The Americas (2025) s01e07 Episode Script

1
This is The Americas,
an extraordinary journey
across Earth's great supercontinent.
The widest variety of life on the planet.
The untold story
of our home.
Tonight on The Americas
The Andes.
A spectacular sky world
and the longest mountain range
in the Americas.
Forged by fire
and ice.
It's a world of unrivaled beauty.
But here,
life must battle to survive
in the most perilous places imaginable.
The planet's driest deserts.
Frozen peaks.
And strange,
magical forests in the clouds.
Every animal
must triumph
in life lived truly on the edge.
The Andes is the spine of South America.
Running from the southern tip
of this supercontinent,
it stretches 5,500 miles
forming the high peaks
of Bolivia and Peru
before pushing north toward the equator
into the heart of the tropics,
where the mountains of Ecuador
can seem like looking back in time.
Sheer cliffs and deep gorges
are cloaked in forests.
Here, giant higuerón trees,
draped in bromeliads, are fruiting.
And that's exactly what one family
has been waiting for.
Hiding over a thousand feet
above the forest,
a spectacled bear mom.
These bears are the rarest
in the Americas
and the inspiration for Paddington.
Mom, known by scientists as "Silvestre,"
is nursing her three-month-old twins,
"Yoyo" and "Irene,"
secluded in their tiny nest.
The towering cliffs
have kept them safe from predators.
But now the family must leave.
Mom's milk is running out.
They need the fruit
nearly half a mile below.
The sky-high rock face
that protected them
is about to become
their biggest challenge.
The most dangerous journey of their lives
begins.
Tracked using her collar,
scientists know Silvestre has made
this descent before.
But it's the first time for the cubs.
Yoyo and Irene will need
to follow their mother closely.
One misplaced step
could be a disaster.
Cubs have fallen to their death here.
A moment of reassurance from Mom.
She knows the hardest
part is yet to come.
Irene takes a wrong turn.
She has lost sight of Mom.
And at the worst possible moment.
Yoyo has made it down okay.
And so has Irene.
The worst seems behind them.
But there's no time to rest.
Silvestre is bringing them
to the very same fruit tree
that she returns to every year.
Plants and fruit like this
can make up over 90%
of a spectacled bear's diet,
and the cubs are not holding back.
Spectacled bears navigate these mountains
by having a detailed mental map
of their world.
The cubs can stay with Mom
for over two years
to build a map of their own.
One day, with luck,
Irene will be able to lead her own cubs
down the same cliffs.
It all seems so easy now,
but the cubs have just undertaken
a death-defying start to life.
In the mountains of the Andes,
all life is pushed to the limit.
These remarkable high-rise forests
hide other extraordinary secrets.
Spectacular animals so small and fast,
they're almost impossible
to capture on camera.
Our journey
in the tropical Andes continues,
rising to 10,000 feet,
where the peaks trap moist air
from the Amazon,
creating a mysterious cloud forest.
Here, nature is at its most magical.
Curiously-shaped flowers
shine out like beacons,
signaling they have
energy-rich nectar inside.
If they can entice a visitor,
they will be pollinated.
Usually, bugs do that job,
but these forests are too cold
for many of them.
So instead, it's done by
hummingbirds.
Most not much bigger than your thumb.
In fact, the Andes is home
to more species of hummingbirds
than anywhere else on Earth.
Feisty and agile,
they'll fight to be the first in line
for a drink of nectar
on shimmering wings
that can beat over 80 times a second.
The Andes has thousands
of remote valleys like these,
but just one in Peru
is the home
to an almost mythical hummingbird,
hardly ever seen in the open.
He is a Marvelous Spatuletail,
one of just 500 or so left on Earth.
Deforestation has meant
their habitat is disappearing.
Only males have
these extravagant tail feathers,
which have just one purpose
to attract a female.
He's keeping them in top condition,
for the performance of his life.
An audience has arrived,
but this is not who he wants.
Rivals.
Every male around,
even stumpy-tailed youngsters,
have turned up to fight to control
this exclusive courtship area.
He's not the only one
who wants the limelight.
Fighting off so many is exhausting.
He really should refuel.
But that's going to have to wait.
A female Marvelous Spatuletail is here.
Now the show can begin.
He'll be judged on the length
of his tail feathers
and the quality of his performance.
She's interested.
Time to take his display
to the next level.
And now, it's all about stamina.
In this thin mountain air,
he's got to dig deep.
