- 4 days ago
In the heart of south east Asia lies the tropical island of Borneo. Twice the size of the British Isles, it is the third largest island on earth and home to possibly the greatest diversity of life of any island - from flying lizards sun bears to orangutans. Its huge variety of habitats, from bustling coral reefs and ancient jungles to towering mountains, has given rise to over 60,000 species of plants and animals - many found nowhere else on earth.
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AnimalsTranscript
00:08Far away, cut off by vast oceans, lie Earth's tropical islands, home to remarkable animal
00:26castaways that have evolved in isolation.
00:36And human cultures that have adapted in extraordinary ways, from the jungles of Borneo with their staggering
00:48wild diversity.
00:56To Hawaii, the most remote island chain, colonized by only the hardiest pioneers.
01:08And Madagascar, the oldest island of all, where time has given rise to thousands of unique
01:16species.
01:25These tropical islands have developed into astonishing and unique worlds, cradling precious
01:36life, found nowhere else on Earth.
02:04In the heart of Southeast Asia, lies the tropical island.
02:11The island of Borneo.
02:15Twice the size of the British Isles, it's the world's third largest island.
02:23Its wide variety of habitats is home to over 60,000 species of animals and plants, possibly
02:34the greatest diversity of life, of any island.
02:56Borneo's shoreline is fringed by a unique habitat.
03:04A vast, flooded forest, crisscrossed by a network of rivers.
03:14Within this waterlogged jungle, an extraordinary creature has evolved.
03:21Within this waterlogged jungle, an extraordinary creature has evolved.
03:31The proboscis monkey.
03:37This male's enlarged nose serves one key purpose, to attract a mate.
03:50And his super-sized snout, has secured him a harem of adoring females.
04:08And their offspring.
04:16It will take this baby seven long years to grow a nose to rival his father's.
04:26But for these monkeys, it is their pot bellies that are key to their survival.
04:37There is precious little nutrition to be found in the bitter leaves of these flooded forests.
04:45Proboscis have evolved an enlarged gut, to extract any goodness there is.
04:55Still, only the youngest leaves have enough nutrition to be worth eating.
05:05So the male must lead his troop up to a mile a day, in search of fresh growth.
05:30But their route is often blocked, by one of the many rivers that cut through the forest.
05:41Patrolled by giant predators.
05:49Growing to more than five meters long, and weighing up to a ton, the saltwater crocodile.
06:00To reach the young juicy leaves on the other side, the group will have to cross.
06:08But the male is hesitant.
06:20Instead, it's the alpha female who takes the lead.
06:25to the female who takes the lead.
06:59The rest of the troupe quickly follow.
07:24Sounds of their splashes carry over 200 meters through the water.
07:30And can draw unwanted attention.
07:43But unlike most other monkeys, proboscis are excellent swimmers.
07:48To survive here, they have evolved webbed feet.
08:02Finally, the reluctant male makes his move.
08:24But a mother and baby have been left behind.
08:39The baby must cling on for dear life.
08:57The baby must cling on for dear life.
09:31The baby must cling on for dear life.
09:44This time, the whole family have made it.
09:52Even the most vulnerable.
10:01At last, they can feed under succulent fresh leaves.
10:11With its unique adaptations for surviving in these flooded forests,
10:18the proboscis monkey is just one of over 6,000 species found only on Borneo.
10:32They evolved from ancestors that were isolated here long ago.
10:41Borneo was once joined to Thailand and mainland Malaysia,
10:45part of a vast landmass, home to one of the oldest forests on Earth.
10:53But when the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, sea levels rose,
10:59leaving Borneo and its ancient forests stranded.
11:09The surrounding shallows now host some of the richest coral reefs in the world.
11:31A single reef can support more species of coral than the entire Caribbean Sea.
11:44A single reef can support more species of coral than the entire Caribbean Sea.
12:00TheION
12:01All this abundance attracted a remarkable group of sea-faring nomads.
12:12The Bajau Lao, people of the sea.
12:19Over generations of diving, their bodies have transformed.
12:31Their spleens are 50% larger than average.
12:36It's believed this provides their blood with more oxygen for diving.
12:43They can hold their breath for over three minutes and spend 60% of their day hunting underwater.
12:53Longer than almost any other human being.
13:19The Bajau Lao settled on Borneo's coasts around a thousand years ago.
13:28Villages like Tatagan may only be 20 miles from the nearest town.
13:35But the 200 or so people who live here still rely on the sea for nearly all their needs.
