Original subtitles

ROSS NOBLE: To survive in nature, you need an edge.

A superpower.

Like sensing the Earth's geomagnetic currents...

(BEEPING) '..to help pinpoint prey.'

Transforming the meek...

..into superheroes.

The harsher their environment, the weirder their solution.

Among the fast...

and fearsome...

are the astoundingly crazy.

With strange behaviour...

and outrageous fashion sense.

(GRUNTS)

They're all in a competition to survive.

And weirdness always wins.

Not all superpowers in nature are easy to spot.

But some are instantly awe-inspiring.

Bioluminescence.

Chemical reactions within living creatures that make them glow.

Take these insects.

When the weather warms, and rains are plentiful...

..these tiny beetles produce light from their rear ends...

..in a dazzling display of midnight messaging.

(BIRD HOOTS)

For just a few weeks each summer...

..forests around the world shimmer

with the incandescent mating rituals...

of the firefly.

Multiple species flash each other in flirty semaphore.

These bugs are all single and ready to mingle.

As adults-only raves go,

it's totally lit.

(ENERGETIC DANCE MUSIC)

It's a big occasion.

And they have been prepping for it their entire lives.

Born as eggs, it takes just three short weeks

for them to become vicious grub-like larvae.

For the next two years, they bulk up on slow-moving snails...

..and learn how to use their lightning powers.

After a short pupation...

..they emerge as adults...

..fired up and ready to take care of business.

With only two weeks to live,

this female activates her lightning superpowers.

Her night begins... messaging with five different guys.

She's looking to hook up with the best mate she can find.

Sure, washboard abs might be hot...

..but when luciferase enzymes light them up...

..she's found the real deal.

(WOLF WHISTLE)

She likes boys that can flare the longest and brightest...

..in rhythm with her own species-specific flashing.

It's believed when they flare, they produce nitric oxide gas...

..the same as humans when taking Viagra.

(HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLE)

But she has a problem -

she's not the only female flashing the guys.

And the nightclub is emptying as they all hook up.

She must choose.

Finally, they meet...

and sparks fly.

But these parents won't live to see their kids shine.

The male dies after mating,

and the female will pass away after laying eggs.

One by one...

every flame in the forest fades away...

..until a new generation sets next summer's night on fire.

Ninety million years of evolution and adaptation

have crafted a creature that's near indestructible.

The saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile on the planet.

Cold periscope eyes...

..armoured skin and jaws of death.

(GROWLING)

An arsenal of deadly superpowers.

But crocs have feelings too.

The dark spots all over their body are called pressure domes...

..ten times more sensitive than human fingertips.

Like Darth Vader sensing tiny disturbances in the Force,

crocs use these pressure domes to FEEL...

the location of their prey in the water.

They are the Sith Lords of their domain,

attuned to all life around them...

..especially the lives they want to take.

Like Force-sensitive Sith and Jedi,

crocs are born with this power.

But all young padawans must first learn how to use their gifts.

(INSECTS CHIRPING)

Deep within the swamp nest,

eggs begin to hatch.

The hatchlings sense movement nearby.

An intruder?

Phew. It was just Mum on guard duty.

(CHIRPS, GROWLS)

Jaws that can crush steel turn into delicate baby holders.

She'll watch over her kids for several months as they grow...

..hunting their own meals from birth.

But to find food,

young crocs must rely on their instincts.

Their pressure dome sensors are yet to be finely tuned.

This mudskipper would make the perfect prize.

But they're called mudskippers for a reason.

Maybe something easier.

For the first few years,

the young crocs stalk insects and small fish...

..fine-tuning their sensitivities as they go.

But with newfound success...

..comes ill-found confidence.

Searching for bigger prey,

one strays from Mum's protective circle.

Pressure domes or not,

deeper waters are a dangerous proposition.

Even with Mum's protection,

just one baby out of a hundred reaches adulthood.

The surviving youngling grows 30cm every year...

..until she becomes a three-metre giant,

just like her mother.

The croc padawan now has full control over all of her powers.

Mudskippers are a thing of the past.

(PIGS SNORTING)

Today, it's bearded pigs.

The crocodile creates scarcely a ripple as she hunts.

(SNORTING)

She's been following them for days...

..watching patiently.

The pigs move to the water's edge.

The croc can feel even the smallest disturbance of water.

She fixes their location.

