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00:00Our planet may be home to 30 million different kinds of animals and plants, each individual
00:28locked in its own lifelong fight for survival.
00:33Everywhere you look, on land or in the ocean, there are extraordinary examples of the lengths
00:38living things go to to stay alive.
00:45This is the coast of Florida.
00:50Here, strained scars on the seabed hint at one animal's remarkable strategy.
01:02These are bottlenose dolphins, one of the most intelligent animals on earth.
01:08Their prey is very elusive, fast-swimming fish, but the dolphins have invented a completely
01:16new way of hunting.
01:22By beating its tail down hard, this dolphin stirs up the shallow silt.
01:34And by swimming in a tight circle, it creates a ring of mushrooming mud around a shoal of
01:39fish.
02:00The contracting ring traps the fish just like a net.
02:04Panicked, the fish jump to escape.
02:08Right into the open mouths of the waiting dolphins.
02:25Again and again, the lead dolphin creates a circle before they all line up with perfect
02:30timing.
02:58These dolphins are the only ones known to have developed this hunting behaviour, and
03:03it gives them an edge.
03:10This sort of advantage may mean the difference between life and death in the survival of
03:15the fittest.
03:22This series reveals the most spectacular and extraordinary strategies that animals and
03:28plants have developed to stay alive.
03:58For every creature, every day is full of challenges, all of which must be overcome
04:13somehow in order to survive.
04:28Kenya, famous for its big cats, the supreme hunters.
04:46Cheetahs specialise in hunting at speed, though fast, they're fragile creatures built to sprint
04:53after small prey.
04:56They don't have the strength or weight of a lion to bring down larger animals.
05:03This male is different.
05:05He doesn't hunt alone.
05:07He's learnt that there is strength in numbers.
05:16But here, there are not just two, but three cheetahs, a band of brothers.
05:37They have changed their tactics, and by doing so, have taken their prey by surprise.
05:44They have learnt that working together, they can bring down large prey.
05:54An ostrich, a bird that towers over a cheetah and is more than twice as heavy.
06:02It can't fly to escape danger, but it can lash out with a deadly kick.
06:09A female, unaware as yet of any danger.
06:18Even with three of them, this is still highly risky.
06:22If one gets injured, the other two couldn't hope to tackle such large prey.
06:35On the other hand, if they get it right, the rewards are huge.
06:49The male has spotted one of the brothers, but only one.
06:53He's not too worried.
07:07Then suddenly, there are three.
07:21The female is slower to realise the danger, and the cheetahs switch targets.
07:42It takes the combined effort and weight of all three brothers to bring down this powerful
07:57bird.
07:58Even now, the ostrich could land a fatal kick.
08:09So far, the brothers are winning.
08:12The cheetahs have yet to find a way to foil such tactics.
08:18Other animals have also evolved surprising tactics to outmanoeuvre the enemy, not with
08:24brute strength, but with extraordinary weapons.
08:29Madagascar.
08:30A strange world where nothing is quite as it seems.
08:46To hunt here requires stealth and subterfuge.
08:52And living within the trees is a master of ambush.
08:56A praying mantis.
09:00Well camouflaged and lightening quick, these insects are highly efficient predators.
09:22But even they are outgunned.
09:33A chameleon.
09:36Its camouflage is exceptional because it can change its skin colour to match its surroundings.
09:50Its eyes move independently to spot prey.
09:58It creeps towards its victim until just in range.
10:07Then it unleashes a super weapon.
10:11Its tongue shoots out at 15 metres per second.
10:20And not only hits, but grasps its target.
10:40But few hunters are always successful.
10:43For them, a hunt is just one meal.
10:46For prey, the stakes are higher.
10:49It's life or death.
11:04As Antarctica moves from spring into summer, the inlets and bays once choked with ice
11:10become free.
11:17And animals move in to feed.
11:28These are crab-eater seals.
11:31They don't actually eat crabs, but krill, small shrimps that swarm in their billions
11:36in these waters.
11:50Resting on a large ice flow, these crab-eaters are safe.
