Wild Islands: Where Evolution Runs Free | Destination Wild: Wild Islands | Episode 3

Wild Islands: Where Evolution Runs Free | Destination Wild: Wild Islands | Episode 3

Vancouver Island is a haven for one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. Glacial peaks, ancient rainforests, [Music] nutrientrich oceans, and a complex network of rivers and creeks support a wilderness like no other. But each year all of its inhabitants face a period of flux. As summer draws to a close and winter fast approaches, the species that reside here become focused on one thing, survival. Life on Vancouver Island must adapt and prepare to face the seasons of change. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Vancouver Island is located in the Pacific Northwest. A narrow channel is all that separates it from the west coast of Canada. At 460 km in length, it covers an area of 32,000 km. Spring and summer here is a time of plenty. [Music] Rivers run freely and the forests are abundant with food. [Music] But with a change in season comes a change in fortunes. The beginning of fall marks a shift for all of the island’s animal inhabitants. As winter draws ever closer, the animals both on land and at sea are forced to adapt or prepare to leave. Surviving the season ahead takes ingenuity, patience, and luck. [Music] Summer is drawing to a close on Vancouver Island shores, and the temperature is beginning to drop. For one of the island’s largest mammals, the waiting game has begun. Over 7,000 black bears roam the island. They need to stock up for the forthcoming winter, but supplies of berries, their summer sustenance, are running low. These opportunistic feeders must seek out other food to see them through the thin times. The seasons are changing and repercussions like these aren’t only felt on land. In summer, the Pacific waters encircling the island are a vast protein shake. But now that winter is approaching, the plankton bloom is beginning to fade. And small shors of Pacific herring gather to feed on what remains. These fish make an energy richch meal for diving birds like these MRS. When the herring are startled, their instinctual response is to group tight, forming a protective sphere known as a bait ball. It’s a matter of safety and numbers, but those on the outside of the ball might not be so lucky. This predator is known to have a taste for fish. Killer whales weigh up to 9,000 kg and roam the island’s coast in pods of up to 30 individuals. Also known as orcas after the Roman god of the underworld, they have a powerful jaw armed with 20 pairs of 8 cm long interlocking teeth. Hunting in packs, they are often referred to as the wolves of the sea. While the resident pods of orca eat only fish, this visiting group is on the lookout for much larger prey. [Music] Stella sea lions are named after German naturalist George Wilhelm Stellar who first described them in 1742, the largest of all sea lions. They can reach over 3 m in length and weigh more than a ton. Unlike most true or crawling seals, sea lions have visible ears and are often much more vocal than their counterparts. [Music] They are also able to walk on all four flippers. [Music] Sounding like a group of players in a locker room, these bachelors constantly jostle for a better position on coastal rocks. Soon, hunger kicks in and it’s time for a spot of fishing. [Music] Sea lions may seem cumbersome on land, but underwater they become graceful and sleek. Seabirds on the surface signal a potential meal. Hitting speeds of over 30 km an hour, they can make tight turns to catch their prey. But a bait ball like this presents an easy snag. They must be quick. The surface is a dangerous place to linger. There are killers in the deep. Ambushing from below, the orca debilitates its prey, avoiding the sea lion’s powerful jaws and gaining a calorie rich meal, enough to sustain an orca for 2 to 3 days. On land, the search for winter provisions continues. [Music] Vancouver Island has the densest population of black bears in the world. They’re darker than mainland bears and slightly larger, weighing up to 275 kg. Although mostly vegetarian, they have adapted to take advantage of the nutrientrich intertidal zone. [Music] At low tide, this bear has made its way down to the shore in search of one thing. [Music] Shore crabs. [Music] With a sense of smell seven times sharper than that of a blood hound, the bear catches the scent and uses long curved claws to pull up rocks and boulders, revealing a tasty treat underneath. But a few tiny shore crabs won’t be enough to see this bear through the long hibernation ahead. It will need a far richer food source if it’s to survive. Each month, the size of the changing tide fluctuates. The biggest tides of all happen on the new moon when the moon and the sun are on the same side of the earth. These are called spring tides, referring to the springing forth of the water. During these extreme tidal lows, vast tracks of shoreline are exposed. The plants and animals that live here must survive until the next high tide. Just beyond these shores, the submerged rock reefs