[MONKEYS CALLING]
Patrick Aryee: PREPARE TO MEET
A FEW MEMBERS OF THE CLAN.
[ORANGUTAN SCREECHING]
MISCHIEVOUS MONKEYS...
INTELLIGENT APES...
AND A CAST OF STRANGE
AND ENCHANTING LITTLE COUSINS.
[MONKEY SCREECHES]
THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR CLOSEST
RELATIVES ON EARTH.
FROM THE MIGHTY GORILLA
TO A PRIMATE SO SMALL IT COULD
FIT IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND,
WE’RE ALL PART OF THE SAME
AMAZING ANIMAL ORDER.
TODAY, THERE ARE
OVER 400 DIFFERENT MEMBERS
OF OUR PRIMATE ORDER.
THEY ARE
UNRIVALED ACROBATS...
DOTING PARENTS...
AND SOME OF THE SMARTEST
CREATURES IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
SO, HOW DID PRIMATES
BECOME SO SUCCESSFUL?
[PRIMATES CALLING]
WE’RE ON A JOURNEY TO RETRACE
THE ASTONISHING RISE TO POWER
OF OUR VERY OWN
PRIMATE FAMILY TREE.
[SCREECHING]
WE’RE IN AFRICA TO FIND OUT
HOW PRIMATES BECAME
BIGGER, STRONGER, AND SMARTER
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
ON THE PLANET.
[LEMUR SCREECHES]
PREPARE TO MEET
SOME OF YOUR CLOSEST RELATIVES.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
♪
OUR STORY STARTS
IN THE LUSH JUNGLES OF UGANDA.
IT’S HERE IN AFRICA
THAT PRIMATES PUSHED
THEIR BODIES AND MINDS
TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
THEY BECAME BIGGER,
STRONGER,
AND FORMED
MORE COMPLEX SOCIETIES
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
ON EARTH.
AND IT’S IN THESE FORESTS
THAT ONE GROUP EVOLVED
SOMETHING QUITE EXTRAORDINARY,
BECAUSE FOR THE APES
LIVING UNDER THIS CANOPY,
IT’S ALL ABOUT ONE THING--
BRAIN POWER.
♪
FOR THESE JUNGLES ARE HOME
TO ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST SPARKS
IN THE PRIMATE FAMILY...
THE CHIMPANZEE.
♪
THEIR FACES CAN EXPRESS
COMPLEX EMOTIONS
WITH A SINGLE GLANCE.
♪
THEY YAWN
WHEN THEY’RE TIRED,
LAUGH WHEN THEY’RE
HAVING FUN...
[SCREECHING]
AND EVEN KISS TO MAKE UP
AFTER A SPAT.
♪
AND JUST LIKE US, THEY ARE
ENDLESSLY INQUISITIVE.
AND IT’S THIS
NATURAL CURIOSITY
THAT HAS BEEN KEY
TO THEIR SUCCESS.
[SCREECHING]
I’M MEETING SOME ENERGETIC
4-YEAR-OLD CHIMPS
AT A JUNGLE RESCUE CENTER
TO SET UP AN EXERCISE
THAT SHOULD DEMONSTRATE
JUST HOW SMART THEY REALLY ARE.
[CHATTERING]
JUST LIKE US, CHIMPS HAVE
DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.
SOME ARE SHY,
OTHERS SHOW-OFFS.
SOME LIKE TO TAKE THE LEAD.
OTHERS ARE
A LITTLE MORE CAUTIOUS.
BUT PERHAPS THE MOST
EXTRAORDINARY THING
WE SHARE WITH CHIMPS
IS THE ABILITY TO LEARN
FROM EACH OTHER.
[CHATTERING]
TO DEMONSTRATE,
I’VE SET UP A TEST
WITH AN UNUSED TERMITE MOUND
THAT’S BEEN FILLED
WITH HONEY.
♪
THE CHIMPS HAVE
HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO GET AT THE HONEY
DEEP INSIDE.
♪
A FEW SUPER-SMART CHIMPS
FIRST LEARNED THAT IF THEY COULD
FASHION A DIPPING STICK,
THEY COULD GET AT
THE SUGARY TREAT.
[SLURPING]
AMAZINGLY, THE OTHERS
WATCHED...AND LEARNED.
OVER A FEW YEARS,
THIS INTRICATE BEHAVIOR
SPREAD THROUGH
MOST OF THE GROUP.
♪
ONE OF OUR BOISTEROUS
4-YEAR-OLDS
HASN’T QUITE MASTERED IT YET,
SO I’M GIVING HIM A LESSON.
♪
IT’S NOT LOOKING PROMISING,
BUT AFTER SOME PERSEVERANCE...
♪
[LAUGHS]
PERFECT. HE’S SEEN ME USING
THAT STICK TO GET TO THE HONEY,
AND HE’S COPIED IT,
AND THAT’S THE PROCESS
OF LEARNING.
