All language subtitles for The Mating Game (Çiftleşme) BBC Natural World 2013 720p HDTV EN Sub_Subtitles01.ENG

East Africa,...

..and something is
stirring in the grass.

These male widow birds
are desperately flinging

themselves into the air...

..all to try and impress the ladies.

One female flies in
for a closer look whilst

he proudly shows off around a grassy
palace, built purely for effect.

Animals will go to
extraordinary lengths to win a mate.

There are show-offs and romantics...

..singers and dancers,
even some who resort to brute force.

The challenges of winning a perfect
partner create some of the most

beautiful and spectacular
sights in the natural world.

Yet it's also a far more complex
contest than we might imagine.

Beneath the surface lies a web
of intrigue, surprising strategy

and fascinating biology.

Science is slowly revealing what
it takes to win at the mating game.

The Arctic, millions of
square miles of empty ice.

Polar bears are normally solitary.

You might think that even finding
a partner in this desolate

landscape would be a real challenge.

But they have an excellent
sense of smell

and can detect another
bear from miles away.

Male bears can spend weeks tracking
the scent of a female

who's ready to mate.

They sniff closely
to size each other up.

She'll raise her cubs alone,
devoting herself to them

for two, even three years.
It's a huge commitment of time

and effort, so it's vital to pick
a male who will provide strong

and healthy genes for her offspring.

It looks as though she's going to
put this potential suitor

through his paces!

She leads him
up and down the slopes.

It's as if she's
testing his fitness.

They start to play.

Courtship is one of the few times
that adult animals play together.

This slope is rather steep
for the heavier male.

It's no good.
He can't quite manage it.

But she seems to have decided
that he might be The One...

..whilst he seems to have
lost interest.

It's her turn to do the chasing

and she's got a few tricks
up her sleeve.

That was enough to entice him
up again!

Now that she's reeled him in,

she goes straight back to giving him
the run-around.

Choosing partners who can prove
how fit and strong they are

is a useful strategy in the mating
game, and it's often the females

who do the choosing and the males
who have to make all the effort.

In the tropical forests of New
Guinea, one male is dedicated to

making an unforgettable
first impression.

The six-plumed bird of paradise
is cleaning his display ground.

He obsessively tidies
every fallen leaf.

His stage must be meticulously tidy

for what will be
an incredible performance.

A few attractive berries
to help decorate the floor.

His final touch is hardly ever seen.

Might he think he's found
a bit of old snake skin?

Some scientists believe he's trying
to add the scent of a snake to

ward off predators.
For others, it's a cleaning cloth

and he's polishing
a perch for a female.

Later, he uses a bigger bit of rag
and does the same.

Only strong, healthy and well-fed
males can afford the time

and effort for the most
meticulous preparation

and, in theory, they're the ones
with better genes to pass on.

He'll have a highly critical
audience, so it's time to

rehearse the main act.

His dance steps perfected,

he's ready to start the show
for real.

He spots a female nearby,

so quickly goes to get
more berries to tempt her in.

Disaster! He's left his polishing
rag on the dance floor.

It's perfect for her nest!
She flies off without even

seeing his dance.
He delivers his berries too late.

He never got a chance
to win her heart

and he lost his precious
polishing cloth.

Back to work.

For a choosy female, displays
are an excellent way to assess

the qualities of
a potential partner.

They're full of clues as to how
good the male's genes might be.

Physical features, like those
extraordinary feathers,

might also be a sign of how strong
and successful this male is.

It's all a matter of taste.

Different species are attracted to
different features.

As fussy females favour particular
attributes, they become exaggerated

over generations, leading to ever
more elaborate and extreme displays.

Fancy feathers, red faces,...

..blue faces,...

..large noses.

Beauty is all in the eye
of the beholder...

..and it's not just stunning visuals
that can win a mate.

Off the tropical paradise of Tonga,
you can hear

perhaps the loudest
love song in the world.

