- 23 時間前
Portugal Wild Land On The Edge
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00:06From coastal cliffs battered by the world's biggest waves to ancient forests where wild
00:17horses roam, Portugal possesses a vast array of landscapes and creatures.
00:32It's a bounty of natural treasures, but we have encroached on these wild places and threatened
00:50its inhabitants.
00:56While some have adapted, others need protection to ensure Portugal can preserve its wild side.
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01:45Portugal's west coast, for centuries the last site of land for brave mariners setting
01:52out on epic journeys into the unknown.
02:00Their spirit of adventure and discovery continues to define Portugal, on the mainland, in surrounding
02:08seas and on its remotest islands.
02:16A fascination with a world that lay beyond the horizon drove many to conquer their doubts
02:22and fears.
02:25In their quest to discover new worlds, great explorers faced nature's most powerful forces.
02:35Forces that all too often overwhelmed them.
02:38Many a dream of conquest was dashed against these mighty cliffs.
02:46Sunken cannons from the 15th and 16th centuries bear witness to failed attempts to open new
02:52areas of trade and influence.
03:02Now, they've become one with the seabed and provide sanctuary for creatures like the fang-tooth
03:08moray.
03:31Old shipwrecks create new habitats in places where real reefs are rare.
03:49The Barracuda is just one of many colonizers of these new territories.
03:57The ship has a new crew, grazing on the thick layer of algae that settles on its steel sides and
04:05taking up residence in the cabins.
04:15This giant grouper will probably grow old here, adapting his coloring and patterning to his surroundings on a 40-year
04:24static cruise.
04:35The grouper and his fellows are protected from the currents that once sank these ships.
04:43Portugal's Atlantic coast is one of the roughest marine environments in the world.
04:49An undersea canyon 150 miles long and three miles deep runs straight towards Portugal's west coast.
04:59Powerful winds and currents channel the surging water, creating giant waves.
05:15At Nazare, they reach up to a hundred feet, making them the highest waves on Earth.
05:23The world's best and bravest surfers come to ride the ocean forces.
05:30But there is no doubt where the power really lies.
05:34In reality, it's no contest.
05:43This is the coast of a country forever defined by the vast contrasts of its natural habitats.
05:58Portugal has just one national park, and it seems to want to conceal itself in mist and clouds.
06:11When the clouds part, most often in spring, they reveal the rugged majesty of the Pineda-Seres Mountains on the
06:20northern border with Spain.
06:38This spectacular landscape is one of Portugal's lesser known natural jewels.
06:55The stars of the national park are no newcomers.
06:59Wild Guarano horses.
07:10They have lived among these peaks for 20,000 years.
07:22The craggy landscape at 5,000 feet has made them stocky, strong climbers, and trusted
07:30companions for Portuguese seafarers.
07:46Small and sure-footed, they were suited to life on the ocean waves.
07:52Guaranos rarely grow to more than five feet tall.
07:57Springtime is foaling time, time for the young to get to know one another, to relax, and above
08:05all, to explore their boundaries.
08:10To escape the summer storms, Guaranos seek shelter in one of Portugal's last ancient
08:16mountain forests.
08:28Only a few hundred purebred Guaranos remain.
08:37Protecting and maintaining this ancient species is the task of both the national park and
08:44private breeders.
08:48But they too must respect the forces of nature and its innate transience.
09:06Wild horses sometimes fall victim to rare, cherish wolves.
09:12Although the predators are rarely seen, there's no mistaking the tracks they leave behind.
09:19Living with wolves means the Guaranos have never lost their flight instinct.
09:24The mists, that can return at any time, offer the horses a welcome cloak of invisibility.
09:39But invisibility isn't helping another kind of horse that lives at the opposite end of
09:44Portugal in the Algarve, the seahorse.
09:57These shallow coastal waters are home to one of the largest seahorse colonies in the world.
10:04They are sensitive and vulnerable, and their real misfortune is their status as good luck
10:10charms in much of Asia.
10:11Their only protection are the fields of seagrass just beneath the surface, but they too are
10:18gradually disappearing.
10:36Water and sand engage in a never-ending dance here, as high and low tides create transitory artworks
10:43in the Ria Formosa's lagoons and bays.
10:50No surprise that tourists like to linger here, without realizing that they themselves have
11:04become a threat, this is a nature reserve that doesn't restrict tourism.
11:15Every dropped anchor destroys a little more of the seahorse's habitat.
11:21They're left literally clutching at straws for their survival.
11:25Without seagrass, there's nothing to hold onto, nowhere to hide.
