Great Migration | Wild Ones | Episode 11 | Free Documentary Nature

the world is full of Might movers from Africa's most famous Drifters to turtles that make epic Journeys to reproduce seabirds that don't come to land for years water birds that follow ephemeral rivers and whales and whale sharks that roam the great oceans the Colossal Plains of the Serengeti span an enormous 30,000 square kmers of East Central Africa probably the most well-known Plains in the world they are home to some of Africa's most well-known [Music] inhabitants hundreds of thousands of zebra live together in the seretti their distinctive eye-catching stripes are as unique as fingerprints and even within the largest of gatherings no two zebra will be found with exactly the same [Music] Stripes almost 2 million Shaggy maned wilderbeast share their [Music] home every year the tough Hooves of these animals will carry them almost 500 kilometers through Tanzania and Kenya in their constant search for fresh [Music] grass it is a journey that will cost many their lives during the rainy season herds of wilderbeast Z and gazelle are scattered over the southern reaches of the seretti but once the rains cease it is not long before precious rivers and streams dry up as the grazing animals focus on the remaining areas of greenery ever bigger herds are formed as they move north and west following the prized fresh grass Columns of animals 40 km long can form as over a million wilder beast and hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle joined together as some pause along the way relationships are made and reinforced and endurance is tested but the crowd keeps moving as the dry land they leave behind turns to dust the migrating masses of animals move further north in an Ever circling Loop the rains ahead of them come later and the herbivores of the Plains follow the green grasses they will bring the land of the massai mara in neighboring Kenya is the northernmost part of the serenti plain while for the grazing animals the border between the countries may not present a problem the rivers that run across the plains most certainly do River crocodiles are attuned to this annual pilgrimage as they play Russian roulette with their lives this is the most hazardous part of their journey and one that cannot be avoided if they are to complete their Exodus North never more alone and with no option but to cross thousands of animals plunge themselves into the perilous Waters many other animals are already there for those in the lethal Embrace of the crocodile it is the end of their Journey despite the dangers the voyagers continue in what is the largest mass movement of manels anywhere in the world the need for fresh grass and water pulls the migrating vegetarians like a magnet young and old alike will attempt the journey as they travel across the reaches of the serengetti and all the challenges it throws at them hauling themselves to new pastures we do not fully understand how these hearty animals know which way to go but it is likely that it is more than just following the rains and new growth more than just following the lightning and thunderstorms that predict these it is likely that the Instinct etched into the DNA of those that have survived this journey for Generations must surely play A [Music] Part as they Journey on the wilderbeast benefit from the superior vision and hearing of the zebra young wilderbeast often watching them for any signs of [Music] alarm while both zebra and wilder beast eat similar grasses they have preferences for different parts of the plant and coexistence is peaceful [Music] having made it to the plains of Southern Kenya they can feast and enjoy the time of [Music] plti but they cannot stay these grasses do not contain enough of the phosphorus they need and when the southern rains begin again they start to [Music] leave the freshly sprouted grass of the Southern Serengeti contains this valuable phosphorus and it beckons them back as these great Wanderers continue the migrations of their life the most abundant sea turtle in the world of gries have extraordinary nesting habits these small turtles migrate massive distances between their Oceanic feeding grounds and the shores that draw them back to meat and then to Nest it's an effort that will have taken this female almost everything she has in huge congregations known as aradas meaning arrival by sea vast numbers of these usually solitary females come ashore to lay their eggs they will do this once or twice every season and for a few days every year their tropical nesting beaches will be crammed with thousands of turtles Olive Ridley's have been seen 4,000 km from Shore and have an annual migration from pelagic foraging to Coastal nesting site and then all the way back to their Oceanic feeding grounds it is a massive effort for each of these small turtles and for some it will be their last dragging themselves out of the water the arriving females lumber on Shore pulling themselves up beaches where they themselves hatched some years before clearing away sand with her front flippers and digging with her rear ones she prepares her egg chamber into it she will deposit around 100 white eggs this could be the first of up to three batches she will lay in one season once her eggs are covered she will use her 45 kg body to help pack down the sand before she leaves the nest forever their work done the wey females make their way back to the ocean leaving their eggs to incubate in the Warm Sands they will never see their offspring as these Oceanic wanders disappear back into the welcoming swell of the ocean back on Shore the residents know there is a feast coming just under 2 months after being laid the tiny turtle hatchlings will emerge from their eggs into an unwelcoming world the beach that stretches like a marathon before them is daunting and their chances of survival are not good but