All language subtitles for PBS.Nature.Super.Cats.Series.1.1of3.Extreme.Lives.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

From the iconic big
cats that enthrall us...

To the little-known small cats

that are just coming into
the light...

this is a remarkable family of
predators.

They are super athletes...

Super hunters...

Possessing super senses.

Now, groundbreaking
filming techniques

and a surge in
scientific research

are revealing new facets of
this amazing

super family.

Dawn in
the Namibian desert.

Cheetahs are one of the few cats

to form long-term coalitions
with their siblings.

For males, the relationship
might be life-long.

They'll do everything
together...

even hunt.

Few cats can resist a chase...

but none give chase
quite like a cheetah.

The latest science tells us

cheetahs rarely reach their
record top speed.

So, if cheetahs don't rely
simply on being fast,

how do they catch their prey?

It's a question that requires
a new perspective.

This high-speed buggy
is mounted with

a stabilized
slow-motion camera

to give us the prey's-eye view.

Their sprinting prowess
is unrivaled.

But this new approach reveals
that there's far more

to cheetahs than just
straight line speed.

Cheetahs must not only keep up
with their targets,

but react to
every twist and turn.

Their blunt claws are running
cleats that provide traction.

Even at 50 miles an hour,

the grip allows them to change
direction, instantly...

And their long tails whip around
to keep them upright.

They can also brake hard.

Strong bones are
shock absorbers,

dissipating forces
that could break a human leg.

Cheetahs are more than just
sprinters outrunning prey

on open plains...

They're agile...

and maneuverable.

They're elite athletes.

And where that really counts

is here, in woodland.

This is an obstacle course

where the prey's best chance is
to weave and turn to escape.

So a cheetah can rarely hit
top speed.

This chase is not a race...

It's a dance.

The prey leads...

and the predator must follow.

Cheetahs are
the fastest animals on land,

incredible sprinters,

but so much more.

Even now, iconic cats like
cheetahs can still surprise us.

And there are other members of
this extraordinary family

about which we know
even less.

Hiding in this Sri Lankan jungle

is a cat so rare,
few have ever seen it.

Exploring the world beyond his
den for the first time

is a miniature predator.

The smallest feline
in the world...

A rusty spotted cat.

He may look like a kitten --

He'd still fit
in the palm of your hand.

But this little male
is nearly full grown.

He'll soon be setting off
on a solitary life,

fending entirely
for himself.

What he lacks in size,

he makes up for in daring.

Young cats are born curious --

it's how they learn about
their world...

Even if it can get them
into trouble.

Right away, he puts his super
senses through their paces.

His eyes are six times more
powerful than our own

and sensitive to
the slightest movement.

His whiskers, rooted in a bed
of nerves,

detect the faintest touch or
the gentlest breath of wind.

His hearing is better
than ours too...

tuned to sounds that are
completely imperceptible

to the human ear.

And his sense of smell is
capable of distinguishing

between a billion
different odors.

This little cat is alert to
every change

in his
surroundings...

But now it's time to learn
which sounds...

or sights...

signal danger.

Every step of today's adventure

has been stored away
in his memory.

He's building a 3-D map of
the jungle in his head...

so he can find his way home
in a flash.

All cats, from the smallest
to the biggest,

share extraordinary skills
and abilities

that have allowed them to
conquer all four corners

of the globe.

Siberian tigers
prowl frozen forests.

They are 200 times bigger than
a rusty spotted cat...

but just as elusive.

In Brazil's Pantanal,
the world's largest wetland,

jaguars are on the hunt
for monsters.

For their size,

they have the strongest bite
of any cat...

even making short work of huge
caiman crocodiles.

The jungle canopy of
South and Central America

is the realm of
the tree climbing margay.

They can judge distances
perfectly...

A critical skill if you're to
clear a gap of 12 feet

with a single leap,
high above the forest floor.

And when it's time to descend,

their ankles rotate 180 degrees

so they can walk
vertically down.

Whether it's hunting
in the swamps of Asia...

or patrolling the oldest desert
in Africa...

cats thrive everywhere.

They've even conquered
the highest mountains on Earth:

the Himalayas.

It's a place
where food is scarce...

So, to survive, you need
a huge territory.

This vast wilderness
of sheer cliffs and bare rock

is home to the snow leopard...

the world's highest,
and just maybe

most lonesome cat.

This aging male is searching...

but not for food...

He's looking for a mate.

The task would be
nearly impossible

if it wasn't for a cat's
unique ability

for long distance romance.

His long-lasting
and pungent spray

carries his dating profile.

"Male, single,
would like to meet."

Both males and females spray,

posting their romantic status

to any and every one
that passes by.

So he diligently patrols these
paths every day

in the hope that a potential
mate has passed through.

At his most eager, he'll
scent mark 20 times an hour.

It may take a week or more to
cover his entire territory,

but his search must go on,
day after day,

in spite of
the Himalayan weather.

He checks for scent...

then leaves his own.

Here, he discovers
a female has left her mark.

Rubbing his own scent over hers,

he declares his interest.

This male might just have
one last chance to mate.

Could this be it?

On the wind, the call of
a distant female.

Just maybe this male's
search is over.

For male cats,
life is a lonely existence...

But for females,
it's very different.

This is Honey...

a female African leopard --

and a mother.

A radio collar is giving
researchers an insight into

the life of the most elusive of
Africa's big cats.

Leopards thrive in more
environments than any other cat,

but that doesn't mean their
lives are easy.

At 10 years old,

Honey has outlived her brothers
and sisters.

Somehow, she's survived
a broken leg,

and now, during the worst
drought in decades,

she's hunting for two.

For mother cats,
childcare is a balancing act

between protection
and provision.

If they're
to hunt successfully,

a leopard must do so alone.

So she's left
her young cub behind.

A tail twitch --

Honey is on to something.

The drought has withered
all vegetation,

so there's little cover.

She needs to get close --
within 12 feet --

to stand any chance
of success...

And anything could
give the game away.

Foiled by Africa's
most annoying alarm call.

She might be empty-handed,

but it's time
to get back to her cub.

It's been 36 hours
since she left...

and young cubs
are prone to wander.

Her calls are unanswered.

Half of all leopard cubs don't
survive their first year.

A cub's best chance

is to stay hidden
until she's sure it's safe.

Honey's youngster already has
a leopard's knack for stealth.

She can even give her mother
a surprise.

For the last six months,

she's grown strong on milk.

But now she's developing
a cat's appetite for meat.

A mother leopard always has
a backup plan.

Honey has stashed a kill

safely out of the reach
of thieves.

For her cub, this is
an important lesson --

and the first of many.

Across the cat family, kittens
and cubs have a long infancy.

It takes time to learn
the skills needed

to hunt for themselves.

Often brothers and sisters are
on hand for training.

Play is the key to honing
coordination...

Building strength...

And agility.

The bond between them might
endure for years,

probably the closest
relationship they'll ever have

with another cat...

But there is one life skill
which they must master alone...

The surprise attack.

Patagonia.

An unforgiving wilderness

where South America ends

and the Antarctic begins.

It's home to a secretive cat

that can only survive here

thanks to an eye
for opportunity.

Puma, the most southerly cat.

Once a year, these Magellanic
penguins come ashore to nest...

a lifeline for a hungry cat.

This may seem ruthless,
even callous,

but pumas must take
what's here today

in case tomorrow it's gone.

This is what it takes to survive
in Patagonia.

As night falls,

more cats arrive.

It's an extraordinary moment.

The abundance of prey

means territorial boundaries
are ignored,

and, for now, these usually
solitary creatures

rub shoulders.

It won't last.

The nesting season is soon over,

and the penguins
return to the sea.

The cats move on.

Thanks to their adaptability,

they are the most widespread
mammal in the Americas.

At the other end of
the continent,

the planet's most northerly cats

have chosen
a very different path...

In a wintry wonderland

with a record low of
minus 80 degrees.

The Yukon is the coldest place
in North America.

This is Big Foot country.

But these prints belong to
a very unusual cat...

a Canada lynx...

One whose high tech accessories

are at last letting us in on

a life almost impossible
to observe.

This is L4 Zero, aka Kronk.

Scientists and shaman agree,

lynx are the keepers of secrets.

You could spend years looking
for a lynx

and never see
more than a footprint.

And even if you did catch
a glimpse of one,

it would soon
give you the slip.

Until now.

Kronk's every move is tracked,

offering insight into
the world's ultimate game

of cat and mouse --

or rather,
cat and hare.

Throughout these cold days,

a lynx
needs to eat often...

And up here there's only
one thing on the menu.

Snowshoe hares.

In fact, a lynx's very survival
depends on them.

Helpfully,
there's plenty around.

These hares breed like, well...

rabbits.

So it's just a matter
of spotting one.

Although Kronk
seems to be oblivious,

cats' eyes are fine-tuned
for detecting movement...

so his is a game of patience.

To survive in these
freezing conditions,

Kronk must catch at least
a hare every day...

and use as little energy
as possible doing it.

If he can avoid a chase,
he will.

No cat is looking to make life
any harder than it has to be.

For most cats, survival is
a solitary endeavor...

But there is
one famous exception.

Africa...

Home to
the King of Beasts.

Lions may be legendary,

but among cats
they're strange.

That's because they're the only
ones who live together,

the only truly social cat.

The pride is a family

and an alliance.

Ruaha National Park,
Tanzania.

Here they're famous for forming
super prides --

huge groups can tackle the most
formidable prey in Africa.

In the dry season, lions come
together to defend riverbeds...

where they need only wait for
thirsty prey to come to them.

In numbers, lions find
the strength and audacity

to face
Africa's giants.

But once they're discovered,

their chance has gone.

It won't be long before
another comes their way.

This buffalo herd
is hundreds strong.

Each one weighs more than
three lions combined.

And they fight back.

Lions suffer more injuries
and fatalities from buffalo

than from any other
adversary.

This female
is nursing three cubs...

And also a serious wound
inflicted by a buffalo.

A debilitating injury like this
is not just painful...

It's potentially
life threatening

for both her and her cubs.

They are all hungry.

On her own,
this is hopeless.

But she's not alone...

She's part of the pride.

No other cat can bring down
a colossus like this.

And now she will be able to feed
her family

and allow her wounds to heal.

Living in a pride
sets lions apart.

It's an extraordinary alliance,

but it's not just
about big game hunting...

This is an extended family that
supports and protects

every mother and her cubs.

That makes lions, surely,

the most extraordinary members
of a remarkable animal family.

Next time...

the most secretive cats with
surprising lives.

Living in the world's most
remote and unexpected places.

Discover how cats have
conquered the planet.

-"Nature's" three-part
series continues,

from the oldest desert in Africa

to the highest mountain
on Earth,

cats are leading
extraordinary lives.

They are acrobats
in the jungle...

and opportunists
on the beach...

big or small, cats have
conquered the planet.