The Gorgeous Wildlife of the Mediterranean | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] the mediterranean picturesque and idyllic as long as one doesn't look too closely its habitats could hardly be any more diverse animals from europe asia and africa all come together here the continents from which they originate are undergoing constant change [Music] hot springs and some of the earth's most active volcanoes are here a sea full of surprises [Music] an ocean between the continents it divides europe asia and africa a huge body of water almost ten times the size of the united kingdom some 4 000 kilometers wide nonetheless many animals have managed to overcome the sea some via land others have penetrated the strains [Music] this makes it a melting pot of animals from several continents and seas [Music] immigration history of most begins at the birthplace of the mediterranean [Music] on the border between the atlantic and the mediterranean stands an imposing and mighty rock the rock of gibraltar 400 meters tall [Music] when one looks across the sea from up here one can see the continent of africa just 14 kilometers separate the continents yet on the rock of gibraltar there really is a hint of africa barbary apes they are the only apes in existence on the european mainland with no enemies and competitors the roughly 200 animals live in virtual paradise which they however have to share the animals attract thousands of tourists daily a photo with a barbary ape everyone wants one [Music] the closer the better [Music] at first sight the rock is more like a petting zoo but reality is something else [Music] for the apes the daytrippers are an easy must-have they very quickly learned that the tourists often have tasty treats in their backpacks and the tourists seem to enjoy it a monkey with a packet of crisps reminds one of an evening watching tv hardly a single visitor asks where the barbary apes came from or the reason why they are on the rock of gibraltar it's not an easy question to answer to find out one has to look on the other side of the mediterranean in africa directly behind the coast of morocco begin the foothills of the atlas mountains [Music] spacious cedar forests cover the hills a rare scene there are icy cold winters in africa too [Music] in the remote mountain landscape one finds the first piece of the puzzle here is the actual home of the barbary apes they live in close-knit family units they come closer by intensively de-lousing one another it's very unusual that the males find so much time to spare by looking after the young but there is a good reason for it their habitat is unusual they are the only monkeys in africa that live north of the sahara [Music] poverty apes distinguish themselves from their counterparts in tropical latitudes simply because they are more used to times of hardship [Music] especially at this time they need calorie-rich food to be able to withstand the cold they scour through the soil searching for acorns and seeds but it is just a small stalk their undemounding nature is a further rare virtue with the monkey kingdom over the years the adults have learned how to cope with these conditions almost every youngster has an adult in its midst who can hand his knowledge down and thus safeguard survival it is often the males that take on this responsibility and it is this that the females very much value they prefer to mate with males that can be good teachers for their young this is the only way a family has a chance of survival here this is not something that the offspring worry about just yet the little ones always find time for a bit of fun and games [Music] whilst absorbed in play the youngsters have noticed that the weather has changed [Music] now they have become quite frightened the temperature is falling fast the cold in the atlas mountains is always claiming victims especially amongst the young they rapidly leave the cedar forests the evergreen home oaks offer more protection when it snows the mother is already there joys keeps her young within sight without the heat exchange the little ones would not survive the winter family cohesion and the special commitment of the males in regard to raising the children is the key to success [Music] their con specifics in gibraltar have an easy time with the climate there but how they first got here still remains unanswered [Music] there used to be a land bridge between africa and europe some six million years ago this is how the barbary apes were able to wander north and settle roughly ten thousand years ago as the last ice age drew to an end they became extinct in europe [Music] there is just one reason why they still exist in gibraltar they originate from the days of arabian rule in southern spain islamic conquerors brought the animals with them from africa more than a thousand years ago they still live here to this day because of a legend a legend that prophesies when the last monkey dies great britain will lose sovereignty of gibraltar the former british prime minister winston churchill personally ensured that this does not happen to this day the monkeys are officially fed and their condition monitored in the same way as the barbary apes many reptiles also came to