All language subtitles for Animal.Empires.S01E01.Family.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RCVR Eng

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NARRATOR: High up above
the Mediterranean Sea,

newborn monkeys
prepare to patrol

the Rock of Gibraltar.

Across the Atlantic,

flamboyant flamingos
forage to feed their flock.

And a single-mother
manatee

trains her young

in the ways
of the wild.

Bound together
by a common goal,

Fighting
for their future.

For these animals,

family life
is the key to survival.

Inside the different
realms of the Wild Kingdom,

members of a single species
assemble in droves,

And one flock,

herd,

or troop

reigns supreme.

These are
the world's great

At the southern tip
of Europe,

the Rock of Gibraltar

stands guard
at the gateway

between
the Atlantic Ocean

and
the Mediterranean Sea.

This is one of
the Pillars of Hercules,

the end of the known world
in Greek mythology.

The British flag
now flies

above this strategically
valuable post.

And modern myth says
it will stay here,

as long as Gibraltar's
wild monkeys,

remain rulers of the Rock.

Currently,
there are just over

200 Barbary macaques

living amongst
the 30,000 residents

of the small, densely populated
city of Gibraltar.

Hundreds of tourists also
flock to the Rock every day.

The hustle and
bustle of the city

is a part of life
for the macaques

But make no mistake,

these are
wild monkeys.

In fact, they are the only
non-human primates

that live
wild in Europe

The empire of the
Barbary macaques

is scattered across

northern Africa,

once known as

the Barbary Coast,

and here in Gibraltar.

In 2009 the species
was declared endangered.

Deforestation has decimated
the Atlas Mountains

of Algeria
and Morocco,

which was once home
to three quarters

of the Barbary
macaque population.

So while Gibraltar's
stronghold is thriving,

it may also be the last hope
for the Barbary macaques.

If this animal empire
is to rise again,

it must have a well-established
succession plan.

Macaques form
social groups

of 10-100 individuals
called troops.

While hierarchy among females
is based on birthright,

male members of the troop
must fight for their rank.

Two competing males
joust with each other

to establish
dominance.

The fight draws a crowd.

Potential allies
pick sides

hoping to be part of
the winning coalition.

As is often the case,
the elder emerges the winner.

It's not uncommon for
these sparring matches

to leave lasting scars.

But it's well
worth it.

To the victor
goes the spoils.

Evidence suggests
it's the macaque female

who chooses
her mate.

And chances are,
she'll pick the winning male.

But Barbary macaques
are a promiscuous bunch.

After partnering with
the dominant male,

females will mate with
others in the troop.

This increases
the odds of conception.

It also means there's no way
to know who the father is.

In a busy city
like Gibraltar,

this could
pose a problem.

A baby monkey
is vulnerable.

Danger lurks around
every corner.

Someone will have to
help protect

the heir
to the empire.

To the west,
across the Atlantic,

the Caribbean Sea rests between
the coasts of two continents

This is the breeding ground
of the American flamingo,

also known as
the Caribbean flamingo.

These are the only flamingos
found in North America.

At least, the only
real flamingos.

It was artist
Don Featherstone in 1957

who created
the now infamous

pink plastic
lawn ornaments.

Fake fowl folk art is
an icon of American kitsch

that is celebrated
to this day

and a popular prank
on 40th birthdays.

From cave drawings
to Alice's croquet mallets,

this colorful character
has been making an appearance

in artwork and stories
for centuries.

In the natural world,

the American flamingo
is currently thriving.

But that may not
last long.

Other flamingo species
in the western hemisphere,

like the Chilean and Andean
flamingos, are in decline.

Current trends suggest
the American flamingo

may face
the same fate.

If they are to avoid
the fall of their empire,

flamingo families must
ensure their bloodlines.

And that means

relying on a heavily
coordinated mating ritual.

The American flamingo lives
throughout the Caribbean,

and from South Florida
in the north

to Venezuela
in the south.

Each year,
thousands travel

from the mainland
of Venezuela

to the island of Bonaire,
to breed.

In Pekelmeer, on the southern
tip of the island,

is the largest natural
flamingo sanctuary

in the western
hemisphere.

It's an ideal habitat
for these aquatic birds.

"Pekel" is Dutch for
salt water,

and "meer"
means lake.

The shallow water
is home to algae, insects

and the meal of choice
for flamingos,

shellfish.

This is the source
of their signature look.

These crustaceans contain large
amounts of beta carotene,

just like carrots.

And it's beta carotene
that makes flamingos pink.

These birds seem proud
of their pink plumage.

