WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en
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I'm here surrounded by one of nature's
greatest wonders a living structure so
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enormous it could be seen from space
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the Great Barrier Reef
00:00:24.350 --> 00:00:30.369
home to one of the most extraordinary
communities of animals on the planet
00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:44.060
I've been fascinated by it for almost 60
years
00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:50.370
dear unknown species are still being
found
00:00:51.180 --> 00:00:55.920
and scientists are making astonishing
discoveries about the creatures that we
00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.580
thought we knew
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in this series our research vessel the
illusia will allow us to explore the
00:01:04.909 --> 00:01:07.960
reef as never before
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:16.070
using the latest technology I'll visit
its mysterious depths
00:01:16.070 --> 00:01:22.560
nobody has ever dived as deep as this
before on the paper
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:27.290
I'll learn of it's surprising origins
00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:33.270
and discover how this wonderfully
diverse community has been created by
00:01:33.270 --> 00:01:37.400
some of the very smallest creatures on
the leaf
00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:44.249
but fists by some of the most impressive
animals on the planet
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it's an ecosystem like no other
00:01:56.990 --> 00:02:00.640
vital to our oceans
00:02:03.630 --> 00:02:09.800
and surprisingly we're still uncovering
its many secrets
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the Great Barrier Reef lies on
Australia's northeast coast it's 1,400
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miles long
00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:51.849
and that is widest a hundred and fifty
miles of us
00:02:52.670 --> 00:02:58.970
he consists of almost 3,000 individual
coral reefs
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and 900 islands
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and for me it's truly one of the most
extraordinary places on the planet
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people say to me what was the most
magical thing you ever saw in your lives
00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:23.920
what was the most magical moment in your
careers that list and I always say the
00:03:23.920 --> 00:03:30.250
first time I put on a mask and went
below the surface and move in three
00:03:30.250 --> 00:03:36.790
dimensions just with the flick of my fin
and suddenly saw all these amazingly
00:03:36.790 --> 00:03:43.450
multicolored things living in
communities right now just astounding
00:03:43.450 --> 00:03:51.969
things unforgettable beauty
00:03:53.980 --> 00:03:58.989
I first came to the Barrier Reef nearly
60 years ago and I remember very clearly
00:03:58.989 --> 00:04:05.560
how amazed I was to see such a
complexity of life but today we have
00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:11.290
ways of looking at the reef tentacle
waves which we never had before and give
00:04:11.290 --> 00:04:16.030
us a completely new vision of this
wonderful place which is surely one of
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the greatest treasures of the natural
world
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now I've returned and taking me on this
journey is the elucha a 56 meter
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state-of-the-art research and
exploration vessel
00:04:38.780 --> 00:04:43.760
for this expedition we've been granted
unprecedented access to some of the most
00:04:43.760 --> 00:04:53.080
remote corners of the Great Barrier Reef
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on board is a team of experts and at our
disposal all the latest technology our
00:05:03.380 --> 00:05:08.480
mission is to reveal a hidden world and
to compete a series of dives that have
00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:13.090
never before been attempted on the Great
Barrier Reef
00:05:15.080 --> 00:05:21.580
but to do that we've had to bring in a
very special piece of equipment
00:05:22.490 --> 00:05:27.310
this is a Triton submarine
00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:33.669
the very latest in submersible
technology
00:05:33.669 --> 00:05:39.240
and the first of its kind to be brought
to these waters
00:05:39.580 --> 00:05:45.910
the submersibles captain but Taylor will
leave the dive team with 2,000 dives
00:05:45.910 --> 00:05:51.090
under his belt his expertise is
unparalleled
00:05:54.070 --> 00:06:00.200
while our film two rigs submersible with
no fewer than eight cameras buck gathers
00:06:00.200 --> 00:06:07.790
the rest of the team together to brief
us on the dives ahead the submersible
00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:13.820
offers spectacular filming opportunities
but it's not without its dangers coming
00:06:13.820 --> 00:06:17.810
from the rescue background I've been in
a submersible up to my waist in water
00:06:17.810 --> 00:06:27.590
and I've had a fire in a submersible as
well as these hazards buck is also
00:06:27.590 --> 00:06:32.240
obliged to raise one of the more
intimate limitations of submersible life
00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:37.490
we do have facilities the toilet
obviously because it's quite a find it's
00:06:37.490 --> 00:06:45.470
not very discreet it's quite interesting
trying to explain about going to the
00:06:45.470 --> 00:06:50.540
toilet in a three-man submersible in a
sort of sphere that's less than 2 meters
00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:57.530
diameter it's quite intimate cameras
pointing from every direction
00:06:57.530 --> 00:07:03.490
good thanks so much looking forward to
it a lot
00:07:07.580 --> 00:07:13.380
the Alicia's first mission is to take us
to the barriers stunning ribbon reefs in
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the north of its extensive range
00:07:18.750 --> 00:07:23.760
it's an area of outstanding natural
beauty and the perfect place to begin
00:07:23.760 --> 00:07:27.020
our explorations
00:07:29.030 --> 00:07:33.590
the story of the Great Barrier Reef
starts with its most important
00:07:33.590 --> 00:07:37.360
inhabitant the colony itself
00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:44.770
hidden inside these branching structures
are the thousands of tiny creatures that
00:07:44.770 --> 00:07:49.380
build these reefs
00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:57.020
and they have an enormous claim to fame
together they built the largest living
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structure on earth
00:08:03.570 --> 00:08:09.220
but these fascinating coral creatures
are only active at night so to capture
00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:14.160
their behavior we'll need to do
something I've never done before
00:08:15.849 --> 00:08:22.250
tonight a team of specialist divers
scientists and program makers like
00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:27.590
myself have gathered together to have a
closer look and a longer look at the
00:08:27.590 --> 00:08:33.069
reef at night than perhaps has ever been
possible
00:08:34.010 --> 00:08:40.710
when I came here 60 years ago the idea
of a night dive was almost Hoc funny
00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:48.510
it seemed to me a beginner to be far too
dangerous but now technology is going to
00:08:48.510 --> 00:08:50.900
help me
00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:58.540
once I'm in it's over to buck from the
support team who remain on board de
00:08:58.540 --> 00:09:03.389
Lucia to make sure everything goes
smoothly
00:09:05.910 --> 00:09:10.670
they spent months preparing for this
moment
00:09:11.910 --> 00:09:17.620
our submersible known to the crew of sir
Nadia has of course made dives like this
00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:21.790
all over the world
she's descended to the deepest part of
00:09:21.790 --> 00:09:25.710
the oceans but she's never visited the
Barrier Reef
00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:30.270
it's a first for all of us
00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:38.660
but before we can get anywhere we'll
need to position the Nadia at a safe
00:09:38.660 --> 00:09:42.100
distance from the elusive
00:09:44.130 --> 00:09:51.240
it's a substantial operation but finally
we're ready to get on the way
00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:56.140
that's on the dare just approaching the
boy
00:10:09.520 --> 00:10:14.650
sinking beneath the waves is a very
surreal experience
00:10:16.070 --> 00:10:20.440
your first instinct is to hold your
breath
00:10:28.570 --> 00:10:33.720
at night the reef is a ghostly world
00:10:37.510 --> 00:10:42.480
tiny shrimp-like creatures dance in the
lights
00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:53.010
look at that Wow
00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:59.370
with little light there is a lot less
color but this is still a very magical
00:10:59.370 --> 00:11:01.910
base
00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:10.800
there's something fantastic our
submersible will eventually take us to
00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:17.309
depths of 300 meters now we're only 30
meters down but that's exciting enough
00:11:17.309 --> 00:11:20.269
for a start
00:11:23.610 --> 00:11:30.030
in these dark waters buck needs to be
careful as we move around the front of
00:11:30.030 --> 00:11:32.360
the reef
00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:42.480
coral reefs are sometimes described as
marine cities and the comparison is
00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:48.810
indeed a good one we're here to take a
closer look at the reefs architecture
00:11:48.810 --> 00:11:52.220
it's coral buildings
00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:02.500
there are more than 450 different
species of hard coral the plant like
00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:07.150
structures we can see are actually made
of limestone and living inside a
00:12:07.150 --> 00:12:13.080
thousands of highly industrious little
animals called coral polyps
00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:21.820
at night the water around the reef
becomes filled with clouds of tiny
00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:27.530
microorganisms called the zoo
00:12:27.530 --> 00:12:31.540
and that's what the collars eat
00:12:34.680 --> 00:12:40.290
the car polyps themselves emerge from
their stony skeleton and start groping
00:12:40.290 --> 00:12:44.389
in the water with their tentacles
00:12:45.520 --> 00:12:54.340
to see just what they're doing we need
specialized cameras the coral polyps
00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:59.970
never leave the safety of their
limestone homes even at night
00:13:03.370 --> 00:13:08.500
if something edible comes within beach
the product far the microscopic harpoons
00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:18.370
aligned their tentacles the prey stunned
or killed and then pulled into the
00:13:18.370 --> 00:13:23.490
polyps mouth
when you can't leave your home it pays
00:13:23.490 --> 00:13:29.490
to be accurate the colors stinging
armory isn't used only for collecting
00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:34.589
food they also use it to fight because
as has been discovered only
00:13:34.589 --> 00:13:40.200
comparatively recently Carl's like many
animals that live on land are extremely
00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:47.660
territorial but in order to see the
battles you have to speed up time