It's a critical moment, both for him,
and the future of the species.
If he wins her over,
together, they will produce
the next generation.
And at last,
she accepts his invitation.
A sign of hope
for this remarkable hummingbird.
Throughout the Andes
the land itself can feel alive.
And in a way, it is,
with an eruption occurring
every few years.
Immense earth forces
forged these mountains
leaving a legacy
of over 200 active volcanoes
more than anywhere else
in the Americas.
For 40 million years,
they've pushed higher and higher.
And in a few places,
an eerie ice world
has formed at the peaks.
Home to a true marvel of nature.
The Andes is so high
that 99% of the world's tropical glaciers
are found here.
The largest is in southern Peru.
It's certainly cold,
but at an altitude of 18,000 feet,
ultraviolet radiation is very intense.
So when the sun shines,
the ground heats to a jaw-dropping
111 degrees Fahrenheit,
transforming ice world to sauna
in the blink of an eye.
It's the last place to expect to find
a frog.
Marbled four-eyed frogs
live at the highest altitude
of any frog on Earth.
Every year, females must breed
in pools formed by glacial meltwater.
But their world is changing.
The glacier is retreating
further up the mountains.
Each year, she climbs higher,
enduring hotter days,
but also
colder nights.
And that's become
a real problem.
The temperature is dropping fast.
She needs to find shelter.
But as her muscles chill,
they are starting to seize up.
The deeper underground,
the safer she'll be.
But a clear sky means
extreme cold is on its way.
On these nights,
the ice
is relentless.
Its reach stretches
far beneath the surface.
Her journey
looks to be over.
She is frozen solid.
As the world warms up,
something strange happens
beneath the surface.
These marbled four-eyed frogs,
living in the highest reaches
of the Andes,
have evolved a remarkable talent
almost beyond belief,
and never filmed before.
They can freeze solid
and come back from the dead
every single day.
The only frog in the world
that can do this.
She drives forward once more.
The frog that cheats death every night
is ready to continue her journey,
and, with luck, meet a new mate.
This frog may be a miracle worker,
but its future is not certain.
The glaciers on which it
and so many other animals depend
are in trouble.
They're shrinking
due to a global rise in temperature.
Over the last 50 years,
the neighboring Qori Kalis Glacier
has halved in size.
At the current rate,
it will disappear entirely
in just 30 more years.
Which could be a disaster
not just for the four-eyed frogs
but for all life in these mountains.
As water from the sky-high glaciers
of the Andes
cascades down the steep slopes,
it creates a unique network
of 100,000 rivers.
Water that is crucial both for wildlife
and for millions of people.
Most of these rivers are ice-cold,
but this one in Argentina
is near boiling,
superheated by geothermal activity
deep underground.
What in their right mind would live
in these dangerous waters?
In the mountain rivers of the Andes,
only one animal
can master turbulent waters
that range from boiling point
to near-freezing.
A torrent duck.
Not just any duck,
but a super duck.
He comes fully equipped
with heat-resistant feathers,
armor-plated leg skin,
and built-in protective goggles,
a third eyelid.
This specialist gear means
he can survive a daily temperature range
of minus 13 degrees above water
to plus 122 degrees under water.
All to reach a sumptuous buffet.
These superheated waters
are a hothouse for growing fly larvae
in the thousands.
Delicious and nutritious for a duck.
Especially one with a family.
These baby super ducks must find
their own food from day one.
Luckily, they are equipped
for extreme swimming too.
Tail feathers develop early
to act as a rudder,
and huge feet provide propulsion.
Downy feathers trap air
to keep them insulated and afloat.
They already have superhero swagger.
But their buoyant down has,
well, a downside.
Where the water is deep,
those delicious bugs are out of reach.
They need to find
shallower feeding grounds.
But as the family heads downstream,
things get dangerous.
The parents lead the way.
The ducklings can't yet fly.
They will have to swim for it
in these deadly, scalding waters.
Only a third survive to adulthood.
Where they make their jump
decides their fate.
As this chick's about to find out.
The parents try to keep tabs
on each of the chicks.
But in these raging waters
that's not always possible.
As the chick scrambles out,
he must quickly look for another route
to get back to his family.
Now
it's all or nothing.
His air-filled feathers
pull him to the surface.
Saved by their superpowers,
the whole family has reached
the shallow feeding ground.
A bug buffet
now within reach for all.
If you've got what it takes,
this wild river,
born of fire and ice,
can be a kind of paradise
for a duck.
Traveling south,
the Andes spread to their widest point.
Here, the highest peaks block moisture
from both the Amazon and the Pacific,
which helps create
a desert like no other,
the Atacama.
The driest place on Earth.
so arid that NASA uses it
to test equipment destined for Mars.
But in exceptional years,
a miracle of nature changes everything.
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile
is the driest on Earth.
But maybe once a decade,
a stormfront from the west
can have enough power
to reach around the mountains
and bring salvation.
Torrential rain.
Summoning one of the rarest wonders
in nature.
What is known as a "superbloom."
Billions of seeds
that have been sleeping in the sand,
some for more than ten years,
can finally burst into life.
This new world draws strange creatures
from beyond the desert.
The coruro, a mountain rodent,
seldom seen on the surface.
A giant caterpillar-hunting wasp
brings food to her young.
And like the rest,
a family of burrowing owls
packs a whole lifetime
into these few weeks of plenty.
Because as fast as
the superbloom emerges,
it's reclaimed by the desert.
And life begins the long wait
for water once more.
Just to the north is Salar de Uyuni,
the largest salt flat on Earth.
When the rains reach here
another brief wonder of nature
is created.
A giant mirror
larger than Yellowstone,
set beneath the clearest skies on Earth.
Here, we look into deep space
for answers light-years away
while an exquisite vision
of the universe
comes to our feet.
But it, too, doesn't last long.
And soon, all that remains
is a salt crust,
a world utterly hostile to life.
And yet, for some, it's home.
A salt flat lizard.
A young male
on the lookout for a territory.
There's no time to waste.
An oasis?
No.
This water is full of salt.
He can't drink it,
but these brine flies can,
converting it into freshwater
inside their bodies.
It's a perfect combo meal.
A drink
with a side of flies.
But for a rookie,
this is going to take some practice.
Two hundred flies contain
just a thimble of water.
He's sure got his work cut out.
Almost there.
Nailed it!
Could life get any better?
Maybe it can.
It's a female salt flat lizard
wafting a powerful,
seductive scent into the air.
What young flycatcher could resist?
But all is not as it seems.
Another male.
She will only mate
with the strongest males,
dominant enough to hold
the precious waterfront territories.
And she wants to see
what the young flycatcher is made of.
She's set him up.
It's trial
by combat.
Overpowered,
and now in deeper trouble than he knows.
Every inch of the water's edge
is controlled
by paired-up power couples
who won't share.
Retreat is his only option.
He's not ready to take on
the big males right now.
But he is alive
and has learned valuable lessons.
Well maybe.
Reaching the highest point
in our whole Americas journey,
we ascend to over 19,000 feet,
where the salt flats become salt lakes.
Each one a unique, toxic cocktail
of metals, minerals, and microorganisms.
The most extraordinary of all
is Laguna Colorada,
a hellscape where morning ice
has a daily battle
with the strongest UV radiation on Earth.
More than double that of Death Valley.
And yet, every year,
it's home to the most spectacular event
in the Andes.
The Toxic Red Lake of the High Andes.
It takes a special kind of toughness
to survive here.
But once a year,
this lake becomes the setting
for the greatest party in the Andes.
Although not everyone is invited.
Right now, this world of extremes
plays host to James' flamingos.
They gather here from across the Andes
in the thousands
hoping to find a mate.
Males and females
might appear almost identical,
but they know the difference.
They all want to look their best,
and the pinker the better.
The secrets to their success?
Tough-skinned long legs
letting them wade through
the caustic lake.
And a unique bill that filters out
microscopic life from the toxic water.
Eating this food
turns their feathers pinker,
making them more desirable.
But life is about to get more complicated
as the Laguna becomes "Flamingo Central."
Chilean and Andean flamingos
are flying in too.
Both much bigger, but
a lot less graceful.
Crowds begin to build to 40,000 strong.
And then, on an unseen cue,
a dance-off begins.
The smaller James' are in danger
of being pushed out before
it even begins.
Over four feet tall,
the Chileans can strut
in the deep water
while the enigmatic Andeans
rumba by the smoke machine.
But at last,
the James' get their groove on too.
A tango at the top of the world.
These courtship dances last for weeks.
One by one, lovers unite
as eventually they find a mate.
But until then, the dance continues.
The greatest show
in the greatest mountain range
in the Americas.