Big Bend: In the Heart of Texas (Full Episode) | America's National Parks

00:44:24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AndA2beJVc

Ringkasan

TLDRThis insightful documentary explores Big Bend National Park, a natural sanctuary in Texas rich with diverse environments and species. It follows the life cycles and survival stories of various wildlife, such as the resilient desert bighorn sheep, the roadrunners, industrious beavers, and black bears reclaiming their territory. The park’s challenging landscapes of mountains and deserts offer unique habitats, fueling biological diversity with species including birds, bugs, cacti, and plants. The narrative highlights the interdependency of the park's species and underscores the ecological balance essential to their survival. With a focus on adaptation, the film covers how different animals use unique evolutionary traits to survive harsh conditions, such as the roadrunner's diet and speed, the horned lizard’s camouflage, and the beaver's dam as an oasis. Moreover, it describes the monsoon season's impact on the park, both as a source of life and destruction. Through vibrant footage, Big Bend is portrayed as a precious wilderness, filled with life and history, warranting preservation and conservation.

Takeaways

  • 🦏 Desert bighorn sheep compete fiercely during mating season.
  • 🐦 Roadrunners are adept survivalists in harsh environments.
  • 🐻 Black bears have naturally recolonized Big Bend.
  • 🦎 Texas horned lizards use strategic hunting tactics.
  • 🌧️ Monsoon season is crucial yet challenging for survival.
  • 🌄 The Chisos Mountains offer a cool refuge and water source.
  • 🏞️ Big Bend hosts an impressive array of biodiversity.
  • 🦫 Beavers create vital oases in the desert.
  • 🎍 The agave plant has a significant ecological role.
  • 🌌 Big Bend is a valued sanctuary and a dark sky haven.

Garis waktu

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Big Bend National Park is a diverse ecosystem where male desert bighorn sheep prepare for battle during monsoon season to pass on strong genes. The park offers a wide range of habitats for various wildlife, including the resilient roadrunner, who thrives in the desert by feeding her chicks with abundant prey.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    A roadrunner mother efficiently feeds her chicks with diverse desert prey. In the nearby mountains, a female black bear guides her cubs to access hidden spring-fed pools in the Chisos Mountains, teaching essential survival skills. These mountains act as a water reserve, vital for desert survival.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The Chihuahuan Desert in Big Bend is home to the Texas horned lizard, a master of desert survival with a unique method of hunting venomous ants. Protected areas are crucial for this declining reptile, highlighting the importance of Big Bend's diverse ecosystem in conserving unique species.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Big Bend faces extreme desert challenges with dwindling water supplies. The Rio Grande, a critical life source, showcases nature's resilience as a beaver constructs a dam, turning a small tributary into a haven for various wildlife. However, the beaver's work is tested by impending monsoon floods.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Monsoon rains are a mixed blessing, causing destructive floods but revitalizing the desert. Big Bend's flora and fauna, including the desert bighorn sheep, rely on these rains for survival and reproduction. The monsoon is a critical component in the park's intricate ecological balance.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Big Bend's vibrant ecosystem comes alive post-monsoon, with the Agave playing a central role. This plant, crucial to the park's biodiversity, attracts diverse pollinators ensuring its reproduction. The Agave and Mexican long-nosed bat's mutualism is a prime example of the park's ecological interdependence.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    The park's clear dark skies draw astrophotographers and visitors, offering spectacular views of the universe. Amidst these celestial displays, the animals continue to adapt and thrive, highlighting Big Bend as a preserved haven amid increasing light pollution worldwide.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:44:24

    As winter approaches, the park's inhabitants prepare for colder months. Bears stock up on acorns, a crucial resource in the Chisos Mountains. The return of the bear population since the 1980s underscores the park's role as a sanctuary for wildlife and its importance as a national treasure.

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Video Tanya Jawab

  • What is Big Bend National Park known for?

    It is known for its diverse range of habitats, unique wildlife, and stunning natural landscapes, including mountains, deserts, and rivers.

  • How does the roadrunner adapt to the harsh environment?

    The roadrunner survives by eating a wide variety of food and being a fast hunter, with speeds up to 20 mph.

  • What animals are featured in the documentary?

    The documentary features desert bighorn sheep, roadrunners, black bears, Texas horned lizards, and beavers, among others.

  • How do desert bighorn sheep prepare for mating season?

    Males compete through endurance and combat to earn the right to breed with females.

  • What role do rivers play in Big Bend National Park?

    Rivers, such as the Rio Grande, are crucial for providing water in the arid environment and supporting diverse wildlife.

  • What challenges do animals face with the monsoon season?

    Although essential for survival, the monsoon can cause dangerous flash floods that animals must navigate.

  • How have black bears returned to Big Bend?

    Black bears reestablished a stable population starting from the 1980s, resettling naturally from Mexico.

  • Why is Big Bend National Park considered a World Treasure?

    Its unique biodiversity, ecological importance, and natural beauty make it a significant ecological and cultural treasure.

  • What is the significance of the beaver’s dam?

    The beaver's dam creates a vital oasis in the desert, supporting a variety of wildlife.

  • How does the park's landscape support biodiversity?

    The varied terrain, including mountains and deserts, provides diverse habitats for a wide range of species.

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Gulir Otomatis:
  • 00:00:03
    Big Bend National
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    Park male desert big horn sheep prepare
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    for
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    battle Big Ben's monsoon season is the
  • 00:00:19
    perfect time to
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    breed the strongest males will pass on
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    their jeans to the next
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    generation the arrival of a female
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    ratchets up the
  • 00:00:39
    [Music]
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    tension before the fight males test
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    their opponents
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    resolve as heat and humidity build
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    across one of America's last great
  • 00:00:58
    wildernesses the pressure
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    increases only to release in a single
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    strike months before the monsoon big bin
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    National Park is
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    peaceful a Wild Sanctuary deep in the
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    Heart of
  • 00:01:26
    Texas established in 1944
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    it's 800,000 Acres of mountains
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    deserts and
  • 00:01:37
    rivers a challenging place to call home
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    but the Park's spectacular range of
  • 00:01:43
    habitats provides opportunities for
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    plants and
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    animals creating a surprising Web of
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    Life with more species of birds bugs and
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    cacti than any other National Park in
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    the United States
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    making big bin the perfect home for one
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    of the Park's most hardworking
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    parents the Road Runner a true
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    survivalist she's fully prepped for life
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    in this remote corner of Texas hunkering
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    down in a prickly pear
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    [Music]
  • 00:02:26
    cactus with two chicks on the nest and
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    four more on the way it pays to be
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    tough right now there's
  • 00:02:45
    calm but for a roadrunner mom the peace
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    and quiet doesn't last
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    long her chicks are
  • 00:02:55
    hungry fortunately she's raising kids in
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    a place where there's plenty to
  • 00:03:03
    eat but it's still a grueling
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    [Music]
  • 00:03:09
    routine
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    [Music]
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    leave catch
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    prey
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    [Music]
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    return feed chicks
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    that should do