WHALE SONG

Male humpback whales
repeat each other's songs

and add to them, so they become
ever more complex and beautiful,

showing off their memory
as well as sheer volume.

Listening carefully to this song
is a female humpback whale.

She's here with last year's calf

and is ready to conceive
another one.

He stops singing and follows her.

He may sing to her again but not if
he thinks other males are close by.

They start to get to know each
other. It's an old-fashioned,

slow-motion waltz.

Such beautiful movement
is rarely seen.

Dance in the animal world
is little understood.

But their courting ballet
is about to be cut short.

Rival males have detected
that something is going on.

They arrive in force, a mob on
the dance floor, set on disruption.

Each male tries to get beside
the female

and to intimidate the others.

The 35-tonne males
are set on a fight.

Animals that can seem so tender
in a moment become so aggressive.

The mating game has become a battle.

They smash into one another.
They tail-slap and bellow.

Most of this is just show,
throwing their weight around.

It's over. The biggest male has won.

She will accept the outcome,

the male who's most likely to
father the strongest offspring.

In the end, it was fighting
that proved a better test than

singing or dancing.

Competition is a big part
of the mating game and, inevitably,

it can lead to physical aggression.

BELLOWS

Full of testosterone
and laden with weaponry,

males push each other to the limit.

Size and strength are
the ultimate test of virility,

but fighting is a dangerous,
even life-threatening, strategy.

So, animals will go to great lengths
to avoid a fight if they can.

American bison graze peacefully
together for much of the year.

But when the mating season arrives,
the atmosphere changes.

The males begin to taste the air
to pick up the scent of any female

who might be ready to mate.

Before a fight,
competing males walk in parallel,

assessing one another.

Pumped up with testosterone,

they paw the ground
to show off their strength.

They spray the earth with
their urine and then roll in it

so that they reek of their
own hormones.

These ritual displays can put
off rival males without having to

resort to a potentially
dangerous fight.

But it doesn't always work.

Even then, most fights are resolved
in a matter of seconds.

A few, however,
escalate into full-scale battle.

Weighing almost a tonne,
they use power and speed to try

and push each other off their feet.

This male is lucky to escape
a fatal stabbing.

For the winner, the prize is
a whole harem of females.

But, sometimes, the way to win is
not to fight for females

but to fight for something
the females want.

On the other side of the world,
an idyllic English riverside is

the setting for one such story.

Here, there is a creature
that flirts with suicide

to woo his paramour
with the perfect gift.

The delicate Banded Demoiselle
knows that what every girl wants

is fast-flowing water,
rich in life-giving oxygen,

as the best place to lay her eggs.

Each male, in his shining,
metallic armour, is prepared to

fight for the best patch
in a graceful, aerial competition.

The victor has won a patch where the
river riffles round a fallen branch,

faster-running water that is just
what the ladies are looking for.

But how can he prove
that this is a good spot?

He flings himself at the water,
using his own body to show the flow.

It's a high-risk strategy.

He might drown or be
snatched by a hungry fish.

If she's satisfied,
she'll accept him.

All his hard work has paid off.

She gives their eggs the best
possible start in life,

laid on plants in oxygen-rich water.

A true romantic hero
who has risked his life,

and all because the lady loves
the perfect place to lay her eggs.

So, some males fight for females,
whilst others,

like the Demoiselle, fight
for something the females want.

And there are just a few animals
where males fight for a prize

that seems almost arbitrary.

Topi, an African antelope,
gather each year for a very unusual

and highly ritualised contest.

The males start
by putting on war paint.

By plastering their horns with mud,
they're trying to be more

intimidating to other males, and
maybe more attractive to females.

The dirtier, the better.

The males compete in
a loose circle called a lek.

Each fights for a patch of land
as close as possible

to the centre of the arena.

There's nothing particularly
special about the middle, but in the

ritual of the topi's mating game,
it's become symbolically important.

They fight for the centre because,
well, because it's the centre.

