Original subtitles

(DRAMATIC THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Enter a world

-just beyond your perception. -(CLICKING)

A world of extraordinary animals...

with hidden powers and super senses.

-If you think you know nature... -(BELLOWING)

think again.

(THEME MUSIC ENDS)

(BIRD CALL)

BENEDICT: In the Costa Rican rainforest,

sometimes the only way to get noticed

is to move fast

-(WINGS RATTLING) -and move...

with style.

Of all the amazing animals here,

of all their unexpected ways of attracting attention,

this white-collared manakin…

(WINGS RATTLING)

…may just be the greatest showman of all.

(CHIRPING)

BENEDICT: His mating display has to be seen to be believed.

(WINGS RATTLING)

BENEDICT: He spent months preparing his stage.

A star performer demands perfection.

Not a single leaf out of place.

-(CHEEPS) -Which can be a problem in a rainforest.

Ah, that's better.

-Finally, it's showtime. -(WINGS RATTLING)

(CLICKING, WHIRRING)

-A confusing routine of hopping about... -(RATTLING)

-strange snaps... -(HONKING)

...and bizarre honking sounds.

(SNAPPING, HONKING)

-If this appears a bit odd to you... -(SNAPPING)

that's because it's for her eyes only.

Female manakins can process visual information

four times faster than a human.

And now, ultra high-speed cameras

replay the action

from her point of view.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS)

(WHOOSHING)

(CRACKING)

-BENEDICT: Leaping across his stage.. -(CRACKING)

the manakin snaps his wings together,

creating an awesome crack...

(CRACK)

A crack that can be heard 300 yards away.

-(CRACK) -As he repeats this display,

the female's ultraviolet-intensifying vision

picks out his plumage,

and the male's carefully curated neutral background

heightens her viewing pleasure.

Then to finish with a flourish...

-the incredible, inverted... -(CRACK)

crack and flip.

He bows out by spreading his wing tips

and flapping as fast as possible,

(WHIRRING)

which, to her, sounds like an irresistible purr.

(WARBLED PURR)

Totally seduced.

(CLICKING, SNAPPING)

She joins him on stage

for one last dance.

(HONKING)

BENEDICT: When it comes to competing for a mate,

each animal has it's own rules of engagement.

But only those with the most enchanting super powers,

(CRACK)

will win the ultimate prize.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC ENDS)

BENEDICT: The perfect partner rarely appears out of the blue.

(CALM MUSIC PLAYING)

In fact, finding a mate

is one of the biggest challenges animals face.

So, devil rays in Mexico's Sea of Cortez

increase their chances with an extraordinary power.

(LOUD SPLASH)

BENEDICT: The power of sound.

(LOUD SPLASH)

Leaping more than six feet,

they create sonic waves...

(MUFFLED SPLASH)

-And at twice the speed of a bullet... -(MUFFLED SPLASH)

the sound radiates across the ocean.

-(SPLASHING) -More than two and a half miles away...

other devil rays,

using specialized hearing organs with hyper sensory hairs, lock on.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

BENEDICT: Numbers grow...

until they're gathered in the thousands.

These spectacular aggregations

give each ray the best chance to pair up,

but now the battle to breed really begins.

Male rays chase females

and compete with each other to be the first in line.

All this activity also attracts trouble.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(ORCAS VOCALIZING)

BENEDICT: This is the first time orcas have been filmed catching devil rays.

Gathering together makes the rays easy targets.

(SQUEAKING)

The opportunity to pass on their genes,

is worth dying for.

When the fight for mates gets fierce...

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

it could take super strength...

(BELLOWS)

and secret powers

just to keep rivals at bay.

(THUDS)

(THUDS)

Two tons of blubber

-(THUDS) -...send a shockwave

a hundred miles per hour across the sand.

With amazing seismic sensitivity,

(GRUNTS)

the dominant male elephant seal detects a rival making his move.

(SQUEALS)

(BELLOWS LOUDLY)

(BELLOWS ECHOING)

BENEDICT: One of the loudest calls of any animal...

(BELLOWS)

-a signature bellow... -(BELLOWS LOUDLY)

-roars across the beach... -(BELLOWING CONTINUES)

-reminding the competition... -(BELLOWS)

who's in control.

(BELLOWS)

(STOPS)

On the California coast, the colony's undisputed heavyweight

is known as the beachmaster.

(GRUNTS)

He's battled for the breeding rights to over 100 females,

but keeping guard of his harem in one of the noisiest places

on Earth...

-(SQUAWKING) -(WAVES CRASHING)

(LOUD SQUAWKING)

...is a real headache.

