Documental Gladiadores - Los ríos de la selva
La selva tropical, el hábitat más activo y diverso de la tierra, hogar de la mitad de las especies animales y vegetales que viven en contacto directo en comunidades densamente pobladas. En las selvas tropicales americanas el clima es caliente, húmedo e implacable. Hasta 2 metros de lluvia pueden caer sobre selvas cada año pero durante unos pocos meses las nubes dan paso a cielos azules y un sol constante, en este breve período de sequía, los animales salen de las sombras para aprovechar el buen tiempo. A lo largo de un tramo de río selvático ha llegado la hora de que una nueva generación de animales aprendan las brutales reglas de la selva.
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00:00The tropical jungle, the most active and diverse habitat on earth.
00:18Home to half of the animal and plant species
00:25that live in direct contact in densely populated communities.
00:34Here, in the American continent, the climate is hot, humid and impregnable.
00:44Up to two meters of rain fall every year.
00:49But for a few months, the clouds give way to blue skies and a constant sun.
01:01In this short period of drought, the animals leave the shadows to take advantage of the good weather.
01:10Along a stretch of jungle river,
01:14it is time for a new generation of animals to learn the brutal rules of the jungle.
01:23These newbies must face their rivals, fight to secure a partner
01:31and fight for the best food.
01:35Their sand is full of dangers.
01:40The competition is fierce.
01:44Only the strongest will taste victory.
01:52Gladiators.
01:59The jungle river.
02:03Beneath imposing trees, a serpentine river draws its course.
02:17With the rain reducing, the current has already begun to slow down.
02:33For a young animal, this means a great change.
02:44Caiman.
02:52Its species spread through these jungles more than 60 million years ago.
02:59At five years old, the caiman has not yet reached maturity.
03:10This dry season is a time to prove itself.
03:15In the driest months, this stretch of river has everything this young hunter needs.
03:24As the water level drops, the fish are forced to form increasingly smaller groups.
03:45Caiman has the perfect strategy to catch them.
03:59It fills the lungs with air and water,
04:03so that the fish are able to breathe.
04:07The weak vibrations of the fish swimming near it sound like a bell.
04:15Their synchronization must be perfect.
04:20The caiman is ready.
04:24The young man is ready.
04:28The young man is ready.
04:32His synchronization must be perfect.
04:42He attacks in less than 50 milliseconds.
04:52The predirect fishing spot for caiman has not gone unnoticed.
05:02Other males also want to fish here.
05:12They emit an infrasound.
05:18Their message is clear.
05:22This territory is occupied.
05:25The violent vibrations of their scaly back make the water dance.
05:34It is a visual exhibition to attract mates and intimidate nearby males.
05:45Underwater, it is a thunderous roar that can be heard from a distance.
05:55It can chase away rivals up to two kilometers away.
06:02An older and larger male does not let himself be intimidated.
06:12He perceives the inexperience of the caiman
06:19and wants to challenge him for this territory.
06:25The young man is ready.
06:46The caiman clings to him with force.
06:51His jaws, lined with more than 70 teeth in the shape of a cone,
06:55hold his rival and give him an initial advantage.
07:06He has his opponent immobilized with one of the most powerful bites in nature.
07:20But the muscles that open the jaws of these predators are relatively weak.
07:25It is impossible to retreat.
07:29On the contrary, his opponent can only rely on his defenses.
07:35A reinforced bone on his ocular basin absorbs the impact and saves his eye.
07:42The caiman continues to squeeze with enough force to crush a human skull.
07:51It will not let go until its opponent gives in.
08:00But both are tired.
08:05The caiman must not give up now.
08:11The older male relaxes his body.
08:16He gives up.
08:20He escapes among the vegetation.
08:25The impressive demonstration of the young caiman's dominance
08:29can be seen in this video.
08:41The young caiman has been given the right to continue fishing in this territory.
09:00Along the tangled river bank, another young hunter explores the dry weeds.
09:07The largest feline species on the American continent.
09:16Jaguar.
09:19It is the alpha predator here.
09:25But at only four years old, it is in the most precarious phase of its young life.
