Original subtitles

(birds chirping) (light piano music)

Self-ventilating homes,

log and stone foundations engineered

to withstand high waters,

courtyards decorated like palaces,

gigantic nests woven in the canopy,

solid, strong, sustainable structures

rapidly adaptable to changes in the environment.

The architectural ingenuity of the natural world

is every bit as good as ours.

All over the world, day in, day out,

they design, build, decorate, and maintain

astonishing structures.

Whether it's a day's work or the project of a lifetime,

all this building is designed to guarantee one thing,

their immediate and long-term survival.

(serene piano music)

The long, hard winter is over.

Spring has finally come to Wyoming

in the northwest United States.

After sleeping away the cold months,

the natural world springs into action.

For this young beaver, it's time to build up strength.

Following his father, he has to learn all the ropes.

The river is calm and the dam his father built seems strong.

Summer and winter,

this vast structure traps water behind it

and creates a pond deep enough to build a safe home.

The young beaver and his family

spent the winter huddled together here in their lodge,

safe from the cold and hunger.

This year's litter has just arrived.

The juvenile struggles to find its place.

(upbeat piano music)

At two years old,

this young architect has reached sexual maturity

so the eldest of the siblings is driven out.

It is time for him to go build his own dam

and lodge for his future family.

His survival now depends on his ability to

design and build his territory.

Step one, find a suitable building site

in this vast expanse.

With his webbed hind feet, rutter-like tail,

and thick layer of fat,

the young beaver is already well equipped

for this epic adventure spanning several days

or even weeks in the icy waters of Snake River.

Although he possesses the requisite physical attributes,

this is still unfamiliar territory.

Luckily, he comes across the remains of a dam.

Better still, built up against the bank

is the base of an abandoned lodge.

A quick survey convinces him.

This is the perfect base for renovation,

but there's no time to lose.

Winter is around the corner and there is

still a lot of work to do,

especially when you're alone and inexperienced.

Then again, he already has a master carpenter's tools

like these incisors,

which are as strong and sharp as a chisel.

This rodent is primarily nocturnal,

but sleep can wait.

There's a dam to build.

Left to his own devices,

the juvenile beavers away night and day.

Reproducing what he has learned,

he tries to make the most of the materials nature provides.

The young beaver still lacks practice, but instinctively,

he adds stones to reinforce the

branch framework anchored in the mud.

Water is a demanding environment and sometimes,

a formidable opponent too, even for this semiaquatic mammal.

After two weeks hard work, the structure is now complete.

All that remains to be done is

pack mud between the branches to make it stronger

and reduce the risk of leaks.

(dangerous music)

The young beaver has learned from his father

to interpret the river's moods

and he has just noticed a sudden change in the river flow.

At the foot of the Rockies, the current is formidable.

Our young builder evidently lacks time and experience.

The dam gives way as he looks on helplessly.

It will have to be rebuilt.

It is late in the season now.

In a few months, snow and ice will cover the land

and river once more,

so rebuilding is a question of survival

and giving up is not an option,

especially when you have to start a family before winter.

While some builders overcome obstacles alone,

others have always relied on the community.

In this strange one meter high maze of dark tunnels,

it's surprisingly quiet given that

hundreds of thousands of residents live here.

This is the home of the formica rufa, or southern wood ant.

Most are still hibernating, but one ventures outside.

In the Jura Mountains of Switzerland,

spring has sprung at last.

Time for the rest of the colony to wake up.

Only heat can revive their bodies.

The ant is a cold-blooded animal

whose body temperature depends on its environment.

Those closest to the surface scurry to

the top of the mound to sunbathe.

Then, like many radiators,

they transfer the heat energy into the nest's galleries.

Little by little, thousands of drowsy worker ants

spring into action in the depths.

To ensure the colony's future,

activity absolutely must resume,

and the future is this.

The queen.

The largest of all and the only ant capable of giving life.

The ant hill is her fortress, her protection,

but to create the ideal conditions for her royal mission,

the nest must be a constant 25 to 30 degrees Celsius

all summer long.

To meet this major challenge,

the ants first choose a strategic spot.

The dome shaped mound is built against

the base of a spruce tree.

Its branches provide protection from

the worst accesses of the weather

and all the building materials the ants need.

Small twigs and conifer needles are the

best things the colony has found to insulate the mound,

but one side collapsed during the winter.

It must be rebuilt fast.

How is the activity of thousands of workers

effectively coordinated?

Ants have a secret.

Pheromones, invisible chemical signals that the

ant deposits along its root,

which tell the individuals behind it what to do.

Thanks to their powerful mandibles, or jaws,

these ants can dig, cut, and carry 100 times

their own body weight,

but all this physical effort has a dual purpose.

This mass of gathered vegetation does not

only strengthen the structure,

it is also a great source of natural energy.

The conifer needles in the mound decompose continuously

and all this rotting detritus keeps the ants nest warm.

