All language subtitles for Life Story (2014) 810p 3of6 Home HDTV

So far on Life Story,

we have seen animals
face the dangers of childhood.

Watched them enter the adult world.

Now, young animals
need to find a home.

Somewhere they can find
the necessities of life.

It can be a refuge from enemies.

And a shelter from the elements.

Without a place of its own,

an animal will struggle to survive.

On the vast plains of Zambia,

this isolated thicket
is a rare patch of cover.

It's home to a pack of hunting dogs.

The arrival of a dozen tiny pups

means the pack have, for now,
given up their nomadic lifestyle.

Here, they can hide the youngsters
out of sight of their many enemies.

It's the dry season
and food is scarce.

Whenever the pack leaves
on a hunting trip,

one dog stays behind as baby-sitter.

If danger threatens, the pack's
future will depend on this dog.

An eight-foot-long
rock python is hunting.

It can easily grab a pup,
if it can launch a surprise attack.

DOG BARKS

The adult has spotted it.

His attempts to drive it away
have the worst possible outcome.

It retreats down the pup's burrow.

Now, the adult faces
a critical choice.

Stay put and risk
living with a predator,

or try to find a new shelter
in the few hours before nightfall.

That would mean
leading the pups into the open.

The baby-sitter makes his choice.

Unfortunately,
these plains are home to hyena.

They are the hunting dogs'
greatest enemy.

A hyena will take a straggling pup
if it gets the chance.

It might win a battle over a pup
with a lone baby-sitter.

But the rest of the dog pack,
returning from the hunt,

is a different matter.

The hyena will avoid
this confrontation.

Back at full strength,
the dog pack can now lead the pups

to the safety of a new refuge.

Secure again,

the pups squabble over the meat
carried back by the hunting party.

Its duties over, the baby-sitter
can take a well-earned rest.

And, in a few weeks, the pups will
be old enough to leave the den

and join the pack
on the open plains.

In nature,
good homes are all too rare.

Here, on a tiny Caribbean island

off the coast of Belize,

there is a severe housing shortage.

Hermit crabs use abandoned
seashells as mobile homes.

As a crab grows, its shell
becomes an ever tighter fit,

so eventually a crab
needs to move in to a bigger one.

Suitable empty shells
are few and far between,

and this one is far too spacious
for this crab.

But, instead
of continuing its search,

this small crab
settles down to wait.

Other crabs, also looking
to upgrade to a bigger home,

soon gather
whenever a shell washes ashore.

Unfortunately, the new shell
is too big for them, too.

Despite that, the gathering crabs

begin to measure each other up,

and then they do something
really rather extraordinary.

They arrange themselves
into an orderly queue.

The biggest at the front,
smallest at the back.

They're lining up with one aim -

to exchange properties.

But none of the crabs

can make a move,

because the chain
is not yet complete.

They're all waiting for the
right sized crab to come along.

And this is it.

The latest arrival
pushes to the head of the queue.

At first, the chain falls apart.

As it reforms, the small crab
finally makes its move

and takes its place
at the end of the line.

After a close inspection,

the big crab moves in.

This triggers a chain-reaction.

Each crab hurriedly
moves into the shell

vacated by the crab ahead of it
in the line.

Just as the small crab attempts
to move into its new home,

a fresh arrival muscles in.

To be left without a shell
is a death sentence.

A naked crab will quickly cook
under the intense tropical sun.

But, after all the swapping,

there is still one shell left.

Sadly, it's no bigger than this

small crab's original shell,

and worse, it's got a hole in it!

But even a bad shell
is better than being homeless.

The small crab's need to upgrade

will be even more urgent

by the time the next shell
rolls ashore.

This old wreck off the coast of Fiji

is a gathering place
for some very unusual fish.

They're called remoras,
but this isn't their home,

it's more of a waiting room.

Like hermit crabs,

each remora is waiting
for the perfect residence to appear.

The unique suckers
on the back of their heads

hint at a very different
and unusual lifestyle.

Up above is a coral reef.

