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Narrator: How can a dung beetle
roll a ball in a straight line
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While standing on its head?
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00:00:06,507 --> 00:00:08,273
How do they do it?
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00:00:08,275 --> 00:00:12,745
Narrator:
Why would these birds want to
hang out with an apex predator?
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00:00:12,747 --> 00:00:15,314
It makes no sense.
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00:00:16,417 --> 00:00:19,218
Narrator: And what is
this mysterious creature
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From the deep?
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00:00:20,521 --> 00:00:23,489
What could that alien creature
have possibly been?
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00:00:25,092 --> 00:00:28,560
Narrator:
Nature is awe-inspiring,
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But sometimes it just
doesn't make sense.
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Man: I have never seen
anything like this.
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00:00:33,367 --> 00:00:37,036
Our team of experts investigates
the weirdest animal behavior...
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That's amazing.
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...And the most unexpected
events...
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What is causing that?
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...Ever caught on camera.
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My god!
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These are...
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♪
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♪
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2010.
The florida everglades.
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A great white egret
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Is taking a ride
on an alligator taxi.
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00:01:03,297 --> 00:01:05,931
And it's not the only one
getting up close and personal
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00:01:05,933 --> 00:01:08,500
With these giant,
toothy predators.
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Egrets take sleeping with
the enemy to a whole new level
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And build their nests
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Right in the heart
of alligator territory.
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Why are these birds hanging out
with dangerous carnivores?
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Nelson: It makes no sense.
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I mean, it's a true mystery.
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Alligators are predators.
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Galante:
Why would you nest above them?
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Why would a little bird choose
to make a nest
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Next to a big, toothy reptile
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That undeniably would want
to eat anything
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That comes in front of it?
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Narrator: Could it be that
gators won't eat egrets?
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Are they the brussels sprouts
of the bird world?
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♪
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Nelson: We know alligators
are ambush predators,
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And we know that
they're also very opportunistic.
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They'll pretty much eat
anything.
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Whether that's a bird, a fish,
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A turtle, or a mammal,
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They're gonna go for it.
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They'll feed on almost anything
they can get in their mouth.
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Narrator:
That includes egrets,
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And the grisly proof
is in the gators' weight.
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Alligators that live
underneath birds' nests
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Are typically 13% heavier,
healthier,
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And fatter than alligators that
don't live near birds' nests.
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We do know the gators
will take those birds,
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So there's a risk
to this association.
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Narrator:
A risk is one way to put it.
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Take a few steps
in the wrong direction,
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And you end up crushed
in monstrous, hungry jaws.
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Some acrobatic alligators
have even learned to jump up
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To branch height
to grab a meal.
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Woman: Oh, my god!
Look at this.
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This is something...
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Oh, my god!
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Oh, my god.
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So if you're an egret,
why put yourself at risk
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From these egret eaters?
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Galante: Is it possible
that these little birds
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Just can't see
these cryptic alligators?
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♪
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00:03:16,497 --> 00:03:21,900
Narrator: Alligators are stealth
superstars designed for ambush.
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If you see an alligator, most of
the time, it's not moving.
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It just lays there.
It blends into the environment.
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Galante: They're dark on top
and light on the bottom.
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If you're a little fish
looking up from below them,
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All you see is light.
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And if you're a bird
looking down on an alligator,
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All you're gonna see
is darkness that blends in
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Perfectly with the environment
and the aquatic area.
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Narrator: Semisubmerged,
they look more like logs
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Than animals.
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Is it possible
that the alligator's
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Almost-perfect camouflage
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Means that the birds
just can't spot them?
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Scientists wanted to find out,
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00:03:59,707 --> 00:04:04,376
So they set up an experiment
using fake gators.
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00:04:04,378 --> 00:04:06,945
They proved the birds
can spot the difference
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00:04:06,947 --> 00:04:11,116
Between a log
and a dangerous predator.
