01x04 - The Gorilla

[bunniefuu]

[Tom Hiddleston]
Giant animals, living legends.

Fantastic creatures.

These are nature's big beasts.

But experience the world
from their perspective,

and you'll see it's not easy being huge.

[growls]

- The larger the animal...
- [growling]

...the higher the stakes

and the more epic the adventure.

[bird caws]

Twice the weight of a full-grown man.

A silverback gorilla is the largest
and strongest primate

on the planet.

[chatters, chest pounds]

His mighty chest beat travels
nearly a mile...

[chattering continues]

...even through dense jungle.

- [silverback gorilla roars]
- [animals chattering]

A warning to other males. Keep away.

[pounds chest]

- Meet Makumba...
- [chewing]

...one of the world's
best-studied lowland gorillas.

With one of the most impressive legacies
of any silverback.

He's lived and ruled far longer
than most males.

But now, at the ripe old age of 40,

his most powerful days are behind him.

[chatters]

The truth is, Makumba is past his prime.

So, he'll have to rely on more
than just his size

to remain king of the jungle.

[Makumba pounds chest]

Gorillas share 98% of our DNA.

And like us,
they live in tight-knit groups.

- [coos]
- [grumbles]

There's not much peace
for Makumba with a family like this.

One awkward adolescent.

Two toddlers, always up to no good.

[grumbles]

[grumbles]

And an adventurous six-month-old,
who needs constant watching.

[baby gorilla yelps]

Makumba's two females are on his back too.

[yelps]

Mothering is such a handful.

They need a dad who does more
than just show off.

[Makumba grunts]

Makumba must prove
he can still protect and provide.

Or they'll abandon him
for a younger, fitter male.

But leading a troop
is a big ask for any silverback,

especially here.

[growls]

[birds chirping]

The Congo basin is bigger than Alaska.

500 million acres
of rain forest and swamp.

It may look abundant...

but nutritious food
is surprisingly scarce.

[grunts]

[grunts]

Competition is fierce...

[chattering]

...and there are huge predators here
capable of k*lling giants.

[growls]

Now it's the dry season,

life is getting harder
for all forest creatures.

And it's the biggest animals

that have the greatest challenges
to overcome.

- [trumpets]
- [gorillas grunt]

The Congo is crisscrossed by hundreds
of thousands of miles of trails.

Created by the planet's
largest jungle animal.

[trumpets]

- [trumpets]
- [squeaks]

Forest elephants are a distinct species
from their savanna cousins.

Downward facing tusks
and a more compact frame

make it easier to move
through dense jungle.

Even so, hauling a three-ton body
burns a lot of fuel.

[elephant trumpets]

Finding 70 pounds of veg a day
may be easy.

- [chewing]
- But here, the plants fight back.

They lace their leaves
with stomach-irritating toxins.

So, with every mouthful,
the elephants get slowly sicker.

[grunts]

Thankfully, there is a place
where a remedy can be found.

But some elephants must travel
thousands of miles to reach it.

There's a long journey ahead.

[grunting]

[elephant trumpets]

[bird calls]

Makumba is also on the move.

[grunts]

Lowland gorillas may travel
over three miles a day in search of fruit.

[chattering]

With the biggest brain of any ape
and four decades of experience,

Makumba knows an area
five times the size of Central Park

like the back of his hand.

But gorillas get more forgetful with age.

[grunts]

And tire more easily.

Perhaps it's time for a pit stop.

[grunts]

Like elephants, gorillas need
vast quantities of vegetation.

Their big bellies act
as fermentation tanks...

helping to break down toxins
and extract the meager nutrition.

But digesting over 20 pounds
of greens a day has consequences.

[farting]

- [farting continues]
- [grunts]

Just sitting around eating leaves
doesn't cut it for a nursing mum.

She needs 8,000 calories a day.
Twice as much as a silverback.

Hard to find during the dry season.

There are richer rewards to be found
in this forest

if you can remember where to look.

[snorts]

[elephant trumpets]

Navigating this vast living maze
takes impressive intelligence.

With enormous ten-pound brains,

forest elephants learn exactly
which path to follow

to reach their favorite fruiting trees.

The problem is, during the dry season,
most are bare.

[elephant roars]

But not all.

Belly button fruit.

Five pounds of sugar-rich pulp.

Each the size...

of a bowling ball.

[grumbles]

Only the skin is so tough,
it's impossible to break in.

Unless you weigh as much as a truck.

[exhales]

Belly button fruit take a year to ripen
and only fall one at a time.

This big bull can't afford to hang around.

[grumbles]

Thankfully,
he has the power to force the issue.

A prize like this...

[grumbling, trumpeting]

...makes a detour worthwhile.

But to reach the antidote
for the toxic leaves,

he must get back on track.

And he's not alone.

Right across the Congo,

elephants are following paths
that all lead to the same place.

Many will pass through Makumba's home.

Elephants have poor eyesight
and are easily surprised.

Bumping into a beast ten times your size...

- [trumpets]
- ...is best avoided.

So Makumba heads off the beaten track.

[grunting]

But some dangers are harder to avoid.

[growls]

Rarely seen, the leopards here
are said to be the largest in Africa.

[growling]

Makumba knows the risk only too well.

One of his females still bears the scars
of a near-fatal attack.

But as long as a silverback
keeps his family close...

- [growl]
- [snorts]

[squealing]

[growling]

There's easier prey in the jungle.

