Original subtitles

Life in the wild is tough - animals sometimes have to pull out

all the stops to survive.

And while some play by the rules, others, it seems,

are more than happy to break them.

The natural world is full of animals who are up to no good.

They're stealing.

Vandalizing.

Fighting.

And even kidnapping.

But is this really as appalling as it looks?

I'm traveling the planet to witness some

of these animal antics firsthand.

They are very cheeky, very cheeky.

Meeting the experts making groundbreaking new discoveries...

That's mad.

..and finding out for myself if what

appears to be bad behavior may just be the secret to their success.

I'm already beginning to love these guys.

That's just clever and funny.

But we need our camera back.

On the first part of my journey, I want to see just how far some

species will go to have a family.

Passing on your genes is ultimately how you succeed,

so the stakes couldn't be higher.

I'm about to meet the animals who will stop at nothing

to get ahead in the mating game.

The mating game is seldom a simple affair.

The search for the perfect partner can bring out the worst

in both sexes.

And it can lead to some surprisingly questionable behavior.

On a frosty American prairie, a scandalous drama

is about to unfold.

Why does anyone watch Grey's Anatomy?

Why does anyone watch Dynasty?

Why does anyone watch these TV shows?

Come out and sit with me and you'll see the real deal.

The star of this show is the female Gunnison's prairie dog.

This is N Colony.

It's spring.

And as the morning snow thaws, the audience are taking their seats.

A research team is monitoring the behavior of these prairie dogs.

I've been saying for years that if anybody, if you spend one day

in the tower with me during the mating season,

it'll change your life forever.

John and his team use harmless hair dye to mark and keep track

of each individual.

Today's leading lady is Racing Stripe Black Bottom, a.k.a. Risbee.

For 364 days of the year,

she's an exemplary member of N Colony, but today she's got

mischief in mind.

Female prairie dogs are receptive to mating

for an extremely short time.

There's a window of six hours during which they can become

pregnant, and that's six hours in a whole year.

So with those odds, and to ensure the fittest males will father

their offspring, they've got to have a pretty failsafe strategy.

Risbee's six hour mating clock is ticking.

Lucky for her, N Colony has plenty of males to choose from.

Changes in her scent indicate that she's ready to mate, and one

male already has his eye on her.

Patch.

Success.

Just a couple of hours into her mating window, Risbee

has already mated.

With mating completed in the safety of the burrow and away from other

interested males, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Risbee's

mission was accomplished.

But the truth is she has no intention of settling

for just one male's affections.

In fact, Risbee has got designs on all the males here.

The problem is protective Patch has no intention of letting another

male near his female.

This bizarre standoff between Patch and his rivals

is a prairie dog dispute.

It's a face off that can sometimes be enough to put off a challenger,

but it's often the prelude to an outright fight.

Risbee is, of course, the reason for all this chaos,

and it serves her well.

While Patch is preoccupied...

..Risbee grabs her opportunity to sneak off with her second mate.

number 29.

And there's just enough time left to entice number 31 into her burrow.

Her time is almost up...

..but Risbee has definitely made the most of her six fertile hours.

This liberal approach to mating is not unusual.

Only a third of female Gunnison's prairie dogs are faithful

to one mate.

The other two thirds will be as wanton as time allows.

Risbee has mated with three different males in the few hours

that she's been receptive, but some have been known to mate with as many

as six males during that time.

So what exactly lies beneath this promiscuous behavior?

I'm calling on prairie dog expert John Hoogland to shed some light

on the world of these philandering females.

Why? Why do female prairie dogs go to all of that trouble, especially

when you consider the males are sort of scrapping over the females

and it can get quite hectic out there?

If a female mates with only one male, the probability of conception

is about 67%.

Not bad.

If she mates with three or more, she has 100%

chance of conception.

That's huge.

But conception is just the start of the story.

Mating with more than one male is called polyandry.

To understand its long term benefits, we have to fast forward

about nine weeks from mating day to early summer when the pups emerge.

They are just adorable, John.

We're going to give N Colony's new generation their first checkup.

Now, little tiger. Let's see what we got. He's a little boy.

