Wild Gibraltar - Where Africa & Europe Meet | Free Documentary Nature

at the southern end of the iberian peninsula at the entrance to the mediterranean by the straits of gibraltar gibraltar's wildlife is sometimes overlooked but the fascinating creatures of the rock are one of the region's best kept secrets [Music] gibraltar has been contested fiercely by britain and spain and when it comes to competing for resources on land or on water we will see that gibraltar's wildlife can also be territorial [Music] many of them call this unique place home others migrate here for the perfect summer getaway from hard-working locals to bothersome foreigners this is the real wild gibraltar [Music] [Music] the upper rock nature reserve home to around 230 bobbery macaques the famous apes of gibraltar these are the only non-human primates in europe these macaques originally came from morocco brought on ships by the moors around 1492 who kept them as pets each macaque is part of a tight-knit group of 25 to 70 monkeys their diet is a mixture of plants and insects and since over 500 different varieties of flowering plant can be found here in gibraltar they are spoiled for choice [Music] they command a spectacular view of the port of gibraltar and beyond to the atlas mountains where three quarters of the world's population of barbary macaques still live today wild populations around the world have suffered a major decline in recent years in 2009 they were declared an endangered species for decades the macaques have been clinging on to existence but here on the rock they enjoy special treatment far from home scratching a living off the earth it isn't surprising that these homesick apes were taken up as a symbol by the rock's british inhabitants a popular belief holds that as long as barbary mccox exists on gibraltar the territory will remain the british rule this may be the reason why the local government and locals here tend to spoil these macaques with treats after their african odyssey hundreds of years ago the apes of gibraltar are now well pampered [Music] they are one of gibraltar's major tourist attractions [Music] the most popular troupe live at the apes den where you can expect to get especially close to these monkeys as they have come to rely on the attention of tourists feeding them is now forbidden by law they are remarkably hardy and as one spanish historian pointed out neither the spanish the moors or the british have been able to move them the apes of gibraltar will always be the true kings of the rock according to greek mythology it was the famous hercules who pushed the two continents africa and europe apart leaving behind two pillars one in morocco and one in gibraltar over thousands of years as the continents drifted apart many species found themselves stranded and unable to adapt one creature which struggled to make a home here in gibraltar has started to cope better in recent years they nest in a colony on the cliff face above a busy coastal road never here de la frontera the bald aebis one of the ten most endangered birds on the planet as with the macaques their ancestral home lies in morocco but unlike the apes these birds mysteriously disappeared from the iberian peninsula a few hundred years ago this colony has been recently reintroduced and are doing splendidly it's nesting season so couples are hard at work building their nest in the cliff face if the reintroduction project is a success these nests will last generations [Music] spring in gibraltar and much to the dismay of the human settlers the resident stink bugs are at large [Music] even if they can't quite decide where they're going [Music] there are hundreds of thousands of insects native to gibraltar and its unique geographical position means a far greater variety than the rest of the iberian peninsula [Music] and just as the insects thrive off gibraltar's extraordinary variety of plant life predators drive off the rock's plentiful insects the most dangerous of all remains hidden in the dense undergrowth the chameleon this hunter will need to build up his energy he has just woken up from a state of semi-hibernation a few tasty locusts will do stereoscopic vision helps them calculate distances accurately and their tongues sometimes two times the length of their bodies allow them to reach distant prey in as little as a seventh of a second [Music] patience and camouflage facilitate the all-important approach [Music] chameleons activate crystals in their skin which reflect light this affects the pigments on their scaly surface [Music] a prehensile tail allows them to grip branches for support as they reach for particularly tasty morsels [Music] but when it comes to patience there's another creature from the north of africa who tops the stealthy chameleon the stir-thighed tortoise unlike chameleons this reptile is strictly vegetarian but don't be fooled by their gentle appearance the warm weather has awoken the male's desire population density of steroid tortoises is low in gibraltar it is often difficult for a male and a female to meet it all [Music] after years of waiting this pair have been extraordinarily lucky [Music] the male follows the female with great interest [Music] he will try biting her and ramming against her thick shell before trying to mount her what the male lacks in tenderness he makes up for in persistence this male will follow the female wherever she goes [Music] male stir-thigh tortoises are generally smaller than females and consequently not quite as fast [Music] this time the male has been outpaced after building his strength back up he'll give it another try [Music] early summer is a windy season the strait of gibraltar provides the perfect channel for strong winds the most famous of which is called the levanter it blows from the east of the channel to the west if conditions are right the wind creates spectacular color formations above the rock itself thanks to its windy season gibraltar is the site of one of the most productive wind farms in the world at its peak in late spring or early summer crossing the straits becomes more and more dangerous for humans the same is true for gibraltar's avian visitors their journey takes them from sub-saharan africa to their birthplace in europe [Music] crossing the 14 kilometers from one shore to another is a tough struggle against treacherous ever-changing winds the lack of thermal air currents mean that gliding birds such as the short-toed eagle have to make an uncomfortable effort to stay airborne [Music] the formidable winds threatened to send her off course and crashing into