Original subtitles

[narrator] Our most extraordinary forests...

stand on the shoulders...

of giants!

♪ ♪

In these exposed worlds, where the air is thin

and the conditions hostile,

only the strongest and most resilient

can make a mountain home.

From extreme altitude monkeys battling for a winter stash,

to canopies that catch the clouds.

[monkey whooping]

A love song that sustains a forest

and fire-loving trees.

Together, they build a Kingdom in the Clouds.

Take a journey

through our planet's kaleidoscope of forests realms.

From the frozen boreal in the north,

to the tropical jungles that hug our equator.

From mountain peaks...

to the ocean depths.

Marvel at the magic...

and drama...

that unfolds...

as we reveal...

the Secrets of the Enchanted Forests.

♪ ♪

Amongst the snowy peaks of South West China,

a high altitude forest kingdom

is raided for its secret source of winter food.

♪ ♪

An icy grip takes hold

in some of the country's last native forests.

In ancient lore, these mountains were considered sacred.

A gateway, between heaven and earth.

In this extreme habitat,

only gods can thrive.

Golden gods.

Snub nosed monkeys with their gold fleece,

blue face and curious nose,

This is their kingdom.

Their unique appearance, is the secret to their survival.

Their thick fleece keeps them insulated

and an almost non-existent nose helps avoid frostbite.

They even have in-built fluffy gloves!

[monkey squeaking]

These monkeys, live at an altitude of over 13,000 feet.

In the depths of winter,

meals of fruit or soft leaves are long gone.

Most other species have fled down the mountain, to find food

and escape the freeze.

But not the monkeys.

The females and their babies are led by this male,

the head of the family.

The forest has a secret stash of food on offer,

and he must lead his family to it.

The trees here help filter the air, making it clean and pure.

The perfect conditions for one reliable food source.

Lichen.

A mix of both fungi and algae

growing on tall, well established trees.

And luckily for these monkeys, it grows all year round.

It's hardly fulfilling.

But every bite is precious.

[monkey munching]

♪ ♪

An intruder...

with his own family to feed...

on a lone scouting mission, in search of lichen.

[monkey squawking]

The head of the family must fight alone.

♪ ♪

[monkeys growling]

If he loses this battle,

he will be forced to surrender his territory.

And the food within it.

[monkeys growling]

Finally, the intruder retreats.

[monkey squeaking]

The king, has held on to his prize lichen patch.

At night, temperatures drop, and it's time to huddle.

The little ones, are cocooned in furry "sleep clusters"...

a cozy cradle.

The family's survival, in these high altitude worlds,

depends on a deep knowledge of the forest.

To find its hidden stash of food.

And with a determined monkey king to defend it,

this family will make it through another winter.

Further down the mountain,

one lone forest guardian uses ancient wisdom,

passed down through generations,

to keep the balance of yin and yang in his forest home.

The Red Panda.

For aeons, his ancestors have lived in these Chinese forests.

And now, this firecat, as they are known,

is the guardian of his very own

two and a half kilometre square patch.

It can be hard to throw off a fluffy tail blanket

on a chilly morning,

but this panda has a very important job to do.

First things first...

forest patrol.

As he checks his territory boundaries

he marks out an invisible cordon,

using scent glands between his foot pads.

This aromatic trail, is packed with information

about its owner,

letting the other forest residents know

whose territory they dare enter.

And in return, he can use his own keen sense of smell,

to keep track of what's been going on inside his patch.

A clouded leopard passed through here yesterday...

This tree is preparing to fruit...

A lady fire cat slept here last week,

but alas she has not returned.

And, no trace of any male trespassers.

But in this forest, lives another menace.

[narrator] Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world,

growing up to three feet a day!

Like the giant panda, the red panda also eats bamboo.

But he prefers the very tips of the leaves

to the fibrous stalks.

He eats a lot - around 10,000 leaves a day.