00:13:52.130 --> 00:14:00.220
the polyps of each colony collaborate to
defend their patch as in any big city
00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:10.580
space is precious if a rival grows too
close there will be trouble these fights
00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:20.570
can last for hours the competition is
fierce as the coral colonies tussle with
00:14:20.570 --> 00:14:24.940
one another for the best feeding sites
00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:36.090
when they're not blocked in battle the
korells have worked to do they must
00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:40.710
extract calcium carbonate from the
surrounding seawater and with it build
00:14:40.710 --> 00:14:43.220
their homes
00:14:47.090 --> 00:14:52.260
each coral species has its own
particular way of building and together
00:14:52.260 --> 00:14:57.330
they eventually create the huge reefs
that provide homes for all kinds of
00:14:57.330 --> 00:15:01.160
other much larger creatures
00:15:13.110 --> 00:15:19.830
at night the reef seems like an
extraterrestrial world but down here we
00:15:19.830 --> 00:15:23.150
are the aliens
00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:34.560
and here comes a turtle attracted by our
lights come on
00:15:38.649 --> 00:15:41.999
coming straight to us
00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:56.670
coming face-to-face with the green
turtle in the setting is a rare
00:15:56.670 --> 00:16:01.110
privilege but its presence here along
with all the other reef residents is
00:16:01.110 --> 00:16:06.600
only made possible thanks to the great
coral Builders doesn't look very upset
00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:17.340
that he happens all the time on this
reef
00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:28.170
it's the perfect end to my first dive
00:16:29.810 --> 00:16:37.860
the time has come for us to make our way
back up to the elusive
00:16:43.699 --> 00:16:59.899
Oh diving on a reef at night is a
thrilling experience what I want to see
00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:04.880
next is how exactly these tiny coral
creatures have created such a vast and
00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.019
extensive habitat
00:17:09.329 --> 00:17:15.289
the answer that we'll need to look at
the beef from another angle in
00:17:50.530 --> 00:17:57.230
at this height you
they meant size of the barrier reef its
00:17:57.230 --> 00:18:07.910
2300 kilometers long 1400 miles is of
largest living structure of the
00:18:07.910 --> 00:18:12.240
breathes much like these develop in the
shallow tropical waters that surround
00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:17.639
many an island and continental coasts
00:18:17.639 --> 00:18:23.659
but if you can match the great barrier
in either size or complexity
00:18:23.710 --> 00:18:30.460
so what is so special about the
northeastern coast of Australia
00:18:30.520 --> 00:18:36.440
a clue to the answer lies in the shape
of the seafloor
00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:42.050
if we strip away the ocean we can reveal
the reason why such extraordinary growth
00:18:42.050 --> 00:18:49.760
is possible the reef has grown on a very
shallow continental shelf beyond which
00:18:49.760 --> 00:18:55.000
there is a sudden and very steep 2,000
meter drop-off
00:18:55.090 --> 00:19:01.970
it stands in waters with an average
depth of just 35 meters and that's just
00:19:01.970 --> 00:19:09.650
about as far as sunlight can penetrate
with any strengths light is crucially
00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:14.000
important to reef building corals
because they have developed in a special
00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:19.850
partnership with microscopic algae
plants that actually grow within their
00:19:19.850 --> 00:19:22.270
tissues
00:19:24.560 --> 00:19:30.020
the alley Katta safe home and like all
plants when they photosynthesize they
00:19:30.020 --> 00:19:32.770
would use energy
00:19:35.179 --> 00:19:45.039
the coral polyps use this energy to
construct their limestone home
00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:49.750
together they've built an underwater
city on a scale that is almost
00:19:49.750 --> 00:19:53.250
impossible to comprehend
00:19:55.260 --> 00:20:03.919
but amazingly just a 10,000 years ago
there was no coral here at all
00:20:06.050 --> 00:20:12.520
the Great Barrier Reef as we know it
today simply didn't exist
00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:19.660
how and when these coral communities
began is something scientists have only
00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:27.309
recently started to investigate marine
geologist dr. Bob Ian Beeman's has been
00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:32.830
leading an ambitious project to scan the
entire reefs and his data has allowed us
00:20:32.830 --> 00:20:38.050
to map of the seafloor
so David this is a three-dimensional
00:20:38.050 --> 00:20:42.670
model of the Great Barrier Reef in
deeper waters we tend to use sonar in
00:20:42.670 --> 00:20:51.520
shallow waters we tend to use underwater
laser beams to image the seafloor by
00:20:51.520 --> 00:20:55.809
combining computer modeling and
radiocarbon dating his team have been
00:20:55.809 --> 00:21:01.020
able to reconstruct the key stages in
the development of the Great Barrier
00:21:01.020 --> 00:21:06.730
their research has helped to identify an
event between 10 and 20 thousand years
00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:14.910
ago which may explain how the Great
Barrier Reef was formed but surprisingly
00:21:14.910 --> 00:21:19.820
scientists are not the only ones to tell
this story
00:21:19.820 --> 00:21:27.529
Australia's Aboriginal peoples arrived
on this continent around 50,000 years
00:21:30.330 --> 00:21:34.710
they have been telling the story of how
the reef was formed long before the
00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:39.990
