Original subtitles

♪♪

Narrator: ANIMALS...

DO THE MOST INCREDIBLE THINGS.

[ GOAT BLEATS ]

LIKE THIS...

AND THIS.

I BET YOU'RE WONDERING, "HOW DO THEY DO THAT?"

WE'RE REVEALING ANIMALS' BIGGEST SECRETS, LIKE...

WHY DO CATS PURR?

WHY DO LADYBUGS HAVE SPOTS?

AND HOW DID THIS GUY BECOME THE BIGGEST ANIMAL EVER?

THESE WONDERS AND MORE ON...

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS AS WELL AS BEING THE LARGEST ANIMALS

TO WALK THE PLANET, ALSO HAVE THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE BODY PART

IN THE ENTIRE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

[ TRUMPETS ]

IT'S A MARVEL OF THE ANIMAL WORLD.

NO OTHER CREATURE HAS ANYTHING QUITE LIKE IT.

[ ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ]

OKAY, ZEBRAS HAVE STRIPES AND GIRAFFES, THAT LONG NECK,

BUT EVEN SO AT UP TO 7 FEET LONG,

AN ELEPHANT'S TRUNK REALLY DOES STAND OUT IN A CROWD,

AND IT'S VERSATILE.

IT CAN REACH BRANCHES UP TO 20 FEET HIGH

AND IS STRONG ENOUGH TO LIFT OVER 700 POUNDS,

AND ITS SENSE OF SMELL IS UP TO FOUR TIMES

MORE SENSITIVE THAN A BLOODHOUND'S.

[ SNIFFS RAPIDLY ]

[ TRUMPETS ]

AND THEY'VE LEARNED TO USE IT IN INCREDIBLE WAYS.

BY HOLDING THE TIPS OF THEIR TRUNKS

ABOVE THE WATER'S SURFACE,

ELEPHANTS CAN CROSS RIVERS AND EVEN BAYS VIRTUALLY SUBMERGED.

THAT'S RIGHT.

THEY'VE LEARNED TO USE A PURPOSE-BUILT SNORKEL,

SOME BETTER THAN OTHERS.

LIVING IN HERDS OF UP TO 100,

ELEPHANTS ALSO USE THEIR SUPER-SIZED SCHNOZ

TO TRUMPET WARNINGS AND GREET ONE ANOTHER.

[ TRUMPETS ]

HELLO!

BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEEP FAMILY BONDS,

THEY EVEN USE THEIR TRUNKS TO COMFORT AND CARESS.

IT'S LIKE A BIG GRAY ARM AROUND YOUR SHOULDER SAYING,

"DON'T WORRY, MY FRIEND.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE JUST FINE."

SO AN ELEPHANT'S TRUNK IS LONG,

STRONG, AND ALWAYS THERE WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.

BUT HOW IS THIS MARVELOUS NOSE CAPABLE OF DOING SO MANY THINGS?

AT THE ADVENTURES WITH ELEPHANTS SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA,

DR. STEPHANIE SLADE HAS BEEN WORKING

WITH CHISHURU FOR 3 YEARS.

STEPHANIE SET UP A SERIES OF TESTS

TO REVEAL THE SECRET OF THE TRUNK'S VERSATILITY.

FIRST, A DRINKING TEST.

STEP ONE -- SLOSH THE WATER AROUND A BIT.

STEP TWO -- SPRAY THE CAMERA CREW.

AND STEP THREE -- TAKE A WELL-EARNED DRINK.

Slade: GOOD BOY.

GOOD CHISHURU.

IT'S JUST LIKE YOUR NOSTRILS,

BUT THAT TRUNK GOES DIRECTLY TO THE LUNGS,

NOT TO THE STOMACH OR ANY DIGESTIVE AREA,

SO THEY'LL FILL THE TRUNK WITH WATER,

AND THEN IMMEDIATELY TRANSFER THAT WATER

TO THEIR MOUTH TO SWALLOW.

SO HOW DOES HIS INCREDIBLE TRUNK DO THIS?

WELL, THE HUMAN BODY IS MADE UP OF 850 MUSCLES,

BUT AN ELEPHANT'S TRUNK IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 40,000.

THIS VAST MUSCLE NETWORK ENABLES THEM TO LIFT, TWIST

AND MOVE ANY PART OF THEIR TRUNK FROM THE BASE TO THE VERY TIP.

SO THESE HUGE, STRONG MUSCLES WITHIN THE TRUNK

ARE CONSTRICTING AND WIDENING TO ALLOW THOSE TWO NOSTRILS

TO BE LARGER TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THE WATER

THAT THEY CAN SUCK UP AND HOLD AT ONE TIME.

AN ELEPHANT CAN HOLD UP TO 2 GALLONS IN ITS TRUNK

IN ONE GULP,

AND THERE'S MORE TO THESE NEAT NOSES.

ELEPHANTS HAVE A NUMBER OF WAYS

TO USE THEIR DYNAMIC TRUNK TO PICK THINGS UP,

SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THIS CUBED

APPLES AND SEGMENTED ORANGES.

CHISHURU IS USING SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT:

TWO FINGER-LIKE POINTS AT THE TIP OF HIS TRUNK.

BY PINCHING TOGETHER THESE TWO OPPOSING TIPS,

THEY CAN GRASP OBJECTS SMALLER THAN A PIN

MAKING CHISHURU'S TREMENDOUS TRUNK THE PERFECT PICKUP.

GOOD BOY.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO TRY THE ABSOLUTE HARDEST TEST

THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH.

WHAT ABOUT A FINE POWDER?

IT'S RIGHT THERE.

THIS IS GROUND FLAX, ALSO KNOWN AS LINSEED.

CHISHURU HAS NEVER COME ACROSS POWDERED FOOD LIKE THIS BEFORE.

SO YOU CAN SEE HIM EXPANDING THE TIP OF HIS TRUNK TO SMELL

AND TO SEE WHAT IT IS.

IT'S NOT MOVING, SO HE'S NOT USING SUCTION.

IS THE LACK OF SOMETHING TO GRIP TOO MUCH

FOR EVEN CHISHURU'S TALENTED TRUNK?

THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

HE'S USING THE SIDE OF THOSE FINGERS

JUST AS YOU WOULD SWEEP SOMETHING OFF OF A COUNTERTOP.

THIS IS AS MUCH BRAIN WORK AS IT IS TRUNK WORK.

LET'S SEE HOW CHOVA,

AN ELEPHANT WHO SADLY LOST THE TIP OF HIS TRUNK,

MANAGES THE POWDERED SEEDS.

♪♪

AMAZING.

♪♪

Slade: TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN AN ADAPTING ENVIRONMENT,

THEY NEED SOMETHING THAT'S STRONG AND DELICATE,

THAT'S ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMBINED INTO JUST ONE ORGANISM.

THEY CAN ADAPT IT TO USE IT HOWEVER THEY NEED.

IT REALLY IS THE MOST USEFUL DEVICE AN ANIMAL CAN HAVE.

IT IS THE ALL-IN-ONE TRUNK.

[ ELEPHANTS TRUMPET ]

[ BIRDS CALL ]

ACROSS THE PLANET, ALL SORTS OF ANIMALS WEAR SPOTS

FROM THE WILD SAVANNAS OF AFRICA

TO THE URBAN JUNGLE OF THE LAS VEGAS STRIP,

BUT PERHAPS THE MOST VIVID SPOTS OF ALL ARE WORN BY THE LADYBUG.

THIS POP OF COLOR OBVIOUSLY ISN'T FOR CAMOUFLAGE,

SO WHY DO LADYBUGS HAVE SPOTS?

FIVE THOUSAND DIFFERENT SPECIES OF LADYBUG

LIVE ON EVERY CONTINENT ON EARTH EXCEPT ANTARCTICA.

AND, NO, LADYBUGS AREN'T ALL LADIES.

MALES AND FEMALES LOOK NEARLY IDENTICAL

EXCEPT MALES ARE A TINY BIT SMALLER.

THE MOST COMMON LADYBUG IN NORTH AMERICA

IS RECOGNIZABLE FOR ITS RED COAT AND ITS SEVEN BLACK SPOTS.

THAT'S RIGHT, THE SEVEN-SPOT LADYBUG.

SO WHY THE BRIGHT RED SHELL AND DARK BLACK SPOTS?

SCIENTISTS THINK ALTHOUGH THEY LOOK GOOD TO US,

THEY WORK LIKE A WARNING SIGN

TO PREDATORS THINKING OF EATING IT.

THAT UNMISSABLE COLOR COMBO IS LIKE A TOXIC LABEL TO SAY,

"I TASTE DISGUSTING."

AND THEY'RE NOT BLUFFING.

INSIDE THEIR BODIES ARE CHEMICALS

THAT MAKE THEM SMELL PUNGENT AND TASTE EXTREMELY BITTER,

THE SAME ALKALOIDS FOUND IN CONCENTRATED RAW BROCCOLI.

UGH.

AND ALTHOUGH THEY'RE PRETTY, THEY'RE NOT THE BEE'S KNEES

BECAUSE THESE KNEES SECRETE

A SOUR SUBSTANCE CALLED HEMOLYMPH,

WHICH MAKES THE LADYBUG'S LEGS EVEN MORE FOUL TASTING.

THEY'RE SO DISGUSTING THAT THEIR PREDATORS,

INCLUDING FROGS, DRAGONFLIES, AND TIGER BEETLES,

WILL BE SO REPULSED BY THEIR TASTE,

THEY'LL SPIT OUT THE BUG AND ALLOW A QUICK GETAWAY.

RUN, LADYBUG, RUN!

AND NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS A WELL-FED, HEALTHY LADYBUG

CAN PUT MORE ENERGY INTO PRODUCING TOXIC CHEMICALS

AND GROWING MORE VIBRANT WINGS.

LADYBUGS DON'T HIDE IN THE SHADOWS.

THEY ARE A RED AND BLACK SIGN THAT SAYS, "STAY OUT OF MY WAY."

[ BIRDS CALL ]

[ VARIOUS ANIMAL NOISES ]

COMING UP -- INCREDIBLE HEALING CATS,

THE OLDEST ANIMALS ON THE PLANET,

AND A SUPERSIZE OCEAN SENSATION.

[ CAT MEOWS ]

[ PURRING ][ CAT MEOWS ]

CATS LIKE TO CHAT.

THEY HAVE A VOCABULARY OF 16 DIFFERENT SOUNDS

FROM HOWLING[ CATS HOWL ]

AND HISSING[ HISSES ]

TO MEOWING,[ MEOWS LOUDLY ]

BUT ONE SOUND EVERY CAT OWNER LOVES TO HEAR IS THE PURR.

IT'S AS DISTINCTIVE AS A HONEYBEE'S BUZZ,

BUT IS KITTY TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING

OR DOES IT HAVE ANOTHER PURPOSE?

[ PURRING ]

THIS IS TIGER, A GORGEOUS TABBY WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS.

Quagliozzi: FOOD, ATTENTION, LOVE.

AND HERE'S THE HUMAN RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPPLYING TIGER'S TREATS.

DAN IS A CAT CONSULTANT.

YES, THAT'S A REAL JOB.

HE SPENDS HIS LIFE WORKING OUT WHAT CATS

ARE FEELING AND THINKING.

YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME, MY CATS ARE PURRING,

THEY'RE PURRING BECAUSE THEY'RE CONTENT, AND THEY'RE HAPPY.

Narrator: THE ABILITY TO PURR IS NOT SHARED BY EVERY CAT.

AROUND 10 MILLION YEARS AGO,

THE WORLD OF CATS SPLIT INTO THE ROARERS AND THE PURRERS.

THE BIG CATS, LIONS, PANTHERS, AND TIGERS ARE ABLE TO ROAR,

BUT CAN'T PURR.

SMALLER CATS LIKE CHEETAHS, PUMAS,

AND THE DOMESTIC CAT CAN PURR, BUT CAN'T ROAR.

WHAT SEPARATES PURRERS FROM ROARERS IS IN THEIR VOICE BOX.

IT CONTAINS A HORSESHOE-SHAPED BONE CALLED THE HYOID,

AND BELOW IT ARE THE VOCAL CORDS.

IN LIONS, THIS BONE IS FLEXIBLE AND STRETCHES,

LETTING THE VOCAL CORDS VIBRATE SLOWLY TO CREATE THAT DEEP ROAR.

BUT IN DOMESTIC CATS,

THE SAME BONE IS STIFF AND RIGID,

ALLOWING THE VOCAL CORDS TO VIBRATE FASTER,

CREATING THAT INCREDIBLE PURR.

[ PURRS ]

BUT THAT PURR IS NOT ALWAYS A SIGN OF A HAPPY CAT.

A NERVOUS CAT OR A FEARFUL CAT OR ONE WHO'S IN PAIN WILL PURR

BECAUSE IT RAISES A VIBRATION IN THEIR BODY,

AND IT CAN BE VERY, VERY HEALING FOR THEM.

Narrator: HEALING PURRS?

SAY WHAT?

CATS PURR AT A FREQUENCY BETWEEN 25 AND 150 HERTZ,

AND RESEARCH SHOWS VIBRATIONS AT THESE SPEEDS

CAN REPAIR BONE DENSITY AND REDUCE INFLAMMATION.

SO IT TURNS OUT THE SOUND OF THEIR LITTLE ENGINE RUNNING

IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THEM,

AND HERE'S THE GREAT NEWS FOR CAT OWNERS.

YOU COULD BE GETTING A PURRING HEALTH KICK, TOO.

IT'S PROVEN THAT CAT OWNERS HAVE LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE,

STRESS LEVELS, AND 40% LESS RISK OF HEART ATTACKS.

TALK ABOUT GOOD VIBRATIONS.

EVEN NASA IS INVESTIGATING IF THE FREQUENCY OF PURRING

COULD HELP ASTRONAUTS REPAIR

THE DENSITY OF THEIR BONES AND MUSCLES,

WHICH ARE REDUCED IN ZERO GRAVITY.

BUT THEY'RE NOT SENDING CATS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

JUST YET.

STAND DOWN, MAJOR TOM.

[ PURRS ][ SATELLITE BEEPS ]

[ BUZZING ]

COMING UP -- A 500-YEAR-OLD PHENOMENON

AND A MOUTH AS BIG AS A DUMP TRUCK.

SOME ANIMALS LIVE FAST AND DIE YOUNG, LIKE THE MAYFLY,

WHICH COMPLETES ITS LIFE CYCLE IN JUST 1 DAY,

[ WHOOSH ]IF IT'S LUCKY.

BUT SOME LIVE A LONG, EVEN VERY LONG LIFE,

SO WHAT ARE THE WORLD'S OLDEST LIVING CREATURES

AND HOW DO ANIMALS LIVE SO LONG?

AS WELL AS BEING THE LARGEST,

ELEPHANTS ARE ALSO ONE OF NATURE'S OLDEST,

LIVING TO AROUND 60 IN THE WILD.[ TRUMPETS ]

BUT THE OLDEST ELEPHANT TO HAVE PLODDED THE EARTH

WAS AN ASIAN ELEPHANT FROM TAIWAN CALLED LIN WANG

WHO LIVED TO A MAMMOTH 86 YEARS OLD.

LIN WANG WAS A CULTURAL ICON

AND A DECORATED WORLD WAR II HERO.

KNOWN AS GRANDADDY LIN WANG,

HE WAS TAIPEI CITY ZOO'S FAVORITE TUSKER

AND WAS EVEN MADE AN HONORARY CITIZEN OF TAIWAN.

[ TRUMPETS ]

PART OF THE SECRET TO HIS RIPE OLD AGE

MAY BE DOWN TO SOMETHING SCIENTISTS

HAVE ONLY RECENTLY DISCOVERED,

THAT ALL ELEPHANTS HAVE A TUMOR-SUPPRESSING GENE

THAT EVEN KILLS OFF DAMAGED CELLS,

MAKING THEM HIGHLY RESISTANT TO CANCER.

RESEARCHERS FOUND ELEPHANTS HAVE AROUND 20 TIMES

MORE OF THIS CANCER-FIGHTING GENE THAN HUMANS.

NORMALLY IN THE WILD, THE LARGER THE ANIMAL,

THE GREATER THE RISK OF CANCER, BUT DESPITE THEIR SIZE,

ELEPHANTS ARE NO MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CANCER

THAN CHIHUAHUAS.[ WHINES ]

THE NEXT OLDEST ANIMAL IS A JAPANESE FISH

WHICH CAN BE VERY COY ABOUT ITS AGE,

BUT THERE IS A WAY TO FIND OUT.

MUCH LIKE ON A TREE,

YOU CAN COUNT THE GROWTH RING MARKINGS ON THE FISH'S SCALES,

AND KOI USUALLY LIVE ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 60 YEARS OF AGE.

BUT BY COUNTING THE RINGS ON ONE PARTICULAR JAPANESE

KOI CALLED HANAKO,

IT WAS DISCOVERED SHE WAS BORN IN 1751, 5 YEARS BEFORE

MOZART, MAKING HER 226 YEARS OLD.

EXPERTS GUESS THAT THE PURITY OF THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATERS

OF THE JAPANESE MOUNTAINS MAY HOLD THE ANSWER.

SOUNDS FISHY TO ME.

JUST LIKELY BEHIND THE ELDERLY KOI IS A SLOW

AND STEADY GIANT TORTOISE FROM THE SEYCHELLES CALLED ADWAITA.

CARBON DATING ADWAITA'S SHELL REVEALED

HE WAS 255, OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE WITNESSED

THE SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

[ INTRO TO FRANCIS SCOTT KEY'S "STAR SPANGLED BANNER" PLAYS ]

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT THE SECRET TO ADWAITA'S ANTIQUITY

CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO HIS LAID-BACK LIFESTYLE.

ANIMALS WITH SLOW METABOLISMS LIKE GIANT TORTOISES BURN ENERGY

AT A FAR LOWER RATE THAN ANIMALS WITH A HIGH METABOLISM,

INCREASING THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY.

SO TAKE A LEAF OUT OF ADWAITA'S BOOK, LIVE SLOW, LIVE LONGER.

TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN AND NEARLY TOP OF THE AGE CHART IS A FEMALE

GREENLAND SHARK THAT'S FINTASTICALLY OLD.

THESE MYSTERIOUS AND LITTLE KNOWN SHARKS ARE FOUND

IN THE ICE-COLD WATERS OF THE ARCTIC.

SLOW-GROWING, THEY INCREASE IN SIZE

BY ABOUT A 1/3 OF AN INCH A YEAR

AND CAN REACH AROUND 23 FEET IN LENGTH.

SCIENTISTS WERE RECENTLY ABLE TO MEASURE THE AGE OF THIS SHARK

USING RADIO CARBON DATING OFF HER EYE,

WHICH PROVED SHE WAS AN [CLEARS THROAT] EYE-WATERING

400 YEARS OLD

MAKING THIS GREENLAND SHARK THE OLDEST VERTEBRATE ON THE PLANET,

BUT NOT THE OLDEST ANIMAL.

THE CROWN FOR THE MOST ANCIENT ANIMAL GOES TO A CLAM.

THIS IS MING, AN OCEAN QUAHOG CLAM,

AND THE LINES ON ITS SHELL WERE ALL TOO TELLING OF ITS AGE.

WITH EACH YEAR, CLAMS ADD A NEW RING,

AND SCIENTISTS FOUND THIS ONE

WAS BORN MORE THAN 500 YEARS AGO.

ALTHOUGH ONLY 3 1/2 INCHES, MING WAS ALREADY MORE THAN 100

WHEN THE FIRST PILGRIMS LANDED IN AMERICA IN 1620.

AND SINCE THEY'RE LOCAL TO THE NORTHEAST,

HE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN TO AMERICA BEFORE THEM.

[ CRUNCH, CRUNCH ]

COMING UP -- A MIGHTY MOUTH WONDER

THAT'S THE MAMMOTH OF ALL MAMMOTHS.

Narrator: BEHOLD THE GRANDADDY OF ALL ANIMALS,

NOT JUST THE BIGGEST ANIMAL ON THE PLANET TODAY,

BUT THE BIGGEST ANIMAL TO HAVE LIVED ON THE PLANET EVER.

BUT WHY IS THE BLUE WHALE SO BIG?

THIS MONUMENTAL GIANT CAN GROW TO OVER 100 FEET,

LONGER THAN A BASKETBALL COURT.[ CHEERS ]

I KNOW, AMAZING!

ITS BABIES EMERGE AT AN EYE-WATERING 25 FEET LONG

AND NEARLY 9,000 POUNDS.

OUCH.

AND YOU AND 50 OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS COULD FIT IN ITS MOUTH.

SOMETHING THIS SIZE JUST SHOULDN'T EXIST.

ALL HAIL THE BLUE WHALE.

BECAUSE THE WHALE LIVES IN WATER,

THE AFFECT OF GRAVITY IS LESS OF A RESTRICTION

ON HOW BIG IT CAN GROW.

ON DRY LAND, AT OVER 300,000 POUNDS,

ITS IMMENSE BODY WEIGHT

WOULD CRUSH ITS OWN ORGANS WITHIN MINUTES.

THE BIGGEST LAND ANIMAL IS THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT,

BUT THE BLUE WHALE'S TONGUE IS AS HEAVY AS ONE OF THOSE.

BUT THE LACK OF GRAVITY STILL DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT DWARFS

EVERY OTHER ANIMAL, EVEN IN THE SEA.

IT TURNS OUT BLUE WHALES WEREN'T ALWAYS THIS BIG.

FOUR AND A HALF MILLION YEARS AGO,

WHALES WERE MORE LIKE 30 FEET LONG.

THAT'S THE SIZE OF A GREAT WHITE SHARK TODAY.

IT'S AROUND THIS TIME THAT THEY STARTED TO GET BIGGER

AND BIGGER AND BIGGER.

BUT WHY?

IT'S THE END OF A MAJOR ICE AGE, AND RUNOFF FROM MELTING ICE CAPS

FORMED RICH BREEDING GROUND FOR TINY CRUSTACEANS CALLED KRILL,

AND THEY SUDDENLY BOOMED IN NUMBERS NEVER SEEN BEFORE,

BILLIONS, EVEN TRILLIONS, AND AN INCREDIBLE BIT OF ANATOMY

ALLOWED THE BLUE WHALE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE --

THEIR DUMP TRUCK MOUTHS.

BLUE WHALES HAVE HUNDREDS OF FLEXIBLE PLATES

ON THEIR UPPER JAW CALLED BALEEN.

A SINGLE OPEN-MOUTHED CHARGE INTO A SHOAL OF PREY

CAN TAKE IN 120 TONS OF WATER

AND HALF A MILLION KRILL IN A SINGLE GULP.

AS THEY CLOSE THEIR MOUTHS,

THE COMB-LIKE PLATES FORCE THE WATER THROUGH AND STRAIN OUT

THE KRILL LIKE A MASSIVE SIEVE DRAINING MINUSCULE PASTA.

THIS UNIQUE KRILL-CATCHING DESIGN ALLOWS BLUE WHALES

TO EAT A WHOPPING 4 TONS OR 40 MILLION KRILL EVERY DAY.

SO IT'S BECAUSE TODAY THERE IS SO MUCH WHALE FOOD

THAT WE CAN WITNESS AN ANIMAL

A SIZE THE PLANET HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

WE REALLY ARE LIVING AMONG GIANTS.