1 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,840 Our planet is home to millions of different animals. 2 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:23,600 The big and the powerful capture our attention... 3 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,600 but there is another story to tell. 4 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:31,680 Beneath our feet are hidden almost magical worlds... 5 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:37,440 ..teeming with extraordinary little creatures. 6 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,120 The world looks very different to them. 7 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,400 A falling acorn becomes a meteor... 8 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,680 ..a tiny trickle, a tsunami... 9 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,080 ..and every enemy is a giant. 10 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,920 Now, using the latest technology, 11 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,720 we can recreate the world from their perspective. 12 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,760 These are tales of life from the African plains... 13 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,280 and America's Sonoran Desert... 14 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,320 ..in the Hidden Kingdoms. 15 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:36,960 MOUSE HOWLS 16 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,120 East Africa... 17 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,600 and the largest animals that walk the Earth. 18 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,840 But look closely beneath their feet 19 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,000 and you will see a network of tiny trails... 20 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,160 ..and the tiny creature that constructed them. 21 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,000 She's an elephant shrew, 22 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,040 known by her African name "sengi". 23 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,000 Trails like this are the secret to a sengi's survival. 24 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,040 They're race tracks that allow them 25 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,400 to sprint through this miniature jungle. 26 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,480 To escape their enemies and chase down food, 27 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,360 all they really need... 28 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:11,960 is speed. 29 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:32,080 For their size, a sengi is twice as fast as a cheetah. 30 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,600 Just off trail is her youngster. 31 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,840 Sengi babies spend their first few days in hiding, 32 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,360 waiting for their mother's fleeting visits. 33 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:06,640 The mother's high-speed lifestyle 34 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,160 requires even more fuel now that there are two mouths to feed. 35 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:24,160 She's forced to forage in the far corners of her territory. 36 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:34,200 Generations of termites built this mountain fortress... 37 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,880 but now it's the home of a hunter. 38 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:47,960 ROARING 39 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,520 A monitor lizard can taste a scent trail. 40 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:09,760 But the forked tongue does more. 41 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,640 Its shape means it tastes in stereo... 42 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,760 ..so it not only knows that prey passed by, 43 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:24,560 but in which direction it was headed. 44 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,000 SHE SQUEAKS 45 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,920 A mother's instinct is to lure away the danger. 46 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,400 Sengi know their trails so well, 47 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,000 they can normally outrun an enemy. 48 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,400 But the world above is beyond their control. 49 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,720 With the trail suddenly blocked, 50 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,560 there's no escaping the predator. 51 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,440 SHE SQUEAKS 52 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,520 With her mother gone, 53 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:08,440 how will the youngster learn the secrets of sengi life? 54 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,200 Nearly 10,000 miles away, 55 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,440 on the other side of the world, 56 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,320 a different hidden kingdom... 57 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,560 ..in America's Sonoran Desert. 58 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,480 Long before the first human settlers, 59 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,400 there were already families 60 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,120 struggling to make this wilderness home... 61 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:55,040 ..and they're still here. 62 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,600 A family of grasshopper mice. 63 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,600 The father has long gone. 64 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:21,120 This mother is raising four hungry mouths alone. 65 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,080 20 days after they arrived 66 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,880 kicking and squeaking into the world, 67 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:29,960 they're furred and feisty. 68 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:38,360 They're not quite ready to make it on their own, 69 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,880 except for one. 70 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:45,320 An hour older and bolder than his brothers, 71 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:51,280 he already has the urge to explore the world beyond his birthplace. 72 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,040 DISTANT HOWLING 73 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:03,920 Every night, his mother goes out to find food. 74 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:17,200 And she sees things out there that could scare a young mouse to death. 