- Got it? - Got it.

OK, now...

Hello, little one.

- Good grip. - That's good. Keep them busy.

You're going to be a successful little one.

You just went for it, didn't you?

Oh, I'm in love.

Like their parents, these five week old pups need markings.

OK, little tiger.

There you go, admire your work.

It's a work of art. The best painted prairie dog you'll ever see.

The next job is to work out who fathered these youngsters

by taking a DNA sample from the pup's ear.

So what have you been finding out when your DNA samples come back

about these guys?

If the female mates with Tom, Dick and Harry, most commonly each male

will sire some babies and there is multiple paternity.

So some of the babies are like the first father.

Some are like the second, some are like the third.

So she has more genetic diversity among her litter.

John's research has also shown that polyandry leads to bigger

litters - up to six pups rather than two or three.

A large number of genetically diverse pups

is a winning combination.

If the environment changes or if there's a new parasite

or if there's a new disease, by having these genetic diversity,

she is increasing her chances that one or two of her babies

will survive the change.

And that's a massive advantage compared to a female who mates

with just one male, disease hits the litter.

They're all the same.

They all, they all go.

- Correct. - Makes sense.

Simply put, litters from unfaithful moms have a better chance

of survival than those from faithful ones.

When you spell out the benefits in that way, it seems to me

that it's hugely advantageous to be polyandrous.

But not all female prairie dogs are.

Some of them just mate with one male. Why?

Well, there's a cost to polyandry.

They increase the chances of picking up a nasty sexual parasite

or a sexual disease, they increases the chances of predation.

Because I can assure you, when a prairie dog's mating,

they can't run very fast.

So females that are polyandrous one year are less likely to survive

until the next year.

Mating with many different males is risky business

for female prairie dogs.

It certainly reduces their own lifespan, but it does produce

larger, healthier litters with a higher survival rate,

and when passing on your genes is the ultimate goal,

this precarious mating system is, in the end, a very successful one.

Being promiscuous can be so beneficial to offspring

that it's a strategy chosen by lots of females.

Japanese macaques often pair up behind the alpha male's back

with as many as nine separate partners.

Topi antelopes can mate 11 times a day

with up to four different males.

And emperor tamarins ensure their babies have one, two, three

or even more fathers to help care for their infants by mating

with all the males in their group.

When it comes to mating, many females share the same top priority -

to have genetically fit and healthy babies.

And to achieve that goal, one species is as ruthless as they come.

Queensland's tropical rainforests.

Home to some truly impressive predators.

Including one of the most notorious.

Her unmistakable stance gives rise to her name.

But this praying mantis is no saint.

Her lightning-fast reflexes can take down prey in one tenth of a second,

faster than the speed of a human blink.

Fattening up is essential.

Females need to be in peak condition for the breeding season.

To summon a male, the female seductress pulsates her abdomen...

...releasing alluring pheromones.

Scents drift through the air announcing that she's ready to mate.

The males respond to this airborne calling card.

And the race is on.

But their walking speed is somewhat slower than their reflexes.

This could take a while.

A suitor has finally arrived and he's smitten.

(GROOVY MUSIC)

True to form, mating also takes a while, sometimes up to 40 hours.

It seems to be going rather well.

But little does the male know that for him, mantis mating often ends...

..like this.

With losing your head.

The female of this species is more deadly than the male.

But she has a very good reason for her bad behavior. Producing

hundreds of eggs at a time requires huge amounts of energy.

A male mantis is more nutritious than her usual diet

and can increase her fertility by up to 40%.

Feeding on her suitor will provide the energy she needs to produce

the best quality eggs.

The enormous energy it takes to reproduce drives female mantises

across the world to cannibalize their mates after mating.

But scientists have recently found a species that goes one step further.

This female false garden mantis was filmed releasing her pheromones

to lure in a male.

But instead of mating, she just eats him.

This clever ploy helps undernourished females to gain

weight, so they're ready to mate with the next male that comes along.

Femme fatale or great mother, a female mantis's frightful behavior

is a highly effective strategy.

The drive to succeed as a mother can clearly have unfortunate

consequences for those around her.