Well before humans, ants understood the benefits of compost,

but rot and decay must not be synonymous with dirtiness

and the ants' constant forays into the outside world

present a health risk.

The workers have a very effective solution though.

Placed at each of the nest's entrances,

these lumps of spruce resin serve as

antimicrobial floor mats because among ants,

to prevent contamination of the colony,

cleanliness is vital,

but the temperamental climate calls for other solutions.

Once more, the inclement spring weather

puts these ingenious builders to the test.

(thunder rumbles)

Again, the ants make use of the spruce's natural properties.

Like a thatched roof,

these conifer needles make the structure waterproof.

All that remains to be done is plug the odd hole.

As the workers race around frantically on the mound,

deep underground, preparations are underway.

All the conditions are now in place and for the queen,

egg laying can commence.

(ritualistic music)

As the next generations of workers emerge, outside,

summer is on its way.

The heat, vital for the newly laid brood, could be deadly,

forcing the ants to surpass themselves

in their quest for solutions.

In northern Australia, the hotter weather does not seem to

affect building activity.

In gardens, strange palaces of twigs spring up

underneath large shrubs.

Their courtyards are decorated with

all sorts of brightly colored objects.

The master builder here is the great bower bird.

Stick by stick, the male great bower bird

constructs this love nest, or bower,

in an attempt to attract a mate.

An intricate and perfectly proportioned structure

consisting of a central tunnel-like avenue

and a floor scattered with objects.

It takes nothing less to attract the most demanding females.

High in her tree, this female surveys the

different construction sites because

several males are competing for her attention.

This young male is constructing his first bower.

Aged three, it will take long years of training

before he is as talented as his elder.

A stone throw away,

another rival is already adding the finishing touches.

To lure the opposite sex,

it takes more than an elaborate structure.

It's a question of decoration too.

The only way our young architect can progress

is to spy on the most experienced builders.

This older neighbor is gathering an

array of brightly colored objects,

a harmonious collection of ornaments,

but these birds cannot see colors.

The male relies on contrasts and arrangements.

He uses visual illusions to make the bower

more attractive to the opposite sex.

The builders of the natural world constantly adapt.

In the past few years,

berries and flowers have been replaced by glass and plastic,

which sadly exist in abundance.

Our young architect still has a long way to go.

He has only just laid the foundations of his bower,

but he must rise to the challenge.

His project and the future of the

great bower bird depend on it.

Expertise is achieved over time.

It can often take years to acquire.

Deep in the Issa Valley in the heart of Tanzania,

every morning, the trees reveal strange

animal constructions.

Which huge bird builds these structures?

Painstakingly woven nests of branches and leaves,

sometimes even featuring a pillow and mattress.

Here is one of the architects.

Yesterday evening,

this group of chimpanzees chose a tree for the night

and each built their own nest in it.

Some seem reluctant to leave the comfort

of their bed this morning.

19,000 nests, that's the average number

this young chimp will have to build in his lifetime,

but for now, he still sleeps in his mother's arms.

Soon he will have to make a start

and tackle this challenge alone.

For the moment, exploring and breakfast take presevance.

To be sure of this morning feast,

the community of chimpanzees carefully

selected the tree providing the most

plentiful supply of food.

Their daily goal is to ensure everyone gets enough to eat.

A great deal of time is devoted to this.

To meet this vital need,

they sometimes have to cover great distances.

Like their fellow chimps,

the members of this group live in a community.

This is so the young can benefit from

the experience of the older members.

The group often even ventures into

the dry part of the forest.

The adults move quickly and everyone has to keep up,

even if they are tiny.

They know this territory like the back of their hands

and have memorized the location of hundreds of fruit trees.

These dry nests indicate the tree

already provided a morning feast a few months ago.

For this young chimpanzee,

every day is an opportunity to learn something new.

Under his mother's watchful eye,

he makes a first attempt at building

because chimpanzees never sleep in the same nest twice.

For now, he will nap in his mother's arms once more.

Daylight is fading already.

It's time to set off again.

At its high time,

they found a good place to spend the night

because in this part of the world, the sun sets early.

This is the hour when predators,

such as the leopard, start hunting.

(upbeat music)

This gigantic fig tree has sufficient resources

to satisfy everyone's morning appetite

and the surrounding trees are absolutely perfect

for tonight's nests.

The lowest branches are more than

four meters above the ground and

those higher up are an ideal size.

They can bear this chimp's weight, but not a leopard's.

Like every evening, the ancient ritual is repeated.

Drawing on hundreds of hours of practice,

the chimpanzee's movements are precise and confident.

Is it learned to understand the resistance of branches,

to bend them, break them in the right place,

and weave them without the nest coming apart.

Every detail counts.

For our apprentice nest builder, it's a precious lesson,

but a hard act to master.

The adult's nests are ready in just seven minutes.

Yet again, the best solution seems to be the maternal nest.

In nature, no energy is expended unnecessarily.

What a lot of work.

The rewards outweigh the effort, though.

