WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:03.879 Welcome. This is Marsha for Radio I, and today I 2 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:08.160 will be reading National Geographic Magazine dated July twenty twenty five, 3 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:11.919 which is donated by the publisher as a reminder. RADIOI 4 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.640 is a reading service intended for people who are blind 5 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:17.719 or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read 6 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:21.760 printed material. Please join me now for the continuation of 7 00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:24.879 the article I began last time, entitled What New York 8 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:30.280 City Loses when Languages Vanish by Ross Perlin. Just as 9 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:35.000 exceptional are the artistic, musical, and culinary possibilities as worldwide 10 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:38.759 from around the globe come together and share a space. 11 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:44.000 Irwin Sanchez, a chef and poet in Queen's who speaks 12 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.960 Nahuatl once the language of the Aztec, makes tacos, moles 13 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:53.240 and tamalays with the words original meeting in mind. Whos 14 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:59.799 Nika Kuja Maryova, a speaker of Waki from Tajikistan, creates 15 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.320 some of the very first children's books for speakers of 16 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:07.319 six Pamiri languages, all now represented along Brooklyn's own Silk Road. 17 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:13.239 Ibrahama Tararor, who made it from Guinea to the Lower 18 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:17.799 East Side, teaches NiCoT, a pioneering West African writing system 19 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:21.200 and pushes for its use in every new technology. For 20 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:25.599 a Sandler, a Yiddish speaking writer born in Moldova, contributes 21 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:28.760 in his own way, novel after novel to the miraculous 22 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:32.799 rebirth of Yiddish in New York. Lenape, the original language 23 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.280 of the land the city is built on, is also 24 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.959 being revived, against all the odds, from its last stronghold 25 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:42.599 in rural Ontario, where there is just a single native speaker. 26 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:46.079 A new generation of activists is bringing the language to 27 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.799 a wider audience. One of them was Kiaren Moscow, who, 28 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.439 before she passed away, would come down once a month 29 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.640 to teach the language in Manhattan, the place where we 30 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:00.760 get bows in Lenape. And then there's rasmena Ung, the 31 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:04.400 young Secis speaker. For seven years, she has been documenting 32 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:07.239 the language in both Nepal and New York, with dozens 33 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.439 of hours of recordings, many transcribed and translated, as well 34 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:15.000 as a growing dictionary. But now elders are passing away 35 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:18.319 and taking the language with them. Questions about immigration and 36 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:23.400 asylum hang over the community's future. Housing is increasingly challenging, 37 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:27.240 and their village like cohesion may not last. Over the 38 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.360 past decades. By chance, Boring's Brooklyn neighborhood has become a 39 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:35.719 place where people from around the world establish hometown associations, 40 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:40.479 religious institutions, restaurants, and a range of other businesses and spaces, 41 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.520 forming radically different worlds that now dwell side by side. 42 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.960 Just minutes from the second vertical village, you can hear 43 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:55.000 Ghanaian churchgoers speaking twee Azerbaijani barber's speaking Jehuri, and uber 44 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:59.120 drivers gathering over kabab's and whisky and chatting in Uzbek 45 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:04.719 otto by shops in formal commuter or dollar vans, mosques 46 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:09.039 and bars ring with the sounds of African, Asian, European, Caribbean, 47 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:13.319 and Latin American languages. For all the unrealized potential babble, 48 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:17.560 not the biblical myth, but the contemporary reality, has been 49 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.800 working in cities like New York to an extraordinary degree. 50 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.479 Now is the moment to understand, appreciate, and defend it 51 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.840 the global origins of New York's at risk languages, some 52 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:31.479 of the world's most endangered languages are spoken in the 53 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:37.360 city where a subway ride can take you around the world. 54 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:40.520 Hoarding New York City's subway system, one of the world's 55 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:44.159 oldest and most extensive, is like embarking on a journey 56 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.800 across the globe for the price of a single fear. 57 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:50.919 It connects writers to roughly one thousand places where myriad 58 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:56.039 languages have taken root. Each destination is its own linguistic universe. 