Eventually,
each male has won his patch,

and the females are more likely to
choose a partner who is

closer to the heart of the arena.

The mating rituals
go on for many days.

The males dare not
leave their territories

in case rivals should claim them.

And they have to fight repeatedly
to retain their position.

As the days pass,
they become ever more exhausted.

There is a real,
physical cost to this competition.

Hyenas are quick to take advantage
of the weak and exhausted topi.

Yet, in spite of
the circling hyenas,

the male topi will stay close
to their places on the lek.

To flee would mean losing
any chance in the mating game.

It's a risky game to play.

Some males choose
a rather different strategy.

In the dry forests of Madagascar
are some that have chosen to be

lovers, not fighters.

Ring-tailed lemurs live in troops
of around a dozen individuals

in which
the females rule the roost.

This morning, the ladies can choose
from a line-up of hopeful males.

Welcome to the lemur lounge bar.

The boys are on parade,
hoping to be the chosen one.

They are sizing each other up, this
particular morning, with excitement.

One of the females is on heat. It's
her choice and she's unpredictable.

A chance for fatherhood is up
for grabs. Fights quickly break out.

The object of their affection
just sits and waits.

Whilst the squabbles continue,

one sneaky young male sees
an opportunity to make his move.

He hopes to win her heart
by more subtle means.

With an air of nonchalance,
he settles down

and begins to smear scent onto
his tail from glands on his wrists.

The perfume he wafts over her
will tell her a lot about what

he has to offer
as a potential partner.

And he just might offer something
that the other males don't.

He may not be the strongest fighter,

but very latest science suggests
that his scent might contain

clues to a different strength,
his ability to fight illness

and parasites which he could
pass on to her offspring.

She's still not convinced.

Maybe she should wait
for the outcome of the fight.

So, she leads him off
to somewhere quieter.

His sneaky seduction
has finally won her over

and they head off
for some undercover love.

Whether by fighting
or by sneakier means,

it's often males who seem to do
the hard work in the mating game.

But it's not always as one-sided
as you might think.

These mountain gorillas
are headed up by a dominant male,

the silverback.

He's head of a family of females
and youngsters.

It will have taken him many years
to win this prestigious position.

GORILLAS HOOT AND SCREAM

There is a young female
who's recently joined his group.

She wants the silverback
to father her children.

She's just come into season
and she has only a couple of days

when she's fertile.

There's no time to waste

but she's going to have to work hard
to get his attention.

She stares at him, a brazenly
flirtatious act in itself.

She tightens her lips into a smile
and gazes straight into his eyes.

This is gorilla seduction
at its least subtle.

But he doesn't seem to be won over
by her shameless tactics.

The whole family watch
to see what happens next.

The young female decides
to try a different tactic.

There are two teenagers,
black-backed, immature males,

and she flirts with them.

She positions herself
between the two rival boys.

Both are interested in her.

She's a tease.

As she joins one, the other watches,
grunting in jealous fury.

She solicits both males but doesn't
actually mate with either.

She only has eyes on the big prize
and, sure enough,

the silverback hears
and comes charging in.

With a little subterfuge,
she gets her man.

The silverback will offer more than
just good genes to her offspring.

Any children that are his
will get his protection

as part of the family.

Perhaps best to make
absolutely sure.

It's all for this,
a helpless mountain gorilla baby,

one of only a few hundred left.

The family bonds
in mountain gorillas are strong.

The silverback's role as father
goes beyond protection.

He's babysitter,
punch ball and role model, too.

When both parents
stick around to protect

and rear the offspring, the mating
game becomes more complex.

It's no longer just about
strong and healthy genes

but about choosing a partner who
will help to raise the youngsters.

And that can seem like finding
one in a million.

The party here, on Lake Bogoria
in Tanzania, is perhaps

the greatest gathering of courting
couples in the animal world.

Thousands of flamingos
dance together,

all looking for Mr or Mrs Right.

Eye colour and feathers are
important. The brighter, the better.

