- 4 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:13If you slow down and look closely, you might spot some of the world's slowest creatures.
00:19What's this happening? Am I in a dream right now?
00:23Hey, there's one right here.
00:25How did these remarkable animals survive, even thrive?
00:30In a world where speed seems like such an advantage.
00:38In today's modern world, we move through our days at high speed, measuring success by how much we get done.
00:49And in the natural world, we tend to assume survival of the fittest means survival of the strongest and fastest.
00:56But thriving in your environment doesn't always mean being powerful or swift.
01:01So what about the creatures we tend to underestimate?
01:04The ones with so-called disadvantages?
01:08Well, turns out, their slowness is actually their superpower.
01:20One of the most iconic slow animals on Earth is the sloth.
01:25In the rainforests of Costa Rica, they've evolved to live life entirely at their own pace.
01:31They're often thought of as lazy.
01:34But spending time with Dr. Rebecca Cliff showed me there's much more to them.
01:40She's spent years studying how sloths survive.
01:43And at her field station, she shows me what slowness really looks like.
01:54But the sloths, I mean, could they really be anywhere?
01:58Oh, absolutely.
01:59There could be one right in front of you.
02:01Or they could be at the top of the tallest tree.
02:03They're here for sure.
02:04But finding them is like, as soon as I met my first sloth, I was like, completely enchanted.
02:09They've taken what it is to be a mammal and they've pushed it to the very extreme,
02:13to the point that they're almost reptiles.
02:15There's so much unusual things happening with them in terms of science.
02:20And then also there's a lot we can learn from them in terms of slowing down, I think, as well,
02:24and the benefits of that.
02:26I mean, if they would just move, then we'd know, right?
02:31Sloths move at a speed which is below the threshold that a predator would detect as prey.
02:36You know what? I can show you.
02:38Just wait here. I'm going to go show you.
02:40Okay.
02:43Look away and I'll tell you when to turn around.
02:46Okay.
02:47It's like jungle hide and seek.
02:52Okay, turn around.
02:55And I'm moving at the speed of a sloth, so let me know if you can see me.
03:02Are you moving?
03:04Yeah.
03:05Okay, I cannot see a thing.
03:08I can see you.
03:10Okay, now I'm going to move at the speed of a monkey.
03:15There you are.
03:16Yes.
03:17That was amazing, Rebecca.
03:18When you weren't moving, I could not see you.
03:20You were invisible.
03:21So basically, sloths have evolved to move slowly so they're not detected by predators.
03:26That's exactly it.
03:27For example, if you take an eagle and you move something in front of it really fast at, like, monkey
03:32speed,
03:33the bird will, you know, lock onto it and be like, ah, I'm going to eat that monkey.
03:37If you move something in front of that same bird at the speed a sloth moves, it doesn't notice it.
03:42It's what the sloths are around us right now doing, and that's why we can't see them.
03:46Yeah, I mean, we've been here for a little while.
03:48We haven't seen any sign of a sloth.
03:50Do you think we will find any?
03:52I can't promise.
03:53It's really difficult in this environment, you know.
03:55There could be one right above our heads and we just won't see it.
03:59Spotting a sloth out here can take all day, so Rebecca takes me to Sloth City, a patch
04:05of forest by a busy road where sloths gather instead of risking a dangerous crossing.
04:14Gotcha.
04:15I can already see a sloth.
04:16What?
04:17You can't miss it.
04:19Whoa, right there.
04:24Oh, are there two sloths?
04:25Oh, my God, you're good.
04:26Oh, my God.
04:32Two sloths in one tree, is that pretty rare?
04:35Not in Sloth City.
04:37Okay.
04:37It's like New York for sloths, hence the name Sloth City.
04:42What are they actually doing in this moment?
04:44Chilling.
04:45They've got nowhere to be.
04:46They've got no reason to move and go or do something, but they're conserving their energy.
04:51Yeah, so for those sloths to cling from the treetops, they must be incredibly strong.
04:56How long do you think that you could hold on a tree branch for like that?
05:00Me?
05:00Yeah.
05:02Second, if that.
05:03We should try.
05:05We should do a competition.
05:06We should not try.
05:07We should definitely not try.
05:10Oh, my God.
05:11This is really humiliating.
05:14I am shaking.
05:15I can barely hang on, and it's been how many seconds?
05:1824.
05:18You're actually doing really well.
05:20I am totally slipping.
05:21My fingers are like sliding off.
