Tropical Natural Paradise: Panama & Costa Rica | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] you [Music] Central America the land bridge between North and South America was probably formed by massive tectonic forces lifting it out of the depths of the ocean in Earth's ancient past today it is a tropical natural paradise separating the Caribbean from the Pacific Ocean [Music] the land bridge is at its narrowest in the states of Panama in Costa Rica a good 5 percent of all known animal species on earth are to be found here either on land or in the ocean we have done some exploring in this tropical paradise and have not only gotten to know the wonderful animal life better but also many of the people who live here still in very close harmony with nature [Music] the Sun blasts island group lies in the Caribbean ocean off the east coast of Panama the Kuna Indians a small autonomous India group live on the islands they fled here during the Spanish conquest of Panama [Music] today about 35,000 of them make their home on the 378 islands of the sunglass group [Music] wearing clothes only became tradition for them after Spanish missionaries came to the islands and required the nearly completely naked indios to cover their bodies [Music] the diet of the Kuna consists mainly of fish they are caught with hand lines this tedious method is sufficient to feed the entire family without overfishing the waters [Music] on most of the islands there is no electricity to run refrigerators or freezers so the fish must be prepared right after it is caught to keep it from spoiling in the heat [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the small grilled reef fish are a real delicacy Panama's world-renowned trademark the Panama Canal stands in stark contrast to the lifestyle of the Kuna which is not changed significantly since the time of the Spanish conquest this man-made canal completed by American civil engineers in 1914 is among the most important waterways in the world for maritime trade about 15,000 vessels primarily container ships cross the canal from the Caribbean to the Pacific in just half a day Pat saves two ships a trip that would have taken them around the entire South American continents before the canal was built the canal is so important to international shipping that a special class of ship the Panamax class was developed ships at this class are built to exact specifications so that their size and Draft fit the conditions for navigating the canal perfectly the canal is currently being expanded to enable even larger vessels to use the waterway between North and South America in years to come keeping the waterways free of silt and sediments is a problem dredging the passages regularly is required to guarantee free passage [Music] the work continues seven days a week without pause in the shadow of the giant ocean-going vessels gliding through this masterpiece of human engineering the wilderness blooms leaf cutter ants go about their business with their strong mandibles they cut leaves down to size and carry them back to their nests in the rain forest often kilometres away here in the green rainforest it is not the canal but the rivers that form the inhabitants transport network like here in the darien national park the park founded in September of 1980 is located in the southeastern part of Panama on the border with Colombia that is the southernmost part of the land bridge between Central and South America besides takuna the Kokua indians also live here it is unusual for people to live in a national park but the special relationship the Indians have to nature makes them an integral part of the overall ecosystem their lifestyle is adapted to the rain forest their huts can be taken down as quickly as they are set up today they use hammers and nails in place of the vines and other natural building materials used in the past they are currently building a church the Kokua live a sort of mixed faith on the one hand they cultivate Christianity and on the other they still honor the gods of their forefathers while the builders are still sawing and hammering food is already on the grill right next door the cocoa is diet consists mainly of what the forest provides it is complemented by a bit of simple farming in small fields close to the village coconuts are more than just thirst quencher what modern science is just discovering the cocuwa have known forever coconut milk contains all important basic elements the body needs in extreme emergencies coconut milk can even be used as an alternative to a blood transfusion as is typical for nearly all indigenous Indian tribes besides taking care of the household and the children the women do the hand crafting in the mean time many of the natural materials required have been replaced by synthetics what have remained are the traditional forms and the brilliant colors the bowls with the Indian patterns get good prices on the market especially from tourists anyone wanting to be mobile in the rainforest needs a vote and Miguel builds them as his father before him he builds his boats by hand choosing the right tree is the key to success in boat building it must have grown perfectly [Music] it takes a lot of practice to be able to handle the unstable dugout without capsizing muscle power has driven these boats from the beginning but time has not stood still even in the primeval rainforest today more and more classical dugouts are powered by outboard motors [Music] [Music] Kokua children enjoy privileges the adults are denied since being mission highest until reaching puberty they are allowed to run around nearly naked without shame and in the enormous heat and humidity of the rainforest that is pleasant [Music] the river is more than just a means of transportation for the Kokua it is also a source of food [Music] they hunt River fish with hand harpoons their catch consists mainly of small catfish the protein-rich fish are an important complement to their mostly vegetarian diet the special delicacy is on the menu today rice in banana leaves the portioned rice leaves are cooked for about an hour so that the rice is nice and sticky and easier to eat [Music] the Kokua plant their vegetables and feels close to the village a small area of the rainforest is cleared for that purpose among other things edible manioc roots are grown in the fields [Music] preparations are being made for a celebration in the villages community house crunchy cooking bananas so-called plantains are also being served the traditional music is an invitation for the women of the village to dance the colorful costumes and joyful music take the observers thoughts back to another time a time when the South American Indian tribes did not need protection from the outside world their trauma began with colonization and continues today with a destructive deforestation of the rainforest their culture stands in stark contrast to the modern world and holds members of the tribe captive in a continuous lifestyle conflict Who am I where do I belong what is being carried on the arm like a small child is not a purring kitten but a three-toed sloth his name is Pedro he was found as an orphan and has adopted people as his new family so he feels more comfortable with them than in a tree now the sloths no longer lives in the forests but on a ranch it is one of the few private breeding stations for sloths in Central America [Music] putting wild animals under human care is a two-edged sword on the one hand it guarantees the young animal survival but on the other attempts to reintroduce the animal to the wild seldom succeed [Music] in Pedro's case he is taken to a piece of forest on the ranch every day to get in use to life in his native habitat if it will work to eventually release him back into the wilderness is still to be seen patience is required [Music] the sloths bad reputation goes back to the Spanish conquerors when they saw the nearly motionless animals hanging in the trees they assumed that they were lazy but there is a simple reason why the animals live in slow motion their metabolism is naturally slow like that of the Koala in Australia they are just not able to get enough energy out of the plant nourishment they take in to move any faster their metabolism works so slowly that they only have to climb down from the tree every eight days or so to relieve themselves the sloths half-meter long body is a good example of a life-forms adaptation to its living environment especially noteworthy are its long claws which allow the animals to hang in the trees with virtually no effort [Music] the neck vertebrae are complemented by additional breast vertebrae which are not connected to the ribcage that allows the sloth to turn his head up to 270 degrees [Music] the lie of its hair runs from the stomach to the back just the opposite of other mammals and it is essential that it be so otherwise rainwater would not drain off of the animal efficiently as it hangs in the tree [Music] by the way the sloth has gigantic ancestors they are thought to have been as big as cows but at that time they lived on the ground as grazing animals their lethargy protects the sloth from being discovered by predators their good camouflage helps as well algae growing in their fur also helped them blend into the silhouette of their green surroundings at first scientists categorized the sloth as primates that has been corrected in the mean time now they are considered to belong to the same family as the anteater and the armadillo whatever science might see in him doesn't really matter to Pedro he probably thinks he is a cuddly forest person bamboos a lake comfortable and romantic some swallows catch insects in flight as they glide over the water surface and the Jacana does the same only on foot [Applause] [Music] a group of howler monkeys forage for food in the Crown's of the trees [Applause] for nature lovers the small country of Panama is a real insider's tip and the biodiversity on Lake Gamboa is impressive [Applause] from the fascinating hummingbird to the less cuddly crocodile jajew kina has nothing to fear from the large reptile they are only interested in birds that they haven't been able to catch other prey for a long time [Applause] fish tastes a lot better to these ambassador's for prehistoric times and so does the occasional agouti [Music] [Music] this creature rummaging through the underbrush along a shore is related to the guinea-pig the agouti is always on the lookout for predatory cats like the Jaguar for example [Music] the rainforest is the most comprehensive ecosystem on earth only about 10% of the sun's energy reaches the floor of the primeval jungle that results in the plants competing for sunlight and that in turn has its effect on the habitat of the animals like in Costa Rica the crown of the rainforest is not reserved for only birds and insects although they have no wings real dragons also live up here [Music] at first glance he looks like a ferocious predator but the green iguana is harmless [Music] [Applause] in their youth big wanna still eat insects but as they mature they become strict vegetarians they live primarily in trees and only seldom visit the jungle floor [Music] the smell of ripe fruit attract several lizards even from other trees [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the males are significantly larger than the females the coloration of the green iguanas varies from animal to animal and even a