All language subtitles for y10

[narrator] Battle can be brute
- ugly.
- Sometimes so are the combatants

He looks like Pac-Man that's
gone through a wood chipper.

[narrator] But beauty
is in the eye of the beholder.

If you were a female warthog,
you'd be like,

"Wow, that's Bradley Cooper
right there."

[narrator] Whether it's looks
that can kill...

You notice the teeth
right away.

[narrator] A family feud...

You're fighting with your own
siblings. [narrator] Or all-out
assault...

They'll kick, they'll bite.

[narrator] Looks aren't
everything.

But like do you smell
beautiful?

Ugly, beautiful.

It's certainly memorable.

It is on.

[intense music]

[narrator] Everyday,
everywhere,

our planet
is a battleground.

Turf wars...

Food fights...

And mating mayhem rage on,

as animals outwit and outmanoeuvre

their own kind

in Battle of the Alphas.

The warthog is one of East
Africa's most striking animals.

At first glance,
they do seem to have a face

that only a mother
would love.

[laughter]

Warthogs get a bad rap.

Everybody's always talking about
how ugly they are.

Well, if you were a female
warthog, you'd be like,

"Wow, that's Bradley Cooper
right there."

Don't be so biased
by your human prejudice.

[narrator] So, if Joe Average
Warthog wants a chance

with the ladies -
he's gotta fight for it.

They're horribly aggressive creatures,

especially when two males come
into contact with each other,

the sparks can fly.

[narrator] Warthogs live in
sounders that form larger clans

though adult males
are usually solitary.

From 20 months they're roaming
around getting big,

getting strong,
getting into some scraps.

Then around four years of age,
they're usually ready

to find some available ladies
to mate with.

[narrator] It takes a male with
a brave heart

to chance his luck with
this clan.

But it's more about aroma
than amour.

It's not just how you look,
but like do you smell beautiful?

That big nose is a really evolutionarily

tuned machine
for picking up information.

A female advertises that
she's interested

by peeing around the edge
of the territory,

and makes sure that that pee
hits the ground and maybe

sprays up and hits her
a little bit too.

So putting out little bulletin
boards on the edge

where the males are likely
to encounter them.

They can smell and tell
how many females are around,

which one of them are receptive,

even down to which ones may be
more receptive than others.

And a male upon finding
this puddle of urine

does what any self-respecting
warthog male would do.

He pees on top of her pee
as a way of saying,

"Yeah, I'm into this.
Let's go for it."

We call that counter-marking.

It's like if you put a Post-it
up with her number on it,

and instead of ripping
the number off,

he puts a post it
on top of it saying,

"I'm responding to your ad,
but I'm also making it

a little bit harder for anyone
else to read what you put down."

[narrator] With scent glands
around their eyes and tusks,

males also leave
other fragrant notes.

When they rub their face
on something,

it gives an indication
of their height or their size.

And so you'll often see
them trying to like inch up
a little bit

to place that mark
as high as they possibly can.

[narrator] Once word is out,

he tries to woo the sow
with his beats.

The male indicates
his excitement

through these
very rhythmic grunts.

He sounds like a little train,

and he's following up behind her
like a little train.

[narrator]
However,
he's not the only one

wanting to make sweet music.

Males, in particular,
can get very aggressive

with one another, especially

when they're competing
for access to receptive females.

[narrator] Some choose
to retreat to safety

rather than duke it out.

But neither of these two
are turning tail.

They will often
size each other up first,

so they'll come face to face.

Really gives them
the opportunity

to check out the competitor.

They send tons
of visual signals.

They lift up that crest
of hair on the back.

They arc the tail to cover
the rump.

They lift the head up high.

Sometimes they'll even paw
the ground like a bull

to show that
they're ready to fight.

If they're really,
really well paired,

it'll escalate up
to the next step.

[narrator] The head is the
warthog's most prominent feature

and carries its most
dangerous weapons.

You can see the big tusks.
Those are mostly for show,

they can push things around,
but the real danger happens

with the lower tusks,
which are much sharper

and can slice flesh very easily.

They push those faces against
each other,

applying all of that weaponry,

trying to get
that manoeuvre in

so that it can slash the other
one. But at the same time,

holding all the opponent's
weapons away from your own body.

[narrator] This is where those
"warts" come in handy.

Those aren't actually warts.
They're fleshy pads

that protect it against
the weapons of the opponent.

It provides that cushion for
all that head-to-head impact.

[grunting]

[narrator] Males have
three pairs of "warts".

The largest pair is near
the eyes

and can grow up
to 15 centimetres long.

The others are on the snout
and the lower jaw.

Though fights to the death
are rare,

they do bring them
to their knees literally.

It helps them maintain
their balance.

It's very easy to tell when
one of these fights is over.

Usually, one of them is left
standing holding that territory,

and the other one is squealing
and running away

like a little piggy.

[squealing]

[narrator] But the female makes
her feelings known

if the winning boar "bores" her

There's this interesting perception

that in all of these systems,

females are just
these passive participants.

But she can still say
yes or no.

And even if he sticks around,

she doesn't have to mate
with him.

She can literally sit down.

[narrator] With a lucky mate selected,

they get down
to making piglets.

Until next time, when
Bradley Cooper and the boys

get to battle it out
all over again.

[♪]

Some animals' film-star looks
may be open to interpretation

but one animal is for sure
no handsome prince.

This is not your average
backyard pond frog.

The giant, African Bullfrog

likes to stand out in a crowd.

He's a proper uggo.

He looks like Pac-Man that's
gone through a wood chipper. -
Maybe not the cutest thing
you'll see

but it's pretty dang unique

because it is just
absolutely huge.

The males can reach about
10 inches

and up to two pounds in weight.
That's a big frog.

[narrator] During
the dry season,

African bullfrogs hide out underground

for up to 10 months.

It goes into this estivation chamber,

almost like hibernation,
but it's really just a deep,
deep sleep.

[narrator] But when the rains
come, the ground erupts.

Once the rains start to fall,

these guys and girls force
their way up from underground,

and then they motor en masse
to the newly formed ponds.

[croaking]

[narrator] African bullfrogs
are solitary,

except in breeding season.

As temporary pools form,

the bullfrogs congregate
to determine

who's the dominant male.

And the biggest bruisers
have the best shot.

The trick is, you want to be
in the middle,

the deepest part of the pond

because that is the area that's
going to survive the longest.

So the big alpha male frogs,

that's where they're aiming for.

So it's an absolute mosh pit
to try and get to the centre.

In order to do that, these
males will fight and fight.

[narrator] A group of frogs is
called an "army",

and these soldiers know
how to wage war.

When the males are trying
to get to the centre

and that fighting starts.

It's like thousands of drunk
sumo wrestlers

dancing around in a can on
the back of a bucking bronco.

They are just launching themselves

as living cannonballs
at each other,

and anything goes,
because it is on.

[narrator] And their best skill
is their most famous.

They hop, they skip
and they jump.

We all know frogs jump.
These guys are exceptional,

they've been actually found
to jump two meters.

That is multiple times
their own body length.

And for an animal
that essentially looks like
a beach ball with feet,

that's pretty impressive.

They have these thick,
big bodies,

that they use as weapons.
When they're fighting,

these frogs will actually
propel themselves at each other.

[narrator] Big is beautiful
in this froggy fight club,

here more really is more.

These guys are
really well equipped.

They are one of three species
of frog in the world

to have some sort of
teeth-like structure.

They're called odontodes,

and they're really just these
structures that grow out of
their flesh.

But it makes them incredibly
good at combat,

and it makes them
pretty aggressive fighters.

And they allow the frog

once its gripped something
to keep gripping it.

[narrator] Useful, because
his aim

is to take out the competition.

Because of these tooth-like
structures they have,

they can cause severe damage

and they can actually kill
one another.

And that's absolutely not
unheard of

in these types of fights.

They will even consume
smaller males

if it takes that to achieve
this dominant status

that they are the alpha male
of that pond.

[narrator] Finally
centre stage,

he must now attract the females

So the African bullfrog
also has a very deep,

a very bellowing call.

Now this call is incredibly important

because it's actually a way
to locate female bullfrogs.

[narrator] Hearing
the male's call,

she swims underwater
to meet him in the middle.

But as every basketball
centre knows,

you must defend
your position to score.

So even if a male successfully
mounts a female

and they begin mating,
that does not mean

that mating is going
to continue successfully.

This fight is still happening.

There is just no chivalry
anymore with these creatures.

They will cannonball themselves
into the back of mating couples

to try and knock the female out
of the grasp of the male

so they themselves
can have a chance to mate.

It really is a full-on
froggy free for all.

[narrator] As the males fight,
limbs fly in the air

as they jump and chomp down
on one another.

The usual winner is
typically the largest male.

That male is likely going
to mate with several females.

So, for the winner,

it's a chance to father the next generation,

and that is so vital
when you have these very,

very limited breeding periods.

Hence why they have such aggression

to get into the right places,
to get a chance to mate.

[narrator] As many as
4,000 eggs may be released.

And having fought so hard
to father them,

he stands guard.

So, upon first glance,
it looks like

the male is actually
a pretty attentive parent.

He actually watches over
the eggs

and watches over the hatchlings.

But then, we realize that
the male is actually

eating some of the hatchlings.

So you know he's guarding them,

but is he only guarding them
so he can eat them?

You know who knows.
It's a mixed bag

of how we feel with respect
to these babies here.

[narrator] Those that survive
daddy daycare

must now endure the dry season.

The frogs return to these
estivation chambers,

where they will return
to their deep, deep slumber

until the rains begin again.

[narrator] Though
no sleeping beauties,

they rest up until next year,

waiting for their chance
to battle it out

for their own offspring.

While bullfrogs raise
their ugly mugs to wage war,

in North America, family feuds
have a familiar face.

Turkeys surely have to be
one of the best-known birds

on the planet.

The wild turkey is one
of the most colourful,

flamboyant and round birds
in North America.

And some would argue one
of the ugliest birds.

It's got these wattles
under its throat.

It's got these kind of creased caruncles,

warty skin on the back
of its head.

It's got this long snood
that dangles unattractively

from the end of its beak.

[narrator] It may be business
in the front,

but it's all party in the back.

It's got the most
astonishing plumage.

Got this fan of bronzed,

bluey, violet
iridescent feathers.

Ugly. Beautiful.
It's certainly memorable.

[narrator] For wild turkeys,
blood is thicker than water.

And in their lives
there will be blood.

[intense music]

By the time they're six months old,

the male siblings branch off
on their own.

This band of brothers forages
together by day

and roosts together
at night.

But like all siblings,
they squabble.

In order to climb up that
social hierarchy ladder

to get your best chance of reproducing,

you have to fight
at every stage of the game.

You're fighting with your own
siblings for dominance.

These fraternal battles
are really quite intense.

And they're incredibly important
because the winner

is the one that will potentially
get to mate with the females.

Basically gets all the action.

[narrator] Before a brotherly
battle breaks out,

there's a warning call.

One of the things that
you will hear,

threat-cooing
almost like a pigeon.

And it sounds really sweet,
but in fact,

it's coming from an enraged bird

about to unleash
all of its feathers and beak

and spurs on another bird.

The threat coo.

[narrator] The intensity level
of these brawls for dominance
goes from zero to 100 in the
blink of an eye.

One of the first things they
do is they'll hit them

with their wings and
they try to bite their face

or their neck.

And they will sometimes even
grab the back of their neck

and try to push them down
to create dominance.

They really go for it.

It's so important.

They'll drive their advantages
home with their bills.

They'll try and bite
each other

and they'll try and bloody
the animal.

They'll go for the eyes,

the caruncles around the back of
the head. They'll kick, they'll
bite.

Wild turkeys have really
dangerous and lethal

sharp spurs.

It's like a three
to four-inch knife

sticking off the back
of their leg. Razor-sharp.

It's incredible.

[narrator] But their most
dangerous weapon is their beak.

One of the reasons the head
and the neck is such a target,

that's a lot of where
their display is.

It's not just the feathers,
it's not just the tail,

it's the colours.
And that bright snood

is very important for attracting
females and showing dominance.

And if you actually do damage
to any of this,

you're really going to hurt
that bird's chances

of being able to attract a mate.

[narrator] They twist and turn,

trying to pin their opponent
in a battle-ending hold.

They'll actually sometimes headlock

and almost wrestle them
into submission.

Like holding it in
a half-nelson.

[narrator] After all that fighting,

most brothers would want nothin
to do with one another.

But not wild turkeys.

The loser brother becomes
a wingman

and bodyguard during mating.

You will actually get brothers
that will display in unison.

This kind of reproductive strategy

is called kin selection.

So even though
the subordinate brother

is a real integral part
in this amazing display,

it won't get to mate.

[narrator] So why do it?

He probably hates his brother
because he's better looking,
right? Like it's really interesting.

But in fact, his own DNA
is still being passed on.

They share a huge amount
of DNA.

He might not have the action.

Who knows if his brother
dies or even gets shot,

then he may well be able to step
up and be the main man himself.

[narrator] Though they fight,

this is a brotherhood
that lasts.

Brothers may well
spend the rest of their
lives together.

It's a very strong bond.

[narrator] In the end,

these beastly brothers
have each other's backs.

Well, at least one of them does

All species
fight their own kind.

But for the top of every
food chain, there is no contest

this is an apex alpha.

[growling]

When I think apex predator,

what traits we'd have to pick?

Trait A, trait B, trait C.

A lot of those traits
that Nile Crocodile

already inherently has.

They're not always pleasant
to look at,

but to me, it's phenomenal.

[narrator] This veteran apex
has perfectly evolved.

It's an ancient predator,
and it is built for the kill.

The ancestors of
the Nile Crocodile date back

to about 240 million years old.

[narrator] This prehistoric predator

has an appetite for danger.

They're really not afraid
of anything.

It will take on other
amazing predators.

It has been known to eat
hyenas, wild dogs,

and even the king of the jungle,
the lion.

[narrator] But a thirsty young wildebeest

can be perilously unaware
of what lurks beneath.

It's sunny,
the water is shimmering,

and you're just going to go
take a sip.

So you prance right in.
Unbeknownst to you,

there is a 15-20 foot
Nile crocodile in the water,

its eyes peeping out,
watching you as you go in.

And it has a plan
to ambush and eat you.

[intense music]

[narrator] When this apex alpha attacks,

it's armed to the teeth.

You notice the teeth
right away.

With between 64 and 68
of these razor-sharp teeth

that it loses and gains back
throughout its lifetime.

[narrator] Their brutish smile
also has force.

They've got that huge mouth
that clamps shut

on whatever it wants,
with great power.

5,000 pounds per square inch.

Stronger than a polar bear.

It's stronger than a lion,

and it's certainly stronger
than us humans.

And that means that once
you're gripped, you're gripped.

But if you wanted to open
its mouth,

you'd have to use
a hydraulic car jack.

It actually is able to grab
the wildebeest

with this immense strength,
clenches down incredibly hard,

and then drags that wildebeest
into the water and submerges it.

But the jaw only works
one way, open-close, open-close.

It can't twist and grind.

So the way that these animals
break up a meal

is that they go down
into the water,

potentially drowning anything
that's still kicking.

And then they start to do
what's called a death roll.

They spin and spin and spin,

which allows them to shed and
tear off parts of their prey,

which are then small enough
to swallow whole.

[narrator] And it's not just
death on the Nile

for this predator's prey.

They're ridiculously cosmopolitan.

With a name like Nile Crocodile
you might think,

well, they're just going
to be in the Nile.

But they're actually found in
central and East Africa. And all
the way south to South Africa.

[narrator] But that's not all.

They've also spread out
to the shallow coastal systems.

Although the Nile crocodile
is a freshwater species,

they actually are incredibly
tolerant of saltwater.

Being able to go into
saltwater is no mean feat.

You've got all that salt,
which absorbs moisture.

The crocodile doesn't want
to end up all wrinkly

and craggy, he's wrinkly
and craggy enough.

They have special glands
on their tongue,

which almost act as like
weird mouth kidneys

that allow them to excrete
the extra salt

they're picking up.

[narrator] Whether in salt
water or fresh water

this apex rules.

When in the water,
their body literally undulates

from side to side,
from the tip of their nostril

to the end of their tail.

Their tail is so immensely
powerful, it propels them.

And this is where more
of its stealth work comes in.

It can move slowly
at the water's surface

without disturbing
any drinking animals

and then when it gets within
about a meter,

that massive,
powerful tail kicks in.

This is just a rudder
of muscle.

It propels the crocodile forward
like a missile,

allowing it to leap
clean out of the water.

Even more phenomenal
than that,

it can launch itself
directly upwards

and actually get prey that is in
an overhanging tree above it.

[narrator] This hunter
prizes patience.

Nile crocodiles can spend
two hours under the water,

and they do this by shutting
down various parts of their body

and changing up
their metabolism.

So they have
a four-chambered heart.

But when they go underwater,

one of those chambers
shuts down.

This helps conserve oxygen.

They redirect blood flow
in their body,

so it's only going
to the most vital of organs.

They're not wasting oxygen on
bits that they're not needing.

This is where they go
for one extra little bonus.

These animals will
actually swallow rocks.

So you heard that correctly.
Crocs eat rocks,

some crocodiles have actually
been found to have

up to five pounds
of its body mass in rocks.

[narrator] Scientists have
no definite answer

on whether this helps with
buoyancy or aids in digestion

but one thing does rock
and that is their eyesight.

They have an incredible
field of vision.

It has these little eyes
that stick above the water

like the periscope of
a submarine.

[narrator] But sometimes,
even these covert assailants

have eyes bigger
than their bellies.

That's when they need backup.

Although a lone solitary
hunting species,

it's also found frequently
to hunt cooperatively.

Because if one croc has made
a dive for an animal

that's maybe a little too big
or maybe a little too strong,

it won't be too long before
another croc comes in

thinking he can get a slice
of the action.

And then another croc,
and then another croc.

And what we see
is this melee of jaws

ripping this poor thing
to pieces.

But, on the upside, everyone
goes home with a goody bag.

[growling]

There aren't many reptiles
that I would feel

incredibly frightened
to be in close proximity to.

But the Nile crocodile
is certainly one of them.

The Nile crocodile ticks each
and every box

you could possibly want
for an apex predator.

And if you ask me, he looks like
a bit of a badass as well.

[narrator] This ancient alpha
may not be a classic beauty,

but it's not shedding
any tears.

The battlefield can be ugly

and the competitors
can be too.

They're fowl.

The assaults are unsightly.

But through it all,

they roll with the punches.

Warts and all.