1 00:00:12,012 --> 00:00:13,479 Millions of years ago, 2 00:00:13,713 --> 00:00:16,876 before man, before the ice ages, 3 00:00:17,117 --> 00:00:19,677 when the world was warm and humid, 4 00:00:19,919 --> 00:00:23,446 forests like these covered ch of the earth. 5 00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:27,148 And it was here, rough eons of geological time, 6 00:00:27,394 --> 00:00:30,852 that a profusion of life evolved. 7 00:00:31,097 --> 00:00:33,122 The remnants of those primordial jungles 8 00:00:33,366 --> 00:00:36,199 are the rain forests of today. 9 00:00:36,436 --> 00:00:40,896 They are home to half of all the animal species on earth. 10 00:00:41,141 --> 00:00:43,439 Yet, in the shady depths of the forest, 11 00:00:43,676 --> 00:00:48,010 there is seldom more than a fleeting glimpse of this abundance. 12 00:00:53,053 --> 00:00:53,815 When they are seen, 13 00:00:54,054 --> 00:00:56,079 the animals are often revealed as strange 14 00:00:56,322 --> 00:01:01,021 and splendid examples of natural perfection and adaptation. 15 00:01:49,509 --> 00:01:53,741 Myriad in their diversity and sometimes bizarre in form, 16 00:01:53,980 --> 00:01:55,709 these creatures give the somber forest 17 00:01:55,949 --> 00:01:59,112 a special mystery and splendor. 18 00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:09,215 Endless rains and high temperatures 19 00:03:09,455 --> 00:03:14,051 create the steamy atmosphere in which rain forests thrive. 20 00:03:14,294 --> 00:03:18,162 These conditions occur now only in a narrow belt around the equator 21 00:03:18,398 --> 00:03:21,299 where forests blanket some three million square miles 22 00:03:21,534 --> 00:03:23,661 of the earth's tropics. 23 00:03:27,574 --> 00:03:28,370 Within this belt 24 00:03:28,608 --> 00:03:32,339 lies the small Central American country of Costa Rica, 25 00:03:32,579 --> 00:03:36,913 which possesses one of the richest natural endowments on earth. 26 00:03:40,987 --> 00:03:44,514 When Christopher Columbus landed here in 1502, 27 00:03:44,757 --> 00:03:46,691 he found a mountainous land of rivers 28 00:03:46,926 --> 00:03:52,023 and forests like those he'd seen ten years earlier in Hispaniola. 29 00:03:52,265 --> 00:03:56,463 Then, in what is perhaps the first description ever of a rain forest, 30 00:03:56,703 --> 00:03:58,068 Columbus wrote: 31 00:03:58,304 --> 00:04:00,363 "Lts lands... are most beautiful... 32 00:04:00,607 --> 00:04:04,338 and filled with trees of a thousand kinds and tall, 33 00:04:04,577 --> 00:04:06,807 and they seem to touch the sky; 34 00:04:07,046 --> 00:04:09,879 and I am told that they never lose their foliage, 35 00:04:10,116 --> 00:04:11,606 as I can understand, 36 00:04:11,851 --> 00:04:12,943 for I saw them as green 37 00:04:13,186 --> 00:04:16,713 and as lovely as they are in Spain in May..." 38 00:04:18,658 --> 00:04:20,558 But it was partly from the early explorers 39 00:04:20,793 --> 00:04:23,956 that some popular misconceptions arose. 40 00:04:24,197 --> 00:04:26,324 For many, the first glimpse of a rain forest 41 00:04:26,566 --> 00:04:29,660 was from the rivers that flowed through them. 42 00:04:30,169 --> 00:04:32,637 The forests seemed impenetrable 43 00:04:32,872 --> 00:04:34,965 a tangled mass of undergrowth through 44 00:04:35,208 --> 00:04:38,666 which a man could only hack a path with difficulty. 45 00:04:39,445 --> 00:04:42,437 But in reality, the dim interior is more open 46 00:04:42,682 --> 00:04:45,480 and usually easy to move about in. 47 00:04:45,718 --> 00:04:47,310 Little light penetrates the dense canopy 48 00:04:47,553 --> 00:04:50,750 and so undergrowth is sparse. 49 00:04:50,990 --> 00:04:54,687 Only a thin layer of leaves covers the ground. 50 00:05:14,447 --> 00:05:17,314 A coral snake searches for a place to drink 51 00:05:17,550 --> 00:05:22,510 and finds enough rainwater in a curled leaf. 52 00:05:29,228 --> 00:05:34,291 The bright bands of color warn predators that it's poisonous. 53 00:05:42,942 --> 00:05:48,608 Below this thin layer of leaves lies the forest soiland a paradox. 54 00:05:48,848 --> 00:05:51,112 For the luxuriant vegetation of a rain forest 55 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:54,081 is often based on impoverished soil. 56 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:59,087 The explanation lies in the way the forest recycles its nutrients. 57 00:05:59,258 --> 00:06:02,227 Dead trees and fallen leaves rot quickly, 58 00:06:02,462 --> 00:06:05,329 and their nutrients are rapidly reabsorbed by fungi 59 00:06:05,565 --> 00:06:08,125 and tiny roots near the surface. 60 00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:11,769 The entire system is so efficient that little is lost, 61 00:06:12,004 --> 00:06:15,440 and fully 95 percent of the rain forest's nutrients 62 00:06:15,675 --> 00:06:17,540 are held in the living vegetation, 63 00:06:17,777 --> 00:06:20,439 hardly any in the soil. 64 00:06:27,653 --> 00:06:28,711 To shed its old skin, 65 00:06:28,955 --> 00:06:30,650 the coral snake rubs its body 66 00:06:30,890 --> 00:06:34,485 against rough surfaces in the leaf litter. 67 00:06:59,419 --> 00:07:03,515 A male poisonarrow frog is courting a female. 68 00:07:03,756 --> 00:07:05,383 With his monotonous song, 69 00:07:05,625 --> 00:07:06,853 he will try to entice her 70 00:07:07,093 --> 00:07:10,494 to follow him under a leaf where they'll mate. 71 00:07:36,956 --> 00:07:39,447 The male leads the way. 72 00:07:48,100 --> 00:07:55,006 She follows. Within the shelter of a curled leaf, 73 00:07:55,241 --> 00:07:59,177 she'll lay her eggs, and the male will fertilize them. 74 00:08:07,687 --> 00:08:11,020 She has produced five eggs in a cluster of jelly 75 00:08:11,257 --> 00:08:15,353 and will stay nearby until they're ready to hatch. 76 00:08:26,839 --> 00:08:29,399 Workers from a colony of leafcutting ants 77 00:08:29,642 --> 00:08:33,772 are harvesting leaves to take back to their nests. 78 00:08:43,155 --> 00:08:44,417 With their scissorlike jaws, 79 00:08:44,657 --> 00:08:48,491 they easily cut the leaves to manageable size. 80 00:08:51,764 --> 00:08:54,232 But some skill is needed for the next stage 81 00:08:54,467 --> 00:08:58,801 when the leaf is hoisted into position for the journey ahead. 82 00:09:02,108 --> 00:09:06,602 For some, the problem may be too much help 83 00:09:06,846 --> 00:09:09,838 for others, just a sudden puff of wind. 84 00:09:11,117 --> 00:09:12,744 But they're the exceptions. 85 00:09:12,985 --> 00:09:13,610 For most ants, 86 00:09:13,853 --> 00:09:17,050 it's only the first step in the long trek back to the nest, 87 00:09:17,290 --> 00:09:20,487 which may be 100 yards or more away. 88 00:09:22,495 --> 00:09:25,328 They follow a chemical trail laid down by the workers 89 00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:27,294 that first scouted this tree, 90 00:09:27,533 --> 00:09:30,093 so they seldom go astray. 