59 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:04.080 Next to the hidden talents of nature's unloved animals. By A. J. Jacobs, 60 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.520 whether it's their bold appearance, their unsavory hygiene habits, or 61 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:12.759 their unexpected behavior, certain animals suffer from an image problem. 62 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:17.120 Of course, their standout attribute can also be their superpowers. 63 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:20.639 The vulture has to be one of the most reviled 64 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:26.319 creatures on Earth. The very word vulture is an insult, 65 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:29.759 a synonym for a greedy exploiter. In a way, vulture's 66 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:33.639 bad reputation is understandable for starters. They are neither cute 67 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:37.199 nor cuddly, what with their stooped posture, bare heads, and 68 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.720 beady eyes. They spend their days eating dead animals, and 69 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.680 they do it in a stomach churning way by entering 70 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:46.959 the corpse at its soft parts, such as the mouth, nose, 71 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:51.639 or anus. Vultures definitely have an image problems, as national 72 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:57.160 geographic explorer Darcy Ogata, Africa program director at the conservation 73 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.839 nonprofit Peregrine Fund, who point out that a bald bird 74 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.439 sticking its beak up the rear end of a wildebeest 75 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:08.800 wouldn't make for the most appealing magazine cover. The bird's 76 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:13.120 pr problem has real world consequences. It causes us to 77 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:17.879 overlook the vulture's fascinating behavior and vital role in our ecosystem. 78 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:23.639 Without vultures, bad things happen. These birds act as nature's cleaners, hovering, 79 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:27.680 hoovering up rotting carcasses, and preventing the spread of disease. 80 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:32.319 Consider the drastic situation in India. Starting three decades ago, 81 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:36.839 vultures nearly disappeared after millions of them were accidentally poisoned 82 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.279 by medicine used on cows, which turned out to be 83 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:44.199 toxic to vultures. As a result, the countryside became littered 84 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:48.519 with rotting, germ filled animal corpses that infected the rivers 85 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:53.600 in drinking water and also boosted the population of rabies 86 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:57.120 carrying theiral dogs. According to a recent study in the 87 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.160 American Economic Review, the decline in vultures correlated with more 88 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:04.560 than half a million excess human deaths in a population 89 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.199 sample in India between two thousand and two thousand and five. 90 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.879 In an ideal world, the disappearing vulture population would be 91 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:16.879 a conservation priority, but it isn't. The vast majority of 92 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:20.959 global conservation money goes to a few top species, usually 93 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:24.920 large animals such as rhinos, elephants, and gorillas. The rest 94 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:28.560 of conservation gets the scraps. O Goddess says. The animals 95 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.120 fighting over those crumbs are what you might call the 96 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:35.639 d list species. The outcasts. We're talking about the vultures, 97 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:39.519 the naked mole rats, and the probiscous monkeys with their 98 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:45.199 pendulous blobby schnazes. They're not pretty, they're not colorful. They 99 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.480 often do gross things, such as eating feces, a habit 100 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:53.600 of the naked mole rat. They are the popular opposite, 101 00:06:53.639 --> 00:07:00.240 polar opposites of the conservation icons, the lions, pandas, penguins 102 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:03.759 and giraffes that star in nature documentaries, appear on our 103 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:07.439 cereal boxes, and get the lead rolls in animated movies. 104 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:14.040 Conservationists call the a Lister's charismatic megafauna or flagship species. 105 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:18.160 Several studies show that they get a lopsided share of donations. 106 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:23.079 As one study puts it, animal charisma trumps endangered status. 