09:36Jaguars are solitary animals.
09:39And since it separated from its mother,
09:42it has walked more than 80 kilometers in search of its own territory.
09:53Finding the right space is its greatest challenge.
09:58The best hunting grounds are occupied by other males.
10:11It can detect the smell marks left by a feline older than it,
10:15which has recently passed through here.
10:27But it also perceives something closer.
10:44A possible meal.
10:49On the river bank, there is plenty of cover to stalk the prey.
10:57Its rosette-shaped fur is confused with the shade of the weeds.
11:14Its vision is six times better than that of a human.
11:19But to capture its prey, it will have to shorten distances.
11:27In this dry and quiet environment, the jaguar must move cautiously.
11:49It can't compete with a arboreal coati on thin branches like these.
11:55It needs to find a better place to hunt.
12:02Along a recede of the river,
12:05the descent of the flotation line has left a beach of sand undiscovered.
12:10An ideal place to ambush some capybaras that are sunbathing.
12:19But the sand bank has also been marked by the smell of the territorial male.
12:26It is a place of great danger.
12:29The jaguar continues its search for another place.
12:42In this area, the jaguar has found a place of great interest.
12:46It is a place of great interest for the capybara.
12:49It is a place of great interest for the capybara.
12:52It is a place of great interest for the capybara.
12:56At this time of year,
12:58all the inhabitants of the forest adapt to the conditions of drought.
13:08Some creatures do not stop for anything
13:11to find a puddle of water, no matter how small it is.
13:16Frog, red and blue arrow.
13:19A young male, in its first season,
13:22A young male, in its first season,
13:24dry as an adult.
13:30He is dragging the frog in search of a puddle of water.
13:41It is a strategy to attract a couple.
13:45Because the females need water to lay their eggs.
13:52With a length of 20 millimeters,
13:55moving through a labyrinth of imposing and predatory plants
13:58is a great trip for a small frog.
14:01is a great trip for a small frog.
14:08This small puddle in the mud of a dead leaf
14:11is exactly what he is looking for.
14:17But there is already someone here.
14:20Another male.
14:28To claim this puddle, he will have to fight for it.
14:40Frog calculates his possibilities.
14:44His big and dark eyes evaluate the tonality of his opponent.
14:53The more red his skin is, the more aggressive he will be
14:57and the greater the chances of victory.
15:00Being relatively young,
15:02the frog had never been involved in a fight.
15:05But fighting is in his genes.
15:08Instinct tells him which is the most effective way
15:11to ensure victory.
15:16Hit first.
15:18The quick release tendons of his legs catapult him forward
15:21like the arrow of an archer.
15:24He travels 25 times the length of his body in a fraction of a second.
15:28Frog grabs his opponent.
15:31He clings to him with eight long and flexible fingers.
15:35The tiny veins of the yolks of his fingers
15:39adhere to the wet skin of his opponent.
15:43Frogs, red and blue arrows, are experts in resistance fighting.
15:51These territorial fights can last more than an hour.
15:58The frog is ready to fight.
16:01He is ready to fight.
16:03He is ready to fight.
16:05He is ready to fight.
16:07He is ready to fight.
16:09He has managed to endure for more than an hour.
16:17Finally, exhausted by the cold,
16:20the opponent asks for the hour.
16:31The young tenacity of the frog has earned him the victory.
16:35Claiming the property of this coveted puddle of water is already bearing fruit.
16:40There is already a female here, ready to check the merchandise.
16:53As the sunlight floods the arboreal bed,
16:57even the plants enter the complex.
17:00Only 2% of the sun's rays reach the soil of the forest,
17:05so the entanglements and young trees must fight to reach them.
17:11The forest also produces fewer fruits,
17:15making the hives and bays a precious good.
17:30This is Coatí.
17:33She is a young and tenacious female,
17:37well versed in evading the attempts of jaguar predators.
17:42She is also a leader.
17:45She has earned her place as the matriarch of a united group of females known as Banda.
17:53Coatí has a map of the jungle printed on her brain.