12:01But as soon as they enter the water, they are on their guard for good reason.
12:16Killer whales.
12:22Here in Antarctica, many killer whales prey only on fish.
12:26But these whales are different.
12:28They specialize in hunting seals.
12:44This seal, swimming to open water, is unaware of the danger heading his way.
12:55He's in real trouble.
13:02There is no escape, unless he can hide behind this small piece of floating ice.
13:25But he's been spotted and surrounded.
13:41Now, agility is his only chance.
13:48He dodges for his life, staying as close as he can to the iceberg.
14:04And the whales tighten the circle, going for the kill.
14:35But hunters don't always get their own way.
14:43In the end, the seal's determination and skill, using the ice for protection, kept him just
14:50out of reach.
14:51And the whales move on.
15:02Recently, it's been observed that killer whales are much more successful when hunting other
15:07types of seals.
15:09Crab-eaters like this put up too much of a fight.
15:20For creatures living in the open ocean, there is nowhere to hide from predators.
15:33But there is safety in numbers.
15:50One fish, however, has evolved a different escape tactic.
16:09To leave the water completely, take to the air and fly.
16:19After a huge effort to get airborne, flying fish can glide 200 meters or so to escape
16:26the predators chasing them.
16:49Not all animals are hunters.
17:15Many are vegetarians.
17:16But the battle between animals and plants can also be intense.
17:25Boa Vista, central Brazil.
17:31This valley is peppered with strangely pitted rocks.
17:46These are not natural formations, but the legacy of a long struggle between one animal
17:52and one plant.
17:57Brown-tufted capuchins, highly intelligent monkeys.
18:03They spend their nights in the safety of caves, emerging each morning to find food.
18:14Down in the valley is a particular favorite, a nut palm.
18:20The palms produce huge seeds.
18:23But they have very strong shells that protect them against attack from hungry animals.
18:36For the capuchins, this is a war of attrition.
18:43They check which seed is the ripest and the battle commences.
18:54The first job is to tear the tough, fibrous husk from the nut.
19:05He doesn't try to crack the nut straight away, but drops it to the ground.
19:11He's learnt that a nut should be given a week or so drying in the sun.
19:16These are ones he prepared earlier.
19:19He taps them to see if they're ready.
19:34This huge, flat rock is his anvil.
19:49And this is a hammer.
19:53It's made of a different and much harder rock than the anvil.
20:01Now, something extraordinary happens.
20:16The capuchins' use of these stone tools requires an exceptional level of intelligence, planning and dexterity.
20:31The nut finally cracks, and exposes a rich, oily kernel.
20:49Youngsters watch and imitate the adults, just as human toddlers do.
20:55If they are to become independent, they must learn to crack their own nuts.
21:06But the learning process is long, with many frustrations.
21:15They learn early on that to do a job properly, you need the right tool.
21:31It can take eight years for a capuchin to master this art and overcome the palm's formidable defences.
21:49But some plants have turned the tables, and feed on animals.
21:59This is a highly sophisticated trap.
22:02The bait? Sugary nectar around the rim of the disc.
22:08The triggers? Fine hairs, two of which have to be touched within 20 seconds of each other.
22:25The victim? A fly, which finds the colour and nectar irresistible.
22:39One.
22:43Two.
23:00When triggered, the trap snaps shut so fast that the fly is imprisoned.
23:13The Venus flytrap now slowly digests its victim.
23:37Life's challenges are more than just finding food.
23:40In every animal's life, there comes a time when its mind turns to breeding.
23:47One creature's approach is mind-boggling.
23:54Malaysia.
24:10This strange insect has been lying dormant on the forest floor.
24:40Once safe in the trees, these males hide among the leaves and begin an extraordinary transformation.
24:50One that will make the difference between fathering offspring or not.
24:59He begins by gulping in air bubbles, forcing them up into his head.
25:06He then pumps the bubbles into the stalks, supporting his eyes, just like blowing up a balloon.
25:20And this is what earns these creatures their name.
25:24The stalk-eyed fly.
