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Australia -
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an island continent
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cast adrift
during the time of the dinosaurs.
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Isolated from the rest of life on land
for millions of years,
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the animals cast away here
are today like none elsewhere.
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This is a land of survivors.
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The jungles of northern Australia -
the oldest on our planet.
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Unchanged for 180 million years.
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The animals and plants here are armed...
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...built to live alongside dinosaurs.
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Now there is just one giant left.
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With claws longer than a velociraptor
and nearly two metres tall...
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...the cassowary rules this forest.
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(BOOMING CALL)
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But the key to its success
is not its stature...
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...it's the male's abilities as a parent.
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This one's chicks are six weeks old,
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and he will raise them by himself.
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Every morsel of food is valuable
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if his chicks are to grow up
tall and strong.
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But in this forest,
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most of the fruit
is too big for the chicks.
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It must be cut up for them.
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There is food to be gathered
throughout their territory...
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...but it's not easy to find.
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He shows them how to cross water.
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But when your legs are only 20cm long,
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a stream like this is very deep.
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One takes the plunge...
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...but for the other,
this is too daunting.
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He turns and goes back the way he came.
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Out of sight and without
his father's protection,
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he's vulnerable.
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Only half of cassowary chicks
make it to adulthood...
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...and for very good reason.
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Australia's prehistoric forests
are still full of predators.
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(CHEEPS)
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Many manage to survive here
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by eating almost anything
that's smaller than they are.
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- He needs to find his father...
- (CHEEPS)
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...and quickly.
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(CHEEPS)
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The male hears his cries and answers...
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...using a special call that carries well
through the thick forest.
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(THROATY CALL)
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And then a glimpse of some reassuring
bright colours.
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Their bonds are stronger than their fears.
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The male will guide and protect his chicks
for another eight months
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before he mates again.
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Australia was once part of
the vast supercontinent of Gondwanaland...
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- (THUNDER RUMBLES)
- ...covered in forest and full of life.
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Dinosaurs dominated.
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Mammals had only just appeared.
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Then Australia began to break away.
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Cast adrift on this new island were
reptiles, birds and early mammals
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that then evolved in isolation
from the rest of the world.
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None could now leave this giant island,
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and very few could get here...
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...unless they could fly.
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A little red flying fox.
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Their ancestors flew here,
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travelling along the chain
of volcanic islands
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that links Asia to Australia.
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But their huge wings, which stretch
from their fingers to their toes,
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make it difficult for them
to walk or take off from the ground,
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so, when they want to rest,
they hang upside down in trees.
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But the bats have to drink every day.
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And they do so on the wing.
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They swoop just low enough
to wet their bellies
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and then, back in their roosts,
they will suck out the water.
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Each evening, 10,000 of them come here.
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Not all of them return.
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- Every two metres of river, there is...
- (BATS SCREECH)
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...a crocodile.
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They were here long before the bats...
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...survivors from
Australia's prehistoric past.
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These dramas have been taking place
for millions of years...
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...aerial agility...
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...versus patience...
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...and deadly speed.
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Australia's forests are hostile places
in which to make your home.
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As you move inland,
the forest thins, the air cools
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and the land, as it gets higher,
changes dramatically.
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(WIND BLOWS)
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The Great Dividing Range,
2,000 metres above the jungle.
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To survive here, you must be able to
tolerate really harsh conditions.
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Kangaroos, like nearly all
of the continent's native mammals,
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are marsupials...
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...mammals that rear their young
usually in a pouch on the mother's belly.
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And the young up here
certainly need such shelter.
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No kangaroos can survive for long
higher than this.
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But there is an even tougher marsupial
up here.
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A wombat.
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She usually shelters underground
in a burrow,
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but now that is under a metre of snow,
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together with all the grass
on which she lives.
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She weighs as much a big dog
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and has the legs of a small one -
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not ideal for deep snow.
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Fragments of bark hardly count
even as a snack...
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...and she's hungry.
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She needs grass.
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But it's over a mile away,
across a frozen river.
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Wombats might not be fast,
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but then they don't need to be up here.
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They can survive on next to nothing.
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A few mouthfuls will be enough food
for over a week.
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And there's not much competition for it
in this small corner of the continent.
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Snowy peaks are hardly typical
of Australia,
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but the Great Dividing Range is a remnant
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of what were once some of
the longest mountain chains on Earth.
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They connected Australia and Antarctica.
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But then these sister continents
broke apart.
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Antarctica, drifting southwards,
became locked in ice.
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Australia drifted northwards
towards the equator
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and became hotter and drier.
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Woodlands developed,
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and in places where rainfall was low -
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open grasslands.
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On these grassy plains,
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animals had the space to thrive.
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These are also eastern grey kangaroos,
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and this is their true home.
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Here, they are well fed and powerful.
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Adults can stand over two metres tall
and travel as fast as a racehorse.
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(BIRD SCREECHES)
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(SCREECHES)
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And on these open plains,
you need speed...
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...because where there are large herds,
there will be predators.
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(DINGO HOWLS)
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Dingoes - descendants of wolves
that were brought here
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over 4,000 years ago
by human visitors from Asia.
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This pack is led by a white female...
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...and they are hunting.
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Creating panic tests the herd.
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Mothers with young in their pouches
might be slower...
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...but they can still outrun a dingo.
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Maybe an ambush will work.
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But even young, newly independent
kangaroos seem uncatchable.
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Across these open, flat plains,
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the dingoes are just not fast enough.
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But what makes the white female
their leader is her stamina
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and, particularly, her intelligence.
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She has run 18 miles today,
but she still doesn't give up.
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A different group of kangaroos,
this time on uneven ground.
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It's what she's been looking for.
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Driving them uphill,
she's struggling to keep up with them.
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And as they hurtle down the other side,
the kangaroos pick up speed.
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They will easily outpace her,
if they stay in control.
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The white dingo has more than one reason
to be so relentless.
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(PUPS WHINE)
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She's a mother.
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This is a rare sight.
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Dingo pups are hardly ever seen.
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With so much effort for just one meal,
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the open plains are tough places
on which to raise young.
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These are gumtrees.
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They have leaves
that are poisonous to most animals.
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But not the koala.
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They eat almost nothing else.
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There are echidnas in these forests, too -
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mammals that don't even have pouches
but lay eggs, like reptiles.
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And there is an assassin here
that has only recently been discovered.
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A Jotus jumping spider.
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She's only 5mm long,
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but, nonetheless,
she's a stealthy and ferocious hunter.
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She searches for prey
among the grass stems.
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She's single-minded
and focused on hunting.
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But today might be different.
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This is something new,
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something fast...
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...and a little trickier.
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But what is it?
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Is it food?
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It's a male Jotus, looking for a mate.
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He needs to catch her attention,
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but female Jotus only mate once.
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If she's mated before, she might kill him.
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He will need to seduce her with care.
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Waving his arms
makes his intentions clear.
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He's a friend, not food.
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No sign of an attack...yet.
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But she doesn't seem
particularly impressed.
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Time to try his best move...
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...the double paddle.
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That surely will do the trick.
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One final wave...
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...and he's tamed her.
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She stays still for just long enough.
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And then he retreats quickly,
before she has second thoughts.
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If you travel still further
towards the centre of Australia,
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the landscape changes yet again.
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Trees and grass disappear.
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The continent, throughout prehistory,
continued to drift north,
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and as it entered the tropics,
it got hotter and hotter.
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Over thousands of years,
the grasslands of the centre dried,
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and lakes and rivers turned dust.
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The rocks have been reduced to sand
by the hot, blasting winds.
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00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,794
Now Australia's centre is one vast desert.
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00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,035
Its immensity is almost impossible
to comprehend.
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This train running north
is a half a mile long.
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Travelling at nearly 50 miles an hour,
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it takes almost three days
to get from one side to another.
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00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:03,236
Australia today is the driest
inhabited continent on Earth.
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Rain hardly ever falls in 70% of it.
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00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,792
From space, the continent is seen
to be stained red by iron oxide -
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rust from its disintegrating rocks.
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00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:33,555
In the surface are lines carved by winds
over millennia.