[grunting, chattering]

As night falls, it's important
to find a safe place

- to bed down.
- [yawns]

Gorillas are too heavy to nest in trees,
so they usually sleep on the ground.

[heavy breathing]

Makumba keeps watch to protect his family

and ensure his giant genes live on.

The dry season has put his leadership
to the test.

But change is in the air.

Each year, millions of lightning bolts
strike the Congo.

[grunts]

Making it the most active region
on Earth for electrical storms.

There's promise of easier times
on the horizon.

[bird calling]

Makumba's earned a lie-in.

He's kept his family safe and led them
to a great spot for breakfast.

[chattering, grunting]

These chunks of mud
may not look like much...

- [chewing]
- ...but there's a treat hidden inside.

Termites.

As protein-packed as a piece of steak

and rich in the vitamins
and fats a nursing mum needs.

But termite mounds
are almost as hard as concrete.

Thankfully,
mighty Makumba is ready to lend a hand.

[snaps]

[snaps]

[snaps]

[chewing]

Once the feast is over,
it's time to move on.

Leading a family through the dry season
is a relentless challenge,

and Makumba isn't the only one struggling.

[bird calls]

[chatters]

A mandrill, the world's largest monkey.

[chewing]

A dominant male weighs
as much as a beer barrel.

[mandrill calls]

Three-and-a-half times heavier
than the females in his harem.

Pumped up with testosterone,
he's developed intimidating w*r paint,

a rather striking posterior...

and a very aggressive attitude.

[yelps]

Smaller, younger males
are swiftly dealt with.

[screeching]

- [roars]
- [screeches]

[screeching]

But far greater competition
is coming his way.

The dry season is mandrill mating time.

Families come together
to form super-troops

over a thousand strong.

The largest gathering of primates
in the natural world.

[grunting, chattering]

Now there are big males everywhere,
and they're after his females.

[grunts]

If he's to keep his harem,
he must prepare to fight.

[growls]

[all chattering, screeching]

Two-inch canines can inflict
serious injury.

So, well-matched males prefer to posture.

If only looks could k*ll.

At least it's enough
to put this challenger off.

Still the boss for now.

But he'll have many more rivals
to face down

with so many massive monkeys around.

The elephants are coming together too.

Their search is almost over.

[grunts]

Most of the time,
they travel in small groups

as they seek scattered fruit.

But in this special place...

Generations of giant footsteps
have transformed the thick jungle

into something enormous.

- [trumpeting, grunting]
- This is Dzanga Bai.

A clearing triple the size
of Times Square.

With up to 200 elephants gathering here
at any one time,

it's a rare chance
to be part of one huge herd.

[trumpeting, grunting]

Families are reunited...

[grumbling]

...and new friends are made.

But the reason they've come here
is for the riches hidden underground.

A seam of clay with incredible properties.

It contains the vital chemicals

that neutralize the toxins
in their leafy diet.

And essential minerals
for the development of big brains

in little giants.

But mum and calf need to be careful.

[trumpets]

The biggest bulls dominate
the best mineral mines.

[roars, trumpets]

- And they're extra aggressive...
- [trumpeting]

...when so many females are around.

[roars]

[trumpeting, grunting]

Over nine feet at the shoulder

and with testosterone levels
up to fifty times higher than normal.

When tusked titans go head-to-head,
it's best to give them a wide berth.

[both roaring]

[squeaks]

[roaring]

It takes a tropical storm
to cool things down.

[thunder rumbling]

Heavy rain also brings
fresh opportunities.

When the clearing floods,
the rich clay turns into a soup.

Now all an elephant has to do
to stir up the sediment...

is blow.

The elephants spread out.
Mum can find a more peaceful place.

- [grunts]
- [cries]

Time to teach her calf how to bubble up
a stomach-settling shake.

The calf still has four more years
by Mum's side learning to navigate life

in the Congo.

Hopefully one day,
she'll return with her own young

to share the secret
of the magical clearing

hidden within this vast sea of trees.

[birds chirping]

Makumba's arrived
in a much better place too.

He's led his family
to the edge of their range...

timed with the arrival of the rains.

There's water everywhere.

[grunting]

Not a problem if you can walk.

Gorillas and humans
are so closely related,

it's only a short evolutionary step.

The journey has been worth it.

A marshy clearing, flush with new growth.

[grunts]

Delicious, nutritious soft stems.

[chewing]

It's an oasis
for gorillas and elephants alike.

Just a few miles from Dzanga Bai,
herds are always passing through.

[grumbles]

These two very different jungle giants
coexisting in peace.

[grumbles]

As long as they don't get too close.

[trumpeting]

- Makumba deflects the danger...
- [trumpets]

...by standing his ground,
allowing his family to get away.

[grumbling]

Once they're safe,
he makes a dignified retreat.

[grunting]

- Just in time for dessert.
- [grunting]

[grunting]

With the rain comes plenty of fresh fruit.

An all-you-can-eat treat.

The only limit is how much sugar
one kid can take.

Now he's led his family
through the hard times...

perhaps Dad can finally get some rest.

After twenty years of rule and 17 babies,

Makumba's legacy is secure.

[screeching]

He's one of the most impressive
silverbacks ever known.

[screeches]

His strength may be waning,

but a big brain...

a big heart

and a lifetime of experience
more than make up for it.

After all,
when it comes to raising future giants,

a father's work is never done.

[chattering]