75 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,200 There are more venomous creatures here than anywhere in the USA. 76 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,400 THUNDERCLAP 77 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,280 No place for the timid. 78 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,640 But she's not your average mouse. 79 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:11,680 Her kind has never known a time without this ancient adversary. 80 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,920 It's why old-timers would call her by an earlier name... 81 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,320 ..scorpion mouse. 82 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:31,160 The sting of a scorpion can cause death in humans. 83 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,080 But a grasshopper mouse has almost superpowers. 84 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,200 Their reactions are faster than a scorpion strike... 85 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,040 ..their bodies immune to the venom. 86 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,040 They specialise in killing deadly prey. 87 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,720 MOUSE HOWLS 88 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:12,120 To defend their territory, they stake a claim 89 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:13,840 with a warning howl. 90 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,760 HIGH-PITCHED HOWLING 91 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:25,360 If we were shrunk to mouse size, it would sound more like a wolf. 92 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,560 The young grasshopper mouse knows nothing 93 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:34,960 of the dangers outside his door. 94 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,520 But barely three weeks old, 95 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:51,160 growing curiosity means he's about to face them. 96 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:59,840 The desert will soon have him running for his life. 97 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:30,480 In Africa, the orphaned sengi must learn to fend for herself. 98 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,320 Without a mother to guide her, 99 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,160 she has no sense of who is friend or foe. 100 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,360 Curiosity gives way to hunger. 101 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:44,720 For the first time, she's driven onto the trails her mother left. 102 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,240 A young sengi must eat every few hours. 103 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:58,240 Catching enough food is a challenge. 104 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,880 It's no good trying to fight through thick grass. 105 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,680 Obstacles just slow you down. 106 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,080 The penny drops. 107 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:25,200 The trail is the key to finding food fast. 108 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:33,040 So, to maximise speed, a spot of spring-cleaning is in order. 109 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,080 The smaller the mammal, the higher its metabolism. 110 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:43,880 So, in the hidden kingdom, 111 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,080 there's a constant race to fuel your lifestyle. 112 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,520 It's why sengis are a little...fussy. 113 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,640 They can spend half their waking hours tidying their home. 114 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,760 The sengi needs to clear away everything that gets between it... 115 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,080 and its food. 116 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:08,680 But no matter how hard you work, 117 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,840 some problems are just too big to deal with... 118 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,760 ..even for the most house-proud sengi. 119 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,520 RUMBLING 120 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:17,560 SHREW SQUEAKS 121 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:20,920 ELEPHANT RUMBLES 122 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,040 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 123 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,200 Things seemed to be going so well. 124 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,560 Luckily, in the hidden kingdom, help is at hand. 125 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,280 Dung beetles can sniff the whiff of dung half a mile away. 126 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,160 Within minutes, thousands helicopter in. 127 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,480 Without these miniature marvels, 128 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,920 the savanna would be drowning in dung. 129 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,080 Serrations on their head saw it up... 130 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,920 ..and legs like spades shape the dung into perfect balls. 131 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,200 Most just take enough to eat. 132 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,880 Others are out to attract female company. 133 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,120 And for that, the bigger the balls, the better. 134 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,800 She climbs on board for the ride. 135 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,920 Later, she'll lay her eggs inside... 136 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,360 ..as soon as the male finds them 137 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,120 a secluded spot where they can start a family. 138 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:04,160 Pound for pound, a dung beetle is stronger than an elephant. 139 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,680 Sadly, this is no consolation when their worlds collide. 140 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,440 Still, it's not all bad. 141 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:29,840 At least the trail is clear. 142 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,920 Alas, bigger problems are brewing on the horizon. 143 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:50,640 THUNDERCLAP 144 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,920 In the Sonoran Desert, the remaining youngsters 145 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,000 wait patiently in the burrow for their mother. 146 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,000 HIGH-PITCHED HOWLING 147 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,480 They're getting a taste of the world outside. 148 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,760 So far, their mother has protected them from its dangers. 149 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,960 But there's nothing she can do for her eldest. 150 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,600 He faces his first night in the desert alone. 151 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:07,200 The heat absorbed by this desert road lures insects at night. 152 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:11,720 It's the perfect place for a hungry mouse to find food, 153 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,880 and for others to set up an ambush. 154 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,600 There are more rattlesnakes here than anywhere else on Earth. 155 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:45,240 A grasshopper mouse tiptoes through a living minefield. 156 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:42,160 Grasshopper mice face deadly locals every night. 157 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,000 Usually a dry riverbed would be a place of safety. 158 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,000 But tonight a powerful force threatens... 159 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,960 ..one so rare, a mouse could go its whole life without seeing it. 160 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:22,160 This refuge will soon become a trap. 161 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:26,360 There are places in this desert 162 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:29,640 that don't see a drop of rain for 1,000 days. 163 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:39,800 Yet when it does arrive, a year's worth can fall in a single night. 164 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,920 For one so small, wet fur can lead to a fatal chill. 165 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:03,440 A mouse shakes up to 30 times a second, generating forces of 70G. 166 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,240 It may have rained, 167 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:13,200 but months of blazing sun has baked Arizona's earth as hard as stone. 168 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,720 The water can't soak away. 169 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,720 Instead, it gathers momentum 170 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:25,880 as it races downhill. 171 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,920 To us, it's a tiny stream. 172 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,040 To a mouse, it's a 12-inch high tsunami. 173 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:49,720 MOUSE SQUEAKS 174 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,280 Back in Africa, the grassland is tinder-dry. 175 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:40,760 For now, life in the Hidden Kingdom appears tranquil. 176 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,280 When it comes to perseverance, a young sengi could learn a lot 177 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,760 from Africa's hard-working waste disposal expert. 178 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:08,080 Dung beetles can push the equivalent of a three-tonne truck. 179 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:12,880 It provides all the food this male's family will ever need. 180 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,960 The trouble with keeping your head down, though, 181 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,720 is that you can't always see where you're going. 182 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,320 Dung beetles don't give up. 183 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,800 Even when they've lost the ball, they get right back on, 184 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,920 heading off in the same direction, no matter what is in their way. 185 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:36,400 The secret to super strength is diminutive size. 186 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:39,640 Small animals weigh less, 187 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:43,040 so waste less muscle power moving their bodies. 188 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,840 Relative to body weight, the smaller the animal, the stronger it becomes. 189 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,760 They are unstoppable. 190 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:02,240 Almost. 191 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,640 Wildebeest stampede for a reason. 192 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,400 Down here, you're the last to see trouble ahead. 193 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,840 A sengi's trails are its greatest strength 194 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,080 and its Achilles heel. 195 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,920 They're so dependent on them, they're effectively a prisoner. 196 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:40,040 Every year, lightning sets the bone-dry savanna alight. 197 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,520 Few small creatures can escape the inferno. 198 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:24,520 When fire threatens, she can outrun the flames... 199 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:37,840 ..but it's into the unknown, 200 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,000 leaving the very trails that kept her alive. 201 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,240 High noon in the Wild West. 202 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,760 So hot, the last drop of water is long gone. 203 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,680 The highest temperatures are down at mouse level, 204 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:37,000 where it can reach a blistering 60 degrees centigrade. 205 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,240 It's a side of the sun-scorched desert 206 00:34:44,240 --> 00:34:46,600 a nocturnal mouse should never see. 207 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:51,680 Except for those washed up, exhausted, 208 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:54,760 and swept very far from home. 209 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:38,840 In daytime, the desert is a real-life Jurassic Park, 210 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,600 where heat brings the lizards to life. 211 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:54,440 This realm of reptiles is ruled from the air. 212 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,280 BIRDS CRY 213 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,040 Harris hawks. 214 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,640 "Eyes like a hawk" is no empty phrase. 