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00:00 A master of stealthy stalking, she's got the perfect camouflage for an ambush.

00:05 She lies in wait for the rat to get within striking range.

00:13 [MUSIC]

00:23 [MUSIC]

00:33 [MUSIC]

00:43 Times are tough, especially for this mother. She has cubs to feed.

01:01 Her son, Kumal, is eight months old and no longer suckling milk.

01:06 He needs fresh meat.

01:10 Kumal has watched his mother hunt since he was only five months old,

01:22 and one day he will have to provide for himself.

01:27 In the meantime, he and his sister Mitra can eat like kings.

01:32 This deer will keep the family content for the next few days.

01:45 At this age, Kumal and Mitra are totally dependent on their mother for food,

01:53 while their father relentlessly protects them and his territory against intruders.

01:59 In a takeover, a new male may kill the cubs to sire his own.

02:05 For now, the jungle is their playground,

02:11 and Kumal and Mitra spend their days blissfully unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.

02:18 [MUSIC]

02:23 Now a month old, the young python's senses sharpen.

02:27 Success will depend on doing a few things right.

02:33 First, find prey of an appropriate size.

02:38 [MUSIC]

02:49 Then, approach patiently and in complete silence.

02:54 [MUSIC]

03:21 [MUSIC]

03:27 The strike was perfectly timed and right on target.

03:30 Just one small problem.

03:33 A dental problem.

03:36 [MUSIC]

03:42 The young snake's teeth, designed to hook onto prey and prevent it from escaping,

03:47 are still too puny to get the job done.

03:50 [MUSIC]

04:14 Better luck next time.

04:18 Meanwhile, not far away, one of his brothers is trying his luck.

04:23 [MUSIC]

04:32 He tastes the air for the mouse's location.

04:35 [MUSIC]

05:05 [MUSIC]

05:15 The mouse is held fast.

05:17 Let the coiling begin.

05:21 [MUSIC]

05:36 It's a big step for this young rock python.

05:39 All it means, though, is that he'll survive a little longer.

05:46 [MUSIC]

06:04 As the summer draws to a close, the creatures of the western Ghats

06:09 seek out shelter to prepare for the rainy months ahead.

06:14 A rat snake heads deep into the forest.

06:16 But Raja's on a different mission.

06:21 It's been more than a month since he last ate.

06:26 The rat snake slides right into his trap.

06:43 Raja's fangs take their deadly hold,

06:45 shooting a dose of neurotoxic venom into his quarry.

06:50 His fangs gather up the meal step by step and inch by inch,

07:02 feeding it down his long, straight digestive tract.

07:06 [MUSIC]

07:14 King cobras can't chew.

07:15 It's all in the gulp.

07:19 The gliding tree frog lives almost exclusively in the treetops of dense tropical jungles.

07:28 Hundreds of feet above the forest floor,

07:32 the tree frog spends its days ambling through the canopy along vines and branches.

07:38 It uses its large, sticky hands and feet to grip onto any available foliage.

07:45 At this height, any misplaced step could be fatal.

07:52 So slow and steady is the game.

08:00 But falling to their death is not the tree frog's only concern.

08:04 The canopy is also home to a deadly predator,

08:09 the tree boa.

08:12 It is thin, lightweight, and lightning fast.

08:17 The sure-footed tree frog is an easy target.

08:27 The snake moves effortlessly through the branches, closing in on the frogs.

08:32 With nowhere to hide, the frogs take a leap of faith.

08:43 [MUSIC]

08:58 As they plummet toward the forest floor,

09:00 they extend their hands and feet to unravel their large, extensive webbing.

09:07 [MUSIC]

09:14 They are not so much flying as falling with style.

09:18 [MUSIC]

09:34 The thin layer of skin between their fingers and toes acts like a parachute.

09:39 Lateral skin flaps along their arms and legs also catch the air as they free fall.

09:46 [MUSIC]

09:54 This increased surface area provides enough air resistance

09:58 to slow an otherwise fatal descent into a controlled glide.

10:03 [MUSIC]

10:07 Like a skydiver, the frog makes small, subtle movements

10:11 to steer its way to safety up to 50 feet away.

10:15 Their flexible skeletons are modified to absorb the shock on landing.

10:22 While their oversized, sticky toe pads once again grip on for dear life.

10:32 [MUSIC]

10:35 With the snake left high and dry, the gliding tree frog disappears back into the jungle.

10:42 It's dawn in late June,

10:51 the end of the dry season in southern India.

10:59 Hidden in the jungle, an iconic creature stirs.

11:05 A stunning Bengal tigress.

11:10 This is Rana.

11:17 At 10 feet long from nose to tail, she's 300 pounds of sleek muscle, power, and experience.

11:28 She's the mother of three hungry cubs.

11:30 At nine months old, they've been weaned for about three months.

11:36 Now, they eat a diet made up entirely of meat, which Rana still has to catch for them.

11:48 And she hasn't brought home any food for nearly two weeks.

11:57 If her cubs are to thrive, Rana must make a kill. And soon.

12:03 A large waterhole lies in the middle of Rana's territory.

12:10 By June, the end of the dry season, this is one of the few places left to find a drink.

12:18 But for prey species, moving from the shelter of the forest to the water's edge

12:26 leaves them vulnerable.

12:27 Hidden dangers lurk.

12:32 Mugger crocodiles.

12:35 They can grow over 12 feet long and are the perfect ambush predators.

12:42 Motionless and perfectly camouflaged, they can wait for hours for an opportunity to snatch their

12:50 prey. The simple act of drinking is risky. It's much harder to keep an eye out for approaching

12:59 danger. Visiting the waterhole together provides greater security.

13:05 With more eyes, some can watch their backs while others quench their thirst.

13:17 All these animals would make a fine meal for a tiger.

13:20 A langur alarm call rings out.

13:27 Like crocodiles, tigers are ambush predators.

13:35 But this waterhole is too exposed to make a good hunting ground.

13:42 So she just saunters in.

13:47 The langurs can relax.

13:48 This morning, she's here to drink, just like everybody else.

13:54 Rats were a permanent fixture of prison life,

14:00 adding to the misery and squalor of the living conditions.

14:04 The people may have gone, but the prison's ruins still offer hiding places to rodents.

14:14 The rodents perform an important role in the island's ecology.

14:18 Many of the forest trees rely on spiny rats for propagation.

14:25 Cracking the shells allows the seeds to germinate, and by catching their finds,

14:33 the rodents help to distribute the seeds around the forest.

14:37 But these gardeners are themselves on the forest menu.

14:44 Their prey for pretty much every large predator on the island.

14:48 Having failed to snare a capuchin, the female boa is on the hunt again.

14:55 Like many snakes, she has a sixth sense when it comes to hunting.

15:01 She's able to detect the warmth of her prey, even if she can't see them.

15:11 And with every flick of her tongue,

15:13 the boa picks up scent molecules from the surrounding environment.

15:17 Guided by heat and scent, she can track her quarry even on the darkest night.

15:25 She's locked on to her target.

15:35 A master of stealthy stalking, she's got the perfect camouflage for an ambush.

15:41 She lies in wait for the rat to get within striking range.

15:49 [MUSIC]

16:15 Her sharp teeth lock into the rat.

16:18 Before it has the chance to fight back, she throws her coils around it.

16:23 She kills by crushing, squeezing the rat so hard it stops the blood flow.

16:37 Death comes quickly.

16:41 [MUSIC]

16:51 The rat is swallowed whole.

16:54 [MUSIC]

17:15 It will take her a week or so to digest her meal.

17:18 [MUSIC]

17:31 [MUSIC]

Eat Or Be Eaten Jungle Predators Smithsonian Channel

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