All language subtitles for BBC.Natural.World.2017.Natures.Miniature.Miracles.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

Not much bigger than an orange,

the pygmy marmoset is the smallest
monkey in the world.

They live in the largest tropical
forest on our planet -

the Amazon rainforest.

Their lives are full of
huge obstacles

but they don't let size
be a barrier to success.

With chisel-like teeth, they've
learned to tap into the trees,

feeding on their energy-rich sap.

These micro-monkeys
are the miners of the Amazon...

..leaving their mark
across the forest.

Too often in life
we overlook the little guys.

Overshadowed by bigger beasts,
their lives simply pass us by.

But if we stop and get down
to their level,

a remarkable world is revealed.

Take this gecko,
the size of just a few raindrops,

but somehow able to weather
the greatest of storms.

Or this bird,
the weight of a 20 pence piece,

who flies thousands of miles
for a meal.

What about this rather
plain little fish?

Well, he's a passionate artist
whose work deserves its own gallery.

So, while they may be small,

these creatures and others like them
have survival secrets

that are amongst the biggest and
most surprising on planet earth.

And now, at last,
they're taking centre stage.

It's time to meet
nature's miniature miracles.

The world is a big place...

..home to some huge animals...

..and exposed to wild weather.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

So what does that mean if you're
one of the planet's small folk?

How are you supposed to make a
living in this big, bad world?

Well, you need to adapt.

You must develop extraordinary
skills.

And you've got to achieve
some pretty mind-boggling feats,

like coming back from the dead.

And, let's face it, there's no
greater miracle than that.

But whether big or small,

all living creatures have the same
basic needs -

food, finding a mate...

..and a safe place to live.

On an island in the Caribbean,

a tiny crab's biggest issue
is home security.

Hermit crabs have soft bodies that
make them vulnerable to attack

from predators and the elements.

A naked crab would quickly cook
in the intense tropical sun...

..so these miniature miracles have
come up with an incredible solution.

They use abandoned seashells
as mobile homes.

24/7 protection.

But there's a problem.

Right now, this chap is no bigger
than a dice,

but he'll continue to grow
throughout his life.

So if he wants to stay safe,
he must always be on the lookout

for a new larger shell to move into.

But finding a new home isn't
as easy as you might think.

On this paradise island, there's
a surprising shortage of shells.

Unless this is the opportunity
the small crab's been waiting for.

Unfortunately, it's probably a bit
too much to take on right now.

And he's not the only prospective
buyer in the area.

Hermit crabs can be anything
from a few millimetres long

to the size of a coconut...

..so there's a chance this new home
might suit someone else.

With housing stock
in such short supply,

the local crabs have learned
to do something

really quite extraordinary.

They've joined forces to set up
their own property market.

Each crab is looking for
the perfect property

with the right shape,
opening and weight.

Somehow the crabs reach an agreement

and, incredibly, they start to
assemble in a chain...

..largest at one end...

..smallest at the other.

All lined up,
they're ready to exchange,

and not an estate agent in sight.

The biggest crab is first to move.

So far, so good.
The chain's holding together.

Our little crab gets in position,
ready to make his big move.

His size means he's at the bottom
of the chain.

But just as he vacates
his old shell,

a newcomer arrives on the scene
to try and gazump him.

He can't afford to be left homeless.

A death sentence
in this tropical heat.

But fortune's on his side.

After all the swapping,
there's one empty shell left over.

And he wastes no time settling
into his spacious new home.

From the perfect beach hut

to a treehouse hiding one of
the world's smallest mammals.

Our second miniature miracle

lives in the giant bamboo forests
of south-west China.

Bamboo is the tallest
of all our grasses,

with some species capable
of growing up to 40 metres.

But this isn't just a big world,

it's also home
to some rather bad sorts.

HISSING

So if you're really small, how do
you survive in a place like this?

You hide.

A tiny slit in the bamboo stem
reveals the bijou home

of the bamboo bat.

A colony of 25 living in a space
the size of a teacup.

Each bat is not much bigger
than a bumblebee

but it's still a squeeze...

..which is hardly surprising

when you imagine a teacup
full of bumblebees.

BUZZING

These micro bats have evolved
special adhesive pads

on their thumbs, wrists and feet,

which help them make the most of
every corner of their secret home.

But what good is that
against what lurks outside?

If it got the chance, this snake
would devour the entire colony.

But that's where a miniature home
with a miniature front door

comes into its own.

At just six millimetres across,
no wider than a pencil,

there's no way the snake's
getting inside.

But what about the bats?

How do they come and go
through what is possibly

the smallest front door
in the animal kingdom?

Well, they've evolved super-thin
flattened skulls

and, while it may still be a squash,

they're able to squeeze themselves
through the tiny gap.

It's another miracle manoeuvre.

Once the coast is clear, the bats
go hunting for insects, like flies,

beetles and winged termites.

And that's where a more well-known
miracle comes into play.

Bats are the only mammal
that can fly

and one of the few to use
echolocation to find food,

sending out sound waves
that detect prey in the darkness.

And it's these miraculous skills,

combined with a canny choice of
home,

that are the key to the bamboo bat's
success in this forest of giants.

But what if surviving means
you need to protect yourself

from your own kind?

On the east coast of Australia,

over a hundred species of shark
inhabits the tropical waters

of the Great Barrier Reef...

..including the largest shark of
all.

The 12-metre-long whale shark
is the biggest fish in the world.

Sharing the reef with this giant

is one of the smallest members of
the shark family - the epaulette.

