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Even the most
respected grownup was once a
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party animal searching for love.
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Hot blood leads to
seductive behavior.
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♪ ♪
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And when the flame bowerbird
drops its jungle boogie,
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it's irresistibly weird.
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The creatures of
earth are wilder
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than you could possibly imagine.
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Among the fast and fearsome
are the astoundingly crazy.
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With strange behavior and
outrageous fashion sense.
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They're all in a
competition to survive.
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And weirdness always wins.
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♪ ♪
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Inhabiting waterways
across the globe,
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there's a strange creature.
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This pregnant dragonfly
is in a rush.
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With only eight weeks of
life, she's made the most
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of the dating pool.
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Now she needs to
deliver her eggs.
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The dark waters of a pond?
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Perfect.
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Ovipositor dipped below the
surface, she deposits her brood.
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For some, motherhood
is about care,
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nurturing and
unconditional love.
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♪ ♪
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But not this dragonfly.
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♪ ♪
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Dumping the kids and taking off
is how dragonfly mothers rule.
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Eggs laid, she splits for good.
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Months have passed.
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And the dragonfly offspring
looks nothing like her mother.
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Orphaned, she needs to
grow fast to survive.
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Natural born instincts kick in.
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With her target locked,
the nymph draws in water
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through her backside.
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Then forces it forward
to fire her lower jaw.
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♪ ♪
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For two years, the nymph
terrorizes her aquatic world.
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Growing bigger and stronger.
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The ugly hatchling has become
one of the pond's top predators.
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But the time comes when the
pond monster must be reborn.
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♪ ♪
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Water breathing gills
transform to take in air.
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She leaves the
dark waters behind
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and heads towards the moonlight.
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The nymph expands her body,
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excreting solvents
that help her molt.
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Her hard exoskeleton
cracks open.
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♪ ♪
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Like an insect Cinderella,
she's suddenly glamorous.
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♪ ♪
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But can she really leave
her dark past behind?
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Her appearance may have
changed, but she's become
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even more deadly.
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Able to fly almost 40
miles per hour.
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Executing sudden turns
in any direction.
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With a hunting success
rate reaching 95%,
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she is the most successful
predator on the planet.
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And the first chance she
gets, she'll pair up, mate,
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and dish out tough love
to her own offspring.
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They may be born into squalor,
but dragonflies that survive
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are all destined
to be high flyers.
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Beautiful, but deadly.
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New Guinea is a cauldron
of quirky courtship.
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♪ ♪
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These female flame bowerbirds
are window shopping
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for a mate.
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And this elegant
bower, come love lair,
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has aroused their curiosity.
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♪ ♪
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Constructed by the
male flame bowerbird.
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A hypnotic dance freak with
a ton of funk in his junk.
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But these gals will
need convincing,
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because he's gonna be
a fly-by-night father
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and leave her to
raise the kids alone.
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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So they are looking
long and hard.
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He's got just one chance to
show what's in his genes.
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The bower he's
built isn't a nest.
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It's just a stage to
entertain the ladies.
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He fusses over the
final touches.
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She's still not convinced.
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But this isn't his first rodeo.
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He knows just the thing
to light their fire.
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Accessorize.
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Nothing pulls the ladies
like a splash of color.
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Baubles of blue, purple, and
gray arranged to seduce.
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Oh, that's lured one in.
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♪ ♪
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And now that he has an audience,
it's time to bust a move.
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♪ ♪
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Plain Jane is mesmerized.
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Her own Magic Mike.
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♪ ♪
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The bower makes it steamier.
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The walls frame his performance.
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♪ ♪
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From where she stands,
he looks bigger,
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flashier, and totally
irresistible.
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The male flame bower bird is
truly funk meister number one.
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♪ ♪
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He gets down to business.
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And heads for the door.
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Because this bad boy has
more booty calls to make.
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♪ ♪
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This pair of
four-lined tree frogs are
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up and ready for
a little romance.
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They're soon to be
upmarket parents.
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The kind that spoil their kids
and leave them a fortune.
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♪ ♪
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But first, a moment of passion.
