Arabian Seas (2017–…): Season 0, Episode 0 - Carnivores of the Coral Garden - full transcript

The seas of Arabia
are alive with carnivores.

Sharks and rays
patrol the coral reefs,

hunting down their prey.

Toxic fish
disguise themselves

to ambush the unwary.

And bizarre
armored predators

devour the vulnerable.

These are the Carnivores
of the Coral Garden.

In the remote northwest
corner of the Indian Ocean,

the seas around Arabia

are among the richest
in the world.



Nowhere is this
more evident

than in the coral gardens
off the coast of Oman.

Here a rare upwelling
of cold water

brings nutrients
to the surface

and, with it,
an explosion of life.

The Sultanate of Oman

is on
the south-eastern coast

of the Arabian Peninsula.

The country has over 200
square miles of coral reef

in its coastal waters.

Unlike some of the world's
more famous coral reefs,

Oman's remain
largely unexplored.

But spend a day here

and the carnivores
will reveal themselves,



each with its own
special tactics to survive.

It's dawn.

A top carnivore
looks for a place to rest

after a night of hunting.

A zebra shark,

an apex predator
in the Gulf of Oman

and a permanent resident
of this reef.

Growing up to eight feet,

this solitary shark is no
threat to fish or humans...

..but crustaceans and
mollusks had better beware.

This carnivore prefers prey
that hides in the crevices
of the reef at night

and in the sandy sea floor.

Up close, this one reveals

its distinctive
spotted skin pattern.

It more closely resembles
a leopard than a zebra.

But this is an adult.

The zebra shark begins life
with dark stripes

and that's
how it gets its name.

As a juvenile grows,

the dark bands gradually
morph into small dark
blotches on a yellow skin.

It's unusual for an animal
to be named
for its juvenile markings.

This radical change
of pattern is common
among carpet sharks,

the order of animals
to which the zebra shark
belongs.

Fully grown, this adult's
tail, or caudal fin,

is almost half the size
of its entire body.

It's inefficient
for high-speed
or long-distance swimming.

But this carnivore
doesn't migrate
like many other sharks.

It also doesn't need speed
to catch its mostly
slow-moving prey...

..but it does need agility.

The tail, along with
fixed pectoral fins,

enables it to carefully
navigate around the reef.

Although solitary by nature,

the zebra shark
is rarely alone.

This female has a number
of carnivorous freeloaders
in tow this morning.

Remora fish often
travel with sharks.

They stick close
to their host

to feed on its parasites
and dead skin.

But this nocturnal hunter
will soon take a break.

She'll rest
in daylight hours and
resume her hunting later.

On the hunt for the same
hard-shelled prey...

..is a close relative
of the shark,

a stingray.

Also largely nocturnal,

this one cruises
menacingly over the sand

looking for a final meal.

Rays are essentially sharks

with flattened bodies
and extended tails.

Stingrays have
a venomous barb on theirs,

which they can flick
over their heads

at a would-be attacker.

A sting can be
excruciatingly painful

but human fatalities
are extremely rare.

Despite their dangerous
reputation,

they rarely use their tails
for aggression or defense.

This black-blotched stingray

presses its body flat

and churns up the sand
in an undulating movement

to unearth prey hiding
under the surface.

It doesn't strike it lucky
the first time,

so circles round
to try again.

The stingray has large
spiracles behind its eyes,

openings through
which it draws water in.

It blows it out through
its underside gills,

creating turbulence
in the sand.

Like the zebra shark,

this bottom-feeder
can crush even the most
hard-shelled prey.

It has up to 90 rows
of teeth in its mouth.

Its journey around the reef
looks almost effortless.

Its large, rounded
pectoral fins

are fused with its body,

creating a circular disk.

It swims by, creating an
undulating wave of movement,

which ripples down its body
and propels
the stingray forward.

At up to six feet across

and weighing
more than 300lbs,

the black-blotched is one of
the world's largest
species of stingray.