And sometimes a female is so intent on the task at hand that innocent

bystanders get caught in the crossfire.

Meet Mungos mungo, otherwise known as the banded mongoose.

These cat-like carnivores live in packs, big extended families

up to 30 strong.

For a female in this gang, life seems good.

She has plenty of food,

prime territory...

..and nice neighbors.

Her clan does everything together.

Which leads to one big problem.

Mongoose groups are so tight knit

that a female has little option but to breed

with many of her male relatives.

The result is a high proportion of inbred pups.

They're often smaller and weaker and won't survive as long

as genetically healthy ones, which jeopardises the future

of the entire troop.

What a female really needs is a mate from outside her gang.

Trouble is when different mongoose gangs meet...

..this happens.

Banded mongooses are so violent that some scientists categorize them

alongside chimps and humans as one of the few mammals prepared

to wage war.

Quality territory with good food and shelter is worth fighting for.

Studies show that nearly a sixth of a troop can die

from their injuries.

Pups included.

A female's ideal mate might be her sworn enemy.

So getting access to him is going to take some

very bold behavior.

Over 20 years of scientific study have led to fascinating discoveries,

transforming our understanding of mongoose mating habits.

During the chaos of battle,

scientists filmed a plucky female from one group mating with a male

from the other.

It's easy to miss the crucial moment in all the chaos, but that's

precisely the point.

The coursing pair are using the battle action as a smokescreen.

These star-crossed lovers slink off into the bushes unnoticed.

As sneaky tactics go,

this is already quite impressive, but there's even

more to it than that.

Scientists now believe that when a female is ready to mate,

she may actually start a battle to get to her chosen male.

This risky move means that members of her own family could well die.

But she needs to be this reckless to ensure she has strong, healthy

pups.

A female mongoose will stop at nothing to secure her perfect

mate, even if it means waging war.

In the mating game, a female's, road to success can be a devious

and deadly one.

But what tactics do the males of the species use to attract

the opposite sex?

Gaining that all important opportunity to mate often involves

competing with other males, and for many species, that means

battling it out.

Millions of years of sexual selection for the strongest, most

robust traits have led to a world where size often matters.

Fights are often fierce...

..and can cost losers more than just a mate.

In the outback,

a winged warrior readies himself for the fight of his life.

This male Dawson's burrowing bee is waiting for a mate.

And he's getting impatient.

Beneath this baked earth, thousands of females have been dormant

for nearly a year.

But winter has arrived, and now they're stirring.

The male's wait is nearly over.

But he's not the only one waiting.

Male burrowing bees feverishly patrolled 10,000 entrances

to this colony.

Early in the mating season, they outnumber an emerging female

hundreds to one.

Each female will mate once, then never again.

So the males will have to fight it out.

The white face of an unsuspecting female.

A mating ball forms around her as they grapple for the chance to mate.

Males attack rivals using their powerful jaws and spiny legs.

The colony is left littered with the bodies

of battle-scarred bees.

And another casualty is about to join them.

This brawl has got dangerously out of control.

In their frenzy, the males have accidentally killed the object

of their affection.

But for other combatants, victory is in sight.

One male has fought his way out of the mayhem with the female.

But to mate, a pair must make it to the safety of the scrubland.

For this male, the fight was worth it.

The violence is nature's way of selecting the strong

from the weak.

The next generation will benefit as a result because only the fittest

males will get to pass on their genes.

But males don't always resort to violence

to eliminate their competition.

Good looks can sometimes work just as well.

Feathers, fans and flamboyance.

(FUNKY MUSIC)

In the bird world, sexual selection in males has favored

not just brawn...

..but beauty too.

Magnificent, iridescent plumage has evolved for just one thing.

Attracting the opposite sex.

This striking appearance signals to a female the male is healthy

and a good potential mate.

But there's still one issue.

He's not the only one around with such an eye-catching tail.

This Californian park is bursting with peacocks.

Proudly displaying their 200 tail feathers and vibrating

their colorful eyespots to show off their fitness.

But sometimes playing by the rules just isn't enough

to get you noticed.

