In Melbourne, Australia, tawny frogmouths are proving to be masters of adaptation in urban environments. Despite being preyed upon by cats, these birds are thriving in the city, with higher densities recorded than in surrounding countryside. The key to their success lies in streetlights, which help them spot their prey more easily.
The tawny frogmouths' remarkable camouflage allows them to blend seamlessly into tree branches, making them difficult for predators to detect. However, their urban success story is just one example of wildlife adapting to human-dominated landscapes, as highlighted in the 'Human' episode of Planet Earth III.
Other animals featured in the episode include long-tailed macaques in Bali that steal tourists' items to barter for food, and black bears in Lake Tahoe that grow up to 50% heavier by feeding on city dumpsters. In Nepal, greater one-horned rhinos walk through the streets of Sauraha to reach food on the other side of town.
The episode also explores the challenges faced by species like pavement ants in New York City, which have adapted their digestive systems to thrive on human food, consuming the equivalent of 60,000 hotdogs annually on Broadway Avenue alone. Meanwhile, in India, venomous cobras have been observed moving more slowly and striking less frequently in villages where they coexist with humans.
However, not all interactions are harmonious. In Kenya, African elephant bulls raid tomato fields at night, leading to dangerous confrontations with farmers. Off Vancouver Island, humpback whales inhabit overfished waters, but surprisingly, their presence may actually help replenish fish stocks.
The episode concludes with a call to reimagine human life on Earth to protect wildlife, as our fates are closely intertwined. Abigail Lees, co-director of the 'Forests' episode and field director for 'Human', noted the importance of documenting these stories to highlight both the resilience and vulnerability of nature.
