|
National Geographic Kangaroo Comeback
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The red kangaroo powerful, comical |
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engaging this is the desert |
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But kangaroos can be found almost |
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They're up in trees |
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...on the forest floor |
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...and can even be found on the rocks |
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But all the kangaroos face danger |
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This is the story of a mother |
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and how he comes into his own |
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There is tenderness here |
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and the harsh reality of survival |
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Persecuted by some, revered by others |
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the red kangaroo has astonishing |
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This is Australia, the driest |
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Sixty million years ago |
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this land began its final break |
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evolving along a path all its own |
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Today, its vast, open interior lies |
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a land from another place in time |
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It's unforgiving here, not for |
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and survival means marching to |
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But this dry, hostile landscape |
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it's home to one of the most |
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Kangaroos live in New Guinea |
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yet their name is known far and wide |
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But while the world may know |
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to science, they're still |
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You might think nothing this big |
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But kangaroos do it with speed |
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Six-foot marvels of efficient |
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they emerged from the rain forest |
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then spread over a continent |
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This is the story of the |
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an amazing tale from the |
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It's summertime in the outback |
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And the 'roos can be found |
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Most red kangaroos are red |
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and youngsters tend to be gray |
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The 'roos look like they're |
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but it's food, not the company |
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that draws them together |
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For kangaroos |
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the most powerful social bond is |
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And like many of Australia's |
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joeys are raised in a pouch |
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They spend the first eight months |
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living in a built-in nursery |
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This youngster needs a taste of |
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his mother's nearly bursting |
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A wedgetailed eagle waits for his debut |
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but it's not here to wish |
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Joey doesn't care who's in attendance |
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He's not in a hurry to come out |
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His mother has other ideas |
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She dumps him out in a tangled heap |
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For the first time |
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But the place is not to his liking |
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The eagle watches his entrance |
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It's following the show |
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A six-foot wingspan |
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make the wedgetail |
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For young kangaroos that are |
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death can descend from the sky |
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Shade is precious in the desert heat |
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To cool themselves, kangaroos |
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where blood vessels run close |
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Getting comfortable can be a bigger |
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with a pouch full to the brim |
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A joey's world revolves around |
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don't get much closer than this |
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The kangaroos languish |
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It'll be nightfall before there's |
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This old male decides to lay down |
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he's digging a hollow to rest |
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For the joey, a tail in the face is |
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He's safe from predators |
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and free to keep an eye on |
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His mother's portable nursery |
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the hallmark of most marsupials |
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originated in the dinosaur age |
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One hundred million years ago |
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Only small slivers of green |
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lush shrinking Edens clinging to |
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In places no more than 30 miles wide |
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these ancient rain forests |
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But it was in places like these |
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that tiny marsupials first made |
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Exactly how they lived in this |
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is a subject for debate |
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But there's no dispute that evidence |
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can still be found here today |
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The kangaroo's ancestors started |
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like this mountain brushtailed possum |
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which moves through the branches |
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The first marsupials did raise |
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but a tree-bound existence made |
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Kangaroo ancestors were probably |
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sharp claws, and prehensile tails |
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They may have started out as |
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but leaves are low in nutrition |
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So perhaps Joey's ancestors ventured |
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in search of sweeter stuff |
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The dinosaurs were gone by then |
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deadly reptiles remained |
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This carpet python is looking |
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And possums have long been a favorite |
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The possum's keen hearing is no |
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The possum escapes with little |
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but next time, its luck may not hold |
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It was 15 million years ago |
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when the kangaroo's ancestors moved |
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Here beneath the canopy |
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many animals are active all day |
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And in this rich, green, jungle store |
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there's something for everyone to eat |
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The musky rat-kangaroo is the smallest |