The remoras watch and wait
for a particular visitor.

Sharks.

Most fish make themselves
scarce when they appear.

But not remoras.

For a remora, home is a bigger fish.

And this is an opportunity
not to be missed.

A passing school
of eight-foot bull sharks,

one of the most aggressive
marine predators.

Remoras stick very close,
or even clamp onto their host

with their suckers.

And what fish could offer
better protection than a shark?

What's more,
when the shark makes a kill,

the remora can scavenge
the leftovers.

In return, it helps the shark
by eating parasites from its body.

But too many remora
could slow a shark down,

so they try to avoid
becoming over-loaded.

That means intense competition among
remora for the available spaces.

This one has missed out.

Fortunately, sharks aren't the only
suitable visitors to this reef.

A giant Manta Ray offers
a remora another chance.

It's already sheltering
several large remoras.

But there's room for one
more on this huge fish.

At last, the remora has a safe home.

But, having made its choice,
the remora must now go

wherever the Manta takes it,

for better or worse.

Some animals build their own homes,

and if their lives
are filled with danger,

then that home needs
to be a fortress.

An Australian weaver ant
carries part of her colony's future,

a grub, in her jaws.

She's on her way to help
in the construction of her new home.

Hundreds of her fellow workers
are labouring together

to build a stronghold out of leaves.

Chains of workers
pull leaves together.

They hold them tight, but they need
a more permanent fix than this.

The grub-carrier
will play a crucial role.

But first, she needs to
get across the construction site.

Workers use their own bodies to make
living bridges between branches,

allowing others to move
quickly around the site.

This worker, with her grub,
crosses over.

When this worker reaches
a leaf that needs securing,

she taps the grub on its head.

This stimulates it to produce silk.

The worker uses
the grub like a glue gun,

passing it backwards
and forwards across the join.

Silk is one of the strongest
fibres in nature,

yet, it's also flexible,
making it the perfect glue

for a construction that must
bend and flex in the wind.

After just a few hours of intense
effort, the ants' home is complete.

Totally weather-proof, this new nest
makes the ideal nursery

in which to start
rearing a precious brood.

RAIN PATTERS

But it also needs to be a fortress

because neighbouring ant colonies,

looking to expand their own empires,
are always on the attack.

WIND HOWLS

It's rare that a home
provides an animal

with everything it needs to survive.

Some are a dangerous compromise.

A sheer rock face
in the American Rockies

provides a sure-footed mountain goat
with security from attack.

The goats spend
the entire winter up here.

But although safe from predators,
there's little food.

By the time
the spring moult arrives,

their poor diet has left
them suffering

from a serious deficiency
of vital minerals.

So, every spring, the goats must
leave the safety of the cliffs

and make a dangerous,
three-day-long descent

on a quest for these precious salts.

While mothers guide the new-born

kids down to the valley,

this newly independent young goat

is making the perilous journey
alone for the first time.

The sun's warmth has brought
predators out of hibernation.

A grizzly bear.

It's a deadly threat
to a young goat.

Luckily, the remains of an earlier
casualty catch its attention.

The yearling has to make his way
without guidance.

High up, avalanches
and rock falls are a hazard.

Lower down, rivers swollen
with meltwater

pose the greatest danger.

From experience, mother goats
know the safer places to cross.

For her new kid,
it is a daunting prospect.

It could easily be swept
to its death.

After several days, the lone
yearling approaches the crossing.

On the other bank is the only
place for miles around

where rocks rich in salt
are exposed.

All that stands between
the young goat and the outcrop

is a last cascade
of bitterly cold water.

It's hard to know where
to cross without help.

He's made it.

He'll stay a few days,

stocking up on the salts
in this rich dust,

before facing
the dangerous return journey

back to the safety of the peaks.

In Zambia, the hunting dog pups

are now four months old

and have left the security
of their den far behind.

Once the pups
are big enough to keep up,

the dog pack resumes roaming the
plains that make up their territory.

In the dry season, being mobile
is the only way to find enough food

for 12 hungry youngsters.

