WEBVTT 00:00:08.299 --> 00:00:09.551 Enter a world 00:00:11.136 --> 00:00:13.138 just beyond your perception. 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:22.272 A world of extraordinary animals... 00:00:23.231 --> 00:00:26.526 with hidden powers and super senses. 00:00:27.694 --> 00:00:29.863 If you think you know nature... 00:00:32.516 --> 00:00:33.759 think again. 00:00:45.262 --> 00:00:46.880 In a competitive world, 00:00:47.879 --> 00:00:49.777 it can be very hard... 00:00:50.133 --> 00:00:51.985 to tell friend 00:00:52.010 --> 00:00:53.731 from foe. 00:00:55.781 --> 00:00:57.394 The Kalahari Desert. 00:00:58.738 --> 00:01:00.502 Here, the harsh sun 00:01:00.852 --> 00:01:03.688 forces some of the juiciest and toughest critters 00:01:04.995 --> 00:01:06.858 to hide underground. 00:01:10.653 --> 00:01:13.702 Only the most super-skilled hunters 00:01:13.726 --> 00:01:15.870 can get at them. 00:01:21.089 --> 00:01:25.093 Meerkats can sniff out the best prey beneath the surface. 00:01:35.804 --> 00:01:38.056 But when your head's buried in the sand, 00:01:39.565 --> 00:01:41.818 digging eight hours a day... 00:01:47.190 --> 00:01:49.644 it pays to have friends... 00:01:50.277 --> 00:01:51.820 ...in high places. 00:01:57.909 --> 00:02:00.161 A drongo's razor-sharp vision 00:02:00.870 --> 00:02:02.853 can pinpoint a tiny bug 00:02:03.228 --> 00:02:05.470 over 300 feet away. 00:02:06.937 --> 00:02:08.768 And from way up here, 00:02:09.087 --> 00:02:12.338 it can spot an enemy a mile off. 00:02:20.502 --> 00:02:23.768 Like a 14-pound meerkat-eating, 00:02:23.793 --> 00:02:25.353 martial eagle. 00:02:27.605 --> 00:02:29.082 Meerkats understand 00:02:29.107 --> 00:02:31.103 that's drongo for... 00:02:32.472 --> 00:02:34.166 ..."threat from the skies". 00:02:53.295 --> 00:02:55.293 When their trusted friend... 00:02:55.881 --> 00:02:57.754 ...gives the all-clear, 00:02:58.261 --> 00:03:00.722 the meerkats know it's safe to come out again. 00:03:14.910 --> 00:03:17.130 And they get back to work. 00:03:25.056 --> 00:03:26.432 Jackpot. 00:03:26.565 --> 00:03:28.250 Protein and water 00:03:28.353 --> 00:03:30.693 in one poisonous package. 00:03:39.928 --> 00:03:41.863 Thankfully meerkats are experts... 00:03:41.888 --> 00:03:43.890 ...at dispatching scorpions. 00:03:46.893 --> 00:03:48.494 But this story 00:03:48.519 --> 00:03:50.388 has another sting in the tail. 00:03:53.651 --> 00:03:55.465 That's the alarm again. 00:04:03.504 --> 00:04:05.100 But this time... 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:09.201 there is no eagle. 00:04:17.215 --> 00:04:18.803 The drongo 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:20.545 is a liar, 00:04:21.344 --> 00:04:22.887 a cunning con artist, 00:04:23.429 --> 00:04:24.697 who takes advantage 00:04:24.722 --> 00:04:26.443 of the meerkat's hard work 00:04:26.732 --> 00:04:29.178 to steal a free lunch. 00:04:31.437 --> 00:04:34.154 But cry eagle too many times... 00:04:44.826 --> 00:04:47.655 ...and the meerkats get wise to the game. 00:05:00.383 --> 00:05:02.969 Now, that call can't be ignored. 00:05:04.741 --> 00:05:06.373 It's a meerkat alarm. 00:05:18.370 --> 00:05:20.465 Or is it? 00:05:23.234 --> 00:05:25.550 The devious drongo... 00:05:30.163 --> 00:05:33.160 is also a mind-blowing mimic. 00:05:36.488 --> 00:05:37.979 She can switch 00:05:38.004 --> 00:05:40.550 between 30 different alarm imitations. 