13:56Rajamil and his son Fidel are traditional fishermen.
14:04But they're having to adapt to the modern world.
14:32Plastic is the scourge of today's oceans.
14:35But for Rajamil and Fidel, it provides an opportunity.
14:47Rajamil is teaching his son how to turn this plastic into something useful.
15:02Rajamil is teaching his son how to turn this past year and make his son who is in a dark
15:09place.
15:10Rajamil is teaching his son who's a young man.
15:13Rajamil is teaching his son who is a young man.
15:21Rajamil is teaching his son who is a young man.
15:50The
15:50one
15:50is
15:51the
15:51one
15:51is
15:52is
15:52Now, I'm going to take a look at it.
15:56I'm going to take a look at it.
16:28The lure will have to be convincing if it's the trick the reef's most intelligent resident.
16:39The reef octopus.
17:12With his new fishing technique, Rajamil can catch enough octopus to support his whole family.
17:22The fish will not be able to catch up.
17:30The fish will not be able to catch up.
17:34The fish will not be able to catch up.
17:43Adapting to change, the Bajau continue to live off one of the richest coral reefs in our seas.
17:53But Borneo's exceptional diversity only increases as you head inland.
18:03And enter one of the last surviving fragments of a tropical rainforest.
18:08Dating back 48 million years.
18:16Covering an area larger than Germany, a single square kilometer can hold more species of tree than the whole of
18:24Europe.
18:34But one group of giants dominate.
18:39The Dipterokarps.
18:43Towering up to 100 meters high, they are the tallest rainforest trees in the world.
18:53A single fruiting tree can support over a thousand different species of animals.
19:05This leads to intense competition for food and space.
19:19To survive in these crowded canopies, life has evolved in wondrous ways.
19:50Borneo has over 20 species of gliding reptile.
20:04More than any other island on Earth.
20:09The Dipterokarps.
20:09Bajau is the biggest predator that reveals that Beeb.
20:32Bajau has over 20 species of tigers.
20:35The Perkars of a
20:36The jungle intensifies, as many of Borneo's 180 species of frog now burst into song.
20:55Or singing for a mate.
21:06The bigger the frog, the louder the call.
21:16But this male tree-hole frog is barely bigger than a fingernail.
21:23He'll need to do something special if he wants to be heard by a nearby female.
21:31She may only be meters away, but the chorus from the other frogs is deafening.
21:43This tiny male, however, has a trick.
21:53He searches for a tree-hole.
22:12The size and shape of the hole are critical.
22:17The size and shape of the hole are critical.
22:23He then does something remarkable.
22:30It begins with a sound check.
22:38Too low.
22:41He changes pitch.
22:46Too high.
22:52That's it.
22:54That's it.
23:12At this specific frequency, the tree-hole resonates.
23:18Amplifying the sound and broadcasting the call more than 50 meters across the forest.
23:32For a female, it's music to her ears.
23:53For a female, it's music to her ears.
23:58That's it.
24:03You're a little more.
24:04That's it!
24:11You're a little more.
24:12That's it.
24:12You're a little more.
24:12It's music to your right.
24:13If the character zusammen comes, let's go to the circle.
24:15You're a little more.
24:15You're a little more.
24:21But if you are a little more.
24:24to make an ideal nursery for their tadpoles.
24:42Compared to the abundance of life in the treetops,
24:50on the forest floor, it's an impoverished world.
24:55Here, the roots of the giant trees suck up most of the nutrients,
25:01leaving the soil poor.
25:07With little to eat down here,
25:09many of Borneo's terrestrial mammals are smaller than on mainland Asia.
25:30Confined to her protected forest sanctuary,
25:37the exceedingly rare Bornean sun bear.
25:44Just over a metre long,
25:46it's the smallest bear in the world.
25:59This fallen branch is a valuable treat.
26:07Filled with wood grubs and beetles,
26:10nothing is wasted.
26:15Even a foul-tasting millipede.
26:26But it's not enough to sustain even this little bear.
26:32The real prize sits high above.
26:38Guided by her exceptional sense of smell,
26:45it's the sweet scent of honey.
26:59For larger bears,
27:00this beehive may be out of reach.
27:10But being small helps defy gravity.
27:28With sharp claws and rough pads on her feet,
27:33she can ascend 40 metres higher than any other bear.
27:46With sharp claws and
27:59Just 20 minutes,
28:04Yikes,
28:04you're still there.
28:04I've never thought of it.
28:04I'm in my place.
