Original subtitles

Experience a world beyond imagination

where fish can fly...

lizards walk on water,

apes master tools

and frogs disappear in plain sight.

Animals do the smartest things...

through every stage of their lives.

From leaving home...

to raising a family.

From finding food...

to making friends.

They find ingenious ways to survive

against all odds.

Welcome to The Secret Lives of Animals.

Nobody likes to be lonely.

On a lake in California...

this male western grebe is looking for love.

It's mating season.

To prove he's a worthy partner,

he'll have to perform a carefully choreographed dance.

Grebes only pair up if they're perfectly in sync

with one another.

But it takes two to tango.

And this male is struggling to find a dance partner.

Try as he might...

his approach

is getting him nowhere.

And muscling in on a happy couple...

isn't going to work.

His chances are fading.

But after searching this six-mile long lake...

his perseverance...

might finally pay off.

A single female.

Strong eye contact is an engaging greeting.

Now, he must echo her every move.

But can he dance?

By taking up to 20 steps a second,

they glide together across the water.

Showing off their stamina and coordination.

A sign they're in tune.

These lovers will dance together until the season's end.

Attracting a partner can be a daunting prospect.

But with the right moves and perseverance,

you can find the perfect match.

To attract a mate, sometimes you've got to make a splash.

Off the coast of Hawaii,

this female humpback whale is looking for a partner.

The impact from her colossal fins...

can be heard underwater from almost two miles away.

It's an irresistible invitation.

And she's soon surrounded by males.

They try to woo her with a love song.

But she'll only choose the fittest to be her mate.

So, she puts them to the test in a race like no other.

This is one of the biggest courtship battles on Earth.

She stays at the front

while up to 20 males, each weighing around 30 tons,

try to keep up.

They jostle for pole position,

and try to knock the competition out of the contest.

Blowing bubbles, they confuse the humpbacks in their wake.

And a swipe of a 15-foot-wide tail

intimidates rivals.

But make no mistake...

the female is in charge.

When she turns, they turn.

When she dives, they dive.

It's a demanding challenge that can last for four days.

Weeding out the weaker whales.

Until finally,

only the fittest male remains.

She has found her mate.

Exhausted, the new couple rest.

Holding their breath for up to 30 minutes...

they disappear into the deep together.

Selecting a mate from a crowd of admirers is a luxury.

For some, it's hard to find even one suitor who's interested.

Here in the mountains of Patagonia,

it's difficult to meet someone new...

especially for this puma.

There are fewer than 100 adults in a thousand square miles.

Like all her kind, she prefers to live alone

to avoid any fights.

But if she's to find a mate, she needs to drop her guard.

A male almost twice her size.

She approaches cautiously.

And he's showing his nerves too.

It's an awkward start to a date.

So, to break the ice,

this apex predator shows her softer side.

In rarely seen behavior...

she starts to flirt.

Making herself vulnerable...

and her intentions clear.

Eventually, he drops his guard.

And when he begins to follow her,

it's a sure sign that he's interested.

In a discreet moment, the shy pair mate.

They won't stay together for long.

He will soon leave to defend his territory.

They both prefer a solitary lifestyle.

In these vast mountains,

they may never see each other again.

But six months later...

she has new company.

Finding a partner can be hard if you're naturally timid.

But sometimes it's just as challenging for a show-off.

On the coast of Panama,

this male fiddler crab

has just six hours to attract a mate

before the tide comes in.

So, to try to get this female's attention,

he waves an oversized claw

that weighs a third of his entire body.

And to female fiddler crabs, bigger is better.

But he hasn't been noticed yet.

Maybe he's not got the moves.

Or maybe it's because there are 5,000 other males,

all doing the same thing.

If he wants to stand out...

he'll have to do something different.

So, he begins to build

a grand entrance to his burrow.

A signpost that shows he's got a safe place to look after her.

He has to make it big because,

like all fiddler crabs, she has poor eyesight.