Day and night, the dogs rely on each
other for protection from enemies.

Hyenas.

The dogs' ancient enemy.

Hyenas are scavengers.

They want to steal the dogs' kill.

One dog cannot take on a hyena.

FURIOUS YAPPING

But what the dogs lack in strength,
they make up for with teamwork.

SNARLING AND GROWLING

This isn't just a fight...

HYENA YELPS

..it's part of an age-old battle
for control of these plains.

The youngsters join the adults.

With their new strength in numbers,

the battle between dog and hyena
is firmly in the dogs' favour.

By sticking together,

the pack can see off the challenge
of their archenemy.

For the pups,
this fight has demonstrated

the most important rule
of hunting-dog life.

Taking control
of their home territory,

and, indeed, their very survival,

depends on teamwork.

THUNDER RUMBLES

Now, their home and their lives,
are about to change.

The rainy season is arriving,

bringing with it
an abundance of prey.

THUNDER RUMBLES

The coming of seasonal riches
might seem to promise an easy life.

But not necessarily
if you're a pika.

They make their homes
at high altitude

on these steep boulder fields.

These slopes in the
North American Rockies

are only free from snow
for a few months a year.

Pika don't hibernate.

Instead, they cash in on the sudden
burst of summer flowers

to stockpile enough food
to get them through the winter.

That means cramming thousands
of return journeys

between flower, meadow and burrow
into just a few hectic weeks.

So, for a pika,
a good home is all about location.

Having a burrow near the meadow
is a huge advantage.

But not everyone
can have a prime spot.

This young female lives high
up on the boulder slope.

Every day is a relentless commute.

She could cover hundreds of miles
over a single summer.

It's not just exhausting,
it's dangerous, too.

A weasel.

Its long, thin body makes
it the perfect hunter

in this jumble of boulders.

SQUEAKING

But the pikas
have some countermeasures.

IT SQUEAKS

IT SQUEAKS

They call to prevent
a surprise attack.

IT SQUEAKS

Faced with such dangers,
pikas are always on the lookout

for safer ways
to fill their larders.

And they're not above
a little petty theft.

The hay piles of the pikas
living closer

to the meadow
are already bulging with food.

Too tempting to ignore.

She waits until the owner
is well away.

And then...

helps herself.

This life of crime
will save her time,

energy and reduce
the risk from predators.

She stashes the stolen goods,
then heads back for more.

Of course, the key to being a
successful thief is not to be seen.

But, unfortunately,
the owner in the meadow

spots the intruder red-handed.

She carries on while the owner
rushes back to confront her.

IT SQUEAKS

She may have made a clean
get-away...

..but pikas are not the only
thieves operating here.

Bighorn sheep.

Now SHE is the victim.

FRANTIC SQUEAKS

She can call all she likes,
but the sheep just keep on eating.

SHE SQUEAKS

For the pika, it's a disaster...

..unless she can quickly replenish
her stockpile

in what's left of the short summer.

Back in the Australian rainforest,

this weaver ant fortress sits
at the heart of a rich territory.

Hunting parties go out to gather
food to fuel their growing numbers.

Some canopy caterpillars
are not killed,

but farmed by the ants.

They exude a sugary secretion
that the ants collect.

In return, the ants mount a guard

to protect the caterpillar
wherever it goes.

But a successful colony
inevitably attracts enemies.

This jumping spider's body shape
resembles that of an ant.

A disguise good enough
to fool these nursery guards.

It's after one of the colony's
most valuable assets -

the grubs.

In a colony
numbering tens of thousands,

a single grub is
an insignificant loss.

But the rich territory
of a successful colony

draws more destructive enemies.

Raiders from a neighbouring weaver
ant colony

looking to expand their own empire.

Invaders are quickly spotted.

The guard releases pheromones
to alert the rest of the colony.

They stream out of the nest
to defend their home.

If the home defences fail,

the colony will be wiped out.

Some of the defenders
deploy their most potent weapon

they squirt formic acid.

SPLASHING

The stinging liquid halts
the invaders in their tracks.