red tint is quite common [Music] [Music] the thick crown of the rainforest allows only a few rays of warming sunlight through that presents a dilemma for the lizards they need the sunlight to regulate their body temperature but this one is just lying in wait and doesn't want to be seen by his potential prey [Music] this is a capuchin monkey or to be more exact a white-headed Capuchin this type of monkey normally lives in groups of 20 or more animals this one seems to have lost contact with the group captions are among the most intelligent primates because they learn so quickly they are often used in circuses more recently they are being trained to help disabled people in their daily lives [Music] beneath the smoking crater of the active Arenal Volcano the rainforest provides a comfortable habitat for the most intelligent members of the bird family as well the parrots the varuga parakeets search for food looks more like a game but it is just a normal everyday fight for survival [Music] [Music] the Greek military macaw feeds primarily on fruits and nuts it is no problem for him to crack hard shells with his particularly powerful beak military macaws live together in small family groups of five or six birds their relatives the scarlet macaw form larger groups of up to twenty or more animals the macaw can grow to be about 90 centimetres in length and weigh up to one kilogram [Music] who wouldn't want to soar like a bird over the crowns of the rainforest trees that is possible in Costa Rica with a cable car the sky tram is a favorite attraction for tourists and the gentle flight over the tree crowns is educational as well in the jungle most food is found in the trees and not as previously thought on the forest floor about 1/4 of Costa Rica's original virgin rainforest is still intact the brave ones dare to take a ride on the high-speed zipline whizzing over the treetops supported only by a wire cable is an experience of a special kind by the way it is based on a long tradition of transport across jungle valleys [Music] in the rainforest many plants have given up trying to grow roots in the forest floor altogether instead they grow piggyback on other plants in biological terms these plants are called epiphytes they get their nourishment from the host plants this unusual looking creature in the underbrush is a tapir it's upper lip and nose form a short trunk with a very good sense of smell it also helps grab its vegetarian meals [Music] [Music] rocks like this one testified to human habitation in the rainforests of Costa Rica in times long past anthropologists and archaeologists agree that humans most probably inhabited Costa Rica already about ten thousand years ago with the arrival of Europeans and the urbanization of the country indigenous tribes with driven from their natural habitats bit by bit their descendents the rainforest Indians of today make up only about two-and-a-half percent of Costa Rica's population the museum of indigenous culture presents the history of the rainforest and explains the results of man's intrusive encroachment displays and videos alternate with artifacts from indigenous peoples to present a picture of the tropics from around 1492 the time Columbus discovered them to the present day Sarika as you can see here is a map of Costa Rica as you can see several Indian tribes still within the country the big question is however how did people from North and South America get here very interesting now the colleges have two hypotheses the one assumes that they migrated over the Bering Strait in America's far north and made their way down from Alaska through Mexico to Central and South America the other proposes that people from the Pacific Islands came to Peru in Central America by boat and settled the entire continent from there many of the Central American masks used in the indio cultures are integrated into traditional dances others are used by shamans or medicine men in their healing rituals [Music] people of many of the ancient cultures did more than just build tools and weapons such as the spear for example the more they developed the more time they spent improving and decorating the utensils used in daily life like these vessels to this day the traditional art of creating vessels like these has not been lost this is a green unripe fruit of the calamus tree this fruit has a special meaning for the Indians of the Millea tribe they make their drinking vessels their color bashes from them even for their ancestors the watertight hull of the fruit made them an ideal container for storing water and even foodstuffs when we're horn as in times past it is still the woman's job to make the containers today [Music] the flesh of the fruit is removed to give the container the greatest possible inner volume [Music] whether templates were used for the carvings in the past or not is a bit of knowledge that was not passed down the skill with which the ladies work the surface of the fruit is amazing today most of the shelves are carved into decorative pieces like wall decorations or ornate fruit bowls they are often left in the original color of the dried fruit but sometimes they're painted in the brilliant colors of the rainforest [Music] the small hummingbirds are also brilliantly colored their wings which they can flap up to 50 times per second shimmer as if coated with precious jewels these birds weighing only a few grams feed on flower nectar [Music] they're highly specialized beak houses a particularly long tongue similar to the snout of a butterfly and as far as majestic coloration is concerned they are the only ones that compete with the hummingbirds their wings are covered with microscopic scales which overlap like shingles [Music] from the