these little hatchlings must make their first mini migration if they are to survive and they run the gauntlet of the beach black vultures are usually carrying eaters but for them and other waiting Birds the bite-size and bountiful turtle hatchlings are a snack too tempting to pass up [Music] crabs too yearn to join the feast endearing little ghost crabs with their fast and jerky movements and Powerful pincer claws are one of the main causes of mortality for turtle hatchlings for this tiny fire fighter it's a lucky day making a break for the beckoning surf line it's ocean home is in [Music] sight for the next few years the hatchlings are lost to the ocean currents until they too are old enough to Journey all the way back to this very [Music] spot like the turtle once it is left land for the first time a young Su turn may not go back for years spending all its time in the ocean Skies until it is time to breed [Music] soaring on outstretched Wings these elegant seabirds feed almost entirely on fish driven to the surface by the hunters [Music] below suti turns themselves rarely rest on the ocean surface their feathers are not water repellent and would get water logged hampering their graceful flight for this bird life is in the sky they are so at home in the air that these turns are known for taking naps of a couple of seconds while they fly this strange Quirk of ability allows them to stay in the air for [Music] months after many weeks at sea the breeding season beckons and the turns answer the call heading Inland to the Tropical Islands of their nesting sites their massive colonies are home to thousands of nesting birds in these dense noisy grounds courtship displays are performed as monogamous couples make their [Music] bonds both parents will incubate a single [Music] egg finding food for their young is a daily migration in itself as adults Forge up to 500 km around the colony returning to feed the ever growing chick once the breeding season is over Su turns go back to their pelagic lifestyle and spend the next few months back at Sea wintering through the tropical oceans until the need to breed draws them back into Land once [Music] more Pelicans these quirky comical big build birds are usually thought of as spending all their time around coasts and harbors they are widespread in Australia's lakes rivers bbangs and estories or other waterways with enough food for their fish loving lifestyle with the longest beak of any bird in the world and a wingspan that could reach 2 and 1/2 M these are very unusual looking birds and some of them have a very unusual habit they migrate but not over oceans some migrate inland in the Arid Center of Australia lies Lake air a dry salt pan that is the lowest point in the country's vast land mass when rare rains bring water to the parched Outback Rivers they begin to flow and bring water and life into Lake air and the Pelicans follow them stopping at creeks and bongs along the way to their ephemeral Paradise many of the birds that make this Inland Journey are heading back to the place of their birth soaring on thermals these ingenious animals make a route map from the temporary waterways following them ever deeper into the Outback [Music] finally their destination is in [Music] sight as each Pelican comes into land on these magical Waters the population of the lake seems to grow by the minute [Music] many of these birds will have flown hundreds of kilometers to get here it is a journey worth making the lake only has a covering of water once every 8 years and it is filled only three times in the past 150 it is a place worthy of migration [Music] while there is water and plenty the birds continue to come soon thoughts turn to breeding [Music] these ground nesters lay two or three eggs after just over a month the first to hatch Peaks out of its [Music] egg for the first few weeks of its life the young chick will be reliant on the Bounty its parents bring from the lake [Music] lured to this fleeting Paradise the Pelicans here have a rich start in life they will make the most of this time of Plenty no one knows how long the Bounty giving water will last they will stay and breathe while they [Music] can once the waters start to Reed it's time to leave some of the greatest migratory animals on Earth are those that live in its Waters and Traverse its great oceans from bailing whales that travel from the Nutri andrich polar Waters to warm tropical Seas to the whale shark whose migrations we barely understand the mysterious migrations of the whale shark were thought to be linked to the availability of food as these huge fish eek out their existence on tiny planktonic animals these enormous fish migrate massive distances during their lifetime with individuals traveling thousands of Kil Journeys that may take them years other even larger filter feeders migrate to [Music] breed journeying the length of the oceans to give birth in the warmer Waters of the tropics can bring the phenomenal blue whale surprisingly close to its shores as it Graces coastlines with its [Music] presence gliding with an unparalleled grace and elegance as well as with an unparalleled size the ocean Wanderers know no limits we are in awe of them all the Great Plains Wanderers the massive journey to land of the nesting Turtles as well as the breeding Su turn the Inland migrations of the Pelican and the huge Voyages of the ocean Giants [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 29,982,785

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Nature, Wildlife, Wildlife Documentary, Wildlife Documentary 2021, Nature Documentary 2021, Animals, Wild Animals, Animal Documentary, Wild Ones, Great Migration, Migrating Animals, Wildebeest, Wildebeest Migration, Zebra Migration, Animal Migration Africa, Zebra Documentary

Id: MI_ZA3M9zO0

Length: 26min 18sec (1578 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 15 2021