Meet Socotra, the real-life island that looks like another planet! Discover umbrella-shaped Dragon’s Blood Trees, wildlife found nowhere else, turquoise lagoons, ancient legends, and the threats facing this extraordinary place.
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0:00 - Socotra’s Isolation and Endemic Life
2:14 - The Dragon’s Blood Tree
4:38 - Unique Plants and Inland Landscapes
6:34 - Socotra’s Coastline and Marine Life
8:51 - Endemic Animals of Socotra
11:13 - Socotri Life and Language
13:21 - Legends and Myths of Socotra
15:30 - Threats to Socotra’s Future
Subscribe for more incredible journeys!
Comment what you liked most about the video!
#Socotra #Nature #Wildlife #Travel #Earth
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Socotra’s Isolation and Endemic Life
2:14 - The Dragon’s Blood Tree
4:38 - Unique Plants and Inland Landscapes
6:34 - Socotra’s Coastline and Marine Life
8:51 - Endemic Animals of Socotra
11:13 - Socotri Life and Language
13:21 - Legends and Myths of Socotra
15:30 - Threats to Socotra’s Future
Category
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TravelTranscript
00:00In the Indian Ocean, about 380 kilometers off the coast of Yemen and over 240 kilometers from the Horn of
00:07Africa,
00:08lies an island that most people couldn't even point out on a map.
00:12Its name is Socotra.
00:14At first glance, it just looks like dry land surrounded by deep blue water.
00:21Nothing particularly special.
00:23You could sail right past it without even thinking twice.
00:28But, if you bring the camera down until it almost touches the ground,
00:33you'll see things that seem like they shouldn't belong together.
00:37Trees, shaped like giant umbrellas.
00:40Trees with massive bottle-like trunks.
00:42And plants that look like they're from another planet.
00:45And the explanation for all of this can be summed up in one word.
00:50Isolation.
00:53Socotra.
00:53It is not a volcanic island that just sprouted from the sea and was then populated by plants and animals.
01:01It formed gradually, over an immense period of time.
01:06It is a piece of a continent that broke away from Africa millions of years of years.
01:14Isolated with it were various plants and animals that have since evolved entirely on their own,
01:21unmixed and largely untouched by outside influences.
01:25The result?
01:26Today, over 37% of the plant species in Socotra are found nowhere else on the planet.
01:33The same goes for roughly 90% of its reptiles while 95% of its land snails are also unique
01:42to the island.
01:43Because of this, UNESCO declared Socotra as a Natural World Heritage Site in 2008.
01:50And it is often compared to the Galapagos Islands itself.
01:55A tiny, remote and virtually unknown island harboring one of the most astonishing ecosystems in the world.
02:04But before we get started, if you are new to our channel,
02:07please click the subscribe button and turn on the notification bell so you'll always stay updated on our upcoming videos.
02:14In the heart of Socotra, atop the limestone plateaus rising within the island,
02:20grows one of the most bizarre trees in the entire world.
02:24Its name is Dracina cinnabari, but it is better known as the Dragon's Blood Tree.
02:31And when you see it for the first time, you will immediately understand why Socotra has earned such a reputation.
02:38Its shape is like an open umbrella, with the tree trunk rising straight up
02:44while the branches at the top spread outward and upward until they form a dense canopy
02:50and an almost flat roof of leaves that blocks out the intense sunlight.
02:56This peculiar shape is no accident.
03:00In an area where rain is so scarce, the tree's wide crown helps capture the mist coming in from the
03:07sea.
03:08Droplets of water form on the leaves, then trickle down into the ground and toward the roots.
03:16In this way, it is as if the tree itself draws water for its own needs.
03:21This is also how it benefits from the moisture in the air.
03:26When the bark is cut, it secretes a bright red sap that almost looks like real blood.
03:32Because of this, it was called Dragon's Blood.
03:35For many centuries, this red sap was used as a dye, medicine, and varnish.
03:42It was also used by Renaissance painters as a pigment in their works.
03:47And to this day, it is still collected by the island's inhabitants for traditional use.
03:54These trees can live for hundreds of years.
03:58There are some trees seen today on the Dixum Plateau
04:02that might have already been there even before written records of the island's history existed.
04:07But despite their resilience and extremely long lifespan,
04:12they are also at risk of completely disappearing.
04:15Changes in monsoon patterns, more frequent cyclones,
04:20and overgrazing by animals are gradually reducing their numbers.
04:25It is happening silently.
04:28One of the oldest living organisms
04:30and one of the most unique trees on the planet
04:33is slowly disappearing.