europe from africa via the land bridge presumably also the chameleon who has found a new home on the southern spanish mediterranean coast like all reptiles it's cold blooded it only goes hunting when the sun has warmed it up enough [Music] the key to success lies in the eye of the chameleon they have a special ability chameleons can move their eyes independently from one another first they monitor the surroundings as soon as prey is found they home in with both eyes focused their catapult tongue does the rest the chameleon demands its hunting grounds for itself gate crashing is frowned upon and dangerous [Music] the male tries to look as threatening as he can the reptiles assess who is the strongest both want to avoid a fight [Music] in true chameleon style this too is executed in slow motion [Music] the landlord has lost [Music] he wants to get away asap but where to the intruder is gracious and renounces another fight this chameleon has found new territory as we have heard they came to europe across the former land bridge near gibraltar a few hundred thousand years later the bridge collapsed and shaped the mediterranean as we know it today this event meant the end of the settlement story by land but was also a new beginning within just a few years the mediterranean basin filled up with water [Music] almost all of the animals that live in this sea today found their way here through the straits of gibraltar and to this day the straits are its lifeblood [Music] the incoming water is extremely nutritious this attracts fish from the atlantic to the med hardly anywhere else in the mediterranean are the conditions more ideal as if on a conveyor belt the food just flies by a bit like running sushi this makes settling here worthwhile countless flower animals populate the rocks they grab the a plankton out of the never-ending current with their tentacles [Music] the further the atlantic water advances into the mediterranean the warmer it becomes if the temperature in gibraltar is 15 degrees at the other end of the mediterranean it's often 30. while most animals follow the food there are those that are in search of warmth [Music] just below the water's surface bluefin tuna come from the atlantic into the mediterranean [Music] they can be up to four and a half meters in length and weigh around half a ton [Music] just like mammals they can regulate their body temperature to be able to hunt in great depths or colder regions [Music] scientists asked themselves for years just why they came to the mediterranean which is warmer and comparatively low on fish today we know that the conditions here are better for their offspring unlike their parents the tuna offspring cannot yet alter their temperature [Music] they grow in the warm mediterranean water and will later return to the atlantic for this privilege the parents accept a very long journey [Music] the straits of gibraltar are the umbilical cord of the mediterranean [Music] there is a place with a similar significance on the other side of the med more than 3 000 kilometers further east the bosphorus on this sound lies istanbul on one side we have europe on the other side asia the bosphorus was once a strategically important point for trade and istanbul the former constantinople has therefore been a melting pot of nations for thousands of years [Music] the sound is also of decisive significance for the animal kingdom it connects the black sea with the mediterranean similar to gibraltar the animals use the possibility to change between the two waters the bosphorus not only has significance for the inhabitants of the water but for migratory birds too the flight above the straits is one of the best possibilities to save strength when leaving europe for africa every year tens of thousands of migratory birds pass by istanbul on their way to their summer quarters in this way the bosporus becomes a bridge across the continents underwater a sea wanderer is on its way south from the bosporus the loggerhead sea turtle their ancestors also came through the straits of gibraltar to here [Music] sea turtles love algae and it can be found almost everywhere [Music] the females have a different problem [Music] they are searching for an undisturbed sandy beach on which to lay their eggs a scarce commodity on the med one of the most important nesting places in turkey is located near alamoua for just a few summer nights the beach becomes the cradle of turtles the hatch alone is a precarious operation on the one hand the little ones have to reach the sea as soon as possible so as not to end up as someone's dinner but on the other they have to memorize this beach turtles are able to store the geomagnetic field of a given location as if aided by a compass the offspring can return here many years later when the survivors themselves have to take care of future generations migratory birds have a similar system some 800 kilometers southeast of istanbul they home in on one of the most important nesting places the guksu delta a huge alluvial promontory that extends to the mediterranean the conditions are so ideal that many birds stay here permanently but most are visitors eurasian coots come to europe in their thousands to hibernate when the other migratory birds arrive the coots have to watch out some of the travellers are birds of prey they are simply resting in the guksu delta and are on the prowl for little birds [Music] but their huge numbers make it difficult for the predators the swarm offers security he has to look for a new target and finds spur winged lap wings they too give the griffin a hard time a spirited counter-attack almost always works once the attacker is expelled it's business as usual the rare birds not only mate here they spend their whole lives in the delta cranes on the other hand belong to the real migratory birds they can rest in the guksu delta and can also find plenty of food millions of grasshoppers hide themselves in the swamplands the stalks are aware of this they skillfully comb through the marshy meadows [Music] grabbing grasshoppers is not the easiest of jobs [Music] but in the end all the stomachs are full very soon an entirely different continent will captivate them africa here we come [Music] the little owl stays behind is a permanent resident of gerksel he won't see the stalks again until next year when searching for the best living conditions migratory birds can change continents at will for sea dwellers such a back and forth is impossible whoever immigrates to the med has to find ways of meeting their own needs as on the italian island of elba here the world underwater presents itself exactly as pristine as on land this is the mediterranean at its most beautiful [Music] sponges and sea fans extensively cover the slopes and provide refuge for many fish [Music] this is how the entire mediterranean once looked [Music] one unusual immigrant from the atlantic is very appreciative of this variety [Music] the ocean sunfish [Music] he is the world's biggest bony fish [Music] some specimens reach a diameter of almost three meters [Music] due to their disc shape their skin surface is extremely large this causes problems for the sunfish their skin is constantly infested with parasites they have to find reefs on which cleaner rasses live one such place is just off elba the ocean sunfish even queue up here rainbow rasses only apply for the job on a part-time basis the rest of the time they eat microorganisms on the seabed however thanks to the sunfish it makes a welcome change these giants even attract fish that due to their size would otherwise never come to clean sea bream can reach lengths of up to half a meter they are tiny when compared with sunfish [Music] without regular appointments at this beauty salon the giant would have little chance of survival [Music] thanks to oasis like this the sunfish has succeeded in conquering the entire mediterranean region in addition to the beauticians he needs a very special diet jellyfish [Music] just like the sunfish these strange medusas come from the atlantic the portuguese man of war is one of the world's most poisonous jellyfish one touch of their tentacles can mean death for a human being its poison doesn't affect the sunfish their skin is more than seven centimeters thick too much for the poisonous snyder cysts animals that migrate to the mediterranean often find completely different living conditions than those in their place of origin finding a fitting home is a challenge for one and all one of the animals now lives on sardinia [Music] mount genesis [Music] almost a thousand meters tall rugged rock formations make this area almost inaccessible one animal has managed to propagate here that originally came from the near east the muflon the mail is tense mating season is imminent the bucks are actually loners they come together but once a year they're on the lookout for females more and more bachelors joined the group a male has discovered the hurt the females still have their offspring from last year with them morphlons have little difficulty with the craggy impenetrable terrain an ability they brought with them from their homeland in the near east out in the open range especially the little ones can be easy prey for wolves and other predators in the mountains of sardinia they are far safer the bachelors decide to go on the offensive [Music] the results are the same everywhere the females are simply not ready try as they may the selected have got something better to do the men killed time by brawling with one another [Music] as long as the females are not fertile the fights remain harmless the males have to be patient [Music] it is still unclear how the mufflon arrived in europe did you find a way from asia to here on its own there is nothing to show about muflons on sardinia that is older than seven thousand years presumably people from the neolithic age brought the muflon heroes livestock similar to the barbary apes in gibraltar the import of these animals did nothing to endanger the environment but it's not always like this [Music] cyprus is the second largest island in the southeastern corner of the med unusual landscapes [Music] a mixture of north african and mediterranean elements [Music] the high temperatures on cyprus characterize life here the c2 is unusually warm at 30 degrees centigrade the water reaches tropical temperatures it's blue and extremely clear there is not much left of the one-time wealth of fish the band tail chromis is no larger than an oak leaf and belongs to the few schooling fish here there are hardly any large fish left even mores are becoming rare while older species continue to decrease new ones are on the rise this sea cucumber comes from the tropics the conditions in the med appear to be her cup of tea [Music] she finds many more microorganisms between the algae as she would hoeing the sands in tropical waters [Music] this strange creature is also new [Music] the cornet fish [Music] the almost one meter long predator comes from the red sea just like these gobies like gardeners they dig through the seabed and in doing so startle small crabs mussels and snails indigenous fish benefit greatly from this behavior they follow them in the hope of grabbing the odd morsel some have even moved into poseidon's garden permanently pushing up rents i should imagine but a new species gives rise to concern [Music] the lionfish at just 30 centimeters long this is one of the most fearsome predators back home in the red sea [Music] its presence doesn't bode well smaller fish rush to hide in crevices and caves [Music] but just how did it reach here and why is it so dangerous for the ecosystem [Music] egypt just like europe the land of the pharaohs borders on the mediterranean that is completely different [Music] so as different as the habitats are on land so are those underwater [Music] compared with the mediterranean the diversity of species in the red sea is enormous [Music] the heavenly appearance is deceptive it's all about survival greedy creatures lurk everywhere for every fish the next biggest is nothing more than food [Music] competitive pressure amongst the predators is huge but one of them is more successful than all of the others the lionfish [Music] when he hunts he spreads out his pectoral fins in order to obstruct his prey's escape route he then stalks his way slowly [Music] to be able to approach his prey unnoticed is his greatest strength why this makes him so special can only really be seen when he is compared to his closest relatives like this scorpion fish he can hardly be seen when laying on a small coral reef a master of disguise motionless he waits until the fish comes so close that he only has to snatch it [Music] this can take days [Music] another relative trusts completely in his camouflage the alligator fish even his eyelids resemble a camo net like the scorpion fish his swim bladder has also receded an adjustment to a life as an ambush predator he waits for his prey close to the seabed the lionfish is totally different what makes his hunting methods unique is his intelligence he works in a team they have their targets clearly etched in their minds coordinate it they surround a coral block when lionfish work together as a team they ignore individual fish they are after so much more [Music] all hiding places are thoroughly searched [Music] the group spreads out each animal has an assignment [Music] they eventually find what they're after the fish are well protected between the corals but the predators find a way cunningly they surround the swarm and block all of the exits the spread out pectoral fins play their part [Music] one fish ventures forward and the hunt can begin several of the fish break out in panic [Music] the driver is replaced by another [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] researchers have found out that the success rate of hunting in a team is easily doubled the troop is on its way back some have eaten so much they can hardly keep up [Music] but there is always an even larger fish the alligator fish is one of their few enemies the reason why the lionfish in the red sea do not over proliferate is due to the fact that hunters can also become the hunted it's completely different in his new home around cyprus the ecosystem is not prepared for him [Music] the mediterranean doesn't have enemies like the alligator fish on offer [Music] predatory fish and sharks have been so decimated that the predator from the red sea can propagate unimpeded [Music] he found his way here via the suez canal an artificial waterway that connects the red sea with the mediterranean no one has observed a communal hunt of cyprus [Music] the numbers of lionfish in the med are presumably still too few but it's probably just a matter of time before they have provided adequate offspring their triumph will be virtually unstoppable [Music] the mediterranean has always used to be a bridge between the continents it connects such worlds as different as europe africa and asia [Music] and is in itself a world full of opposites and land surprises and straits have changed the animal world [Music] the migration of some animals had few consequences others represent a still unknown threat [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Wildlife, Wildlife Documentary, Wildlife Documentary 2020, mediterranean, Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar, Barbary macaque, Chameleon, chameleon vs grasshopper, reptile, lizard, insects, Sea Life, Marine Life, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, North Africa

Id: jVn8ZXaditg

Length: 51min 23sec (3083 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 23 2020