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The duels between hunters and hunted

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are as dramatic as any event in the natural world.

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The stakes could not be higher.

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For both, it's a matter of life and death.

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Yet, surprisingly, it's the hunters that usually fail.

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To have any chance of survival,

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predators must be perfectly tuned to their own hunting arenas.

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Every habitat brings a different challenge.

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This series will reveal, as never before,

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the extraordinary range of strategies predators use to catch their prey.

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But even for the most skilful...

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..success is never guaranteed.

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SCREECHING

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SNIFFS

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BARKS

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BARKS

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BARKS

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BARKS

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A female leopard on the prowl.

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Few predators instil more fear.

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SNIFFS

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Yet, out in the open,

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she has little chance of catching anything.

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To succeed, she must get within a few metres of her prey...

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undetected.

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Her strategy is to use cover,

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wearing it like a cloak of invisibility.

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She's an expert in stealth.

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Impala are her favourite prey.

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This one is just out of her range.

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SNIFFS

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She needs to get closer, within four metres.

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She only has a short burst of speed.

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She must stay hidden until she's in the strike zone.

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TWIG SNAPS

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But out of sight doesn't mean out of mind.

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Impala have acute hearing and a superb sense of smell.

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SNIFFS

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Now the only prey she can see is right out in the open.

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But leopards are the most versatile of all the big cats,

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adept at finding cover in the most unpromising places.

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The steep walls of the gully are now her cover for an ambush.

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The male puku is close enough, but he's too big to tackle.

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She needs to slip past him without being seen.

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If he spots her, he'll blow her cover.

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SNIFFS

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Slowly does it...

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To succeed here,

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she needs to find prey grazing close to the edge.

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Or better still,

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in the gully itself.

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Frustration.

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Success would have staved off hunger for a week.

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But while there's prey around, there's hope.

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Peeking over the top is a risk,

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but it's the quickest way to find a new target.

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SNIFFS

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A burst of speed of 40mph

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and it's all over in less than six seconds.

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Except...it isn't.

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Dazed and disorientated,

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the impala makes a miraculous escape.

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It's been the perfect stealth hunt

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and she's nothing to show for it.

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But then, six out of seven leopard hunts end in failure.

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A leopard's hunting strategy depends on finding cover.

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But how do you catch your prey

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in a place where there's literally nowhere to hide?

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That's the challenge facing Zambia's wild dogs.

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This close-knit pack is made up of one adult female

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and her 12 offspring from last year.

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Unlike the solitary leopard,

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wild dogs depend for their survival on teamwork.

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Dogs that play together...

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work together.

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Each morning, the pack heads out across the open plain,

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prospecting for prey.

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Mother decides which direction they go.

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The rest stay close.

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They'll keep going for miles until they find the right kind of prey.

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Adult zebra are too big a challenge.

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And the same goes for tsessebe.

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An oribi is an easier target.

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But is it worth the effort,

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especially on an oribi that's as fit and bouncy as this one?

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Better to save their energy for something bigger.

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A wildebeest.

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It's what they've been looking for.

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The dogs need to make the wildebeest run.

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Their success will depend on wearing him down in a long chase.

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While the prey's running, the dogs have the advantage.

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But when the wildebeest stand their ground, the tables are turned.

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Faced with a wall of horns,

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the pack is powerless.

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But not all the wildebeest have had the courage to stop.

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Now the real contest begins.

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The wildebeest are big and strong.

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But the dogs have stamina.

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Right now, hunters and hunted are clocking 40mph.

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The pack can keep this pace up for miles.

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The wildebeest can't.

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One wildebeest peels off.

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Then another two.

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The split confuses the inexperienced pack,

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sending them in different directions.

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The mother and one youngster continue on.

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The rest of the pack stop, believing they have an easier target.

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It's a mistake.

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Like a beast with two heads, each bull protects the other's rear.

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And the dogs can do nothing.

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Ahead, the chase continues.

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Another wildebeest peels off.

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Now the mother has just one in her sights.

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But it will mean nothing without the help of the rest of the pack.

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The situation here has reached stalemate.

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The young dogs have lost valuable time.

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They must try and catch up with their mother.

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Back at the front, the mother is beginning to tire.

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And the wildebeest knows it,

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bouncing to show he's still strong and not worth chasing.

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But fresh, young legs are catching up fast.

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When one dog tires,

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there's always another member of the team to take up the lead.