THE CHIMPANZEE’S ABILITY
TO FIGURE OUT PROBLEMS
AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
HAS LED TO DIFFERENT GROUPS
OF CHIMPS
DEVELOPING DISTINCT
BEHAVIORS AND SKILLS.
♪
THESE ARE SO UNIQUE
TO DIFFERENT POPULATIONS
THAT CHIMPS, LIKE HUMANS,
ARE SAID TO HAVE
DIFFERENT CULTURES.
♪
CHIMPANZEES ARE
EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT,
AND THEY USE
THEIR RAZOR-SHARP MINDS
TO PUZZLE OUT
AND REMEMBER HOW TO SOLVE
EVEN THE TRICKIEST OF PROBLEMS.
BUT HAVING A BIG BRAIN
ISN’T JUST A CHIMP THING.
IT RUNS RIGHT
THROUGHOUT THE FAMILY,
AND IT’S THIS COMBINATION
OF INTELLIGENCE AND CURIOSITY
THAT HAS PUSHED PRIMATES
BEYOND OTHER ANIMAL FAMILIES,
ALLOWING THEM
TO CONQUER SO MUCH
AND SPREAD RIGHT ACROSS
THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
AS PRIMATES VENTURED ACROSS
AFRICA’S VARIED LANDSCAPES,
THEY EVOLVED INTO NEW SPECIES
ON THE PRIMATE FAMILY TREE.
IT’S A FAMILY TREE
THAT BURST INTO LIFE
AROUND 55 MILLION YEARS AGO.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ONE OF THE EARLIEST BRANCHES
BELONGS TO A GROUP
THAT INCLUDES
INQUISITIVE LITTLE LEMURS.
THEN COME THE TINY
NOCTURNAL TARSIERS.
IN AFRICA, THE MONKEY BRANCHES
WOULD FLOURISH,
WITH AROUND 70
DIFFERENT SPECIES.
FINALLY, THERE’S OUR BRANCH,
THE APES,
HOME TO THE BIGGEST,
BRAINIEST PRIMATES OF ALL.
TODAY, ACROSS THE WORLD,
THERE ARE OVER 400 SPECIES
THAT MAKE UP
OUR AMAZING ANIMAL FAMILY.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
TO FIND OUT
HOW THE VERY FIRST PRIMATES
SPREAD INTO AFRICA,
WE BEGIN ON ONE
OF THE OLDEST BRANCHES OF ALL.
AROUND 50 MILLION YEARS AGO,
LONG BEFORE MONKEYS
AND APES AROSE,
PRIMATES SET FOOT IN AFRICA.
TODAY, THE DESCENDANTS
OF THESE EARLY PIONEERS
ARE ONLY FOUND
ON ONE VERY SPECIAL ISLAND,
THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR.
♪
MOST OF THE ANIMALS
AND PLANTS HERE
ARE COMPLETELY UNIQUE.
IN THE ARID SOUTH,
WEIRD CACTUS-LIKE FORESTS
DOMINATE THE SCENERY.
IN THIS UNUSUAL SPINY LANDSCAPE
LIVES AN EQUALLY UNUSUAL
LITTLE CHARACTER.
THE LOCALS HERE CALL
THESE BIZARRE ANIMALS
THE GHOSTS OF THE FOREST,
BECAUSE AS THE FLIT
SILENTLY THROUGH THE TREES,
ALL YOU CATCH
ARE FLEETING GLIMPSES,
BUT IF YOU’RE
LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE ONE,
YOU’RE IN FOR ONE OF THE MOST
FLAMBOYANT DISPLAYS
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
THESE GHOSTLY CREATURES ARE
A TYPE OF LEMUR CALLED SIFAKAS.
♪
THEY HAVE LONG BACK LEGS...
POINTED SNOUTS,
AND WET LITTLE NOSES.
THEY LEAP THROUGH THE FOREST
WITH PINPOINT PRECISION...
MOST OF THE TIME.
BUT THESE LITTLE ACROBATS
HAVE AN EVEN WEIRDER WAY
OF GETTING ABOUT THE FOREST.
♪
OH, WOW. HELLO.
HELLO, LITTLE GUY.
♪
I CAN’T BELIEVE
I’M THIS CLOSE TO THEM,
WILD, COMPLETELY WILD SIFAKAS.
HELLO.
SIFAKAS LIVE IN SMALL TROOPS,
USUALLY AROUND 6 INDIVIDUALS,
AND THEY GET THEIR NAME
FROM THEIR DISTINCTIVE CALLS.
[SIFAKAS CALLING]
WE’VE JUST BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS TROOP OF SIFAKAS,
AND THIS ONE HERE,
ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT MADE THIS SOUND--
"SHI-FAK, SHI-FAK"--
AND THAT’S THE ALARM CALL,
AND THAT’S WHERE THEY GET
THEIR NAMES FROM.
