Our Living World

Rush hour.

It's the same all over.

You gotta get where you're going the fastest way you can.

In our busy world,

nature has been banished to the shadows.

But here, in Nepal, the backstreets will only get you so far.

So when you're forced to hit the main drag,

you can either get snarled up in traffic...

...or create your own lane.

This defiant commuter is doing what his kind have always done...

making the nightly migration between feeding grounds.

And if today the savanna has become a suburb,

well, that's not gonna stop him.

Faced with our crazy world, nature strives to find a way through.

And by doing so, each of these determined rhinos

weaves its own tiny thread into a vast web of life.

A living network that spans our entire world.

It connects every living being.

And now, for the first time, we're gonna reveal how.

From the densest forests...

to the deepest oceans.

The fiercest skies...

to the hottest deserts.

This hidden network links the wonders of life

to the great forces of our planet...

keeping our whole world alive.

And even when we disrupt these vital connections...

...nature fights on.

This is the wondrous untold story of the most powerful force on Earth.

Life itself.

Unlock its secrets,

and we'll discover how there could be a brighter future for us all...

on our interconnected living world.

You can pick up a thread of nature's network

anywhere you care to look,

even in the wilds of the frozen north.

She may not know it,

but this newborn reindeer has a vital role ahead of her.

She just has to survive long enough to play her part.

The strongest possible bond with her mother will help.

But first, she will need to master her most important survival tool.

Her legs.

She is a natural-born athlete.

Speed, endurance, she's got it all.

Or she will have when she finds her feet.

Until then, the safest place for a sprinter-in-training

is literally under her mother's feet.

Because eagle eyes are watching...

...waiting for her to stray.

Mom has her back this time.

But the sooner she can get those legs working,

the better her chances.

The calf will find safety joining the herd.

And it's together that these animals make an impact

that's felt far beyond the Arctic.

But only if they're kept on their toes.

Wolves.

Out on the plains,

this herd can spot danger approaching

and can do what they were born to do.

In the open, they can hit top speed.

But among the trees, deep snow bogs them down.

Lucky for them, it's even harder work for shorter legs.

Breaking for open ground means better footing.

And the skittish herd can once again keep a watchful eye on their pursuers.

The Arctic is a tough place to survive,

even for a world-class runner.

But this never-ending dance of predator and prey

ultimately connects to us all.

As the calf and her herd graze on the grass and scrub...

they trim it back,

which allows snow to settle unbroken.

While the predators keep the herds on the move,

spreading their grazing work far and wide.

Together they help create uninterrupted blankets of snow,

turning these white plains into a vast cosmic mirror...

which can reflect up to 85% of the Sun's heat back into space.

We need the Arctic to stay frozen to help stabilize our climate,

making the entire planet more habitable for us all.

And this astonishing cooling system

helps set off another physical chain of events...

that plunges to the depths of our oceans.

Because just off the coast, the sea is freezing.

Ice crystals rise to the surface...

forcing denser seawater to plummet to the seabed...

and warmer surface waters to flood in to replace it.

It's the start of a gigantic circulatory system.

A pump that drives sea currents on a thousand-year round trip

connecting every ocean on Earth.

Where there are currents...

there's life.

Nowhere more so than on a tropical coral reef.

A quarter of all known marine species live on reefs like these.

And a billion of us humans depend on them for our food,

livelihoods, and protection.

Even here in the currents around the reef,

the same rules apply...

for the hunters and the hunted.

The trick is to stay ahead of the competition...

any way you can.

These cuttlefish eggs were hidden in the rocks by their mother.

The trouble is, they soon turn see-through.

So the tiny embryos must stay stock-still to avoid being...

Oh. There's always one.

No bigger than a peanut, this precocious youngster

is already enthralled by the reef around him.

He'll only live for a year,

so he seems determined to learn as much as he can,

as fast as he can.

But his exuberance is attracting attention.

A hungry mantis shrimp with the sharpest eyes on the reef.

He likes his eggs soft in the middle.

But junior is already one step ahead.

Now you see me...

now you don't.

But not everyone is gonna fall for that ruse.

Epaulette sharks can sense the electrical current

given off by their next meal.

And the baby's heartbeat is blaring out like a car alarm.

At the last second, he somehow knows...

...to kill the switch.

Holding his breath and slowing down his three hearts

to disappear once more.

All this eager student needs now

is a grown-up to teach him how to catch his dinner.

It's enough to make a wannabe hunter burst.

Graduating from egg school gives him the best start in life.

He will now feast

on whatever opportunities the currents bring.

Tiny critters riding the watery superhighway

from reef to distant reef.

Spreading new life and new hope

for the future of these underwater wonders.

From a baby reindeer who helps power the ocean's heartbeat

via a tropical reef,

the network of ocean currents connects both poles

as it continues all the way to Antarctica.

Freezing temperatures supercharge the ocean's pulse...

...pumping seawater northwards once more...

where the most powerful currents rejuvenate life...

in places you'd least expect.

During the dry season in Africa's Kalahari Desert,

everyone is struggling to beat the heat.

Yet, even here,

nature's network has a way of providing exactly what life needs to flourish.

All because, hundreds of miles away,

an icy Atlantic current meets hot desert air.

Thick fog blows inland.

Thunderclouds billow up over the highlands

where they perform nature's own alchemy.

Each bolt of lightning is so powerful...

it splits molecules in the air...

creating nitrates,

a liquid fertilizer essential for the growth of every plant on Earth.

These nutrients rain down and cascade south...

crossing hundreds of miles of Southern Africa...

until they pour into the Okavango Delta...

transforming the parched Kalahari into one of nature's greatest oases...

triggering an explosion of new growth

in the once barren desert.

But while a connection to a distant ocean provides the waters...

it is down to the locals to create a neighborhood where everyone can benefit.

Heavyweight engineers bulldoze their way through the vegetation...

...creating networks of flowing channels...

that connect pools and watering holes...

allowing the rich waters to spread further afield.

Meaning, no one misses out.

And for this family of leisure-loving hippos...

it's pool party season.

They've got first dibs on the best bathing spot in the area.

But Dad can't kick back completely.

Keeping hold of this pool and his harem of breeding females

is not gonna be easy.

Both are hot property for young bulls looking to start their own family.

For the father,

this interloper is about as welcome as a Band-Aid in a hot tub.

Dad warns him to back off.

Fighting a two-ton rival would be exhausting.

It could also be deadly.

But if the rogue male steps into his pool,

Dad has a simple choice.

Lose his family...

or fight.

Dad may have to see off many more challengers

before the season is over.

But for now, victory deserves a lap of celebration.

Yeah. Still got it.

All this frolicking and fighting helps to prolong the party season.

It stirs the waters and stops the pools from stagnating.