Portugal was once a great power that linked the Old and New Worlds –and this history is reflected in the country's landscapes and wildlife. Wild horses small enough to fit on cramped ships were tamed in the northern mountains and exported to Conquistadores. Now Portugal's seahorse colonies are threatened by global trade and tourists.
The eucalyptus trees once imported from Australia to revive the timber industry now cause devastating forest fires, imperiling Portugal's remaining cork oak forests, home to hundreds of white storks. Protected Mediterranean monk seals are attempting to rebuild their decimated numbers in the Atlantic off the coast of Madeira, while on the neighboring Desertas Islands, the world's largest wolf spiders cannibalize each other. Massive flocks of vultures migrate to a warmer continent, crossing coastal cliffs battered by the world's biggest waves.
Producer: Bill Murphy, Janet Hess
Executive Producer: Roman Landauer, Fred Kaufman
Production Company: Skyland Productions; Pröll Film; ORF Universum; ARTE G.E.I.E.; BR; ORF-Enterprise; The WNET Group
Production Year: 2022
Copyright Year: 2020
Rating: TV-PG
Director: Gernot Lercher
Narrator: James Lurie
Writers: Gernot Lercher
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 53 minutes
Number of Episodes: 1
Subtitled: Y
Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen