we're on the trail of survivors descendants of a band of Castaways who landed on Madagascar and evolved into more than 30 different lur species living today by doing so they unknowingly averted disaster because monkeys smarter and more aggressive evolved on Mainland Africa and out competed all the Lemur living there driving them to Extinction so we're searching the island sanctuary of Madagascar for the descendants of the ancestral ler be an Insider in the creature world that's the mission the cck brothers dropped in remote regions to live with the creatures through their eyes on their Turf by their rules be the creature I hope we're still off the African Coast how much long can we float in the Indian Ocean here in this raft but this is exactly where the ancestral lemur was tired wet sunbaked hungry here in the mosambique channel about 60 million years ago a handful of early primates clung to a natural raft of vegetation and floated 240 mi from the African continent to the island of Madagascar they must have looked something like a small mouse-sized creature with hands and big eyes we call them protol lemur a group of them were probably set on their journey in a violent storm clinging to a tree or some kind of vegetation they were swept into a river and out to sea only surviving because they were small could store fat in their tails go into a toror likee state and it's a good thing they lasted because when they finally landed they reached a place that had so many diverse habitats just waiting to be colonized and over many many millions of years evolved into over 30 different species of lemur that are alive today that's right 30 different species because a lemur is not just a lemur but who are they all we're here to see just how far that early protol lemur has come as we Race Across Madagascar to meet today's endangered lemurs protol lemur arrives somewhere on the west coast and we begin our journey in the southern region in the spiny desert of Madagascar the spiny desert of Madagascar finally we're here and it is spiny spines are low spines are high they're everywhere here and you have to be especially adapted to survive these spines hey a radiated tortoise the shell a tortoise's armor against the spines now that is highly evolved protection but our big question was what did the Lemur do to survive how could any lemur land on these spiny didaia I don't think I'll believe it until I see it for myself ow hey Chris there they are sakas Saka talk about an evolutionary leap it took millions of years for protols to turn into this long limed tree jumping specialist here they come Chris get ready I'm rolling WAOW yes that was incredible I still can't believe it what a jump 12 feet one to the other full weight on these spines the eye hand coordination or eye finger coordination of these guys to be able to place their fingers right between the spines interlacing fingers in spines going at full jump full speed through the air that's amazing that is ow maybe they know exactly where they're jumping maybe they have paths through the spiny Forest Landing points here there that they know that they travel through their territory I think they do lots of animals use well-worn paths when they go from one place to the other like deer paths and you know what I'm going to do I'm going to find some ringtail lemur pass okay I'll stick with these guys all right cool and then probably with these two species dial in this area maybe we meet up again in a couple weeks soon what is it about these two different descendants of protol liur that makes it possible for these species the safas and ringtails to survive in the very same Forest Martin was off to find the ringtails and I was sticking with the seacus they're bouncing over to a completely new [Music] habitat Gallery Forest a rich rip peran Forest springing up from the desert along the edge of a river once most of Madagascar was covered by Forest 80% of this has now been destroyed incredible leaping ability that's what safak lemur are known for he's going low it's incredibly rare to see this species on the ground whoa another one up high [Music] wow all right the giant Kua what a call you hear that that's what we're looking for the alarm call we're getting close we're right under I joined up with one of the most terrestrial of all the leers the ringtailed lemur such good leapers look at that fantastic leapers and it's a big group too looks like there's between 25 to 30 of us the largest group of any Lemur species is made up of ringtail lemurs and the ringtail lemurs are a very different offshoot of the protur the only species in their very own genis look at that tail that is the sure giveaway that you're looking at a ringtailed lemur ringtails are the only lemur that have stripes on their tails why do they have such conspicuous Tails it's all about the social nature of these lemur they live in huge groups those stripe tails are great banners advertising here I am there you are they can see each other keep together and if that's not enough they have that contact call [Music] wonder if Chris is hearing [Music] [Applause] this this vertical cleaning and leaping is impossible