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    it
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    leave catch
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    prey
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    return feed
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    [Music]
  • 00:03:55
    chicks it helps that road runners eat
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    almost everything from SP ERS to
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    scorpions mom is also a super quick
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    Hunter with a top speed of 20 M an
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    hour with hundreds of road runners
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    living here it's a good thing Big Bend
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    has an amazing biodiversity of
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    [Music]
  • 00:04:23
    bugs not that the chicks seem to
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    appreciate
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    it as they grow they appetites cannot be
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    stopped time for Dad to go
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    [Music]
  • 00:04:50
    big this lizard may be fast but the Road
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    Runner is faster
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    [Music]
  • 00:05:05
    a super sized meal almost as big as the
  • 00:05:08
    chick no
  • 00:05:15
    problem surely this will fill them
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    [Music]
  • 00:05:23
    up thanks to the Bounty of food
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    available in the park and the tireless
  • 00:05:28
    efforts of doting parents parents peace
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    and quiet
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    [Music]
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    return
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    or maybe
  • 00:05:43
    not nearly 6,000 ft up in the mountains
  • 00:05:47
    another mom has a huge
  • 00:05:52
    challenge a female black bear has spent
  • 00:05:55
    the winter in a high mountain cave
  • 00:06:01
    [Music]
  • 00:06:04
    she needs to teach her Cubs to survive
  • 00:06:06
    in the
  • 00:06:08
    park with little to no food or water for
  • 00:06:10
    months the stakes are
  • 00:06:14
    high but they're living in a special
  • 00:06:18
    place Big Bend is the only national park
  • 00:06:21
    with an entire mountain range inside its
  • 00:06:24
    borders the
  • 00:06:26
    chisos named for their previous
  • 00:06:28
    inhabitants
  • 00:06:30
    and once home to the Mescalero Apache
  • 00:06:32
    and the kamanche tribes the mountains
  • 00:06:35
    are a sky island
  • 00:06:38
    oasis 40 square miles of Peaks up to
  • 00:06:41
    8,000 ft Loom over the hot desert
  • 00:06:48
    below at the height of Summer monsoon
  • 00:06:52
    storms can dump nearly a Year's rainfall
  • 00:06:55
    in a few months
  • 00:07:01
    right now the monsoon is a long way off
  • 00:07:06
    but the chisos do something
  • 00:07:09
    incredible they catch the rains and
  • 00:07:12
    store them for yearr round
  • 00:07:15
    use water slowly releases from deep in
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    the
  • 00:07:20
    mountains into precious Springfed pools
  • 00:07:25
    [Music]
  • 00:07:31
    attracting Critters of all
  • 00:07:36
    types and all
  • 00:07:39
    [Music]
  • 00:07:44
    colors the key to survival in a desert
  • 00:07:47
    is a reliable source of
  • 00:07:49
    [Music]
  • 00:07:53
    water and Mom knows exactly where to
  • 00:07:56
    find
  • 00:07:57
    it thanks to her mom who taught her
  • 00:08:00
    about the hidden Oasis in the
  • 00:08:04
    chisos it's the Cub's first visit to
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    this magical
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    [Music]
  • 00:08:13
    place every day is a school
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    day today's lesson is all about
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    [Music]
  • 00:08:24
    water they've never tasted or seen so
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    much of it
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    mom relaxes in the spring but for the
  • 00:08:40
    Cubs it's play time
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
  • 00:09:03
    the fun has to come to an end eventually
  • 00:09:06
    but Mom has another lesson for her eager
