Wild Journey - Chile: Country of Contrasts | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] chile there are a few places on the planet with such dramatic contrasts [Music] throughout the 4 500 kilometers that separate the frozen austral flat land from the desert plains of the north nature brings together these dissimilar environments and breathes life into each and every one of them in a way that only nature can [Music] there is much diversity here a diversity that even the long-term residents of this area know little about let alone anyone living on the other side of the world [Music] from the highest summit of the andes mountains to the cool rich waters of the pacific ocean [Music] these are unique places where the most unlikely plants and animals live many of them exist nowhere else on earth [Music] each fighting to survive in the remote landscapes of this very special country so autumn another cold dawn in patagonia [Music] so herds of guanacos are the first to rise and roam these bushy patagonian hillsides at the foothills of the massif and the towers which give name to this landscape guanacos by the hundreds feet here in torres del pine national park [Music] their current numbers might impress but they are in fact a mere fraction in comparison to the hundreds of thousands that roamed these landscapes a hundred years ago they were hunted by settlers for food their pelt and were simply killed as they competed for space with their introduced cattle today guanacos find their only true haven here within the borders of this national park but another animal even more persecuted than the guanaco itself has also survived here [Music] the puma [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] within the safety of rocks and crevices pumas spend most of the day sleeping and basking in faint warm sun rays but it is also here where she has decided to perform one of the most noble and difficult of chores in the animal kingdom which will guarantee the survival of her species the raising of her cups [Music] pumas reproduce every two to three years the size of their brood will depend on many factors such as climate and of course food [Music] supply [Music] [Music] [Music] so not all his work for these large cats as they spend a good deal of time playing with their young cubs a game that is not only their entertainment but also one of survival a game that will help in developing instincts so they too can eventually stalk their own prey and confront the dangers that lie ahead of them away from the protection of their mother [Music] although they can be found along the entire length of the american continent it is within the boundaries of torres del pine that we find a special place for pumas a place that allows us to witness directly some of the most intimate moments in the lives of these big felines reaching maturity is a difficult chore and it's possible that none of them will [Music] survive when the time comes for their mother to leave each cub must follow their own independent path in search of their own territory [Music] hunt and fend for themselves and find a mate which may lie beyond the protection and confines of the park inlands where they must also confront new challenges and dangers [Music] outside the park natural prey is scarce so pumas find themselves having to hunt domestic cattle for this reason they are persecuted and hunted even though the pumas are protected by law [Music] these are the first images of pumas nursing in the wild [Music] but patagonia is not just fields of grass and prairies towards the pacific landscapes plants and animals are widely different we find ourselves in the domains of the astral fjords and channels the water between the guadacus archipelago and the islands of chilaway is known to be some of the richest on the planet [Music] thanks to the combined effect of the earth's rotation winds and cold currents abundant nutrients are brought to the marine surface it is here that it mixes with the waters brought down from the high mountain peaks it is also here in these extremely rich waters where the largest animal to have ever lived on the planet has found its home the blue whale [Music] but this is no ordinary blue whale as recent discoveries have found that the blue whales that live and feed here are an isolated population they even have their own vocalization a dialect that scientists have called the chilean dialect [Music] the whales that we observe on the coasts of chile peru and ecuador may possibly be an entirely new subspecies unique and different to other blue whales that inhabit other oceans on the planet [Music] chileans [Music] although it sounds very strange to our own ears this is the dialect that differentiates it from other blue whale subspecies similar to the sound produced by a ship's motor this is the dialect of the chilean blue whale [Music] hey [Music] different or not these whales have lived here for hundreds of years feeding on crustaceans and other small invertebrates that live in these nutrient-rich waters these invertebrates are known as zooplankton when they feed on phytoplankton they release a natural chemical that is an irresistible seductive for one of the least known creatures that inhabits these mythical waters [Music] they are known as pinkoy storm petrol and they were recently discovered by science these are the first recorded images of this small ocean bird together with albatross petrols and shearwaters the pincoya possessed one of the most developed senses of smell known in the marine avery kingdom [Music] from as far as a few kilometers the pincoya is the first to detect the scent produced by plankton and is