around Vancouver Island are a colorful cold water paradise, home to an abundance of marine creatures. [Music] Where tidal currents are strong, anchored communities of filterfeeding animals thrive, depending on the currents to fulfill all their needs. [Music] Feather duster worms wave plumes of sticky tentacles, catching food particles as they pass by. Barnacles sweep for plankton with their fan-like feet. Due to the nutrient-rich Pacific waters, starfish here grow to enormous sizes. Some, like the sunflower star, can reach up to a meter across. These giants can have up to 20 soft, flexible arms covered in 15,000 tubed feet. They are surprisingly fast for starfish. Voracious hunters, they seek out clams and sea snails at a speed of up to 5 m a minute. [Music] Down here, camouflage can be key to survival. [Music] A heart crab’s bristled legs help it blend into the rocks. [Applause] Sea urchins rely on their threatening spines to ward off predators. [Music] [Applause] Soon the water temperature will drop to just 5° C and the winter currents will create a downwelling pushing high nutrient waters to greater depths. The marine life of Vancouver Island will need to work harder to find food. [Music] While some prepare to sip the winter out, others are about to embark on a mammoth journey. [Applause] Humpback whales are the fifth largest animal on the planet. They can reach 19 m in length and weigh up to 36 tons. [Music] Their [Music] enormous frames are fueled by small schooling fish and swarms of tiny shrimplike crustations known as krill. Consuming up to a ton each day, these toothless whales use a mass of bristles called baine plates to filter food from the water. [Music] [Applause] The large shaws of herring they’ve been feeding on all summer are starting to dwindle. It’s time to head south. These humpback whales spend each winter in the warmer waters of Mexico and Hawaii around 4,000 km away. This is where they’ll breed before returning to Vancouver Island’s foodrich waters with their calves in tow. [Music] On the shores of the Mckina Marine Provincial Park, boiling sulfur saturated water pools mix with ocean swells. This part of the coast lies on a fort line in the Earth’s crust. An enormous crack traveling deep beneath the surface. [Music] This water has traveled over 5 kilometers towards the center of the earth and back. A journey that’s taken hundreds of years. [Music] As it slowly travels through the rock layers, the water is geothermally heated to over 100° C before intense pressure forces it back to the surface, finally emerging into the light at around 50° C. It cascades along a series of rock balls before entering the sea. While hot water bubbles at sea level, 2,000 m above, ice can be found year round on top of many of the highest peaks. [Music] Vancouver Island’s formation came about through a combination of volcanism and tectonic plates colliding, but glaciation also played a major part. [Music] Around 10,000 years ago, the Komox Valley was buried beneath a sheet of ice more than a kilometer thick. As it moved, the ice sheets cut major features in the landscape, gouging out the valley below. The climate eventually warmed and the ice sheets melted, most of it at least. Still looming over the valley is the Komox Glacia, a reminder of the region’s frozen past. On the steep slopes below, one creature is making the most of the autumn sun before it beds down for winter. [Music] Vancouver Island marmmets are the rarest in the world. At one point, their numbers dropped to just 25. While the exact reason for this decline is unknown, it is thought changes to the landscape may have led to an imbalance in predator and prey numbers. Thanks to a recovery plan of captive breeding and release, their numbers are slowly increasing. One of the largest members of the squirrel family, marmmets are about the size of a domestic cat and weigh close to 5 kg. [Music] Family colonies are made up of around six members. There’s one thing marmmets do a lot and that’s eat. Living above a thousand meters, they must double their mass during the spring and summer months when food is readily available. [Music] In the next few days, the marmets will hibernate, spending 7 to 8 months underground. Their heartbeats will slow to just three or four beats per minute. By the time they reemerge in April, they’ll have lost a third of their body weight. Tail flipping is a visual way of keeping in contact with the rest of the group while on the move. A nose to-nose touch is a form of greeting. Smelling a visitor’s cheek helps identify who’s who among the neighbors. Once they’ve had their fill, sunbathing on boulders helps to regulate the marmmet’s body temperature. These elevated vantage points are ideal spots from which to watch for predators. A high-pitched whistle alerts the whole family to danger. Other individuals relay the warning, creating an echo across the entire valley. A circling bird above could be a golden eagle and pose a threat. But this particular predator has a different meal in mind. [Music] The bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America. [Music] Despite