It's a problem that this male, known as Sam, is all too familiar with.

He's having a bad day.

He's been strutting all morning...

..to anyone who will pay attention.

I think he's getting a bit frisky with me.

Shaking his tail feathers at me.

Sam's day has been unsuccessful, and it's about to get worse.

One of his rivals is closing in on a peahen.

He proclaims his victory with an earth-shattering...

(HOOTS)

This is the sound a peacock makes when he successfully wooed a female.

(HOOTS)

Sam, on the other hand, seems rather deflated.

And worse still, his opponent's trademark mating hoot appears

to have drawn in a bevy of other peahens wanting in on the action.

(BLUES ROCK MUSIC)

It's time for a new plan.

It seems that some males are resorting to some interesting

cheating behavior.

(HOOTS)

More victorious mating hoots...

(HOOTS)

..and this time they come from...

..Sam.

(BLUES ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

Except...

(HOOTS)

..he still doesn't have a mate.

He's faking it.

But the lure of his hoot is apparently too much

for this female to resist.

She seems to have fallen for his deceitful tactics.

(HOOTS)

It's ingenious behavior - playing the role of a sought-after male

might gain him valuable extra attention from a peahen,

and that might just give him the edge when it comes

to successfully mating.

Cheating on your courtship competitors is one thing,

but what if your biggest rival is also your lifelong friend?

Somewhere down there,

love is in the air.

This branch is the setting for a mating ritual that involves

a shameless double cross.

Could this long-tailed manakin be nature's biggest backstabber?

Long-tail manakins employ a particularly puzzling strategy

to attract the opposite sex.

It requires a song and dance performed by a double act.

A male manakin entices a female through the medium of dance.

And for that, he needs two things.

First, the perfect branch.

He's a stickler for detail.

His female audience needs a clear view of his stage.

Next, he needs his trusty dance partner.

A younger male bird who's his loyal companion.

(LIVELY SPANISH GUITAR MUSIC)

Their complex routines take practice.

The performers are not related, but this is a long-term relationship.

A duo will dance together for up to ten years.

They're so close they even finish each other's songs.

(BOTH TWEET)

A female has answered their call.

But its April - peak mating season...

..so she may do the rounds of several courtship dance sites to judge

and choose the slickest display.

So this pair really needs to impress.

(LIVELY SPANISH GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES)

The key to winning her over is to be perfectly in sync

with signature manakin dance moves like the popcorn.

And the cartwheel.

As the routine reaches its climax, it's clear she's interested.

But there's an obvious issue.

The numbers don't add up.

Only one lucky male gets to fly off with her to mate.

For the other, this must surely be the ultimate double cross.

The loyal wingman has nothing to show for all his efforts.

That's because the pair is made up of a dominant and a subordinate

male. Once the elaborate dance attracts an interested female, only

the alpha male will get to mate with her.

The subordinate has to step down.

So why on earth would he go to all that effort if he doesn't even

get the chance to breed?

The alpha may have got his way...

..but the subordinate, or beta male, has a plan.

He is playing the long game.

Long-tailed manakins can live for 18 years.

For up to half his life,

a beta male will help the alpha to win over females, building

up the reputation of their courtship dance site and drawing in the same

mates year after year.

But when the alpha dies, the beta male will inherit this dance floor...

..and all its visiting females.

What looks like an unfair deal is, in actual fact,

an effective cooperative strategy.

The subordinate male will over years move up the rank and, assisted

by his own dance partner, wins over a female to pass on his genes.

With a bit of patience,

it will eventually be his turn to benefit from a dance partner

of his own and steal the prize... one day.

Whatever tactics a male employs to woo a female, whether it's brawn,

deception, or flamboyant displays, mating is a tense time.

It's inadvisable to get in the way of a male who's ready to mate, no

matter who you are.

He is so charged up, this being the breeding season...

..that he will display to almost anything, including me.

(LAUGHS)

Slow down. Slow down.

Even the most experienced naturalist is no match

for a capercaillie.

The males prove their worth to females by fighting other

males for territory.

Anyone who wanders into a capercaillie's arena is fair game.

Oh... (EXCLAIMS)

I need some help here!