She can hold her breath for over an hour.

There's no need to rush.

Even in clear water, her vision is poor.

In the murky abyss...

she's virtually blind.

So she relies on her pressure domes -

stretching out with her feelings,

waiting to strike.

(SQUEALING)

Patience, power and super senses.

(ECHOING) The Force is strong with this one.

(GROWLS)

This reef is home to a universe of superpowered survivors...

(RESONANT BELLOWING)

..armed with secret weapons.

Case in point - mantis shrimp...

..punching way above their weight.

Few creatures are safe in the octopus's garden.

Armed to the hilt with clever weapons.

Hundreds of sticky suckers to grip prey.

And a hidden beak to crack open obstinate victims.

Just one problem.

They're on the menu too.

This octopus needs a swift, fuss-free hunt.

(COMICAL RISING WHISTLE EFFECT)

A shrimp! A tasty, low-risk proposition.

The octopus sneaks in closer.

(COMICAL DESCENDING WHISTLE EFFECT)

But the shrimp's got other ideas.

(DRAMATIC CLASSICAL MUSIC)

Transforming itself...

the minute becomes massive.

The meral spread is a scare tactic, which says,

(HUSKILY) 'Go ahead, punk. Make my day.'

This is one meal the octopus shouldn't mess with.

But hunger clouds his senses.

(EXAGGERATED GRUMBLING SOUND)

Seriously, what's a shrimp gonna do?

It turns out, quite a lot!

(HIGH-PITCHED MARTIAL ARTS NOISES)

The octopus doesn't know that the mantis shrimp...

is one of the strongest animals on the planet.

Not just beautiful and weird...

..deadly too.

With super-sensitive cells in those psychedelic eyes,

they pick out prey better than anything else on Earth.

And then...

'it's hammer time!' (BOXING BELL RINGS)

An 80km/h punch...

..with the force of a .22 bullet...

..gives the crab no chance.

The mantis's club-shaped forelimbs are like spring-loaded catapults.

It strikes so fast...

the pressure wave behind it is as damaging as the hit.

This octopus chose the wrong shrimp to mess with.

He's not giving up yet.

But this shrimp is no one-hit wonder.

Yep! That one stung!

Time for the eight-legged walk of shame.

In this aquatic bout between arch rivals...

..the mantis shrimp's superpowers reign supreme.

(BIRDS CALL AND SING)

The rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Pristine...

pure...and plentiful.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)

But the most nutritious food...

is over thirty metres high in the canopy.

Accessing fresh fruit and leaves...

is key to survival.

For climbers...

it's a case of first in, best fed.

So arboreal creatures have learnt to move freely

through this high-rise habitat.

Navigating narrow branches...

..keeping balance...

..and daring feats.

All in a day's work.

And then... there's the true high-flyers.

The paradise tree snake appears ordinary.

Average-sized, his venom is mild.

But in these forests...

anyone can be a superhero.

The quickest way to get from tree to tree?

Wing it.

In the air, the snake flattens his body...

until he's a concave ribbon with fangs at one end.

The landing seems rough.

But he's exactly where he needs to be.

Just below, there's potential prey...

..two lizards in the midst of a lover's quarrel.

(HOOTS NOISILY)

(HOOTS NOISILY)

The male Draco wants just one thing.

The bachelor flicks his dewlap.

'It's a kind of a love flag.' (HOOTS NOISILY)

It tells her he's up for it.

(HOOTS NOISILY)

But this girl isn't interested.

(COMICAL WHISTLE EFFECT)

(HOOTS NOISILY) 'It's a case of reptile dysfunction.'

Could anything get worse for this lovelorn male?

His display hasn't landed a date.

But it has attracted attention.

The paradise tree snake must get closer for the final ambush.

(HOOTS NOISILY)

He'll need stealth and cunning to succeed.

(EXAGGERATED NERVOUS GULP)

Stealth seems optional.

Just a lunge away now.

A dead end.

The Draco's doomed.

Or is he?

The lizard transforms into dragon-lite.

Extended ribs hold folds of skin,

which unfurl to become wings...

..carrying him over the length of a basketball court...

away from the jaws of danger.

(BIRD TWEETS)

Only in the deepest, darkest rainforests...

..do airborne snakes get trumped by flying mini-dragons.

(HISSES)

In this evolutionary arms race...

..there's one winner.

But in the game of love...