17:57She knows the location of the best fruit trees,
18:01and she is guiding her Banda on a two-kilometre walk to find them.
18:08The humid skin that surrounds Coatí's snout
18:11is full of nervous, sensory determinations,
18:15which gives it a powerful sense of smell.
18:19She uses it with precise precision to find them.
18:24The humid skin that surrounds Coatí's snout
18:27is full of nervous, sensory determinations,
18:30which gives it a powerful sense of smell.
18:34She uses it with precise precision to find them.
18:53With her sharp, non-retractable claws,
18:56she quickly gets rid of a thousand feet of flat back.
19:09But Coatí is more comfortable at a height of 40 metres,
19:13in the treetop.
19:18She has found what she was looking for,
19:21a fig tree full of fruits.
19:26It is an opportunity for the whole Banda to have a feast.
19:35Using its long tails to maintain balance,
19:39the Coatí's are in their element in the branches.
19:43Eating in the treetops is safer,
19:46and allows Coatí to monitor the dangers below,
19:50on the ground of the forest.
19:57She has found an unwanted company,
20:00a wandering male.
20:04Males are not tolerated in the group,
20:07apart from short mating periods.
20:14But this is not the mating season.
20:20Coatí is not afraid of the cold,
20:23and is not afraid of the cold.
20:26But this is not the mating season.
20:32Coatí has secured this fruit tree for her Banda.
20:37And there is not enough to share with a big hungry male,
20:41ready to fight.
20:49In addition, males usually kill the young
20:52generated by other males.
20:57The intruder makes his way through the branches.
21:02Coatí must chase him away.
21:14He releases a chorus of cries,
21:17and sticks his claws in the face of the male.
21:20But he does not like wool.
21:30He corrals it at the end of a branch,
21:39which bends under its combined weight.
21:42A fall from this height could be fatal.
21:48So the male retreats.
21:59Coatí takes advantage of his opportunity to corner him.
22:06But the male does not give up.
22:13It is time to change tactics.
22:16On the ground of the forest he gathers the brotherhood.
22:28By the time the male reaches them,
22:31they have already formed a united front.
22:36Coatí releases the charge.
22:42The cries and collective bites of the group maintain the pressure.
22:48The bravest females turn to harass the male.
22:57Together they overwhelm him.
23:02It may not be the last time they see him,
23:05but for now Coatí has kept his Banda safe.
23:09And they can look for fruit again in peace.
23:22As the dry season advances in the forest,
23:25the leaves break and fall.
23:29And creatures of all kinds crawl through the leaves in search of food.
23:39The sun sets.
23:42A night hunter crawls from his burrow
23:45to the forest illuminated by the moon.
24:00A giant of the arachnid world.
24:04A red-kneed tarantula.
24:12At the age of four,
24:15he is entering the flower of his life.
24:22This dry season is the first time
24:25that he is old enough to mate.
24:28The pair of appendages under his eyes
24:31are covered with sensitive hairs
24:34that can absorb pheromones from the air
24:37through microscopic holes.
24:40He catches the smell left by a female.
24:43But she is two kilometers from here.
24:46Through the dry soil of the jungle
24:49he will need to be tamed.
24:52That is why, before embarking on this mission,
24:55he must feed himself.
24:58He is a voracious carnivore.
25:01And the night forest offers him
25:04a unique variety of insects.
25:07He is a carnivore.
25:10And the night forest offers him
25:13a unique variety of insects.
25:16He is a carnivore.
25:19And the night forest offers him
25:22a unique variety of insects.
25:31His eight tiny eyes
25:34provide him with a field of vision
25:37of almost 360 degrees.
25:45But he can only detect
25:48the diffuse environment of the forms.
25:51His front legs are covered with rigid hairs
25:54that detect the weakest vibrations
25:57that allow him to obtain more detailed information.
26:03He has set a trap at the entrance of his burrow.
26:08It is a delicately built fine silk early warning system.
26:11It is a delicately built fine silk early warning system.
26:19Tarantula holds the cricket with its front legs
26:22Tarantula holds the cricket with its front legs
26:25and nails a pair of four-centimeter-long fangs
26:28and nails a pair of four-centimeter-long fangs
26:31with which he injects a powerful poison
26:34that paralyzes his prey.
