Original subtitles

From the iconic big cats that enthrall us...

To the little-known small cats

that are just coming into the light...

this is a remarkable family of predators.

They are super athletes...

Super hunters...

Possessing super senses.

Now, groundbreaking filming techniques

and a surge in scientific research

are revealing new facets of this amazing

super family.

Dawn in the Namibian desert.

Cheetahs are one of the few cats

to form long-term coalitions with their siblings.

For males, the relationship might be life-long.

They'll do everything together...

even hunt.

Few cats can resist a chase...

but none give chase quite like a cheetah.

The latest science tells us

cheetahs rarely reach their record top speed.

So, if cheetahs don't rely simply on being fast,

how do they catch their prey?

It's a question that requires a new perspective.

This high-speed buggy is mounted with

a stabilized slow-motion camera

to give us the prey's-eye view.

Their sprinting prowess is unrivaled.

But this new approach reveals that there's far more

to cheetahs than just straight line speed.

Cheetahs must not only keep up with their targets,

but react to every twist and turn.

Their blunt claws are running cleats that provide traction.

Even at 50 miles an hour,

the grip allows them to change direction, instantly...

And their long tails whip around to keep them upright.

They can also brake hard.

Strong bones are shock absorbers,

dissipating forces that could break a human leg.

Cheetahs are more than just sprinters outrunning prey

on open plains...

They're agile...

and maneuverable.

They're elite athletes.

And where that really counts

is here, in woodland.

This is an obstacle course

where the prey's best chance is to weave and turn to escape.

So a cheetah can rarely hit top speed.

This chase is not a race...

It's a dance.

The prey leads...

and the predator must follow.

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land,

incredible sprinters,

but so much more.

Even now, iconic cats like cheetahs can still surprise us.

And there are other members of this extraordinary family

about which we know even less.

Hiding in this Sri Lankan jungle

is a cat so rare, few have ever seen it.

Exploring the world beyond his den for the first time

is a miniature predator.

The smallest feline in the world...

A rusty spotted cat.

He may look like a kitten --

He'd still fit in the palm of your hand.

But this little male is nearly full grown.

He'll soon be setting off on a solitary life,

fending entirely for himself.

What he lacks in size,

he makes up for in daring.

Young cats are born curious --

it's how they learn about their world...

Even if it can get them into trouble.

Right away, he puts his super senses through their paces.

His eyes are six times more powerful than our own

and sensitive to the slightest movement.

His whiskers, rooted in a bed of nerves,

detect the faintest touch or the gentlest breath of wind.

His hearing is better than ours too...

tuned to sounds that are completely imperceptible

to the human ear.

And his sense of smell is capable of distinguishing

between a billion different odors.

This little cat is alert to every change

in his surroundings...

But now it's time to learn which sounds...

or sights...

signal danger.

Every step of today's adventure

has been stored away in his memory.

He's building a 3-D map of the jungle in his head...

so he can find his way home in a flash.

All cats, from the smallest to the biggest,

share extraordinary skills and abilities

that have allowed them to conquer all four corners

of the globe.

Siberian tigers prowl frozen forests.

They are 200 times bigger than a rusty spotted cat...

but just as elusive.

In Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest wetland,

jaguars are on the hunt for monsters.

For their size,

they have the strongest bite of any cat...

even making short work of huge caiman crocodiles.

The jungle canopy of South and Central America

is the realm of the tree climbing margay.

They can judge distances perfectly...

A critical skill if you're to clear a gap of 12 feet

with a single leap, high above the forest floor.

And when it's time to descend,

their ankles rotate 180 degrees

so they can walk vertically down.

Whether it's hunting in the swamps of Asia...

or patrolling the oldest desert in Africa...

cats thrive everywhere.

They've even conquered the highest mountains on Earth:

the Himalayas.

It's a place where food is scarce...

So, to survive, you need a huge territory.

This vast wilderness of sheer cliffs and bare rock

is home to the snow leopard...

the world's highest, and just maybe

most lonesome cat.

This aging male is searching...

but not for food...

He's looking for a mate.

The task would be nearly impossible

if it wasn't for a cat's unique ability

for long distance romance.

His long-lasting and pungent spray

carries his dating profile.

"Male, single, would like to meet."

Both males and females spray,

posting their romantic status

to any and every one that passes by.

So he diligently patrols these paths every day

in the hope that a potential mate has passed through.

At his most eager, he'll scent mark 20 times an hour.

It may take a week or more to cover his entire territory,

but his search must go on, day after day,

in spite of the Himalayan weather.

He checks for scent...

then leaves his own.

Here, he discovers a female has left her mark.

Rubbing his own scent over hers,

he declares his interest.

This male might just have one last chance to mate.

Could this be it?

On the wind, the call of a distant female.

Just maybe this male's search is over.

For male cats, life is a lonely existence...

But for females, it's very different.

This is Honey...

a female African leopard --

and a mother.

A radio collar is giving researchers an insight into

the life of the most elusive of Africa's big cats.

Leopards thrive in more environments than any other cat,

but that doesn't mean their lives are easy.

At 10 years old,

Honey has outlived her brothers and sisters.

Somehow, she's survived a broken leg,

and now, during the worst drought in decades,

she's hunting for two.

For mother cats, childcare is a balancing act

between protection and provision.

If they're to hunt successfully,

a leopard must do so alone.

So she's left her young cub behind.

A tail twitch --

Honey is on to something.

The drought has withered all vegetation,

so there's little cover.

She needs to get close -- within 12 feet --

to stand any chance of success...

And anything could give the game away.

Foiled by Africa's most annoying alarm call.

She might be empty-handed,

but it's time to get back to her cub.

It's been 36 hours since she left...

and young cubs are prone to wander.

Her calls are unanswered.

Half of all leopard cubs don't survive their first year.

A cub's best chance

is to stay hidden until she's sure it's safe.

Honey's youngster already has a leopard's knack for stealth.

She can even give her mother a surprise.

For the last six months,

she's grown strong on milk.

But now she's developing a cat's appetite for meat.

A mother leopard always has a backup plan.

Honey has stashed a kill

safely out of the reach of thieves.

For her cub, this is an important lesson --

and the first of many.

Across the cat family, kittens and cubs have a long infancy.

It takes time to learn the skills needed

to hunt for themselves.

Often brothers and sisters are on hand for training.

Play is the key to honing coordination...

Building strength...

And agility.

The bond between them might endure for years,

probably the closest relationship they'll ever have

with another cat...

But there is one life skill which they must master alone...

The surprise attack.

Patagonia.

An unforgiving wilderness

where South America ends

and the Antarctic begins.

It's home to a secretive cat

that can only survive here

thanks to an eye for opportunity.

Puma, the most southerly cat.

Once a year, these Magellanic penguins come ashore to nest...

a lifeline for a hungry cat.

This may seem ruthless, even callous,

but pumas must take what's here today

in case tomorrow it's gone.

This is what it takes to survive in Patagonia.

As night falls,

more cats arrive.

It's an extraordinary moment.

The abundance of prey

means territorial boundaries are ignored,

and, for now, these usually solitary creatures

rub shoulders.

It won't last.

The nesting season is soon over,

and the penguins return to the sea.

The cats move on.

Thanks to their adaptability,

they are the most widespread mammal in the Americas.

At the other end of the continent,

the planet's most northerly cats

have chosen a very different path...

In a wintry wonderland

with a record low of minus 80 degrees.

The Yukon is the coldest place in North America.

This is Big Foot country.

But these prints belong to a very unusual cat...

a Canada lynx...

One whose high tech accessories

are at last letting us in on

a life almost impossible to observe.

This is L4 Zero, aka Kronk.

Scientists and shaman agree,

lynx are the keepers of secrets.

You could spend years looking for a lynx

and never see more than a footprint.

And even if you did catch a glimpse of one,

it would soon give you the slip.

Until now.

Kronk's every move is tracked,

offering insight into the world's ultimate game

of cat and mouse --

or rather, cat and hare.

Throughout these cold days,

a lynx needs to eat often...

And up here there's only one thing on the menu.

Snowshoe hares.

In fact, a lynx's very survival depends on them.

Helpfully, there's plenty around.

These hares breed like, well...

rabbits.

So it's just a matter of spotting one.

Although Kronk seems to be oblivious,

cats' eyes are fine-tuned for detecting movement...

so his is a game of patience.

To survive in these freezing conditions,

Kronk must catch at least a hare every day...

and use as little energy as possible doing it.

If he can avoid a chase, he will.

No cat is looking to make life any harder than it has to be.

For most cats, survival is a solitary endeavor...

But there is one famous exception.

Africa...

Home to the King of Beasts.

Lions may be legendary,

but among cats they're strange.

That's because they're the only ones who live together,

the only truly social cat.

The pride is a family

and an alliance.

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania.

Here they're famous for forming super prides --

huge groups can tackle the most formidable prey in Africa.

In the dry season, lions come together to defend riverbeds...

where they need only wait for thirsty prey to come to them.

In numbers, lions find the strength and audacity

to face Africa's giants.

But once they're discovered,

their chance has gone.

It won't be long before another comes their way.

This buffalo herd is hundreds strong.

Each one weighs more than three lions combined.

And they fight back.

Lions suffer more injuries and fatalities from buffalo

than from any other adversary.

This female is nursing three cubs...

And also a serious wound inflicted by a buffalo.

A debilitating injury like this is not just painful...

It's potentially life threatening

for both her and her cubs.

They are all hungry.

On her own, this is hopeless.

But she's not alone...

She's part of the pride.

No other cat can bring down a colossus like this.

And now she will be able to feed her family

and allow her wounds to heal.

Living in a pride sets lions apart.

It's an extraordinary alliance,

but it's not just about big game hunting...

This is an extended family that supports and protects

every mother and her cubs.

That makes lions, surely,

the most extraordinary members of a remarkable animal family.

Next time...

the most secretive cats with surprising lives.

Living in the world's most remote and unexpected places.

Discover how cats have conquered the planet.

-"Nature's" three-part series continues,

from the oldest desert in Africa

to the highest mountain on Earth,

cats are leading extraordinary lives.

They are acrobats in the jungle...

and opportunists on the beach...

big or small, cats have conquered the planet.