- 20 hours ago
In the dark recesses of the Peruvian rain-forest, stands an unwavering Brazil nut tree - a titan among trees....
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01By mid-morning, temperatures over the Amazon forest begin to soar.
00:08The stifling humidity makes a modest 86 degrees Fahrenheit unbearable.
00:19The sun's heat pierces through the Amazon's canopy.
00:25In the dry season, the colossal Brazil nuts' dense crown casts a cool shadow over the jungle floor during the
00:34hottest time of the day.
00:38It's the protection an army of leafcutter ants needs against the blazing sun while they work.
00:47Like rush hour traffic, they speed along a thoroughfare, trekking 300 feet across the forest floor, up a nearby tree
00:58to their work site, and then they haul their freshly cut leaves back to their nest.
01:07But these leaves aren't for eating.
01:10The ants eat fungus, which they cultivate in their underground nest.
01:17The leaves fertilize the fungal garden.
01:22In return, the decomposing plant material nourishes the earth in which the tree grows.
01:32But the leafcutters are fuzzy farmers and only target specific trees according to the fungus's needs.
01:41During the dry season, the Brazil nut is not to the fungus's taste.
01:51Keeping their nest healthy requires dirty work.
01:57So, the colony has specialized garbage collectors.
02:03Piece by piece, they constantly remove decaying organic matter from all around the nest and haul it to dedicated garbage
02:11chambers.
02:15Some spots are so contaminated, the ants remove the soil as well.
02:21All that remains is a hole in the ground.
02:35In June, Mother Nature embellishes the emerald sea of trees with blotches of bright yellow blossoms.
02:47The Amazon's acacias are in bloom.
02:51The Amazon's acacias are in bloom.
02:54Water levels in Las Piedras River have dropped considerably, exposing huge sandbanks.
03:06These islands make it easier for animals like the capybara to cross.
03:20A large flock of sand-colored nighthawks uses the safety of a sandbank to roost during the day.
03:33And in the dry season, caiman emerged to bask on the exposed riverbank.
03:57Where the capybara relieved itself, a buzz of bees and butterflies lap up the nutrients.
04:05Where the capybara relieved itself, a buzz of bees and butterflies lap up the nutrients.
04:12All the sunbittern has to do is snatch a nibble from the dance of fluttering insects.
04:27At this time of the year, ripe fair is harder to find for most of the Amazon's fruit lovers.
04:36All that's on offer are unripe crops.
04:40The Brazil nuts' cocos are still immature and, for most frugivores, inedible.
04:48To see them through these lean times, the capuchins target trees that bear fruit throughout the year.
04:57Beneath the Brazil nuts' lofty stem is a grove of palm trees, the troops' preferred foraging spot.
05:08Monkeys are the only ones able to tear open the tough palm fruit with their sharp fangs and dexterous hands.
05:21The dominant male eats first, followed by his most favored females.
05:32When a subordinate tries to steal a bite, he gets an earful.
05:43Best look for grub somewhere else.
05:48Maybe there's something delectable in here?
05:52For a capuchin, an egg is a yummy prize.
05:59But alas, the nest is empty.
06:07It's early August, and the Brazil nut bears a strange new hump.
06:15A mound of dirt riddled with a maze of furrows.
06:21With the tree's fallen fruit devoured, the conehead termites have to find another residence.
06:32And where better to build a new home than on the trunk of the mighty provider?
06:42The workers are responsible for this architectural masterpiece, now home to almost 800,000 termites.
06:53To build this structure, a worker uses digested wood and cements it into place with its own feces.
07:02.
07:37As amber dusk slowly deepens, the day's blazing orb retreats, granting the moon a chance to
07:50shine.
07:55Gaps in the jungle reveal a bright blue cosmos.
08:00The waning moon lights up the towering Brazil nuts' overgrown branches.
08:11At its base, between the looming tree's roots, a throng of little hairy legs creep from the
08:17safety of their burrow.
08:22This is the home of a family of Goliath bird-eating tarantulas, the largest spiders on Earth.
08:34The female dug this burrow herself when she was just a spiderling.
08:40It stretches for almost five feet underground and cradles more than 40 of her furry offspring.
08:52The sensory hairs on her feet detect the slightest vibration, alerting her to a stir in the leaf
08:59litter.
09:07The cockroach doesn't stand a chance.
09:17But it's barely in her jaws when the little ones start to mob her.
09:26She has her hands full, keeping hold of dinner and controlling the kids.
09:37With an eight-inch leg span, she's not yet the biggest bird-eating spider.
09:43But with time, she'll grow up to 12 inches across.
09:51When another beetle wanders into her territory, she surrenders the cockroach to her greedy offspring.
10:02Let them fight it out between themselves.
10:17It's now April.
10:19The wet season in Tambopata is drawing to a close.
10:27A pair of green-winged macaws have constructed their nest in a nearby ironwood tree.
10:36Inside, a young chick waits for the rain to stop so that its parents can bring it dinner.
10:48Its insatiable appetite will keep both mom and dad busy over the coming weeks.
10:59As day submits to night, the breath of twilight blows to flame the evening skies.
11:09Between sunset and the pale moonrise, the jungle grows blacker than ever.
11:20But the darker the night, the more radiant the Milky Way that flows across the sky.
11:36In the witching hour, Tambopata's creatures of the night awake.
11:44It's their turn to scour the thicket.
12:13In the brush at its base, the ancient Brazil nut tree.
12:25There are a few things on Earth more beautiful than the simple complexity of a spider's web.
12:37The spiral-shaped masterpiece of a tropical orb weaver can stretch as far as 20 feet.
12:48When she's done, all this huntress needs to do is wait for dinner to come to her.
12:57To avoid getting trapped in her own snare, she carefully pulls each of her legs through her fangs to scrape
13:06off bits of glue and silk.
13:10And Eureka, easy prey.
13:17But this nocturnal wasp is armed with a needle-like stinger.
13:26Wrapping this parcel is a delicate affair, as she tries to steer clear of its lethal injection.
13:36She takes her prize to the center of her web, where she drains it at leisure.
13:48Her silky snare foils several more casualties, from tiny moths and beetles to a gargantuan dragonfly.
14:05But with a bit of willpower and enough silk, nothing's too big to conquer.
14:14Her web is so effective, it can even trap larger prey, such as bats.
14:24Between the Brazil nuts buttresses, a tiny rain frog is looking for a mate.
14:33To keep moist, it hops from pool to pool and listens for the distinct chirp of a female.
14:44She must be close.
14:51But her calls draw him into dangerous territory.
15:06The rain frog's night of romance is over before it's even begun.
15:23It's a stomach-churning conclusion for the squirming Casanova.
15:32This horned hunter's greedy disposition and formidable mouth has earned it the nickname, the Pac-Man frog.
15:42Even snakes and large rodents fall prey to its gaping jaws.
15:52Break of day drapes the jungle in a shroud of mist.
15:59It's May, the beginning of the dry season.
16:06Despite its name, it still rains a lot.
16:10The key difference is that the flooded jungle basin now begins to dry.
16:25By now, the Brazil nut tree has cast off all of this year's mature cocos.
16:32All that remains is next year's unripe crop.
16:45The warmer weather inspires the tree to grow too fast for its own skin, and its bark splits.
16:54To seal this wound, the pillar of strength oozes a sticky resin that will harden over time.
17:06The tiny river of caramel-colored gum entices an array of small sweat bees.
17:17The bees aren't collecting the resin for food or to create honey.
17:21They use it to construct their hive.
17:27A worker rolls pieces of the gummy goop into a little ball and attaches it to her hind legs.
17:36Once she's loaded as much of the tacky toffee as she can carry, she heads back to the colony.
17:46At the nest, the bees use the resin to create a cement-like substance called propolis with which they build
17:55their hive.
17:56This glue also has medicinal properties that help fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi within the colony.
18:06They spread it all over their bodies and throughout the hive to ward off parasites.
18:16In effect, the health of the sweat bees depends on the Brazil nut tree.
18:30September marks the end of the dry season in Tambopata National Reserve.
18:38The early morning mist quickly submits to the sun's sweltering rays.
18:52The male red howler monkey's ferocious roar has earned him several mates.
19:01In this truth, he's king.
19:04The only adult male allowed to reproduce.
19:11A talent he's well versed in.
19:17Toddlers of various ages cling to their mothers.
19:23But they can't protect their little ones against everything.
19:29This infant is infected with botfly larvae.
19:35The youngster will have to endure 12 months of excruciating discomfort until the fly's pupae fall out.
19:43In some cases, an infestation can be fatal.
19:54By mid-October, both the capuchins and squirrel monkeys are welcoming new members into their ranks.
20:03And more fruit-loving monkeys mean more fertilizer for the Brazil nut tree.
20:17But the young squirrel monkeys are more interested in games.
20:25Playing together is essential training to help them survive in the Amazon.
20:34It teaches the little ones about their role within the troop and strengthens bonds.
20:41But when a forest falcon drops in, playtime is over.
20:48It's safer to stick with the pack.
20:57By November, the river swells with summer snowmelt from the Andes.
21:03The Brazil nut softens its guise with thousands of flowers.
21:12Clusters of creamy blooms embellish the tree.
21:18Alongside them, last year's cocos are almost mature.
21:29The flower's pollen remains hidden beneath a hood-like cap.
21:36There's only one insect strong enough to lift the hood to reach the sweet nectar inside.
21:47Carpenter bees are the Brazil nut's only pollinators.
21:52The bees waste no time in servicing the tree.
21:57Each of the tiny flowers blooms for just one day.
22:04Those that open before dawn leave the giant tree's grasp in the afternoon.
22:12Soon, a carpet of cream-colored petals covers the earth at its base.
22:22It's a banquet laid out for an array of rainforest inhabitants.
22:29From the tiniest bee to a savvy tortoise.
22:41Even the leaf cutters get in on the action.
22:47The flowers are just too good to go to waste.
22:56The ants cut the blossoms into pieces.
23:01Everything from petal to plume.
23:06Surely, these will be to the fungus's liking.
23:09Surely, these will be to the fungus's liking.
23:35After developing for 15 months, the Brazil nut's crop is finally ripe.
23:45The annual cycle begins anew.
23:51The forgetful gardener buries his nuts.
23:56The castanero gathers the harvest.
24:03And soon, new life shelters within the husks.
24:13The green-winged macaw's chick has fledged and grown into its adult plumage.
24:21It's now ready to join the rest of the flock.
24:27But it's never too old for a good grooming from mom and dad.
24:35For 500 years, this forest titan has sustained all those that enter its realm.
24:43But its future is far from secure.
24:50Tambopata's protected reserve is threatened.
24:55Illegal logging and gold mining encroach at its margins.
25:02As this habitat becomes smaller, the links that bind this ecosystem together will be severed.
25:12This ancient giant that has endured for centuries could be one of the last Brazil nut trees to reach majestic
25:22heights.
25:24With luck, the pillar of strength will remain rooted in this paradise, guarded against the greed of man.
25:35This towering titan will prevail.
25:38For it truly is a hard nut to crack.
25:53When you think of a Brazil nut, what pops to mind?
25:59The mottled oval treats you buy in bulk at your local grocer?
26:06Their buttery yet crunchy texture?
26:12Or do you consider where these delectable nuggets are born?
26:19Their odyssey begins in the heart of the Amazon.
26:29Their creator, an unmovable mast rooted in the untamed jungles of Peru.
26:40A 500-year-old Brazil nut tree, nearly 160 feet tall.
26:54For it to reproduce, this pillar of strength has forged an alliance with some unexpected allies.
27:07It relies on a forgetful forager to plant its seeds throughout the jungle.
27:15While a tiny insect is the only creature strong enough to open and pollinate its flowers.
27:24The Brazil nut's relationship with all who enter its realm is as strong as the tree's robust buttresses.
27:37An unwavering titan, this tree is a hard nut to crack.
28:06It's January, the peak of the wet season.
28:09An unwavering titan, in the Tambopata National Reserve.
28:17A large stretch of protected Amazon rainforest in southeastern Peru.
28:25This Eden for wildlife, 160 miles east of the Andes Mountains,
28:31is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.
28:38It's also one of the wettest.
28:44Relentless downpours transform the low-lying jungle into a sodden swamp.
28:55But these saturated soils are no place for a Brazil nut to take root.
29:01It must make it stand on higher, drier ground.
29:09This tenacious titan towers over the jungle from the safety of an elevated outcrop.
29:19Brazil nuts are the largest and longest living trees in the Amazon.
29:25But this one is a legend among giants.
29:31Majestic buttresses, ten feet high, support the tree's lumbering frame.
29:40These structures are a rare sight on a Brazil nut.
29:44A testament to the tree's endurance for five centuries.
29:52Above its weighty pedestal, the stout trunk bears no branches for the first hundred feet.
30:03This powerful post leads to a lavish crown adorned with lush epiphytes.
30:10Plants that soak up the moisture from the clouds.
30:18In January, the Brazil nut casts its rock-hard fruit to the jungle floor.
30:29For a brown agouti, the sound of the Brazil nut pod falling is music to his ears.
30:38And he comes rushing.
30:41But a four-pound missile can be a deadly encounter.
30:51160 feet up, hundreds of crude brown baubles decorate the tree's crown.
30:59These enormous fruits, each six inches across, are locally known as cocos.
31:08It takes about 15 months for each pod to mature.
31:12Which means, as this year's ripe crop begins to fall, new fruit have already started to form.
31:23Like its namesake, a ripe cocoa is a hard nut to crack.
31:29There's only one animal in the Amazon able to penetrate its tough shell, the agouti.
31:41Targeting a tiny hole at a pod's base, the large rodent gnaws open the rock-hard casing with its powerful
31:49teeth.
31:53Each capsule holds about 24 delectable nuts, much more than the rodent can eat in one go.
32:03But it's not about to waste the leftovers.
32:07The agouti buries the extra seeds in several hiding spots throughout the jungle to keep them all to himself.
32:19But the forgetful rodent can't always remember where he stashed his treasures.
32:27This is exactly what the tree depends on.
32:31Thanks to this absent-minded gardener, some of the nuts germinate where they're buried.
32:41But a nearby river limits how far these seeds can be sown.
32:47Less than a half mile from where the Brazil nuts stands,
32:52Las Piedras River snakes through this never-ending sea of trees.
32:58And the agouti won't cross its strong currents.
33:05By February, most of the Brazil nuts' fruit has fallen to the jungle floor.
33:13But just as the tree has allies like the agouti, it also has enemies.
33:23An army of cone-head termites invades one of the fallen pods.
33:29They're fierce seed predators.
33:35The lighter, cream-colored workers with round heads excavate tunnels throughout the cocoa, devouring nuts as they go.
33:46Until finally, it's completely hollowed out.
33:52The brown-headed soldiers with pointy noses guard the workers as they toil.
33:59It's they who give the cone-heads their name.
34:04When the pods empty, the termites move on to find a new edible home in the shade of the mighty
34:12titan.
34:16When it comes to nut harvest season, a colony of these wood-eating nomads can be a real nuisance.
34:25Both for the agouti and for humans.
34:34A local nut harvester, called a castanheiro, has to collect the Brazil nuts before they spoil or insects get to
34:43them.
34:47The task requires stamina and a well-sharpened machete.
34:55Harvesting nuts is done by hand to help protect the jungle from heavy machinery.
35:02Inside the hard pod, each seed is shielded by its own tough husk.
35:09For Amazon locals, Brazil nut trees are an essential part of their livelihood.
