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l'm going on a journey from some
of the world's highest mountains...

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deep into the heart
of its mightiest jungle...

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The Amazon...

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the biggest rainforest in the world
and the biggest river.

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This is one of the greatest
treasure-troves of life

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and one of the wettest places on earth.

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The Amazon - like all jungles,
is locked in an intense struggle with one

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of the greatest forces on the planet...
water.

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This is a Waterworld
on an awesome scale...

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A fifth of all the world's fresh water
flows through the Amazon.

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lt has 5 times the volume of water
as the Congo,

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and more than 1 0 times
the volume of the Mississippi.

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More water flows through
the Amazon in a single day

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than the Thames drains in a whole year!

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ln fact,
200 million litres every second...

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But water is only half the Amazon's story;
the forest is the other.

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Together they make up
a vast jungle and river system,

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spanning 9 countries of South America.

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lt's an epic setting for a great drama...

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This is the story of how water has the
power to create life and to destroy it -

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constantly transforming
the greatest jungle on earth.

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A fifth of all the world's plant
species live here...

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alongside one in 1 0 mammals...
and a quarter of all birds.

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There are more kinds of fish here

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than in all of Europe
and North America's rivers combined...

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And there are monsters too... this is
the anaconda, the world's largest snake...

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And tucked away in these sleepy backwaters

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are some of the Amazon's
best-kept secrets...

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Otters... but not as we know them!

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These are giant river otters,
up to 2 metres long!

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This waterworld is so unusual
and so full of surprises that here,

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nearly 3000 km from the nearest ocean,
there are even Jungle dolphins.

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While rivers are a magnet
for many animals,

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secluded pools and streams offer
a window into the heart of the forest,

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giving us tantalising glimpses of some
of its most secretive inhabitants.

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But there's one kind of water that's
essential to everything that lives here.

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lt's rain, the sprinkler system
of the entire forest...

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This is the lifeblood
of all rainforests....

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the reason that this lush,
vibrant jungle can exist,

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and support so many kinds of animals.

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And while in most places rain is measured
in millimetres or centimetres,

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here in the Amazon
it's measured in metres.

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But why does it rain in the rainforest?

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You might think it's just part of the
weather system here... but it isn't.

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The forest itself can make rain...

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...and it's trees like this
that make it possible...

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Each of these trees may suck up
hundreds of litres of water every day,

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but they only use some of it.

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The rest goes back into
the atmosphere as water vapour...

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released through tiny pores
on their leaves.

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lt's as if the trees are breathing out...
and the best time to see it is at dawn.

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lt's wonderful and it's not
just the view that's spectacular,

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but these swirling mists...
which are the breath of the forest,

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the water vapour that the trees
themselves have created overnight...

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Winds blow the vapour out
across the canopy,

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collecting more moisture as they go...

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This saturated air is then
carried far out over the forest,

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until it falls again as rain...

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New trees suck up the rainwater...
and so the cycle continues...

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The forest acts as a giant
conveyor belt of moisture,

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travelling right across a continent...

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ln fact, half of all the rainwater

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that falls here in the Amazon
is down to the trees themselves.

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The scale of the system
is simply staggering,

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this forest is so big
it creates its own climate.

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A single droplet of water
can take an incredible trip...

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lt might be recycled through dozens
of different trees and downpours,

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and travel more than 3000 kilometres...

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before it reaches
the heights of the Andes.

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Winds from the Atlantic ocean
blow the water vapour westward,

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watering the whole Amazon
basin as it goes,

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until finally it reaches
an impassable barrier of mountains...

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l'm high up in the Peruvian Andes,
far removed from hot, steamy jungles...

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But these mountains hold the key
to the waters of the Amazon.

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The water that the jungle trees
recycle ends up here,

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cooled and collected by the mountains
in the form of mist and cloud...

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This ensures that none
of the precious water is lost...

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instead, the clouds build until
the mountain slopes are covered in fog...

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l never imagined that the Amazon
would bring me to a place like this...

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it's cold and damp
and can feel just like winter.

