[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.
You might think that piranhas
are the most dangerous creatures
in these South American waters.
But there's another animal here…
[animal yelping]
…who eats them for breakfast.
A giant river otter.
Six foot long and weighing 70 pounds.
She's as big as a human
and twice the size of other otters.
But this voracious hunter
also has a tender side.
[otters barking, squealing]
She's the glue
that bonds her large family together.
[chattering]
[otter barks]
Along with her mate and older offspring,
she defends a prime stretch of river
five miles long.
At its heart, her den.
And hidden within,
something rarely glimpsed before.
[squealing]
A litter of cubs.
At birth they weighed less than a hamster.
[squealing, crying]
They must grow 150 times bigger
before they can join the family mob.
[sniffing]
[squealing]
It's up to Mum to train them for life
in this dangerous water world.
The Brazilian Pantanal
is a vast patchwork of rivers, pools
and grassland.
A tropical paradise larger than England.
[otters chattering]
Home to some of
the strangest giants on Earth.
Plenty of food and space
allows many animals
to grow into the biggest of their kind.
[capybara grunting]
Scaling up is often the best defense…
in a world where predators
are supersized too.
[jaguar growls]
Most feared is the jaguar,
the Pantanal's apex hunter.
[otter squeals]
-[jaguar growls]
-[otter squeals]
The reason Mum keeps her cubs hidden away.
[birds cawing]
Out on the grasslands,
there's nowhere to hide.
Particularly for a seven-foot oddity.
[animal sniffing]
Eight times heavier
than her closest relative…
she's way too big for a life in the trees.
[anteater sniffing]
Giant anteaters must survive
on a diet of tiny termites and ants.
[anteater sniffing]
To save energy,
her body temperature drops to
one of the lowest of any mammal.
And she moves slowly.
Especially now she's carrying
a precious load…
her newborn pup.
Mum's bulky body is his safe place.
Their stripes aligned so he can hide.
She'll give him an easy ride for now.
But in just a few months,
he needs to be standing on his own,
and finding food for himself.
[bird chirping]
The first steps
are always the most daunting.
Mum's trying
to coax her cubs into the great outdoors.
[chitters, squeals]
It could take some time.
[purring]
But one day they'll be as long
and as brave as lions.
[squealing]
The littlest female is the most hesitant.
[squeals, purrs]
She just needs
a shove in the right direction.
[squealing]
[squealing]
First impressions of the outside world
are a bit overwhelming.
[chatters]
[squeals]
[squeals]
[bird tweeting]
[squealing]
-But 100 decibel calls…
-[chatters]
…as loud as a chain saw,
are what keeps this family together.
[chattering, squealing]
So she'd better get used to it.
Some giants here
like to act the strong, silent type.
-[bird caws]
-[huffs]
[cawing]
A male capybara,
the largest rodent on Earth.
Four feet long
and as heavy as a 13-year-old child…
[huffing]
…he's like an oversized guinea pig.
[grunts, chewing]
It takes up to eight pounds
of veg a day to stay this big.
Gnawing away with three-inch teeth
that never stop growing.
[chewing continues]
But such size only puts these
mega-rodents higher on the menu.
So it pays to stay quiet…
and remain vigilant.
[bird shrieks]
[growling]
Over 200 pounds of power,
jaguars are the biggest cats
in the Americas.
[huffs, barks]
[growls]
Even so, they're surprisingly stealthy.
[bird tweeting]
It's up to the big male capybara
to guard over his family.
[huffing]
[growling]
-[barks]
-[roars]
Even the river isn't safe.
[growls]
Jaguars are the most aquatic
of all big cats.
But beneath the surface,
capybaras reveal a secret superpower.
Underwater agility
that leaves a jaguar for dust.
And webbed feet
that make them speedy swimmers.
As long as Dad's on high alert,
his family should be safe.
[birds cawing]
[bird tweeting]
But the jaguar won't stop hunting.
She must make a k*ll every four days.
Only 50% of otter cubs
make it to adulthood.
[squealing]
To give them the best chance,
Mum demonstrates how to become
the fastest otters on Earth.
Huge paws, as big as a man's hand,
propel her at twice the speed
of an Olympic swimmer.
[squeaks]
[squeaks]
But the little female
won't even enter the water.
-[squealing]
-[purring]
Mum offers gentle encouragement.
[squeals, barks]
[purrs]
Her older son
takes a more direct approach.
In at the deep end.
But still a way to go
before she's at home in the water.
[squealing]
As her siblings grow in confidence…
and stray further from the den…
[chatters]
…sometimes it pays to stick with Mum.
[hissing]
A nine-foot caiman
could easily snap up a cub.
[squealing]
But first, it must get past Mum.
[squealing]
[otter barking]
[hisses]
[squealing]
[caiman hisses]
[caiman growls]
[otter squealing]
[otters chattering]
It takes huge courage
to face down a fierce predator alone.
[squealing]
One day, her cubs will be big enough
to fight by her side.
Until then,
they'll be under constant threat.
Attracted by the noise,
the jaguar is back.
[squealing]
-[otters chattering]
-[growls]
[squealing]
[caiman hisses]
But this time, she's on to bigger things.
-[caiman hisses]
-[jaguar growls]
[growling]
[grunts]
[growls]
A close call.
And in the panic,
the little female has been injured.
[squeals]
[squeals]
And now the jaguar knows where she lives.
[birds cawing]
The dry season
is transforming the Pantanal.
[squawking]
Receding water
reveals more land to explore.
[sniffing]
By the time he's six months old,
a giant anteater has doubled in size.
He's trying to be more independent.
With a sense of smell
40 times more powerful than ours…
[sniffing]
…he follows his nose to food.
Termite mounds
are almost as hard as concrete.
But they offer little resistance
to powerful claws…
[sniffing]
[sniffing continues]
…and a probing ten-inch snout.
Each termite
may only be the size of a grain of rice.
But by flicking out his two-foot,
sticky tongue twice a second…
he can lap up 30,000 of them a day.
He's learning fast
but still only half-grown.
[sniffing]
[sniffing]
All alone…
in a land of strange creatures.
[anteater grunts]
Best to hide.
[sniffing, grunts]
Hope Mum finds him first.
[grunts]
[grunting]
[grunting continues]
She's never too far to hear him…
or track him down.
[sniffing]
[mother anteater grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
Safely back on board.
But very soon, he'll have to
make his own way in the big, wide world.
Living together
gives capybaras time to chill.
When temperatures top 100 degrees,
bathing keeps big bodies cool.
[chatters, squeaks]
To prevent sunburn
and soothe sensitive skin,
nothing beats a mud mask.
[squeals]
[squeals]
Dad is ready for his treatment, too.
But as long as the family is relaxing,
-he can't drop his guard.
-[sniffs]
[huffs, sniffs]
Another big male is sniffing around.
[huffs]
Time to prove who's boss.
[barking]
[huffs]
At last…
some well-deserved downtime for Dad.
[barks]
[chitters]
But if the giant otter mum
is ever to get some rest…
she needs to teach her cubs
how to fish for themselves.
[squeals]
[squealing]
But the little female's
injured foot has held her back.
Now she's playing catch up.
Giant otters eat 10%
of their body weight every day,
and need ten times more protein
than a human.
[squeals]
If the cubs are to meet
their huge fishing quota,
they'll have to learn fast.
Mum makes it look easy.
But no matter how much they beg…
[squealing]
…she's not sharing anymore.
Some cubs resort to sneaky tactics
and manage to steal a meal.
But by using her initiative,
the little female…
emerges top of the class.
First to land a catch.
[bird screeches]
[squawking]
The young giant anteater
is making big strides too.
The size of a full-grown human,
he's finally left his mum…
[sniffing]
…and is off
to find a territory of his own.
[sniffing]
He needs at least seven square miles
to provide enough ants and termites.
The dry season
is the easiest time to travel.
But in the Pantanal,
sooner or later,
water will get in the way.
All he can do…
is take the plunge.
A swimming anteater is a rare sight.
But they are surprisingly good at it.
Earning his stripes in the river
and crossing into adulthood,
he's found a vast, termite-rich territory
of his own.
[birds squawking]
[mother otter huffing]
The otter mother
is finally reaping the rewards.
The cubs are growing bigger…
[squealing]
…the family is bonding better…
[purring]
…and life is getting a little easier.
But the jaguar is still at large.
It's the little female
who raises the alarm.
[squealing]
[barking]
[growls]
-[jaguar growls]
-[otters squealing]
[squealing continues]
This time,
the whole family comes together.
Mum and her older offspring,
backed by the cubs,
presenting a united front.
[otters squealing]
A team of giants,
more than a match for a big cat.
[squealing]
[growls]
Thanks to Mum's guidance…
all the cubs, even the little female,
are now fully initiated members
of the mob.
[chitters]
[chittering]
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