- 2 months ago
The sneakiest animals on earth use highly evolved traits—like deceptive camouflage, clever mimicry, and auditory trickery—to hunt prey or hide from danger. Across the globe, various species have developed ingenious, specialized methods to outsmart their environments and secure their survival.
具备高超欺骗, 伪装或寄生策略以获取生存优势的物种...
具备高超欺骗, 伪装或寄生策略以获取生存优势的物种...
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AnimalsTranscript
00:03Meet the Californian Ground Squall.
00:08It's an endearing little rodent, but it does face a big problem.
00:13A constant and terrifying threat.
00:20Rattlesnakes.
00:21Rattlesnakes.
00:27Deadly serpents that hunt by smell.
00:33Once locked on to a squirrel's scent, there's no escape.
00:44Or is there?
00:46You see, these squirrels have a distinctly devious con to fool the sinister snakes.
00:53And central to that con is this.
00:57One of the rattlesnakes' old shed skins.
01:06Just watch this.
01:17Look at that.
01:19The squirrels come over, picked up the skin and started chewing it.
01:25They rub the mush all over their bodies.
01:30You see, they're masking their own scent.
01:33Now, they smell like the snakes instead.
01:41It's fooling the principle way the ruthless rattlers hunt them down.
01:52The snakes just can't detect the squirrels.
01:57It's ingenious, isn't it?
01:58Absolutely ingenious.
02:02They use the snake's own scent to hide themselves.
02:09Now, that's nature at its most devious.
02:14And it turns out that these sneaky squirrels
02:18aren't the only ones tricking other animals to survive.
02:32Every day, animals face the single greatest challenge of their lives.
02:38Survive or die.
02:42They've got to outwit potential predators.
02:47Find or catch food.
02:53And then raise the next generation.
02:58Frankly, the stakes couldn't be higher.
03:04So, in the face of all of this,
03:07how on earth can animals increase their chances?
03:10I mean, would they lie, cheat,
03:14even steal from one another just to survive?
03:17Oh, come on. Of course they would.
03:25Join me as I meet the world's stinkiest animals.
03:30Or do whatever it takes to survive.
03:50Now, if there's anywhere on the planet
03:53where staying alive is a constant struggle,
03:56then it's here, the African savannah.
04:02To avoid the attention of predators,
04:05most animals' coat colours blend in to the background.
04:12But one in particular has perfected an incredibly sneaky disguise.
04:19The zebra.
04:21Oh, seriously, I mean it.
04:23The zebra.
04:28Let's just stop for a minute and think about these animals.
04:31In particular, their markings.
04:33I mean, they are striking, stunning animals.
04:43But, at the same time,
04:44they might strike you as a little ridiculous when you think about it.
04:52After all, they're living out here, on the plains of Africa,
04:56which are famed for being alive with predators.
05:03And yet, look.
05:07They stick out like a sore thumb.
05:12So, perhaps this begs the question, the age-old question,
05:17why does the zebra have its stripes?
05:22Well, over the years, there have been plenty of theories.
05:28From helping to keep them cool in the heat,
05:31or attracting a mate,
05:34or even a way of identifying each other.
05:41the zebra.
05:41But, to be honest, none of these have stood the test of time.
05:46Now, groundbreaking new science is suggesting
05:50that these bold patterns are keeping the zebras safe from their enemies.
06:07But how?
06:09Well, perhaps there's a clue in the colours themselves.
06:19Black and white are the two most contrasting colours.
06:23And when combined, they play tricks on the mind.
06:34Take a look at this, and don't adjust your sets.
06:37This is known as the cafe wall illusion.
06:41Look at the horizontal lines.
06:44They look slopey, diagonal, uneven, right?
06:51But, just look at this.
06:55You'll see that there are no skewery or diagonal lines at all.
07:00In fact, everything is perfectly even and horizontal.
07:06Before, the lines look sloping.
07:12After, they're perfectly straight.
07:18Black and white patterns can confuse our vision.
07:26And they are the two most common colours used in optical illusions.
07:36So, could it be that a phenomenon like this could contribute to the whole enigma of the zebra stripes?
07:49Well, one man has been investigating exactly this.
07:58Dr Martin Howell is an expert in the way that predators see their prey.
08:06I've been studying animal vision for a number of years now,
08:08and became quite interested in what the zebra stripes might be doing to the visual systems of their main predators.