05:23You can see them sliding.
05:25They're actually going to give out first.
05:28Okay, so I'm on the ground.
05:2940 seconds.
05:3040 seconds.
05:30That was really good.
05:32Yeah, right.
05:32But what was surprising to me was it was my hands that gave out first.
05:35Yeah.
05:36Clearly sloths, I mean, they're made for that position.
05:39What we see is nails.
05:41Their fingers actually extend into those nails.
05:43Yeah, exactly.
05:44It's the finger bone, and then the fingernail is like a sheath over the top.
05:47But they're just dangling from their fingertips.
05:49They're not actually using any muscles.
05:52Everything about a sloth and the way they live their lives is all about conserving energy
05:57and doing more with less.
06:00The name sloth, it's got so many negative connotations.
06:04A lot of people think they sleep for like 20 hours a day, but that's not actually true.
06:09They only sleep about 8 to 10 hours a day.
06:11The rest of the time, they're just kind of hanging out, keep just watching.
06:15They're feeding a little bit, and they're moving slightly.
06:17Huh, people think they're the sleepiest animals and the laziest animals in the world.
06:22They're just the slowest, and we get confused.
06:30This morning, I'm meeting a rescued two-fingered sloth.
06:34The team's about to collar her, release her, and see how she adapts to life in the wild.
06:40It's a rare chance to see one up close.
06:42If you feel this arm very gently, you'll feel just how skinny she is.
06:48Oh my god, there's like nothing there.
06:51They've got about 30% less muscle mass than a mammal of their size would typically have.
06:56But they're incredibly strong, and it's because the muscles in their arms are anchored in very strange places.
07:01So, for example, our bicep goes from the elbow up to the shoulder.
07:05Okay.
07:05A sloth will go all the way across to the middle of the chest, and then all the way down
07:10to the wrist as well.
07:11So, sloths can pull with incredible force, but they can't push.
07:15So, we're in the jungle.
07:16I am sweltering, dripping sweat, and I notice that she has a ton of hair.
07:21So, is she overheating?
07:22Mammals in general, we spend a lot of our daily energy trying to keep our core body temperature stable.
07:27Sloths regulate their temperature by moving up and down in the canopy.
07:30So, if it's a really hot day, the sloths will come down lower where it's shady, and they'll sort of
07:35seek out a little cool place to hang out.
07:38But when it gets really cold, then they'll go up higher in the canopy and try and sunbathe to warm
07:42up.
07:45Rebecca's team has found a collared, three-fingered sloth they've been tracking for over a year.
07:50These sloths are usually smaller than the two-fingered sloths.
07:58So, this is a three-fingered sloth.
08:01Yeah, so you can see, they actually, when you look up close, they look very different to the two-fingered.
08:06So, today we're going to catch her, take off that collar, and let her go.
08:10She's lovely, huh?
08:10She is beautiful, and that smile, oh my goodness.
08:16Oh my God, this is a strong grip.
08:19You got it?
08:21You good?
08:22We got her.
08:24So, this is the best way to hold a sloth, right under the arms.
08:26Okay.
08:27It's the only place they can't get you.
08:29Her arm span is really big.
08:31She's got some long arms.
08:33Wow, look at this sloth.
08:35This is sandwiched, so what we're going to do now is put her belly down.
08:38Covering her eyes settles her?
08:40Yes, a couple seconds, and she'll just honk out.
08:43What is going on?
08:45Is this sloth asleep right now?
08:46It's not even moving.
08:47They don't really have any defense mechanism, so when they feel threatened, their best option is to just
08:52stay still and wait for it to go away.
08:54You know, there's no way she can escape right now or fight us, so why waste the energy?
08:59Do they ever use their claws for defense?
09:01Generally not.
09:02They'll squeeze with them.
09:04If she were to reach out and grab you, how strong is that grip?
09:08Oh, it could crush your finger.
09:09It could crush your finger.
09:10Yeah.
09:11I've had a juvenile three-fingered sloth grab my finger, and I've got permanent nerve damage
09:16from it, because she wouldn't let go.
09:18Okay, you failed to mention that earlier when you asked me to help you take her out of the
09:22tree.
09:23Now, what about the head rotation?
09:25Because I noticed that her head was really looking around.
09:29Oh, yeah.
09:29She had this range.
09:30See, she's got a very long neck, and it allows them to turn the head almost to 360 degrees.
09:34No way.
