Wild New World (2002): Season 1, Episode 3 - Ice Age Oasis - full transcript

THIS IS FLORIDA...

A TASTE OF THE TROPICAL...

ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST
POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS.

HERE, MANKIND'S
UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE

TO EXPLORE AND COLONIZE

REACHES ASTRONOMICAL
PROPORTIONS...

Astronaut:
Eight, seven...

six...

five...

- four...
- ( roars )

- three...
- ( trumpets )



two...

- one.
- ( roaring )

Ignition.

Lift-off.

...AND YET WE ARE
RELATIVE NEWCOMERS HERE.

( mammoth roars, rumbling )

WHILE OTHER CREATURES ROAMED
THIS PART OF NORTH AMERICA

FOR HUNDREDS OF MILLENNIA,

WE ONLY ARRIVED AT THE END
OF THE LAST GREAT ICE AGE

13,000 YEARS AGO.

FOR MOST OF ITS EXISTENCE,

NORTH AMERICA REMAINED
UNTOUCHED BY HUMANS,

ITS DRAMATIC LANDSCAPES
AND WILDLIFE UNDISTURBED.

THEN, SOMETIME AROUND
13,000 YEARS AGO,



JUST AS THE ICE STARTED
TO RELAX ITS GRIP,

HUNTERS FROM THE NORTH
SET FOOT IN FLORIDA

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

IMAGINE IF WE COULD
GO BACK AND JOIN THEM

AS THEY EXPLORE
THIS UNKNOWN LAND,

ENCOUNTERING STRANGE ANIMALS
NOT SEEN BEFORE BY HUMAN EYES.

BY PIECING TOGETHER
THE EVIDENCE

THESE CREATURES
LEFT BEHIND,

WE CAN BUILD A PICTURE
OF THIS SUBTROPICAL CORNER
OF THE CONTINENT

AS IT WAS
13,000 YEARS AGO.

( rumbling )

WHILE MOST OF NORTH AMERICA
WAS STILL IN THE GRIP
OF THE BIG FREEZE,

FLORIDA WAS
AN ICE AGE OASIS.

FLORIDA IS APTLY NAMED
THE SUNSHINE STATE.

WITH AN AVERAGE
OF 8 HOURS OF SUN A DAY,

IT SEEMS A WORLD AWAY
FROM ANY ICE AGE.

EVEN 13,000 YEARS AGO,
THE MASSIVE ICE SHEETS

WERE HUNDREDS OF MILES
AWAY TO THE NORTH.

SO WHAT WAS IT LIKE
BACK THEN?

TO INVESTIGATE
FLORIDA'S ICE AGE PAST,

ONE OF THE BEST PLACES
TO LOOK IS UNDERGROUND

AND UNDERWATER.

JUST BELOW THE SURFACE
LIES A VERY STRANGE WORLD.

MILLIONS OF YEARS
OF WATER ACTION

HAS DISSOLVED
THE LIMESTONE ROCK,

FORMING A SYSTEM OF FLOODED
CAVES AND TUNNELS.

THIS VAST
UNDERGROUND NETWORK

RUNS FOR THOUSANDS
OF MILES.

MUCH OF FLORIDA
IS BASICALLY

A BIG ROCK HONEYCOMB.

IN PLACES, THE WATER IS
FORCED TO THE SURFACE,
FORMING SPRINGS.

FLORIDA HAS ONE
OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS

OF SPRINGS IN THE WORLD.

FILTERED THROUGH
SAND AND ROCK,

THE WATER
IS CRYSTAL CLEAR.

AND WELLING UP
FROM DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH,

IT IS A CONSTANT
22° CENTIGRADE.

THIS CREATES
STEAMING OASES,

AND A PROFUSION
OF LIFE.

TODAY THESE WARM SPRINGS
ARE A REFUGE

FOR ONE OF FLORIDA'S
MOST TROPICAL INHABITANTS.

THE WEST INDIAN MANATEE
WASN'T PRESENT DURING
THE LAST ICE AGE,

BUT RETURNED HERE
AS THE WATERS WARMED UP.

EVEN NOW
IT IS ONLY FOUND

AROUND THIS SUBTROPICAL
TIP OF THE CONTINENT.

BUT THESE SPRINGS
AREN'T JUST A HAVEN

FOR MODERN DAY WILDLIFE.

THEY'VE ALSO YIELDED
MANY SECRETS

OF THE DISTANT PAST.

WHEN THESE POOLS
WERE FIRST EXPLORED,

THEY WOULD HAVE
LOOKED LIKE THIS--

STREWN WITH ASTONISHING
FOSSIL REMAINS

- FROM ICE AGE BEASTS.
- ( growling )

FLORIDA HAS ONE OF
THE RICHEST FOSSIL RECORDS

OF THE ICE AGE
ANYWHERE ON EARTH.

SO WHAT KIND OF CREATURES
DID SUCH BONES AND SKULLS
BELONG TO?

AND HOW DID THESE SPRINGS

BECOME THEIR GRAVEYARDS?

MANY OF THE FOSSILS
ARE FROM ANIMALS

THAT YOU CAN
STILL SEE TODAY.

INDEED WE'D RECOGNIZE
THE VAST MAJORITY

OF FLORIDA'S
ICE AGE WILDLIFE.

NEVERTHELESS,
THE MOST SPECTACULAR

ICE AGE BEASTS
DID BECOME EXTINCT.

AND REMARKABLY,
SOME OF THEM SHARE
A COMMON ANCESTOR

WITH MODERN MANATEES.

AT FIRST SIGHT,
MANATEES MIGHT LOOK
LIKE SEALS OR DOLPHINS,

BUT IN FACT,
SOME OF THEIR CLOSEST
RELATIVES LIVE ON LAND.

THESE TOENAILS
ARE THE GIVEAWAY,

REMARKABLY SIMILAR
TO THOSE OF ELEPHANTS.

13,000 YEARS AGO,

TWO OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE ELEPHANT FAMILY
ROAMED THIS LAND.

THE MANATEES THAT SWIM
IN FLORIDA'S SPRINGS TODAY

ARE LIVING RELATIVES
OF ICE AGE MAMMOTHS

AND MASTODONS.

SOME OF THE BONES FOUND
IN THESE SPRINGS

ARE EASY TO IDENTIFY,

BUT SCATTERED IN
AMONG THEM ARE SOME
MORE OBSCURE REMAINS.

WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL
COULD THIS BELONG TO?

THESE ROSETTES
ARE BONY SCALES, OR "SCUTES."

SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT COVER
SOME REPTILES TODAY.

BUT THIS IS ONLY
ONE PIECE OF THE JIGSAW.

IMAGINE WHAT THE CREATURE
WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE

WHEN ALL THESE PIECES
WERE FITTED TOGETHER.

THE SCUTES,
AROUND 2000 OF THEM,

ONCE FORMED THE SHELL
OF A HUGE ANIMAL

CALLED A GLYPTODONT.

WITH ITS HEAVYWEIGHT
EXTERIOR

THE GLYPTODONT LOOKS
LIKE A REPTILE,

LIKE THE ALLIGATOR,
WHICH HAS BEEN AROUND
FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS,

LONG BEFORE
THE LAST ICE AGE.

BUT THE GLYPTODONT
WASN'T A REPTILE.

SO WHAT WAS IT?

THERE IS A RELATIVE
OF THE GLYPTODONT

THAT'S STILL ALIVE TODAY.

IT'S THE ARMADILLO,

AND IT'S A MAMMAL,

THE ONLY MAMMAL
WITH THIS KIND OF ARMOR

IN THE WHOLE
OF NORTH AMERICA.

IT MAY GIVE US SOME IDEA

OF HOW AN ICE AGE
GLYPTODONT MIGHT HAVE
LOOKED WHEN ALIVE.

ARMADILLOS HAVE
POOR EYESIGHT,

AND RELY MOSTLY
ON THEIR SENSE OF SMELL.

MUCH OF THEIR TIME
IS SPENT

NOSE TO THE GROUND
IN SEARCH OF FOOD.

LIKE THE GLYPTODONT,
THEY'RE COVERED IN A LAYER
OF BONY SCUTES.

BUT THE ARMADILLO'S
BODY ARMOR

IS SURPRISINGLY THIN
AND FLEXIBLE

AND DOESN'T SLOW
ITS OWNER DOWN.

SO WHAT ABOUT
THE GLYPTODONT?

THE GLYPTODONT'S
SCUTE CASING

WAS UP TO FIVE
CENTIMETERS THICK,

AND FUSED
INTO A SOLID SHELL.

THE SHELL ALONE
WAS EXTREMELY HEAVY

AND THE ENTIRE ANIMAL
PROBABLY WEIGHED AS MUCH
AS A SMALL CAR.

IT HAD EXTREMELY
STURDY LEGS

AND FIVE TOES ON EACH FOOT
TO SPREAD ITS MASSIVE WEIGHT.

THE HEAVY TAIL PROBABLY
ACTED AS A COUNTERBALANCE.

SO THE GLYPTODONT
WASN'T BUILT FOR SPEED,

BUT INSIDE
ALL THIS BODY ARMOR,

YOU'D IMAGINE
IT WAS WELL PROTECTED.