28:04I love to read more than not.
28:04I love to read more than 4 days.
28:09I love to read more than 1.
28:09I love to read more than 4 days in my mind.
28:19To make it in Borneo's jungle treetops, this miniature acrobat has become more monkey than bear.
28:47For those confined to the depleted forest floor, survival requires innovative solutions.
29:02Here, mysterious signs line pathways through the jungle.
29:14Left by indigenous hunters that have inhabited this island's jungles for over 4,000 years.
29:33Itat Angaran are Penan, native Borneans, and still reliant on their intimate knowledge of the forest to find food.
29:52To make it easy to find a place to find a place to find a place to find a place
30:00to find a place.
30:24A common fairy bluebird.
30:28It's a meagre kill, not enough to feed themselves, let alone their families.
30:38But the Penan have an ingenious way of reaching out to others.
30:47Along the path, they plant sticks on which they leave messages.
30:54A single feather signifies they have caught a small bird.
30:58And a folded, empty leaf shows that they are hungry and in need of food.
31:04It's an ancient sign language known as Oro.
31:28With more than 50 different symbols, the Penan can communicate across 100 square miles of forest.
31:57Itat and Geran have found a welcome note left by fellow hunters.
32:02.
32:02.
32:03.
32:03Okay, that's all.
32:45With their unique sign language and strong communal bonds, the Penan have overcome the
32:51challenge of finding enough food on Borneo's forest floor.
33:01In the heart of the island, looming above the rainforest, lies another of Borneo's diverse
33:08habitats, mountains.
33:13Conditions may be tougher here, but they are still rich in life.
33:22Their range runs over 500 miles through the center of the island.
33:32At over 4,000 meters, Mount Kinabalu is one of the highest peaks in Southeast Asia.
33:45Moist air from below cools and condenses into a thick veil of cloud.
33:56It rains here almost every day.
34:09The water washing away any goodness in the soil.
34:17Sheltering in ravines lie dwarf forests, the trees stunted from the lack of nutrients.
34:28These extreme conditions have pushed one group of plants to extraordinary lengths to survive.
34:56They have become carnivores.
35:08With the promise of nectar, the plant lures in its victims onto its slippery edge.
35:26Below lies a pool of deadly, digested enzymes, from which there is no escape.
35:56The captives' bodies slowly dissolved in the pitcher's stomach-like vessel, providing the plant
36:04with the nutrients so lacking in the soil.
36:14Borneo holds over 40 species of pitcher plant, the greatest collection in the world, including
36:23the Hemsleyana pitcher.
36:26The Hemsleyana pitcher.
36:27It's after something much bigger than insects.
36:38A woolly bat.
36:47Rather than using nectar as bait, the pitcher's flat lid is perfectly shaped to reflect the bat's
36:55sunar.
37:00Drawing it in.
37:03Drawing it in.
37:03Drawing it in.
37:13Drawing it in.
37:21Drawing it in.
37:31But the woolly bat is safe.
37:36After a night's hunting, this bat needs a place to shelter.
37:43Rather than fall into its lethal pool, the bat fits snugly into the pitcher's tapered cup.
38:00In the heat of the day, the pitcher's waxy walls even keep its guest cool.
38:19How the plant benefits only becomes apparent at dusk.
38:33The nocturnal guest awakens.
38:56Leaving behind its payment.
39:03Nutrient-rich bat droppings, known as guano.
39:12This plant has tapped into one of the greatest sources of nutrients on the island.
39:22One that has created a world of remarkable diversity, in the most surprising place of all.
39:29The deluge of rain has carved out one of the largest cave chambers in the world.
39:39Known as Deer Cave, at places it's almost 200 meters wide.
39:47Big enough to fly a jumbo jet through.
40:13As the sun sets, a great exodus begins.
40:19Emerging from caves across the island, millions of bats spread out over the forest.
40:40They are the most numerous mammal on Borneo.
40:45And their impact is immense.
40:48The bats from Deer Cave alone are thought to catch up to 36 tons of forest insects every night.
41:10At dawn, they return to the caves to roost.
41:14Where their excrement falls like rain.
41:21Building, over centuries, mountains of guano, more than 15 meters high.
41:33Feeding on it is one of the largest concentrations of cockroaches in the world.
41:53As well as a wealth of other creatures.
41:59Foot-long centipedes.
42:03Giant cave spiders.
42:10Even a cave crab.
42:28Thanks to the bats, even in this extreme habitat, Borneo harbors an extraordinary hurray of life.