09:35It's incredible, yeah.
09:37Saving energy and only minimally moving is a great advantage.
09:41I'm going to put her, yeah.
09:44Holy moly.
09:45Back in the tree.
09:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:47Oh, wow.
09:48Is this happening?
09:49Am I in a dream right now?
09:51Are we putting her here?
09:52Yep.
09:52She'll go all by herself as long as she can reach the tree.
09:55Hurry, bye.
09:56Oh, wow.
09:58You've got it.
10:03So you want to see how everything about her is moving slowly.
10:07Watching her disappear into the canopy is a moment I won't forget.
10:12But we still have one more sloth to bring home, the newly collared little rescue I spent
10:17time with earlier.
10:18So this is where you're going to drop the moth?
10:20Yeah.
10:21I think it's a pretty nice place to live, don't you?
10:24No kidding.
10:30Okay, say goodbye.
10:31Goodbye, beautiful thing.
10:33Here we have met this animal who's ancient and it's able to do what most animals aren't,
10:39just existing in a peaceful way.
10:41Yeah, you just summarised the sloth life perfectly.
10:44The sloth life.
10:46And you're taking so much data to learn about them.
10:49And yet some of the fundamental things that you're gaining from them are more spiritual
10:54than anything.
10:55Absolutely.
10:56Actually, I've never thought about it like that.
10:57But yeah, I think it's making me better as a person, spending all this time in my old
11:03slots.
11:04It's teaching me to slow down and I want to be able to share that message with the world.
11:17Slow is not just a speed.
11:20It's a way of life.
11:21And no creature embodies that better than the snail.
11:25Dr. Jan Vandetti, or Dr. Slime as she's known, is a malacologist who spent her career studying
11:32slugs and snails.
11:34I'm meeting her in North Vancouver to find out more about these often overlooked slow
11:39movers.
11:41They're an incredibly diverse group of organisms.
11:45There's about 70,000 species of snails and slugs.
11:48Really?
11:48They go back at least 520 plus million years and they're generally very poorly studied.
11:56They're also sort of unloved.
11:57And I think some part of that underdog, that aspect of them made me care about them more
12:01that people should know how interesting they are.
12:07So this looks like classic slug habitat.
12:11Hey, there's one right here.
12:13Right?
12:13Very good.
12:14Oh my gosh.
12:15It looks very moist right now.
12:17Yeah.
12:17How do they retain that moisture?
12:19They're in a very wet environment and only in a very wet environment could a slug like
12:23this evolve and survive.
12:25There are organisms that have overcome a whole number of challenges, living on land, living
12:32without a shell, that people would describe as evolutionary innovations.
12:36Can you find slugs and snails in other parts of the world?
12:40They are so diverse that they're found nearly every habitat in the deep sea and they're also
12:46found on mountaintops.
12:47Can you tell me about the different parts of the slug?
12:50Yes.
12:50So they have two eye tentacles at the top of their head and then they have two smaller
12:56ones below that that are more sensory and taste.
13:00They can kind of taste the environment as they move along.
13:03This very obvious hole here is called a pneumostome and it's a breathing hole.
13:10So why did he retract his eye stalks like that?
13:13Probably because it saw us and retracted to protect its eyes.
13:16But its body is protected by very distasteful slime.
13:21So distasteful slime to predators.
13:24If it ever ate or tried a slug, it would be so distasteful that it would learn, don't
13:28eat this.
13:29It's not poisonous.
13:30No, it's just gross.
13:32Yes, that's exactly right.
13:35It didn't take long to find a banana slug.
13:38They're everywhere here.
13:40But I want to see what else we can find in this incredible habitat.
13:47There's one over here, an Arian.
13:49Oh, nice.
13:49Big Arian.
13:50Oh, yeah.
13:51Nice.
13:52And these are introduced from Europe.
13:54So they're not native to this environment, but clearly they do really well here.
13:58Yeah.
13:59A happy place for a slug.
14:02I did find one.
14:03It's very small.
14:05What's the difference between a snail and a slug?
14:08They're a lineage.
14:09Snails and slugs are closely related, but the slug lineages have lost their shells over time.
14:16For a creature that can't outrun danger, a shell can mean survival.
14:21When this snail retracts up into its shell, is its body going around and around that coil?
14:28Yeah, so its whole body is contracting for protection.
14:31Its internal organs have twisted their head and their business end.
14:36Are they side by side?
14:37Yes.