-(GRUNTS) -(DISTANT THUDDING)

BENEDICT: It's almost impossible to hear his rivals coming.

-(GRUNTING) -Up to 60 challengers every day

from every angle.

(GRUNTING)

But thanks to his amazing ability to detect vibrations,

(THUDS)

like a spider in a web,

he can monitor an area of six tennis courts

from his central position,

(BELLOWS AGGRESSIVELY)

His warning is usually enough to scare rivals into submission.

(BELLOWS)

But every now and then,

a real contender emerges.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

-He's just as big... -(THUDDING)

just as powerful,

(SEAGULLS SQUAWKING)

...and just as determined to breed.

The beachmaster has no choice

but to stand...

and fight.

(GRUNTING)

BENEDICT: Two-inch scar tissue shields the blows.

Still, these bloody clashes take a toll.

(GROANING, BARKING)

(BELLOWS)

(GRUNTS)

After two years and more than 300 fights...

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

the beachmaster... is finished.

(GROWLS)

(BARKING)

BENEDICT: Time for a new heavyweight to take his title.

(GRUNTING)

Defeated, exhausted,

the old beachmaster is unlikely to see

another mating season.

(GROWLING)

But he can rest in peace.

During his reign, it's likely he fathered over 100 pups,

securing his place among the elite one percent of males

who ever get to breed.

Sometimes, the odds of finding a mate seem even more improbable.

Rooted to the spot,

-(BIRD CALL) -plants are unable to partner up.

Instead, they use their powers of attraction in more cunning ways.

Mucuna is a vine on a mission.

It needs to maximize its chances of reproducing by attracting a pollinator

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Most plants do this with bright and beautiful flowers...

But Mucuna does things a little differently.

With so many kinds of flower on display in the Costa Rican rainforest,

Mucuna beats the competition by blooming at night

and recruiting the services of a very special courier.

Some animals can navigate in the darkest jungle.

A long-tongued bat emits a string of ultrasonic clicks...

(CLICKS)

...that ricochet back to its hypersensitive ears.

(CLICKING)

To build a detailed mental map of the forest.

(CLICKS)

And amazingly, Mucuna's mirror-smooth petals

reflect the bat's clicks so effectively...

-(CLICKS) -they're unmistakable.

And irresistible.

The bat can detect Mucuna more easily than almost any other plant here,

it also scores ten times more nectar,

lapped up with a super absorbent tongue

that's longer than it's match-sized body.

When it leaves...

(MUFFLED EXPLOSION)

...a unique exploding mechanism

splits the flower's petals

and fires out tiny pollen grains

that cling to the bat's fur

as he flies off to the next sweet shop.

And because the bat can distinguish between old and new flowers...

(CLICKING)

(CLICKING)

it ensures he gets nectar every time

and that he only delivers Mucuna's previous pollen

to fresh, fertile flowers.

Sometimes, it pays to enlist a little help

to find success in the mating game.

And on Kenya's Lake Victoria, even humans have become

an essential ingredient in one little critter’s

gruesome romantic plans.

Only the size of a grain of rice,

a male vampire spider

is desperate to win attention with his courtship ritual.

But the female of the species is into some pretty freaky stuff.

And right now, he's just not doing it for her.

He only gets to mate

if he's wearing a sweet perfume

of human blood.

But his fangs aren't made for human flesh.

So he needs some other sucker to do his dirty work.

(MOSQUITO BUZZING)

A mosquito is far better equipped for the job.

(BUZZING)

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

(BUZZING CONTINUES)

BENEDICT: With supersensitive antennae,

it hones in on carbon dioxide in our breath...

(BUZZING)

and heat from our bodies.

Then the mosquito deploys a highly sophisticated

blood extraction tool.

(SLURPING)

Six specialized mouthparts

combined to drill down and tap the human pipeline.

Once a mosquito has drunk four times its body weight in blood,

it's the spider's turn to strike.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Large, forward-facing eyes with movable lenses

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

enable the spider to lock onto the color and shape of a blood-laden mosquito.

Then, on spring-loaded legs,

he closes in.

The only thing worse than a vampire spider...

is a vampire jumping spider.

Okay, make that a venomous vampire jumping spider.

Fast-acting neurotoxin disables his victim instantly.

Then he sucks it dry.

And this is just the beginning of his bloodthirsty killing spree.

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Because the more he drinks...

the sexier he smells.

(OMINOUS MUSIC ENDS)

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Now,

he's ready for romance.

And with the sweet scent of blood oozing from every pore...

who could possibly resist?

Few animals do stranger things for love,

but some get a whole lot sneakier.

And one of the sneakiest of all

is found in the rocky shallows of South Australia.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: A giant cuttlefish may be king of camouflage,

but he can't hide forever.