00:05:43.301 --> 00:05:45.386 And as long as she tells the truth, 00:05:45.411 --> 00:05:46.654 sometimes, 00:05:46.679 --> 00:05:48.198 meerkats can't afford 00:05:48.222 --> 00:05:50.913 to ignore their two-faced frenemy. 00:05:53.436 --> 00:05:55.480 Animals use extraordinary powers 00:05:55.504 --> 00:05:57.554 to outsmart the competition. 00:05:59.340 --> 00:06:01.517 But often, the greatest enemy 00:06:02.205 --> 00:06:04.784 is the one you least expect. 00:06:21.537 --> 00:06:24.709 In nature, conflict is everywhere. 00:06:27.804 --> 00:06:30.807 An Austrian park may seem peaceful enough, 00:06:33.476 --> 00:06:34.685 but there's an animal here 00:06:34.769 --> 00:06:37.271 who knows how to stir up the competition, 00:06:38.648 --> 00:06:41.109 and turn it to her advantage. 00:06:44.654 --> 00:06:47.657 This female European hamster 00:06:47.865 --> 00:06:50.865 is looking for the fittest mate possible. 00:06:54.414 --> 00:06:57.724 A dozen normally solitary males live here. 00:07:03.958 --> 00:07:06.540 But rather than waste time checking them out, 00:07:07.330 --> 00:07:09.856 she arranges a little contest. 00:07:12.723 --> 00:07:14.900 Her siren song 00:07:14.924 --> 00:07:17.437 has a powerful ultrasonic pitch. 00:07:17.807 --> 00:07:20.716 It's been slowed down so we can hear it. 00:07:22.583 --> 00:07:24.902 But any male within 60 feet 00:07:24.927 --> 00:07:27.880 receives her call loud and clear. 00:07:31.294 --> 00:07:33.122 The race is on. 00:07:45.982 --> 00:07:48.151 Being quick to respond 00:07:48.176 --> 00:07:49.607 is a good sign. 00:07:50.511 --> 00:07:53.568 But how to choose between the two front runners. 00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:00.630 She releases a signature scent, 00:08:03.620 --> 00:08:05.567 a potent aphrodisiac. 00:08:10.072 --> 00:08:11.549 Just the slightest whiff 00:08:11.574 --> 00:08:15.495 sends a rush of adrenaline coursing through the male's blood. 00:08:16.747 --> 00:08:19.872 Testosterone levels can increase tenfold... 00:08:23.336 --> 00:08:25.188 turning these fluffy rodents 00:08:25.213 --> 00:08:28.747 into one-pound * of teeth and fury. 00:08:35.088 --> 00:08:37.487 Fights can turn deadly. 00:08:43.495 --> 00:08:45.902 And all the female has to do... 00:08:45.927 --> 00:08:48.323 is let the competition play out. 00:09:19.175 --> 00:09:20.752 Rival chased off, 00:09:23.877 --> 00:09:27.408 the victor makes himself presentable, 00:09:30.445 --> 00:09:32.165 then he's ready 00:09:32.190 --> 00:09:33.578 to meet his mate. 00:09:37.243 --> 00:09:40.166 But it's the female who's the real winner. 00:09:42.684 --> 00:09:44.924 Making males fight over her 00:09:45.618 --> 00:09:48.743 to secure the perfect partner. 00:10:03.095 --> 00:10:06.478 Standing up to your rivals risks a fight. 00:10:08.983 --> 00:10:11.827 So, some creatures go to amazing lengths 00:10:11.851 --> 00:10:14.072 to avoid coming to blows. 00:10:15.270 --> 00:10:18.182 In California's giant kelp forests, 00:10:18.618 --> 00:10:20.511 there's a hand-sized fish 00:10:20.536 --> 00:10:22.788 called a Sarcastic Fringehead. 00:10:26.834 --> 00:10:28.961 Its bizarre bulging eyes 00:10:29.712 --> 00:10:32.381 give a panoramic view of dangers all around. 00:10:41.171 --> 00:10:44.810 Many predators would happily snap up a little fish like this, 00:10:48.095 --> 00:10:50.468 so he needs somewhere to hide. 00:10:52.156 --> 00:10:53.575 A snail shell... 