the first to arrive to feed on it [Music] delicately dancing over the water these birds utilize their colored toe web membranes to attract the tiny crustaceans and other minute marine animals [Music] this is without doubt one of the most beautiful chilean natural history events that one can observe the pacific waters that mold the coast of chile is home to the largest animal that humans have ever known it is also home to the smallest marine mammal in the world [Music] the southern marine otter lives its entire life around these coastal rocky shores [Music] here amongst protected rocks they rest beneath the warm sun rays of this desert coast just as this male is doing these small marine otters live exclusively feeding within these cold rich waters [Music] they dive each time for less than two minutes in search of crustaceans that hide within the kelp forest and rocks below [Music] after capturing its prey they seldom make it to shore before they begin enjoying their feast [Music] so [Music] when it is finished eating it will take in a breath of air and dive once again in search of yet another mute [Music] in the meantime his partner is also concerned about keeping her fur and tip top shape [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] but she also has another objective to prepare her den for the little ones that will soon arrive during the summer on the coast of the atacama desert there are a number of small and isolated uninhabited islands that form one of the richest marine ecosystems found anywhere in the world these islands are not just the home to innumerable birds and marine animals without doubt one of its least known residents does not depend directly on the ocean for its survival during the day it takes refuge among the darkest crevices within these caves surrounded by myths and legends this creature has become one of the least comprehended animals in the natural world [Music] the vampire bat [Music] although the pugin as it is locally known in chile is far from being a demonic deity it does however feed exclusively on blood in fact this behavior was discovered by the english naturalist charles darwin and his assistant when they visited the coast of the chilean desert in 1835 a discovery that was greatly doubted by the skeptical scientific community of their time different to other bat species with elaborate social habits the pugin lives in small groups using their hind legs they hang from cave ceilings forming small clusters for protection and rest [Music] as males females and juveniles huddle together within the most protected parts of the cave the arrival of the night they head out in search of a meal which consists primarily of the blood of marine birds and mammals that live near the colony today their population is in decline many die in fires that are set on purpose inside their caves as they sleep during the day unless we have an immediate change of attitude towards this key species then their future will be in question the roman cassie tree is without doubt one of the most common trees of central chile these are tightly related to trees that exist in the african savannah they grow in arid ecosystems where at the end of every summer its flowers produce hundreds of seed pods the shell of these pods is very hard making it almost impossible for small animals to crack them no other wild animal can reach these pods high up in the trees there is of course one animal with this exception and it is one of the most common inhabitants of this habitat the common daegu is one of the most curious and interesting animals in chile [Music] this rodent unlike others is diurnal and highly social they live in burrows that form small colonies [Music] during the hottest season of the year they leave their burrows early in the morning to avoid extreme heat during their feeding time they search for seeds and other vegetable remains that are found mostly on the ground others climb small bushes to eat plants and the most tender of foliage [Music] they battle birds for small seeds [Music] this is a female one of the eldest in the colony and she has a very unusual technique for finding a meal [Music] in fact she will not move away from the shade that the bushes provide by casting a shadow over the entrance to her burrow here she will simply lie and wait waiting with a patience that only a long life of experience can teach [Music] many hours of waiting may pass whilst the young degus run play and groom themselves the summer heat makes its presence felt few dare to leave the shade provided by their bush while she continues to wait patiently [Music] [Music] and then dan fox but this one has other plans [Music] when the danger is passed the female returns to her eternal weight but what has this female been waiting for so patiently [Music] wind [Music] for months the pods have remained on the branches of the roman cassie tree but sooner or later the pods will fall [Music] she runs quickly to pick up this pod and takes it into the deepest portions of her burrow she repeats this over and over as much as possible securing food for herself as well as for other members of her colony ensuring a food supply during times of scarcity this is the atacama desert the driest desert in the world yet even here not all is death and desolation centennial cactus of strange shapes survive all around as well as the scarce desert quanacos that also discover ways to endure on little water they find vegetation as nutrients to keep them hydrated and fed yet many of them do not survive this harsh environment but how do these plants and animals survive in this the driest desert in the world here on the pacific ocean