world scientists even knew it existed to
hear that story
00:21:39.990 --> 00:21:44.549
the anusha is taking us to northern
Queensland to meet a community with a
00:21:44.549 --> 00:21:49.370
very special connection to this
underwater world
00:21:56.860 --> 00:22:03.350
they are the key boy what Obama in gym
do people and they live just outside the
00:22:03.350 --> 00:22:14.270
city of towns this community has
throughout alongside the reef for
00:22:14.270 --> 00:22:24.770
thousands of years and many of their
traditions hark back to those ancient
00:22:24.770 --> 00:22:35.090
times and one of them tells how the reef
came into existence it's a legend that
00:22:35.090 --> 00:22:41.680
has been passed down from generation to
generation in the form of a dance
00:22:43.030 --> 00:22:48.920
tell me the story that's connected to
this dancer it's part of our law story
00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:57.840
let's told to me by my dad my father and
was told to him by his father his father
00:22:57.840 --> 00:23:02.860
the part of the dance that really
interests me is the story of Tanya and
00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:10.060
the sacred division their story starts
with when you're going up to see they
00:23:10.060 --> 00:23:17.320
saw a deer in the water which he thought
was a fish and when he speared it he
00:23:17.320 --> 00:23:23.920
actually speared our sacred fish the
Stingray so the fish got angry and
00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:31.030
started to rise up and with these wings
it who made the serum and of course a
00:23:31.030 --> 00:23:37.470
seed to ride
take us back to the time when the first
00:23:37.470 --> 00:23:41.730
human beings arrived here what was it
like there the coastline would have been
00:23:41.730 --> 00:23:44.610
very different
so the coastline would have been right
00:23:44.610 --> 00:23:48.420
out here on the edge of the Great
Barrier Reef the sea level was much
00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:51.510
lower and they would have fished and
hunted to the coastline
00:23:51.510 --> 00:23:56.070
these were limestone hills that would
have been eucalypts marshlands there
00:23:56.070 --> 00:24:01.309
would have been mangrove swamps
00:24:01.320 --> 00:24:07.259
but roughly fourteen thousand years ago
the climate started to dramatically
00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:12.539
change it was the end of the Ice Age and
all that water started to inundate the
00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:18.539
continental shelf and start to flood
this vast flat landscape in in one man's
00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:24.139
lifetime absolutely so people living
here are going to have to retreat
00:24:24.139 --> 00:24:27.539
absolutely there would have been a
dramatic time for them they would have
00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:32.340
been following the coastline as it
progressed the water was flooding the
00:24:32.340 --> 00:24:37.889
Shelf the rate of change was so great
that in these very flat areas here the
00:24:37.889 --> 00:24:42.059
coastline would have moved back by
hundreds of metres every year every year
00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:54.250
every year that's for me
00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:08.290
sohow story it's about the sea rising
and it is to be a clue further out and
00:25:08.290 --> 00:25:13.120
past the clip is where the ocean used to
be now that that's really remarkable
00:25:13.120 --> 00:25:19.090
because Western science is just
beginning to make discoveries that seem
00:25:19.090 --> 00:25:25.690
to suggest that the sea 10,000 20,000
years ago was way way out there which is
00:25:25.690 --> 00:25:31.179
exactly what your story says
extraordinary a folk memory of an event
00:25:31.179 --> 00:25:36.190
that happened all that time ago
yeah and so and the only way we can keep
00:25:36.190 --> 00:25:42.100
it alive is through our song and their
dance yeah just to keep them going
00:25:42.100 --> 00:25:53.470
through our culture so the tradition
lives yes it's wonderful it is truly
00:25:53.470 --> 00:25:57.850
astounding to think that this story has
survived for so many years and of course
00:25:57.850 --> 00:26:06.190
so many generations and that it
coincides with what scientists are now
00:26:06.190 --> 00:26:11.070
discovering about the age of the great
barrier
00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:20.570
the parts the built leaf arrived a storm
swept here by the ocean currents
00:26:20.610 --> 00:26:24.980
korells are not new to the talent
they've been around for at least 500
00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:28.279
million years
00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:39.550
the new reef provided homes for
thousands of animals and very quickly a
00:26:39.550 --> 00:26:44.460
whole new community began to establish
itself
00:26:45.560 --> 00:26:50.540
today the Great Barrier Reef has one of
the most diverse communities of animals
00:26:50.540 --> 00:26:55.410
on the planet
00:26:55.410 --> 00:27:00.690
and it's the story of these remarkable
reef residents that I want to
00:27:00.690 --> 00:27:08.880
investigate next to do that the illusion
is taking me north to a very special
00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:13.670
place Lizard Island
00:27:19.909 --> 00:27:24.679
it's one of the 600 continental islands
have scattered across the Great Barrier
00:27:24.679 --> 00:27:26.829
Reef
00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:40.170
and it's shallow Lagoon is known for its
exceptional biodiversity with the elucha
00:27:40.170 --> 00:27:44.760
anchored in deeper water a more modest
mode of transport will be needed to
00:27:44.760 --> 00:27:47.630
reach the shore
00:27:48.300 --> 00:27:59.670
I first visited Lizard Island in 1957
then it was completely uninhabited
00:27:59.670 --> 00:28:04.590
little did I know how important this
remote outpost will become in helping us
00:28:04.590 --> 00:28:09.119
to understand the coral reefs
00:28:09.170 --> 00:28:17.340
but today that's exactly what this
remarkable place is world renowned for
00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:22.720
here for the past few decades there has
been a research station where scientists
00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:28.840
can study continuously and in detail the
full complexity of the community of
00:28:28.840 --> 00:28:32.550
animals that makes up the reef
00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:41.250
every year lizard island hosts a hundred
different research projects
00:28:41.620 --> 00:28:46.660
here scientists are shedding new light
on the lives of the reefs residents and
00:28:46.660 --> 00:28:54.280
the way in which this complex community
works thanks to their research we now
00:28:54.280 --> 00:28:59.230
know that coral reefs rival rainforests
in the vast numbers of species they
00:28:59.230 --> 00:29:01.710
support
00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:08.470
the first question is where does all
that diversity come from
00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:15.979
lizard eyelid with so their richness to
the special plants that in places
00:29:15.979 --> 00:29:23.389
fringed the shores they link land and
sea and their vital to the coral reef
00:29:23.389 --> 00:29:27.879
community their mangroves
00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:35.450
taking shelter amongst the roots are
thousands of juvenile fish of all shapes
00:29:35.450 --> 00:29:39.890
and sizes
many of these little fish your Karma's
00:29:39.890 --> 00:29:44.809
enough but when they go up they will de
pon some of the most ferocious predators
00:29:44.809 --> 00:29:48.559
on the reef
indeed the existence of these mangrove
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:53.570
nurseries is one of the reasons why the
fish populations of the reef are among
00:29:53.570 --> 00:29:58.029
the most varied and richest in the world
00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:07.820
the mangos are not only nurseries
they're playgrounds the aim of the game
00:30:07.820 --> 00:30:13.820
here is to survive the most vulnerable
stage of any animals life being a
00:30:13.820 --> 00:30:27.159
juvenile baby turtles rays and even
sharks take refuge here
00:30:29.370 --> 00:30:35.760
these juvenile black tips are just a few
weeks old and only 1/6 to the size there
00:30:35.760 --> 00:30:42.510
will be when they make it out onto the
reef as adults for the first year of
00:30:42.510 --> 00:30:50.190
their lives the mangos play a vital role
in keeping them safe as infants they're
00:30:50.190 --> 00:30:57.059
vulnerable to predation from larger
sharks but the tangle of mangrove roots
00:30:57.059 --> 00:31:05.440
keeps the big predators out and stops
the making meals of the youngsters
00:31:06.620 --> 00:31:10.610
when the young are ready they will
eventually leave this sheltered world
00:31:10.610 --> 00:31:21.200
behind and make their way to the reef
beyond the mangrove roots
00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:25.400
the next challenge will be to find their
place in one of the most crowded
00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:29.110
ecosystems on the planet
00:31:34.760 --> 00:31:40.059
getting on the property ladder here is
no easy feat
00:31:40.920 --> 00:31:45.780
which is why one of the reefs most
celebrated characters has developed a
00:31:45.780 --> 00:31:48.980
very special relationship
00:31:51.110 --> 00:31:56.250
town fish deal with the problem of
overcrowding by sharing space with
00:31:56.250 --> 00:32:04.600
another creature gigantic anemones
00:32:04.600 --> 00:32:11.920
they've formed a relationship in which
both parties benefit anemones have
00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:17.440
tentacles that are packed with stinging
cells most fish touching one get a very
00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:24.370
nasty sting but not the clownfish thanks
to the protective layer of mucus that
00:32:24.370 --> 00:32:32.350
covers its body the clownfish keeps the
anemone in good health by removing
00:32:32.350 --> 00:32:39.880
unwanted parasites and in return the
anemone offers security its stinging
00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:43.810
cells ward off the sort of creatures
which would otherwise threaten the
00:32:43.810 --> 00:32:55.980
clownfish when the time comes for a pair
to breed that protection will be vital
00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:03.830
a female may lay up to a thousand eggs
on the rock beneath her
00:33:03.830 --> 00:33:06.610
anemone home
00:33:08.490 --> 00:33:14.160
and she delicately attaches them the
male follows closely behind fertilizing
00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:17.450
the eggs as he goes
00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:26.960
a week will pass before the young are
ready to emerge
00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:32.059
Hatchin only happens at night so to
record it we have to use infrared
00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:39.169
cameras in a specialized filming
environment this is the very first time
00:33:39.169 --> 00:33:43.450
that this behavior has been filmed
00:33:44.250 --> 00:33:56.700
with gentle encouragement from their
father the young are helped on their way
00:33:56.700 --> 00:34:03.460
once the little larvae are set free
they're on their own they'll spend the
00:34:03.460 --> 00:34:11.230
first few weeks of their life developing
in the open ocean but how will the young
00:34:11.230 --> 00:34:15.970
count fish find their way back to the
coral reefs after drifting many miles
00:34:15.970 --> 00:34:28.659
out to sea to understand that we will
have to turn into a sense we don't
00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:43.329
normally associate with this colorful
underwater world sound coral reefs are
00:34:43.329 --> 00:34:49.450
surprisingly noisy places fish and
invertebrates produce a whole range of
00:34:49.450 --> 00:34:55.419
clicks and grunts and snaps the
healthier the reef the more varied and
00:34:55.419 --> 00:35:03.369
numerous its inhabitants and the louder
this chorus is we now know that fish
00:35:03.369 --> 00:35:13.359
just like birds vocalize most at dawn
and dusk damselfish to defend their
00:35:13.359 --> 00:35:15.869
territory
00:35:18.089 --> 00:35:28.630
seahorses pick to attract a mate others
create a very different soundscape
00:35:28.630 --> 00:35:38.440
simply by carrying out their daily
duties parrotfish crunching through the
00:35:38.440 --> 00:35:43.109
hard coral are a constant on the reef
00:35:43.320 --> 00:35:49.030
fish perceive sound in two different
ways many have internal ears with
00:35:49.030 --> 00:35:58.630
underwater they can also feel sound as a
vibration the noise is a key indication
00:35:58.630 --> 00:36:04.240
that the community is in good shape
in fact the louder the noise on a reef
00:36:04.240 --> 00:36:12.390
the more inviting it is to newcomers
newcomers like the young town fish
00:36:15.570 --> 00:36:20.520
this little male is no bigger than a
button but the time has come for him to
00:36:20.520 --> 00:36:24.680
find his place in the big city
00:36:28.570 --> 00:36:38.390
at the stage his swimming abilities
leave something to be desired
00:36:38.390 --> 00:36:43.279
but his hearing is so sensitive he can
tell over hundreds of meters of harif is
00:36:43.279 --> 00:36:52.400
suitable his journey can last days
the final approach is usually made at
00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:58.880
night to avoid predators how fish hear
and respond to sound of a healthy coral
00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:04.400
reef is a major area of study here on
their survival and the scientists have a
00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:09.800
simple way of collecting these fish for
study a light trap like this one at
00:37:09.800 --> 00:37:17.930
Lizard Valley is one way of assessing
the way that the reef is working like
00:37:17.930 --> 00:37:25.100
moths to a flame the young are attracted
by the light by sampling the newest
00:37:25.100 --> 00:37:29.510
members of the community scientists can
figure out how far these juvenile fish
00:37:29.510 --> 00:37:39.170
are willing to travel for a good home in
the case of the clownfish juveniles have
00:37:39.170 --> 00:37:48.429
been known to travel 250 miles before
they find a reef
00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:58.619
fortunately for the majority it's
usually a much shorter journey
00:37:58.619 --> 00:38:02.890
while they rarely returned to the
particular anemone beside which they
00:38:02.890 --> 00:38:10.580
hatched 60% find a new home of the same
reef
00:38:12.990 --> 00:38:17.849
for the Khan fish and the anemone
cooperation is the key to success in
00:38:17.849 --> 00:38:30.030
this extremely crowded environment other
residents however take a very different
00:38:30.030 --> 00:38:39.410
approach rather than share their home
they fiercely defend their territories
00:38:40.730 --> 00:38:50.480
this is a mantis shrimp spotting the
competition is half the battle
00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:54.750
there are many different species of
mantis shrimp but they all have one
00:38:54.750 --> 00:38:58.920
thing in common
superb vision the four hundred million
00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:05.099
year old visual system of the mantis
shrimp is the most complex in the entire
00:39:05.099 --> 00:39:11.670
Animal Kingdom its eyes are mounted on
two stalks giving it independent vision
00:39:11.670 --> 00:39:17.550
but whereas our eyes produce binocular
vision each one of theirs produces three
00:39:17.550 --> 00:39:24.060
different images not only that whereas
we have three photoreceptors in our eyes
00:39:24.060 --> 00:39:32.040
the mantis shrimp has up to 16 giving it
access to parts of the spectrum that we
00:39:32.040 --> 00:39:40.580
can't even see let alone imagine and
they can use their amazing vision to
00:39:40.580 --> 00:39:43.609
devastating effect
00:39:45.630 --> 00:39:59.350
while some are armed the spears others
carry Cubs many are champion boxes they
00:39:59.350 --> 00:40:03.640
can deliver a punch that accelerates
faster than the point to two caliber
00:40:03.640 --> 00:40:18.469
bullet these powerful blows are used to
stun their prey and defend their burrows
00:40:18.650 --> 00:40:25.170
mantis shrimps are one of the more
house-proud residents on the reef in
00:40:25.170 --> 00:40:34.550
fact they're compulsive cleaners
00:40:34.550 --> 00:40:42.840
they keep their burrows meticulously
neat with all that effort it's hardly
00:40:42.840 --> 00:40:46.550
surprising that they're fiercely
territorial
00:40:46.790 --> 00:40:51.660
in fact mantis shrimps have earned
themselves a reputation for being
00:40:51.660 --> 00:40:57.300
somewhat it will tempered but scientists
have discovered that there's another
00:40:57.300 --> 00:41:03.750
side to these macho males this young
hopeful is trying to catch the eye of a
00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:10.580
potential mate he starts by showing off
his paddle I can tell
00:41:12.070 --> 00:41:17.420
his technique may not be very impressive
to us but he is in fact sending the
00:41:17.420 --> 00:41:21.190
female secret signals
00:41:21.900 --> 00:41:26.700
and that is possible because mantis
shrimps can see and reflect a kind of
00:41:26.700 --> 00:41:32.570
light that absolutely no other creature
in the world that we know of can see
00:41:32.570 --> 00:41:40.080
including us the male's display is a
private invitation for this female to
00:41:40.080 --> 00:41:54.830
dance so far so good she makes her way
to the dance floor
00:42:00.770 --> 00:42:06.540
if the male can impress the female with
his performance she would choose him to
00:42:06.540 --> 00:42:09.710
father her offspring
00:42:16.280 --> 00:42:26.339
it seems that this male has all the
right moves the final phase of courtship