The males only live for two years,

only have one season to breed,

and face a lot of competition.

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

Eleven males fighting over each female.

Many of them are twice his size...

and displaying war paint.

Broadcast at higher resolution than a 4K TV,

hundreds of thousands of color-changing cells flash.

It's a warning

that a ten-inch little guy knows to heed

because the alternative... is to fight.

When large males clash,

they risk serious injury.

Battles can last up to 20 minutes...

and usually end when one escapes in a cloud of ink...

leaving the winner to guard his prize,

a smaller, paler female.

Uniquely shaped pupils that boost color detection

and see 360 degrees

enable him to keep a lookout

for any other males who dare to muscle in.

But this little guy knows how to operate under the radar.

Time to assume a more unexpected identity.

Turn pale brown,

retract tentacles,

and appear more like a female.

He needs to be careful,

or he'll get a beating from the big guy

for moving in on his mate.

But the cross-dressing disguise is so convincing,

he gets away with it.

The female knows exactly what the sneaky little faker is up to.

And she likes it.

In fact, sneaky males are more successful at mating

than their larger rivals.

By the time the big guy realizes, it's too late.

The little mimic is long gone.

But his deed is done.

A little role reversal

can be best way to win.

(CALM MUSIC PLAYING)

And it can also help

in the lonely search for love.

-(BIRDS CHIRPING) -(SNIFFING)

BENEDICT: This female brown bear is only receptive for a few weeks every spring.

(SNIFFING CONTINUES)

So far, no male has come to visit,

and if she doesn't mate soon,

it won't happen this year.

(SNIFFING)

In the vast British Columbian wilderness,

chances of just bumping into Mr. Right are slim.

(SLOW RHYTHMIC MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: But this female knows a place with mysterious powers of attraction.

(SNIFFING)

Hidden deep in this forest,

there's an enchanted tree.

It may look like any other,

but this Pacific silver fir

has such phenomenal properties.

It's a hotspot for male bears.

They've been visiting it for more than 100 years.

Rubbing glands in their back,

their front,

and their feet.

They leave behind secret scent messages

about their age, fitness, and social status.

And because the fragrance gets trapped in sticky sap,

it slowly diffuses into the atmosphere for up to a month.

(SNIFFING)

Male bears regularly use the rubbing tree to establish hierarchy.

But this is something very rare.

The female has figured out

the tree also works as a woodland dating app.

A site to post her "looking-for-love" status

for any perusing male.

Her own Timber profile uploaded,

now all she can do

is wait for the tree to work its magic...

The sap begins to exude her signature perfume on slow release.

Hours turn into days,

and still no one passes.

Then finally,

a male.

(SNIFFING)

(SNIFFS)

BENEDICT: As soon as he gets wind of an available female,

he's determined to track her down.

(SNIFFS)

And with a sense of smell

seven times more sensitive than a bloodhound's,

he follows her alluring scent,

all the way to the beach.

(ROARS GENTLY)

He's only just in time,

but at least they already know they have the right chemistry.

All thanks to the mysterious power of a matchmaking tree.

Beneath the surface,

further south,

another animal also taps into the power of trees

to help win the mating game.

This periodical cicada

has been feeding from tree roots in the North American forests of Virginia

for more than 16 years.

(BIRDS CHEEPING)

(BIRDSONG)

BENEDICT: When he registers the spring sap beginning to flow

for the 17th season,

he knows it's time to surface.

This numerical marvel has calculated his best chances of breeding.

Still, there are no guarantees.

Sluggish,

and juicy,

cicadas are an easy target,

even for the slowest predator.

But once again, they have numbers on their side.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Incredibly, each cicada population synchronizes their lives

to a precise 17-year schedule,

an unpredictable prime number cycle

that makes it almost impossible for predators

to count on this glut of prey.

Millions of them, all emerging at the same time,

and this is the biggest emergence of all,

known as Brood X.

They must reproduce fast.

In just six weeks, they'll all be dead.

America's biggest speed dating event

is about to begin.

But first,

an amazing transformation.

(ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: By the time day breaks,

(MUSIC ENDS)

nymphs have become adults,

ready to attract a mate.

(BUZZING)

Rubbing special organs on their sides

makes a strange, buzzing sound,

(LOUD BUZZING)

which their hollow bodies amplify.

The call for love rings out as loud as a rock concert.

But not all who respond are quite as welcome.

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: A zombie cicada,

riddled with the powder-like spores of a fungus called Massospora.

The only enemy to crack the periodical cicada's 17-year code.

(BUZZING)

This fungal body snatcher eats its victims

from the inside...

