01x02 - Jungle

[bunniefuu]

[Paul Rudd]

Planet Earth is so spectacular,

it's easy to miss

the smaller things in life.

But take a closer look

and there's a whole undiscovered world.

A world where tiny heroes

and little monsters

need incredible superpowers

to help them triumph against giant odds.

The jungles of Latin America,

home to more little lives

than anywhere else on Earth.

[birds chirping]

Down in the leaf litter,

a new one is just beginning.

This strawberry dart frog

is carrying her tadpole on her back.

It's about the size of a grain of rice.

The jungle underworld is far too dangerous

for her baby.

[snake hisses]

She needs to find a safe place

for it to grow.

Way up there, in the branches

of this 40-meter jungle skyscraper.

For a frog the size of a grape

this is her Mount Everest.

Sticky feet give her grip.

But one slip could be fatal.

She's got plenty of company in the trees.

From root

to tip.

There may be 5,000

different kinds of little creatures

living in a single tree.

[birds chirping]

[buzzing]

Finally, up in the canopy,

where the sun shines.

A bromeliad plant

makes the perfect penthouse pool

for her tadpole to grow in.

But with so many little animals

competing for food and space,

life in the jungle is precarious.

Only a true specialist can survive.

Meet the smallest monkey in the world

[marmoset squeaking]

The pygmy marmoset.

An adult will fit

in the palm of your hand.

Being so tiny makes it hard to know

who's friend, foe or food.

[squeaking]

But at least they can

tap into a food source

right beneath their feet.

With sharp teeth, they gouge away the bark

to create miniature wells that fill up

with delicious sugary sap.

On a big tree, there may be

over 1,000 of them.

Easily enough for a growing family.

Good thing.

There are new additions to the troop.

Each the size of a Ping-Pong ball.

Marmosets nearly always

give birth to twins.

Both parents share babysitting duties,

and even the older siblings pitch in

when they're not fighting.

[squeaking]

Cooperation is a way of life

for these pocket-sized primates.

So is hanging around

in the middle of the tree.

It's too dangerous below

[howler monkeys howling]

and way too crowded above.

Sixty times the size of a marmoset,

howler monkeys dominate up here.

The canopy is where

80% of all life in the jungle is found.

On the forest floor,

life is more of a struggle.

[sniffing]

Hardly any sunlight reaches down here,

so not much can grow.

This pint-sized agouti

relies on what falls from above.

[thunder rumbling]

[rain pattering]

Rain is the lifeblood of the jungle.

Up to three meters falls each year.

Every drop has a huge impact

on tiny lives.

Showers keep the tadpole pool topped up.

But there can be too much of a good thing.

Water soaked up by the plants and bark

adds enormous weight to ancient trees.

Torrential rains wash away thin soil.

[thunder rumbles]

Giant trees endure centuries

of drenching storms

until one day

[tree creaks]

[tree cracking]

When a tree this size falls

it leaves a big hole in jungle life.

[insects chirping]

The strawberry dart frog has survived.

But her tadpole is exposed.

And a fire-bellied ground snake

can sense it.

There's nothing the mother can do

but start again.

[birds chirping]

A disaster for some

is a windfall for others.

[crunches]

Leaf-cutter ants no longer have to climb.

The leaves are many times their size.

But each ant can carry

ten times their own weight.

And a colony of eight million

can strip a tree like this

in a matter of days.

The fallen giant attracts all sorts

of other tiny leaf eaters too.

Unfortunately, marmosets don't eat leaves.

And losing a major sap tree

is a huge setback.

[squeaking]

But these little gremlins

do have a surprisingly predatory side.

[marmoset squeaks]

Their spring-loaded legs can launch them

up to three meters.

Curved claws grip

like mini grappling hooks.

[chews, crunches]

And those bark-chomping teeth

are just as effective on insects.

Hunting among tangles of fallen branches

comes easily to these miniature monkeys.

[squeaks]

They'll eat

pretty much anything they can grab.

But not all is what it seems.

An amazing display of mimicry.

This caterpillar's impression

of a deadly snake is so convincing

it's scary.

After hundreds of years in shadow,

suddenly

the forest floor is bathed in sunlight.

Seeds that have laid dormant start small

but aim high.

This is now a race for light.

[rustling]

Climbers and vines

are quick off the mark

smothering any saplings

as they fight for their place in the sun.

Soon the fallen giant is carpeted

in new growth.

And the gap is transformed

into a lush glade.

[bird hums]

But this is no Eden.

Hummingbirds are as light

as a sheet of paper.

What they lack in size,

they make up for in aggression.

[knives slashing]

Some have daggerlike bills and even teeth.

All for fighting over flowers.

[bird hums]

Hummingbirds have to refuel

every few minutes.

With feathered tongues,

they lap up nectar 20 times a second.

And they need to be quick.

The competition is relentless.

But it doesn't have to be like this.

The crescent-shaped flowers

of the heliconia

are impossible

for most hummingbirds to feed from.

But the green hermit

has a long, curved bill.

It allows it

to feed on the nectar in peace.

Well, almost.

Tinier than a pinhead,

these flower mites have nearly drunk

this heliconia dry.

To reach the next flower,

they need to hitch a lift.

For their size,

they're almost as fast as a cheetah.

Racing up the hummingbird's beak

to stow away in its nostrils

ready to be airlifted

on to the next flower.

[wings flapping]

As the glade is overgrown,

the forest floor

falls into darkness once more.

Fungi thrive in these damp conditions

rotting away the remains of fallen trees.

Finding fresh food here is much harder.

[sniffing]

A Brazil nut pod is too tough

for most animals.

But not an agouti.

What she can't eat now,

she'll bury for later.

She's nervous by nature.

And for good reason.

A margay is only slightly bigger

than a house cat

but a lot deadlier.

[growls]

The dark forest floor

conceals many predators.

And on a smaller scale,

they are even more sinister.

On 40 little legs,

this finger-length velvet worm

st*lks in silence.

Its hunting tactics

are the stuff of science fiction.

Vibration sensors on its body

track its victim's movement.

It must creep closer

to use its secret weapon

Web-slingers.

The sticky strands harden in seconds.

There's no escape.

Tiny creatures must be on guard

at all times.

The female strawberry dart frog

has just laid a new clutch of eggs.

But it's the male's job to keep them safe.

Bright red color is a warning

to predators.

His skin secretes a deadly toxin.

Just one problem

Fire-bellied snakes are immune.

They are also highly sensitive

to any movement.

Keep perfectly still

and he might just survive.

But he can't hide from everything.

[frog croaking]

A rival male.

[frogs croaking]

He's after this territory.

[croaking continues]

If he claims it, he'll eat the eggs.

This little dad

has everything to fight for.

Both no heavier than a sugar cube,

they're evenly matched.

They can keep this up

for over half an hour.

The little frog is beginning to tire.

But Dad comes out on top.

His rival's seen off, at least for now.

It's still two more weeks of guard duty

before his eggs hatch.

[frog croaking]

[buzzing]

As the forest matures,

more intricate relationships develop.

[bee buzzes]

This orchid bee

is on an extraordinary mission.

He's flown over 40 kilometers to get here.

And he's not alone.

All of them males,

and all after one thing.

Not pollen.

Perfume.

This orchid produces a fragrance

that will make him irresistible

to female bees.

So he collects as much as he can.

But if he's not careful

he'll drown in it.

There's only one way out.

It's a tight squeeze.

And the orchid won't let him leave

without a parting gift.

A pollen package stuck to his back.

The little bee's mission for a mate

continues,

but the orchid's work is done.

For the pygmy marmosets,

life seems to be returning to normal.

Insects are harder to come by these days.

Not a problem.

They've been busy

digging new sap wells in new trees.

Their noisy neighbors are back too.

[howler monkeys howling]

Making a racket, hogging the food

and creating a mess.

When nature calls,

it falls on the little guys

to sort it out.

This tiny superhero keeps things clean

in the canopy.

A beetle, only the size of a dime.

But no job is too big.

From 20 meters up

he just holds on tight.

And here comes

the rest of the cleanup crew.

The dung ba*ls are rolled away

to be buried.

Food for their young.

And fertilizer for the forest.

The jungle is a complex world

full of amazing little animals.

All with their own unique role to play.

And these tiny primates

have found their place too.

Their crowded little patch of forest

is ever-changing.

But for now, life is sweet.

And down below

One Brazil nut the agouti left behind

Slowly growing in the shadows.

Playing the long game.

From small beginnings, giants emerge.

The jungle might look

like an endless sea of green

but each and every tree

is home to a universe of little wonders.

A strawberry dart frog

looking to find a safe place

for her tiny tadpole.

She better get moving

to raise the next generation.

It's a long journey

all the way up.