Drakensberg - Africas Dragon Mountains - The Secrets of Nature

this is the highest widest mountain range in southern Africa named for its brooding and unpredictable nature the Drakensberg or dragon mountains some say they're a friend only to vultures it's an uncompromising place to produce new life yet eel and antelope have found a way to eke out an existence on these slopes despite the hardship all the animals here must constantly negotiate a living with this beast of a mountain the Drakensberg present an almost mythical set of challenges but every year eel and prepare to meet the mountains head-on as they start their long climb to the very top of this world Mountains are hostile places and the Drakensberg has a particularly dark reputation it's far far older than the creatures it dominates its birth the most violent imaginable a hundred and sixty million years ago as Gondwanaland split into the continents we know today lava poured out across the Drakensberg region and cooled into layers of resistant basalt rock the toughest basalt still caps the Drakensberg peaks while softer sandstone has succumbed to eons of erosion our story lies at the heart of this thousand mile stretch of soaring mountaintops and precipitous ravines ha there's often a 2,000 meter drop to the valley floor vultures fly so high that local legend says they can see into the future flight is one of the few ways to cross these mountains not for nothing of Zulu people called it huka clamber the barrier of Spears the steep valleys of sandstone propping up 40 genus basalt escarpment might seem the last place to find these animals eel and antelope are more usually at home in Africa's deserts and savanna they seem like trespasses on the Drakensberg slower alpine pastures in fact there are no strangers to these dizzying heights see you love his is to me the artists who painted these images were San Bushmen who revered the eel and as a source of nourishment and strength yes Tommy the paintings are 2,400 years old the eland struggles with the dragon mountains go back way further ilan don't look like natural Mountaineers they're Africa's largest antelope bulls can weigh as much as 800 kilograms even so they will soon need to climb even higher the newborn calves have no idea of the ordeal that lies ahead for now they're insulated by motherly love many eland are born in spring as adults gather in advance of their remarkable expedition it's also when the grass carpeting the lower drakensberg slopes is most nutritious it helps the mothers produce plenty of milk Cavs take their first steps within the hour but it'll be a while before they're strong enough to escape from predators or to run with the herd to stay out of harm's way the car flies low in the meadow waiting patiently for its next feed and allowing its mother to stay with the herd EAL and are instinctively wary of predators so they prefer not to graze alone as the calves get stronger and as spring grass shoots appear on higher slopes the dragon mountains will tempt them upwards above the gathering eel and herds but below the basalt escarpment live-chat mud baboons born small but smart but Boone's rely on intelligence to deal with the difficulties of mountain life they also depend on each other not only for affection within their extended families they learn everything how to find food even in hard times what is smart behavior and what might lead to trouble an infant's family is it safety net the adults are always on full alert jackals are persistent but there are no match for full-grown baboons jackals roam up and down the slopes looking for anything small and defenseless but the cough has an effective deterrent it smothers sharp horns predators maybe the least of the elands concerns the higher they climb the more exposed calves will be to the Dragon Mountains violent moods within minutes the middle drakensberg experiences a catastrophic drop in temperature the only way baboons can avoid exposure is to huddle up against the mountains flanks below them the eland have no shelter at all this is the cars first experience of the Drakensberg x' fickle nature a break in the clouds is just a tease from here on the mountains will not just dictate the weather but control where the eland can feed generally in Africa the rainy season is a long-awaited blessing up here there's a heavy price to pay the rain can be incessant bringing not just cold but hunger too it dilutes the nutrients in the soil and the grass loses its goodness it turns to sour to eat the longer it rains the greater the need to find new pasture the adults have fat reserves to help keep them warm but the smaller leaner calves will suffer when the conditions turn against them the herd faces a long trek better grass will be sprouting higher up but that means starting the calves on their grueling climb this first year of life will be touch-and-go the mountain scavengers are ever alert for those too weak to move today one little calf has lost its battle with the cold cape vultures specialize in cleaning up the carcass a jackal might have better luck here the Boone's and mother Ilan send jackals packing but not vultures a bearded vulture is last on the scene but that's because it's not going to waste its energy competing for the meat it's waiting for the leftovers 90% of the bearded vultures diet is bone marrow however their beaks are not strong enough to crack the bones open this darker face juvenile needs to use the powerful thermals to help with that bearded vultures deliberately drop bones from a great height once they've shattuck the birds can get to the marrow inside they can even eat the bone itself strong stomach acids will digest it pound-for-pound bone is more nutritious than meat so far from being the poor relations of the vulture world these birds can exploit a valuable resource despite this they are very rare birds yeah it may be a tough