He's less than one metre long...

..which, unfortunately,
makes him ideal prey

for some of the other larger sharks.

So in a world of bigger,
badder sharks,

how does the tiny epaulette
stay off the menu?

Without a safe home to escape to,
he keeps a low profile

and waits.

Twice a day the tide goes out,

which means conditions on the reef
change dramatically.

As the water departs,
so do the big sharks.

The water is far too shallow
for them now.

But the epaulette's size means
he's able to make the most

of this brief moment
in the life cycle of the reef.

At last he can stop worrying
about being someone else's dinner

and focus on finding his own.

But it doesn't last long.

The tide's still dropping

And soon the epaulette
is left high and dry.

If he's not careful, he'll barbecue
in the scorching Australian sun.

Even more worryingly, this fish out
of water is struggling to breathe.

But the miraculous epaulette has
evolved an extraordinary strategy

to cope with this.

By slowing his breathing and heart
rate and powering down his brain,

he can survive on his last breath
for up to an hour.

When the oxygen levels get critical,

another incredible survival strategy
kicks in.

His fins turn into prototype legs.

This cunning fish
breaks all the rules...

..and is the only shark that can
walk himself out of danger.

The epaulette shark isn't the only
miniature miracle

to have evolved remarkable
superpowers.

High on a remote rocky plateaux
in Venezuela

lives the three-centimetre-long
pebble toad.

Unusually for an amphibian,
he can't hop.

So, camouflaged to his surroundings,

this hopless toad creeps around
looking for insects to eat.

But he's not the only hunter
up here.

A toad-eating tarantula.

Faced with the enemy,

the toad employs an unexpected
escape strategy.

He transforms himself
into a toad-like ball.

Tensing all his muscles,
he becomes rigid like rubber.

Perfect for bouncing down
the mountain out of danger.

He's safe and, remarkably,
completely unharmed.

A female Arabian fat-tailed scorpion

on its regular night-time hunt
for beetles.

But while she's looking for food,

someone's eyeing her up
as a potential meal.

A desert fox.

Once the moon comes up,
its soft light could expose her.

So this scorpion has
an extraordinary super sense -

an early warning detection system

that gives her an edge
in this nocturnal world.

UV sensitive cells on her shell

warn her it's an hour
until moonrise...

..which gives her plenty of time
to run and hide

before it blows her cover.

When you're small, life's worries
extend beyond just being eaten.

You'd think a single raindrop might
drown a tiny Brazilian pygmy gecko.

Tricky when you live
in a rainforest.

But these geckos have evolved
super hydrophobic skin.

Water doesn't wet them.

Their skin is so water repellent

that even a tumble into a puddle
isn't fatal.

These miniature marvels
can literally walk on water.

But sometimes even remarkable
physical adaptations

aren't enough to help you survive.

East Africa.

Home to some of the world's
largest mammals...

..as well as one of its smallest.

A female elephant shrew,

more commonly known by
her African name of sengi.

She's 300 times smaller than a
lion...

..and 8,000 times smaller
than an elephant...

..which makes the vast savannah
a very dangerous place to live.

How on earth does she stay safe
out here without being trampled?

By living her life at top speed

and with brainpower
far beyond her size.

This miniature mastermind
has designed and built

a hidden network of trails
to get around.

Even when she does
encounter danger...

..these trails can mean the
difference between life and death.

A monitor lizard.

Drawing on a mental map
of her network,

the clever sengi is able to
figure out the best escape route.

Our fast-footed fugitive is built
for high-speed getaways too.

Like most mammals
and unlike reptiles,

her legs are directly
beneath her body...

..which makes her less stable

but much faster and more agile
than the lizard.

Astonishingly, this tiny tearaway,
who weighs less than half a kilo,

can reach speeds
of nearly 18 miles an hour.

For her size, she's twice as fast
as a cheetah...

..which definitely qualifies her

as one of our miniature miracles
of nature.

Life in the fast lane
requires a lot of fuel.

But while the sengi's secret network
allows her to find food efficiently

and discretely,
not everyone has it so easy.

We've all heard of the world's
great animal migrations...

..like the massive herds of caribou

who trek 1,500 miles through
the Arctic wilderness every year

to find food.

GEESE SQUAWK

And the five million snow geese
who fly en mass to northern Canada

looking for a summer feast
fit to feed a family.

But these are big animals
travelling in gigantic groups.

There's another, much less-known,

but perhaps even more impressive
annual migration,

and this one isn't migration
on a miniature scale.

This is a miniature miracle
on a mammoth migration.

Meet the rufous hummingbird.

This tiny bird weighs less
than a 20 pence piece

and yet every spring she flies over

4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska...

..on her own.

Her destination - Tongass,

part of the largest temperate
rainforest in the world.

In spring, when the forest wakes up,

it offers the promise
of a seasonal banquet.

Rufous hummingbirds spend
the winter in the tropics,

where competition for food
is fierce.

Here, they get the place
to themselves.

They're the only hummingbird to
make this epic annual migration

to Alaska.

But when they get here,
they can't afford to rest.

Hummingbirds can flap their wings
an unbelievable 50 times a second.

Blink and you can miss it.

Great for hovering but, like any
racy sports car,

it's heavy on fuel -

one thing this female
doesn't have much of.

After the long trip here,
she's running on empty.

If she doesn't eat soon,
she might not last the day.

And if it wasn't enough that
this mini marathon flyer

has flown all the way from Mexico,