Wild New World (2002): Season 1, Episode 6 - Mammoths to Manhattan - full transcript

DOWNTOWN L.A.--

THE ULTIMATE
MODERN AMERICAN CITY.

BUT LOS ANGELES' SKYSCRAPERS
ARE BUILT OVER THE GRAVES

OF THOUSANDS
OF EXTINCT ICE AGE BEASTS.

TODAY,
ALL WE HAVE ARE MEMORIALS
TO THESE VANISHED ANIMALS.

BUT IMAGINE IF THEY HAD
SURVIVED INTO THE PRESENT DAY.

THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO ADJUST
TO A VERY HUMAN WORLD.

- ( horn honking )
- ( siren blaring )

( trumpets )

THE REALITY IS
MAMMOTHS NEVER MADE IT

BEYOND THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE...



BUT MANY
OTHER CREATURES DID.

AND OVER THE PAST
14,000 YEARS OR SO,

THEY'VE HAD TO ADAPT
TO AN INCREASINGLY
HUMAN LANDSCAPE,

A LANDSCAPE
OF CONCRETE AND STEEL.

IN THIS PROGRAM WE WILL
TRAVEL BACK INTO THE PAST

TO INVESTIGATE
WHY THE GIANT BEASTS

OF NORTH AMERICA
BECAME EXTINCT...

AND TO FIND OUT HOW
THOSE ANIMALS THAT DID SURVIVE

HAVE ADAPTED TO LIFE
IN OUR MODERN WORLD.

TO FIND THE ANSWERS,

WE NEED TO REWIND
HISTORY AROUND 14,000 YEARS,

TO A TIME WHEN THE FIRST PEOPLE
SET FOOT IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE CONTINENT WAS ABOUT
TO UNDERGO A PROFOUND CHANGE,

A CHANGE THESE NEW ARRIVALS
MAY HAVE PLAYED A PART IN.



THROUGHOUT THE ICE AGE,

NORTH AMERICA WAS HOME
TO A VARIETY OF GIANT
CREATURES...

BUT IN LITTLE MORE
THAN A THOUSAND YEARS
OF THE FIRST HUMANS ARRIVING,

ALMOST TWO THIRDS
OF THE LARGEST ANIMALS
WERE EXTINCT.

WHAT ROLE DID PEOPLE PLAY
IN THIS MASS EXTINCTION?

TO LEARN
ABOUT THEIR LIVES

YOU HAVE TO LOOK
AT THE CLUES THEY LEFT BEHIND.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS
TELL US

THAT THE FIRST PEOPLE
IN NORTH AMERICA

HAD AN ADVANCED
STONE AGE TECHNOLOGY.

THEY WERE MASTER
FLINT KNAPPERS,

METICULOUSLY CHIPPING
AND SHARPENING PIECES OF FLINT

TO MAKE SPEARS
AND CUTTING TOOLS.

FROM THE EXAMPLES
THEY LEFT BEHIND,

IT'S OBVIOUS THEY WERE
WELL EQUIPPED TO HUNT.

AND WE KNOW FROM SPEAR POINTS
FOUND ALONGSIDE MAMMOTH REMAINS

THAT THESE HUNTERS TACKLED
EVEN THE BIGGEST BEASTS
ON THE CONTINENT.

MAMMOTHS WOULD HAVE BEEN
A PRIZED SOURCE OF PROTEIN,

PROVIDING ENOUGH MEAT TO FEED
THEIR FAMILIES FOR WEEKS.

THE HUNTERS PROBABLY WORKED
IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS.

ANY MAMMOTH STRAYING
FROM ITS OWN HERD

WOULD HAVE BEEN
SINGLED OUT.

BUT EVEN ON ITS OWN,

A MAMMOTH WAS STILL
HIGHLY DANGEROUS,

AND AN ATTACK REQUIRED
STEALTH AND TEAMWORK.

ONE OF THE HUNTERS
MAY HAVE ACTED AS A DECOY,

DISTRACTING THE ANIMAL
WHILE OTHERS SURROUNDED IT.

( mammoth roaring )

THESE HUNTERS HAD
ANOTHER TRICK UP THEIR SLEEVE.

USING A SPECIALLY CRAFTED
WOODEN STICK CALLED AN ATLATL,

THEY WERE ABLE TO LAUNCH
SHARP POINTED DARTS
MORE THAN 40 METERS.

( roars )

SO WE KNOW THESE PEOPLE
WERE EFFICIENT HUNTERS

BUT COULD THEY REALLY
HAVE WIPED OUT

ALL THE MAMMOTHS ON THE NORTH
AMERICAN CONTINENT?

TODAY,
THE REMAINS OF MAMMOTHS--

IN PARTICULAR THEIR TUSKS--
MAY HELP ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

TO READ THE CLUES
CONTAINED WITHIN THESE TUSKS

YOU NEED TO LOOK
AT THE MAMMOTH'S CLOSEST
LIVING RELATIVE-- THE ELEPHANT.

