE ARE NO HAIRS ON THE END OF THE MALE'S HORNS.

AND WE CAN SEE THAT THE MALE IS MUCH TALLER THAN THE FEMALE.

ITS HEAD CAN REACH 18 FEET FROM THE GROUND, WHEREAS THE FEMALE

CAN REACH TO ABOUT 15.

WITH ITS VERY UNUSUAL MORPHOLOGY, THE GIRAFFE MAKES A

COLLECTION OF PECULIARITIES AND RECORDS.

IT HAS THE LONGEST JUGULAR VEIN IN THE WORLD, INTESTINES MORE

THAN 220 FEET LONG, AND AN INCREDIBLY DEXTEROUS

TWO-FOOT-LONG TONGUE, NOT TO MENTION EACH OF ITS

SEVEN GIANT CERVICAL VERTEBRAE,

WHICH MEASURE MORE THAN 15 INCHES.

ALL GREAT REASONS WHY THE GIRAFFE IS TRULY A CHAMPION OF

THE SAVANNAH.

WHEN WE RETURN, WE'LL MEET A CLEVER CLINGER THAT'S BEST KNOWN

FOR TAGGING ALONG.

AND THIS GREAT GAZELLE SPECIES HAS SOME HIGH-RISE HEADWEAR.

ALL OF THIS COMING UP ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: SOMETIMES EVEN IN THE WILD, HAVING THE RIGHT ENTOURAGE

IS CRUCIAL TO SUCCESS.

THESE CREATURE COMPANIONS MAY NOT SHARE THE SAME SPOTLIGHT AS

GIRAFFES OR RHINOS, BUT THEIR ROLE IN THE GROUP IS AS

IMPORTANT AS ANY OTHER.

AMONG THE HERDS OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNAH, A SMALL, CLINGY

CHARACTER IS PIVOTAL IN MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS

LOOKING THEIR BEST.

THE RED-BILLED OXPECKER MAY SEEM LIKE JUST ANOTHER BIRD, BUT IT'S

IN FACT AN IMPORTANT PART OF EACH HERD OF MAMMALS IN THE

SAVANNAH.

IT MAY NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY SPECIAL FEATURES, BUT THIS

DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT A CHAMPION, FOR IT IS THE BEST

FORM OF PEST CONTROL IN THE WILD.

THE OXPECKER HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF VERY CURVED AND SHARP CLAWS

WHICH HOOK ON LIKE A MOUNTAINEER'S CRAMPONS TO THE

SKIN OR FUR OF ANIMALS WHILE THEY GO ABOUT THEIR

CLEANING SERVICE.

THE ANIMAL CAN SHAKE ITS HEAD AND START WALKING, BUT THE

OXPECKER HANGS ON TIGHTLY AND CARRIES ON EATING REGARDLESS.

ITS BEAK WORKS LIKE A PAIR OF SCISSORS, CLIPPING AWAY

AT GREAT SPEED.

IN SEQUENCES LASTING ONE MINUTE, IT DIGS OUT AND SWALLOWS

HUNDREDS OF PARASITES.

THIS ACCOMMODATING AVIAN LIVES ON MOST OF THE GREAT MAMMALS

WITH ONE EXCEPTION, THE ELEPHANT, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY

OF OTHERS WILLING TO TAKE PART.

IT'S PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE ON THE BUFFALO AND DOESN'T WORRY

ABOUT GETTING CRUSHED IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THOSE

TONS OF MUSCLE.

THE BUFFALO HAS A STRANGE HABIT.

WHEN RESTING, IT NEEDS TO BE IN CONTACT WITH ITS FELLOWS.

HERE, WHERE EACH CREATURE COULD HOPE FOR A BIT OF ROOM AND

PEACE, ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE HERD PREFER TO STICK VERY

CLOSELY TO EACH OTHER.

UNIQUE BEHAVIOR AMONG THE LARGE MAMMALS, THE BUFFALO IS THE

UNRIVALED CHAMPION OF TOGETHERNESS.