08:17They've got these very strong stripes, but nobody's really explained convincingly why they're striped.
08:28Martin's got an exciting theory.
08:31That the bold, contrasting patterns, when viewed by predators,
08:36could be creating an optical illusion.
08:43It's an idea called motion dazzle.
08:48Let me show you how it works, with an example we're all very familiar with.
09:01Now, just watch this.
09:04If I begin to turn this bicycle wheel, you can see that it's moving in a clockwise direction.
09:11And it looks like it's moving in a clockwise direction.
09:14But if I turn it more quickly, like this,
09:18then suddenly something magical happens.
09:29The wheel appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
09:33It appears to be going completely backwards.
09:46It's called the wagon wheel illusion.
09:52The faster something rotates, the more we struggle to process the movement.
09:58Our brain tries to simplify what we're seeing, but it gets the direction wrong.
10:11To investigate whether something like this could be happening with the zebra's monochrome stripes,
10:17Martin developed a computer model to analyse footage.
10:22What we've got here is we've got the original footage of the zebras moving from left to right.
10:26And below we've got the output of the model.
10:28The brightness of the colour shows you where the movement is happening.
10:32Right.
10:32And the colour itself tells you the direction.
10:34So the green areas are moving to the right, and the red areas are moving to the left.
10:39OK, but there is a mass of red in there.
10:41Does that mean that those parts of those zebra to the predator look like they're moving completely in the opposite
10:47direction, back to the left?
10:48Yeah, that's exactly right.
10:49And it really demonstrates that it's the zebra stripes that are causing the effect.
10:56Let's just be clear on this.
10:58Here, we've isolated the two key colours.
11:05As the zebras are walking to the right, the model should only be showing green, no other colours.
11:12Remarkably, the red we are seeing is suggesting that a predator would perceive the zebras to be moving in completely
11:21the opposite direction.
11:23Just like the bike wheel.
11:32Predators must precisely judge the speed and direction of their prey in order to make a kill.
11:44This research shows that as zebras start moving, the stripes create a miraculous and disorientating illusion.
11:53Making it harder for the predators to home in on them.
12:03In a hunt, every second counts, so this dazzling form of defence could be confusing predators just enough for the
12:13zebras to escape and live to see another day.
12:18It's an outstandingly sneaky trick.
12:28Zebras have transformed themselves into a walking, trotting, galloping optical illusion which both deceives and deters their predators.
12:38And if I'm honest with you, up until now, I've never really given them a second look.
12:42I've always thought of them as small, stripy ponies living out here to be eaten by something more interesting.
12:48But no longer.
12:49I now see them as unique and beautiful animals.
12:52Creatures that have pulled off an incredible deception to produce one of the most effective anti-predator strategies that we
13:00have on our planet.
13:05Motion dazzle is a brilliant way to confuse hunting predators.
13:13But animals have other ingenious ways to outwit their enemies.
13:27One creature's sneaky strategy is to avoid being detected in the first place.
13:44You're looking at a northern leaf-tailed gecko.
13:49And these animals are incredibly difficult to spot.
13:54Try focusing just here.
13:57Here.
14:01Now that really is a master of disguise.
14:26I used to have a book when I was a kid. It had a photograph of one of these things
14:29in and I could barely believe it existed.
14:37You can only find them here in northern Queensland in the tropical forest.
14:42And it is one of the largest geckos in the world.
14:49They feed at night.
14:52But it's when they sleep during the day that they have a big problem.
15:00This forest is alive with hungry eyes.
15:07All looking to prey on an exposed lizard.
15:13You see, our gecko is too big to hide away or tuck in under bark.
15:18So, stuck out on a limb, in broad daylight, it deploys its party trick.
15:26The gecko has developed an ability that we can only dream of.
15:32Just watch this.
15:37It vanishes into thin air.
15:48The gecko's vanishing act starts with its skin.
15:53It's covered in a series of strongly contrasting patterns.
15:58In close-up, they really stand out.
16:01But from a distance, they break up the gecko's body shape and its outline.
16:08Allowing it to blend seamlessly into any forest background.
16:14It's known as disruptive camouflage.
16:18Even their eyes have it.
16:25But there are other clues the gecko's predators could pick up on.
16:31Any three-dimensional object, no matter how well camouflaged,
16:35has the potential to produce a shadow.
16:39And this shadow is a dead giveaway to any predator.
16:45To combat this, the geckos have very loose skin,
16:49which they flatten against the trees when they're trying to hide.
16:54To complete their vanishing act, the geckos have subtle fringes
16:59that run around the edges of their bodies, particularly on their tails.
17:04And these serve to break up their outline and any sharply defined edges.
17:13By using these principles,
17:17animals have perfected the ultimate camouflage.
17:22The effectiveness, the sheer beauty of these devious disguises,
17:27is quite mind-blowing.
17:29Just look at these sneaky creatures.
17:33Can you make it out?
17:34It's a dead-leaf butterfly from Malaysia.
17:40What about these animals?
17:44These are pygmy seahorses from New Guinea.
17:49And finally, how about the incredible disguise of this hooded grasshopper?
18:00And for our leaf-towered gecko, and yes, it is still here,
18:05perfecting this disguise means one important thing.
18:09It can rest, it can sleep here, in the open,
18:13and avoid the attention of predators all day long.
18:26Now, it's all very well some animals being able to blend perfectly into their background.
18:32That's clearly a great advantage.
18:34But what about if these species then want to move from one habitat into another?
18:40Then, it could clearly be a disadvantage,
18:44unless they had the ability to change their camouflage.
18:49And ultimately, if they could continue to change that disguise,
18:54they would come up with nature's invisibility cloak.
18:58Something that you might think is a bit far-fetched,
19:02but I've got to tell you that it isn't.
19:04There's a creature living out there right now that can do just that.
19:14And what a splendid creature it is.
19:19What do you mean you can't see it?
19:21It's in the middle, there, amongst the seaweed.
19:27I give you the cuttlefish.
19:39Unfortunately for them, they are one of the most sought-after meals in the ocean.
19:46Their bodies have no physical protection,
19:48so they've come up with a cunning defence.
19:53They transform themselves entirely to match their surroundings.
20:02In his US-based lab, cuttlefish expert, Dr Roger Hanlon,
20:07is investigating how they conjure up these incredible illusions.
20:17He's presenting the cuttlefish with different backgrounds.
20:28And then pulling the rug out from underneath them.
20:34And it reveals just how quickly they can adapt.
20:41As Roger is discovering,
20:43the key to this seemingly supernatural power is their skin.
20:48Well, this is truly amazing.
20:50Perhaps some of the most beautiful skin on planet Earth.
20:53And they need elegant skin because they have to create these colours
20:57and patterns and contrast to create this camouflage.
21:03So on the top layer of the skin,
21:05they have these beautiful pigmented organs.
21:07We call them chromatophores.
21:12Chromatophores are tiny packages of different coloured pigment.
21:18Each individual chromatophore is pulled and stretched by muscles controlled by the brain,
21:25turning a dot into a circle of colour.
21:29The combined effect of three million chromatophores and other specialist cells
21:35changes the cuttlefish's colour and pattern in an instant.
21:42This amazing colour-changing ability is made even more remarkable by one astonishing fact.
21:51Cuttlefish are colour-blind.
21:55Yes, that's right.
21:57They can't even see the colours they're trying to match.
22:02So how on earth do they match their surroundings quite so perfectly?
22:08Well, recently Roger and his colleagues have discovered the cuttlefish's beautiful secret.
22:16Dotted across their skin are specialist cells containing opsin.
22:23It's a protein usually only ever found in eyes.
22:29So this is a marvellous, strange discovery.
22:32They seem to have light-detecting molecules distributed in the skin,
22:36and these are the same molecules that are in the retina and the eye.
22:41In effect, their skin can sense, possibly even see, colour.
22:49But then these great illusionists have another show-stopping trick.
22:58The cuttlefish have this morphing skin.
23:01The skin can actually go from flat to three-dimensional.
23:04Think ultimate goosebumps in a human, for example.
23:08No other animal can do this.
23:11The cuttlefish morph and change texture to match any surroundings.
23:19It's an extraordinary ability.
23:24These clever cuttlefish, and their close relatives, Octopus,
23:28have the most amazing, shape-shifting, vanishing act
23:33that I've ever seen.
23:39And when it comes to playing hide-and-seek with predators,
23:43these deceitful creatures are always the winners.
23:58Camouflage is a wonderfully sneaky and successful way to avoid predators.
24:06So many different animals depend on it to survive.
24:12But you know, for even the best camouflaged animals, there's a problem.
24:16You see, the second they move, the illusion is blown.
24:21It really doesn't matter how well hidden they are, it spoils the trick.