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But the real surprise is that
these windswept moors mark the place

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where the Amazon jungle
itself starts to grow...

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lt's a mysterious forest...

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where many plants absorb more water
from the air than from the ground!

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And it's up in
these mountain cloud forests

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that the mighty Amazon river begins too...
up to 4000 metres above sea level.

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This is where l really start
my journey through the Amazon...

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in a secret garden
of mosses and lichens...

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home to the real life Paddington Bear...

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They're actually called spectacled bears -
and it's easy to see why!

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They range all across the Andes,
including, of course, darkest Peru!

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They're real cloud forest specialists...

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but, unlike Paddington, they don't need
red wellies and duffle coats to survive.

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Their dense fur keeps out
the cold and damp.

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Cloud forests really live up to their
name, they're soaking... all year round.

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lt's just dripping with moisture,

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it's the wettest kind of forest
there is and underfoot it's so soggy,

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it's like walking across a bog.

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And this is what makes
the cloud forest so important.

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By absorbing water from the clouds
and trapping it in the soil,

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it acts as a kind of giant sponge...

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collecting water for
the whole Amazon system.

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This makes the cloud forest a paradise
for plants... and rather surprisingly

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it's the natural home of many
of our beloved garden flowers.

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Like begonias! Or fuchsias.

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But no chance of such exotic
visitors in my garden!

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Here's one flower you probably don't
grow back at home - an Angel's trumpet -

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with its own personal pollinator,
the sword-billed hummingbird.

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ln this cloudy light,
plants need to make sure

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they're not overlooked by
pollinating birds and insects...

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So some - like these orchids -
are among the most vivid,

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flamboyant flowers in the world...

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Cloud forests really
are super saturated...

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it can rain any day of the year...
but too much water can be a problem.

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So most of the plants here have waxy,
water-resistant leaves,

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complete with gutters and drip tips
to drain away excess rain...

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So much rain falls in the cloud forest -
up to 7 metres a year -

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that even this giant sponge
can't possibly absorb it all...

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And as water is constantly on the move,

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there's only one way for it
to go and that's down...

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As it trickles and cascades and
flows through these mountains,

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it very gradually wears down the rocks,
picking up minerals and nutrients...

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This liquid fertiliser

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is then washed downstream to trees
thousands of kilometres away.

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The Andes don't just collect water
for the Amazon forests -

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they provide plant food too.

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Just look what happens when these mountain
streams get faster and join forces!

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These are water features
we could only dream of...

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Amazingly, some creatures,
like these torrent ducks,

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spend their whole lives
on a permanent white water ride!

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Right from the moment they leave the nest,

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these little ducklings teeter
on the brink of being washed away...

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But somehow these tiny tots learn how
to duck and dive and beat the current...

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and they're not alone...

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What were once gentle streams
are now raging torrents...

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...from now on, we go by river...

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And the best way to appreciate the sheer
force of this water... is to ride it...

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And by the way, this is the dry season...

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the river's only running
at quarter of full flow!

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Thousands of waterways like this
pour down from all across the Andes,

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trading the cool mountain cloud forests
for the hothouse of the lowlands...

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...slowing down and spilling out
across the great Amazon basin.

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Down here is what we really think
of as the jungle...

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...thousands of kilometres of dark,
impenetrable forest...

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This is the jungle of legend!

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Home to fabulous creatures...
and untold dangers...

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Now at last it's time for me
to explore the forest itself...

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This is great...
look at the size of some of these trees;

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it's nature at its most exuberant.

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Looking up at the canopy
it's like looking at a cathedral...

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And once you've got your eye
in you see strange surprises everywhere.

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Some scientists believe
a third of the world's insects

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and other creepy crawlies
live in the Amazon.

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There are so many,
most don't even have a name.

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Even air is full of life...

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butterflies like these handsome heliconias
are one of the Amazon's highlights...

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This is a morpho...

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But where there's beauty,
there are also beasts!

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This wealth of insects makes fast food
for hunters, like the Saddleback tamarin.

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But in the jungle, it's wise to watch what you pu

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and there are some small creatures
you should just leave well alone...

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This is a poison arrow frog.

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lt's called that because
its skin makes poison

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which the local lndians
use to tip their arrows...

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There's one kind in Colombia,

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which is so poisonous
it'll kill you if you touch it.

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This brilliant diversity of life
is all around.

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The Amazon is so vast and so varied,
even the water comes in different colours.

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Clear water streams like this...

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White water, full of sediment,
that makes it look like chocolate.

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And perhaps -
most remarkable of all - black water...

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lt's just like tea because of all
the tannins dissolved from dead leaves...

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And different kinds of water
mean different kinds of fish...

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This is the natural home of many fish
we'd normally see in an aquarium...

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Red-tailed catfish use their
long 'whiskers' to feel their way

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through the dark or murky water.

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And hatchet fish lurk
just below the surface,

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ready to flip out if danger threatens!

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ln black water,
cardinal tetras need bright colours

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to keep track of other members
of their shoal.

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And gangs of angelfish hang out
around the tangled roots

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and branches for protective camouflage.

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Back on land giant jungle tree
are also havens for life...

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...for the harpy eagle and the toucanette

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these old boughs
offer a secure nest site...

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...and larger animals,
like the coati and the tamandua,

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feel safe in the treetops too.

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But even the mightiest trees
are vulnerable.

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Rainforest rivers are dangerously
unpredictable, especially when in flood...

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This cutting edge can swallow
25 metres of riverbank each year...

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Wrenching the giants of the forest
to their deaths.

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And this is the aftermath...
it's like a crashed space-rocket,

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and where once this tree would have
played a vital role in the forest,

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now all it is, is food for termites.

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This is a drama played out over and over
throughout the whole Amazon basin.

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As l get further downstream,

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the sheer numbers of tree carcasses
make the rivers dangerous to navigate...

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lt's yet another stark reminder...
of the power of water.

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The rivers form huge cliffs
as whole slices of the forest disappear...

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This destruction isn't all bad -

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it creates the venue for the biggest
and most raucous of all jungle parties!

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Enormous flocks of parrots
and macaws are gathering,

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attracted by a very special kind
of party food...

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The sky is full of birds...
More and more keep coming...

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There are hundreds and hundreds of parrots
in lines along the seams of minerals.

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The reason for this gathering is
that these birds eat seeds,

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which are laced with
highly poisonous toxins.

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Clay and minerals found in
these cliffs are a lifesaving antidote.

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lt must taste nice

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because there does seem to be quite
a lot of bickering over lumps of clay.

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l love the way they come in,
calling as though greeting each other...

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These get-togethers are
just as much about socialising.

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As one scientist put it, you don't just
go down to the pub because you're thirsty.

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Couples stay faithful
to each other all their lives

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and the chicks actually remain with
their parents for two or three years.

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l can really understand
why people like having them as pets,

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they are so beautiful
and intelligent and friendly,

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but this is the way l like to see them,

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socialising with
each other and flying free.

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The clay these birds love is exposed
by swollen rivers sweeping by...

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But the same force that cuts
the cliffs on one side of the river

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has the opposite effect on the other...

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00:24:44,015 --> 00:24:47,815
Here, instead of destroying the land,
the river helps create it,

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producing some rather
unexpected scenery...

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Although this is a riverside, you'd be
forgiven for thinking you were by the sea.

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There are beaches in the Amazon - but
they're not your average holiday beach.

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00:25:13,712 --> 00:25:17,204
Stingrays a metre across hunt
in the shallows and caiman lurk,

228
00:25:17,549 --> 00:25:21,645
waiting to take anything
that comes for a drink.

229
00:25:24,122 --> 00:25:28,923
But once a year, thousands of visitors
can hit these jungle beaches...

230
00:25:30,662 --> 00:25:36,225
the world's largest freshwater turtles
haul up en masse to lay their eggs.

231
00:25:40,338 --> 00:25:47,039
Each female may lay up to 1 00, but both
eggs and turtles are a local delicacy,

232
00:25:47,846 --> 00:25:51,475
so today these gatherings
are becoming increasingly rare.