00:10:54.424 --> 00:10:56.194 is the perfect place. 00:11:10.056 --> 00:11:11.328 But... 00:11:11.353 --> 00:11:14.016 it's already occupied 00:11:14.383 --> 00:11:17.110 by a two-spot octopus. 00:11:24.265 --> 00:11:26.679 Hiding places are in such demand, 00:11:27.269 --> 00:11:28.854 they have to be fought for. 00:11:29.897 --> 00:11:32.274 But better to pick on someone his own size. 00:11:36.692 --> 00:11:38.609 Another Fringehead. 00:11:40.616 --> 00:11:42.076 To avoid injury, 00:11:42.101 --> 00:11:45.262 these fish have an extraordinary way 00:11:45.287 --> 00:11:46.860 to face each other down. 00:11:56.132 --> 00:12:00.962 Their mouths can expand three times wider than their bodies. 00:12:05.078 --> 00:12:08.282 And there's even more to this jaw-dropping display. 00:12:10.770 --> 00:12:12.570 Invisible to us, 00:12:13.065 --> 00:12:15.360 their gape is enhanced 00:12:15.776 --> 00:12:18.876 with a striking ultraviolet warning. 00:12:21.031 --> 00:12:23.540 It's a secret signal of strength, 00:12:24.115 --> 00:12:27.618 thought to help Fringeheads judge who is more powerful 00:12:28.281 --> 00:12:30.688 before the battle goes too far. 00:12:46.415 --> 00:12:47.866 Evicted, 00:12:47.891 --> 00:12:49.860 but at least unharmed. 00:12:50.686 --> 00:12:52.396 Now he's the one exposed. 00:12:54.401 --> 00:12:57.613 While the intruder takes shelter from the outside world. 00:13:05.826 --> 00:13:07.845 Nature may appear abundant, 00:13:08.746 --> 00:13:10.623 but whether in ocean 00:13:10.915 --> 00:13:12.837 or on land, 00:13:14.274 --> 00:13:17.985 space and food have to be fought for. 00:13:21.640 --> 00:13:24.174 In Botswana's Okavango Delta, 00:13:24.945 --> 00:13:27.808 fierce competition pits carnivore... 00:13:29.642 --> 00:13:31.462 against carnivore. 00:13:39.369 --> 00:13:40.974 A lone hyena 00:13:40.998 --> 00:13:43.775 up against the power of a wild dog pack. 00:13:45.241 --> 00:13:46.575 She split from her clan 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:48.953 to cover more ground in the search for food. 00:13:50.162 --> 00:13:52.456 Now it seems a risky strategy. 00:13:54.792 --> 00:13:57.002 But with an incredible immune system, 00:13:58.295 --> 00:14:00.756 and almost supernatural survival skills, 00:14:02.842 --> 00:14:04.677 she's far from the underdog. 00:14:09.640 --> 00:14:13.185 Her phenomenal sense of smell can detect opportunity 00:14:13.894 --> 00:14:15.646 two miles away. 00:14:21.970 --> 00:14:28.092 Nearly six-feet-tall, fifteen-hundred pounds, one Cape buffalo 00:14:28.117 --> 00:14:32.001 would feed her entire clan for a week. 00:14:42.954 --> 00:14:45.727 She can't take on a buffalo alone. 00:14:48.439 --> 00:14:51.228 But with primate-level intelligence, 00:14:51.551 --> 00:14:54.453 she can take a more strategic approach. 00:14:57.774 --> 00:15:00.923 Let her rivals control the game. 00:15:05.915 --> 00:15:08.259 Up to twice her size, 00:15:10.142 --> 00:15:12.103 four times her weight, 00:15:13.602 --> 00:15:17.425 lions are a hyena's greatest enemy. 00:15:21.579 --> 00:15:23.392 Hunting as a pride, 00:15:23.417 --> 00:15:25.626 they're even more powerful. 00:15:37.033 --> 00:15:39.284 But when buffalo move as a battalion 00:15:39.774 --> 00:15:42.236 up to 600 strong, 00:15:46.612 --> 00:15:48.751 even the most heavily armed hunters 00:15:49.583 --> 00:15:51.235 can't engage. 00:16:04.531 --> 00:16:06.295 The smartest predator... 