Introducing a family of tufted capuchins that lives on the cliffs of Piauí (Serra da Capivara National Park), a family of giant otters that make their holts on the banks of the Pantanal and a family of South American coatis that lives in the 'vasantes' of the southern Pantanal. Each family has newborn offspring that are taking their first steps during a brief pause between seasonal extremes.
Five months of monsoon in the Andes and Amazon rainforest cause mountain streams to swell and start a cascade of flooding, spectacularly affecting Brazilian wildlife. Capuchin monkeys on the cliffs make the most of a few weeks of abundant vegetation, but their offspring must quickly learn to become less dependent on mother and fit into the group hierarchy. The otters enjoy plentiful fish, but are hunted by caiman and jaguars. The coatis must retreat to higher ground as their lowland prairies flood, but feast on lungfish in pools and shallow patches.
3. "Enduring the Drought"
UK broadcast 16 January 2014
A fierce drought culminates in huge and ferocious fires. The capuchin monkeys, giant otters, coatis and jaguars are proving their extreme survival skills while looking for mates with which to breed in time for the next generation to be born just as the good times return.
