All language subtitles for Worlds Greatest Animal Encounters Series 1 5of6 Grassland Animals 1080p

(THEME MUSIC)

Tanzania is a relatively small
country in Africa

but it has some of the largest herds
of wild animals on the planet.

And these herds are easy
to encounter as they sweep across

the vast savanna grasslands.

Tanzania sits just south
of the equator

so there's no real winter or summer,
just wet and dry seasons.

The rains come twice a year,

a short burst
from October to December,

and a longer, stronger
wet season from March to June.

Ngorongoro crater,
an ancient volcanic caldera,

sits at the heart of Tanzania's
wildlife extravaganza.

It presents a striking landscape,
created by a cataclysmic explosion

that occurred
over 3 million years ago.

The original volcano would have
been as high as Kilimanjaro,

the loftiest mountain in Africa.

But after it erupted,
it collapsed,

leaving behind this
remarkable sanctuary

known locally as
'the Garden of Eden.'

The crater sinks to a depth
of 2000 feet,

creating a natural enclosure.

A giant bowl containing an alphabet
soup of Africa's wild animals,

from antelopes
right through to zebras.

In all, 25,000 large animals

and at least 100,000 smaller ones

coexist here in ecological harmony.

Ngorongoro crater
is the perfect place

for spotting what safari guides
call 'the big five' -

Africa's largest and most
charismatic grassland animals.

The lion.

The leopard.

The elephant.

The rhinoceros.

And the Cape buffalo.

Lions are the only big cat
to live in social groups.

A pride of lions
is an extended family

with about 10 females
and their young.

As the cubs grow, young females
will stay with the pride

but by three years of age,
young males leave the group

to find a pride of their own.

Becoming part of a new pride
is no easy feat,

for the dominant male in the group

will fiercely defend his territory
from newcomers.

He'll mark the boundaries with urine,
roar menacingly

and chase off any intruders.

Not an easy job as a single territory
can be over 250 square kilometres.

Once a young male is sexually mature,
he is ready to challenge

the dominant male for the right
to take over his pride.

Typically, tenure of a pride
lasts around two to three years,

giving the dominant male
the exclusive right

to every female in his harem.

Female lions
do almost all the hunting.

Many of their prey animals
can run faster and further,

so to effect a kill,
lions need to work as a team.

They'll take their time
stalking their prey.

Often, the pride will split up,
so the escaping prey

runs straight into an ambush.

There is a strict pecking order
when it comes to eating,

and so cubs have to make do
with the leftovers.

After a good meal,
lions may sleep for up to 20 hours.

A rite of passage for groups
of young Masai men

has always involved the hunting
and killing of a lion.

But here in Ngorongoro,
times have well and truly changed.

Now, these Masai warriors
are being employed by local experts

to help protect the lions using
science and traditional knowledge

to manage and monitor
these magnificent animals.

While lions
have evolved to be social,

leopards are the loners
of the African big cat world.

They spend much of their time
hanging around in trees

and are mainly nocturnal.

During the day,
the dappled light in the branches

allows the leopard
with its spots to blend in.

Camouflage gives the leopard the
upperhand when it comes to hunting.

Of the big five in Ngorongoro,

they are definitely the hardest
to encounter,

requiring a mix of patients and luck,

but the payoff
is well worth the effort.

Leopards are incredibly strong
with powerful jaws.

A single animal is able to haul
a large carcass

right up into the tree
so it can eat in peace,

a handy trick as prowling hyenas
and lions

would otherwise help themselves
to a share of the kill.

The athletic prowess of the leopard
doesn't stop at tree-climbing

and weightlifting.

They are excellent swimmers,
fast runners

and can jump up to 3 metres
in the air.

The Olympic pentathletes
of the grasslands.

A single leopard will occupy
a territory

of up to 75 square kilometres.

One male will choose
a territory that overlaps

with a few female territories.

In this way,
he has a range of choices

when it comes to mating season.

The largest of Ngorongoro's big five
is the largest animal on land,

the African elephant.

These awe-inspiring creatures
live in herds of up to 100.

They are sociable animals
that spend a great deal of time

with their families
roaming the grasslands,

looking for water and food.

And it goes without saying
that an animal of this size

needs to eat quite a lot.

One adult will easily consume
over 300 kilos of grass,

leaves and bark in a day.

So a herd like this needs
an enormous area of land to survive.

Many of the herds at Ngorongoro
choose to live on the crater rim

where the air is cooler
and the opportunity to graze

expands beyond
the old volcano's boundaries.

The other great grey grass eater
in Ngorongoro

is one of the most endangered big
animals in Africa - the rhinoceros.