The global population
is unknown

but here
in Arabian waters,

they're a rare sight.

This one takes a moment
to rest.

But it will need to find a
more private place to relax

during daylight hours.

Even with a barbed tail,

lying out on an exposed
reef can be dangerous.

In a murky reef crevice,

a second stingray settles
into its daytime hideaway.

But the stingrays
are not the only ones
seeking shelter.

A couple of nervous and also
nocturnal squirrelfish

are trying to avoid the
emerging daytime predators.

The zebra shark also needs
a place to rest by day.

Her size means she has
little to fear
out in the open.

But what's remarkable
about this shark

is that she can breathe
whilst stationary
on the seafloor.

Pelagic sharks,
those found in open ocean
like great whites,

would die
if they stopped swimming.

Their continuous movement
forces oxygenated water
across their gills,

enabling them to breathe.

But the zebra shark
can pump her own water.

Small mouth movements draw
it in through her mouth

and push it out through
the five gill slits

on either side of her head.

This action is known
as "buccal pumping."

Facing into the
fast-flowing sea current

makes this even easier.

She props herself up
on her pectoral fins

to lift up
into the current.

Like the stingray,

she also has spiracles
behind her eyes

to help her to breathe
by drawing water in.

This adaptation is unique
to bottom-dwelling sharks
and rays.

Zebra sharks like this
exposed part of the reef

with its strong
sea currents.

In these Arabian waters,
the secretive hunters

are an unusually common
sight during daylight.

Above the reef is an
archipelago of rocky,
uninhabited islands.

These are
the Damaniyat Islands.

Lying nine miles off
the north coast of Oman,

the islands were the first
in the country

to be officially
protected in 1996.

They are now one of 14
marine nature reserves
in Oman.

From the sea they may look
barren and unwelcoming...

..but life does exist here.

Seabirds use these islands
to rest on and feed from.

The rocky shores provide
homes for crabs.

At certain times of year
even sea turtles
will nest here.

But it is the fringing
coral reefs in the water
around the islands

that attract the greatest
variety of species.

As the sun rises and the
nocturnal hunters wind down,

the daytime carnivores
emerge from their
night-time hideaways.

The goatfish is one of the
busiest in Arabian waters.

This one actively digs
for worms, crustaceans

or other small
invertebrates it can find.

It uses the long barbels
protruding from its chin

to detect prey as it rifles
through the sediment.

Its distinctive
colored markings
give this one its name.

Yellow-striped goatfish.

The goatfish is not alone.

Spinecheeks loiter nearby.

This one is keeping
a close eye what
the goatfish is unearthing.

It does none of the work

but waits patiently,

ready to reap the rewards
of the goatfish's
vigorous efforts.

The spinecheek gets its name

from an almost invisible
backwards-pointing spine

just behind its eye.

This carnivore is a type
of bream

but unlike his more familiar
cousin, the sea bream,

which lives in deep water,

the spinecheek prefers these
food-rich sandy shallows.

All fish have a lateral line
running along each side
of their bodies.

In most fish
it's not easy to see.

But the patterning
of the spinecheek
makes it more visible.

Running from nose to tail
beneath its distinctive
dorsal stripes.

The row of small pores
leads to a line of fluid
beneath the skin,

which enable the fish
to feel changes
in water pressure.

This helps them to detect
predators and prey...

..and also helps schools
of fish to synchronize
their movements.

The goatfish rarely gets any
"alone time" for hunting.

If it's not the spinecheek
then it's a black-spotted
butterflyfish.

This butterflyfish lives
only in Arabian waters.

It prefers to eat coral

but it's not
going to turn down

the chance of a free meal.

At last, the smaller
of the two goatfish

strikes it lucky.

It's hit a patch of tasty
invertebrates under the sand.

The two tuck in to their
well-earned feast,

finally away from
the attentions of
their lazier followers.

Not all of
the coral garden carnivores

are easy to see
as they hunt.

Expertly camouflaged
somewhere in the middle of
the rocks and coral

is one of
the cleverest carnivores
in the Arabian Seas.