ELEPHANT TUSKS GROW
THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES,

WITH THE TIP
BEING THE OLDEST PART.

MAMMOTH TUSKS SHOW THE SAME
PATTERN OF GROWTH AS MODERN
ELEPHANTS.

EACH YEAR OF LIFE IS
REPRESENTED BY A RING--

JUST LIKE TREE RINGS.

( trumpeting )

BUT TUSKS
CAN ALSO BE A RECORD

OF THE MORE STRESSFUL PERIODS
IN AN ELEPHANT'S LIFE.

AS BULLS MATURE,
THEY'RE FORCED OUT
OF THE FAMILY GROUP

AND HAVE TO FIGHT
TO SURVIVE.

DURING
THIS STRESSFUL TIME,

THEY DON'T HAVE
SO MUCH ENERGY FOR GROWTH,

SO THE SPACE BETWEEN
EACH RING IS NARROWER.

THESE SAME SIGNS APPEAR
IN YOUNG MALE MAMMOTH TUSKS,

BUT THOSE LIVING
IN NORTH AMERICA
AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE

LAID DOWN THEIR STRESS RINGS
THREE YEARS EARLIER THAN USUAL.

IN OTHER WORDS,
IT SEEMS THAT YOUNG MALES

WERE LEAVING THE HERD
AT AN EARLIER AGE.

SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THE ONLY THING THAT COULD CAUSE

SUCH A MAJOR CHANGE
IN MAMMOTHS' SOCIAL STRUCTURE

WOULD BE HUNTING
BY HUMANS.

IF HUNTING PRESSURE
WAS EXTREME ENOUGH TO PUSH
THE MAMMOTHS TO EXTINCTION,

THEN WE WOULD
EXPECT THEM TO SURVIVE

IN AREAS
THAT PEOPLE COULDN'T REACH.

AND FOR A WHILE,
THEY DID--

HERE ON WRANGELL ISLAND,
OFF THE COAST OF SIBERIA.

THERE ARE NO MAMMOTHS
ON WRANGELL ISLAND TODAY,

BUT IT IS HOME TO
ANOTHER LARGE ANIMAL--

THE POLAR BEAR.

AND THERE IS EVIDENCE
THAT POLAR BEARS AND MAMMOTHS

ONCE LIVED SIDE BY SIDE
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE.

THEY WOULD HAVE SHARED
THE ISLAND'S MEAGER OFFERINGS.

THIS INHOSPITABLE
AND ISOLATED PLACE

SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN
A SANCTUARY FOR MAMMOTHS.

THE WRANGELL ISLAND HERDS

WERE THE LAST
ON THE PLANET TO SURVIVE.

REMARKABLY,
THEY SURVIVED HERE

LONG AFTER THEIR NORTH AMERICAN
RELATIVES HAD ALL DIED OUT.

BUT THEY WERE STILL
ON BORROWED TIME.

WHEN PEOPLE FINALLY
REACHED WRANGELL ISLAND,

4,000 YEARS AGO,

THESE LAST REMAINING MAMMOTHS
ALSO BECAME EXTINCT.

THE EVENTS
ON WRANGELL ISLAND MIRRORED

WHAT HAD HAPPENED ON
THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT.

MAMMOTHS
ONLY BECAME EXTINCT

AFTER THEY CAME
INTO CONTACT WITH PEOPLE.

BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM
WITH THE IDEA THAT HUNTING
CAUSED THE MASS EXTINCTION.

MAMMOTHS WERE NOT
THE ONLY ANIMALS TO DISAPPEAR.

CAMELS SURVIVED FOR MILLIONS
OF YEARS IN NORTH AMERICA,

BUT DISAPPEARED AROUND
THE SAME TIME AS THE MAMMOTHS.

WILD HORSES FIRST EVOLVED HERE
AND BECAME DOMINANT GRAZERS

YET THEY TOO VANISHED
SOON AFTER THE ICE AGE ENDED.

BUT THERE'S
LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST

THAT HUMANS HUNTED
HORSES OR CAMELS.

THIS SEEMS TO GO AGAINST
THE HUNTING ARGUMENT.

SO WHAT ELSE
COULD HAVE TRIGGERED
SUCH LARGE-SCALE EXTINCTIONS?

THE OTHER MAJOR POSSIBILITY
IS CLIMATE CHANGE.

( thunder cracking )

THE END OF THE ICE AGE WAS
A TURBULENT, ERRATIC PERIOD.

IN SOME AREAS
RAIN PATTERNS WERE SHIFTING,

BRINGING MOISTURE BACK
TO DRY LANDSCAPES

AND TURNING GRASSLAND
INTO FOREST.

OTHER REGIONS
OF THE CONTINENT

WERE PLUNGED INTO PROLONGED
PERIODS OF DROUGHT.

FOR GRAZERS
SUCH AS HORSES,

THIS LED TO A MASSIVE
CHANGE IN HABITAT--

ONE THEY WERE NOT
FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME.

AS THE LAND DRIED OUT,
MANY GRASS-EATERS DISAPPEARED.

WE MAY NEVER KNOW FOR CERTAIN
WHAT KILLED OFF

MOST OF THE LARGER ANIMALS
AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE.

WE DO KNOW IT WAS
A TIME OF COINCIDENCE--

PEOPLE WERE ARRIVING
JUST AS THE CLIMATE
WAS IN A STATE OF CHANGE.

BOTH MAY HAVE PLAYED
THEIR PART.

WHICHEVER WAS RESPONSIBLE,

MORE THAN 70 SPECIES
VANISHED FOR GOOD.

BUT SOME LARGE ANIMALS
DID SURVIVE,

AND STILL
LIVE HERE TODAY.

SABER-TOOTHS DIED OUT,
BUT ANOTHER BIG CAT SURVIVED.

THE PUMA MAY HAVE BEEN
MORE ABLE TO ADAPT

BECAUSE ITS DIET
IS MORE VARIED,

AND INCLUDES SMALL PREY.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR
ALSO LIVED THROUGH
THE POST ICE AGE CHANGES

AND NOW THRIVES
IN NORTH AMERICA.

ONCE AGAIN, A VARIED DIET
OF MEAT AND PLANTS

MADE IT
A VERSATILE SURVIVOR.

THE MOOSE IS NOW THE LARGEST
BROWSER ON THE CONTINENT.

DURING THE LAST ICE AGE
MOOSE WERE RESTRICTED
TO THE FAR NORTH,

BUT AFTER THE ICE MELTED,
THEY SPREAD SOUTH.

THEY TOOK
THE PLACE OF MASTODONS
AND THE LARGER STAG MOOSE,

BOTH OF WHICH
BECAME EXTINCT.

BISON, TOO, WERE TO BENEFIT
FROM THE POST ICE AGE CHANGES.

THEY MANAGED
TO SURVIVE THE DROUGHT,

EVENTUALLY
EXPANDING IN NUMBER

TO REPLACE THE HORSE
AS DOMINANT GRAZER.

AS RUMINANTS--
WITH MULTI-CHAMBERED STOMACHS--

BISON CAN EXTRACT
MORE NUTRIENTS FROM GRASS

AND THIS MAY HELP EXPLAIN
WHY THEY SURVIVED

WHEN OTHER GRAZERS SUCH AS
THE WILD HORSES DID NOT.

WHILE ALL THESE CREATURES
WERE ADAPTING TO THEIR
CHANGING LANDSCAPE,

ANOTHER ANIMAL
WAS JUST BEGINNING

TO MAKE
NORTH AMERICA ITS HOME.

IT'S THOUGHT THE DOG ARRIVED
WITH EARLY PEOPLE,

AND ITS DESCENDANTS
ARE STILL WITH US TODAY.

( panting )

THE CAROLINA DOG LIVES
IN THE WOODS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

( whimpering )

LIKE MOST PRIMITIVE DOGS,

IT MAKES ITS DEN IN THE GROUND
OR IN HOLLOW TREE TRUNKS.

THE CAROLINA DOG
IS OFTEN CALLED
THE AMERICAN DINGO.

IT DOES LOOK LIKE
ITS AUSTRALIAN RELATIVE,

BUT LINKS BETWEEN THE TWO
MAY GO DEEPER THAN THAT.

GENETIC ANALYSIS
OF THE CAROLINA DOGS

SUGGESTS THEY ARE
CLOSELY RELATED

TO PRIMITIVE WILD DOGS
LIKE THE DINGO

AND MAY TRACE
THEIR ANCESTRY ALL THE WAY BACK

TO THE FIRST DOGS
TO ENTER NORTH AMERICA.

- ( panting )
- ( whimpers )

THE CAROLINA DOGS
ARE PACK ANIMALS,

WITH A STRICT HIERARCHY
TOPPED BY AN ALPHA MALE.

LIKE MOST WILD DOGS,
THEY HUNT IN GROUPS,

BUT MANY OF THE KILLS
THEY MAKE ARE SMALL.

RABBITS
AND SMALL RODENTS

MAKE UP A LARGE PART
OF THEIR DIET

IN WHAT CAN BECOME
A COLLECTIVE FEEDING FRENZY.

( barks )

AT THE END
OF THE ICE AGE,

THESE DOGS' ANCESTORS
ALSO HAD ACCESS

TO OTHER SOURCES
OF FOOD.

THEY MAY HAVE
HUNG AROUND THE CAMPS

OF EARLY NATIVE PEOPLE,
SCAVENGING FOR SCRAPS.

BUT ALTHOUGH THEY LIVED ON
THE FRINGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY,

THE EARLY WILD DOGS
WERE CERTAINLY NOT PETS.

EXACTLY WHEN THEY ARRIVED
IN NORTH AMERICA IS STILL
UNCERTAIN,

BUT IT'S LIKELY
THAT THEY SLIPPED IN

AFTER THE EXTINCTION
OF THE ICE AGE BEASTS,

DURING A TIME
OF MASSIVE CHANGE.

EVENTUALLY, THE CONTINENT
BECAME MORE SETTLED.

OVER THE NEXT
FEW THOUSAND YEARS,

PEOPLE ADAPTED
TO THE MANY REGIONS

OF THE CONTINENT
AND THEIR VARYING LIFESTYLES

WERE SHAPED BY THE LANDSCAPE
THEY LIVED IN.

THEN MORE
THAN 14,000 YEARS

AFTER THE FIRST PEOPLE
SET FOOT IN NORTH AMERICA,

ANOTHER WAVE OF IMMIGRANTS
BROUGHT CHANGES THAT WOULD
HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT

ON THE LANDSCAPE
AND WILDLIFE OF THE NEW WORLD.

JUST OVER 500 YEARS AGO,

EUROPEANS ARRIVED
IN NORTH AMERICA.

AND WITH THESE COLONIZERS
CAME AN ANIMAL

THAT HADN'T BEEN SEEN HERE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THE HORSE RETURNED
TO THE AMERICAS,

NOW TAMED AND CARRYING
THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS.

( horse neighing )

THIS NEW FORM
OF TRANSPORT

WAS RAPIDLY ADOPTED
BY THE NATIVE PEOPLE,

WHICH WAS BAD NEWS
FOR SOME NATIVE ANIMALS.

BISON HAD ONCE
LIVED ALONGSIDE

THE WILD HORSES
OF NORTH AMERICA

AND HAD PROSPERED
AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE

WHILE THE HORSES
BECAME EXTINCT.

BUT NOW THE NEW TAME HORSE
BECAME THE BISON'S ENEMY.

( shrieking )

THE HORSES' SPEED AND STAMINA
GAVE NATIVE PEOPLE

AN ADVANTAGE OVER THEIR PREY
THAT THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE.

( war cries )

THE HORSE WAS
AN EVEN BIGGER ALLY

TO THE INCREASING NUMBER
OF EUROPEAN SETTLERS

SPREADING OUT
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

THEY KILLED MILLIONS OF BISON
FOR THEIR MEAT AND HIDES.

BY THE MID 1800s,

THE HORSE AND THE COWBOY
HAD COME TO SYMBOLIZE
THE WILD WEST.

AND OF COURSE,
WITH THE COWBOYS CAME CATTLE.

( mooing )

AS THE BISON QUICKLY VANISHED
FROM THE LANDSCAPE,

CATTLE FILLED
THEIR PLACE.

MEANWHILE, INCREASING NUMBERS
OF THE TAME HORSES ESCAPED
INTO THE WILD.

THESE FERAL HORSES BECAME KNOWN
BY THE SPANISH NAME--

MUSTANG.

THEY PUT EXTRA PRESSURE
ON THE DWINDLING BISON NUMBERS

BY COMPETING FOR THEIR GRAZING
SITES AND DRINKING HOLES.

( neighing )

MUSTANGS FORMED SOCIAL GROUPS
LED BY A DOMINANT STALLION,

ECHOING THEIR
PREHISTORIC RELATIVES

THAT LIVED HERE
DURING THE ICE AGE.

BRED TO CARRY
THE WEIGHT OF A RIDER,

MUSTANGS ARE LARGER
THAN THOSE EARLY WILD HORSES,

BUT THEY STILL DISPLAY
THE SAME KIND OF BEHAVIOR.

( neighing )

( neighing )

BY THE EARLY 1800s,
THE WILD HORSE WAS WELL

AND TRULY BACK
IN NORTH AMERICA.

BUT HOW DID OTHER WILDLIFE
ON THE CONTINENT SURVIVE

ALONGSIDE GROWING
HUMAN POPULATIONS?

SOME WILD CREATURES
DID THE REVERSE OF MUSTANGS

BY BECOMING TAME AND CHOOSING
TO LIVE CLOSE TO PEOPLE.

THE PURPLE MARTIN
BECAME AN UNOFFICIAL MASCOT

FOR NATIVE INHABITANTS
IN THE EASTERN HALF
OF THE CONTINENT.

HERE PEOPLE ERECTED
SPECIAL NESTING SITES

TO ENCOURAGE
THE BIRDS TO STAY.

WHERE PURPLE MARTINS HAD
ONCE LAID THEIR EGGS
IN HOLLOW TREES,

IN TIME THEY CAME
TO RELY

ALMOST TOTALLY ON PEOPLE
TO PROVIDE NESTS FOR THEM.

THESE ARTIFICIAL NESTS WERE
MADE FROM DRIED OUT SQUASHES

KNOWN AS GOURDS.

THE SHAPE MADE THEM PERFECT
NESTING SITES FOR THESE BIRDS.

BUT WHAT TRIGGERED
THIS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
IN THE FIRST PLACE?

IT'S POSSIBLE
THE INSECT-EATING MARTINS

HELPED TO CONTROL PESTS LIVING
AROUND NATIVE AMERICAN CAMPS.

WHATEVER
THE ORIGINAL REASON,

THE TRADITIONAL TIE BETWEEN
PEOPLE AND PURPLE MARTINS

SURVIVES TO THIS DAY.

BUT NOW IN KEEPING
WITH THE MODERN WORLD,

HOLLOW GOURDS
HAVE OFTEN BEEN REPLACED

BY HIGH-RISE
APARTMENT BLOCKS.

THIS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN PURPLE MARTINS
AND PEOPLE

IS ONE OF THE FEW
IN NORTH AMERICA

TO CROSS CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
BETWEEN NATIVE GROUPS
AND EUROPEAN SETTLERS.

OTHER ANIMALS TO CROSS
THIS CULTURAL DIVIDE

DID SO FOR
DIFFERENT REASONS.

MORE THAN
50 MILLION WILD TURKEYS
WERE LIVING IN NORTH AMERICA

WHEN THE FIRST
EUROPEANS ARRIVED.

THEY WERE OCCASIONALLY HUNTED
BY THE NATIVE PEOPLE,

BUT THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
HAD A TASTE FOR TURKEY

AND THEY TOOK
THIS TO EXTREMES.

AS HUNTING INTENSIFIED,

WILD TURKEY
POPULATIONS PLUMMETED.

THE TURKEY BECAME
A CENTRAL PART

OF THANKSGIVING DAY
CELEBRATIONS

AND WAS ALMOST HUNTED
TO EXTINCTION.

AT FIRST,
THE EUROPEANS RELIED HEAVILY

ON LOCAL FOOD SUPPLIED
BY NATIVE PEOPLE.

( mooing )

BUT AS THEY SETTLED IN,
THEIR FARMING PRACTICES

BEGAN TO SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE
OF NORTH AMERICA.

THE PLOW
ALLOWED THEM TO FARM
LARGER AREAS OF LAND,

HELPING TO FEED
THE EXPANDING POPULATION.

WHILE THIS NEW TYPE
OF AGRICULTURE

ROBBED MANY ANIMALS
OF THEIR HABITAT,

OTHERS WERE
TO REAP THE BENEFITS.

BIRDS SUCH AS
GRACKLES, COWBIRDS

AND REDWING BLACKBIRDS
EXPLODED IN NUMBERS,

FEEDING OFF
THE WASTE REMAINS OF FARMING.

THESE PEST BIRDS
WERE ALREADY COMMON

AROUND SMALL NATIVE FARMS
IN THE EAST.

NOW LARGE SCALE FARMING
OF CROPS SUCH AS CORN,
WHEAT AND BARLEY

FUELED THEIR NUMBERS
TO EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS.

( squawking )

DESPITE THESE PESTS,

NORTH AMERICA'S AGRICULTURE
KEPT ON BOOMING,

BECOMING BIG BUSINESS.

GREAT SWATHES
OF A ONCE WILD LANDSCAPE

HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER
TO FARMING.

AND FARMING FUELED
THE GROWTH OF ANOTHER HABITAT,

ONE THAT WOULD BECOME
AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE

TO NORTH AMERICA'S
WILDLIFE.

THE MODERN CITY WAS BORN.

THE CITY IS
AN ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENT,

BUILT AROUND THE NEEDS
OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

AND YET
IT ALSO OFFERS UNEXPECTED
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WILDLIFE.

THIS BURROWING OWL
LIVES IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST,

HI-TECH URBAN SPRAWLS
OF NORTH AMERICA.

IT MAINTAINS A TENACIOUS
FOOTHOLD IN SILICON VALLEY.

BURROWING OWLS ORIGINALLY LIVED
ON OPEN PRAIRIES,

BUT THEY'VE BEEN FORCED
TO ADAPT TO CITY LIFE

BECAUSE THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
HAS GROWN AROUND THEM.

THEY SURVIVE
BY OCCUPYING

ANY TINY SLIVER
OF GRASSLAND THAT REMAINS.

LIKE MANY CITY ANIMALS,

THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE DARKNESS

TO PROTECT THEM, AND MOVE
AROUND MOSTLY AT NIGHT.

THESE ADAPTABLE BIRDS
TRADITIONALLY NEST

IN THE BURROWS
OF PRAIRIE DOGS,

BUT IN THE CITY,
A PIECE OF OLD PIPE WILL DO.

THE PARENTS
SPLIT THEIR DUTIES.

THE FATHER DOES
MUCH OF THE HUNTING,

BUT IN THIS CASE,
IT'S THE MOTHER

THAT ACTUALLY
FEEDS THE CHICKS.

THE BURROWING OWL'S
ABILITY TO HOVER

GIVES IT TIME
TO JUDGE AN ATTACK

BEFORE POUNCING
ON ITS PREY.

THE OWLS CAN RAISE ANYTHING
FROM ONE TO 12 CHICKS

IN A SUMMER SEASON.

TO SURVIVE, THEIR YOUNG
WILL HAVE TO QUICKLY LEARN

TO NEGOTIATE
THE DANGERS OF CITY LIFE.

LONGER HUNTING TRIPS
ARE SOMETIMES NECESSARY

AS OPEN LAND DISAPPEARS.

BUT SO LONG AS THE CITY CAN
STILL PROVIDE FOOD AND SHELTER,

THESE OWLS WILL REMAIN
A PART OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE.

( chirping )

A FEW HUNDRED MILES
SOUTH OF SILICON VALLEY,

ANOTHER CITY HAS GROWN UP
ON THE EDGE OF A DESERT.

THIS IS BAKERSFIELD,
CALIFORNIA.

IT SITS ON AN UNDERGROUND
RESERVOIR OF WATER,

ENABLING ITS RESIDENTS
TO LIVE IN A SUBURBAN IDYLL.

THIS MODERN DAY OASIS
HAS PROVIDED SANCTUARY

FOR A RARE ANIMAL,
ONE THAT EMERGES AT NIGHT.

( car horns blaring )

THE SAN JOAQUIN KIT FOX
IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST

AND RAREST FOXES
IN THE WORLD.

YET, REMARKABLY,
IT FLOURISHES

ON BAKERSFIELD'S
BUSY STREET CORNERS.

ALTHOUGH MANY
OF THESE CITY FOXES
DO GET KILLED BY CARS,

THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE
IS THRIVING.

THAT'S BECAUSE
THE REGULAR SUPPLY OF WATER

MEANS A REGULAR SUPPLY
OF PREY,

INCLUDING VOLES
AND GROUND SQUIRRELS.

PLAYING ON THE STREETS
AT NIGHT IS DANGEROUS,

BUT FOR THE PUPS,
IT'S VITAL

FOR IMPROVING
THEIR COORDINATION.

PARENTS KEEP A VIGILANT EYE
ON THEIR ANTICS.

DESPITE THE HAZARDS
OF CITY LIFE,

THE BAKERSFIELD KIT FOXES
ARE NOW CRUCIAL

TO THE OVERALL
SURVIVAL OF THE SPECIES.

THE PROMISE
OF AN EASY SOURCE OF FOOD

IS A GOOD REASON WHY
ANIMALS LIVE IN CITIES,

ESPECIALLY
AT TIMES OF YEAR

WHEN FOOD IS HARDEST
TO FIND IN THE WILD.

DURING THE WINTER MONTHS,
ANCHORAGE, IN ALASKA,

IS HOME TO NORTH AMERICA'S
LARGEST BROWSER-- THE MOOSE.

BUT A MOOSE DURING THE DAY
IS A LITTLE OBVIOUS,

SO THEY PREFER
TO MOVE AROUND BY NIGHT.

( dog barks )

WHILE MOST OF THE HUMAN
POPULATION SLEEPS,

THE MOOSE WANDER
THE STREETS IN SEARCH OF FOOD.

MOOSE MAINLY BROWSE
ON TREES AND SHRUBS,

BUT THEY WILL ALSO SAMPLE
SOMETHING NEW.

THEY HAVE A SOFT SPOT
FOR PUMPKINS LEFT OUT
AFTER HALLOWEEN.

AS MANY AS A THOUSAND MOOSE
MAY ENTER ANCHORAGE IN WINTER.

SNOWFALL HERE IS LOWER
THAN IN SURROUNDING HILLS,

AND GARDENS OFFER
A TEMPTING SPREAD OF FOOD.

IN FACT,
MOOSE WERE IN THIS AREA

LONG BEFORE
THE CITY EXISTED,

AND ANCHORAGE INHABITANTS
ARE UNDERSTANDING

OF THEIR
LOCAL VANDALS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS TOLERANCE
SOMETIMES COMES AT A COST.

( banging )

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE
A MINOR INCONVENIENCE

TO A HUNGRY MOOSE.

Man:
GET LOST!

GO.

MY POOR TREES.

Narrator:
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER REASON
WHY THE CITY CENTER

IS A TEMPTING
WINTER HANGOUT.

IT'S ONE PLACE WHERE
THEIR MAJOR PREDATOR,

THE WOLF,
RARELY DARES TO GO.

IT MAY SEEM STRANGE,
BUT HUMAN HABITATS ARE

OFTEN SAFER FOR WILDLIFE
THAN THE REAL WILD.

( horn blaring )

BLACK SKIMMERS
USUALLY NEST ON BEACHES,

BUT NOT HERE IN TEXAS.

( squawking )

THIS DISUSED CAR PARK IS
A NEAR-PERFECT LOCATION
FOR RAISING CHICKS...

AND ONLY A SHORT FLIGHT
FROM A PLENTIFUL SUPPLY
OF FOOD.

SKIMMERS
GET THEIR NAME

FROM THEIR UNUSUAL
FEEDING TECHNIQUE--

THEIR EXTENDED LOWER BILL
DETECTS FISH JUST BELOW
THE WATER SURFACE.

THE HEAVY USE OF EAST COAST
BEACHES BY PEOPLE

HAS THREATENED
SKIMMER NUMBERS.

IT'S IRONIC
THAT THIS MAN-MADE CAR PARK,

MADE OUT OF
CRUSHED OYSTER SHELL,
SHOULD BECOME A SUBSTITUTE.

SKIMMERS RAISE THEIR CHICKS
ON A FISH DIET.

BUT THEY SERVE
THEIR PORTIONS WHOLE,

WHICH CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS
FOR THEIR YOUNG.

( chirps )

THE INCREASINGLY HUMAN
LANDSCAPE OF NORTH AMERICA

CAN MAKE WILDLIFE SPECTACLES
A RARE EVENT.

BUT THERE ARE SITUATIONS
WHEN IT BRINGS NATURE
CLOSER TO PEOPLE.

THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE
AT THIS POWER PLANT IN FLORIDA.

THESE ARE
WEST INDIAN MANATEES--

RESIDENTS
OF THE FLORIDA COAST.

PEOPLE AND MANATEES
DON'T USUALLY GET ALONG.

INCREASING BOAT TRAFFIC
HAS BECOME

A BIG THREAT TO MANATEES
AND SOME BEAR THE SCARS

OF PAINFUL ENCOUNTERS
WITH BOAT PROPELLERS.

BUT THERE IS
AT LEAST ONE PLACE IN FLORIDA

WHERE THE MANATEES BENEFIT
FROM HUMANS BEING AROUND.

CLEAN, HOT WATER RELEASED
FROM THIS POWER PLANT

TURNS A MAN-MADE INLET
INTO A HOT TUB.

AND DURING WINTER MONTHS
WHEN SEA TEMPERATURES

DROP BELOW
20° CENTIGRADE,

MANATEES GATHER HERE
TO KEEP WARM.

IT'S ACTUALLY
AN ARTIFICIAL VERSION
OF THE NATURAL HOT SPRINGS

WHERE MANATEES
TRADITIONALLY CONGREGATE.

BUT THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION
SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY POPULAR.

DURING
THE COLDEST SPELLS,

MORE THAN 300 MANATEES
CAN GATHER HERE.

WITH SO MANY OF THESE
SHY CREATURES IN ONE PLACE,

THE POWER PLANT HAS
BECOME A TOURIST ATTRACTION.

IT MAY NOT BE
THE MOST SCENIC SETTING,

BUT THIS IS
A UNIQUE CHANCE TO SEE

ONE OF THE LARGEST GATHERINGS
OF MANATEES IN THE WORLD.

PEOPLE HAVE BECOME
DEPENDENT ON INDUSTRY

TO SUPPORT
THEIR MODERN LIFESTYLE.

SO TOO, IT SEEMS, HAS SOME
OF NORTH AMERICA'S WILDLIFE.

EVERY SEPTEMBER,
THE SKIES OVER PORTLAND, OREGON

BECOME CROWDED
WITH VAUX'S SWIFTS.

( squawking )

THESE BIRDS HAVE CHOSEN
A 30-METER CHIMNEY STACK

AS A PLACE TO ROOST.

TENS OF THOUSANDS FUNNEL DOWN
INTO THE DISUSED CHIMNEY,

WHERE THEY HUDDLE TOGETHER
FOR THE NIGHT.

VAUX'S SWIFTS
TRADITIONALLY ROOST

COMMUNALLY
IN HOLLOW TREES,

BUT AS MANY OF NORTH AMERICA'S
FORESTS ARE DESTROYED,

THEY'VE TURNED
TO MAN-MADE STRUCTURES.

THIS MASS ROOSTING
TAKES PLACE

SOON AFTER
THE SUMMER NESTING SEASON--

IT'S A CHANCE
FOR THE BIRDS TO MOLT

BEFORE THEY FLY SOUTH
FOR THE WINTER.

( squawking )

AS VAUX'S SWIFT NUMBERS
REACH A PEAK IN MID SEPTEMBER,

THEY ATTRACT ATTENTION
FROM THE LOCALS.

COOPERS, HAWKS
AND PEREGRINES

PLUCK A MEAL FROM
THE TUMBLING MASS OF BIRDS.

IN AS LITTLE
AS 20 MINUTES,

AS MANY AS 40,000 SWIFTS PACK
INTO THE CHIMNEY FOR THE NIGHT.

WHILE A PORTLAND CHIMNEY HAS
BECOME A SUBSTITUTE FOR A TREE,

ANOTHER ROOSTING CREATURE
HAS CHOSEN

A ROAD BRIDGE
IN AUSTIN, TEXAS AS ITS CAVE.

VISITORS TO AUSTIN
HAVE TO WAIT TILL EVENING

FOR A GLIMPSE OF WHAT LURKS
WITHIN THE BRIDGE.

AS THE SUN GOES DOWN,
MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BATS

BEGIN A BREATHTAKING COMMUTE
OUT OF THE CITY.

THIS EXODUS
ONLY TAKES PLACE IN SUMMER.

FREE-TAILED BATS ARRIVE
IN TEXAS FOR THE SPRING,

RETURNING TO MEXICO
FOR THE WINTER.

MORE THAN A MILLION OF THEM
LEAVE THE CITY AT DUSK

AND HEAD
INTO SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE

TO FEED ON INSECTS.

THE SKY OVER AUSTIN SWARMS
WITH THESE AERIAL COMMUTERS.

IT'S INCREDIBLE
THAT SO MANY BATS CRAM

INTO TINY SPACES
UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE.

BUT THE BATTLE
FOR LIVING SPACE IS NOW

AN EVERYDAY FACT
OF CITY LIFE.

THE MOST POPULATED
NORTH AMERICAN CITY
IS NEW YORK.

( car horns honking )

HERE, SPACE IS
A PRECIOUS COMMODITY,

WITH MORE THAN
EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE
FIGHTING FOR THEIR SHARE.

WITH SO LITTLE
GROUND SPACE LEFT,

HAVING A GARDEN CAN REQUIRE
A HEAD FOR HEIGHTS.

IT'S DIFFICULT
TO IMAGINE ANY ANIMAL

GETTING A FOOTHOLD
IN THIS BUSTLING CITY.

BUT SOME DO.

THE RED-TAILED HAWK
IS WELL-KNOWN

IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN.

IT MANAGES TO SURVIVE HERE
BECAUSE NEW YORK HAS

THE ULTIMATE IN URBAN GARDENS--
CENTRAL PARK.

THIS PARK,
CREATED IN THE MID 1800s,

HAS BECOME
A FOCAL POINT FOR WILDLIFE

AND THE PEOPLE
OF MANHATTAN.

( police siren blaring )

IT'S ALSO PRIME HUNTING GROUND
FOR RED-TAILED HAWKS.

AND THEY HAVE THE PERFECT
NESTING SITE RIGHT NEXT TO IT.

THEY'VE MOVED IN
ON THE TOP FLOOR

OF THIS EXPENSIVE
MANHATTAN APARTMENT BLOCK.

IT ACTS LIKE A SURROGATE TREE,
SUPPORTING THEIR LARGE NEST.

THEIR HIGH-RISE RESIDENCE
ALSO PROVIDES A PERFECT LOOKOUT

AND A LAUNCH PAD
FOR AMBUSHING PREY.

A MEATY NEW YORK DIET
MEANS THESE BIRDS

CONTINUE TO SURVIVE
IN NORTH AMERICA'S
MOST HECTIC CITY.

DESPITE OUR INCREASINGLY
URBAN LIFESTYLES,

WE STILL HAVE A DEEP-ROOTED
DESIRE TO CONNECT WITH NATURE.

AND IN MODERN-DAY
NORTH AMERICA,

IT'S POSSIBLE
TO FULFILL THAT DESIRE
IN ALL MANNER OF WAYS.

THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A SAFARI
THROUGH THE AFRICAN SAVANNAH.

IN FACT,
IT'S A THEME PARK IN FLORIDA,

AND IT ALLOWS PEOPLE
TO EXPERIENCE

A WORLD
OUTSIDE THEIR OWN.

IN SOME WAYS
THEY ARE VISITING
A LAND FROM ANOTHER TIME.

14,000 YEARS AGO,

LARGE PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA'S
LANDSCAPE AND WILDLIFE

WERE JUST LIKE
THE SAVANNAH OF MODERN AFRICA.

WITH A STRETCH
OF OUR IMAGINATION,

WE CAN STILL
PUT OURSELVES IN THE SHOES

OF THE FIRST PEOPLE
WHO EXPLORED

THAT VAST,
DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE

AND ENCOUNTERED
GIANTS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

IN THIS SERIES WE HAVE SEEN
HOW FOSSIL BONES

AND OTHER EVIDENCE CAN PROVIDE
CLUES TO THAT DISTANT PAST.

AND THAT EVIDENCE
HAS HELPED TO RECREATE

A CONTINENT
THAT NO LONGER EXISTS...

A LOST, WILD NEW WORLD.

( theme music playing )