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and most primitive of Joey's |
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Weighing in at only one pound |
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it's the only kangaroo |
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Rat kangaroos live mainly |
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They don't use those tails |
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but for gathering nest-building |
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And those long, grasping toes are great |
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for handling a fruit and |
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Another ancient denizen of |
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and the little rat kangaroo beats |
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The cassowary is an unusual animal |
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that has changed little in millions |
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These large, flightless birds can |
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and it's the males that look after |
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Shy birds, these giants shrink |
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unless there's a threat |
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Using their huge claws |
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cassowaries have been known to kill |
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But this primeval world where |
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has been disappearing from Australia |
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And most kangaroos have long since |
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Out in the bush, the days of high |
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The red kangaroos are more active |
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But our joey still spends most of |
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Older ones are venturing out to |
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Red kangaroos are affectionate mothers |
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She grooms him every day |
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always keeping her eyes peeled |
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She knows he's still small enough |
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There is reason for her caution |
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The wedgetailed eagle is nearby |
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When the bird takes off |
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mothers fold their joeys back |
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With no prospects in the offing |
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the eagle returns to her nest to |
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Her chicks are voracious eaters |
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They love kangaroo meat |
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But there's competition in the |
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Australia's wild dog, the dingo |
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also lurks wherever kangaroos gather |
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So the eagle must set out again |
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Wedgetails are partial to young joeys |
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but won't take on protective |
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Soon, he'll be as much of a handful |
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who's already out and about |
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Once again, Joey's mother |
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And her instincts are usually |
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Not far off, the eagle has claimed |
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and Joey's mother decides to depart |
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But wedgetailed eagles have families |
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And these two are anxious to eat |
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She brings them torn off slivers |
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gently feeding the chicks from |
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Nothing much has changed for the |
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The young males play |
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the adults relax |
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Many settle in for a regular |
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But Joey's got other ideas |
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He's up now, so his mother must rouse |
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Joey looks big enough to be weaned |
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He has taken to sticking just his |
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sometimes only for comfort |
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The kangaroos are having a |
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For the most part, they just sit |
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For the first time |
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Joey's mother allows him to wander |
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He's always been a fine scratcher |
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But he's still an uncertain walker |
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Kangaroos are built for hopping |
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They look ungainly moving |
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Young males play-fight for |
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This comical pair probably |
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but someday, they may fight |
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Though he's still nursing |
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Joey wants to try a mouthful |
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and gets a thorn in the nose |
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It will be a while before he's |
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but he just learned a valuable lesson |
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He turns to a more familiar source |
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But Mother isn't her usual |
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She controls her pouch with |
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and easily ejects her joey |
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His weaning has begun |
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From now on, he'll do more of his |
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In time, Joey will join these |
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Using their tails for balance |
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the young kangaroos stand upright |
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wrestling with forearms and pawing |
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They throw their heads back |
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protecting themselves |
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A passing eagle, headed back |
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stops to survey the scene |
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Her arrival sends Joey diving head |
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All the kangaroos are wary |
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But with hungry chicks to feed |
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the eagle returns to the dead joey |
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Apart from human hunters |
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only the eagle and the dingo now |
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But huge lizards and even marsupial |
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Giants once roamed this landscape |
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Their legacy today is a ferocious |
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flesh-eating marsupial now found |
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only on Australia's companion |
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Not known for their table manners |
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Tasmanian devils snarl |
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when there's plenty to go around |
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The devils are gorging on |
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usually called a wallaby |
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And the ruckus alerts another |
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that it's time to take cover |
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This little hopper is |
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Her youngster, too large |
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keeps to the nest when |
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The smaller devil, a female |
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also has young who have grown |
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From the safety of a hollow log |
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the young ones wait impatiently |