place to live but the Drakensberg is a guardian to many without such a vast open spaces bearded vultures would be in serious decline above all this is the region's most important watershed the 800 meter drop of the Choo gala falls the world's second highest waterfall turns the stream into a veil of rainbows the Drakensberg huge mass influences the weather and therefore all life around it the water flowing off the Dragons back is the source of South Africa's largest and longest rivers by the time spring turns to summer the eland will have climbed many hundreds of meters to the mid Berg where they skirt the slopes in their search for fresh grass it offers adults and calves the chance to build up body fat capricious weather at these altitudes doesn't just affect the quality of grass flowering plants must be tough to survive the mountains demanding regime of rain and frost wind is another great enemy sucking moisture from every leaf and flower so most plants huddled close to the ground pollination is the greatest challenge of all which is why one flower at times its opening to the emergence of this beetle a pro tier flower has cast its spell on the scarab beetle as the beetle roams through the petals it collects a dusting of pollen which it will carry to the next flower summer won't last long at this height flowers can't just rely on insects to help them set seed sugar birds can do the job - but it's the Proteas sweet nectar which draws them in the feathers on their heads will transfer the precious pollen to the next bloom during these fleeting summer months the eland will mate ah the females release an enticing scent which encourages dominant Bulls to make advances only to be rejected the females aren't ready just yet but that won't stop the male's thrashing about in the vegetation checking out the field or putting on an eye-catching display oh yeah in these middle ranges the grass has set seed providing a highly nutritious feast for the baboon's they might spend all day Arvest ting and eating but the Drakensberg is never generous for long now these middle altitude Meadows are at the mercy of the frequent summer storms whipped up by the mountains they drain the brass of its food value once again the land will have to move on they'll need to find still higher slopes where heavy rain has not yet leached the goodness from the grass the baboon's in the mid Berg are hardened to this the grass may no longer taste very good but they can eat other things there are roots worth digging for it means the baboon's can stay put but the heel and are always forced on as the summer rains continue the grass is pull their remaining nutrients back to their roots what's left is no better than straw for the wandering Ile and opportunities to find pasture closed off behind them as a last resort they seek out valleys where they can browse on the leaves of trees known as route or old wood even the smallest carves can reach the lower leaves but the old wood comes with a bite fire ants nest along the branches they can sting as painfully as wasps and will surge out to defend their homes against browsers like eel and the answer the warrior herdsmen of their world and have livestock to guard he feeds the ants milk the aphids for their honeydew secretions the aphids in return gain the fire ants protection the leaves also flourish thanks to the ants even the hungriest elin doesn't like being stung in the mouth it serves to move the whole herd on there is little rest and not much food the dragon mountains all too easily claimed another young victim not all eland calves are born in spring those drop now are especially vulnerable the mothers are struggling to feed themselves let alone produce milk for four months many newborns won't survive this journey and there are many creatures waiting to benefit from their demise a jackal must decide whether the scraps are worth a tussle with the vultures but on this occasion the vultures appear determined to have the last of the carcass for themselves the slopes have never seemed more desolate but the eland cannot retreat there's nothing to eat at lower altitudes their only option is to carry on up the mountains and the river courses are the easiest routes there along the banks there is some respite this long March in search of food is particularly taxing for the hungry calves but day by day their stamina is increasing and they become better able to withstand hardship rainfall is so high in the Drakensberg that the thin soils are readily stripped of what richness they contain mountain streams benefit the wide-mouthed frog makes a good living here by hunting almost everything else there's an abundance of crabs which thrive on decaying plants and animals and the wide-mouthed frog lives up to its name it can't be the easiest of meals but nothing on this mountain is straightforward soon it becomes clear why the eland have staked everything on their upward climb the higher they go the cooler it is and the later the seasonal change at two and a half kilometers above sea level the grass is only now springing up is the Hertz also become more concentrated up to 300 strong Sandow even the heaviest males will make the assault on the dragon mountains steep upper slopes ah to the baboon's that live all year round at these incredible Heights the eland are a traveling sideshow with little more than a moment's curiosity arriving on these high-altitude pastures is like entering a second spring the air maybe a little rarefied but so is the elands palette what guides the men their wanderings is simply the quality of grass but up here close to the spine of the Dragon Mountains they are exposed to its most terrifying force the baboon's seem to know what's coming the Dragon Mountains have a habit of turning lightning into fire the smell of burning is new to the calves instinctive fear makes them flee after an electric storm there's no rain to quench the flames these dry lightning fires can sweep up the mountain at incredible speed and eland are in danger of becoming trapped the fire-breathing mountains have laid waste to the vegetation few trees survive a scorching like this but in time the grasses will return they have dealt with this fury many times before having nested high above the fire line the bearded vulture can survey the blackened mountainside it may be casualties bones to be picked over but this time the eland mothers have successfully guided their calves away from the inferno they may be temporarily disorientated but they will do what they've always done travel in search of new pastures the baboon's have no option but to remain here and make the best of the seared earth but somewhere across this brooding giant of a mountain range grassland will once again spring into existence beneath the blackened soil a crop of tubers has survived the fire the Boone's have both clever minds and the hands to take advantage of this timely resource like humans they produce babies with large brains and small bodies that means months of physical vulnerability and dependency mothers need to stay close especially in this unpredictable place within days of the fire underground moisture works its magic on the charred land the new grass has been fertilized by the ash of the old thatch but in this early stage of regrowth it's thin on the ground eel and especially the males are big animals so to find enough to eat they must stay on the move their mobility and stamina is proving to be their core strength the Cavs will be more robust now which is just as well a sudden cold snap shows just how treacherous these mountains can be billowing in from the south the air temperature drops lower and lower until it's barely above freezing a mother baboon is looking for her baby a vulture has spotted the missing infant now but the father gets there first the mother still doesn't know what's happened the baby could have strayed too far from its mother's warmth or it could have been killed by another male in a fit of jealousy whatever the reason the vulture won't get the body just now the boons can carry dead infants for days not wanting to let go mother's still waiting ah she's finally realized what's wrong there's little room for ceremony you the baboon's will grieve and the master of these mountain spaces will have to look elsewhere for a meal despite the rigors of such high cold places there is evidence tracks worn into the hard basalt rock by countless generations of hooves that Eiland long ago conquered the dragon mountains summit they may have evolved on the plains and savanna but each year eland used these ancient pathways to chase the summer right up to the roof of their world how and when they found this good pasture on the very highest plateau is lost in time but it will keep the mothers in good condition and allow them to finish nursing their young awesome Ben yeah ilan don't form close friendships they drift in and out of herds as they please although it looks like they're grooming each other they're licking off each other's sweat for the minerals it contains but there may be useful side effects it might discourage parasites perhaps they gain some reassurance the carves that have made it to the top will reap the reward for completing the climb of their lives a last rich stream of milk however the gathering clouds are a reminder that at this height summer is like borrowed time others are already preparing for the worst ice rats can only survive up in the Dragons back thanks to their snug burrows which they must now stockpile with seeds gathering this harvest exposes them to more than just bad weather servos depend on ice Rats up here but they have to be quick the server's large ears can detect their movement underground but the ice rats are out of reach 3,000 meters up the grass is tender just as the elands noses told them it would be but the air is cooling fast it's now a perilous place to be the winds have changed bringing with them a deadly dose of winter this is something their cousins in the deserts and savannas will never see but the Drakensberg eland know it's time to retreat Antarctic chill is streaming into southern Africa and someone make it down the mountain for the spring these bones are too big to be anything but to knee lands snow in Africa is something extraordinary but not in the Drakensberg ice rats have carved out their very own niche up here they're found nowhere else they're fast pace of life helps them stay warm but they need constant refueling and now there's very little to eat above ground as ruthlessly as any predator the mountain weeds out the weak from the strong at lower altitudes it's much warmer but the eel and herds need to keep descending back to the lower slopes where so many of their calves were born to find fresh green grass again less than half the eland carve survived this first year and arrived back where they began but these survivors are tougher for their ordeal the elands remarkable ascent of the Drakensberg is legendary the yearlings will continue that story following ancestral paths they'll lead new generations of Eiland back to the summit their stamina and resilience is defiantly etched along the flanks of the dragon mountains time-worn journeys through famine snow and fire you this is one of the most grueling places to live in Africa but in constantly pushing the creatures that exist here to the limits of endurance the Drakensberg also reveals their true strength see you my master Oh

Channel: The Secrets of Nature

Views: 607,130

Rating: 4.6758242 out of 5

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, drakensberg, africa's dragon mountains, africa, eland, wildlife, animals, Gondwanaland, baboons, mountains

Id: RuUt_dw3B_A

Length: 48min 34sec (2914 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 06 2014