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♪ Oh yeah ♪
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The male is smaller, but
he has big ambitions.
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Why not add a bubble bath
for a touch of glamor?
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But there's no bed out here.
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So they use mucus secreted
from their back legs.
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It forms a dense foam
nest, which will harden
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on the outside, but
remain moist within.
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Creating a crusty, but
weirdly luxurious,
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incubation chamber.
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The female releases her
eggs into the nest.
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The male frog
fertilizes the clutch.
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Rain forest rendezvous complete.
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They leave their offspring
with a glistening endowment
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to see them through.
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Three days later,
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rainwater dissolves
the foamy refuge,
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and tadpoles emerge.
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After such a
pampered upbringing,
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the first of nature's
truths hits hard, hunger.
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Time to dip into the trust fund.
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The foam nest they
once called home
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is also a source of food.
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♪ ♪
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Growing pains kick in as the
pampered youth sprout limbs,
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and gills are replaced
with air-breathing lungs.
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Within weeks, the
froglets emerge
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from their aquatic dorm rooms,
ready for some adulting.
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All too quickly, the
rush of hormones
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and this new generation
of silver spooners
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are looking for frog love too,
bequeathing the family fortune
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to golden scions of their own.
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Life for a wood duck mother
is a continual test.
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♪ ♪
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She's flat out feeding
on pond weed and snails,
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while her ex sits
around and preens.
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He's all flash and no substance,
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leaving her to bring
up the kids alone.
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Mother duck has safely laid
her eggs in a top floor roost.
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There's no need for
babysitting up here.
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They're safe from
almost anything.
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Almost.
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♪ ♪
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Rat snakes eat eggs
for breakfast,
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and they're clever climbers.
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A couple of duck eggs
are easy pickings.
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♪ ♪
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Down in the water,
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mother duck has no idea,
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but she may not give a quack,
because wood ducks need
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to be as hard as nails.
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♪ ♪
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From the moment they hatch,
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her little flock face
sky high challenges.
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Number one, they're way up here.
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Number two, mom's down there.
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And three, the rat snake's back.
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Eggs are fine, but soft little
duck nuggets are next level.
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It's crunch time.
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Or at least it will be,
if the ducklings don't
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make a leap of faith.
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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00:19:06,479 --> 00:19:09,015
Wood ducks
are born base jumpers.
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The final chick and
the snake is close.
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Time to get the
duck out of here.
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All the ducklings have made it.
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One small step for motherhood,
one giant leap for ducklings.
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00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:02,568
This lone penguin
is about to face
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one of Earth's
craziest challenges.
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Survive the most brutal
winter on the planet,
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while balancing an
egg on his feet.
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00:20:24,323 --> 00:20:26,892
Thousands of Antarctic
emperor penguins
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have quartered,
mated, and laid eggs.
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One per couple.
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♪ ♪
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00:20:43,242 --> 00:20:45,778
They've got just one
complicated job.
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Keep it warm while
hell freezes over.
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Winter is on the doorstep, so
it's time for the female to
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00:20:56,522 --> 00:20:59,258
hand over her precious cargo.
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00:21:00,793 --> 00:21:03,863
Too many seconds on the ice
and the egg will freeze.
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00:21:06,165 --> 00:21:10,002
Emperor dads protect their eggs
by cradling them on their feet.
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00:21:12,671 --> 00:21:16,642
Under a luxurious belly
of fat and feathers.
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00:21:22,381 --> 00:21:24,683
Every father will
remain on the ice
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00:21:24,817 --> 00:21:26,652
through the depths of winter.
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00:21:29,622 --> 00:21:32,591
♪ ♪
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00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,030
While the mothers journey up
over 60 miles to the sea,
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where they will forage
until spring returns.
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00:21:44,904 --> 00:21:49,975
♪ ♪
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00:21:56,816 --> 00:22:00,152
This is the last son
the fathers will see
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00:22:00,286 --> 00:22:01,820
for more than two months.
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00:22:10,863 --> 00:22:16,502
In the darkness, battling
savage winds and starvation,
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00:22:16,635 --> 00:22:20,639
their sole mission is to
keep their eggs covered
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00:22:20,773 --> 00:22:21,774
and off the ice.
