< Return to Video

Biscayne: Coral Reefs and the Florida Keys (Full Episode) | America's National Parks | Nat Geo

  • 0:03 - 0:08
    The Florida coast is host to one
    of the biggest gatherings of animals
  • 0:09 - 0:11
    in the United States.
  • 0:14 - 0:17
    Mullet in the millions
  • 0:20 - 0:23
    heading south past Miami Beach,
  • 0:24 - 0:27
    toward a very special national park.
  • 0:31 - 0:34
    A journey that is fraught with danger.
  • 0:45 - 0:50
    The mullet have ten miles to go
    before they reach Biscayne National Park.
  • 0:53 - 0:57
    But first they need to run
    a gauntlet of predators.
  • 1:09 - 1:11
    Biscayne National Park.
  • 1:13 - 1:16
    Right on the doorstep of Miami.
  • 1:22 - 1:27
    These inviting waters are home
    to Florida's most iconic animal.
  • 1:32 - 1:33
    The manatee.
  • 1:34 - 1:36
    They're here thanks to one
  • 1:36 - 1:38
    of the most important
    habitats on the planet.
  • 1:44 - 1:46
    Seagrass meadows,
  • 1:49 - 1:51
    the rain forests of the sea.
  • 1:54 - 1:57
    They provide oxygen
  • 1:57 - 2:00
    and lock in carbon with their roots,
  • 2:00 - 2:03
    helping to protect our natural world.
  • 2:17 - 2:19
    For a manatee mom and her calf,
  • 2:21 - 2:25
    it takes somewhere special
    to provide everything they need.
  • 2:28 - 2:31
    Warm, shallow, sheltered water
  • 2:33 - 2:36
    and seagrass, lots of it.
  • 2:39 - 2:42
    Mom needs to eat around 66 pounds a day.
  • 2:46 - 2:50
    Luckily, almost half of this park is seagrass.
  • 3:06 - 3:11
    Once full, she can relax and feed her calf.
  • 3:17 - 3:21
    The family will spend the summer
    hunting for the best grazing.
  • 3:25 - 3:29
    Their travels take them past the park's islands,
  • 3:31 - 3:34
    its tropical mangrove forests
  • 3:44 - 3:46
    and further north past Miami.
  • 3:54 - 3:57
    But it won't be easy.
  • 4:00 - 4:03
    Finding good grazing in Florida's waters
  • 4:03 - 4:06
    is becoming difficult for manatee moms.
  • 4:09 - 4:13
    In polluted water, algal blooms
    smother the seagrass meadows,
  • 4:13 - 4:19
    preventing sunlight from reaching them
    and cause the grass to die.
  • 4:21 - 4:26
    Florida has lost 50%
    of its seagrass beds since the 1950s.
  • 4:29 - 4:33
    As a result, manatees are declining too.
  • 4:36 - 4:40
    But along a coastline struggling
    to preserve this precious habitat,
  • 4:44 - 4:48
    Biscayne's seagrass meadows
    are a vital oasis.
  • 4:53 - 4:56
    Manatees are not alone
    in depending on the seagrass.
  • 4:58 - 5:02
    It's also home to one
    of the park's smallest inhabitants.
  • 5:06 - 5:08
    The dwarf seahorse,
  • 5:08 - 5:10
    just one inch tall.
  • 5:12 - 5:15
    And a surprisingly bad swimmer.
  • 5:17 - 5:21
    To keep from being swept away,
    they use their tails to hold on.
  • 5:28 - 5:31
    They feed by sucking in passing food.
  • 5:35 - 5:38
    So quick, that if you blink,
    you'll miss it.
  • 5:56 - 6:00
    But it's their love life
    that causes a stir.
  • 6:02 - 6:06
    In the seahorse world, males have babies.
  • 6:07 - 6:09
    His partner merely drops her eggs
  • 6:09 - 6:12
    into his kangaroo-like pouch,
  • 6:12 - 6:14
    leaving him to do the rest.
  • 6:19 - 6:21
    Eleven days later...
  • 6:23 - 6:25
    ...birth starts.
  • 6:50 - 6:53
    Once out, the little ones
    are on their own.
  • 7:01 - 7:04
    Some are reluctant to leave
    the safety of Dad's pouch,
  • 7:04 - 7:06
    even during birth.
  • 7:09 - 7:12
    Their instinct to hang on is strong.
  • 7:19 - 7:23
    Dad gives birth
    to up to 16 young at a time.
  • 7:34 - 7:38
    By fish standards, seahorses
    have a fairly high survival rate.
  • 7:47 - 7:48
    Coral Barrier Reef
  • 7:50 - 7:55
    But the future of these tiny critters
  • 7:55 - 8:00
    is heavily reliant on the health
    of the seagrass beds.
  • 8:02 - 8:06
    Luckily this youngster's new home
    is within the protected waters
  • 8:06 - 8:09
    of Biscayne National Park.
  • 8:13 - 8:16
    95% of it is underwater.
  • 8:24 - 8:28
    The park's seagrass beds
    and resident seahorses
  • 8:28 - 8:32
    are kept safe
    from the wild Atlantic Ocean...
  • 8:35 - 8:39
    ...by the third largest coral reef
    in the world.
  • 8:45 - 8:49
    The Florida Reef rises up
    out of deep water,
  • 8:50 - 8:54
    creating a protective wall 360 miles long.
  • 8:59 - 9:04
    Shielding six million people
    from waves and storm surges.
  • 9:10 - 9:14
    The true unsung hero
    of Biscayne National Park.
  • 9:25 - 9:29
    The coral barrier reef
    marks the park's Atlantic edge.
  • 9:30 - 9:30
    American Crocodile
  • 9:32 - 9:37
    On its western boundary
    lies an unlikely sanctuary
  • 9:38 - 9:41
    for one of the park's largest predators.
  • 9:45 - 9:48
    Meet the American crocodile,
  • 9:50 - 9:56
    weighing in at 400 pounds
    and 10 feet long.
  • 9:58 - 10:01
    Classic ambush hunters,
  • 10:02 - 10:06
    nothing is off the menu
    for this crocodile.
  • 10:12 - 10:16
    Unlike her more fearsome
    Australian and African cousins,
  • 10:17 - 10:19
    he's no man-eater.
  • 10:29 - 10:33
    Hers is a story of hope and survival.
  • 10:36 - 10:41
    By the early '70s there were less than
    300 American crocodiles left in Florida.
  • 10:44 - 10:47
    Now there are thousands.
  • 10:48 - 10:51
    Thanks to an unlikely savior.
  • 10:54 - 10:58
    In the 1970s, Turkey Point's
    nuclear power station
  • 10:58 - 11:03
    was built next door to what
    would become Biscayne National Park.
  • 11:07 - 11:12
    It's now home to nearly a quarter
    of the American crocodile population.
  • 11:18 - 11:21
    Their fierce reputation
    does them a disservice.
  • 11:25 - 11:29
    Croc moms are surprisingly caring.
  • 11:33 - 11:35
    Eleven weeks ago,
  • 11:35 - 11:38
    she buried around 30 eggs
    in this shallow nest.
  • 11:39 - 11:40
    Hatchlings
  • 11:51 - 11:54
    She's checking on her brood
    with increasing regularity.
  • 11:57 - 12:00
    Listening for the sound of chirping
    within the eggs.
  • 12:04 - 12:06
    Hatching has started.
  • 12:12 - 12:16
    The sound of their siblings
    chirping from inside the eggs
  • 12:16 - 12:21
    spurs the hatchlings
    to stage a mass breakout.
  • 12:49 - 12:51
    The hatchlings are nearly a foot long.
  • 13:05 - 13:09
    Equipped with sharp teeth
    and ready to go.
  • 13:15 - 13:19
    But this great escape
    isn't so easy for everyone.
  • 13:20 - 13:24
    Breaking out of the tough shells
    is hard work.
  • 13:27 - 13:29
    He'd better hurry.
  • 13:29 - 13:32
    Mom is waiting
    to carry them to the water.
  • 13:34 - 13:37
    Without her help and protective presence,
  • 13:37 - 13:40
    he'll be vulnerable.
  • 13:43 - 13:46
    Best not get left behind.
  • 13:53 - 13:54
    Even if your sibling walks all over you.
  • 13:56 - 13:58
    For hatchlings struggling to escape, Mom will step in to help.
    14:10
    ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
    14:21
    For this little guy, there's no need to shout for Mom. ♪ ♪
    14:31
    Freedom. (chirping)
    14:38
    The American crocodile's future here at Turkey Point is looking bright.
    14:44
    With the addition of these newborns, numbers are on the rise.
    14:52
    Between the park and the power station, the crocodiles have over 170,000 acres
    14:58
    of protected area to roam. More than enough space for this clutch of growing youngsters.
    15:07
    ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
    Mangroves
    15:15
    Every corner of Biscayne National Park provides shelter and a home.
    15:21
    ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
    15:28
    The salt water-loving mangrove forests are no different. (distant squawking)
    15:35
    Rising from the sand, they're one of Biscayne's most valuable resources.
    15:41
    ♪ ♪ These tangled trees absorb the power from storm surges...
    15:50
    ♪ ♪ ...protecting the coastline and millions of people
    15:58
    from destructive waves and erosion. ♪ ♪
    16:06
    Alongside the seagrass, mangrove forests are a powerful tool
    16:11
    in the fight against climate change.
    16:16
    They can store five times more carbon than tropical forests like the Amazon.
    16:25
    The role they play here is priceless. ♪ ♪
    16:32
    ♪ ♪
    16:37
    Above water, birds roost in the branches. (birds calling)
    Lemon Shark
    16:43
    Underneath, mangroves hide a secret world,
    16:49
    with easy pickings... for those in the know.
    16:55
    ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
    17:03
    The tightly packed roots of the mangroves are a perfect location
    17:09
    for a fish nursery. A safe and sheltered home to grow up in
    17:16
    before leaving for the reef beyond. ♪ ♪
    17:23
    ♪ ♪
    17:29
    But every neighborhood has its troubles. ♪ ♪
    17:44
    A juvenile lemon shark cruises Biscayne National Park, here to learn one thing: how to hunt.
    17:53
    ♪ ♪
    17:59
    The fish have the size advantage in this deadly game of hide-and-seek. ♪ ♪
    18:06
    ♪ ♪
    18:12
    ♪ ♪
    18:19
    The lemon shark needs to be patient. ♪ ♪
    18:30
    Luckily, he's got the time. He will hunt in the safety of the mangroves
    18:38
    until he's seven or eight years old, before moving out to live and hunt
    Loggerheads
    18:45
    along Florida's sandy coastal shallows. ♪ ♪
    18:50
    ♪ ♪
Title:
Biscayne: Coral Reefs and the Florida Keys (Full Episode) | America's National Parks | Nat Geo
Description:

Just below Miami, hidden beneath the waves, is a giant nursery - Biscayne National Park - where thousands of animals come to rear their young.

America's National Parks | S2, E2

Explore the World with National Geographic subscriptions: natgeo.com/ytngmagazine

Watch more America's National Parks on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-bb0326ae-9879-4479-a8b5-87ef89ea3300?cid=DTCI-Synergy-NatGeo-YT-Acquisition-Library-GLOBAL-NatGeo-AmericasNationalParks-EN-Youtube-NatGeo_BRAND_YT_ANP-NA

➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
➡ Get more Nat Geo Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLivjPDlt6ApSiD2mk9Ngp-5dZ9CDDn72O
➡ Get more Nat Geo Wild Full Episodes: https://youtu.be/qAG2SkTPltw

And check out more National Geographic series and specials here:
➡ Disney Plus: https://on.natgeo.com/3q6on5p
➡ Hulu: https://on.natgeo.com/3Qor0Ko
➡ NGTV app: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/
➡ ABC app: https://abc.com/

#FullEpisode #AmericasNationalParks #NationalGeographic

About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.

Get More National Geographic:
Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite
Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo
Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter
Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@natgeo
Tenor: http://on.natgeo.com/31b3Koc

Biscayne: Coral Reefs and the Florida Keys (Full Episode) | America's National Parks | Nat Geo
https://youtu.be/5KsV53mwhI0

National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

more » « less
Video Language:
English
Duration:
44:18

English subtitles

Revisions Compare revisions