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00:02Tonight, on The Americans.
00:10Mexico.
00:14This is a land of ancient civilizations and rich, vibrant culture.
00:24Where scorched deserts meet lush jungles.
00:30And the most bountiful seas on the planet.
00:35In such a kaleidoscope of landscapes, only the most ingenious will make it.
00:52Mexico lies where the North American continent reaches the tropics.
00:58And very different worlds sit side by side.
01:04Dense rainforests cloak the South.
01:09Its heart is flanked by towering mountains.
01:14While in the North lies the America's hottest desert.
01:19The Sonoran.
01:22One of the most inhospitable places on the whole supercontinent.
01:31Here temperatures on the ground can reach a hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit.
01:38You have to be tough to survive.
01:41And the toughest of all.
01:43One of them is the mighty saguaro cactus.
01:53They suck up every drop of water.
01:57And hold up to a thousand gallons in their trunks.
02:03A living oasis for desert life.
02:10The saguaros defend their vast bodies with needle sharp spines.
02:18A 50 foot fortress.
02:22Which makes it the perfect home for one animal.
02:26A cactus pygmy owl.
02:34The size of a dollar bill.
02:37She's taken advantage of others' hard work.
02:40Setting up home in an old woodpecker nest.
02:53She's up early.
03:00And this is why.
03:04She has a family.
03:09Chicks.
03:10With big appetites.
03:16For the past month she and her mate have been delivering a constant supply of food.
03:24It's hard work.
03:25Giant lizards.
03:27And kangaroo rats twice her weight.
03:34But there comes a time in every young owl's life.
03:37When they must be persuaded to fly the nest.
03:45So mom changes tactics.
03:49Food deliveries cease.
03:56She's making it clear.
03:57It's time to leave.
04:02But these deserts are a hot spot.
04:08For predators.
04:16Especially snakes.
04:22And unfortunately for the chicks.
04:25They home in.
04:27On pygmy owl nests.
04:43It's now.
04:46Or never.
04:49This will be the first time they've used their wings.
04:56And a landing in the wrong place could prove fatal.
05:06First up.
05:09Over.
05:11For strongest chick.
05:17For second.
05:24is safely out, too.
05:29Well, just about.
05:35But the third seems to have doubts.
05:42In spite of mom's calls, it's a flat no from him.
05:58But she has a tried-and-tested trick to win him over.
06:09Lunch!
06:13Now she's got her chick's attention.
06:36And he's out.
06:42That's not good.
06:46The ground is the most dangerous place for him to be.
06:54But up in the trees, it's not risk-free either.
06:59A coach-whip snake is closing in on one of his siblings.
07:06It can easily swallow a chick whole.
07:12But not on this mom's watch.
07:21She's seen off this ambush.
07:26Now, to get that last chick out of danger.
07:41At last.
07:44The family are safe together.
07:49They've gone through the most dangerous moment in their lives.
07:54Thanks to their mom's ingenuity and spirit.
07:59In Mexico's toughest desert.
08:08Stretching for almost 100,000 square miles, the Sonoran Desert is scarred by ancient volcanoes and lava flows.
08:19A legacy of colossal forces that have shaped the land and life of all of Mexico.
08:28And to the west, those same forces created a unique world.
08:35Six million years ago, the country's western edge was ripped from the mainland.
08:41As the Baja Peninsula split away.
08:46This is an ocean paradise like no other.
08:55The Sea of Cortez.
09:04A place where fish fly.
09:11And giants roam.
09:19The biggest animal the world has ever seen.
09:24The biggest animal the world has ever seen.
09:25The blue whale.
09:31These warm and sheltered waters support vast populations of fish.
09:42And draw in 40% of the world's marine mammal species.
09:50Including dolphins and spectacular superpods.
09:555,000 strong.
10:10It sets the scene for a deadly gain of cat and mouse.
10:16The most remarkable showdown in the ocean.
10:26The Sea of Cortez is one of the most bountiful seas on Earth.
10:33And that brings opportunities for one of its smartest predators.
10:42Orca live in close-knit families called pods.
10:46And communicate using a series of pulse calls and whistles.
10:52Each pod has its own unique dialect.
11:00To thrive, they must hunt together several times a day.
11:16And now the family has one more mouth to feed.
11:22At two years old, this calf is at a critical stage of life.
11:30Her mother's milk is no longer enough.
11:34So her future now depends on her family's hunting skills.
11:52The pod falls silent.
11:58It's time...
12:01to listen.
12:10That is the sound of bottlenose dolphins.
12:16The orca can hear their prey long before they see it.
12:25This family are one of the only pods in the world known to hunt dolphins.
12:34Behavior so rare that it has hardly ever been seen before.
12:40To succeed, they must use the element of surprise.
12:56Even breaking the surface to breathe could give them away.
13:01The adults can hold their breath for 15 minutes.
13:07But a calf can only hold her as half that time.
13:12She needs air.
13:21The cover is blown.
13:25And the chase...
13:27is on.
13:43One dolphin splits from its group.
13:47A mistake that gives the orca a chance.
13:53Working as a team, they coordinate their hunt.
14:02And one by one, they take turns to tire the prey they so desperately need.
14:29They close in for the kill.
14:31They close in for the kill.
14:32They close in for the kill.
14:32They close in for the kill.
14:39The hunt...
14:40is over.
14:50The dolphin...
14:52is shared out.
14:56And the calf gets the food she's depending on.
15:01And the calf gets the food she's depending on.
15:23of the sea.
15:23is a unique sea.
15:31In these waters, life can flourish, in the most unlikely places.
15:39As the earth's crust ripped apart to form the Sea of Cortez,
15:44volcanic activity created new islands the most remote of all
15:55San Pedro Martir
16:00over 30 miles from the mainland this lonely pinnacle of rock is the perfect
16:07rendezvous for seabirds looking for love Mexico's very own Temptation Island
16:21each year thousands of seabirds find their way to the isolated island of San
16:27Pedro Martir in search of romance
16:38including the best-named bird in all of Mexico the blue-footed booby it's
16:49breeding season and this man is in a long-term relationship their bond is all
17:01based around one thing you guessed it those bright blue feet the intensity of
17:11the blue signals just how fit and strong he is so the bluer the better thanks to the
17:22pigment in his fishy diet he already has a knockout pair but to keep them this way
17:33it's time for him to go fish once they bond with each other the booby pairs are
17:46normally set for life but not all boobies play by the rules
17:55a quick two-step from someone else catches her eye could this male's feet be even bluer and better than
18:07her
18:15partners his whistle display shows he's eager
18:27with a honk of interest
18:33her head's been turned
18:41but now there's going to be trouble her old flame is back
18:47he seems pleased with the look of his feet
18:53but his partner is looking at somebody else's
18:59he's not going to stand for that
19:20that showed him
19:32our hero may have seen off his rival
19:39but his relationship looks like it's on the rocks
19:47maybe a gift will help
19:51a well-chosen stone
19:58not impressed
20:05perhaps a softer approach
20:19hmm that seems to have done the trick
20:24and they pick up right where they left off
20:50but on this island
20:53temptation is never far away
21:09Mexico's coastlines stretch nearly seven thousand miles
21:14and heading south the very nature of the land changes
21:19this is a tropical world
21:21here forces below ground have pushed the earth skywards
21:25creating a maze of mountains
21:32for a few months each year these peaks catch moisture as it rolls in from the pacific
21:42and it falls as torrential rain
22:05these humid tropical forests provide ideal conditions for rare and precious natural jewels
22:20orchids
22:24orchids
22:25Mexico is home to over a thousand species
22:29almost half of them found nowhere else on earth
22:39many release an intoxicating signature scent
22:43sending one resident into a frenzy
22:53the tropical mountain forests of Mexico's southwest
22:57provide for a creature who is a passionate collector of scent
23:11a male orchid bee
23:20to attract a mate
23:22he must create his own perfume
23:27he sweeps up scents with special brushes
23:32and mixes them in pockets on his back legs
23:39and it's not just orchids he needs
23:43these bees can travel 30 miles
23:46collecting as many as 40 different smells
23:51because the more complex the cologne
23:54the more attractive the bee
24:00but there's one scent this master perfumier needs most of all
24:07the stanhopia orchid
24:14unfortunately its flowers only open just a few days each year
24:26and worse
24:29he has a rival
24:40male bees compete to collect the most seductive scent
24:46the little leaf wax
24:52a whiff of fungus
25:00and our hero adds a hint of rotted wood
25:07while the rival
25:10spots a workaround
25:12a dead orchid bee
25:15with pockets full of scent
25:18that can be stolen
25:23but it could turn out to be one big mistake
25:27because at last
25:31the stanhopia has burst into flower
25:37and our hero is right there
25:41and our hero is right there
25:41to cash in
25:49now he can get
25:51the final ingredient
25:53the secret sauce
26:02the orchid
26:03the orchid
26:03the orchid deposits pollen
26:04on his back
26:07so this bee will fertilize the next stanhopia he visits
26:13ensuring the orchid's future
26:17in the meantime he's completed his ultimate perfume
26:23and once a female gets a whiff of it
26:25the chemistry will be perfect
26:35to the east
26:36Mexico's mountains fall away
26:38to a landscape that couldn't be more different
26:42here more than 11 million years ago
26:45a huge limestone plateau
26:48collided with the mainland
26:49and formed
26:51the Yucatan Peninsula
26:58it's nearly 75,000 square miles
27:04cloaked by the largest tropical forest in North America
27:18Mexican spider monkeys
27:23acrobatic experts
27:25in treetop travel
27:34but this is a skill that takes time
27:38to master
27:40so
27:42for the first two years of life
27:45transport
27:47is courtesy of mom
27:52to nurse her baby
27:53she needs to eat four pounds of fruit everyday
28:09the problem is
28:11it's the dry season
28:14and fruit is scarce
28:26luckily
28:26mom has a mental map of the forest
28:29and knows a place that will always provide
28:36the trees here
28:38are laden with fruit
28:43and there's a surprising reason why
28:51these forests
28:52were once home to one of the greatest civilizations
28:55in human history
29:01the Maya
29:04standing here
29:05by the ruins of a once great city
29:08Calakmul
29:12the people that lived here
29:14planted many fruit trees
29:17a legacy that lives on today
29:24in the seventh century
29:25Calakmul supported more than 50,000 people
29:30but there is a mystery here
29:32almost every other civilization build their major cities
29:36next to a source of water
29:39but throughout the Yucatan
29:40there is not a single river
29:42lake
29:42or even a stream
29:45so how did the Maya thrive?
29:50they knew
29:51that this forest
29:52held a unique secret
29:59for the ancient Maya to thrive in the forests of the Yucatan
30:03they had to find water
30:06they needed help
30:08from an unusual guide
30:10one with a distinctive call
30:13that they could follow
30:17turquoise-browed matlots
30:20like these
30:21led the Maya to hidden freshwater pools
30:23deep underground
30:25called cenotes
30:32in darkness
30:34theuguay
30:34and displays
30:36that indigenous
30:37Overanti
30:37Yeah
30:39Collections
30:44in peace
30:46from the planet
30:47theuba
30:47and locals
30:49the planet
30:49that the point
30:51that quotient
30:53inmates
31:01These labyrinths, running over a thousand miles, form the longest flooded cave system
31:08in the world, and some are less explored than the surface
31:25of the moon. It's a place only the world's most experienced divers attempt to venture.
31:42Home to seemingly alien life forms, a blind cave fish with no pigment or eyes.
31:55Why would you need them in the endless darkness?
31:59And an entirely new species, never filmed before, cave brittle stars.
32:10They survive on organic matter, which here can take thousands of years to decay.
32:19Deeper in the cave, there are even stranger discoveries.
32:25A place that plays tricks with your mind.
32:37This isn't the surface.
32:41It's a boundary between two water worlds.
32:53Beneath is heavier salt water from the ocean.
32:57And above, lighter fresh water that filters down through the rocks.
33:05It's called a helicline.
33:15And living here is an animal that you could say, time forgot.
33:24A venomous remipede.
33:28A living fossil from before the dinosaurs.
33:35It's recently been discovered that its kind are the ancestors of all living insects.
33:45Over half of all life on our planet.
33:54Beyond the helicline, these hidden caves lead towards the ocean.
33:59Where they flow into another magical water world.
34:08Mangrove forests.
34:19Mangroves can survive in salt water.
34:22The only tree that can.
34:25They have specialized pores on the surface that both filter out the salt.
34:32And take in the oxygen dissolved in the seawater.
34:44There are more mangroves in Mexico than anywhere else on the continent.
34:55And they support one of the country's most iconic and mysterious creatures.
35:10Hidden amongst the vast mangroves of Mexico's west coast.
35:15Are one of the country's most stealthy hunters.
35:27Jaguar.
35:32Mexico is home to almost 5,000 of these big cats.
35:38In many places, they have been protected.
35:42And so, the population has increased.
35:51Jaguars were revered as gods by ancient civilizations.
36:02They were seen as rulers of the underworld.
36:09Guardians to accompany souls from this world to the next.
36:19Where death is not the end, but a part of the cycle of life.
36:34Today, people gather around the gravesites of loved ones.
36:39In Dia de los Muertos.
36:42Day of the dead.
36:46Candles guide souls back to their relatives.
36:54But it's also a celebration that coincides with another long-awaited return.
37:06As the forests of central Mexico welcome millions of monarch butterflies.
37:21Each one believed to represent a soul of the departed.
37:30They have just completed one of the greatest migrations in the Americas.
37:37To escape the harsh winters in Canada and the U.S.
37:41They've traveled 3,000 miles.
37:44Crossing cities, plains and deserts.
37:48To be here.
38:01Beneath the volcanic slopes of central Mexico.
38:07Is an enchanted forest.
38:12The perfect shelter and climate for the monarchs to spend winter.
38:22These sleeping beauties hibernate here for four months.
38:31And they need to stay close to each other for once.
38:36But some are running out of energy.
38:47Freezing temperatures on the forest floor can be fatal.
39:01This fallen male tries to warm up his flight muscles.
39:05But it's too cold to get them going.
39:12High above him.
39:15The first rays of spring sunshine.
39:21Bathed in this warmth, the monarchs are preparing to take to the skies.
39:29But the forest floor is still dark and cold.
39:37He must use the last of his strength.
39:40If he's to reach the sunlight.
39:56At last.
39:58The security of his colony.
40:04As temperatures continue to rise.
40:07He and the rest of the butterflies.
40:10Can now take flight.
40:17Together they have survived another winter.
40:22And will soon leave to return to the north.
40:36Their remarkable ability.
40:38To find this one special forest.
40:41Amongst Mexico's kaleidoscope of landscapes.
40:45Allows these beautiful butterflies to flourish.
40:52One of the greatest natural wonders on earth.
41:01Flamingos.
41:01They gather here for a dance off.
41:04Hoping to find a mate.
41:08The Americas.
41:09Our home.
41:11Where giants roam.
41:14New life.
41:15Transforms.
41:17And a leap of faith.
41:19Is taken.
41:20In the name.
41:21Of love.
41:27There's magic to be found.
41:35In your own backyard.
41:45Wonderin' and wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin'
41:51wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin'
41:51wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin'
41:53wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonderin' wonder
42:33Transcription by CastingWords
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