One Life

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A universe of stars shines down

on one special planet.

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Our planet. Our home.

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The only planet we know that has life.

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Life began when the Earth was young

and it started small...

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when one tiny molecule

managed to make a copy of itself.

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Since then...

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since that magical moment...

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life has swept across the globe...

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filling every corner of our world.

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Today there are some 5 million

different species on the planet.

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5 million different ways

of staying alive.

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This is a story that connects us all.

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lt's a story of hope and of triumph.

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A story of our journey through life.

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Every life begins with a birth.

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And every mother must choose

where her baby's life begins.

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A Weddell seal has come to this desert

of snow and ice to have her pup.

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The pup is only a few hours old

and is helpless.

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He is entirely dependent

on his mother.

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lt may be spring,

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but the temperature can still drop

to minus 20 degrees

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and winds of 70 miles an hour

roar across the ice.

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All his mother can do is try to shelter him

with her own body.

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Trust that she can keep

her infant alive.

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So why has she chosen here,

of all places, to have her pup?

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lt's because here,

they're safe from their enemies.

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ln the middle of this vast frozen sea,

no predator can reach her or her baby.

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but there's no food here.

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So the mother keeps this ice hole open,

the only route to her hunting ground.

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And it must become

his hunting ground, too.

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She has to persuade him

into the water.

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He's not keen.

And who can blame him?

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but he soon discovers

this is where he was born to be.

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Now, life's adventure can begin.

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Wherever you look in the world,

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so much of growing up

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depends on the skill and determination

of your parents.

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These snow monkeys

live in a volcanic mountain range

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in the cold North.

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They have wonderfully thick furry coats,

but they still feel the cold.

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And the winter here is hard

on the little ones.

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Some snow monkeys have discovered

there is a better way.

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Steamy hot thermal springs.

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These resourceful mothers

bring their babies here

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to escape the worst of the winter

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in a long warm bath.

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ln here, the water

is a delightful 100 degrees.

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So why aren't all the monkeys

in the pool?

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Well, it's a privilege

which is jealously guarded.

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lnside the pool,

a royal family.

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A queen and a ruling dynasty

of snow monkeys.

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Outside the pool...

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everyone else.

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The youngest princess can luxuriate

because she has an extended family

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determined to give her the best in life.

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Not everyone has the advantage

of such a supportive family.

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Some have to depend

on a dedicated single mother.

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And here she is.

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A strawberry poison arrow frog

no bigger than your fingernail.

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She's laid her eggs

on the forest floor.

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For most frog mothers

that would be the job done.

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but her maternal instinct is so strong

she guards them until they've hatched,

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and then she moves her tadpoles

out of danger.

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She hitches a tadpole on her back,

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then sets off.

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Surprisingly, she starts to climb.

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And this is what she's looking for:

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a special plant way up in the branches

of a tree, 0 feet above the ground.

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There's water trapped in its leaves

that makes it a perfect nursery pool.

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She has to leave him

because she still has 4 more tadpoles

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waiting on the forest floor,

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and each must be carried up

to its own private nursery.

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There's nothing to eat in these pools,

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so she feeds each tadpole

with one of her own unfertilized eggs.

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A single egg won't sustain

a hungry tadpole for long,

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so every few days,

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she has to climb back up

to each youngster...

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and do it all over again.

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One day, this fine young frog

emerges from his pool,

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and leaves his devoted mother behind.

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(growling)

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(adult gorilla snorting)

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There are fathers

who do their bit, too.

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A male silverback gorilla

left in charge.

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(upbeat music)

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(snorting)

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but he's not what you might call

a hands-on dad.

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(snorting)

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(growling)

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(birds chirping)

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