Blending perfectly
with its surroundings,

a scorpionfish conceals
itself as a piece of coral.

Only the slightest movement

gives
this skilled mimic away.

This is
a bearded scorpionfish,

a lethal ambush predator
and highly toxic.

It lies motionless, waiting
to menace passing prey.

If it's quick,
it will open its mouth fast
enough to create a vacuum

and suck in its prey.

It too is partial
to a meal of crustacean

but the small fish
hovering overhead

could also be
in serious trouble.

An unwary cardinalfish

doesn't see the now
perfectly still danger.

Missed!

The scorpionfish concedes
defeat and moves on.

Again, barely visible
in its new location,

it's a perfect match
against the coral.

But this spot
is already taken.

A quick pinch from a coral
crab sends it on its way.

Maybe it's just
not his lucky day.

The glum-looking
scorpionfish

bears a strong family
resemblance to its more
flamboyant cousin,

the equally deadly
lionfish.

Better known as the devil
firefish in Arabian waters,

this smooth operator drifts
in search of its prey.

The lionfish can alter
its center of gravity
better than most fish

thanks to specialized
muscles on both sides of
its swim bladder.

It carefully controls
its position in the water.

Its feathery fins conceal
the movement of
the pelvic fin

which can propel it
stealthily towards
unwary prey.

This is a useful deception
for an ambush predator.

Its bright colors
and conspicuous patterns

signal danger to predators.

This defensive strategy

is known as
aposematic coloration.

The 13 spectacular dorsal
spines are highly toxic.

Its fan-like pectoral fins
and those by its tail

also pack a deadly punch.

This is not a carnivore
to mess with.

The lionfish
is usually solitary,

and will fiercely defend its
home range against intruders,

especially other lionfish.

But today two swim,
apparently amiably,
together.

Adults will occasionally
come together to combine
their hunting skills.

This pair may be working
co-operatively
to corral small fish.

They spread
their pectoral fins wide

as they guide their prey
towards the rocks,

where there's no escape.

It doesn't always work.

Ambush is still the
lionfish's most effective
hunting strategy.

But sometimes
catching a meal

is as easy
as opening their mouths.

They can create a vacuum
and suck up a fish

in a split second.

This one may have swallowed
something it doesn't like.

A big gulp

is the fish equivalent
of a cough

and bony fish will cough up
anything that tastes bad

or they can't digest.

Lionfish more commonly
hunt at night,

so these two may have better
luck at the end of the day.

Daytime temperatures
above the reef

can reach a staggering
116 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the middle of the day,

it's simply too hot
to be active on land.

Under the water,

where temperatures
are still up
to 90 degrees Fahrenheit,

another typically nocturnal
carnivore is on the move.

This is a crown of thorns,

an unusually large starfish

that can grow to more than
three feet in diameter.

Instead of five
radiating arms,

typical of most starfish,

this extraordinary predator
can grow a staggering 21.

It's easy to see where
the name comes from.

Hundreds of sharp defensive
spines cover its entire body,

said to resemble Christ's
biblical crown of thorns.

This one
is surprisingly agile

as it moves across the
seafloor looking for prey.

Starfish typically move
at a glacial pace of
six inches a minute.

A small shoal of damselfish

and a larger
yellowfin grouper

can see the predator
as it approaches.

And the crown of thorns
can see them.

An eye on the end of each
arm can detect shape
but no detail.

The fish
appear to take flight...

..but they quickly return,

unfazed by the predator
in their midst.

The crown of thorns is
not interested in them.

It's after the
hard coral beneath them.

Its tentacles search for
the tiny living coral polyps
that cover the surface.

But this bush coral
is no longer alive.

The hard skeleton
remains have been
taken over by algae.

This is now the vegetarian
feeding patch of the
territorial damselfish.

The hungry crown of thorns
must look elsewhere.

Coral reefs are referred to
as the gardens of the sea...