215 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:16,280 Their vision is thought to be eight times as good as ours. 216 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,960 It's hard to outwit this intelligent team. 217 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,720 They're the world's only pack-hunting raptors. 218 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:57,080 While one attempts to flush the prey, 219 00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,160 others prepare an ambush. 220 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:13,240 Hawks tend to eat animals alive, 221 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:16,840 so have giant talons to hold down struggling prey. 222 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:49,360 Long, feather-free legs are ideal for extracting mice 223 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,800 from those hard-to-reach places. 224 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,240 When one victim is out of reach, 225 00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:09,320 it pays to be open to other opportunities. 226 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:23,080 A zebra-tailed lizard is the fastest in the West. 227 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:30,000 But a collared lizard will chase anything that moves. 228 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:38,160 Both accelerate so fast they can't help but "pull a wheelie". 229 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,880 At times, like tiny T-rex, they're on two legs. 230 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:18,480 When danger threatens, only one has this trick up its sleeve. 231 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,720 With a shimmy beneath the sand, the zebra-tail is saved. 232 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,160 A collared's colours make it an easier target. 233 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:40,080 BIRD CRIES 234 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:50,400 The daytime is not safe for a grasshopper mouse. 235 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,360 BIRD CRIES 236 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:57,440 For now, best to wait till darkness falls. 237 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:16,200 Africa. 238 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:23,600 It's hard to see a fire as anything but disaster. 239 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:27,520 But for the savanna, it's as natural as the rising sun. 240 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:48,920 As the smoke clears, it's already recovering. 241 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,880 For the survivors, it brings fresh hope for the future. 242 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,960 The dry grass burns so swiftly 243 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:34,600 that a sengi trail can survive almost unscathed. 244 00:42:41,720 --> 00:42:45,880 It's nothing that an enthusiastic spring-clean can't solve. 245 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:57,160 Around the trail, the grassland doesn't so much recover 246 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,440 as burst back into life. 247 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:09,040 The flames have swept away the old, 248 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:13,400 allowing fertile ash to fuel the growth of fresh young grass. 249 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,640 In a few short days, the savanna is transformed. 250 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:28,680 And the sengis' world is once again restored. 251 00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:41,040 She's home. 252 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:47,440 And as long as she looks after the trails, they will keep her alive. 253 00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:09,200 Sundown in the Sonoran. 254 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:13,480 This is the time when grasshopper mice were born to venture out. 255 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:26,520 Their territories can be over 300 metres wide... 256 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:31,400 ..and marked with a distinctive scent. 257 00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:39,720 When close enough, a lost mouse can follow its nose, all the way home. 258 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:52,240 It's true to say that the things we want in life 259 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:54,400 are not always the things we need. 260 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,440 So it is that there comes a time 261 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:02,080 when every youngster faces a difficult choice. 262 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:12,120 An easy life... 263 00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:16,560 ..or independence. 264 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:24,800 The world is full of danger. 265 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:31,200 But what would life be without a challenge? 266 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:40,520 Life will be hard. 267 00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:45,560 But not even a two-headed monster will slow it down. 268 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:53,680 The false head of a venomous, giant centipede confuses predators 269 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:55,200 and packs a powerful punch. 270 00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:04,800 It's the real head that inflicts the venom. 271 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:12,680 But this is a scorpion mouse. 272 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:14,040 And as they say, 273 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:17,640 what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. 274 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:37,360 MOUSE WAILS 275 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:50,720 MOUSE WAILS 276 00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:54,280 Their mothers give them the start they need. 277 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:59,600 But it's their own experience that finally makes a man of the mouse. 278 00:47:02,720 --> 00:47:08,040 At less than four weeks old, he's finally ready to leave his home... 279 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:15,760 ..to wander the desert alone. 280 00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:34,400 These two tiny lives may be separated by continents, 281 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:38,120 but for all youngsters, the challenges are the same. 282 00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:43,520 They'll face hardship. 