(BUZZING)

while flooding their brains with mind-controlling chemicals

that compel them to mingle.

Infected males even mimic the seductive flicks of females

to entice others to mate.

And so the contagion spreads.

(BUZZING)

The fungus keeps its victims alive

so they infect as many other cicadas as possible,

and spread its spores

far and wide.

Finally, 14 days later...

the zombie cicadas die.

The spores, however,

will lie in wait for 17 years,

ready to infiltrate the next generation of unlucky cicadas.

(BUZZING CONTINUES)

BENEDICT: But with millions mating,

and with each female laying 400 eggs into the tree's bark,

such mind-boggling strength in numbers ensures periodicals cicadas

are always able to multiply.

For some animals, mating success is about playing the long game.

(CALM MUSIC PLAYING)

On a coral reef in Southeast Asia,

one creature uses mysterious powers of seduction

to keep her partner under her spell.

Female harlequin shrimps

can only mate for a brief time

after they shed their skin.

And that happens only every three weeks.

She needs to prepare.

And her best chance of having healthy offspring

is to eat as much as possible.

Slow-moving and packed with protein,

sea stars are her favorite prey.

But getting to it's soft underside,

that's hard.

Ten times her size,

it's hard to handle on her own.

Thankfully, help is never far away.

Her long term partner.

(SLOW ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: She keeps him under her control

by casting an invisible chemical potion.

The male picks up this pheromone trail

with hypersensitive hairs on his antennae.

Powerless to resist,

he's always around whenever she needs him...

Sea star finally flipped.

There's more than enough to keep her fed

till it's time to mate.

Thanks to her powers of attraction,

her partner stays put.

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Patiently waiting 20 days, until finally,

she retires to her secret crevice

to undress.

She emerges from her old shell,

all soft-skinned,

even more beautiful than before.

But now, she only has a few hours to mate

before her shell hardens.

So to get her partner in the mood,

she releases another potion,

this time

with powerful aphrodisiac properties,

turning her submissive shrimp into a lusty male

with only one thing on his mind.

Filmed for the first time, they mate.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

BENEDICT: It lasts only seconds.

Then she's back to her old tricks for keeping him under her spell.

So, a few weeks later,

when her thousand tiny eggs finally hatch,

he's right there, by her side

as their offspring escape their mother's embrace

to take their chances

in the deep blue sea.

Our world is full of wonderful animals

with weird ways to win the mating game.

But only a few have the power

to make love last.

(AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: Lar gibbon partnerships can endure for decades.

But when the reality of family life kicks in,

you have to go above and beyond to keep the spark alive.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: The mother's attention is focused on raising their young.

She needs her partner

to own the job of defending their home.

A home that is one hundred acres of pristine Thai rainforest.

It's too large an area to patrol.

So, he uses a more sophisticated deterrent.

(HOOTING MELODIOUSLY)

BENEDICT: Singing is his superpower.

The louder and more melodic the call, the stronger the gibbon.

(HOOTING CONTINUES)

Sound travels best in cool air.

By singing at first light,

(LOUD HOOTING)

he ensures rivals hear him loud and clear right across his territory.

(HOOTING ECHOES)

But soon,

the hot sun causes moisture from the trees

to rise.

Creating air currents that disrupt his calls,

reducing their effectiveness.

(HOOTS)

By then, his work is usually done.

But not today.

(THUNDER CLAPS)

BENEDICT: Fruiting trees

at the heart of the family territory

have attracted the attention of a rival troop.

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

BENEDICT: If Dad can't defend their home,

-(HOOTS) -he'll lose his partner

to a male who can,

and his offspring could even be killed.

(HOOTING CONTINUES)

-Time for the father to step up... -(HOOTING)

and show his full force.

With extended arms, hook-like hands,

and a rotating shoulder joint,

he accelerates to 35 miles per hour.

With his awesome display of speed and strength,

he intimidates his rivals.

It's enough to drive them away

and prove to his partner

he's got what it takes.

(RUSTLING)

BENEDICT: Next morning,

the male is up and singing as usual.

(HOOTING)

(HOOTING CONTINUES)

But this time, she joins him...

(HOOTING)

to let him know he's still her king of swing.

(BOTH HOOTING MELODIOUSLY)

(SHRILL HOOTING)

And let the whole jungle know

that their bond is strong.

(DISTANT HOOTING)

(RATTLING)

BENEDICT: In the quest to pass on their genes,

animals use incredible skills to win a mate.

And spectacular displays to beat their competition.

(BREAKS)

After all...

when it comes to sharing your future...

(BELLOWING)

only the most super-powered partner will do.

You think you know nature?

(HOOTING)

Think again.

(DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING)

(MUSIC ENDS)