"NARRATOR:" "in Russia's southwest corner is a land where every animal lives on the edge and danger is never far behind." "this is the caucasus." "once a sanctuary for countless animals, it is now a place of exile." "as humans transform the land, animals flee to the very brink of existence." "the animals of the caucasus are waging the war of their lives." "captions paid for by discovery communications" "russia's great wilderness is a world unto itself." "so vast, it appears infinite." "few get the privilege of traveling to russia's most remote regions." "but those who do, encounter neerldss on an epic scale... a land with fiery volcanoes, glittering expanses of ice, millions of square miles of pristine forest, and dazzling underwater worlds." "and with the planet's wilderness disappearing at an ever-increasing rate, this may be our last chance to witness wild russia." "in russia's southwestern corner, bordered by the black and caspian seas, lies the caucasus, a region dominated by the towering caucasus mountains." "the caucasus, with thousands of species of plants and animals, is one of the most biologically rich regions on earth." "it is recognized as a biological hot spot." "but it's also losing its land and its animals at an alarming rate." "beyond the reach of civilization, 6,000 feet up, the high slopes of the caucasus are home to the goatlike caucasian chamois." "they're masters of this perilous landscape, running at speeds of 30 miles per hour up near-vertical cliffs." "oversized lungs help them glean oxygen from the thin air." "in russia, the chamois population has plummeted in recent years, virtually disappearing outside of protected areas." "the remaining few have retreated to the most inaccessible regions where few humans dare to tread." "but in the caucasus, there are heights that even the agile chamois can't escape to." "snowfields, some 23 feet deep, are far more fragile than they seem at first sight." "[ rumbling ]" "millions of tons of ice and snow crash down at speeds of over 150 miles an hour." "land untouched by man is still fair game for nature's powerful hand." "for 20 million years, these ancient mountains have been worn away." "evidence of the ravages of erosion lies at the base of the mountains... a sand dune, some 850 feet high." "this is sarykum..." "11 square miles of sand dunes." "it's all that's left of an ancient desert formed by particles from the surrounding mountains." "in the 90-degree heat, two toad-headed agama lizards are at a standoff." "they're famously belligerent." "when things heat up, he sinks into the loose sand." "the long-eared hedgehog is equally adept at desert living." "his supersized ears, much longer than any other hedgehog's, radiate heat, cooling him down." "they're partial to crickets, but, incredibly, it's possible for these hedgehogs to survive up to 10 weeks without food or water." "life in the sarykum dunes is unpredictable at best." "[ chirping ] when summer winds blast in from the southeast, the dunes can be treacherous." "there's nowhere to hide for animals caught in the open." "with little or no warning, 70-mile-an-hour winds blast the sand particles into a solid wall thousands of feet tall." "[ bleating ]" "then, as suddenly as it arrived, the storm dies." "a lizard continues on its way." "nearby, on the rocky crags, griffon vultures build their nests." "these vultures are found in southern europe, north africa, and asia." "females rarely leave their offspring." "so it's up to the male to bring home carrion." "adult griffon vultures can soar for eight hours on thermals, hunting by sight, not smell." "on the dune edges, a steppe eagle has discovered a goat killed in the sandstorm." "the eagle is strong, but it may take some time to open the carcass." "[ insects buzzing ]" "the body will last several days, assuming he can keep it to himself." "already pushy magpies attempt to move in." "but as more eagles circle, the magpies lose courage, leaving the larger birds to feast." "like it or not, the first steppe eagle won't be dining alone." "[ squawking ]" "vultures spot the commotion and drop in to join the party." "they can dive out of the sky at over 100 miles per hour." "with an empty stomach, the male vulture hitches a ride on thermals back to his family." "the chick, eager for a meal, will go hungry today." "narrator: the caucasus in russia's southwest is a wilderness under siege, and yet the forests here seem utterly pristine, as if from another time." "the tranquility is deceptive." "beneath the green canopy, a fierce battle is under way." "800-pound wild boars have perfected the art of warfare." "[ squealing ] thickened