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The dogs now have the numbers to bring the wildebeest down.

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Each bite risks a broken jaw,

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but going for the legs is the only way to stop it.

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And they must do so before it reaches the safety of the herd,

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a few hundred metres ahead.

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After a 20-minute chase, the bull's energy is near spent.

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This time there will be no sanctuary within the herd.

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The dogs' stamina has been rewarded.

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All they must do now is to bring their quarry to the ground.

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Working as a pack

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allows wild dogs to take on prey ten times heavier

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than any one of them.

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But many mouths need a lot of food.

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The price they pay for these numbers

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is knowing they'll have to attempt the same thing again tomorrow...

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and every day.

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Teamwork and stamina on Africa's open plains

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have proved to be a winning combination.

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But in the dense and complex world of the jungle,

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hunting is a never-ending game of hide and seek.

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Here, it pays to sit still...

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..and blend in...

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..because you just never know who's watching.

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The Parson's chameleon is an expert

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in the see-and-not-be-seen game.

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It lets its eyes do all the work...

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..while the rest of its body moves in slow motion,

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so as not to scare possible targets.

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The problem is that it can only see prey if it moves.

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So is this a stick insect...

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..or a stick?

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Ah-hah...

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Time to unleash its secret weapon...

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..a tongue longer than its body.

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The Parson's close cousin, the nasutum chameleon,

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has the same weapon, but in miniature.

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As small as a matchstick, he needs to get much closer to its prey.

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But even with eyes as big as its stomach,

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this isn't the meal deal he was hoping for.

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In the jungle, it's hard finding the right-sized prey

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when you're a tiny predator.

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Promising opportunities

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can quickly turn to disappointment.

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Spotting any kind of prey in this dense, green world

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is hard.

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If you do find something, you want to make sure it doesn't escape.

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The praying mantis has arms

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that can strike ten times faster than a blink of the eye.

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And it's the only insect known to see in 3D.

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Perfect for judging strike distances.

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But like the chameleon,

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her problem is seeing prey when it freezes.

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She needs some movement to be sure it's food.

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Just the tiniest sign of life.

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Yep, that's done it.

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The lightning strike has given her the edge over her insect prey,

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but it doesn't pay to be complacent.

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In the jungle arms race,

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only too often there's someone else with a more powerful weapon.

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And there's one predator that has, perhaps,

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the most ingenious answer of all to the jungle's challenge.

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It lives along rivers in the rainforests of Madagascar.

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The insects it hunts fly down the same jungle corridors.

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But there's a problem.

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It's a web-building spider.

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So how does it get over the river to hunt?

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It's called Darwin's bark spider

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and the female has a remarkable strategy.

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Like a real-life Spider-Woman,

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she sprays strands of silk in one long, continuous flow.

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The threads fan out like a sail

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and drift on air currents blowing across the water.

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Every few seconds, she crimps the strands together

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to stop them spreading too widely.

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The breeze will do the rest,

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blowing the threads into a single line and a 25-metre bridge.

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Now she must reinforce her bridge, because her web will hang from it.

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But there's something bouncing the line at the other end.

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Another Darwin's spider is trying to take advantage of her hard work.

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She must deal with the intruder head on.

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The cut line is an inconvenience,

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but no more than that.

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With hooks on the tips of each leg, she gathers in the thread.

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It won't go to waste, as she'll eat it later.

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When it's all reeled in, she sprays again.

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Out streams another 25-metre bridging line.

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How a spider, no bigger than a thumbnail,

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can produce so much silk so quickly

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has baffled scientists.

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And it's no ordinary silk.

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It's the toughest natural fibre on the planet,

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tougher than steel.

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And it needs to be tough to span the wide river.

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With the bridge taut

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and the ground anchor in place,

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it's time to construct her trap.

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These spiders can build the world's largest orb webs,

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up to two metres wide.

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A few hours from the first spray of bridging line,

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the job is done.

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Now her strategy is simple...

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..sit and wait.

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And there's one final bout of silk production...

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..shrink-wrapping her food for later.

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Not all rivers provide their predators

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with a steady supply of prey.

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On the Grumeti River in Tanzania

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lives the planet's most patient predator.

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A Nile crocodile.

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Five metres long,

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700 kilos

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and very hungry.

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His last square meal was nearly a year ago.

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The river's other residents aren't food...

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..just a distraction.

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He is waiting for something bigger

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from over the horizon.

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But beyond the big croc's isolated river,

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there's still no sign of the migratory herds

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he depends on for survival.

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Other, smaller crocs are waiting, too...

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..but their meal ticket depends on the hunting skills of the big guy.

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The herds could be here in a week, or a month.

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In rare years, not at all.

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Until then, the crocs must conserve their energy.

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GRUNTING AND MOOING

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Finally, the sound they've all been waiting for.

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The herds have arrived.

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It's time for the crocs to get into position.

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All eyes will be on the big guy.

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Only he has the power to tackle a full-grown wildebeest.

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The year-long wait is almost over.

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After months on the march, the wildebeest are desperate to drink.

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But experience has taught the adults to be cautious.

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The water is just too inviting for a calf,

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unaware of the dangers within.

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But every wildebeest must take its chances...

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..and hope that its reflexes are faster

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than what many know lurks in the murky waters.

263
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,000
Just a harmless hippo.

264
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,000
That was no hippo.

265
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,000
It's put the wildebeest more on edge.

266
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:39,000
But here, fear always gives way to thirst.

267
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,000
Catching the wildebeest is all about timing.

268
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,000
The big croc's technique is rusty.

269
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,000
It's been a whole year since his last hunt

270
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,000
and he's out of practice.

271
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,000
But this isn't the end of the drama, just an intermission.

272
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,000
For the next two weeks,

273
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,000
waves of wildebeest will pass through the Grumeti.

274
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:05,000
Time for the big croc to try a different tactic.

275
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,000
The floating log.

276
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:17,000
He's hoping the wildebeest won't notice him until it's too late.

277
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:42,000
Now the smaller crocs move in.

278
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:49,000
The big croc will need their help to tear off chunks.

279
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:54,000
Crocs can't chew, so they have to spin together

280
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,000
to tear pieces off the carcass.

281
00:34:58,000 --> 00:34:59,000
Everyone gets their share...

282
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,000
..and it's all thanks to the big guy.

283
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:11,000
He won't feed again until the wildebeest return next year.

284
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,000
Across the globe, millions of animals are continuously on the move

285
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,000
in search of seasonal food.

286
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,000
But it's not just prey animals that must migrate.

287
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000
Some predators have to journey, too.

288
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,000
Amur falcons are one of the world's greatest long-distance travellers.

289
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,000
As their prey dries up in their breeding grounds in Siberia,

290
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,000
they embark on an epic migration to Southern Africa,

291
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:58,000
crossing 14 countries, two continents and one ocean.

292
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:05,000
Only here, in this remote valley in northeast India,

293
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,000
do they join forces.

294
00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,000
A million falcons

295
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,000
and the greatest gathering of birds of prey on the planet.

296
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:43,000
This valley is a vital pit stop on the falcons' migration.

297
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,000
The tiny raptors can go no further

298
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,000
until they build up their fat reserves...

299
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,000
..and they've timed their arrival here perfectly.

300
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:06,000
For just a few weeks each year, winged termites, alates,

301
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:10,000
leave the safety of their mounds in millions.

302
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,000
High in calories, these alates are exactly what the falcons need

303
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,000
to fuel their oceanic crossing,

304
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:37,000
the longest made by any bird of prey.

305
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,000
To have any chance of surviving their journey,

306
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:08,000
they must nearly double their weight in just two weeks.

307
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,000
Those that make it to South Africa

308
00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:18,000
will have to do the whole trip back again in four months' time.

309
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,000
For Amur falcons,

310
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:27,000
survival means flying 14,000 miles every year of their lives.

311
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000
For some predators, it's not the distance they have to travel

312
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,000
that's their greatest challenge,

313
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:44,000
but the size of their prey.

314
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,000
And few challenges come bigger than the one in this ocean.

315
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,000
Each year, female humpback whales

316
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:58,000
journey from their feeding grounds in Antarctica to Australia

317
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,000
to have their calves.

318
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,000
These calm, warm waters are a perfect nursery.

319
00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,000
Perfect, but for one thing.

320
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,000
Orcas, killer whales.

321
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:19,000
They appear just as the migration begins.

322
00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,000
And they're on the hunt for calves.

323
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,000
Highly intelligent, orca are the ocean's most successful predator.

324
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000
When hunting, they can travel at 30mph...

325
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,000
..twice as fast as a mother and calf.