[SIFAKA CALLING]
BUT THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING
ABOUT THESE GUYS
ISN’T THE WAY THEY SOUND.
IT’S THE WAY THEY MOVE.
ESPECIALLY WHEN
THEY LEAVE THE BRANCHES
TO CROSS OPEN GROUND...
♪
BECAUSE SIFAKAS HAVE EVOLVED
ONE OF THE MOST PECULIAR WALKS
ON EARTH.
♪
THEIR POWERFUL HIND LEGS
ACT LIKE SPRINGS,
PROPELLING THEM FORWARD.
THEIR STRANGE WALK IS CALLED
BIPEDAL GALLOPING,
AND THEY ARE THE ONLY MAMMALS
THAT DO IT.
IT MAY LOOK A LITTLE UNGAINLY,
BUT THEY CAN COVER 4 FEET
IN A SINGLE BOUND...
WHICH MEANS THEY CAN
QUICKLY GET BACK
INTO THE SAFETY OF THE TREES.
BUT UP HERE, THE CHALLENGES
OF GETTING ABOUT
BECOME EVEN TRICKIER.
THE VERTICAL BRANCHES
OF THE OCOTILLO TREE
ARE COVERED
IN NEEDLE-LIKE THORNS.
BUT THIS IS
THE SIFAKAS’ REALM.
UP HERE, THEY BECOME THE MOST
GRACEFUL MOVERS IN THE FOREST.
♪
THEY CAN LEAP
20 FEET BETWEEN BRANCHES.
♪
THICK LEATHERY PADS
ON THEIR HANDS AND FEET
ARE THOUGHT TO OFFER
PROTECTION FROM THE SPIKES
AS THEY LAND.
♪
THIS IS AN AERIAL BALLET
SEEN ONLY IN THE ANCIENT FORESTS
OF MADAGASCAR.
♪
SIFAKAS ARE JUST ONE OF OVER
A HUNDRED DIFFERENT SPECIES
OF LEMUR IN MADAGASCAR.
MOST LIVE IN THE TREES,
BUT THERE’S ONE
UNUSUAL LITTLE LEMUR
THAT PATROLS THE FOREST FLOOR,
AND THEY CAN BE RECOGNIZED
BY A TELLTALE SIGN.
[LEMURS SQUEAKING]
♪
[SQUEAKING]
RING-TAILED LEMURS,
THE GANGSTERS
OF THE LEMUR WORLD.
THESE HARDY LITTLE BANDITS
SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME
ON THE GROUND.
THEY LIVE IN FEISTY GROUPS
OF UP TO 30 MEMBERS,
AND THEY CAN BE
HIGHLY TERRITORIAL.
[SCREECHING AND SQUEALING]
BUT IT’S NOT THE MALES
THAT LEAD THE TROOP,
IT’S THE FEMALES.
[SQUAWKING]
THEY’LL CHASE OFF RIVALS
AND DEFEND THEIR TURF...
♪
ALL WHILE CARRYING BABIES
ON THEIR BACKS.
[SQUEAKING]
♪
THE FEMALES IN THESE TROOPS
ARE SO CLOSE
THEY EVEN COINCIDE
THEIR PREGNANCIES.
SO THEY ALL GIVE BIRTH AT
EXACTLY THE SAME TIME EACH YEAR,
WHEN FOOD IS MOST PLENTIFUL.
FOR THE FIRST
COUPLE OF MONTHS,
THEIR TINY OFFSPRING
GET A PIGGYBACK RIDE,
BUT THERE COMES A TIME
WHEN THEY HAVE TO FIND
THEIR OWN FEET.
♪
THIS YOUNGSTER THINKS
HE’S READY TO GO IT ALONE,
BUT HIS FIRST STEPS
IN THE TREES
PROVE TO BE PRECARIOUS.
[SQUEAKING]
UNDER MUM’S WATCHFUL EYE,
OUR YOUNG EXPLORER SOON GETS
A LITTLE MORE DARING.
[SQUEAKING]
AND WHEN HE’S DONE, HE CAN
ALWAYS JUMP ONTO MUM’S BACK.
[SQUEAKS]
YOUNG LEMURS
NEED TO GROW UP FAST.
MALES USUALLY LEAVE THE TROOP
WHEN THEY’RE JUST
A FEW YEARS OLD,
BUT YOUNG FEMALES STAY
IN THE SAME TROOP FOR LIFE.
AND IF THEY’RE STRONG
AND HEALTHY,
THEY COULD GROW UP
TO BE LEADER OF THE PACK.
LEMURS MIGHT NOT BE THE BIGGEST,
BUT THEY ARE FANTASTICALLY HARDY
LITTLE ANIMALS.
THEY ARE THE ONLY MEMBER
OF THE NON-HUMAN PRIMATE FAMILY
TO MAKE IT
TO THIS REMOTE ISLAND.
ISOLATED HERE
FOR 50 MILLION YEARS,
THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO THRIVE,
BECAUSE BACK
ON MAINLAND AFRICA,
THINGS WERE CHANGING.
A NEW CHAPTER WAS UNFOLDING
THAT WOULD CHANGE
THE PRIMATE FAMILY FOREVER.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE,
NEW SPECIES WERE EVOLVING
AND FILLING UP THE BRANCHES.
LEMURS OCCUPIED
ONE OF THE OLDEST BRANCHES,
BUT THEIR NOISY NEIGHBORS
THE MONKEYS WERE GAINING GROUND,
SPREADING ONTO
THE GREAT PLAINS OF AFRICA.
[MONKEYS CALLING]
HERE, THEY WOULD GROW
BIGGER AND STRONGER
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
ON THE PLANET.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
AROUND 10 MILLION YEARS AGO,
THE CLIMATE ACROSS AFRICA
BEGAN TO DRY OUT...
♪
OPENING UP VAST,
EXPANSIVE SAVANNA.
FOR THE PRIMATE FAMILY,
THIS BROUGHT NEW CHALLENGES
AND DANGERS.
OUT HERE, THERE WAS
NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM PREDATORS.
TO CONQUER
THESE HAZARDOUS PLAINS,
MONKEYS WOULD HAVE TO
ORGANIZE THEIR TROOPS
WITH MILITARY PRECISION.
I’M ON MY WAY TO MEET A GROUP
OF VERY MISCHIEVOUS MONKEYS
THAT THRIVE
OUT ON THESE PLAINS,
AND TO SURVIVE OUT HERE,
THEY’VE EVOLVED TO LIVE
IN SOME OF THE BIGGEST,
MOST COMPLEX GROUPS
OF ANY PRIMATE.
AND TO FIND OUT
HOW SO MANY MONKEYS
CAN LIVE IN SUCH
CLOSE PROXIMITY,
I’M HOPING TO GET
RIGHT INSIDE THE TROOP.
[GRUNTING]
CHACMA BABOONS.
THESE GUYS ARE THE MOST AT HOME
ON THE GROUND.
THEY ROAM THE SAVANNA
IN SPRAWLING TROOPS
THAT REACH UP TO 80 STRONG.
THIS TROOP IN SOUTHERN NAMIBIA
IS MADE UP OF YOUNG ORPHANS.
♪
THEY’RE USED TO HUMANS
BUT STILL INTERACT VERY MUCH
LIKE A WILD TROOP,
AND THAT MEANS
PLENTY OF MONKEYING AROUND.
[SCREECHING]
LIKE BOISTEROUS CHILDREN
ON THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND,
THERE ARE ALL SORTS
OF HIJINKS...
[SCREECHING]
FROM TUSSLES ON THE TREETOP...
[SCREECHING]
[CLAPS]
TO ENDLESS ROUGHHOUSING.
[SCREECHING]
IT APPEARS FUN,
BUT THERE’S MORE TO THIS CHAOS
THAN MEETS THE EYE.
ON FIRST GLANCE, IT MIGHT SEEM
LIKE THEY’RE ALL
BEST OF FRIENDS,
BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT
NO TWO BABOONS ARE BORN EQUAL.
IN EVERY TROOP, THERE’S
A VERY STRICT HIERARCHY,
THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS.
AND THAT STATUS QUO
IS RUTHLESSLY ENFORCED
BY THE MORE DOMINANT MEMBERS
OF THE TROOP.
[SCREECHING]
MALES SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES
FIGHTING THEIR WAY
UP THE RANKS.
BUT FOR FEMALES,
IT’S A DIFFERENT STORY...
[SCREECHING]
BECAUSE EVERY FEMALE
IS BORN WITH A RANK,
A RANK THAT USUALLY
STAYS WITH HER FOR LIFE.
IN THIS TROOP,
ONE WAY THE PECKING ORDER
SHOWS ITSELF
IS IN WHO GETS TO HOLD
THE BABIES.
♪
THIS LITTLE 6-WEEK-OLD ORPHAN
HAS RECENTLY BEEN
INTRODUCED TO THE GROUP.
ALL THE FEMALES
WANT TO PLAY WITH HIM.
BUT WITH SO MUCH COMPETITION,
IT COMES DOWN TO PULLING RANK.
IT’S NOT SO MUCH BABY-SITTING--
MORE BABY-STEALING.
[SCREECHING]
♪
[SCREECHING]
BUT IT’S THE HIGHEST-RANKING
FEMALE WHO ULTIMATELY
WINS THE BATTLE FOR BABY.
ALL THIS ATTENTION
IS QUITE EXHAUSTING.
