Wildest Islands (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Caribbean: Wild Side of Paradise - full transcript
The Caribbean islands, stretching from Vnezuela to Florida, may be popular holiday destinations, life can still be hard for the native wildlife. Most were created by volcanoes, mostly long dormant, and later acquired coral reefs, which creates very different biotopes. the relative isolation and rarity of predation allowed many species to evolve particularly, rather leisurely, even a monkey. A special case is Trinidad, an old coral atoll which rose when the sea-level sank.
With its tropical beaches, sunshine,
sand, and sea,
thousands of people flock to the Caribbean
each year in search of paradise.
But the Caribbean has a hidden wild side.
Its islands are forged
by cataclysmic forces.
And they bear the brunt
of the most violent storms on earth.
Island life
makes specialists and opportunists,
seafarers, and castaways.
From the most fragile hummingbird
to ocean giants
that have visited these shores
since the time of the dinosaurs.
Born of volcanoes, battered by hurricanes,
this is the wild side of paradise.
Between the continents
of North and South America
lies a tropical paradise.
The Caribbean,
an archipelago of over 7,000 islands
and reefs lying
within the crystal clear waters
of the Caribbean Sea.
From just a few meters wide
to hundreds of km across,
every island is different,
and each has its own unique wildlife.
From the tropical forests
to the reefs beneath the waves,
the Caribbean hides
a secret treasure trove of life.
Trinidad is the southern most island
in the Caribbean.
In Trinidad's northeast corner,
the Caribbean Sea
meets the rough waters
of the Atlantic Ocean.
Legends of hidden treasure
have long drawn travelers
to these islands from across the Atlantic.
But some of nature's greatest seafarers
have been visiting
the Caribbean shores far longer.
At night, Trinidad's beaches
play host to creatures
that have been around
since dinosaurs walked the earth.
It's April,
and the start of the nesting season
for leatherback turtles.
Each year, female leatherbacks
return to the Caribbean
from thousands of km away,
across the open ocean.
They return to lay their eggs
on the very same beaches
where their own lives began.
Leatherbacks
are the largest sea turtles on earth,
growing up to two meters long
and weighing up to 1,000 kilos.
The female uses her massive flippers
to dig a huge pit in the sand.
She excavates a deep nest
into which she lays nearly 100 eggs.
The temperature of the nest
will determine the sex of the hatchlings.
If it's higher than 30° C,
the hatchlings will be females.
Cooler nests produce males.
The smaller eggs are yolkless and sterile.
They're designed to collapse over time
to make extra room
when the babies come to hatch.
Finally, the nest is filled with sand,
leaving a large disturbed area
to make detection by predators difficult.
Nesting can take up to three hours.
The exertion involved is obvious.
A few meters away, she begins
digging another giant sand angel.
This is a decoy nest
to further confound predators.
She's not alone.
Trinidad's beaches have the densest population
of nesting leatherbacks in the world.
At the peak of the season,
space is in short supply.
Up to 500 turtles may visit a single beach
in just one night.
Leatherbacks coming ashore to nest
collide with those intent
on returning to the sea.
The scrum for space inevitably results
in turtles digging up each others' eggs.
Sunrise can catch latecomers unawares.
The short time the females spend nesting
on the Caribbean's beaches
offers a rare glimpse into the lives
of these secretive sea turtles.
Dawn brings opportunistic scavengers.
They've learned that at this time of year,
the beach brings rich pickings.
For the eggs left exposed in the scramble
for nesting space, there's no hope.
Trinidad's vultures thrive
on this seasonal windfall of turtle eggs.
Youngsters learn about the whereabouts
of food from more experienced birds.
Even though
there's plenty of eggs to go 'round,
squabbles are common.
But the vultures aren't all bad news.
Left to rot, these eggs
would putrefy in the sand
and pose a risk to the eggs
still incubating in their nests.
By getting rid of the waste eggs,
the vultures
are helping to keep the beach clean.
Heading north from Trinidad,
a chain of small islands
known as the Winward and Leeward isles,
marks the eastern edge
of the Caribbean Sea.
These islands are on the border
between two tectonic plates,
and this was once
a region of intense seismic activity.
There are currently 17 active volcanoes
in the Caribbean,
including one submerged beneath the sea.
The island of Dominica
was forged from volcanoes
just 26 million years ago,
making it the youngest island
in the Caribbean.
Less than 50 km long,
with its volcanic peaks
towering 1,500 meters above the sea,
its a vertical island.
Despite its small size,
Dominica has nine active volcanoes,
the highest concentration
found anywhere in the world.
There's not been a major eruption
for centuries,
but there's plenty of volcanic activity
bubbling below the surface.
Dominica's Boiling Lake
is a huge flooded fumarole.
The water can reach temperatures
of more than 90° C
as sulfur dioxide and hydrochloric acid
are released
from the lava
trapped in the volcano below.
The Caribbean's explosive past
has left these islands
with a unique legacy of life.
Volcanic soils are extremely fertile,
fed by plentiful rainfall
over the mountains.
Just about anything will take root,
and all these flowers provide food
for some of the Caribbean's fastest movers,
hummingbirds.
Hungry for nectar,
hummingbirds have no sense of smell.
They're attracted by the colorful
appearance of the flowers.
These tiny dynamos
have the fastest metabolism
of any animals on earth.
Their hearts average 500 beats a minute,
and their wings can beat
up to 80 times in a second.
To fuel this super fast flying,
they must eat
up to three times their body weight
every single day.
Standing less than 10 centimeters tall,
the Antillean crested hummingbird
is one of the Caribbean's smallest.
Only males bear
the distinctive mohawk of feathers
that gives these birds their name.
Females have a more discreet appearance,
which helps keep them safe
whilst raising their young.
The chicks need extra protein
and are fed a regurgitated mixture
of nectar and insects.
On this rich diet, they grow rapidly.
The nest is crafted
almost entirely from spider silk,
making it elastic so it stretches
as the chicks grow bigger.
Just two weeks after hatching,
these chicks
are almost ready to leave the nest.
The Caribbean's hummingbirds have developed
a very special relationship
with one particular type of plant.
Heliconia plants are found
across the Caribbean islands.
Each island has its own different species,
and all rely on hummingbirds
to spread their pollen.
While feeding on nectar,
hummingbirds transfer pollen
from flower to flower,
allowing the plants to reproduce.
But on a small island,
there's no room for competition,
and the relationship between heliconias
and hummingbirds goes one step further.
In most cases,
the size and shape of the flower
matches exactly
the beak of the hummingbird
that spreads its pollen.
Each bird has exclusive feeding rights
to a particular species of heliconia
so there's less competition for food.
Both beaks and flowers have co-evolved
to be a perfect fit.
The fertile soils
of the Caribbean's volcanic islands
are good for people, too.
The original Caribbean islanders
came from the South American mainland.
Traveling by canoe, they began settling
on the more mountainous volcanic islands
around 4,000 years ago.
The new settlers were used to life
in the vast forests of South America,
where there'd been
an abundance of big animals to hunt.
The small islands of the Eastern Caribbean
have no large indigenous mammals.
The sea proved too big a barrier for them.
With little to hunt on land,
the first islanders
turned their attention back to the sea.
Over the years, they became experts
at fishing and foraging.
Just like the Caribbean's wildlife,
its first people
had to adapt to life on an island.
The Caribbean's volcanic past
plays another crucial role.
The mountains are so tall,
they create their own weather.
As moist air from the sea
rises above the peaks,
it forms clouds,
and with the clouds comes the rain.
Some areas of Dominica
receive over 700 cm of rain each year.
Rain brings a plentiful supply
of fresh water,
vital for an island to sustain both human
and animal life.
Fresh water flows down the island's
many waterfalls for the coast,
feeding nutrients into the Caribbean Sea.
Even here,
there are signs of volcanic activity,
with submerged fumaroles venting gases
through cracks in the sea floor.
These warm, nutrient-rich waters
create the ideal conditions
for one of the Caribbean's richest
treasures, its coral reefs.
Over 800 different species of fish
and many more crustaceans and invertebrates
live in the coral reefs.
Many of the fish
that find shelter or protection
in the Caribbean's reefs
are found nowhere else on earth.
But the reefs can be dangerous, too.
Over the centuries, thousands of ships
have foundered
in the Caribbean's treacherous currents
and ferocious storms.
In 1867, the Rhone, a Royal Mail steamer,
was driven aground on the reef
at Black Point Rock,
just off the British Virgin Islands.
The Rhone sank to the bottom in seconds,
claiming the lives of over 100 people.
More than a century later,
the ship has a new lease of life.
Corals have colonized its rusting hull,
making it hard to tell where the reef ends
and the Rhone begins.
Some fish even entrust the safety of their
future offspring to the remains of the ship.
These purple patches are actually the eggs
of the sergeant major fish.
After the female has laid
as many as 200,000 eggs,
she departs, leaving the male
as the sole protector.
He will guard the nest
until the eggs hatch,
just six days after being fertilized.
It's not just year-round residents
like the sergeant major fish
that rely on the Caribbean Sea
as a place to raise their young.
In the far north of the Caribbean
is a shallow area of sea
sitting on a huge limestone shelf
known as the Silver Bank.
A Spanish galleon sank here
in the 17th century,
and a horde of silver treasure
was lost to the sea,
which is how the Silver Bank got its name.
Nowadays, these waters shelter treasures
of a wilder kind.
The Silver Bank is a vast carving pool
for humpback whales.
The bond between
the humpback mother and calf
is extremely strong.
Parent and child are inseparable as the
mother teaches her calf to swim and dive.
Each year between December and April,
around 3,000 humpbacks
pass through the Silver Bank.
As summer approaches,
the whales return to their feeding grounds,
thousands of kilometers away
in the cold North Atlantic.
The Caribbean's role as a nursery
is vital for the survival
of these great ocean voyagers.
Virtually all the Caribbean islands
have coral reefs on their shores.
But there's one island whose coastal waters
have almost no reefs at all, Trinidad.
Trinidad lies so close to South America
that silt from the Orinoco River
makes the sea surrounding it
too muddy for coral to grow.
But coral reefs have played a part
in the making of the island itself.
Mount Tamana in Trinidad's high land heart
was once an ancient coral reef.
Thousands of years ago,
the reef was pushed up
to over 300 meters above sea level
by powerful volcanic forces.
Today, the ancient reef
forms a massive network
of limestone caves.
Beyond the reach of daylight,
the caves are teeming
with over 1 million bats.
Eleven different species
lurk in the dark of the Tamana caves,
and many have intriguing names.
The spear-nosed bat
and the funnel-eared bat
roost alongside naked-backed, leaf-nosed,
mouse-eared, and tailless bats.
The floor of the bat cave is piled high
with all kinds of bat droppings,
and this guano supports
a surprisingly diverse
community all of its own.
It's an unglamorous location,
but for cave cockroaches,
the copious amounts of guano
provide an endless supply of food.
Most of these cockroaches will spend
their whole lives buried in bat droppings.
The roaches are a source of food for other
animals in the cave, like the whip scorpion.
Despite its name and appearance,
it's actually a type of spider.
In the weak sunlight
that reaches the cave's entrance,
seeds excreted by the bats
commonly sprout
in the nutrient-rich guano.
The lack of light
makes the seedlings fragile,
the stems growing long
in a bid for the sun.
Above ground,
the forest surrounding the caves
is rich in flowers, fruit, and insects.
Each evening, as daylight fades,
the bats emerge to feed.
Some travel from deep within
the labyrinth of tunnels
and passageways
up to 300 meters underground.
With so many bats
leaving through one small entrance,
the mass exodus takes more than an hour.
Trinidad's tropical forests are also home
to some rather less gothic residents.
A male golden-headed manakin
trying to attract a mate.
In the branches of a tree, the male birds
share a communal display site
known as the lek.
Each male competes for female attention
by dancing on their own personal perch.
The slightest movement
can trigger a display.
Even a passing agouti.
Elsewhere in the forest,
a group of male white-bearded manakins
are also intent on courtship.
With their more down-to-earth appearance,
these manakins base their lek
on the forest floor.
Keen to impress, each bird works hard
to keep its own private court
clear of debris and fallen leaves.
White-bearded manakins
have their own unique display.
They raise their chin feathers
to make a beard,
which is how they got their name.
The loud snapping noises are made
as they strike their wings together
behind their backs.
Eventually, the commotion
has the desired effect,
the arrival of a female.
Despite her rather dull appearance,
she provokes a frenzy of activity
from the males
as each competes for her attention.
The female will only mate when she's ready,
and this time,
the males have failed to impress.
As summer approaches,
the sun-drenched islands of the Caribbean
become an altogether darker place.
From June to November,
these islands are in the firing line
of the most ferocious storms on earth.
Most hurricanes begin life
as tropical storms
off the coast of West Africa.
They roar across the Atlantic,
sucking up heat
from the warmth of the water,
and growing in intensity.
The islands of the Caribbean are the first
land masses these hurricanes encounter.
If the winds that drive them
reach 120 km/h,
the storms rank
as fully fledged hurricanes.
Even with the best forecasting,
no one can predict
when a hurricane will strike.
The hurricanes bring waves
up to 20 meters high.
Lobsters are especially vulnerable
in a storm.
Being crushed by stones or loose corals
is a real possibility.
As the hurricane draws in,
the water temperature drops
and its salinity increases.
Sensing these changes,
lobsters from across the reef take flight.
They march in single file, conserving energy
by following in each others' slipstreams.
Each year, the lobsters
undertake this migration
to pass the stormy season
in the safety of deeper waters.
A particularly violent hurricane
can destroy the reef itself.
Fragile corals are uprooted
and smashed
at the powerful churning water.
Within hours,
thousands of years of growth are undone,
and an entire ecosystem lies devastated.
But reefs can recover,
and corals grow fast.
The destruction wrought by hurricanes
is not irreversible.
Many Caribbean islands have their own
living, growing defense against hurricanes,
mangrove forests.
With one foot on the shore
and one in the sea,
the mangrove forms a natural breakwater.
The tangle of roots
reduces the power of big waves
and storm surges,
protecting the shore behind.
Caroni Swamp lies on Trinidad's west coast.
As the tides rise,
the mangrove is inundated
with seawater twice a day.
Few plants can cope
with such salty conditions.
Many Caribbean mangroves have only
three or four different species of tree.
Yet the trees create a habitat
that shelters a rich and unique ecosystem.
The constant rise and fall of the tides
presents both opportunities and challenges
to the animals that live in the mangrove.
When the tide is out,
four-eyed fish sometimes beach themselves
on the exposed mud flats to catch insects.
As the tide rises, the fish feed
on tiny crustaceans on the surface.
This surface dwelling lifestyle
leaves them vulnerable
to attack from above and below.
Spectacled caiman patrol Caroni's waters.
And fish-eating birds
are here in abundance.
The four-eyed fish
are well equipped to keep watch.
Despite their name,
they actually have just two eyes,
each of which is split in half.
Each eye has two pupils,
one for focusing above the surface,
the other for focusing underwater.
These unique eyes are essential
for avoiding Caroni's predators.
Sometimes even four eyes aren't enough.
At low tide,
the swamp's thick, glutenous mud
is a rich source of food
for Caroni's crab population.
Each teaspoon of mud contains
around 10 million bacteria,
and this bacteria
supports a wealth of tiny animal life.
Fiddler crabs use their one small claw
for the vital task
of collecting this microscopic food
from the mud.
With just one hand,
it's a time consuming process.
Their big claw is reserved for waving
in a display designed to attract a mate.
Fiddlers also wave to defend their burrows
from rival crabs.
Having an escape hole is vital.
There are predators around.
When the tide is out,
scarlet ibis probe the mud
in search of fiddler crabs
and other crustaceans.
It's this diet of red shellfish,
rich in carotene,
that gives the ibis their vivid color.