By guaranteeing a peaceful and comfortable night's sleep,

these nests may well offer the best conditions

for the young chimpanzee's development

and their elder's advancement.

As everyone knows, sleep enhances memory and learning.

Building has likely given the chimpanzee

clear advantages in evolution.

(dreamy music)

(cow bell rings)

(cow moos)

If species use up so much energy building,

it's because there are certain benefits.

In the middle of summer here in the Swiss Jura,

faced with rising temperatures,

the southern wood ants are a perfect example.

Begun in the spring,

the restoration of the mound is now complete.

The ant hill is ready to brave the coming summer heat.

The workers take the opportunity to build up their strength.

Deep underground in the nest,

thousands of eggs laid earlier in the season have hatched

and are receiving special attention,

but an unusually hot sun has been

beating down on the forests since this morning.

This sudden heatwave calls for an immediate response.

(dangerous music)

Clustered around the entrances,

the workers carefully plug the exposed holes.

Painstakingly, they block out the sun's rays

and take refuge inside.

On the shaded side of the mound,

the ants make openings to let the air in.

This thatch of pine needles makes the ant hill

highly adaptable to temperature change,

but the sun is getting hotter and hotter.

The cocoons, pupae, and queen must be protected.

It's time to move.

Once again, pheromones are emitted to

alert the workers to the danger,

tell them which way to go, and what to do.

The lower chambers are still cool.

This is where the brood has been moved to.

The structure has fulfilled its purpose, climate control.

Completely naturally,

the ant hill achieves this technological feat.

In the summer in the forest, there are other dangers,

more unpredictable than the sun.

This structure reveals its marvels of ingenuity once more.

There's a zone where the ants keep watch for intruders

and respond immediately in the event of attack.

The soldiers get into firing position.

Their powerful formic acid spray should subdue the enemy.

Harmless to humans,

the repulsive smell and prickling sensation

are enough to drive away most predators.

On the slopes of the Swiss Jura,

the remarkable design of this ant hill

has enabled the colony to survive for decades,

but this seemingly lone structure is actually

part of a much bigger and incredibly sophisticated complex.

The southern wood ants have formed a super colony here,

extending over 70 hectares,

with 1,200 ant hills and over 200 million workers,

which cooperate with each other and

coordinate their activities.

This social model brilliantly illustrates

their building skills.

(serene music)

In Australia, mating season is in full swing,

although most inhabitants have already found a mate.

Under the shrubs, our male great bower birds

are still busy working hard.

The youngest has made progress.

He has mastered the art of twig weaving,

but the roof proved too tricky for this inexperienced bird.

The decor could make up for this failing

and this garden is full of treasure,

but you should never leave gems like this unattended.

Decoration theft is part of the competition

and this shell blends in perfectly

with the decor of this older male.

He now has a perfect avenue with which to lure a female

and show off his best features during a courtship display.

The treasure has disappeared.

Such behavior merits a warning.

Juveniles tend to retaliate mildly,

but the location of each twig counts.

For an older bird, this intrusion is intolerable.

The bower, which was well underway, is taken apart.

Well, almost.

As if things weren't bad enough,

the female decides to visit her suitor's bowers.

Needless to say, the young bird does not stand a chance.

This well finished bower seems far more interesting to her.

It is time for the builder to show off

his best dance moves and sounds.

The beautiful architecture takes on its full meaning now.

Center stage, the female becomes the spectator

of a unique act performed in the round.

Not everyone can be a Don Juan.

In the game of seduction,

building and strutting are not always enough.

Subtlety is key.

Sometimes you have to know when to quit

because when it comes to choosing a mate,

the female always has the last word.

The need to seduce in order to reproduce

often causes animals to surpass themselves.

In Wyoming, this young beaver has worked all summer long.

The dam is finished.

All he has to do now is stock up the

underwater larder with tender branches.

Directly connected to the lodge via

an entrance below the surface,

this part of the structure is essential for surviving

the seven long winter months ahead.

Suddenly, a distant scent stops him in his tracks.

(mysterious music)

His nose has not deceived him.

Over there on the other side of the dam,

a female has stopped,

attracted by this fully equipped stretch of river.

When you're choosing a partner for life as she is,

this is crucial.

In the space of a few weeks on a base

inherited from previous generations of beavers,

the young rodent laid the foundations of his new life.

He reproduced what he saw his father do

and managed to complete his giant building project

in record time.

He can now take a well earned rest.

He and his partner will be safe and warm all winter.

It's in the following spring when the big melt begins

that we see just how effective this age old skill is.

In the lodge, the first litter has arrived.

Fed, sheltered, and protected by this ingenious structure,

the kits are already following in their father's footsteps.

The beaver's technical prowess benefits us all.

Its dam building activities reduce the risk of drought

and help prevent fires.

Beaver created ponds and wetlands provide new habitats.

Like the beaver, all nature's builders have devised

an admirable and sustainable form of land management.

On this vast planet where we are building our world,

surely this animal expertise could be an

invaluable source of inspiration for human architects.

(magical music)