skin on their shoulders and bellies protect like a coat of armor against razor-sharp tusks." "if the combatants are equally matched, they'll fight to the death." "but these two are lucky." "a winner prevails." "his prize... the right to mate." "the rut, or mating season, is the most violent time of year for wild boars." "for two solid months, males are in fighting and mating mode." "and a pheromone-laced froth seems to seal the deal." "when the mating is over, the males return to their solitary existence." "thousands of feet above the forest-dwelling boars, mating season is in full swing for an animal absolutely unique to this region." "these 200-pound mountain goats, called turs, are only found in the caucasus." "competition for females is as extreme as their environment." "footage of turs in the wild is extraordinarily rare." "and it's no wonder." "there are less than 6,000 turs left on earth, and all make their home along these steep slopes 11,000 feet up." "the males live in bachelor herds of a few dozen for seven months of the year." "the females live far below." "male turs only descend in november when they're ready to mate." "but first they'll need to decide who dominates the herd." "the young turs learn battle skills from their elders, and they practice their routine." "imposing horns gain two or three ridges in a year, with the longest reaching nearly 3 feet in length." "the turs' vegetarian diet lacks essential minerals, so they eat the earth in special places where the soil provides what they need." "clouds formed in the west over the black sea get forced upwards." "above the rock barrier, they release their moisture, spilling almost 15 feet of rain each year." "more than 6,500 plant species flourish here." "a quarter of these are found only in the caucasus." "on the lower slopes, the rain has cultivated a burst of color, providing a much-needed meal for these caspian red deer." "several thousand roam these forests." "good news for a secretive predator the eurasian lynx." "there are more than 30,000 of these solitary cats prowling the russian countryside." "deer is their main prey." "eurasian lynx are stealthy and roam across vast areas." "so it's extremely difficult to catch them on film." "today she's taking her 6-week-old kittens on one of their first excursions." "before now, it was extremely dangerous for them to leave the hidden rock den where they were born." "but now they're eager explorers." "at this age, they're harmless, but soon they'll become accomplished killers, and dinner will look something like this." "their hearing is phenomenal." "they can pick up tiny movements over 200 feet away." "despite their size, lynx can easily take down a large male deer." "but with so many eyes and ears on the lookout, it's difficult to attack." "she can't get close enough." "time is running out." "without food, her kittens will die." "narrator: in the caucasus region of russia, the landscape is as diverse as the wildlife that make it their home." "regal mountains tower over the landscape, controlling the life that takes place on their slopes and beyond." "at the eastern edge of the caucasus lies the caspian depression." "this is the lowest point in all of russia's 6.5 million square miles." "it's not quite death valley, but it's the 15TH-lowest area on the entire planet." "water holes dot the landscape and provide a much-need lifeline to the wildlife here." "walking these arid plains is an odd-looking antelope called the saiga." "their distinct humped nose is a unique adaptation to nomadic life." "it filters the dust kicked up as they migrate across the dry plains." "this may be one of the last opportunities to film these nomadic creatures." "in a single decade, their numbers plummeted by 90%... one of the largest declines of a species ever." "today only 50,000 remain." "the culprit... poaching fueled by chinese traditional medicine." "horns fetch up to $50 a pound." "and it's not only humans that the saiga have to fear." "their rumbling hooves rile venomous snakes sensitive to ground vibrations." "[ hissing ] the deadly levantine viper can strike quickly, and it has been known to kill humans in addition to animals as large as camels." "while busy dung beetles clean up after the saiga antelope, rain caused by the mountains has transformed the caspian depression into a sea of pink blossoms." "a praying mantis makes its way to a new hunting spot." "perfectly camouflaged, it lies in wait for insects attracted by the flowers." "roaming the heather is another caucasian native... the long-eared hedgehog, about the size of a hamster." "and it's being watched closely by an agama lizard." "the stage is set on this little piece of ground for a tremendous drama that's about to occur." "the grasshopper fights for his life but doesn't stand much chance." "his remaining jumping leg is amputated, making him easy prey for someone else." "suddenly the hunter has become the hunted." "the beetle's tough keratin covering saves him, but his quarry is lost to the agama." "the hedgehog is after larger prey, guided by his sensitive ears." "a four-inch-long centipede, armed with two powerful poisoned claws, meets a careful ambush." "despite the insect's venomous death throes, the tiny fighter keeps his breakfast." "60 miles south, the land is even more arid and dry." "the lakes here are covered with salt and tall, concealing grasses." "at only three feet tall and weighing seven pounds at its heaviest, the demoiselle crane is the smallest of its long-legged family." "this crane was named by queen marie antoinette for its delicate appearance." "they head for the waterfront, which, in this region, means a salt lake." "the air here is hot and dry." "what little water exists evaporates, leaving only salt behind." "it's a desolate landscape." "under a punishing sun, the parents sift for brine shrimp." "they must leave the chicks on the baking shoreline to endure the sweltering heat alone." "narrator:" "in russia's southwest, the caucasus is a land dominated by mountains." "near its southern border, the mountains fade into the north caucasian steppes." "rivers flowing downhill to the black sea create a verdant landscape where local herders graze their sheep and goats." "[ bleating ] plants abound, even in this arid zone." "here, spur-thighed tortoises come out to enjoy the warmth and flowers." "they may take life slowly, but they live long... up to 50 years in the wild." "these tortoises have just emerged from a six-month hibernation, and they're ready to mate." "courtship happens in stages." "first, pursuit and then persuasive knocking usually followed by more surprisingly quick pursuit and some harder knocking." "eventually, the rough courtship ends, and he gets his chance." "one mating will fertilize several clutches of eggs, which she'll lay three or four at a time." "even so, she's not about to say thanks graciously." "farther up, above the tree line in the foothills of kavkazsky national park, a goliath lumbers across the grassy slopes." "this is the extremely rare highland bison, and this is one of the only places on earth it's found." "it's a ghostly reflection of the caucasian bison, a species that was hunted into extinction by 1927, when the last one was killed in the wild." "in an attempt to salvage what was left of the species, caucasian bison in zoos were crossbred with another species of bison and then released back into the wild." "these are their descendants." "this is one of the few times highland bison have been filmed in the wild." "less than 1,800 roam these hills today." "despite protection, they're still a valuable target for poachers." "they've survived centuries of persecution, but this might be the bison's last stand." "narrator: the caucasus spans dense forest, desert dunes, and snowcapped mountains." "it's home to russia's highest peak and lowest point." "and on its eastern border is the world's largest inland sea." "at 149,000 square miles, it's the size of the state of montana." "but it's not just its exceptional size that makes the caspian sea unique." "along its western banks, the ground seethes, bubbles, and boils, as heat from deep within the earth surges upwards." "and like something out of a science-fiction film, these mud pools can be lethal." "with little warning, toxic gases erupt from these mini volcanoes and suffocate any creature lingering nearby." "in other parts of the caspian sea, dense reedbeds rustle and sway in the breeze, concealing the extremely shy and stealthy jungle cat." "despite the name, jungle cats prefer wetlands." "in russia, it's estimated barely 500 survive in the wild." "this one has its eye on quail." "the jungle cat's been around for thousands of years, but this is one of the rare times it has been filmed in this region." "[ chirps ] as one bird flies out of reach, the other takes to the water, leaving the cat to scout the rushes again." "this jungle cat won't be short of prey." "millions of birds stop off at the caspian sea as part of their great migration north." "they've come thousands of miles to this crossroads between europe and asia." "this is an ancient highway for travelers of all sorts." "for millennia, nomadic herdsmen have traversed this region, called dagestan." "but other nomads arrive by air." "these colorful birds, called bee-eaters, have flown up from africa for the summer." "they dig five-foot-long nest holes in the sandy cliffs." "[ chirping ] they've arrived for the nesting season, and the bushes are alive with flirtatious chatter." "the social birds form large colonies of about 400, but males don't take kindly to competitors." "they're famous for their skill at capturing bees and wasps in flight." "this remarkable footage shows the bird knocking the stinger out of the bee and then squeezing the body to get rid of the venom." "a properly squeezed bug is the perfect gift for a potential mate." "a single bird can catch over 200 bees or wasps a day, all in midair." "when she's had her fill, she'll bow to tell her partner she's ready." "mating could produce up to 10 eggs." "the whole community raises the chicks communally... a behavior extraordinarily rare for birds." "just beyond the sandy cliffs lurks one of the bee-eaters' strangest neighbors... the three-foot-long glass lizard." "its name comes from its remarkable ability to snap off its tail if threatened." "the tail shatters like glass, but the pieces still wiggle, confusing enemies." "this reptile resembles a snake, but it's all lizard." "glass lizards like open country, t they're also found in damp forests, home to caucasus' wild boars." "the group of boars, or sounder, has welcomed a new generation." "[ grunting ] just a few weeks old, the youngsters already show some of the manic energy that will make them aggressive, ll-grown boars." "each mother gives birth to as many as 12 piglets, but many never reach adulthood due to predation and starvation." "[ squealing ]" "mothers recognize their piglets by the sound of their squeals." "but if a little one can't find its own mom, they'll latch onto any breeding female." "when the hyperactive piglets finally settle down, they'll cluster together to keep warm." "for now, they find comfort in each other, blissfully ignorant to the predators that lurk in the forest's shadows." "narrator:" "high up in the caucasus, the forests are vast and pristine." "beneath the shelter of the trees, a lynx mother struggles to feed her family." "two days ago, she killed a deer." "the carcass has provided several meals already, and now she drags it from its hiding place so the kittens can eat the remaining meat." "she'll hear no complaints." "now 5 months old, these apprentice hunters rarely get mother's milk." "they've been tailing her on hunting missions for several months now." "a fully grown lynx gorges on up to 51/2 pounds of meat in a single meal." "the kittens will stay with their mother until spring." "then, at about one year old, they'll head out to find their own territories." "when they've all had their fill, the mother covers the carcass until it's mealtime again." "she takes time to hide the remains as much as possible to prevent other hungry forest dwellers stealing her cache." "the lush fields and forests of the western caucasus stand in sharp contrast to the stark drama of its other regions." "the towering, jagged topography of eastern caucasus seems as hostile and forbidding as the moon." "at heights of over 10,000 feet, even plants barely cling to life here." "but one animal thrives." "with a surefootedness that defies gravity, the bezoar ibex is perfectly adapted to life in the mountains." "their hooves are like suction cups, allowing the ibex to climb near-vertical cliffs." "as mating season approaches, the males set off in search of female herds." "four-foot-long horns become essential weaponry in the fight for females." "but they'll need more than horns to attract members of the opposite sex." "this male attempts to woo a female with a variety of fancy moves, including head bobs... head rubs... and leg pointing." "but there's plenty of competition." "challengers wait in the wings, ready to jump in." "suddenly, it becomes a free-for-all, with males far outnumbering the sought-after females." "in the end, the most persistent ibex leaves his competitors in the dust." "if he's lucky, this female will bear two to three kids come may." "this high-stakes game goes on for two solid months across the perilous mountain ridges." "spring will see a new band of nimble bezoar ibex scrambling over the rocks at just one day old." "from these peaks, they'll survey the vast wilderness of the caucasus from its towering mountains to its untouched forests to its ancient sand dunes and down to the caspian sea." "there are few places on earth with such extraordinary range and abundance of life, and the breathtaking beauty of its wilderness is beyond compare." "this is the caucasus the very essence of wild russia."