283 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:55,040 There will be twists and turns along the way. 284 00:47:57,640 --> 00:48:00,440 With luck, they'll avoid the dangers 285 00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:04,840 and live their extraordinary lives running free. 286 00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:15,680 Little guys don't always finish last. 287 00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:21,080 And heroes come in all sizes, 288 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:24,680 especially in the Hidden Kingdom. 289 00:49:00,720 --> 00:49:04,520 In this series, the team's mission was to show viewers 290 00:49:04,520 --> 00:49:08,360 the natural world from a completely new perspective. 291 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:15,760 To achieve their goal, 292 00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:19,720 they had to combine their experience as wildlife film-makers 293 00:49:19,720 --> 00:49:23,760 with techniques learned from the world of feature films, 294 00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,720 using special effects, storyboards, 295 00:49:26,720 --> 00:49:31,080 but most crucially of all, a great cast of characters. 296 00:49:32,320 --> 00:49:34,600 Cameraman Jip and producer Simon 297 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,480 set off into the wilds of Kenya to find them. 298 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:41,440 The animals in the series were small, 299 00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:44,440 but the kit required was greater than ever, 300 00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:46,040 weighing almost half a tonne. 301 00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:50,760 The theory is, the smaller the things you film, the more kit you need. 302 00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:56,400 After dark, Simon discussed his ambition with the team. 303 00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:59,240 If there was one thing I'd really love to get, it's just trying 304 00:49:59,240 --> 00:50:02,120 to give the audience an impression of what it might feel like 305 00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:03,360 to be running down there, 306 00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:07,000 just a couple of inches high off the ground at the same speed as a sengi. 307 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:10,080 So, basically like a car chase? Yeah, a sengi car chase. 308 00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:13,720 To learn as much as possible about the sengi, 309 00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:16,840 next morning they met with trackers from the local village. 310 00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:22,880 Trackers are more used to finding lions or big game, 311 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,600 but these had been using their skills to piece together 312 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:27,400 the sengis' movements. 313 00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:30,080 Yeah, this is the poo of the sengi. 314 00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:35,160 And with their help, they soon spot one of the distinctive race tracks. 315 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:38,320 Here's a trail. Really, where? There. 316 00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:41,320 You're kidding. No, it goes over there. 317 00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:45,760 But it is true when you come down here, you definitely can see a path. 318 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:47,280 That's a great sign. 319 00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:51,360 It wasn't long before the team got their first glimpse. 320 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:53,760 There it goes. Wow, that was right in the distance. 321 00:50:53,760 --> 00:50:55,040 Did you see that? 322 00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:00,240 It just went "vooom!" That is amazing. 323 00:51:00,240 --> 00:51:02,320 Did you even get it in shot? I don't even know. 324 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:05,880 I mean, I think I wasn't framed where it was. 325 00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:09,080 This was going to be harder than they thought. 326 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:11,560 The ground they're covering in that time is ridiculous. 327 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,040 Jip, keep your eyes open. 328 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:18,760 Jip moved into position. The sengi continued to run rings around them. 329 00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:21,640 Oh, there he goes, he went straight past you. 330 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:25,600 It would be tricky but the team put their plan into action. 331 00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:33,800 Work began on building the perfect stage for the Hidden Kingdom stars. 332 00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:35,880 First, for a dung beetle. 333 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:39,080 By building stages in the savanna, 334 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:41,720 the team could film the animals from low angles 335 00:51:41,720 --> 00:51:45,320 to show the audience the true scale of this Hidden Kingdom. 336 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:53,000 To recreate the world from a small creature's perspective 337 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:55,920 would require some special effects. 338 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:58,280 Another technique, the use of blue screen. 339 00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:00,440 We can then cut out the blue background 340 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:02,160 and replace it with something else. 341 00:52:02,160 --> 00:52:04,040 And all these elements come together 342 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:05,960 to create this kind of Hidden Kingdoms look. 343 00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:11,920 The stage is set. 344 00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:17,760 Tomorrow they would go in search of the one thing 345 00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:20,080 that would attract the beetles. 346 00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:23,080 Time enough to implement their plan for the sengi. 347 00:52:24,640 --> 00:52:28,400 They would need to win its trust... 348 00:52:28,400 --> 00:52:33,440 and began to build a special filming territory, complete with trail. 349 00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:36,880 If a sengi would adopt their track, they had a chance, 350 00:52:36,880 --> 00:52:39,720 and Jip knew how he could keep up. 351 00:52:39,720 --> 00:52:43,400 The camera's going to whizz down here... 352 00:52:43,400 --> 00:52:45,680 at sengi speed, which is... 353 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:47,760 well, lightning speed, really. 