91 00:10:11,811 --> 00:10:15,076 The leaf fragments that they carry are not for eating. 92 00:10:15,314 --> 00:10:17,407 Instead, they are employed by the ants 93 00:10:17,650 --> 00:10:20,244 in a remarkable system of farming. 94 00:10:20,486 --> 00:10:22,613 The leaves are used to culture the fungus 95 00:10:22,855 --> 00:10:26,256 that is the only food source for the ants and their brood. 96 00:10:26,492 --> 00:10:28,255 Here in the underground garden, 97 00:10:28,494 --> 00:10:32,521 the leaves are cut into much smaller pieces and carefully cleaned 98 00:10:32,765 --> 00:10:34,426 probably to remove any spores 99 00:10:34,667 --> 00:10:37,830 that might contaminate the pure culture. 100 00:10:38,070 --> 00:10:40,868 The leaf edges are chewed to a wet pulp, 101 00:10:41,107 --> 00:10:42,802 and a clear droplet of body fluid 102 00:10:43,042 --> 00:10:45,374 is added to create the perfect foundation 103 00:10:45,611 --> 00:10:49,377 for the precious fungus that sustains the colony. 104 00:10:56,989 --> 00:10:59,958 This is not the work of leafcutter ants. 105 00:11:00,192 --> 00:11:02,217 The insects that create these patterns 106 00:11:02,461 --> 00:11:04,827 are seldom seen during the day. 107 00:11:05,064 --> 00:11:08,124 In daylight, insects are more vulnerable to predators, 108 00:11:08,367 --> 00:11:10,130 so many feed only at night, 109 00:11:10,369 --> 00:11:15,306 leaving their mark everywhere in the understory of the forest. 110 00:11:16,308 --> 00:11:18,936 But some insects are active by day, 111 00:11:19,178 --> 00:11:24,741 and this morpho butterfly is a brilliant target for a jacamar. 112 00:11:28,921 --> 00:11:34,223 Before it can be swallowed, the wings must be removed. 113 00:11:57,116 --> 00:12:00,244 Great agility and keen eyesight make this anole 114 00:12:00,486 --> 00:12:04,650 lizard a formidable predator on small insects. 115 00:12:16,202 --> 00:12:19,171 Nearby, a female is shedding. 116 00:12:25,878 --> 00:12:28,904 Her old skin is too nutritious to be wasted; 117 00:12:29,148 --> 00:12:31,981 she eats every bit of it. 118 00:12:36,856 --> 00:12:39,825 The female is in his territory and by staying, 119 00:12:40,059 --> 00:12:43,290 she shows that she is willing to be courted. 120 00:12:51,771 --> 00:12:55,764 He displays to her by flashing his brilliant dewlap. 121 00:12:56,008 --> 00:12:59,239 A performance like this is both a signal to the female 122 00:12:59,478 --> 00:13:02,970 and proclaims his territory. 123 00:13:42,154 --> 00:13:44,315 The female will remain here now, 124 00:13:44,557 --> 00:13:48,288 and they'll mate frequently over the next few days. 125 00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:07,543 Its body blending perfectly with the leaves, 126 00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:10,749 a praying mantis settles in a patch of sunlight 127 00:14:10,983 --> 00:14:13,918 created by a fallen tree. 128 00:14:16,455 --> 00:14:17,649 When a great tree falls, 129 00:14:17,890 --> 00:14:20,882 a gap is created in the forest canopy. 130 00:14:21,126 --> 00:14:25,790 It is in these sunny spaces that the forest regenerates itself. 131 00:14:26,098 --> 00:14:30,125 The seedlings of most forest trees cannot survive in shade; 132 00:14:30,369 --> 00:14:32,564 to flourish, they need light. 133 00:14:32,805 --> 00:14:36,741 So the competition for space around a fallen tree is intense. 134 00:14:36,976 --> 00:14:37,738 And for every sapling, 135 00:14:37,977 --> 00:14:42,437 there is a clinging vine competing for a place in the sun. 136 00:14:51,457 --> 00:14:52,151 But in this gap, 137 00:14:52,391 --> 00:14:56,452 there's a tree that always has clear growing space around it. 138 00:14:56,695 --> 00:14:58,925 This species of swollenthorn acacia 139 00:14:59,164 --> 00:15:02,463 has evolved a remarkable system of defense. 140 00:15:02,701 --> 00:15:05,602 For as soon as a sapling or vine touches it, 141 00:15:05,838 --> 00:15:09,774 ants that live on the acacia attack the intruder. 142 00:15:13,712 --> 00:15:19,480 They cross onto the touching vine and cut through its leaf stems. 143 00:15:23,822 --> 00:15:25,790 In a short time, their work is done, 144 00:15:26,025 --> 00:15:27,822 and the vine will lose its leaves, 145 00:15:28,060 --> 00:15:30,290 wither, and die. 146 00:15:37,336 --> 00:15:40,396 Most forest trees have evolved poisonous chemicals 147 00:15:40,639 --> 00:15:43,870 in their leaves to stop insects from eating them. 148 00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:45,701 But the acacia is edible, 149 00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:47,378 and would soon be destroyed 150 00:15:47,613 --> 00:15:49,911 were it not for the vigilance of the ants. 151 00:15:50,149 --> 00:15:51,946 Any insect that lands on this acacia 152 00:15:52,184 --> 00:15:57,781 soon learns its errorfor the ants bite and sting viciously. 153 00:16:13,038 --> 00:16:14,437 In return for their protection, 154 00:16:14,673 --> 00:16:17,540 the tree completely supports the ants. 155 00:16:17,776 --> 00:16:20,142 It secretes for them a sugarrich solution, 156 00:16:20,379 --> 00:16:24,338 which they drink from little nectaries between the leaves. 157 00:16:35,894 --> 00:16:38,488 On the tips of some leaves in each acacia, 158 00:16:38,731 --> 00:16:43,031 unique structures are grown especially for the ants. 159 00:16:43,268 --> 00:16:45,930 They are rich in protein and vitamins, 160 00:16:46,171 --> 00:16:49,607 and are taken by the ants to feed their larvae. 161 00:17:13,399 --> 00:17:16,732 It's here within the large hollow thorns of the acacia 162 00:17:16,969 --> 00:17:19,938 that the ants rear their brood. 163 00:17:40,292 --> 00:17:44,058 Some of these larvae will mature into fertile adults with wings, 164 00:17:44,296 --> 00:17:48,926 and fly away to start another colony in a seedling tree. 165 00:18:02,815 --> 00:18:08,117 These young basilisk lizards forage along the river's edge. 166 00:18:10,622 --> 00:18:13,489 They live in the territory of this adult male 167 00:18:13,725 --> 00:18:16,717 who tolerates them and probably fathered them. 168 00:18:16,962 --> 00:18:19,954 But he allows no other adult male to intrude here. 169 00:18:20,199 --> 00:18:24,158 This female is exclusively his. 170 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,266 Flowers are attractive to the leafcutters as well, 171 00:20:11,510 --> 00:20:15,412 and many end up in the fungus gardens. 172 00:21:27,419 --> 00:21:30,354 Spider monkeys move as easily through the canopy 173 00:21:30,589 --> 00:21:34,616 as the puma through the forest's understory. 174 00:21:36,495 --> 00:21:39,020 Towering 100 feet above the forest floor, 175 00:21:39,264 --> 00:21:41,732 the canopy harbors more treedwelling creatures 176 00:21:41,967 --> 00:21:44,936 than any other habitat on earth. 177 00:21:45,170 --> 00:21:49,834 The treetops mingle and interlock to create a selfcontained world; 178 00:21:50,075 --> 00:21:55,536 many of its inhabitants never leave its sunny spaces to venture below. 179 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,425 A threetoed sloth feeds in the hot sun, 180 00:22:11,663 --> 00:22:14,131 while a mother carries her baby 181 00:22:14,366 --> 00:22:17,494 into the cool shade within the canopy. 182 00:25:36,234 --> 00:25:40,864 A "lieinwait" lizard remains perfectly motionless. 183 00:25:41,106 --> 00:25:44,701 It's a strategy that serves it well: By keeping still, 184 00:25:44,943 --> 00:25:48,902 the lizard is overlooked by both predator and prey. 185 00:25:49,147 --> 00:25:54,050 And an unsuspecting victim can be pounced on from above. 186 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:39,756 Rain forests seldom get less than 100 inches of rain in a year. 187 00:26:39,998 --> 00:26:42,694 Some even exceed 400 inches. 188 00:26:42,934 --> 00:26:45,334 And so, most of the leaves in the humid understory 189 00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:48,869 of the forest are specially adapted to drain water 190 00:26:49,107 --> 00:26:51,302 from their surface as quickly as possible. 191 00:26:51,543 --> 00:26:52,532 If water stays on them, 192 00:26:52,777 --> 00:26:57,476 the leaves may rot or become host to tiny plants that may do damage. 193 00:26:57,716 --> 00:27:02,779 These drip tips ensure that the leaves will dry quickly. 194 00:27:19,104 --> 00:27:22,631 The forest floor can usually absorb rain as it falls. 195 00:27:22,874 --> 00:27:25,274 But when the rains are particularly heavy, 196 00:27:25,510 --> 00:27:27,444 the forest becomes saturated 197 00:27:27,679 --> 00:27:30,546 and the water runs off to flood the surrounding rivers 198 00:27:30,782 --> 00:27:34,274 flushing fallen trees and debris out to sea. 199 00:28:05,116 --> 00:28:08,882 A tide line of rotting vegetation is left on the beach, 200 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:12,851 and a shy agouti forages among it for fruits. 201 00:28:43,722 --> 00:28:47,055 These paper wasps are drying their nest. 202 00:28:47,292 --> 00:28:48,759 Constructed of wood pulp, 203 00:28:48,993 --> 00:28:50,460 it would soon soak up the rain 204 00:28:50,695 --> 00:28:55,496 if the wasps didn't drink the water and spit it over the edge. 205 00:29:16,554 --> 00:29:18,818 The adults take so much care and trouble, 206 00:29:19,057 --> 00:29:22,356 because in each of the cells is a developing wasp, 207 00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:27,463 and their entire brood could be destroyed by a heavy downpour. 208 00:29:28,166 --> 00:29:29,463 As each larva grows, 209 00:29:29,701 --> 00:29:32,727 the wasps enlarge its cell by adding another layer 210 00:29:32,971 --> 00:29:36,031 of pulp and saliva to the outside rim. 211 00:29:36,274 --> 00:29:38,640 And when the nest begins to warm in the sun, 212 00:29:38,877 --> 00:29:41,937 they cool their brood by rapidly vibrating 213 00:29:42,180 --> 00:29:45,081 their wings to create a current of air. 214 00:30:01,533 --> 00:30:04,559 The eggs of a poisonarrow frog have hatched, 215 00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:09,206 and the female carries two tiny tadpoles on her back. 216 00:30:15,713 --> 00:30:17,078 While they are developing into frogs, 217 00:30:17,315 --> 00:30:19,408 they have to be in water. 218 00:30:19,651 --> 00:30:21,312 She takes them up a tree to a site 219 00:30:21,553 --> 00:30:25,455 she has chosen in a bromeliad plant. 220 00:30:57,455 --> 00:31:01,323 She will deposit them in rainwater held in the bromeliad. 221 00:31:01,559 --> 00:31:05,586 She makes her way down a leaf to a small pool at its base. 222 00:31:05,830 --> 00:31:07,695 And here, she submerges her tadpoles 223 00:31:07,932 --> 00:31:12,096 until they release their grip and leave her back. 224 00:31:33,524 --> 00:31:37,119 The tadpoles will complete their development in this tiny pool. 225 00:31:37,362 --> 00:31:39,853 In six to eight, weeks they'll emerge as frogs 226 00:31:40,098 --> 00:31:43,033 and return to the forest floor. 227 00:31:57,782 --> 00:32:00,046 Army ants are on the move. 228 00:32:00,285 --> 00:32:02,082 They build no permanent nests and 229 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:06,017 constantly comb the forest for their prey. 230 00:32:22,373 --> 00:32:26,241 This species preys only on the larvae of social insects 231 00:32:26,477 --> 00:32:29,708 and here they attack a nest of paper wasps. 232 00:32:31,616 --> 00:32:34,050 There is nothing the wasps can do. 233 00:32:34,352 --> 00:32:37,219 They abandon their brood to the voracious horde, 234 00:32:37,455 --> 00:32:41,755 which will soon strip the nest of all life. 235 00:33:34,779 --> 00:33:36,246 They take their plunder to a bivouac 236 00:33:36,481 --> 00:33:39,507 on the underside of a fallen log. 237 00:33:39,751 --> 00:33:43,118 Here, by linking special hooks at the ends of their legs, 238 00:33:43,354 --> 00:33:46,152 they form long, hanging chains. 239 00:33:46,391 --> 00:33:47,255 Through sheer numbers, 240 00:33:47,492 --> 00:33:52,486 these strands mesh together to from the living fabric of the nest. 241 00:33:57,402 --> 00:34:00,132 Within the nest, strands of workers interlock 242 00:34:00,371 --> 00:34:04,000 to create chambers for the queen and brood. 243 00:34:42,847 --> 00:34:47,580 At night, the forest teems with a different life. 244 00:34:51,055 --> 00:34:56,083 It's now that most of the leafeating insects emerge. 245 00:35:44,008 --> 00:35:45,976 To survive the ravages of insects, 246 00:35:46,210 --> 00:35:50,704 most plants have evolved toxic compounds that protect their leaves. 247 00:35:50,948 --> 00:35:54,748 But insects in turn have developed immunity to the chemicals. 248 00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:57,978 So together they have evolved, insect and plant, 249 00:35:58,222 --> 00:36:02,056 until now most insects have become such specialized feeders 250 00:36:02,293 --> 00:36:05,456 that they can only eat the leaves of one particular plant, 251 00:36:05,696 --> 00:36:08,563 or only one family of plants. 252 00:36:37,628 --> 00:36:39,994 This harlequin beetle spends most of its life 253 00:36:40,231 --> 00:36:43,166 as a larva concealed within dead wood. 254 00:36:43,401 --> 00:36:46,996 But now as an adult, it emerges to find a mate. 255 00:36:47,238 --> 00:36:50,105 The beetle is host to a resident colony of mites 256 00:36:50,341 --> 00:36:55,040 that finds refuge in the creases and folds of its back. 257 00:36:59,417 --> 00:37:00,441 Also riding on the beetle 258 00:37:00,685 --> 00:37:05,281 are pseudoscorpions that prey on the mites. 259 00:38:05,449 --> 00:38:06,814 Help in the prowerful job 260 00:38:08,486 --> 00:38:13,719 the creases is no chance in the Chigao seem see 261 00:38:42,253 --> 00:38:44,983 A stick spider suspends itself head down 262 00:38:45,222 --> 00:38:48,658 above a leaf on which its prey might walk. 263 00:38:48,893 --> 00:38:52,522 Its web is held by the tips of its four front legs. 264 00:39:50,988 --> 00:39:55,322 Green leaffrogs gather near a forest pool to mate. 265 00:39:55,559 --> 00:39:57,049 The males wait near the water 266 00:39:57,294 --> 00:40:01,230 to intercept the females as they arrive. 267 00:40:26,690 --> 00:40:29,158 Clasping the much larger female, 268 00:40:29,393 --> 00:40:34,729 the male will stay with her now until she has laid her eggs. 269 00:40:52,416 --> 00:40:55,510 She selects a leaf directly above the water, 270 00:40:55,753 --> 00:41:00,918 and as she lays her eggs, the male fertilizes them. 271 00:41:43,667 --> 00:41:47,262 The cateyed snake isn't interested in the frogs. 272 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:49,871 He is after their eggs. 273 00:41:50,107 --> 00:41:53,270 And as egglaying has been going on for several days, 274 00:41:53,511 --> 00:41:56,912 he will easily find others. 275 00:43:06,617 --> 00:43:08,744 Many snakes are attracted to the pool 276 00:43:08,986 --> 00:43:11,318 when the leaffrogs are laying. 277 00:43:11,555 --> 00:43:14,217 They eat almost all the eggs. 278 00:43:24,835 --> 00:43:27,929 Glass frogs also lay their eggs above water, 279 00:43:28,172 --> 00:43:30,436 in this case a stream, 280 00:43:30,674 --> 00:43:32,335 and the male remains close to the eggs 281 00:43:32,576 --> 00:43:34,703 until they're ready to hatch. 282 00:43:34,945 --> 00:43:37,072 His presence probably deters flies 283 00:43:37,314 --> 00:43:40,681 and other insects that would harm them. 284 00:43:47,257 --> 00:43:50,454 On a rainy night about two weeks after the eggs are laid, 285 00:43:50,694 --> 00:43:52,787 the vigil of the male ends 286 00:43:53,030 --> 00:43:56,796 when the emerging tadpoles drop into the stream below. 287 00:44:10,748 --> 00:44:12,272 But the frogs do not always manage 288 00:44:12,516 --> 00:44:15,178 to lay their eggs directly above the water. 289 00:44:15,419 --> 00:44:18,786 However, the tadpoles are specially equipped with reflexes 290 00:44:19,023 --> 00:44:21,992 that help them cope with this situation. 291 00:45:21,785 --> 00:45:24,777 The first rays of sun warm the forest 292 00:45:25,022 --> 00:45:27,650 and a mist rises up the great mountain mass 293 00:45:27,891 --> 00:45:29,620 that divides Costa Rica, 294 00:45:29,860 --> 00:45:32,226 separating the forests of the Atlantic coast 295 00:45:32,463 --> 00:45:34,397 from those of the Pacific. 296 00:45:36,366 --> 00:45:37,424 High in these mountains, 297 00:45:37,668 --> 00:45:38,930 the forest receives moisture 298 00:45:39,169 --> 00:45:41,694 from direct contact with the clouds, 299 00:45:41,939 --> 00:45:45,636 and the vegetation changes imperceptibly. 300 00:46:19,910 --> 00:46:21,400 Many of the creatures found here 301 00:46:21,645 --> 00:46:24,409 can live only at these cooler heights. 302 00:46:24,648 --> 00:46:27,116 And it's here at the very top of the mountain 303 00:46:27,351 --> 00:46:30,218 that a rare mating ritual occurs. 304 00:46:30,454 --> 00:46:33,048 It takes place only during the few days of the year 305 00:46:33,290 --> 00:46:37,249 when contact of cloud and forest is at its greatest 306 00:46:37,494 --> 00:46:40,759 when enough water has collected to form the few small pools 307 00:46:40,998 --> 00:46:44,161 in which golden toads lay their eggs. 308 00:46:45,969 --> 00:46:48,494 These toads occupy an area of mountaintop 309 00:46:48,739 --> 00:46:51,264 no greater than one square mile. 310 00:46:51,508 --> 00:46:54,534 They have been found nowhere else on earth. 311 00:46:57,414 --> 00:46:59,746 The golden males gather at these pools 312 00:46:59,983 --> 00:47:03,350 and fight for possession of one of the drab females. 313 00:47:03,587 --> 00:47:05,578 Once firmly established on her back, 314 00:47:05,823 --> 00:47:08,485 a male is usually secure in his conquest 315 00:47:08,725 --> 00:47:12,161 and can easily repel any further challenge. 316 00:47:51,068 --> 00:47:54,629 Long strings of eggs are laid in the tiny pool, 317 00:47:54,872 --> 00:47:58,740 and if the misty weather persists long enough to maintain the pool, 318 00:47:58,976 --> 00:48:03,811 another generation of golden toads will be produced. 319 00:48:08,518 --> 00:48:10,509 Bellbirds announce their territories 320 00:48:10,754 --> 00:48:13,552 from the tops of the tallest trees. 321 00:49:02,739 --> 00:49:08,075 A pair of Resplendent Quetzals are digging out a nest in a dead tree. 322 00:49:08,312 --> 00:49:09,802 The males are considered 323 00:49:10,047 --> 00:49:13,414 the most beautiful birds in the western Hemisphere. 324 00:49:40,877 --> 00:49:43,345 The ancient Mayas and Aztecs so revered 325 00:49:43,580 --> 00:49:46,378 the quetzal that only royalty and nobility 326 00:49:46,616 --> 00:49:48,914 were allowed to wear the magnificent feathers 327 00:49:49,152 --> 00:49:51,279 in their ceremonial costumes. 328 00:49:51,521 --> 00:49:53,546 To kill the bird was a crime; 329 00:49:53,790 --> 00:49:55,587 they were simply caught 330 00:49:55,826 --> 00:49:59,694 and released after their long plumes had been plucked. 331 00:50:43,974 --> 00:50:46,670 But the forests are going. 332 00:50:46,910 --> 00:50:48,275 At the present rate of destruction, 333 00:50:48,512 --> 00:50:52,846 most countries will lose their rain forests within our lifetime. 334 00:50:53,417 --> 00:50:56,614 And with the forests will go hundreds of thousands of unique 335 00:50:56,853 --> 00:51:01,756 and irreplaceable life forms that can survive nowhere else. 336 00:51:01,992 --> 00:51:03,323 Many will become extinct even 337 00:51:03,560 --> 00:51:06,586 before they have been described by science. 338 00:51:06,830 --> 00:51:08,263 Their importance to nature's balance 339 00:51:08,498 --> 00:51:10,329 and their possible contribution 340 00:51:10,567 --> 00:51:14,059 to human welfare will never be known. 341 00:51:15,205 --> 00:51:15,694 But at last, 342 00:51:15,939 --> 00:51:17,907 some countries are beginning to realize that 343 00:51:18,141 --> 00:51:23,101 rain forests justify their existence simply by being there. 344 00:51:23,346 --> 00:51:25,871 And tiny Costa Rica, by its example, 345 00:51:26,116 --> 00:51:29,279 has become a world leader in conservation. 346 00:51:29,519 --> 00:51:33,250 One quarter of its land is given some measure of protection, 347 00:51:33,490 --> 00:51:34,422 and a full eight percent 348 00:51:34,658 --> 00:51:38,185 is permanently protected in national parks. 349 00:51:38,428 --> 00:51:41,795 If other nations will follow Costa Rica's example, 350 00:51:42,032 --> 00:51:43,431 there is hope. 351 00:51:43,667 --> 00:51:45,828 But it is a race against time, 352 00:51:46,069 --> 00:51:48,867 because in the hour it has taken to view this film, 353 00:51:49,106 --> 00:51:58,674 some 3,000 acres of the world's rain forest have been destroyed.