233
00:26:01,693 --> 00:26:05,322
And it's not just egg thieves
that pose a problem for the turtles...

234
00:26:06,331 --> 00:26:08,799
Breeding here is a race against time...

235
00:26:09,234 --> 00:26:13,864
the eggs must hatch before the wet season
floods wash the beaches away...

236
00:26:18,243 --> 00:26:24,182
Turtles are powerless to stop this...
but jungle plants fight back,

237
00:26:24,783 --> 00:26:27,115
mounting a military style campaign...

238
00:26:30,555 --> 00:26:35,583
Tessaria plants are in the front line in
the fight to claim back new territory...

239
00:26:39,364 --> 00:26:43,824
These paratrooper plants
invade as airborne seeds...

240
00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:48,733
lt's the dry season,
the enemy is at its weakest,

241
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,368
so this is their chance
to entrench their position.

242
00:26:55,180 --> 00:26:59,810
These tiny plants are vital -
where they lead, others can follow...

243
00:27:02,053 --> 00:27:06,490
Next, reinforcements arrive...
Massed ranks of cane...

244
00:27:06,958 --> 00:27:10,485
like the infantry,
which help to consolidate the position.

245
00:27:11,529 --> 00:27:15,431
And behind them the heavy guns...
cecropia trees.

246
00:27:16,368 --> 00:27:18,996
Each wave of plants
creates the right conditions

247
00:27:19,170 --> 00:27:24,733
for the next to germinate and grow...
until finally, the jungle wins the battle.

248
00:27:28,246 --> 00:27:29,770
But it doesn't win the war...

249
00:27:34,853 --> 00:27:37,117
Although the trees reoccupy the beaches,

250
00:27:37,422 --> 00:27:39,947
it's the rivers
that are really in control.

251
00:27:41,226 --> 00:27:46,459
They're always on the move - meandering
in giant loops across the floodplain...

252
00:27:56,941 --> 00:28:03,505
Nothing stays the same... the waterways
constantly redesign the jungle tapestry.

253
00:28:08,953 --> 00:28:12,047
But rather than leaving
behind a trail of destruction,

254
00:28:12,457 --> 00:28:14,391
they create tranquil lakes...

255
00:28:15,093 --> 00:28:19,257
forgotten cul-de-sacs that
have their own special character.

256
00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:26,265
Known as 'oxbow' lakes,
they're really stranded river bends,

257
00:28:26,638 --> 00:28:30,574
left behind when the main river
cuts through the neck of an old loop.

258
00:28:34,612 --> 00:28:37,172
ln contrast to the turbulence
of river life,

259
00:28:37,415 --> 00:28:39,747
these lakes are still and peaceful...

260
00:28:41,019 --> 00:28:44,216
sanctuaries for all kinds
of animals and birds...

261
00:28:46,057 --> 00:28:52,860
...fishing holes for egrets...
cormorants... and snake birds.

262
00:29:02,407 --> 00:29:07,811
Here l'm hoping for a glimpse
of something really special... yes!

263
00:29:08,213 --> 00:29:10,511
There they are... giant river otters!

264
00:29:21,025 --> 00:29:23,960
They're spending a lot of time
milling around this area,

265
00:29:24,395 --> 00:29:26,329
so the den is probably close by.

266
00:29:32,270 --> 00:29:33,760
They live in extended families,

267
00:29:34,506 --> 00:29:37,634
where older youngsters help
to look after the babies.

268
00:29:41,679 --> 00:29:43,647
lt's only actually
when they get out of the water

269
00:29:43,815 --> 00:29:45,976
that you appreciate the size of them.

270
00:29:46,918 --> 00:29:51,355
The adults are up to about 35 kilos,
that's a very big otter.

271
00:29:57,562 --> 00:30:00,224
Some people call the otters
'wolves of the river'...

272
00:30:00,865 --> 00:30:05,268
and like their namesakes, they're
skilled hunters that work in packs.