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    students how to scratch that
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    itch mom shows how it's done rubbing off
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    her winter coat and leaving a scent
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    behind signaling her presence to other
  • 00:09:30
    bears in the
  • 00:09:32
    [Music]
  • 00:09:37
    park mom made it look
  • 00:09:40
    easy but the Cubs will need a lot more
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    [Music]
  • 00:09:53
    practice for the bear family the chios
  • 00:09:56
    mountains provide water and a cool
  • 00:09:59
    Refuge but down below on the desert
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    floor life in the park has more extreme
  • 00:10:07
    challenges big bin protects a vast and
  • 00:10:10
    pristine area of the Chihuahuan Desert
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    the largest in North
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    America early Spanish settlers called it
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    El despo
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    BL a desolate and empty
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    [Music]
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    land if you're your home is
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    tough sometimes you've got to be
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    tougher and one animal is the ultimate
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    desert
  • 00:10:43
    Survivor the Texas horned
  • 00:10:47
    lizard he's everything you would expect
  • 00:10:50
    from a desert
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    veteran perfectly
  • 00:10:55
    camouflaged and Searing hot is just how
  • 00:10:58
    he likes it
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    [Music]
  • 00:11:04
    once widespread across Texas the horn
  • 00:11:07
    lizard is in
  • 00:11:10
    Decline Agriculture and Urban
  • 00:11:12
    Development have robbed this reptile of
  • 00:11:16
    space protected areas like Big Ben
  • 00:11:18
    National Park are vital for his
  • 00:11:23
    [Music]
  • 00:11:25
    survival he's on the hunt
  • 00:11:30
    [Music]
  • 00:11:32
    and ants are on today's
  • 00:11:36
    menu just like the last meal and the
  • 00:11:40
    next in fact ants are pretty much all he
  • 00:11:44
    [Music]
  • 00:11:46
    eats these small
  • 00:11:48
    snacks are all he needs to
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    survive but the ants won't surrender
  • 00:11:55
    without a
  • 00:11:57
    fight these are Harvest s
  • 00:12:00
    ants packing super strong jaws and one
  • 00:12:03
    of the most toxic insect Venoms ever
  • 00:12:09
    discovered a defensive stinger in the
  • 00:12:12
    back contains a neurotoxin so strong
  • 00:12:15
    that with enough stings these ants could
  • 00:12:17
    kill a
  • 00:12:20
    human but this lizard's hunting
  • 00:12:23
    technique combats the ant's deadly
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    defense
  • 00:12:32
    [Music]
  • 00:12:36
    all he has to do is hold his
  • 00:12:40
    [Music]
  • 00:12:45
    nerve this timing has to be
  • 00:12:51
    perfect not
  • 00:12:53
    now not
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    now not even now
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    [Music]
  • 00:13:01
    if the ants mob him he'll have to
  • 00:13:03
    retreat and go
  • 00:13:07
    hungry one false move and it's game
  • 00:13:14
    [Music]
  • 00:13:17
    over for the horned lizard getting a
  • 00:13:20
    meal requires military precision and
  • 00:13:26
    patience he picks a Target and takes
  • 00:13:31
    [Music]
  • 00:13:36
    aim it's now or
  • 00:13:41
    [Music]
  • 00:13:42
    never his tongue shoots forward at the
  • 00:13:45
    speed of a
  • 00:13:47
    bullet it's all over in a fraction of a
  • 00:13:51
    second a Precision
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    weapon avoiding the ants bite and deadly
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    stinger
  • 00:14:01
    the sticky tongue flicks it into his
  • 00:14:03
    stomach in one move the ant drowns
  • 00:14:06
    instantly and thick mucus on the way
  • 00:14:11
    down any slower he'd get a toxic sting
  • 00:14:16
    to the
  • 00:14:19
    mouth as the desert heats up and Big
  • 00:14:22
    Bend the challenges keep coming and the
  • 00:14:26
    Texas horn lizard will deal with them
  • 00:14:28
    head on
  • 00:14:29
    [Music]
  • 00:14:34
    on Spring moves into summer and the
  • 00:14:37