With every passing minute, the tide creeps closer.

Despite his hard work,

his construction has still not caught her eye.

His efforts may be in vain...

or are they?

A grackle.

This opportunistic bird loves to eat fresh crab.

She needs to get out of harm's way.

And his elaborate porch is a beacon of hope and safety.

Just what she needs.

In the nick of time, she escapes the grackle...

and the incoming tide.

And this knight in shining armor,

battens down the hatches.

The best partners offer protection and security for their loved ones.

But one dedicated romantic goes even further

and puts his life on the line.

Springtime in Arizona...

signals the start of the dating season...

for this daring little lover.

A paradise jumping spider.

He's going on one of the most dangerous dates in the world.

This female has high standards.

She'll eat any male that fails to impress.

To win her over and survive,

he must put on the performance of his life.

He starts with a flirtatious flick of his forelegs to get her attention.

Then a little shuffle to show off his best side.

The brighter and more colorful his appearance,

the more attractive he is to her.

But she remains unimpressed.

This could cost him his life.

To seduce her and survive,

he needs a remarkable solution.

And using the latest technology, we can hear it.

An improvised spider serenade.

Drumming his abdomen against the back of his head

up to 20 times per second,

he creates a series of alluring vibrations...

coordinated with complex leg moves.

Jumping spiders are the only arachnids in the world

to create a symphony like this.

She's judging his every step.

And he reacts by tailoring his performance to her specific taste.

As he grows in confidence, he edges closer.

Then a gentle touch.

And finally, he's made it.

But female jumping spiders quickly tire of their partners.

So he makes a swift exit and escapes with his life.

Finding a partner

can be a daunting task.

But if you dare to be different,

show what you're made of...

and reveal a softer side...

when you find the one,

it's like walking on air.

In southern California,

the team's mission is to film the spectacular courtship dance

of western grebes.

Activity which peaks for just a few weeks each winter.

And these birds can start their performance at any time,

anywhere on this six-mile stretch of water,

so filming it will be challenging.

Getting the action in frame is really difficult

because you don't know which way the birds are gonna go

or when they're gonna go.

Their synchronized dance across the water

may only last a few seconds.

So, to capture this breathtaking behavior,

the crew will need to be equally in tune.

We've got Krisztina looking at the grebe behavior.

We've got Billy, who's positioning the boat for us.

Sheryl who's swinging the jib arm to get that into position.

And I'm trying to help Johnny find the birds.

And we have to get perfect timing to get the shots, and it's not always easy.

With a lot of people to coordinate,

things get off to a bumpy start.

Keep going left.

- There. No, left. - No.

Right. Right.

Right.

There.

- No. - Oh.

In the back, towards the shore.

There they go.

And just as they're getting into a groove with the grebes...

Look at that.

Short one, but we got it.

the heavens open.

We've had to call it a day.

Fingers crossed it gets dry soon and we can get back out there and film.

Overnight, everything has changed.

The lake's water level has risen dramatically.

It's made this piece of water even bigger.

And I've lost 50 yards of bank to play with.

Even more concerning,

the stars of the show seem to have disappeared.

There doesn't seem to be many grebes about.

We're hoping the levels haven't meant they've moved to another lake.

Undeterred, the team begins the search.

They scour the water for signs.

There's one right in front of us.

Yeah, this is a good, active group.

- You see them? - Yes! We're all good.

It's the moment of truth.

But can the crew maintain their synchronicity and get the shot?

- Oh, my goodness. - No way.

- Tell me you got that. - Yeah.

It's the perfect performance.

The team's timing couldn't be better.

That's brilliant.

Wow.

Yet, as well coordinated as the crew is...

the grebes take it to a whole new level.

Next time...

To overcome life's greatest obstacles,

you must hone your skills to perfection.

It takes trial and error, but by staying focused...

and learning from others,

it's possible to master your talent...

and succeed.