Flamingos spend about a quarter
of their time preening,

nearly twice as much
as other waterfowl.

When birds preen,

they gather oil from a gland
at the base of their tail.

They then redistribute the oil
to the rest of their bodies.

It keeps the bird's feathers
in tip-top shape.

Here on Bonaire's
breeding grounds,

looking good
is especially important.

In addition to keeping
them warm and dry,

well-preened plumage
helps attract a partner.

Like many other species,

these birds
compete for a mate.

But this isn't
a show of strength,

it's more like
a dance competition.

All at once,
groups of tens

or even hundreds
within the colony

will begin an elaborate
series of movements,

all with the goal
of attracting a mate.

And the flamboyant
flamingos

have some
fancy dance moves.

They start
with a head flag,

stretching their necks
and heads high,

bill pointing up,
and moving their heads

from side to side.

They then lift their wing
in a salute

to show off
their plumage.

And finally,
the twist preen.

Each bird twists it's head
back and quickly preens.

But, unlike the macaques
of Gibraltar,

a flamingo couple
will usually mate for life.

All the more reason
for this single adult female

to be picky
in choosing her partner.

Finally,
the dance ends

and cupid's arrow
finds its mark.

A female calls out
to her chosen mate,

Then starts walking away
from the group,

making herself
available.

She stops, lowers her head
and spreads her wings.

It's an invitation
for the male to mount.

It's a complex
operation.

Made no easier
by the fact

that it all takes place
in the water.

For this couple,
it's just the first

of many
challenging steps

in starting
a flamingo family.

They must now
build a nest

big and strong enough
to resist flooding

and changes
in temperature.

The bond between these
partners may be unbreakable,

but the fragile egg
they hope to produce, is not.

1,200 miles
northeast from Bonaire,

the coast of Florida is a much
sought after winter escape.

And not just for humans.

When the temperature drops
in December,

manatees begin to move
from the cold open ocean

to the warmer inland waters
along the coast.

Manatees are large
marine mammals

that belong to
the order Sirenia.

Sirenia is from the Latin
"siren", or mermaid.

The myth of
a part-woman,

part-fish
has existed

as long as there
have been seafarers.

Christopher Columbus
himself wrote

of the "female forms that rose
high out of the sea".

Historians believe this
is the first written record

of a manatee sighting
in these waters.

Similar to flamingos,
West Indian manatees

range from the southeastern
United States

to the northern coast
of South America.

Manatees are
slow moving

and have
a low metabolic rate.

This leaves them
vulnerable in the cold.

Exposure to
water temperatures

below 70 degrees
Fahrenheit

can lead to a condition called
"cold stress syndrome"

and even death.

So, like the snowbirds
that make

the annual migration
south for the winter,

these manatees
head for warmer climes.

One popular destination

is Sanibel Island,

off the coast
of Fort Myers, Florida.

Its warm water springs,
lagoons and bayous

offer ideal habitats
to find a mate.

But that habitat
is shrinking.

And so too is
the manatee population.

It's estimated that
there are fewer than

6,500 manatees
in Florida,

few enough to be
considered endangered.

Because females
give birth

only once
every two years,

every chance to breed
is crucial

to sustaining
their empire.

In one of Sanibel Island's
warm water springs,

a female
lays in wait.

She has the full attention
of multiple male suitors.

A dozen bulls
follow her,

forming
a mating herd.

Within the herd,
these males compete

to become
the first to mate.

Like the macaques,

more than one
will have a chance

at fathering her calf.

It's a matter of
playing the odds.

For this female to have the best
possible chance at conception,

she will mate with multiple
members of the herd.

Three weeks later,

the males disperse.

Their part in the breeding
process is complete.

And it's been
a success.

This female
is now pregnant.

Her pregnancy will last
a whole year.

During this time,
the mother manatee

and her unborn calf
are vulnerable.

When these big mammals
break the surface to breathe

they're an unwitting target
for the hull or prop of a boat.

Most of Florida's
manatees

bear distinctive scars
to prove it.

Locals say that not a single
manatee has gone unscathed.

This potential
new manatee mother

must be cautious
and careful

if she's to survive
long enough

to deliver the newborn
now growing inside her.

High up on
the Rock of Gibraltar,

six months have passed

and a new member
has joined the troop.

Like other primates,

the baby macaque sticks close
to its mom at first,

feeding on her milk.

Though sometimes
mistaken as apes,

macaques are
in fact, monkeys.

The difference
is in the tail.

Most monkeys
have them.

Ape's don't.