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00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,554
The very bones of the continent
are now stripped bare...
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...the foundations of what once
were mountains.
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00:27:55,840 --> 00:28:01,074
At its heart stands the
great rock mountain of Uluru...
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00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:09,798
...sacred to the first people
to arrive here 60,000 years ago.
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00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:39,960
There is almost no soil here,
few plants, few animals
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00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,390
and almost no permanent water.
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00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,435
It's a place
where only the toughest can survive.
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00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,151
This is the land of reptiles.
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00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:02,072
Australia has more species of them
than any other continent.
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The perentie, two metres long,
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is the biggest here, and he's thirsty.
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It only rains here once or twice a year.
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00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,033
And when there isn't any rain,
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00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,279
perenties get their water
from eating lizards.
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00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,270
There are several kinds to choose from...
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00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:40,399
...bearded dragons...
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00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:45,871
...blue-tongued skinks...
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...and thorny devils.
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All are on the menu.
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00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,633
The thorny devil also gets its water
from its food.
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00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,957
It's only the size of a mouse,
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but, even so, it must eat hundreds of ants
every day to get what it needs.
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00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,556
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
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00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:26,557
Most storm clouds pass by
without releasing any water.
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00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,437
But just sometimes,
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there's a brief shower.
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Everyone makes the most
of the opportunity.
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It's so hot the droplets will disappear
within minutes.
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00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,280
But the thorny devil has a trick.
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00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,315
He's found a tiny puddle,
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only a few millimetres deep,
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and he dips his toe into it.
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His skin is like blotting paper.
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It collects moisture by capillary action,
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sucking it up along the inter-connecting
grooves until he glistens all over.
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When the water reaches his mouth,
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he can collect it...
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00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:11,195
...while still keeping his head up,
on the lookout for danger.
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00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,351
The perentie is 200 times the size
of a thorny devil.
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00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,553
Tiny puddles and droplets
are of no use to him.
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00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:30,354
What he needs is a juicy lizard.
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That was a bearded dragon
that wasn't quite quick enough.
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00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:09,031
Even the perentie sometimes
gets a chance to quench his thirst.
252
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:22,951
There is one species that has truly
conquered the Australian desert.
253
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,839
They don't wait for water to come to them.
254
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:33,638
They sometimes travel over 300 miles
in a single day to find it.
255
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,919
Australia's hardiest animal...
256
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,638
(CHIRPS)
257
00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:42,637
...the wild budgerigar...
258
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,752
(BUDGIES CHIRP)
259
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,669
...the most accomplished
of all desert nomads.
260
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,679
These have been travelling together
for weeks...
261
00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,240
...and that has evidently caused
a few domestic arguments.
262
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,160
This is truly an immense community.
263
00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,750
There are over 10,000 budgies
in this flock.
264
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,320
Every one of them is thirsty.
265
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,874
But although they've found
this billabong...
266
00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,071
...they must be wary.
267
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,712
A hawk - and one that eats budgies.
268
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:56,394
As long as it remains on the ground,
the budgies will risk taking a drink.
269
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,676
Once it takes to the air, however,
the budgies are in danger.
270
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:26,909
And it's not the only bird of prey here.
271
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:33,277
The budgies have a simple
but very effective defence -
272
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:35,232
they all take to the wing at once.
273
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:43,354
An aerial hunter needs to lock on to
a single target for a few seconds
274
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,312
if it is to catch it,
275
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,398
but in this swirl, that's very hard to do.
276
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:03,999
Flying in a flock keeps the budgies safe,
but they're still desperate to drink.
277
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:15,917
As soon as a particularly brave one
takes the plunge, they all do.
278
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,670
But once on the water,
they are easier to target.
279
00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,278
They must drink quickly
and stick together.
280
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,557
The last ones to leave
will be the ones in most danger.
281
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:27,429
Only one has been taken
from a flock of 10,000.
282
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,518
In a few days,
they will leave the area,
283
00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:41,153
on their never-ending search
284
00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:44,671
for the next brief opportunity
to feed and drink.
285
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,318
As the continent continued to drift north,
286
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,751
it eventually entered warm, tropical seas.