Once you've caught someone's eye,
it's about choosing a partner

who will be loyal,
who will stick around.

Flamingos seem to prefer birds
similar to themselves.

But the dance may reveal much
deeper insights into each other.

Many animals find symmetry
attractive,

and the mirrored movements

and co-ordinated head turns may help
find a mate that is more compatible.

It's vital to make the right choice.

Flamingos nest in the middle
of soda lakes.

These are swamps of caustic mud.

It's one of the hottest
places on Earth.

It's a trek to the nearest food
and fresh water,

and you can't leave
the nest in the sun.

That means raising the chick
is impossible for a single parent.

Working together is crucial.

It gets up to 50 degrees Celsius
out here.

This is parenting at its toughest,

so, the choice of partner
made in the dance needs to be right.

After a short time,
the chicks form a creche,

safety in numbers as they learn
to stand on their own two feet.

And, eventually,
they set off to find fresh water.

Their parents abandon them,
though they're still only chicks.

They have to find their own way

out of the hellhole
in which they were born.

They have no family to help them
now, only each other.

But there are animals
where the family is a far more

permanent institution.

Here, the mating game
needs teamwork to win.

HOWLING

February in Yellowstone,
bitterly cold and food is scarce.

Alone,
a wolf would struggle to hunt.

Their prey, elk,
are many times a wolf's size,

so, to survive out here,
the wolves work as a family team.

Offspring stay with their parents
for many months,

learning how to survive
and to help raise the next litter.

The alpha couple need their help.

Winter is mating season
and they need to be fit and healthy.

The male is dark,
the pack mother grey.

They defend the group
and lead the hunts.

BUGLING

The pack spreads out
to head off the elk.

Hunting strategy is passed down,
learned

and refined within families
and generations.

The father leads one team. The
mother intercepts a panicking elk.

BUGLES

They all share the spoils.

But all is not quite
as collaborative as it seems.

This pack strategy works well
for the alpha couple but not quite

so well for last year's offspring.

The youngsters could have their
own pups, but for the alpha couple,

that would mean more mouths to feed
and less for their litter.

So, the alpha couple

will actively discourage last year's
offspring from mating.

But one of their daughters
has other ideas.

Skulking behind the pack is
a lone male wolf.

He has no territory of his own
but follows the family,

scavenging leftovers
and looking for opportunities.

He's spotted one,
the young daughter.

The intruder could be in with a
chance, as long as he's not caught.

The pack leader could kill him.

HOWLS

While the pack is
distracted by a bison,

the temptation for the young
female is too great,

and she sneaks away to join
the mysterious stranger.

It's risky but it could be
her only chance to get close

to a potential mate.

When mating, wolves lock together,

unable to separate for half an hour
to ensure fertilisation.

Not so good if you're about to be
caught by your dad.

The affair was always destined
to be a short one.

After a painful separation,

her new mate is chased away
with his tail between his legs.

The wayward daughter is
chastised for her behaviour.

Eventually, though, she'll be
accepted back into the family.

Having her own pups would be
the best way for her to pass

on her genes but it might threaten
the success of the alpha couple.

There's a tension between them.

And the more we learn
about how animals behave,

the more it seems that behind
the facade of seemingly perfect

animal partnerships
lurk darker secrets,

the truth of which
are only now coming to light.

Lar gibbons in the forests
of Thailand.

They seem to be the perfect couple,
musical and monogamous.

WHOOPING AND SINGING

Their duet is
a renewal of their partnership

and proclaims their home territory.

They stay together
to raise a family.

But appearances can be deceptive.

They're surrounded
on all sides by neighbours,

and gibbons can sometimes stray.

It turns out that
as many as one in ten matings

may not be with their partner.

Some scientists think there may be
a reason for a female's infidelity.

A quick liaison may serve
to convince other neighbouring

males that they could be
the father of her offspring,

and this might stop them
attacking the youngsters.

Maybe a little infidelity
actually helps protect the family.

