Original subtitles

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Ahh, a tropical island paradise in Southeast Asia.

This is vacation heaven for humans.

But it's hell on Earth...

for bugs.

Take this young hermit crab.

Okay, yeah, I know, crabs aren't bugs.

But hear me out.

They're crustaceans.

Their ancestors were among the first creatures

to leave the sea, colonize land,

and evolve into insects.

So, let's call this hermit crab a beach bug.

Anywho, for a golf ball-sized creature,

the beach is a tough place to live.

Half the day it's like a desert,

and the other half

it gets totally flooded with salt water.

But our little hermit has a smart solution.

She's using an abandoned shell as a mobile home.

Wherever she goes,

it shelters her from the extremes of island life.

Just one issue:

She's outgrown it

and desperately needs a bigger shell.

So, nothing's gonna stop her

from climbing the property ladder.

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[boing]

[thud]

Okay, let's try that again.

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And what do you know?

Now, that shell is the perfect size.

Got to snag it before anyone else.

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Oh, tourists!

Man, they are the worst!

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Only the most determined little beach bug can make a home here,

in this brutal but beautiful world between land and sea.

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Our little hermit crab is on the cusp of adulthood.

But if she's ever gonna start a family,

she needs to find a shell with enough room to grow into

and still have space for eggs.

Easier said than done.

Dream homes don't just wash up on the tide.

Well, actually they do.

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A sweet new listing on the beachside property market.

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A bit ambitious for her maybe,

but perfect for this big guy.

He's looking to upgrade, too.

Whoa-ho-ho!

That's a big crab!

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And now that his move is complete,

his old shell is up for grabs.

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Hermits can sniff out a shell swap from far across the beach.

Like a property chain, each time someone moves,

a smaller shell comes on the market.

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But man, it's competitive.

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Got to move fast.

Muscle your way in,

or you'll lose out.

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Wait, hold up!

One shell left, about the right size.

But this one's a real fixer upper.

Looks like the search for a new shell

is turning into an epic mission.

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By midday, the sand bakes like a cookie sheet.

It's 30 degrees hotter than the air.

Only one bug is cool enough to make a permanent home out here.

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[crash]

The tiger beetle.

Yay! An actual real bug.

When it comes to handling heat, he's got the goods.

Shiny wing cases and white hairs

reflect the sun's rays.

Long legs keep him high off the burning sand.

And when trouble comes calling...

[squawking]

...he leaves danger in the dust.

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Tiger beetles are the speediest insects on land.

moving at up to 170 body lengths per second,

they're 20 times faster than Usain!

This lil' bolt of lightning is so fast,

even his eyes can't keep up.

[zooming]

So, when he's out hunting,

he has to stop...

[tires screech]

...to look for lunch.

Well, hello.

A delicious fruit fly dying in the heat.

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A master of hunting at the shoreline,

he can dine and dash.

Keeping cool where others can't take the heat,

the tiny tiger has the run of the beach.

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Going where he likes,

eating what he likes.

Sandhoppers.

Snack-size and plenty of 'em.

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But one false move,

and these guys are out like popcorn.

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Man, these tourists actin' like they own the place.

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Just beyond the beach,

by afternoon the low tide has exposed a new world.

Our hermit has come a long way searching for shells.

It's a little cooler here,

but she's getting stuck in the mud.

This place is more for those still a little further behind

on the evolutionary journey

out of the sea.

[boing]

These bug-eyed fish are mudskippers.

[burp]

Fish out of water that only survive

where they can keep wet enough

to breathe through their skin...

...and find scraps of algae to snack on.

Mmm-mmm.

But this mudflat zone between the tides is limited.

So, they have to compete for real estate.

Leaping like this means,

"This is my property, punk. Step off!"

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And if that doesn't work, it ends in a mudskipper turf war.

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Too few shells, too much mud.

Time to dip.

Besides, an enticing aroma is luring her back to the beach.

[bird chirping]

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Her antennae have detected a smell so irresistible

it's worth braving the burning sand.

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Hermit crabs mistake the odor of plastic for food.

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Every year, millions of hermit crabs

get trapped in our trash.

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Humans!

What litterbugs.

This usually ends in one of two ways:

cooked to death or slowly starve.

Oh, wait, the tide is turning.

Third option: drowning in the ocean.

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Trapped, alone,

and getting swept further from the shore,

our little hermit is in deep...

Uh, uh, water.

...is in deep water.