26:37that paralyzes his prey.
26:40Then he pumps a cocktail of digestive juices
26:43to break down the body tissues of his victim.
26:46Then he pumps a cocktail of digestive juices
26:49to break down the body tissues of his victim.
26:52Finally, he uses his suction cup
26:55to absorb the liquefied entrails
26:58as if he were drinking a soup.
27:01to absorb the liquefied entrails
27:04as if he were drinking a soup.
27:07He will feed himself for the next 24 hours
27:10and then he will be ready to continue his search for a partner.
27:16As the sun rises over the jungle's canopy
27:19as the sun rises over the jungle's canopy
27:22Tarantula feels at home in the area
27:25that surrounds his tiny pond.
27:34But his new plot suffers an infestation.
27:37But his new plot suffers an infestation.
27:40Poisonous ants.
27:43Fortunately, he knows how to deal with the problem.
27:46Fortunately, he knows how to deal with the problem.
27:49He can chew 14 ants every hour.
28:04Chewing on poisonous insects is not an easy task.
28:07Chewing on poisonous insects is not an easy task.
28:10But Tarantula feels a predilection for spicy food
28:13But Tarantula feels a predilection for spicy food
28:16and deliberately searches for ants, mites and termites
28:19and deliberately searches for ants, mites and termites
28:22plagued with formic acid.
28:31His body distills the toxins
28:34to make himself deadly poisonous
28:37to any possible predator.
28:49It's a clever defense strategy.
28:52It's a clever defense strategy.
28:59But it only works if your enemies know they shouldn't eat you.
29:02But it only works if your enemies know they shouldn't eat you.
29:07But it only works if your enemies know they shouldn't eat you.
29:23After his successful courtship with a female,
29:26Rana has plenty of reasons to keep his plot free of intruders.
29:29Rana has plenty of reasons to keep his plot free of intruders.
29:33A beautiful nest of eggs
29:36that he will diligently take care of for the next two weeks.
29:39that he will diligently take care of for the next two weeks.
29:42Enough time for them to hatch and become quail eggs.
29:45Enough time for them to hatch and become quail eggs.
29:48If Rana manages to protect it,
29:51his little pond will become a nursery.
30:02While Rana defends his territory,
30:05Jaguar continues to search tirelessly for his own.
30:08Jaguar continues to search tirelessly for his own.
30:23He hasn't been lucky enough to find an unoccupied plot.
30:26He hasn't been lucky enough to find an unoccupied plot.
30:29He has been taken back to the sand bank,
30:32a privileged hunting ground.
30:47Jaguars communicate with each other,
30:50leaving marks of acrid odor all over their distribution area.
30:53leaving marks of acrid odor all over their distribution area.
30:56Jaguar can smell that this area
30:59is being used by an older male.
31:02is being used by an older male.
31:05the smell of his opponent on this bank of the river is fresh.
31:08the smell of his opponent on this bank of the river is fresh.
31:11but there is a possibility
31:14that the opposite shore is unoccupied.
31:26The jaguar is the strongest swimmer of all the great felines.
31:31And with the river so low, it is a short journey.
31:57Caimán is not the only one to monitor all his movements.
32:20The male, established in the area, has seen him,
32:23and also claims this shore.
32:27Jaguars rarely fight for a territory.
32:30A wound could prevent them from successfully hunting,
32:34and translate into a death sentence.
32:37That's why they follow a very simple rule.
32:40The one who finds it, keeps it.
32:43But the jaguar has some options in its favor,
32:46and has calculated that it is worth fighting for this hunting quota.
32:51Jaguar keeps its back to the grass, measuring its rival.
33:05A ligament located behind its nostrils,
33:08vibrates to produce a guttural grunt.
33:12A ligament located behind its nostrils,
33:15vibrates to produce a guttural grunt.
33:22It's a last warning.
33:32Jaguar attacks.
33:35Its 5-centimeter claws,
33:37hardly reach the soft belly of its opponent.
33:50Its rival does not retreat.