107 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:27.000 Just one example, amphibians account for about twenty five percent 108 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:31.600 of threatened vertebrate species, but only about two point five 109 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.720 percent of funding. No one wants to kiss or donate 110 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.759 to a slimy frog. What does it take to be 111 00:07:37.800 --> 00:07:41.800 a very important animal? It helps if you're cute, furry, 112 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:46.160 jumbo size, and or adorned with attention grabbing outer wear. 113 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:51.439 Think the interesting patterns of leopards and zebras. Cuteness is 114 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:55.399 an especially powerful draw thanks to our brains programming, what 115 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:57.720 we find is cute in animals is often the same 116 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.600 thing we find cute in human babies, such as big, 117 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:06.040 forward facing eyes, says Gabby Salazar, an environmental social scientists 118 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:09.959 and National Geographic Explorer. We are genetically designed to love 119 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.800 and nurture babies and bibyish animals such as the panda, 120 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:18.959 which appears on the WWF logo reap. The benefits being 121 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:21.839 on the A list comes with yet another benefit, what 122 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:25.720 psychologists call the halo effect. This means that we mistakenly 123 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:30.839 imbue attractive people and animals with additional positive characteristics, such 124 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:34.000 as moral goodness. It's why so many movie heroes are 125 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:37.720 equipped with gleaming teeth and chiseled jaws, and so many 126 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:42.279 villains have scars. But in reality, both with humans and animals, 127 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:46.960 prettiness doesn't equal benevolence or courage, and neither does ugliness 128 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.200 equal nastiness or cowardice. Just look at the two can 129 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:54.679 I love tuocans. But they don't just use that beak 130 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.720 to eat fruit, says Salazar. They also use that beak 131 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.159 to scoop up baby birds from other birds. Now us 132 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:03.399 not something you'd see too, can sam from fruit loops 133 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:07.120 doing so, how do we fix this pr problem? How 134 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.360 do we get the animal kingdom's outcasts more attention than 135 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:14.639 the conservation dollars they deserve, Salazar says. One key is 136 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:17.720 to tell better stories. For starters. We can highlight the 137 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:21.639 benefits some of these animals provide, such as the vulture's 138 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:26.320 role in garbage disposal. This is actually a century's old strategy. 139 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.159 In a tongue in cheek letter to his daughter, Ben 140 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.159 Franklin questioned the candidacy of the bald eagle as a 141 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:36.200 national emblem. He argued that dumpy turkey was respectable and 142 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:39.879 a bird of courage that defended its home turf just 143 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:44.919 as the American colonists defended theirs. He contrasted this with 144 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:47.679 the bald eagle, which Franklin called a bird of bad 145 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:51.960 moral character and accused of stealing fish from other birds, 146 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:56.159 which it does. Another strategy is to reframe these animals 147 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:01.159 supposedly bad characteristics. For instance, the vultures unpleasant looking bald 148 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:04.799 head is in fact a clever way to help keep 149 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:08.080 the bird from collecting germs in its feathers when it's 150 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:12.519 eating carcasses. The sloth's alleged laziness is really a brilliant 151 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:16.879 evolutionary adaptation. Its slowness is a super efficient way to 152 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:21.159 survive on a low energy leaf filled diet. The naked 153 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:25.200 mole rat may look like a wrinkly bucktoothed hot dog, 154 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:28.960 but this quirky creature has evolved to survive without oxygen 155 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:34.360 for eighteen minutes. One other idea is to lean into 156 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:38.840 these animals freakiness. Salazar says there's some new research on 157 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:42.759 what are being called ugly cute animals. Ugly cute animals 158 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:46.399 are animals that are so weird or not stereotypically cute 159 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.120 that they actually end up being fun and make us 160 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.600 smile and laugh. She says, some species are wacky enough 161 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:56.559 that they can benefit from this ugly cute phenomenon. Exhibit 162 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.960 A is the blob fish, an Internet star with its 163 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:03.360 ugly mug featured next to captions such as how I 164 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:07.320 Feel on Mondays, sell is our sites. A recent study 165 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:11.480 on probiscous monkeys and how internet memes correlated with an 166 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:16.120 increase in donations to protect these Southeast Asian primates. In 167 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:19.440 this attention economy, there's some novelty and humor we could 168 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:23.320 capitalize on, she says, So let's get the revolution started. 