The Queen of the Night | Stories of the Mediterranean Forest 4/6 | Go Wild

[Music] the Mediterranean Basin is one of the planet's most biologically rich and complex regions the crossroads of Europe Asia and Africa is considered to be one of Earth's biodiversity hotspots a vast number of both animal and plant species unique to the region live in its various [Music] habitats the Mediterranean Basin is located in one of the planet's temperate zones the subtropical climate makes it cold and wet here in Winter hot and dry in summer and mild and rainy in Autumn and spring occupied by human beings being for more than 8,000 years the Mediterranean Basin has experienced dramatic changes to its forest and Woodland areas but nevertheless they are still among the most diverse on the planet from marshlands to high mountain ranges from forests of home and corak to Oak and pine forests high up in the mountains all of them are home to thousands of animal and plant species whose paths cross on their Adventures through [Music] [Music] life and each one of them has a story to tell stories of the Mediterranean Forest the Queen of the Night for the small birds which during the day have been fluttering around in the forest take advantage of the scant light that's left to drink or clean themselves before looking for someplace safe to spend the night all day long they've been searching for food and dodging all kinds of dangers and now it's time to rest nonetheless for the inhabitants of the Mediterranean in Forest nighttime can be even more dangerous than daytime they have to be on the alert because the darkness gives cover to many beaks and fangs ready to satisfy their hunger many predators prefer to go out hunting when the moon is high in the sky and that's the moment when our protagonist makes her appearance she's the queen of the night hidden in the darkness the Queen of the Night Moves with feline agility even though she isn't a cat she's an astute carnivore that adapts very well to almost any ecosystem besides possessing an excellent sense of smell her hearing and vision are exceptional she's extraordinarily agile as she climbs trees and is able to slip inside thick bushes with amazing [Music] ease and one of her favorite foods is the little birds that seek refuge in the vegetation at night [Music] I [Music] the Queen of the Night is the [Music] jet the Genet is a viid that is found in a large part of Africa populations of genets are distributed throughout almost all of Africa from the northern lands bathed by the Mediterranean Sea to South Africa and from the Atlantic coast to the Arabian Peninsula it inhabits a large variety of ecosystems from leafy forests to tree dotted savanas and it can even survive in some areas that are practically deserts nonetheless even though the Genet is an African animal we're not in Africa we're in southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula where in Times Gone by man introduced the [Music] Genet the Phoenicians and the Muslims kept genets as semi-domesticated animals to keep their homes and Grainer free of rodents and the damage they can do and when these North African people settled in southern Europe they didn't hesitate to bring genets with them although genets adapt easily to living with humans some with wilder instincts escaped preferring to live in Freedom and so this African species began to colonize Europe and this colonization still hasn't ended today nowadays we can find genets throughout the Iberian Peninsula as well as in Southwestern France where they are common south of the laa River and west of the ran a few Jets have even reached Northwestern Italy Belgium the Netherlands and even Switzerland and Southern Germany being a warm climate species the cold has conditioned its spreading into Central and Northern Europe significantly nevertheless the general rise in temperatures caused by climate change may help the Genet to spread rapidly on the old continent but let's return to the warmth of southern Europe we're now in the Montes de Toledo in the central part of the Iberian peninsula where genets have been living for more than 2,000 years and have adapted perfectly to the [Music] ecosystem throughout this mountain range whose highest peaks are all under 1,500 m in altitude the predominant ecosystem is the Mediterranean Forest Hol Oaks cork Oaks and panan Oaks along with fragrant bushes like Rock Row la laender Thyme and rosemary blend together in a multicolored puzzle next to the ashes and Willows that grow in the most humid areas and along streams these mountains enjoy a Mediterranean climate but with a continental effect because of the altitude and of being far from the Sea's influence long Winters and Summers with harsh temperatures are the rule here in contrast spring and fall are short although the temperatures are more more agreeable all this means that a large number of mammals find shelter and food in this Rich ecosystem all year round this is also a paradise for Birds the Montes de Toledo are home to spectacularly rich and varied bird life especially birds of [Music] prey with a wingspan that can surpass 2 m the golden eagle is the most powerful bird of prey in the Mediterranean Forest she is the queen of birds of [Music] prey although her favorite food is rabbit this Majestic bird can hunt even small hoofed mammals equipped with large and Powerful Talons and a sharp beak designed to rip and Pierce flesh the golden eagle is the far ist's most feared winged [Music] Predator nevertheless despite her impressive wingspan there is another bird of prey that is even bigger than she is and which shares this territory this bird of prey which holds the honor of being the largest in Europe is the cerious vulture with a wingspan of close to three M and weighing up to 12 kg the senerius vulture is a very rare bird in the Mediterranean Basin today more than 90% of the European population of this large caran eater is found on the Iberian Peninsula where some 2,500 breeding pairs live there is also a small but stable population in Greece and in recent years the species has has been reintroduced in France where it became extinct during the 20th century its role like that of the Griffin vulture is to eliminate the remains of all the animals that die in the Mediterranean forest from a mere rabbit to the large herbivores that graze in its abundant pastur land fighting for the small pieces of skin cartilage and tendons is normal among scarious vultures which won't hesitate to challenge their peers if that means they can steal such delicious Delicacies from their [Music] rivals this is the setting so full of life and resources that is home to our protagonist a young female Janet [Music] although genets are nocturnal animals young genets can sometimes be seen in the late evening and even with the day's first rays of sunlight because they're inexperienced they need more time to catch their daily ration of protein that inexperience also makes them more vulnerable to their greatest Predator the Eurasian eagleowl with a wingspan of more than one and A2 M and weighing as much as 4 kg the Eurasian eagle owl is the largest nocturnal bird of prey in the Mediterranean Forest the owl is an apex predator at the top of the food chain and it's always on the watch for any possible prey in its [Music] territory if a jet makes the mistake of Crossing its path it won't hesitate for a single second before hunting it down especially if it's a young and inexperienced [Music] jet in spite of our protagonist's youth she lives and faces the forest dangers alone genets are solitary animals and only live in groups when they are young [Music] last spring after an 11we gestation period two baby Jets were born inside a fallen and hollow tree [Music] trunk a male and a female our Leading Lady the males only spend a few days living with the females when they're in heat and after they've met hated they disappear again into the leafy forests leaving them all the hard work of providing for their [Music] offspring for the next 6 months all by herself the mother takes charge of feeding her kids and teaching them everything they need to know to survive in this dangerous [Music] environment more than half of young janets died during their first [Music] year as the summer Drew to an end the two siblings followed their instincts and little by little began to venture out of their mother's territory leaving behind the safety of the family so that each of them could find their own territory to live in [Music] for the young male has settled in an Old pyrenean Oak Grove The pyrenean Oaks habitat lies in the Western Mediterranean Basin France the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Morocco this elegant tree is perfectly adapted to the Mediterranean climate it withstands droughts and freezing temperatures quite well and thanks to the large number of acorns it produces in Autumn it's the ideal habitat for wild boar and European Ro deer which find in its highly nutritious nuts the food they need to be able to get through the [Music] winter the young male has seen something on the ground that has drawn his attention little by little he slowly descends janets are one of the few mammals of their weight that can climb down a tree trunk head first What attracted his attention was a young rad deer that is resting in the shade of the oak trees the little Roder doesn't have anything to fear from The Young Janet he's too small to represent a threat the Oak Grove is also the ideal habitat for numerous smaller sized speci species little mammals birds insects and reptiles are quite abundant and they're the food the young male Genet is looking for not far from there our Leading Lady the young female jet has found her own territory next to a small stream that's protected by a thick Gallery Forest the ashes Willows and alers in some stretches grow closely and thickly thanks to the water that soaks their Roots the tangle of branches and leaves makes it hard for the sunlight to reach the forest floor keeping the air cool longer with all this moisture it's easier to find Tender chots of fresh grass fruits nuts and seeds as well as a large number of insects this is the ideal habitat for small birds and mammals which find food and shelter [Music] here with the last rays of sunlight our protagonist emerges from her hiding place she patiently inspects every tree down to the last branch in search of a distracted [Music] bird this little cold H might be a good order the CIT observes its surroundings very carefully his life depends on it and he sees the Genet approaching when the little bird feels that the threat is too close he decides to take off and our protagonist has no choice but to turn around and try again somewhere [Music] else [Music] this time it looks like she's gotten lucky janets always eat their prey beginning with the head our leading lady is uneasy and decides to look for some place safer to calmly finish eating little by little she gradually eats every part of the small bird even the feathers but she has to be careful because if she's careless that means losing a Tasty Bite or too and she can't afford the luxury of wasting any of the proteins that she had to work so hard to get leaving the safety of the Tangled branches makes her nervous she's got to have a good reason to climb down to the ground she's decided to recover what gravity stole from her in the Oak Grove the Young male jenet is also looking for a bite to eat tonight however he's not going to be as lucky as his [Music] sister [Music] w despite searching and searching all he can find is a single feather that only manages to entertain him for a few seconds the young male hasn't managed to find anything to help him quiet his hungry stomach he'll have to wait for the dark of night when the birds return to their roosts something draws his attention not far away some young rabbits are calmly eating in a clearing in the forest the young rabbits born in the latest litter come out to eat at Twilight with the last rays of sunlight the temperature is more agreeable they have to be very careful and keep a close eye out for potential Predators the European rabbit is the base of the food chain in the Mediterranean ecosystem the species at the top of the trophic pyramid depend on them for their survival Eagles lynxes and eagle owls are always on the lookout in areas populated by rabbits and of course Jets also eat rabbits above all the young ones hunger is a bad counselor and the young male tries to catch one of the rabbits without taking the proper precautions the hunter has been hunted an eagle owl was after the rabbits but it saw an opportunity and didn't hesitate to capture the inexperienced [Music] Genet [Music] the young female unaware of her brother's Misfortune continues with the arduous task of finding some food the little bird she caught at sown wasn't enough to quell her hunger genets have a very fast metabolism and need to eat often at night in order to be able to make it through the day while hiding in their [Music] dens [Music] without knowing it the young jet is gradually approaching another of the great nocturnal Hunters a West barow nevertheless the barn owl is looking for other types of prey the Genet doesn't form part of its diet barnow among other nocturnal birds of control the mice populations a single barn owl can catch about five mice a night and when it's mating season that number Rises spectacularly so it can feed its Chicks The Silence of the barn owl's beating Wings means that their prey never know that death is approaching the night is coming to an end our jenet which hasn't managed to catch anything else resigns herself to chewing on the Blackthorn and some lyans in its branches unfortunately for our protagonist her hunger will stay with her throughout the day but now she's got to seek shelter to hide from the sunlight and the eyes of the daytime Predators life in the Mediterranean Forest isn't easy for its [Music] inhabitants not very far from there a fox also decides to look for some place to [Music] rest with the first light of day the noisy Iberian magpies begin their daily activities and the fox has no desire to put up with these rockus [Music] neighbors although the Iberian Magpie is a small member of The Crow family these graceful birds with lovely plumage have nothing in common with the rest of the corvids in the Mediterranean Forest common Ravens caran crows and Western jackor are more robust and their feathers are black with a metallic Sheen Iberian magpies are the subject of a mystery that still hasn't been resolved they live in only two places in the world that are thousands of kilometers apart Eastern Asia and the southwestern Iberian Peninsula no one knows yet why they are distributed this way way Iberian magpies are tremendously adaptable they eat all kinds of foods from seeds to fruits they love to Feast on insects and they don't turn their noses up at disposing of any dead animal remains they come across they live in large flocks and go everywhere together even when they bathe and that's when they're most [Music] vulnerable that's why there are always Lookouts in the group which if danger appears sound the alarm to warn their companions the most relaxing time of the day is when they bathe a good bath and a good preening are fundamental to keeping their feathers clean and in perfect [Music] condition [Music] a shout of alarm and all the members of the flock quickly flee in search of some place safe to hide even this Griffin vulture is startled unaware that he is the reason the magpie is bolted the vulture only intended to quench his thirst in the pond where the little magpies were bathing fortunately everything returns to normal as the hours go by the sun gradually heats up [Music] relentlessly in the Mediterranean Forest few are able to stand the midday temperatures the heat is no problem for the oscillated lizard [Music] however the oscillated lizard is the largest European lizard reaching a length of more than 80 cm and reptiles love to sunbathe as that's how they get the energy they need to be more [Music] active this male has detected a threat overhead in the sky and has to stop sunning himself for a while a western Marsh Harrier is prowling around the area and it would be a good idea to take cover Marsh harriers eat [Music] lizards when the danger is gone he reappears in the company of a female but he won't relax until he's checked that there's nothing menacing on the [Music] horizon evening is approaching and although it's not time yet for the nocturnal animals to leave their hiding places our Leading Lady the young female Janet decides to emerge from her Lair she's hungry as last night she only managed to catch a small bird and she needs to eat something fast near her Den next to a rocky wall there's a fig [Music] tree small in size and looking more like a dense Bush than a tree this fig will provide a safe haven for our young jenet during the few hours of daylight [Music] left no Predator would dare enter its Tangled mesh of branches [Music] fig trees grow spontaneously on Rocky terrains where few other plants can take root and although they're common throughout the whole Mediterranean Basin the Fig Tree originally comes from Asia for thousands of years figs have been an important food for humans who transport this tree from its natural habitat in order to keep another nutritional resource close at hand but humans aren't the only ones who eat figs many animal species are used to feasting on them and janets adore sweet figs for in late summer the figs start to ripen and our protagonist with her Keen sense of smell seeks out the ones that are already ripe and quickly stuffs herself she has to fill her belly in case the hunt doesn't pay off tonight for for a few figs are enough she doesn't want to get a belly ache either it's better to go in search of proteins that will satisfy her hunger for a good long [Music] while but she has to take precautions one never knows where danger might lie and the hunter could become the [Music] hunted the rabbit trails are quite recent in this clearing in the forest suddenly she sees a silhouette in the distance and her instinct tells her that she's got to get out of there [Music] [Music] quickly our young protagonist was lucky and she'd prefer to look for some distracted bird in the Tangled foliage than risk her life in the clearings In Search of some little rabbit janets like places with denser vegetation there's barely any light left and the birds have settled in for the night now is the time to find some [Music] supper [Music] [Music] I [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] the first rays of sunlight are making their appearance and our protagonist hasn't eaten a thing all night long she's got no choice but to keep looking even though it may be dangerous for her to move about in the daylight [Music] e something moved on the ground she can't squander this [Music] [Applause] opportunity finally she'll be able to quiet her hungry stomach a little our jet has caught a young OS ated lizard that was warming up in the sun's Rays fortunately for her the lizard still hadn't gathered enough energy to Scamper off and so he's ended up becoming her breakfast our Janet likes to eat without anyone bothering her he [Music] genets have been with us for more than 2,000 years and they have demonstrated that they are able to adapt to any [Music] ecosystem with their extremely fible bodies genets are Nimble and Silent Hunters that pounce on their prey in a show of precision and feistiness our young protagonist has been lucky so far up to now she's managed to pass all the tests that have crossed her path nonetheless she'll have to stay alert because the tiniest mistake could be fatal in the Mediterranean Forest Only the strongest and best adapted survive fortunately for her she's got the tools necessary to give her a good chance at survival she's astute agile and destined to be a winner she's the spotted lady with a flexible body and elegant demeanor an Intrepid Hunter she is the Queen of the [Music] Night

Channel: Go Wild

Views: 39,109

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, wildlife, free documentary, watch full documentary, nature films, wildlife films, go wild, nature, natura

Id: JLsWJG4NkNs

Length: 50min 2sec (3002 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 16 2023