..and are often
mistaken for plants

but they are in fact
tiny carnivorous animals.

They feast on
microscopic zooplankton,

which they catch on the ebb
and flow of the sea currents.

These coral gardens beneath
Oman's Damaniyat Islands

are dominated by huge
Acropora corals.

These hard corals are the
major reef-building species,

like these spectacular
plateaus of staghorn coral.

Branches of beautiful
purple sea fans,

close relatives of coral,
are also in abundance.

So too are these
teddy bear corals,

one of the brightest soft
corals on this reef.

Around the world, these tiny
carnivores face grave danger.

Warming sea temperatures
and pollution

are causing the dramatic
collapse of coral reefs.

The water here can reach
90 degrees Fahrenheit,

hotter than Australia's
Great Barrier Reef.

But whilst other reefs
suffer the devastating
effects of coral bleaching,

in part
from rising temperatures,

the Damaniyat reefs so far
remain less affected.

This may be due to
the Indian monsoon

that sweeps up through the
Arabian Sea in summer,

bringing with it an upwelling
of cold nutrient-rich water

to Oman's southern coast.

Off the north coast,

the Damaniyat Islands
are protected from the full
force of this cold upwelling

but benefit from pockets of
cooler water moving in.

As a result,
sea temperatures here

are among the most
variable in the world.

Avoiding the constant heat

could be helping to keep
the corals alive.

The coral polyps
still face danger from
predatory carnivores.

A bleached scar
can be evidence of death.

The perpetrator is already
onto its next victim.

A healthy reef can
actually benefit from

some damage to the
fast-growing Acropora coral

by giving slower
growing species more space
to establish,

like this brain coral,

currently occupied
by a moray eel.

Come the late afternoon,

the crown of thorns
is still on the prowl.

Tiny cardinalfish
hitch a ride,

tucked in amongst
the hundreds of
black toxic spines.

These little
nocturnal carnivores

gain sanctuary with
their spiked protector

until darkness falls,

when they too will
head out to hunt.

As their host
travels over the reef,

its long, white tubular feet
probe for tasty coral polyps.

If it finds some, it feeds
in the most remarkable way.

It's able to push
its entire stomach

out through its mouth
on its underside

to smother the coral.

Stomach enzymes break down
the living coral tissue

into a kind of "soup",

which the crown of thorns
then sucks up

as it retracts its stomach
back in through its mouth.

This extraordinary tactic

allows it to feast
five times faster
than other starfish.

Its weaponized arms
are prehensile,

meaning they can grasp
or hold on to an object.

Within a minute, the
carnivore smothers
the coral.

Its tiny passengers
jump ship

into the equally protective
spines of an
adjacent sea urchin,

their more common host.

The crown of thorns
keeps moving on its
destructive coral path.

But this staghorn coral
is already fatally damaged.

Crown of thorns often
return to the scene of
their feasting crimes

to remove any last
polyp survivors.

The hunter has already sucked
the life out of this coral,

evidenced by the algae
and fine mucus now coating
the skeletal remains.

The master of coral mimicry,

the bearded scorpionfish,

has found itself a new
afternoon dining spot.

Color-matched to the
brain coral to the right,

only a flicker of an eye
reveals its true identity.

It waits patiently
for a nervous shrimp

to make a fatal mistake.

The bearded scorpionfish
gets its name from

the leafy tassels beneath
its wide, powerful mouth.

Known as cirrus, they
extend across the body,

breaking up
the hard outline,

allowing it
to virtually disappear.

Something catches its eye.

A small goby,

not quite
within strike range.

The hunter makes its move.

It lacks the gliding ability
of its more elegant relative,

the lionfish.

Without even a basic
swim bladder

to control its buoyancy,

it must use
its pectoral fins

to stumble across
the bumpy reef.

Like its relative and also
its land-loving namesake,

this scorpion
has a nasty sting.

Venom glands are concealed
at the base of these
tasseled fins.

Divers beware!

