Wild Indonesia

In this episode:
Borneo is the worlds third largest island, and Sumatra is no dwarf in comparison. Both islands became cut off from the Asian mainland when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago. Large animals became marooned, isolated from their mainland cousins. Over time, they have adapted and evolved to their new home developing an array of unique traits on each island. Today, these are the Islands of Monsters.

The 17,000 islands that comprise the nation of Indonesia stretch more than 3,000 miles along the equator, bridging Asia and Australasia. Indonesia’s natural habitats vary widely. On some islands, tropical forests climb from steamy lowlands to mountain slopes. On others, parched savannah thrives. Coral reefs line thousands of tranquil atolls, while relentless waves batter rocky cliffs on other shores. In Papua, the mountains reach so high that permanent ice caps top their peaks, surrounded by barren alpine tundra.