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00:04:11,118 --> 00:04:15,420
Even so, egrets, herons,
storks, and cormorants
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All select nurseries in areas
teeming with alligators,
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00:04:20,561 --> 00:04:25,764
So it seems nesting
near them is no accident.
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Galante:
The birds are completely aware
of the alligators' presence,
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00:04:28,602 --> 00:04:31,770
And yet they still
choose to nest there.
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The birds are actually
selecting the company
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Of our toothsome friends.
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Clearly they see the alligators,
but then here's the question --
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Why are they nesting
near a giant predator?
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Narrator: What makes it
even more mysterious
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Is that at this time of year,
the egrets have one priority --
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Protecting the precious
contents of their nests.
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Nelson: They're wanting
to raise up a bunch
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Of very helpless bird chicks
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In an environment
full of predators.
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00:05:01,201 --> 00:05:07,072
Alright, you've got snakes,
raccoons, opossums.
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00:05:07,074 --> 00:05:12,678
All kinds of creatures that
would love to eat a bird's nest.
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00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,080
Maybe having an alligator
underneath you
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Is the least
of your worries.
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Narrator: Maybe,
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00:05:18,619 --> 00:05:22,321
But why actively seek out
the alligators?
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00:05:22,323 --> 00:05:25,490
What seems to be happening
is that the birds are selecting
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To hang out where the gators are
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Because they're getting
some degree of protection
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From the gators.
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It's a cost-benefit situation
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Because the presence
of those gators
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Will put off a much more
serious group of predators.
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Narrator: These alligators
are taking babysitting
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To a whole new level.
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And riding on a gator's back
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Provides the best
bodyguard going.
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It's all an extreme version
of keeping your friends close
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But your enemies closer.
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These birds are basically
keeping a psychopathic killer
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In their garden
to keep a burglar out.
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It's an amazing, incredible,
crazy adaptation
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To having a safe life.
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♪
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Narrator:
Tlakgameng, south africa.
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November 2018.
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A tourist on safari
spots a beetle.
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It looks like it's rolling
a ball in a dead-straight line.
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Woman
where is it going with that?
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She puts down a ruler
to check just how straight
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And witnesses the determined
precision navigation
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Of a dung beetle.
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00:06:42,403 --> 00:06:45,103
When you're dealing
with a nonflat surface
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And you're trying to roll a ball
that's bigger than you,
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00:06:47,641 --> 00:06:49,775
It's going to wander
around a little bit,
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00:06:49,777 --> 00:06:53,478
And so keeping it in
a straight line is not trivial.
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Narrator: Even more impressive,
this beetle is upside down,
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00:06:57,751 --> 00:06:59,985
Doing a handstand,
and moving backwards
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00:06:59,987 --> 00:07:03,054
While rolling
with its hind feet.
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00:07:03,056 --> 00:07:07,426
He's not even fazed by the king
of the jungle lying in his path.
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He's determined to keep
his dead-straight line.
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I mean, they're standing
on their heads.
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They're walking backwards.
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How do these beetles navigate
in a straight line?
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Narrator:
And more to the point,
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Why is such a straight path
important
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In the first place?
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Well, it's all part of a plan
to stop other beetles
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Stealing their food.
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These dung balls are the finest
in dung beetle cuisine.
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There could be
over 100 different species
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On a single dung pile,
each fighting for the prize,
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As witnessed
by dung beetle researcher
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Professor marie dacke.
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♪
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Dacke:
They actually physically fight.
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They will actually walk in
and just put their heads
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Under the other beetle
and throw it off.
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I mean, they go up into the air.
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Narrator: And that means
that when they find dung,
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They can't hang around.
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Once they've rolled up
that ball of dung,
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They're under time pressure
to get out of there.
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If it moves in a straight line
with every footstep it takes,
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It gets further and further away
from the dung pat,
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00:08:24,605 --> 00:08:28,006
But if it was, instead,
just randomly moving around,
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It could also just end up
at the dung pat again,
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And that is disaster.