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As quiet settles on the forest |
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the sprightly bettongs get back |
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Hopping probably originated |
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Perhaps the motion confused predators |
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giving the small 'roos a chance |
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But it was on the open plains |
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that the kangaroos' singular way |
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about probably came into its own |
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Scientists know that hopping can be |
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When a kangaroo hits the ground |
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its hind legs store energy like |
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The energy helps propel the kangaroo |
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The motion also accordions the |
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so the animal wastes no effort |
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Scientists haven't solved the mystery |
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from four legs to two |
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But the Aborigines have long had |
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One ancient myth holds |
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that while making its four legged |
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a kangaroo heard sounds it had |
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It followed the enchanting music |
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until it came upon human |
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and dancing on two feet |
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The kangaroo stood up on feet |
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then began to copy their movements |
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It burst from hiding in a frenzy |
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intending to join the ceremony |
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But the people were angry |
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They fell upon the proud animal |
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Then a spirit voice boomed |
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telling them to release the kangaroo |
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While hopping earned kangaroos |
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in the Aboriginal Dreamtime |
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it also propelled them into some |
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This beautiful little kangaroo |
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is a yellow footed rock wallaby |
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They show off their mountaineering |
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wherever cliffs jut out of |
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Living in large colonies |
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the rock wallabies shelter |
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Shady crevices harbor vegetation |
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But water can be a problem |
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To get it, they sometimes descend |
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Wedgetailed eagles prey on rock |
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Youngsters waiting on the cliffs |
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Only adults descend to drink |
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Young ones too big for the pouch |
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In just a few minutes |
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she'll drink a tenth of her weight |
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Then she'll hurry back to her joey |
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Thirsty joeys drink straight |
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Like their big red cousins |
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young rock wallabies spend hours |
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And while the children play |
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some adults engage in courtship |
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But this male's gentle ardor is |
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The children, oblivious, play on |
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He's nothing if not persistent |
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But she'll have none of it |
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Other adults bask lazily in the |
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Long eyelashes my help screen |
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and discourage flies |
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Before retreating into the cool |
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the wallabies sunbathe |
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As the sun warms the cliff face |
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they head for their midday hideouts |
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The eagle will have no more chances |
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It wheels and heads for the plains |
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and its larger kangaroo fare |
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Joey's growing like a desert weed |
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and sporting a much redder coat |
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Each day he spends less time |
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and no longer clings to his mother |
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This is a dangerous time for Joey |
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He's too big for his mother to carry |
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and reason to run is never far off |
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A hungry dingo is slinking about |
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while Joey's busy grooming himself |
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His mother calls Joey to her side |
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Neither one sees the dingo approaching |
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For a moment, a young male freezes |
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His panic proves contagious |
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Mother and Joey make their getaway |
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The dingo's no slouch when it comes |
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but the 'roos reach 35 miles |
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Dingoes have better luck hunting |
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when they're after large kangaroos |
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But when smaller game are plentiful |
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they tend to hunt alone |
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Safely away from the wild dog |
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Mother lets Joey back into the |
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Nearby, a big male paces nervously |
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He's caught the scent of yet |
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Drifting smoke |
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Again, the action of one kangaroo |
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This time they've been frightened |
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and they're racing to get away |
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But this is no wildfire. |
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The Aborigines have been using fire |
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They are after a favorite delicacy |
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Some seek refuge from the flame |
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others go underground |
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Here, women use sticks to locate |
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then unearth the lizards using |
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A goanna for the barbie is reason |
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but these old ways are disappearing |
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Today fewer Aborigines use fire |
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ironically, some kangaroos are |
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The little rufus-hair wallaby depends |
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that the Aborigines burn |
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It needs their fires to thrive |
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They use the old bushes for shelter |
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But fire promotes the new growth |
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and these little spinifex mice |
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The wallaby eats the bushes' |