11:33Adrift in open water, an innocuous piece of seaweed can be deadly.
11:42Even if you survive, a drifting clump of seagrass can sweep you from home and away from your
11:55partner.
12:06In the Algarve, nature seems poised between land and sea, a source of both beauty and conflict.
12:25Humankind's attempts to extract the riches of the sea have a long history.
12:31Salt harvesting is still mostly a manual activity here.
12:45Saline pools are flooded between spring and autumn.
12:49When the salt crystallizes, it's skimmed off the top and dried.
12:53The finer the grains, the more valuable the harvest.
13:09The local wildlife treats this activity with discretion.
13:13They keep their eyes open and are always ready for a tactical withdrawal.
13:27Fortunately, nature offers plenty of hiding places and other ways of disappearing.
13:37The Mediterranean chameleon has a small foothold in Europe and no great desire to draw the attention
13:44of tourists.
13:46That might not be easy in such a popular region, but the chameleon is an expert at blending into
13:52its surroundings.
13:54Chromatophore cells in its skin change color, reacting to temperature, light and emotion,
14:01and its independently swiveling eyes can spot danger or opportunity in any direction.
14:16Preparation is all.
14:18This animal isn't interested in close combat.
14:21It's all about assessing the distance to the chosen prey.
14:27The chameleon's weapon is its sticky, darting, slingshot tongue.
14:38A well-aimed strike can pinion insects up to 15 inches away.
14:56As the tide goes out, other fascinating creatures emerge.
15:01Fiddler crabs.
15:06They inhabit the sandy and muddy intertidal zones and pools near the shore.
15:14They waded out the flood tide in their underground burrows, and now there's no time to waste.
15:21They're not picky where food is concerned, filtering algae, worms, and shellfish remains from the
15:28sand and silt.
15:30Females have two claws for searching for food, while the males are limited to just one.
15:38Females have two claws for searching for food, while the males are limited to just one.
15:42Interruptions are most unwelcome.
15:46Time is short.
15:47Time is short.
15:47Time is short.
15:48The tide will soon be coming in.
16:05after food it's time to flirt the males wave their big claw in the air what female could
16:13resist that powerful weapon eventually the males hope a female will relent and join them in their
16:21burrow for a little affair between the tides
16:52at the height of the tourist season the animals here are rarely left alone
17:05but the steadily disappearing seagrass makes it difficult for seahorses to find each other
17:21that matters because seahorse partners form strong lasting bonds and play unusually equal
17:30roles in the relationship the males bring the babies into the world they carry the females
17:44fertilized eggs for the last 12 days only 20 out of 200 tiny seahorses will survive the first few
17:53days of life from the moment of their birth these delicate creatures are left to their own devices
18:00the algarve seahorses are vulnerable at every stage of their lives
18:23the elements ceaselessly shape and reshape portugal's natural world
18:31like sculptors never quite satisfied with their creation
18:52contrasts hold this land together in a creative tension
19:12when heat and drought relent for a few short spring weeks mist and rain can take over
19:29landscapes that lay parched and dormant for months awaken
19:55when moisture reaches the dry earth of montado it's soon awash in a sea of flowers
20:12but the clouds disperse and the merciless sun beats down on southern portugal draining color from the land
20:20baking the soil
20:30hot winds whip through the eucalyptus forests
20:34in the 1940s dictator antonio salazar planted quick-growing eucalyptus to boost the timber trade with unintended consequences
20:44their deep roots drew moisture out of the ground and the trees themselves produced flammable oils
20:51each summer portugal's powder keg ignites
20:58is
20:58oh
20:58now
21:32Massive forest fires regularly scar the land.
21:38It's a good year when no humans are injured,
21:42though for nature itself, fire is a natural part of life.
22:04Full recovery in this monochrome world can take some time.
22:09Almost all the anthills have been raised.
22:12Ants that survived beneath the earth must now find ways to rebuild their colonies.
22:21Centipedes and heat-resistant weevils face similar challenges.
22:27The blaze has briefly banished the birds and the lizards that hunt them,
22:32giving them time to navigate the charcoal landscape.
22:36Moisture-storing moss is the first new vegetation.
22:39Like a wild wood in miniature,
22:42it offers protection and nutrition for survivors and for new life.
23:10On the well-watered banks of brooks and rivers,
23:13the young plants grow fastest.
23:18Within a few weeks, the hardy eucalyptus have begun to recover.
23:23The trees that cause the inferno that tore through large parts of the landscape
23:28are among the first to produce new shoots.