the sea if this happens she would likely die of hypothermia this short towed eagle has over a kilometer before she reaches gibraltar the greatest battle for her now is with exhaustion [Music] even worse a host of seagulls are preparing to give her a hostile welcome these goals attack the eagle one at a time [Music] yellow-legged gulls are especially strong and aggressive when they work as a group they will act as one body to keep foreign invaders from their shorelines even tired and hungry nomads like the short towed eagle [Music] she makes it through the blockade but only by a hair's breath now a further challenge begins to find food and shelter on the rock [Music] in late april and may thousands of birds will reach the coasts of tarifa al jacerus and gibraltar they face dangerous threats and expend an extraordinary amount of energy in return for the hardship of the sea crossing every year they are able to exploit the best weather conditions all year round and can rely on the food resources from both continents despite tensions with the locals for migratory birds in annual passage across the straits of gibraltar is a small price to pay for the best of both africa and europe [Music] so do [Music] at sunset the birds settle in for the [Music] night [Music] it's dawn the following day and it seems like some of the birds were not so lucky these turnstones are about to have their morning dip disturbed the carcasses of those birds who do not make the crossing are swept up onto the shoreline this kite's sharp claws and awesome wingspan were nothing faced with the power of the wind and the sea [Music] for many migratory birds the straits are the gateway into europe only the fittest or the luckiest survive [Music] chiseled by the crash of the waves and the action of the winds the rocks are testament to the violence of the sea and the strength of the levanter the rock seemed to look out from gibraltar over the straits towards the african continent like the birds we know that the rocks themselves made the same journey as the continents divided over the course of the millennia [Music] gibraltar boasts a network of brooks and tributaries which carry the water collected in the rainy season [Music] the rock really is a land of contrasts it is hard to believe that the driest region in one of the driest european countries contains such a luscious forest teeming with life [Music] many of the creatures here from the insect life to amphibians have been native to gibraltar since the last ice age [Music] and the range of wildlife found in a sub-tropical forest are incredibly diverse [Music] right [Music] these mountains cause the clouds to gather in a natural trap the clouds are forced to release all the water and moisture they have been accumulating giving rise to a microclimate comparable to the humid forests of tropical zones it has been several months since our short towed eagle arrived from africa [Music] she has managed not only to find a home for herself but for her newborn eaglet [Music] this is the perfect place to raise a young eagle [Music] the forest is a plentiful source of food finding a tree with a full canopy of leaves is essential [Music] if the chicks down becomes drenched the creature will die of cold the mother comes to feed the baby with a snake but she decides to save the food for later the most important thing right now is keeping her baby warm [Music] the eaglet shelters under his mother's feathers where he will stay warm and dry till the rain stops do [Music] [Music] every year more than 82 thousand ships bearing passengers or goods cross the straits it's one of the busiest spots of global ship traffic birds are not the only animal coming and going across these straits the atlantic bluefin tuna are now traveling through as part of their annual migration a small flood tiller of traditional fishermen from morocco have come to try their luck but these fishermen are not alone killer whales hungry for tuna and nothing will stand in their way even if it means competing with the fishermen [Music] [Music] the killer whales are opportunists tuna are normally much too fast for these lumbering predators but when they are caught on the end of a fisherman's line they are easy targets [Music] the fishermen struggled to beat the whales to the catch but for both men and whale the lives of their hungry families are on the line [Music] the fishermen hastened to bring up as much of the remaining catch as they can without it being snatched [Applause] reeling in a tuner of this size is not an easy task [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] while the fishermen don't leave empty-handed the whales win out and manage to beat the boats to most of the catch there are no rules and no mercy on the high seas the smartest predator will always win [Music] the fishermen will have to change tactics if they are going to get the better of this rival predator [Music] do while the fishermen survey their losses the whales head home with full bellies and a knowledge of a job well done [Music] the presence of the whales in the straits this summer has led to significant economic losses for the fishermen [Music] competing with gibraltar's wildlife for resources is just part of life here on average a killer whale is 227 kilograms of fish every day which is over 100 times that of a human [Music] for others the whales themselves provide an excellent source of income tourism is one of gibraltar's most important industries and these whales are a star attraction season after season more and more visitors come to watch the ocean's greatest predator put on a remarkable performance uh we are now in the heat of summer and our family of short-toed eagles have fallen on hard times there is hardly any food left in the nest the female short-toed eagle has gone hunting she searches for prey at heights of up to 500 meters above the ground the rest of the family finish off what food is left in the nest [Music] the mother spots her prey a montpelier snake [Music] the short-toed eagle glides so that she makes almost no noise at all she can hang in the air for a long time before dropping in for the kill the snake moves too quickly for the eagle and manages to make its escape into the brush the family's dinner has got away the chick is still very young in this heat he will need all of the nutrients he can get if he's to learn to fly and travel back with the family to africa at the end of the season [Music] so so [Music] summer is a high time for human activity in particular cork cutting works have started in the cork oak forest every nine years