33:55And Jaguar launches with both claws.
33:58Maneuvering to maintain a strategic position,
34:01Jaguar attacks again.
34:03With its head and body glued to the ground,
34:06it assists its opponent.
34:08A powerful vertical blow.
34:18Its rival intuits that Jaguar is not willing to surrender.
34:22Jaguar attacks again.
34:24Its rival intuits that Jaguar is not willing to surrender.
34:30To avoid serious injuries, it chooses to retreat.
34:36Jaguar's bet has paid off.
34:40Now that it has claimed this hunting quota,
34:45its chances of survival will improve substantially.
34:51For an inexperienced young man,
34:53it will not be easy to maintain this territory.
34:57But Jaguar has shown that it has the strength and courage
35:00necessary to match its rivals.
35:21The nocturnal tarantula is so focused on its mission
35:25to find a female,
35:27that it continues to come out in broad daylight.
35:33It has been wandering the jungle for three days.
35:39Attracted by the persistent smell of a possible partner,
35:43it has ventured more than a kilometer from its burrow.
35:50Coatí and its flock have been fed on fresh figs,
35:54but the fruit is not the only dish on its menu.
36:00Coatí is an opportunistic omnivore.
36:04It spends 90% of the day looking for food.
36:11And its powerful sense of smell is designed to look for anything edible.
36:21Tarantula must proceed cautiously.
36:26Its vision may be limited,
36:29but it is capable of perceiving a deadly threat.
36:34Coatí's refined senses also sense a tingle
36:38and detect the presence of a spider.
36:43Tarantula retreats to a hiding place.
36:47Trusting that Coatí will follow its path.
36:55But it will not let a mouthful of protein pass so easily.
37:17Tarantula raises its head and legs
37:21and exposes its fangs full of venom.
37:29However, Coatí does not let himself be intimidated
37:34and hits the spider with its front legs.
37:40Tarantula enters combat mode.
37:42It turns and points its rear towards Coatí.
37:46Using its hind legs,
37:49it launches a swarm of microscopic hairs,
37:52each of them equipped with a piercing claw.
38:02These settle in Coatí's fur,
38:05causing a strong itch and intense irritation.
38:09While it scratches,
38:12Tarantula takes advantage of the opportunity to escape.
38:20It has been discovered.
38:24Spotted by the spider's defenses,
38:27Coatí attacks with even more force.
38:30With its extended legs,
38:33it continuously slaps Tarantula,
38:35and then makes it roll,
38:38trying to rip off the irritating hairs from its body
38:42to turn it into a more appetizing snack.
38:47But the hairs, like tarantula fangs,
38:50infiltrate its fur.
38:57Finally, it manages to escape.
39:06While Tarantula and Coatí take different paths,
39:10the frog's plan is to stay where it is.
39:14Its territory, won with so much effort,
39:18is now all its world.
39:21And in the epicenter is its home.
39:25It is its home.
39:28It is its home.
39:30It is now all its world.
39:33And in the epicenter is its nest of eggs.
39:38Now, a few days after hatching,
39:41but as the forest continues to dry up,
39:44the wet puddles suitable to house the eggs of a female
39:48are increasingly scarce,
39:51which makes the frog's plot even more attractive to outsiders.
39:56And the invaders are approaching.
40:01In the meantime,
40:04a male makes his call,
40:07announcing that he wants this territory.
40:11He would gladly eat the frog's eggs for breakfast.
40:15Frog has fought with Inca for this place.
40:18He will do whatever is necessary to dissuade the intruder.
40:25He leads a salvo of repetitive crows towards his rival,
40:29not only intense, but synchronized with precision.
40:37The intruder,
40:40with the help of the male,
40:43is able to escape.
40:45His calls coincide in volume and tone
40:49with the signal of the intruder.
40:52The message is clear.
40:55I am bigger than you,
40:58and stronger too.
41:05But the intruder does not let himself be intimidated.
41:09Frog accelerates his attack.
41:11His warning signal increases in volume and depth.
41:19But his rival remains firm.
41:22The fight is served.
41:30It will be a test of resistance.
