- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00You
00:30Oh, my God.
01:00Some animals can show emotion.
01:08These unique creatures are reacting to the death of one of their group with what can only be described as grief.
01:15It is the eldest female who has eventually lost her fight with malaria.
01:23Beside her body, her three-year-old orphan.
01:25His mother was the most important thing in his life, and without her, survival in a difficult world will become almost impossible.
01:35This is the northern end of the great African rift valley, a staggering landscape created by fractures in the continent.
01:57This is the cradle of evolution for mankind.
02:03The world has been transformed in the last few million years by one small plant, where once there was forest, there are now vast tracts of grassland.
02:20And with grass have come new species of grazing mammals.
02:26At first glance, you might think you are in the 21st century, but there are important differences.
02:38The big cats are actually of the saber-tooth variety, although these ones only have small sabers.
02:44And creatures like dynotherium might look like elephants, but they are three times the size, with tusks that curve downwards for stripping bark off trees.
03:03But on the edge of the forest live the most remarkable animals of all.
03:10A type of ape has evolved that clearly shows the first signs of becoming more human.
03:20What makes them closer to us than other apes is not their brains, which are only one-third of the size.
03:28It's not their skin, which is hairy.
03:31It's something they do that other apes just don't.
03:38Something that will one day lead them to be described as a missing link.
03:47These apes walk upright.
03:50These are Australopithecus.
03:58Go back 200,000 generations, and your relatives would look something like this.
04:03They live in groups with complex social structures, and are also very political animals.
04:09This is Grey, the eldest of the group.
04:17He is 30 years old and the top male, but only for as long as the females want him to be.
04:23Females are just two-thirds of the size of the males, but Grey needs their support if he wants to stay in charge.
04:32Unfortunately, he's no longer getting it.
04:35With the death of the lead female, this noisy individual called Babel has now replaced her, and she is no fan of Grey.
05:00Bottom of the heap is the orphaned male called Blue.
05:05At three years old, his social skills are as yet undeveloped.
05:09With the death of his mother, he is becoming an outsider.
05:16But in truth, the whole group has problems.
05:19Last year, there were 12 of them.
05:21As a result of malaria, they now number just eight.
05:25This has led to tension within the hierarchy.
05:28A younger, larger male, called Hercules, is starting to challenge Grey.
05:48These fights are less violent than other primates.
05:59Baboons, for example, have large canines and bite each other.
06:04Australopithecus have small canines, and their fights are mostly shown.
06:08Grey has managed to put Hercules in his place, for now at least.
06:24One reason that our origins are here in Africa is that it's an ideal habitat for an upright ape.
06:43A patchwork of forest and savannah.
06:46Unlike many of the creatures here, the Australopithecus are comfortable in both the trees and the open spaces.
07:03They share the waterhole with Ancylotherium, an ancient type of animal that was once widespread, but is now only left in Africa.
07:11Fortunately, these herbivores are fairly harmless neighbors, which is more than you can say for Dynotherium.
07:24These are the biggest animals in the Australopithecus world.
07:28They are as tall as giraffes, but weigh 14 times as much.
07:32Even young Dynotherium are worth avoiding.
07:56In the weeks that follow, the males continue their squabbling.
08:02Blue, meanwhile, sits apart.
08:11He still has no idea how to integrate.
08:16But this is no time for the group to be divided.
08:27Blue!
08:27Blue!
08:28Blue!
08:28Blue!
08:29Blue!
08:29Blue!
08:30Blue!
08:31Blue!
08:32Blue!
08:32Blue!
08:33Blue!
08:34These males are from a larger, neighboring group.
08:36They are challenging Grey for this territory.
08:52Grey responds, but his group is now too few in number to fend off so many full-grown males.
08:57Blue!
08:58Blue!
08:59Blue!
09:00Blue!
09:01Oh, my God.
09:31As the group flees, Blue is in danger of getting left behind.
09:51With no one to look after him, he can only struggle to catch up.
09:55Without the group, he won't survive.
10:01Blue has kept up, but for his group, things have gone from bad to worse.
10:19They have been pushed out of a territory they have held for many seasons.
