One thing everyone
wants to know
About the costa rican
rain forest
Is how much rain is there.
The answer is a lot.
Another thing
everyone wants to know
Is how many creatures
are there.
The answer is a lot more--
Everything from jaguars
to tapirs,
Hummingbirds, sloths,
Toucans,
Coatis,
Tarantulas,
Boas,
Capuchins,
And weird
and amazing creatures
Like these giant toads.
They're called bufo marinus,
And they come out to feed
in the rain.
They love to eat
whatever they can fit
In their big mouths.
They're
equal-opportunity eaters.
They'll eat anything
from insects to lizards
To frogs,
and get this--
They'll even swallow
a nice, juicy rat...
Whole!
There are more creatures
in the rain forest than rain.
We'll see
a whole ton of them
On this episode of...
[Martin]
we're in central america,
Checking out
the rain forests.
[Chris]
this is a cloud forest.
[Martin]
that's a type of rain forest.
Didn't you know
There are three main types
of rain forests?
The cloud forest,
The dry forest,
And the lowland rain forest.
We're starting out here
in the cloud forest.
It's cold, lush, very wet,
And it's home to all sorts
of amazing animals.
Imagine an animal with
a body like a hippo...
[Burp]
A trunk kind of like
an elephant's, but shorter...
[Aroo]
Related to a rhinoceros.
What have you got?
A tapir.
Tapirs have
an amphibious
life style.
They live on land and--
Whoa!
[Chris]
hey! A tapir!
You probably figured
this out already.
Tapirs live on both
land and water.
The land is great
Because that's where he gets
to chow down on leaves.
Guess what leaves
a tapir likes best.
The great tapir taste test.
I've got
a palmetto leaf here
And a coliandra leaf.
Let's see which one
the tapir likes best.
[Chris]
I don't think she's into this.
Hey, martin,
give it another try.
I've got a palmetto
and a coliandra here.
Let's see which one
the tapir likes best.
Doesn't like
the palmetto...
But she loves the coliandra.
[Chris]
everybody knows
you shouldn't eat leaves
In the rain forest,
Even though coliandra
won't k*ll you.
It's actually
pretty good, too.
[Chris]
it's not just
coliandra they eat.
They'll eat leaves
all over the rain forest.
That's why you'll find tapirs
All over
the rain forest.
[Martin]
trekking through
all this rain forest muck
Is no easy trick.
A tapir is great at walking
through the mud.
Its feet fold up,
So when it pulls steps
out of the mud,
They can take it out
Without making a sucking sound
or getting stuck.
One reason a tapir
hangs out in the river
Is because that's
the safest place to be
When a jaguar is around.
Jaguars like the water,
But tapirs
are much better swimmers,
So a chase through the river
after a tapir
Is probably even a little
too much bathtime
For a jaguar.
A jaguar can live in any
Of the three different types
of rain forest.
So can a tapir and a coati.
[Martin]
hold it. Rewind.
So can a tapir and a coati.
You can't just say coati
and not explain it.
[Chris]
gotcha. I'll take this one.
Coatis have a close relative
That look a lot like them.
It's the raccoon.
[Chris]
the coati is the most
singularly diurnal
Of the raccoon family.
[Martin]
what?
[Chris]
in english that means
they hang out in the day.
They are
devotedly omnivorous,
Eating fruit that is
seasonally abundant.
[Martin]
in other words,
They'll eat whatever's around.
[Chris]
didn't I just say that?
[Martin]
well, yeah, sort of.
[Chris]
now that we've seen the coati,
We can go back to jaguars
Living in the three types
of rain forests.
So can a tapir and a coati
and monkeys.
There are a gazillion monkeys
in the rain forest--
Capuchin monkeys,
squirrel monkeys,
Spider monkeys.
Of course
there's lots of them
Because there's lots of trees.
Lots of trees
means lots of monkeys
Because to a monkey,
Trees are everything.
The trees
of the rain forest
Give monkeys food
and a place to live.
But the most important thing
To know about the rain forests
Is that they're the lungs
of the planet.
They give us
the earth's water supply.
They provide us with oxygen
and medicines,
And they're like a giant faucet
For our forests and deserts,
And this isn't working.
What's supposed
to be happening
Is that chris
and martin and I
Are giving a presentation
for the local school
On the rain forest.
