Original subtitles

[ ANIMALS GROWL, CHIRP ]

Narrator: ANIMALS...

DO THE MOST INCREDIBLE THINGS...

[ GOAT BLEATS ]

...LIKE THIS...AND THAT.

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

[ CAT YOWLS ]

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

THE ASTONISHING FEATS OF THE ULTIMATE SUPERMOM,

HOW BIRD BRAINS SOLVE MIND-BENDING PUZZLES,

AND WHY DOES A SPIDER'S LUNCH GET STUCK

BUT THE SPIDER DOESN'T?

THESE WONDERS AND MORE ON "HOW DO ANIMALS DO THAT?"

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING UP THE KIDS,

KANGAROO MOMS STAND OUT FROM ALL THE OTHERS.

YOU SEE, THIS LITTLE JOEY ISN'T HER ONLY ONE.

HIDDEN DEEP INSIDE HER POUCH IS ANOTHER TINY BABY ROO,

AND GUESS WHAT?

SHE'S ALREADY PREGNANT WITH A THIRD.

WHY ARE KANGAROO MOMS SUCH BABY MAKING MACHINES?

IN A HOME JUST OUTSIDE ADELAIDE IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA

LIVE 16 ORPHAN KANGAROOS,

ALL CARED FOR BY FOSTER MOM DIANA.

Diana: THE POUCH IS MIMICKING MOM'S POUCH

TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.

IT'S A REALLY SAFE PLACE FOR THEM

THAT'S SOMEWHERE THEY WANT TO STAY.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH KANGAROO MOMS CARRY JOEYS IN THEIR POUCH

FOR UP TO A YEAR,

THE BABY ROOS AREN'T BORN INSIDE IT.

THEY HAVE TO GET THERE.

♪♪

AFTER JUST 33 DAYS GESTATING,

THE EMBRYONIC JOEY SLIPS OUT OF MOM'S UTERUS.

THE NEWBORN IS THE SIZE OF A JELLY BEAN

AND WEIGHS LESS THAN A SUGAR CUBE.

DEAF AND BLIND, AND WITH NO SIGN OF THOSE ICONIC HIND LEGS,

THE JOEY NEEDS TO MAKE AN EPIC JOURNEY

TO THE SAFETY OF HIS MOTHER'S POUCH TO SURVIVE.

BUT THE LITTLE FELLA FACES A VERTICAL CLIMB

10 TIMES HIS OWN LENGTH THROUGH THICK FUR.

AND MOM CAN'T LIFT A PAW TO HELP.

SHE WOULD CRUSH THE TINY JOEY.

SO SHE LAYS A TRAIL.

SHE LICKS HER FUR,

CREATING A SCENT RUNWAY TO GUIDE THE MINI ROO HOME.

ONCE INSIDE THE POUCH,

THE TINY ROO LOCKS ONTO A NIPPLE.

TOO WEAK TO SUCK, IT'S MOM AGAIN WHO DOES THE WORK.

SHE CONTRACTS HER MUSCLES TO PUSH OUT THE MILK

FOR HER BABY'S WELL EARNED FIRST MEAL.

SAFE AND SNUG, OVER SEVEN MONTHS,

JOEY GROWS FROM THE SIZE OF A SUGAR CUBE

TO A 10-POUND LONG-FOOTED ROO.

♪♪

AND WHEN JOEY TAKES HIS FIRST BABY HOPS OUT OF THE POUCH,

IT'S TIME FOR MAMA ROO TO MAKE ANOTHER BABY.

BUT NOT SO FAST, DAD.

SHE DOESN'T NEED YOU. SHE'S ALREADY PREGNANT.

INCREDIBLY, MOM HAS KEPT A SPARE FERTILIZED EMBRYO.

WHEN THE OLDER SIBLING LEAVES THE POUCH,

MOM'S REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

AUTOMATICALLY STARTS TO FEED

AND DEVELOP THE NEXT NEW ARRIVAL.

♪♪

THE PROBLEM IS, THE NEWBORN IS DESPERATE FOR CARBS

AND THE JOEY REQUIRES MORE FAT,

SO MAMA ROO PRODUCES TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF MILK.

HERE'S YOURS. HERE YOU GO, HERE.

SOMETHING DIANA KNOWS ALL TOO WELL.

Diana: IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT

TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE GIVING THEM

THE RIGHT FORMULA FOR THE AGE OF THE JOEY.

♪♪

Narrator: JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO ROO NUMBER TWO,

MOM IS READY TO MATE.

YES, DAD, THIS TIME YOU ARE NEEDED.

♪♪

SO WHY PRODUCE BABIES OF DIFFERENT AGES

ALL AT THE SAME TIME?

WELL, WITH HUNGRY WILD DOGS, SNAKES, AND EAGLES OUT THERE,

FEW YOUNG ROOS SURVIVE.

AND HAVING TRIPLETS COULD MEAN WEAKER BABIES,

SO THE BEST ROUTE TO SURVIVAL

IS THE BABY FACTORY THAT IS MAMA ROO.

[ GRUNTING ]

♪♪

THE ORB-WEAVER SPIDER'S WEB.

POUND FOR POUND, THIS SPIDERWEB SILK IS STRONGER THAN STEEL,

ALMOST INVISIBLE TO INSECTS,

AND IT'S COVERED IN ONE OF NATURE'S STICKIEST SUBSTANCES.

PERFECT FOR TURNING FLIES INTO SPIDER SNACKS.

[ BUZZES ]

♪♪

BUT IF A WEB IS SO STICKY, THEN...

WHY DON'T SPIDERS GET STUCK IN THEIR WEBS?

♪♪

[ CHIRPING ]

♪♪

INSIDE A WEB-BUILDING SPIDER'S ABDOMEN

IS A SILK-MAKING FACTORY,

HOUSING BETWEEN THREE AND SEVEN SILK GLANDS,

EACH ONE RESPONSIBLE

FOR PRODUCING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SILK.

THE SPIDER'S STRONGEST SILKS

ARE USED TO MAKE THE WEB'S STRUCTURAL SPOKES.

ON THEIR OWN, NONE OF THE SILK STRANDS ARE STICKY,

BUT THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE

BECAUSE THE TINY BUILDER IS READY TO DEPLOY ITS GLUE GUN.

♪♪

AIMING ITS ABDOMEN TOWARD ONE OF THE SPOKES,

THE SPIDER SQUIRTS OUT A FINER AND MORE ELASTIC KIND OF SILK,

AND THE ARACHNID GLUE GUN COVERS IT IN TINY DROPLETS OF GLUE.

[ CHIRPING ]

THE SPIDER PINS THE GLUE-COVERED STICKY SILK

TO THE NON-STICKY SPOKES,

WORKING ITS WAY AROUND IN A SPIRAL UNTIL,

AN HOUR AFTER STARTING, IT ENDS UP IN THE MIDDLE.

♪♪

THIS IS WHERE THE SPIDER LIKES TO HANG OUT

BECAUSE HERE THE NON-STICKY SPOKES CONVERGE,

FORMING A KIND OF GLUE-FREE HAMMOCK.

[ BUZZES ]

♪♪

FROM HERE, THE SPIDER FEELS FOR VIBRATIONS

THAT ANNOUNCE DINNER IS SERVED.

[ BUZZING ]TO GET THERE,

IT WILL HAVE TO TRAVERSE THE STICKY PART OF THE WEB.

THE SPIDER SETS OFF, WALKING ON TIPTOE.

FOR A LONG TIME, PEOPLE THOUGHT SPIDERS ONLY STEPPED

ON THE NON-STICKY SILK SPOKES.

BUT AS LONG AS THEIR FEET ARE KEPT SPOTLESSLY CLEAN,

THEY CAN WALK ON THE STICKY SILK TOO,

BECAUSE SPIDER TOES ARE ACTUALLY COVERED IN BRISTLES,

SO THEIR LEGS ONLY COME INTO CONTACT

WITH A TINY AMOUNT OF THE SUPER GLUE.

AND SOME ARE EVEN COVERED IN A SPECIAL GLUE-REPELLENT OIL,

SO THE GLUE DOESN'T LATCH ONTO THE SPIDER AT ALL.

BUT IF THE SPIDER'S FEET ARE DIRTY OR IF IT MISSES A STEP

AND CATCHES ANOTHER PART OF ITS BODY ON THE WEB,

THE SPIDER WILL GET CAUGHT IN ITS OWN TRAP.

♪♪

SO THE SPIDER HAS TO GO SLOW.

[ BUZZING ]

BUT WHEN DINNER LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE ABOUT TO WRIGGLE FREE,

THE SPIDER HAS TO TAKE A CHANCE AND GO FOR IT.

♪♪

SO TO AVOID GETTING STUCK TO THEIR OWN WEB,

ORB-WEAVER SPIDERS, LIKE THE REST OF US,

JUST HAVE TO WATCH THEIR STEP TIMES EIGHT.

[ FROG CROAKING ]

COMING UP, THE SECRET BEHIND THE CHAMELEON'S TONGUE.

AND WHAT DO THESE OVERSIZED EARS HEAR THAT WE CAN'T?

♪♪

Narrator: FOR ALL OF NATURE'S BRAINIACS,

THE SIZE OF YOUR GRAY MATTER MATTERS.

CHIMPS' BRAINS ARE PRETTY BIG. OUR BRAINS ARE BIGGER.

AND SUPER SMART DOLPHINS' BRAINS ARE 20% BIGGER STILL.

[ CAWS ]

AND THEN THERE ARE PARROTS.

[ SCREECHING ]

THEIR BRAINS ARE ONLY THE SIZE OF A WALNUT.

SO IN SOME PROBLEM-SOLVING TESTS,

YOU WOULDN'T THINK A ONE-YEAR-OLD PARROT

WOULD OUTTHINK A FOUR-YEAR-OLD HUMAN, BUT HE DOES.

WHY ARE PARROTS SO CLEVER?

♪♪

THE REMOTE MALUKU ISLANDS,

AN ARCHIPELAGO IN EASTERN INDONESIA,

MIGHT SEEM LIKE A TROPICAL PARADISE,

BUT TORNADOES, HURRICANES, EARTHQUAKES,

AND VOLCANOES MAKE LIFE HERE A BIT UNPREDICTABLE.

[ BIRDS SQUAWKING ]

TO SURVIVE, THE ANIMAL INHABITANTS

MUST CONSTANTLY ADAPT,

AND NONE EMBRACE CHANGE AS WELL AS THESE GOFFIN COCKATOOS.

THEIR INGENUITY HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF SCIENTISTS

AT VIENNA UNIVERSITY IN AUSTRIA.

THE BIRDS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH NEW CHALLENGES,

AND THAT MAKES THEM PERFECT INNOVATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVERS.

[ BIRD SCREECHES ]

Narrator: DR. ALICE AUERSPERG

WANTS TO SEE IF SMALL-BRAINED GOFFIN COCKATOOS

REALLY ARE CLEVER.

WELL DONE.

OR IF THEIR INQUISITIVE NATURE AND PERSISTENCE

JUST MAKE THEM SEEM CLEVER.

SHE CHALLENGED PIPPIN,

WHO HAD NEVER SEEN THIS TEST BEFORE,

TO REMOVE A PIN, TURN A SCREW,

SLIDE A BOLT,

TURN A WHEEL EXACTLY 90 DEGREES,

AND THEN SHIFT A LATCH SIDEWAYS TO GET TO A NUT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PIPPIN TRY TO OPEN THIS BOX

BY GIVING HIM THIS NICE TASTY PIECE OF CASHEW NUT INSIDE.

