All language subtitles for Deadly

Africa.

A land where life competes
with tooth and claw.

Desert, forest and grassland.

Predator and prey
have evolved to blend in.

Confusing spots
and clever camouflage.

Silent moves...

and deadly illusions.

Prey outwits predator...

and predator fools prey.

These masters of deception
are Africa's Deadliest.

(roaring)

(music)

(music)

It's the heat of the day in the
Greater Kruger National Park.

Two mothers and their cubs

are waiting for it to cool down
enough to go hunting.

Each lioness eats about
17 pounds of meat a day;

that's almost 90 pounds
for the whole pride.

They're well-equipped
to get it,

with their inch-and-a-half-long
retractable claws.

Loose belly skin cushions
the impact of kicks

from struggling prey.

(music)

Lions are the most social
of the big cats,

and these related females
will hunt together

to benefit the whole pride.

Working together, the lionesses
have almost nothing to fear.

And as the afternoon
cools down,

it's time to go grab a bite.

The cubs depend on their mother
for almost a year and a half,

and some of the females might
share her territory for life.

They're still
too young to hunt,

so everything rides
on mom's hunting prowess.

The pride's territory
could cover an area

up to 150 square miles
if prey is scarce.

(lowing)

Not a problem today.

Ample wildebeest
are on the move.

The lioness's plan is to get
in close and remain invisible.

(lowing)

She'll go in alone,
but her pride isn't far behind.

(lowing)

The wildebeest still
don't notice her.

There's a reason her coat
is the same color

as the dry grass.

But the wildebeest are twitchy.

(music)

(music)

One of them senses
something's up.

(music)

(music)

She needs to tread carefully.

(music)

Keeping her distance,
she curls her lip

and inhales through her mouth
to detect more scent.

(music)

And the smell of her prey.

It's called
the flehmen response.

But the wildebeest relies
more on sight than smell.

(lowing)

Giving the well-camouflaged cat
a great advantage.

(lowing)

(lowing)

Her hunt is going exactly
according to plan.

But she still needs to take it
slowly for the ambush.

(music)

Slinking into position,

one wildebeest stands
right next to her

and doesn't even see her.

She's that shadow
in the center,

right where she needs to be.

(music)

(music)

She started out so well.

Kept low and undercover.

But she didn't single out
a target and blew it.

Lions wage a shrewd ambush,
but not a long chase.

Now she has to wait
until things settle down

and try a different strategy.

(music)

Tonight, the pride goes hungry.

(insects chirping)

The next morning, she starts
again with a new target:

zebras.

(music)

(music)

This time she has
the help of others.

The zebras suspect nothing...

(music)

...as a lioness
flanks one side.

(music)

(music)

Now they see one lion
ahead of them,

but not her accomplice.

(music)

(music)

Or a second flanker
on the other side.

(music)

(music)

The zebras are jittery
and dangerous.

Their kick can shatter
a lion's jaw or even kill it.

They know if they bolt,
the big cats could chase them.

By standing together, their
stripes might make it tough

for the lions to pick out
a single zebra.

While all eyes
are on the front cat,

the flanking lions are in the
best position to make the kill.

(music)

(music)

(music)

The first lioness goes for it,

targeting a weak or slow one.

(braying)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

To bring down a zebra, the lion
needs to grab it by the throat.

Not an easy move with
the powerful, bucking prey.

It's all in the grip.

She uses her claws and teeth
to hang on

while she gets
a powerful chokehold.

Reinforcements arrive.

But only one lion
makes the kill.

At last, the cubs can eat.

Game is plentiful,
but never easy or guaranteed.

In bad times, rodents, eggs,
or carrion will do.

But today no one goes hungry.

There are other ways
to use deception

to kill in the African bush.

(music)

(music)

With its high-speed,
elastic weapon,

this otherwise awkward lizard

becomes a formidable
insect predator.

(music)

The chameleon shoots out
a suction cup

on the end of its tongue

and has a shell-crushing set
of jaws to finish the job.

Its feet are shaped
to grip thin branches,

but its color-changing skin
allows it to mimic the foliage,

giving it the upper hand.

But one member of this
bizarre reptile's family

has forsaken
the canopy of green.

(music)

This chameleon thrives

in one of the harshest
environments on Earth.

And changed its killer
camouflage accordingly.

The Namib Desert.

Formed roughly
55 million years ago,

this wilderness is littered
with granite boulders

and scorching sands.

Yet against all odds, the
Namaqua chameleon has evolved

to survive this
merciless landscape.

Its color-changing skin doubles

as a temperature
control system.

In the freezing
winter mornings,

it becomes darker
to absorb sunlight.

But in the blazing heat
of the day,

it goes ash white
to reflect it.

Or in this case, it does both.

(music)

(music)

This desert dweller has
no problem with overheating.

The Tok Tokkie beetle
is a favorite meal

for the chameleon.

Specially adapted
to gallop over sand,

the beetle generates
its own cooling wind.

Despite the chameleon's
specially modified toes

that spread wide
for extra traction,

it can't keep up with
the beetle on the soft sand.

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

Thwarted by this
quick-moving Tok Tokkie,

the chameleon changes tactics.

It heads to what little
vegetation there is,

and waits for prey
to come to it.

(music)

(music)

Matching its color
to its surroundings,

the chameleon can afford
to be patient.

Many Tok Tokkies pass this way.

No direction is safe.

The chameleon really does have
eyes in the back of its head.

(music)

(music)

(music)

A short chase, and the deadly
tongue seals the beetle's fate.

(music)

(crunch)

This high-speed muscular organ
can pull far larger prey

into the chameleon's
mighty jaws.

Snakes, lizards and poisonous
scorpions can fall prey

to the Namaqua chameleon.

In Africa's Namib Desert,
hunters can't be picky.

(music)

(music)

Even their own kind
is fair game.

In the vast, empty expanse,
prey is scarce.

There's no love lost

between Namaqua chameleons
and their young.

An infant is as good
a protein source as any.

(music)

The desert reptile is just
acting on instinct to survive.

(music)

On Africa's grasslands,

scavengers watch
from the wings.

They pick up the pieces

and try very hard to stay out
of the way of the predators.

It doesn't always work.

Some of the deadliest hunters
are the least visible.

(hiss)

The African rock python is
the largest snake species

in Africa.

It can grow as long as 30 feet.

And its method of death:
constriction.

Its tongue picks up a chemical
trace of a rodent in the air.

(music)

(music)

Up to eight heat-sensitive pits
on its lips

pinpoint prey like a radar gun.

(squeaking)

The snake's cheek muscles
can stretch open

to embrace something as big
as a fully grown impala...

or even a six-year-old child.

(music)

After swallowing the mouse,

potent acids begin
to dissolve the carcass.

The bigger the snake gets,
the larger prey it can kill.

African rock pythons are known
to attack monkeys,

antelope and even crocodiles.

Speed is not
the python's forte.

Ambush is more its style.

And it can set its trap
in water

and on land.

This python normally hunts
at night, but it's hungry.

Today, this big snake is out
looking for something

a bit more substantial
than a mouse...

like a jackal.

(music)

(music)

(music)

(howling)

An African rock python
has found the den

of a jackal family.

It's death by squeeze.

Every time the jackal exhales,

the snake's coils tighten.

(music)

(music)

At the moment,

the python is listening
to the mammal's heartbeat.

The snake has ears
inside its body

and can hear vibrations

traveling through
the ground and air.

(heart beating)

When the heartbeat stops,
the python loosens its grip.

And then, it slips its muscular
face over the jackal's head.

(music)

(music)

Now the python is in danger.

It must digest the jackal
before it rots.

Oxygen stirs the big reptile's
metabolism.

To digest big prey, a python
increases its oxygen absorption

into the blood
by a factor of 36.

It took only a few minutes

for this African killer
to snuff out a life.

Trees make a great hiding spot
for both predators and prey,

but in Africa's woodlands, the
trees are looking back at you.

What appears to be a branch

is in fact one
of Africa's deadliest.

The vine snake.

This venomous reptile possesses

such incredible
cryptic coloration,

it is a master of deception.

Its long, slender,
bark-colored body

allows it to blend perfectly
into its forest habitat.

But the vine snake
isn't just camouflaged

to look like a branch.

It acts like one, too.

The vine snake can freeze its
body, rocking back and forth,

to imitate a branch swaying
softly in the breeze.

This deadly act
further deceives prey

into thinking that
it's just part of the tree.

The snake also boasts
3D stereoscopic vision,

through a unique,
keyhole-shaped pupil.

This allows it to spot prey
standing completely still

at significant distances.

(music)

(music)

(music)

Creeping through
the woodland branches,

the vine snake edges into
position above its victim.

(music)

(music)

The snake strikes the lizard

with a deadly,
blood-destroying bite.

Its fangs at the back
of its mouth

release a potent,
hemotoxic venom.

The poison spreads
through the lizard,

causing extensive
internal bleeding.

The bite has no antidote
and is even fatal to humans.

Hanging from its lair,

the snake proceeds to swallow
the dying lizard whole.

(music)

(music)

Back on the ground,
there's a popular prey animal

that has mastered some
cunning survival skills.

(snorting)

Digging up plants and roots,

warthogs can go months
without water.

(music)

Mom weens her piglets
after four months,

but they'll stay with her
for a year or more.

(squealing)

Which isn't a bad idea,

because these three little pigs
are in danger.

(snorting)

And it's not the big, bad wolf.

A leopard.

From desert to mountaintop,

he's an indiscriminate
and deceptive killer.

(music)

(music)

Powerful and patient.

He tracks the warthogs
to an old aardvark burrow.

(music)

The wild pigs backed in

so the cat is only greeted
by their sharp tusks.

(music)

But he has them cornered.

They have to come out sometime.

And when they do, it's at
up to 30 miles an hour.

That little head start
is all they need.

Always expecting danger
at their doorstep,

each morning they bolt,
prepared for an ambush.

The leopard is a pouncer,
not a chaser.

But Africa's most
widespread big cat

doesn't give up that easily.

He moves on to hunt
an even trickier victim,

and this time there's
no room for failure.

Sub-Saharan Africa's most
pervasive monkeys: vervets.

Squabbling over territory.

(chirping)

(chirping)

(music)

(music)

Until they sense that
there's a big cat around.

(music)

(music)

(barking)

The sentry sounds
the leopard alarm.

(chirping)

(barking)

He has more than 30 specific
calls for different threats.

(barking)

The leopard pays no attention.

And apparently neither do
the bickering vervets.

(barking)

They can usually find safety
in the treetops,

but they underestimate a cat

that is very much
at home there, too.

(music)

(music)

He inches into range.

(barking)

(barking)

(music)

(barking)

(barking)

(barking)

Finally, he's in
the strike zone.

(barking)

(barking)

One monkey hesitates
and the chase is on.

(music)

(roaring)

Game over.

(music)

What's the secret
to the leopard's success?

The agile cat steals
as close as he can,

ignoring all distractions.

(music)

(barking)

He sprints faster than
35 miles per hour.

(music)

(music)

But it's the leopard's
incredible leap,

almost 10 feet high and 20 feet
across, that gets the job done.

(music)

(music)

He can pull his prey
down a tree

and climb back up another one

to savor it in his private,
treetop dining room.

(music)

While the lone leopard
commands the trees...

One of Africa's most feared
predators rules the rivers.

(music)

A cold-blooded reptile

so supremely adapted
to its habitat,

it has barely changed
over 65 million years.

The Nile crocodile.

Crocodiles are
explosively fast,

but with limited stamina
compared to lions and cheetah.

These prehistoric giants have
evolved to get within inches

of their prey
completely undetected.

(music)

(music)

On land, this aquatic killer
is slow and awkward,

but it has to venture
out of the water

to recharge in the sun.

The crocodile's
armor-plated scales

also act as solar panels,
absorbing the sun's rays.

(music)

A web of capillaries
carries the warmed blood

to the crocodile's core,
activating its systems.

(music)

The crocodile's
eyesight sharpens,

and its hearing tunes in

to the thunderous sound
of approaching hooves.

A galloping buffet.

(music)

(music)

(music)

Reenergized from the sun,

it's time for the crocodile to
return to its hunting grounds.

(music)

Its short, muscular limbs
streamline against its body.

(music)

Eyes, ears and nostrils lie
along the top of its head,

allowing the crocodile
to conceal a body

that can reach 20 feet in
length and weigh up to a ton,

in water only a foot deep.

(music)

(music)

As the thirsty herds
creep to the water's edge,

the crocodile drops
below radar.

Underwater, a transparent lid
protects the eye

while special magnifying
crystals within their eyeballs

give the crocodile
excellent vision.

Sensory cells along the side
of their jaw

allow the big reptile to detect
the slightest disturbance.

To remain hidden,

it closes the valve
to its four-chambered heart,

supplying just enough
oxygenated blood

to keep its
vital organs running.

By slowing its heart rate
to two beats a minute,

the croc can stay submerged
for up to two hours.

An eerie stillness floats
over the water.

(music)

(music)

Submerged just inches
below the surface,

a cold-blooded killer awaits.

The wildebeest are unknowingly
staring death in the face.

(music)

(music)

(lowing)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

Over 2,500 pounds of bite force
snaps shut

onto any available limb.

(music)

(music)

Once clamped in these
merciless jaws, few escape.

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(wildebeest cries)

(lowing)

(lowing)

(crying)

Unchanged for millennia,
this prehistoric predator

continues to do
what it does best.

Africa's plains are
a proving ground

for three big cat predators
in training.

(music)

(music)

Cheetahs have killer instincts
but need some coaching.

And that's Mom's job.

(barking)

Every two years or so
she'll train a new litter.

Today's lesson:
Thomson's gazelle 101.

The mother cheetah's three sons
are stellar students.

Deadly serious,

except there's always
a class clown.

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

She gives the little calf
a head start

and shows the boys
how it's done.

Now it's their turn.

(music)

(music)

Cheetahs only score a kill
about half the time.

It won't be so easy
when they're on their own

in about a year.

The takedown is only
part of the lesson.

To make a living,
they'd better learn to eat fast

or they could lose their prize
to aggressive lions or hyenas.

(music)

(music)

Mother cheetah
does her job well.

The seasons pass.

The cubs grow up, leave mom,
and band together:

a triple threat.

They look so tough,
but their swagger is premature.

(music)

(music)

They cross paths with a pair
of cheetah brothers

who've already claimed
this swath of savanna.

(yipping)

A brawl could bring
crippling injury

and slow death by starvation.

(hiss)

(yipping)

Unless these two
bands of brothers

settle their differences and
form an even bigger coalition.

A gang of five.

The new cheetah coalition
sizes up

their first major assignment:
oryx.

A target too risky for
a single cheetah to tackle.

Those saber-like horns
aren't just for show.

And hunting on an open plain
is never easy.

(music)

But the boys hatch a plan.

(music)

(music)

One races in to spook
and split the adults.

(music)

(music)

While the others
surround the calf.

But they're forced to abort.

No meal is worth losing
life and limb over.

The coalition's lack of
experience doomed their scheme.

They planned the heist
but forgot the getaway.

(lowing)

A herd of wildebeest might
provide another chance,

except this cheetah's
hunting solo today.

Recklessly, he makes his move.

(music)

(music)

And gets beest-blocked.

Big baby animals make
tempting targets,

except there's always someone
bigger watching out for them.

(thunder)

Large prey might work
for the coalition,

but he's out of his league.

To get his mojo back,

he needs to pick off something
a little smaller or go hungry.

(music)

(music)

(music)

He returns to the basics.

(music)

(music)

Gazelles, just like
mother used to take.

Patience, stealth, speed:

Those are his best weapons.

(barks)

(music)

From zero to sixty
in three seconds,

the fastest cat on Earth.

But gazelles are
almost as fast.

(music)

(music)

(music)

At last, he pins her.

He sports an oversized heart
and lungs in a racecar body.

But if he doesn't catch
his meal in less than a minute,

he'll run out of gas.

He's the only cat with
non-retractable claws

and tire-tread pads

so he can turn on a dime.

A strangling bite
finishes the job.

He eats as much as he can,
as fast as he can,

before bigger predators come

or vultures advertise his kill.

Cheetahs may be the smallest
of Africa's deadly big cats,

but they're equally
fit, fast, and fatal.