The only problem
is I'm doing all
the serious issues
While they're hanging
around with monkeys
And falling into rivers
with tapirs.
Creature contradictions.
How do you know
You're not talking about
the same thing?
We're not talking about
the same thing at all.
I'm dealing with all
the serious stuff.
What serious stuff?
I'll show you
what we've got so far.
[Allison]
each rain forest covers
thousands of square acres.
That's really big.
Each rain forest
has their very own
Special balance of life.
They each have
their own ecosystem.
Ecosystem means a natural setup
where thousands of creatures
Depend on each other.
There was once 8 million
square miles of rain forest
Around the equator,
And now there's
less than half that.
That is because of logging,
farming, manufacturing,
Human population
expl*si*n,
And lots of other
complex reasons.
All of this has resulted
in a buildup of gases,
Which is what causes
the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect
is heating up our planet,
And that's not all.
The destruction
of our rain forests
Is destroying all
of our natural resources.
It's even
more complicated
than that.
Animals, trees, bugs--
Everything relies
on everything else.
That's what
you should show.
What do you mean?
It's all
about creatures, al.
There are lots of animals
That live only
in tropical rain forests,
Like the toucan.
Toucans have one
of the most colorful beaks
In the world...
[Martin]
and they are big old beaks.
They need them big
to chomp their favorite foods--
Fruits, lizards, eggs.
With a beak like that,
Who wouldn't want to chomp?
Toucans are masters
At tossing food
back into their mouth.
Oops!
You'd think those huge beaks
Would be really heavy,
But they're light
as balsa wood.
[Martin]
that's amazing.
It must be why
it's so easy for toucans
To toss food around.
[Chris]
wow!
Hands-down, toucans are one
of central america's
Coolest-looking birds.
It's not just toucans.
The cloud forest has all sorts
of colorful, exotic birds.
In a patch of rain forest
the size of west virginia,
There are more
different types of birds
Than in all of north america.
Hey, what's that?
It's red, green,
purple, orange.
It's a...
Martin?
I'm wearing
this hawaiian shirt
To help me find a creature
That's attracted to bright,
flowery colors--
The hummingbird.
You've got to love
hummingbirds.
They're little nectar-eating,
pollen-spreading
Creature helicopters.
What other bird can b*at their
wings 80 times a second?
Who else do you know
who can fly backwards?
[Martin]
definitely nobody.
[Chris]
martin, let's get into
hummingbirds and flowers
And how they work together.
[Martin]
flowers and hummingbirds
are a great team.
The flowers give
the hummingbirds nectar to eat,
And the hummingbirds spread
the flower's pollen
From flower to flower.
[Chris]
bright colors attract
hummingbirds like a magnet.
Hummingbirds
are after nectar,
And a colorful flower
Is the way a plant shows
it's got some.
[Martin]
I wonder what a hummingbird
actually sees.
[Chris]
sounds like it's time
for the hummingbird cam.
Hey, I had
never realized
How neat
the whole thing is.
It's all connected.
The flowers need
the hummingbirds,
And the hummingbirds
need the flowers.
It's rain forest logic,
Like the monkeys
need the fruit,
And the fruit comes
from the trees,
And the trees
need the ants.
Did you say
trees need ants?
Why would trees
need ants?
The acacia tree is defended
By thousands of fierce
little creatures
Called acacia ants.
[Chris]
these ants live inside
the thorns of the acacia tree.
The way the ants
and the tree work together
Is amazing.
O.k. These guys may look small,
But they're tough
little hombres,
And they're on a mission.
Think of the tree
as a living fort,
And the ants are
kind of like the soldiers.
The tree gives the ants
food and shelter,
And in return,
The ants protect the tree
From creatures
like grasshoppers,
Who would eat the leaves.
Whoa!
Acacia ants
will att*ck anything
That brushes up
against their tree--
Lizards, birds,
mammals, monkeys,
And even people.
Now martin's going
to demonstrate that
By putting his hand
in the tree.
I am?
An experiment.
All right.
I'll do it for science.
Ha ha ha!
See? The ants
need the trees,
And the trees
need the ants.
Not that it matters
If people keep cutting down
the trees.
[Martin]
o.k., Trees, tapirs,
monkeys, and jaguars,
Toucans, hummingbirds--
But that
is barely .0001%
Of all the creatures
That live
in the cloud forests.