Though it doesn't
look like it,

macaque's
do have a tail,

it's just
really small.

A fully-grown
macaque's tail

is only between 1/8 and
3/4 of an inch long.

And there is another
extraordinary quality

that makes the Barbary
macaques unusual.

Males play an active role
in parenting.

It's uncommon
among primates.

Especially when
paternity is uncertain.

Since it's near impossible
to know who the father is,

it would be easy enough
for any mating male

to be a deadbeat dad.

Instead,
they all pitch in.

Perhaps because of
this uncertainty,

all male Barbary
macaques in a troop

are integral to raising
all the infants.

It's a form of what scientists
call "alloparenting",

when individuals other than
the biological parents

act in a parental role.

For the Barbary
macaques,

it really does take a village
to raise a family.

Just months ago,

these male macaques
waged war

for the affection
of a female.

But when it comes
to child care,

they must put aside
their differences

and help train and protect
the troop's new recruits.

It's a challenging
responsibility.

After a few months,

the young macaque is eager
to roam the slope

and explore the empire
it will one day inherit.

Now weaned
from its mother,

it must find food
on its own.

But Gibraltar
is a busy post.

The roads of
the Rock are dangerous,

especially
for a hungry,

and curious,
little monkey.

On the Caribbean island
of Bonaire,

when it comes
to nesting,

birds of a feather
truly flock together.

The expecting flamingo parents
join other couples,

all nesting together at
the same time, once a year.

The success of
this animal empire

is based on the colony's chicks
all hatching in sync.

This makes it easier
to provide for the newborns.

a responsibility that,
like the Barbary macaques,

is shared by all the adults
of the flock.

To get ready for laying
and hatching,

both the male and female
help build the nest

out of mounds of
mud, stone,

straw and feathers.

Construction takes
about six weeks.

The flamingos use their bills
to make the mound

by bringing the mud
and other materials

towards their feet.

If they build it right,

it will stand about
12 to 18 inches tall

and will be shaped
like a volcano.

On top they make a shallow
well for the egg.

The mound helps keep the egg
at a constant temperature

It also keeps it out of
ground level flooding.

The nest has to be built
well enough to hold the egg

and mom and dad,
for at least a month.

Once the nest is complete,
mother flamingo lays her egg.

Flamingos usually
lay one large egg.

It's shaped the same
as a chicken egg,

but weighs two to
three times as much.

Both parents help with
incubation while they wait.

And after
just under a month,

the egg hatches

Both mother and
father are there

when the chick
emerges from its shell.

They stand over
and gently preen

and nibble the newborn.

At first, the chick
can only move

by pushing its wings
and lifting its head.

As the hours
and days pass,

it grows stronger
and begins to walk.

Its red bill and
plump, swollen legs

turn black
after a week or so.

After ten days,

the new chick
is ready to join a creche,

it's a kind of
flamingo daycare

where chicks are watched
by a group of adults.

There's still
a long way to go

before he is ready
to leave the nest for good.

He must learn
to feed on his own.

And with human civilization
expanding nearby,

Bonaire's once bountiful banquet
is depleting.

There's simply not enough
grub to go around.

With thousands
of mouths to feed,

the newest members
of this empire

will need to learn
to fight for food,

or flee, if they are going
to survive.

The inland waters of
Florida's Sanibel Island

are calm and quiet.

It's been a year

since the manatee
mating herd dispersed.

The pregnant female has managed
to stay safe and secure

in the warm shallow
waters of the mangroves.

And she's now
the proud mother

of a new baby calf.

Like most
manatee births,

her newborn
is a single calf

just over
three feet long

and weighing between
55 and 65 pounds.

Within minutes
of birth,

the precocious
newborn manatee calf

is able to swim.

Like all mammals,
manatees need air to breathe.

They hold their
breath underwater

while closing the flaps
on their nostrils.

They can stay submerged
for as long as 20 minutes.

But they'll usually
go to the surface

every five minutes
to breathe.

And while the newborn can swim
to the surface on his own,

he needs a bit
of encouragement.

An attentive mother
is right alongside

to make sure
her baby

does as
nature intended.

The calf begins to feed
within a few hours after birth,

nursing from teats located
behind his mother's flippers.

During nursing, the mother
and calf bond is strong.

West Indian manatees

can grow as large as
13 feet long

and weigh
1,200 pounds,

about as much
as a grand piano.

Manatees are sometimes
called sea cows.

And, given
their size and shape,

it's easy
to see why.

Their closest relative
is in fact

a four-legged
land animal,

but it's not
the cow.

