Big Bend: In the Heart of Texas (Full Episode) | America's National Parks

Big Bend National Park male desert big horn sheep prepare for battle Big Ben's monsoon season is the perfect time to breed the strongest males will pass on their jeans to the next generation the arrival of a female ratchets up the [Music] tension before the fight males test their opponents resolve as heat and humidity build across one of America's last great wildernesses the pressure increases only to release in a single strike months before the monsoon big bin National Park is peaceful a Wild Sanctuary deep in the Heart of Texas established in 1944 it's 800,000 Acres of mountains deserts and rivers a challenging place to call home but the Park's spectacular range of habitats provides opportunities for plants and animals creating a surprising Web of Life with more species of birds bugs and cacti than any other National Park in the United States making big bin the perfect home for one of the Park's most hardworking parents the Road Runner a true survivalist she's fully prepped for life in this remote corner of Texas hunkering down in a prickly pear [Music] cactus with two chicks on the nest and four more on the way it pays to be tough right now there's calm but for a roadrunner mom the peace and quiet doesn't last long her chicks are hungry fortunately she's raising kids in a place where there's plenty to eat but it's still a grueling [Music] routine [Music] leave catch prey [Music] return feed chicks that should do it leave catch prey return feed [Music] chicks it helps that road runners eat almost everything from SPID ERS to scorpions mom is also a super quick Hunter with a top speed of 20 M an hour with hundreds of road runners living here it's a good thing Big Bend has an amazing biodiversity of [Music] bugs not that the chicks seem to appreciate it as they grow they appetites cannot be stopped time for Dad to go [Music] big this lizard may be fast but the Road Runner is faster [Music] a super sized meal almost as big as the chick no problem surely this will fill them [Music] up thanks to the Bounty of food available in the park and the tireless efforts of doting parents parents peace and quiet [Music] return or maybe not nearly 6,000 ft up in the mountains another mom has a huge challenge a female black bear has spent the winter in a high mountain cave [Music] she needs to teach her Cubs to survive in the park with little to no food or water for months the stakes are high but they're living in a special place Big Bend is the only national park with an entire mountain range inside its borders the chisos named for their previous inhabitants and once home to the Mescalero Apache and the kamanche tribes the mountains are a sky island oasis 40 square miles of Peaks up to 8,000 ft Loom over the hot desert below at the height of Summer monsoon storms can dump nearly a Year's rainfall in a few months right now the monsoon is a long way off but the chisos do something incredible they catch the rains and store them for year round use water slowly releases from deep in the mountains into precious Springfed pools [Music] attracting Critters of all types and all [Music] colors the key to survival in a desert is a reliable source of [Music] water and Mom knows exactly where to find it thanks to her mom who taught her about the hidden Oasis in the chisos it's the Cub's first visit to this magical [Music] place every day is a school day today's lesson is all about [Music] water they've never tasted or seen so much of it mom relaxes in the spring but for the Cubs it's play time [Music] [Music] the fun has to come to an end eventually but Mom has another lesson for her eager students how to scratch that itch mom shows how it's done rubbing off her winter coat and leaving a scent behind signaling her presence to other bears in the [Music] park mom made it look easy but the Cubs will need a lot more [Music] practice for the bear family the chios mountains provide water and a cool Refuge but down below on the desert floor life in the park has more extreme challenges big bin protects a vast and pristine area of the Chihuahuan Desert the largest in North America early Spanish settlers called it El despo BL a desolate and empty [Music] land if you're your home is tough sometimes you've got to be tougher and one animal is the ultimate desert Survivor the Texas horned lizard he's everything you would expect from a desert veteran perfectly camouflaged and Searing hot is just how he likes it [Music] once widespread across Texas the horn lizard is in Decline Agriculture and Urban Development have robbed this reptile of space protected areas like Big Ben National Park are vital for his [Music] survival he's on the hunt [Music] and ants are on today's menu just like the last meal and the next in fact ants are pretty much all he [Music] eats these small snacks are all he needs to survive but the ants won't surrender without a fight these are Harvest s ants packing super strong jaws and one of the most toxic insect Venoms ever discovered a defensive stinger in the back contains a neurotoxin so strong that with enough stings these ants could kill a human but this lizard's hunting technique combats the ant's deadly defense [Music] all he has to do is hold his [Music] nerve this timing has to be perfect not now not now not even now [Music] if the ants mob him he'll have to retreat and go hungry one false move and it's game [Music] over for the horned lizard getting a meal requires military precision and patience he picks a Target and takes [Music] aim it's now or [Music] never his tongue shoots forward at the speed of a bullet it's all over in a fraction of a second a Precision weapon avoiding the ants bite and deadly stinger the sticky tongue flicks it into his stomach in one move the ant drowns instantly and thick mucus on the way down any slower he'd get a toxic sting to the mouth as the desert heats up and Big Bend the challenges keep coming and the Texas horn lizard will deal with them head on [Music] on Spring moves into summer and the Texan Sun bakes Big Ben National Park to a [Music] crisp it can reach well over 100° and the monsoon rains are more than a month away [Music] across the park everything is dry the reserves from last year's Reigns run low and the bear family desperately digs for the last drops of [Music] [Music] water on the desert floor conditions get more Brutal by the day without rain wind whips up dust storms big bin transforms into a hostile place with such extreme heat the Park's main river system becomes a vital and Rich ribbon of Life the Rio Grand forms the Park's southern boundary with Mexico connecting millions of Acres of protected land on both sides of the Border overuse from agriculture upstream and a changing climate have reduced the once Mighty River's flow across the park rivers run dry each remaining water source holds the key to survival last summer this place had barely a trickle but now something truly surprising has appeared [Music] an oasis of life but it's no [Laughter] [Music] Miracle it's an impressive feat of engineering [Music] meticulously constructed by one determined [Music] Critter a [Music] beaver for the past few months she's been building a dam on a small tributary of the Rio Grand [Music] it's taken months of hard work but night after night she's transformed a tiny spring into a Desert [Music] Paradise around 200 beavers live in big bent National [Music] Park but it takes a pioneering spirit and perseverance to overcome its harsh conditions there is another reason this Beaver has been working so hard she's building a future for her family her home also provides water for other animals in the park attracting life from miles [Music] around but the beaver's big bin Paradise is about to be put to the test the first sign of the coming Monsoon lights up the Big Ben Sky warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico pushes further west into the park it collides with the chios mountains immense storm clouds form St ready to [Music] break the monsoon is close although the storm passes 100 Mil to the North in Big Bend it's enough to create one of Nature's Most destructive forces a flash flood in just hours the river's flow can increase more than 1,000 times the beaver's dam is destroyed months of tireless construction are no match for the power of floodwall Waters the beaver's desert dream has become a nightmare it was a brave move to build a dam here but this is Texas it will take more than a flash flood to crush the beaver's Spirit the dam just needs needs to be bigger while the coming Monsoon proves problematic for some for others it provides a world of opportunity when the rains arrive plants unfurl and burst into life temporary life-saving pools spring up across the park and on the Steep Cliffs above the desert the monsoon triggers the most dramatic time of the year for a mighty Beast the desert big horn sheep their presence alone is caused for celebration 60 years ago the Big Horns were gone killed off from over hunting and disease but since the 1980s International efforts have restored them to their rightful place with feet made to climb they are perfectly adapted to the rocky [Music] terrain able to scale near ver vertical Cliffs with [Music] ease the monsoon [Music] approaches males zero in on the scent of females ready to mate there is a strict hierarchy in place Rams younger than seven rarely take [Music] part competition is so Fierce that one-on-one combat can last over 25 [Music] hours but before they put their horns to the test contenders taunt their rivals [Music] withstanding pain is a test of endurance but it's a waiting game who will break first [Music] the monsoon rains are edging closer and the atmosphere is electric tensions are high until fights break out all the fighting has a purpose if the winning males breed now their newborn calves will have the most nutritious green choots to eat brought on by the rigns a finally tuned survival strategy for the toughest of big Benin [Music] survivors the monsoon has finally arrived [Music] it's the moment the park has been waiting [Music] for the desert soaks up the lifegiving [Music] rains for plant life in Big Bend it's welcome relief and for the animals too big Bin's veteran has another awesome desert [Music] adaptation he flattens his body out to catch as much rain as he can a useful skill in a place where rains are patchy and unpredictable the monsoon weather system is a defining feature of the park all life in Big Bend depends on it storms can be intense but there are places here that we'll see a whole year pass without receiving any rain so the Texas horned lizard needs to catch every precious drop as fast as they arrived the rains pass and big Ben dries out under the harsh Texan Sun but the horn lizard can find and make use of any water source no matter how small simply by standing in it his waterproof skin has a network of capillary channels between the scales directing water straight into his [Music] mouth tiny jaw movements pull water in for drinking it's another amazing adaptation for big Ben's toughest lizard after the rains plants race to flower and reproduce while moisture remains in the [Music] soil it's time to celebrate as Big Ben puts on a show in full color prickly pear fruit ripens providing an energy rich treat for insect life a leaf footage bug doesn't travel far the prickly pear cactus is both his home and food supply most of the year his meals are a little tough but for a few weeks after the rains it's easy picking juicy soft Delicious Fruit other animals have a liking for cactus fruit [Music] too the bear cups are growing fast and learning about all the good things Big Ben National Park has to [Music] offer even the slower residents rush to get a taste [Music] for the box turtle it's a fruity Feast worth waiting [Music] for in the harsh Chihuahuan Desert there are still times when Big Bend provides one plan here is a beacon of life in the park an intimidating Beast with a rich history the Agave once a building material and food source for the indigenous people of Big Bend [Music] now it's the main ingredient in tequila and [Music] mcow and big Ben would not be the same without it the Agave doesn't seem to do much it takes its sweet time to build up Reserves [Music] sometimes waiting up to 50 [Music] years taking energy from the sun and water from the monsoon rains all the while getting bigger stronger and sharper then one day something magical happens after decades the waiting is over for the Agave all that stored energy erupts sending a stalk 30 ft into the [Music] sky the plant's Final Act using its last reserves for one purpose to reproduce flowers bloom but they need to be pollinated and they're going to need help hidden inside the Agave flowers is sweet sweet nectar the astonishing variety of flying Critters in Big Bend means it doesn't take long for word to get around the first wave of pollinators arrive some come for nectar others for nectar feeders but all will take a little pollen with them from plant to plant helping the Agave reproduce and maintain its presence in the park in Big Bend the secret to success is making the most of every opportunity and the Agave has become a star at [Music] traction after Sunset the Agave ramps up nectar production its flowers now fully open this is the time for the Agave to spread its pollen far and wide as the second wave of pollinators descend [Music] the five-spotted hawk Ms long proasas is the right tool for the job ideal for sucking up nectar from deep [Music] inside and just like the day at night predators are on the [Music] prow the nocturnal elf owl is a skilled [Music] Hunter taking prey while they feed and making a home in the Agave stock but of all the creatures that visit the Agave there is one that spreads more pollen to more Agave plants than any other pollinator [Music] the Mexican long-nosed bat flying almost 800 miles from Central Mexico they spend the summer feeding on the agave in Big B National Park until now this ancient exchange has only been witnessed by a handful of scientists [Music] the bat's long nose and tongue fit the flowers like a glove the agave and bat have evolved together for thousands of years they depend on each other for survival and Big Ben National Park for protection nights in the park attra attract another creature from far away people travel from all over the world to experience something you can only get in a handful of places like Big Bend National Park true Darkness [Music] here you can see across the Galaxy and Beyond humans aren't the only ones to make the most of the [Music] dark but with a sturdy pair of boots and a flashlight visitors are welcome to explore the park at night which is the best time to see a particular breed a [Music] visitor the [Music] astrophotographer Big Bend National Park is at the top of their bucket [Music] list surrounded by millions of Acres of protected land and Wilderness the lack of light pollution makes it one of the best places on the planet to film The Stars [Applause] [Music] as the world gets more crowded and developed dark places like Big Bend National Park become even more precious [Music] and if it's your home it's a place worth fighting [Music] [Applause] [Music] for when the flood waters recede the beaver gets back to work day and night [Music] night rebuilding the dam to create a yearr round waterfront home for her [Music] family beavers are found all over America but this Beaver mom is a Big Bend veteran a highly skilled engineer adapting to Changing Times determined to make a life here here no matter what the park throws at [Applause] [Music] her as the season shifts into fall an early cold snap is a sure sign that winter is just around the corner for the bear family it's time to prepare after everything that Big Bend has thrown at him the best is yet to come soon mom and cubs will head back to the cave to ride out the winter but first they need to put on enough pounds to make it through as a final fall gift the park lays out a feast of acorns oak trees thrive in the cool valleys of the [Music] chisos creating a park Paradise vital for the survival of all [Music] bears without the chisos Big Bend would not support the rich Web of Life here it's what makes the park unique something the Bears certainly appreciate as winter approaches es they enter a phase called hyper phasia eating as much as they can as fast as they can and oak trees provide an all you can eat acorn Buffet the Cubs have never seen a full winter now they'll learn another important survival lesson from Mom how to make the most of every opportunity some acorns are a long way up you could just wait underneath and let others do all the work but sometimes you got to go straight to the source [Music] all the tree climbing practice pays [Music] off now Mom can sit back and wait for the acorns to [Music] fall letting her Cubs do all the work for a change a quick power nap and the youngsters are back at it [Music] again young bears are still light enough to climb out to the smallest branches their reward is acorn adults simply can't [Music] reach with the energy from a final Feast the bear family heads back to the mountains to wait out the winter their survival means more to Big Ben National Park than they can ever know [Music] when Big Bend was established in 1944 there were almost no bears left in the park they had all been trapped or shot it wasn't until the 1980s when a bold Mother Bear crossed the Rio Grand to raise her Cubs in the chisos that a significant bear population could begin to rebuild the park offered protection [Music] their return is a reminder that this is a very special place a sanctuary not just for Bears but for the entire Web of Life that makes a home in the park Big Bend is a treasured gift from Texas to the nation and like all of America's national parks it's a gift worth holding on to [Music] [Music]

Channel: National Geographic

Views: 120,605

Keywords: national geographic, nat geo, natgeo, animals, wildlife, science, explore, discover, survival, nature, culture, documentary, perpetual planet nat geo, photography, Heart of Texas, Big Bend, Full Episode, America's National Parks, America's National Parks Heart of Texas, America's National Parks Full Episode, mountains, deserts, rivers, sanctuary for life, Americ, National Park, Parks, wilderness, Big Bend National Park, American Parks, full episodes, Texas, sanctuary

Id: -AndA2beJVc

Length: 44min 24sec (2664 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 27 2024