00:42:26.339 --> 00:42:34.869
however usually takes place up to
science within their Baris
00:42:37.450 --> 00:42:42.069
the mantis shrimp is arguably one of the
reefs most colorful characters and
00:42:42.069 --> 00:42:46.380
typifies the key to survival here
00:42:48.390 --> 00:42:55.289
each resident species has had to carve
out its own particular niche and that is
00:42:55.289 --> 00:43:02.369
what has created this extraordinary
diversity here life can evolve 50%
00:43:02.369 --> 00:43:09.299
faster than in other marine environments
the tiny creatures that have built this
00:43:09.299 --> 00:43:15.569
remarkable ecosystem have created a
habitat so complex that it supports all
00:43:15.569 --> 00:43:18.589
kinds of life
00:43:20.270 --> 00:43:23.420
but none of the reef residents would be
here
00:43:23.420 --> 00:43:30.719
without one truly extraordinary event
it occurs just once a year and is one of
00:43:30.719 --> 00:43:35.089
the greatest of all natural spectacles
00:43:36.200 --> 00:43:41.810
it wasn't until the 1980s that
scientists discovered it here on the
00:43:41.810 --> 00:43:44.290
Great Barrier
00:43:44.720 --> 00:43:49.160
on a few nights of the year when the
conditions are just right all along the
00:43:49.160 --> 00:43:54.890
length of the reef corals of many
different species suddenly erupt it's
00:43:54.890 --> 00:44:01.490
the great spawning event and it's one of
the wonders of the natural world
00:44:01.490 --> 00:44:06.359
it's a one time in the year when the
corals themselves don't just grow by
00:44:06.359 --> 00:44:12.119
branching but reproduce sexually and
it's vital for the survival of the reef
00:44:12.119 --> 00:44:16.260
in recent years we've learned a great
deal about the many factors that
00:44:16.260 --> 00:44:20.300
influence the moment of spawn
00:44:21.170 --> 00:44:25.910
but even though we know it occurs within
days of the full moon in October or
00:44:25.910 --> 00:44:32.960
November the trigger that starts it all
is still a mystery
00:44:33.990 --> 00:44:38.400
the light of the moon is perhaps the
most influential but there are many
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:43.800
other factors including the temperature
of the water and the state of the tides
00:44:43.800 --> 00:44:49.589
and as the moment approaches all along
the length of the wreath there's a
00:44:49.589 --> 00:44:54.690
mounting sense of excitement
00:44:54.690 --> 00:45:03.000
fish and other predators gather this
will be an opportunity for a feast
00:45:08.440 --> 00:45:15.640
the timing has to be exact each species
of coral has its own particular triggers
00:45:15.640 --> 00:45:23.000
but they must synchronize their behavior
to ensure their success just half an
00:45:23.000 --> 00:45:26.870
hour before the big event
there is the first sign of the spawning
00:45:26.870 --> 00:45:29.380
to come
00:45:30.660 --> 00:45:37.009
small bundles of sperm and eggs bulge
from the polyps
00:45:40.350 --> 00:46:11.220
when the moment is right there is a mass
release
00:46:11.220 --> 00:46:29.920
for hundreds of miles all along the
coast the corals erupt
00:46:38.240 --> 00:46:48.950
only with daybreak can you see the true
scale of the event great ribbons of
00:46:48.950 --> 00:46:57.979
coral spawn drift over the surface of
the sea
00:46:59.290 --> 00:47:05.200
after the coral spawn the billions
developing larvae are swept far and wide
00:47:05.200 --> 00:47:11.890
by the tides and the currents the vast
majority will be eaten by fish and other
00:47:11.890 --> 00:47:18.400
creatures but the few survivors was then
find a place to settle either on a newly
00:47:18.400 --> 00:47:25.410
litigated site on an existing reef or
perhaps to found a new one
00:47:30.550 --> 00:47:35.320
the newest choral recruits will continue
the work that ancestors began almost
00:47:35.320 --> 00:47:38.430
10,000 years ago
00:47:47.940 --> 00:47:55.040
they are the essential organisms on
which the whole reef depends
00:47:59.090 --> 00:48:04.670
the great barrier is what it is because
the tiny coral polyps never stop
00:48:04.670 --> 00:48:07.120
building
00:48:07.430 --> 00:48:13.809
and what they have created is one of the
wonders of the natural world
00:48:20.850 --> 00:48:25.440
next time we'll cross the Great Barrier
Reef to meet it is extraordinary
00:48:25.440 --> 00:48:33.640
visitors
00:48:33.640 --> 00:48:38.049
I will meet Turtles that may have
traveled thousands of miles to get here
00:48:38.049 --> 00:48:44.279
and the remarkable people will try to
save them from disaster
00:48:48.360 --> 00:48:53.370
I will come face-to-face with the great
predators the reason Wow
00:48:53.370 --> 00:49:01.000
the huge jaw they are so beautiful
00:49:01.250 --> 00:49:06.770
and we'll meet a whale that seeks out
human contact a behavior that happens
00:49:06.770 --> 00:49:13.550
nowhere else on earth some come from the
open ocean others from the land
00:49:13.550 --> 00:49:20.660
immediately ensure and still others from
the sky to complicate still further the
00:49:20.660 --> 00:49:33.239
intricate community that is known as
00:49:43.729 --> 00:49:47.579
for this series
the production team set themselves an
00:49:47.579 --> 00:49:52.799
ambitious challenge they wanted me to
experience the Great Barrier Reef as
00:49:52.799 --> 00:49:55.430
never before
00:49:57.540 --> 00:50:04.850
to achieve that we teamed up with a very
special research vessel the aleutian
00:50:04.850 --> 00:50:09.810
there aren't many boats like this in the
world and it's a kind of magic carpet
00:50:09.810 --> 00:50:14.280
for us it allows us to float around the
reef and for David to tell different
00:50:14.280 --> 00:50:22.140
parts of the story on board all the
latest technology helicopters in the
00:50:22.140 --> 00:50:29.530
laboratory and advanced mapping systems
00:50:29.530 --> 00:50:36.430
at the helm of Volusia captain Frank
Alika the task of getting the ship into
00:50:36.430 --> 00:50:43.150
position for the first big submarine
launch rests on his shoulders some parts
00:50:43.150 --> 00:50:46.810
have chartered less well than others