Pumped up with testosterone, a red deer stag will see

off any would-be competitor.

Alex, get in the car. Get in the car. Get in the car.

Turkeys mate according to a pecking order.

Challengers must be put in their place.

And when these cyclists inadvertently interrupted a courting couple...

..they soon learned that with a 16-foot stride...

..a top speed of 43 miles per hour,

and a kick that can kill...

..it's best to give a male ostrich a wide berth.

Both males and females go to extraordinary lengths in order

to mate successfully.

And the result is lots of little ones.

Now all that's left to do is raise them.

Offspring can be a handful at the best of times

all across the animal kingdom.

And being born in a challenging

environment can have a big impact on just how badly they will behave.

On the plains of Africa, young animals are getting to grips

with their new world.

Growing up here is tough because competition for resources

is fierce.

And it's forcing some animals here to resort to some

extreme strategies in order to gain an advantage.

I've come to the Serengeti to meet the cubs of one of the most

notorious carnivores on the plains.

Spotted hyenas, often born as twins.

They're raised in clans that can number over 100,

and the females are in charge.

Right now these cubs appear to be thriving.

But as the year progresses, the life of one of these twins could hang

in the balance.

For mothers, finding enough food for their pups

can be a real challenge.

During the rainy season, over one and one half million wildebeest

roam this savanna.

Easy pickings for spotted hyenas.

Hyenas don't just scavenge -

half of their diet is obtained through hunting.

But as the dry season sets in, the wildebeest all but vanish

on their annual migration...

..which means there might be trouble ahead

and the cubs are preparing for it.

These hyena cubs have developed a behavior that belies

their adorable appearance.

Even at this age, they're much, much tougher than they look.

From birth, spotted hyena twins are at each other's throats,

quite literally.

Play fighting like this has a serious undertone.

Scientists have captured it spilling over into outright aggression.

Dr Marion East has spent 30 years studying the social interactions

of these hyenas.

So what's behind this sibling rivalry?

When they're born, they come out fighting.

They fight quite vigorously.

And during that period, they establish their dominance

hierarchy within the litter.

The purpose of this incessant sparring is to work out who's boss.

And there's one very good reason why being the dominant cub

is worth fighting for.

Food.

As long as there's enough milk for two cubs,

then everything's fine.

When the cubs are hungry...

..then of course the dominant wants to monopolize the milk.

So fighting to be the dominant twin is almost like an insurance policy.

Should the worst happen when the little food around,

I'm going to get most of that milk.

Yes.

How bad can this aggression get?

It can get so bad that the subordinate cub starts

to starve to death.

Footage captured by Marianne's research team shows dominant cubs

pushing their subordinates away from their mother's precious milk.

Actions like these mean that in nearly 10% of hyena litters

here in the Serengeti, the subordinate

will die of starvation.

This killing of a brother or sister is known as siblicide.

So what determines which twin will come out on top?

The answer might just lie on the football pitch.

In sport, winning produces a surge of hormones that gives

a player added confidence.

This self-assurance could mean they're more likely to win again.

He's very good.

Now, because he's just scored that goal, science

tells us that the boost he's gotten from scoring that goal means

he's more likely to score another winning goal.

This phenomenon may help single out the best from the rest.

It's called the winner loser theory.

And it could also be at play in fights between our hyena twins.

If you win an encounter with your sibling, you remember

that and the sibling remembers that

and that does something to your whole approach to life.

You learn where you stand.

So the more a hyena cub wins a fight over its sibling, the more likely

it is to win again.

And when there isn't enough food for both cubs, bullying ensures

that at least one cub will make it to adulthood.

Which ultimately is good news for the entire hyena clan.

Hyena cubs are in good company when it comes

to questionable conduct.

Newborns of these underground amphibians, caecilians

eat their mother's skin.

Black lace-weaver spiderlings eat their mother.

And the offspring of these extraordinary snub-nosed monkeys,

when deprived of milk, display a behavior that parents

are all too familiar with.

(INFANTS SCREECH)

There's only one way to keep this moody monkey quiet.

So what is the secret to a happy family?

