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This is The Americas,
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an extraordinary journey
across Earth's great supercontinent.
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The widest variety of life on the planet.
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The untold story...
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...of our home.
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{\an8}Tonight on The Americas...
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The Andes.
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A spectacular sky world
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and the longest mountain range
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in the Americas.
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Forged by fire
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and ice.
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It's a world of unrivaled beauty.
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But here,
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life must battle to survive
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in the most perilous places imaginable.
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The planet's driest deserts.
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Frozen peaks.
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And strange,
magical forests in the clouds.
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Every animal
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must triumph
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in life lived truly on the edge.
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The Andes is the spine of South America.
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Running from the southern tip
of this supercontinent,
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it stretches 5,500 miles
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forming the high peaks of Bolivia and Peru
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before pushing north toward the equator
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into the heart of the tropics,
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where the mountains of Ecuador
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can seem like looking back in time.
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Sheer cliffs and deep gorges
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are cloaked in forests.
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Here, giant higuerón trees,
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draped in bromeliads, are fruiting.
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And that's exactly what one family
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has been waiting for.
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Hiding over a thousand feet
above the forest,
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a spectacled bear mom.
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These bears are the rarest in the Americas
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and the inspiration for Paddington.
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Mom, known by scientists as "Silvestre,"
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is nursing her three-month-old twins,
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"Yoyo" and "Irene,"
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secluded in their tiny nest.
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The towering cliffs
have kept them safe from predators.
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But now the family must leave.
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Mom's milk is running out.
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They need the fruit
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nearly half a mile below.
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The sky-high rock face that protected them
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is about to become
their biggest challenge.
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The most dangerous journey of their lives
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begins.
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Tracked using her collar,
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scientists know Silvestre has made
this descent before.
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But it's the first time for the cubs.
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Yoyo and Irene will need
to follow their mother closely.
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One misplaced step...
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...could be a disaster.
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Cubs have fallen to their death here.
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A moment of reassurance from Mom.
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She knows the hardest part is yet to come.
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Irene takes a wrong turn.
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She has lost sight of Mom.
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And at the worst possible moment.
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Yoyo has made it down okay.
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And so has Irene.
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The worst seems behind them.
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But there's no time to rest.
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Silvestre is bringing them
to the very same fruit tree
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that she returns to every year.
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Plants and fruit like this
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can make up over 90%
of a spectacled bear's diet,
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and the cubs are not holding back.
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Spectacled bears navigate these mountains
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by having a detailed mental map
of their world.
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The cubs can stay with Mom
for over two years
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to build a map of their own.
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One day, with luck,
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Irene will be able to lead her own cubs
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down the same cliffs.
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It all seems so easy now,
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but the cubs have just undertaken
a death-defying start to life.
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In the mountains of the Andes,
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all life is pushed to the limit.
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These remarkable high-rise forests
hide other extraordinary secrets.
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Spectacular animals so small and fast,
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they're almost impossible
to capture on camera.
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Our journey
in the tropical Andes continues,
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rising to 10,000 feet,
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where the peaks trap moist air
from the Amazon,
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creating a mysterious cloud forest.
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Here, nature is at its most magical.
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Curiously-shaped flowers
shine out like beacons,
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signaling they have
energy-rich nectar inside.
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If they can entice a visitor,
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they will be pollinated.
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Usually, bugs do that job,
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but these forests are too cold
for many of them.
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So instead, it's done by...
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...hummingbirds.
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Most not much bigger than your thumb.
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In fact, the Andes is home
to more species of hummingbirds
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than anywhere else on Earth.
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Feisty and agile,
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they'll fight to be the first in line
for a drink of nectar
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on shimmering wings
that can beat over 80 times a second.
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The Andes has thousands
of remote valleys like these,
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but just one in Peru
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is the home
to an almost mythical hummingbird,
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hardly ever seen in the open.
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He is a Marvelous Spatuletail,
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one of just 500 or so left on Earth.
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Deforestation has meant
their habitat is disappearing.
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Only males have
these extravagant tail feathers,
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which have just one purpose...
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to attract a female.
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He's keeping them in top condition,
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for the performance of his life.
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An audience has arrived,
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but this is not who he wants.
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Rivals.
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Every male around,
even stumpy-tailed youngsters,
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have turned up to fight to control
this exclusive courtship area.
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He's not the only one
who wants the limelight.
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Fighting off so many is exhausting.
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He really should refuel.
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But that's going to have to wait.
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A female Marvelous Spatuletail is here.
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Now the show can begin.
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He'll be judged on the length
of his tail feathers
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and the quality of his performance.
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She's interested.
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Time to take his display
to the next level.
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And now, it's all about stamina.
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In this thin mountain air,
he's got to dig deep.
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It's a critical moment, both for him,
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and the future of the species.
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If he wins her over,
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together, they will produce
the next generation.
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And at last,
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she accepts his invitation.
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A sign of hope
for this remarkable hummingbird.
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Throughout the Andes...
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...the land itself can feel alive.
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And in a way, it is,
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with an eruption occurring
every few years.
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Immense earth forces
forged these mountains...
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...leaving a legacy
of over 200 active volcanoes...
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...more than anywhere else
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in the Americas.
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For 40 million years,
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they've pushed higher and higher.
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And in a few places,
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an eerie ice world
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has formed at the peaks.
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Home to a true marvel of nature.
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The Andes is so high
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that 99% of the world's tropical glaciers
are found here.
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The largest is in southern Peru.
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It's certainly cold,
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but at an altitude of 18,000 feet,
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ultraviolet radiation is very intense.
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So when the sun shines,
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the ground heats to a jaw-dropping
111 degrees Fahrenheit,
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transforming ice world to sauna
in the blink of an eye.
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It's the last place to expect to find
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a frog.
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Marbled four-eyed frogs
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live at the highest altitude
of any frog on Earth.
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Every year, females must breed
in pools formed by glacial meltwater.
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But their world is changing.
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The glacier is retreating
further up the mountains.
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Each year, she climbs higher,
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enduring hotter days,
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but also...
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...colder nights.
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And that's become
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a real problem.
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The temperature is dropping fast.
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She needs to find shelter.
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But as her muscles chill,
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they are starting to seize up.
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The deeper underground,
the safer she'll be.
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But a clear sky means
extreme cold is on its way.
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On these nights,
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the ice...
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is relentless.
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Its reach stretches
far beneath the surface.
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Her journey
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looks to be over.
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She is frozen solid.
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As the world warms up,
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something strange happens
beneath the surface.
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These marbled four-eyed frogs,
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living in the highest reaches
of the Andes,
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have evolved a remarkable talent
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almost beyond belief,
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and never filmed before.
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They can freeze solid
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and come back from the dead
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every single day.
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The only frog in the world
that can do this.
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She drives forward once more.
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The frog that cheats death every night
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is ready to continue her journey,
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and, with luck, meet a new mate.
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This frog may be a miracle worker,
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but its future is not certain.
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The glaciers on which it
and so many other animals depend
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are in trouble.
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They're shrinking
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due to a global rise in temperature.
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Over the last 50 years,
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the neighboring Qori Kalis Glacier
has halved in size.
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At the current rate,
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it will disappear entirely
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in just 30 more years.
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Which could be a disaster
not just for the four-eyed frogs
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but for all life in these mountains.
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As water from the sky-high glaciers
of the Andes
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cascades down the steep slopes,
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it creates a unique network
of 100,000 rivers.
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Water that is crucial both for wildlife
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and for millions of people.
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Most of these rivers are ice-cold,
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but this one in Argentina is near boiling,
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superheated by geothermal activity
deep underground.
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What in their right mind would live
in these dangerous waters?
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In the mountain rivers of the Andes,
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only one animal
can master turbulent waters
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that range from boiling point
to near-freezing.
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A torrent duck.
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Not just any duck,
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but a super duck.
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He comes fully equipped...
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...with heat-resistant feathers,
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armor-plated leg skin,
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and built-in protective goggles,
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a third eyelid.
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This specialist gear means
he can survive a daily temperature range
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of minus 13 degrees above water
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to plus 122 degrees under water.
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All to reach a sumptuous buffet.
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These superheated waters
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are a hothouse for growing fly larvae
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in the thousands.
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Delicious and nutritious for a duck.
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Especially one with a family.
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These baby super ducks must find
their own food from day one.
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Luckily, they are equipped
for extreme swimming too.
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Tail feathers develop early
to act as a rudder,
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and huge feet provide propulsion.
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Downy feathers trap air
to keep them insulated and afloat.
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They already have superhero swagger.
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But their buoyant down has,
well, a downside.
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Where the water is deep,
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those delicious bugs are out of reach.
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They need to find
shallower feeding grounds.
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But as the family heads downstream,
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things get dangerous.
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The parents lead the way.
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The ducklings can't yet fly.
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They will have to swim for it
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in these deadly, scalding waters.
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Only a third survive to adulthood.
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Where they make their jump...
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...decides their fate.
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As this chick's about to find out.
270
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,520
The parents try to keep tabs
on each of the chicks.
271
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,079
But in these raging waters...
272
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:24,439
...that's not always possible.
273
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,359
As the chick scrambles out,
274
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:43,880
he must quickly look for another route
to get back to his family.
275
00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:58,360
Now...
276
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:00,399
it's all or nothing.
277
00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:24,359
His air-filled feathers
pull him to the surface.
278
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:28,999
Saved by their superpowers,
279
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,120
the whole family has reached
the shallow feeding ground.
280
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:36,199
A bug buffet
281
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,799
now within reach for all.
282
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,799
If you've got what it takes,
283
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:45,359
this wild river,
284
00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:47,839
born of fire and ice,
285
00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:49,639
can be a kind of paradise...
286
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:52,320
...for a duck.
287
00:26:56,360 --> 00:27:00,680
{\an8}Traveling south,
the Andes spread to their widest point.
288
00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:06,320
{\an8}Here, the highest peaks block moisture
from both the Amazon and the Pacific,
289
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,680
{\an8}which helps create a desert like no other,
290
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:12,640
{\an8}the Atacama.
291
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,080
The driest place on Earth.
292
00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:25,320
so arid that NASA uses it
to test equipment destined for Mars.
293
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,279
But in exceptional years,
294
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,760
a miracle of nature changes everything.
295
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:44,040
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile
is the driest on Earth.
296
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,479
But maybe once a decade,
297
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,639
a stormfront from the west
298
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,319
can have enough power
to reach around the mountains...
299
00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:58,600
...and bring salvation.
300
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:01,399
Torrential rain.
301
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,360
Summoning one of the rarest wonders
in nature.
302
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,559
What is known as a "superbloom."
303
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,599
Billions of seeds
that have been sleeping in the sand,
304
00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:27,480
some for more than ten years,
305
00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:30,920
can finally burst into life.
306
00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,719
This new world draws strange creatures
from beyond the desert.
307
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,720
The coruro, a mountain rodent,
308
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,160
seldom seen on the surface.
309
00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:55,880
A giant caterpillar-hunting wasp
310
00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,040
brings food to her young.
311
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,319
And like the rest,
312
00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:08,319
a family of burrowing owls
313
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:10,439
packs a whole lifetime
314
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,000
into these few weeks of plenty.
315
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,600
Because as fast as the superbloom emerges,
316
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,640
it's reclaimed by the desert.
317
00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:29,600
And life begins the long wait
for water once more.
318
00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,600
Just to the north is Salar de Uyuni,
319
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,560
the largest salt flat on Earth.
320
00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:45,879
When the rains reach here...
321
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,960
...another brief wonder of nature
is created.
322
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:57,040
A giant mirror
323
00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:59,600
larger than Yellowstone,
324
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:07,279
set beneath the clearest skies on Earth.
325
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,799
Here, we look into deep space
326
00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,079
for answers light-years away...
327
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,760
...while an exquisite vision
of the universe
328
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:23,680
comes to our feet.
329
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,000
But it, too, doesn't last long.
330
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,560
And soon, all that remains
is a salt crust,
331
00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,160
a world utterly hostile to life.
332
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,720
And yet, for some, it's home.
333
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:12,800
A salt flat lizard.
334
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,560
A young male
on the lookout for a territory.
335
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,080
There's no time to waste.
336
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:46,520
An oasis?
337
00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:48,480
No.
338
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:51,360
This water is full of salt.
339
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:55,159
He can't drink it,
340
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,600
but these brine flies can,
341
00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:05,040
converting it into freshwater
inside their bodies.
342
00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:09,439
It's a perfect combo meal.