[YAWNS]
[SCREECHING]
THE PECKING ORDER IN THIS TROOP
IS CONSTANTLY BEING TESTED.
[SCREECHING]
BUT THE BABOONS AT THE TOP
SHOULD ALWAYS WIN.
[SCREECHING]
I WANT TO PUT THIS STRICT
HIERARCHY TO THE TEST,
SO I’M ENLISTING THE HELP
OF CONSERVATIONIST
MARLISSE VAN VURREN.
SHE RAISED THESE ORPHAN BABOONS
AND KNOWS THE INNER WORKINGS
OF THE TROOP
BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE.
SO WE KNOW THEY LIKE
TO PLAY WITH BABIES.
AND WHAT ABOUT
NEW OBJECTS AND TOYS?
Marlisse: WELL, IF IT’S NOT
SOMETHING NATURAL, YOU KNOW,
A FOOD THAT THEY FOUND
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
THEN IT’S POWER, WHO ENDS UP
ON THE END WITH IT,
UM, AND THE WINNER NORMALLY
IS THE HIERARCHY,
THE TOP OF THE GROUP,
AND THERE’S ONE FEMALE
IN THIS GROUP,
AND HER NAME IS KLICKI,
AND SHE WILL PUSH
AND MAKE SURE SHE HAS IT.
SO SHE’LL--
THERE’S NO GRAY AREAS.
SHE’LL BEAT THEM UP
IF SHE DOESN’T GET IT.
Patrick: PERFECT.
I WANT TO SEE THIS IN ACTION.
NOW, I’VE BROUGHT
A TOY FOR THEM.
Marlisse: OK.
Patrick: IT’S A LITTLE CAMERA.
SO THIS IS, LIKE YOU SAID,
SOMETHING WHICH THEY
NORMALLY WOULDN’T SEE.
SO THE HOPE IS, REALLY,
WE’LL GIVE THIS
TO ONE OF THE LOW-RANKING
MEMBERS OF THE TROOP,
AND IT WILL KIND OF WORK
ITS WAY UP THE PECKING ORDER
UNTIL IT GETS TO KLICKI.
Marlisse: YEAH.
LET’S SEE.
Patrick: SO, WHO SHOULD WE
GIVE IT TO FIRST?
Marlisse: HEY, GIVE IT
TO THIS ONE COMING TO YOU.
[GROANING]
Patrick: HERE YOU GO.
LOOK. PLAY WITH THIS.
DON’T BITE IT, THOUGH.
THIS IS BOBBY.
HE’S A LOW-RANKING MALE,
WHICH SHOULD MEAN
THE CAMERA
IS QUICKLY PASSED
UP THE HIERARCHY.
AT FIRST, NO ONE ELSE
SEEMS INTERESTED,
AND BOBBY WANTS
TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.
SO ACTUALLY, HE’S PLAYING
A VERY CLEVER GAME.
HE’S MAKING SURE
HE’S KEEPING AN EYE
ON ALL THE DOMINANT MALES,
ALL THE DOMINANT FEMALES,
AND JUST KEEPING
JUST ENOUGH DISTANCE.
[SCREECHING]
WHEN THE OTHERS
START GETTING INTERESTED,
BOBBY TAKES TO THE TREES.
♪
[SCREECHING]
SO FAR, SO GOOD.
Marlisse: HERE HE COMES.
HE STILL HAS IT.
AND LOOK AT HIM.
HE’S VERY PROUD OF HIMSELF.
♪
Patrick: BUT THEN KLICKI,
THE DOMINANT FEMALE,
STAKES HER CLAIM
ON THIS NEW TOY.
[SCREECHING]
AH, HERE WE GO. LOOK.
NOW THEY’RE CHASING.
[SCREECHING]
BECAUSE OF HER HIGH RANK,
SHE THINKS THE CAMERA
IS RIGHTFULLY HERS,
AND KLICKI IS PREPARED
TO FIGHT FOR IT.
[MARLISSE SHOUTS]
[BABOONS SCREECHING]
Patrick: JUST
AS MARLISSE PREDICTED,
KLICKI, THE HIGH-RANKING FEMALE,
GETS WHAT SHE WANTS.
[SCREECHING]
POOR BOBBY HAS BEEN PUT
FIRMLY IN HIS PLACE,
PROVING THAT HIERARCHY
IS EVERYTHING.
♪
WITH ALL THIS INFIGHTING,
BABOON SOCIETY MIGHT SEEM TOUGH,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE
A LOW-RANKER.
♪
BUT CHACMA BABOONS,
LIKE MANY MONKEYS,
HAVE A WAY OF KEEPING
THE PEACE--
GROOMING.
THEY SPEND SEVERAL HOURS A DAY
PAMPERING EACH OTHER.
FOR ALL THEIR NITPICKING,
LOWER-RANKING BABOONS
CAN FORM ALLIANCES
WITH THOSE OF HIGHER STATUS.
WHEN MONKEYS MOVED
OUT OF THE FORESTS
ONTO THE OPEN PLAINS,
LIVING IN LARGER GROUPS
WAS ESSENTIAL.
WITH NOWHERE TO HIDE
FROM PREDATORS,
MANY EYES WERE NEEDED
TO SCAN FOR DANGERS
AND SEARCH FOR FOOD.
♪
[BABY BABOON WHINING]
CHACMA BABOONS LIVE IN ONE
OF THE MOST COMPLEX SOCIETIES
OF ANY PRIMATE.
BUT SOME OF THEIR CLOSE COUSINS
WILL TAKE TROOP LIFE
TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
[BARKS]
THE SIMIEN MOUNTAINS,
ETHIOPIA.
♪
RISING TO NEARLY 3 MILES
ABOVE SEA LEVEL,
THIS IS THE ROOF OF AFRICA
AND HOME TO PERHAPS THE MOST
MAJESTIC OF ALL MONKEYS,
THE GELADA.
♪
TODAY, THEY’RE ONLY FOUND
IN THESE VERDANT HIGHLANDS.
[GELADAS CALLING]
GELADAS SPEND THEIR NIGHTS
ON THE STEEP, ROCKY SLOPES,
OUT OF REACH OF PREDATORS,
AND EVERY MORNING,
THEY CLAMBER UP TO THE SUMMIT.
♪
THE MALES HAVE
LUXURIANT GOLDEN LOCKS
AND DEEP RED MARKINGS
ON THEIR CHESTS.
MOST SURPRISING, WHEN THEY YAWN,
THEY REVEAL THESE.
TEETH LIKE THIS ARE USUALLY
ONLY SEEN IN TOP PREDATORS.
[YAWNING]
BUT THESE GUYS
ARE MOSTLY VEGETARIAN.
SO WHY ARE THEY
SO LONG IN THE TOOTH?
[SCREECH]
WELL, IT’S PARTLY DUE
TO SHEER NUMBERS.
[SCREECHING]
GELADAS LIVE IN MEGA-TROOPS
OF UP TO 1,200 INDIVIDUALS.
EVERY MORNING, THEY MOVE AS ONE
ACROSS THE HIGH PLATEAUS
IN SEARCH OF FRESH
FEEDING GROUNDS,
THE MASS MARCH OF THE MONKEYS.
BUT WHEN THEY STOP TO FEED,
YOU NOTICE THIS HUGE CROWD
IS MADE UP OF MANY
SMALLER FAMILY GROUPS.
EACH ONE HAS A MALE,
SEVERAL FEMALES,
AND THEIR BABIES.
[SQUEAKING]
THEY SPEND THEIR DAYS FEEDING
ON FRESH GRASS SHOOTS
AND PLAYING AROUND.
[SCREECHING]
IT SEEMS A PEACEFUL LIFE.
BUT THERE’S TROUBLE
ON THE HORIZON.
GANGS OF BACHELOR MALES
WATCH ON.
LIKE TROUBLESOME TEENAGERS,
THEY WAKE UP LATE
AND SPEND THEIR DAYS PLOTTING.
THEIR AIM IS TO CHALLENGE
THE RESIDENT MALES
AND WIN CONTROL OF A HAREM.
♪
THEY BEGIN TO CLOSE IN
ON THEIR TARGET,
SINGLING OUT
ONE INDIVIDUAL MALE.
BUT DOWN BELOW, HE KNOWS
EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE UP TO.
IT’S A GELADA STANDOFF.
♪
BOTH SIDES WANT TO APPEAR
AS THREATENING AS POSSIBLE.
THIS IS WHERE
THOSE TEETH COME IN.
♪
THE BIG RESIDENT MALE
LEAVES HIS HAREM
AND APPROACHES THE GANG.
HE NEEDS TO SHOW THEM
WHO’S BOSS AROUND HERE.
♪
THE ODDS ARE STACKED
AGAINST HIM, 6 TO 1.
♪
[SCREECHING]
[SCREECHING]
HE SEEMS FEARLESS,
BUT WHAT’S SURPRISING
IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
[SCREECHING]
HE TURNS AND SCAMPERS.
BUT THIS ISN’T COWARDICE.
IT’S A PLANNED TACTIC TO SHOW
THOSE YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS
WHO’S GOT THE MOST STAMINA.
[SCREECHING]
AND THEY QUICKLY TIRE.
THE BACHELOR BOYS ARE DEFEATED,
BUT THEY’LL BE BACK TOMORROW,
AND OUR RESIDENT MALE
RETURNS TO HIS FAMILY A HERO.
IN GELADA MEGA-TROOPS
WITH MORE THAN 1,000 MONKEYS,
MALES NEED A WAY
TO SCARE OFF RIVALS...
[SCREECHING]
AND KEEP THEIR FAMILIES SAFE.
AND THAT’S WHY
THESE VEGETARIANS
HAVE EVOLVED THOSE
FEROCIOUS-LOOKING FANGS.
[YAWNING]
THE GELADAS AND BABOONS
ON THE OPEN PLAINS AND PLATEAUS
ARE JUST SOME
OF THE HUGE RANGE OF MONKEYS
THRIVING ON MAINLAND AFRICA.
[CHATTERING]
WHILE ON THE ISLAND
OF MADAGASCAR,
THE LEMURS ARE STILL
LEAPING THROUGH THE FOREST.
♪
[LEMUR SCREECHING]
BUT THE PRIMATE STORY IN AFRICA
HAS ONE MORE EPIC CHAPTER.
♪
[PRIMATES CALLING]
ON OUR PRIMATE FAMILY TREE,
THE MONKEY BRANCHES WERE FULL
OF CHATTERING CHARACTERS.
[PRIMATES CALLING]
BUT THERE’S ONE MORE BRANCH
CRUCIAL TO OUR STORY...
[PRIMATES CALLING]
OUR BRANCH, THE APES.
MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,
THERE WERE NUMEROUS
DIFFERENT SPECIES.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
TODAY, ONLY A HANDFUL REMAIN.
WE’VE ALREADY MET
THE CHIMPANZEE,
AN APE WITH EXTRAORDINARY
INTELLIGENCE.
BUT IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS
OF UGANDA
LIVES ONE GIANT APE
OF MYTHICAL STATUS.
THIS JUNGLE HERE IN UGANDA
IS KNOWN AS
THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST,
AND AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS,
IT’S ONE OF THE WILDEST
PLACES IN AFRICA.
IT’S ALSO ONE
OF THE FEW PLACES ON EARTH
WHERE YOU CAN STILL SEE
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL
OF ALL PRIMATES...
♪
THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA.
IN TERMS OF SIZE,
GORILLAS ARE UNDOUBTEDLY
THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT APES.
[GORILLA GROWLS SOFTLY]
THEY WEIGHT AROUND
2 1/2 TIMES AS MUCH
AS AN AVERAGE HUMAN MALE
AND CAN REACH UP TO 420 POUNDS.
♪
SO, WHY DID THEY GROW
SO COLOSSAL?
TO FIND OUT, I’M HOPING
TO COME FACE TO FACE
WITH OUR GIANT PRIMATE COUSINS.
AS THEIR NAME SUGGESTS,
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
LIVE ONLY AT ALTITUDE,
MOST MORE THAN A MILE
ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
SO THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY
TO GET TO THEM,
AND THAT’S UP.
YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS IS CALLED
THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST.
IT’S A DENSE, TANGLED WEB
OF VEGETATION.
AND FOR THOSE EARLY EXPLORERS
WHO WERE TRYING TO FIND
THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA,
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING
BUT DAUNTING CHALLENGE.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
WERE FIRST DOCUMENTED IN 1902
BY A GERMAN EXPLORER,
CAPTAIN BERINGE.
IN HIS DIARY, HE DESCRIBES
THE LOW, RUMBLING NOISE
THEY MAKE.
WHEN YOU HEAR THAT NOISE,
YOU KNOW YOU’RE CLOSE.
[GORILLAS GROWLING SOFTLY]
WE CAN FINALLY HEAR THEM.
AND I WAS TOLD THAT YOU
DEFINITELY HEAR THE GORILLAS
BEFORE YOU SEE THEM.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
YOU’VE GOT
THIS THICKET OF JUNGLE.
YOU CAN’T SEE ANYTHING.
AND THEN ALL YOU HEAR
IS THIS LOUD, DEEP BELLOW,
AND YOU KNOW THAT
IT’S COMING FROM
A CREATURE THAT IS
2 1/2 TIMES YOUR SIZE.
SO, UH, YEAH, IF I SAID
I WASN’T NERVOUS,
MAYBE THAT...MAYBE THAT
WAS A LITTLE LIE. [LAUGHS]
AND THEN, AFTER 3 HOURS
OF BUSHWHACKING,
I FINALLY GET
MY FIRST GLIMPSE.
♪
WHOA. THAT’S
ONE OF THE FEMALES.
WHAT STRIKES ME IS
HOW GENTLE THEY APPEAR,
CONSIDERING THEY ARE THE LARGEST
PRIMATE ON THE PLANET.
BUT THEN I NOTICE
SHE ISN’T ALONE.
♪
THIS ADORABLE BABY GORILLA
IS ABOUT A YEAR OLD,
AND BABY GORILLAS
WILL STICK BY THEIR MOTHERS
FOR THE FIRST FEW YEARS.
THEY WON’T STRAY
MORE THAN A FEW METERS.
GORILLA FAMILIES ARE MADE UP
OF SEVERAL FEMALES
AND THEIR BABIES.
THEY’RE LED BY ONE GIANT MALE,
THE SILVERBACK.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
IT’S NOT TOO LONG
BEFORE HE MAKES HIS ENTRANCE.
AH. WHOA.
[LAUGHS]
RIGHT. SO, I CAN NOW
SEE THE SILVERBACK,
THE LEADER OF THIS FAMILY,
AND WHAT A MAGNIFICENT CREATURE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT HE IS
NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT
IN COMPARISON TO THE FEMALES--
THAT HUGE FOREHEAD, THAT CREST
ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.
THAT’S WHERE ALL THOSE
JAW MUSCLES ATTACH.
THAT’S WHERE HE GETS
THAT POWERFUL BITE.
AND HIS HANDS AND ARMS
ARE JUST ENORMOUS.
THE SILVERBACK IS NOT ONLY
THE LEADER OF THE FAMILY,
BUT ALSO THE PROTECTOR.
THIS MALE BEARS
THE SCARS TO PROVE IT.
WELL, THIS SILVERBACK LOOKS
LIKE A GENTLE GIANT,
BUT HE CAN BE FEROCIOUS,
AND A FEW DAYS AGO, HE WAS
IN A FIGHT WITH ANOTHER MALE,
AND HE’S GOT TWO SCARS
TO SHOW FOR IT,
ONE ON HIS HEAD,
AND ONE ON HIS HAND.
BUT THAT IS THE LIFE
OF A SILVERBACK
THAT HAS A FAMILY TO PROTECT.
HIS AIM IS TO LOOK AFTER
HIS FEMALES AND HIS OFFSPRING.
PROVIDING SECURITY
IS ONE REASON
MALE GORILLAS HAVE
BECOME SO ENORMOUS.
THE BIGGEST MALES
ATTRACT THE MOST FEMALES
AND SO HAVE THE MOST OFFSPRING.
FOR GORILLAS, BIG IS BEST.
BUT THERE’S ANOTHER REASON
THEY’VE BECOME
THE GIANTS
OF THE PRIMATE FAMILY.
[LEAVES RUSTLING]
AND I CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THIS
WHEN ANOTHER SILVERBACK
UNEXPECTEDLY STEPS OUT
INTO A JUNGLE CLEARING.
♪
I AM JUST IN AWE
OF THIS ANIMAL.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
ARE VEGETARIANS,
BUT AT THIS ALTITUDE,
THERE’S VERY LITTLE
ENERGY-RICH FRUIT,
SO 85% OF THEIR DIET IS MADE UP
OF NUTRIENT-POOR LEAVES.
IT’S INCREDIBLE TO THINK
THAT THE MASSIVE BULK
OF A MOUNTAIN GORILLA
COMES ONLY FROM
THE VEGETATION THEY EAT,
AND AN ADULT CAN MAKE ITS WAY
THROUGH 25 KILOGRAMS A DAY.
TO DIGEST SUCH A HUGE BULK
OF VEGETATION
REQUIRES AN EQUALLY
HUGE STOMACH,
AND BIG STOMACHS
REQUIRE BIG BODIES.
SO IT’S EATING
A POOR-QUALITY DIET
AND HAVING TO PROTECT
THEIR FAMILY
THAT EXPLAINS WHY GORILLAS
HAVE BECOME
THE GIANTS
OF THE PRIMATE FAMILY.
[GRUMBLING]
BUT THE BEST IS YET TO COME,
WHEN A PASSING
3-YEAR-OLD MALE
STOPS TO CHECK ME OUT.
THIS IS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED
AND SO UNBELIEVABLE.
HELLO. HELLO. HELLO.
[CHUCKLES]
MY GOODNESS.
I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT.
THAT IS ME COMING FACE TO FACE,
NOT ONLY FACE TO FACE,
BUT HAND TO HAND
WITH A YOUNG MOUNTAIN GORILLA.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I’VE BEEN INCREDIBLY LUCKY
TO GET SO CLOSE
TO THESE GENTLE GIANTS.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
ARE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.
TODAY, THERE ARE
ONLY AROUND 900 LEFT.
THEY ARE PERHAPS
THE MOST PRECIOUS
OF ALL OUR PRIMATE COUSINS.
♪
PRIMATES HAD CONQUERED
EVERY CORNER OF AFRICA,
FROM THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR
TO THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA.
TO DO SO, SOME HAD
BECOME ACROBATS,
OTHERS GANGSTERS,
AND SOME HAD BECOME MASTERMINDS.
♪
BUT ALL BECAME SUCCESSFUL...
[HOWLING]
AT ADAPTING
TO SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS.
THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN
FROM EACH OTHER
AND COOPERATE AS A GROUP
SET THE STAGE
FOR OUR OWN EVOLUTION.
[BANG]
♪
[SCREECHING]
♪