169 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:26.440 It's time to embrace the outcasts here as to hoping 170 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:29.159 that one day we see cartoon naked mole rats on 171 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:33.600 cereal boxes, college football teams named the Vultures, and a 172 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:38.360 blobfish getting its own Pixar movie. For now, across these pages, 173 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:42.360 we celebrate the bizarrely brilliant traits and behaviors of these 174 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:48.639 d list creatures. Three toed sloth. Early depictions of sloths 175 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.279 show why the slow moving animals native to Central and 176 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:54.879 South America got a bad rap from the get go. 177 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:59.360 One nineteenth century account labeled them imperfect monsters of creation, 178 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:04.120 adding equally remarkable for their disgusting appearance and helpless condition. 179 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.960 Sloths can't help that several species of algae grow in 180 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.159 the grooves of their coarse, matted fur, giving it a 181 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:16.159 strange green sheen, But this adaptation is a secret weapon. 182 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:23.919 The algae help camouflage the canopy dwelling dwelling creatures. All 183 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.000 sloth species, which mostly eat leaves, have long claws that 184 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.200 help them grasp tree branches in the canopy. The claws 185 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.720 are made from bone encased in keratin, the same protein 186 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:40.000 that forms human hair and nails. Sloth fur supports robust 187 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:44.159 communities of insects such as beetles, cockroaches, and moths. Several 188 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:48.600 moth species spend almost their entire lives nestled in sloth's coats. 189 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:52.240 They lay eggs in the sloth's dung and provide nutrients 190 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:56.440 thought to nourish the algae that grow in sloths fur. 191 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:02.679 Sloths have the slowest metabolic raate of any non hibernating animal, 192 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.559 allowing them to conserve the energy they get from their 193 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.679 restricted diet. These sedate creatures descend to the forest floor 194 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:15.159 to defecate as rarely as once a week prubiscus monkey. 195 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:20.240 Male probiscus monkeys are adorned with an oversized, fleshy snout 196 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:24.240 that drapes across their face. The protusion may seem comical 197 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:27.519 and impractical to humans, but it has an important purpose. 198 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:31.440 These caramel colored primates, native to the lush jungles of 199 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:36.039 Borneo in Southeast Asia, live in large communities broken down 200 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:40.440 into smaller robing groups of males and then harems, or 201 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.000 groups of females and their offspring that are dominated by 202 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:48.399 a single male. Competition for female attention, which earns one 203 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:52.879 a larger harem can be fierce among males. Female probiscous 204 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:59.320 monkeys gravitate toward males with the largest sniffer. African bullfrog, 205 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:03.960 often overlooked slimy amphibians like frogs and salamanders, are the 206 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:08.080 focus of meager conservation funding considering how many species are 207 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:12.440 threatened or endangered. The bulbous African bullfrog is the world's 208 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:16.279 second largest frog species. Males can be ten inches long 209 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:19.480 and weigh as much as four pounds, and they can 210 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:22.519 look even bigger. When the frogs feel threatened, they puff 211 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:28.440 up their lumpy bodies to intimidate predators. Frog sliva changes 212 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:32.879 consistency when force is applies to it. While bullfrogs rest, 213 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:36.360 their spit is thick, sticky, and gloopy, but when the 214 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:40.600 tongue shoots out and latches onto prey, the spit transforms 215 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:44.879 into a watery substance that coats the target. During the 216 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:48.440 dry season, African bullfrogs can go dormant and grow a 217 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:51.759 paper like shell made of layers of dead skin that 218 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:55.440 helps to trap moisture. When the rain comes, the cocoon 219 00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:00.519 washes away. Honey badger found throughout sub Sahari in Africa, 220 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:02.679 as well as in the Middle East and Western Asia. 221 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.720 These scrappy predators have a fearsome reputation thanks to a 222 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:11.039 set of impressive adaptations. For one, honey badgers have developed 223 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:17.120 a resistance to venomous snakes, neurotoxins, and approximately a quarter 224 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.919 of their diet consists of snakes. But a love of 225 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:25.600 honey also compels these aptly named animals to raid beehives. Fortunately, 226 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:30.679 their thick skin safeguards them against the hundreds of ensuing stings. 