14:39Could be very efficient.
14:46I brought a piece of glass if you want to see how the foot moves.
14:49Amazing.
14:50So what you're seeing is called a petal wave.
14:52A wave of muscle is moving along and the slime is allowing it to move.
14:58Sticky yet fluid, slime lets them glide over almost anything and slip away from danger.
15:04Material scientists categorize it as a liquid crystal.
15:08It's not a liquid or a solid.
15:12It's sort of a state in between.
15:15I can see why you study these guys.
15:18They are so fascinating.
15:20We find another banana slug and that gives me an idea.
15:24So this is weird, but when I was a kid, I would have banana slug races.
15:30So it's a secret fantasy of mine to recreate that and have a slug race.
15:34You think we could try it?
15:35Let's do it.
15:36A slug versus a snail.
15:39This is scintillating stuff right here.
15:42Who's going to win?
15:49A slug versus a snail.
15:52Who's going to win?
15:53They're definitely veering off track.
15:55Hmm.
15:57You guys, so it looks like little teeth coming out.
16:02These are the jaws.
16:03The jaw.
16:03Yes, the jaw.
16:04Can you see that?
16:05Like, this is mind-blowing.
16:07A slug has a tiny little jaw, just the top.
16:13I can hear it.
16:15Did you guys hear that?
16:16Did you hear that?
16:18Yeah, that's the radula.
16:21I did hear it.
16:22Oh my God.
16:24The radula is a tongue lined with 14,000 tiny teeth.
16:30It scrapes up food while the jaw cuts bigger pieces.
16:33Together, the radula and jaw allow slugs and snails to eat almost anything.
16:38Plants, animals, even decaying matter.
16:41When food is everywhere, there's no need to move fast.
16:45Do you want to try feeding it some carrot?
16:47Yeah, definitely.
16:49So it's looking like the banana slug was a big fan of the lettuce, and the snail can't
16:56get enough of the carrot.
16:58There you have it.
16:59Snail versus slug.
17:02There's no real losers here, though.
17:12Are slugs and snails at risk from climate change?
17:15Yeah, I think so, because they evolved to be wet most of the time.
17:18But if it changes too quickly for them to adapt over time, then it's possible that they
17:25would become threatened.
17:26When we think about survival of the fittest, we tend to automatically think of the strongest
17:32and the fastest.
17:33And we don't automatically think about these slow-moving creatures that are covered in slime.
17:39And yet, they have persevered over tens of millions of years.
17:45So clearly, very successful animals.
17:47Right.
17:47Survival of the fittest can mean fit for that environment.
17:50And sometimes fit for that environment can mean slow and slimy.
17:54Exactly.
17:55So maybe it's time we change our perception of what is successful.
18:00I agree.
18:00Maybe it's the snail's world, and we're all just living in it.
18:04Learning how slugs and snails have survived for hundreds of millions of years makes me rethink
18:11what it means to be slow.
18:13It also brings us to one of the most iconic slow survivors, the tortoise.
18:21Tortoises move at less than one mile per hour, making them one of the slowest animals on earth.
18:29In Senegal, Thomas D'Ang has spent decades working to protect and return tortoises to the wild,
18:36where they play a vital role in the ecosystem.
18:41I am passionate always when I watch these tortoises.
18:44They can just survive to so many difficult conditions where other animals are going to die.
18:52African Spurred Tortoise is the third biggest tortoise on the world.
18:58They truly are genius in terms of adaptability.
19:02They live in the slowest line.
19:04They are not speedy animals who need to eat all the time.
19:10When they face a predator, the only things they can do is to hide in their shell
19:16and wait for the predator to go away.
19:22The tortoise's shell is its ultimate survival tool.
19:26It's heavy, but it protects them.
19:29It can even sense vibrations from predators.
19:32Under the sun, it absorbs heat and makes vitamin D, a built-in life support system.
19:39As a reptile, they want heat in order to maintain their body temperature.
19:45But too much heat too quickly also is not good.
19:49That's why they dig boroughs.
20:08Here the tortoise is out, but let's try to see if we can scan the temperature.
20:13The outside temperatures is 33.2 degrees Celsius.
20:18Inside the borough, you have 12.
20:20You can see the difference.
20:21Why these tortoises, to regulate their body temperature
20:24and to survive in arid and drastic environment, need to dig these boroughs.
20:36Because of humankind, the African spider tortoise, for at least 20 years,
20:42was wiped out in this environment by livestock overgrising, putting bushfire.
21:05To help bring these tortoises back to the wild, Tomas created the Village des Tortues, a sanctuary in Nauflaillet.
21:14It's home to over 300 tortoises, and Tomas has already released many back into their natural habitats.
21:24Right now, I'm taking standard biometrics measurement for these hatchlings.
21:31Having these animals in captivity and in the wild can be different, and we need to know that.
21:38Conservation work in Senegal is not easy.
21:42When I get tired and discouraged about politics, about so many things,
21:48about every obstacle I have in my way to do good work,
21:53I just take a deep breath and look at the tortoises.
21:57They survive to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
22:00They watch the dinosaurs come and go, and now they are still around.
22:05They are an incredible example of resilience.
22:24In the forests of West Java, lives the world's slowest primate, the slow loris.
22:32These nocturnal animals were once a mystery, until Dr. Anna Nicaris spent decades studying how they survive.
22:45Every week, we still learn something new about slow lorises, but we've been able to answer a number of really
22:50important questions,
22:51especially about their family structure and their life history.
22:55A team of trackers, researchers, go out almost every night to study the lorises using radio tracking and other technology.
23:05We always use red lights to observe slow lorises at night, because their vision is very sensitive.
23:11They have huge eyes, and they can see an almost total darkness.
23:23Slow lorises, in their name, implies they're really slow.
23:26When they are in the face of predators, especially humans, with big, bright lights, or in the daytime, they move
23:33extra slow.
23:35So they employ a strategy called crypsis.
23:39A crypsis means they're brown, they're camouflaged, they have markings that help them to hide from predators.
23:46They have incredibly strong arms and legs, with a special network of blood vessels that allow them to hold on
23:54and allow them to be slower and more still than almost any other primates.
24:00They're slow in several other ways.
24:02They have a very long pregnancy.
24:04They have a long period of giving lactation or milk to their babies.
24:09They also have a very slow digestion of up to 29 hours.
24:14They are the ultimate slow primates.
24:25She's wearing an old radio collar that's almost dead, and we need to change it to a new one before
24:31the battery dabs.
24:34Because she has been caught many times, she's relatively calm.
24:38This is very interesting.
24:40The foot is able to grasp things, and they have a claw on their foot that is a grooming claw.
24:46This is one of the very special features of the slow loris, also having this digit shorter than all the
24:52other digits.
24:53The slow loris has a shortened finger that forms a strong pincer grip, perfect for clinging to branches as it
25:01moves slowly to avoid predators.
25:03It's a small detail, but essential to its survival.
25:07One of the most interesting facts about slow lorises is that they are the only venomous primates.
25:12Slow loris venom comes from a gland in their upper arm and also saliva in their mouth.
25:18When they raise their arms above their head in a defense posture, they can lick the gland on their arm,
25:25combine it with the saliva,
25:26and this is a lethal cocktail that can be used to kill other slow lorises.
25:30This is the venom gland of the slow loris.
25:33We don't want to get too close to her mouth.
25:35And if he were to be able to lick that with his mouth, he could give us a very dangerous
25:40bite.
25:40We have now found out that slow lorises use their venom mainly in intraspecific competition.
25:47Males fight with males, females fight with females, and they are one of the most territorial of all the primates.
25:55They can move fast, they can race walk, but many times they move very slowly through their environments,
26:02really carefully considering where they go with each step.
26:07They can stretch between branches, and they don't have a tail, so this means they can't jump.
26:13So therefore, they move a bit like a ninja of the night, moving slowly, slowly through the branches.
26:19Their mesmerizing movements remind me of the sloths I met in Costa Rica.
26:25Two very different animals, yet both masters of slow survival.
26:36After a change of scenery, I'm now heading underwater
26:41to meet a creature that uses the same slow strategy, but this time in the ocean, the seahorse.
26:52My friend, marine biologist Dr. Sarah Foster, has spent over 20 years studying seahorses and protecting their habitats.
27:00I'm curious to discover what seahorses might share with the other slow creatures I've met.
27:06Seahorses are masters of camouflage.
27:08They're so hard to find in the wild.
27:11You know what I'm thinking?
27:12Sloths were way easier to spot.
27:15Every blade of seagrass I'm looking at, there could be a tiny seahorse hanging on to that.
27:22This is hard.
27:26I found one!
27:29You found one?
27:30I found one!
27:31No way!
27:32I feel like she's already changed color.
27:35Is that possible?
27:35Yeah, they have chromatophores, which are these kind of, almost like a balloon full of ink,
27:40that they can stretch out in order to bring the color closer to their skin.
27:46So they can change color quite quickly.
27:48I found my needle in the haystack!
27:50I found your needle!
27:50You have made my year!
27:53Now that we've found a seahorse, I'm excited to learn more about these amazing creatures.
27:59We actually here have both species that they have out here in Tampa Bay.
28:03We have the smaller dwarf seahorses.
28:06Right.
28:06And then Aubrey's team earlier today sampled a line seahorse, which is the bigger seahorse here.
28:13Yes!
28:14What would be the benefit of having skin like that?
28:18Well, because they're so bony and they don't have a whole lot of flesh on top of that bone,
28:22they're not very appetizing for predators.
28:24So we don't actually find that seahorses are an important part of any predator's diet.
28:29Really?
28:29Yes.
28:30The one thing that seahorses, I would say, have to look out for more would be crabs.
28:34And we know that because we find them in the wild with their tails cut off.
28:38Oh, that's interesting.
28:38So the crab is just snipping off a tail and getting a little snack?
28:42Exactly.
28:43Yeah, poor seahorse.
28:44Right.
28:47Now, I can't stop looking at their eyes.
28:49Their bodies might not be moving very much, but their eyes are constantly moving in different directions.
28:55They have eyes just like a chameleon.
28:58The way seahorses feed is we call them sit and wait predators.
29:01So they kind of hang out and they wait for the prey to come near them.
29:04By having these eyes that move in all directions, they have kind of 360 degree vision.
29:09So they can really maximize their search area.
29:13The way they feed actually is quite remarkable because they kind of strike at their prey and
29:18they suck the prey into their tube.
29:20And the speed at which they do that is quicker than it takes you to blink.
29:25Really?
29:25Mm-hmm.
29:26So if they see a tiny shrimp floating by, they're going to suck that shrimp in.
29:31Shrimp won't even notice.
29:32Shrimp won't even know what's coming.
29:35Another amazing thing about seahorses is they have no stomach.
29:38What?
29:39Yeah, they have no stomach, which means that they have to eat a lot.
29:42They're not having to kind of search it out and then eat it.
29:46And they might not find their prey again for a few days.
29:48Seahorse food in the nature is quite prevalent around them at all times.
29:54Their tails are so important to their survival.
29:57So they're not great swimmers, seahorses.
29:59In fact, they're quite slow and they prefer to stay put.
30:03And then they do that by using this incredible tail to hold on to something so that they don't
30:08drift away.
30:09So here you can see the dorsal fin.
30:11And this is what helps them propel forward.
30:13On a normal formed fish, if you will, the dorsal fin would be on the back and they'd be
30:18propelled forward by a tail fin.
30:20But in a seahorse, the tail fin's been replaced by an actual tail.
30:24And instead, they use this to propel themselves forward.
30:29Seahorse tails are fascinating because they're actually square shaped.
30:34It's much more resistance to being crushed.
30:36So it's a lot stronger.
30:38It increases the surface area contact with whatever they're holding on to, thereby making
30:43their grip stronger.
30:44I guess if you're such a slow animal and you're mostly sedentary, it's going to be the biggest
30:50benefit for you to have something to hold on and stay put versus move really fast.
30:55Exactly.
30:58Oh my gosh.
31:00Why are they so adorable?
31:02What is it about a seahorse?
31:07So this lady.
31:09Oh my goodness.
31:10Oh my goodness.
31:10Only about half a centimeter in torso length, but full body about a centimeter and a half.
31:17So seahorses don't really move farther than sometimes a three square feet their entire
31:23lives because they're not great swimmers.
31:25That's the way they can actually disperse their genes so that they're not getting stuck
31:29in the same areas.
31:30Their babies can float along and then once they settle into their own grass bed, that's
31:34where they'll find their mate and continue that gene pool.
31:39If you were to compare this seahorse with other fish, where is it on the speed spectrum?
31:45It would probably be one of the slowest on the very slow end of the spectrum.
31:50It has great adaptations to help itself survive, but if I put a snail, a sea snail, and a seahorse
31:56next to each other, the sea snail might win.
31:59It's not very often you hear a snail might win a race, right?
32:03So what are the benefits of being so slow?
32:06If you're able to move slowly and move with your environment, the predator can't feel
32:11them while they're moving.