326
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,000
The hunters close in silently.

327
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,000
It's only now that the mother realises they've been followed.

328
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,000
The orca have the advantage of numbers,

329
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:21,000
but they need to be cautious.

330
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:27,000
The mother's rear is protected by a five-metre-wide tail

331
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,000
that could slice through them.

332
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,000
Her flanks are defended by a pair of long, barnacle-covered flippers.

333
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,000
And in the middle is the calf,

334
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,000
riding high on its mother's back and out of reach.

335
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:47,000
To separate mother from calf,

336
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,000
the orca must use all their intelligence.

337
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,000
They take it in turns

338
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,000
to try and wave wash the baby away from its mother.

339
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,000
In a month, the calf would be strong enough to withstand the onslaught.

340
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:09,000
Not now.

341
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,000
But then the tables are turned.

342
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,000
A male humpback arrives, driving the orca away with its flippers.

343
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,000
And the situation worsens when a second male appears.

344
00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:40,000
Now the pod face the power of three 40-tonne whales,

345
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:43,000
and the escorts make their weight count.

346
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:56,000
The bubbles are like a smokescreen,

347
00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:59,000
blocking the orcas' vision and sonar.

348
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,000
There's a real danger of being injured

349
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,000
by an unseen fluke or flipper.

350
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:20,000
With the escorts defending both sides of the mother,

351
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,000
the killer whales have been outmanoeuvred.

352
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:35,000
As the orca retreat, the escorts drive home their advantage,

353
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,000
pushing the hunters further away.

354
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,000
It's an error of judgment.

355
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,000
With mother and calf unprotected,

356
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,000
the orca double back before the humpbacks can react.

357
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,000
The killer whales separate the calf from its mother.

358
00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,000
They push the calf underwater

359
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:28,000
and drown it.

360
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:38,000
The intelligent hunters have turned defeat into victory.

361
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:50,000
The orcas' prize is so large that sharks are quick to take advantage.

362
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:05,000
Through intelligence, stamina and teamwork,

363
00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:09,000
the orca have mastered the ocean's greatest challenge.

364
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:14,000
Yet even they fail as often as they succeed.

365
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:26,000
Most predators fail most of the time.

366
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:31,000
It's what makes them the hardest-working animals

367
00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:33,000
on the planet.

368
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:44,000
The pressure is even greater when they have other mouths to feed.

369
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:54,000
At eight months old,

370
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:58,000
these cubs are still totally dependent on their mother.

371
00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:06,000
To support them she must kill something large, like a gazelle,

372
00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:08,000
nearly every day.

373
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,000
But these youngsters are proof

374
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,000
that she has overcome the challenge of their habitat.

375
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:25,000
Few cheetah mothers get this far with four cubs.

376
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,000
If the cubs are to survive without her,

377
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,000
they must watch their mother carefully

378
00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:48,000
and learn the strategies for hunting on the open plains.

379
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,000
There's a lot to take in.

380
00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:17,000
They'll need to learn

381
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:21,000
that their top speed can only be sustained for a few seconds.

382
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:36,000
They'll have to master how to match the twisting turns of the prey,

383
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:38,000
so they get close enough to trip it.

384
00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,000
And they will soon learn the margin for error is tiny.

385
00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:10,000
The odds are against them.

386
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:18,000
90% of cheetah cubs

387
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:21,000
never make it to their second birthday.

388
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:26,000
Even with this experienced mother,

389
00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:30,000
the future for this family is far from certain.

390
00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:38,000
All any predator can do is to keep on trying.

391
00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:56,000
For The Hunt team,

392
00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:59,000
filming a Nile crocodile capturing a wildebeest

393
00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:03,000
would require the same skill, patience and reactions

394
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,000
as the five-metre reptile.

395
00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:13,000
The timing of the shoot would also be critical,

396
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:15,000
since this behaviour only happens

397
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:19,000
when the crocs' river is at its lowest point.

398
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:26,000
But things get off to the worst possible start -

399
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:30,000
the river in flood in the middle of the dry season.

400
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,000
What we hoped for was that the Grumeti River

401
00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:35,000
would be just a series of pools

402
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:37,000
full of crocodiles.

403
00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,000
They're probably scattered over 30 or 40 miles of river.

404
00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:41,000
So we've got to wait for two things -

405
00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:44,000
the crocs to bunch up and the wildebeest to come.