273
00:30:24,823 --> 00:30:28,782
They are such graceful swimmers
and wonderfully agile hunters,

274
00:30:29,527 --> 00:30:32,325
they make catching
prey seem like pure fun...

275
00:30:42,774 --> 00:30:46,471
Sadly, families of otters
like this are a rare sight today.

276
00:30:46,945 --> 00:30:50,608
They were nearly hunted to extinction
for their thick waterproof fur.

277
00:30:51,683 --> 00:30:52,809
Now though, they're protected,

278
00:30:53,151 --> 00:30:56,143
so hopefully,
their future should start to look better.

279
00:31:06,531 --> 00:31:08,465
But like everything else
in this waterworld,

280
00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:11,894
the otters will have to adapt
to a changing environment.

281
00:31:12,604 --> 00:31:14,902
Their tranquil lakes won't last forever...

282
00:31:21,412 --> 00:31:25,473
Swamp palms often mark the old location
of a dried up oxbow lake.

283
00:31:27,218 --> 00:31:31,621
Like all rainforest plants,
the palms fight for a space to grow in...

284
00:31:32,323 --> 00:31:36,521
and the shallow edges of the lakes
are a soft target for invasion...

285
00:31:37,595 --> 00:31:39,529
Slowly but surely they move in,

286
00:31:39,898 --> 00:31:44,062
until the lake is transformed,
ending up as a palm swamp...

287
00:31:47,438 --> 00:31:51,272
The fruit of these aguahe palms
are a favourite of jungle animals.

288
00:31:52,010 --> 00:31:54,103
But they provide much more than food.

289
00:31:56,748 --> 00:31:59,273
They're known locally as the Tree of Life,

290
00:31:59,751 --> 00:32:02,811
but even in their death they're very useful.

291
00:32:03,888 --> 00:32:09,349
Dead palms are like derelict buildings and
squatters are quick to take advantage...

292
00:32:11,095 --> 00:32:13,529
These house hunters -
blue and gold macaws -

293
00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:16,290
are always on the lookout
for a cosy nest site,

294
00:32:16,701 --> 00:32:20,159
and the hollow trunks
of rotting palms are perfect.

295
00:32:24,475 --> 00:32:26,136
Security is top priority...

296
00:32:26,377 --> 00:32:29,039
it takes a month for the mother
to incubate her eggs

297
00:32:29,380 --> 00:32:32,577
and then almost another three months
for the chicks to fledge.

298
00:32:38,856 --> 00:32:41,290
And with prime real estate
in such short supply,

299
00:32:41,492 --> 00:32:44,620
the parents can't even afford
to trust their neighbours...

300
00:32:45,496 --> 00:32:48,829
Rogue pairs would kill
to get their foot in the door!

301
00:32:50,568 --> 00:32:54,561
So if you're a macaw with an ideal home,
you guard it well!

302
00:32:57,575 --> 00:33:00,169
The macaws can't rely
on these dwellings forever;

303
00:33:00,745 --> 00:33:03,737
this area is earmarked
for redevelopment...

304
00:33:04,482 --> 00:33:06,712
The forest is taking over.

305
00:33:10,154 --> 00:33:14,215
lt's the final chapter
in this water-driven cycle of change.

306
00:33:19,030 --> 00:33:22,090
lt's incredible that a river
simply changing course

307
00:33:22,266 --> 00:33:26,566
can so dramatically transform
the whole landscape around it...

308
00:33:30,942 --> 00:33:35,402
And that means that the very spot
where l am standing can be:

309
00:33:35,613 --> 00:33:36,477
A forest

310
00:33:37,115 --> 00:33:37,740
A river

311
00:33:38,616 --> 00:33:40,049
A cliff

312
00:33:41,586 --> 00:33:42,382
A beach

313
00:33:43,921 --> 00:33:44,546
A lake

314
00:33:45,690 --> 00:33:46,247
A swamp

315
00:33:47,725 --> 00:33:50,558
And maybe eventually a forest again...