♪♪

Narrator: IT TAKES PIPPIN TWO HOURS TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO NOT ONLY WORK THE BOLTS AND LATCHES,

BUT ALSO DO THEM IN THE CORRECT ORDER.

SO HE'S DEFINITELY PERSISTENT.

PIPPIN.

BUT DR. AUERSPERG THINKS IF HE'S REALLY CLEVER,

HE'LL HAVE LEARNED FROM HIS EXPERIENCE

AND DO IT FASTER NEXT TIME.

HERE WE GO.

♪♪

DESPITE PIPPIN'S TINY BRAIN, HE'S REMEMBERED BOTH

HOW TO UNLOCK THE VARIOUS BOLTS AND SCREWS,

AND THAT THEY HAVE TO BE TACKLED IN A CERTAIN ORDER.

KNOWN AS RATCHET-LIKE LEARNING,

THIS IS A CORNERSTONE OF INTELLIGENCE.

♪♪

45 SECONDS.

WELL DONE.

NOW THAT WE KNOW PIPPIN IS CAPABLE OF CALCULATING PROBLEMS

AND REMEMBERING SOLUTIONS, IS HE CAPABLE OF HIGHER LEARNING?

SO THIS LOCK IS NOW MISSING, AND WE WILL SEE

IF THE BIRD GOES ROBOTICALLY AGAIN STRAIGHT FOR THE PIN,

THEN FOR THE SCREW,

OR WHETHER HE WILL SEE THAT THIS LOCK IS MISSING

AND GO FOR THIS WHEEL TYPE OF LOCK FIRST,

WHICH WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT.

♪♪

Narrator: IF PIPPIN'S REALLY CLEVER,

HE'LL REALIZE HE CAN GO STRAIGHT

FOR THE WHEEL, KNOWN AS CAUSAL REASONING.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SETS HUMANS APART

FROM ALMOST ALL ANIMALS.

♪♪

HE SEEMS TO HAVE SPOTTED THE MISSING LOCK.

HE GOES RIGHT FOR THE WHEEL.

♪♪

TRULY REMARKABLE.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

SUCH INTELLIGENCE SHOULDN'T BELONG TO A BIRD

WITH A WALNUT-SIZED BRAIN,

BUT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A PARROT'S BRAIN

SQUEEZES TWO TIMES

AS MANY NEURONS INTO THE SAME RELATIVE SPACE AS OUR OWN BRAIN.

AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT BIRDS' BRAINS

PROBABLY EVOLVED FROM DINOSAURS,

THE PARROT'S BRAIN SEEMS TO BE EERILY SIMILAR TO OUR OWN.

OUR HIGHEST LEVEL THINKING IS FORMULATED

IN OUR PONTINE NUCLEI,

WHICH IS RELATIVELY MUCH LARGER IN THE HUMAN BRAIN

THAN OTHER MAMMALS.

WELL, PARROTS HAVE THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE PONTINE NUCLEI

CALLED MEDIAL SPIRIFORM NUCLEUS,

WHICH IS UP TO FIVE TIMES LARGER IN PARROTS THAN IN OTHER BIRDS.

DR. ALICE'S RESEARCH CONTINUES,

BUT RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO BRAINPOWER,

THESE BIRDS ARE PROVING SIZE ISN'T EVERYTHING.

WELL DONE.

COMING UP, THE WORLD'S MOST AMAZING TONGUE.

AND THE SUPER POWER BEHIND THESE IMPRESSIVE EARS.

♪♪

Narrator: THE BARREN PLAINS OF NAMIBIA IN EAST AFRICA

ARE AMONG THE DRIEST ON THE PLANET.

WITH LESS THAN AN EIGHTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN FALLING A YEAR,

IT'S A HARSH PLACE FOR ANY ANIMAL TO LIVE.

BUT ONE CUNNING SPECIES HAS LEARNED TO FIND WATER

IN A WAY NO OTHER ANIMAL CAN.

HOW DO FOXES FIND HIDDEN WATER?

♪♪

IN NAMIBIA'S NAANKUSE WILDLIFE SANCTUARY,

RANGER SHAUNA JENKINS HAS BECOME FASCINATED

BY THE LOCAL POPULATION OF BAT-EARED FOXES

AND HOW THEY MANAGE TO SURVIVE IN THIS ARID DESERT.

ANALYSIS OF THEIR DROPPINGS HAS REVEALED SOMETHING SURPRISING.

Jenkins: IN THE WILD, BAT-EARS WOULD TEND TO EAT INSECTS.

ABOUT 70% TO 80% OF WHAT THEY EAT IS TERMITES.

♪♪

Narrator: NOT MUCH OF A DIET, GIVEN EACH HARVESTER TERMITE

CONTAINS A FRACTION OF A CALORIE AND A DROPLET OF WATER.

TO SURVIVE, THE BAT-EARED FOXES MUST BE EATING

AT LEAST A MILLION OF THEM EVERY YEAR.

BUT HARVESTER TERMITES HIDE FROM PREDATORS IN NESTS

AS DEEP AS 20 FEET UNDER THE GROUND.

♪♪

SO HOW DO THE FOXES FIND THEM?

♪♪

COULD THOSE FIVE-INCH EARS BE DETECTING THE IMMEASURABLY QUIET

SOUND OF TIPTOEING TERMITES?

SHAUNA'S DEVISED AN INGENIOUSLY SIMPLE TEST TO FIND OUT.

Jenkins: WE'VE GOT A SPEAKER THAT WE'VE LOADED WITH TERMITE SOUNDS

SO WE CAN DIG THAT IN IN THE GROUND.

Narrator: THE SPEAKER PLAYS A RECORDING TAKEN

FROM INSIDE A TERMITE TUNNEL.

TO US, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS.

[ SILENCE ]

NOTHING.

TO HEAR THEM,

WE WOULD NEED TO CRANK UP THE VOLUME BY MORE THAN 1,000%.

THAT'S LIKE TURNING UP THE VOLUME OF A PIN DROPPING

TO THE LEVEL OF A FIREWORK EXPLODING.

[ BURST ]

AND THEN IT WOULD SOUND LIKE THIS.

[ RUSTLING ]

50 FEET FROM THE FOX'S DEN, SHAUNA BURIES THE SPEAKER.

IF THE BAT-EARED FOXES CAN DETECT THE TERMITE SOUND,

IT WILL MEAN THEIR EARS

ARE AMONG THE MOST SENSITIVE ON THE PLANET.

♪♪

FOR 30 MINUTES, SHAUNA WAITS AND WATCHES.

♪♪

THEN, A FEMALE STOPS.

HER HUGE EARS ARE SHAPED IN SUCH A WAY

AS TO ONLY PICK UP SOUND FROM A NARROW AREA,

GIVING THE BAT-EARED FOX

THE HEARING VERSION OF TUNNEL VISION.

THEN, SHE POINTS BOTH EARS AT THE SPEAKER.

ALTHOUGH THE SOUND WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUMANS TO HEAR,

IT COULD BE THAT HER HUGE EAR CAVITY,

CALLED A PINNA, IS SHAPED IN SUCH A WAY

AS TO AMPLIFY THE HIGH PITCH TERMITE NOISE,

IN MUCH THE SAME WAY AS OUR PINNAS AMPLIFY

THE SOUND OF A DEEPER HUMAN VOICE.

Jenkins: ONCE SHE STARTS FINDING SOMETHING,

SHE SHOULD START HOLDING HER HEAD LOW.

♪♪

Narrator: SHE COCKS HER HEAD,

USING THOSE TUNNEL VISION EARS TO PINPOINT THE POSITION.

♪♪

AND IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE,

SHE'S FOUND THE SPEAKER --

PROOF THAT THESE FOXES

REALLY CAN HEAR TERMITE FOOTSTEPS UNDERGROUND.

[ RUSTLING ]

RESEARCH SUGGESTS

THAT EACH NEST CONTAINS OVER A MILLION TERMITES,

AND A BAT-EARED FOX'S 200-ACRE TERRITORY

MIGHT CONTAIN MORE THAN 500 NESTS.

THAT'S 5,000 GALLONS OF WATER AND 50 MILLION CALORIES

HIDING UNDERGROUND.

IT'S THEIR GREATEST ASSET THAT THEY HAVE FOR SURVIVAL HERE

IN THE WILDS OF AFRICA.

Narrator: THANKS TO THOSE INCREDIBLE EARS,

THE BAT-EARED FOX HAS TRANSFORMED THIS LAND OF EMPTY

INTO A LAND OF PLENTY.

COMING UP, WHAT POWERS THE CHAMELEON'S INCREDIBLY FAST

AND DEADLY TONGUE?

[ CREATURES CHIRPING ]

Narrator: WHETHER IT'S THE TREES OF MADAGASCAR,

OR THE DESERTS OF AFRICA,

ALL SPECIES OF CHAMELEON ARE SLOW,

EXCEPT WHEN THEY EAT.

♪♪

THE INSECTS HAVE GOT JUST 50 MILLISECONDS TO ESCAPE

FROM ONE OF THE FASTEST, LONGEST,

AND MOST ACCURATE TONGUES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

SO WHAT IS THE SECRET BEHIND A CHAMELEON'S PERFECT STRIKE?

♪♪

THE CHAMELEON TONGUE LAUNCHES OUT OF ITS MOUTH

AT INCREDIBLE SPEED,

REACHING ZERO TO 60 IN 1/100th OF A SECOND.

THAT'S 160 TIMES FASTER THAN A FORMULA ONE CAR'S

ACCELERATION OFF THE LINE.

THE SECRET BEHIND THEIR HIGH-VELOCITY TONGUE

IS A LONG SPIKE CALLED THE HYOID HORN.

THE TONGUE IS WRAPPED AROUND THE HORN,

WHICH IS DRAWN BACK LIKE AN ARROW IN A BOW.

[ STRETCHES ]

THEN, THE HYOID BONE AND TONGUE SHOOT FORWARD.

AT THE SAME MOMENT, MUSCLES ALONG THE HYOID BONE TIGHTEN,

SQUEEZING THE TONGUE OUT EVEN FASTER.

THE TIP OF THE CHAMELEON'S TONGUE

WORKS LIKE A TOILET PLUNGER,

SUCTIONING THE INSECT INSIDE IT.

COMBINED WITH MUCOUS 400 TIMES STICKIER THAN OUR SALIVA,

NO AMOUNT OF WRIGGLING WILL EVER PRY THE INSECT FREE.

BUT ALL THIS SPEED AND STICKINESS WOULD BE USELESS

IF THE CHAMELEON MISSED ITS TARGET IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THEIR ACCURACY RELIES ON THEIR EYES.

♪♪

EACH SEEMS TO HAVE A MIND OF ITS OWN.

OPERATING INDEPENDENTLY,

THEY GIVE THE CHAMELEON 360-DEGREE VISION,

EVEN WHEN THE CHAMELEON NEEDS TO BE STILL AND STEALTHY.

WHEN ONE EYE SPOTS ITS NEXT SNACK,

THE CHAMELEON SLOWLY TURNS ITS HEAD TO FACE THE INSECT,

AND THE OTHER EYE LOCKS ON TOO.

NOW WITH BINOCULAR VISION,

THE CHAMELEON IS ABLE TO PRECISELY JUDGE THE DISTANCE.

♪♪

AND... [ WHOOSHES ]

...IT'S ALWAYS A STICKY END.