Clash of Kings (Full Episode) | Kingdom of the Apes | Nat Geo Animals

Narrator: Two mighty silverbacks battle for a throne. The king and the rival for his realm. At stake...nothing less than a kingdom and the fates of all their subjects. Jane Goodall: Great apes have their own personalities; their own unique life histories. For more than 50 years I've watched generations living through incredible dramas. This is a larger than life story about gorilla kings. A tale of violence... intrigue and betrayal that rivals the greatest sagas through human history. And its hero is Titus. Narrator: At over 30 Titus has ruled longer and sired more progeny than any other gorilla on record. His red brow marks him as different. His mountaintop realm is the size of a small city and his household is enormous. With a large harem. Several "Black-back knights." And a gaggle of little princes and princesses. A gorilla king must juggle his duties as sovereign, with those of a father. Highest among his womenfolk is Titus's favorite: Tuck. She's been with him for 19 years and born him four sons. One of Titus's heirs Rano left almost as soon as he turned silverback at age 14 to establish his own kingdom. But this peace is a mirage. After three decades rising to the peak of power, everything Titus has built is now under threat. There is a traitor in his ranks. A powerful silverback named Kuryama. He's in his early 20s and lusting for power. And there's a twist. Kuryama is Titus's own firstborn son! It's the ultimate struggle for succession. More than 100 mountain gorillas are silverbacks, but only around half are rulers. The reigning king determines the fate of all those under him. The gorillas know their futures hang in the balance. For nearly three years, Kuryama has tried to unseat his father. Now...the duel is about to reach its climax. Titus rose to greatness by overcoming a troubled past. When he was just four he saw his silverback father gunned down by poachers. With the band now leaderless, Titus's mother fled... leaving him an orphan. He would have died but incredibly he was adopted by a male from outside his family. After years of struggle... Titus beat the odds to become the king he is today. And now he faces the biggest challenge of his long life. But his past has prepared him. Titus knows his son... a silverback in his prime, has terrifying physical strength. He could maim Titus... even kill him. So the wily king beats a strategic retreat, leading his band not just away but up. 4,000 feet up to the ancient volcanic crater at the top of Mount Visoke. Yet Kuryama pursues him. Mountain gorillas have extra thick coats against the chill of their high homes. But up here it's near freezing. For the young gorillas in Titus's band, the cold is enough to kill. They can't stay up here for long. Titus is forcing his subjects to choose; him or his son. The power of a gorilla ruler comes from the size of his entourage. If Titus's subjects abandon him, he could be fatally weakened. It's the females who will decide and they are wavering, wondering if Titus still has the power to lead. Or is the virile young Kuryama a better bet? Two silverbacks have come to the top of the mountain. Only one will go back down as king. Narrator: Titus is not the only gorilla king. To the West of his mountain stronghold, the massive Congo rainforest stretches away. In its depths is a different gorilla fiefdom. So remote... we only recently learned there could be over 100,000 gorillas here. Mysterious. Lurking in the heart of darkness. They have their own kings. Among them the mighty silverback Kingo. He leads a group of 9 including a tiny newborn. A little girl... his 4 month old daughter Bomo. And she is in danger. Kingo's lowland realm is bigger than a mountain gorilla like Titus's. But the borders are fluid. For Kingo the threat comes not from within his family but from an outsider. A neighboring silverback is after his females: Mama... Emily... Mekome and Ugly. If Kingo cannot see off the rival, they could abandon him... deciding that the usurper will give them a better future. If he loses his band like Titus, he will lose his power. And there's even more at stake. Little Bomo's mother Ugly was once a runaway. She abandoned Kingo for a better life with another silverback. But two years later she returned. Not long after Bomo was born. If Ugly were now to leave Kingo again to take up with his challenger Bomo would be in mortal danger. The rival would likely kill her so that Ugly would become receptive to his advances. [gorilla calls]. Both Kingo and his silverback opponent have superhuman strength. If it comes to it they will smash... gouge and bite to win. An actual fight is the nuclear option. So their face off becomes like a game of poker. To win Kingo must make the other believe that he will win. Unless he can bluff his opponent into backing down, he could end up in a fight for his life. Narrator: Kingo dares his rival to call his bluff. The females hurry to get out of the way. In the end the other backs down. Kingo triumphs... he hangs onto his females; his youngsters are safe. So they can enjoy the riches of Kingo's realm; so much sweeter than Titus's nettles and celery. There's not always enough to go around and then Kingo gets first dibs. The tribe's fate depends on his strength. At 300 pounds he needs all the calories he can get. He'll refuse even to share with his son Kusu. Feasting leaves them drowsy. Kusu and his buddy Ekende have too much energy to nap. Even daring to disturb the king's peace. In any case... Kingo must rouse himself: Guard his troop against predators and threats from rival kings. [gorilla noises]. While back up in the mountains... Titus faces the challenge from within his own family. Time is running out. The gorilla band has endured the mountaintop cold for four days. They must choose between King Titus and his son Kuryama. Finally... the young upstart makes his move and it's not what Titus was expecting. Kuryama doesn't risk a direct challenge. Instead... he heads back down the mountain! And most of the tribe follows, choosing him as their new ruler. Only six of the once mighty Titus's most loyal subjects remain. He hasn't given up yet but he knows that out there is another of his sons. Another silverback willing to fight for a throne. Narrator: Down in the lowlands, the gorillas lurk within 200,000 square miles of foreboding jungle. Most of their lives unfold behind the green curtain. But just sometimes the darkness opens up and reveals something unexpected: a completely different world. In these clearings other dramas of gorilla life are brought to light. This realm is rich in resources. The water plants are full of salts the gorillas need to stay healthy. Junior silverback Zaha lives in one corner of the swamp and others are envious of his watery wealth. A gang of blackbacks younger than Zaha. But they're confidence is obvious in their stiff-armed strut. It's 1 against 5. But the "one" is a silverback with something to prove. If he can show the watching females that he has the "right stuff," they might choose to join him. The gang's leader is almost as big as the young silverback and he reckons he's big enough. But Zaha bests him and leaves him with a wicked bite to the shoulder. Any silverback on the make must be tested like this. Such victories build his confidence and bolster his reputation. Back up in the mountain heights, Titus turns 35 today. He is now older than any other known silverback. Since his son Kuryama marched out with most of his followers... Titus is left with just six. His long-time mistress Tuck... plus three junior blackbacks and a couple of youngsters. Titus clings to what power he has left. But there's a rival silverback out there. His quickest route to creating his own dynasty would be to take over Titus's remaining band. Titus continues to eat... putting on a calm face. Mountain gorillas spend their lives chewing. It takes up to 60 pounds of veg a day to feed a king. Suddenly the enemy is among them! And now Titus gets a good look at his challenger. His name is Rano. Incredibly he is another of Titus's own sons. He's the silverback who left long before in search of his own kingdom! Rano doesn't have the strength that Kuryama used to successfully challenge his father. And he's so far failed to build his own family. To do that he must take down his own father. They skirmish... but Titus is feeling his years. And even though Rano's half his age, he still fears his old man; he won't risk an all-out attack. But when Titus leads his band away Rano pursues him. Titus must choose. He can flee or he can fight. Narrator: Titus knows he's too old to win a physical face-off with his son Rano. But Rano won't leave him alone. He will wear his aging father down in a drawn out pursuit. They would normally spend hours a day resting and digesting. Rano is relying on the reserves of youth; that he needs less rest. He'll hound his old dad and let age do the rest. However far Titus flees... Rano is just behind. After two grueling weeks Titus is drained. Titus can't run forever. Finally Titus can go no further. Tuck and the others gather around. Little Ihumure tends to him. But Titus is too old... too tired. At last the great silverback king is dead. Rano has got what he wanted: the throne is his. But to become a true silverback king... he must now step up; prove that he has the power to lead. Unless he can win the respect and support of his band he is doomed. They will eventually abandon him. To succeed Rano must gain the backing of Tuck, the one female left in the group. She was especially close to the old king. For her Rano is no Titus. But to win over Tuck Rano must challenge and beat another silverback. Narrator: King Rano may be strong... but he hasn't yet won power. Even the smallest gorilla in the gang is unimpressed. This little tike has more juice than the supposed king! So Rano tries to prove his bravery. Leading them out of their protected home and into a rival kingdom of the humans. Gorillas share 98% of our DNA. We are cousins... but relations are tense. Rano wants to buy his troop's loyalty with their favorite delicacy. Eucalyptus. The gorillas crave the trees' sap. Perhaps because it acts like a kind of antibiotic. Rano hasn't won them over yet. Back in his own kingdom he gets his chance. His little band bumps into a rival clan. This is Rano's big test. If Tuck wants to leave him for another silverback, here's her chance. Rano must risk everything to prove his worth as protector. The rival group is strong with three huge males. Each of them capable of killing Rano. Rano stands tall. By projecting power Rano faces down his foes and so gains power. The face off is a turning point. He proves that he has what it takes to be a worthy king. The members of his troop are no longer just family. Now they are his subjects. Even Tuck seems to accept that he is her new sovereign. Like any newly crowned ruler, Rano has a challenging future. If he is to truly follow in the great Titus's footsteps, he must attract new females. Only by producing heirs will Rano ensure his legacy as a true silverback king.