We must move if we're covering
the dry forest.
There are lots
of questions to ask.
How many creatures
are in the dry forest?
The trick is naming them all.
Ocelots,
Coatis,
Boa constrictors,
Margays, kinkajous,
Paca, armadillos,
Ctenosaurs, tamanduas,
Jaguarundis--
This is crazy.
We'll never be able
to name them all.
Forget about naming them.
Let's check out
the tropical dry forest.
[Allison]
I hope one of you guys
packed dry socks.
[Martin]
the nearest dry forest
is on the other side
Of that range.
Leave it to me.
I know a shortcut.
If any of these creatures
of the tropical dry forest
Look a little nervous,
It's because you never know
Who's around
the next corner.
One of the last creatures
they want to bump into,
That's just around the corner,
Is the tayra.
[Martin]
these guys may look
kind of cute and furry,
But don't be fooled.
Tayras are gnarly
roaming death machines.
[Chris]
good description, martin.
[Martin]
this monkey knows
what I'm talking about.
He's getting out of here.
That's the thing to do
when a tayra's around.
Tayras are seriously
industrious hunters.
[Chris]
you want industrious?
Check out the leaf-cutter ants.
These guys are actually
fungus farmers.
[Martin]
farmers? Who would have
ever thought
That ants could be farmers?
[Chris]
well, they are,
And here's how they do it.
These guys climb high up
into the trees,
Clip off a huge chunk of leaf,
Carry it back
to their colony,
Chew the leaves,
Plant the fungus
on the chewed leaves,
And when the fungus grows,
They harvest it like corn.
They'll travel huge distances
To collect their leaves.
The leaf-cutters make
so many trips back and forth
That you can see
a well-worn trail
Through the grass.
It's really cool
How ants move together
like a troop.
Imagine if humans
were that coordinated.
[Martin]
you know what's even cooler?
Leaf-cutter ants carry
More than 50 times
their whole weight.
If the human had
that much strength,
He could lift
a 5-ton elephant
And carry it miles
up a steep hill.
Not only do leaf-cutter ants
Harvest huge amounts of leaves,
But they also build
massive colonies.
This entire hillside
Is an underground
leaf-cutter ant city.
It's home to millions
of worker ants
And made up of hundreds
of fungus gardens.
Now that's what I call
ant ingenuity.
It just goes to show you--
Ants invented farming
long before people.
That reminds me
of something I read.
It's...
"Farming in the rain forest
"Is k*lling off
many types of ants
Due to the use of pesticides."
Pesticides!
You mean there's pesticides
in the rain forest?
Do you know what that means?
[Martin]
we know exactly
what that means.
Today in the rain forests,
Unknown insects are emerging
And being discovered
all the time,
But pesticides
and rapid deforestation
Are not just slowing
the process,
They're almost stamping it out.
[Chris]
man, that's depressing.
[Martin]
but there is some hope yet
If people change
the way they think
About creatures
and our planet.
[Allison]
hold it.
I don't get it.
We don't even know
what these creatures are,
And we're k*lling
them off?
[Ttark]
disappearing dinosaurs!
This is t. Rex,
an old friend of mine--
Big guy, big heart.
You know
what happened to him?
He's gone.
This is
the saber-toothed tiger.
Sabe was one of
the toothiest cats
I ever met.
You know what
happened to him?
He's not around
anymore.
That's really lousy,
ttark,
But I don't get
the connection to
the rain forest.
A whole world
of creatures
has disappeared,
And we don't even know
why it happened.
With this
rain forest thing,
We do know
why it's happening,
But we're not doing
a thing about it.
But we aregoing to do
something about it.
We're going to tell
the whole story
of the rain forest--
The creature story
of the rain forest.
Guys, are you there?
Chris? Martin?
Where are you?
[Chris]
where else would we be?
We're tubing our way
through the lowland rain forest.
It's warm, it's wet,
and it's full of creatures.
Hey, look!
It's a three-toed sloth.
Wow! A motmot!
[Martin]
check out the tamandua.
Ha ha ha!
I don't believe it.
A poison arrow frog.
Cool! A ctenosaur!
A crocodile!
[Grrr]
[Chris]
we've hit the creature
mother lode!
There's got to be
millions of creatures,
And I think I just spotted...
A whole herd
of white-lipped peccaries.
White-lipped peccaries
Are a wild pig
of central america.
Tracking them is easy
Because they travel in herds
of over a hundred,
And they always leave
the forest floor uprooted
Wherever they go.
You always know
when they're around
Because of all
the central american
animals,
They're one
of the smelliest.
Chris, I think
we found them.
[Chris]
peccaries are the rain forest's
vacuum cleaners.
[Martin]
yeah, and do they have
a distinctive odor.
[Chris]
they'll eat
just about anything,
[Martin]
and they smell bad.
[Chris]
they're not picky eaters.
[Martin]
then there's their smell.
[Chris]
one thing they love to do
Is root around in the mud.
Peccaries can be
pretty dangerous.
When it comes
to protecting the herd,
These pigs don't back down.
You know they're riled up
When they make this noise.
[Peccaries squealing]
[Imitating pig noise]
[Rustling]
When white-lipped peccaries
are riled up,
The best place to be
is in the trees.
If there's one animal
That really gets
a peccary going...
It's a jaguar.
Jaguars hunt peccaries,
But of course,
Peccaries don't like
to be hunted.
When they figure out
a jaguar's on their trail,
They att*ck it.
Angry peccaries
are dangerous.
Better not get
in their way.
That was close.
You want close,
look up there.
That looks like
a clump of moss.
No, it's
a three-toed sloth.
Come on.
Chris, it would be
great to be a sloth.
Great to be a sloth?
Why?
These guys
are so relaxed.
They just lounge
around all day,
Taking their time,
chowing down when
they need to.
Look at this guy.
Does he look worried?
Naw. He doesn't have
a care in the world.
Hey, you're right.
It would be great
to be a sloth.
Sloths move through
the trees slowly.
They eat many leaves...
And they eat them slowly.
[Martin]
everything I've ever
read about sloths
Says they only eat
cecropia leaves.
But in fact,
us sloths eat the leaves
Of over 96 different varieties
of trees.
There's only one thing better
than being a sloth--
Being a sloth baby.
Mom moves you for you.
But there is one downside
to being a sloth,
And that is...
Bugs!
Living up in the trees
Means sloths get infested
with a lot of bugs,
Especially the sloth beetle,
And that can be a problem.
When the beetle and other bugs
get to him,
The sloth can use
his secret w*apon--
His claws.
They're great for climbing
But also great
for scratching.
Chris, there's
a sloth beetle
Crawling on your back.
Wait a second.
That's
a hercules beetle,
One of
the largest beetles
in the world.
See those
long pinchers?
He uses them to fight
other beetles.
Wow.
[Martin]
the hercules beetle may look
tough and ferocious,
And he is.
He is the king kong
of the insect world.
If you were as strong
as the hercules beetle,
You'd be able
to lift 12 elephants.
They don't call him hercules
for nothing.
Chris, I can't give you
an exact number,
But there are hundreds
of thousands
Of insect species
in the rain forest.
[Chris]
wow! I didn't realize
there were so many.
[Martin]
yeah. There are all kinds
that walk, swim,
Scuttle, crawl, and hop.
In a way,
that's what it's all about--
The trees and the creatures
that call them home.
[Splash]
Wait a minute, guys.
You can't leave now.
We've still got
other creatures.
What about the kinkajou,
The tamandua,
the ocelot,
The poison arrow frog?
Come on, chris, martin?
Then again,
wherever chris and martin are,
There are bound to be
some new creatures.
The rain forests supply us
with oxygen and medicines,
And they help regulate
the earth's water supply--
Sort of like a giant faucet
for our forests and deserts.
That's not the whole story.
We're really wrecking a home
For amazing
and unique creatures.
Those creatures
are the best reason
To save the rain forests.
The rain forest isn't a what,
It's a who.
[Computer beeping]
Still needs a little punch.
Creature sounds--
Insects or birds or...
How about monkeys?
Maybe peccaries.
Now this is going to be cool.
Here's to the rain forests.
If you ask me,
That is definitely
worth saving.
01x09 - Rain Forests: Under the Canopy
Watch/Buy Amazon Merchandise
Featured the Kratt Brothers as they traveled worldwide, exploring different animals and their habitats.
Featured the Kratt Brothers as they traveled worldwide, exploring different animals and their habitats.