00:16:07.841 --> 00:16:09.453 bides its time. 00:16:14.932 --> 00:16:16.453 And as night approaches... 00:16:18.464 --> 00:16:20.078 ...the tables turn. 00:16:29.071 --> 00:16:31.740 Lions have a reflective backing in their eyes, 00:16:31.765 --> 00:16:35.311 which gives them night vision six times stronger than our own, 00:16:37.250 --> 00:16:40.196 revealing a world we only see 00:16:41.359 --> 00:16:43.547 with super-sensitive cameras. 00:16:46.685 --> 00:16:48.120 In the cool night, 00:16:48.215 --> 00:16:50.883 hunters become more active. 00:16:53.804 --> 00:16:55.739 And use the darkness 00:16:55.764 --> 00:16:57.258 to conceal their attack. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:05.468 Hyenas have excellent night vision, too. 00:17:08.611 --> 00:17:10.356 All the better to watch 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:13.320 as the lions do the hard work. 00:17:28.570 --> 00:17:29.815 Now... 00:17:30.416 --> 00:17:33.277 time to execute her plan. 00:17:37.448 --> 00:17:40.332 Bouncing her battle cry into the ground 00:17:40.974 --> 00:17:42.878 amplifies the sound. 00:17:50.486 --> 00:17:52.839 So, it reaches super-sensitive ears 00:17:52.864 --> 00:17:55.065 up to six miles away... 00:18:01.416 --> 00:18:03.967 ...and mobilizes her scattered clan. 00:18:13.412 --> 00:18:15.097 Waiting for backup, 00:18:15.122 --> 00:18:16.901 she plays for time. 00:18:21.850 --> 00:18:24.085 Harassing the lions distracts them, 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:25.862 and slows their feeding. 00:18:32.225 --> 00:18:34.477 But she must be careful. 00:18:35.906 --> 00:18:38.840 One swipe of a lion paw can kill. 00:18:40.051 --> 00:18:42.788 Alone, she's on the defensive. 00:18:48.223 --> 00:18:51.598 But with 20 of her clan behind her, 00:18:52.622 --> 00:18:54.831 it's time to make her move. 00:18:59.551 --> 00:19:04.114 Hyenas are even more effective team players than lions. 00:19:17.549 --> 00:19:19.495 Working together, 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:23.838 the clan exhausts the pride. 00:19:26.948 --> 00:19:29.393 Lions know when they're beaten. 00:19:41.881 --> 00:19:44.647 With jaws that crush bones, 00:19:46.468 --> 00:19:49.217 and stomachs strong enough to digest them, 00:19:50.022 --> 00:19:51.957 in just a few hours, 00:19:51.982 --> 00:19:55.475 any trace of the buffalo will be gone. 00:20:02.721 --> 00:20:04.245 Bellies full, 00:20:04.269 --> 00:20:06.138 the whole clan back together. 00:20:10.053 --> 00:20:11.850 For today at least, 00:20:11.875 --> 00:20:14.772 the hyenas hold the power 00:20:15.398 --> 00:20:18.123 in the age-old carnivore war. 00:20:23.545 --> 00:20:25.448 Another animal rivalry 00:20:25.472 --> 00:20:27.920 has played out over millions of years. 00:20:29.592 --> 00:20:32.581 Time enough to evolve a secret weapon 00:20:32.606 --> 00:20:35.192 to ward off a far more powerful enemy. 00:20:38.326 --> 00:20:40.850 A giant Asian hornet, 00:20:41.565 --> 00:20:43.818 the largest wasp in the world. 00:20:45.061 --> 00:20:46.536 Two inches long, 00:20:47.120 --> 00:20:48.789 and highly carnivorous. 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:57.047 Four times smaller 00:20:57.072 --> 00:20:59.174 Japanese Honeybees... 00:20:59.424 --> 00:21:01.051 ...seem almost defenseless 00:21:02.302 --> 00:21:04.096 against a heavily-armed hornet. 00:21:07.432 --> 00:21:08.976 With a quarter-inch stinger, 00:21:09.685 --> 00:21:11.728 and outsized mandibles, 00:21:13.522 --> 00:21:16.733 she can kill 40 bees in a minute. 00:21:22.072 --> 00:21:24.283 But it's not the bees she's after. 00:21:32.147 --> 00:21:34.357 It's their babies. 00:21:38.588 --> 00:21:40.048 Hidden inside this tree, 00:21:40.924 --> 00:21:42.634 are thousands of larvae, 00:21:46.179 --> 00:21:49.474 protected by 20,000 dedicated workers. 00:21:58.191 --> 00:22:01.695 It's too much for one hornet to take on alone. 00:22:03.238 --> 00:22:05.282 So, she marks the bee's fortress 00:22:06.317 --> 00:22:08.840 with a chemical beacon. 00:22:12.998 --> 00:22:14.499 Hornets cover 60 miles a day 00:22:14.624 --> 00:22:15.959 looking for food. 00:22:17.022 --> 00:22:19.441 As soon as her kin sends the signal... 00:22:21.089 --> 00:22:22.591 ...they know their search is over. 00:22:29.758 --> 00:22:31.909 In just hours, 00:22:31.934 --> 00:22:33.938 a gang of these deadly assassins 00:22:33.963 --> 00:22:36.438 could annihilate the whole hive. 00:22:47.783 --> 00:22:49.451 Outer defenses breached. 00:22:50.838 --> 00:22:52.853 Next... 00:22:54.366 --> 00:22:56.156 the nursery. 00:22:58.493 --> 00:23:01.289 The fate of the colony is sealed... 00:23:03.465 --> 00:23:04.466 Almost. 00:23:04.922 --> 00:23:08.627 The bees have one last chance at survival. 00:23:11.017 --> 00:23:14.221 A chemical alarm compels them to move as one, 00:23:15.213 --> 00:23:17.986 and swarm the hornets. 00:23:25.570 --> 00:23:28.448 Then each bee begins flexing its flight muscles. 00:23:29.991 --> 00:23:32.858 It only produces a tiny amount of heat, 00:23:33.748 --> 00:23:35.335 but when combined, 00:23:35.752 --> 00:23:38.374 it becomes a formidable force. 00:23:39.741 --> 00:23:43.139 Thermal cameras reveal the core temperature is rising. 00:23:45.035 --> 00:23:47.178 This glowing bee ball 00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:49.710 is a precision weapon. 00:23:50.092 --> 00:23:52.837 Just one degree higher would kill the bees. 00:23:54.730 --> 00:23:58.225 But exactly 117 degrees Fahrenheit 00:23:59.053 --> 00:24:01.138 is the perfect temperature 00:24:01.163 --> 00:24:04.405 to cook hornets alive. 00:24:22.239 --> 00:24:24.841 Both sides suffer casualties. 00:24:28.341 --> 00:24:31.636 But the bees' amazing ability to work as one, 00:24:32.971 --> 00:24:35.474 ensures the colony lives on. 00:24:46.635 --> 00:24:50.205 Strength in numbers brings protection, 00:24:51.955 --> 00:24:55.643 but it also brings competition closer to home. 00:24:58.151 --> 00:25:00.986 Bass Rock, Scotland. 00:25:02.729 --> 00:25:05.806 One hundred and fifty thousand Gannets, 00:25:07.464 --> 00:25:09.799 all nesting on one rock, 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:13.901 less than one mile square. 00:25:15.471 --> 00:25:17.562 From a bird's eye view, 00:25:18.036 --> 00:25:20.767 it looks like life in perfect harmony. 00:25:22.903 --> 00:25:24.868 But it's just an illusion. 00:25:31.852 --> 00:25:33.340 Each nest 00:25:33.365 --> 00:25:35.784 is two beak lengths apart, 00:25:35.809 --> 00:25:36.952 for good reason. 00:25:37.869 --> 00:25:40.183 Any that overstep that mark, 00:25:40.541 --> 00:25:43.083 reveal the unseen tensions at play. 00:25:46.401 --> 00:25:48.505 Beaks designed to cut through water, 00:25:48.530 --> 00:25:51.091 and snatch fish at 60 miles an hour, 00:25:51.846 --> 00:25:54.970 also make vicious weapons. 00:26:16.795 --> 00:26:19.072 Fights for nesting space 00:26:19.096 --> 00:26:21.318 can last for two hours... 00:26:36.136 --> 00:26:37.596 ...and come at a cost. 00:26:46.222 --> 00:26:47.777 In nature, 00:26:47.981 --> 00:26:50.275 peace exists on a knife-edge. 00:26:59.393 --> 00:27:01.650 Conflict is always hiding... 00:27:02.579 --> 00:27:04.456 just below the surface. 00:27:14.704 --> 00:27:17.461 When it comes to securing their bloodline, 00:27:18.136 --> 00:27:20.805 some sink to new depths. 00:27:22.474 --> 00:27:24.934 Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania 00:27:24.959 --> 00:27:27.187 is a breeding ground for conflict. 00:27:31.274 --> 00:27:33.360 A male burtoni cichlid 00:27:33.693 --> 00:27:35.737 is desperate to impress a female. 00:27:41.967 --> 00:27:44.357 He performs a signature dance. 00:27:58.358 --> 00:27:59.968 She may not look it, 00:28:00.637 --> 00:28:01.971 but she's charmed. 00:28:04.948 --> 00:28:07.603 The aquatic Romeo sweetens the deal 00:28:07.628 --> 00:28:09.729 with a cichlid love potion. 00:28:13.024 --> 00:28:15.985 A pheromone designed to stimulate the female, 00:28:19.496 --> 00:28:21.738 that also travels through water, 00:28:23.207 --> 00:28:25.824 attracting the wrong attention. 00:28:28.873 --> 00:28:31.459 A local gang of cuckoo catfish. 00:28:33.712 --> 00:28:36.631 Their skin, covered in taste buds, 00:28:37.298 --> 00:28:39.426 detects the slightest hint of pheromone. 00:28:41.970 --> 00:28:43.513 They know it means... 00:28:45.390 --> 00:28:46.683 the burtonis 00:28:47.100 --> 00:28:48.601 are ready to spawn. 00:28:53.565 --> 00:28:54.774 Laying 100 eggs, 00:28:56.109 --> 00:28:57.902 each the size of a sesame seed, 00:28:58.737 --> 00:29:01.281 it's the perfect moment for an ambush. 00:29:09.914 --> 00:29:12.417 The catfish eat as many eggs as they can. 00:29:20.216 --> 00:29:21.426 And now... 00:29:21.843 --> 00:29:22.886 they spawn. 00:29:28.611 --> 00:29:30.486 Leaving behind 00:29:30.810 --> 00:29:33.897 tiny, ticking, time bombs. 00:29:37.423 --> 00:29:41.736 The burtoni mother instinctively collects any eggs. 00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:45.267 She's not eating them. 00:29:46.367 --> 00:29:48.495 She has a special ability. 00:29:54.837 --> 00:29:56.878 Some cichlid super-moms 00:29:56.903 --> 00:29:58.521 raise their babies 00:29:58.546 --> 00:30:00.376 in their mouths, 00:30:02.243 --> 00:30:04.724 using them as mobile nurseries 00:30:04.748 --> 00:30:07.639 to keep their young safe as they grow. 00:30:14.020 --> 00:30:17.524 But this burtoni cichlid has been hijacked. 00:30:20.610 --> 00:30:21.945 Hidden from sight, 00:30:22.278 --> 00:30:24.176 inside her mouth, 00:30:24.739 --> 00:30:28.106 her mixed brood begins to hatch. 00:30:32.872 --> 00:30:34.395 And some... 00:30:35.017 --> 00:30:37.988 grow much faster than others. 00:30:40.762 --> 00:30:43.606 The oblivious burtoni is devoting time 00:30:43.925 --> 00:30:46.094 to raising the wrong offspring. 00:30:49.629 --> 00:30:51.307 Twice the size, 00:30:52.642 --> 00:30:55.446 ravenous baby cuckoo catfish... 00:30:56.267 --> 00:30:58.523 turn on the cichlid young. 00:31:01.915 --> 00:31:03.841 Opening jaws wide enough 00:31:03.865 --> 00:31:09.200 to swallow their foster siblings, headfirst. 00:31:19.669 --> 00:31:21.938 The treacherous catfish babies 00:31:21.963 --> 00:31:24.524 soon outgrow their nursery. 