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00:02all over the world species clash in nature's savage battle of survival on the open plains
00:12on coral reefs and even on suburban streets all are locked in deadly conflict animals
00:24fight tooth and claw to win food territory and rights to the bloodline from the jungles of Asia to the
00:35beaches of Antarctica there are no rules this is Animal Fight Club the African plains are a
00:52playground for predators
01:06but for herbivores danger doesn't just come from meat eaters the enemy can be much closer to home
01:20there's a new kid in a herd of virtual zebra mom looks away and a stallion gives chase
01:35the new boss of the herd is on a mission to murder
01:45it's not common but new stallions do kill offspring that don't share their bloodline
02:02at the waterhole the stallion uses his weight ruthlessly the foal is in deep trouble
02:16mom has an agonizing decision to protect her child she must put herself in danger
02:25a loosened grip gives the foal wriggle room
02:30now mom makes up her mind
02:48his incisors usually crop grass but they can also pierce flesh
03:02a chance to escape but those incisors are back
03:24a stumble buys the foal seconds and mom races to the rescue
03:40if the foal dies the stallion will have more chance of getting mom pregnant
03:57mom tries to throw the stallion off balance
04:06but the bully answers back
04:09a brutal kick only stalls her for a moment
04:21mom and child win but they can't rest easy the foal won't leave mom until it's two to
04:32three years old that's a long time to be looking over your shoulder
04:43even predators have to watch their backs
04:48when they lose a kill they've wasted energy for nothing
04:53so winners live and losers die
05:02the badlands of botswana
05:06these may look like playful pups
05:12but african wild dogs are one of the most successful predators in the world
05:19they'll travel over 30 miles looking for food
05:24and kill more than four times out of five
05:32spotted hyenas know this
05:35they stalk dog packs
05:38and steal their food
05:45the dogs kill an impala
05:56but they must chow down fast
05:59before the hyenas show up
06:18the hyena bandits are over double the dog's weight
06:23but these rivals are closely matched for murder
06:31the wild dog's vice-like jaws are lined with 42 teeth developed for a hyper carnivorous diet
06:40their lower carnacials are topped with a blade-like cusp to sheer meat and eat quickly
06:49thanks to wide zygomatic arches which attach to well developed facial muscles
06:54he has one of the strongest bites for his size on the african plains
07:01despite appearances the hyena is more closely related to a cat
07:08like big cats her sharp carnacials kill and rip through flesh
07:13but she also has hammer-like premolars
07:16these are used to crush large bones
07:19she'll devour an entire carcass
07:22and her bite can grind the bones of an elephant into pieces
07:30they're as different as cats and dogs
07:38and these dogs have lost their kill
07:43they've wasted energy on the failed hunt
07:46and need to eat
07:49they target a herd of red lechway
07:54these can weigh over 200 pounds
07:58a bigger prize
08:00if you can bring one down
08:11the dogs single out a ram
08:16and corner him
08:21the ram's elongated hooves and water repellent fur
08:25mean a muddy pool is no problem for him
08:29the dog's short legs slow them down in water
08:34while the ram stays
08:37he's got the edge
08:42the hyena bandits are back
08:47the starving dogs face going hungry yet again
09:03with strong bone inside the ram's huge horns
09:07one well-placed stab would kill
09:15a bandit is gone
09:20it's a three-way standoff
09:22there'll be two losers
09:26the ram searches for an escape path
09:33with little room to run
09:36he takes the battle to the bandits
09:53it's a fatal mistake
09:57once more
09:58the bandits take the prize
10:04and once more
10:05the dogs need to hunt again to survive
10:16on the african savannah
10:18the lion is top predator
10:28but every youngster needs to earn that title
10:33males leave their pride at around two and a half years
10:38they wander alone
10:39or team up with other related outcasts
10:48most kills are made by lionesses
10:55so young males learn to hunt for themselves
11:01only one in fifteen make it to their fourth birthday
11:07two rookies plan to beat those odds
11:13this young buffalo
11:14is a one and a half million calorie target
11:20and he's wandered from his herd
11:25buffalo can spot a lion from more than half a mile away
