10 TOP Natural History Moments | BBC Earth — Transcript

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1. 0:04The hardest part of becoming independent
2. 0:07is leaving home.
3. 0:09The emperor penguin chicks are about to
4. 0:11take the biggest step in their young
5. 0:13lives.
6. 0:16Left alone by their once doting parents,
7. 0:19they must leave their icy birthplace and
8. 0:22make their way to the sea.
9. 0:28Every test they face hone skills they'll
10. 0:31need later in life.
11. 0:35But one challenge stops them in their
12. 0:37tracks.
13. 0:40A giant petrel.
14. 0:46They try to flee, but running isn't an
15. 0:49emperor's strong point.
16. 0:53A slip is all the petrel needs.
17. 1:01The chick is grabbed by his neck
18. 1:03feathers.
19. 1:05But the down just falls away.
20. 1:12They form a defensive circle and prepare
21. 1:14to stand their ground.
22. 1:20Despite their chick-like appearance,
23. 1:22they are close to a meter tall.
24. 1:25Quite a size, even for a giant petrel.
25. 1:30The chick towers to full height,
26. 1:32protecting those behind.
27. 1:37His defiance buys time.
28. 1:44It's a standoff.
29. 1:52Then, as if from nowhere, an Adélie, the
30. 1:56feistiest penguin in the world.
31. 2:02He fearlessly puts himself between the
32. 2:04chicks and the petrel.
33. 2:09Even petrels don't mess with Adelies.
34. 2:19That plucky rescuer accompanies the
35. 2:21chicks to the sea.
36. 2:28Emperor cam is there to see them on
37. 2:30their way.
38. 2:42But entering the water is a daunting
39. 2:44prospect.
40. 2:46Having an adult around must be
41. 2:48reassuring.
42. 2:49Even if it is a spy.
43. 3:01The Adelie seems to be waiting for
44. 3:03something, too.
45. 3:06Another penguin cam is also ready to see
46. 3:09them go.
47. 3:12Instead, other penguins start to arrive.
48. 3:21More Adelies.
49. 3:23Their rescuer was just the front
50. 3:38For some, it's time to retreat.
51. 4:17But now, it's back to square one.
52. 4:24There's no alternative but to run the
53. 4:27gauntlet
54. 4:29once again.
55. 5:03The seal seems to be toying with this
56. 5:06penguin.
57. 5:10But safety is in sight.
58. 5:29The ice flow is near the open ocean.
59. 5:36But this penguin is exhausted.
60. 6:18Perhaps it's not worth it after all.
61. 6:40A European hamster.
62. 6:51Wild hamsters are found in grasslands
63. 6:54throughout Central Europe.
64. 6:58Here in the city, they're doing
65. 6:59extremely well.
66. 7:04This male is on a mission to find food.
67. 7:13The coast looks clear.
68. 7:19But, best not take any chances.
69. 7:37The trick is to get in and out before
70. 7:40you're caught.
71. 7:47And now,
72. 7:50dessert.
73. 7:54Candle wax. It's full of oil and high in
74. 7:58calories.
75. 8:18A hamster's cheeks can hold a quarter of
76. 8:21its body weight.
77. 8:31Just one more mouthful.
78. 8:43Oh, dear.
79. 8:52Big cheeks and narrow bottlenecks.
80. 8:56How very embarrassing.
81. 9:09Mission accomplished.
82. 9:27What bird
83. 9:29has the most elaborate,
84. 9:32the most complex, and the most beautiful
85. 9:34song in the world? Well, I guess there
86. 9:36are lots of contenders, but this bird
87. 9:38must be one of them.
88. 9:40The superb lyrebird of southern
89. 9:42Australia.
90. 9:58He clears a space in the forest to serve
91. 10:00as his concert platform.
92. 10:14To persuade females to come close and
93. 10:16admire his plumes, he sings the most
94. 10:18complex song he can manage, and he does
95. 10:21that by copying the songs of all the
96. 10:23other birds he hears around him, such as
97. 10:25the kookaburra.
98. 10:32It's a very convincing impersonation.
99. 10:41Even the original is fooled.
100. 10:52He can imitate the calls of at least 20
101. 10:54different species.
102. 10:59He also, in his attempt to out-sing his
103. 11:02rivals, incorporates other sounds that
104. 11:04he hears in the forest.
105. 11:07That was a camera shutter.
106. 11:16And again.
107. 11:21And now a camera with a motor drive.
108. 11:30And that's a car alarm.
109. 11:41And now the sounds of foresters and
110. 11:43their chainsaws working nearby.
111. 12:04Hermit crabs use abandoned seashells as
112. 12:07mobile homes.
113. 12:12As a crab grows, its shell becomes an
114. 12:15ever tighter fit.
115. 12:17So eventually a crab needs to move in to
116. 12:19a bigger one.
117. 12:22Suitable empty shells are few and far
118. 12:24between.
119. 12:26And this one is far too spacious for
120. 12:29this crab.
121. 12:35But instead of continuing its search,
122. 12:38this small crab settles down to wait.
123. 12:51Other crabs, also looking to upgrade to
124. 12:54a bigger home,
125. 12:55soon gather whenever a shell washes
126. 12:58ashore.
127. 13:04Unfortunately, the new shell is too big
128. 13:06for them, too.
129. 13:11Despite that, the gathering crabs begin
130. 13:14to measure each other up, and then they
131. 13:16do something really rather
132. 13:17extraordinary.
133. 13:21They arrange themselves into an orderly
134. 13:24queue.
135. 13:26The biggest at the front, smallest at
136. 13:28the back.
137. 13:31They're lining up with one aim, to
138. 13:34exchange properties.
139. 13:39But none of the crabs can make a move
140. 13:41because the chain is not yet complete.
141. 13:46They're all waiting for the right-sized
142. 13:48crab to come along.
143. 13:51And this is it.
144. 14:00The latest arrival pushes to the head of
145. 14:02the queue.
146. 14:07At first, the chain falls apart.
147. 14:13As it reforms, the small crab finally
148. 14:16makes its move
149. 14:19and takes its place at the end of the
150. 14:22line.
151. 14:33After a close inspection, the big crab
152. 14:36moves in.
153. 14:41This triggers a chain reaction.
154. 14:46Each crab hurriedly moves into the shell
155. 14:49vacated by the crab ahead of it in the
156. 14:50line.
157. 14:56Just as the small crab attempts to move
158. 14:58into its new home,
159. 15:00a fresh arrival muscles in.
160. 15:16To be left without a shell is a death
161. 15:19sentence.
162. 15:22A naked crab will quickly cook under the
163. 15:24intense tropical sun.
164. 15:33But, after all the swapping,
165. 15:36there is still one shell left.
166. 15:43Sadly, it's no bigger than this small
167. 15:46crab's original shell.
168. 15:49And worse, it's got a hole in it.
169. 15:58But, even a bad shell is better than
170. 16:00being homeless.
171. 16:06Mantids will eat anything that moves,
172. 16:10including other mantids.
173. 16:28Time to leave.
174. 16:40This tiny insect is now open to attack
175. 16:44from predators lurking in the
176. 16:46undergrowth.
177. 16:56Whether an individual mantis survives or
178. 16:59not is partly a matter of chance.
179. 17:06Whether it's spotted by a predator,
180. 17:15whether it turns right
181. 17:18or left.
182. 17:28So far, it's luck has held.
183. 17:32But this hungry jumping spider is still
184. 17:35in pursuit.
185. 17:41A mantis is born with exceptional
186. 17:44eyesight.
187. 17:45But the spider's is even better.
188. 17:53Although this young mantis can't yet
189. 17:55fly, its long forelegs evolved to catch
190. 17:58prey give it reach.
191. 18:28There seems to be no escape.
192. 18:37But this mantis has a surprising line in
193. 18:40self-defense.
194. 18:44Kung fu, praying mantis style.
195. 18:59Of course, it's all bluff.
196. 19:02Trying to look bigger and confuse its
197. 19:04enemy.
198. 19:08But it's got away with it.
199. 19:19Just staying alive for its first few
200. 19:22hours is a significant accomplishment
201. 19:24for a newly hatched insect.
202. 19:28But there's still a long way to go.
203. 19:31With a bit of luck, in 2 months time, it
204. 19:34will be as big and beautiful as this
205. 19:36orchid mantid.
206. 19:49Or maybe not.
207. 19:52After all, mantids are cannibals.
208. 19:59As more birds arrive, competition for
209. 20:01the best nesting sites heats up.
210. 20:15It's thirsty work.
211. 20:28In the sudden commotion, they're
212. 20:30vulnerable from below
213. 20:34and above.
214. 20:40African fish eagles.
215. 20:51They are permanent residents here,
216. 20:54but at this time of the year, they don't
217. 20:56just eat fish.
218. 21:02The safest place to be is inside a
219. 21:05burrow.
220. 21:08But an eagle flyby sends shock waves of
221. 21:11panic through the colony.
222. 21:26The eagle's strategy is to pin their
223. 21:28prey against the river bank.
224. 21:35With the colony in disarray,
225. 21:38the predators have the advantage.
226. 23:53A snake's eyes aren't very good,
227. 23:56but they can detect movement.
228. 24:00So, if the hatchling keeps its nerve, it
229. 24:03may just avoid detection.
230. 25:37A near miraculous escape.
231. 25:44As they mature, young males begin to
232. 25:46explore the boundaries of the pride's
233. 25:48territory.
234. 25:55Red has ventured out alone.
235. 26:12And blundered straight into the middle
236. 26:15of the HYENA CLAN.
237. 26:38HE'S TRAPPED by over 20 of them.
238. 27:00THE PACK TRIES TO WEAR HIM DOWN.
239. 27:03This number of hyenas could kill him.
240. 27:32It's impossible to fight them ALL AT
241. 27:34ONCE.
242. 27:50HE CAN'T KEEP THEM AT BAY for much
243. 27:52longer.
244. 27:53He's tiring fast.
245. 28:05His ally, Tortu, has heard the
246. 28:07commotion.
247. 28:29Now, the odds have changed.
248. 28:38Even for 20 hyenas,
249. 28:41a pair of male lions is too much to take
250. 28:44on.
251. 28:55Red is lucky.