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It can just have
its ball stolen.
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Narrator: A straight line helps
them move their prize far away
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00:08:37,084 --> 00:08:41,419
From other beetle competitors
as quickly as possible.
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But how do they find
this straight escape route?
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Are they using
the same technique
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As other insect navigators?
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So, one theory is that they've
got a really good sense of smell
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And they're following
a scent trail.
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Narrator: When ants or termites
find something tasty,
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00:09:01,842 --> 00:09:04,776
They travel back to the colony
to tell their buddies,
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00:09:04,778 --> 00:09:08,146
Leaving little blobs
of pheromone scent as they go.
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00:09:08,148 --> 00:09:11,516
Think "hansel and gretel"
bread crumbs.
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00:09:11,518 --> 00:09:14,052
They mark
where they have walked,
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00:09:14,054 --> 00:09:16,821
So other ants will find
the same scent trail,
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00:09:16,823 --> 00:09:18,356
And they will mark it again,
185
00:09:18,358 --> 00:09:21,526
And then a third one comes,
and it also marks it.
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Narrator:
This pheromone is super-potent.
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Imagine the amount of ink
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00:09:25,165 --> 00:09:27,532
It takes to write
a short paragraph.
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00:09:27,534 --> 00:09:30,268
If you had that much pheromone,
you could make a trail of ants
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That went around
the earth four times.
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Narrator: Could dung beetles
be using the same technique?
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♪
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♪
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Narrator:
In tlakgameng, south africa,
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00:09:49,756 --> 00:09:52,257
We are unraveling
how determined dung beetles
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00:09:52,259 --> 00:09:54,993
Can navigate
in a dead-straight line.
197
00:09:54,995 --> 00:09:58,129
Are they using the same tactics
as ants or termites
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00:09:58,131 --> 00:10:00,332
And following a scent trail?
199
00:10:00,334 --> 00:10:02,601
Ants, termites are famously
very social insects.
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00:10:02,603 --> 00:10:03,969
They work together as a colony.
201
00:10:03,971 --> 00:10:07,038
They work together as what
we call a superorganism.
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00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,274
Narrator:
But dung beetles are different.
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00:10:09,276 --> 00:10:11,576
They're not social insects,
so it's not a group of them
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00:10:11,578 --> 00:10:12,611
That are sharing information
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00:10:12,613 --> 00:10:14,546
About which way
to go to get food.
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00:10:14,548 --> 00:10:16,615
These are solitary individuals.
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00:10:16,617 --> 00:10:17,849
Narrator: They're solitary
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00:10:17,851 --> 00:10:21,486
And, to be honest,
bordering on antisocial.
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00:10:21,488 --> 00:10:22,954
They're going
in a straight line,
210
00:10:22,956 --> 00:10:24,756
But they're not using
a pheromone trail,
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00:10:24,758 --> 00:10:26,491
And they're not going back
to a burrow,
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00:10:26,493 --> 00:10:29,027
So how are they
keeping it straight?
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00:10:29,029 --> 00:10:33,098
Narrator: Turns out there's
a clue right overhead --
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00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:34,733
The sun.
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00:10:34,735 --> 00:10:39,638
♪
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00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,172
Dacke: There are
several different animals
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00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:42,474
That use the sun compass.
218
00:10:42,476 --> 00:10:44,743
It's such an obvious thing
in the sky, right?
219
00:10:44,745 --> 00:10:46,444
There are monarch butterflies.
220
00:10:46,446 --> 00:10:49,881
There are the honeybees that are
maybe the most famous example.
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00:10:52,419 --> 00:10:55,654
Narrator:
Marie is part of a team
from lund university in sweden
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00:10:55,656 --> 00:10:59,924
Studying how various animals
use the sun to find their way.
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00:10:59,926 --> 00:11:02,594
Could dung beetles
be doing the same?
224
00:11:02,596 --> 00:11:05,830
If so, they'd need to keep track
of where the sun is
225
00:11:05,832 --> 00:11:08,433
And adjust their position
in relation to it.
226
00:11:08,435 --> 00:11:11,002
Dacke: When the conditions
in the sky are changing a lot,
227
00:11:11,004 --> 00:11:13,271
We often see the beetle
going on the top of its ball,
228
00:11:13,273 --> 00:11:14,372
And then it rotates.
229
00:11:14,374 --> 00:11:16,074
It switches its head out,
230
00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:18,410
And we call it
a dung beetle dance.
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00:11:22,249 --> 00:11:24,683
Narrator: If dung beetles
are using the sun
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00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:26,384
To keep their straight line,
233
00:11:26,386 --> 00:11:28,653
Marie can test it
by using a mirror
234
00:11:28,655 --> 00:11:33,792
To trick the beetle
into thinking the sun has moved.
235
00:11:33,794 --> 00:11:36,528
Dacke:
And here comes the beetle.
236
00:11:36,530 --> 00:11:38,997
Does his dance to check
where the sun is.
237
00:11:40,434 --> 00:11:42,167
And rolling.
238
00:11:42,169 --> 00:11:44,803
And now we change the position
of the sun...
239
00:11:44,805 --> 00:11:49,574
In one, two, three.
240
00:11:49,576 --> 00:11:52,510
And it's turning around,
turning around.
241
00:11:54,881 --> 00:11:58,850
It's now going back
from where he came from.
242
00:11:58,852 --> 00:12:02,020
One, two, three.
243
00:12:02,022 --> 00:12:04,355
And turning back again
244
00:12:04,357 --> 00:12:06,791
To its original direction.
245
00:12:06,793 --> 00:12:08,493
Narrator:
Changing where the sun is
246
00:12:08,495 --> 00:12:12,997
Changes the beetle's
understanding of where he is,
247
00:12:12,999 --> 00:12:15,567
And to double-check
it's the sun that matters,
248
00:12:15,569 --> 00:12:19,637
Marie uses tiny beetle baseball
caps to block their view.
249
00:12:22,375 --> 00:12:24,776
Okay, here we go.
250
00:12:24,778 --> 00:12:27,946
Outside again.
The beetle on its ball.
251
00:12:30,817 --> 00:12:32,884
And it's rolling,
252
00:12:32,886 --> 00:12:35,687
But now it's rolling in circles.
253
00:12:35,689 --> 00:12:38,556
This is because the beetle,
when it's wearing the cap,
254
00:12:38,558 --> 00:12:40,458
It can no longer see the sun,
255
00:12:40,460 --> 00:12:43,561
So it can't use the sun
to orient by,
256
00:12:43,563 --> 00:12:47,132
And then it can no longer
hold a straight line.
257
00:12:47,134 --> 00:12:50,668
Narrator: Poor fella.
He's not a hat kind of guy.
258
00:12:50,670 --> 00:12:56,474
If we now take this beetle
and remove its cap gently...
259
00:12:56,476 --> 00:12:58,009
Okay.
260
00:12:58,011 --> 00:12:59,410
Back to basics.
261
00:12:59,412 --> 00:13:01,179
And we put it down.
262
00:13:01,181 --> 00:13:03,214
And let's see what it does.
263
00:13:03,216 --> 00:13:05,850
So, it dances on top
of the ball,
264
00:13:05,852 --> 00:13:09,954
Again gaining input to its
compass, seeing the sky again,
265
00:13:09,956 --> 00:13:13,158
Seeing the sun,
and now it can use it
266
00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:17,428
To travel
in a straight direction again.
267
00:13:17,430 --> 00:13:18,997
Narrator:
A sun compass is the answer
268
00:13:18,999 --> 00:13:21,800
To how dung beetles roll
in a straight line.
269
00:13:21,802 --> 00:13:23,268
Mystery solved.
270
00:13:23,270 --> 00:13:26,838
Well, kind of.
271
00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,339
There's more to it than that.