23:33But one tree seems to meet every natural disaster with equanimity.
23:39Whatever goes on around it, the cork oak survives.
23:44Its bark is fireproof.
23:54Ten percent of Portugal's surface is covered in cork forests.
24:08Individual trees live up to 200 years,
24:11or 400 if their cork isn't harvested.
24:15Each oak can shed its cork mantle every eight years.
24:19At the height of summer, when the bark has dried out,
24:22the cork ends up in many products,
24:25most famously, at the end of wine bottles.
24:29A cork oak must grow for 30 years before its bark can be harvested.
24:35So cork farming needs planning across the generations.
24:44Storks seem to do the same,
24:47settling on a single tree year after year.
24:58Experts believe the storks know about cork's fire-resistant qualities.
25:04Several stork families will share one tree.
25:07As many as the tree will support,
25:10seeing as a single mess can weigh hundreds of pounds.
25:22Portugal's white storks clearly have a liking
25:24for exclusive and eccentric home sites.
25:36The western coastline of Cabo Sardau.
25:42Together, the crashing waves and steep cliffs
25:45create an almost impenetrable protection
25:48against any threat from any direction.
25:59And yet, the white storks of Cabo Sardau
26:03are the only storks known to nest on cliffs.
26:06They take advantage of the challenging conditions,
26:10allowing the coastal updrafts to carry them to their nests.
26:22Storks are creatures of habit
26:24and remain faithful to a single place for long periods.
26:29On their return from African winter quarters
26:31at the beginning of March,
26:33they start on the repairs to their nests,
26:36ravaged by winter storms.
26:41Renovations can be time-consuming,
26:44and some storks prefer to cut corners.
26:47Rather than collect supplies on land,
26:50many birds help themselves
26:51to building materials from their neighbors' nests.
27:11Whether the materials are collected or stolen,
27:15the nests are completed within a few days.
27:18Now, it's time for the crucial rendezvous.
27:26Storks are loyal partners,
27:28returning to the same nest
27:30and the same mate year after year.
27:43Female storks lay between two and five eggs
27:47and incubate them for approximately one month.
27:52Then, life in the nest becomes really challenging.
27:57The exclusive Seaview location may be spectacular,
28:01but it comes at a price.
28:06Food is difficult to find,
28:09and the parents have to make several trips a day
28:11to keep their young satisfied.
28:23Abandoned rice paddies near the coast
28:25are the preferred destination.
28:27These are home to worms, beetles, and frogs
28:30the storks swallow whole
28:32before carrying them back to the nest.
28:42The delivery is eagerly awaited.
28:54The greedy chicks are never satisfied,
28:58and little is left over for their hard-working parents.
29:14From here, the world is within reach,
29:20and it's the ideal starting point
29:22for a flight of exploration
29:24to a part of Portugal
29:26far beyond the ocean horizon.
29:43The Madeira archipelago is some 300 miles
29:47from the African coast.
29:49Most people only know of the main island, Madeira.
29:54Desertas Grande, to the south,
29:56is less well-known.
30:09The so-called Great Desert
30:11lies like a ghost ship
30:13surrounded by the Atlantic.
30:19Or like a remote planet
30:22in a distant galaxy.
30:28Storms, searing heat,
30:30and heavy rainfall
30:32have created a landscape
30:33that looks a bit like Mars.
30:39Inhospitable,
30:41and yet attractive.
30:46And this island
30:48has become a sanctuary
30:49for two of the planet's rarest life forms.
30:53It's upper elevations
30:55are home to Europe's largest wolf spider,
30:58with a span of up to five and a half inches.
31:02Far below,
31:04one of the world's most endangered mammals
31:06fights for survival,
31:08the Mediterranean monk seal.
31:12Evolution has created
31:14two vastly different animals,
31:16but Desertas Grande
31:18has brought them together
31:19as neighbors
31:20in a fascinating,
31:22protected environment.
31:42The Mediterranean
31:43and the coastal waters
31:45of North Africa
31:46and Western Europe
31:47were once home to hundreds of thousands
31:49of Mediterranean monk seals.
31:51These days,
31:53just 300 or so remain.
31:56Over centuries,
31:57they have been hunted
31:58to the brink of extinction.
32:01A small colony
32:02enjoys the protection
32:03of the Desertas Grande
32:05conservation area.
32:08Mealtimes
32:08are followed by
32:10a quick power nap.
32:19A Mediterranean monk seal
32:21can spend up to 15 minutes
32:23beneath the surface
32:24before it has to come up for air.
