Secret Brazil: Jaguar, the king of the Pantanal | Animal documentary - Part 1/2

the heart of South America hides a remote and secret world a violent paradise [Music] searing droughts and devastating flood shape the lives of exotic creatures that must battle to survive [Music] Pavin ruled the water Jaguars dominate on land seen here for the first time like never before [Music] it's been three lean months for the Jaguar as the annual floodwaters drain away Brazil's Pantanal once again becomes big cat territory [Music] now newly dry river banks offer the largest cat in the Americas opportunities to close in on its prey it's so powerful it doesn't hesitate to take on the waters greatest predator for its size the Jaguar has the strongest bite of any big cats [Music] the Jaguars deadly skills lion stalking and ambush this Cayman got away but the battle between these two apex predators plays out on a stage set by the most extreme elements on earth ten times the size of Florida's Everglades the Pantanal wetlands to the south of the Amazon rainforest [Music] this labyrinth of unexplored rivers is the only way to navigate this wilderness it looks idyllic but life here is each year the land suffers fierce drought only to drown in competitor estranged and floods some land animals must mate in the brief window of the dry season [Music] the landscape itself undergoes constant change hundreds of different species of fish navigate the Pantanal narrow channels that rapidly swelled to flood plains April is a time of Plenty for the animals that feed on fish when the water level drops sharply after the floods the fish crowd into smaller areas [Music] [Applause] the sudden mass of fish makes this the best of times for aquatic birds like the Jabiru storks the tallest flying birds in South and Central America they tower up to 5 feet high and their wings span nearly twice that up to 9 feet across [Music] indigenous Brazilians call them jabiru the bird with the swollen neck [Music] Jabiru storks adults are mute but that doesn't mean they don't communicate this paired clatter their bills to strengthen their bond some scientists even believe partners make a lifetime a commitment they certainly invest a lot of effort in home making the annual makeover of their home after the flood is a signal that the lovebirds are planning babies in the near future other water birds nest nearby stork courtship starts in the sky if they look gawking on the ground once in the air they are graceful [Music] like marriage itself mating is a delicate balancing act they have only a short time to hatch new chicks and teach them to fight as the rains come and the fish scatter the storks must search for better hunting grounds [Music] the first dry months in the Pantanal are good times for all the forest animals flooded areas shrink extraordinary creatures return agouti small relative of the guinea pigs plunder hidden stores of seeds and nuts even to peers appear [Music] large hog sized grazers that can shovel food with their snout it will even act as a snorkel peccaries native pigs eat anything monkeys [Music] including howlers stock up again on food revealed by vanishing floodwaters beaches emerge fresh territory for animals to colonize [Music] black skimmers nest on the sand [Music] another new beach provides a fresh rest area for a different family capybaras and their small young the barrel-chested creatures let everyone know where they are they whistle and chirp to each other this extended family stakes together they even suckle each other's babies and share childcare the tiny young are easily tired and particularly vulnerable a bite-sized snack not just for Jaguar and caiman but vultures and anacondas - they're all keeping an eye out for danger when they spot the Jaguar lurking on the far bank they sound the alarm capybara style the world's largest rodents are true water babies from their partially webbed feet up to the eyes ears and nostrils on the top of their head a gland on top of male snout lets them leave a smell fingerprint for other capybaras [Music] they make a headlong dash for safety underwater they can swim much faster than the Jaguar but the cat hasn't eaten yet today it can't afford to give up while there's any chance of success as it hunts along the river bank it spots another group of its favorite prey one small capybara would make a satisfying snack another warning bark and another explosive jump put them out of reach capybaras can hold their breath underwater for a full five minutes in Brazil's wetland Jaguar and capybara play a deadly game of cat and mouse today the Jaguar goes hungry [Music] by May the dry season is underway but the heat has not yet reached its peak the Pantanal floods continued to retreat water birds are now ready to lay their eggs they muster in great numbers the nesting grounds are alive with activity [Music] a week after mating the jabiru stork couple has already laid its eggs the male brings a slippery supper home to his mate he'll make a good dad the pair must keep watch for egg thieves like other birds only when the chicks are full-grown will they be out of danger here the couples share the parenting protecting their offspring from the glare of the Sun with their wings by day and keeping them warm at night this is the narrow window of perfection for land animals the peak weeks from July to August when food is plentiful [Music] peace reigns in the Pantanal Caymans and capybaras are no longer starving predator and prey enjoy a break in hostilities [Music] perhaps it's a time of an exceptional abundance for something unusual is about to happen [Music] not just one but two male Jaguars are lazily resting together by the river until recently scientists believed all male Jaguars are loners yet here they tell a different story they could be brothers suddenly a third Jaguar appears a female she's ready to mate new partners often sound like they're fighting [Music] pink blossoms on the IPE trees Herald the dry season it's already over a hundred degrees in the shade [Music] Birds cool themselves in the water [Music] howler monkeys still profit from the abundant food all animals need to be as fit as possible for the hard times that lie ahead Howler's are among the largest monkeys in the new world their dawn calls can be heard for up to three miles but the mysterious noises now are not howlers another female Jaguar is calling a male to her [Music] the relaxed mood in the forest affects this couple to even the alarm calls of the capybaras on the other bank don't disturb them they are focusing on each other Jaguar females are old enough to mate when they reach about 2 years old and males at 3 or 4 frequent sex is the only way for couples to guarantee they'll have Cubs [Music] their behavior is surprisingly an aggressive perhaps these two are long-term partners that live separately but return together to mate Jaguars social lives remain a mystery they are believed to mate at any time of the year afterwards the male abandons her the mother is said to bring up their Cubs on her own [Music] by August the Pantanal is becoming drier and even hotter [Music] for jabiru stork chicks have just hatched they don't have feathers yet and depend on their parents for all their needs [Music] their mother feeds them fresh fish [Music] when one small fish is too big for little beaks she takes it back to break it up in her throat each adult lavishes constant care on the nest they're shoring it up to withstand the coming storms wind and rain their finished re may reach three feet across and nearly twice as deep big enough for monk parakeets to make their own home in the base [Music] heat grows and deadly thirst threatens the chicks confined to the nest their parents bring what water they can despite their best efforts not all their chicks survived the smallest parishes [Music] then the mother has the grisly task of removing the remains from the nest [Music] by the end of September the temperature rises to its peak a hundred and ten degrees six months ago there was too much water now there is little or none heat weakens even strong animals like the tap here [Music] a pair of vulnerable marsh deer struggle to cool themselves eventually they find relief in a drying legume [Music] the water shortage forces all animals to rely on the same pools quirrell's breakout such extreme heat is too much for capybaras bulky bodies like hippos they cool themselves in a shrinking pool [Music] so much exposed prey tents predators Caymans are now to be feared on land an unwary darter dries its wings like a cormorant it would make a quick bite for the Jaguar [Music] a close call [Music] the Jaguar will try for a capybara [Music] it sneaks up silently until it is in range [Music] the capybara escapes to live another day but a ravenous Jaguar has another weapon its superior night vision it will launch an attack under cover of darkness [Music] [Music] life and death are at stake in Brazil's wetlands losers pay with their hide once again the Jaguar goes empty-handed but the changing conditions increasingly favor of the cat it's six months since the floods disappeared [Music] the dry season is still at beak scorching Sun claims victims throughout the forest it's firing embrace bells trees [Music] it Sears the life out of Caymans and fish alike warmth energizes reptiles but provides little to eat [Music] now carnivorous scavengers like these Caracara birds do well [Music] the capybaras swelter in their fur coats [Music] only a mud bath cools them down [Music] and when starvation threatens neighbors turn on each other [Music] the animals must make risky journeys to find water to drink or wallow all are exposed and open to attack [Music] peccaries will eat anything grasses fruit even roots but now it's hard to find anything [Music] desperation drives peccaries to mud banks here they can chew mud for salts and even lick it off each other [Music] the water level has sunk well below normal young must learn adult skills to see them through the coming months [Music] the black skimmer chicks born on the beach must fish for themselves now and learn about a life lesson hang on to what you have earned fish are scarce the storks can no longer hunt in the same area but even in the remaining shallow waters the catch of the day brings new dangers the father stork faces unwelcome competition from longer and fiercer jaws yellow humph kisi keys build their nests in the dry season like many other birds in the Pantanal thirsty capuchin monkeys risk coming down from the safety of the branches onto open ground they sense danger even if they can't see it at first [Music] [Music] the female Jaguar is pregnant now she finds an oasis and makes it her home but she has to hunt she is exposed and has no cover on the bare banks her camouflage can't help her [Music] in thicker cover her dappled coat may pay off now she relies on luck and surprise [Music] she spots a potential meal a caiman [Music] she moves into stealth mode she lays her paws down in slow motion careful the ground doesn't betray her presence with giveaway vibrations [Music] the fast-food was too fast for her this time she'll let the meal come to her the capybara haven't spotted her among the roots but they are weary and skittish a mother tries to sneak out of sight she may have hidden a baby in the undergrowth off stage a terrible drama takes place these are the babies final moments only the mother escapes unseen after weeks of blazing heat the sky is heavy with the promise of rain [Music] the coming deluge --is will face other youngsters with trials of their own [Music] the stork chicks once covered in down now have flight feathers they must master flying quickly but it's a long drop to the ground if they fall [Music] if they land in one piece they must next master fishing [Music] when the bad weather arrives their parents will fly to regions where food is easier to find [Music] the young must learn to fend for themselves as they travel or starve enroute catching a stranded fish may not be difficult but handling the beak is like using chopsticks for the first time sometimes less is more it's all too much and the chick is reduced to begging he taps on mom's bill if he can't stimulate her to give him some food he'll soon succumb to hunger not all are so lucky in Brazil's Dangerfield Pantanal a hungry chick is only a mouthful away from death [Music] after six dry months in early October the first rains arrive the face of the panthenol begins to change once more soon 80% of the land will flood banks and forests will disappear [Music] life here must adapt to the coming water world or die many birds will migrate but the Pantanal animals have special skills to survive in the marshy surroundings [Music] by the beginning of the wet season the stork chicks are in a race against time they must improve their flying skills rapidly they will need to fly with their parents to better feeding grounds if they stay here they may starve three supposedly solitary Jaguars are roaming together in the bush a male the female and a cub the two adults set off across the water to plaintive cries the big cub is separated from the adults on the other bank of the river she's calling for her mother her mother comes back for her and leads her to the water they follow the mail perhaps the cups father this may be the first time a Jaguar family has ever been filmed together the Ponte now is revealing a true secret [Music] in December as the foal rains returned the Pantanal becomes a drowned world once again for the Jaguars in this area paradise turns to purgatory [Music] river banks are inundated hunting becomes even more difficult even finding a dry spot is tricky a dead branch is all this Jaguar can find even then no potential prey is in sight [Music] the Jaguars scoured the land for something anything to fill their bellies [Music] resorting to a rotting carcass can make them sick [Music] [Music] these are not good times the outlook is bleak as ever more land disappears underwater the lack of prey leaves land dwellers weak and thin [Music] deep scars on this female's leg are evidence of the desperate risks she takes for food [Music] it's the last chance for our young storks to follow the others in search of food [Music] the Pantanal has become a watery desert [Music] many animals have fled prey is sparse and all but invisible [Music] the jaguars realm has been submerged unrelenting rains bring welcome relief and new hiding places for water dwellers the starving Jaguar can't afford to miss any chances for a meal [Music] it marks its territory and goes out to find the meat which will make the difference between life and death at last its strong paws and ferocious bite give it a fatal advantage even against the toughest competitor in the jungle this caimans flesh will keep it going for days [Music] the Jaguar is truly ruler of this real soon his kingdom rise again from the waters clasp the land will return and with it days of Plenty the Pantanal will once again be the land of the Jaguar [Music]

Channel: wocomoWILDLIFE

Views: 4,337,567

Rating: 4.5424914 out of 5

Keywords: Wild animals, PLAY_SBWP, dangerous animals, South America, exotic animals, Caiman, Jaguar, Big Cat, Predator, largest cat Americas, wild cat, Leopard, nature, cheetah, black panther, Amazonia, Amazonian Brazil, carnivore, PLAY_EN, big cats, Rain Forest, Wildness, waterworld, water birds, Tapir, monkeys, Capybara, Giant Guinea Pigs, underwater

Id: AL_3OsEsnQc

Length: 47min 59sec (2879 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 03 2019