42:44For 10,000 years, this remote island's astonishing biodiversity has been protected by its isolation.
43:00But with the arrival of industrial logging and farming in the last 50 years, all this has changed.
43:16Today, over half of its ancient rainforests have been cleared.
43:27Felled for timber, much of the land has been turned into vast plantations for crops such as palm oil.
43:46With the destruction of the forests, researchers like Twentyn Alosa are increasingly concerned about the future of Borneo's most iconic
43:55resident.
43:58The orangutan.
44:00Can an injection?
44:04I noticed that a Tuesday, that day, I spent time of life trying to settle and be aware of this
44:15looking day.
44:16Every day that wecuss the strength of the environment
44:16And one paso over the nextfooding is being taken into account with hoping that a lot of animals is now.
44:17In short, these ways that they let the countries of America is recipients of favor, therefore beingkeep the burden.
44:25I feel good about the unlikely that they have been on the planet.
44:38His work has helped us understand just how clever these great apes really are.
44:49Many of the forest leaves are poisonous, but a mother can identify around 500 species that
44:56are safe to eat, vital knowledge that she will pass on to future generations.
45:14One particular orangutan has led researchers to a breakthrough discovery.
45:21For me, I've been 14 years old for 14 years.
45:28At that time, I was born in the morning with my friend, with my friend, with my friend.
45:35But at the beginning of the morning, it was like a pain or a pain.
45:47I was born in the morning with my friend.
45:49Suddenly, I saw that she took the tree and took the tree and took the tree.
45:54It was like a juice.
46:03She took the tree and took the tree and took the tree and took the tree.
46:05I was born in India.
46:12Years of carrying a heavy baby have taken their toll.
46:18It appears Inda is suffering from aching joints.
46:24The medicinal paste she creates contains powerful anti-inflammatories thought to ease her pain.
46:35Inda's vast knowledge of these ancient forests includes a treatment for arthritis.
46:53But as their rainforest homes are destroyed, their future, along with Borneo's other unique
47:01plants and animals are under threat.
47:10When the orangutan is lost, we will lose one of the most important things.
47:31In under 20 years, half of all Borneo's orangutans have been lost, an average of 100 killed every week.
47:51Over thousands of years, Borneo's wide variety of habitats, from its bustling coral reefs, ancient forests, and remote mountain peaks,
48:14have been the birthplace of thousands of unique species.
48:27But with the continued destruction of their home, how much longer can these remarkable animals survive?
48:36survive.
48:55Filming Borneo's staggering wild diversity presented the team with many challenges.
49:00These jungles are designed for pain.
49:03There's scorpions, spiders, snakes, bees, leeches.
49:06It's horrible.
49:08Wow, wow.
49:09Fire ants.
49:10Oh!
49:11Ow!
49:11Ow, ow, ow.
49:12Are you okay?
49:14But their greatest challenge was capturing the moment proboscis monkeys make their dramatic leaps across rivers, patrolled by crocodiles.
49:34One of the proboscis monkeys' last strongholds is a 150 square mile area of flooded forest known as the Kinnibatangan.
49:45The only way for the crew to find and film these semi-aquatic monkeys is by boat.
49:51For the next two weeks, director Georgie Ward and cameraman Neil Anderson must navigate its intricate network of waterways, guided
50:02by naturalist Set Prudente, who's worked on these rivers for over 20 years.
50:08His extensive experience quickly pays off.
50:11Oh, there it is.
50:12As he tunes in to the monkeys' calls.
50:16Yeah.
50:17There's no visual, but we can hear them further inland.
50:24Hearing the monkeys is one thing, but following them through the impenetrable jungle is near impossible.
50:30We're not finding anyone yet.
50:35Confined to the river's edge, the crew must wait patiently for the proboscis to come to them.
50:41Oh, there's a group here.
50:42See, this is the male.
50:43After several days of searching, Set tracks down a troop of monkeys perched on the riverbank.
50:49So I've just stopped and I've got my first glimpse of proboscis, which is really exciting.
50:55For Georgie, there's one individual that really stands out.
50:58Oh, he's huge.
51:01The male's got this massive nose and these eyes that just kind of stare at you.
51:05The crew ready themselves for the monkeys to jump.
51:09Well, there's a few of them on there now.
51:12But the troop changed their minds.
51:15The monkeys have literally just turned and gone back into the forest.
51:22While the proboscis retreat, Set gets news of another troop also close to the river's edge.
51:30Okay, okay.
51:31Chill, let's go.
51:34So the other boat has seen monkeys, so hopefully we haven't missed it.
51:39Okay, okay.
51:46There's a bit of movement in the trees, so it looks like they could jump, so Neil's just getting his
51:49camera ready.
51:50Okay, Neil, Neil?
51:51Yeah, I've got them.
51:53Wow, there's the big male.
51:55Keep an eye, because I think that's going to just jump on the river.
51:58So just focus on that tree.
52:01But once again, the monkeys take fright.
52:06And this time, it's clear to see why.
52:11No wonder they're nervous about crossing a river.
52:15We've spotted a massive crocodile.
52:20It is huge.
52:22I'm pretty happy that we're still a good 20 meters away from it, to be honest.
52:32For today, at least, the troop has lost its appetite for the new leads across the river.
52:38And eventually, the monkeys bed down for the night.
52:44Dawn the next day, and the crew head back to the troop.
52:49Only to be caught out by one of Borneo's tropical downpours.
52:55Six inches of rain can fall here in a single day.
52:59More than the UK gets in a month.
53:03There's some monkeys just there.
53:04I think I see them.
53:06They could jump at any point.
53:08We can't film in this.
53:10We're hoping you're going to hold off until the rain holds up.
53:18But the downpour continues, giving the crew little choice but to beat a hasty retreat back to base.
53:28With less than a week's filming left, they're running out of time.
53:32I just want to get out there.
53:34It's quite frustrating, I think.
53:38Finally, with a break in the weather, the team can head out again.
53:43This time set leads them to a new part of the flooded forest.
53:52They find a troop crossing the river.
53:56But they are taking the easy route across.
53:58Good to see the monkeys out in the open eventually.
54:01But if they're going to keep using these bridges, we'd better go to a bit, maybe further downriver.
54:08Although these rope bridges provide safe passage for the proboscis,
54:11they are designed to help Borneo's biggest primates.
54:15Somewhere behind a big tree to the right.
54:22We've got this tiny little intimate view of an orangutan feeding on termites,
54:29which is quite rare to see.
54:32Borneo's orangutan is critically endangered.
54:36The rope bridges give these great apes access to the last strips of forest that line the riverbanks.
54:45Which are all that remain of their habitat here.
54:50Literally 20 metres behind the trees is a huge palm oil plantation.
54:58When I say huge, it just goes on and on to the horizon.
55:02That is unbelievable.
55:06In the old days, when I was here 25 years ago,
55:10a lot of these are forests, natural forests.
55:15With so much of their natural vegetation destroyed,
55:20proboscis monkeys are also highly endangered.
55:25Still, CED remains hopeful.
55:28It's not too late.
55:29So whatever we have now, I think we just need to improve the management.
55:33Yeah.
55:34And I guess oil palm plantation has to work with NGOs and government,
55:38so they play a big role.
55:42Returning to the heart of the flooded forest,
55:44they receive news of another proboscis troop,
55:47poised to cross the river.
55:48Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out,
55:49get out, get out.
55:49To five, to five, to five, to five!
55:53With the chute almost out of time,
55:55this could be the crew's last opportunity to capture the monkeys' elusive river crossing.
56:05this is the closest we've got to seeing them jump i hope this is it my heart is racing
56:12ready ready ready ready ready one two three go
56:31wow okay ready again yep wow oh my gosh
56:44ah big nail
56:59but a mother and baby have been left behind
57:04the rest of the group have already crossed the wary female may have spotted a crocodile
57:13oh my gosh she's jumped
57:21oh my gosh just a head just a head out of the water holding her nose up
57:30come on come on come on go
57:39i'm so happy i'm so happy i'm relieved great work team
57:43amazing
57:46high five all around guys that was brilliant
57:52we've been here for weeks but that is the the moment that that leap that jump that crossing of
57:58the river for them to get to the other side get away from those crocs so yeah quite a special
58:05moment
58:05to actually experience that this dramatic footage provides fresh insight into the lives of these
58:12remarkable monkeys but as their forest home continues to be destroyed even greater challenges lie ahead
58:20on this rapidly changing island
58:27next time hawaii the most remote island chain on earth
58:36from its lush forested peaks
58:39to its low-lying sandy atolls
58:42its varied islands a home to extraordinary wildlife thriving against the odds
58:57and that's here tomorrow at nine coming up tonight remember this life train spotting you must remember the spice girls
59:05well slam your body down and wind it all around for we love 1996 next
59:13you
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