we find the answer [Music] each night the desert temperature drops and the warm air accumulated over the ocean during the day is released this produces the common chaka a dense fog charged with humidity that moves toward dry land giving all plants and animals that live there literally a breath of human hair as the first sun rays appear and the desert heat begin to battle it out [Music] as quickly as it arrived the thick fog relinquishes its gains to the heat of the sun [Music] yet the atacama desert still holds one of the most notable secrets of the animal world [Music] every few years climatical changes produced by the phenomenon called el nino create the perfect balance to produce rain in the desert [Music] the desert transforms itself firstly a green blanket covers the desert hills and plains [Music] later the flowers multicolored fields cover the landscape as if taken from a painting by monet [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] and here it's not just the plants that flower amaryllis rock purslane and chilean trumpet flower attract hundreds of species of insects and other invertebrates [Music] these insects supply an invaluable food source for all animals that live on the edge of starvation [Music] it has been a good year and these chicks will be fed well [Music] the morning sierra finch one of the most common bird species in chile fills the desert with its characteristic call it now takes advantage of the abundance of food to perform one of the most important chores for the survival of its species that of feeding its chicks [Music] the long cactus spines deliver the only effect of protection against predators that are found in this desert during the fresh early morning hours males and females worked tirelessly to feed their chicks so the heat takes over the desert very quickly these chicks with their delicate bodies absent of feathers take no time in feeling the harshness of life in the atacama desert in just minutes sun rays could kill but the mother knows and protects them quickly with her body she provides them with shade and by raising her legs she allows for a gentle breeze to flow between them lowering the temperature of her nest by a few degrees which allows the chicks to remain cool during the hottest parts of the day the heat is intense and the mother feels the suffocating grasp of these temperatures if she fails to find refuge from the sun she too could die in this heat but soon help arrives [Music] as the male takes her place allowing her to leave the nest and find a way to lower her own body temperature a magnificent example of parental collaboration given to us by nature although in plain sight the desert may look like a garden to the mother it continues to be an arid desert [Music] but the rains that have changed this landscape still have one more secret to offer and the mother of these chicks knows it water this is the most precious resource for life in this harshest of landscapes [Music] this water is a treasure that will not only be taken advantage of by the morning sierra fetch but also by countless other birds that inhabit this desert [Music] this change in the landscape of these desert lands also produces a change in the behavior of the animals [Music] the two-spotted lizard is an insect-eating reptile that lives in small sand caves and within rocks during the first rays of light they leave their borough and search for food they patrol their territory anxiously paying close attention to every movement between flowers [Music] but it is not insects that it is after [Music] it is in search of flowers [Music] no one knows the purpose of why the change in their diet scientists had never described this behavior before [Music] this is the first recorded footage of these never seen before changes and behavior [Music] apparently these flowers are very important to them [Music] and they guard them fiercely to the extent of not letting other lizards partake in the feast [Music] do they do this to extract water from the petals minerals or maybe they just take advantage of the abundance of this type of food source who knows the truth though is that every desert flowering is taken advantage of by this lizard maybe just to enjoy the flowers albeit in a very different way although less abundant than in the desert flowers also bloom in the southern forest ammon k the astroemeria and the red amaryllis grow on the forest floor meanwhile the field clavel the little bird and other twines travel up tree trunks and bushes in a fast upward paced race towards the sun without a doubt chile's national flower is the jewel that crowns this forest of the central south of the country [Music] the chilean bell flower covers those areas where the sun's rays hit timidly crowning the tip of these green vines and red flowers meters above the forest floor and out of arm's reach for those that extract this flower illegally in spite of this the chilean bell flower and other wildflowers continue to survive across chile slowly gaining back habitat lost over time to modern man not only flowers have been lost with the destruction of native forests but also the homes of extraordinary small animals like phantoms they roam the densest part of these woodlands most have never had any contact with humans and few people have ever had the opportunity to see them in their natural [Music] environment [Music] this is a world of small alien creatures all of which are formidable predators velvet worms are small worms that search for their prey underneath fallen leaves and decaying wood [Music] on the other hand the darwin frog stands guard almost completely still on top of small branches and