25:28A few final adjustments to straighten out any remaining creases, and he's ready for action.
25:42They begin to eat.
25:46A few final adjustments to straighten out any remaining creases, and he's ready for action.
25:57They may look unwieldy, but eyes on stalks improve not only his ability to spot predators,
26:03but they are key when it comes to winning females.
26:16In the evening, both males and females gather, and the males begin to size one another up, eyeball to eyeball.
26:25Having the widest eye span puts you at the top of the pecking order.
26:33The eye stalks are not weapons, they're measuring sticks, used to gauge how big, and so how strong, a male is.
26:42But there's trouble if two top males have exactly the same eye width.
26:47Then the contest descends into a brawl.
27:02Defeated.
27:05The winner. He now has the right to mate with all the females nearby.
27:12Stalk-eyed fly
27:17The rather gentlemanly way stalk-eyed flies settle their differences over females is not the only way.
27:24Some animals are much more violent.
27:27It's the dry season in Zambia.
27:31The lagoons are either baked dry, or the mud is so thick, animals get stuck, with fatal consequences.
27:42This male hippo has been living in one small lagoon, but as it dries, it's turning into a death trap.
27:52Understandably, the females that once shared it with him have all left.
27:59Even if he wants to, he can't stay much longer.
28:04He needs water to keep cool, and females to mate with.
28:12And this is where they all are.
28:15Almost all the hippos in the area are now in what is left of the Luangwa River, because it's the last place where there's still deep water.
28:27This bend is controlled by an all-powerful male.
28:31Since the drought, many more females have joined his herd.
28:36They are happy to live cheek-by-jowl, but any male who comes here in the hope of mating must first defeat the overlord.
28:43They are happy to live cheek-by-jowl, but any male who comes here in the hope of mating must first defeat the overlord.
29:03The wandering male arrives and has a decision to make.
29:07Submit, or fight.
29:13Submit, or fight.
29:15Submit, or fight.
29:17Submit, or fight.
29:19Submit, or fight.
29:21Submit, or fight.
29:23Submit, or fight.
29:25Submit, or fight.
29:27Submit, or fight.
29:29Submit, or fight.
29:31Submit, or fight.
29:33Submit, or fight.
29:35Submit, or fight.
29:37Submit, or fight.
29:39Submit, or fight.
29:42Submit, or fight.
29:44Submit, or fight.
29:46Submit, or fight.
29:48Submit, or fight.
29:50Submit, or fight.
29:52Submit, or fight.
29:54Submit, or fight.
29:56Submit, or fight.
29:58Submit, or fight.
30:00Submit, or fight.
30:02Submit, or fight.
30:04Submit, or fight.
30:06Submit, or fight.
30:08Submit, or fight.
30:10Submit, or fight.
30:12Submit, or fight.
30:14Submit, or fight.
30:16Submit, or fight.
30:18Submit, or fight.
30:20Victory for the Overlord.
30:22His domination of his channel in the river remains,
30:26and with it, mating rights with the females.
30:30Submit, or fight.
30:32Submit, or fight.
30:34Submit, or fight.
30:36Submit, or fight.
30:38The loser is alive, but is an outcast.
30:42He retreats to another part of the river,
30:44where it's so shallow that no females will follow.
30:50His chance to father offspring is over for now.
31:00For some animals, the challenges of breeding are not about fighting,
31:04but about courtship.
31:08Among birds, displays, songs and rituals
31:12can reach extraordinary levels of complexity and beauty.
31:22During spring on the freshwater lakes of Oregon,
31:26grebes join together to renew their partnership.
31:38♪
31:45The ceremony starts with a series of graceful duets
31:49in which one partner echoes the actions of the other.
31:59But the real test comes now.
32:03Only the strongest and the most faithful
32:06are prepared to join together for the final exultant dance.
32:10♪
32:41♪
33:04Those animals which have young
33:06now face a whole new set of challenges
33:09to protect and nurture their offspring.
33:16In the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean,
33:19there lives a giant.
33:27A giant Pacific octopus at over four metres long.