And now, the home guard
can go on the offensive.

Home and territory
are secure once again.

A colony may lose many workers
in defence of its home.

But their sacrifice helps
safeguard the next generation.

A colony that can defend
a rich territory

has the potential to dominate
their part of the rainforest

for years to come.

Such long-term occupation
allows residents

to become
intimately familiar with their home,

knowledge that is critical
when times are tough.

These chimps live on the edge
of the Sahara in Senegal.

The dry season has been at
its most brutal for four months.

There is almost nothing left to eat.

This young male spends hours
teasing apart seed pods.

The fibres surrounding each
tiny black seed are inedible.

So, he must delicately separate
the one from the other.

Others take the edge off their
hunger by chewing tough bean pods.

It's not much to keep
the troop going.

And there are many
hungry mouths to feed.

Even scarcer than food is water.

If they can't find a supply,
these chimps will die.

The troop depends
on the older chimps

and their detailed knowledge
of their home territory.

They've lived through droughts
like this before.

They lead the others on a trek
towards a distant river.

It's a hellish ten-mile journey
in suffocating 50 degrees heat.

Their march ends on a river bank.

But the channel is bone dry.

Undeterred,
this big male picks his spot...

..and starts to dig.

The youngster watching him at work

is absorbing knowledge
that could be critical

to the troop's survival
in years to come.

Water slowly collects in the hole,

filtered as it seeps
through the gravel.

CHIMPS CHATTER QUIETLY

WATER SPLASHES

It's a moment to savour.

All along the riverbed,

others are following
the leader's example

and digging their
own drinking wells.

ALL CHATTER QUIETLY

By pooling their knowledge
and experience,

the chimps have made this hostile
place into a home.

HOOFBEATS AND LOWING

Zambia.

The hunting dog pack has survived
the hard times of the dry season.

They've exploited different parts
of their home territory,

to successfully raise
and protect their pups

and they've fought off
their greatest rivals.

Now, their home is about
to be transformed.

Great herds of wildebeest
are arriving,

having followed the rains here

to graze on the new grass,
and to calve.

And the pack is ready for them.

Still too young to join a hunt,

the pups have been left
at a waterhole...

..while the adults
head off over the plains.

The youngsters are already
practising their hunting skills.

But they have some way to go.

Not so the adults.

They form a tight pack, stalking
to get close to the wildebeest.

THEY WHINE

With the herd on the run, the pack
manages to isolate a small group.

They're looking for any weakness.

But the wildebeest are no push-over.

The dogs work in relay.

As one tires, another moves
through to take up the running.

Fleeing for its life, the wildebeest
has a few tricks of its own.

First, it tries to create confusion
by running into a group of zebra.

ZEBRA BRAY

Then it joins forces
with other wildebeest

to make a break for the main herd.

Most of the dogs break off
to find an easier victim.

But one dog appears to have
forgotten the basic pack rule,

stick together.

Suddenly, he hears the pack and
switches direction to rejoin them.

THUNDERING HOOTBEATS

And now there is no escape
from the power of the pack.

It's time to retrieve the pups

and escort them back to the kill.

The growing pack has less to
fear from hyenas than before.

But they will always be a threat.

Some of the older members
form a protective cordon

while the rest of the pack feed.

By working together,
the pack have overcome

the challenges of this land

and succeeded in making
it their home.

Their hard-won territory
will be a legacy to their pups

and with luck,
for the generations to come.

Finding the perfect location
to film hunting dogs

took the Life Story team years
of patient research

and finally led them
to a remote corner of Zambia.

For director Emma Napper
and cameraman Jamie McPherson,

it's a chance to film something
few people have ever witnessed -

a complete wild dog hunt.

The dogs usually live in thick bush,

so this open country
should help the crew.

And scientists have radio-collared
one of the pack

which makes
finding them relatively easy.

By that tree, straight there.

Where are the dogs?
I have absolutely no idea.

Can you see the dogs, Dennis?
Where are the dogs?

It's not quite the start
the crew was hoping for.

(God, that was quick.)

The dogs disappear into the grass.

Once they've started running,
they go as fast as we could go.

And when we go at that speed,

we risk damaging the car
and ourselves quite badly, so...

We just need more of a head start
than we had this morning,

or jet packs!

Over the following days,
it becomes clear

that chasing after
the dogs isn't the way forward.

Perhaps trying to get ahead of them
during a hunt is a better option.

But that brings its own problems.

It's quite tricky, in that trying
to be there when they catch it

is incredibly difficult even when
it's completely flat and open,

you still don't know which way
they're going to go.

Whenever a chase takes the dogs
out of transmitter range,

the crew must spend hours
tracking them down again.

Today, they finally catch up
with them at a waterhole

and Jamie gets to see a softer
side to the pack.

With full stomachs, it's unlikely
they will hunt again today.

But there are other animals
here that haven't fed...yet.

And hyenas are always
on the lookout for an easy meal.

Hopefully, it's just inquisitive.

It could make short work of Jamie
if it really wanted to.

(Just let me know
if it comes out behind me.)

Do you think he will eat Jamie?
Yeah.

He'll eat Jamie? Yeah, he will.

SHE GIGGLES

Then, as evening approaches,
the mood changes.

GROWLING AND SNARLING

YAPPING

Bitter rivals, the dogs
don't like the hyenas hanging around

and this one has outstayed
its welcome.

Jamie has a ringside seat.

IT GROWLS

DOGS YELP

The crew leaves the dogs
to settle down for the night.

And hope for a change
of luck in the morning.

But when they return,
the pack is nowhere to be found.

Perhaps the hyena came back during
the night and they have moved off.

You can only pick them up if you're
within 2km of them

and they tend to move.

They can, they have moved 10km in a
night

so, hopefully, they're moving
the same way we're searching.

If they've gone
the opposite direction,

then, yeah...we could be
miles from them!

Do you think that maybe
they went south? Maybe.

And in the park's
1,300 square miles,

it's like looking for a needle
in a haystack.

We've been looking for them since
about 4 o'clock this morning.

It's now half past five
in the afternoon.

Sun sets in about an hour.

So, we've got about an hour
to find them, really,

because they're likely to get up
again at sunset and move again.

We don't know where they are now,
so it's just going to get harder.

So, the sooner we find them,
the better.

You say you have located the dogs?
Confirm. Over.

INDISTINCT TRANSMISSION

Where is that?

West, on this side.

Doggies!

The crew can't afford
to lose them again.

The only option is to stay as close
as possible all through the night.

BEEPING

How close are they, Dennis?

Less than a kilometre.

In the dark,

the radio transmitter helps
the team keep tabs on the dogs.

It's carrying food in its mouth,
but I can't see a carcass.

Let's stop here.

Put the lights off.

And their luck holds.

Dawn breaks and the crew is close by
as the dogs begin the hunt.

The crew is finally on the spot
as the dogs move in for the kill.

But to complete the story, the crew
needs to cover an actual chase

and to do that, they will have
to take to the air.

This aerial view
reveals the strategy the dogs use

during the pursuit and their
incredible endurance and skill.

From the ground you never see
that point

when the dogs swap over
and another one takes over

and 4 or 5km
of different elements of it.

Just to be able to see it
and keep up with it,

there's no way you could
keep up with that on the ground.

It was over termite mounds
and really rough stuff, so...

Yeah, it was a good morning.

These remote plains and
this remarkable pack

of hunting dogs have more
than lived up to their promise.

A pack of 20 wild dogs hunting,
flat-out - there's nothing like it.

It's incredibly exciting,
it's an amazing thing to see.

Following this very special
pack of dogs has become addictive.

I don't want to go.

Do you think can we wait another
hour? Do you think the
plane would wait for us?

Next week, Life Story follows
young animals

as they struggle to stay
one step ahead of their rivals.

They must develop new talents...

..and use whatever means,
both fair and foul,

to rise through the ranks.

The battle for dominance
can be brutal

with power the ultimate prize.

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