316
00:33:51,362 --> 00:33:57,323
And it's this incredibly dynamic system
that makes the Amazon so rich and diverse.

317
00:34:00,538 --> 00:34:02,369
ln a world where nothing's permanent,

318
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,900
the plants and animals
that live here have to be flexible...

319
00:34:08,980 --> 00:34:12,643
The rivers rule... and shape
the lives of everything around them.

320
00:34:21,592 --> 00:34:22,752
And it's only from the air

321
00:34:22,927 --> 00:34:27,227
that you can really get your head round
the true scope of the system as a whole...

322
00:34:27,832 --> 00:34:31,199
flying for hours
across a vast ocean of green...

323
00:34:45,249 --> 00:34:48,412
Thousands of tributaries snake
across this jungle,

324
00:34:49,454 --> 00:34:54,084
and eventually they all combine
to make one massive waterway...

325
00:34:54,692 --> 00:34:57,058
the mighty Amazon river itself...

326
00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:04,464
This is the largest flood plain
in the world,

327
00:35:05,002 --> 00:35:08,802
draining an area
almost the same size as Australia.

328
00:35:12,877 --> 00:35:15,641
The scale of it is just mind blowing...

329
00:35:16,981 --> 00:35:22,942
lt's 6,51 6 kilometres long,
and that's not even including the bends.

330
00:35:23,654 --> 00:35:27,181
And at points the banks
can be 1 1 kilometres apart.

331
00:35:29,193 --> 00:35:31,184
lt's the world's largest river.

332
00:35:33,164 --> 00:35:36,190
But it's not just the Amazon's
statistics that are huge -

333
00:35:36,434 --> 00:35:39,369
it's home to some real monsters too.

334
00:35:41,973 --> 00:35:45,101
This jumbo-sized fish is the pirarucu.

335
00:35:45,643 --> 00:35:49,773
lt can reach more than four metres
long and weigh a quarter of a ton -

336
00:35:50,548 --> 00:35:52,539
that's about the same as 4 of me!

337
00:35:57,321 --> 00:35:59,687
And this fish has a shocking reputation.

338
00:36:00,291 --> 00:36:02,088
lt's the giant electric eel,

339
00:36:02,260 --> 00:36:07,095
and it can generate up to 800 volts -
enough to kill a man.

340
00:36:13,938 --> 00:36:16,702
Black caiman also cruise these waters...

341
00:36:17,942 --> 00:36:22,504
but perhaps most spine chilling of all
is the world's largest snake...

342
00:36:23,381 --> 00:36:28,944
the anaconda, thicker than my waist...
and capable of swallowing me whole!

343
00:36:30,421 --> 00:36:32,616
Which is why l'm staying up here!

344
00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:40,253
There's one monster though,
even the mighty river can't withstand,

345
00:36:40,631 --> 00:36:43,600
and that's the fury
of the tropical wet season...

346
00:37:04,755 --> 00:37:09,215
ln the tropics there are just two seasons,
Wet and Dry.

347
00:37:16,968 --> 00:37:21,564
But the Amazon basin is so huge,
even if one part is drying out,

348
00:37:21,939 --> 00:37:25,102
somewhere within the river's
reach it's always raining.

349
00:37:30,147 --> 00:37:33,878
And when the wet season combines
with melt water from the Andes...

350
00:37:34,485 --> 00:37:37,249
even the Amazon river is overwhelmed...

351
00:37:40,825 --> 00:37:44,420
The result is flooding on a massive scale.

352
00:37:45,429 --> 00:37:47,522
But far from being a disaster,

353
00:37:48,132 --> 00:37:53,092
it produces the most amazing world
of all - the flooded forest.

354
00:37:56,974 --> 00:38:01,411
Around 1 20,000 square kilometres
of rainforest is submerged.

355
00:38:02,079 --> 00:38:07,016
This doesn't happen anywhere else -
it's the largest flood on earth.

356
00:38:11,622 --> 00:38:17,083
lt's a surreal, fantastic place where
one world suddenly becomes another...