41:33A test of strength.
41:36A test of courage.
41:38It will be a test of resistance.
41:41A battle to the extenuation.
41:54The intruder separates momentarily
41:57and then swings on the frog.
42:01Both contenders desperately try to gain an advantage.
42:05Turning over each other over and over again.
42:21Frog is trapped.
42:25The long arms of his opponent
42:28squeeze him, suffocating him.
42:35The frog's legacy hangs by a thread.
42:44More than an hour has passed,
42:47but neither of them is willing to give in.
42:51The time has come for the frog to execute his special key.
42:55Using his sticky fingers,
42:58he applies an immobilization maneuver to his rival,
43:02and with his last energy reserves,
43:05he executes a final sweeping key.
43:21His opponent is completely exhausted.
43:30Frog is also tired,
43:33but he has managed to protect his eggs.
43:36He is the undisputed champion of this small plot of forest.
43:42And under the attentive gaze of his father,
43:45this new generation of arrow frogs
43:47now has a chance of survival.
43:57On the river bank,
44:00Frog patrols his new territory.
44:10His defeated rival has left him alone
44:13and can concentrate on looking for food.
44:18The trees that hang over the river bank
44:21provide him with an ideal cover to hunt.
44:24It is the perfect place to launch an ambush
44:27at any prey that hides under the water.
44:31The wide, padded legs of the frog
44:34allow him to walk almost in absolute silence
44:37in order not to alert his potential victim.
44:40He is the only one who has the ability
44:43to see and hear.
44:45He needs to find a way out
44:48with a clear view of the water.
44:58It is known that frogs capture caimans
45:01up to three meters long.
45:04But they are a dangerous prey.
45:07The defensive bite of a caiman
45:10can cause serious injuries
45:12or even death.
45:19The eyes in the shape of a caiman's turret
45:22are located above the floating line,
45:25but their vision has a weak point,
45:28a blind spot located behind it.
45:34The indigenous name of the jaguar
45:37means the one who kills with a jump.
45:43Its strategy is to jump on the caiman
45:46and give him a pungent bite in the skull.
45:52It extends its hind legs
45:55like huge muscular springs
45:58that push it more than three meters in the air.
46:03But between the dense vegetation,
46:06the jaguar misses the blow.
46:09The caiman reacts in an instant.
46:12It catches the jaguar, turns its tail
46:15and throws it in a deadly turn
46:18to try to drag it under the water.
46:30The jaguar is an expert consumer
46:33in holding his breath.
46:35But the caiman can remain submerged
46:38for up to an hour.
46:42The jaguar finds a point of support
46:45to breathe, but both animals are tired.
46:55The thick skin of the caiman
46:58is one of the hardest in the animal kingdom,
47:01but the jaguar grabs it with force,
47:04and drags it slowly to the shore.
47:13In shallow waters,
47:16the jaguar uses its muscular jaws
47:19to make a final crushing bite
47:22that crushes the caiman's skull.
47:34It is a huge prey
47:37that will feed it for many days,
47:40looking for the energy it needs
47:43to patrol and mark this new territory.
47:49If it can stay here
47:52during the rainy season,
47:55it will have many chances to find a mate.
48:04On the other side of the forest,
48:07the marathon of tarantulas has come to an end.
48:10The female it has been following
48:13has welcomed it into its burrow.
48:16But the danger is not over.
48:20It is likely that it will end up being
48:23its post-coital aperitif,
48:26but that is how things are in the jungle.
48:33As the curtain of the dry season comes down,
48:39the river thickens its banks.
48:42The remaining caimans can escape
48:45from the confines of their territorial ponds
48:48and disperse once again.
48:52The rains are a relief for the arrow frog.
48:56The forest floor is flooded
48:59with puddles that attract the attention of other males,
49:01keeping them away from their territory.
49:07Their parental duties are about to come to an end.
49:11The mother of the caimans will soon return
49:14to gently transport each of her young
49:17to their own puddles.
49:20When they reach maturity,
49:23they will also enter this sand
49:26to fight for their own piece of territory
49:28in the great river of the jungle.