for a human to do and the main reason is because of our feet safas have special ized feet that are more like hands and can grip the trunk of the tree allowing a secure anchor from which to spring with those frog likee legs whenever I try to Spring my feet slip and I can't get that traction that'll Propel me from one trunk to the next trunk okay on this tree I have an anchor which sort of simulates the shaka's ability to grab with their feet and now clinging and leaping is so much easier but I still have one problem the arm and leg strength in proportion to their body size is incredible for these primates their grip is amazing too with just a grip of their foot or hand they can hang from one hand now this is so tiring for me but they can do it for a long long time it's unbelievable one thing safas love to do is play they're like two pingpong balls chasing each other through the trees hey can I get on this these young sakas are curious hey buddy whoa here I am over here Martin would love this okay playtime ringtail L style [Music] this is windy weather nice and cool and it brings out the frisky spunk in these lemur they're up like this boxing at each other and then racing around the trees even a tail crab they get so excited these males when they play they grab their tails and sit there and rub the scent from their wrist glands on their tails now this is play now but it's a precursor to the stink fight which is a ritualized way males do battle during The Mating Season first they spread their scent all over their tails they do a handstand and the tail goes over the head and they throw the stink at the other one intimidating him trying to get him to back off that is uniquely ringtail lemur and smell is more important to lemurs than any other primate see in a dry forest like this it has some openings especially when the area has been disturbed by humans being able to come to the ground is really important in this part of Madagascar Chris is lucky though sometimes the savaka come to the ground are you guys hitting down W on the ground we are in for some spectacular leaping this was something I had always dreamed of seeing the tree specialist was hitting the ground wait for me leaping lemur look at these guys go but why the funny hop now if you're built for vertical cleaning and leaping this is how you have to move on the ground it's just the way their body functions into the tree for a safety break look for Predators then off again they spread their arms for balance and use those leaping legs kind of like this they cross over one another they leap really high body upright and sideways to the direction you're traveling arms out for balance sometimes Crossing in frog likee leaps but it really takes the wind out of here so shakas have to take a break every now and then especially those mothers with babies the early morning safas love to sit in the Sun and soak up the Rays hey here come a few more this young safak is about 3 months old he's still riding on his mom's back but by 6 months of age he'll be fully [Music] mobile that's a saaka contact call there's another call this saaka makes that gives them their name it's the alarm call and it goes shuck there she's doing it right now shuck see those deep wrinkles on her face this Mother's old sakas are mature at four and we'll usually have a baby every year after that only 50% of the babies survive their first year and some of those can live to be more than 20 years old sharing the years and the forest with many other creatures a spiny chameleon one of 57 chameleons found in Madagascar and that is about half of all the comunion in the world hey keep your eyes peeled for Chris and the safas they got to be around here somewhere they but steer clear of those ringtails they've been known to eat you guys there you go got it now what are you doing in the cactus [Music] I can't believe they choose a cactus though to sit in and some of the Lemur are even eating Cactus how you do that I don't know they tur huge bites of it it's pretty fleshy stuff but you do have to watch out for spines ow just take off chunks so the ringtails were taking advantage of cactus but what were the saaka survive you flowers it's like eating a cotton ball leaves that's a favorite safas live in small groups of about 4 to 12 and like many lemurs females are the dominant ones of the group if a female wanted to eat where this male is eating right now she'd come in and chase him away he's into some good fruit up there some renaria gravia fruits first they bite the whole Berry off and then chew it up in their [Music] cheek and spit out the seed safas and ringtails both devour these fruits but it's the food they don't share that allows them to coexist eating on the ground the big difference between the ringtail and other lemurs it looks like this is a creature with two heads one big head and there's a little identical head right on top riding jockey style that's a way to travel isn't it oh here's an underslung baby look riding on the mother's belly that's how they ride when they're really young so right there are the two ways that the parents carry their infants because they need their hands