35:14And it's a felony to cut one of them down in Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia.
35:24Globally, it's a thriving industry worth $50 million a year.
35:36One of the Amazon wet season's daily downpours drenches Tambopata National Reserve, cutting short the castaneros' morning toil.
35:51As if the heavens are weeping, their tears drip from the towering Brazil nuts' outstretched limbs.
36:02On the jungle floor, the rain fills up the nut collector's discarded shells.
36:10But this forest giant assists in sculpting the clouds.
36:18Each day, the tree draws up and releases almost a thousand liters of water into the air through its leaves.
36:30This rainmaker is so influential, its kind affect the weather patterns across the entire continent, making them some of the
36:39most powerful trees in the rainforest.
36:51A ghostly moan drowns out the thunder.
36:57It starts with a low groan and builds to a thunderous roar.
37:06It echoes between the Brazil nuts' dripping branches.
37:12Booms through the jungle.
37:15And travels three miles down the mighty Las Piedras River.
37:23The calls come from one of the loudest animals on Earth.
37:31A male Perouse red howler monkey.
37:38He roars to brandish his power and attract females.
37:48A resident flock of green-winged macaws can't escape his den.
37:57The animals of Tambopata are used to the howlers' cries and these downpours.
38:04Here, the wet season officially lasts from November to March.
38:09But in reality, it rains throughout the year.
38:15The parrots greet the end of the deluge with a good dose of social gabbing.
38:26They noisily squawk and scream to check in with other members of the flock.
38:38But this pair only have eyes for each other.
38:43Macaws are monogamous and extremely lovey-dovey.
38:49In this flock, February is breeding season.
38:53To show they're ready to mate, the boisterous babblers vigorously groom each other.
39:00Soon, these couples will begin to prepare their nests.
39:07By March, the Castaneros' pile of empty coco shells has grown at the foot of the towering Brazil nut.
39:18The perfect hideout for a rainbow boa looking for a place to rest during the day.
39:31An alluring aroma interrupts the snake's intended siesta.
39:41It follows the scent trail with its flicking tongue while scanning the leaf litter with heat-sensitive organs along its
39:49jaw.
39:54But this Suriname horned frog is cold-blooded and has turned camouflage into an art.
40:07This female's blotchy brown kaleidoscope blends flawlessly with a Brazil nut's leaf litter.
40:15As long as she remains motionless, the boa won't be able to find her.
40:22And it moves on.
40:27This is her hunting ground.
40:31Here, she waits.
40:35Without moving a muscle.
40:38For hours if need be.
40:42For an unsuspecting target.
41:00The katydid senses something is awry.
41:05And probes with its antennae.
41:12It's within striking range.
41:19But this meal isn't worth the effort.
41:24The katydid can inflict a painful bite with its powerful mandibles.
41:30And if swallowed, the thorny spines on its legs can cause significant damage to the frog's insides.
41:40For the Suriname, the waiting game continues.
41:48As the tallest tree in the area, the 500-year-old Brazil nut's crown offers the ideal lookout for a
41:57harpy eagle, the most powerful raptor in the Amazon.
42:03It looks like lunch has arrived.
42:12A troop of about 15 tufted capuchin monkeys is out on its daily treasure hunt.
42:19Their leader, an alpha male, keeps a stern watch over them.
42:26The clan has some strange travel companions.
42:32Black-capped squirrel monkeys.
42:37Both species devour copious amounts of fruit.
42:41But monkeys are messy eaters.
42:47As they move through the jungle, they drop half-eaten fodder, which becomes the ideal fertilizer for the Brazil nut.
43:01Both capuchins and squirrel monkeys also adore eating insects.
43:08The combined troop disturbs more insects as they clamber through the treetops, making them easier to find.
43:26More eyes and ears also make it easier to spot a predator.
43:36Busted!
43:40Their chorus of squeaks and chirps alert everyone to the danger above.
43:53The harpy will have to find a meal elsewhere.
43:57The only caminho for the
43:58jet smudge is something that's a big deal.