Here in Europe, a species not so far removed from our own has come

up with an unusual answer, and it lies, of course, in what seems

to be a pretty despicable behavior.

Gibraltar Rock - the high rise home of a very tight knit family.

The Barbary macaque.

Barbary macaques here make up the only wild primate

population in Europe.

They live in large, highly social groups and as many as 80 males

and females can make up these troops.

As far as macaque species go, the matriarchal Barbaries

are relatively peaceful.

Social interactions often rule over aggression.

Several hours of grooming a day keeps stress levels down.

This is surely the perfect environment...

..for bringing up youngsters.

But there's trouble in paradise.

Meet Vincent.

He's on the lookout for a precious commodity.

And he's got one thing in mind.

Kidnapping.

Vincent has stolen a helpless baby.

Its mother is left empty-handed.

Why has he done this?

Dr. Eric Shaw has been observing these macaques for over 18 years.

He's caught countless males in the act of infant stealing.

To people who are actually watching it for the first time,

it's somewhat aggressive, but it's not

as bad as it actually looks.

So it's not an aggressive behavior, then?

No, it's not aggressive at all.

It's what transpired before that's brought about what looks

aggressive to the human observer.

To understand what's going on, we need to backtrack

to before the kidnapping.

Although Barbaries mostly lead a harmonious life,

like humans, they sometimes fall out.

Basically, what happens is the males have arguments a little bit

like we have arguments with one another.

And what they've got to do is they have this conciliation very quickly.

We don't - we just don't speak to one another for months or years.

But because they live in a troop altogether,

they've got to make friends quickly.

They do that by stealing an infant.

It's the perfect reconciliation gift.

They borrow a baby from one of the females...

..and this is the loser who borrows the baby.

In this case, it's Vincent

who's not very high up in the troop pecking order.

Then approaches the one that's just won that argument...

..and presents it to him.

Our winner is Aristotle on the left, the alpha male.

Vincent needs him on side.

Currying favor with the alpha

could improve his position in the troop,

and a higher rank means better access to food and females.

So they've had an altercation.

One male is more dominant than the other.

The baby is presented.

And then what happens?

It looks like they've been very brutal to the babies.

A little bit like the camera, they turn it up and down, both of them,

and they're smelling it and looking at it.

Do you like it? And you say, "Yes, I love it."

And you take it off me and I think, "Phew! Got away with that one."

And what's the teeth chattering about?

The teeth chattering is a little bit like you smiling at me and saying,

"I like you."

Peace reigns once more.

Aristotle has accepted Vincent's olive branch

and they're friends again...

..which is all very well for them.

But the olive branch is hungry and seems a little distressed

with his new babysitters.

The babies do vocalize when they're being turned upside

down and every which way by the males.

Are they stressed in any way?

It's not necessarily stressed.

It's not quite sure what's happening, but it's shouting

to mommy all the time.

So the mommy is on the periphery, though, keeping an eye and listening

out for her baby.

Watching all the time. And so are the other females as well.

Because it's the females that control everything.

It's the alpha that thinks he's in charge.

As it should be, Eric, as it should be.

Now that the youngster has served Vincent's purpose, he doesn't seem

so smitten with it.

It might be time to give it back to his mother.

The beauty of this bizarre apology

is that Vincent isn't the only one to benefit.

The whole troop does.

Baby borrowing is key to resolving conflict, which in turn reduces

tension in the group.

This supposed bad behavior helps foster a happy clan.

The ideal setting to raise a family.

Getting ahead in the mating game involves cheating...

..promiscuity...

..cannibalism...

..and plain brute force.

All of this could be construed as bad behavior,

and some of it is extreme.

But there is another way to look at it.

The challenges these animals face are immense

and sometimes thinking on your feet and being a little creative

can be just what's needed

for an animal to successfully raise a family.

So I prefer to see these behaviors as ingenious and resourceful,

and yet another reminder of just how awe inspiring the animals

we share this planet with can be.

Next time I meet the animals with a big appetite for bad behavior.

What they really want is food.

And they'll steal...

Perfection.

..fight...

..and deceive in order to get it.

It's behind you.