..the Draco clearly has more to learn.

(BIRD CAWS)

(PLAYFUL JAZZY MUSIC)

Since the days of old,

the red fox has had a bad reputation.

Wily...

..a deceitful trickster.

(ANIMAL SHRIEKS) 'It seems nobody trusts foxes.'

But the red fox is a true survivor...

..and one of the most weirdly gifted predators on the planet.

A metre of snow blankets northern Canada...

..making winter travel a challenge.

But the red fox is a hunter for all conditions.

During the long, bleak months...

prey is scarce.

So the fox has an array of superpowered survival strategies...

..like no other animal on Earth.

Beneath the snow...

this field mouse constructs tunnels...

to cloak its movements as it forages.

The fox's keen nose picks up on the mouse's scent.

(SNIFFING)

Using multidirectional ears...

..he hears movement over 30m away.

The fox tunes his senses to detect the tiniest of clues.

Focus on any extraneous sounds must now stop.

(NEARBY SQUEAKING)

Yes, that's better.

(NEARBY SQUEAKING, SCRABBLING)

But he needs to pinpoint it precisely.

The snow crunches underfoot.

The burrowing rodent has high-powered hearing too.

And each step from the fox...

..is an alarm bell for the mouse.

The rodent should have the upper hand.

But it's up against a hunter...

that can pull success from the jaws of failure.

Repositioning...

the fox faces north.

He's aligning himself with the Earth's geomagnetic field.

Because he has a secret power.

He can see what no other mammal can.

When facing north,

Earth's geomagnetic field appears as spots in his vision.

The fox can align those spots with the apparent source of the sound...

..giving him a perfect target to aim for.

Bull's-eye.

When hunting stealthy mice,

foxes succeed less than 20% of the time.

But when a fox faces north, its success rate quadruples.

This superpowered Arctic hunter...

..is truly magnetic.

(INSECTS CHIRPING)

In the forests of the Philippines...

..the night is waning.

(ANIMAL HOOTS)

But in the dim light,

a vampire-like gremlin stalks the living.

This tarsier is one of the world's smallest primates...

..and a baseball-sized killing machine.

To survive, he must eat a tenth of his body weight...

..every night.

Though tonight, he ain't even close.

Dawn is an hour away.

And he's running out of time.

Foraging after sunup is just tempting fate.

Because at just over 15cm long...

..he's easy picking for vampire hunters.

It's going to be a race against time.

(FAINT RUSTLING)

His super-sensitive ears pick up the faintest rustle.

And with superpowered eyes...

the largest relative to body size of any mammal...

..he can see 100 times better in the dark than humans.

Last chance.

It's his first taste of flesh tonight.

And it rouses the killer deep inside.

(EERIE CACKLING)

Able to turn his head in nearly 180 degrees in each direction...

(COMICAL RISING WHISTLE EFFECT)

..nothing escapes his ravenous gaze.

Lock, load...and fire!

(NOISY CHOMPING)

Sticky padded fingers help him grab prey.

Powerful legs launch him 60 times his body length.

Only one thing can halt his killing spree...

..the sun.

(BIRDS TWEETING)

But there just might be time...

for one more meal.

There! That one looks...

Oh! (NOISY CLATTERING)

Wild Australia.

It's a chamber of horrors.

(ROARS)

It's where the dangerous and the bizarre cross over.

(HOOTING)

Days are weird.

But it's at dusk the real action unfolds.

(HONKING)

This fly needs a safe spot to retire for the night.

Easier said than done on these mean streets.

(ALARM WAILS)

The water's edge is a hunting ground.

(EXAGGERATED NERVOUS GULP)

The territory of a silent stalker...

..that loves fly-fishing.

The water spider...

is equipped with super-sensitive hairs on its legs,

that detect vibrations.

This arachnid doesn't need a web to ensnare prey.

The water IS its web.

Surface tension between liquid and air...

acts like an elastic membrane.

Spidey senses pick up clues from every ripple.

When to jump and how high.

(JAUNTY MUSIC)

The fly's compound eyes are not well-suited for seeing water.

Incoming!

Surfing its water web like a boss...

..it snatches the fly.

Water-repellent hair and long legs spread the spider's weight...

..keeping it afloat.

Mission accomplished.

Rest?

Not for this water spider.

It must eat five times its weight every single day just to survive.

This spider needs to smash a burger...

