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About the Show
Born from volcanic fire 25 million years ago, the Andes are the longest mountain chain on the planet. Pushed upwards by huge tectonic forces, they continue to rise, creating new landscapes and new habitats for a diverse variety of creatures. Explore the mountains’ extremes and celebrate the animals that call it home on a 4,000-mile journey along the western edge of South America, from icy Southern Patagonia to the oxygen-deprived Altiplano plateau to the northern tropical Andes.
- Date : 2018
- Client : Smithsonian
- : Light & Shadow
- Credit : Aerial Photography
At the southern end of the Andes, in the remote reaches of Patagonia, everything must adapt to constant upheaval, invasion, and explosive change. Cold winds swirl around the Torres del Paine, while one of the most southerly rainforests in the world bursts with natural treasures. See how the Andes' wild and untamed creatures like pumas, frogs, beavers, and more navigate a world of active volcanoes, ice fields, and prehistoric trees.
Halfway down central South America's Andean mountain chain, nearly 13,000 feet above sea level, sits a 600-mile-wide plateau. In this vast landscape, air is dangerously thin, water is scarce, temperatures swing wildly from night to day, and only the most exceptional of animals survive. Explore life in the unpredictable Altiplano, from a caustic red-hued lake to sprawling salt flats to one of the driest deserts on Earth, and discover the remarkable creatures that, despite the odds, thrive in this life of extremes.
In the northern Andes, towering mountains straddle the equator. The contrast between icy peaks and tropical forests has created one of the most diverse collection of creatures on the planet. Explore the northerly part of the world's longest mountain chain, from the breathless heights of the paramo to the dank world of the cloud forest to the dry forests in the foothills. Discover the unique species that call this land of extremes home, including poison frogs, spectacled bears, and nearly 150 different types of hummingbirds.