CONTINUALLY ASSAULTED BY PARASITES, THE ANIMAL DOES ALL

IT CAN TO RELIEVE THE ITCHING.

IDEALLY, THE BEST CURATIVE AND PREVENTATIVE TREATMENT IS THE

MUD BATH.

AND MOST OFTEN, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BATH IS A BIT ON THE

SMALL SIDE, IT'S THE LARGE MALES THAT TAKE PRIORITY.

[BUFFALO GROANING]

THIS BIG BUFFALO IS TAKING HIS TIME.

HE HAS NO REASON TO HURRY.

HE'S BIGGER AND MORE POWERFUL THAN THE OTHERS WHO WILL JUST

HAVE TO WAIT PATIENTLY THEIR TURN.

[BUFFALO GROANING]

WATCHING THIS BATH TIME SCENE, WE MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO CHOOSE

THE BUFFALO AS THE CHAMPION OF DISCIPLINE

OR OF COURTESY.

[BUFFALOS GROANING]

THE BUFFALO IS AN ANIMAL WHOSE STATUS MARKEDLY MODIFIES

ITS BEHAVIOR.

WHILE ALL BUFFALOS GO TO THE WATER EVERY DAY BECAUSE THEY

HAVE TO DRINK, ONLY THE SEDENTARY OLD MALES WHO LIVE

OUTSIDE THE HERD HAVE A REGULAR BATH THERE.

APART FROM THE ELEPHANT AND OF COURSE THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, THERE

ARE VERY FEW MAMMALS WHO IMMERSE THEMSELVES COMPLETELY LIKE THIS.

HERE, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AN UNLIKELY

SWIMMING COMPETITION.

A BUFFALO CAN WEIGH UP TO 1,700 POUNDS AND CAN MEASURE ALMOST

FIVE FEET FROM THE TIP OF ONE HORN TO THE OTHER.

IT IS THE UNRIVALED CHAMPION IN THE BOVINE CATEGORY, A FAMILY OF

ANIMALS THAT STANDS OUT BECAUSE ALL THE MALES HAVE HORNS, AND

THE PRIDE OF THIS GROUP IS DECIDED BASED ON WHOSE HEADWEAR

IS THE BIGGEST.

AND IT'S A TITLE THEY TAKE EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.

COMING UP NEXT, WE FIND OUT HOW ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE

FAMILIES IN THE WILD HAS A STRICT HIERARCHY OF HORNS.

[BUFFALO GROANING]

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: IT'S DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT THE CHAMPIONS IN SUCH A

UNIQUELY DIVERSE FAMILY AS THE BOVINES.

THERE ARE JUST AS MANY SMALL SPECIMENS LIVING ALONE, LIKE THE

STEENBOK, AS THERE ARE LARGE ANIMALS LIVING IN GROUPS,

LIKE THE WILDEBEEST.

IN SPECIES LIKE THE WILDEBEEST, BOTH MALES AND FEMALES HAVE

HORNS AND LOOK VERY SIMILAR.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER ANTELOPES WHERE THE DIFFERENTIATION

BETWEEN THE TWO SEXES IS PUSHED TO AN EXTREME,

AS, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE NYALAS.

THE MALE, WHICH IS MUCH BIGGER, HAS AN ALMOST PLAIN DARK COAT,

WHEREAS THE FEMALE'S HAIR IS LIGHTER AND CLEARLY STRIPED.

THE COLOR OF THE COAT AND THE MARKINGS HAVE PRECISE FUNCTIONS,

TO MAKE THE ANIMAL AS INVISIBLE AS POSSIBLE.

ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR THE CAMOUFLAGE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE

GAZELLE CATEGORY IS THE BUSHBUCK, AND HERE'S THE FEMALE

WITH HER LONG EYELASHES THAT PROTECT HER EYES FROM THE LEAVES

AND BRANCHES WHEN SHE'S WANDERING IN THE UNDERGROWTH.

THIS ANTELOPE HAS A VERY SUBTLE COAT.

HER FUR OF ALTERNATING DARKISH TONES IS PUNCTUATED HERE AND

THERE BY A FEW WHITE MARKS AND SPOTS THAT WE CAN ALSO FIND ON

THE BODY AND HEAD OF THE MALE.

THIS RATHER UNREMARKABLE COAT HAS A MIRACULOUS EFFECT IN THE

UNDERGROWTH, WHERE THE FUR OF THE BUSHBUCK MELDS WITH THE

LIGHT AND SHADE OF THE FOLIAGE.

WHEN THE WIND IS FAVORABLE FOR THE GAZELLE, EVEN LIONS AND

HYENAS HAVE BEEN SEEN TO PASS WITHIN 30 FEET OF A MOTIONLESS

ANIMAL WITHOUT NOTICING IT.

THE ABILITY TO ESCAPE FROM PREDATORS IS ONE OF THE FACTORS

NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH A HIERARCHY IN THE GREAT

FAMILY OF GAZELLES.

BUT WE ARE MORE LIKELY TO REMEMBER THE SIZE OF THE HORNS.

THE REDUNCA HORNS ARE ABOUT A FOOT LONG, A RESPECTABLE SIZE,

BUT THAT'S NOTHING IN COMPARISON WITH THOSE OF ITS COUSIN, THE

WATERBUCK, WHICH GROW TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT SIZE.

THE ABSOLUTE RECORD GOES TO THIS ANTELOPE, THE GREATER KUDU.

ONLY THE MALE HAS HORNS.

WHEN YOUNG, ITS HORNS ARE SMALL AND STRAIGHT, BUT THEY

GROW INTO SPIRALS.

THEY WILL REACH THEIR MAXIMUM SIZE WHEN THE ANIMAL IS SIX

YEARS OLD AND IS ABLE TO REPRODUCE.

AT THAT POINT, THERE WILL BE UP TO THREE SPIRALS FOR AN AVERAGE

LENGTH OF ABOUT FOUR FEET.

THE RECORD IS JUST UNDER SIX FEET.

AS THEY GROW, THE HORNS GRADUALLY BRING ABOUT THE

ESTABLISHMENT OF A HIERARCHY AMONG YOUNG RIVAL MALES.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE MORE THEY GROW, THE MORE VULNERABLE

THE KUDU BECOMES.

THEIR SIZE AND WEIGHT BECOME A TERRIBLE HANDICAP, SLOWING DOWN

THE MALES IF THEY ARE CHASED BY A PREDATOR.

IN FACT, THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A FEMALE KUDU IS 14 YEARS,

ALMOST DOUBLE THAT OF MALES.

IN THE SAVANNAH, THE TITLE OF CHAMPION IS ALWAYS

VERY RELATIVE.

IT'S OFTEN IN RELATION TO THE GROUP.

WHAT IS MOST OFTEN AT STAKE IS ACCESS TO THE FEMALES.

THE IMPALA HAS TO FACE A LOT OF CONFLICTS FOR A HIERARCHY TO

BECOME CLEAR.

THE CANDIDATES FOR THE TITLE OF LEADER OF THE HERD CONFRONT EACH

OTHER IN SINGLE COMBAT.

IT'S A KNOCKOUT COMPETITION.

THEIR IMPRESSIVE HORNS ARE NO MERE ORNAMENTS, BUT A DECIDING

FACTOR IN WHO WILL BE CROWNED CHAMPION AND

RULE THEIR DOMAIN.

WHETHER FOR THEIR HEIGHT, THEIR HELPFULNESS, OR THEIR HORNS, THE

WILD ANIMALS WE WITNESSED TODAY ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

THEIR INDIVIDUAL ATTRIBUTES HAVE TRULY MADE THEM ICONS.

THANK YOU FOR COMING ALONG ON TODAY'S ADVENTURE INTO THE WILD.

I HOPE TO SEE YOU FOR THE NEXT ONE ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC]