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  • 5/19/2015
Documentary / Family (2009) 50 minutes ~ Color

Equator is an epic production capturing every detail in High Definition that takes viewers on a 25, 000 mile odyssey chasing the sun to some of the most extreme and diverse locations on the planet. The equator is not only the line that divides the Earth in two, but it's also a line of life and a powerful force of nature where the pace of evolution quickens. The equator covers only five percent of the Earth's surface, but is home to 50 percent of its animal and plant species.

The equator is a species factory. Equatorial animals live constantly in warm, humid surroundings. Life is good, they can breed all year round. But the downside of such abundance is that these creatures must compete and fight for survival with half of all the species on Earth. Equator explores exactly how and why animals and plants grow faster, bigger and stranger here than anywhere else.

Just as humanity evolved under the glare of the equatorial sun on the East African savannah, it's no accident that many "hot spots" of biological significance occur along the equator. The equatorial sun is the most powerful source of energy on Earth, a force that reaches well beyond the equatorial band itself. As it beats down on the oceans, moist air rises on such a large scale that it generates the trade winds and great ocean currents that energize life on distant parts of the globe.

The Galapagos Islands and Palmyra Island, though separated by half an ocean, were both shaped by the power of the equator. Great ocean currents, set in motion by the force of the equatorial sun, affect the destiny of animals living in both places.

Directors: Peter Hayden, Shinichi Murata

Writers: Alison Ballance

Stars: Peter Hayden
Transcript
00:00By mid-morning, when the nearby cormorants have been busy for hours,
00:05the hungry iguanas are only just beginning to show signs of action.
00:12The first big males slowly make their way down to the water's edge.
00:24The vegetarian iguanas have a most unlikely lifestyle,
00:28one that's only possible here at the equator,
00:31where the heat of the tropical sun allows them to endure the chilly waters.
00:40Just a few hundred metres offshore, nurtured by the cold current,
00:44there are lush, algae gardens.
00:52But only the largest males have enough body mass to survive the chill waters.
00:58A small iguana would lose heat too quickly and die.
01:12Only big males dive down to feed where the algae is most lush.
01:20But how can even this large male survive water that's just 16 degrees Celsius,
01:25low enough to kill a cold-blooded reptile?
01:32A diving male moves blood away from his body surface to help conserve heat in his core organs.
01:39He also drastically lowers his heart rate.
01:43By doing this, he can survive a 15-degree drop in body temperature.
01:48As the morning wears on, other big iguanas become warm enough to take the plunge.
02:19A male hooks his long claws into the pitted volcanic lava
02:23as he braces himself against the wave surge.
02:42Iguanas are voracious eaters.
02:45They clip the algae until it looks like a newly mown lawn.
02:49But algae grows fast in these rich waters and can be grazed again in just a few days.
03:01A diving iguana must feed quickly.
03:04Being a land animal, his surface is often debris,
03:07and he can only survive the cold water for two hours at the most.
03:11And he can only survive the cold water for two hours at the most before he must head back to shore.
03:22After a long dive, big males are so chilled they're barely able to swim.
03:28If they're swept out to sea, they'll face certain death.
03:32Each must fight his way back to the warm shore.
03:42At last, the tide is low enough to expose the shallowest algae beds.
03:53Finally, the smaller females and young iguanas can feed.
03:57But they too must hurry. They're in a race against the turning tide.

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