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00:06So far on Lifestory, we have seen animals survive the challenges of the first stage of their lives.
00:26Now, many animals face a period of great change, the journey towards adulthood, a time when
00:37they must strike out on their own, learn from hard experience, and develop new skills.
01:11The beginning of winter in the Arctic.
01:19It's hard to imagine a more challenging time or place to learn how to fend for yourself.
01:45Until today, this three-month-old Arctic fox pup has had it easy.
01:53Fed and protected by his parents, playing with his siblings.
02:11But his mother is about to bring her cub's childhood to an abrupt end and drive them into the wilderness.
02:35Soon, food will be so thin on the ground that her cub's only chance of avoiding starvation
02:41is to split up and face a six-month-long winter alone.
02:50Even so, a young fox has only a one in five chance of surviving.
02:58One.
03:03Two.
03:25A young fox on these barren wastes may have to travel 100km a day searching for food.
03:42Scratching for scraps and scavenging from others, it's a meagre existence.
03:56And the worst of the winter is still to come.
04:10By midwinter, temperatures drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius and deep snow makes scavenging
04:18nearly impossible, but a faint sound beneath the snow may be this fox's salvation.
04:45Lemmings.
04:49It's time to become a hunter.
05:01But catching what you can't see is not easy.
05:08It's hard to judge the leap.
05:16And the depth of the snow.
05:24Too deep, and you get stuck.
05:30Too shallow, and it can be rather painful.
05:39It's going to take time, but mastering lemming hunting is vital if a young fox is to make
05:45it through the winter.
06:09At last, this fox is on his way.
06:18But if he is to survive until spring, he'll need to make a catch like this every couple
06:25of days.
06:33Adolescence for an arctic fox is almost always a solitary journey.
06:39But many creatures simply cannot make it on their own.
06:50Even at seven months old, this tiger cub needs protection.
06:56She's learning to take care of herself in a very dangerous world.
07:13This is her father.
07:16His role is to patrol his territory, defending it against rival males who would try to kill
07:22any cubs they find that are not their own.
07:31His scars are evidence of the violence of the society she is about to enter.
07:39He's ruled for five years, but he's becoming increasingly battle-worn.
07:49She's unlikely to reach adulthood unless her father stays in power.
08:00At the moment, she's safe.
08:04And in good company.
08:10She has a brother and a sister.
08:20They will be her playmates and allies as she grows.
08:35She already seems to be the most confident of the three.
08:46They practice the fighting and hunting skills that they will depend on as adults.
09:06They practice the fighting and hunting skills that they will depend on as adults.
09:08But the cubs still have much to learn before they will be fending for themselves.
09:23Their mother is both their provider and teacher.
09:27She's a formidable hunter, despite having lost an eye in a fight with a rival.
09:37Her cub is about to be given a master class.
10:10She's about to be
10:36The cubs will not go hungry.
10:50If all goes well, these cubs should have the experience and strength to survive on their
10:57own in a year's time, but only if their mother's support and their father's protection continues.
11:23Growing up is not just about learning to survive. Learning the art of seduction can also be a vital
11:31part of becoming an adult.
11:36Here in Eastern Australia lives an animal that spends up to seven years perfecting the ability
11:42to build a structure solely to impress a female.
11:57It's a bower.
12:00And this is its creator, a five-year-old juvenile male satin bowerbird.
12:18He is just a beginner.
12:26But a stone's throw away is another bower.
12:34And one from which the youngster could learn a lot.
12:42It's bigger and more elaborate.
12:45And this is its builder, an experienced male resplendent in his blue adult plumage.
13:12So that is how it should be done.
13:26Junior returns to his own bower and tries to improve things.
13:30Junior returns to his own bower and tries to improve things.
13:36That should probably go just here.
13:45Or maybe here.
13:54Perhaps he was right in the first place.
14:02He just can't make up his mind.
14:09This could take some time.
14:19And it's not just about building.
14:23The master's bower has something that Junior's lacks completely.
14:28Blue decorations really please a female.
14:33And the master has gone to town.
14:40Junior takes a closer look.
14:49What will the master make of his visitor?
14:58Rather than drive him away, the master has other intentions.
15:06Seduction.
15:26Juvenile males are almost identical to females.
15:34So the master grabs the opportunity
15:36to practice his courtship display on him.
15:51Junior doesn't know what to do next.
15:54Junior doesn't know what to do next.
16:01So he exits...
16:07...mid-performance.
16:18...the youngster's bower.
16:21The youngster's bower.
16:25With the breeding season close,
16:27adult males grow increasingly intolerant to juveniles.
16:59Junior will just have to start all over again.