BUT ONE FOSSIL SKULL
TELLS A DIFFERENT STORY.

IT SUGGESTS
THE GLYPTODONT'S DEFENSES

WEREN'T IMPENETRABLE.

THESE HOLES ARE
THE UNMISTAKABLE HALLMARK

OF A VIOLENT DEATH.

THEIR SHAPE SUGGESTS
THAT THEY WERE MADE

BY THE TEETH
OF A BIG CAT.

BUT WHICH ONE?

TODAY THERE'S ONLY ONE
LARGE CAT IN THE REGION,

THE FLORIDA PANTHER.

THOUGH SIMILAR TO THE COUGAR
OF THE WESTERN STATES,

IT'S NOW MUCH RARER.

BUT IT WAS AROUND
DURING THE ICE AGE,

SO COULD IT HAVE KILLED
THE GLYPTODONT?

ALTHOUGH IT COULD
EASILY MANAGE A DEER,

THE FLORIDA PANTHER
WAS PROBABLY TOO SMALL

TO TACKLE SUCH A GIANT.

BUT IT WASN'T
THE ONLY BIG CAT AROUND

13,000 YEARS AGO.

THERE WAS ALSO
THE MIGHTY AMERICAN LION.

POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO KILL A GLYPTODONT.

THE SCIMITAR-TOOTHED CAT,

KNOWN TO ATTACK
YOUNG MAMMOTHS,

WAS ALSO BIG
AND STRONG ENOUGH.

AND THEN THERE WAS
THE MOST INFAMOUS CAT OF ALL,

THE SABER-TOOTH.

LIKE THE SCIMITAR,
IT SAVED IT'S AWESOME FANGS

FOR SLASHING SOFT FLESH.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNLIKELY
TO RISK BREAKING THEM
ON BONY ARMOR.

BUT THE WARM CLIMATE
OF ICE AGE FLORIDA

MADE IT A SANCTUARY
FOR ANOTHER KILLER CAT.

STILL SOUTH AMERICA'S
TOP PREDATOR,

THE JAGUAR IS CAPABLE
OF TAKING PREY MUCH LARGER
THAN ITSELF.

WEIGHT FOR WEIGHT,

IT'S PROBABLY
THE MOST POWERFUL CAT
ALIVE TODAY.

BUT MOST SIGNIFICANT OF ALL,

THE JAGUAR HAS
A TELL-TALE TRADEMARK.

( squealing )

INSTEAD OF GOING
FOR THE NECK OR SNOUT
LIKE MOST CATS DO,

IT KILLS
WITH A CRUSHING BITE
THROUGH THE SKULL

INTO THE BRAIN.

THIS MAKES THE JAGUAR
PRIME SUSPECT IN THIS CASE.

EVEN THE GLYPTODONT'S
DEFENSES HAD A FATAL FLAW.

13,000 YEARS AGO,

ANOTHER VERY DIFFERENT
KIND OF HUNTER

REACHED THIS WARM CORNER
OF THE CONTINENT.

FLORIDA'S SPRINGS
HAVE PRODUCED

AN UNPARALLELED RECORD
OF THESE FIRST PEOPLE...

EXAMPLES
OF THEIR CRAFTSMANSHIP
AND HUNTING EXPERTISE,

INCLUDING RAZOR-SHARP
FLINT SPEAR POINTS.

THE AREA WAS RICH
IN FLINT FOR MAKING WEAPONS,

AND IN ANIMALS TO HUNT.

AND WITH THE MILDER CLIMATE,
THESE PEOPLE PROBABLY

HAD AN EASIER LIFE THAN
THEIR CONTEMPORARIES
FURTHER NORTH.

SMALL CLUES
TO THEIR ARRIVAL

HAVE SURVIVED UNDAMAGED
OVER 13,000 YEARS--

SPEAR POINTS, FISHHOOKS

AND OTHER GLIMPSES
OF THEIR DAILY LIFE

SHOWING THE VERSATILITY
OF THESE FIRST INHABITANTS

OF THE SUNSHINE STATE.

THEY HUNTED A WIDE RANGE
OF ICE AGE ANIMALS,

AND FLORIDA POSSESSES
A UNIQUE RECORD OF ONE
SUCH ENCOUNTER.

THE SKULL
OF AN EXTINCT BISON,
RESTORED HERE,

WAS DISCOVERED
IN ONE OF THE RIVERS.

PLANTED DEEP IN THE TOP
OF THE SKULL

WAS A FLINT SPEAR POINT.

BUT HOW DID ONE MAN
AND A SPEAR

PRODUCE THE HUGE FORCE
BEHIND THIS BLOW?

THE ANSWER LIES
WITH SMALL BITS OF IVORY,
LIKE THIS.

THEY WERE ONCE PART
OF AN "ATLATL"

OR SPEARTHROWER.

AN ATLATL ACTS
AS A SORT OF CATAPULT,

MAGNIFYING THE STRENGTH
OF A HUNTER'S THROW,

ALLOWING HIM TO LAUNCH
A SPEAR UP TO 200 METERS

WITH ENOUGH POWER
TO DRIVE THE POINT

THROUGH A BISON'S SKULL.

IT'S THIS KIND
OF SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY

THAT HELPED THESE
EARLY NORTH AMERICANS

TO SPREAD THROUGHOUT
THE ENTIRE CONTINENT.

BUT WHAT ELSE DID THEY FIND
ONCE THEY REACHED FLORIDA?

FLORIDA'S ICE AGE WILDLIFE

WAS REMARKABLY
RICH AND DIVERSE.

THERE WERE MANY
FAMILIAR ANIMALS

NORMALLY FOUND
FURTHER NORTH,

BUT ALSO CREATURES
UNIQUE TO THE TROPICS.

THE RESULT WAS
A MIXTURE OF SPECIES

UNLIKE ANYTHING
WE SEE TODAY

AND AN ABUNDANT FOOD SOURCE
FOR THE HUMAN IMMIGRANTS.

SO WHAT PRODUCED
ICE AGE FLORIDA'S
WEALTH OF WILDLIFE?

PART OF THE ANSWER COMES
FROM THE ICE ITSELF.

AT THE PEAK
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,

MASSIVE GLACIERS
UP TO TWO MILES THICK

COVERED OVER HALF
THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT.

THE ICE DESTROYED
THE HABITAT OVER WHICH
IT LAY,

BUT IT ALSO HAD
A PROFOUND IMPACT

ON REGIONS FAR AWAY.

IT CREATED
A DOMINO EFFECT

THAT RIPPLED
DOWN THE CONTINENT.

THE COLD-CLIMATE
CONIFER FORESTS OF THE NORTH

DISPLACED
BROAD-LEAFED WOODLANDS.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS
WERE GRADUALLY PUSHED SOUTH

TO FIND A WARMER CLIMATE.

FLORIDA BECAME A REFUGE
FROM THE COLD.

DOWN HERE IS WHERE
THE ICE AGE NORTH

MET THE SUBTROPICAL SOUTH.

TODAY IN A COOL, WOODED PART
OF THE SUNSHINE STATE,

YOU CAN STILL SEE SOME
OF THESE NORTHERN REFUGEES.

THE VALLEYS ALONG
THE APALACHICOLA RIVER

ARE HOME TO MANY SPECIES
THAT WERE FORCED HERE
IN THE ICE AGE

AND NOW REMAIN FAR AWAY

FROM THEIR MAIN POPULATIONS
FURTHER NORTH...

LIKE THE COPPERHEAD SNAKE...

AND AN ASTONISHING
VARIETY OF AMPHIBIANS.

DURING THE ICE AGE,
FLORIDA WAS CRUCIAL

TO THE SURVIVAL OF MANY SUCH
MILD WEATHER SPECIES.

THEY COULDN'T HAVE WITHSTOOD
THE COLD UP NORTH,

AND WITHOUT THIS REFUGE

THEY WOULD SIMPLY
HAVE BECOME EXTINCT.

ANOTHER LEFTOVER,

BUT ONE THAT ARRIVED
FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION,

THIS IS THE VIRGINIA
OPOSSUM,

A TREE DWELLER
FOUND THROUGHOUT MANY
OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.

IT'S THE ONLY
NORTH AMERICAN MARSUPIAL.

THE YOUNG ARE BORN
PREMATURE AND NURTURED
IN THE MOTHER'S POUCH.

AND ITS ONLY CLOSE
RELATIVES TODAY

ARE FOUND IN CENTRAL
AND SOUTH AMERICA.

THE OPOSSUM
IS A RARE SURVIVOR

FROM A SOUTH AMERICAN
INVASION.

IN THE ICE AGE THERE
WERE MANY OTHER SPECIES

THAT HAD TRAVELED
NORTH TO FLORIDA,

INCLUDING A GIANT.

THIS SPECTACULAR CLAW

IS 40 CENTIMETERS LONG

AND IT BELONGED
TO A CREATURE WHOSE
FOSSIL REMAINS

HAVE BEEN FOUND
THROUGHOUT FLORIDA.