stones watching for the movement of small [Music] invertebrates [Music] so there are many creatures that live in the tempered forests of the south most all are difficult to find as they barely leave any signs of their presence the cod cod the smallest cat in all of the americas [Music] the smallest deer in all the world also lives exclusively within these forests the southern pudu is a solitary creature that rarely leaves the cover of trees except occasionally to feed on fresh grass or to move from one part of the forest to another totally still and hiding from view this small doe will not move until its mother returns and she will not approach her young until she is sure that there is no danger close by [Music] older animals such as this one are rare to see in nature as they succumb early on to disease natural predators and with more frequency the fatal attack by domestic dogs the first rays of light gently bathed the mountains and ravines of patagonia [Music] but here not all animals are active this early in the day [Music] others prefer to sleep under a late morning sun after searching for prey at dawn here pumas are top predators and rule above all other animals in the food chain in no small part the complete ecosystem's health where many animals and plants live depends directly on the puma's survival without pumas the very existence of all other species would be in jeopardy she is five years old and has never been a mother even so she is one of the dominant females of this area [Music] she patrols her territory in search of packs of guanacos her preferred prey [Music] it is not too difficult to find guanaco's here but many hours might pass before the conditions are right for a hunt she is a stealthy hunter hiding between grass and rocks becoming invisible to even the sharpest eye guanaco's have 10 times the developed eyesight of man and can spot a puma hundreds of meters [Music] away [Music] dusk arrives and she has yet to make a kill many days have passed since she last fed [Music] a good number of guanaco's continue to stay nearby which makes it even more difficult for her to remain undetected but she does not give up on stalking her favorite prey maybe the late afternoon shadows will give her the cover she needs to be invisible [Music] she needs to be able to get to within a few meters to be able to make a kill successfully [Music] she will walk for hours waiting for the perfect moment an unaware gonaco seems like the perfect prey yet the puma must be completely stealth-like if it is to succeed a false move and it's over with each passing minute she is a bit closer a few more meters and her patients will be rewarded this time she was in too much of a rush and the guanaco makes its escape [Music] another day without food [Music] so a new sunrise reveals that another puma has had a successful hunt a juvenile approaches in search for food he looks nervous as this might not be his kill he is scavenging taking advantage of his find [Music] he quickly eats what he can before his cover is blown [Music] other animals that inhabit the patagonian hillsides do not take long to show up this is a south american gray fox locally known as chia out of all the chilean foxes it is the best adapted to live in the openness of the panagonian landscape and although they feed on small rodents invertebrates and fruit here a female finds a unique opportunity to steal the remains of a major prey which is by all accounts out of her reach she eats as much as possible in as little a time and must always remain on high alert before the puma returns although it is not uncommon to see fox's scavenging on a puma kill this is not by any means a daily occurrence and these foxes will risk all for a free meal they don't like sharing their good fortunes with other foxes even when it was not their kill to begin with [Music] [Music] other scavengers begin to arrive and the fox knows this this is why it must feed even faster before competition lands from above [Music] it astutely hides some meat for a later day as these animals never know when they will eat next [Music] uh [Music] [Music] the andean condor one of the largest flying birds of the world detects carry-on from many miles away naturally timid it doesn't land immediately until it is sure to be safe from danger immature birds are much more impatient and are the first to risk landing followed by the rest in just a few minutes a group of condors is now devouring the remains of this guanaco undecided older males are the last to [Music] arrive but this one bird is more concerned about presenting its credentials than feeding after a few hours little remains with over four pounds of food in their stomachs taking off becomes a little more challenging yet one by one they take flight catching the upward currents of warm air that will allow them to fly to their next stop or they will eventually spend the night and digest their feast [Music] meanwhile the pumas have no option but to begin the hard task of searching for more prey assuring their own survival and that of their extended family [Music] and this the still unknown wild chili [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 450,551

Rating: 4.7979336 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Chile, South America, Wildlife, Wildlife Documentary, Animals, Animal Documentary, Andes, Andes Mountains, Atacama Desert, Atacama, Wild Nature, Wildlife Chile, patagonia, puma, Condor, Andean Condor, Biodiversity, Fauna and Flora, Mountain Lion, Cougar, Wild Journey, Country of Contrasts, Wild, Journey

Id: xnCx8tSztzY

Length: 59min 30sec (3570 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 26 2021