the cork trees are stripped of their bark in order not to harm the tree the axes should only cut the bark which requires lots of experience and a careful aim the cork bark is collected and stacked right beside the mules if the pack is not loaded correctly the mules will fall on the uneven path to the yard where the output is piled up and weighed before being sent off for processing [Music] so [Music] do [Music] mules are bred for their strength and resilience not for these animals it would be impossible to extract the cork from the most inaccessible spots in the forest [Music] the mules arrive at the yard driven by the muleteers [Music] here the animals are freed from their burden and the bark of the cork trees are weighed and piled up in big heaps the lorries will take them to processing [Music] factories [Music] do [Music] [Applause] the mediterranean forest is exposed to dry and hot summers and there is a high risk of forest fires at this time of year but cork oaks have evolved a special fireproof coating the bark trees reveal a reddish color this is when they are most vulnerable to fire spain morocco and portugal are the world's leading producers of cork but gibraltar is giving the kings of the industry a run for their money from fishermen to loggers whales to monkeys many of gibraltar's natives survive in the wild by working as a team but far from the noise and hubbub of the industry is a hunter who's devised by her wits alone the jenae [Music] they were originally brought here by phoenician sailors and like cats today they were used to keep rats and mice away from larders and pantries on board ship [Music] this janae is not completely alone an unexpected companion has joined her and watches the hunt [Music] a pair of eyes gleam out of the shadow of a nearby tree [Music] the jenae has a keen sense of smell she checks the branch for the first sign of potential danger the hunter's golden rule is being unseen [Music] but janae are restless creatures and sooner or later they give away their position the small mouse below realizes that he is being watched he makes for his shelter the second jenae is a crafty opportunist [Music] she relies on her major advantage speed the hunter has done the hard work but has missed out on the prey this time she isn't about to let the cheeky intruder get away with it [Music] but she is already too late deception is a good strategy this janae won't have to share her meal with anyone toying with her meal it seems a little like she's rubbing it [Music] in [Music] sometimes working together pays off the proud father has returned to the nest with food for the eaglet the young chick has grown so much that it's hard to tell the male and his chick apart [Music] despite the days of hunger and cold and an unstable spring the little one has managed to survive in a few days he will leave the nest and before summer ends without ever having seen the sea he will have to travel back across the straits to africa [Music] do the great gibraltar sand dune made up from the same sand of a vast savannah which 11 000 years ago was blown westwards from africa and gathered against the rock's eastern cliffs in mid-august this dry scrub land is the perfect arena for the chameleons mating rituals this male is watching the female closely he will have to wait patiently for her signal that she is ready if the signal comes at all the dark green color of this female and her rhythmic dance along the branch are clear signs to the male that she is willing to copulate he doesn't waste any time and she is getting impatient [Music] they embrace and will remain united for up to two minutes it doesn't last long but the couple will try again on repeated occasions a bigger more aggressive male bursts into the scene the little brown male has no force left to fight and is thrown from his perch leaving his romantic partner at the mercy of this boisterous newcomer but she is not to be trifled with if this troublemaker thought it was going to be easy he had better think again she is no longer receptive her color is fading she is not ready for another mate [Music] so the violent male fails to get the message and pursues his original [Music] intention the new coloration of the female and the raised crest on her back leaves no doubt as to how she feels about this [Music] black and yellow a universal danger sign [Music] spurned and frustrated he takes it out on his rival lover instead even if he is a terrible romantic he will at least stake his claim to his [Music] territory in love and war bluster will get you nowhere at all [Music] 28 days after copulation the female chooses a place to dig a tunnel 30 to 60 centimeters long in order to lay her eggs the work may take her a few days [Music] the tunnel will keep the egg safe from predators for a while but the young chameleons will quickly need to find better shelter once they hatch [Music] the female will lay between 9 and 28 eggs all together [Music] do [Music] so [Music] having laid the last egg she starts the meticulous task of burying them [Music] she will be as patient as necessary to insure against any potential predators nine to 12 months will pass before the first little chameleons hatch out [Music] after covering the hole she can leave her eggs in relative safety seems that persistence worn out over the females indifference and the sperth eye tortoises were able to produce young of their own after all like chameleons baby tortoises also hatch from eggs and instantly have to rely on their own resources to survive including the all-important search for food the newborns begin the great race for survival the baby chameleons will not be far behind [Music] autumn after the breeding season in europe is over thousands of black kites gather on the shoreline here they will await the right moment to cross the mellow skies of autumn are more friendly to the kites than earlier in the summer fresh from the nest our young eaglet joins them [Music] the skies across the straits are filled with life [Music] the nomads are on the wing once again gibraltar truly belongs to these travelers to any brave enough to cross the perilous straits [Music] to any creature who calls the rock home [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 972,267

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Wildlife, Wildlife Documentary, Animals, Animals Documentary, Afirca, Europe, Gibraltar, Gibraltar Documentary, Pillars of Hercules, barbary macaque, Chameleon, Orca, mediterranean

Id: 1rs81zEG74k

Length: 50min 35sec (3035 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 16 2020