Young birds are born gray,
and it takes about two years before
they've eaten enough crabs to turn red.
Dipping the crabs in the water
before swallowing them
helps rinse off some of the mud.
The ibis forage together
with other water birds,
like egrets, herons, and plovers.
Having a larger group
helps stir up the silt,
making it easier to catch prey.
And with caiman lurking nearby,
there is safety in numbers.
Every evening at dusk,
the ibis return in great flocks
to tiny islands within the mangrove.
They gather in their hundreds
to roost for the night.
Originally these birds were immigrants
from the mainland,
with South America lying just 11 km
from Trinidad's western shores.
At its peak,
Trinidad's population of scarlet ibis
can number more than 15,000.
It's now recognized
as the island's national bird.
The ibis are not the only
South American import on the island.
Trinidad was only separated from the
mainland around 12,000 years ago,
when sea levels rose
at the end of the last Ice Age.
As a result,
it's home to South American mammals
that are found
nowhere else in the Caribbean.
The silky anteater
is the world's smallest anteater,
only slightly larger than the human hand.
Though tiny, these anteaters can eat
up to 5,000 ants every night.
During the day,
the ants have little to fear.
Silky anteaters are nocturnal,
and in the heat of the sun,
sleeping takes precedence.
There are larger South American imports
on Trinidad, too.
The island is home to a troupe
of white-throated capuchin monkeys.
Capuchins are found
across most of South America
and are known
for being particularly resourceful.
But life on a Caribbean island requires
its own special strategies.
Trinidad's capuchins have found
that the island's coconut palm trees
are a rich source of food.
Dead leaves and branches harbor
all kinds of insects and grubs.
Having a prehensile tail to hang on with
means that both hands are kept free
for eating and foraging.
Trinidad's capuchins have learned
to make the most
of the rise and fall of the tides.
At low tide,
freshwater conches are left exposed,
sitting targets for an
opportunistic monkey.
The conch is encased in a rock-solid shell,
but the capuchins have found a way
to access the meat inside.
Lying so close to South America,
Trinidad has its own unique legacy
of mainland life.
For those islands further away, the
Caribbean Sea has proved a bigger barrier.
But some animals have succeeded
in becoming island hoppers.
For land bound animals,
the Caribbean's hurricane season
can offer opportunities for travel.
Strong winds frequently uproot trees.
So after a storm, there's lots of
vegetation drifting in the sea.
These makeshift rafts are one way
in which reptiles like the iguana
have been able to spread
from island to island.
The Lesser Antillean iguana
has successfully colonized
many of the Eastern Caribbean islands.
On Dominica, a population of around 10,000
lives in the low-lying
forests on the coast.
Iguanas follow a strict hierarchy,
which is color-coded.
Dominant males turn dark gray
with pale blue scales
on the side of their heads.
Females, along with juveniles,
are bright green all over.
Iguanas can live for up to 25 years,
but with age,
the ability to change color is lost.
April brings the mating season,
and the females dig burrows
in which to lay their eggs.
Each dominant male
defends a small territory
with up to seven nesting females.
Rivals are deterred from interfering
with the high reign
with a display of aggressive head bobbing.
Choosing a sunny nesting site is essential.
After digging a burrow
and laying up to 18 eggs,
the female plays no further role
in the care of her offspring.
For the next three months,
the incubation of the eggs
will rely entirely on solar power.
Even buried a meter underground,
iguana eggs are vulnerable.
Dominican ground lizards,
or abolo as they're known locally,
are found only on this island.
When the iguanas are nesting,
ground lizards stay close,
patrolling untended nests
in search of eggs.
Lots of eggs fall foul of scavengers,
but many more survive.
By June, those that have survived
are ready to hatch.
Iguanas are a Caribbean success story.
They've turned the devastation
brought by hurricanes to their advantage,
using it to colonize islands that
would otherwise be completely out of reach.
Some species have turned island hopping
into an art form.
Coconuts are relative newcomers
to the Caribbean.
Originally from Southeast Asia,
they only arrived around 500 years ago.
These palms are perfectly designed
to deal with the Caribbean's
frequent hurricanes.
Up to 4,000 roots
spread laterally under the sand,
giving the palm a firm anchor
to withstand winds of over 150 km/h.
And strong winds
facilitate their travels, too.
Hurricanes help dislodge their seeds,
which are cast adrift
on the ocean currents.
Coconuts are especially buoyant
and can float for months on end
without sinking.
When they eventually wash ashore,
a new island is colonized.
In just 500 years, coconuts have spread
to virtually every island in the Caribbean.
By early July, the leatherback turtle eggs
are ready to hatch.
It's time for the young turtles to leave the
safety of their nests on the Caribbean's beaches.
The hatchlings emerge in perfect synchrony.
Safety in numbers is their best chance
at reaching the sea.
Over the next decade,
the youngsters will increase in size
maybe 10,000 times.
Even at this young age, the leatherback
can propel itself through the water
with an efficiency
no other turtle can match.
Once they take to the sea,
the leatherbacks will remain
in the mysterious depths
of the open ocean
for most of their lives.
Only the female turtles will ever return
to the Caribbean's beaches.
Once they're fully grown,
they will come ashore to lay their eggs,
just as their ancestors have done
for the last 100 million years.
The islands of the Caribbean have been
forged by nature's most cataclysmic forces.
Lying in the heart of Hurricane Alley,
they must withstand
the most ferocious storms on earth.