    Texan Sun bakes Big Ben National Park to
  • 00:14:40
    a
  • 00:14:42
    [Music]
  • 00:14:46
    crisp it can reach well over
  • 00:14:51
    100° and the monsoon rains are more than
  • 00:14:54
    a month away
  • 00:14:56
    [Music]
  • 00:14:59
    across the park everything is
  • 00:15:04
    dry the reserves from last year's Reigns
  • 00:15:07
    run
  • 00:15:09
    low and the bear family desperately digs
  • 00:15:13
    for the last drops of
  • 00:15:17
    [Music]
  • 00:15:22
    [Music]
  • 00:15:25
    water on the desert floor conditions get
  • 00:15:29
    more Brutal by the
  • 00:15:31
    day without rain wind whips up dust
  • 00:15:35
    storms big bin transforms into a hostile
  • 00:15:41
    place with such extreme heat the Park's
  • 00:15:44
    main river system becomes a vital and
  • 00:15:46
    Rich ribbon of Life the Rio Grand forms
  • 00:15:50
    the Park's southern boundary with Mexico
  • 00:15:53
    connecting millions of Acres of
  • 00:15:55
    protected land on both sides of the
  • 00:15:57
    Border
  • 00:15:59
    overuse from agriculture upstream and a
  • 00:16:02
    changing climate have reduced the once
  • 00:16:04
    Mighty River's
  • 00:16:07
    flow across the park rivers run
  • 00:16:12
    dry each remaining water source holds
  • 00:16:15
    the key to
  • 00:16:20
    survival last summer this place had
  • 00:16:23
    barely a trickle but now something truly
  • 00:16:27
    surprising has appeared
  • 00:16:33
    [Music]
  • 00:16:39
    an oasis of
  • 00:16:41
    life but it's no
  • 00:16:43
    [Laughter]
  • 00:16:43
    [Music]
  • 00:16:47
    Miracle it's an impressive feat of
  • 00:16:50
    engineering
  • 00:16:54
    [Music]
  • 00:17:00
    meticulously constructed by one
  • 00:17:03
    determined
  • 00:17:05
    [Music]
  • 00:17:13
    Critter a
  • 00:17:16
    [Music]
  • 00:17:18
    beaver for the past few months she's
  • 00:17:21
    been building a dam on a small tributary
  • 00:17:24
    of the Rio Grand
  • 00:17:27
    [Music]
  • 00:17:34
    it's taken months of hard work but night
  • 00:17:37
    after night she's transformed a tiny
  • 00:17:40
    spring into a Desert
  • 00:17:45
    [Music]
  • 00:17:54
    Paradise around 200 beavers live in big
  • 00:17:58
    bent National
  • 00:17:59
    [Music]
  • 00:18:01
    Park but it takes a pioneering spirit
  • 00:18:05
    and perseverance to overcome its harsh
  • 00:18:14
    conditions there is another reason this
  • 00:18:17
    Beaver has been working so
  • 00:18:19
    hard she's building a future for her
  • 00:18:24
    family her home also provides water for
  • 00:18:27
    other animals in the
  • 00:18:29
    park attracting life from miles
  • 00:18:34
    [Music]
  • 00:18:41
    around but the beaver's big bin Paradise
  • 00:18:45
    is about to be put to the test
  • 00:18:59
    the first sign of the coming Monsoon
  • 00:19:02
    lights up the Big Ben
  • 00:19:15
    Sky warm moist air from the Gulf of
  • 00:19:18
    Mexico pushes further west into the
  • 00:19:23
    park it collides with the chios
  • 00:19:26
    mountains immense storm clouds form St
  • 00:19:29
    ready to
  • 00:19:31
    [Music]
  • 00:19:33
    break the monsoon is
  • 00:19:37
    close although the storm passes 100 Mil
  • 00:19:40
    to the
  • 00:19:42
    North in Big Bend it's enough to create
  • 00:19:46
    one of Nature's Most destructive
  • 00:19:51
    forces a flash
  • 00:19:56
    flood in just hours the river's flow can
  • 00:20:00
    increase more than 1,000
  • 00:20:18
    times the beaver's dam is
  • 00:20:23
    destroyed months of tireless
  • 00:20:25
    construction are no match for the power
  • 00:20:28
    of floodwall
  • 00:20:34
    Waters the beaver's desert dream has
  • 00:20:37
    become a
  • 00:20:43
    nightmare it was a brave move to build a
  • 00:20:46
    dam
  • 00:20:48
    here but this is
  • 00:20:51
    Texas it will take more than a flash
  • 00:20:53
    flood to crush the beaver's
  • 00:20:56
    Spirit the dam just need needs to be
  • 00:21:04
    bigger while the coming Monsoon proves
  • 00:21:07
    problematic for some for others it
  • 00:21:11
    provides a world of
  • 00:21:15
    opportunity when the rains arrive plants
  • 00:21:18
    unfurl and burst into
  • 00:21:22
    life temporary life-saving pools spring
  • 00:21:25
    up across the park
  • 00:21:28
    and on the Steep Cliffs above the desert
  • 00:21:31
    the monsoon triggers the most dramatic
  • 00:21:33
    time of the year for a mighty
  • 00:21:38
    Beast the desert big horn
  • 00:21:44
    sheep their presence alone is caused for
  • 00:21:54
    celebration 60 years ago the Big Horns
  • 00:21:57
    were gone
  • 00:22:00
    killed off from over hunting and
  • 00:22:05
    disease but since the 1980s
  • 00:22:08
    International efforts have restored them
  • 00:22:10
    to their rightful
  • 00:22:16
    place with feet made to climb they are
  • 00:22:19
    perfectly adapted to the rocky
  • 00:22:22
    [Music]
  • 00:22:26
    terrain able to scale near ver vertical
  • 00:22:28
    Cliffs with
  • 00:22:30
    [Music]
  • 00:22:33
    ease the monsoon
  • 00:22:38
    [Music]
  • 00:22:45
    approaches males zero in on the scent of
  • 00:22:48
    females ready to
  • 00:22:52
    mate there is a strict hierarchy in
  • 00:22:55
    place
  • 00:22:59
    Rams younger than seven rarely take
  • 00:23:01
    [Music]
  • 00:23:03
    part competition is so Fierce that
  • 00:23:07
    one-on-one combat can last over 25
  • 00:23:11
    [Music]
  • 00:23:14
    hours but before they put their horns to
  • 00:23:17
    the test contenders taunt their rivals
  • 00:23:22
    [Music]
  • 00:23:29
    withstanding pain is a test of
  • 00:23:32
    endurance but it's a waiting
  • 00:23:36
    game who will break first
  • 00:23:44
    [Music]
  • 00:24:03
    the monsoon rains are edging closer and
  • 00:24:06
    the atmosphere is
  • 00:24:15
    electric tensions are high until fights
  • 00:24:19
    break out
  • 00:24:40
    all the fighting has a
  • 00:24:44
    purpose if the winning males breed now
  • 00:24:47
    their newborn calves will have the most
  • 00:24:49
    nutritious green choots to eat brought
  • 00:24:52
    on by the rigns
  • 00:25:03
    a finally tuned survival strategy for
  • 00:25:05
    the toughest of big Benin
  • 00:25:15
    [Music]
  • 00:25:23
    survivors the monsoon has finally
  • 00:25:26
    arrived
  • 00:25:28
    [Music]
  • 00:25:30
    it's the moment the park has been
  • 00:25:32
    waiting
  • 00:25:35
    [Music]
  • 00:25:38
    for the desert soaks up the lifegiving
  • 00:25:42
    [Music]
  • 00:25:48
    rains for plant life in Big Bend it's
  • 00:25:52
    welcome
  • 00:25:53
    relief and for the animals too
  • 00:25:58
    big Bin's veteran has another awesome
  • 00:26:02
    desert
  • 00:26:03
    [Music]
  • 00:26:10
    adaptation he flattens his body out to
  • 00:26:13
    catch as much rain as he
  • 00:26:15
    can a useful skill in a place where
  • 00:26:19
    rains are patchy and
  • 00:26:23
    unpredictable the monsoon weather system
  • 00:26:27
    is a defining feature of the park all
  • 00:26:30
    life in Big Bend depends on
  • 00:26:34
    it storms can be intense but there are
  • 00:26:38
    places here that we'll see a whole year
  • 00:26:40
    pass without receiving any
  • 00:26:45
    rain so the Texas horned lizard needs to
  • 00:26:49
    catch every precious drop
  • 00:26:59
    as fast as they arrived the rains pass
  • 00:27:03
    and big Ben dries out under the harsh
  • 00:27:06
    Texan
  • 00:27:11
    Sun but the horn lizard can find and
  • 00:27:14
    make use of any water source no matter
  • 00:27:17
    how small simply by standing in it
  • 00:27:30
    his waterproof skin has a network of
  • 00:27:32
    capillary channels between the scales
  • 00:27:35
    directing water straight into his
  • 00:27:38
    [Music]
  • 00:27:50
    mouth tiny jaw movements pull water in
  • 00:27:53
    for
  • 00:27:54
    drinking it's another amazing adaptation
  • 00:27:57
    for big Ben's toughest
  • 00:28:04
    lizard after the rains plants race to
  • 00:28:07
    flower and reproduce while moisture
  • 00:28:10
    remains in the
  • 00:28:12
    [Music]
  • 00:28:20
    soil it's time to celebrate as Big Ben
  • 00:28:24
    puts on a show in full color
  • 00:28:43
    prickly pear fruit
  • 00:28:50
    ripens providing an energy rich treat
  • 00:28:53
    for insect
  • 00:28:56
    life a leaf footage bug doesn't travel
  • 00:29:03
    far the prickly pear cactus is both his
  • 00:29:07
    home and food
  • 00:29:14
    supply most of the year his meals are a
  • 00:29:17
    little
  • 00:29:18
    tough but for a few weeks after the
  • 00:29:22
    rains it's easy picking
  • 00:29:28
    juicy soft Delicious
  • 00:29:32
    Fruit other animals have a liking for
  • 00:29:35
    cactus fruit
  • 00:29:37
    [Music]
  • 00:29:40
    too the bear cups are growing fast and
  • 00:29:44
    learning about all the good things Big
  • 00:29:46
    Ben National Park has to
  • 00:29:48
    [Music]
  • 00:29:53
    offer even the slower residents rush to
  • 00:29:56
    get a taste
  • 00:30:03
    [Music]
  • 00:30:16
    for the box turtle it's a fruity Feast
  • 00:30:19
    worth waiting
  • 00:30:21
    [Music]
  • 00:30:26
    for in the harsh Chihuahuan Desert there
  • 00:30:29
    are still times when Big Bend
  • 00:30:35
    provides one plan here is a beacon of
  • 00:30:38
    life in the
  • 00:30:40
    park an intimidating Beast with a rich
  • 00:30:46
    history the
  • 00:30:49