its name, it isn’t born. And unlike the golden eagle, it isn’t classed as a true eagle because its legs aren’t completely feathered. It has a wingspan of over 2 m and can weigh up to 5 kg. With binocular vision, a strong hooked beak, and powerful talon feet, the bald eagle is an excellent predator. [Music] Their specialtity is fishing with fish making up around 90% of their diet. [Applause] However, this requires a lot of energy and it’s thought that only one in 18 missions results in a catch. [Music] This bald eagle hasn’t had a successful morning’s fishing. As eagles don’t sweat, panting is used to regulate body temperature. Catching the scent of food nearby, the eagle moves in. Dead or discarded fish make up a major part of the bald eagle’s diet. This bird is no fussy eater, and somebody else’s leftovers are a welcome meal. It shields the fine from other predators. An act known as mantling. [Music] The mountains of the Vancouver Range extend the entire length of the island, giving rise to some of Canada’s most spectacular waterfalls. [Music] Dela Falls is the highest waterfall in Canada, tumbling more than 440 m over steep cliffs and down into Drinkwater Creek below. Fed by snow and glacial melt from the peaks, these falls carry fresh water to the network of rivers, lakes, and streams that intersect the island. These river valleys are home to one of the most important trees on the entire island, the western red cedar. [Music] This particular giant is over 18 m in circumference and almost 60 m tall. It’s the largest tree in Canada and one of the largest red cedars in the world. Estimated to be 2 and a half thousand years old. It’s one of the oldest living organisms on the planet. Red cedar’s natural resistance to rot and insect damage meant the tree was of great importance for the island’s early settlers. This halffinish warrior canoe still bears carving marks made before it was abandoned several centuries ago. [Music] Back then, people lived off the land and felt a deep spiritual connection with all living things. [Music] Carved cedar totem poles depict the crest animals of different family clans. Eagles, bears, and wolves are all of great significance. But one creature is held in utmost reverence, the Pacific salmon. The Namis people have lived on the northeast coast of the island for millennia. Ancient culture is kept alive through oral history and ceremonies. Their ancestors relied on the salmon for survival, eagerly awaiting their return to the rivers each fall. Still today, the fish are an important part of their cultural heritage. The Namis believe that long ago when the world was young, a man was approached by a spirit being. The spirit asked him if he wanted to become a mountain. The man refused because mountains can slide and crumble. He was then asked if he’d like to become a cedar tree. The man again answered, “No, as trees can split, fall, and rot.” [Music] On being asked if he’d like to become a boulder, the reply was also negative. “Boulders crack and crumble.” Finally, when asked if he’d like to become a river, the man said yes. The spirit pushed the man down, saying, “There you will be a river for as long as the days dawn in the world, and you will be full of salmon, so that your descendants may never starve. The river became the largest on Vancouver Island and eventually bore the name of the Namis. [Music] It’s now known by its modern name, the Nykish River. It’s early October and the black bears of Vancouver Island scour the rivers and streams for fish. [Music] At this time of year, they can spend up to 20 hours a day foraging for food. The island’s largest predator, these bears can scale trees with ease. Run at over 50 km an hour and swim long distances. But despite these impressive attributes, catching fish in these deep pools is easier said than done. Further upstream on the Englishman River, one creature is having better luck building up reserves for the winter ahead. [Music] Beavers are the largest rodents in North America, reaching over a meter in length. [Music] They spend their days making dams along the region’s slower moving waterways. The rivers eventually flood to create enormous ponds. These ponds provide still deep water for protection against predators and on which to float food and building material. [Music] Beavers eat the leaves and inner bark of trees and shrubs, but will cut down huge tree trunks to help with their construction. Their front teeth never stop growing, and this constant chewing prevents them becoming too long. Next to humans, no other animal appears to do more to shape its own landscape. [Music] The vast calm stretches of water in a beaver pond trap nutrients flowing downstream, creating a perfect habitat for aquatic invertebrates, which in turn provide fish with foraging opportunities not found in fast flowing streams. These conditions play a key part in drawing one species of fish back to the island. To the north in the Johnston Strait, the Pacific salmon are starting to converge. Each year, half a billion salmon leave the sea to return to their spawning grounds in the rivers