It's the elephant.

There's an unusual twist
in this family tree,

it's thought that manatees
evolved from a land mammal

and moved
to the sea,

the opposite of
the usual evolution story

that tells of animals
leaving the water for land.

Now, millions
of years later,

manatees have adapted
to life in the sea.

Unlike macaques
and flamingos,

by the time this newborn manatee
takes his first breath,

his father
will be long gone.

Mom will be the sole parent
for the crucial first years

of this vulnerable
infant's life.

The young manatee stays close
to his mother's side

at all times.

While adults typically
swim in single file,

the calf will always travel
parallel to his mother

Sticking close
means mother and calf

can stay in constant
communication.

Manatees are relatively
quiet creatures.

But they can emit
a wide range of sounds.

Mother and calf are
especially talkative,

the calf cries out
when it's hungry

or gets separated.

This dependency will continue
for as long as two years.

During this time, mother
manatee will serve as teacher.

The young manatee
is an attentive student.

And he must be.

There's lots to learn,
about migration routes,

rest areas,
and especially,

how to find food.

These mammals are herbivores
and eat a variety of plants.

Mother manatee
will eat

15% of her body weight
every day.

The newborn must learn to find
enough food on his own,

if he's to make it
past his second birthday.

And foraging for food
pushes the young manatee

further into Florida's
busy waterways,

and into the path
of potential danger.

Putting food
on the table

is a fundamental part
of any family life.

Once infants have
been weaned,

they have to learn how
to forage on their own.

A young Barbary macaque
takes its lead

from the troop's
senior supervisors,

searching the slopes
of the Rock of Gibraltar

for a meal.

The diet of
most macaques

consists of a mixture
of plants and insects

like snails, worms,
and spiders.

The Gibraltar monkeys
have an advantage

over their African
and Asian kin.

They're a popular
tourist attraction.

And despite rules
against feeding,

they get,
and often take,

their fair share
of handouts.

Hand feeding often
encourages good monkeys

to behave badly.

Local officials
have taken measures

to control
the feeding.

They offer grains of barley
and chopped up vegetables

to keep the monkeys happy,
and occupied.

It's a healthier alternative
to human leftovers

that can cause tooth decay
and disease.

But it's a less than
ideal solution

to a serious problem.

Any helping hand
from humans

puts the monkeys
at risk.

On the Rock of Gibraltar,

natural predators like dogs
and birds are scarce.

Cars and trucks,
however, are not.

A sentinel watches from above
as other members

of the troop
scavenge for food.

Suddenly, he appears
agitated,

scratching and
moving sporadically.

He senses danger,

and calls out to
the rest of the troop.

It's a very
specific call.

Pitch and loudness vary
based on the caller

and who he's calling.

Barbary macaques can tell
the difference between calls

by members
of their own troop

from those
in other groups.

They even have different calls
for different threats.

It's an essential skill
for the society to survive.

Thanks to
the warning signal,

the foraging party is able
to move out of harm's way.

As the sun sets
over the Mediterranean,

the Barbary macaques
seek shelter in the trees

along the slopes of
the Rock of Gibraltar.

The juvenile monkeys
are now safe and secure

in the company
of the troop.

To relieve the stress
of a dramatic day,

they relax
by grooming.

Though it sometimes
results in a snack,

the main function
of grooming

seems to be
to soothe the nerves.

Scientists believe
that it's the groomer,

not the groomed,
that benefits the most.

And as they have
for the last few months,

male adults play
a leading role in ensuring

the juveniles have
a chance to unwind.

In just
a few more years,

when they reach
the age of four or five,

the juveniles will be ready
to start their own families.

And they too will have
to help their young

navigate the streets
of Gibraltar.

For the last
six centuries,

macaques and humans have
managed to live together

in these tight quarters.

Both must follow
the rules of the Rock

if they're to continue
to co-exist

for the centuries
to come.

It's not just mammals
like monkeys and manatees

that provide milk
to their newborns.

When young
flamingos are born,

both mother and father
produce a liquid food

in a pouch in their throat
called a crop.

They regurgitate
this flamingo milk

to the young.

It's also,
the color red.

While the baby is grey
or white at birth,

the pigment
from the flamingo milk

will turn it pink
after a year or so.

Then, he's on his own.

Once the young flamingo's
beak is developed,

he must learn
how to use it.

A flamingo's beak
is custom built

for the job
of filtering food.

The top looks like
an inverted spoon

Inside are hundreds
of horny plates,

similar to certain
baleen whales like humpbacks.