343
00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:10,520
A drink...
344
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:13,560
with a side of flies.
345
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:19,959
But for a rookie,
346
00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,159
this is going to take some practice.
347
00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,799
Two hundred flies contain
just a thimble of water.
348
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,919
He's sure got his work cut out.
349
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:48,040
Almost there.
350
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:54,520
Nailed it!
351
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,960
Could life get any better?
352
00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,240
Maybe it can.
353
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,960
It's a female salt flat lizard
354
00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:43,879
wafting a powerful,
seductive scent into the air.
355
00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,600
What young flycatcher could resist?
356
00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,760
But all is not as it seems.
357
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:12,320
Another male.
358
00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:18,759
She will only mate
with the strongest males,
359
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:24,040
dominant enough to hold
the precious waterfront territories.
360
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:29,880
And she wants to see
what the young flycatcher is made of.
361
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:40,640
She's set him up.
362
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:45,079
It's trial...
363
00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:46,159
...by combat.
364
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:04,800
Overpowered,
365
00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:09,320
and now in deeper trouble than he knows.
366
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,240
Every inch of the water's edge
367
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,440
is controlled
by paired-up power couples...
368
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:21,839
...who won't share.
369
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:48,960
Retreat is his only option.
370
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:05,920
He's not ready to take on
the big males right now.
371
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,159
But he is alive
372
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,639
and has learned valuable lessons.
373
00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:20,359
Well... maybe.
374
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,840
Reaching the highest point
in our whole Americas journey,
375
00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,000
we ascend to over 19,000 feet,
376
00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:37,720
where the salt flats become salt lakes.
377
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:46,160
Each one a unique, toxic cocktail
of metals, minerals, and microorganisms.
378
00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:55,760
The most extraordinary of all
is Laguna Colorada,
379
00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:00,559
a hellscape where morning ice
has a daily battle
380
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,120
with the strongest UV radiation on Earth.
381
00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:08,040
More than double that of Death Valley.
382
00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:15,199
And yet, every year,
383
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:19,560
it's home to the most spectacular event
in the Andes.
384
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,399
The Toxic Red Lake of the High Andes.
385
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:37,320
It takes a special kind of toughness
to survive here.
386
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,079
But once a year,
this lake becomes the setting
387
00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:50,760
for the greatest party in the Andes.
388
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,440
Although not everyone is invited.
389
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:13,159
Right now, this world of extremes
390
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:16,720
plays host to James' flamingos.
391
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,879
They gather here from across the Andes
392
00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:31,840
in the thousands
393
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:36,320
hoping to find a mate.
394
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:48,920
Males and females
might appear almost identical,
395
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,320
but they know the difference.
396
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:02,279
They all want to look their best,
397
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,600
and the pinker the better.
398
00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,440
The secrets to their success?
399
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:09,639
Tough-skinned long legs
400
00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:12,160
letting them wade through
the caustic lake.
401
00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:22,239
And a unique bill that filters out
microscopic life from the toxic water.
402
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,239
Eating this food
turns their feathers pinker,
403
00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:30,759
making them more desirable.
404
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,479
But life is about to get more complicated
405
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:40,040
as the Laguna becomes "Flamingo Central."
406
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,519
Chilean and Andean flamingos
are flying in too.
407
00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:49,359
Both much bigger, but...
408
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:51,560
...a lot less graceful.
409
00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:06,000
Crowds begin to build to 40,000 strong.
410
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,840
And then, on an unseen cue,
411
00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,360
a dance-off begins.
412
00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:22,759
The smaller James' are in danger
413
00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:25,999
of being pushed out before it even begins.
414
00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:31,799
Over four feet tall,
415
00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:35,439
the Chileans can strut
in the deep water...
416
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,600
...while the enigmatic Andeans
417
00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:44,319
rumba by the smoke machine.
418
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:53,200
But at last,
the James' get their groove on too.
419
00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:59,359
A tango at the top of the world.
420
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,440
These courtship dances last for weeks.
421
00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:22,399
One by one, lovers unite...
422
00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,639
...as eventually they find a mate.
423
00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:44,200
But until then, the dance continues.
424
00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:50,040
The greatest show
in the greatest mountain range
425
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:52,120
in the Americas.