17:07but he has several years left to perfect his skill at least he's got time on his side
17:25now where should that stick go
17:33africa
18:06these 18-month-old cheetah sisters have been struggling to cope since they left their mother
18:12a few weeks ago their biggest problem is their own inexperience
18:23they're barely managing to catch even the smallest prey
18:32unless they can master big game hunting the sisters will soon starve
18:53they are the only survivors from a litter of five
18:58they spend their lives so far playing and learning together
19:05continuing that bond will be the key to their survival
19:13cheetah siblings that support each other have a better chance of making it to adulthood
19:30this is now the critical time for the sisters because an opportunity is arising and they must seize it
19:49male impala
19:56weighing more than both sisters put together they make a formidable prey
20:06but the impala are caught up in a month-long competition for mates
20:13and that is making the males increasingly weakened and distracted
20:20the next few weeks may provide the sisters best chance to make their first big kill
20:32they need to act soon
20:42the amount of time that different animals must spend in growing up varies enormously
20:51once a veined octopus reaches adulthood it mates and dies shortly after
20:59so most of its life is spent as an adolescent eating as much as possible
21:07although octopus are voracious hunters their soft bodies make them very vulnerable to other predators
21:14so how do the octopus that live here on the exposed sea floor of indonesia's lembe straits keep on eating
21:22without being eaten
21:26for most the solution is an almost unbelievable talent for disguise
21:41the mimic octopus can change the color of its body to seamlessly blend in with its surroundings
21:49it can also mimic predators like a flounder or a lionfish
21:57the wonderplus's strategy is to look so bizarre it is simply unrecognisable as an octopus
22:13but no disguise is completely effective and flounders are a persistent menace
22:22always on the lookout for an edible tentacle
22:32unfortunately the veined octopus has no clever disguise
22:39and the flounder is trailing it waiting for an off-guard moment
22:47but the octopus has a unique solution to this problem
22:53a discarded coconut shell could provide some protection from its stalker
23:05this one carries the shell everywhere it goes
23:22but this is only half the story
23:37for all-round security it needs another half to make a matching pair
23:48its remarkable ability to manipulate shells
23:51is the first known example of tool use amongst invertebrates
24:20now the octopus could get back to its adolescent enthusiasm
24:25with bodybuilding
24:50the stalker is still stalking
24:57however an armored pod has another more unexpected benefit
25:18the chance of a sharp exit
25:21the chance of a sharp exit
25:28this cunning cephalopod
25:31this cunning cephalopod lives to hunt another day
25:33all tentacles intact
25:48for some juveniles
25:50their greatest rivals are adults of their own kind
25:59huge colonies of nesting birds
26:02huge colonies of nesting birds on the Falkland Islands
26:03are a sitting target for a ruthless predator
26:08a striated caracara
26:13he too is a juvenile
26:16a yearling
26:22but despite the abundance of prey
26:25this youngster is hungry
26:39that's because hunting rights in the colony
26:42are strictly controlled
26:50adult caracara
26:53adult caracara are fiercely territorial
26:55a animal
27:23a human being
27:43Juveniles are banished to the surrounding moorlands where their chances of survival are slim.
27:52A year ago, this bird was being cared for like these chicks are now, but his parents pushed
28:03him out to make way for a new brood.
28:09The adults want to keep the juveniles down, but this youngster is not alone.
28:21There are other outcasts here.
28:30And they've joined forces.
28:39To survive on these islands, all juvenile Karakara form gangs.
28:52They are an undisciplined mob, riven with infighting.
29:00But there is strength in numbers, and the adults know it.
29:08They will try to break the gangs up, if they can.
29:31But now, with the might of the gang behind them, young Karakara can rise up against authority.
29:47The balance of power has shifted.
29:57With strength of numbers comes air supremacy.
30:02Now the gang can invade the colonies with little fear of retribution from adults.
30:14Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
30:25Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
30:32Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
30:40They are after eggs, and together they overwhelm the nesting shags.
30:49Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
30:59Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
31:02Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
31:17The mob plunders until they're all fully gorged.
31:33Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
31:34Working together is the only chance of success these juveniles have.
31:45Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member.
31:50Gang life may not be easy for a lowly new member to even the water.
31:56could have been older.
32:15They're 18 months old and on the brink of independence.
32:22They're resting in the protection of a derelict fortress,
32:26trying to keep cool.
32:42But the situation is less relaxed than it appears.
32:52Something caused their mother to hide them here several days ago.
32:55They haven't seen her or their father since then.
33:09They're growing hungry.
33:13They may soon be forced to take a critical step towards independence
33:17and to begin hunting for themselves.
33:30This female has been the most confident of them all since they were cubs.
33:45It's she who finally leaves the security of the fort and heads out on her own.
33:50Mm-hmm.
33:51Mm-hmm.
