1 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,160 Forests cover one third of the lands of the Earth. 2 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,320 Hiding within them are half of all the animal species on the planet. 3 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,520 But forests are complex places in which to hunt. 4 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,680 There is never a clean line of sight. 5 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:12,680 No room for the chase. 6 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,840 To get to its prey in this labyrinthine world... 7 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,440 DEER CALLS 8 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,160 ..without being discovered... 9 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,840 ..the forest hunter must master the art of the ambush. 10 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,400 The tiger is the largest of all forest predators. 11 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,040 Yet its life depends on being able to hide itself - 12 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,560 no simple task for a cat weighing up to 200 kilos. 13 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,760 The vanishing act takes years to perfect... 14 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:23,400 ..beginning when tigers are just cubs. 15 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,640 Like domestic kittens, tiger cubs 16 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:36,880 can't resist the compulsion to stalk. 17 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:38,040 TWIG CRACKS 18 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,960 MONKEY MAKES ALARM CALL 19 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,880 At first, it's a game. 20 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,520 But the cubs are learning the skills 21 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:02,000 needed to move silently over the crunchy forest floor. 22 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:10,840 It takes practice... 23 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,240 ..and perseverance. 24 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,960 A cub will fail many times. 25 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:37,000 TWIG CRACKS 26 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,360 MONKEY ALARM CALL 27 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:48,200 But, ultimately, its life will depend on getting it right. 28 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:57,680 By the time it is a young adult, 29 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:02,440 a tiger can move without making a sound. 30 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:15,000 But to get close to its prey, it must also be out of sight. 31 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,800 Herds have many eyes, 32 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,880 and they never let down their guard. 33 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,760 As long as they can see the tiger, there can be no ambush. 34 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,800 As long as they can see... 35 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:49,920 the tiger. 36 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Not close enough. 37 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,600 To stand a good chance of catching a deer, 38 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,040 a tiger must stalk to within ten metres 39 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,120 before launching an attack. 40 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,080 And to do that, 41 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,280 it must take advantage of any cover its forest provides. 42 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,240 THUNDER RUMBLES 43 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:30,080 With experience, a tiger becomes expert 44 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,320 at exploiting any opportunity. 45 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,400 THUNDER RUMBLES 46 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:58,440 The noises and darkness of a storm can be used to conceal its approach. 47 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,120 It moves in downwind of the herd... 48 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,000 ..undetected. 49 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:35,120 Once within striking distance, it freezes. 50 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,840 The final trick for a hunting tiger 51 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,680 is to get closer 52 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:45,320 without moving at all. 53 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,840 Let the stag come as close as it will. 54 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,640 Then wait for it to turn 55 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:02,000 and take one step away. 56 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,120 The perfect strike... 57 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:23,400 and brave - this stag weighs almost as much as the tiger. 58 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:34,000 It instinctively moves its prize out of sight before starting its meal. 59 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:46,800 An accomplished ambusher. 60 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,160 Years in the making, 61 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,480 with the skills to turn the challenges of its forest 62 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,720 to its advantage. 63 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,440 But not all forests are the same. 64 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,320 They begin where the trees begin, in the far north. 65 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:25,360 This is the largest forest of all. 66 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:31,400 An unbroken band of coniferous trees that wraps around the globe - 67 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,960 the Boreal forest. 68 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,560 In winter, it can appear empty 69 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:47,880 but this endless maze is the arena for a unique game of hide and seek. 70 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,960 Snow falls in this forest for months on end. 71 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,640 As it collects on the fallen branches and trunks 72 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:04,880 that litter the forest floor, 73 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:09,200 a hidden labyrinth of snow tunnels is created beneath. 74 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,080 Here, out of the icy air, 75 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,240 is where the forest's rodents spend their winter. 