00:31:42.595 --> 00:31:44.282 They head off alone, 00:31:44.307 --> 00:31:46.279 keeping a low profile, 00:31:46.304 --> 00:31:48.294 until ready to prey 00:31:48.318 --> 00:31:50.243 on another unsuspecting mother. 00:31:52.713 --> 00:31:54.298 Leaving the burtoni 00:31:54.328 --> 00:31:56.759 to protect her surviving offspring, 00:31:59.792 --> 00:32:01.669 giving them the best chance she can 00:32:02.170 --> 00:32:03.963 in this dangerous world. 00:32:13.034 --> 00:32:15.343 In Italy's Alpine meadows, 00:32:15.367 --> 00:32:17.464 there's one baby animal... 00:32:18.061 --> 00:32:19.520 ...who takes living with the enemy 00:32:20.271 --> 00:32:22.065 to a whole other level. 00:32:23.691 --> 00:32:26.778 Meet the intrepid Alcon blue caterpillar. 00:32:28.800 --> 00:32:30.709 Only two weeks old, 00:32:31.073 --> 00:32:33.917 and just the size of a grain of rice. 00:32:35.862 --> 00:32:39.916 It's about to embark on one of the most amazing adventures 00:32:40.541 --> 00:32:42.710 in the whole of the natural world. 00:32:49.801 --> 00:32:51.590 In search of food, 00:32:54.144 --> 00:32:56.734 it must descend into the underworld, 00:32:59.435 --> 00:33:02.730 patrolled by savage armies of Myrmecia ants. 00:33:05.692 --> 00:33:06.985 They can take down prey 00:33:07.193 --> 00:33:08.987 thousands of times their size. 00:33:23.918 --> 00:33:26.921 A tiny grub seems an easy target. 00:33:33.136 --> 00:33:36.464 Especially one that emits an alluring scent, 00:33:36.662 --> 00:33:38.713 betraying its presence. 00:33:41.019 --> 00:33:44.313 With antennae five times more sensitive than most other insects, 00:33:45.398 --> 00:33:48.276 an ant is onto it like a bloodhound. 00:33:57.994 --> 00:34:01.539 The caterpillar is an easy size to carry back to base, 00:34:08.004 --> 00:34:10.715 where ants prepare food for their young. 00:34:22.477 --> 00:34:23.644 But this caterpillar 00:34:24.479 --> 00:34:26.439 doesn't smell like food, 00:34:30.193 --> 00:34:32.528 it smells like family. 00:34:35.615 --> 00:34:36.824 Born to deceive, 00:34:36.949 --> 00:34:38.743 that special caterpillar odor 00:34:39.327 --> 00:34:41.913 smells so similar to the ant's grubs, 00:34:42.830 --> 00:34:44.791 that they treat it like their own. 00:34:56.094 --> 00:34:57.386 And that's not all. 00:34:58.471 --> 00:34:59.931 To enhance its disguise, 00:35:00.848 --> 00:35:03.059 the caterpillar sings. 00:35:10.942 --> 00:35:14.278 It's copying the song of the most important ant in the colony, 00:35:16.948 --> 00:35:17.990 the queen. 00:35:20.284 --> 00:35:21.869 Forcing dedicated workers 00:35:21.994 --> 00:35:23.454 to tend to its every need, 00:35:24.705 --> 00:35:26.499 and neglect their own. 00:35:30.128 --> 00:35:32.255 While the colony protects it, 00:35:32.797 --> 00:35:34.966 cleans it, and feeds it, 00:35:35.800 --> 00:35:38.678 the audacious caterpillar can keep up the act 00:35:39.595 --> 00:35:42.932 for two long years. 00:35:52.942 --> 00:35:56.654 Until 100 times its original weight, 00:35:59.031 --> 00:36:00.918 the baby blue 00:36:00.950 --> 00:36:03.911 is finally ready to reveal its true colors. 00:36:07.790 --> 00:36:09.041 Inside the chrysalis, 00:36:10.626 --> 00:36:12.837 caterpillar tissue is broken down... 00:36:14.130 --> 00:36:15.339 and reformed. 00:36:33.649 --> 00:36:36.360 But, when an Alcon blue becomes a butterfly, 00:36:37.695 --> 00:36:40.031 it loses its protective power. 