354 00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:54,400 To get down on the sengis' level we have to dig a trench, 355 00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:57,960 dig a blooming great hole to put the camera in, and the cameraman in, 356 00:52:57,960 --> 00:53:01,240 so that we're eyeball to eyeball with this incredible animal. 357 00:53:04,560 --> 00:53:07,200 After a lot of work with a pick and shovel, 358 00:53:07,200 --> 00:53:09,440 the track was ready for a test run. 359 00:53:12,240 --> 00:53:14,080 This should give you something to look at. 360 00:53:14,080 --> 00:53:16,560 Every Hollywood star needs its own stand-in. 361 00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:18,120 And, three, two, one. 362 00:53:21,080 --> 00:53:25,240 If they could earn the sengis' confidence and work with them, 363 00:53:25,240 --> 00:53:29,680 they might have a chance of bringing this animal's incredible abilities 364 00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:31,240 to the screen. 365 00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:39,280 But obviously at ten times the speed. 366 00:53:39,280 --> 00:53:41,840 You know, this might just work. Yeah. 367 00:53:45,120 --> 00:53:48,200 The following morning, the team got up well before dawn 368 00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:50,080 to collect the vital ingredient 369 00:53:50,080 --> 00:53:52,600 that would attract the beetles to the stage. 370 00:53:57,320 --> 00:53:59,840 At the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, 371 00:53:59,840 --> 00:54:03,200 young elephants are cared for by their keepers 372 00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:06,040 until they're ready to head back into the wild. 373 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:09,360 Our chances of obtaining elephant dung have drastically increased. 374 00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:13,320 The crew would join them on their daily walk 375 00:54:13,320 --> 00:54:16,200 to seize any opportunity that presented itself. 376 00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:19,560 Morning. 377 00:54:21,120 --> 00:54:23,720 You on that? Nice close up. 378 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:28,520 It's a two-trowel technique now. 379 00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:31,640 That one was nice, solid, good form. 380 00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:34,040 ELEPHANT BREAKS WIND 381 00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:36,480 THEY LAUGH 382 00:54:36,480 --> 00:54:38,080 Elephant flatulence. 383 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:40,240 It's a good sign, it's a good sign. 384 00:54:40,240 --> 00:54:42,440 It really smells bad. 385 00:54:48,960 --> 00:54:53,000 With the secret ingredient to hand, they could return to the stage, 386 00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:58,120 watch the skies, and wait for the dung castle to work its magic. 387 00:54:58,120 --> 00:55:01,840 Here he is. Look, look, look, look, look. 388 00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:03,320 There's our star. 389 00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:05,320 The first sighting. 390 00:55:05,320 --> 00:55:08,000 They are coming in from all directions. What do you want to do? 391 00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:09,520 Look, straight for it, look. 392 00:55:10,720 --> 00:55:13,920 At last, the beetles can take the stage. 393 00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:15,760 Welcome to the Hidden Kingdom. 394 00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:17,760 The great thing about these beetles in the wild 395 00:55:17,760 --> 00:55:20,440 is they just pick a direction and they keep going and keep going 396 00:55:20,440 --> 00:55:22,720 and keep going - they're the perfect actors. 397 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:30,960 But despite this success, as the days wore on, one worry remained. 398 00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:38,120 Would a sengi ever adopt the trail they'd built 399 00:55:38,120 --> 00:55:42,560 and trust the team enough to race alongside it? 400 00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:44,800 OK, try one as fast as you can. Ready? Yeah, I got it. 401 00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:50,760 What would happen? 402 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:56,320 THEY LAUGH Did you get that? 403 00:55:56,320 --> 00:55:58,400 Well, it went through frame, for sure. 404 00:55:58,400 --> 00:56:01,120 The trails are so important to the lives of these tiny creatures 405 00:56:01,120 --> 00:56:04,280 that they were even willing to forgive the questionable 406 00:56:04,280 --> 00:56:06,600 trail-building skills of the team. 407 00:56:06,600 --> 00:56:09,680 I just need to be slightly ahead of him... 408 00:56:09,680 --> 00:56:13,440 All they had to do now was keep up. 409 00:56:13,440 --> 00:56:15,440 I was behind that then. 410 00:56:15,440 --> 00:56:17,160 You've got a tail disappearing. 411 00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:22,760 The sengi weren't slowing down but eventually Jip managed to keep up. 412 00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:27,840 That felt more on it. 413 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:30,200 It was close. I lost him towards the end. 414 00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:34,440 Oh, the moment of truth. 415 00:56:36,160 --> 00:56:40,440 He's through. Look, he's running, he's running. 416 00:56:40,440 --> 00:56:43,280 There was certainly a moment. That was more than a moment. 417 00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:46,640 It's going to work, it's going to work. 418 00:56:46,640 --> 00:56:50,480 This was one of the many filming territories required to capture 419 00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,960 the story of the sengis' Hidden Kingdom. 420 00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:57,920 After a brief spell as TV stars, 421 00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:01,920 it was as if we had never visited their world. 422 00:57:06,480 --> 00:57:11,080 Come on, up over the top. Brilliant. You superstar. 423 00:57:11,080 --> 00:57:14,760 Camera speed. On the move in three, two... 424 00:57:17,800 --> 00:57:21,960 Here we go, this is it. Fantastic, guys. Well done. 425 00:57:23,040 --> 00:57:26,840 The crew's adventure in the miniature world was over, 426 00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:30,120 but they returned home with a new-found admiration 427 00:57:30,120 --> 00:57:32,760 for the little things in life, 428 00:57:32,760 --> 00:57:36,080 those extraordinary tiny heroes. 429 00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:43,560 Next week, we enter the Hidden Kingdom of the forest, 430 00:57:43,560 --> 00:57:47,400 a secret woodland and a steaming jungle. 431 00:57:48,880 --> 00:57:53,320 Two tiny heroes must fight for survival, 432 00:57:53,320 --> 00:57:55,320 escape their enemies... 433 00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:02,360 ..and above all, learn to use the incredible powers 434 00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:04,040 they were born with.