406
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:49,000
As well as Mark, this small crew includes son Jacca

407
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,000
and camerawoman and wife Vicky.

408
00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,000
Are you keeping watch?

409
00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:58,000
I am. I'm watching my son and my husband

410
00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:02,000
in a very deep, muddy river with lots of crocodiles!

411
00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,000
You could lose a large part of your family here if you're not careful.

412
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:07,000
Yeah. Basically, half of us could be wiped out.

413
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:09,000
These crocs hunt by stealth

414
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:12,000
and they can sneak up in this dark, murky water

415
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:13,000
right to the edge of the bank.

416
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:17,000
So the golden rule of filming here

417
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:20,000
is to be one metre from the water.

418
00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:28,000
Not to be outdone by the floodwater,

419
00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:31,000
the team sets up the first hide.

420
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:38,000
But any idea of filming is soon swept away.

421
00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:42,000
Literally, within half an hour, an hour,

422
00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:43,000
I felt water around my ankles.

423
00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,000
If I was still in that hide, then he definitely wouldn't be on the bank.

424
00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,000
We're not going to go in and get it.

425
00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:50,000
The water the colour it is

426
00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,000
and knowing that he's got friends around,

427
00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:55,000
who could be literally just at the base there.

428
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:58,000
With a flooded river and no wildebeest,

429
00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:01,000
the wait was going to be longer than expected.

430
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,000
Crocs are used to being patient.

431
00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,000
But now we've got to show equal patience.

432
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,000
Leaving the raging river,

433
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:15,000
the team go in search of the migrating wildebeest,

434
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:19,000
to see just how far they are from the Grumeti.

435
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,000
I think we should go over the other side

436
00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:25,000
and then we'll get a sense of the number.

437
00:50:25,000 --> 00:50:28,000
Should be up here. Do you want to take the controls? I'll take the controls.

438
00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:31,000
It's some time before they find the wildebeest

439
00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:33,000
on the Serengeti's vast plains.

440
00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,000
Loads there. Loads?

441
00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:39,000
Yeah, spread all the way across... Oh, OK!

442
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:40,000
Fantastic. How far away are we?

443
00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:43,000
70 miles away.

444
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,000
Still a long way from the Grumeti,

445
00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:49,000
but at least the wildebeest were heading in the right direction.

446
00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:52,000
MARK TALKS INDISTINCTLY

447
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:58,000
The wildebeest are still a long way away

448
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:01,000
but, in the meantime, we can hopefully pick up

449
00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:04,000
these intimate moments with these really huge crocs.

450
00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:09,000
Finding the biggest and most dominant croc

451
00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:11,000
would be key to the team's success.

452
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:17,000
Only the top croc would be powerful enough to grab a wildebeest.

453
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:21,000
To find their star,

454
00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:24,000
Mark and Vicky would need to look out for territorial behaviour.

455
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:29,000
Today it's sunny and it's early in the morning.

456
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:31,000
I'm full of hope.

457
00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:36,000
But at the end of the day, all Mark sees is one static croc.

458
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:41,000
He lay on the sandbank all day, I guess, seven hours.

459
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:45,000
Urgh! Patience.

460
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,000
And Vicky wasn't having much luck, either.

461
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:51,000
When we first found it, there were crocs all over the bank over there

462
00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:54,000
and now I've been in here several hours and there's not one.

463
00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:57,000
After a week,

464
00:51:57,000 --> 00:52:00,000
Mark and Vicky are no closer to finding their dominant croc.

465
00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:05,000
But at least the news on the wildebeest was more positive.

466
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,000
34 miles. Getting closer.

467
00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:10,000
Back on the river, it was like Groundhog Day.

468
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,000
Crocs are all-or-nothing creatures.

469
00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:17,000
And I'm afraid it's been another day of nothing.

470
00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:22,000
With no sign of any action, the hours of watching motionless crocs

471
00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:24,000
were beginning to take their toll.

472
00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:28,000
It's like watching paint dry.

473
00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:35,000
Well, that was useless.

474
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:36,000
Utterly useless.

475
00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,000
The crocs just didn't come.

476
00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:43,000
The team needed something to change

477
00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,000
and the falling water seemed a good omen.

478
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:49,000
This is what the floodwaters left us - the lower jaw of a croc.

479
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:51,000
And look at that. I mean, it's...it's heavy.