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The mice take the seeds |
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The wallaby burrows into older bushes |
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which bristle with spiky defenses |
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But these thorny refuges have |
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against the upheaval of the last |
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Since Europeans arrived in 1788 |
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almost half of Australia's kangaroo |
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endangered, or vulnerable |
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The whites brought foreign animals |
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They converted vast areas of land |
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changing the landscape forever |
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Unlike the soft-footed kangaroos |
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hard-hooved sheep and cattle wore |
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Livestock paths quickly eroded |
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pastures became wastelands |
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Rabbits, introduced for the benefit |
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bred out of control |
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Miles of fences went up in a vain |
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Today, those same fences bewilder |
| 00:37:09 |
native animals like the emu |
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Inevitably, rats and mice accompanied |
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as did the domestic cat |
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...which quickly developed a taste |
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So did the fox |
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They continue to take a dreadful |
| 00:37:30 |
Now many of the smaller species |
| 00:37:44 |
But for some kangaroos, the Europeans |
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They dug water bores throughout the |
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and the red kangaroo has benefited |
| 00:38:08 |
One 19th century naturalist spotted |
| 00:38:13 |
that he predicted their |
| 00:38:16 |
But thanks to the permanent |
| 00:38:18 |
the population boomed |
| 00:38:31 |
When water is readily available |
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they breed like there's no tomorrow |
| 00:38:36 |
Joey's only been out of the pouch |
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but his mother is about to give |
| 00:38:48 |
A pink embryo, the size of a bean |
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makes its first appearance |
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Blind and deaf |
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it must somehow find its way to |
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Its hind limbs, destined for |
| 00:39:09 |
are now just useless buds |
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It must use its tiny forelimbs |
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through the tangled forest of |
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Instinct keeps it moving up |
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The epic, six-inch journey |
| 00:39:58 |
Once inside the pouch |
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Joey's brother was actually |
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but remained in suspended animation |
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while Mother tended to Joey himself |
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It is a miraculous process |
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While a mother raises one joey |
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a tiny one grows inside it |
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and a third waits on hold in the womb |
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It's time for her to put yet another |
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Just two days after the birth |
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the big reds start sniffing around |
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Mother won't let Joey into |
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but she still nurses him |
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Amazingly, she now produces two kinds |
| 00:41:08 |
another for Joey |
| 00:41:18 |
Her condition sets some of the |
| 00:41:30 |
A big newcomer |
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collared by scientists to track |
| 00:41:34 |
has thrown his hat into the ring |
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He's over six feet tall and |
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By kangaroo Queensberry rules |
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only the subdominant male kicks |
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giving away his inferior position |
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Mother, now eating for three and |
| 00:42:10 |
grazes continuously |
| 00:42:17 |
But fortunately, Joey increasingly |
| 00:42:30 |
The very biggest of the males now |
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He's huge |
| 00:42:46 |
She appears to ignore his |
| 00:43:14 |
Then, her scent attracts |
| 00:43:18 |
But the dominant old male scoffs |
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From a distance |
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Joey watches the proceedings |
| 00:43:41 |
The result of this mating will |
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then become dormant until Joey's |
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With such an ingenious breeding scheme |
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it is no wonder red kangaroo |
| 00:43:55 |
once humans supplied a permanent |
| 00:44:04 |
Every year, survey teams take to |
| 00:44:08 |
Their reports will determine the |
| 00:44:11 |
that can be hunted legally |
| 00:44:28 |
Strewn over the vast harsh desert |
| 00:44:31 |
red kangaroos now number close |
| 00:44:41 |
Out in the open |
| 00:44:41 |
Mother and Joey quickly recover |
| 00:44:48 |
Others inevitably encounter the |
| 00:44:52 |
that crisscross the desert... |
| 00:44:54 |
these encounters are deadly |
| 00:45:08 |
Australia's kangaroo population |
| 00:45:11 |
and several million are culled |
| 00:45:27 |
Mother and Joey freeze |
| 00:45:35 |
But they're not the quarry |
| 00:46:03 |
The hunter has his sights |
| 00:46:15 |
Culling kangaroos strikes |
| 00:46:18 |
Others argue it's no crueler |
| 00:46:22 |
Given Australia's delicate |
| 00:46:25 |
the kangaroo harvest may prove |
| 00:46:28 |
than raising sheep and cattle |
| 00:46:37 |
Aside from hunters' bullets |
| 00:46:39 |
kangaroos face another |
| 00:46:42 |
thousands are killed each year |
| 00:46:58 |
Mother and Joey are safe |
| 00:47:01 |
but picking up dangerous habits |
| 00:47:06 |
Strips of green growth parallel |
| 00:47:10 |
where the runoff from occasional |
| 00:47:21 |
Feeding along roadsides at night |
| 00:47:23 |
kangaroos often blunder into |
| 00:47:39 |
The sheer numbers of red kangaroos |
| 00:47:41 |
makes this an all too common sight |
| 00:47:46 |
But in a very different part |
| 00:47:49 |
there are still rare kangaroos |
| 00:47:56 |
Here, in one of the remaining slices |
| 00:48:00 |
the kangaroo story comes full circle |
| 00:48:07 |
This is Mount Finnigan a place of |
| 00:48:11 |
and one of the last strongholds |
| 00:48:13 |
of one of Joey's most |
| 00:48:20 |
It takes patience to catch a glimpse |
| 00:48:24 |
and a healthy measure of luck |
| 00:48:28 |
An experienced woodsman recognizes |
| 00:48:31 |
marks leading up into the canopy |
| 00:48:38 |
There it is... Bennett's tree kangaroo |
| 00:48:50 |
Millions of years after kangaroos |
| 00:48:54 |
the Bennetts went back up |
| 00:49:01 |
In evolutionary terms, they haven't |
| 00:49:04 |
And those big hind feet seem ill |
| 00:49:20 |
While a mother forages |
| 00:49:22 |
her joey clings uncertainly to |
| 00:49:31 |
They look awkward and out of |
| 00:49:33 |
but tree kangaroos are very acrobatic |
| 00:49:36 |
They can make spectacular leaps |
| 00:49:41 |
and can safely catapult 60 feet |
| 00:49:48 |
Remarkably, another kind of |
| 00:49:51 |
taken to life in the treetops |
| 00:49:53 |
This is Lumholtz's tree kangaroo |
| 00:49:57 |
and like their ground-based cousins |
| 00:49:58 |
Mother and joey are quite affectionate |
| 00:50:12 |
As they walk, they move their hind |
| 00:50:15 |
something most 'roos don't do |
| 00:50:44 |
But nothing compares to big reds |
| 00:50:47 |
where the hop still reigns supreme |
| 00:50:52 |
Joey's quickly approaching |
| 00:51:02 |
Her younger joey has recently started |
| 00:51:07 |
and will soon outstrip his brother |
| 00:51:19 |
Joey must now look after himself |
| 00:51:21 |
and begin mixing it up with other |
| 00:51:34 |
Right on schedule |
| 00:51:35 |
he has taken an interest in jousting |
| 00:51:45 |
Tentatively, he approaches the fray |
| 00:52:03 |
And while his mother looks on |
| 00:52:04 |
he gets into his first dust-up |
| 00:52:25 |
Joey is beginning to look the part |
| 00:52:27 |
He has all the makings of a big red |
| 00:52:37 |
Turning adversity into advantage |
| 00:52:39 |
the red kangaroo has flourished |
| 00:52:43 |
have struggled or disappeared altogether |
| 00:52:47 |
This pouch-raised powerhouse is |
| 00:52:52 |
It inherited the harsh expanse |
| 00:52:56 |
and made the landscape its own |