    Agave once a building material and food
  • 00:30:51
    source for the indigenous people of Big
  • 00:30:54
    Bend
  • 00:30:55
    [Music]
  • 00:30:58
    now it's the main ingredient in tequila
  • 00:31:01
    and
  • 00:31:03
    [Music]
  • 00:31:04
    mcow and big Ben would not be the same
  • 00:31:08
    without it the Agave doesn't seem to do
  • 00:31:19
    much it takes its sweet time to build up
  • 00:31:23
    Reserves
  • 00:31:25
    [Music]
  • 00:31:30
    sometimes waiting up to 50
  • 00:31:33
    [Music]
  • 00:31:38
    years taking energy from the sun and
  • 00:31:41
    water from the monsoon rains all the
  • 00:31:44
    while getting
  • 00:31:46
    bigger stronger and
  • 00:31:50
    sharper then one day something magical
  • 00:31:54
    happens
  • 00:32:03
    after decades the waiting is over for
  • 00:32:05
    the
  • 00:32:06
    Agave all that stored energy erupts
  • 00:32:10
    sending a stalk 30 ft into the
  • 00:32:13
    [Music]
  • 00:32:21
    sky the plant's Final Act using its last
  • 00:32:25
    reserves for one purpose to
  • 00:32:33
    reproduce flowers bloom but they need to
  • 00:32:37
    be pollinated and they're going to need
  • 00:32:42
    help hidden inside the Agave
  • 00:32:45
    flowers is sweet sweet
  • 00:32:50
    nectar the astonishing variety of flying
  • 00:32:53
    Critters in Big Bend means it doesn't
  • 00:32:55
    take long for word to get around
  • 00:32:59
    the first wave of pollinators
  • 00:33:01
    arrive some come for
  • 00:33:05
    nectar others for nectar
  • 00:33:08
    feeders but all will take a little
  • 00:33:10
    pollen with them from plant to plant
  • 00:33:12
    helping the Agave reproduce and maintain
  • 00:33:15
    its presence in the
  • 00:33:18
    park in Big Bend the secret to success
  • 00:33:21
    is making the most of every
  • 00:33:24
    opportunity and the Agave has become a
  • 00:33:27
    star at
  • 00:33:29
    [Music]
  • 00:33:34
    traction after
  • 00:33:36
    Sunset the Agave ramps up nectar
  • 00:33:40
    production its flowers now fully open
  • 00:33:44
    this is the time for the Agave to spread
  • 00:33:47
    its pollen far and wide as the second
  • 00:33:50
    wave of pollinators descend
  • 00:33:55
    [Music]
  • 00:33:57
    the five-spotted hawk Ms long proasas is
  • 00:34:01
    the right tool for the job ideal for
  • 00:34:04
    sucking up nectar from deep
  • 00:34:09
    [Music]
  • 00:34:10
    inside and just like the day at night
  • 00:34:14
    predators are on the
  • 00:34:15
    [Music]
  • 00:34:25
    prow the nocturnal elf owl is a skilled
  • 00:34:29
    [Music]
  • 00:34:31
    Hunter taking prey while they
  • 00:34:35
    feed and making a home in the Agave
  • 00:34:46
    stock but of all the creatures that
  • 00:34:48
    visit the Agave there is one that
  • 00:34:51
    spreads more pollen to more Agave plants
  • 00:34:55
    than any other pollinator
  • 00:34:58
    [Music]
  • 00:35:01
    the Mexican long-nosed
  • 00:35:04
    bat flying almost 800 miles from Central
  • 00:35:08
    Mexico they spend the summer feeding on
  • 00:35:11
    the agave in Big Ben National
  • 00:35:15
    Park until now this ancient exchange has
  • 00:35:19
    only been witnessed by a handful of
  • 00:35:22
    scientists
  • 00:35:23
    [Music]
  • 00:35:31
    the bat's long nose and tongue fit the
  • 00:35:33
    flowers like a
  • 00:35:38
    glove the agave and bat have evolved
  • 00:35:41
    together for thousands of
  • 00:35:44
    years they depend on each other for
  • 00:35:46
    survival and Big Ben National Park for
  • 00:35:55
    protection nights in the park attra
  • 00:35:57
    attract another creature from far
  • 00:36:08
    away people travel from all over the
  • 00:36:11
    world to experience something you can
  • 00:36:13
    only get in a handful of places like Big
  • 00:36:17
    Bend National
  • 00:36:20
    Park true Darkness
  • 00:36:23
    [Music]
  • 00:36:33
    here you can see across the Galaxy and
  • 00:36:38
    Beyond humans aren't the only ones to
  • 00:36:41
    make the most of the
  • 00:36:42
    [Music]
  • 00:36:44
    dark but with a sturdy pair of boots and
  • 00:36:47
    a flashlight visitors are welcome to
  • 00:36:50
    explore the park at
  • 00:36:53
    night which is the best time to see a
  • 00:36:56
    particular breed a
  • 00:36:58
    [Music]
  • 00:37:01
    visitor the
  • 00:37:04
    [Music]
  • 00:37:07
    astrophotographer Big Bend National Park
  • 00:37:09
    is at the top of their bucket
  • 00:37:12
    [Music]
  • 00:37:14
    list surrounded by millions of Acres of
  • 00:37:18
    protected land and Wilderness the lack
  • 00:37:20
    of light pollution makes it one of the
  • 00:37:23
    best places on the planet to film The
  • 00:37:26
