ep1, about flamingo, orchid bee and polar bear, subtitle arrangement (subtitle group: Renren Film and Television YYeTs):
This vast salt pan in Africa is all that remains of an ancient lake.
It's totally waterless and oven-hot.
Few places on the land are more hostile to life.
A few tracks cross it, made by animals searching unsuccessfully for water.
But very occasionally, this whole landscape is transformed.
A huge deluge drenches the salt pan.
Triggered by some unknown signal, flocks of lesser flamingos arrive from thousands of kilometers away.
The algae that the flamingos feed on have lain dormant as spores in the dust.
But most importantly, the birds are here to breed.
Perfect conditions might occur only once in a decade.
The birds nest on an island far from the shore.
They build mounds of mud that raise up their eggs, and so keep them just marginally cooler than they would be at ground level.
The water surrounding the island is so salty, that predators do not venture into it.
So the nests are safe.
Thirty days later, thousands of chicks start to hatch.
But there is no shelter from the scorching sun. The water that once surrounded their island, protecting them, The last to hatch step out into a desperately harsh world. has now dried up altogether. Somehow or other, the growing chicks must find fresh water to drink. They cannot yet fly, so they must walk, guided by some of the adults. They may have to trek for 50 kilometers. Some... cannot keep up. The salt has solidified around their legs. Most of the chicks, in spite of everything, and having walked for days, eventually reach fresh water. It is the end of a long journey... but only the first of the trials that will be imposed on these flamingos, by the irregularity of the rains. If rainfall is more predictable and certain, then life can flourish more richly,, both in numbers and variety.
This huge salt pan in Africa is a relic of an ancient lake. There is no water at all, and it is hot like a hot pot. It is one of the most difficult areas to survive. Some of the animal's footprints come from animals that have tried in vain to find a source of water. But such a landform occasionally Will change. A lot of water flooded the salt pans.
Upon receiving an unknown signal, groups of small flamingoes came from thousands of kilometers away. The spores of the algae that these flamingo like to eat are lurking under this dust. But most importantly, the birds are here to breed offspring. Perfect state may only happen once in ten years
The birds nested on an island far away from the shore. They pile up mud to raise the eggs and keep them at a temperature slightly lower than the ground.
The water around the island is very salty, and predators will not come over, so their nests are safe.
Thirty days later, thousands of chicks began to hatch. However, there is no place to hide from the strong sunlight.
The salt water around the island was supposed to have a protective effect, but now it's all dried up, and the last chicks that hatch have only desperately bad soil in front of them.
However, the growing chicks must find a way to find drinking water. They can't fly yet, so they must be guided by a few adults
Sometimes their team may be as long as 50 kilometers. Some chicks couldn't keep up with the team, and the salt solidified on their legs.
Although there are many difficulties, it will take a few days to walk, and most chicks will eventually find fresh water.
This is the end of a long journey, but it's just the uncertain rain, which sets the first test of the flamingo bird.
If the rainfall is more stable than expected. No matter in terms of quantity or variety, life can be more prosperous.
In places where rains fall abundantly throughout the year, forests grow, and in the warmth of the tropics, they support an unparalleled richness of life.
Half of all the species of land-living animals, live in these stable worlds.
The sheer diversity is breathtaking.
We still have not catalogued all the species that live in the tropical forests.
The relationships between them all are multitudinous and complex.
Plants often depend on animals to pollinate their flowers. And these intimate connections are just as important as the great global ones.
These are traps. Flowers shaped like buckets, produced by an orchid. Each red bucket is filled with an oily liquid that drips from above.
Male orchid bees need a rich perfume with which to impress their females, and the orchids provide it.
But the bucket is slippery, and the liquid into which the bee has fallen is sticky.
The only way to get out is through a narrow tunnel.
As it emerges, the bee is gripped tight.
And that gives enough time for the plant to glue pollen sacs on the bee's back.
So the orchid has its pollen taken to another plant... and the bee is rewarded with a perfume, with which, when it recovers its strength, it can woo a female
Forests will grow in places with abundant rainfall throughout the year
In the warmth of the tropics
They can support an incomparably rich group of life
Half of the world's terrestrial animal species
All live in this stable environment
The diversity of forests is staggering
We still can't complete the record
All species in the tropical rainforest
The relationship between creatures is very complicated
Plants often depend on animals for pollination
And these subtle touches
As important as the massive interaction that affects the world
These are traps
A bucket-shaped flower
Is a kind of orchid
Each small red bucket is filled with oily liquid dripping from top to bottom
.Male orchid bees need a strong aroma to attract female bees
Orchid can meet this demand
But the barrel-shaped flowers are slippery
Orchid bee fell into the viscous liquid
The only way to escape
Is a narrow tunnel
The orchid bee tried to escape, but was clamped tightly
In this way, the orchid has enough time
Stick the pollen sac on the back of the orchid bee
The pollen of the orchid is taken to another orchid
And the orchid bee got the perfume
Wait until it regains its strength
Can be used to pursue female bees
At the furthest polar extremes, lie the frozen wildernesses of Antarctica and the Arctic.