227 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:34.879 The honey badger's hunting prowess pays off even for other 228 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:39.360 species jackals and gashocks. In search of a tasty morsel 229 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:43.120 may follow a honey badger as it looks for a meal. 230 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:48.360 Adaptations in the honey badger's nervous system block the effects 231 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:52.600 of neural toxins delivered by snakes like the cape cobra 232 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:58.360 and black mamba that the animals snack on. Honey badger's 233 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.919 claws more than an inch long, can rip open beehives, 234 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:05.919 dead animals, and prey such as lizards. The creatures also 235 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:09.559 use their keratin talons to dig dens and carve out 236 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:15.200 space in abandoned burrows. The formidable mammals release a mustard 237 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:18.600 like substance from their anal glands, which can be used 238 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:23.960 in self defense and to mark their home range beneath 239 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:27.360 their fur. Honey badger's skin is thick and loose, able 240 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.240 to withstand snake bites and beastings, and difficult for predators 241 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:39.120 like African wild dogs and hyenas to hang on to. 242 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:43.919 Tongan scrub fowl. The gargantuan feet of birds in the 243 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:49.279 megapode family, like the Tongan scrub fowl may look clumsy, 244 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:53.080 but they are actually a superpower. These stocky, chicken sized 245 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:58.480 birds found throughout Australia. Australasia typically roost in forests, unsun 246 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:03.279 drenched beaches, or near geothermal areas, and they use their 247 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.079 feet to build sandy burrows or mound nests from rotting 248 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:11.799 vegetation after they hatch. Tonguan scrub fowl chicks use their 249 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:14.839 feet to claw themselves from their burrows, which can reach 250 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:20.119 depths of five and a half feet megapode literally translate 251 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:24.519 to large foot. The birds have evolved sharp claws to 252 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:33.000 help them dig through mud and vegetation. III Madagascar has 253 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:38.200 its share of charismatic primates like the rambunctious ring tailed lever, 254 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.839 but the island's most captivating characters may be the eerie 255 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:46.640 I E Eyes. The scraggly animals, including this sixteen year 256 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:49.839 old baby, have piercing eyes, a long tail, and coarse fur. 257 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:55.400 Iis Earth's largest nocturnal primates. Are so visually off putting 258 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.440 that some people consider them bad luck and kill them 259 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:03.720 on site, which is put the animal's population in jeopardy. Fortunately, 260 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:07.640 efforts to rehabilitate their image are underway, with conservationists and 261 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:13.359 farmers helping local communities recognize that iiyes are effective predators 262 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:19.039 of leaf minor larvae that are ravaging clove trees along 263 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:24.519 the East coast. Iiys slender middle fingers are equipped with 264 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:28.200 a unique ball and socket joint for increased range of motion. 265 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:32.039 They tap these fingers on tree trunks to locate insect 266 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:37.400 tunnels and scoop out beetle larvae, a method called percussive foraging. 267 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:43.240 Unlike other nocturnal primates, iies are genetically adapted to see 268 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:46.079 a wider spectrum of the color blue, which helps them 269 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:53.160 spot appetizing blue flowers in twilight conditions. Hairy ironfish the 270 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:57.200 witching lure, an appendage on the head, twitches and twirls 271 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:59.759 like a worm or small fish in the water to 272 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:04.599 draw in unsuspecting prey, a behavior known as aggressive mimicry. 273 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:09.400 Frogfish are clumsy swimmers and often clamor over rocks and 274 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:14.279 coral using their bulky fins, which consist of specialized muscle arrangements. 275 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:19.160 This behavior caused some early naturalists to misclassify the animals 276 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:23.799 as amphibians. Since the late sixteen hundreds, when a Dutch 277 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:27.680 sea captain and his crew discovered a frogfish among a 278 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:31.400 shipwrecked debris, the vaguely toad like creatures have earned their 279 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:36.400 place among the ocean's oddities when nineteenth century naturalists described 280 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:39.680 them as the most grotesque of all fishes. Found in 281 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:44.000 tropical and subtropical waters around the world, most frogfish are 282 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:48.359 covered in a web of stink, stringy spinules that help 283 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:52.160 them blend in among algae coated rocks and coral while 284 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.359 hunting prey. What may seem like a quick bite to 285 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:58.480 the frogfish can be a wind for the ecosystem. In 286 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.400 the Caribbean, they eat lions fish introduced to species whose 287 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:07.559 ravenous appetites threaten the health of economically important ecosystems like 288 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.839 coral reefs. Indian flying fox bats can thank author Bram 289 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:16.400 Stoker and various tales of vampire folklore for their reputation 290 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:21.920 as blood sucking monsters. The Indian flying foxes intimidating size. 291 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.519 They're one of the biggest bat species. Dark eyes, sharp teeth, 292 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:30.359 and propensity to congregate in large numbers don't help their image. 