that this particular bit is quite a lot
00:50:46.810 --> 00:50:49.780
of mommy's and things out there that are
likely to jump up and bite you on the
00:50:49.780 --> 00:50:54.240
bottom and that's really not what you
want
00:50:55.680 --> 00:51:00.370
fortunately he's a lot more hands-on
than the skipper was on my first visit
00:51:00.370 --> 00:51:03.690
in 1957
00:51:05.220 --> 00:51:10.030
but it was very primitive the camels
wound up by chocolate
00:51:10.030 --> 00:51:15.790
they were just me in the chopper the 60
mil camera and I did the recording it
00:51:15.790 --> 00:51:21.170
may have been a modest shoot but it was
in its way groundbreaking
00:51:21.170 --> 00:51:27.430
we worked on vacations on the reef well
thumb cruise had never been before
00:51:28.150 --> 00:51:34.960
sixty years later I'm told we are poised
to make history once again
00:51:35.520 --> 00:51:40.590
this time to reach new areas of reef
I'll have to rely on the Triton
00:51:40.590 --> 00:51:46.200
submersible and she's very flexible in
terms of how shallow we can come as well
00:51:46.200 --> 00:51:50.100
to to work at a thousand meters happily
but we can also work in the splash zone
00:51:50.100 --> 00:51:56.160
so actual trench system is very good
amazing visibility as you'll see when
00:51:56.160 --> 00:52:00.230
you get in yes she's a little bit flash
00:52:02.000 --> 00:52:06.710
with just a few short hours before the
first big dive the excitement of
00:52:06.710 --> 00:52:10.180
pressure is building on deck
00:52:11.369 --> 00:52:15.569
this will be the last opportunity for
the crew to check the camera gear and
00:52:15.569 --> 00:52:22.380
make sure everything is perfectly at the
place benefit see morning already we've
00:52:22.380 --> 00:52:26.910
had sound men cameramen trying to fit
all their gear into the sub we're sort
00:52:26.910 --> 00:52:30.200
of running out of space for bodies
00:52:31.089 --> 00:52:35.109
there are lots of worries when you put
your 88 year old presenter in something
00:52:35.109 --> 00:52:39.789
like this it's got a very small area to
get into all sorts of things that can go
00:52:39.789 --> 00:52:45.280
wrong we are always very cautious
00:52:45.280 --> 00:52:48.460
and even the most limber of sub
operators struggle getting the sub
00:52:48.460 --> 00:52:52.360
David's incredibly active and fit but
he's a TA and so we were slightly
00:52:52.360 --> 00:53:11.620
worried about how he might get into the
sub okay okay you can rest against me if
00:53:11.620 --> 00:53:22.240
you want David as usual defied all our
thoughts and just went straight in
00:53:22.240 --> 00:53:26.610
without any trouble as though it was the
25 year old
00:53:32.800 --> 00:53:39.270
so in the day that's such secure
ready
00:53:39.270 --> 00:53:44.190
the subways almost eight tons and
getting it into the water is a major
00:53:44.190 --> 00:53:46.820
operation
00:53:47.920 --> 00:53:51.369
there's something quite extraordinary
about a Triton being long standing here
00:53:51.369 --> 00:53:56.079
on deck suddenly the whole back deck
area the ship comes alive you've got
00:53:56.079 --> 00:53:59.380
people running around
everything's incredibly detailed and
00:53:59.380 --> 00:54:03.160
faculty plan but the sort of chord in
the whirlwind as ropes fly and the
00:54:03.160 --> 00:54:07.029
submarine starts to move forwards you
know this is a very exciting moment you
00:54:07.029 --> 00:54:11.099
know big day even in the world David
00:54:16.210 --> 00:54:21.770
as we disappear beneath the waves out on
a support vessel underwater cameraman
00:54:21.770 --> 00:54:28.030
steve hudson prepares to film the sub as
it explores the vegan
00:54:29.080 --> 00:54:33.670
so Nick and I are gonna jump in the
water to send to a maxim depth about 30
00:54:33.670 --> 00:54:40.720
meters and shoot exterior shots for
submarine as it cruises over the reef it
00:54:40.720 --> 00:54:45.220
can be pretty tiring you have to swim it
in front of it swim behind it to and
00:54:45.220 --> 00:54:51.940
beneath it swim above it trying to get a
multiple shots but today because of the
00:54:51.940 --> 00:54:56.250
strong currents visibility is poor
00:54:58.740 --> 00:55:04.850
at first Steve struggles to locate the
sub through the cloudy water
00:55:20.050 --> 00:55:28.209
finally he makes visual contact
00:55:29.240 --> 00:55:34.430
before we descend deeper and beyond his
reach Steve must get his exterior shots
00:55:34.430 --> 00:55:39.320
of the sub
lead cameraman Paul Williams captures
00:55:39.320 --> 00:55:45.350
the action from inside the vessel to get
the best footage the divers need to
00:55:45.350 --> 00:55:52.460
coordinate with the sub team it's a task
easier said than done we're literally in
00:55:52.460 --> 00:55:56.990
a bubble we can't talk to the divers
outside we had this rather crude hand
00:55:56.990 --> 00:56:02.870
signal you know it's like get out of
shot you know we'll just move over that
00:56:02.870 --> 00:56:11.499
way
00:56:19.230 --> 00:56:36.640
can you see his hand section Cathy
lovemaking saying thank you thank you
00:56:36.640 --> 00:56:39.960
it's gonna do the descent
00:56:47.280 --> 00:56:56.430
as the vessel dives deeper we're treated
to some spectacular sights which show
00:56:56.430 --> 00:57:02.360
why the reef is one of the most dazzling
habitats on the planet
00:57:07.770 --> 00:57:12.510
there's jolly nice that someone of my
age can be taken down in fantastic
00:57:12.510 --> 00:57:15.630
comfort
gray reef shark there no problem about
00:57:15.630 --> 00:57:20.660
breathing no problem about talking no
problem about through your movements
00:57:20.660 --> 00:57:23.960
there's another
00:57:24.180 --> 00:57:28.230
they're just sitting there and looking
and one of the most extraordinary places
00:57:28.230 --> 00:57:40.599
on earth our privilege given to very few
00:57:42.380 --> 00:57:46.850
well the rents going up in tenants being
forced to leave the flats can anyone
00:57:46.850 --> 00:57:52.730
save them is Catherine Tate's nan at
10:25 after the BBC News next here on
00:57:52.730 --> 00:57:55.360
BBC one
00:57:58.910 --> 00:58:00.970
you