76 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:28,160 Prey exists even in this seemingly empty forest... 77 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,280 if you know where to find it. 78 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:40,640 The American marten. 79 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,840 It only lives where, in winter, 80 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,440 the snow is deep enough to create this maze. 81 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:56,000 Its slim body is ideally shaped for searching snow tunnels, 82 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,400 but that shape means it also loses heat quickly. 83 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:06,240 To stay alive, it must continually search for food. 84 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:12,920 The marten picks up a scent. 85 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,000 It listens for any movement. 86 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:42,840 Found you! 87 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,040 One mouse is not enough. 88 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,080 To keep warm in this frozen forest, 89 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,480 the marten must find three mice every day. 90 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:08,760 But with thousands of tunnels under the snow, which one do you check? 91 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,120 You check them all! 92 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,280 A frantic game of hide and seek. 93 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,920 Only one in ten tunnels is home to a mouse. 94 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:48,720 And even then, finding the mouse is not guaranteed. 95 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,280 For hunters in the Boreal forest, 96 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:02,240 just finding food is the biggest challenge of all. 97 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,720 In the forest further south, prey is more abundant. 98 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,200 The deciduous forest we know so well. 99 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,560 In the summer, it's busy with small birds. 100 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,680 The trees are thick with foliage. 101 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,040 It's a complex world in which to navigate. 102 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,640 A problem for the female sparrowhawk. 103 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,040 Since she has to produce and lay eggs, 104 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,880 her body must be of a certain size, 105 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:59,120 and she's too big to sneak up on her prey in this crowded habitat. 106 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:06,320 At this time of year, she relies on another - 107 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,800 a smaller, more agile hunter 108 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,120 able to travel at speed through the tangled woodland - 109 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:22,600 the male sparrowhawk. 110 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,240 He is well suited to hunting in the dense summer forest 111 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,320 but he must give almost everything he catches... 112 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:44,080 to his boss. 113 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:51,680 She's twice his size! 114 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:04,080 In the summer, she and their young depend on his hunting expertise. 115 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:13,640 He never rests, surprising small birds on the wing. 116 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:21,040 Ambushing from lofty hiding places. 117 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,720 He is a specialist summer hunter. 118 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,080 Each day, he provides up to ten small birds. 119 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,960 Until the rules of the game change... 120 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,280 with autumn. 121 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,400 The deciduous trees shed their delicate, frost-prone leaves. 122 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,680 The cover the male relied on all summer... 123 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:07,520 is blown. 124 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,640 The hunt must change from hide and seek to open chase. 125 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:29,440 The greater size of the female sparrowhawk is now an advantage. 126 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:36,040 She has the strength and the weight to catch bigger prey. 127 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,160 Jays are too large for the tiny male to tackle. 128 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:51,040 But they are the perfect target practice for the fledgling females. 129 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,000 They can't resist the challenge. 130 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,400 It may look like a bit of fun. 131 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,920 But buzzing jays helps the fledglings learn 132 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,440 how to hunt in a place where there is no leaf cover. 133 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:57,200 In the coming winter, they will rely on the sudden stall... 134 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:00,880 the tail chase... 135 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:05,880 the interception... 136 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,240 By taking larger prey, 137 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,280 the females increase their chances of surviving in the winter forest. 138 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,760 Whereas they can last for a week on just one kill, 139 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,800 the male, limited to smaller meals, 140 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,760 must hunt almost twice as frequently. 141 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:46,400 It's the price the sparrowhawk must pay for hunting in a forest 142 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,040 that changes so radically with the seasons. 143 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:05,400 There is a forest where the game of hide and seek is even more complex. 144 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,240 The rainforest. 145 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:15,000 A place in which the perfect conditions for plant life 146 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,040 never end and the forest runs rampant, 147 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:25,280 forming the most confusing arena of all. 148 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,440 But there has to be prey hidden somewhere. 149 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:38,600 In fact, it's hidden everywhere. 150 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:44,320 The great problem of the rainforest is one of scale. 151 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,120 Most of the prey animals here are tiny. 152 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,200 How can a predator hope to survive on such small prey? 153 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,080 One answer is to be a small predator. 154 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,320 This is a Portia spider. 155 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:23,600 Rather than use a web, Portia ventures out in search of prey. 156 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:34,320 Playing hide and seek in this, 157 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,520 the mother of all mazes. 158 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:50,240 To help her in her quest, she's equipped with three superpowers. 159 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,960 First, an amazing approach to getting about. 160 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,720 Portia is a jumping spider, 161 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,040 able to leap up to 50 times her own body length. 162 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,200 Nowhere seems beyond her reach. 163 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,600 Next, her second superpower - superb eyesight. 164 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:34,240 Essential if she is to distinguish her prey in all this clutter. 165 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,360 Because her prey doesn't stray. 166 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,720 Portia is a spider-eating spider. 167 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,320 This raises a few problems - 168 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,840 her lunch is three times her size... 169 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,000 packed with venom 170 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,840 and surrounded by a sticky trap. 171 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,200 Mission impossible? 172 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:14,000 Not at all, because of her third superpower. 173 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,920 Portia is a genius. 174 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,240 She can map her world in three dimensions 175 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:27,120 and formulate a plan of attack. 176 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,320 She can have an idea. 177 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,320 The web-builder is blind. 178 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,480 It won't have a clue that she's coming. 179 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,320 Right on target 180 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,520 and safely behind those fangs. 181 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:41,720 But a mind as active as Portia's can always do with more brain food. 182 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,200 Here, there's no anchor point for the abseil. 183 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,040 But Portia has another idea. 184 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,400 Instead of going to the spider... 185 00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:08,640 she will bring the spider to her. 186 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:18,080 She plucks the strands to imitate struggling prey... 187 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:24,560 drawing the spider in.. 188 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:30,240 to its death. 189 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,600 But Portia does have her equal - 190 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:45,680 the spitting spider. 191 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:52,400 A rival stalker with its own secret weapon. 192 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,800 A bloated head armed with glue guns 193 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:03,880 that trap with sticky threads. 194 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,400 One spit in the eye would blind Portia. 195 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,600 But she knows how to avoid that. 196 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,800 Only hunt a female with an egg sac. 197 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,440 Follow at a safe distance. 198 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,280 Track it to its lair. 199 00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:42,840 A dangerous place for Portia. 200 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,960 But the spitter is distracted. 201 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,800 She's tending to her eggs. 202 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,840 Portia waits for just the right moment. 203 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:08,080 It can't spit if its mouth is full. 204 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,120 Mission possible! 205 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,360 For predators larger than Portia, 206 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:37,040 there is one way to find lots of small prey in a short space of time. 207 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,440 Wait until nightfall. 208 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,920 Under cover of darkness, 209 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,320 the forest comes alive with small animals 210 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,720 trusting that night will hide them. 211 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:05,080 It won't. 212 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,680 Some hunters ambush by moonlight. 213 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:22,440 The tarsier. 214 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,120 No bigger than a human hand, 215 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:32,920 with the largest eyes of any mammal relative to body size, 216 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,920 and huge, bat-like ears to pick out 217 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,720 a telltale scratch amongst the hubbub. 218 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,920 FAINT RUSTLING 219 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,520 The darkness can't hide an insect from a tarsier... 220 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,960 but it can hide a tarsier from an insect. 221 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,680 Because tarsiers compete for food, 222 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,120 they keep their distance while hunting... 223 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,880 each sweeping its own patch of jungle. 224 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,720 But while they hunt... 225 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,120 they too are hunted. 226 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,680 They have their own night stalker. 227 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,400 A reticulated python. 228 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:06,400 It uses scent and heat-sensing organs to find its prey in the dark. 229 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,400 If the tarsiers spot it, they know what to do. 230 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,920 HIGH-PITCHED CALL Call in the troops! 231 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:27,760 All the tarsiers in the neighbourhood 232 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,080 abandon their hunts and rally together... 233 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:39,200 ..screaming at the python with high-pitched calls. 234 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,000 TARSIERS CALL SHRILLY 235 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:52,640 The game is up, and the snake is driven away. 236 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,520 There is safety in numbers, 237 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,640 but when the commotion is over, 238 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,120 it's back to every tarsier for itself. 239 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:37,080 By day, a different game of hide and seek takes place high above, 240 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,120 in the jungle canopy. 241 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:44,440 A far more open arena, 242 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,480 hanging 30 metres up in the air, 243 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,040 and home to larger prey. 244 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,480 Troops of monkeys 245 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,400 feasting on the flowers and fruits of the giant trees. 246 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,160 Because monkeys are always at risk of falling, they need 247 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,720 forward-facing eyes to judge the distance to the next branch... 248 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:19,280 ..which means they have a blind spot. 249 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:34,080 The harpy eagle. With talons as long as a bear's claws, 250 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:39,000 and a two-metre wingspan, it's the master of the aerial ambush. 251 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,240 If a monkey is under the canopy, 252 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:47,480 it's out of the harpy's reach. 253 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,840 It's only when one breaks cover 254 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,600 that it becomes available. 255 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:12,840 MONKEY SCREAMS 256 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:25,040 The harpy's way of hunting comes at a price. 257 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:31,840 To fly with prey as heavy as a monkey, it must build enough muscle 258 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:35,200 to become the most powerful eagle on Earth. 259 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:44,120 Raising a harpy chick, therefore, takes an extraordinary commitment. 260 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:57,800 Harpies have the longest period of parental care of any bird of prey. 261 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,840 They feed their chick for up to two years. 262 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:19,480 In that time, the parents will bring it over 200 monkeys and sloths. 263 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,720 At the end of a year, it's fully grown 264 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,680 but it's far from the finished article. 265 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:43,880 It must spend many more months 266 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:48,640 building up its flight muscles for the heavy lifting ahead 267 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,760 by working out at the jungle gym. 268 00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:58,960 And, more demanding still, 269 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:03,240 it must learn the art of the ambush in this aerial world. 270 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:20,080 Trying to hide from monkeys is not easy. 271 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:38,520 There are more straightforward options 272 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:40,800 for the chick's first encounter. 273 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,240 A three-toed sloth - 274 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,720 the slowest prey in the jungle... 275 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:57,800 with no way of escaping an eagle. 276 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:19,960 It should be a formality 277 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,960 but even sloths fight back. 278 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:38,160 It's a valuable lesson. 279 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:45,040 Hunting the jungle's larger animals is never simple. 280 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,160 The chick must raise its game soon. 281 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,880 After all, this is its parents' territory. 282 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,680 If it doesn't start hunting for itself, 283 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:04,560 even after all their efforts, they may kill it 284 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,000 to make way for another that will. 285 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:19,720 While most forest predators hunt alone, 286 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,480 some work as a team. 287 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:34,840 Chimpanzees hunt monkeys by using the most complex 288 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,240 and intelligent ambush of all. 289 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,640 When they decide to do so, 290 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:46,320 the whole troop sets out on an extended trek in search of prey. 291 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,280 LOW RUMBLING CALLS 292 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:55,160 Once they hear monkey calls, all the chimps switch to silent mode. 293 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:03,720 Carefully, they move in beneath. 294 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:12,720 Colobus monkeys, 30 metres up in the dense canopy. 295 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:18,320 It's almost impossible 296 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:22,680 for a single chimp to catch a monkey in this forest. 297 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,120 The colobus are less than half their weight, 298 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:29,360 and can escape using small branches that cannot support a chimp. 299 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,920 The chimps must work together to set a trap. 300 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,360 The most accomplished hunter 301 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:44,200 judges the possible escape route of the colobus, 302 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,560 and moves silently ahead in the forest. 303 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:53,760 He takes up an advanced, ambusher position, 304 00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:56,480 hidden in the branches just below the canopy. 305 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,640 Other chimps, the blockers, 306 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,800 take his lead, climbing up either side of the colobus, 307 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:13,280 making themselves obvious to close off other escape routes. 308 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,360 The last chimp is the driver. 309 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:29,320 His job will be to chase the colobus into the trap. 310 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:41,680 When all are in position, he launches the attack. 311 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:02,960 While the driver keeps up the momentum, 312 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,680 the blockers move to close any gaps. 313 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:13,680 The monkeys flee towards the trap. 314 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:25,880 When they reach the ambush tree, the trap is sprung. 315 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:28,960 CHIMPS SCREAM 316 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:37,960 A colobus is brought to the ground. 317 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:48,160 Everyone is desperate for a share. 318 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,920 But the meat is divided up in a specific way. 319 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:58,000 The hunters take the choice cuts. 320 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,960 High-ranking females and their offspring get their share. 321 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,080 CHIMPS GRUNT AND WHOOP 322 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,440 Males who played no part in the hunt feel hard done by, 323 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:18,600 and become frustrated and sulky. 324 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,400 CHIMPS SCREAM 325 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:33,200 Meat is a precious treat in the troop's largely vegetarian diet. 326 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:38,920 But it plays a vital role in chimp society. 327 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:43,640 In sharing their catch, 328 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:49,120 the chimps reinforce the bonds that enable them to succeed as a group. 329 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,680 But for all the chimps' intelligence and teamwork, 330 00:40:56,680 --> 00:41:00,760 their hunts only succeed about half the time. 331 00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:06,960 In fact, there's only one animal 332 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,320 that has mastered the forest hunt enough to win every time. 333 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:18,640 There is nowhere to hide from it. 334 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:27,080 It is the most successful player of hide and seek on Earth... 335 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:34,640 the army ant. 336 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:41,400 This may look like a ball of a million individuals, 337 00:41:41,400 --> 00:41:44,440 but make no mistake - 338 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:46,400 the colony acts as one. 339 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:53,960 A super-organism with a sensory system of two million antennae. 340 00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:00,520 A skeleton made from the living bodies of workers. 341 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:07,040 A defence system of soldier ants 342 00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:11,080 ready to act at any sign of danger, 343 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:18,520 a digestive system processing piles of food deep inside. 344 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:25,240 Even a coordinated system for dealing with all the waste. 345 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:34,480 These are insects that, by working together, transcend individual size. 346 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:41,240 The colony can search the entire jungle 347 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:44,960 and flush out its wildlife. 348 00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:55,960 Each day, it sends out a silent probe into the forest 349 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:57,640 in quest of food. 350 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:08,240 It doesn't use scouts like other ants. 351 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:16,600 Instead, a vast search party pushes into virgin territory... 352 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,320 seeking out the signs of anything alive. 353 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:41,000 They spread out along a ten-metre front, 354 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:43,160 sweeping across the forest floor. 355 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:49,080 To find prey, the ants must first touch it. 356 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:55,240 The irony is that this, the most successful hide and seek player 357 00:43:55,240 --> 00:43:58,560 in the forest, is almost completely blind. 358 00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:04,920 It distinguishes the living only by their movement. 359 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:12,120 As long as an animal remains still, it is safe. 360 00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:18,240 But the slightest twitch will give it away. 361 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,520 Within seconds, the prey is pinned down. 362 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,920 Within minutes, it's torn apart at its joints. 363 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:41,320 The more the prey struggles, the more the ants engage. 364 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:48,160 Right across the raid front, 365 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,920 prey of all sizes are driven from their hiding places. 366 00:44:55,840 --> 00:45:00,000 Even wasps must abandon their homes when the ants arrive. 367 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,400 Everything alive in the path of the raiders 368 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:13,000 overwhelmed by sheer numbers. 369 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:24,840 All this prey is just an appetizer. 370 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:31,200 The army has found one of its chief targets - 371 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,160 a colony of a different kind of ant. 372 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,000 The nest is at the top of this tree. 373 00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:47,840 The defending black ants swarm down the tree trunk, 374 00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:50,040 and take up positions on the branches. 375 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:57,160 But the army ants send in a legion. 376 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:03,280 They lock jaws with the black ants and leap from the tree 377 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:05,000 to take them out of the battle. 378 00:46:16,720 --> 00:46:20,440 Casualties on both sides rain down from the canopy. 379 00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:30,760 But the army ants don't want the adults. 380 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:40,840 They are seeking the soft-skinned juicy larvae. 381 00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:47,560 A whole generation of white grubs is plundered. 382 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:57,280 The spoils of the ant war are carried along trails 383 00:46:57,280 --> 00:46:59,440 leading back to the main colony. 384 00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:04,880 Other lines are fresh from other victories. 385 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:23,280 The army ant raid is an unequalled phenomenon. 386 00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:31,840 Over a million hunters 387 00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:35,080 chasing hundreds of species of prey animals. 388 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:45,720 By the time the super-organism returns to its nest each day, 389 00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:48,600 30,000 animals will have been caught. 390 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:55,840 It's the largest hunt on Earth, 391 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:58,680 executed by one of its smallest hunters. 392 00:48:02,120 --> 00:48:03,760 Hide and seek? 393 00:48:04,720 --> 00:48:06,280 Game over. 394 00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:20,840 How do you film a tiger hunting in the forest? 395 00:48:21,960 --> 00:48:24,560 That's the challenge the crew faced in India. 396 00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:30,240 Only a handful of tiger hunts have ever been filmed. 397 00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:36,080 So to film the world expert at hide and seek within the forest, 398 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:39,200 the crew needed a revolutionary new approach. 399 00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:51,640 They put a stabilised cineflex camera on a crane on a Jeep. 400 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:55,480 So this lets us put the camera right down on the deck 401 00:48:55,480 --> 00:48:57,600 to get a really nice low angle thought the forest. 402 00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:01,120 If we have to look over the foliage, then we can lift it up, um, 403 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:04,880 basically try and keep the tigers in view for as long as possible. 404 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:06,640 They concentrated their efforts 405 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:10,320 on the territory of a female with four grown-up cubs. 406 00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:15,080 Actually mother and four cubs coming this side, 407 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:18,240 going through this trail you can see behind. 408 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:20,240 Right, I'm just going to show you something 409 00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:21,960 because it shocked me a little bit. 410 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:23,600 That's leopard footprints. 411 00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:28,840 And right behind them, that's a tiger footprint. 412 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:30,840 Biggest forest predator on Earth. 413 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:39,320 With the last location of the mother and her cubs identified, 414 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:41,360 the next step is to wait. 415 00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:49,160 In time, the forest will give away the tigers' location. 416 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:53,760 VARIOUS ANIMALS CALL 417 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:58,640 This side - a spotted deer giving an alarm call. 418 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:00,760 We go to check, check there. 419 00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:07,800 These animal alarms signal where the tigers are and where they are going. 420 00:50:10,160 --> 00:50:11,640 DEER CALLS 421 00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:14,080 Alarm calls, getting nearer and nearer. 422 00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:16,880 It's like listening to approaching thunder. 423 00:50:21,720 --> 00:50:23,320 Finally! 424 00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:41,320 After a few precious moments, the tiger disappears again. 425 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:47,480 It's very thick forest here. We can't see in, let alone film in. 426 00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:51,160 So we've got to have some way of getting in there safely 427 00:50:51,160 --> 00:50:53,560 so we can be near the tigers. 428 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:55,680 Luckily, we've got just the thing. 429 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:00,880 Months before the shoot, in England, work was under way to come up with 430 00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:04,880 a new answer to the problem of filming tigers in the forest. 431 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,200 The best way of filming tigers is actually to be on an elephant, 432 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:11,440 because tigers don't care about elephants. 433 00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:14,160 They're habituated to them. They don't mind. 434 00:51:14,160 --> 00:51:16,680 The idea was to move the cineflex camera 435 00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:18,680 from the Jeep to an elephant... 436 00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:27,920 using a bespoke device nicknamed the eleflex. 437 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:32,920 That's brilliant! 438 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:37,440 Built from lightweight aluminium, the eleflex weighs less than a man - 439 00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:40,720 no burden to an animal as large and strong as an elephant. 440 00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:44,520 I'll be sat on top of the elephant. 441 00:51:44,520 --> 00:51:45,640 Why? 442 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:48,200 So I don't get eaten by a tiger. 443 00:51:50,680 --> 00:51:52,560 So what's our chief problems? 444 00:51:52,560 --> 00:51:54,160 We haven't got an elephant. 445 00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:57,680 After a series of tests, 446 00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:01,200 the eleflex is ready for its field trials in India. 447 00:52:02,640 --> 00:52:04,400 Like your new tripod, Jamie. 448 00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:12,120 Indian tiger parks routinely use domesticated elephants 449 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:14,200 to patrol the forest for poachers. 450 00:52:15,720 --> 00:52:18,160 Gotham, a 65-year-old male, 451 00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:20,920 has worked with the park rangers all his life. 452 00:52:22,080 --> 00:52:25,280 Now, he's an integral member of a wildlife film crew. 453 00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:38,520 The device was designed to fit to the howdah, 454 00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:40,960 the huge saddle that elephants carry. 455 00:52:43,720 --> 00:52:47,280 Yeah, we definitely need a howdah that starts at a much higher angle. 456 00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:48,880 The field trials reveal 457 00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:52,040 that the eleflex needs a few structural adjustments. 458 00:52:56,360 --> 00:53:00,880 We're going to the next town here, um, just to find a metal worker 459 00:53:00,880 --> 00:53:03,040 who can help us strengthen it 460 00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:06,120 and a tailor to help us build some counterweight bags. 461 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:19,120 So some new improvements, 462 00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:24,600 we've got the metalwork brace that we got made yesterday. 463 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:27,960 On the other side, we've got some new weights made by the tailor. 464 00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:31,080 So all in all, I think we've got 465 00:53:31,080 --> 00:53:35,080 the howdah to balance perfectly straight now. 466 00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:38,280 Yeah, power up. 467 00:53:39,440 --> 00:53:43,120 It's time for Jamie to take the eleflex for a test drive. 468 00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:04,360 So I'm up on Gotham - 469 00:54:04,360 --> 00:54:07,720 it works a treat with the eleflex, as we're calling it. 470 00:54:07,720 --> 00:54:10,840 That means we can actually get off road and get into the forest 471 00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:13,000 and um, stick with the tigers. 472 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,520 It's tricky, but it works. 473 00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:18,480 It really does. I think we're going to get some great stuff. 474 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,360 Ready for all eventualities, 475 00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:24,160 the only thing left to do each day is find the tigers. 476 00:54:31,360 --> 00:54:35,320 Most days, however, the crew lose the game of hide and seek. 477 00:54:38,320 --> 00:54:40,840 I've never known a shoot quite like this. 478 00:54:40,840 --> 00:54:45,040 Never spent so little time with the animals we're trying to film. 479 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:48,320 But every now and again, their luck changes. 480 00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:50,160 Found you! 481 00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:53,440 Just as slow as you can, Diggy. 482 00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:03,320 The game goes on for eight weeks. 483 00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:10,400 The crew throw everything at it. 484 00:55:12,320 --> 00:55:14,040 Actually, I'm being followed right now. 485 00:55:17,480 --> 00:55:19,760 Gradually, bit by bit, 486 00:55:19,760 --> 00:55:21,960 the sequence comes together 487 00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:25,760 until the only thing that evades them is a successful hunt. 488 00:55:33,880 --> 00:55:37,000 We were tracking her, 489 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:41,000 and then we picked up two stags walking together, 490 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:42,320 we couldn't see her at all 491 00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:44,520 and we followed the two stags then back towards her. 492 00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:51,880 We got a tiger kill. 493 00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:55,800 Yeah, amazing. Very exciting. 494 00:55:57,000 --> 00:56:00,800 The tiger hurriedly drags her kill out of the sight of rivals. 495 00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:07,760 But tigers don't regard elephants as rivals. 496 00:56:14,960 --> 00:56:17,280 The eleflex meant that we could get on to the elephant 497 00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:20,640 and we could go in with her and finish the sequence off. 498 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:26,640 Grabbing a filming first is prize enough for the crew 499 00:56:26,640 --> 00:56:29,080 but Gotham deserves his reward. 500 00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:34,480 So that's what you need to play hide and seek with tigers! 501 00:56:34,480 --> 00:56:37,840 A lot of patience, Jeep, a fancy stabilised camera, 502 00:56:39,320 --> 00:56:42,920 an elephant and the luck of the gods. 503 00:56:42,920 --> 00:56:45,280 But um, came together. We managed to do it. 504 00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:46,840 Bye, Gotham. 505 00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:54,400 Next time, the hunt is on out in the open ocean, 506 00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:56,280 where prey is so scarce 507 00:56:56,280 --> 00:57:00,560 that predators are locked in a constant search for food. 508 00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:11,680 Yet this is home to the most remarkable hunters, 509 00:57:11,680 --> 00:57:14,640 including the mighty blue whale. 510 00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:19,480 For a free interactive Open University poster, call: 511 00:57:23,800 --> 00:57:26,040 Or go to: 512 00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:30,840 and follow the links to the Open University.