IT'S THE CLAW FROM
A GIANT GROUND SLOTH

AND IT REALLY WAS A GIANT.

SIX METERS LONG AND WEIGHING
UP TO FOUR TONS,

IT RIVALED
THE MAMMOTHS IN SIZE.

ALTHOUGH THE GIANT
GROUND SLOTH IS NOW EXTINCT,

LIKE THE OPOSSUM
IT HAS FAMILY TIES
IN SOUTH AMERICA.

THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE
IS EASY TO SEE.

THESE MENACING CLAWS ARE USED
AS GRAPPLING HOOKS,
NOT WEAPONS.

THEY BELONG
TO THE TREE SLOTH,

A PEACEFUL VEGETARIAN
THAT SPENDS ITS TIME
EATING LEAVES.

IT SEEMS A FAR CRY
FROM OUR VISION

OF AN ICE AGE BEAST.

IT'S LIKELY
GIANT GROUND SLOTHS

USED THEIR CLAWS
IN A SIMILAR WAY,

TO HOOK BRANCHES AND PULL
THEM WITHIN REACH.

LIKE TREE SLOTHS,
THEY WERE VEGETARIANS,

AND PROBABLY NOT FUSSY
ABOUT WHAT THEY ATE,

CHEWING THEIR WAY
THROUGH LEAVES, FRUIT,
TWIGS AND ALL.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO

IS THEIR SIZE.

GIANT GROUND SLOTHS
WERE 500 TIMES BIGGER

THAN THEIR MODERN
RELATIVES...

AND STANDING UPRIGHT
ON THEIR BACK LEGS,

THEY TOWERED AS TALL
AS A GIRAFFE.

SO FAR WE HAVE PIECED TOGETHER
SOMETHING OF THE PEOPLE

WHO FIRST EXPLORED
THE SOUTHEAST OF THE CONTINENT,

AND THE WILDLIFE THEY MUST
HAVE ENCOUNTERED AND HUNTED.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CLIMATE
AND THE LANDSCAPE THEY
ALL LIVED IN?

FLORIDA IS TROPICAL TODAY,

BUT HOW WARM WAS IT
13,000 YEARS AGO?

THIS IS LITTLE SALT SPRING
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA...

THE SOURCE OF ONE
OF THE MOST UNLIKELY CLUES

TO THE CLIMATE
OF THE PAST.

BROUGHT UP FROM A LEDGE
MORE THAN 20 METERS
BELOW THE SURFACE,

WAS THE FOSSILIZED SHELL
OF A TORTOISE,

A GIANT TORTOISE,
MUCH LIKE THIS ONE.

GIANT TORTOISES ARE NOW
ONLY FOUND BASKING

IN THE HEAT OF A FEW ISLANDS
ALONG THE EQUATOR.

THEY CAN GROW MORE
THAN TWO METERS LONG

AND WEIGH AS MUCH
AS THREE MEN.

BUT THE GIANT TORTOISES
OF ICE AGE NORTH AMERICA

WERE EVEN LARGER.

FLORIDA DOES HAVE
TORTOISES TODAY,

BUT ON A MUCH
SMALLER SCALE.

THIS IS THE GOPHER TORTOISE.

TORTOISES ARE
COLD-BLOODED ANIMALS.

THEY RELY
ON EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE
TO KEEP THEMSELVES WARM.

ALTHOUGH FLORIDA
IS PLENTY WARM ENOUGH
FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR,

DURING THE WINTER MONTHS
IT CAN GET COLD.

SO TO SURVIVE THE WINTER,

GOPHER TORTOISES MUST BURROW
AND HIBERNATE UNDERGROUND.

THE COLDER IT GETS,

THE DEEPER INTO
THEIR BURROW THEY GO.

GIANT TORTOISES,
HOWEVER, CAN'T BURROW

AND THEY SLEEP
ABOVE GROUND.

THEY NEED RELATIVELY
WARM TEMPERATURES
ALL YEAR ROUND.

THE FACT THEY WERE IN FLORIDA
DURING THE ICE AGE

MEANS THAT, PARADOXICALLY,

THE CLIMATE MUST HAVE
BEEN MORE STABLE

AND EVEN MILDER
THAN IT IS TODAY.

SO WE KNOW SOMETHING
OF THE CLIMATE...

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VEGETATION
AND THE LANDSCAPE?

HOW DID THAT LOOK
13,000 YEARS AGO?

TODAY FLORIDA IS ONE
OF THE WETTEST PARTS
OF THE CONTINENT,

ESPECIALLY
THE VAST SWAMPY AREA

KNOWN AS THE EVERGLADES.

FLOODED GRASSLAND STRETCHES
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

BUT DESPITE THEIR NAME,

THE MIGHTY EVERGLADES
DID NOT EXIST

DURING THE ICE AGE.

SO WHAT DID
PREHISTORIC FLORIDA
LOOK LIKE?

THERE'S ONE PLACE
IN NORTHERN FLORIDA

THAT HAS REVEALED
MORE ICE AGE SECRETS

THAN ALMOST ANYWHERE ELSE--

THE DARK,
SLOW MOVING WATERS

OF THE AUCILLA RIVER.

HERE, IDEAL CONDITIONS
FOR FOSSILIZATION

CREATED A HIDDEN STORE
OF ICE AGE EVIDENCE.

UNLIKE IN THE CRYSTAL-CLEAR
SPRING WATERS,

THESE CLUES WERE NEVER
ON VIEW FOR ALL TO SEE.

BUT THE AUCILLA HAS NOW
BEEN STUDIED INTENSIVELY

FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

ALONG SOME STRETCHES
OF THE RIVERBED

WERE MASSIVE BONES--
RECREATED HERE--

PERFECTLY PRESERVED
FOR MORE THAN 13,000 YEARS.

ONE OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERIES

WAS THE HUGE SKULL
OF AN AMERICAN MASTODON.

MASTODONS, CLOSE RELATIVES
OF MAMMOTHS,

WERE WIDESPREAD ALL OVER
NORTH AMERICA DURING
THE ICE AGE.

THEY GREW OVER
THREE METERS TALL,

THE SIZE OF AFRICAN
ELEPHANTS TODAY.

WE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT THE MASTODONS,
ESPECIALLY THEIR DIET,

THANKS TO THE PRESERVED
DUNG THEY LEFT BEHIND.

SOME OF THIS
ICE AGE DUNG

WAS FOUND BENEATH
THE SKULL IN THE AUCILLA.

THE DUNG CONTAINED
PLANT REMAINS

THAT TELL US
WHAT THE MASTODON
WAS BROWSING ON

13,000 YEARS AGO
OR MORE.

A MIXTURE OF TREES
AND GRASSES.

THIS SUGGESTS
THAT ICE AGE FLORIDA

WAS DRIER
THAN IT IS TODAY,

A MIX OF WOODLANDS
AND SAVANNAH,

RATHER THAN SWAMPS.

AND MASTODON TEETH
FOUND IN THE AUCILLA

HELD A MORE IMPORTANT
REVELATION.

THE ENAMEL CONTAINS
CHEMICAL SIGNATURES
OF THE LOCAL SOIL,

PASSED VIA THE PLANTS
THE MASTODONS ATE.

BUT SOME OF THE CHEMICALS
FOUND IN THE AUCILLA TEETH

COULD ONLY HAVE
COME FROM SOIL

HUNDREDS OF MILES
FURTHER NORTH.

THE INESCAPABLE
CONCLUSION IS

THAT THESE MASTODONS
MIGRATED,

MAKING A ROUND TRIP
OF MORE THAN 400 MILES
EVERY YEAR.

AND SINCE THEIR DUNG
ALSO CONTAINS

REMAINS OF SUMMER FRUITS
FROM THE AUCILLA REGION,

THEY MUST HAVE TRAVELED
NORTH FOR THE WINTER.

THE QUESTION IS WHY?

WHY LEAVE A PLACE,
WHICH, AS WE HAVE SEEN,

WAS ABUNDANT WITH FOOD,
AND A REFUGE FROM THE COLD?

AND WHY GO NORTH
FOR THE WINTER,

WHEN MOST MIGRANTS
MOVE SOUTH?

PERHAPS THE PRESENT CLIMATE
CAN PROVIDE A CLUE.

FLORIDA HAS A PECULIAR
SEASONAL QUIRK.

ALTHOUGH THE WINTER MONTHS
ARE COOLER,

THEY ARE ALSO DRIER.
MUCH DRIER.

BETWEEN OCTOBER
AND FEBRUARY

THERE'S ALMOST
NO RAINFALL AT ALL.

COULD IT BE THAT DRASTIC
WATER SHORTAGE

WAS THE REASON
FOR THE MASTODONS'
EPIC MIGRATIONS?

ANOTHER BIG PIECE
OF THIS PUZZLE

LIES FAR OUT TO SEA.

THIS IS THE OCEAN FLOOR.

BUT THIS ISN'T ROCK
SPROUTING OUT OF THE BOTTOM,

IT'S WOOD.

IT'S THE REMAINS
OF PREHISTORIC TREE STUMPS.

SOME DATED AT MORE
THAN 12,000 YEARS OLD.

THIS SUNKEN FOREST
IS UNMISTAKABLE EVIDENCE

THAT WHAT IS NOW SEABED

WAS ONCE DRY GROUND.

AND WHAT IS NOW
FLORIDA'S COASTLINE

WAS ONCE
MANY MILES INLAND.

BUT WHY?

TO ANSWER THAT
WE HAVE TO GO BACK

TO THE MIGHTY
ICE AGE GLACIERS

THAT COVERED ALMOST
HALF THE CONTINENT.

THESE GLACIERS CONTAINED
IMMEASURABLE AMOUNTS OF ICE.

SO MUCH WATER WAS
LOCKED UP IN THIS ICE

THAT IT LOWERED SEA LEVELS
BY OVER 70 METERS.

THE SOUTHEAST
COASTAL SHELF WAS EXPOSED

AND FLORIDA
DOUBLED IN SIZE.

THE EVERGLADES
WERE DRY LAND.

THIS TRIGGERED
OTHER DRAMATIC CHANGES.

AS SEA LEVELS DROPPED,

SO DID THE INLAND
WATER TABLES.

FLORIDA'S FRESH WATER
DRAINED AWAY

THROUGH THE POROUS
LIMESTONE ROCK.

POOLS DRIED UP
AND SPRINGS DIMINISHED.

FLORIDA WAS ON THE BRINK
OF DROUGHT,

AND ANIMALS WOULD HAVE
HAD TO TRAVEL TO FIND
FOOD AND WATER.

SO EACH YEAR MASTODONS

WOULD HAVE MIGRATED
TO THE WETTER REGIONS.

BUT IN A FEW KEY PLACES,

WATER WAS STILL PUSHED
UP FROM UNDERGROUND
AS A SPRING.

A VITAL OASIS

WHERE WILDLIFE
WOULD HAVE CONVERGED

FROM MANY MILES AROUND.

MANY ANIMALS
WOULD HAVE FED ON
THE SURROUNDING VEGETATION

AND OTHERS COME
HERE TO DRINK.

AND PREDATORS WOULD HAVE LAIN
IN AMBUSH FOR THE UNWARY.

IT'S NO WONDER THAT
SO MANY FOSSIL BONES

HAVE BEEN FOUND ON THE BOTTOM
OF THESE SPRINGS,

CLUES THAT CAN OPEN
UP A WINDOW

ON THE ICE AGE PAST.

( trumpeting )

BRINGING THIS EVIDENCE
TOGETHER,

WE CAN CREATE A LIVING
PICTURE OF THIS REGION

AS IT WAS THEN.

WE CAN NOW GO BACK
13,000 YEARS

AND SEE WHAT A DAY AROUND
ONE OF FLORIDA'S SPRINGS

MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE.

DAWN ON THE SOUTHEAST TIP

OF ICE AGE NORTH AMERICA.

ON THE BANKS
OF A SPRING-FED POOL,

THE EARLY GRAZERS STIR.

TODAY THERE IS A GROUP
OF LARGER VISITORS HERE TOO.

( trumpeting )

A HERD OF MASTODONS,
LED BY THE MATRIARCH,

HAVE JUST RETURNED
FROM THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATION

HUNDREDS OF MILES
TO THE NORTH.

NOW THE WINTER DROUGHT
IS OVER

AND THE SPRING WATER
HAS BEEN TOPPED UP
BY RECENT RAINS.

ANOTHER GROUP HAS ALSO
SET UP CAMP NEARBY--

HUNTERS, DESCENDANTS
OF THE FIRST HUMAN SETTLERS

THAT ENTERED THE CONTINENT
IN THE FAR NORTH.

COMPARED TO
THE HARSH CONDITIONS
THEIR ANCESTORS FACED,

THIS PLACE IS PARADISE.

TARGETS FOR THE HUNTERS'
SPEARS ARE PLENTIFUL.

AROUND THE SPRING,
LUSH VEGETATION

ATTRACTS THE GIANT
GROUND SLOTH TOO.

BOTH MASTODONS AND SLOTHS
ARE BROWSERS,

BUT THE MASTODONS
ROAM FAR AND WIDE

TO FIND THE KIND
OF PLANTS THEY NEED.

THE GIANT GROUND SLOTH
ISN'T BUILT TO TRAVEL FAR,

BUT IT MAKES UP FOR THAT

BY HAVING THE REACH
OF A GIRAFFE.

ITS HUGE CLAWS
MAY ALSO BE USED
FOR SELF-DEFENSE,

ALTHOUGH EVEN THE MOST
POWERFUL PREDATOR

WOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE
TACKLING SO LARGE A PREY.

IN ANY CASE,
THIS FEMALE JAGUAR

IS LITTLE THREAT
RIGHT NOW.

ONCE SHE'S QUENCHED
HER THIRST

SHE'LL FIND A SHADY PLACE
TO DOZE IN THE HEAT
OF THE DAY.

MEANWHILE THE GROUND SLOTH,
LIKE THE MASTODONS,

MUST EAT MOST OF THE DAY

TO FUEL ITS HUGE BULK.

THIS MAY BE THE ICE AGE,

BUT BY MIDDAY,
TEMPERATURES SOAR,

DRAWING ANOTHER PREDATOR
TO THE SPRING TO DRINK--

THE NOTORIOUS
SABER-TOOTHED CAT.

MOST CREATURES
GIVE THE SABER-TOOTH
A WIDE BERTH,

BUT THIS SKUNK
SEEMS UNCONCERNED.

THE SABER-TOOTH MAY BE
THE ULTIMATE ICE AGE PREDATOR

BUT THE SKUNK
IS FEARED TOO,

BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE
SYSTEM OF SELF-DEFENSE.

THESE STRIPES SERVE
TO WARN OFF MOST ATTACKERS,

BUT PERHAPS THE SABER-TOOTH
HAS YET TO LEARN

EXACTLY WHAT THEY MEAN.

STAMPING HIS FEET,
THE SKUNK ISSUES
A FINAL WARNING,

BUT THIS BIG CAT
IS STILL CURIOUS.

AND NOW THE SKUNK
HAS HAD ENOUGH.

THE DREADED SABER-TOOTH,

KILLER OF MASTODONS
AND OTHER ICE AGE GIANTS,

IS DEFEATED BY A SMALL
BUT VERY SMELLY SKUNK.

IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY,
HUNTERS CAN AFFORD

TO SLOW DOWN
AND REST IN THE SHADE.

IT'S ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES
OF A HIGH PROTEIN DIET.

LLAMAS ORIGINATED
HERE IN NORTH AMERICA

AND ARE REGULAR VISITORS
TO THE SPRING.

THE STRANGE LOOKING TAPIR
IS COMMON, TOO.

AND THERE'S ANOTHER ANIMAL
THAT'S EVEN MORE BIZARRE--

A GLYPTODONT.

THIS LUMBERING VEGETARIAN
IS NO THREAT TO THE LLAMAS

BUT IT DOES AROUSE
THEIR CURIOSITY.

THE GLYPTODONT IS
SHORTSIGHTED AND WARY

BUT IT HAS LITTLE
TO FEAR FROM LLAMAS.

( squealing)

THEY'RE EASILY
WARNED OFF

AND SOON HEAD BACK
TOWARDS THE SPRING.

BUT AS THE DAY COOLS DOWN,

ANOTHER SCENT
IS IN THE AIR

ALERTING THE TAPIR'S
ULTRA-SENSITIVE NOSE
TO DANGER.

THE LLAMAS PICK UP
THE SIGNALS TOO.

IT'S THE JAGUAR,
BACK ON THE PROWL.

THOUGH VERY POWERFUL,
SHE'S NOT A SPRINTER

AND SHE NEEDS
TO GET CLOSE TO HER PREY
BEFORE SHE STRIKES.

( sniffing )

THIS TIME
SHE'S RUN TOO SOON

AND IT'S
A FRUITLESS CHASE.

THEN HER ATTENTION
IS DIVERTED

TO A SLOWER MOVING TARGET.

SLOW,

BUT NOT DEFENSELESS.

SHE BACKS OFF AND TRIES
A DIFFERENT APPROACH.

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY
A MEAL IN THERE,

BUT HOW TO GET TO IT?

SHE HOMES IN ON THE HEAD

AND BITES STRAIGHT
THROUGH THE SKULL.

THE GLYPTODONT IS DEAD,

BUT THE JAGUAR
STILL GOES HUNGRY.

UNABLE TO CRACK
HER VICTIM'S TOUGH ARMOR,

ALL SHE MANAGES TO WALK
AWAY WITH IS A BONY SCUTE.

THE JAGUAR WILL VANISH
FROM NORTH AMERICA.

AND GLYPTODONTS,
LIKE MANY ICE AGE BEASTS,

BECOME EXTINCT.

BUT AT THE BOTTOM
OF A SPRING,

ONE TINY FRAGMENT
OF AN ICE AGE GIANT

WILL REMAIN UNDISTURBED
FOR 13,000 YEARS,

WHILE ABOVE IT

THE LANDSCAPE OF FLORIDA

WILL CHANGE FOREVER.