357
00:38:20,331 --> 00:38:23,494
For half the year this forest
is much like any other,

358
00:38:24,201 --> 00:38:29,764
but for the other half it's a topsy-turvy
world that's stranger than fiction.

359
00:38:31,409 --> 00:38:34,037
The trees are adapted to spend
six months of the year

360
00:38:34,345 --> 00:38:36,973
standing in up to 20 metres of water.

361
00:38:44,789 --> 00:38:47,383
Fish swim where flowers once grew...

362
00:38:50,294 --> 00:38:52,592
And a whole cast of forest creatures -

363
00:38:52,997 --> 00:38:56,956
from the tapir to the armadillo -
has to sink or swim!

364
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:09,810
The three-toed sloth now has to doggy
paddle when it wants to change tree...

365
00:39:19,557 --> 00:39:23,084
While the water-loving jaguar
has a more graceful style...

366
00:39:26,731 --> 00:39:29,894
And smaller creatures have
emergency procedures too.

367
00:39:30,434 --> 00:39:34,962
Fire ants link legs to make a raft
and float their young to safety.

368
00:39:40,945 --> 00:39:44,346
Anything that can climb heads upwards,
to the treetops...

369
00:40:03,434 --> 00:40:06,562
Meanwhile, great shoals of fish
invade the flooded trees...

370
00:40:07,104 --> 00:40:08,799
with all this brand new territory,

371
00:40:09,039 --> 00:40:13,908
it's bonanza time to feed and breed...
a whole new world.

372
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,120
Fish take over the diet
of the forest animals,

373
00:40:25,356 --> 00:40:28,223
plucking stranded insects
from the water surface...

374
00:40:42,306 --> 00:40:44,866
But it's not just fish
that take advantage of the floods.

375
00:40:45,443 --> 00:40:48,537
Many trees release their fruit
and seeds during this time...

376
00:40:53,584 --> 00:40:58,214
Some float away to colonise new areas,
while others become fish food...

377
00:41:06,831 --> 00:41:09,391
Some fish help to disperse the seeds...

378
00:41:09,967 --> 00:41:13,801
a job that in a 'normal' forest
would be done by animals,

379
00:41:14,104 --> 00:41:15,799
like monkeys and toucans.

380
00:41:16,707 --> 00:41:19,403
But then, this is no ordinary jungle...

381
00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:29,010
Here, there's even the fish
equivalent of a parrot...

382
00:41:29,286 --> 00:41:33,620
the pacu, which can crack nuts
with its beak-like jaws...

383
00:41:43,033 --> 00:41:45,558
These waters may look cool and calm...

384
00:41:46,003 --> 00:41:48,563
but, believe me,
you don't want to take a dip!

385
00:41:50,007 --> 00:41:51,804
There are lots of piranha in here.

386
00:41:55,179 --> 00:41:59,479
Actually, piranhas aren't quite
the bloodthirsty killers you might think.

387
00:42:00,885 --> 00:42:03,251
They're only dangerous
if there's blood in the water,

388
00:42:03,621 --> 00:42:06,249
or if they get trapped
somewhere without enough food...

389
00:42:07,858 --> 00:42:09,723
But if they're hungry and overcrowded,

390
00:42:10,027 --> 00:42:13,963
just a whiff of blood
can spark a feeding frenzy...

391
00:42:28,479 --> 00:42:30,538
But even the piranhas
have their enemies...

392
00:42:36,487 --> 00:42:40,685
The packed shoals are juicy mouthfuls
for the caiman's crushing jaws...

393
00:43:13,557 --> 00:43:17,323
Some hunters of the flooded forest
don't make such a splash, though,

394
00:43:18,195 --> 00:43:20,425
which makes them much
more difficult to see.

395
00:43:23,300 --> 00:43:24,995
l'm looking for one of the most surprising

396
00:43:25,169 --> 00:43:28,036
and enchanting creatures
in the entire Amazon...

397
00:43:30,274 --> 00:43:32,868
l've heard of an unusual way
of attracting them.

398
00:43:34,244 --> 00:43:37,179
l'm not entirely convinced,
but let's give it a go...