24:26But nature always finds a way.
24:30So could there be an even craftier ploy?
24:34One that could protect a conniving creature around the clock?
24:41No matter where they were, or what they did.
24:46A disguise that all predators would want to avoid all of the time.
24:55Genuine, one that could prevent a
24:58venomous, toxic, or decidedly deadly.
25:01Danger! Danger!
25:03High voltage!
25:05Many animals use bright warning colours to declare the threat that they pose.
25:10Danger!
25:12Predators learn to avoid these animals.
25:17they know the consequences if they try to eat them but sometimes all is not as it seems
25:31two snakes both displaying classic warning coloration both residents of here the
25:39southeastern United States but one of these snakes is deadly venomous it's the eastern coral snake
25:54the venom is packed with neurotoxins which paralyzed the breathing system so one bite is pretty much
26:01certainly fatal that would be a snake to avoid but the other snake is a bare-faced liar
26:17the Scarlet Kingsnake is absolutely harmless the big question is which is which
26:33because in a moment I'm going to take one of these two snakes out of the jar bare-handed
26:42so which one will it be
26:51which one would you choose
27:02no I don't think so I'm going to go for this snake
27:11and this snake is the Scarlet Kingsnake it's the faker and just look at it it is
27:25absolutely beautiful
27:30in this neck of the woods it helps to remember a rhyme that could save your life
27:35red touches yellow could kill a fella
27:41red touches black friend to Jack
27:45and here the red and black bands are touching
27:48so this is our harmless king snake
27:54around here this snake is certainly on the menu for many larger animals so it's evolved a sneaky tactic
28:07this is a classic case of imitation the harmless king snake is mimicking its deadly rival the coral snake in
28:18the hope
28:18that predators will buy this corn and leave it well alone
28:23well that's the theory at least but I see a problem
28:28you see they're not exactly the same are they
28:33so could this mimicry really confer protection on this cheating snake
28:40unbelievably until recently it never actually been tested in the field
28:46that is until now
28:51professor David Fenwick is an expert in the king snakes masterful mimicry
29:00earlier in the year he set out replicas of both snakes in front of camera traps
29:10he's investigating
29:13how predators really react
29:16to these warning colors
29:29I can't wait to see the results
29:33so David how did the experiment go
29:35I think it worked out fabulous
29:36and so you can see we found a real diversity of animal life appearing on our videos
29:48okay so a great range of species but at least two of those animals are potential predators of the snake
29:58the great foxes and the coyotes would be predators of these snakes the raccoons would probably be as well
30:03when we look at the reactions of these predators of the snakes we find that they're treating them as if
30:08they were real snakes
30:15but surely the bright warning coloration has to be putting off the majority of attacks
30:20that's right
30:21generally they're not attacking our fake snakes they're avoiding them and you can see this avoidance in several of these
30:27clips
30:30sometimes they do go after them and they do attack them at very low frequency though
30:34and what do you see in terms of a difference between the number of fake coal snakes and number of
30:39fake king snakes being attacked
30:41they're equally likely to be attacked so even though the coral snake and the king snake have different ring order
30:48predators avoiding both
30:52so despite not looking exactly the same
30:56the mimetic king snake is still gaining all of the advantage of its phony warning colors
31:03the reason why that works is that the the coral snake is really really deadly it can kill an adult
31:09hema it could kill any of these predators
31:13so just vaguely looking like it is good enough to to get you by
31:21just as I gambled with my life earlier
31:27if a predator wanted to eat one of these two snakes and picked the wrong one it could cost them
31:36their life
31:39so they tend to play it safe avoiding any snake with obvious warning colors
31:51mimicry really is an excellent strategy for survival it's a brilliantly cunning way to protect yourself from predators 24 hours
32:00a day
32:01so it's hardly surprising that when one species evolves to be deadly dangerous others sneak in and copy them
32:12harmless hoverflies copy the warning colors of stinging bees
32:19this bushveiled lizard mimics the markings of the orc pister
32:26a tenacious beetle that sprays formic acid
32:33targeting the eyes it can cause temporary blindness
32:37definitely something worth impersonating them