287
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:15,400
And here,
in the crystal-clear, sunlit water,
288
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:18,399
just a metre or two beneath the surface,
289
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:20,591
life proliferated.
290
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:28,474
Coral grows into reefs
in these shallow seas.
291
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,477
This is Ningaloo...
292
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,270
...today one of the richest
anywhere in the world.
293
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:51,237
Thousands of species of fish
and all kinds of other organisms
294
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:54,159
thrive in these coral cities.
295
00:38:55,600 --> 00:39:00,674
And they have attracted
the most ancient of living predators.
296
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,797
Sharks.
297
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:15,598
They were around 200 million years
before the dinosaurs.
298
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:21,359
They're fast and agile,
299
00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:25,030
well able to pick off the small reef fish.
300
00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:30,631
But they come here for bigger rewards.
301
00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,875
These are fish from the open ocean,
302
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,358
and every so often, for some reason,
they swim over the reef.
303
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:58,636
The small fish swirl like the budgies,
and for the same reason.
304
00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:02,958
It makes it harder for a hunter to
single out a particular target.
305
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,394
But, in fact, the sharks aren't trying
to catch them individually.
306
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:23,750
They're driving them closer to the shore,
penning them against the beach.
307
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:33,554
Slowly, the sharks drive
each new wave of fish into shallow water,
308
00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:36,194
and the bait ball grows.
309
00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:48,957
More sharks arrive,
some from many miles away.
310
00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:00,030
And still the sharks don't attack.
311
00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,071
They're waiting...
312
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:05,833
...for the right moment.
313
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,439
Millions of fish are now trapped
in these shallow waters.
314
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:23,433
It only happens like this
once in every decade or so.
315
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:32,839
The time has come to strike.
316
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:48,071
For the sharks, this is a bonanza.
317
00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:52,191
They work together.
318
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,950
Each shark now fills its stomach.
319
00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:08,275
These shallow seas
are exceptionally rich in sharks.
320
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:14,518
There are more species here
than anywhere else on Earth.
321
00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:30,756
Australia is not only fringed
by rich reefs
322
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:36,273
but girdled with islands -
some big, some small.
323
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,320
Off the south coast
lies by far the biggest of them.
324
00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:49,558
Tasmania.
325
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:56,434
And that has its own special marsupial...
326
00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:01,349
...one that seldom appears
until after dark.
327
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,670
The Tasmanian devil.
328
00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:16,514
Many predators inhabit
a territory packed with prey.
329
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,393
But here,
there's nothing like that for them.
330
00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:32,155
Each may travel for miles
night after night,
331
00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:36,592
prepared to eat anything it can find,
dead or alive.
332
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,793
The shoreline is a good place to search.
333
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:53,390
There might be some small creatures
to catch here,
334
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:55,875
or maybe something
that the tide has brought in.
335
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:09,870
The carcass of a wallaby
has been washed ashore.
336
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:22,759
Tasmanian devils can eat
40% of their body weight in one session,
337
00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,554
and they have hugely powerful jaws.
338
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,310
They tackle everything - even bones.
339
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:34,800
Back at the den,
340
00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:37,639
there are other hungry mouths.
341
00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:41,156
(YAWNS)
342
00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:47,479
Her two youngsters are six months old.
343
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:55,071
They still rely on their mother's milk,
but they're feeling peckish!
344
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:02,396
There must be something solid
they could find for themselves
345
00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,238
while they're waiting for a drink.
346
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:13,673
Is this food?
347
00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:16,710
(YELPS)
348
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:21,755
(SNIFFS)
349
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,269
That possum smells tasty...
350
00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:29,149
...but it's a little high up.
351
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:34,114
This looks more promising.
352
00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,755
At last, a giant stick!
353
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:51,677
Not bad for a first go.
354
00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:01,831
Their mother will protect and feed
these youngsters for another three months.
355
00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:08,636
Their survival is important to her,
but also for us...
356
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:14,317
...because these are one
of the last devil families in the world.
357
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,399
Tasmanian devils are now endangered...
358
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,511
...found in only a few places,
359
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:31,157
such as this remote islet
off the coast of Tasmania.