free to climb feed and move with the group even the mom with the baby can really move on the ground wow look at them go ringtail lemur can bust out into a full on Gallop they can really stretch it out completely comfortable on the ground we're on the move Martin and I were following our individual troops as they followed the food sources much as protol liur and its descendants had been following theirs for millions of years hey there's Chris all those tails are high you can't miss us ringtails and Martin he found him Martin you found the ringtail yeah aren't they gray they're a huge group almost 25 they're gray so they meet the two lemur meet I think we have a great fix on these two I mean safas are vertical clingers and leapers and feed in trees ringtails quadrapedal Runners and jumpers feed in trees and on the ground too safas come to the ground only to cross Open Spaces ringtails are great on the ground quick like a fox two very different lemurs radiating from a common protol lemur ancestor but different enough to coexist in the same habitat we've gotten to know the safas and the ringtails but since Proto's progyny didn't just stay in one place neither can we it's time to move north on the trail of the evolving madagascan lemur okay out you sure yeah all right oh this way for millions of years this was lemur country people only arrived less than 2,000 years ago but in that short time a third of all Lemur species have gone extinct we want to see why all right I'm in we'd reached the end of two paths taken by the ancestral protol lemur but there were so many more to discover our Expedition continues as we head north the range of environments here in Madagascar is incredible from beaches Desert High plateaus it's all here Proto lemur descended spread across the island evolving quickly but now can't adapt to the exploding human population [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're brushing up on our malagi because it's really fun to be able to speak to the local people in their language Chris uh what is the word for big uh Le nice what you like uh you like is T andl oh right so say t and Maki I like lamur we were now driving through Disturbed Forest where lemurs are increasingly hard def find the black and white rough lur once common up and down the east coast is now rare today it's heavily hunted for food so it's a double whammy hunted towards Extinction while its habitat shrinks and it's a unique lemur line the only large lemur who leaves their young in nests oh this is some fire oh wow fires are the leading cost of lemur habitat destruction look at these Flames it doesn't matter if fires are set for slash and burn agriculture or for creating charcoal once the forest burns the soil is bare the next rain washes the top soil away so the forest can never regrow it becomes a Barren grassland imagine if you were a lemur in the path of these Flames you're leaping through the trees leaping for your life and abandoning your home Chris we got to get the truck out of here the Flames are too hot this was once a rainforest filled with lemurs and now it's been turned into this massive rice Patty and they were huge trees that they burned or fell dug up the roots moved all this Earth it's amazing probably never realized that the Lemur were going to become extinct because of it nice fig we've got to get to a place where lemurs aren't threatened up into the few areas of cloud forest where lemur habitat is still relatively pristine a different place different foods different adaptations required here a place for new lemurs to evolve our goal here is to find and get to know some very secretive species of lemur hey buddy the locals call this simpa this is a type of propius lamur the only one with red eyes a very close relative of the dry forest saaka the same body design but obviously different coloration and a lot of different adaptations that allow this in to live in a completely different environment look at this right in here can you see them look at these fruits he's eating Chris they look like big olives these senuna are seed Predators they actually kill the seeds by eating them yeah and the dry for saaka ate the fruit and spit out the seeds Martin I'm going to go up and get some of those seeds all right I'll spot you down here who look out on me hang on I'll get one got one all right this is what the Lemur is doing dripping off this inedible outer coting which is meant to protect the seed so the Lemur gets rid of that that's a nice seed it almost looks nuttie that is not edible for me it's soaked with a nasty latex lemurs like the senuna they eat what's available in the forest different weeks of the year they're eating different things and that's why having a pristine Forest is so important if any trees disappear that might be the critical tree that provided the fruit that got them through a certain month the terrain was getting rougher here and these rainforests contain a little creature that was getting pretty rough on us a massive blood stain another leech got me they lay in weight on the forest floor and the trees everywhere little squirmy heat seeking missiles and when they sense out a warm body they stretch out to latch on and if they get a hold they quickly move up your leg to find the soft spots latch on and start sucking your blood we've only got one leech free zone out here our tents you always have to try to get your tent set up before it rains and it's hard to do the Lemur are out there we want to go out and find them but we have to get set up that Sky could open up any minute and if your tent's not set up before the rain comes you're going to have a wet Expedition there are at least 12 species of lemur in this forest alone but there is one extremely rare group that is only down here we're in search of Bamboo Lemur three types they're all living in this Forest feeding on bamboo at the same time of day lamur where where yeah gray Bamboo Lemur there the size of a squirrel hard to keep up with Martin Come on he's up here this terrain is tough and it's so much easier for them to move Mo through here because they can go from Branch to Branch tree to tree but for us slipping and sliding on the loose leaves of the mud these lemurs are giving us a run for it the gray is the smallest Bamboo Lemur and also the quietest this species is one result of adaptation to the one plentiful bamboo resources heat parts of both bamboo species in this Forest the giant bamboo and the viny bamboo it's a much more manageable size for these small squirrel sides lemur and here's the technique with the back teeth do the corn on the cob motion and then with your little hands break twist and that's the stuff they're looking for I'm really itching right now here do you see anything I think it might when I ate that bamboo they have these hairs on the new shoots that protect looks like you're a clown or something with an extended smile it's great one Bamboo Lemur down two more out there somewhere the golden Bamboo Lemur way up there with the bamboo leaves this lemur was a surprise and recent addition to science's evolutionary tree only discovered in 1986 this is a new bamboo shoot filled with protein but protected by Cyanide and only the golden Bamboo Lemur can eat it this part of the bamboo has such high levels of cyanide that it can kill a rat in a matter of minutes but the golden Bamboo Lemur is a cyanide specialist they can eat this getting past the bamboo defense to the great protein inside this fresh young Chute and only they can eat need it so it gives them a great competitive Advantage it separates them from the other Bamboo Lemur allowing three species to live in the same Forest so that was the golden bamboo lemur a mediumsized primate known to science for less than 20 years but there is also a third bamboo relative once thought to be extinct but then rediscovered and that's who we're after next in secret places Pockets like these off the Beaten Track that's where the surviving Greater Bamboo Lemur hit out until they were rediscovered only very recently W unbelievable wow can't pass this up it's a Madagascar shower woohoo woooo woohoo and there were so many frogs living here at this waterfall they were colored perfectly to match the rocks in algae a species perfectly adapted to this micro habitat surviving in a world of their own check it out a malagasy crayfish it's huge and this one's a female you can see her her eggs right underneath her tail they're bright orange we got to get her back in the water so she can oxygenate those eggs Madagascar is full of hidden pockets of animal life looking for lemurs they're the biggest and fuest creature out here but they share this forest with so many other life forms the reptiles the amphibians the insects This Cloud Forest just pulses with life so many chameleon species devouring so many insect species there are unbelievable numbers of endemic Birds the nest of a Paradise Fly Catcher And there's a little pink egg inside let's back off and see if the parents will come back all right it's him the father bird back to warm that egg they take turns it's a beautiful bird so what other surprises can we meet in here hopefully we'll be able to find the one Bamboo Lemur that everybody thought was extinct until a small group of survivors was found hidden deep in the bamboo forest hey here's a sign that we must be in the right area only one type of lemur can get into these tough bamboo stalks the Greater Bamboo Lemur he must be in the area somewhere right lots of bamboo means lots of bamboo lers but it's tough to get through right there oh great all right this is it we can't miss it this could be our only chance hry okay go for it can't f it he's going shoot he's just moving over a little bit let's follow him okay here he is got him hello oh Greater Bamboo Lemur he's a third surviving offshoot of the Bamboo Lemur stalk with a very unique ability here's the Greater Bamboo Lemur specialization in action they bust through the stalk get it inside to the Woody pith peel it off in layers and just munch it up even in the mature stalks look at him dig into it and pull it pull it he's using a lot of his body weight he's is digging into it so hard that the whole stalk is shaking so what exactly does it take to eat this bamboo wow now this stuff is Pretty Tough we can't even get