272
00:13:28,341 --> 00:13:30,475
While some beetles are active
during the day,
273
00:13:30,477 --> 00:13:33,878
There are many
that are nocturnal.
274
00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,314
Dacke: I mean, the dung
restaurant is open 24/7.
275
00:13:36,316 --> 00:13:39,751
There will always be someone
visiting this restaurant.
276
00:13:39,753 --> 00:13:41,419
Of course,
the nocturnal beetles,
277
00:13:41,421 --> 00:13:44,556
They cannot use the sun,
'cause it's not there.
278
00:13:44,558 --> 00:13:47,225
Narrator: In which case,
without any sunlight,
279
00:13:47,227 --> 00:13:52,130
How do these nocturnal species
of dung beetle find their way?
280
00:13:52,132 --> 00:13:56,935
Now, there are some dung beetles
that can use the moon,
281
00:13:56,937 --> 00:14:00,171
But there are also cases
where a dung beetle can do this
282
00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:02,373
When there is no sun
and no moon.
283
00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:05,710
Narrator:
No sun and no moon,
284
00:14:05,712 --> 00:14:08,613
How do these beetles roll
in a straight line?
285
00:14:08,615 --> 00:14:10,915
♪
286
00:14:17,290 --> 00:14:19,891
♪
287
00:14:19,893 --> 00:14:24,262
Narrator:
In tlakgameng, south africa,
acrobatic beetles use the sun
288
00:14:24,264 --> 00:14:28,266
To navigate and roll their
dung balls in straight lines.
289
00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:31,236
At night, they use the moon,
290
00:14:31,238 --> 00:14:33,905
But it turns out
they can pull off the same trick
291
00:14:33,907 --> 00:14:35,707
Even on moonless nights.
292
00:14:35,709 --> 00:14:37,275
How?
293
00:14:37,277 --> 00:14:39,344
So, what else is there for them
to work with?
294
00:14:39,346 --> 00:14:41,379
Stars, maybe.
295
00:14:41,381 --> 00:14:44,549
Narrator: Could they be
navigating by starlight?
296
00:14:44,551 --> 00:14:50,255
♪
297
00:14:50,257 --> 00:14:52,423
So, ancient seafarers
were well known
298
00:14:52,425 --> 00:14:56,261
To have used stars to navigate,
particularly on moonless nights,
299
00:14:56,263 --> 00:14:58,463
And plenty of animals
do the same thing, too.
300
00:14:58,465 --> 00:15:01,332
Migratory birds and even seals
are known to do this.
301
00:15:01,334 --> 00:15:05,003
So could the dung beetles
be navigating by the stars?
302
00:15:07,641 --> 00:15:10,341
Narrator: Are they spotting
particularly bright stars
303
00:15:10,343 --> 00:15:12,977
Like ancient mariners did?
304
00:15:12,979 --> 00:15:14,746
Possibly, but unlikely.
305
00:15:14,748 --> 00:15:17,048
'cause of the way a compound
eye works on an insect,
306
00:15:17,050 --> 00:15:18,616
It's gonna be very difficult
for them
307
00:15:18,618 --> 00:15:20,818
To be able to see the stars.
308
00:15:20,820 --> 00:15:23,321
Narrator:
Their eyes are way too small
309
00:15:23,323 --> 00:15:27,625
To see even
the brightest individual stars.
310
00:15:27,627 --> 00:15:31,029
So what are they using?
311
00:15:31,031 --> 00:15:34,532
Time for a dung beetle
stargazing trip with researchers
312
00:15:34,534 --> 00:15:38,603
From the university of
witwatersrand in south africa.
313
00:15:38,605 --> 00:15:42,774
In a planetarium, they can turn
off parts of the sky, stars,
314
00:15:42,776 --> 00:15:45,543
Or the moon to see what happens.
315
00:15:45,545 --> 00:15:50,014
So, I'm just simply going to
place the beetle onto the arena.