360
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:40,836
But they once lived
across the whole of Australia.
361
00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:45,154
Evidence that this was so
362
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:50,036
can be seen nearly 2,500 miles away
from the devils' family den,
363
00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:53,994
on Australia's northern coast.
364
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,352
This great stretch of boulders
365
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:11,079
is covered by the largest concentration of
prehistoric images anywhere in the world.
366
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,356
Over one million pictures of wildlife...
367
00:47:24,720 --> 00:47:26,199
...and among them...
368
00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:29,598
...Tasmanian devil.
369
00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:37,230
It was engraved on stone
60,000 years ago
370
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:41,069
by some of the first human beings
to reach the continent.
371
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,360
Then, just 200 years ago,
372
00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:53,192
European settlers arrived
with guns and dogs, foxes and cats.
373
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:58,519
Together, they decimated
Australia's unique wildlife.
374
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:08,519
This was one of the continent's
biggest animal predators -
375
00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:11,234
a marsupial wolf, or thylacine.
376
00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:18,110
The last-known remaining one
was filmed in 1936
377
00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:20,470
in a zoo just before it died...
378
00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:26,676
...and so brought the final extinction
of its species.
379
00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:34,957
These rocks are now its memorial.
380
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:43,309
And they may become that
for the Tasmanian devil as well.
381
00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:51,676
Mammals in Australia are disappearing
faster than anywhere else on Earth.
382
00:48:55,680 --> 00:49:00,709
They succeeded in adapting to life
as their home changed around them.
383
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,597
But now they face
their greatest challenge -
384
00:49:05,720 --> 00:49:09,793
the change to their world
brought by humanity.
385
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:15,919
Which of its unique species
will survive the coming decades
386
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,190
now depends on us.
387
00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:34,232
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: The most
ambitious shoot for the Australia team
388
00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:38,831
was filming the continent's top predator -
the dingo - hunting.
389
00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:46,077
Elusive and shy, they're rarely seen.
390
00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:55,191
The crew journeyed
to the high plains of Australia,
391
00:49:55,320 --> 00:50:00,838
where park rangers had reported sightings
of a white dingo and her pack.
392
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:07,352
In their first week,
the team confirm the sightings...
393
00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:08,629
THEO: There she is.
394
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,355
...and begin to catch glimpses.
395
00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:15,837
But with the dingoes
constantly on the move,
396
00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,715
keeping track of them is a challenge.
397
00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:23,595
They teleport around,
because you just lose them in the grass.
398
00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:25,040
It's madness.
399
00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:29,313
Each time the crew arrive to set up...
400
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,391
...they're too late.
401
00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:45,831
1 couldn't believe how far she'd gone.
402
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:48,474
By the time we managed to drive
over the brow of the hill,
403
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,876
she was a kilometre away.
404
00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:55,192
If they lose them,
it could take days to find them again.
405
00:50:57,280 --> 00:51:02,229
And searching in outback Australia
can be dangerous work.
406
00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:04,192
(PANICKED SCREAM)
407
00:51:10,480 --> 00:51:13,791
Brown snakes
are one of the world's most venomous.
408
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:18,711
And it's not only the snakes
that have a nasty bite.
409
00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:19,830
Oh, dear!
410
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:21,189
Look at that.
411
00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:23,995
Sorry.
412
00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:30,876
Turns out 1 just stood in an ants' nest.
413
00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:39,635
Over the coming weeks, the dingoes
continue to give the crew the runaround.
414
00:51:40,960 --> 00:51:42,997
With such a large area to search,
415
00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:46,158
they enlist the help
of two additional cameramen.
416
00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:52,315
Dan is a dingo expert
and studied them for five years,
417
00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:55,239
and even he struggled to follow them.
418
00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:59,797
Dingoes are Australia's most heavily
persecuted native animal...
419
00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:02,389
- (DINGO HOWLS)
- ...and that makes them
420
00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:05,160
so incredibly elusive and hard to film.
421
00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:07,992
They're very scared of humans.