293 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:35.519 Found in forests and marshes throughout South Asia extending into Mayanmar, 294 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:40.440 these bats roost in huge colonies, some exceeding a thousand individuals, 295 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:43.400 with a diet of mostly fruits and nectar. They're also 296 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:48.200 one of the world's largest natural pollinators. Fully spread, the 297 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.960 wings of Indian flying foxes can stretch over five feet. 298 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:56.519 By comparison, common vampire bats in Central and South America 299 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:01.279 have a wingspand that can reach fifteen inches. As fruit eaters, 300 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:04.920 these bats rely on sight and smell sharpened over years 301 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:08.960 of evolution, rather than echo location, which tends to be 302 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:16.759 used by insectivors. The next article from National Geographic History magazine. 303 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:21.359 Temple of hat Shepsut rock of ages Nestled in an 304 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:25.480 alcove of rock. Pharaoh hot Shepsut's temple had many functions. 305 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:28.799 It has survived the ravages of time and hot Shepsut's 306 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:33.119 successor's attempts to erase her name from history. By David 307 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:38.920 Rahul Ribaut. Chepsut ruled Egypt, first as co regent and 308 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:41.359 then as pharaoh for a total of twenty one years. 309 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:43.960 She was one of the few women in Egyptian history 310 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.279 to retain power for so long. She reigned during one 311 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:51.680 of Egypt's ancient Egypt's Golden Ages, when Egypt was awash 312 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:56.200 with wealth. Hapshetsud built monumental works all over the nation, 313 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:00.400 a myriad of temples and shrines for giant obelism at 314 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:05.160 the Temple of Amun at Karnak, and countless artworks celebrating 315 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:08.880 her accomplishments and immortalizing her prayers, but many of these 316 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:12.240 works were defaced and destroyed after her death. In fourteen 317 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:16.880 fifty eight BC, Hodschepsitt's successor, Tutmost the Third, one of 318 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.119 Egypt's greatest pharaohs, led the charge to erase her name 319 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:24.240 from history. Her likeness was chiseled away from monuments, and 320 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:28.880 her statues and works destroyed noneth Nevertheless, following a major 321 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:34.799 twentieth century reconstruction, Hodschepsit's massive temple at Diirel dir el 322 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:40.559 Bahari Arabic for Northern Monastery still stands today, sheltered beneath 323 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:45.319 the red rocks of a cliff face. This architectural wonder 324 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.880 captivated the ancient world with its beauty and is a 325 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:53.160 testament to Hutchepsut's glory and her devotion to the gods. 326 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:57.319 Hotchepsitt was born around fifteen o seven b C to 327 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.920 Tutmost the First and his great royal worfy wife, Queen 328 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:04.720 ah Fosa. A. Chepsuit would marry her half brother and 329 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:08.400 heir to the throne Tutmos the second, becoming his great 330 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:12.440 royal wife. Tutmos the Second died young, leaving behind a 331 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:15.559 two year old son born to a secondary wife as 332 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.319 his heir. The child was too young to rule, so 333 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:22.519 hot Sheepsit, the boy's aunt and stepmother, ruled for him. 334 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:28.160 Hutchepsut gradually transformed her role from queen regent to outright pharoh. 335 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:31.319 When Tutmos the third was older, he became her second 336 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:34.640 in command, but he would not rule outright as pharaoh 337 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:37.599 until after her death around fourteen fifty eight p c. 338 00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:41.599 His reign would be glorious, filled with triumphs all his own, 339 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:45.960 but while he ruled, a systematic campaign attempted to erase 340 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:50.240 Pharaoh hut Shepsu. Millennia later, archaeologists would put the pieces 341 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:55.279 back together to restore hut Shepsut's place in history. In 342 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:57.559 the New Kingdom period, hut Shepsuit was one of the 343 00:23:57.559 --> 00:24:00.880 first pharaohs who built the so called Tep of millions 344 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:04.240 of years on the western bank of the Nile, opposite 345 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:08.400 the city of Thebes modern day Luxor. Five centuries earlier 346 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:13.160 in Middle Kingdom times, Pharaoh Menuhotep the second had erected 347 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:18.119 the first mortuary temple here. Perhaps inspired by men to Hotep, 348 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:21.400 hot Chepsut installed her massive complex at the foot of 349 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:24.960 a cliff, a site now known as Deir el Bahri. 