32:12So that's a great adaptation of being slow for seahorses in general, especially underwater.
32:18Yeah, so I'm very conscious of the fact that this poor fish is probably overheating.
32:22Should we release her back out into the sea?
32:24Yeah, but we also want to release it back to the same spot when we go out there because
32:28they are monogamous for life.
32:30So we need to make sure that we're releasing in the same spot so that these seahorses can
32:34give back to each other.
32:35So you think that the mate will still be here?
32:37More than likely in this area somewhere.
32:40So do you want to release her?
32:42Should I do the honors?
32:43Is that all right?
32:44Yes, of course.
32:45Okay, little seahorse.
32:48Wonderful to meet you.
32:50Bye.
32:51I hope you find your mate.
32:53Almost pretty slowly, but she's moving.
32:56Down she goes.
32:58Watching her drift off, I'm struck by how a seahorse can live its whole life within just
33:05a few square feet, small yet mighty, moving slowly in a tiny patch of ocean.
33:14Just up the coast lives another slow creature, the manatee.
33:19Surprisingly slow for their size, they graze on low-energy seagrass and algae, perfectly
33:25suited to their slow metabolism.
33:28But when temperatures drop, their survival depends on finding warmer waters.
33:33Every winter, hundreds gather in the constant temperature springs of Crystal River, where
33:39Jen Galbraith spends her days looking out for them.
33:46I'm from the Pacific Northeast.
33:48We've got humpback whales, killer whales, dolphins.
33:51Manatees are different.
33:53They are.
33:53Can you tell me about those differences?
33:55Yeah.
33:56Manatees have really good memories based on our observational data.
34:00They have to remember how to get back to a specific warm water site after months of traveling,
34:05sometimes as far north as we've seen them in Rhode Island and Delaware.
34:09The elephant is their land cousin, and when you see a manatee close up, you can really
34:14start to see those similarities.
34:16Clearly, they have the same sort of skin texture and color.
34:18They have the similar lifespan.
34:21Manatees are actually smart in what they remember.
34:24We all know elephants have a great memory.
34:27So yeah, there's a lot of similarities.
34:28You can really see it.
34:33Their remarkable memory is extremely important for their survival in the winter months.
34:42Crystal River is just filled with warm water springs.
34:45It's sort of that perfect winter spot to stay warm, and you don't have to go too far to find
34:50food.
34:50So a large number of animals can meet up there and survive the winter.
34:55Manatees are herbivores.
34:56So they don't get those layers of blubber and fab.
35:00They don't have that insulation to keep them warm.
35:02If they don't find that warmer water, what will happen is what we call cold stress syndrome.
35:06It's a very slow, long, painful demise if they don't get to warm water or get rescued.
35:14I work with manatees that have been rescued as orphan calves that have been rehabilitated
35:20in our critical care facilities.
35:21And then we want to make sure that when we release them that they adapt properly, they
35:25find food, they find warm water, and ultimately are successful in the wild.
35:31On those very cold days, and you can have hundreds of them just packed together in these springs,
35:35that is the ideal time to release a naive animal into the wild because they are there with those
35:40adults and other manatees.
35:42They will follow them out to find food, to the warm water, and we find that they learn from
35:52them.
36:02So we're out here listening for a ping, which would indicate that there is a tag surfacing
36:08on a manatee.
36:09There it is.
36:10Oh, that little thing?
36:11Mm-hmm.
36:13I heard that.
36:14Okay.
36:15Hang on.
36:18So we are going to take some environmental data that you're going to help me with because
36:21there's no free rides on my boat.
36:22Great.
36:23Totally the way.
36:24So one of the first things we want to do is get a temperature of the water.
36:2821.
36:29That's warm.
36:32This area right now is a mixture of poor boats coming to see the manatees, and as she
36:38was coming out, there was also some boats coming, so she evaded them, which is a great
36:42thing to see.
36:44She's in her warm water spot on a cold day, so check.
36:47Boat savvy, check.
36:49Ah, okay.
36:50So you're not just monitoring temperature and salinity, you're also monitoring her behavior
36:54and interactions with other boats.
36:56Yes, yes.
36:57I'd say this is very successful in seeing her exhibit some skills that are going to help
37:02her survive.
37:07Is there something about a manatee that's just different from all the others?
37:12They have no social structure.
37:13They have no hierarchy.
37:14There is not one manatee better than another manatee or more important than another manatee.