422
00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:13,432
Dingoes have lived in Australia
for over 4,000 years,
423
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:17,758
but when Europeans arrived with livestock,
they were seen as a threat,
424
00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:23,078
Today, they continue to be shot
poisoned and trapped,
425
00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:25,430
which explains why they avoid the crew.
426
00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:30,315
So Dan suggests a new approach.
427
00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:36,193
From the air, they have a better view.
428
00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:41,473
Now they can track the dingoes
and follow their trails.
429
00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:47,874
And they notice the white dingo repeatedly
returning to the same patch of forest.
430
00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:54,351
Ben, the park ranger, goes to explore...
431
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:55,993
Dog's had a scratch in here.
432
00:52:58,560 --> 00:52:59,834
Old roo leg.
433
00:52:59,960 --> 00:53:02,793
...and unearths a den site.
434
00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:04,558
Den site in here. Look at it. Jeez.
435
00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:08,674
Only a handful of wild dingo dens
436
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:11,314
have ever been filmed,
so the team set up a stakeout.
437
00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:23,871
And after a few days waiting...
438
00:53:29,280 --> 00:53:32,511
To the best of my knowledge,
this is some of the first footage
439
00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:34,199
of wild dingo pups at the den.
440
00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:40,872
Being able to capture this really
intimate, up-close footage is amazing.
441
00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:43,276
Really, really special.
442
00:53:44,720 --> 00:53:47,633
The den site is a major breakthrough.
443
00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:54,078
Now the team can find the white dingo
each morning...
444
00:53:54,200 --> 00:53:55,349
Yeah, I've got her.
445
00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:58,791
...and begin to understand
her hunting patterns.
446
00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:05,511
At this point, she's just testing
the water to see which...
447
00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:09,679
...which ones are weaker, or if there are
any joeys around that she can hunt easily.
448
00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:16,194
But her chases cover such vast distances
449
00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:20,279
that filming them from start to finish
ls impossible.
450
00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:24,837
Time for the final crew members.
451
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:32,279
With the filming helicopter,
452
00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:37,918
the team can stay airborne for long enough
to capture her marathon hunts.
453
00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:43,911
But to be successful, the ground and
aerial team will need to work together.
454
00:54:46,480 --> 00:54:48,756
So we've got spotters
all around the valley,
455
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:50,791
and if anything happens,
if anything moves,
456
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:52,115
we can run to the helicopter
457
00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:55,596
and we can be up in the air
in about three minutes and filming.
458
00:54:55,720 --> 00:54:59,236
We're just on standby all morning
and all afternoon.
459
00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:06,233
With nine people monitoring
the white dingo's every move,
460
00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:08,397
all they can do...
461
00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:10,470
...Is wait.
462
00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:21,877
Until one morning...
463
00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:25,470
She really looks like she's eyeing up
those Roos over there.
464
00:55:25,600 --> 00:55:27,318
She's just stopped
and just looking at them.
465
00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:34,594
RADIO: Yeah, she's definitely
looking for some Roos. Over.
466
00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:39,231
(MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE)
467
00:55:39,360 --> 00:55:42,398
DAVID: With the dingo on the move,
the hunt seems imminent.
468
00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:51,872
As the helicopter prepares to launch,
the ground team keep track of her.
469
00:55:59,320 --> 00:56:01,118
Yep, she's running, she's running,
she's running.
470
00:56:15,400 --> 00:56:16,799
She looks good.
471
00:56:34,280 --> 00:56:35,759
Finally able to keep up,
472
00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:41,796
the team film these dingoes
hunting kangaroos for the first time,
473
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:46,312
adding to the little we know about
these remarkable predators.
474
00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:51,920
After five weeks
following the white dingo,
475
00:56:52,040 --> 00:56:55,431
the team are left in awe of her.
476
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:57,073
She's worked so hard,
477
00:56:57,200 --> 00:57:00,158
catching Roos
and looking after her babies,
478
00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:02,669
and it's been just amazing.
479
00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:05,478
I'll never forget it.
480
00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:14,998
Next time -
a world transformed by mankind...
481
00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:18,919
...where extraordinary animals
are found...
482
00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:22,999
...in surprising places.
483
00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:32,200
Europe.
484
00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:33,594
(GRUNTS)