350 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:29.480 This sacred location had been consecrated to the goddess hathor 351 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:34.319 protector of the dead, and an important funerary deity in Thebes. 352 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:37.839 In these temples, pharaohs would be worshiped after the deaths, 353 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:43.039 their mummies meanwhile rested elsewhere, entombed in private underground chambers 354 00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:45.839 in the Valley of the Kings. As well as being 355 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:49.319 used for royal funerals, the temples of millions of years 356 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:53.279 were the focus for other rituals, some related to royalty, 357 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:57.839 others to deities, including the Theban god Amun and the sun 358 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:01.759 god Ray. Of all the mortuary temples, Hut Shepsits would 359 00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:06.720 become the main cult structure of the Theban complex. Construction 360 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:09.599 lasted some fifteen years and was carried out under the 361 00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:14.240 supervision of Sinenmut, a high official and favorite of the pharaoh. 362 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:18.960 The imposing building incorporated ramps and courtyards like the nearby 363 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:24.680 Mantuhotep temple, but Senenmut introduced a number of innovations to 364 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:30.480 create a building of unequaled magnificence. It came to be 365 00:25:30.519 --> 00:25:36.480 known as zaser Zasuro Holy of Holies. Most New Kingdom 366 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:42.079 commemorative temples featured chambers separated by monumental gateways pylons, like 367 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:46.079 those that could be seen at Luxor and Karnak. Hotchepsit's temple, 368 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:49.279 on the other hand, was a ranged around a central 369 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:53.119 ramp or causeway, spread along this causeway at different heights 370 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:57.319 or three large courtyards. Today, the walls and courtyards of 371 00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:01.119 Hotchepsits Temple might look somewhat plain. In her time, they 372 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:04.240 would have been filled with vibrant color, surrounded by lush 373 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:08.240 gardens and pools, and richly decorated with sculpture and reliefs. 374 00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:12.799 Each decorative element conveyed a religious or political message in 375 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:16.960 keeping with the ceremonial use of the building. The layout 376 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:21.079 of Hutshepsut's temple was carefully designed. Most obviously, it was 377 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:24.759 positioned to align perfectly with the temple of amun At 378 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:28.160 Karnak on the opposite bank of the Nile. In addition, 379 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:32.599 the precise east west alignment of its central causeway mirrored 380 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:35.640 the daily paiath of the Sun or according to the 381 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:38.240 beliefs of the day, the path of the god ray. 382 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:41.720 The temple was also aligned with the Valley of the Kings, 383 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:45.440 which lies to the west. This royal necropolis had been 384 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:51.200 inaugurated by Hutshepsut's father, Tutmost, the first in fact toomb 385 00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:55.039 k V twenty, the burial place of Hutshepsut and Tutmost. 386 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:58.039 The first lies in a straight line from the Sanctuary 387 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:02.640 of Amun, the innermost chamber of huts Sheepsu's temple. Some 388 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:06.160 experts have suggested that the original plan was to connect 389 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:10.039 kV twenty with the Sanctuary of Amun via a tunnel 390 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:13.160 through the interposing cliff, but the poor quality of the 391 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:18.240 rock prevented it. Stone balustrades flanked the central ramp, guarded 392 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:21.839 by imposing stone lions. A colonnade separates the first and 393 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:27.160 second courtyards to highlight Hutschepsut's piety and devotion, reliefs depict 394 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:30.279 two massive obelisks on their way to the temple of 395 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:34.839 almun Et Karnak. Around the second courtyard are famous reliefs 396 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.759 showing a trading expedition that Htshepsut sent to the land 397 00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:42.200 of Punt believed to be located on the Horn of Africa. 398 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:46.519 Mr trees were brought back from this expedition and planted 399 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:49.839 in the temple complex. Their resin would later be used 400 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:53.920 in temple rituals. Other reliefs represent the divine birth of 401 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:57.720