a strip with our teeth you got to use your knife to cut into it you can see how strong it is bamboo but it's like wood wow that's tough stuff I can't even even get it after You' made the cut you got cut down again okay there we go and then yes then you can strip if you get into the the grain across the grain you can pull the grain down amazing oh yeah but this is the hard stuff the amazing ability to get through this stuff and get to the food inside is what sets the Greater Bamboo Lemur apart from all other lemur so many species have gone extinct we'll never have the chance to see this is one report this is one lost animal that's been found hear that they don't make a lot of sounds but most of the sound they've made so far is when they're telling another lemur not to come to close because they've got this bamboo to themselves whoa this mom's really talking Chris the baby's right here oh yeah see how trusting she is she's bringing her baby right in did you hear what he's talking wow that two week old youngster is already showing white ear TS the trademark of the Greater Bamboo Lemur without this specific species of giant bamboo in stands large enough to support a good population of these lemurs Greater Bamboo lemurs would simply not exist right buddy do you know how special you are now you're going to be on TV I'm going to make you look so good cuz you're going to be a star you're a bamboo eating star sunset in the cloud forest on the 12th day of our Expedition we'd slept through the day to get ready to investigate the nocturnal creatures at dusk we were ready to go for weeks we've been focused on the Lemur but Madagascar has carnivores too Civic species whose ancestors arrived around 20 million years ago perhaps in the same way as the protol Lemur that's galidia a smooth quick little ver very mongus like that's a cool orange color he was caught in some kind of snare I don't know how he got out of that one but they are intelligent and good enough tree climbers to go after small lemur a close cousin Fuca is more terrestrial and nervous they like to eat frogs insects geckos whatever they can find in the leaf litter fanal luucas are nocturnal and this one's getting an early start the darker the night gets the Bolder feluca becomes Fuca is still out foraging for food work got it slurp o she got a off see that fat tail on the Fuca that store is fat for times when food is scarce and the vied ancestors got to Madagascar the same way as protol lemur on a raft storing fat in the tail slowing their metabolism surviving the journey to this day the Lemurs that most closely resemble protol lemur store fat in their tail like the dwarf lemur its overall body shape and size is very similar to what the protol Lemur must have looked like or it could have been a little smaller like the smallest of all living lemur the mouse lemur it's unknown which of these two small nocturnal lemurs the protol Lemur most closely resembled but one thing is for sure as a group they haven't strayed far from the original protol lemur ah a nocturnal lemur the smallest primate in the world the mouse lemur this mouse lemur one of the closest living lookalike to the protol Lemur that came here little hands big eyes able to survive in a lot of different places is because she can eat anything tree sap and gum insects small reptiles all could have been a part of a protol lemer's diet and with the ability as a GST to eat all these things this little protol lemur could have spread all over Madagascar into all the different habitats and then evolve into the specialized lemurs that we know today including the eight we've seen so far but there were at least 22 more species to see and our time was running out as our search continued it took us right through the heart of a malagi village and it reminded us of how the booming malagi population is bad news for lemur the more people there are the more forests are cut and the more lemur habitat keeps on shrinking but these are really nice people living in one of the poorest countries in the world it's illegal to hunt lemur but where food resources are very scarce lemur provide a ready supply of meat for local villagers but some lemur are beard and never [Music] eaten we stocked up on some Provisions Chris you have that bag I found the Vari here you need the bag yeah okay now we are ready to get back into the forest and find the largest living lemur about the size of these kids AA Babu in for pleas just wait till you hear this lemur call it is incredible got to get some more works I know friends friends friends friends friends theuma sakaa we saved the biggest for last we're heading north again back up into some new Hills and a new area of cloud forest now we're looking for the largest leevers all the action happens in the morning so we have to find them fast there are two big species out here somewhere one silent and strikingly beautiful and one among the loudest mammals on the planet okay you just Liv off come on here Martin we're right underneath them I don't believe it the diadem saaka evolving from the same pint siiz protol the diademed has outsized all other safas to be the largest living today