Whatever the reason for straying,

their affairs don't seem to be
a problem for their partnership.

They'll remain together.

And this is not the only example
of a flexible relationship that

can be more advantageous to animals
than a purely monogamous one.

The dry forests of western
Madagascar are a harsh place

to bring up a family.

But there is one bird who's come up
with a cunning plan.

This is the vasa parrot.

She has a tree hole full of chicks,

but food is scarce and she can't
feed them all by herself.

From a high perch, she issues
a summons across the forest.

BIRDCALL

She's not
the prettiest-looking bird.

During breeding,
her sleek, black feathers fell out

and her skin underneath is orange.

But her trashy appearance
doesn't deter suitors.

A male answers her call.

They've been courting for many weeks
and mated regularly.

They greet with a head-swaying
dance that seems to say

"you are the only one for me".

Then he passes food to her.

Suddenly, he leaves
and another male turns up.

And another male.

She has mated with them all
and she accepts his offerings, too.

In fact, she may have up to
six males on the go at once.

They all feed her.

Each male may believe
that he is the father to her chicks.

With a graceful tete-a-tete,

she seems to reassure each of them
that he is the special one.

Then it's back to the nest
with all the food.

Her clutch is of mixed parentage.

Perhaps here, three of the males
out of the six are genuine fathers,

and the other three duped.

In this game, she is the real winner
with several doting fathers

to help feed her children.

A cunning ploy.

So, does everyone cheat at
the mating game? Well, maybe not.

True monogamy,
animals that stay together for ever

and remain faithful,
is certainly very rare.

But there may be
a few perfect partnerships.

One may be found in New Caledonia
in the South Pacific.

These are Kagu,

flightless birds that stay
together as a couple for life.

Both parents work together
to look after one chick.

This is the dad,
pitting his wits against a worm.

Spot the chick.

The camouflage is effective.

Less effective is getting
the food in.

Feeding babies
can take a lot of patience.

Some of the young from previous
years stay in the territory

and help defend any chicks from
predators or neighbouring Kagu.

Several birds
all help guard one chick.

SQUAWKING AND SINGING

Each morning, they sing together.

They work as a team
and chase away any intruders.

SQUAWKING AND SINGING

The Kagu's relationship is solid
and the bonds of commitment

are passed down to the offspring,
forming a strong family unit.

But the Kagus also seem to be
quite the romantics.

Each year, the male rekindles
the flame with this lifelong mate.

She's seen it all before but
it's still important to remind her.

After all, no-one likes to be
taken for granted.

They may be committed for life

but it seems he still
wants her to know

that she's the only one for him.

Throughout the animal kingdom,
the mating game is

full of extraordinary behaviour
and surprising sophistication.

Even fighting isn't simple but
overlaid with ritual and sacrifice.

For some animals,
it's all about playing the field.

Others may be searching for
more commitment in a partner,

one who will stick around.

Some are carefully
chosen for a brief liaison.

Others form bonds
that can last a lifetime.

And there are a few
that remain truly faithful.

But is it all just a game
or is there ever something more?

Do these bonds
ever go beyond physical need?

In the heart of Australia
is a rather unlikely

candidate for ultimate
animal romantic.

This is a shingleback, a skink,

known here in Australia
as the sleepy lizard.

A female catches the eye of a male.

He courts her by gently nudging her
and licking her.

They will stay together
for two months

and then they'll separate
for the rest of the year.

But despite this time apart,
the couple's bond remains strong.

The following year,
they will somehow

manage to find each other
in order to mate once more.

As far as we know,
they remain faithful for the rest

of their lives,
sometimes for more than 20 years.

Even when one of them dies,
they're reluctant to move on.

Shinglebacks
are slow and vulnerable.

If one half of a pair gets run over,

the other has been seen
waiting by its side for days.

It seems the bond between them
endures, even after death.

Surely, this is more than just
a mating game?

Certainly, there's much more
about animal relationships

that still waits to be discovered.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd