Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Africa's animals

are locked in a deadly game of hide...

and seek.

Where the price for being discovered is certain death.

The hunted fight a battle of wits...

tactics...

and courage.

(growls)

(squeals)

But in every contest there can only be one winner.

And pursuers are on a mission

to search...

(thunder rumbling)

...and destroy.

Botswana in Southern Africa.

In this hotbed of deception and betrayal

everyone has their own strategies

for staying under the radar.

Even for those at the top of the food chain...

(soft growl)

...hiding from enemies is an essential survival skill.

(cubs growling)

The only way for this lioness to protect her helpless cubs from danger

is to conceal them deep in the scrub.

For almost eight weeks, mom keeps them smuggled away.

But, eventually, they must become hunters themselves.

(growls)

With help from the pride,

the budding killers are taught when to hide...

(growling)

...and when to attack.

(growling)

They must perfect the art of ambush.

Because there's no room for amateurs on this deadly battlefield.

(sniffles)

Prey are always on the alert.

The kudos huge, cupped ears scan for the slightest suspicious sound.

And their eyes are positioned toward the sides of their heads,

giving them panoramic vision.

At the slightest hint of danger

they play their trump card.

Leaping more than six feet high,

they clear obstacles with ease

and escape to safety.

(birds chirping)

But with a badly broken ankle, this bull kudu can't rely on speed.

Instead, he must stay hidden.

Known as the Grey Ghost of Africa,

the kudu's coloration

allows him to practically disappear amongst the trees.

But the vegetation also masks the approach of predators.

The kudu senses a threat.

(soft growl)

If he runs he'll blow his cover.

His best bet is to stay perfectly still and hope he hasn't been spotted.

But this is an expert tracker.

With sleuths like this on the loose

even the best camouflage

is not always good enough.

Avoiding predators is not the only reason to stay out of sight.

Waterholes provide refuge for Africa's most deadly animal.

Weighing over 4,000 pounds

and powerful enough to bite a ten foot crocodile in two

the hippopotamus fears only one thing.

The scorching rays of the sun.

Hippos lose water faster than other mammals.

So, to avoid dehydration...

they submerge during the heat of the day.

But for hippo calves overheating is not the only threat.

Their first introduction to the pod is a dangerous time.

Irritable, dominant males have been known to attack

and kill calves.

(roaring)

Mouth gaping is a sure sign of threat.

The calf's mother can tell this guy is looking for trouble,

and she's not taking any chances.

Victorious, the protective parent leads her calf back into hiding

at the heart of the pod.

When you're among Africa's deadliest,

keeping your babies hidden is essential.

Ostrich chicks blend in perfectly with the dry grass.

They develop their adult plumage

only when they are old enough to fend for themselves,

but warthogs take concealing their youngsters to a whole new level.

At the first sign of trouble

the mother initiates operation escape.

(squeaking)

The piglets are there one minute

and gone the next.

The lioness knows they must be here somewhere.

But now she has to find them.

(lioness growling)

The ground is riddled with holes.

In one of these burrows

this devoted mother has stashed her precious piglets.

The question is, which one.

The lioness searches each for the faintest scent of young blood.

It's a process of elimination,

which the mother warthog is powerless to prevent.

Intrigued, some adolescent males join the gory game.

But instead of a piglet,

they unearth a surprise.

(honey badger churring)

Honey badgers punch well above their weight.

The lions take cautious swipes,

but the honey badger is armed with powerful jaws and sharp claws,

and it's not afraid to fight.

The young males are out of their depth,

but the lioness won't give up so easily

and she can still smell blood.

In Africa's Kalahari basin

a lioness has picked up the scent of piglets,

concealed in an underground burrow.

Blood thirsty, she digs furiously.

All the mother warthog can do is watch.

(piglet squeaking)

Perseverance pays off for this relentless hunter.

Proof that even the most ingenious hiding places

may not be enough to save your bacon.

(growling)

Despite the risks,

sometimes it is necessary to come out of hiding.

Triggered by the first rains,

winged termites emerge from their nests deep underground,

taking to the air in their thousands.

(squeaking)

Easy pickings for predators of all shapes and sizes.

Within hours there are few survivors.

But feeding on bugs is rarely this easy.

Most insects keep a low profile.

So the Carmine Bee Eater has come up with a clever solution.

He enlists the assistance of a Kori Bustard.

As the bustard walks he disturbs creatures stowed away in the grass.

The vigilant bee eater spots them immediately

from his ringside perch

and devours them.

But why settle for a bustard

when you can upgrade your ride?

(ostrich chirping)

The bigger birds will flush out even more tasty morsels

for the hitchhiking bee eater.

But even an ostrich can be outdone.

For the bee eater, switching hosts again is a no brainer,

and he's not alone.

The bounty of insects flushed out by this giant

attracts more freeloaders.

Cattle Egrets have also figured out that it's easier to search and destroy...

if you hang out with the big boys.

But it's not just Botswana's miniature inhabitants

that are under surveillance.

Cheetahs are well known for their electrifying speed.

But, in return, they have sacrificed strength and weaponry.

Weighing less than a 12 year old child,

this is the physique of a sprinter,

not a fighter.

Hyenas, dogs and even leopards

have been known to kill these delicate cats.

But they have an even greater enemy.

(soft growl)

Given half a chance,

lions will tear a cheetah limb from limb.

The mere sound of this nemesis is enough to send them into hiding.

Lying on their sides,

they sink their narrow frames low to the ground.

And with eyes positioned high on the head,

the scope out the surroundings without being seen.

Even the king of beasts will struggle to spot a cheetah

that's trying to avoid detection.

The lions move on.

But the cheetahs have got company.

A passing warthog is almost on top of the camouflaged cats

before it spies them.

For one of the savanna's most successful hunters

this is too good an opportunity.

It's time for this speed machine

to search and destroy.

In Botswana,

a warthog is too tempting for a pair of cheetahs to resist.

The cat's speed is unrivalled,

but, before it can get up to full power

the warthog disappears from sight.

This time these masters of disguise

have been beat at their own game.

Instead of hunting down their prey,

some predators take a different approach.

The Egyptian cobra hides and waits for food to come to him.

The snake is poised and ready to deliver a fatal dose of venom.

But not everyone will walk into his trap.

When you only need to eat once a month

you can afford to be patient.

But most of Africa's deadliest predators

need more regular meals.

Wild dogs feed twice a day

and now it's dinner time.

Headed up by the alpha pair,

ten cutthroat hunters approach the river.

The dominant couple take the lead.

As the kudu scatter in all directions...

the dogs single out the weakest.

But their chosen victim has opted for a different escape plan.

Right now, hiding in plain sight is the kudu's only chance of survival.

But it's not a fail-safe strategy.

These expert killers are strong swimmers.

But the dog can't get a firm footing in the deep water,

instead, she herds the kudu into the shallows.

If the pack can force their victim to the bank

it will be game over.

Now it's the turn of the alpha male.

Once again the kudu takes evasive action.

Making a break for the relative safety of the deep end.

It's a war of attrition.

And the dogs finally have to admit defeat.

Thanks to its watery refuge

the quick thinking kudu will live to see another day.

When it's a matter of life or death

even the mighty kings of the Kalahari

are forced to be creative.

(buffalo grunts)

In a face off against a herd of buffalo,

lions are outnumbered.

(sniffles)

Known as the black death,

buffaloes stand almost six feet tall

and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

They show no fear in the face of these relatively puny cats.

With their calves tucked safely away behind a solid wall of muscle and horn,

the giants send the lions into retreat.

One lioness is willing to risk another attempt.

To win against these formidable opponents

she must break through their defenses,

find the weak link and destroy.

Invisibility is key.

An experienced hunter, she's an expert at using cover.

Slinking closer,

she uses every available feature of the landscape

to mask her approach.

Until she's within range.

This is the moment of truth.

If she gets it wrong, the buffalo could trample her to death.

In a battle between the goliaths of the savanna,

there can be only one winner.

In the chaos,

the adult buffaloes have let a calf fall to the back of the herd.

It's a fatal mistake.

Today this pride will eat,

thanks to the dark art of hide and seek.

While lions expertly use cover to ambush their prey,

others are equally adept at using it to avoid becoming breakfast.

(soft growl)

An hour after dawn,

as the morning sun warms the earth,

creatures are stirring.

Across the plains, dead trees and termite mounds

begin to come to life.

(mongoose squeaks)

With long, strong claws on their front feet,

mongooses are perfectly capable of digging their own burrows.

But with a vast network of holes like this,

why bother?

After a night huddled together for warmth...

mongoose troops across the savanna must stop hiding

and start seeking.

They spread out in search of food.

Beetles are a particular favorite,

and mongooses know exactly where to find them.

As they forage, the scattered packs keep in touch with each other

by grunting between mouthfuls.

But their chattering also attracts unwanted attention.

The first to spot the leopard raises the alarm.

(mongoose grunts)

Every mongoose within earshot recognizes the warning

and dashes to the nearest hole.

A few naive youngsters take to the trees.

Against other predators, this might be a smart move,

but it's no defense against a leopard.

With strong shoulders, sharp claws and a long tail for balance,

this cat is built for climbing.

But catching a mongoose amongst the branches will be no mean feat.

A lucky escape but he won't make the same mistake twice.

Out on a limb, this brave loner can only hope

that the leopard is too heavy to reach his spindly branch.

The leopard claims his reward

and the mongoose pays the ultimate price

for inexperience.

In this merciless arena of death,

one way to be sure of a good hiding spot

is to keep it with you at all times.

He might not be able to run,

but carrying a full set of body armor on his back

the leopard tortoise

is always ready to hide.

Like a human skull,

a tortoise shell is made up of many separate bones

fused together into a rigid shield.

The domed shape, designed for maximum pressure resistance,

makes him immune to most of the savanna's predators.

With a few exceptions.

Time to get out of here.

But he has no chance of escaping on foot.

Instead, he retreats inside his mobile home.

Just in time.

Try as she might, the lioness fails to get a grip

on the tortoise's solid shell.

But the rest of the pride is on its way.

With the arrival of the pride,

the odds are not looking good for this leopard tortoise.

The cubs are immediately curious.

Then others take turns.

Each trying to extract the shell's juicy contents.

But for teeth designed to slice and tear soft flesh,

this is a tough nut to crack.

The tortoise could stay tucked away for hours,

but the lioness is not prepared to wait.

She already has her eyes on a bigger prize.

Wildebeest are harder to catch

but much easier to eat.

(wildebeest grunting)

This is the tortoise's chance.

He makes a break for it.

With a top speed of less than one mile an hour,

he's no athlete,

but sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

When you can't rely on speed

you have to have other tricks up your sleeve.

Flat out, leopards can reach 37 miles an hour.

But they burn out fast

and their agile prey often leave them in the dust.

So the leopard relies on the element of surprise.

And on the grasslands the stage is set for a textbook ambush.

The dry, yellow grass plays perfectly into the stealthy cat's hands.

Her spotted coat breaks up her outline

and allows her to blend in with the background.

Her strategy is to stay hidden

until she's within striking distance.

Keeping low to the ground she inches forward.

Silently closing the gap.

To give her the best chance of success

she will creep within 15 feet of her target.

But the arrival of two new players could upset the balance.

A pair of black backed jackals.

If they get wise to the lurking cat they will blow her cover.

Timing her attack just right is critical.

(elephant trumpeting)

An elephant distracts the jackals.

And the leopard seizes her opportunity.

But she's got a problem.

(jackal howling)

The game is up.

Exposed, the hunter turns tail,

but the jackals haven't finished with her yet.

Now that they've spotted her,

they make sure everybody else knows she's here too.

(howling continues)

With all hope of a successful hunt

destroyed by these hyper vigilant watchdogs...

the leopard will have to take her search elsewhere.

In the mission to search and destroy,

deception is the name of the game.

And black herons win the title for the most creative con trick.

Fish like to hide in shady, sheltered spots.

So that's what the herons provide.

The feathery umbrella might also cut out the glare

and allow the ingenious birds to see more clearly through the water.

Any fish taken in by the clever ploy

will soon find itself speared on the heron's dagger like bill.

Other waders too have figured out

how to catch prey hidden in the murky water.

The spoonbill's beak might not be razor sharp or muscular,

but it's a super sensitive killing machine.

Thousands of receptors along its length

pick up minute vibrations and changes in pressure.

Wading in the shallows,

each bird sweeps its bill from side to side like a metal detector.

Waiting for a telltale sign.

Then the trap snaps shut

and the prey is unceremoniously dispatched.

And this spoonbill's hungry chick will get a meal.

For big cats too the need to breed can make all the difference.

Leopards spend most of their lives hiding

but just occasionally they really want to be found.

Most of the time this female's scent marks warn others to keep their distance.

But today she's sending an open invite.

She's ready to mate and she needs to find herself a suitor.

She doesn't have much time.

She'll only be fertile for a few more days.

And there maybe only one male within 30 miles.

But it seems her messages haven't gone unnoticed.

On the plains of Botswana,

a male leopard has picked up the scent of a female that is ready to mate.

To find her, he must follow the trail of clues she's left for him.

Each new scent mark he finds provides yet more proof

that he's closing in on his prize.

Pulling air over a special organ in his mouth

he can tell that his timing is perfect.

As he gets closer,

the female offers him some additional encouragement.

He hones in on the sound.

Now the male must wait for the female to make the final move.

She wastes no time in making her intentions clear.

(soft growling)

And he is happy to oblige.

(growls)

The pair will stick together for several days

before going their own solitary ways once more.

Only to be found when they want to be.

For many of Africa's deadliest,

getting off the ground is the best way to escape from danger.

But the treetops do not always provide safe refuge.

The boomslang snake is an excellent climber.

Drop for drop, this snake has the most toxic venom of any in Africa.

More deadly even than the notorious black mamba.

From its elevated treetop position

the snake is on the lookout for its next meal.

But these starlings won't go down without a fight.

(birds chirping)

They launch an attack

in an attempt to keep the serpent away from their chicks.

But right now, the snake has another youngster in her sights.

Locked away behind a prickly fence of acacia thorns,

quelea nests are well protected.

But with thousands of tiny birds in this tree...

at some point one is sure to fall.

And when it does, the snake is waiting.

The chick's fate maybe sealed.

But with its sudden movement,

the snake has blown its own cover.

The ground hornbill has the last laugh.

And this youngster has cheated death, for now.

When luck is not on your side

you must be able to defend yourself.

A zebra's strength is matched only by its aggression.

It takes a tough predator to confront these dangerous beasts.

Even wild dogs are wary.

But they've spotted a weakness in their herd.

A foal, just a few months old.

The pack is ready to search and destroy.

In a defensive move, the zebra surround the foal,

concealing it within their ranks.

The dogs attack from all directions, trying to divide them.

It's time for the zebras to show the dogs who's boss.

In this unforgiving land,

the hunted must stay one step ahead of their pursuers.

Because Africa's deadliest live and die by one brutal rule,

if you search, you can destroy.

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