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00:22:24,310 --> 00:22:26,979
Instinctively, they
form a huddle.
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00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:34,653
Penguins on the outside
protect penguins within
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00:22:34,787 --> 00:22:37,423
against the cold, biting winds.
209
00:22:45,831 --> 00:22:49,835
Shifting constantly,
every bird spends time
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00:22:49,969 --> 00:22:51,804
in the warm heart of the huddle.
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00:22:55,541 --> 00:22:58,177
Heat at the center can
reach an incredible
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00:22:58,310 --> 00:23:01,013
98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
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00:23:05,985 --> 00:23:09,755
Sustaining the scrum for
nearly two months nonstop
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00:23:10,656 --> 00:23:12,458
takes a heavy toll.
215
00:23:15,527 --> 00:23:19,732
Sadly, not every father
masters the skill.
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00:23:24,970 --> 00:23:28,807
Even the strongest males
lose half their body weight.
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00:23:36,081 --> 00:23:38,284
♪ ♪
218
00:23:38,417 --> 00:23:41,553
As spring approaches,
chicks begin to hatch.
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00:23:41,687 --> 00:23:50,896
♪ ♪
220
00:23:51,030 --> 00:23:54,733
They're born into the
toughest environment on earth
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00:23:54,900 --> 00:23:58,537
and their fathers have
little left to give.
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00:24:05,277 --> 00:24:07,980
A meager meal of
protein-rich crop milk
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00:24:08,113 --> 00:24:11,116
secreted from a gland
in their esophagus.
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00:24:11,250 --> 00:24:16,422
♪ ♪
225
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:26,999
Just in time, the females
return with bellies full.
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00:24:28,834 --> 00:24:32,871
In a rookery of thousands,
they must call for their mate.
227
00:24:37,643 --> 00:24:41,447
The female locates her partner,
desperate to see her young
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00:24:41,580 --> 00:24:43,515
offspring for the first time.
229
00:24:46,752 --> 00:24:49,555
After months of
nurture and hardship,
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00:24:49,688 --> 00:24:52,024
the male is a little reluctant.
231
00:24:53,125 --> 00:24:54,593
The exchange begins.
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00:24:56,228 --> 00:24:57,930
It needs to be quick.
233
00:24:58,063 --> 00:25:02,301
Exposure to the ice can kill
newborns in just minutes.
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00:25:06,004 --> 00:25:09,608
At last, the chick
can feed properly.
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00:25:09,742 --> 00:25:16,648
♪ ♪
236
00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:22,287
Finally, it's the
male's turn to feed.
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00:25:23,789 --> 00:25:26,759
♪ ♪
238
00:25:28,060 --> 00:25:31,730
The Antarctic ice pack is
now at its full extent.
239
00:25:36,568 --> 00:25:40,305
He'll spend days crossing
the ice to find open water.
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00:25:42,608 --> 00:25:45,577
♪ ♪
241
00:25:52,084 --> 00:25:54,887
There are few more
heroic dads in nature
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00:25:56,288 --> 00:26:00,726
and no better reward than an
epic fishing trip with the guys.
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00:26:10,135 --> 00:26:13,772
Some species lay
it all on the line for love.
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00:26:17,376 --> 00:26:20,779
These salmon have
destroyed their very lives
245
00:26:20,913 --> 00:26:22,748
in the hope of romance.
246
00:26:23,816 --> 00:26:26,785
♪ ♪
247
00:26:32,157 --> 00:26:35,427
But long before love
steals their breath away,
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00:26:37,963 --> 00:26:42,634
male salmon hatchlings grow up
in the river of their birth.
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00:26:46,972 --> 00:26:52,411
Eventually, it's time to
graduate to the open ocean.
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00:26:54,546 --> 00:26:56,949
These are their bachelor years,
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00:26:57,816 --> 00:27:00,719
living free and
hanging with the guys.
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00:27:00,853 --> 00:27:04,990
♪ ♪
253
00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:06,458
But as they mature,
254
00:27:08,627 --> 00:27:13,031
they feel the urge to settle
down and have a family.
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00:27:17,703 --> 00:27:22,241
Red, hot and randy, they
know just where to go.
256
00:27:24,610 --> 00:27:27,679
The spawning grounds
where mom and dad met.
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00:27:27,813 --> 00:27:37,789
♪ ♪
258
00:27:41,527 --> 00:27:43,829
They swim for miles
against the current,
259
00:27:45,864 --> 00:27:48,534
hoping the party won't
start without them.
260
00:27:55,774 --> 00:27:58,911
But getting there
is so darned hard.
261
00:28:13,292 --> 00:28:15,060
And who invited these guys?
262
00:28:15,194 --> 00:28:25,137
♪ ♪
263
00:28:32,644 --> 00:28:37,115
Big, hairy bouncers
weeding out the weaklings.
264
00:28:37,249 --> 00:28:47,226
♪ ♪
265
00:28:52,664 --> 00:28:55,534
With the grizzlies in
the rear view mirror,
266
00:28:55,667 --> 00:28:59,638
our hookup party for the ages
finally kicks into gear.
267
00:29:05,143 --> 00:29:07,412
Everybody's looking hot.
268
00:29:08,380 --> 00:29:14,119
The guys run wild, hitting
on the girls and vibrating,
269
00:29:14,252 --> 00:29:16,989
encouraging them to lay eggs.
270
00:29:20,158 --> 00:29:22,294
♪ Oh yeah ♪
271
00:29:23,829 --> 00:29:28,233
At last, a partner and a
family on the horizon.
272
00:29:29,501 --> 00:29:31,737
If only they could enjoy it.
273
00:29:34,339 --> 00:29:37,542
But these guys left
it all on the field
274
00:29:37,676 --> 00:29:40,879
and there's nothing
left to give.
275
00:29:41,013 --> 00:29:42,014
They're punching out.
276
00:29:45,817 --> 00:29:48,920
When they die, their
decomposing bodies
277
00:29:49,054 --> 00:29:50,455
nourish their young.
278
00:29:51,189 --> 00:29:54,326
♪ ♪
279
00:29:56,528 --> 00:30:00,465
For never was there a
story ending in more roe
280
00:30:00,599 --> 00:30:04,469
than of these salmon
Juliets and their Romeos.
281
00:30:11,343 --> 00:30:12,044
Africa.
282
00:30:14,746 --> 00:30:20,152
Thousands of years of evolution
have created wildlife's
283
00:30:20,285 --> 00:30:21,586
biggest stars.
284
00:30:22,688 --> 00:30:27,326
Flamboyant exhibitionists,
crowd pleasers.
285
00:30:31,196 --> 00:30:32,998
And action heroes.
286
00:30:34,866 --> 00:30:37,969
But the biggest box
office draw of them all,
287
00:30:39,271 --> 00:30:40,839
the sausage tree.
288
00:30:47,846 --> 00:30:52,517
Weird
fruit, weird flowers,
289
00:30:52,651 --> 00:30:56,755
and an even weirder way
of spreading its seed.
290
00:31:01,426 --> 00:31:05,564
When you're rooted to the spot
like the Kigelia sausage tree,
291
00:31:07,966 --> 00:31:11,903
you need a little help
to scatter your seeds.
292
00:31:14,773 --> 00:31:18,910
Step one, gather a fan base.
293
00:31:21,346 --> 00:31:25,150
Use your leafy green
canopy to entice animals
294
00:31:25,283 --> 00:31:26,218
into the shade.
295
00:31:26,351 --> 00:31:29,354
♪ ♪
296
00:31:33,058 --> 00:31:37,596
Step two, give the
audience what they want.
297
00:31:39,931 --> 00:31:41,800
Sausage tree flowers
have evolved
298
00:31:41,967 --> 00:31:45,337
a seductive kind
of rancid perfume
299
00:31:46,471 --> 00:31:48,507
that everybody loves.
300
00:31:53,912 --> 00:31:57,082
And out here in Zambia's
Luangwa Valley,
301
00:31:57,215 --> 00:32:01,553
nothing says eat me quite
like kicking up a stink.
302
00:32:09,528 --> 00:32:12,531
Vervet monkeys come
in expecting lunch.
303
00:32:16,334 --> 00:32:18,770
But find dessert instead.
304
00:32:20,539 --> 00:32:22,707
Gorging on sugary nectar.
305
00:32:22,841 --> 00:32:25,944
♪ ♪
306
00:32:26,077 --> 00:32:29,881
In return, the tree
coats them in pollen
307
00:32:30,015 --> 00:32:33,151
that they'll carry to
other sausage trees,
308
00:32:33,285 --> 00:32:34,920
pollinating their flowers.
309
00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:52,137
In just a few weeks,
the sausage tree's reproductive
310
00:32:52,270 --> 00:32:54,739
strategy shows results.
311
00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:59,411
Behold, the sausage fruit.
312
00:33:08,353 --> 00:33:14,125
The sausage tree needs an animal
agent to extract its seeds.
313
00:33:26,671 --> 00:33:31,243
Heat and drought resistant,
a windfall of sausage
314
00:33:31,376 --> 00:33:34,512
fruits is a bonanza
for starving animals.
315
00:33:34,646 --> 00:33:40,752
♪ ♪
316
00:33:49,594 --> 00:33:51,930
Enter the olive baboons.
317
00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:09,714
They gnaw through
the shell easily.
318
00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:16,788
♪ ♪
319
00:34:16,922 --> 00:34:19,824
Devouring the fleshy
pulp and seeds inside.
320
00:34:22,427 --> 00:34:25,564
♪ ♪
321
00:34:30,268 --> 00:34:33,138
Within a few hours,
the urge to poop
322
00:34:33,271 --> 00:34:36,474
sausage tree seeds
runs through the troop
323
00:34:36,608 --> 00:34:38,343
like a wave of dyspepsia.
324
00:34:41,513 --> 00:34:44,816
For the sausage tree,
mission accomplished.
325
00:35:01,733 --> 00:35:03,568
When the rains finally come,
326
00:35:07,038 --> 00:35:10,041
the young sausage
saplings spring to life.
327
00:35:22,787 --> 00:35:28,126
Emerging into the spotlight,
one day to take their place as
328
00:35:28,259 --> 00:35:31,830
icons of the African savannah.
329
00:35:39,170 --> 00:35:42,841
Meet Australia's flying foxes.
330
00:35:44,342 --> 00:35:47,779
Masters of life in the
upside down under.
331
00:35:57,088 --> 00:36:03,528
♪ ♪
332
00:36:06,398 --> 00:36:09,567
For some, the idea of
mating upside down
333
00:36:09,701 --> 00:36:13,938
might seem on the far
side of experimental.
334
00:36:14,072 --> 00:36:18,043
For the fruit bats, this
is as normal as it gets.
335
00:36:18,977 --> 00:36:23,748
Inverted, females hang onto
the males by their ankles
336
00:36:24,716 --> 00:36:27,519
while he grabs onto her
neck with his teeth,
337
00:36:27,652 --> 00:36:29,888
pinning her wings to her side.
338
00:36:36,928 --> 00:36:39,864
♪ ♪
339
00:36:47,305 --> 00:36:49,474
Their encounter is over.
340
00:36:59,350 --> 00:37:03,254
A year later, the baby
bats are starting
341
00:37:03,388 --> 00:37:05,657
to get the hang of adult life.
342
00:37:14,099 --> 00:37:17,702
But there's no upside down
time for the bat mothers.
343
00:37:19,471 --> 00:37:22,774
They must teach their pups
the ways of the forest.
344
00:37:24,909 --> 00:37:27,912
Like how to find
fruits and nectar.
345
00:37:37,522 --> 00:37:42,360
And as the sun climbs
higher, how to stay cool.
346
00:37:46,464 --> 00:37:49,801
Because these bats
have a fatal flaw.
347
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,309
Above 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
348
00:37:58,443 --> 00:38:00,845
flying foxes can die
from heat stress.
349
00:38:05,750 --> 00:38:09,654
So baby bats need to
learn how to take a dip.
350
00:38:15,827 --> 00:38:19,264
Coarse hairs on their belly
and chest absorb water,
351
00:38:19,397 --> 00:38:21,833
which they lick
off at the roost.
352
00:38:36,281 --> 00:38:37,682
But it's a gutsy mission.
353
00:39:17,655 --> 00:39:21,693
The lucky surviving mothers
return to the roost,
354
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:27,298
reuniting with their
pups and the safer world
355
00:39:27,432 --> 00:39:29,500
of life upside down.
356
00:39:42,513 --> 00:39:46,317
In the far flung reaches
of the Indian Ocean,
357
00:39:46,451 --> 00:39:49,621
there is a strange island,
358
00:39:49,754 --> 00:39:54,025
seething with
ritualistic mating rites.
359
00:39:56,761 --> 00:39:59,697
♪ ♪
360
00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:05,303
A scarlet kingdom
of crustaceans,
361
00:40:05,436 --> 00:40:07,672
unlike anywhere on earth.
362
00:40:10,508 --> 00:40:13,411
Where red crabs gather
beneath the quarter moon
363
00:40:13,544 --> 00:40:16,247
in an orgy for the ages.
364
00:40:24,422 --> 00:40:26,457
♪ ♪
365
00:40:26,591 --> 00:40:30,495
The Christmas Island crab
is a pleasure seeker
366
00:40:30,628 --> 00:40:34,599
extraordinaire. For
most of the year,
367
00:40:34,732 --> 00:40:38,136
these crabs live the single
life in the rainforest.
368
00:40:44,942 --> 00:40:47,912
But come the wet
season's first rains,
369
00:40:52,684 --> 00:40:57,422
the island erupts in an
amorous mass migration.
370
00:41:04,028 --> 00:41:07,298
In order to mate,
these land crabs need
371
00:41:07,432 --> 00:41:09,300
to get back to the beach.
372
00:41:10,368 --> 00:41:13,504
♪ ♪
373
00:41:16,674 --> 00:41:20,812
But they live far from
the nearest coastline
374
00:41:23,948 --> 00:41:26,884
and man-made obstacles
litter their path.
375
00:41:27,018 --> 00:41:36,994
♪ ♪
376
00:41:41,299 --> 00:41:44,469
Powerful hormones flood
the crabs' bodies.
377
00:41:46,838 --> 00:41:50,808
Pumped up on these love
drugs, island traffic is a
378
00:41:50,942 --> 00:41:52,477
mere inconvenience.
379
00:41:57,415 --> 00:42:02,387
These frisky crabs
risk more than just
380
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:03,788
a broken heart.
381
00:42:08,826 --> 00:42:18,770
♪ ♪
382
00:42:22,507 --> 00:42:26,010
Finally, they reach
the ocean's edge.
383
00:42:31,382 --> 00:42:34,886
The larger male crabs
arrive before the horde
384
00:42:37,321 --> 00:42:40,024
and are the first to
inseminate the females.
385
00:42:40,158 --> 00:42:44,762
♪ ♪
386
00:42:54,605 --> 00:42:58,910
After mating, the females
congregate by the shoreline
387
00:42:59,043 --> 00:43:01,512
in pregnant anticipation.
388
00:43:03,247 --> 00:43:06,851
Before dawn, when the moon
reaches its last quarter,
389
00:43:06,984 --> 00:43:11,289
♪ ♪
390
00:43:11,422 --> 00:43:15,827
the females release more than
a billion eggs into the water.
391
00:43:21,365 --> 00:43:23,701
Larvae hatch instantly.
392
00:43:28,039 --> 00:43:32,643
Over the next month, their
transformation is spectacular,
393
00:43:34,912 --> 00:43:38,382
developing into fully
formed baby crabs.
394
00:43:39,784 --> 00:43:44,422
The crimson tide of new life
reclaims Christmas Island.
395
00:43:45,723 --> 00:43:49,360
Just another incredible
origin story,
396
00:43:49,494 --> 00:43:53,598
and living proof evolution
is alive and conjuring
397
00:43:53,731 --> 00:43:57,702
every conceivable way
for life to succeed.