32:27After a few deep breaths,
32:29the seal dives down again
32:31to continue its afternoon siesta.
33:00The only humans
33:02to visit Desertas Grande
33:03are the researchers
33:05who come once a year.
33:17The team works quickly
33:18as the tide rises.
33:22Cameras that can broadcast
33:24for 10 months
33:25are installed
33:25before the start
33:26of the mating season.
33:33The monk seals
33:34have always been
33:35independent creatures.
33:37Their justified fear
33:39of humans
33:39has made them
33:40even more shy
33:41and careful
33:42and they are now
33:43rarely seen
33:44along beaches
33:45or coastlines,
33:46preferring the safety
33:47of caves.
33:49The cameras are there
33:50to observe the seals'
33:52mating behavior
33:53and to capture
33:54a possible population increase
33:56without in any way
33:58disturbing their subjects.
34:26The desertash wolf spiders
34:29Spiders are equally shy creatures, and the undisputed kings of this sparse landscape.
34:35They have no real competition here, but try telling that to the lizards.
34:44The lizards know not to get too close.
34:49The spiders' eight eyes see everything, and a moment's carelessness can mean a vicious
34:55punishment.
34:57That was a narrow escape.
35:01Thanks to their dominance in this habitat, the wolf spiders can reproduce in large numbers.
35:07The female wolf spider carries her cocoon-shaped egg for around 40 days.
35:13More than a hundred small spiders grow within the egg.
35:17After they hatch, they spend a few days riding on their mother's back before they are eventually
35:23shaken off to fend for themselves.
35:31Those that survive strengthen the desertash grande population, now numbering 5,000.
35:43By contrast, the colony of Mediterranean monk seals, totaling just 30, is under pressure.
35:52The challenge facing conservationists?
35:55Raising awareness of the seal's plight while ensuring humans keep their distance.
36:02Farther away, a thousand miles from the European mainland, lies Portugal's westernmost archipelago,
36:10the Azores.
36:21The largest animals that have ever lived stop here twice a year on their marathon journeys
36:27between the northern and southern hemispheres.
36:30100 feet long and 200 tons in weight, they are truly the gentle giants of the seas.
36:40In early summer, blue whales can be found in the waters off these volcanic islands.
36:48Rising some 7,500 feet, the dormant volcano Pico is Portugal's highest mountain and the peak
36:56of a giant submarine ridge, the result of over 300 million years of volcanic activity.
37:11Here, three great tectonic plates were torn apart 200 million years ago, when the supercontinent
37:19Pangea split, creating Eurasia, Africa and North America.
37:26Benefiting from nutrients from the Gulf Stream, these waters are rich in krill and fish.
37:32They attract marine mammals with large appetites.
37:36A blue whale filters more than a ton of plankton from the sea in a single day.
37:46The explorers and seafarers of the past use the Azores as an essential stopover on their
37:52way to the overseas colonies.
37:55The islands serve this purpose for today's cetaceans.
37:59Some, like the sperm whales, stay here all year round because of the abundance of food.
38:25Thousands of dolphins hunt here in superpods.
38:30Wherever dolphins patrol around the Azores, quarry shearwaters are never
38:35far away.
38:36This is a close cooperation.
38:40If a school of sardines appears, the attack immediately begins from every direction.
38:46The fish form a defensive bait ball for safety in numbers, but the merciless shearwaters dive
38:54to capture their share of the prey.
39:09The quarry shearwaters are also drawn to another Portuguese island, Selvagem Grande.
39:23This inhospitable island is Portugal's southernmost point.
39:29This inhospitable island is Portugal's southernmost point.
39:48Corry shearwaters are among the birds with the longest lifespan, some living up to 50 years.
39:55But many never reach such an advanced age.
39:59Some won't survive the perilous hunting expeditions.
40:02Others die in agony from the plastic they swallow at sea.
40:11Selvagem is also home to thousands of Madeira wall wizards.
40:16They're always on the lookout for food, especially a nutritious, unhatched egg.
40:22Sometimes teamwork is needed to guarantee success.
40:36After the first hesitant approaches, the lizards descend on the broken egg.
40:49Before long, it's a free-for-all, where the weak are left behind.
40:57Soon, only the empty shell remains.
41:01And the lizards swarm out on their quest to ensure their survival in Portugal's southern extremes.
41:16To travelers returning from the high seas, the appearance of this lighthouse meant far more than just the presence of
41:24land.
41:26It marked the return to civilization, the westernmost point of the European continent, Cabo da Roca.
41:40It's also the entrance to a natural world, much changed by human influence.
