01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

[animal grunting]

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[rushing water]

[Mosaku] Of all the
spectacular places on Earth...

[♪ dramatic music playing]

...there is nowhere...

...like Africa.

A land of extremes.

The largest,

and oldest, deserts.

The longest,

and deepest, rivers.

And, the greatest gatherings
of wildlife on our planet.

Every imaginable habitat,
found in one continent.

Its extraordinary ecosystems

shape the lives of
those all who live here.

Now, National Geographic
takes you to every

corner of Africa.

[eruptions]

[thunder and lightning]

To reveal unexplored
wilderness...

...see a new side to its
most famous residents...

...and meet animals
you've never seen before.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[♪ theme music playing]

There are more than


containing over a quarter
of the world's fresh water.

Here, in the heart of Kenya...

...this six-year-old hyena...

...has left his clan,

hoping to one day
have a family of his own.

For now, he's living
the bachelor life...

...and loving it!

But peace and quiet
never lasts long.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[♪ dramatic music playing]

The largest flock of
flamingos on the planet.

Millions migrate
from lake to lake,

feeding on algae.

Birds are rarely
on a hyena's menu.

But he hasn't fed in days...

...it's got to be worth a try.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

Like most young males,
he's a bit too eager.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

No matter what he tries,

they're always...

...one...

...step...

...ahead.

On land he can run
at 30 miles per hour...

...but not when he's
up to his shoulders.

Now, he's getting desperate.

[♪ somber music playing]

At night the flamingos
head to deeper water,

well out of reach.

He's never been so hungry,
and so alone.

A new day, another chance.

The flamingos could
leave at any moment...

...he has to learn
from his mistakes.

Ignore the small groups.

Aim for the crowds.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

Herd them together, so
it's harder to take off.

Then drive them back,
towards the shallows.

He's one of the only hyenas to
have mastered hunting in water.

An ingenious new skill,

giving him an edge
in this land of lakes.

Being able to adapt
is key to survival,

no matter where in
Africa you come from.

[Mosaku] 200 million years ago,

all land on Earth was
one huge super-continent.

As it slowly broke apart,
Africa was born.

Three times the size
of the United States...

...stretching across
both hemispheres...

...containing almost every
imaginable home for wildlife.

[eruption]

Even today, new habitats
are being formed.

There are over 100 active
volcanoes in Africa...

...their ash fertilizes
vast grasslands.

But in one special
place in Kenya,

the lava's biggest impact...

...happens underground.

Here, the volcanic rock
captures rainfall...

...filtering beneath
the savannah,

for over 30 miles.

Eventually, it emerges, here...

...Mzima Springs.

One of the most pristine
pools on the planet.

A unique home,
for those with sensitive skin.

There's nothing this female
hippo looks forward to more

than a day at the spa...

...with friends.

She weighs over two tons,

and is notoriously
bad-tempered...

[moaning]

...but here,

she's virtually weightless,

and carefree.

Just sit back and relax...

...let the spa's
attendants do their thing.

Barbel fish.

These filtered
waters are so clean,

there's very little
for them to eat.

They've evolved to use
their natural talents,

in the beauty business.

{\an8}Their mouths, ideal for
scrubbing algae off rocks,

work just as well
with dead hippo skin!

But not if you're...

...ticklish.

Pedicures might not
be to her taste...

...but there are other
treatments on the menu.

Her favorite...

...the dental hygiene package.

A good "fish flossing"
is beneficial for everyone.

The tastiest morsels are often
stuck behind her massive molars.

All freshened up...

...total relaxation.

Time to give the fish
a well-earned tip.

In this pool, it's
not against the rules.

The leftovers even
fertilize the trees!

Supporting an entire
cast of characters.

An unexpected ecosystem,
courtesy of the hippos,

and their unique volcanic spa.

Not all of Africa's landscapes,
are this inviting.

Across the continent, are
more than 50 mountain ranges.

In South Africa,

the remote Sneeuberg Mountains
tower over 8,000 feet high.

Temperatures drop to


The last place
you'd expect to find...

...the fastest
sprinter on Earth.

[♪ majestic music playing]

[Mosaku] The Sneeuberg Mountains

are a far cry from
the flat grasslands

where cheetahs thrive.

She's attempting to raise
three demanding cubs,

on these vertical slopes.

[rumbling]

[rumbling]

Every day she must
hunt for four.

Up here, prey is near
impossible to find...

...let alone catch.

Speed, her greatest weapon,
is almost useless.

With her fragile frame a
single misstep could mean

a broken leg...

...a death sentence
for her entire family.

Kudu...

...three times her weight.

Even on a level playing field,

it's rare for a cheetah
to hunt anything this big.

In this terrain,
it's madness.

She's got to get closer.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

[♪ dramatic music playing]

She forces the Kudu downhill...

{\an8}...towards a cliff...

{\an8}...placing her
life in danger too.

[thud]

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

Her gamble has paid off.

Enough food to feed her family.

Thanks to her mastery
of their mountain home.

Cheetah are one of Africa's
most famous residents...

...but this massive continent
still holds pockets of mystery.

Forest covers two and
half million square miles.



hiding creatures we
know almost nothing about.

This damp woodland
in South Africa,

is home to a recluse.

A black rain frog...

...only found here...

...and making his
television debut.

He's been underground, alone...

...for six months.

Now, he must brave
the unknown...

...love calls.

It's his first
breeding season...

...and finding a sweetheart
is easier said than done,

when you resemble
a grumpy avocado.

[Mosaku] With a body built
for digging, not dating,

his profile is a
bit embarrassing.

Small, lonely frog seeks love.

Can't hop, or go on
long romantic walks...

...and definitely no swimming.

He does have one superpower.

[vocalizing]

His squeaky soprano travels
further and faster through the

forest than he ever could!

To really project, he'll
need to get higher.

Every inch counts!

[vocalizing]

At last, his sleeping beauty...

...awakes.

Sing, like your
bloodline depends on it.

[vocalizing]

[advertisement call echoes]

His musical talent
has got her attention.

But this may be the
first time he's ever seen

the opposite sex...

...and he wasn't
expecting her to be so...

...substantial!

Deep breath...

...don't blow it.

[alarm call]

That was a rain frog alarm call.

Clearly, being touched for
the very first time was just

a bit too much.

He's going home alone.

It's back to his happy place,
to rest his voice,

until tomorrow night!

This ancient forest
has remained almost

unchanged for millennia.

But dynamic forces continue
to shape the continent.

Few things change
a landscape faster,

than a powerful river.

End to end, Africa's rivers
would stretch three quarters of

the way around the globe.

The Congo, is the
deepest in the world,

in places it could submerge
a seventy-story building.

Part of a labyrinth
of waterways...

...carving through a
jungle larger than Alaska.

As they widen and slow,
sandbanks briefly appear...

...the perfect place
for African Skimmers,

to raise a family.

Only three days old...

...this chick is
already keen to explore.

And, has a healthy appetite.

{\an8}[♪ playful music playing]

[♪ playful music playing]

But the Congo's
climate is getting more

and more unpredictable.

This year the rains
have come a month early.

The river is rising, fast.

Disaster for some.

The family's nest is
now close to the edge.

They need to move...

...but high ground,
is 1,000 feet away.

A big journey, on little legs.

[calling and chirping]

And...

...he's being watched.

[Mosaku] A yellow-billed kite.

It can spot movement
from over a mile away.

The chick, is an easy target.

The parents make
a difficult choice.

Leaving the chick alone...

...they try to drive
the attacker away.

The kite is twice their weight,

and relentless.

Exhausted...

...the chick is
completely defenseless.

But no skimmer is ever alone.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

The flock mobs the kite...

...so the mother can get back.

[calling]

She encourages her chick
to make one last push.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

[squawking]

{\an8}Safe at last.

Soon, he'll be old
enough to fly...

...and the river will
submerge the sandbanks again,

until next year.

Since the birth
of this continent,

animals have found creative
ways to adapt to change.

But today Africa is being
transformed faster than ever.

[♪ upbeat music playing]

The human population is
growing more rapidly than

anywhere else on Earth...

By the end of the century,
Lagos in Nigeria,

is set to become part
of a vast mega city,

home to half a billion people.

Space for wildlife
is being squeezed.

There are still some
protected places,

far from the crowded mainland.

A remote island,

one of over 400 scattered
around the continent.

As darkness descends,

it comes alive.

Green turtle breeding
numbers on the

mainland have plummeted...

...but here, they are thriving.

Each year, females swim up to


during the cool of night.

The last to arrive.

She's been at sea for 30 years,

returning to land for
the first time, to breed.

She weighs as much as a piano...

...and her flippers are
almost useless in sand.

There's no time to rest,
she's late.

The more experienced
mothers are already leaving.

[Mosaku] Hauling herself
above the high tide mark...

...she digs a three
foot-deep hole...

...and deposits a single clutch
of 100 golf-ball sized eggs.

She'd better hurry.

The sun is rising fast..

...and the tide has gone out.

Exposing a 300-foot-long
rocky barrier between her

and the ocean.

The most dangerous
journey of her adult life...

...and she's already exhausted.

Her soft belly has
no protection against

the sharp rock.

It's getting hotter
by the minute,

much longer out of the water,
and she'll bake to death.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[scraping]

Too exhausted to
haul herself out...

...she's trapped.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

So close...

...yet so far.

[overlapping chatter]

But there is hope.

The beach is patrolled by
local conservationists...

...who come here to offer one...

...final...

...push.

Sometimes all animals need,
is a helping hand.

Against the odds, this is one
of the few places on the planet

where her kind are on the rise.

Next, Africa's jungles.

Where there's more species than
anywhere else on the continent.

Familiar faces...

...and some you've
never seen before.

It takes bravery...

...to survive here...

...in the jungles of Africa!