399
00:43:49,293 --> 00:43:52,558
The reason l'm splashing the water
and whistling and playing music,

400
00:43:52,896 --> 00:43:57,356
is that l am trying to lure one of the
most mysterious animals in the Amazon...

401
00:43:58,168 --> 00:44:03,162
Apparently they are very curious and all
this noise should grab their attention...

402
00:44:09,513 --> 00:44:11,413
l'm not sure if this is quite their scene.

403
00:44:28,198 --> 00:44:30,029
No, still nothing.

404
00:44:37,708 --> 00:44:43,943
Well, this is obviously a hit... a glimpse
of a boto... a pink river dolphin!

405
00:44:46,684 --> 00:44:48,879
They just surfaced for a few seconds,

406
00:44:49,353 --> 00:44:53,687
which might be partly why they have
such an intriguing reputation.

407
00:44:55,626 --> 00:44:56,854
They're the stuff of Legends;

408
00:44:57,828 --> 00:45:01,924
local people here think that they might
whisk women off into the night...

409
00:45:08,172 --> 00:45:08,900
l can't resist...

410
00:45:09,373 --> 00:45:12,536
l'm just going to have to go and see
if l can get a closer look...

411
00:45:19,450 --> 00:45:21,111
The water's dark and murky,

412
00:45:21,552 --> 00:45:25,818
but the dolphins use echolocation to sense
what's around them with sound.

413
00:45:26,990 --> 00:45:31,256
And their flexible necks help them
scan from side to side.

414
00:45:36,333 --> 00:45:37,857
So they know what's going on...

415
00:45:38,469 --> 00:45:42,997
But l've got no idea where they are...
so they can easily catch me out.

416
00:45:50,247 --> 00:45:52,442
And they certainly have
no problem catching fish.

417
00:46:11,401 --> 00:46:13,426
They do look almost
ghostly in the gloom...

418
00:46:14,138 --> 00:46:17,801
l'm not surprised the botos
have such a magical reputation!

419
00:46:31,155 --> 00:46:38,926
Well, despite my top DJ mix, that's about
all you get, just a tantalising glimpse.

420
00:46:50,741 --> 00:46:56,611
The flooded forest is truly unique... and
an extraordinary ending to my journey...

421
00:46:59,216 --> 00:47:03,175
Everything living here has
to survive incredible extremes...

422
00:47:05,088 --> 00:47:08,489
Where else do trees swap
flocks of birds for fish?

423
00:47:12,029 --> 00:47:15,931
But the flooded forest is
just one part of the Amazon.

424
00:47:18,335 --> 00:47:22,635
This massive rainforest,
fed by towering mountains...

425
00:47:23,006 --> 00:47:25,770
creates a gigantic cradle of life...

426
00:47:26,410 --> 00:47:29,345
with more variety than
anywhere else on earth.

427
00:47:36,553 --> 00:47:41,547
Driven by clouds... sculpted by rivers...

428
00:47:42,526 --> 00:47:44,926
...and transformed by floods...

429
00:47:46,330 --> 00:47:49,788
...this is a waterworld
that spans a continent.

430
00:47:52,903 --> 00:47:55,531
Millions of animals
and plants depend on it.

431
00:47:57,107 --> 00:48:01,203
But if we take away the trees,
the whole system will crumble...

432
00:48:01,678 --> 00:48:05,273
and the Amazon basin could dry out -
forever.

433
00:48:06,617 --> 00:48:08,551
Though that's just what we're doing.

434
00:48:09,019 --> 00:48:14,184
Each year, areas the size of whole
countries are being stripped of trees.

435
00:48:15,626 --> 00:48:20,620
And recently the pace of destruction
has increased to an alarming rate.

436
00:48:24,067 --> 00:48:28,094
lmagine if this waterworld and
all its life was turned to dust.

437
00:48:32,643 --> 00:48:37,512
For now at least, the Amazon is still the
biggest and richest rainforest on earth.

438
00:48:39,349 --> 00:48:41,943
The challenge is to keep it that way...