00:36:43.492 --> 00:36:45.661 No longer smelling like a baby ant, 00:36:46.621 --> 00:36:47.955 it needs to get out... 00:36:48.247 --> 00:36:49.540 fast. 00:36:53.044 --> 00:36:56.380 Before the ants catch onto the intruder in their midst. 00:37:25.826 --> 00:37:28.704 Finally, the Alcon blue 00:37:28.788 --> 00:37:29.956 is free. 00:37:36.671 --> 00:37:38.547 Over billions of years, 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:42.593 living things have evolved amazing abilities 00:37:42.677 --> 00:37:45.221 to compete for their place on this planet. 00:37:46.305 --> 00:37:48.266 But when a new rival comes along, 00:37:49.433 --> 00:37:51.560 it changes everything. 00:37:54.592 --> 00:37:57.248 The coastal waters of British Columbia 00:37:57.311 --> 00:38:00.623 are home to a legendary sea monster. 00:38:07.576 --> 00:38:10.371 One of the planet's fastest-growing animals. 00:38:13.874 --> 00:38:18.754 It doubles its weight every two months on a diet primarily of crustaceans. 00:38:36.981 --> 00:38:39.275 Since before the age of dinosaurs, 00:38:40.776 --> 00:38:43.029 the giant pacific octopus 00:38:43.571 --> 00:38:46.198 has been the unrivaled crab hunter down here. 00:38:50.667 --> 00:38:52.926 Until now. 00:38:58.526 --> 00:39:00.271 We have cunning ways 00:39:00.296 --> 00:39:02.315 to catch seafood 00:39:02.340 --> 00:39:04.342 without even entering the water. 00:39:17.188 --> 00:39:21.650 Traps are effective in attracting the octopus's favorite food. 00:39:25.446 --> 00:39:28.157 But when the world's most intelligent invertebrate 00:39:28.366 --> 00:39:30.034 is presented with a challenge, 00:39:31.827 --> 00:39:33.079 it doesn't give up, 00:39:35.623 --> 00:39:36.874 it solves it. 00:39:40.487 --> 00:39:42.447 Two thousand *, 00:39:43.172 --> 00:39:44.465 every individual one 00:39:44.490 --> 00:39:46.801 with more taste receptors than a human tongue, 00:39:48.427 --> 00:39:52.264 help to detect prey in the murkiest water. 00:40:00.843 --> 00:40:03.065 Guided by nine brains, 00:40:03.651 --> 00:40:05.316 one in its head, 00:40:05.449 --> 00:40:08.261 and a mini-brain in each of its eight arms, 00:40:12.230 --> 00:40:14.120 the octopus closes in. 00:40:17.998 --> 00:40:20.730 A boneless skeleton made of water, 00:40:20.918 --> 00:40:23.879 means it can contort it's nine-foot body 00:40:24.130 --> 00:40:25.731 through a hole, 00:40:25.756 --> 00:40:28.402 the width of a grapefruit. 00:40:44.861 --> 00:40:46.419 Now, to dine 00:40:46.444 --> 00:40:48.696 before the trap is lifted. 00:40:55.041 --> 00:40:57.775 The trap only opens one way. 00:41:03.335 --> 00:41:05.839 But that's no problem 00:41:05.864 --> 00:41:07.882 for this extraordinary escape artist. 00:41:17.703 --> 00:41:19.314 We may be smart, 00:41:20.853 --> 00:41:24.899 but we're still discovering animals have countless skills, 00:41:24.924 --> 00:41:26.846 every bit as impressive. 00:41:30.275 --> 00:41:31.715 Overlook them, 00:41:32.807 --> 00:41:35.119 and we may be left empty-handed. 00:41:44.835 --> 00:41:47.379 In a world full of unexpected foes, 00:41:51.717 --> 00:41:53.135 competition 00:41:53.344 --> 00:41:55.429 is evolution's ultimate driving force. 00:41:57.973 --> 00:42:01.894 The secret behind the incredible diversity of life on earth, 00:42:05.981 --> 00:42:08.776 and the most extraordinary animal powers. 00:42:11.737 --> 00:42:13.197 If you think you know nature, 00:42:14.698 --> 00:42:15.783 think again.