Red pandas need a unique mixture, of tall canopy trees

as a refuge from predators

and an understory of bamboo to feed on.

Slow and steady,

he maintains the harmony between the bamboo and the tall trees.

But, his world is changing.

Despite his daily efforts, his forest range is shrinking.

He is confined to a section of mountain

currently perfectly suited to his needs.

But as human activity increases,

the bamboo and tall trees he depends on are disappearing.

He is unable to adapt to any future changes to his forest.

But with space and protection,

this forest guardian will be able to care

for what he has left...

A diverse mountain forest home.

In just a few special places on earth,

a tropical rainforest combines with high altitude,

giving rise to a truly enchanted realm.

This, is a cloud forest.

♪ ♪

The real alchemy, lies in its ability to conjure water

"out of thin air".

These trees are the host to unique lodgers...

Epiphytes.

With almost 100% humidity,

everything these plants need

can be extracted from the air around them,

so they never need to touch the ground.

Every nook or cranny can be filled.

Creating "hanging gardens" in the canopy.

In return, these plants provide pockets of shelter,

creating tiny eco-systems in the canopy,

home to many creatures found nowhere else on the planet.

By overcoming the need to be anchored to the ground,

these plants have found their perfect spot,

up here in this enigmatic world within the clouds.

Epiphytes aren't the only plants rooted in unconventional places.

The trees of Northern Madagascar,

have formed an alliance with a barefoot brigade,

allowing them to grow where none should.

This is Ankarana.

What began as a limestone plateau 150 million years ago,

has been sculpted by monsoonal rains

into jagged teeth

and scar-like fissures.

With bare rock and no soil,

this is an unlikely place for a forest to grow.

And yet, there are trees!

But, they didn't grow here by chance.

They were planted.

These rock formations are called "tsingi",

meaning "where one cannot walk barefoot."

True for most, but for not all.

For these crowned lemurs,

navigating the tsingi is a way of life.

They tiptoe across the spines with padded hands and feet,

undeterred by the needle like points and perilous drops.

Despite its rugged appearance,

the lemurs come to this special place

to forage from the fruiting trees

that make the rocks their home.

As they move around the tsingi,

they deposit seeds in the nooks.

Where they germinate

and begin to grow.

Over many years, their roots erode the limestone,

breaking through the rocks

and into caves below.

Eventually finding, a hidden treasure.

But a tree needs more than just water to grow.

Without soil, it needs another source of nutrients.

[narrator] Thousands of bats that roost in the caves,

leave piles of their droppings, known as guano,

a fertilizing gift for the trees.

As the rocks become weaker, the cave ceilings collapse.

Bringing the final ingredient - a kiss of sunlight -

to supercharge the saplings below.

♪ ♪

Generations later,

the forest the Lemurs helped plant, now sustains them.

As long as these groundbreaking trees keep producing fruit,

the crowned lemurs will continue planting a forest

within the rocks.

Every tree needs help, to spread its seeds.

Some use the natural elements

to send their offspring to conquer new lands.

Others jettison their cargo into the world.

But in a mountain forest, many of the plant species here

rely on wildlife to do the job for them.

And to attract the best seed dispersers,

the trees have to sweeten the deal.

So they package their seeds within a tasty fruit.

Like brightly colored beacons,

they stand out amongst the foliage.

And its succulent flesh keeps customers coming back for more.

Some seeds are designed to pass through the gut unharmed,

while others even need digestive fluids

to kickstart their germination.

And as these creatures traverse the forest,

they eventually deposit the seeds

in a ready made package of fertilizer.

For a tree that is anchored to one spot,

it is a clever and necessary way

to give their progeny the best possible start in life.

As far away from their parent, as possible.

But on the side of a mountain where nourishment is scarce,

it takes a huge amount of effort for the tree to produce a fruit.

So the forest here, must go the extra mile,

to provide the perfect home for their seed spreaders.

In one mountain forest, the trees work together,

pulling out all the stops to create the ideal backdrop

for a love story that will secure their future.

In the mountains of Laos, lies a goldilocks realm,

where there is just the right amount of soil, rain, sunlight

and nutrients for these trees to fruit.

But up here,

the fruit is smaller than it would be at sea level.

So the forest needs to find a way

to keep its resident dispersers happy.

[gibbons calling]

A family of Lar Gibbons.

The trees here, have created a perfect world for them

in the canopy.

♪ ♪

What might just look like a branch, is a perfect bed.

[gibbons squeaking]

And these aren't just treetops,

they are a playground for energetic youngsters

learning the ropes.

♪ ♪

And for the grown ups, too.

Gibbon means "forest walker",

but their preferred way of moving about

is far more impressive.

With arms longer than their legs and double jointed shoulders,

the gibbon is the true King of the Swingers.

The trees grow their fruit right at the end of the branches

to soak up every ray of sunshine

so they need expert contortionists to reach them.

Gibbons, are the most effective seed dispersers

for their body size.

To keep the forest healthy, and even expanding,

the trees need as many gibbons as the troop can provide.

And so the trees set the stage for the finale -

a rather public display of affection.

Everyday around noon,

this couple moves to adjacent trees

[gibbon singing]

and sing to one another.

[gibbon singing]

As if in celebration of the forest

that constantly provides for them,

the gibbons' songs also strengthen their bond.

[gibbons singing]

This pair will stay together for life,

raising a family in the canopy.

[gibbons singing]

Serenading complete,

it's time to find more fruit.

A mountain forest that uses every ounce of energy

to produce their fruit,

wants the highest success rate for their seeds possible.

It's a tale of evolution at its finest.

The gibbons have discovered ways to exploit the trees

and in turn,

they have found the best ways to serve them!

Spreading more fruit,

they are ensuring a lasting legacy for both

the forest and their family.

When surrounded by some of the most impressive trees

in the world,

one species is forced to raise a stink in order to get noticed.

[narrator] This, is the land of titans.

♪ ♪

In the cool and temperate rainforests of Australia,

lives the Mountain Ash.

In this place, where there is plenty of sunlight and water,

these trees have grown into giants.

Growing up to 3 feet a year,

they are the tallest flowering tree in the world.

♪ ♪

At nearly 330 feet tall,

these attention grabbers have a tendency

to leave smaller trees in the shadows.

So some trees have had to come up with a different strategy

to get noticed.

Banksia trees are tiny compared to the Mountain Ash

and even with their show of flowers,

they struggle to attract the best pollinators.

But as the sun sets and the giants sleep,

the banksia tree switches tactics.

Time to lure in the pollinating big guns.

A sugar glider.

It's after dark, that the family come out to forage.

The possum's huge eyes help them spot insects in the dark.

A perfect meal.

But this possum wants to skip dinner

and go straight to dessert.

Their love of sugary treats

is what the banksia tree is banking on.

At night, the banksia goes into overdrive,

flooding its flowers with a higher concentration of nectar.

And the aroma of this extra sweet midnight snack

draws the possum in.

Just out of reach.

But the sugar gliders have found an ingenious way to navigate.

They parachute up to 150 feet using a fluffy wingsuit,

helping them reach the furthest branches.

But, he's been beaten to it...

by another sweet toothed possum.

With their pointed snouts and long tongues,

it appears both blossom and possum

may have co-evolved to meet each other's needs.

More banksia pollen gets spread at these nocturnal forays

than any other time of day.

These tiny night foraging marsupials,

and their love of sugary treats,

are helping to maintain the diversity

of this ancient forest.

The Great Dividing range

is the mountain home to the most prolific tree in Australia.

The eucalyptus.

The perfect spot for another iconic Australian resident.

The koala and eucalyptus co-evolved

over hundreds of thousands of years.

These trees contain everything the koalas need.

Shelter,

safety and food.

They even offer a cooling trunk to hug in the hottest weather.

But, they are far from nurturing.

♪ ♪

In fact, they want to stop the koala from eating their leaves,

by trying to kill them.

[narrator] These leaves are toxic.

Just a tablespoon of eucalyptus oil can kill a human.

But Koalas, eat over 2 pounds of eucalyptus leaves, every day.

Living in the mountains

dominated by this one species of tree,

the koala has had to physically adapt in order to survive

and foil the eucalypts' plan.

They have evolved special liver enzymes

and gut bacteria to digest the toxins.

But all this has taken its toll on their body.

With a complex digestive system to run,

compromises had to be made.

This poor diet made the koala sleepy -

conserving energy by dozing for up to 20 hours a day.

He is all "gut feelings".

So when an intruder enters his territory,

there is only one way he can think of to deal with it.

[koala growling]

The tree top tussle starts out heated

but, with energy levels quickly depleting,

neither has the stomach for a long fight.

[koalas shrieking]

The koala is not a case of evolution working backwards -

quite the opposite.

It shows an animal efficiently adapting to the forest.

In a relationship that is literally toxic,

a tough gut is important.

A forest can cloak a mountain in swathes of green,

but that is not the only color in its palette.

♪ ♪

This ancient mountain range in South East Australia,

is ten times older than the grand canyon.

And is populated almost entirely, by eucalypt trees.

But life under the relentless southern sun, is tough.

Hard leathery foliage filled with oil

keeps the leaves from drying out.

Tiny droplets of this oil disperse,

catching the sunlight and tinting the air blue.

Giving the famous Blue Mountains their name.

Eucalyptus oil can paint the air

But its real purpose is part of a radical strategy for success:

eliminating their competition

All it takes is a spark.

[fire crackling]

Eucalypts are pyromaniacs.

They love fire.

The oil in the leaves is flammable

and by timing leaf drops with the fire season,

the trees add more tinder to the furnace.

♪ ♪

Strips of bark invite the fire into the canopy.

Carried by the wind,

the embers can ignite more fires up to 25 miles away,

Open crowns generate updraft, driving the inferno further.

Until everything green is gone.

But for some, this baptism of fire... brings life!

With the ground now clear, the banksias' seed pod,

sealed with resin, melts,

releasing seeds into a fertile bed of ash.

The eucalypts' trunks, protected from the fire,

now regenerate with a surge of new growth.

With most of their competitors reduced to ash,

they can once again ensure their rule.

It will take time for the forest to recuperate

and restore itself to its former glory.

And it's all hands on deck.

Emerging from his underground shelter,

this echidna slept as the inferno raged above him.

Now the soil is cool enough,

he has awoken from his state of torpor

to start work as part of the forest regeneration team.

As he looks for food, he tills the ground,

spreading nutrient rich ash,

burying newly released seeds and shifting burnt leaves.

In the aftermath, he and his fellow "spiny anteaters"

go about their business,

helping kickstart the recovery of the forest.

This fire warden, is more in the fire prevention line of work.

The superb lyrebird

is best known for her impressive mimicry skills,

impersonating anything from a kookaburra...

[Impersonated kookaburra chirping]

to a chainsaw.

[Impersonated chainsaw buzzing]

With feet like garden rakes,

she sifts through the leaf litter looking for food.

Shredding leaves and clearing the ground,

she speeds up the decomposition process

and creates natural firebreaks.

The Lyrebird, reduces the amount of dead leaves

that act as fuel by a massive 25% each year.

Fire, is part of the eucalypts master plan

for gaining the upper hand.

But Australia's climate is becoming hotter and drier,

and the wildfires more frequent and intense.

This fragile ecosystem needs time to recover

between the burns,

so the trees and their inhabitants

can continue to thrive.

Life at the top of the world is extreme,

But with a toolkit of adaptations,

a touch of magic,

and a little help from some friends,

forests, and the animals that call them home,

can conquer the mountains.