    Stars
  • 00:37:28
    [Applause]
  • 00:37:29
    [Music]
  • 00:37:42
    as the world gets more crowded and
  • 00:37:44
    developed dark places like Big Bend
  • 00:37:47
    National Park become even more precious
  • 00:37:53
    [Music]
  • 00:37:59
    and if it's your home it's a place worth
  • 00:38:02
    fighting
  • 00:38:05
    [Music]
  • 00:38:07
    [Applause]
  • 00:38:08
    [Music]
  • 00:38:16
    for when the flood waters recede the
  • 00:38:20
    beaver gets back to
  • 00:38:23
    work
  • 00:38:26
    day and night
  • 00:38:27
    [Music]
  • 00:38:32
    night rebuilding the dam to create a
  • 00:38:35
    yearr round waterfront home for her
  • 00:38:40
    [Music]
  • 00:38:42
    family beavers are found all over
  • 00:38:45
    America but this Beaver mom is a Big
  • 00:38:49
    Bend veteran a highly skilled engineer
  • 00:38:53
    adapting to Changing
  • 00:38:55
    Times determined to make a life here
  • 00:38:58
    here no matter what the park throws at
  • 00:39:01
    [Applause]
  • 00:39:03
    [Music]
  • 00:39:12
    her as the season shifts into fall an
  • 00:39:15
    early cold snap is a sure sign that
  • 00:39:18
    winter is just around the
  • 00:39:22
    corner for the bear family it's time to
  • 00:39:26
    prepare
  • 00:39:29
    after everything that Big Bend has
  • 00:39:31
    thrown at him the best is yet to
  • 00:39:35
    come soon mom and cubs will head back to
  • 00:39:38
    the cave to ride out the winter but
  • 00:39:41
    first they need to put on enough pounds
  • 00:39:44
    to make it
  • 00:39:46
    through as a final fall gift the park
  • 00:39:50
    lays out a feast of
  • 00:39:54
    acorns oak trees thrive in the cool
  • 00:39:58
    valleys of the
  • 00:39:59
    [Music]
  • 00:40:04
    chisos creating a park
  • 00:40:06
    Paradise vital for the survival of all
  • 00:40:11
    [Music]
  • 00:40:12
    bears without the chisos Big Bend would
  • 00:40:16
    not support the rich Web of Life
  • 00:40:20
    here it's what makes the park unique
  • 00:40:23
    something the Bears certainly appreciate
  • 00:40:26
    as winter approaches
  • 00:40:30
    es they enter a phase called hyper
  • 00:40:34
    phasia eating as much as they can as
  • 00:40:37
    fast as they
  • 00:40:40
    can and oak trees provide an all you can
  • 00:40:43
    eat acorn
  • 00:40:48
    Buffet the Cubs have never seen a full
  • 00:40:51
    winter now they'll learn another
  • 00:40:53
    important survival lesson from Mom how
  • 00:40:56
    to make the most of every
  • 00:41:00
    opportunity some acorns are a long way
  • 00:41:04
    up you could just wait
  • 00:41:09
    underneath and let others do all the
  • 00:41:13
    work but sometimes you got to go
  • 00:41:17
    straight to the source
  • 00:41:21
    [Music]
  • 00:41:33
    all the tree climbing practice pays
  • 00:41:38
    [Music]
  • 00:41:48
    off now Mom can sit back and wait for
  • 00:41:51
    the acorns to
  • 00:41:53
    [Music]
  • 00:41:54
    fall letting her Cubs do all the work
  • 00:41:57
    for a
  • 00:42:04
    change a quick power
  • 00:42:08
    nap and the youngsters are back at it
  • 00:42:11
    [Music]
  • 00:42:17
    again young bears are still light enough
  • 00:42:20
    to climb out to the smallest
  • 00:42:24
    branches their reward is acorn
  • 00:42:27
    adults simply can't
  • 00:42:29
    [Music]
  • 00:42:36
    reach with the energy from a final Feast
  • 00:42:40
    the bear family heads back to the
  • 00:42:42
    mountains to wait out the
  • 00:42:45
    winter their survival means more to Big
  • 00:42:49
    Ben National Park than they can ever
  • 00:42:51
    know
  • 00:42:53
    [Music]
  • 00:42:58
    when Big Bend was established in
  • 00:43:00
    1944 there were almost no bears left in
  • 00:43:04
    the park they had all been trapped or
  • 00:43:08
    shot it wasn't until the 1980s when a
  • 00:43:11
    bold Mother Bear crossed the Rio Grand
  • 00:43:13
    to raise her Cubs in the chisos that a
  • 00:43:16
    significant bear population could begin
  • 00:43:19
    to
  • 00:43:22
    rebuild the park offered protection
  • 00:43:26
    [Music]
  • 00:43:29
    their return is a reminder that this is
  • 00:43:32
    a very special place a sanctuary not
  • 00:43:36
    just for Bears but for the entire Web of
  • 00:43:39
    Life that makes a home in the
  • 00:43:44
    park Big Bend is a treasured gift from
  • 00:43:47
    Texas to the
  • 00:43:51
    nation and like all of America's
  • 00:43:54
    national parks it's a gift worth holding
  • 00:43:57
    on to
  • 00:44:00
    [Music]
  • 00:44:12
    [Music]
Tags
  • Big Bend National Park
  • wildlife
  • biodiversity
  • survival
  • monsoon
  • desert
  • ecosystems
  • adaptation
  • conservation
  • natural sanctuary