Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 Boris senses movement. He dives, keeping any exposure to the minimum.
00:07 When Boris is underwater, his scales, known as osteoderms, create a low pressure system
00:20 around him, resulting in a counter current around his body.
00:27 The water surface won't ripple as he swims up to his prey.
00:34 He's invisible.
00:42 This one is an ambush specialist.
00:48 The green tree python is a non-venomous arboreal snake.
00:54 It lives in the rainforests of the very far north of Queensland.
01:00 Tropical country and full of prey.
01:07 As a juvenile, it spends a lot of time on the ground, hunting small lizards and frogs.
01:15 So its colouring is mottled yellow to blend in with the leaves on the rainforest floor.
01:23 As it becomes adult, it turns a stunning green, the perfect camouflage in the tree canopy.
01:30 It catches rodents on the ground at night. By day it takes to the trees in search of
01:44 canopy dwelling animals.
01:50 After getting into a good position, the green tree python sits and waits for prey to come
01:55 within strike range.
02:00 Many of its prey are well adapted to see movement. So this snake has come up with a means to
02:06 exploit that.
02:10 It doesn't just passively wait for its victims. It tries to actively attract them.
02:19 It wriggles the very end of its tail. This is called caudal luring.
02:26 By doing this, it's trying to convince any passing reptile or bird that the tip of its
02:35 tail is actually a juicy snack, like a small lizard.
02:43 It's a classic ambush, with a twist.
02:50 However this species of jumping spider is an expert at disguise.
03:10 It's tricked the ants into thinking it's one of them.
03:17 The ants rely less on vision and more on chemical signals to tell them what is friend and what
03:27 is foe.
03:30 By adopting their chemical signature, the spider is able to remain undetected.
03:38 The spider's chemical mimicry isn't just a clever defence mechanism, but also an aggressive
03:45 predatory ploy.
03:58 Because the ants think the spider is one of them, they won't stop it entering their nest,
04:03 where it will prey on their eggs, larvae and pupae.
04:10 To be able to penetrate the defences of the weaver ant nest is remarkable.
04:26 It's one of the most formidable fortresses in the forest.
04:31 And it's built by a mighty army of these highly resourceful ants.
04:38 Found in Africa and Asia as well as Australia, a colony of weaver ants can be half a million
04:47 strong.
04:49 Alone, a single weaver ant is tiny and vulnerable.
04:57 But together, they become a mighty, many-celled workforce.
05:04 The venomous death adder also lies in wait for prey.
05:25 This mouse has good senses of its own, but the death adder's colouring means that once
05:32 it digs itself into the leaf litter, it's almost invisible.
05:47 It lurks there, deathly still.
05:55 The unsuspecting mouse walks right over the top of it.
06:02 Although the death adder doesn't have heat pits like most of the pythons, it picks up
06:10 the vibrations of the rodent.
06:20 And when the mouse is close, the snake can use its eyesight to zero in on its target.
06:27 The death adder has one of the fastest strikes of all snakes.
06:43 It can attack, inject its venom, and be back into its original position in a quarter of
06:50 a second.
06:54 The kill is often swallowed head first.
06:58 If the snake is low on venom, its prey may still be alive for a while after being bitten.
07:05 Eating head first reduces the risk of the snake being bitten itself.
07:12 All snakes are very vulnerable whilst they're eating.
07:16 Their main weapons are now out of play, so they need to get every meal down as quickly
07:22 as possible.
07:27 And head first is the fastest.
07:34 Powerful enzymes and gastric juices break down the food, and the nutrients are absorbed.
07:45 This process can take days, or even weeks.
07:52 The eastern tarantula.
08:00 She's one of the biggest spiders in the country, up to six inches across.
08:09 The venom is powerful enough to kill a dog.
08:14 This spider lives on the ground in the drier areas of the forest.
08:21 She's excavated a burrow around three feet deep.
08:33 Alone, she waits just inside the burrow entrance.
08:40 The tarantula is an ambush predator.
08:48 This spider relies more on touch than sight.
09:01 As she patiently waits, the cricket passes near her burrow.
09:08 Its movements are producing telltale vibrations.
09:16 It's all over in seconds.
09:31 With the tarantula around, the forest floor is never a safe place for potential prey like
09:38 crickets.
09:46 It's been dry season now for over five months.
09:50 There hasn't been rain in a long time.
09:55 Water holes are developing thick mud at their edges.
10:00 Rivers are low.
10:02 And animals coming down to the water's edge to drink can be excellent quarry for the stealthy
10:07 crocodile.
10:15 Salties are hyper-carnivores, meaning their diet is more than 70% meat.
10:37 They'll eat just about any animal they can catch and overpower, including fish, birds,
10:44 small animals, even humans.
10:52 Like all estuarine crocodiles, Boris is mostly nocturnal.
11:00 but will hunt during the day when he gets a chance.
11:06 He gets into position along the riverbank to watch for anything that comes near him.
11:14 He's a very active predator.
11:22 But will hunt during the day when he gets a chance.
11:29 He gets into position along the riverbank to watch for anything that comes within striking
11:37 distance.
11:44 Sweeps of his powerful tail propel him silently through the water.
11:50 His short limbs with clawed, webbed feet are ideal for swimming.
11:57 His eyes, ears and nostrils are located on top of his head, allowing him to lie low while
12:05 keeping an eye on his prey.
12:10 As well as a good sense of smell, he has sensory pits along his entire body which detect vibrations.
12:18 Boris senses movement.
12:25 He dives, keeping any exposure to the minimum.
12:36 When Boris is underwater, his scales, known as osteoderms, create a low pressure system
12:45 around him, resulting in a counter current around his body.
12:52 The water surface won't ripple as he swims up to his prey.
12:59 He's invisible.
13:06 The little moorhen in the reed beds is oblivious to his presence.
13:13 But Boris is after a bigger prize.
13:20 He moves on silently.
13:43 An unsuspecting wallaby has come to the water to drink.
13:50 Unaware of what may lurk nearby.
14:08 A crocodile can lunge incredibly fast, using both feet and tail to propel himself from
14:15 the water.
14:25 Boris clamps the wallaby with his long, powerful jaws.
14:35 A special valve at the back of his throat allows him to open his mouth to catch and
14:42 hold prey under the water without any entering his throat.
14:47 But to eat the wallaby, his head needs to be above water.
14:53 A crocodile can eat an incredible 23% of its body weight in one go.
14:59 He can secrete gastric acid faster than any other animal, liquefying bone matter in just
15:04 a few hours.
15:06 The only thing Boris can't digest is keratin, so he'll cough up the fur later.
15:11 Anything he can't manage now, he'll conceal and return for snacks when he's hungry.
15:19 [music]
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