If touched, this one
can inflict intense pain

and cause a whole limb
to swell in minutes.

The toxic terror becomes
stealthier in its approach.

But the wily goby
is alert to the danger.

It stays perfectly still
to avoid detection.

The scorpionfish doesn't
see the immobile goby...

..and misses another
opportunity to feed.

The female zebra shark has
spent most of the day alone.

By late afternoon
she has company.

Nearby,
a male is on the move...

..and looks ready
for action.

With dusk
rapidly approaching,

he may be preparing
to hunt.

But this one appears to have
something else in mind.

He nibbles
the female's tail.

It's the first sign
of courtship.

If he's to succeed
in his romantic advances,

this male will need to keep
a firm grasp of the tail.

To win her over,
he must be tenacious.

His love interest
won't wait long.

Zebra shark courtship
is seldom witnessed
in the wild.

But this encounter
offers a rare glimpse

into the shark's
private life.

This male is smaller
than his potential partner.

He's possibly only just
reached sexual maturity

and is new to
the mating game.

If he's to succeed he will
need to be more assertive.

Before mating,
an experienced male

will hold his partner either
by the tail or pectoral fin

for several minutes.

Then he must twist her
onto her back.

But this one hasn't
got past first base yet.

At last, he gets the tail.

Now he has to spin her over.

In the end, the young
Romeo gives up.

If she's mated in the past,
the female may not need him.

Remarkably, zebra sharks

are able to reproduce long
after mating takes place,

giving the impression

of nature's own
immaculate conception.

But it's not unusual
among sharks

for females to store sperm
for several years.

As the daylight
begins to fade,

other nocturnal carnivores
prepare to hunt again.

Two stingrays
circle the seafloor.

These are cowtail stingrays.

They rest in twos
or threes for protection

but are solitary hunters.

The two don't
stay together for long.

Cowtail stingrays have
tapering, flag-like tails

and triangular
pectoral fins.

The cowtail hunts for
crustaceans and mollusks.

This stingray is also
partial to a bony fish,

especially those
that lie on the seafloor.

A flatfish
is a perfect target.

This one is a sole,

a favorite on both human
and cowtail menus.

Eyes on the topside of its
body keep watch for danger.

It edges itself slowly away
from a perceived threat

using its filament fins to
push itself across the sand.

By day, the sole
either digs itself
under the sand to hide...

..or lies perfectly still,

using its expert camouflage

to melt into its
surroundings.

This one is eager
to escape...

..but is careful to avoid
alerting the stingray
to its location.

This fish has a sting in
its own proverbial tail.

200 glands along its fins

excrete a toxic substance

that acts as a shark
and ray repellent.

If the stingray
makes contact,

the sole will unleash
the chemical,

disrupting the predator's
gills, causing it to flee.

But the sole avoids
detection this time.

The second stingray lacks
the billowing tail flag
of its companion,

most likely a casualty
of a hammerhead
or requiem shark attack.

Some species of stingray can
re-grow a lost venomous barb.

The stingray drifts off
through shoals of chromis.

These and other diurnal fish

will soon seek shelter
within the reef crevices
and overhangs

to avoid the other emerging
nocturnal predators.

The day is drawing
to a close.

Light fades fast
beneath the waves.

A solitary lionfish
cruises the reef

at the start of
its nightly hunt.

Its long toxic fin filaments
radiate like streamers

to keep predators at bay.

The reef
feels eerily empty

as it swims with purpose
over a vast colony
of bush coral.

At each crevice,

the lionfish simply
watches and waits.

Finally,
its patience pays off.

It gets its first meal
of the night.

The zebra shark sets off
on her own quest for food.

In the dying light
she doesn't need
to see her prey.

She can smell it.

Up to two thirds of
a shark's brain

is made up of smell sensors
known as olfactory lobes.

Moving her head as she swims

helps her detect the exact
direction of where to find
a crab or shrimp.

Tonight she
will hunt without company

as she disappears
into the darkness,

a magnificent carnivore
among the coral garden.