41:51The pine trees of the Mafra forests spread their branches high above the undergrowth, as though providing protection for the
42:00animals below.
42:02The inhabitants of this nature park might not draw too much attention elsewhere in Europe.
42:08But in Portugal, this fairytale landscape offers a rare opportunity to see these animals in the wild.
42:17It was not always so.
42:21Portugal's monarchs were hunters who left little to chance.
42:27Not content with erecting hides and blinds for hunting, they built the longest wall in Portugal.
42:36Ten miles long and some 16 feet high, the wall was designed to provide the royals with easy prey.
42:50Then, it was an unequal contest.
42:55Today, the wall provides a peaceful glimpse of the forest's shy inhabitants.
43:11Contests now take place on an equal footing.
43:18The forest inhabitants, including fallow and roe deer, can now emerge from hiding.
43:29The 42,000 acres of former hunting grounds that once belonged to the kings of Portugal have been a conservation
43:37area for decades.
43:40Wild boars can now safely engage in their favorite pastime, energetically rooting for worms and grubs.
43:48Wild boars.
43:50Wild boars.
44:02Wild boars.
44:12Vultures circle in the skies above Portugal.
44:16Many commute across the border to Spain for food.
44:19There, farmers can leave animal carcasses out in the open.
44:24That's forbidden in Portugal.
44:35But when a piece of carrion is spotted on this side of the border,
44:40griffin, black, and bearded vultures descend en masse.
44:55A strict ranking system applies at the carcass.
44:59This threatening gait leaves no doubt.
45:02This griffin vulture will be the first to the feast.
45:08A wild boar, victim of a snake bite,
45:11is a rare treat for vultures in the Montado border region with Spain.
45:18Some turn up without an invitation.
45:24As soon as the carcass has been torn open,
45:27the vultures descend on the meat.
45:31A fox considers his options.
45:35Facing 40 ravenous vultures would be foolhardy and possibly suicidal.
45:40A fox launches a frontal assault.
46:09And finally decides that hunger is preferable to certain death.
46:34In their nest,
46:36young vulture chicks eagerly await their parents' return.
46:45They are hungry,
46:47but the real problem is the heat that turns the rocks into a furnace.
46:55Small strips of carrion will be welcome,
46:58but the chicks desperately need a different kind of help.
47:10Next to food,
47:12shade is the greatest gift a vulture parent can offer its young.
47:38In the unforgiving heat of summer,
47:41Portugal's greatest rivers come into their own.
47:47Both the Douro River in the north
47:49and the Tejo in the south
47:51originate in Spain,
47:54but reach their full glory in Portugal.
48:04These vital arteries nourish the country,
48:08seeing Portugal through even the severest droughts.
48:20The Tejo flows more than 600 miles from its source to the sea,
48:26making it the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula.
48:31Its infinitely broad delta finally reaches the Atlantic close to Lisbon.
48:38This estuary is one of Europe's most significant wetland regions,
48:43attracting migratory birds on their way to and from Africa.
48:47Many more choose to winter here.
49:03It's bustling and busy here,
49:06as if the birds of the world have chosen to mimic human society.
49:33It's mass tourism, animal style.
49:37The mudflats and marshes attract well over a hundred thousand birds from every part of Europe.
49:52Black-tailed godwits arrive from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe in their tens of thousands,
49:59mounting breathtaking displays on the fringes of the Portuguese capital.
50:17Most of the flamingos have made their way from the Camargue in southern France.
50:23As temperatures in Europe rise, more and more flamingos are foregoing the long-haul flight to Africa.
50:32Over the winter months, this is the largest flamingo colony on the continent,
50:37and here the birds have the ideal environment to maintain their startling characteristic coloring,
50:45as their long legs churn up the mud for algae, crabs, and crustaceans.
50:51The shellfish supply the keratin pigment that keeps their bills pink and wings orange.
51:20In the Tejo Delta, the borders of a country constantly battling the elements shift continuously.
51:32Portugal is a country that has always pushed boundaries and has for centuries provided its inhabitants with visions of a
51:42wider world beyond their horizons.
51:47These thousands of pied avocets can choose any direction in their search for new adventures and discoveries in Portugal,
51:58a wild land on the edge of Europe, of the sea, and of life itself.
52:15A wild land on the edge of Europe, of the sea, and of the sea, and of the sea, and
52:17of the sea, and of the sea, and of the sea.
52:52To learn more about what you've seen on this nature program, visit pbs.org.
53:14To learn more about what you've seen on this nature program, visit pbs.org.
53:28To learn more about what you are
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