316
00:15:50,016 --> 00:15:52,717
Narrator: Losing these celestial
objects has no effect
317
00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:55,553
On the beetles' ability
to roll in a straight line,
318
00:15:55,555 --> 00:15:57,655
So researchers think
they must be using
319
00:15:57,657 --> 00:16:00,124
Something much bigger
to navigate by...
320
00:16:00,126 --> 00:16:03,695
Perhaps something
as big as a whole galaxy.
321
00:16:03,697 --> 00:16:09,434
♪
322
00:16:09,436 --> 00:16:12,437
We're removing the milky way
so that we can see
323
00:16:12,439 --> 00:16:15,707
If they will still be able
to roll in a straight line.
324
00:16:15,709 --> 00:16:17,809
Narrator:
Remove the milky way,
325
00:16:17,811 --> 00:16:20,478
And the dung beetle
walks in circles.
326
00:16:23,817 --> 00:16:26,284
Reinstate the milky way,
and the beetle
327
00:16:26,286 --> 00:16:29,287
Is back to going
straight as an arrow.
328
00:16:29,289 --> 00:16:32,623
So, what this basically tells us
is that the beetles
329
00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:36,060
Are actually
using the milky way.
330
00:16:36,062 --> 00:16:39,397
The milky way is the cue
in the starry sky
331
00:16:39,399 --> 00:16:40,898
That these animals are following
332
00:16:40,900 --> 00:16:44,969
In order to move along
a straight bearing.
333
00:16:44,971 --> 00:16:47,538
Dung beetles aren't navigating
by individual stars.
334
00:16:47,540 --> 00:16:50,575
They're actually navigating
by the whole galaxy itself.
335
00:16:53,213 --> 00:16:54,912
Narrator:
With their compound eyes,
336
00:16:54,914 --> 00:16:56,981
The milky way
is the brightest feature
337
00:16:56,983 --> 00:16:59,817
Visible to the beetles
in the night sky,
338
00:16:59,819 --> 00:17:04,889
Just like the sun is the
brightest object during the day.
339
00:17:04,891 --> 00:17:08,559
The tiny humble dung-clearer
of the animal kingdom is,
340
00:17:08,561 --> 00:17:11,863
In fact, a galactic navigator.
341
00:17:11,865 --> 00:17:21,272
♪
342
00:17:21,274 --> 00:17:25,343
November 2017.
The gulf of mexico.
343
00:17:25,345 --> 00:17:29,047
3,000 feet below the ocean
surface, a scientific team
344
00:17:29,049 --> 00:17:30,882
Led by
professors brennan phillips
345
00:17:30,884 --> 00:17:33,651
And david gruber
are exploring the deep sea,
346
00:17:33,653 --> 00:17:34,819
Using a submersible
347
00:17:34,821 --> 00:17:37,355
With a highly sensitive
low-light camera,
348
00:17:37,357 --> 00:17:41,192
When a bizarre apparition
comes into view.
349
00:17:41,194 --> 00:17:43,594
Nosal: It's cliché but true
that we know more
350
00:17:43,596 --> 00:17:44,929
About the surface
of the moon
351
00:17:44,931 --> 00:17:48,866
Than we do the deepest parts
of the oceans on earth.
352
00:17:48,868 --> 00:17:52,036
What could that alien creature
have possibly been?
353
00:17:52,038 --> 00:17:54,939
♪
354
00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:09,087
♪
355
00:18:09,089 --> 00:18:10,621
Narrator:
In the gulf of mexico,
356
00:18:10,623 --> 00:18:12,824
A deep-sea research team
357
00:18:12,826 --> 00:18:17,628
Comes across a strange object
3,000 feet down.
358
00:18:17,630 --> 00:18:20,198
What could this be?
359
00:18:21,701 --> 00:18:23,301
Similar-shaped objects
360
00:18:23,303 --> 00:18:26,471
Have been seen floating
at the ocean's surface.
361
00:18:28,475 --> 00:18:31,843
This is a whale's afterbirth.