These work like
a filter or sieve.

In shallow water, they use their
long legs like stir sticks,

churning the sediment
on the bottom.

The hungry flamingo
dips its head upside down,

taking a mouthful of
water laden with insects,

tiny crustaceans
and algae.

It then pumps its muscular
tongue like a piston

to drive water
through the filter.

Algae and shellfish now
take the place of the red milk,

providing
the beta carotene

that keeps a flamingo's
feathers pink.

As the chicks grow,

so too
will their appetites.

Flamingos spend about
a third of their time feeding.

Most eat
during the night.

But breeding flamingos
will also eat

during the day.

Producing milk
for their chick

leaves both parents
looking rather pale.

They've lost much of
their pretty pink plumage

and must eat extra helpings
of shellfish

to return to their
former glory.

With growing chicks
and hungry parents,

the demand on food sources
here in Bonaire increases.

And there's not enough to
feed the thousands of beaks.

Both climate change and
encroaching development

are putting a strain
on the wetlands

on which flamingos
depend for food.

And when food
is scarce,

hungry birds
get agitated.

Though they may have
a reputation

as peaceful and
gentle creatures,

when it comes
to food,

these birds
aren't afraid to fight.

It starts with
a show of force.

They expand their plumage
and open their wings,

each competitor
trying to show he or she

is the biggest and
strongest.

If an actual
fight breaks out,

it's called
bill fencing.

A parry and thrust
of necks

and bashing together
of beaks.

Finally, one bird gets tired
and walks away.

But diminishing resources
don't diminish their appetites.

Everyone has to eat.

As a result,
every day,

a few hundred
leave the island

for the coastal waters
of nearby Venezuela,

in search
of more food.

Flamingos may not look like
they were built to fly.

Their legs are longer
than their bodies.

And their necks
are so long

they need nineteen bones
for support.

But they are, in fact,
expert and frequent flyers.

They need
a running take-off

to get their long lean
bodies in the air,

and must continuously
flap their wings.

Once they
take to the skies,

adult flamingos can fly
up to 40 miles per hour.

They need the speed.

Theirs is a daily round
trip commute,

50 miles
from Bonaire

to the mainland
and back again.

By the time the youngsters
reach two and a half months old,

they too are able
to make the flight.

But they're traveling
on a different itinerary.

They will stay on the mainland
for 4 to 5 years,

until they reach
sexual maturity.

Only then
will they return

to the breeding
grounds of Bonaire,

with the hopes that it will
still have enough resources

for them to continue
the life cycle

of their empire.

Manatees spend
approximately

half of their day
sleeping underwater,

They spend the remainder
of their time mostly, eating.

A fully grown
manatee

can consume over
100 pounds of plants.

That means mom
is munching on a meal

for up to
seven hours every day

Now she must teach her calf
how to use his flippers

to "walk"
along the bottom,

to dig for plants and
roots on the sea floor.

When she finds
a plant,

she uses
her flippers

to scoop the vegetation
toward her lips.

A manatee's lips
are split in half,

left and right sides
can move independently

and have seven muscles.

They work
much like the trunk

of their distant relative,
the elephant.

They're called
prehensile lips.

They work
back and forth

in a way that helps them
graze on sea grass

and large leafy plants.

The manatee does not
have front teeth.

Behind the lips,
on the roof of the mouth

are dense, rigid pads
like molars,

used to tear through
and grind plants.

On Sanibel Island,

it may appear as though
the manatees

live a tropical
life of leisure,

relaxing and feasting
in the warm shallow water.

But this
image is deceiving.

Boat strikes
kill an average

of nearly one hundred animals
every year,

Water pollution and
rising sea temperatures

also cause "red tide",

large concentrations
of toxic algae

that kill hundreds
of manatees a year.

It takes females five years,
and males eight,

before they reach
sexual maturity.

Manatees that don't
make it that long,

don't have
a chance to breed.

Conservation efforts
are helping to protect

these docile,
mythical creatures.

But for now,
mother manatee

must trust that her newborn
is well-equipped

to survive
in the wild,

and will live
long enough

to start a family
of his own.

From southern Europe,

to the islands
of the Caribbean,

to the warm waters
of Florida,

the survival of
each of these species

depends on preserving
its lineage.

Macaques, flamingos,
and manatees

all face looming threats
at the hands of

an expanding
human population.

Whether by
working together,

or forced
to go it alone

family life is paramount
to ensuring

the next generation

can adapt to
a changing environment,

and continue
the legacy

of these

of these
Animal Empires.

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