this lemur is definitely a contender for one of the most beautiful Lemur in Madagascar and one of the most beautiful primates in the world oh oh that infant there she's the future of this species because there are less than 10,000 diademed lemur left and they're being hit hard by hunting that sound that's not these guys you hear that Chris up ahead I hear something oh jeez oh yeah this way another Li sh's forest with d them it's big loud the injury it's not going to last [Music] long we got to go let's fly let's go the injury we're seeing we had to get to them before last call [Music] by the time we reached them the injury were silent so now we just had to wait until they started calling again or better yet find them before they called grab me me this way the injury a lemur about as long as a 6-year-old human somewhere along the evolutionary Road the injury pretty much lost its long tail only a stub remains I love their black hands and feet it's almost like they're wearing scuba gloves and [Laughter] booties the inury lives in family groups with a mother father and all their offspring Offspring usually stay with the group until they're about 7 years old this group has at least one older Offspring and one young Offspring who's leaping on her own already oh wow the baby is leaping but she's so high up there look oh yeah I don't think she's fantastic it's amazing that we're seeing a baby inry because they're the largest lemur they also have the most time before they are sexually mature ready to produce Offspring so to see a baby of this endangered species is phenomenal grooming grooming with the lower four in size are shaped as an actual comb this is unique to lemur got it got it got it got it I can't see the actual teeth making up the comb oh they just I just can't get the angle oh there was the little one to call me Mom now it's mom's turn the injury only make that hunting Eerie call a few times a day so we have to stick with it be patient and above all be ready these trees are hard to shoot through so we've got to stick with movie there they go calling Sho can you see an angle right through there perfect help me perfect cool just help me it's not over here I can hear it they just moved okay yeah I thought it was I think we got a good you here that is the call of the injury I can hear but I can't see her [Music] face her face is always blocked can't believe this that sound can be heard for miles away and it's the way for injury to announce its claim to this part of the forest this is this group's territory and they're letting everybody else know [Music] that here the neighbors they're answering yeah now I see your face but you stop calling it's really tough getting a picture of these guys making that amazing sound this Forest is so dense and uh we just got to find that right hole and show you that they move just a little and the window's gone let's go let's keep up with the this stuff in here the repositioning getting comfortable at least they shake the trees so we can know which way they're going I think I saw the mom and baby head this way right above us okay here they are with those super long limbs long fingers and toes the injury can reach almost any Leaf in the forest look at those greenish eyes they're amazing when they stare at you it looks like they're staring right inside you they've pulled up into that sleeping position of the injury and they'll rest for a while if we were lucky we'd have one more chance maybe they'd do one more chorus Our Only Hope was to stay with them and be [Music] ready Martin wake up they're [Music] C her mouth is so red she holds it so wide open it's [Music] amazing the baby say hanging their bed he flies away oh wow they usually do this call for about 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes this is eering it's so loud it just goes right through [Music] here I don't know if you notice but there's the tooth gomb right there those four lower in sizers modified into what is a built- in oh yes we got it that was tough to get oh wow running through here and getting it just at the Right View we got it the culture of the Massi people developed with lemurs all around them and lemurs are a part of their beliefs and their Customs some lemurs like the babuta the indur are good lemur they're revered inner stor they saved people in a forest and so now it's F or taboo to kill them we've been so lucky to get such a great idea of what it's like to be 11 of the more than 30 existing Lemur species all the Lemurs we've seen evolved without human influence but now humans are the key to their future will we get a chance to complete this journey with future Expeditions and see all the living lemur from the tiniest Mountain lemur to the largest in Dream It's astounding that from such a humble beginning so many bizarre and beautiful lemurs have sprung to life on this island called Madagascar virtually all are threatened and Beyond the very important first step of knowing who they are and how they live action has to be taken by us their fellow primates to make sure lemurs keep leaping and singing and just being lemur for millions of years to come [Music] [Music] he you