362
00:18:31,845 --> 00:18:37,115
Could this be what was caught
on camera 3,000 feet down?
363
00:18:37,117 --> 00:18:40,318
In theory, yes.
364
00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,820
Nosal: Although there would
certainly be whales nearby,
365
00:18:42,822 --> 00:18:44,322
They're going to give birth
near the surface
366
00:18:44,324 --> 00:18:47,125
Because that baby calf is going
to need to take a breath
367
00:18:47,127 --> 00:18:49,193
Shortly after being born.
368
00:18:49,195 --> 00:18:52,130
They're going to have to deliver
the afterbirth
369
00:18:52,132 --> 00:18:54,232
After the calf comes out.
370
00:18:54,234 --> 00:18:56,801
Just like a human placenta,
any mammal placenta
371
00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:58,569
Is gonna be highly nutritious,
372
00:18:58,571 --> 00:19:02,573
And that's gonna just be
gold for other organisms
373
00:19:02,575 --> 00:19:04,308
To try to eat
on the way down.
374
00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,744
There's no way it would
have survived that deep.
375
00:19:08,915 --> 00:19:12,917
Narrator:
So, if it's not a whale's
placenta, what else could it be?
376
00:19:16,723 --> 00:19:19,423
3,000 feet below
the ocean's surface,
377
00:19:19,425 --> 00:19:23,961
The pressure is over 1,300
pounds per square inch.
378
00:19:23,963 --> 00:19:26,264
Some creatures,
like this chimaera,
379
00:19:26,266 --> 00:19:30,835
Have evolved
extra-bendy bones to cope,
380
00:19:30,837 --> 00:19:34,939
But some deep-sea animals,
like squid, octopus,
381
00:19:34,941 --> 00:19:37,875
And jellyfish
have no bones at all.
382
00:19:39,612 --> 00:19:42,079
Could this strange
bag-like object
383
00:19:42,081 --> 00:19:45,483
Filmed thanks to david gruber's
pioneering research
384
00:19:45,485 --> 00:19:48,753
Be a boneless deep-sea animal?
385
00:19:48,755 --> 00:19:52,056
His team of scientists analyzed
the movements
386
00:19:52,058 --> 00:19:54,759
And discovered that what they
were looking at was a creature
387
00:19:54,761 --> 00:19:58,896
That has only been seen
a handful of times before.
388
00:19:58,898 --> 00:20:02,700
It just looks like very,
very simple body plan,
389
00:20:02,702 --> 00:20:07,805
Just a flowy bit of membrane,
and there's not much else to it.
390
00:20:07,807 --> 00:20:10,942
Nosal: It's actually a kind of
jellyfish called deepstaria.
391
00:20:10,944 --> 00:20:12,710
That's the scientific name.
392
00:20:12,712 --> 00:20:16,113
The common name is aptly called
the placental jellyfish,
393
00:20:16,115 --> 00:20:18,082
So those who thought
that it was a whale's placenta
394
00:20:18,084 --> 00:20:21,452
Were not too far off.
395
00:20:21,454 --> 00:20:24,155
Narrator:
This jellyfish has no tentacles.
396
00:20:24,157 --> 00:20:25,656
It doesn't need them.
397
00:20:25,658 --> 00:20:28,426
It waits for its dinner,
mostly crustaceans,
398
00:20:28,428 --> 00:20:32,830
To swim upwards and then engulfs
them in its saclike body.
399
00:20:32,832 --> 00:20:37,235
♪
400
00:20:37,237 --> 00:20:40,037
And that wire netting pattern
all over its body
401
00:20:40,039 --> 00:20:43,975
Is actually its digestive tract.
402
00:20:43,977 --> 00:20:45,977
The mystery creature
from the deep
403
00:20:45,979 --> 00:20:49,247
Was actually
a very rare jellyfish.
404
00:20:49,249 --> 00:20:52,250
-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com
405
00:20:52,252 --> 00:20:55,253
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
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