33:37She is hunting not for prey, but for a den,
33:41somewhere to settle down and hide.
33:54Her den has to be just right.
33:58She's going to live here for the rest of her life.
34:02She's carrying fertilised eggs.
34:06And now, happy and settled, she lays them.
34:12100,000 of them.
34:20Over the next six months, she carefully tends her precious brood.
34:31She caresses them with her arms to keep them free of algae
34:35and properly supplied with oxygen.
34:40This is her first and only brood.
34:44And so she takes great care of them.
34:47While she's guarding her eggs, she doesn't leave the den.
34:51Not once.
34:53Unable to feed, she's starving.
34:58Her last act of devotion is to blow water over the eggs
35:02to help them hatch.
35:20Young, fully developed octopus pop out.
35:28Though only a few will survive to adulthood,
35:32she's given them the best chance she can.
35:39After her long and lonely vigil, she is dead.
35:45Surely this sacrifice must make her one of nature's most devoted mothers.
35:58Here, 30 metres beneath the Costa Rican forest canopy,
36:02another dedicated mother ensures that her young
36:06also have the best possible start in life.
36:15This tiny strawberry poison arrow frog, only the size of a fingernail,
36:20is guarding her fertilised eggs.
36:28Whilst the eggs and tadpoles are developing,
36:31she and her mate keep watch,
36:33making sure that they are safe from predators.
36:37But they can't stay here forever.
36:39The leaf litter is drying out and tadpoles need water.
36:44She must do something, and fast.
36:47She needs to move them,
36:49and so encourages one tadpole to climb on her back.
36:53She now begins an epic journey.
36:57But it's not to a pond, as you might expect.
37:00She is looking for something very particular.
37:05Her journey takes her across the forest floor to the foot of a tall tree,
37:09where the tadpoles are waiting for her.
37:12Her journey takes her across the forest floor to the foot of a tall tree,
37:16and then she starts to climb.
37:34For such a little frog, it is a marathon ascent.
37:38Like a human mother climbing the Empire State Building with a child on her back.
37:47She's looking for a plant, a bromeliad, growing on the tree.
37:57It holds a pool of water at its centre,
38:00the perfect nursery pool for a developing tadpole.
38:05In slides her youngster.
38:15But this is only one of six tadpoles.
38:18She must rush back down to rescue the others.
38:27One by one, she collects them and carries each to its own bromeliad.
38:34One by one, she collects them and carries each to its own bromeliad.
38:57But there is another problem.
39:00The little pools contain no food.
39:05So she has to provide it.
39:09She lays an unfertilised egg in each pool for her tadpoles to eat.
39:20And then she leaves.
39:28But one egg won't sustain a growing tadpole for long,
39:32so she has to return every few days with another egg.
39:43Over the next two weeks, she can climb almost half a mile, tending her young.
39:50An astonishing feat for such a tiny creature.
40:02While she's busy delivering eggs, the tadpole grows legs
40:06and its tail begins to disappear.
40:11And then one day it leaves its bromeliad nursery forever
40:15and climbs out into the forest.
40:23Whilst its mother has a well-deserved rest.
40:28Birds are also diligent parents.
40:32Over their lifetime, they invest huge effort in just a few young.
40:41But there is only so much a parent can do.
40:48All along the Antarctic peninsula,
40:50both male and female chinstrap penguins have been commuting.
40:54Daily from the open ocean to collect food for their chicks.
41:06Mouthfuls of krill caught many miles away at sea are regurgitated.
41:12But one day, the chicks wait in vain for food.
41:16Their parents do not return.
41:21The chicks now face life on their own.
41:24This is the toughest time in an animal's life.
41:28And some are not going to make it.
41:32The world is changing.
41:34Over the next few days, driven by hunger,
41:37the chicks make their way down to the shore.
41:42Instinct tells them they have to head out to sea.
41:49Built to withstand the cold,
41:51the penguins are ready to go to sea.
41:56But they're not going to make it.
41:58They're going to head out to sea.