There are two spaces of rhino
in Africa, the black rhino

and the white rhino.

Confusingly, these rhinos
are neither black nor white,

rather a very similar shade of grey.

Rhinos are short-sighted so there's
a good chance of spotting them

in Ngorongoro before they spot you.

Like many animals with poor sight,
rhinos compensate

with excellent senses
of smell and hearing.

Despite their bulk
and relatively short legs,

rhinos are impressive runners.

They can easily get to speeds
of 50 kilometres an hour.

Both species are endangered due to
the continued demand for rhino horn.

It is mistakenly believed to be
an aphrodisiac,

fetching around US $60,000
per kilogram on the black market.

Rangers who have dedicated their
lives to ensuring the survival

of rhinos in the wild
are often forced to take

somewhat drastic measures
to thwart the efforts of poachers.

This can include removing
or dying a rhino's horn

so it's no longer of value
to the poachers.

When conservationists became aware
of the dwindling numbers of rhinos

in the wild, they moved a number
of individuals to Australia.

They are thriving now in open range
style zoos, breeding generations

that could, in time, be released back
into the wilds of Africa.

The final member of the big five
in Ngorongoro is the Cape buffalo.

They won't hesitate to take on
and slay a lion.

In Ngorongoro, in a good year,
a single buffalo herd

can contain over 500 animals.

Those lethal horns are the reason
these animals are so well respected

by even the most skilled predators.

Both female and male buffalo
have horns.

They grow from central boss
on the forehead

which acts like
a powerful battering ram.

There is one animal however that
is safe in the Cape buffalo's realm.

The Ox Pecker.

This elegant bird
will happily ride around

on the back of a buffalo all day,

eating ticks, mites
and other parasites

that would otherwise irritate
the buffalo.

The Cape buffalo is the only member
of the big five

that is not endangered, but they
do need huge amounts of food

and a good 10 and a half gallons
of water a day to survive.

Fortunately, in Ngorongoro crater,
there seems to be enough

of both to go around.

North America's version of
the Cape buffalo is the mighty bison.

They once roamed across the
grasslands here in massive herds,

migrating between their summer
and winter pastures.

But hunting on an unprecedented scale
during the 19th-century

bought them
to the brink of extinction.

Some 50 million bison were killed,
reducing their numbers

to just a few hundred individuals.

Here in Yellowstone, the oldest
national park in the world,

bison are well protected so the
numbers have slowly rebounded

in step with other herds
across the country.

There are now half a million bison
living in reserves

and commercial ranches.

The bison is the heaviest land mammal
in North America

and seriously impressive
to encounter in the wild.

Full grown males can be
over 2 metres tall at the shoulder

and weigh over a ton.

Outside the migration
and mating seasons,

these animals prefer
to live in smaller groups,

mostly females and their young
with a dominant male.

During the summer mating season,
the groups come together,

and males do
what so many herding males do -

fight for supremacy.

Fortunately, a lot of this
is sabre rattling,

and despite the animals'
formidable power,

injuries are not common.

Competing males also make
earthshattering bellows,

and surprisingly, recent data
from scientists

suggest that the females appear to
favour males with a quieter bellow.

These huge animals spend a lot of
time grazing and chewing their cud.

Grass and herbs are top
of the list of food favourites

but shrubs and twigs
also fit the bill.

The cow bird is North America's
version of the African Ox Pecker

and they've become
the bison's regular companions.

Insects and parasites are commonplace
on the hide of the bison

so the cow bird receives
regular sustenance

in return for the free
cleaning service.

On May 9, 2016,
President Barack Obama

signed the National Bison Legacy Act,
formally recognising the bison

as the official national mammal
of the United States.

A fitting tribute to one of the most
impressive grassland animals

in the world.

Another amazing animal to encounter
on the prairies of North America

is the pronghorn, the second fastest
animal on four legs.

Having survived the last ice age,
the pronghorn has not changed

its behaviour, habits or good looks

since it first raced
through the great South West

some 30,000 years ago.

Pronghorns are not technically
antelopes

as they have quite a different
horn structure,

but they fill
the same ecological niche.

These impressive animals
can reach speeds

of over 80 kilometres an hour
and have exceptional endurance.

These herds migrate around 300 miles
every year in order to survive,

one of the longest migrations
by land animals in the world.

The main migration south
takes place in the autumn

when the pronghorn's need to move out
of the grand Teton Mountains

as the snow approaches.

They spend the winter in Wyoming
before following

the retreating snowline north
to their mountain grasslands

in the spring in time to breed.