11:30but not
11:31when his back is turned
11:35the older rookie pounces
11:36and loses the element of surprise
11:42get on the end of those horns
11:44and it's game over
11:57junior takes his eyes off the rookies for a second
12:03it's a costly error
12:05that earns him more than 800 pounds
12:09of lion body slam
12:14their target
12:15is junior's neck
12:23lions are armed with four canines
12:25around three inches in length
12:30these fit almost perfectly between the cervical vertebrae of their prey to sever the spinal cord
12:39but they have to penetrate hide which is almost two inches thick
12:48no easy task when junior is on his back
12:55at two to one
12:57he's done for
13:00but the odds are about to change
13:13the rookies have miscalculated badly
13:17the rookies have miscalculated badly
13:32they'll have to contend with nearly ten tons of angry buffalo
13:49the youngest lion wises up
13:55but his older teammate still tries for the killer bite
14:02a bull thinks he needs more persuasion
14:08for the famished lion hunger trumps sense
14:15but they have no chance against twenty horns
14:19outnumbered
14:20our starving rookies
14:23are beaten
14:27will they learn the smart moves fast enough
14:29to beat the odds on survival
14:36when an animal has a hair trigger
14:38it doesn't take much for things to get dangerously out of hand
14:49hippo battles kick off quicker during the dry season
14:52when water holes are crowded
15:05it's like sharing a bath
15:07with a losing football team
15:12and if you're a young jock
15:13it's best to keep your head down
15:20coach settles in at one end of the pod
15:24he keeps a no-nonsense eye on the group
15:30dominant males will attack young challengers
15:37but over at the other end of the line
15:39one cocky guy didn't get the message
15:47he barges his neighbor
15:53and sets off a shockwave
15:59it's a domino effect
16:01where every tile is nearly three tons of cranky hippo
16:09that's bad news
16:11for the hippo closest to coach
16:23he knows the big fella will lash out at whoever is nearest
16:28and decides offense
16:30is the best defense
16:42get between a hippo's canines
16:44and you'll feel nearly half a ton of bite force
16:49enough to crush a croc's head
17:08they have the biggest mouth of any land mammal
17:17forward-pointing tusks
17:19can stab right through thick protective skin
17:31the scapegoat's offense isn't working
17:34if he's going down
17:39he's going down fighting
17:44but not for long
17:47coach shows who's boss
17:50and calm returns to the water hole
17:56there'll only be one alpha male in this hippo pod
18:02and the scapegoat keeps a low profile
18:11group animals may jostle for dominance
18:15but for loners it's one in, one out
18:20winner takes all
18:26this six-year-old male leopard
18:28is about to gamble with his life
18:34he stalks a rival nearly double his age
18:39for three days
18:41the young'uns been watching
18:45and waiting
18:49leopards will measure up their opponents
18:51before risking a fight
18:56this nomad wants food and females
19:00that come with the veterans territory
19:06he thinks the old-timer
19:08is past his prime
19:16the darker fur around the veterans neck
19:19shows his maturity
19:23when two alpha predators face off
19:26there will be blood
19:33when territory is at stake
19:38leopards can fight to the death
19:52a leopard's domain can cover over 13 square miles
19:56it's a big prize
20:14the veteran takes the dominant position
20:22but the nomad isn't ready to give up
20:38a bite to the throat could mean death for the nomad
20:43he needs his last reserve of strength
20:46a desperate burst of power
20:50the tables turn
20:53but not for long
20:55but not for long
21:01serious injury means both could lose their ability to hunt
21:08that's a death sentence
21:11the nomad is defiant
21:17but the veteran keeps his territory
21:25his younger rival must accept a nomadic life
21:29or fight again
21:30for a new territory
21:38in the southern hemisphere
21:40in the southern hemisphere
21:40a unique animal
21:41has developed a violent reproductive strategy
21:51when Europeans first settled in the southern Australian island of Tasmania
21:56they told of terrifying nocturnal screams in the forests
22:02the cause
22:04not supernatural
22:11but the Tasmanian devil
22:14a marsupial
22:16the size of a small dog
22:24for these cantankerous creatures
22:26every day is a battle
22:37devils only weigh up to 26 pounds
22:41but strong muscles and teeth in oversized heads
22:46mean they can bite through bone
22:52this female is in heat
22:56males only get their chance for up to 10 days once a year
23:02courtship is hellish
23:07she needs her partner to be dominant
23:11so her offspring will inherit strong genes
23:19he bites deep into her neck
23:21but evolution has prepared her for his savagery
23:28during the breeding season
23:30a fatty deposit builds in the back of her neck
23:34protecting it from his bite
23:37a rise in reproductive hormones
23:39also makes her more passive
23:42but after mating
23:44the deposit will go
23:47reproductive hormone levels will temporarily fall
23:50and tempers will rise
23:57his teeth drag her back to her diabolically dark dead
24:07the alpha devil subdues her
24:18now he mates with her
24:22it could be a week before she becomes pregnant
24:26so she could still mate with a rival
24:31but he's on to her
24:37turning jailer
24:39he blocks the exit to her dead
24:43now he's in charge
24:48days later
24:49her sex hormones begin to fade
24:53her focus turns to evicting her captor
25:01her jailer
25:02her jailer launches a fiendish attack on her face
25:06her jailer launches a fiendish attack on her face
25:17pound for pound
25:18a devil's bite
25:20a devil's bite is even more powerful than a tiger
25:22a devil's bite is even more powerful than a tiger
25:31the jailer has her on the ground
25:34she pushes back
25:41and suffers for it
25:44but she breaks free
25:53the male loses this battle
25:55but wins the war
25:58she's pregnant
25:59and now
26:01she won't mate with another male
26:06this savage coupling
26:08has created new life
26:10but it may also have taken it
26:17devil facial tumor disease
26:19is a contagious cancer
26:21that affects only devils
26:23it's spread by biting to the face
26:26and has led to population declines of close to 80%
26:32tragically
26:33the devil's brutal reproductive strategy
26:36may lead to its eventual extinction
26:45throughout nature's battleground
26:47ruthless predators seek out the young
26:51and the weak
26:59get the bad
27:00gen 2 penguins face fearsome foes
27:04sea lions
27:05killer whales
27:07and leopard seals
27:08all devour them
27:13thanks to flippers evolved from the wings of ancestors
27:17gentoos can flee at 22 miles an hour
27:23nearly four times faster than michael fish
27:32phelps to breed they pair up and build colonies on Antarctic shorelines like
27:41the H.O. islands
27:46out of the water they're largely safe unless this guy's around the southern
28:01giant petrel its hooked bill is a dagger
28:14they're mainly scavengers and like a penguin snack
28:22adult penguins are too heavy to capture but chicks are a treat for these thugs
28:30breeding season is a brutal buffet moms and dads must be on their guard
28:43it's a busy day at Gentoo swim school
28:50one student chick gets his first taste of the Antarctic chill
28:55he needs a few more laps before he's a pro like his parents
29:02suddenly there's penguin panic a male giant petrel zeroes in
29:19the base of a penguin skull has less fat and muscle to protect it
29:27puncture a vein there it's all over
29:45the chick is overmatched by the petrel and it gets worse
29:54another thug
29:58the kids all alone in the deep end until a hero thinks he can help
30:08petrel thugs pick the wrong chick to prey on
30:12these little swimmers look after their own
30:20here's dad he puts himself in grave danger
30:36a thug loses his grip letting the chick run for his life
30:46dad lashes the attacker
30:50and gives a brutal flipper slap to his abdomen
30:56gentoo flippers form a tough blade of solid bone
31:00they're useless for flight but handy in a fight
31:07the thugs stage a tactical retreat
31:12the chick makes it up to the beach to safety
31:18he'll live to swim another day thanks to dad's bravery
31:27small animals can have big attitude especially when they're experts in chemical warfare
31:38in southeast asia two rival and kingdoms live in constant battle
31:46giant forest ants build their nests on the woodland floor
31:52weaver ants build nests out of leaves high above them
32:00forest ants are an insect goliath
32:04they're nearly one and a quarter inches long
32:08razor sharp jaws can sever smaller insects with one swift bite
32:21a worker weaver ant is close to a fifth of the size of its goliath relative
32:29colonies can house over half a million residents
32:38weaver ants will attack any intruder in their territory
32:44these two ants normally live apart but when their worlds collide it's war
32:54this lone ant goliath is on a solo foraging expedition
32:59a tiny weaver ant clings to its antenna