Though they may seem remote to many of us, the stability of these icy wastes is crucial to all life on the planet.
But in just 70 years, things have changed at a frightening pace.
The polar regions are warming fastert han any other part of the planet.,and the sea ice ,on which all life here depends, is disappearing.
Polar bears
specialize in hunting seals out on the frozen ocean.
But that world is now, literally, melting beneath their feet.
The sea ice breaks up every year, but now this is happening earlier, and the bears' limited hunting season is getting shorter.
This is already having a profound impact.
Cubs are growing up under weight, which reduces their chances of survival.
Within the lifetime of these cubs, the Arctic in summer could be largely free of sea ice.
It's not just the sea ice that is vanishing.
The ice that lies on land is also changing fast.
This is Greenland, a vast expanse of ice one-fifth the size of the United States.
This glacial ice, together with the sea ice, protects our planet by reflecting solar radiation away from the surface, and so preventing the Earth from overheating .But the Arctic is warming dramatically
The leading edge of the Store Glacier may appear to be motionless, but glaciers can move at up to 45 meters a day.
Where this one meets the sea ,it towers 100 meters above the water, and continues downward for another 400 meters, beneath the surface.
Over the last 20 years ,Greenland has been losing ice.
And the rate of loss is accelerating.
These massive icefalls from the top of the glacier, are just the beginnings of a far greater event.
A stretch of the front face of the glacier over a kilometer long is starting to break away.
From 400 meters beneath the surface, the hidden ice is surging upwards.
The breakaway of an iceberg the size of a skyscraper generates a colossal tidal wave.
Within 20 minutes, 75 million tons of ice break free. Glaciers have always released ice into the ocean, but now this is happening nearly twice as fast as it did ten years ago.
Around the world, ice is now feeding vast amounts of fresh water into the sea, raising sea levels, changing salinity, and disrupting ocean currents.
Without the Humboldt Current, the coast of Peru would fall silent. The seabird spectacle would be no more.
All across our planet, crucial connections are being disrupted.
The stability that we and all life relies upon is being lost.
What we do in the next 20 years will determine the future for all life on Earth.
In the farthest polar region
Frozen Wild World with Antarctica and Arctic
Although it feels far away for most of us
The stable existence of these frozen wastelands is important to life on the entire earth
But the rate of change in just 70 years is amazing
The polar regions are warming faster than the rest of the earth
The Arctic is a frozen ocean
The sea ice that all life depends on here
Disappearing
Polar bears specialize in hunting seals in the frozen ocean
But now this environment really melts under their feet
Sea ice splits every year
But it’s happening earlier than before
Polar bears’ limited hunting season has also shortened
Over the past 20 years, Greenland’s ice has been continuously lost
So that the earth does not reach this has caused a profound impact
Cubs grow underweight and reduce their chances of survival
In the life of little bear
In summer, there may be almost no sea ice in the North Pole
It's not just sea ice that is disappearing
The ice on land also changes quickly
This is greenland
The vast area covered with ice is about one-fifth the size of the United States
The glaciers here are together with sea ice
The earth that protects us reflects solar radiation from the surface of the earth
.It’s overheating but the Arctic is warming very violently
The front end of Stoll Glacier may not seem to be moving
But the glacier can move up to 45 meters in a day
The part that extends into the sea protrudes 100 meters above the water surface
And 400 meters deep into the bottom of the sea
The rate of churn is also accelerating
These huge blocks of ice fell from the top of the glacier
Just the beginning of a bigger event
The tip of a glacier over a kilometer long
Has started to break
Start at 400 meters below the surface of the water
The parts that were not visible in the past began to rise
The broken part of the iceberg is the size of a skyscraper
Cause huge waves
Within 20 minutes, 75 million tons of ice were disconnected
Glaciers will always release ice into the sea
But the same process is happening twice as fast compared to ten years ago
Melting ice everywhere in the world pours large amounts of fresh water into the sea
Raising the sea level, changing the concentration of sea water, disrupting the ocean currents
Without the Humboldt Current, the coast of Peru would be silent
Seabird wonder no longer
The indispensable connections between creatures on earth are being disrupted
The steady state that we and all living things depend on is gradually disappearing
Our actions in the next 20 years
Will determine the future of all living things on earth
View more about Our Planet reviews