They are incredible to encounter
during the migration season

as they travel in large herds.

Pronghorns are a well-equipped
for running.

They have a large windpipe,
heart and lungs.

And they can outrun all of America's
key predators including wolves,

bobcats and cougars.

Fortunately for the pronghorn,
the only animal

it couldn't possibly outrun lives
on another continent - the cheetah.

The fastest land animal on the planet
lives in sub-Saharan Africa.

There are only about 10,000 left
in the wild,

doing their best
to outrun extinction,

and here in Namibia,
they appear to be winning

the race of their lives.

A key stronghold of the cheetah
is Etosha National Park

in Namibia's north.

The landscape here is unbelievably
harsh, but nonetheless,

it helps Namibia lay claim to the
title 'cheetah capital of the world.'

In the centre of Etosha,

there's an ancient salt pan
which, during the rainy season,

draws four-legged and two-legged
visitors like a magnet.

Including many
of the nation's cheetahs.

With a top speed of 100 kilometres
per hour,

cheetahs can outrun
any animal on earth.

But the first stage of any hunt
begins with stalking.

Cheetahs have keen eyesight
and excellent camouflage,

so they aim to get as close to the
prey as possible without being seen.

Then, the pursuit begins,
accelerating faster

than a sports car, it takes
just three seconds for a cheetah

to reach its top speed, and when
it does, it's virtually flying.

Their long tails act like rudders,
allowing the animals

to make sudden changes of direction,
and their claws do not retract

when they run, rather,
they act like running spikes

when their feet hit the hard ground.

Cheetah hunts result in a successful
kill over 50% of the time,

a much better success rate
than leopards or lions.

Cheetahs are smaller
than the other big cats

so they prey on comparatively
small animals -

gazelles, hares and the young calves
of wildebeest.

Outside the mating season,
cheetahs are solitary animals.

Females look after their cups alone,
spending two years

providing for them,
playing with them,

and teaching them
all they need to know

about surviving
in the grasslands of Africa.

Camouflage is a fundamental necessity
for many animals

trying to stay out of harm's way
on Africa's savannas.

But one gentle giant with very little
chance of ever staying out of sight

and off the Safari radar
is the giraffe,

the tallest animal in the world.

A full grown bull
can be five and a half metres tall.

The fact that giraffes can reach
into the boughs of large acacia trees

means they are able to live amicably
alongside other herbivores

for there's no need
to compete for food.

When it comes to eating,
giraffes are uniquely equipped.

First there's
that unbelievable tongue,

up to 45cm long
and amazingly agile,

enabling the giraffe to pluck out
the most tender shoots.

Giraffe tongues
need to be tough as well,

for Africa's acacias
are covered in thorns.

Giraffes have seven vertebrae
in their necks, just like humans,

and indeed most other mammals.

But there's are linked together
with ball and socket joints

which give them a great deal
more flexibility.

The joint between the neck and skull
allows the giraffe

to extend its head at an almost
90 degree angle to the ground.

Male giraffes participate
in a ritualised fight called necking.

Their reinforced skulls can normally
take the impact of these blows

but giraffes do occasionally knock
themselves unconscious

during these fights.

The hornlike nobbles
on the giraffe's head

are known as ossicones.

They are not true horns but hardened
cartilage covered in skin

and sometimes a small tuft of hair.

Both sexes have them from birth
although they lie flat

for the first few months of life.

Up until recently, zoologists
believed there were only two species

of giraffe in Africa,
but recent DNA tests have pointed

to at least five different species,

each living in a geographically
distinct area of the continent.

Just like human fingerprints,
each giraffe has a unique pattern

so scientists
can easily identify individuals.

Giraffes are already exceptionally
tall at birth.

Most babies are over two metres,
so they can immediately reach

to suckle their mothers.

Giraffes play a significant role
in maintaining the health

of the grassland trees.

Their browsing technique encourages
fresh plant growth

and they distribute seeds far
and wide via their dung.

In dry places
like the Kenyan savanna,

giraffes also need to drink

a lot of water, not the easiest
manoeuvre to effect

when you have such a long neck
and spindly legs.

Any lesser animal would surely faint.

Fortunately, the giraffe's blood
pressure is twice as high as humans,

and their hefty, hard-working hearts
beat almost twice as fast.

So they have the means to prevent
themselves from passing out

when they move their heads from
down low to up high and vice versa.

With all that pressure pushing down
on their splayed legs,

it's a wonder the blood vessels
in them don't explode.

But giraffes' limbs are wrapped
in tough membranes

which compress their veins
and arteries

in much the same way as a g-suit
works for a fighter pilot.

In fact, scientists from NASA
have studied this particular aspect

of the giraffes' physiology
and used their findings

to perfect the design
of their astronauts' space suits.

It's quite remarkable to think
that this gentle grassland animal

is now contributing to exploration
beyond the bounds

of the planet we share,

perhaps enabling humans of the future
to have close encounters

of a very different kind.

There's really no denying the fact
that parts of Australia

look like Mars and that many animals
living on this continent

could pass themselves off as aliens.

But two of the nation's
most abundant grassland animals

are indisputably Australian, and
recognised as such the world over.

Indeed, they even take pride of place
on the country's coat of arms.

The kangaroo.

And the emu.

The emu, with its long legs
and long neck

is Australia's tallest native bird.

They can reach nearly two metres
in height when standing erect.

They can't fly but can run
at speeds of 50 kilometres an hour.

Emus are good sprinters but they're
also built for endurance.

They can roam huge distances
in search of food,

sometimes covering 25 kilometres
in a day.

Food supplies in the Australian
outback can be unpredictable at best

so the ability to move to other
distant feeding grounds

is essential for survival.

The parenting patterns of the emu
are also quite unusual.

Male and female pairs remain
together for the first five months

of their breeding cycle.

But the male will then take
full responsibility

for hatching and caring
for their young.

Kangaroo joeys are raised entirely
by their mothers.

There are nearly 70 different
species of kangaroo

in Australia,
filling every niche on the continent,

but most are built for the wide open
spaces of the outback,

Australia's version of the globe's
great grasslands.

Like most Australian mammals,
kangaroos are marsupials.

They are known among scientists
as macropods,

meaning large feet,
and as a group,

include wallabies, pademelons
and bettongs.

They come in an incredible variety
of shapes and sizes,

from the rabbit sized potoroo,
to the man-sized big red.

They all have strong oversized
hindlegs and tails,

and the ability to bound at high
speed using long, graceful leaps.

Some species are extremely rare
and restricted to small areas,

but the most commonly seen kangaroo
is the eastern grey.

These soft featured animals can be
found along the eastern third

of Australia, between the coast
and the inland deserts.

Like many kangaroos, eastern greys
are social animals

living in groups known as mobs.

Each mob is dominated
by an alpha male

with several adult females
and their joeys

at various stages of development.

Female kangaroos can be looking
after three joeys at once.

The oldest will have just left the
pouch and be learning

to fend for itself,
nibbling on young shoots

but staying close to its mother.

A younger joey will still be
developing inside the pouch,

and a third will be in the embryonic
stage of its development,

in a state of suspended growth

scientists called diapause.

As soon as the middle joey
is old enough to leave the pouch,

a chemical signal triggers
the embryo to grow.

Eastern greys are mainly nocturnal,
preferring to rest during the heat

of the day and coming out
to graze at dusk.

Many Australians
believe the kangaroo and emu

feature on the nation's emblem
because neither animal

can walk backwards, symbolising
the country's highest aspirations,

always moving in a forward direction.

There are actually
quite a few countries

that feature grassland animals
in their state emblems

but South Africa's is something
of a standout.

In a country bursting at the seams
with regal options such as lions,

leopards, and elephants,
South Africa has chosen

the enigmatic secretary bird
to crown its national coat of arms.

Supposedly the secretary bird
was so named

because it bore a striking
resemblance to the male secretaries

of the 1800s, with goose quill pens
tucked behind their ears,

grey tail coats
and dark, knee-length pants.

Preferring to walk rather than fly,
this large bird of prey

can cover 30 kilometres
in a day searching for food.

They are well known for their ability
to catch and kill snakes

but will also eat small mammals,
reptiles and large insects.

Despatching of prey either involves
a swift strike with the bill

or a not so soft shoe shuffle,

stomping on a potential meal
to either knock it unconscious

or kill it.

Secretary birds are widespread
throughout Africa

south of the Sahara
and a key species

on every birdwatcher's wish list.

They're easily encountered
in Sabi Sands, a game reserve

that borders Kruger, one of the
largest national parks in the world.

There are no fences between
the two parks so all the animals

are free to range between the two.

White rhino, elephants, hippo, lions
and the world's largest bird,

the ostrich.

This sublime landscape of deep
forests and subtropical grasslands

has undergone
a miraculous transformation.

It used to be the royal hunting
ground for Nepal's rulers

and their guests.

Big game here included the Bengal
tiger, the gharial crocodile

and the largest rhino species
on the planet,

the greater one horned rhino.

These huge rhinoceros once
roamed the entire northern part

of the Indian subcontinent,
but by 1975,

they were facing extinction.

Only 600 remained in the wild.

Conservation efforts
since then have turned

the greater one horned rhinos'
fortunes around,

increasing the numbers more
than sixfold,

with Chitwan boasting the second
largest population

of this species in the world.

Chitwan is now a World Heritage site
and with three decades

of successful wildlife management
under its belt,

the place is positively booming.

Elephants rather than Safari Jeeps
are used here for transport,

carrying those who seek to encounter
these amazing animals at close range.

The greater one horned rhino
has a single black horn

which can grow to over
half a metre in length.

It also has distinctive folds in
its skin which give the impression

of armour plating.

The skin of a greater one horned
rhino can be up to 4cm thick.

Add another 2-5cm of subcutaneous fat
and you're looking at

one very thick skinned animal.

All that fat seems strange for
a mammal living in a hot climate

but it is well supplied with blood
which helps the rhino

to regulate its body temperature.

One horned rhinos feed on a wide
variety of plants.

Grasses, fruit, leaves
and branches are all on the menu.

Most of these rhinos live a solitary
life when they are not mating

or breeding.

Each male has a defined territory
which changes with the seasons

and according to food availability.

But he will fight to the death
to defend it.

Although they are short-sighted,
these rhinos have an excellent sense

of smell and good hearing.

They communicate using
at least 12 different sounds

including snorts, honks and roars.

Sighting just one individual of a
species that has so successfully

bounced back from the brink
is exhilarating.

But many would argue
that quantity trumps quality

when it comes to animal encounters.

And on that front,
the Serengeti doesn't disappoint.

During May and June when the annual
migration is in full swing,

the Serengeti is awash with wildlife.

This event is widely regarded as the
greatest wildlife spectacle on earth.

Great waves of zebra, wildebeest
and gazelle are on the hoof,

moving north from their grazing lands
in Tanzania to Kenya.

The monsoon in the south
is long over

and the grasslands will soon dry out.

The escarpments up north
in the Masai Mara

are catching the last of the rains

so this is where
the grazing animals must head.

Around 2 million animals
move through the Serengeti,

marching towards greener pastures.

Most of them are wildebeest.

Wildebeest are the major food source
for many of the predators

of the African grasslands, but by
gathering in enormous herds

and following the food, these stoic
animals can keep their numbers high.

Hundreds of thousands of zebra
also join the pilgrimage.

Those charismatic stripes
do a whole range of things

to keep the zebra
functioning happily.

They break up the outline
of each zebra's body

so predators cannot spot them
in the long grass.

As a herd, they create a mesmerising
pattern so it's almost impossible

for hunting lions or hyenas
to target an individual.

Scientists now believe the stripes
serve a third function.

These open plains can reach
temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius

and there's little shade
from the equatorial sun.

The alternating black-and-white
stripes absorb heat

at different rates.

This probably sets up a microclimate
of air currents on each zebra

which keeps the animal cool.

As the migration progresses,
the most dangerous challenge

of the journey comes closer.

The crossing of the Mara River.

The steep, unstable riverbanks,
and deep and fast flowing water

are difficult enough
but that is just the beginning.

Many hungry carnivores
are lying in wait.

The banks of the river
hide hungry leopards and lions

on the lookout for strugglers.

They know the river crossing
will be too much for some,

but the greatest danger of all lies
just below the surface

of the mighty waters.

Nile crocodiles, enormous, strong
and startlingly fast.

But the hungry herds are driven by
the promise of fresh grazing

on the other side of the river.

They have no choice
but to take their chances.

This is survival of the fittest
at its most brutal.

Getting across the Mara alive
is a numbers game.

Of the thousands of animals crossing,
less than one percent will be killed.

But there's still one more obstacle
before safety is reached.

At many crossing points, the banks
of the Mara can be high,

steep and unstable.

Getting out of the river is as
dangerous as getting across it.

In 2007, 10,000 wildebeest
drowned when the far bank

was just too steep to climb.

Once clear of the river, the animals
are in the Masai Mara reserve.

There's plenty of grazing and time
to recover before making

the return journey
in six months time.

This great migration is one of
the ultimate wildlife experiences

in the world, and with luck on your
side, you'll have a front row seat

to a truly breathtaking
animal encounter.

From the prairies of North America,

to outback Australia and beyond...

..grasslands offer a wealth
of opportunity to get up close

to the world's greatest herbivores.

And the predators
that relentlessly pursue them.

To witness the drama playing out
in these theatres of life

is a privilege indeed.

And a reminder of just how fortunate
we are to share our planet

with a cast of thousands.

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