480
00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:54,000
This has come from a croc who must be at least five metres.

481
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,000
And they're down there.

482
00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:01,000
Don't step too close to the water, sweetheart.

483
00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:03,000
I got too excited by the jaw!

484
00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:07,000
And with the water dropping,

485
00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:10,000
excitement was finally rising amongst the crocs.

486
00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,000
Well, that felt so different this morning.

487
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:22,000
It really felt like there was an energy there...

488
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:25,000
..that hasn't been there for weeks.

489
00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:30,000
And it isn't long before the team find their dominant croc.

490
00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:35,000
The big territorial male, who we hope will do most of the hunting,

491
00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:36,000
has been very active this morning.

492
00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:40,000
He's been displaying, really patrolling this stretch.

493
00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:44,000
With a big croc to focus on,

494
00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:47,000
all they needed now were the wildebeest.

495
00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:52,000
Mark and Vicky take to the skies to check on their progress.

496
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:55,000
Look, right as far as you can see...

497
00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,000
The crocs might actually get a meal. That's great, Vick.

498
00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:03,000
The wildebeest were, at last, less than a day away from the Grumeti.

499
00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:12,000
Mark and Vicky take up positions on either side of the river.

500
00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:14,000
WHISPERS: We can see wildebeest

501
00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:16,000
just trying to come down,

502
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:18,000
but they're just so nervous.

503
00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:22,000
After such a long wait, it's a tense time.

504
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:27,000
Success for crew and croc

505
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:29,000
will depend on split-second reactions.

506
00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:44,000
For the big croc, the first session ends in failure.

507
00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:49,000
It's very easy to have empathy for the animals that are being hunted,

508
00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:52,000
but I have to say that, in this instance...

509
00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:56,000
..my sympathies are all with the crocs.

510
00:54:56,000 --> 00:54:59,000
We've just seen how, over the past month,

511
00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:01,000
they've had nothing to eat at all

512
00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:03,000
and that's been what they've experienced for the last year.

513
00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:10,000
And it's a few days before the wildebeest return.

514
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:12,000
It's 12 o'clock.

515
00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:16,000
Very hot, but I can hear the wildebeest again.

516
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:20,000
There's a baby going in a bit further.

517
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:22,000
Come on...

518
00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:26,000
Something's got to happen.

519
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:27,000
Yeah, now he's right out there.

520
00:55:29,000 --> 00:55:31,000
Croc's right there next to him.

521
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,000
Oh, God, you can see the croc underneath the surface.

522
00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:37,000
You can just see the swirl and just the dark shape.

523
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:39,000
And there he goes! Oh!

524
00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:42,000
Urgh!

525
00:55:44,000 --> 00:55:46,000
And he missed him again.

526
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:49,000
Yeah, at this time of the year, it's absolutely crucial for them.

527
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:52,000
If they don't feed now, then they're in dire straits.

528
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,000
Oh, here they come.

529
00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,000
Thirsty innocence.

530
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:03,000
Come on, guys. That's better.

531
00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,000
Come on, you can do it.

532
00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:09,000
Got two there now, coming down on their knees next to them.

533
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:13,000
Come on, you can do it.

534
00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:15,000
Just one footstep further out.

535
00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:17,000
That's all that croc needs.

536
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:19,000
Oh, yeah, yeah.

537
00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:21,000
Go on...

538
00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:22,000
There he goes!

539
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:29,000
Well, that was amazing. I mean, just...

540
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:31,000
It suddenly happened.

541
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:35,000
Trying to work out where the crocs were underwater was a nightmare!

542
00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,000
That was so intense.

543
00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:39,000
One minute, there was nothing.

544
00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:42,000
And the next minute, the bank was covered in wildebeest and then...

545
00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:43,000
one was taken.

546
00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:49,000
But I got it!

547
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:56,000
Next time, the hunt is on in the frozen north,

548
00:56:56,000 --> 00:56:58,000
the High Arctic.

549
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:04,000
One of the toughest places on Earth in which to make a living.

550
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:11,000
To succeed here, a predator must exploit the few good times...

551
00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:15,000
..to endure the bad.

552
00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:25,000
For a free, interactive Open University poster, call...

553
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:29,000
or go to...

554
00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:31,000
and follow the links to the Open University.

555
00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:07,000
# I put a spell on you

556
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:14,000
# Cos you're mine

557
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,000
# I can't stand it... #