But only a few months ago, she was right at home here.

She was born in the sea

and spent her first four weeks feeding on plankton...

before she was ready to go seek a home on land,

and leave the crowds of Coral City behind.

Competition for living space is intense on the reef.

But this mantis shrimp...

yep, he's a crustacean, too...

has a practical solution.

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He simply builds his own home.

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A bit of this.

Oh, this will look fabulous over here.

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Just put...you could just put this there.

Give this a little "zhuzh."

"Zhuzh" this up here, yeah.

Et voilà.

A coral castle.

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Now that's it's been built, it needs defending.

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Reef real estate is in such demand,

he's got to patrol for trespassers.

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And it's other mantises he really has to watch out for.

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Hey, buddy! Move on!

This shrimp's packing serious heat.

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A punch with the force of a .22-caliber pistol.

[click]

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Yeah, thought so. That's right, run away!

It's gonna take a mightier mantis to claim his castle.

Coral City is so crowded and competitive,

it's no wonder hermit crabs evolved to live on land.

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But our crab's quest for a new home

is going in the wrong direction.

She's drifting out to sea,

and bigger problems are coming her way.

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Is there nowhere safe from these guys?

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Another change of course.

Up the creek,

into a tangled web of roots.

Our hermit has washed up in the mysterious mangrove forest.

Home to a very different kind of crab.

[boing]

[boing]

The heavily armed fiddler crab.

These guys have hard, protective exoskeletons,

and dig burrows to live in.

So they don't have to find seashells like a hermit does.

But they do have to fight for their mudhole homes.

That's where the outsized claw comes in.

When other males try to muscle their way in,

it's time to get the guns out.

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This crab has defended his home.

And good timing, too.

A female is looking for the guy with the best crab crib.

Maybe he can entice her over with his outsized appendage.

It's not just for fighting,

it's for waving.

[laughs] What?

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All the males are eager for attention.

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"Hey, lady, hey, sweetheart, over here."

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Okay, easy, easy. Not so desperate.

Okay, she's coming your way.

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At least she was.

[screeching]

Until these monkeys came and harshed the vibe.

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Proboscis monkeys mostly eat mangrove leaves.

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But sometimes they look for a bug

to add a bit of spice to their diet.

[barks]

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Males are particularly nosy.

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But also easily distracted.

[screeching]

While they fight, this is her chance to escape.

At least it would be if the rim wasn't choked with mud.

Her only option: leave her precious shell.

[screeching]

[squeaking]

[squeaking]

With no protection for her soft body...

[squeaking]

...she's vulnerable.

[squeaking]

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[squeaking]

[grunt]

[squeaking]

[squeaking]

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Better than nothing.

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But she has no future in a temporary shelter.

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And no future in the mangrove forest either.

The tide is rising.

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Better get out of here, or soon she'll drown.

The whole forest is flooded.

Time for fiddlers to get in their burrows.

But this male is still trying to entice the female.

Come on, wave harder.

In a few minutes, this place will be underwater.

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Yeah, she's interested.

Who could resist his muddy hole?

Sealed the deal,

just in time.

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Back on the reef,

looks like our mantis shrimp has a visitor, too.

"Hey, I said no trespassers! Beat it, mister!"

Hang on.

[squeegee wiping]

That's a female.

She shrimps are welcome.

Come admire his interior design skills.

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[rhythmic squeaking]

I'm pretty sure that's what she's doing.

Seems everyone is shacking up and making babies.

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And when night falls,

even Coral City is spawning.

A once-in-a-year event that rejuvenates the reef...

keeping this underwater nursery alive

for generations of beach bug babies to come.

Nighttime in paradise, and love is in the air.

But our little hermit crab is still homeless and alone.

[fireworks popping]

Thankfully, under the moonlight,

even the humans are in a more caring, sharing mood.

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The perfect property, back on the market.

But already, there's other interest.

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"Yeah, not after the day I had, sweetie."

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When the housing market is this competitive,

sometimes you've got to be a little shellfish.

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At last, the dream home is hers.

Oh, maybe tourists aren't so bad,

once they learn to respect the locals.

Upgrading her shell was a very good move.

It suits her perfectly.

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This male hermit certainly thinks so.

He finds her irresistible.

[fireworks whistling]

One day soon, she'll be ready to go to the water's edge

and release her own eggs.

And a new generation of beach bugs

will begin making their home here, too.

But that's a story for another day.

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