rainforest our journey takes us across this land bridge joining the two American continents toward the coast [Music] regardless of which direction we take toward the Caribbean or the Pacific the coast is never very far away the coasts of Costa Rica have not yet been overrun by hotels that is particularly true of the Pacific coast [Music] the small Cocos Island is located about 300 nautical miles off the coast of Costa Rica in the middle of the Pacific the island were the surface of barely 24 square kilometers first showed up on old nautical charts in the middle of the 16th century the real majesty of this allegedly small island becomes obvious only under water the island visible above the surface is the peak of a huge mountain nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths flow up its slopes resulting in unbelievably rich and diverse fish populations the nutrient-rich water means a continuous and abundant supply of food the supply of microscopic plankton is constantly refreshed so the food chain never loses its foundation [Music] [Music] [Applause] a stingray this subspecies grows to be particularly large and up to three metres long [Music] since the fatal accident of TV host Steve Irwin stingrays have gotten an undeservedly bad reputation the fact is if you don't threaten them they pose no danger to you stingrays feed nearly exclusively on fish and crustaceans living on the ocean floor as with many other types of Ray and also sharks stingrays give birth to live young the result is that fewer offspring fall prey to other predators than is the case with egg-laying fish [Music] another strategy of many types of fish is to produce as many offspring as possible the larger numbers guarantee the survival of some in spite of a large loss to predators [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] they're richly populated waters around Cocos Island are under environmental protection in order to preserve biodiversity and counteract overfishing in the country's territorial waters the strict control of the protected area since 1970 follows a more turbulent period in Coco's islands history just before that time today's natural paradise served as a base for whalers and during South America's colonial days slave ships anchored here to replenish their fresh water supplies pirates also use the bays of the island to hide or to find protection from storms several pirate captains are said to have hidden their treasures here captain Davis bonito bonito and the notorious Henry Morgan are said to have hoarded their loot here on the island for three hundred years adventurers and treasure hunters searched sometimes more and sometimes less professionally for the treasures but the only known find to date has been a single Spanish gold Dublin the fact that the author Robert Stevenson used Cocos Island as the setting for his famous novel Treasure Island is thought to be a cynical reference to these attempts at least for the many treasure hunters of today [Music] but divers don't come to Cocos Island to look for gold or precious stones they are drawn by the exciting adventure with the sharks there are certainly more than enough of them here [Music] during the day the harmless white tip reef shark spends its time mostly on the sandy bottom or in grottoes normally man has nothing to fear from this relatively small one-and-a-half meter long type of shark [Music] the shark's body shape and small size however makes it a perfect reef hunter and notorious predator of reef fish [Music] during the night the whitetip strategy is revealed they roam through the reef in large schools and take their sleeping prey by surprise [Music] their small size works to their advantage because they often have to chase their prey into narrow clefts into reef [Music] Cocos Island is world renowned for its numerous hammerhead sharks they are normally peaceable but when they get into a hunting frenzy they are unpredictable and are to be approached with great care they cruise the waters around the island in huge schools these are young scalloped hammerhead sharks at adulthood they reach a length of 4 meters most of them leave the school to cruise the oceans alone [Music] their most obvious characteristic is their hammer-shaped head it gives them an advantage in their search for food the wide placement of their eyes gives them a broad field of vision in contrast to other sharks they can also look up and down at the same time the hammer shape also enlarges the nose region as in all sharks the electro receptors the so called ampullae of Lorenzini are located in this region with their help the shark can sense the weak electrical impulses produced by the muscle movements of its prey although the appearance of these large schools might lead one to believe that the animals populations are strong the fins of the Cocos Islands hammerhead are thought by many societies to have aphrodisiac properties and the demand is great poachers looking to fill that demand for good prices pose a real threat to the hammerhead population unfortunately there are problems with people who have no respect for nature all over the world but that doesn't change the fact that the land bridge between North and South America is truly one of the last paradises on earth you [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 282,188

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Costa Rica, Panama, Tropics, caribbean, Wildlife Documentary, Wildlife, tropics, cocos island, animals documentary, documentary, nature, wildlife animals, animals, Latin America, South America, animal documentary, animal documentary 2020

Id: PgacpBq9fqs

Length: 44min 40sec (2680 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 26 2020