Yet these islands are home to a secret
and spectacular variety of wildlife.
From wily opportunists
to specialists,
the Caribbean protects those
that live life in the fast lane
and attracts seafarers from near and far.
Though the pirates are long gone,
the wild treasures of the Caribbean remain.
sand, and sea,
thousands of people flock to the Caribbean
each year in search of paradise.
But the Caribbean has a hidden wild side.
Its islands are forged
by cataclysmic forces.
And they bear the brunt
of the most violent storms on earth.
Island life
makes specialists and opportunists,
seafarers, and castaways.
From the most fragile hummingbird
to ocean giants
that have visited these shores
since the time of the dinosaurs.
Born of volcanoes, battered by hurricanes,
this is the wild side of paradise.
Between the continents
of North and South America
lies a tropical paradise.
The Caribbean,
an archipelago of over 7,000 islands
and reefs lying
within the crystal clear waters
of the Caribbean Sea.
From just a few meters wide
to hundreds of km across,
every island is different,
and each has its own unique wildlife.
From the tropical forests
to the reefs beneath the waves,
the Caribbean hides
a secret treasure trove of life.
Trinidad is the southern most island
in the Caribbean.
In Trinidad's northeast corner,
the Caribbean Sea
meets the rough waters
of the Atlantic Ocean.
Legends of hidden treasure
have long drawn travelers
to these islands from across the Atlantic.
But some of nature's greatest seafarers
have been visiting
the Caribbean shores far longer.
At night, Trinidad's beaches
play host to creatures
that have been around
since dinosaurs walked the earth.
It's April,
and the start of the nesting season
for leatherback turtles.
Each year, female leatherbacks
return to the Caribbean
from thousands of km away,
across the open ocean.
They return to lay their eggs
on the very same beaches
where their own lives began.
Leatherbacks
are the largest sea turtles on earth,
growing up to two meters long
and weighing up to 1,000 kilos.
The female uses her massive flippers
to dig a huge pit in the sand.
She excavates a deep nest
into which she lays nearly 100 eggs.
The temperature of the nest
will determine the sex of the hatchlings.
If it's higher than 30° C,
the hatchlings will be females.
Cooler nests produce males.
The smaller eggs are yolkless and sterile.
They're designed to collapse over time
to make extra room
when the babies come to hatch.
Finally, the nest is filled with sand,
leaving a large disturbed area
to make detection by predators difficult.
Nesting can take up to three hours.
The exertion involved is obvious.
A few meters away, she begins
digging another giant sand angel.
This is a decoy nest
to further confound predators.
She's not alone.
Trinidad's beaches have the densest population
of nesting leatherbacks in the world.
At the peak of the season,
space is in short supply.
Up to 500 turtles may visit a single beach
in just one night.
Leatherbacks coming ashore to nest
collide with those intent
on returning to the sea.
The scrum for space inevitably results
in turtles digging up each others' eggs.
Sunrise can catch latecomers unawares.
The short time the females spend nesting
on the Caribbean's beaches
offers a rare glimpse into the lives
of these secretive sea turtles.
Dawn brings opportunistic scavengers.
They've learned that at this time of year,
the beach brings rich pickings.
For the eggs left exposed in the scramble
for nesting space, there's no hope.
Trinidad's vultures thrive
on this seasonal windfall of turtle eggs.
Youngsters learn about the whereabouts
of food from more experienced birds.
Even though
there's plenty of eggs to go 'round,
squabbles are common.
But the vultures aren't all bad news.
Left to rot, these eggs
would putrefy in the sand
and pose a risk to the eggs
still incubating in their nests.
By getting rid of the waste eggs,
the vultures
are helping to keep the beach clean.
Heading north from Trinidad,
a chain of small islands
known as the Winward and Leeward isles,
marks the eastern edge
of the Caribbean Sea.
These islands are on the border
between two tectonic plates,
and this was once
a region of intense seismic activity.
There are currently 17 active volcanoes
in the Caribbean,
including one submerged beneath the sea.
The island of Dominica
was forged from volcanoes
just 26 million years ago,
making it the youngest island
in the Caribbean.
Less than 50 km long,
with its volcanic peaks
towering 1,500 meters above the sea,
its a vertical island.
Despite its small size,
Dominica has nine active volcanoes,
the highest concentration
found anywhere in the world.
There's not been a major eruption
for centuries,
but there's plenty of volcanic activity
bubbling below the surface.
Dominica's Boiling Lake
is a huge flooded fumarole.
The water can reach temperatures
of more than 90° C
as sulfur dioxide and hydrochloric acid
are released
from the lava
trapped in the volcano below.
The Caribbean's explosive past
has left these islands
with a unique legacy of life.
Volcanic soils are extremely fertile,
fed by plentiful rainfall
over the mountains.
Just about anything will take root,
and all these flowers provide food
for some of the Caribbean's fastest movers,
hummingbirds.
Hungry for nectar,
hummingbirds have no sense of smell.
They're attracted by the colorful
appearance of the flowers.
These tiny dynamos
have the fastest metabolism
of any animals on earth.
Their hearts average 500 beats a minute,
and their wings can beat
up to 80 times in a second.
To fuel this super fast flying,
they must eat
up to three times their body weight
every single day.
Standing less than 10 centimeters tall,
the Antillean crested hummingbird
is one of the Caribbean's smallest.
Only males bear
the distinctive mohawk of feathers
that gives these birds their name.
Females have a more discreet appearance,
which helps keep them safe
whilst raising their young.
The chicks need extra protein
and are fed a regurgitated mixture
of nectar and insects.
On this rich diet, they grow rapidly.
The nest is crafted
almost entirely from spider silk,
making it elastic so it stretches
as the chicks grow bigger.
Just two weeks after hatching,
these chicks
are almost ready to leave the nest.
The Caribbean's hummingbirds have developed
a very special relationship
with one particular type of plant.
Heliconia plants are found
across the Caribbean islands.
Each island has its own different species,
and all rely on hummingbirds
to spread their pollen.
While feeding on nectar,
hummingbirds transfer pollen
from flower to flower,
allowing the plants to reproduce.
But on a small island,
there's no room for competition,
and the relationship between heliconias
and hummingbirds goes one step further.
In most cases,
the size and shape of the flower
matches exactly
the beak of the hummingbird
that spreads its pollen.
Each bird has exclusive feeding rights
to a particular species of heliconia
so there's less competition for food.
Both beaks and flowers have co-evolved
to be a perfect fit.
The fertile soils
of the Caribbean's volcanic islands
are good for people, too.
The original Caribbean islanders
came from the South American mainland.
Traveling by canoe, they began settling
on the more mountainous volcanic islands
around 4,000 years ago.
The new settlers were used to life
in the vast forests of South America,
where there'd been
an abundance of big animals to hunt.
The small islands of the Eastern Caribbean
have no large indigenous mammals.
The sea proved too big a barrier for them.
With little to hunt on land,
the first islanders
turned their attention back to the sea.
Over the years, they became experts
at fishing and foraging.
Just like the Caribbean's wildlife,
its first people
had to adapt to life on an island.
The Caribbean's volcanic past
plays another crucial role.
The mountains are so tall,
they create their own weather.
As moist air from the sea
rises above the peaks,
it forms clouds,
and with the clouds comes the rain.
Some areas of Dominica
receive over 700 cm of rain each year.
Rain brings a plentiful supply
of fresh water,
vital for an island to sustain both human
and animal life.
Fresh water flows down the island's
many waterfalls for the coast,
feeding nutrients into the Caribbean Sea.
Even here,
there are signs of volcanic activity,
with submerged fumaroles venting gases
through cracks in the sea floor.
These warm, nutrient-rich waters
create the ideal conditions
for one of the Caribbean's richest
treasures, its coral reefs.
Over 800 different species of fish
and many more crustaceans and invertebrates
live in the coral reefs.
Many of the fish
that find shelter or protection
in the Caribbean's reefs
are found nowhere else on earth.
But the reefs can be dangerous, too.
Over the centuries, thousands of ships
have foundered
in the Caribbean's treacherous currents
and ferocious storms.
In 1867, the Rhone, a Royal Mail steamer,
was driven aground on the reef
at Black Point Rock,
just off the British Virgin Islands.
The Rhone sank to the bottom in seconds,
claiming the lives of over 100 people.
More than a century later,
the ship has a new lease of life.
Corals have colonized its rusting hull,
making it hard to tell where the reef ends
and the Rhone begins.
Some fish even entrust the safety of their
future offspring to the remains of the ship.
These purple patches are actually the eggs
of the sergeant major fish.
After the female has laid
as many as 200,000 eggs,
she departs, leaving the male
as the sole protector.
He will guard the nest
until the eggs hatch,
just six days after being fertilized.
It's not just year-round residents
like the sergeant major fish
that rely on the Caribbean Sea
as a place to raise their young.
In the far north of the Caribbean
is a shallow area of sea
sitting on a huge limestone shelf
known as the Silver Bank.
A Spanish galleon sank here
in the 17th century,
and a horde of silver treasure
was lost to the sea,
which is how the Silver Bank got its name.
Nowadays, these waters shelter treasures
of a wilder kind.
The Silver Bank is a vast carving pool
for humpback whales.
The bond between
the humpback mother and calf
is extremely strong.
Parent and child are inseparable as the
mother teaches her calf to swim and dive.
Each year between December and April,
around 3,000 humpbacks
pass through the Silver Bank.
As summer approaches,
the whales return to their feeding grounds,
thousands of kilometers away
in the cold North Atlantic.
The Caribbean's role as a nursery
is vital for the survival
of these great ocean voyagers.
Virtually all the Caribbean islands
have coral reefs on their shores.
But there's one island whose coastal waters
have almost no reefs at all, Trinidad.
Trinidad lies so close to South America
that silt from the Orinoco River
makes the sea surrounding it
too muddy for coral to grow.
But coral reefs have played a part
in the making of the island itself.
Mount Tamana in Trinidad's high land heart
was once an ancient coral reef.
Thousands of years ago,
the reef was pushed up
to over 300 meters above sea level
by powerful volcanic forces.
Today, the ancient reef
forms a massive network
of limestone caves.
Beyond the reach of daylight,
the caves are teeming
with over 1 million bats.
Eleven different species
lurk in the dark of the Tamana caves,
and many have intriguing names.
The spear-nosed bat
and the funnel-eared bat
roost alongside naked-backed, leaf-nosed,
mouse-eared, and tailless bats.
The floor of the bat cave is piled high
with all kinds of bat droppings,
and this guano supports
a surprisingly diverse
community all of its own.
It's an unglamorous location,
but for cave cockroaches,
the copious amounts of guano
provide an endless supply of food.
Most of these cockroaches will spend
their whole lives buried in bat droppings.
The roaches are a source of food for other
animals in the cave, like the whip scorpion.
Despite its name and appearance,
it's actually a type of spider.
In the weak sunlight
that reaches the cave's entrance,
seeds excreted by the bats
commonly sprout
in the nutrient-rich guano.
The lack of light
makes the seedlings fragile,
the stems growing long
in a bid for the sun.
Above ground,
the forest surrounding the caves
is rich in flowers, fruit, and insects.
Each evening, as daylight fades,
the bats emerge to feed.
Some travel from deep within
the labyrinth of tunnels
and passageways
up to 300 meters underground.
With so many bats
leaving through one small entrance,
the mass exodus takes more than an hour.
Trinidad's tropical forests are also home
to some rather less gothic residents.
A male golden-headed manakin
trying to attract a mate.
In the branches of a tree, the male birds
share a communal display site
known as the lek.
Each male competes for female attention
by dancing on their own personal perch.
The slightest movement
can trigger a display.
Even a passing agouti.
Elsewhere in the forest,
a group of male white-bearded manakins
are also intent on courtship.
With their more down-to-earth appearance,
these manakins base their lek
on the forest floor.
Keen to impress, each bird works hard
to keep its own private court
clear of debris and fallen leaves.
White-bearded manakins
have their own unique display.
They raise their chin feathers
to make a beard,
which is how they got their name.
The loud snapping noises are made
as they strike their wings together
behind their backs.
Eventually, the commotion
has the desired effect,
the arrival of a female.
Despite her rather dull appearance,
she provokes a frenzy of activity
from the males
as each competes for her attention.
The female will only mate when she's ready,
and this time,
the males have failed to impress.
As summer approaches,
the sun-drenched islands of the Caribbean
become an altogether darker place.
From June to November,
these islands are in the firing line
of the most ferocious storms on earth.
Most hurricanes begin life
as tropical storms
off the coast of West Africa.
They roar across the Atlantic,
sucking up heat
from the warmth of the water,
and growing in intensity.
The islands of the Caribbean are the first
land masses these hurricanes encounter.
If the winds that drive them
reach 120 km/h,
the storms rank
as fully fledged hurricanes.
Even with the best forecasting,
no one can predict
when a hurricane will strike.
The hurricanes bring waves
up to 20 meters high.
Lobsters are especially vulnerable
in a storm.
Being crushed by stones or loose corals
is a real possibility.
As the hurricane draws in,
the water temperature drops
and its salinity increases.
Sensing these changes,
lobsters from across the reef take flight.
They march in single file, conserving energy
by following in each others' slipstreams.
Each year, the lobsters
undertake this migration
to pass the stormy season
in the safety of deeper waters.
A particularly violent hurricane
can destroy the reef itself.
Fragile corals are uprooted
and smashed
at the powerful churning water.
Within hours,
thousands of years of growth are undone,
and an entire ecosystem lies devastated.
But reefs can recover,
and corals grow fast.
The destruction wrought by hurricanes
is not irreversible.
Many Caribbean islands have their own
living, growing defense against hurricanes,
mangrove forests.
With one foot on the shore
and one in the sea,
the mangrove forms a natural breakwater.
The tangle of roots
reduces the power of big waves
and storm surges,
protecting the shore behind.
Caroni Swamp lies on Trinidad's west coast.
As the tides rise,
the mangrove is inundated
with seawater twice a day.
Few plants can cope
with such salty conditions.
Many Caribbean mangroves have only
three or four different species of tree.
Yet the trees create a habitat
that shelters a rich and unique ecosystem.
The constant rise and fall of the tides
presents both opportunities and challenges
to the animals that live in the mangrove.
When the tide is out,
four-eyed fish sometimes beach themselves
on the exposed mud flats to catch insects.
As the tide rises, the fish feed
on tiny crustaceans on the surface.
This surface dwelling lifestyle
leaves them vulnerable
to attack from above and below.
Spectacled caiman patrol Caroni's waters.
And fish-eating birds
are here in abundance.
The four-eyed fish
are well equipped to keep watch.
Despite their name,
they actually have just two eyes,
each of which is split in half.
Each eye has two pupils,
one for focusing above the surface,
the other for focusing underwater.
These unique eyes are essential
for avoiding Caroni's predators.
Sometimes even four eyes aren't enough.
At low tide,
the swamp's thick, glutenous mud
is a rich source of food
for Caroni's crab population.
Each teaspoon of mud contains
around 10 million bacteria,
and this bacteria
supports a wealth of tiny animal life.
Fiddler crabs use their one small claw
for the vital task
of collecting this microscopic food
from the mud.
With just one hand,
it's a time consuming process.
Their big claw is reserved for waving
in a display designed to attract a mate.
Fiddlers also wave to defend their burrows
from rival crabs.
Having an escape hole is vital.
There are predators around.
When the tide is out,
scarlet ibis probe the mud
in search of fiddler crabs
and other crustaceans.
It's this diet of red shellfish,
rich in carotene,
that gives the ibis their vivid color.
Young birds are born gray,
and it takes about two years before
they've eaten enough crabs to turn red.
Dipping the crabs in the water
before swallowing them
helps rinse off some of the mud.
The ibis forage together
with other water birds,
like egrets, herons, and plovers.
Having a larger group
helps stir up the silt,
making it easier to catch prey.
And with caiman lurking nearby,
there is safety in numbers.
Every evening at dusk,
the ibis return in great flocks
to tiny islands within the mangrove.
They gather in their hundreds
to roost for the night.
Originally these birds were immigrants
from the mainland,
with South America lying just 11 km
from Trinidad's western shores.
At its peak,
Trinidad's population of scarlet ibis
can number more than 15,000.
It's now recognized
as the island's national bird.
The ibis are not the only
South American import on the island.
Trinidad was only separated from the
mainland around 12,000 years ago,
when sea levels rose
at the end of the last Ice Age.
As a result,
it's home to South American mammals
that are found
nowhere else in the Caribbean.
The silky anteater
is the world's smallest anteater,
only slightly larger than the human hand.
Though tiny, these anteaters can eat
up to 5,000 ants every night.
During the day,
the ants have little to fear.
Silky anteaters are nocturnal,
and in the heat of the sun,
sleeping takes precedence.
There are larger South American imports
on Trinidad, too.
The island is home to a troupe
of white-throated capuchin monkeys.
Capuchins are found
across most of South America
and are known
for being particularly resourceful.
But life on a Caribbean island requires
its own special strategies.
Trinidad's capuchins have found
that the island's coconut palm trees
are a rich source of food.
Dead leaves and branches harbor
all kinds of insects and grubs.
Having a prehensile tail to hang on with
means that both hands are kept free
for eating and foraging.
Trinidad's capuchins have learned
to make the most
of the rise and fall of the tides.
At low tide,
freshwater conches are left exposed,
sitting targets for an
opportunistic monkey.
The conch is encased in a rock-solid shell,
but the capuchins have found a way
to access the meat inside.
Lying so close to South America,
Trinidad has its own unique legacy
of mainland life.
For those islands further away, the
Caribbean Sea has proved a bigger barrier.
But some animals have succeeded
in becoming island hoppers.
For land bound animals,
the Caribbean's hurricane season
can offer opportunities for travel.
Strong winds frequently uproot trees.
So after a storm, there's lots of
vegetation drifting in the sea.
These makeshift rafts are one way
in which reptiles like the iguana
have been able to spread
from island to island.
The Lesser Antillean iguana
has successfully colonized
many of the Eastern Caribbean islands.
On Dominica, a population of around 10,000
lives in the low-lying
forests on the coast.
Iguanas follow a strict hierarchy,
which is color-coded.
Dominant males turn dark gray
with pale blue scales
on the side of their heads.
Females, along with juveniles,
are bright green all over.
Iguanas can live for up to 25 years,
but with age,
the ability to change color is lost.
April brings the mating season,
and the females dig burrows
in which to lay their eggs.
Each dominant male
defends a small territory
with up to seven nesting females.
Rivals are deterred from interfering
with the high reign
with a display of aggressive head bobbing.
Choosing a sunny nesting site is essential.
After digging a burrow
and laying up to 18 eggs,
the female plays no further role
in the care of her offspring.
For the next three months,
the incubation of the eggs
will rely entirely on solar power.
Even buried a meter underground,
iguana eggs are vulnerable.
Dominican ground lizards,
or abolo as they're known locally,
are found only on this island.
When the iguanas are nesting,
ground lizards stay close,
patrolling untended nests
in search of eggs.
Lots of eggs fall foul of scavengers,
but many more survive.
By June, those that have survived
are ready to hatch.
Iguanas are a Caribbean success story.
They've turned the devastation
brought by hurricanes to their advantage,
using it to colonize islands that
would otherwise be completely out of reach.
Some species have turned island hopping
into an art form.
Coconuts are relative newcomers
to the Caribbean.
Originally from Southeast Asia,
they only arrived around 500 years ago.
These palms are perfectly designed
to deal with the Caribbean's
frequent hurricanes.
Up to 4,000 roots
spread laterally under the sand,
giving the palm a firm anchor
to withstand winds of over 150 km/h.
And strong winds
facilitate their travels, too.
Hurricanes help dislodge their seeds,
which are cast adrift
on the ocean currents.
Coconuts are especially buoyant
and can float for months on end
without sinking.
When they eventually wash ashore,
a new island is colonized.
In just 500 years, coconuts have spread
to virtually every island in the Caribbean.
By early July, the leatherback turtle eggs
are ready to hatch.
It's time for the young turtles to leave the
safety of their nests on the Caribbean's beaches.
The hatchlings emerge in perfect synchrony.
Safety in numbers is their best chance
at reaching the sea.
Over the next decade,
the youngsters will increase in size
maybe 10,000 times.
Even at this young age, the leatherback
can propel itself through the water
with an efficiency
no other turtle can match.
Once they take to the sea,
the leatherbacks will remain
in the mysterious depths
of the open ocean
for most of their lives.
Only the female turtles will ever return
to the Caribbean's beaches.
Once they're fully grown,
they will come ashore to lay their eggs,
just as their ancestors have done
for the last 100 million years.
The islands of the Caribbean have been
forged by nature's most cataclysmic forces.
Lying in the heart of Hurricane Alley,
they must withstand
the most ferocious storms on earth.
Yet these islands are home to a secret
and spectacular variety of wildlife.
From wily opportunists
to specialists,
the Caribbean protects those
that live life in the fast lane
and attracts seafarers from near and far.
Though the pirates are long gone,
the wild treasures of the Caribbean remain.