42:03Built to withstand the cold,
42:05they have already accumulated a layer of fat
42:08and their outer feathers act as a waterproof shield.
42:13But they still have to learn to swim.
42:29The polar sea is challenging enough.
42:32But with a change in the wind,
42:34a slick of broken ice has choked the bay.
42:42For any penguin, this ice presents a real problem.
42:48But for the penguins, it's not.
42:51For any penguin, this ice presents a real problem.
42:57But for the chicks, it's a disaster.
43:05They must get through this barrier to the open water
43:08if they are to feed.
43:16One, perhaps hungrier or braver than the rest,
43:19leads the way and tries skittering over the top
43:22while the others watch.
43:27The ice is hard to swim through and progress is painfully slow.
43:50A leopard seal.
43:58This chick never had the chance to learn how to avoid the seal.
44:02Its end is inevitable.
44:20Ah!
44:25Ah!
44:33The leopard seal efficiently flays the chick,
44:36tearing off a small piece with each throw.
44:44Others take their chance.
44:49Ah!
44:58Ah!
45:01Ah!
45:03Ah!
45:05Ah!
45:07Ah!
45:09Ah!
45:11Ah!
45:13Ah!
45:15Ah!
45:17Ah!
45:20Ah!
45:25But the leopard seal is now ready for its next victim.
45:30Ah!
45:47It's a lottery, and the lucky chicks make it out to open water.
45:53Ah!
45:56There is still an element of chance in life
46:00which an individual can do little about.
46:23Ah!
46:25Ah!
46:27In the end, overcoming life's challenges,
46:31whether finding enough to eat or outwitting your predators,
46:35is only significant if life's final challenge can be met.
46:41Ah!
46:43Ah!
46:46From a tiny frog dedicating weeks to her few cherished tadpoles
46:52to an orangutan who spends eight years bringing up her baby,
46:57individual animals strive to reach this one ultimate goal,
47:02to pass on their genes and to ensure the survival of the next generation.
47:10Ultimately, in nature, that is what life is all about.
47:40Ah!
47:42Ah!
47:44Ah!
47:46Ah!
47:48Ah!
47:50Ah!
47:52Ah!
47:54Ah!
47:56Ah!
47:58Ah!
48:00Ah!
48:02During the three years it took to film life,
48:05our camera crews visited every continent on Earth,
48:09but the most challenging was Antarctica.
48:16Here, filming was only possible
48:18with the help of an extraordinary range of people and organisations.
48:23An Air Force jet delivering supplies to McMurdo Research Station
48:28ferried one of our crews to the Ross Ice Shelf.
48:39And on the other side of the continent,
48:41a team sailed for five days across the Drake Passage
48:45to reach the Antarctic Peninsula.
48:50Once there, a small crew was put ashore on Deception Island
48:53to spend a month camping on the edge of a penguin colony.
48:59Two people and 200,000 penguins.
49:10Another team joined scientists drilling through the ice
49:14to explore the beautiful and bizarre world below.
49:17Oh!
49:37But the hardest and most ambitious shoot involved four film crews,
49:42a celebrated French yachtsman and the Ministry of Defence.
49:51The teams had a two-month window
49:53to film Antarctica's two top predators in action.
49:59We knew that one could be found prowling the coast of Rosenthal Island,
50:03waiting for young penguins to take their first plunge.
50:08And the man to take us there was Jérôme Pensé.
50:11He skippered the first yacht to sail south of the Antarctic Circle
50:15and has been back every year for the past 35.
50:18He knows Antarctic sailing like no-one else.
50:22His yacht, the Golden Fleece, is not an icebreaker,
50:26but Jérôme has his own unique way of getting through.
50:32He shunts one flow against another to clear a way through, like playing marbles.
50:37Jérôme, once he gets his teeth into a situation, he doesn't like to let it go.
50:43So maybe we'll be here for a few hours yet.
50:47Jérôme is determined to get through this channel.
50:50And you talk about hundreds and hundreds of tons.
50:54Maybe a thousand tons, a thousand tons for a big flow or more.
50:59It's a poor little boat, it has to push.
51:05Some marbles are just too big.
51:12For now, Jérôme is foiled and has to moor for the night.
51:17For him, tying up to 100,000 tons of ice is just another day at the office.
51:31Progress is slow, but they need to get to Rosenthal before the penguins leave.
51:38They make it through and the penguins are still there.
51:43Chinstrap penguin chicks fledge at a particular time of year.
51:47The crew knew this would draw leopard seals like a magnet.
51:53Leopard seals are giants among their kind.
51:55They have teeth bigger than a lion and a mouth that can open nearly 180 degrees.
52:02How close can Doug get?
52:05With this seal, very.
52:23He loses interest in his reflection.
52:27And the penguins leave.
52:34Doug goes back to eating penguins.
52:48That was very exciting. He was a super seal.
52:53Super seal give you lots of action nice and close.
52:56But I must admit, you do have to feel sorry for the penguin.
52:59Just doesn't stand a chance.
53:02The team knew where to find leopard seals,
53:04but finding the other top predator was going to be another matter entirely.
53:11Very little is known about Antarctic killer whales.
53:14Time to bring in reinforcements.
53:19HMS Endurance.
53:22The Royal Navy's ice patrol ship.
53:26How are we doing?
53:30She surveys Antarctic waters and the crews see changes every year.
53:35The latest chart of this area.
53:37We are now six miles inside an ice shelf,
53:41which just goes to show how much retreation of this ice shelf has occurred
53:46over the past five or six years.
53:50Would you get complications of catabatic winds?
53:52Series producer Martha Holmes and cameraman David Bailey
53:55were on board to find and film the killer whales from the air.
54:00Endurance carries two Lynx helicopters
54:03used to assist the British Antarctic Survey and the Hydrographic Office.
54:08On this trip, some time on one of the helicopters is assigned to the life team.
54:20No one has succeeded in filming killer whales
54:23hunting off the Antarctic peninsula before.
54:27Our two teams have just a few days when they can film together.
54:39At water level, the Golden Fleece has exciting news.
54:42They've found killer whales which look as though they could be hunting.
54:46NAV 435, NAV 435, this is Golden Fleece, Golden Fleece, over.
54:53We're on, Walker. This could be it. Over.
54:56Copy that, we're on our way.
54:59It's getting really windy.
55:01We'll be pretty lucky to stay with them through this.
55:05Give it a good try, though.
55:17NAV 435, this is Golden Fleece, we had lost sight of the orca.
55:27It's a rectilinear with that iceberg now.
55:29Between us and the iceberg, about 100 metres to the side of it.
55:35From the air, the helicopter team can follow the killer whales
55:38more easily than the boat team.
55:41NAV 435, this is Golden Fleece, hold copy.
55:44Golden Fleece, hold copy. Out.
55:51By working together, the helicopter and yacht
55:54are able to keep track of the whales in the rough sea.
55:58They're four now, actually, yeah. Four and four, actually.
56:02A change in the weather gives a chance to film at last.
56:07They've gone further up this way.
56:09If we follow them, that's good.
56:15But will they hunt?
56:17OK, they come close.
56:21One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
56:23it's good, 12, easy.
56:27Doug has spotted a crappie to seal near some ice.
56:31But have the killer whales seen it?
56:35No, just keep cruising in this way, it's fine.
56:45They have.
56:49That's some good action.
56:53Can you go closer?
57:15It's over, that's it, they've got him.
57:21It's still there.
57:26For a wildlife cameraman, there are always surprises.
57:33It has taken two months, but they've succeeded,
57:36thanks to the help of the crew.
57:39It has taken two months, but they've succeeded,
57:42thanks to extraordinary collaboration
57:45from an entire ship's company to a lone skipper.
57:49Collaborations like this would be the foundation
57:52of the whole three years filming across the world.
58:09For more information on the world's most famous whales,
58:12visit www.fisheries.noaa.gov
58:16Thanks for watching.
58:18For more information on the world's most famous whales,
58:21visit www.fisheries.noaa.gov