..not just a side order of flies.

But fillet of fish will do.

The water spider's neurotoxic venom dissolves the fish's innards.

Now for a luxurious few hours...

slurping the life juices of his hard-earned meal.

(CHIMPANZEES HOOTING AND SHRIEKING)

(EPIC MUSIC)

In the wilds of Africa...

a brainiac troop of chimpanzees...

..lead their species in intellect.

All hail the chimps of Senegal's Fongoli clan...

..the greatest problem solvers and innovators in the animal kingdom.

(EXAGGERATED FARTING SOUND)

(HOOTING, SHRIEKING)

Chimpanzees wield one of nature's most formidable superpowers...

..intelligence.

Fongoli chimps use their genius to solve a supersized problem...

..surviving Senegal's harsh jungles.

Fongoli supplement their diet

by capturing and consuming smaller mammals by hand.

(SHRIEKING AND HOOTING)

The biggest, fastest males dominate with this method of hunting.

But the smaller, slower chimps have used their smarts

to level the playing field.

They hunt with spears.

The omnivorous Fongoli use sharp sticks as tools

to capture nocturnal, tree-dwelling galagos.

(EXAGGERATED NERVOUS GULP)

This method of hunting is preferred by Fongoli females.

But the art of hunting with spears isn't just a girl thing.

This young male is hungry.

He's seen Mom do it.

Surely it's not that hard.

But patience is not his forte.

He can smell something tasty deep in the tree trunk.

He just can't get to it.

No, try again.

(PANTING)

A smaller spear, perhaps?

No dice.

But a valuable lesson.

(PANTING)

Maybe Mom knows something he doesn't.

Because she has other ways of putting food on the table.

Nutritious termites and ants are a hassle-free delicacy.

Bespoke cutlery is a must for this meal.

Older chimps teach younger ones the ABCs...

of bug-dining etiquette.

Fashion one long stick...

poke it deep into the termite mound...

..wait for the insects to latch on.

And gobble them up in one swift move.

It's a long-standing tradition that's been passed down through generations.

It seems a small step from hunting termites with a stick...

..to spearing galagos in their dens.

But the Fongoli are the only chimps that have cottoned on.

They say necessity is the mother of invention.

Among the Senegal chimps...

..the mothers are the mothers of invention.

(HOOTING, SHRIEKING)

So, if there's a lesson for humanity...

it may be that mother knows best.

(HOOTING)

Hidden in the African savanna...

..an unassuming assassin wields an arsenal of secret weaponry.

This chameleon's mission...

..take down some bugs for breakfast.

To get closer, she slowly stalks her prey.

(INSECTS CHIRPING)

But there's slow...

and then there's...chameleon.

She is an evolutionary master of disguise...

..able to change colour...

..until nearly invisible.

Roving eyes constantly scan almost 360 degrees.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

Because at just 35cm long...

it pays to be cautious.

Close enough now.

The target is in sight.

There's no escaping what happens next!

A tongue fired at almost 2,600 metres per second...

..and spit 400 times thicker than human saliva...

..rips bugs off their perches.

But karma quickly catches up with this karma chameleon.

(EXAGGERATED NERVOUS GULP)

She's blown her cover...

..alerting another superpowered predator in desperate need of a kill.

This boomslang hasn't fed in days.

(EXAGGERATED SIGHING)

Trust those large Bambi eyes at your peril.

Because amongst its battery of superpowers,

this snake wields two of the most effective hunting weapons...

on the planet.

Venom so potent...

that less than a drop could kill a human.

Compromised, the chameleon must hold her nerve.

Stressed, she darkens her skin to disguise herself.

So long as she stays put...

the boomslang can't distinguish the chameleon from the foliage.

The snake deploys its next superpower...

..a forked tongue that collects chemical signals from the air.

He smells lizard.

It smells like victory.

This is usually the moment for the lightning-fast attack scene.

But not in this weird little story.

Boomslang versus chameleon...

is more like a slow-motion kiss of death.

The boomslang pumps its super venom into his victim,

destroying red blood cells.

The chameleon's camouflage abilities are legendary,

but in this battle of superpowers...

..the legend has become lunch.

Nature has engineered an endless parade of animals

with something strange going on.

The wilder their world...

..the weirder their solution.

(EXAGGERATED BURPING SOUND)

Subtitles by Sky Access Services www.skyaccessibility.sky