34:07Mm-hmm.
34:10Oh, my God.
34:18Yes, yes.
34:21tiger.
34:28It's her mother.
34:33She is behaving strangely.
34:54A male.
34:58But he's not the cub's father.
35:05A new male in the territory can mean only one thing.
35:10That her father's rule is ending.
35:19Her mother has little choice but to change her allegiance.
35:43No matter how much the mother appeases the male, her daughter is now in danger.
35:54This male will try to kill any of the old ruler's cubs.
36:08The young female's survival now depends on finding a new home.
36:35Early independence has been forced upon her.
36:54The next day, the forest is quiet.
37:19The young female is dead.
37:27Killed by the new male.
37:31Perhaps her confidence was her downfall.
37:57The other two cubs at the fort are safe.
38:01For now.
38:06The journey to independence can be the most dangerous period of an animal's life.
38:14Often, it's the more cautious ones that win through.
38:32Animals fortunate or skillful enough to reach independence now face a new challenge.
38:40Learning to compete in the adult world.
38:48Very few animals experience this more acutely than a booted racquet-tail hummingbird.
39:02He may look mature, but he's still struggling to cope with the daily demands of adult life.
39:11Hummingbirds have the most hyperactive lifestyle of all birds.
39:26A racquet-tail must consume a sip of energy-rich nectar 2,000 times a day.
39:33But here in the cloud forests of South America, flowers are very few and far between.
39:45Constantly on the brink of starvation, a racquet-tail must learn where the flowers are and the shortest route between
39:52them.
39:59His heart beats 1,000 times a minute and his wings at 60 times a second.
40:08His lightning reactions and aerial agility allow him to dodge his way through his day.
40:15And he needs to, because more than 30 other species of hummingbird live here,
40:22all competing for the same flowers.
40:35About the size of your little finger and the weight of a one-pence piece,
40:40the racquet-tail is too small to battle with the bigger species.
40:55But he can outmaneuver the competition and sneak through to flowers undetected.
41:15The racquet-tail can't avoid conflict with its own kind.
41:16However, even a racquet-tail can't avoid conflict with its own kind.
41:25A juvenile must learn to stand his ground against mature males.
42:04This hummingbird's day is about to get even worse.
42:10Almost every afternoon it rains.
42:16But such a tiny hummingbird can't afford to take shelter.
42:22As the day cools down, he needs even more energy to maintain his body temperature.
42:30But on this scale, raindrops can be a force to be reckoned with.
42:46When the rain eases off, yet another problem emerges.
43:00Honeybees are too small to fly in heavy rain.
43:03But once it stops, they're out in force, urgently harvesting nectar.
43:12And are prepared to fight for it.
43:17One sting could kill a young racquet-tail.
43:21But luckily, he has superior agility on his side.
43:25Have a long-term battle, right?
43:32Hold on!
43:33All time was an increase in his speed.
43:40How do you run?
43:41You've got to make a noise.
43:45You're out of the way!
43:45You have to do it.
43:47You're out of the way!
44:06Evening arrives, and this exhausted hummingbird can finally stop.
44:13But it must slow its heart rate and enter a state of torpor
44:17in order to survive the night.
44:26Every dawn, the same hectic schedule will begin all over again.
44:32But with each day, he learns a little more
44:36about becoming a successful adult.
44:46Coming of age is a gradual process for the hummingbird.
44:50But for some animals, it's defined by a single moment.
45:11Late autumn in southern Africa spells the end of youth for the Cheetah sisters.
45:22Hunger has sharpened their instincts.
45:37The sisters have identified a target.
45:44Although in his prime, this male is exhausted by weeks of intense competition.
45:54But there's still no room for error when taking on such powerful prey.
46:05The stalk, the sprint, and the kill.
46:11Everything must be perfectly executed.
46:25Cheetah are unable to sustain dock speed for long,
46:29so they'll only be able to catch the impala
46:32if the chase starts when they're really close.
46:42And if they work as a team.
47:20One false move, and the chance will be gone.
47:24One false move, and the chance will be gone.
47:51THE SISTERS
47:53Close in and set the trap.
48:24She loses her stride and the Impala gains ground.
48:40But her sister is ready.
49:11While the Impala is still on his feet, he's dangerous.
49:16Whilst the Impala is still on his feet, he's dangerous.
49:22They struggled to deliver the killing bite.
49:53Finally, it's over.
50:02At this moment, with this first success,
50:06these young cheetahs have entered the adult world.
50:21Now they will face a new set of challenges.
50:25Finding a home, winning a mate,
50:29and eventually raising young of their own.
50:34But the lessons of youth are the foundations of their future.
50:55To be continued...
50:58To be continued...
51:03To be continued...
51:17To be continued...
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