33:07the weaver's strong jaws make it hard to dislodge
33:18this tough little critter can carry up to a hundred times its weight
33:26but one bite from goliath will slice it in two
33:33it's time for weaver 9-1-1-1
33:40the weaver ant has left an odor trail running from its nest
33:44the odor is released from a rectal gland dragged behind the abdomen on two bristles
33:51backup can follow the trail right to the weaver
33:57the cavalry the cavalry's on its way
34:13weavers take out the forest ants joints
34:20but it's not over goliath's mandibles slice through an attacker
34:30but now the weavers play their deadly ace
34:37the weaver's large triangular mandibles are serrated and can inflict a severe bite
34:45a poison gland in their abdomen then sprays formic acid into the wound
34:51which acts to weaken the damaged exoskeleton
34:55and can disable the victim
35:01goliath is a solo forager and has no help in sight
35:09its head drips with formic acid
35:26the weavers overwhelm their target and take it to be eaten
35:35proving size is no match for hordes of chemical killers
35:46danger can come from every angle
35:49so animals seek shelter wherever they can
35:53and fight dirty to keep it
36:01a female day octopus forages for food
36:06crustaceans and fish are on the menu
36:08but so is she plenty of ocean predators are partial to calamari
36:18even cannibalism isn't out of bounds
36:25mating sometimes leads to guys becoming an after-sex snack
36:36the octopus is a master of disguise
36:44specialized pigment organs in their skin
36:47allow them to change color and texture
36:50and disappear into their surroundings
36:58but hiding in plain sight isn't always enough
37:03and octopuses spend more than three quarters of their time sheltering
37:13this apartment is perfect
37:17but she senses a threat
37:21she tries to blend in with her background
37:26but that's no good against a cannibal killer
37:38another octopus wants to move in
37:43she's a bruiser
37:46missing an arm possibly from previous battles
37:52she has a big reach
37:57and a deadly weapon
38:04inside their body sac are poison glands
38:08these deliver toxic proteins to the only hard part of the creature
38:12it's parrot-like beak made of chitin
38:17a bite can paralyze the nervous system of their prey
38:30the squatter settles in
38:34leaving the owner out in the open
38:41but she doesn't go far
38:47the squatter's on alert
38:50a camouflage technique called a passing cloud
38:54produces movement and startles predators
38:59scare tactics don't work on the tenant
39:06each arm has a separate brain-like structure at its base
39:11so they can move independently from the brain
39:15which helps octopuses fight
39:22the tenant retreats
39:26but drags the squatter with her as well
39:30it's round two
39:34octopuses are about 90 percent muscle
39:36and can pull 10 times their weight
39:40to help them move blood around this muscular body
39:43and to their gills
39:45octopuses have three hearts
39:50the homeowner heaves the attacker out
39:54and evicts her
40:03the battle-scarred bruiser must take her chances in the open ocean
40:10the rightful resident gets her apartment back
40:18for some species
40:20the rules of mating mean there are literally no boundaries
40:27every fall moose get it on
40:33a bull moose is over 1300 pounds of concentrated lust
40:40he can hear a cow's mating cry a mile away
40:45and he'll follow it wherever it goes
40:50even down to the suburbs
40:58in anchorage alaska a female takes a trip to an uptown neighborhood
41:04two evenly matched bulls are duking it out to impress her
41:15two and a half thousand pounds of muscle go head to head
41:22the hooves of these rutting romeos are designed to grip in mud
41:29not on a driveway
41:34during the rut bulls neck muscles expand to twice their normal size
41:41their forehead skin is thickened to provide armor against antlers
41:49so both must keep the fight front on
42:06the downed romeo counter-attacks
42:10while his rival struggles with a laundry line
42:15moose antlers regrow larger every year
42:18they're six times harder to break than human bone
42:21and the antlers of a mature bull protect his eyes in combat
42:27but romeo can't hold his gains
42:31he begins to lose ground to the laundry line lover
42:38it's like fighting on an ice rink
42:47turn sideways romeo loses forward momentum
42:52there's only room for one lover boy in this town
42:56środ são 30 mph
43:00and his rival
43:02hits the road
43:05alone
43:05the
43:07the
43:07You
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