04:35With hardly anyone knowing.
04:38The dragon's blood tree is the most famous tree here.
04:42But Socotra is full of plants
04:45unlike anything you'd normally see.
04:47In nature,
04:49just a few meters from the dragon's blood trees,
04:52you will see the Socotra Desert Rose,
04:55a type of shrub with a trunk so thick and swollen
04:58that it looks like it could explode at any moment.
05:02But this isn't just about strange looks.
05:04It's a way to survive.
05:06It stores water inside its body
05:09to withstand the harshest dry months of the year.
05:13It looks so bizarre that it's hard to believe this plant is even real
05:17until you see it right in front of you.
05:21Next up, we have the cucumber tree
05:23known as Dendrocytios socotranus.
05:28It's the only tree in the world that belongs to the cucumber family.
05:33Its trunk is thick with few branches
05:36and a truly peculiar overall appearance.
05:40It also stores water and can only naturally be found here.
05:44It also looks like a mistake of nature.
05:47But if you look closely,
05:49it turns out to be a perfect way to survive in this kind of environment.
05:54And it's not just the trees that are unique here.
05:57The landscape within Socotra itself is an extraordinary sight.
06:02The granite mountains of the Hagir Massif
06:04reached nearly 1,500 meters.
06:07In height and over centuries,
06:09they were gradually sculpted by the wind
06:11until they formed shapes that look as if they were carved by hand.
06:15Lanlimestone plateaus, on the other hand,
06:18are cut through by wadis, dry valleys,
06:20that only have water during the rainy season.
06:23Because of this,
06:24narrow canyons and deep ravines were formed.
06:27A dry, harsh, but stunningly beautiful landscape,
06:31unlike almost anything else in the world.
06:34If the interior of Socotra feels like it came from another planet,
06:37so does its coastline.
06:38The contrast is so massive
06:40that it's hard to believe you're still in the same place,
06:44less than an hour away.
06:46From the dry plateaus and rocky canyons,
06:49you'll find beaches with pure white sand,
06:52so fine that it squeaks under your feet.
06:55There are also turquoise waters
06:57of almost unbelievable clarity and color,
07:00along with lagoons sheltered by sandbars.
07:03The most famous of these is Detua Lagoon,
07:06located on the westernmost part of the island.
07:10It's a tranquil body of water,
07:12separated from the open sea,
07:14by a long stretch of white sand.
07:18Along its shores,
07:19flamingos, herons,
07:21and various seabirds can be seen roaming freely.
07:24Their calm presence is a striking contrast
07:27to the rugged landscape behind them.
07:29It's one of those places that,
07:32when you see it in a photo,
07:33you think it was edited or digitally enhanced,
07:36but when you see it in person,
07:38it's even harder to believe.
07:40To the north,
07:41the sands of Archer's Lines
07:43stretch all the way to the very edge of the sea.
07:46The sand is so fine,
07:49and it slides down the beach right into the water.
07:53Behind are rocky cliffs,
07:55while the vast Indian Ocean opens up ahead
07:58as far as the eye can see.
08:00No infrastructure,
08:02no sun loungers,
08:03no beach bars.
08:04All you can see is sand,
08:06wind,
08:07and water.
08:08But Socotra's coastal beauty
08:10isn't just on the surface.
08:11The underwater world is just as rich.
08:15The sea surrounding the island
08:17is among the most biodiverse
08:19in the Indian Ocean.
08:21It has over 250 species of reef-building corals,
08:26approximately 730 species of coastal fish,
08:29and hundreds of types of crustaceans.
08:31It is an incredibly rich marine ecosystem
08:34that adds to the island's natural wealth.
08:36And to this day,
08:38a large part of it
08:39remains almost entirely unexplored.
08:42The isolation that for centuries
08:44made reaching Socotra so difficult
08:46is also the very reason
08:48why all of this
08:49has remained virtually unchanged.
08:51If Socotra's plants are already remarkable,
08:54its animals are certainly not far behind.
08:57The same isolation
08:59that made the trees here so unique
09:01also allowed for animals
09:03that evolved on their own
09:04over millions of years.
09:07And the result is just as astonishing.
09:10The island's animal symbol
09:12is the Socotra cormorant,
09:15a type of seabird
09:16that is naturally found
09:17and nests only here.
09:19It looks a bit heavy
09:21and awkward on land,
09:22and its walk isn't very elegant either.
09:25But once it's in the water,
09:27it's completely different.
09:29It moves with surprising elegance
09:32and it is an exceptional hunter,
09:34the exact opposite of its clumsy demeanor on land.
09:38It is one of 11 bird species
09:40endemic to Socotra,
09:42a remarkable number
09:43for an island of this size.
09:46On land,
09:47reptiles take center stage.
09:49Over 90% of the lizard
09:52and gecko species in Socotra
09:53are found nowhere else on the planet.
09:57Due to an immense period of isolation,
10:00some of them developed colors,
10:03patterns,
10:04and behaviors
10:05not seen in their closest relatives.
10:08One of the most remarkable
10:10is the dragon's blood tree gecko.
10:13It spends nearly its entire life
10:16among the branches
10:17of the dragon's blood tree,
10:19relying on it for food and shelter.
10:22Their survival is so closely linked
10:25that if the tree disappears,
10:27the gecko that relies on it
10:28could vanish as well.
10:30And we shouldn't overlook
10:31the land snails either.
10:33Around 95% of the snail species
10:36in Socotra
10:37are found nowhere else on Earth.
10:40This is something scientists
10:42continue to study
10:43to understand
10:44how a seemingly simple group of animals
10:46managed to evolve
10:48into so many distinct species
10:50in such a small territory.
10:52Underwater,
10:53Socotra is just as impressive.
10:56The coral reefs
10:57surrounding the island
10:58are home to a vast variety of fish,
11:02stingrays,
11:03and reef sharks.
11:04Because of this,
11:06Socotra's waters
11:07are among the marine ecosystems
11:09in the Indian Ocean
11:10least affected by human activity.
11:13Amidst all these bizarre landscapes
11:16and natural wonders
11:17that seem almost impossible,
11:19there are people living here.
11:21The Socotra people
11:22have been living on the island
11:24for thousands of years.
11:27Most of the population
11:28lives near the coast
11:30where fishing sets the rhythm
11:32of their day.
11:35The men set sail early in groups.
11:38They take turns
11:39to avoid depleting the fish
11:41in their fishing grounds.
11:44When they return,
11:46they sell their catch
11:47directly on the beach.
11:50It is a system
11:51that has been passed down
11:52through generations,
11:53requiring neither large markets
11:55nor multiple middlemen.
11:58Children grow up
12:00surrounded by boats and nets,
12:02and they learn to swim
12:03and navigate the water
12:04from a very young age.
12:07And in many cases,
12:09they start helping out
12:10with the work
12:11before they even reach
12:12their teenage years.
12:15Inland on the island,
12:17many families raise goats
12:19and cattle.
12:20The animals climb
12:22the rocky slopes
12:23in search of plants
12:24to graze on.
12:25The herders guide them
12:27using their own calls
12:28and specific sounds
12:30that the cattle recognize.
12:31These herding calls
12:33are part of an oral tradition
12:34reflected not just
12:36in their way of life,
12:37but also in their language.
12:40Sokotri is an ancient
12:42Semitic language
12:43closely related
12:44to other ancient languages
12:45that have mostly
12:46long since disappeared.
12:49For centuries,
12:50this language survived
12:52solely through spoken word.
12:54It has no traditional
12:56writing system of its own.
12:58It is passed down
13:00from parents to children
13:01through stories,
13:02songs,
13:04and poems.
13:05Today,
13:06UNESCO considers Sokotri
13:07to be a severely
13:08threatened language
13:09or a language
13:10at grave risk of extinction.
13:12With every generation
13:14growing up using Arabic
13:15as their primary language,
13:17the risk of Sokotri
13:18disappearing completely
13:20grows even greater.
13:22Sokotra has always
13:23been a place
13:24that is very strange
13:25to the outside world.
13:27And perhaps
13:28that is also why,
13:29for a very long time,
13:31the rest of the world
13:33barely paid attention to it.
13:35For centuries,
13:37sailors passing
13:38near Sokotra's shores
13:39returned home
13:40with stories.
13:42But in their stories,
13:44the things they actually saw
13:46blended with the things
13:47exaggerated by their imagination.
13:49And on an island like this,
13:52there was certainly
13:53plenty of room
13:54for the imagination
13:55to run wild.
13:56In the tales of Arabs
13:58during the Middle Ages,
13:59Sokotra was described
14:00as an empty place.
14:03Full of witches.
14:05There were stories
14:06about women
14:06living near the sea
14:07who allegedly
14:09used their voices
14:10and gazes
14:11to lure
14:11approaching sailors.
14:14According to some stories,
14:16many of those
14:16who reached the island
14:17never returned.
14:18Not because they drowned
14:20or their ships were wrecked,
14:22but because there was
14:23supposedly something
14:24on the island
14:25that prevented them
14:26from leaving.
14:27It is possible
14:28that these legends
14:29came from the sailors
14:31themselves
14:31who reached Sokotra.
14:33They were amazed
14:35by the things
14:35they saw there
14:36and didn't know
14:38how else to explain them.
14:39Some also associate
14:41the island with places
14:42that may have inspired
14:43some of the voyages
14:44of Sinbad the sailor.
14:46The Rock.
14:47A giant bird
14:48said to be capable
14:49of lifting elephants
14:50with its claws
14:51appears in various versions
14:54of those tales
14:54associated with places
14:56in the Indian Ocean.
14:58And Sokotra,
14:59with its bizarre landforms,
15:01sheer cliffs,
15:03and seabirds
15:03nesting on the rocks,
15:05truly fits
15:06this kind of legend
15:07perfectly.
15:08The fun part is,
15:10there's no need
15:11to invent anything.
15:13The real Sokotra
15:14is already bizarre enough
15:15to be hard to believe
15:16and perhaps that is
15:18the very reason
15:19why the island
15:19is so unique.
15:21It is one of the few places
15:23in the world
15:23where myth and reality
15:25seem to stand
15:25on equal footing
15:26and it's hard to tell
15:28which of the two
15:28is more fascinating.
15:30For millions of years,
15:32Sokotra has survived
15:33because of its isolation.
15:35But what remains unclear
15:36is whether it will survive
15:37in the coming decades.
15:39The threats to the island
15:40are many and mounting.
15:41Climate change
15:43is altering the mist patterns
15:45that provide essential moisture
15:46to the dragon's blood trees.
15:48The mist rising from the sea
15:50condenses on the leaves
15:52and drops down to the roots.
15:55This is one of the main ways
15:57these trees survive
15:58in such a dry environment.
16:01When this mist disappears,
16:04the trees are also
16:05at risk of disappearing
16:06and the records show
16:07that this mist
16:08is becoming less frequent
16:09and less abundant.
16:11According to scientists' calculations,
16:14if this trend continues,
16:16the dragon's blood tree population
16:18could drop drastically
16:19before the end of this century.
16:21Another major threat
16:23is cyclones.
16:24In the western Indian Ocean,
16:26there were cyclones
16:27in recent years
16:28that reached intensities
16:30once considered severe.
16:32Now, storms of this intensity
16:34are starting to happen
16:35much more frequently.
16:37Sokotra was not spared
16:39from such storms.
16:40In 2015,
16:42two consecutive cyclones
16:43struck the island.
16:44For several days,
16:45it was battered
16:46by fierce winds and rains
16:48that destroyed vegetation
16:49and infrastructure,
16:51altering ecosystems,
16:53especially in the coastal areas.
16:55It took several years
16:56before some areas
16:57began to recover.
16:59On top of this
17:00was overgrazing
17:00or the excessive pasturing
17:02of livestock.
17:03The goats,
17:04raised by families
17:05for their livelihood,
17:07eat the newly sprouted
17:08endemic plants
17:09before they even
17:10have a chance
17:11to fully grow.
17:12Without any new plants growing,
17:15the dragon's blood tree forests
17:17age without enough new trees
17:19to replace the dying ones.
17:22Some residents build
17:24small stone walls
17:25around the new saplings
17:27to protect them.
17:28But this is just a manual effort
17:31and limited
17:32in what it can protect,
17:34especially since
17:35overgrazing
17:36is a widespread
17:36and long-standing problem.
17:38And there is another
17:39kind of pressure.
17:41The influx
17:41of foreign interests,
17:43the construction
17:43of buildings
17:44in protected areas,
17:46and uncontrolled tourism
17:47are gradually bringing
17:49changes to an ecosystem
17:50that developed
17:51over millions of years
17:53with almost no contact
17:54with the outside world.
17:56For millions of years,
17:58Socotra remained this way
18:00because it was virtually
18:01untouched
18:02by the outside world.
18:03Today,
18:04the world has reached it.
18:06And the question is,
18:08how much of all this
18:09will remain?
18:10Before watching this video,
18:12did you already know
18:13about the island of Socotra?
18:14Tell us in the comments.
18:16And if you want to keep
18:17discovering places
18:18that seem out of this world,
18:20you already know
18:22where to look.
18:26Take care.
18:27Bye!
18:28Bye!
18:32Bye!
18:34Bye!