10:31Establishing themselves in a new area won't be easy.
10:35Blue has kept up.
10:37Blue has kept up.
10:39Blue has kept up.
10:41Blue has kept up.
10:43Blue has kept up.
10:45Blue has kept up.
10:47Blue has kept up.
10:49Blue has kept up.
10:51Blue has kept up.
10:53Blue has kept up.
10:55Blue has kept up.
10:57Blue has kept up.
11:29Walking on two legs is an efficient way to travel and gives the Australopithecus a higher
11:38viewpoint than other apes. This means predators are easier to spot. Out here in the open,
11:44they must be especially vigilant.
11:46The group also needs to stick together. Eight pairs of eyes are better than one.
12:02It is four days since they left the forest. They've been pushed north into less familiar terrain.
12:23Tired from traveling, they notice the dinotherium too late.
12:29Oh, no, no, no, no.
12:39Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
12:49This male is coming into must.
13:03His body is pumped full of testosterone, ready for mating.
13:06Unfortunately, this makes him extremely aggressive.
13:10In the chaos, a youngster has become separated from the group.
13:14And now there is 14 tons of angry dinotherium between him and his mother.
13:28The youngster is Babel's.
13:30His desperate calls to her are making her blind to danger.
13:40Babel tries to reach the youngster,
13:42but she is soon running for her life instead.
13:56At least Babel distracts the dinotherium,
13:59but then the youngster does the worst thing possible.
14:02He continues to call out.
14:04Babel.
14:18Babel!
14:22Babel!
14:23Babel!
14:28Babel!
14:29They've very nearly lost another member of the group.
14:59A few days later they have moved on and found a place that appears to have everything they
15:05need.
15:06There are trees to hide in, water to drink, and more fruit than they can eat.
15:18And there don't appear to be any other Australopithecus around.
15:26They only have to share the fruit with the Ancylotherium.
15:30And they can be scared off if you know how.
15:43Hercules has learned to use noise to appear more dangerous than he really is.
15:47The groups soon start to settle into their new surroundings.
16:05For the first time in a few days the youngest members of the group are playing again.
16:12But some things plainly haven't changed.
16:14Blue is still on the edge of things.
16:18Even though the other juveniles are younger than Blue, they ignore him.
16:26With darkness round the corner, it's time to prepare for evening.
16:35Australopithecus sleep in the trees because it is safer and make a new nest every night
16:40by folding down a bed of branches.
16:45Primates were once all nocturnal creatures, but not anymore.
16:50Some have evolved great colour vision, allowing them to pick out succulent leaves and fruit.
16:55But this has come at the expense of their night vision, which is now poor compared to
16:59most animals.
17:01So for these apes, and in the future humans, the night is a time to sleep.
17:09Sadly the Australopithecus will soon find that this place is not the paradise it first appears.
17:15Black Eye has stolen an egg from an ostrich nest.
17:36Being able to carry things while on the move is another advantage of walking on two legs.
17:43Before she can break into the egg, Grey steals it from her.
18:13Dynophilus is a killer of Australopithecus.
18:30These cats don't have the speed to bring down fast-running herbivores, so specialise in slower
18:35prey that they can kill easily and eat quickly.
18:40Later members of the human family will rise up the food chain to become top predators.
18:45But in this era our relatives are prey.
18:46After the attack the group are quiet and subdued.
18:50Black Eye's death has left a hole.
18:51They spend a lot of their time grooming to make new social bonds and strengthen old ones.
18:55It's their equivalent of talking.
18:56At last Blue seems to be interacting with the group.
18:57At last Blue seems to be interacting with the group.
18:58And is learning to play the social bonds.
18:59And is learning to play the social game.
19:06He is grooming Grey.
19:07He is grooming Grey.
19:08The group's numbers.
19:09The group's numbers have now at least 1.
19:101.
19:111.
19:122.
19:132.
19:142.
19:153.
19:163.
19:174.
19:184.
19:195.
19:203.
19:216.
19:224.
19:235.
19:244.
19:255.
19:265.
19:275.
19:286.
19:295.
19:305.
19:316.
19:327.
19:336.
19:347.
19:357.
19:368.
19:379.
19:389.
19:399.
19:4010.
19:419.
19:4210.
19:4311.
19:4411.
19:4510.
19:4611.
19:47to a new group when they are old enough to mate.
19:51This prevents inbreeding.
19:54It is a difficult transition for her.
19:57It will take her some time to be accepted by the females.
20:04The males though show more immediate interest.
20:07She has a new possibility for mating.
20:12Normally only the dominant male gets access to the females, but Hercules looks like he
20:17is about to try his luck.
20:31Unlike just about every other mammal on the planet, Australopithecus mate face to face.
20:38Walking upright has changed the orientation of the pelvis and as a result of the female
20:42sexual organs too.
20:49Grey has just noticed and isn't having any of it.
20:59Blue's one attempt at making friends has been scuppered.
21:15When there is no fruit in season, the group's diet becomes more down to earth as they dig
21:21for roots and tubers.
21:23Australopithecus are masters of the varied diet.
21:27They have a number of adaptations for feeding themselves.
21:30Hands that have become nimble and dextrous since they are no longer used for walking on.
21:38Thick enamel on their teeth to help them cope with tough or dirty food.
21:42And ingenuity, Australopithecus can use basic tools like sticks to dig.
21:50They are not born with this ability.
21:52They must learn it by imitating their elders.
21:56And in Blue's case, his lessons were far from over when his mother died.
22:01He is having to learn fast because no one else is going to feed him.
22:16There is another very important element of their diet, meat.
22:23Out on the savannah, carrion is quick to attract scavengers.
22:30Only Australopithecus are among them.
22:36But they have to be fast to beat the vultures.
22:39In no time at all, they are all over the zebra carcass.
22:55Once again, Hercules tries out his scare tactics to great effect.
23:13There is no clearer display of the group's hierarchy than the order they get food.
23:20Gray is used to getting the first bite, but he finds Hercules is already getting stuck in.
23:24No, it's worse than her.
23:30— So sick and sick and sick.
23:34We are in.
23:39Aïe!
23:40No!
23:41Aïe!
23:43No!
23:44No!
23:46Aïe!
23:47No!
23:48No!
23:49No!
23:50No!
23:51No!
23:52No!
23:52it is nothing short of a coup Hercules returns to the carcass as top male at
24:10first the group are unsure how to react to the change of leadership gray
24:15meanwhile nurses his pride in the background meat is only a small part of
24:24the Australopithecus diet but it will become more important in the future for
24:29more human-like apes an increase in meat eating will go hand-in-hand with an
24:36increase in brain size meat contains nutrients vital for big brains intelligent
24:44apes will develop special tools to get meat until eventually they'll make
24:47weapons and won't be scavengers but predators
25:01Hercules is takeover has an immediate positive effect there is less internal
25:07conflict than there was before but the group's biggest problem hasn't gone away
25:13it is only a matter of time before the dynophilus comes back
25:18a
25:20a
25:22a
25:24a
25:26a
25:28a
25:30a
25:32a
25:34a
25:36a
25:38a
25:40a
25:42a
26:02a
26:04a
26:06a
26:08a
26:10a
26:12a
26:14a
26:16a
26:18a
26:20a
26:22a
26:34a
26:36a
26:38a
26:40a
26:42a
26:46a
26:48a
26:50a
26:52a
26:54a
26:56a
26:58a
27:00a
27:02a
27:04a
27:06a
27:08a
27:10a
27:12a
27:14a
27:16a
27:18a
27:20a
27:22a
27:24a
27:26a
27:36a
27:38a
27:40a
27:42a
27:44a
27:46a
27:48a
27:50a
27:52a
27:54a
27:56a
27:58a
28:00a
28:02a
28:04a
28:06a
28:08a
28:10a
28:12a
28:14a
28:16a
28:18a
28:20a
28:22a
28:24a
28:26a
28:28a
28:30a
28:32a
28:34a
28:36a
28:38a
Recommended
28:04
|
Up next
29:04
28:34
28:41
49:00
48:17
1:11:53
58:38
38:59
1:43:42