1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,520 [narrator] This is The Americas, 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,039 an extraordinary journey across Earth's great supercontinent. 3 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:12,639 [epic orchestral music playing] 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,599 The widest variety of life on the planet. 5 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:16,880 [both whinnying] 6 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:19,799 The untold story... 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:20,959 [trilling] 8 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:22,440 ...of our home. 9 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,400 {\an8}[epic orchestral music continues] 10 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:27,840 {\an8}Tonight on The Americas... 11 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:34,480 Patagonia. 12 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,200 [dramatic music playing] 13 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,920 Patagonia is an untamed wilderness 14 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,000 at the far south of the world. 15 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,520 [dramatic music playing] 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,200 From ancient mystical forests... 17 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,440 and sky-high ice worlds... 18 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:00,719 [yowls] 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,719 ...to the bountiful coast. 20 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:03,960 [whooshes] 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,999 This is a world of both rugged beauty and... 22 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,079 [cracks] 23 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:12,880 ...dramatic change. 24 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:16,719 [burbling] 25 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,159 Here, 26 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,039 all life must do battle... 27 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,400 [dramatic music continues] 28 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:27,599 [barking] 29 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,320 [barking continues] 30 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,960 ...at the very end of the supercontinent. 31 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,719 [light upbeat music playing] 32 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,279 Patagonia straddles both Chile in the west 33 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,720 and Argentina to the east. 34 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:50,360 Its most southerly point lies only 600 miles from Antarctica, 35 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,000 a place where three great oceans collide. 36 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,680 Here, the island of Los Estados 37 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:05,760 is a vital refuge... 38 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,600 for the world's most devoted parents, 39 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,879 rockhopper penguins. 40 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,519 [water lapping] 41 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,840 [penguins chirping] 42 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:28,120 Every spring, over a quarter of a million come ashore, 43 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,600 all hoping to raise a family. 44 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,639 [gentle music playing] 45 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:38,719 [all chirping] 46 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,240 Couples pair for life 47 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,000 and return to the same nest year after year. 48 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,080 They take turns caring for their chicks. 49 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:55,279 And today, 50 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,559 Dad is on duty. 51 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,840 [chirping] 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,920 His chick is just a few days old. 53 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,479 And it's hungry. 54 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,320 [chirping] 55 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,480 But there is no food here. 56 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,000 The chick must wait for Mom to return with a meal. 57 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,600 [stirring music playing] 58 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,400 And she is on her way. 59 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,520 [stirring music swells] 60 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,519 But getting ashore means risking her life. 61 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,320 [penguins chirping] 62 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,239 On this jagged coast, 63 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,760 there is no easy landing. 64 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,520 [stirring music continues] 65 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,560 [dramatic music playing] 66 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:32,200 [dramatic music fades] 67 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:34,280 [chirps] 68 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,480 - Looks like she made it. - [chirps] 69 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:40,519 [roars] 70 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:41,880 [tense music playing] 71 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:44,239 [frantic chirping] 72 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:45,839 A sea lion. 73 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:47,199 [penguins chirping] 74 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,159 A penguin predator. 75 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,640 [tense music playing] 76 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,280 - [sea lion grunting] - [penguins chirping] 77 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:04,839 [chirping continues] 78 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:07,440 [grunting] 79 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:12,160 [snorts] 80 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:16,440 [penguins squawking] 81 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,440 [low growling] 82 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,000 [growling] 83 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:31,520 [chirping] 84 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,679 There is no match for a mother's determination. 85 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,679 [seagulls squawking] 86 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:41,040 To get home, however, 87 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,560 there's still a mountain to climb, 88 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:46,559 literally. 89 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,080 [suspenseful music playing] 90 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,200 And with a belly full of krill, 91 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,400 it's slow going. 92 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,359 [chirping] 93 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,400 [plodding music playing] 94 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,040 One wrong step, and... 95 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,279 it's back to square one. 96 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:16,120 [plodding music continues] 97 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,920 But Mom's not called a rockhopper penguin for nothing. 98 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,000 [upbeat music playing] 99 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,200 Strong claws... 100 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:30,800 and a sharp beak 101 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,640 are put to good use. 102 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:42,159 Now, she just needs to find her partner. 103 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,639 [flock chirping] 104 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,319 One somewhere 105 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,479 amongst hundreds of thousands of penguins. 106 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,520 [mass chirping continues] 107 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,999 Her partner's unique call... 108 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,960 [throaty clucking] 109 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,400 ...helps guide her to him. 110 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,759 [clucking] 111 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,440 [gentle music playing] 112 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:26,399 [both cackling] 113 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:27,680 Reunited. 114 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:31,600 [peeps] 115 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,800 And at last, it's dinner time. 116 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:43,720 [peeps] 117 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,400 Only the courageous can raise a family down here. 118 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:52,240 [peeps] 119 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:55,640 - [penguins chirping] - [seagulls squawking] 120 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,000 And tomorrow, they must do it all again. 121 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,360 [stirring music playing] 122 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,439 {\an8}From Cape Horn, 123 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:20,400 Patagonia's towering, rocky backbone runs north for over a thousand miles. 124 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:26,640 [dramatic music playing] 125 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,640 The weather is ferocious 126 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:33,600 and unpredictable. 127 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,639 Yet, the symbol of Patagonia's mountains 128 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,400 calls this place home. 129 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,479 [light orchestral music playing] 130 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,839 In Patagonia's mountains, 131 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,840 it can seem like all four seasons 132 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,880 in one day. 133 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,880 Life here is as hard as it gets. 134 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,480 [indistinct screeching] 135 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:12,720 This is a female puma, 136 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:15,560 known as "Petaca." 137 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,200 She's an experienced hunter. 138 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,999 [indistinct screeching] 139 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,920 But since the sudden arrival of snow, 140 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,960 it's been difficult for her to make a kill. 141 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,480 [soft music playing] 142 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,480 A guanaco could feed her for a week. 143 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,040 But to succeed, 144 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,280 she will need to get close. 145 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:06,720 In the snow, 146 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,560 she's lost her camouflage. 147 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,280 [suspenseful music playing] 148 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,240 So she must use whatever cover she can find. 149 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,000 [suspenseful music continues] 150 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:35,280 [guanaco chuffs] 151 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,879 Now speed is her only hope. 152 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,960 [thrilling music playing] 153 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,400 But in this deep snow, 154 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:58,840 she is no match for the guanaco. 155 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:02,840 [chatters] 156 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,200 She'll go hungry today. 157 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:11,840 [snarls] 158 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:14,760 [puma screeches] 159 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,239 And so will her cubs. 160 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:20,320 [squeaks] 161 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:23,159 [grunts, yowls] 162 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,840 [gentle music playing] 163 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:34,640 [cubs mewling] 164 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,000 At just four months old, 165 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,919 they are entirely dependent on Mom. 166 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,480 [cubs mewling] 167 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,120 They need a change in their fortunes. 168 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:53,960 [puma screeches] 169 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:56,800 And in these mountains, 170 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:58,320 change... 171 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,080 is never far away. 172 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,120 [wind howling] 173 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,440 Within days, 174 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:12,360 the snow disappears. 175 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:14,880 [bird clucking] 176 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:22,480 Now Petaca has her camouflage back. 177 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:25,320 [distant birds chirping] 178 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,320 [thrilling music playing] 179 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:34,160 And her speed. 180 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,400 She must get a firm grip on the neck. 181 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,439 [guanaco bleating loudly] 182 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:46,880 If she gets it wrong, 183 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,000 a single kick could be fatal. 184 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,480 [tense music playing] 185 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,200 [guanaco grunting] 186 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:02,800 [guanaco bleating loudly] 187 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:11,080 [somber music playing] 188 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:19,600 It's now been a week since Petaca and her cubs last ate. 189 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,640 - [sniffing] - [distant rustling] 190 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,920 - On the wind... - [sniffing continues] 191 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:32,640 ...a scent. 192 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:41,200 A carcass. 193 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:45,999 But it belongs to someone else. 194 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,640 [tense music playing] 195 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,120 Conflict with another puma 196 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,319 could be deadly. 197 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:58,480 [hisses] 198 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,320 Petaca is taking a huge risk. 199 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:06,800 [hisses] 200 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,920 [hisses, growls] 201 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:16,439 [low growling] 202 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,360 [tense music playing] 203 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,960 But this is no stranger. 204 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,960 It's Petaca's older sister 205 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,760 with her two larger cubs. 206 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,199 [gentle music playing] 207 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,200 And she seems happy to share. 208 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,759 Pumas have long been considered solitary. 209 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,439 But rarely-seen encounters like these 210 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,640 reveal that they are far more social than we once thought. 211 00:14:58,120 --> 00:14:59,320 [yowls] 212 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,039 [hissing] 213 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:03,839 Petaca's cubs aren't sure 214 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,280 what to make of their cousins just yet. 215 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,280 But there is a lesson to be learned here. 216 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:14,880 [growls] 217 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,120 A family that shares can provide a lifeline 218 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:25,120 in Patagonia's hostile mountains. 219 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,759 [wind howling] 220 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,799 Mountains that have been carved 221 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,600 by a colossal force. 222 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:36,920 Glaciers. 223 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,079 Monsters on the move. 224 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,959 [glaciers groaning] 225 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,800 - [crackling] - [loud rumbling] 226 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,400 [cracks, crashes] 227 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:01,800 This is San Rafael. 228 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:03,800 And for a glacier, 229 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:07,800 this one moves fast. 230 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,880 It travels more than 60 feet a day. 231 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,720 Millions of tons of ice break away. 232 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,879 [whooshing] 233 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:33,040 Some slabs are the size of a skyscraper. 234 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,159 [light orchestral music playing] 235 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,600 Glaciers are so powerful, 236 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,600 they can cut through solid rock. 237 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,080 And they've sliced Patagonia's coast 238 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,200 into over 40,000 islands, 239 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,040 creating isolated lost worlds. 240 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,240 [sweeping music playing] 241 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,280 [birds chirping] 242 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:14,640 Home... 243 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,440 to the weird and the wonderful. 244 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,520 [birds chirping] 245 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,480 Patagonia's west coast 246 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:31,439 is cloaked in ancient forests. 247 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,520 [birds screeching] 248 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,200 [whimsical music playing] 249 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,759 It's a strange legacy of the Jurassic. 250 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,120 [indistinct screeching] 251 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,560 And there are certainly strange creatures here 252 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,240 found nowhere else on Earth. 253 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:06,400 Perhaps the most bizarre... 254 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,800 is the Chilean stag beetle. 255 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,399 These aren't antlers. 256 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,920 They are, in fact, giant jaws. 257 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:24,400 The bigger they are, 258 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,800 the greater his chances of winning a mate. 259 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,839 But first, he has to find one. 260 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:37,679 [quirky music playing] 261 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,760 Microscopic hairs can detect the scent of a female. 262 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,960 And it seems there is one... 263 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,240 all the way up here. 264 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,119 Three, two, one. 265 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:55,079 [dramatic music playing] 266 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:56,999 We have liftoff. 267 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:01,880 [dramatic music rises] 268 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,560 These beetles are known as "flying deer." 269 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:11,320 You can see why. 270 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,599 [dramatic music continues] 271 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,360 And it's hard to gain any altitude. 272 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,560 [dramatic music ends] 273 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,400 Looks like he's got to do it the hard way. 274 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,000 It's a hundred feet to the top, 275 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:41,080 the equivalent of you or I trying to scale the Empire State Building... 276 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:43,480 twice over. 277 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,200 [intense music playing] 278 00:19:58,800 --> 00:19:59,920 Finally, 279 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,040 there she is. 280 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,359 [gentle music playing] 281 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:09,600 But he's not the only one attracted by her scent. 282 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:12,440 [ominous music playing] 283 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:16,840 A rival. 284 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,200 It's time to put these jaws into action. 285 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,959 [jaws clicking] 286 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,760 [rousing music playing] 287 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:32,119 [creaks] 288 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:34,880 And it seems his opponent has the upper hand. 289 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:38,960 [rousing music ends] 290 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:42,800 Has his rival got it in the bag? 291 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:45,960 [rousing music resumes] 292 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,239 Not yet! 293 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:49,999 [jaws clicking] 294 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,200 [rousing music continues] 295 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,440 [whooshes] 296 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:06,520 We have a winner. 297 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,200 But it could be short-lived. 298 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:18,280 A female is a magnet for dozens of males. 299 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,320 [rousing music continues] 300 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,760 Time to get back into the ring. 301 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:30,240 [jaws clicking] 302 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,200 It's win or go home. 303 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:37,439 [rousing music continues] 304 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:38,560 [jaws clicking] 305 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,320 [whooshes] 306 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,360 [jaws clicking] 307 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:52,159 [whooshes] 308 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:53,600 [jaws clicking] 309 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:55,760 [whooshes] 310 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:58,999 [birds chirping] 311 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:00,200 After all that, 312 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,280 he just has to summon up the energy to reach her. 313 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,480 [gentle music playing] 314 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,320 [gentle music continues] 315 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,640 Mating complete. 316 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,560 She now needs to lay her eggs on the forest floor. 317 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,840 And he can help her get there. 318 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,359 [quirky music playing] 319 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:38,640 [whooshes] 320 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:44,200 Turns out, these jaws aren't just for fighting. 321 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,960 [stirring music playing] 322 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:54,080 Journeying east, 323 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,520 mountains strip the clouds of moisture. 324 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,600 [stirring music continues] 325 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,960 Creating a stark, arid heart. 326 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,600 This is the Patagonian Steppe. 327 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,360 And it's home to living dinosaurs. 328 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:33,360 The Patagonian Steppe stretches 260,000 square miles, 329 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:36,800 nearly the size of Texas. 330 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,559 There is so little shelter from the elements 331 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,720 that many here seek sanctuary underground. 332 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,760 [whimsical music playing] 333 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:53,800 [animals chittering] 334 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,840 But some are way too big for that. 335 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,880 [footsteps thumping] 336 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,520 A Darwin's rhea, 337 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:15,520 South America's answer to the ostrich. 338 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:19,999 Three feet tall, 339 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,800 it's one of the largest birds in the world. 340 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:28,999 And this super-sized male 341 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,120 is father to a super-sized family. 342 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,440 Most birds share parenting duties. 343 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:43,680 But with rheas, 344 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:45,720 things are different. 345 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,280 After laying the eggs, 346 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,600 the females leave. 347 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,960 So it's up to Dad to raise the family... 348 00:24:58,680 --> 00:24:59,679 alone. 349 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,079 [rustling] 350 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:03,479 [tense music playing] 351 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,080 And he's not the only one out here. 352 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,559 All across the plains, 353 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:12,719 dedicated dads are on duty 354 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,720 around the clock. 355 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,120 [rumbling] 356 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,559 For 40 days and 40 nights, 357 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:25,960 they barely move. 358 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:29,680 [birds chirping] 359 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,200 [mysterious music playing] 360 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,120 - [animal squawks] - [faint chirping] 361 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:43,920 [birds chirping] 362 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:46,159 By late spring, 363 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,240 Dad's efforts have been rewarded. 364 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,079 [birds chirping] 365 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,880 [quirky music playing] 366 00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:00,680 Fourteen healthy chicks. 367 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:05,240 [chicks peeping] 368 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:10,520 Now the real work begins. 369 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,600 It will be six months before his chicks are independent. 370 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,440 And they have a lot to learn, 371 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:23,840 like what's good to eat, 372 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,920 and how to keep well-groomed. 373 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:33,720 [chicks chirping] 374 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,720 But the most important lesson is to stick together. 375 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:45,400 Out here, it's easy to get lost. 376 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,000 [hawk chitters] 377 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,040 [tense music playing] 378 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:56,879 And keen-eyed hawks 379 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,799 would soon grab a lone chick. 380 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,440 [hawk chitters] 381 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,240 [hawk call echoes] 382 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:13,000 This neighbor has only three chicks left. 383 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,440 And for our dad, 384 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:26,000 it's a warning. 385 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,360 - Keep your family close. - [squawks] 386 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,600 [gentle music playing] 387 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:47,680 [distant screech] 388 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,040 [distant screech] 389 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:54,560 What is that? 390 00:27:58,360 --> 00:27:59,960 [distant screech] 391 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,240 [distant screech continues] 392 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,119 It's a distress call. 393 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:09,360 - [distant screech] - From a chick. 394 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,040 [tense music playing] 395 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:17,600 But not one of his. 396 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:19,560 [trilling chirp] 397 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,440 [distant trilling chirp] 398 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:29,600 [trilling chirp] 399 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,999 That's no problem for this super dad. 400 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:37,920 [light music playing] 401 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,319 Male rheas have such strong paternal instinct 402 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,039 that if they find any lost chick, 403 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:46,560 they will adopt it 404 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:48,999 on the spot. 405 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,080 [uplifting music playing] 406 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:55,000 And when you already have 14, 407 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,520 well, what's another one? 408 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,360 [gentle music playing] 409 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,119 [gentle music ends] 410 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,159 [rustling] 411 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,559 The summer in the Patagonian Steppe 412 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,359 brings ferocious westerly winds. 413 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,960 [rustling] 414 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:24,959 [wind howling] 415 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,320 Gusts of over 70 miles per hour scour the land, 416 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,320 triggering events so large, 417 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,560 they can be seen from space. 418 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:40,959 [dramatic music playing] 419 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:42,520 Dust storms. 420 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,520 They rage for hundreds of miles, 421 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:53,840 until they reach Patagonia's Atlantic Coast. 422 00:29:55,320 --> 00:30:00,160 Millions of tons of iron-rich dust are swept into the ocean, 423 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,439 flooding it with nutrients. 424 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,640 [dramatic music continues] 425 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,440 And fueling life 426 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,999 on an astonishing scale. 427 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,319 [seagulls squawking] 428 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,559 [dolphins squealing] 429 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:21,280 [squealing continues] 430 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:30,039 - [birds squawking] - [indistinct barking] 431 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:35,040 Patagonia's rich seas attract giants. 432 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:39,959 [barking] 433 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,639 Weighing over four tons, 434 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:46,239 these are the largest seals on Earth. 435 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:47,680 [grunts] 436 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:52,759 [barking] 437 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:56,360 Fully grown bulls are the size of a pickup truck. 438 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:58,080 [chuffs] 439 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,599 But it's their colossal trunk-like nose 440 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:03,999 that has earned them their name... 441 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,799 [snorting] 442 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:07,599 ...elephant seals. 443 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,079 [quirky music playing] 444 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:10,680 [chuffs] 445 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,080 [growling] 446 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,799 Sixty thousand gather 447 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:20,040 on the remote shores of Peninsula Valdes to breed. 448 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:22,840 [growls] 449 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:25,999 [tense music playing] 450 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,279 But only the most dominant bulls have the right to mate. 451 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,039 [snorts] 452 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,480 [barking] 453 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:48,279 Meet the undefeated heavyweight champion... 454 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:50,439 [chuffing] 455 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,000 ...the beachmaster. 456 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:56,120 [quirky music playing] 457 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:01,000 For two months, he's guarded his harem from rivals. 458 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:03,760 And not surprisingly, 459 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:05,359 he's exhausted. 460 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:07,119 [snorts] 461 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:08,280 [grunts] 462 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,959 But he can never really rest. 463 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:19,399 [splashing] 464 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:24,200 A contender is trying his luck with one of the females. 465 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,560 [seal barking] 466 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:32,759 [growls] 467 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,240 The beachmaster sounds a warning. 468 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:43,039 His huge nose amplifies the sound to 130 decibels. 469 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,599 [growling] 470 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,199 [growling continues] 471 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,919 It's as loud as a jackhammer. 472 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:53,480 [growling continues] 473 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,559 But it's not enough to deter his opponent. 474 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,120 [growling] 475 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,479 Time for this beachmaster 476 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,599 to throw his weight around. 477 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:09,280 [grunting] 478 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:17,879 [grunting continues] 479 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,519 [whimpering] 480 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,560 [growling] 481 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:33,560 Both bulls stand ten feet tall 482 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:37,560 and are armed with razor-sharp teeth. 483 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:40,760 [both grunting] 484 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:50,359 The beachmaster is paying the price for enduring months of fighting. 485 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,640 [both growling] 486 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:03,959 He's flagging. 487 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,759 [both growling] 488 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:10,919 Defeat would mean losing everything. 489 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:13,039 [tense music playing] 490 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,640 [growling] 491 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,360 One final push... 492 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,120 [both grunting] 493 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:37,999 [growling] 494 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,520 ...forces his opponent back out to sea. 495 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,040 - He's the winner today. - [snorts] 496 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,720 But there are deadlier challenges on the way. 497 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:03,519 [seals barking] 498 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,639 Patagonia's Atlantic Coast 499 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,400 draws the ocean's smartest predator. 500 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:13,439 Orca. 501 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:15,960 [tense music playing] 502 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:24,520 Here, they have learned to do something hardly ever seen... 503 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:28,880 [grunting] 504 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:33,240 [seal whimpering] 505 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,960 ...to hunt seals on dry land. 506 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,879 Along this coast, 507 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:47,800 this orca is one of only 16 known to hunt this way. 508 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,880 Scientists have named her "Jasmine." 509 00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:01,559 [barking] 510 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:03,760 [whooshing] 511 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:06,960 [seagulls squawking] 512 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:16,319 She is the matriarch responsible for a family of growing adolescents 513 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:19,399 and now, a grandchild as well. 514 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:20,800 [spray bursts] 515 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:24,920 [sprays bursting] 516 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,880 The teenagers need to start earning their keep. 517 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,800 But Patagonia's exposed coast 518 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,120 is no place for a beginner. 519 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,399 [whooshing] 520 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:48,159 Luckily, Jasmine knows 521 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,480 the perfect training ground. 522 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,520 [sweeping music playing] 523 00:36:57,600 --> 00:36:59,080 Caleta Valdes, 524 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,520 a lagoon protected from the open ocean by vast sand banks. 525 00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:09,600 Here, the water is calm. 526 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,120 [light music playing] 527 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:22,680 And there is plenty of prey. 528 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,080 Young elephant seals. 529 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:30,280 [barking] 530 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:35,440 [foreboding music playing] 531 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,880 The orca students might be eager to get started, 532 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:48,320 but no one is quite sure what to do. 533 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,640 [seal grunting] 534 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,439 They need to learn the trick, 535 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,600 how to actually reach the seals. 536 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,120 So that is today's first lesson. 537 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:13,799 Under Jasmine's supervision, 538 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,040 the students launch themselves onto shore... 539 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,840 [light music continues] 540 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:26,440 ...each time edging a little higher. 541 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,640 [seagulls squawking] 542 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:34,599 But you get it wrong, 543 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,440 and you could end up stuck. 544 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:44,680 Jasmine knows just what to do, 545 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,640 and comes to the rescue. 546 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:56,919 [sprightly music playing] 547 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:58,080 Next, 548 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:00,599 target practice. 549 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,440 [sprightly music continues] 550 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,240 [whooshes] 551 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:18,279 Now to try the real thing. 552 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:21,600 [dramatic music playing] 553 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:31,599 Close. 554 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:35,840 [seals grunting] 555 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:41,800 Not close enough. 556 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,360 There is just one more skill to master. 557 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:58,680 How to conceal that giant dorsal fin 558 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:04,080 and learn the art of disappearing. 559 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:12,960 Turning on her side, Jasmine demonstrates just how. 560 00:40:16,240 --> 00:40:17,240 [chuffs] 561 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,399 [dramatic music playing] 562 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,680 [seagulls squawking] 563 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:32,400 Every hunt needs an element of surprise. 564 00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:37,960 [seal shrieking] 565 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:41,600 [dramatic music playing] 566 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:57,920 [dramatic music intensifies] 567 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,160 The youngsters will still need plenty more practice. 568 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:10,160 But Jasmine is passing her knowledge 569 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:13,320 on to the next generation. 570 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:18,599 [stirring orchestral music playing] 571 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:19,879 And for now, 572 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:22,400 it's time to celebrate. 573 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,240 For all life in Patagonia, 574 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:32,439 conquering the elements can unlock the riches 575 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,080 of this bountiful land. 576 00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:40,680 - [puffs] - The last great wilderness 577 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:43,279 in the Americas. 578 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:45,960 [stirring music continues] 579 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:56,840 [epic orchestral music playing]