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00:05This is The Americas, an extraordinary journey across Earth's great supercontinent, the widest
00:15variety of life on the planet, the untold story of our home.
00:27Tonight on The Americas, the Andes, a spectacular sky world and the longest mountain range in
00:46The Americas.
00:51Forged by fire and ice, it's a world of unrivaled beauty.
01:00But here, life must battle to survive in the most perilous places imaginable.
01:10The planet's driest deserts, frozen peaks, and strange magical forests in the clouds.
01:21Every animal must triumph in life lived truly on the edge.
01:35The Andes is the spine of South America.
01:39Running from the southern tip of this supercontinent, it stretches five and a half thousand miles,
01:46forming the high peaks of Bolivia and Peru, before pushing north toward the equator into
01:53the heart of the tropics.
01:57Where the mountains of Ecuador can seem like looking back in time.
02:06Sheer cliffs and deep gorges are cloaked in forests.
02:16Here, giant igoron trees, draped in bromeliads, are fruiting.
02:24And that's exactly what one family has been waiting for.
02:32Hiding over a thousand feet above the forest, a spectacled bear mom.
02:43These bears are the rarest in the Americas, and the inspiration for Paddington.
02:51Mom, known by scientists as Silvestre, is nursing her three-month-old twins,
02:59Yo-Yo and Irene, secluded in their tiny nest.
03:07The towering cliffs have kept them safe from predators.
03:13But now, the family must leave.
03:17Mom's milk is running out.
03:20They need the fruit, nearly half a mile below.
03:29The sky-high rock face that protected them is about to become their biggest challenge.
03:38The most dangerous journey of their lives begins.
03:58Tracked using her collar, scientists know Silvestre has made this descent before.
04:17But it's the first time for the cubs.
04:28Yo-Yo and Irene will need to follow their mother closely.
04:35One misplaced step could be a disaster.
04:43Cubs have fallen to their death here.
05:05A moment of reassurance from Mom.
05:10She knows the hardest part is yet to come.
05:22Irene takes a wrong turn.
05:26She has lost sight of Mom.
05:30And at the worst possible moment.
05:33She has lost sight of the two three-month-old people.
05:38She has lost sight of Mom.
05:41She knows the worst.
05:41I know it's got a force.
05:45I know it's got a force.
05:47She's still doing it to me.
05:48I know it's got a force.
05:51It's got an force.
05:55I know it's got an force.
06:06Yo-Yo has made it down okay.
06:16And so has Irene.
06:22The worst seems behind them, but there's no time to rest.
06:38Silvestre is bringing them to the very same fruit tree that she returns to every year.
07:01Plants and fruit like this can make up over 90% of a spectacled bear's diet, and the cubs are
07:09not holding back.
07:26Spectacled bears navigate these mountains by having a detailed mental map of their world.
07:33The cubs can stay with mom for over two years to build a map of their own.
07:39One day, with luck, Irene will be able to lead her own cubs down the same cliffs.
07:51It all seems so easy now, but the cubs have just undertaken a death-defying start to life.
07:59In the mountains of the Andes, all life is pushed to the limit.
08:13These remarkable high-rise forests hide other extraordinary secrets.
08:20Spectacular animals so small and fast, they're almost impossible to capture on camera.
08:30Our journey in the tropical Andes continues, rising to 10,000 feet, where the peaks trap moist air from the
08:40Amazon, creating a mysterious cloud forest.
08:47Here, nature is at its most magical. Curiously-shaped flowers shine out like beacons, signaling they have energy-rich nectar
09:00inside.
09:07If they can entice a visitor, they will be pollinated.
09:14Usually, bugs do that job, but these forests are too cold for many of them.
09:19So instead, it's done by hummingbirds. Most, not much bigger than your thumb.
09:30In fact, the Andes is home to more species of hummingbirds than anywhere else on Earth.
09:39Feisty and agile, they'll fight to be the first in line for a drink of nectar.
09:46On shimmering wings that can beat over 80 times a second.
10:02The Andes has thousands of remote valleys like these.
10:06But just one in Peru is the home to an almost mythical hummingbird.
10:15Hardly ever seen in the open.
10:23He is a marvelous spatula tail.
10:28One of just 500 or so left on Earth.
10:34Deforestation has meant their habitat is disappearing.
10:40Only males have these extravagant tail feathers, which have just one purpose.
10:48To attract a female.
10:59He's keeping them in top condition.
11:04For the performance of his life.
11:10An audience has arrived.
11:15But this is not who he wants.
11:24Rivals.
11:27Every male around, even stumpy-tailed youngsters, have turned up to fight to control this exclusive courtship area.
11:41He's not the only one who wants the limelight.
11:56Fighting off so many is exhausting.
12:03He really should refuel.
12:08But that's going to have to wait.
12:13A female marvelous spatula tail is here.
12:22Now the show can begin.
12:29He'll be judged on the length of his tail feathers and the quality of his performance.
12:53She's interested.
13:00Time to take his display to the next level.
13:05And now it's all about stamina.
13:15In this thin mountain air, he's got to dig deep.
13:32It's a critical moment, both for him and the future of the species.
13:38If he wins her over, together they will produce the next generation.
13:52And at last, she accepts his invitation.
14:00A sign of hope for this remarkable hummingbird.
14:08Throughout the Andes, the land itself can feel alive.
14:19And in a way, it is, with an eruption occurring every few years.
14:29Immense Earth forces forged these mountains, leaving a legacy of over 200 active volcanoes.
14:37More than anywhere else in the Americas.
14:45For 40 million years, they've pushed higher and higher.
14:53And in a few places, an eerie ice world has formed at the peaks.
15:00Home to a true marvel of nature.
15:08The Andes is so high that 99% of the world's tropical glaciers are found here.
15:17The largest is in southern Peru.
15:23It's certainly cold, but at an altitude of 18,000 feet, ultraviolet radiation is very intense.
15:34So, when the sun shines, the ground heats to a jaw-dropping 111 degrees Fahrenheit, transforming ice world to sauna
15:45in the blink of an eye.
15:49It's the last place to expect to find a frog.
15:58Marbled, four-eyed frogs live at the highest altitude of any frog on Earth.
16:05Every year, females must breed in pools formed by glacial meltwater.
16:12But their world is changing.
16:14The glacier is retreating further up the mountains.
16:21Each year, she climbs higher, enduring hotter days, but also colder nights.
16:34And that's become a real problem.
16:45The temperature is dropping fast.
16:49She needs to find shelter.
16:53But as her muscles chill, they are starting to seize up.
17:00The deeper underground, the safer she'll be.
17:06But a clear sky means extreme cold is on its way.
17:19On these nights, the ice is relentless.
17:31Its reach stretches far beneath the surface.
17:34The ice.
17:58A resource.
18:03Her journey looks to be over.
18:13She is frozen solid.
18:32As the world warms up, something strange happens beneath the surface.
18:44These marbled, four-eyed frogs living in the highest reaches of the Andes have evolved
18:51a remarkable talent, almost beyond belief, and never filmed before.
19:00They can freeze solid and come back from the dead every single day.
19:21The only frog in the world that can do this.
19:35She drives forward once more.
19:43The frog that cheats death every night is ready to continue her journey and, with luck,
19:51meet a new mate.
20:02This frog may be a miracle worker, but its future is not certain.
20:11The glaciers on which it and so many other animals depend are in trouble.
20:20They're shrinking due to a global rise in temperature.
20:25Over the last 50 years, the neighboring Cory Callas Glacier has halved in size.
20:33At the current rate, it will disappear entirely in just 30 more years.
20:41Which could be a disaster, not just for the four-eyed frogs, but for all life in these mountains.
20:51As water from the sky-high glaciers of the Andes cascades down the steep slopes, it creates a unique network
21:01of 100,000 rivers.
21:07Water that is crucial both for wildlife and for millions of people.
21:15Most of these rivers are ice cold.
21:19But this one, in Argentina, is near boiling.
21:25Superheated by geothermal activity deep underground.
21:31What, in their right mind, would live in these dangerous waters?
21:39In the mountain rivers of the Andes, only one animal can master turbulent waters
21:46that range from boiling point to near freezing.
21:51A torrent duck.
21:54Not just any duck, but a super duck.
21:59He comes fully equipped with heat-resistant feathers,
22:05armor-plated leg skin, and built-in protective goggles.
22:10A third eyelid.
22:13This specialist gear means he can survive a daily temperature range of minus 13 degrees above water
22:21to plus 122 degrees underwater.
22:28All to reach a sumptuous buffet.
22:31These superheated waters are a hothouse for growing fly lava in the thousands.
22:44Delicious and nutritious for a duck.
22:50Especially one with a family.
22:56These baby super ducks must find their own food from day one.
23:04Luckily, they are equipped for extreme swimming, too.
23:10Tail feathers develop early to act as a rudder.
23:13And huge feet provide propulsion.
23:19Downy feathers trap air to keep them insulated and afloat.
23:27They already have superhero swagger.
23:37But their buoyant down has, well, a downside.
23:42Where the water is deep, those delicious bugs are out of reach.
23:54They need to find shallower feeding grounds.
24:02But as the family heads downstream, things get dangerous.
24:14The parents lead the way.
24:19The ducklings can't yet fly.
24:21They will have to swim for it in these deadly, scalding waters.
24:29Only a third survive to adulthood.
24:36Where they make their jump decides their fate.
25:02As this chick's about to find out.
25:14The parents try to keep tabs on each of the chicks.
25:21But in these raging waters, that's not always possible.
25:43As the chick scrambles out, he must quickly look for another route
25:47to get back to his family.
26:03Now, it's all or nothing.
26:25His air-filled feathers pull him to the surface.
26:31Saved by their superpowers, the whole family has reached the shallow feeding ground.
26:39A bug buffet, now within reach for all.
26:46If you've got what it takes, this wild river, born of fire and ice, can be a kind of paradise.
26:55For a duck.
27:01Traveling south, the Andes spread to their widest point.
27:06Here, the highest peaks block moisture from both the Amazon and the Pacific.
27:11Which helps create a desert like no other.
27:15The Atacama.
27:19The driest place on Earth.
27:23So arid that NASA uses it to test equipment destined for Mars.
27:31But in exceptional years, a miracle of nature changes everything.
27:44The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the driest on Earth.
27:51But maybe once a decade, a storm front from the west can have enough power to reach around the mountains.
28:02And bring salvation.
28:05Torrential rain.
28:12Summoning one of the rarest wonders in nature.
28:19What is known as a super bloom.
28:28Billions of seeds that have been sleeping in the sand, some for more than 10 years, can finally burst into
28:36life.
28:45This new world draws strange creatures from beyond the desert.
28:51The Koruru, a mountain rodent.
28:54Seldom seen on the surface.
28:59A giant caterpillar-hunting wasp brings food to her young.
29:10And like the rest, a family of burrowing owls packs a whole lifetime into these few weeks of plenty.
29:20Because as fast as the super bloom emerges,
29:28it's reclaimed by the desert.
29:31And life begins the long wait for water once more.
29:40Just to the north is Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat on Earth.
29:49When the rains reach here,
29:54another brief wonder of nature is created.
30:00A giant mirror, larger than Yellowstone.
30:09Set beneath the clearest skies on Earth.
30:16Here, we look into deep space for answers light years away.
30:24While an exquisite vision of the universe comes to our feet.
30:35But it, too, doesn't last long.
30:43And soon, all that remains is a salt crust.
30:47A world utterly hostile to life.
30:54And yet, for some, it's home.
31:16A salt flat lizard.
31:20A young male on the lookout for a territory.
31:27There's no time to waste.
31:50An oasis?
31:52No.
31:53A small.
31:55This water is full of salt.
31:59He can't drink it.
32:01But, these brine flies can.
32:06Converting it into fresh water.
32:09Inside their bodies.
32:13It's a perfect combo meal.
32:15A drink.
32:17With a side of flies.
32:24But, for a rookie, this is going to take some practice.
32:34200 flies contain just a thimble of water.
32:40He's sure got his work cut out.
32:52Almost there.
32:59Nailed it.
33:17Could life get any better?
33:27Maybe, it can.
33:41It's a female salt flat lizard.
33:45Wafting a powerful, seductive scent into the air.
33:57What young flycatcher could resist?
34:06But, all is not as it seems.
34:16Another male.
34:20She will only mate with the strongest males.
34:25Dominant enough to hold the precious waterfront territories.
34:31And, she wants to see what the young flycatcher is made of.
34:44She's set him up.
34:47She's set him up.
34:49It's trial...
34:50by combat.
35:09Overpowered.
35:11And now, in deeper trouble than he knows.
35:16Every inch of the water's edge is controlled by paired-up power couples.
35:25Who won't share.
35:52Retreat.
35:53This is only option.
36:07He's not ready to take on the big males right now.
36:13But, he is alive and has learned valuable lessons.
36:24Well, maybe.
36:32Reaching the highest point in our whole America's journey,
36:36we ascend to over 19,000 feet.
36:40Where the salt flats become salt lakes.
36:45Each one, a unique, toxic cocktail of metals, minerals, and microorganisms.
36:57The most extraordinary of all is Laguna, Colorado.
37:02A hellscape where morning ice has a daily battle with the strongest UV radiation on Earth.
37:11More than double that of Death Valley.
37:18And yet, every year, it's home to the most spectacular event in the Andes.
37:29The toxic red lake of the High Andes.
37:40It takes a special kind of toughness to survive here.
37:50But once a year, this lake becomes the setting for the greatest party in the Andes.
38:06Although, not everyone is invited.
38:17Right now, this world of extremes plays host to James' Flamingos.
38:34They gather here from across the Andes in the thousands.
38:41Hoping to find a mate.
38:51Males and females might appear almost identical.
38:56But they know the difference.
39:06They all want to look their best.
39:09And the pinker, the better.
39:12The secrets to their success?
39:15Tough-skinned, long legs, letting them wade through the caustic lake.
39:24And a unique bill that filters out microscopic life from the toxic water.
39:32Eating this food turns their feathers pinker, making them more desirable.
39:39But life is about to get more complicated as the Laguna becomes Flamingo Central.
39:47Chilean and Andean Flamingos are flying in too.
39:54Both much bigger.
39:56But a lot less graceful.
40:09Crowds begin to build to 40,000 strong.
40:12And then, on an unseen cue, a dance-off begins.
40:27The smaller Jameses are in danger of being pushed out before it even begins.
40:37Over four feet tall, the Chileans can strut in the deep water.
40:46While the enigmatic Andeans rumba by the smoke machine.
40:55But at last, the Jameses get their groove on, too.
41:02A tango at the top of the world.
41:17These courtship dances last for weeks.
41:26One by one, lovers unite.
41:33As eventually, they find a mate.
41:47But until then, the dance continues.
41:53The greatest show in the greatest mountain range in the Americas.
42:01The End
42:02The End
42:03The End
42:05The End
42:08The End
42:09The End
42:14The End
42:23The End
42:26The End
42:30The End
42:32The End
42:33The End
42:34You
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