of North America. [Music] Vancouver Island is the destination for millions of these determined fish. [Music] This is just the first stage of their testing journey. [Music] Further inland, the black bears are eager to greet them. On the southern tip of the island lies East Souk Park. 1,400 hectares of wilderness and protected coastal landscape. [Music] Another signal that change is fast approaching, this time from the skies. Each autumn, thousands of turkey vultures gather, creating a unique spectacle. They are the masters of soaring flight, making use of updrafts and rising thermal currents to keep them aloft. This way of traveling uses just a fraction more energy than when they’re standing still. Turkey vultures breed along the entire length of the island, but when winter arrives, they head further south to mainland America. On reaching the cooler coastal air, they form large flocks or kettles, waiting for the right conditions to make it across the straight. [Music] Although their eyesight is excellent, they are best known for their ability to locate food by smell. The part of their brain controlling this sense is three times larger than some other vulture species. Turkey vultures also lack a nasal septum, the partition between the nostrils. This enables more air to pass through, helping them to detect a decaying carcass from a great distance. Carrion makes up the majority of their diet as they lack the sharp beacon talons used by other birds of prey to make a kill. With stomach acid believed to be up to 100 times stronger than ours, their presence is thought to curb the spread of disease. Even anthrax bacteria is killed off when consumed. Despite their decaying diet, turkey vultures are one of the cleanest animals around. Their featherless head and constant preining keeps germs and microbes to a minimum. To dry off and regulate their temperature, they adopt a spread wing posture, which also helps to bake off bacteria. With a full stomach, it’s time to rejoin the flock ahead of the journey south. [Music] Shaws of salmon have worked their way inland. Using the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass, they steer themselves home. As they get closer, their sense of smell will guide them to the exact place where they hatched. [Music] But they aren’t home and dry yet. They pause, preparing to face the many obstacles that lie ahead, [Music] bodies plump with eggs, as well as the bounty of the seas. These salmon were born to return to their spawning ground, and nothing short of death will stop them. They race against the current and launch themselves at the falls. The upwelling waters at the bottom give extra boost to their attempts. This is just the first of many. Some of the rapids and waterfalls they’ll face will be powerful enough to eliminate all but the strongest salmon. Initial leaps are rarely successful, [Music] but these are determined fish. Eventually, [Applause] perseverance pays off. [Music] [Music] Energy levels are vital if they are to make it to the end of their journey. [Applause] [Music] These salmon haven’t eaten since they left the sea. They rely solely on fat stores accumulated while in the ocean to keep them going. For some, the journey home is already taking its toll. [Music] Pausing for just a moment can be a costly mistake. especially in black bear territory. [Music] Black bears are just one of 137 species thought to rely on the Pacific salmon for survival. [Music] [Applause] But there is only a limited window in which to take advantage of this food influx. [Music] As the fish fill the rivers and streams on route to their spawning grounds, the bears search broken surface stretches of river known as riffles. These are a favorite hiding spot of the Pacific salmon. But while the ripples may hide the salmon from the predator, they also hide the predators from the salmon. With a little bit of practice, they can be approached and plucked from the water with ease. Black bears play a unique part in supporting Vancouver Islands ecosystem. During the salmon run, each bear can carry hundreds of kilos of salmon out of the rivers and into the forest to consume. They focus on the most fatty parts, the brain, eggs, skin, and back muscles. sometimes eating as little as 5% of each fish they catch. This selective feeding helps them to nearly double their body weight in time for the winter. But it also has a significant effect on the surrounding land. When the discarded carcasses break down, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients are absorbed by the surrounding vegetation. Up to 70% of the nitrogen in some areas comes directly from the fish. Trees on the banks of salmon stocked rivers can grow three times faster than those next to fish-free streams. Vancouver Island is home to the tallest sitka spruce trees in Canada, possibly the world. At over 95 m, they stand taller than a 30story building. Here, Sitka spruce take only 86 years to reach a thickness of 50 cm, a process that would normally take 300 years. However, they don’t have an easy time starting out. As seedlings, they must compete with dense mosses and smaller plants that carpet the forest floor. But help is at hand. Fallen trees provide an open growing area to the young saplings. These nurse logs give seeds a head start, a haven in which to germinate and develop. Over 90% of Sitka seedlings here start out this way. Fungi too play a crucial role in supporting this ecosystem, recycling nutrients from fallen trees and making nitrogen available to help young plants grow. They are a favorite of the Pacific banana slug, the second largest land slug in the world. They can grow up to 25 cm long. After eating, they excrete a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, spreading seeds and spores across the forest. The autumn rains are long overdue, and many of Vancouver Island’s waterways are running at reduced flow. The salmon wait patiently, prevented from reaching their spawning grounds. [Music] But at last, change is in the air. Even the black bears can sense it. Soon rivers are in full flow. These salmon may have already traveled 6,400 km. One last push will get them to their destination. They make their move, but so do the bears. Finally, the food they’ve been waiting for is here, and they’ll work tirelessly to catch it. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music] Each bear can consume up to 20,000 calories a day when stocking up for winter. And it’s thought half the salmon in these streams won’t make it. [Music] Despite the deluge of autumn rains, the rivers remain relatively clear and free of debris. Tree roots in the surrounding forest hold the soil which filters water before it enters the streams. These rivers contain some of the purest water in the world. Ideal for the Pacific salmon. For those who do manage to avoid the bears and reach their destination, a final challenge lies ahead. [Music] [Music] After their epic journey, the males are gaunt from starvation with grotesqually humped backs, hooked jaws, and tattered fins. Many females are covered in white patches of bruised and damaged skin. Fortunately, they’re nearing the end of their mission. [Music] Now the females must battle each other for the prize nesting positions. [Music] The males take up their place behind, prepared to fight off competitors. [Applause] [Music] Finally, the female chooses her moment and lays a batch of eggs. [Music] The male instantly moves in to fertilize them. [Music] She will lay around 4,000 eggs in a series of nests, covering each one with gravel to protect against predators and stop them drifting away. [Music] But it’s not just the bears who’ve been waiting for the salmon. Flocks of glorous winged gulls paddle their feet along the river bottom in the hope of dislodging eggs for a proteinrich delicacy. [Applause] Dippers have come to take advantage too. The eggs make a welcome change from their usual diet of aquatic insect lavi. However, capitalizing on the large salmon spawn can sometimes throw up its own problems. For every 4,000 salmon eggs laid, only 800 will successfully hatch. Only 200 will make the journey back to the sea. And just two of these salmon will return to their spawning grounds to complete the cycle. in making it this far. These adult salmon are the ultimate survivors. Their job is done. Their final act marks the end of their life. They have given their all to reproduce just once. From a combination of exhaustion and the effects of moving from salt to fresh water, they breathe their last in the same streams they started out in. [Music] Their death will release nutrients to feed the aquatic food web, which in turn will nurture the next generation of Pacific salmon. By sacrificing their bodies, they ensure Vancouver Island will remain teeming with life through the winter ahead. [Music] The shorelines, forests, and mountainous peaks of Vancouver Island are home to a whole host of creatures. They are supported by a network of rivers and creeps which carry the fuel for many forms of life. But each year as winter approaches, the animals on land and at sea must face their greatest challenges. By making the most of opportunities when they can, the animals of Vancouver Island battle to survive these seasons of change.

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Islands can be home to the most extreme examples of life, as nature evolves in the most dramatic way. Sometimes isolated for hundreds of thousands of years, pockets of individuals adapt to survive, fuelling a rapid and continuous development of new species. Some of the Zanzibar archipelago’s bizarre creatures have developed to an enormous size. The world’s largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts, and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk. Under the cover of darkness, giant leatherback turtles visit Trinidad’s beaches to lay their eggs. Dominica’s volcanic heritage gives it fertile soils, making the island rich in flowering plants. Situated 1,000km west of Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago has been so little exposed to humans, it allowed Charles Darwin to study and rethink the laws of nature.

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