37:19They just get along almost always entirely, and it's a great survival strategy for them
37:25because they are very large animals that in the wintertime have to spend a lot of time
37:29close together in these warm water springs to stay warm.
37:33So if you don't get along, you're going to get cold.
37:39Every winter, as the ocean cools, hundreds of manatees make their way to these warm springs,
37:45and so do the tourists.
37:48Crystal River is one of the few places you can swim with manatees in the wild.
37:53I'm meeting my friend Jennifer, who's been doing this for nearly 20 years.
38:00I knew that if I was going to be in Florida, we had to do this together.
38:04I'm going to go and swim with manatees, and you said it's going to change your life.
38:08Why did you say that?
38:09My experience of swimming with manatees is nothing short of spiritual, and I don't use
38:13that word lightly.
38:16Not only do they not have predators and they not have prey, but they're also so nice to
38:21one another.
38:22Hmm.
38:23And that seems exceptional.
38:25I think they're the Zen Buddhists of the ocean.
38:26I think you're going to love them.
38:32When we are going to get in the water today, we'll be following our passive observation
38:37techniques.
38:38We'll be floating on the surface, nice and calm, nice and easy.
38:42That way the manatees can still have full range of their environment below us.
38:50Let's do this.
38:51It's going to be a good day.
39:02The manatees, believe it or not, are going to feel everything that you do in the water.
39:06They have little extrasensory hairs on their back about every inch apart.
39:10They can feel sound pressures.
39:11They say a thousand times thinner than that hair itself.
39:15As you're in the water, if you're floating on the surface and a manatee sneaks on below
39:20you, it will actually be able to feel your heartbeat below you in the water.
39:24Mom has evolved to keep track of calf in that manner.
39:27So as long as baby's within a few feet of her, she can feel that heartbeat and then she knows
39:31how baby is doing.
39:35I didn't know that the animals would come so close to us.
39:39I had a hard time feeling like they were wildlife.
39:42Is that bizarre?
39:43Especially when you're among so many people, it starts feeling like too much of a spectator
39:49sport.
39:50Something's lost.
40:04Dr. Buddy Powell is one of the world's leading manatee experts.
40:09He grew up here back when it was all wild forest and crystal clear springs.
40:14I want to hear his perspective on how human activity is impacting manatees.
40:21This area in my lifetime, let's say 60 years, has gone from a beautiful, crystal clear, spring-fed
40:28river to essentially an estuary.
40:31Because of development in Florida, there's more and more water being drawn from that underground
40:36river, so there's less spring flow.
40:40All of the manatees that I have seen so far have had some evidence of boat strikes.
40:46How do they survive being hit by a propeller?
40:49Manatees are incredibly resilient.
40:52They have a remarkable ability to close wounds, just these massive lacerations.
40:58If it doesn't get into an internal organs, they'll make it back.
41:02There's been this network that has developed called the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation
41:06Partnership.
41:07So if they are injured, there's a whole network of facilities where it can be going to critical
41:13care and nurse back to health.
41:18I was able to come here with one of my closest friends who has been swimming here with manatees
41:24for over 20 years.
41:25My experience wasn't as transformative as she promised that it would be.
41:32And I think the reason is that I couldn't reconcile every time I took my head up and looked around.
41:38It was a little bit like a zoo.
41:40I mean, the number of people and boats and traffic and houses and music blaring, I just
41:47wasn't prepared for that.
41:49I'm really curious in your over 60 years of being with manatees, how you feel about this
41:56change.
41:56I can understand completely what you're saying.
42:00And I struggle with it, too, because it is a very special experience.
42:07And it has changed people's lives.
42:09It's that emotional connection.
42:11It's that heart connection that really does begin to shift change.
42:17And the opportunity to be stewards of our environment.
42:21It's bad on us if we cannot take the steps to protect these animals and continue to protect
42:28their habitat over time.
42:30We have the ability to do it.
42:33We just have to have the will.
42:45It's extraordinary how evolution has carved out space for the slow.
42:53In nature, slowness isn't a flaw.
42:57It's a finely-tuned strategy for conserving energy, evading predators, and enduring harsh
43:05environments.
43:06There's no single formula for survival.
43:10Success wears many faces.
43:13And sometimes, it moves slowly.
43:18In a world that feels like it's constantly speeding up, slowing down can be hard, but that might
43:27be the smartest thing we can do.
43:29That might be another thing.
Comments