32:42the little lizard even adopts a silly walk
32:46to perfect the parody
33:04but how about this amazing new
33:07discovery the ball of bright ginger fluff is the chick of the secretive cinerious mourner
33:19it starts worming around in the nest
33:25because it's impersonating one of these a highly noxious caterpillar
33:34this is the first time it's ever been filmed
33:42it's absolutely extraordinary isn't it
33:46a tiny chick pretending to be a deadly poisonous caterpillar
33:51but you know mimicry isn't always about changing your appearance or your behavior
33:58there is one unlikely impersonator who uses mimicry in a completely different way
34:10and i've come here to this unusual location
34:16on the outskirts of sacramento to meet it
34:19this was a building site it was planned but the houses were never put up
34:31but that hasn't stopped one family from moving in
34:36to number one bluff way
34:49burrowing owls
34:56and look at them they're absolutely delightful
35:00birds
35:04these are not normal owls
35:10running around on the ground
35:14hanging out in the daytime
35:19oh and as the name suggests
35:22they live down burrows
35:32this family have five youngsters
35:35which are just starting to explore
35:37outside the burrow
35:39and that burrow provides excellent protection
35:42for many aerial predators
35:44there's no doubt about that
35:45but it's not quite so good
35:47when it comes to ground predators
35:52in this unusual neighbourhood
35:57a stray dog is a real threat
35:59to our young family
36:09so to deter ground predators
36:12burrowing owls deploy a really sneaky strategy
36:16a willing volunteer
36:17should help demonstrate what I mean
36:21meet Ruby
36:22she's a three-year-old hand-reared burrowing owl
36:26Ruby can do something
36:28which is very pertinent
36:29to what we're interested in
36:30when she wants to
36:37like I said
36:38when she wants to
36:52no
36:53nothing
36:53not a peep
36:58okay I won't look at her
36:59and then she'll probably do it
37:21and then finally she does what I wanted to see
37:40look at that
37:43in fact
37:45it's the sound
37:46it's the copycat call
37:48that's key to the burrowing owl's defence
37:52why do you think she's making that sound
37:57it's tricky isn't it
37:58but I'll give you a clue
37:59I can tell you
38:00that Ruby shares her space
38:02with a species of pretty noxious snake
38:11rattlesnakes are highly venomous
38:14and known for their aggression
38:18the famous rattle
38:20is a warning
38:25steer well clear
38:27or I'll bite
38:28and like our owls
38:31they also hide down burrows
38:33so that's what the owls are up to
38:39if they can accurately impersonate
38:42an angry rattlesnake
38:45deep in a dark burrow
38:47then no predator in its right mind
38:50is going to bother them
38:53but for this impersonation to work
38:55it has to be totally convincing
38:59so does it work
39:00does it actually thaw other animals
39:02let's put it to the test
39:08now if you were paying attention
39:10at the very beginning
39:11of this programme
39:16you'll know that these
39:17endearing Californian ground squirrels
39:20live in constant fear
39:21of rattlesnakes
39:22and of course rightly so
39:27because out here
39:2870% of the rattlesnake's diet
39:31is squirrel
39:34if there's one animal
39:35whose life definitely depends
39:37on its ability to recognise
39:39a rattlesnake's rattle
39:41then this is it
39:45if the owl's impersonation
39:47can fool these guys
39:48it will fool any predator
39:50these are the perfect test subject
40:00the plucky little squirrels
40:02have an audacious approach
40:03to tackling their number one nemesis
40:07rather than run
40:09they mob the snake
40:12waving their tails frantically
40:17it's the squirrel's way of saying
40:19I've seen you
40:21so don't try anything clever
40:38okay we've got the squirrel here
40:40let's see what happens
40:41when I play
40:42the owl's rattlesnake call
40:47here we go
40:55look at that
40:58the squirrel's wagging its tail
41:01and that's what they do
41:02when they sense
41:03there's a rattlesnake about
41:07so this little chap
41:08is convinced
41:10that there's a snake
41:11in the grass
41:14little does it know
41:15it's an owl
41:17doing an impersonation
41:20what about that
41:25and for our young family
41:26living in a tough urban environment
41:31a sneaky trick like this
41:34is helping them to survive
41:41I don't know
41:42just when you think
41:43that you might have
41:44seen and heard it all
41:46up pops an owl
41:47that makes a sound
41:49like a rattlesnake
41:50I mean you couldn't make it up
41:51could you
41:52and it works
41:53because by turning themselves
41:54into a ventriloquist
41:56these animals
41:57are replicating the sound
41:58of that deadly reptile
42:00in the burrow
42:00at a time
42:01when their chicks
42:02are at their most vulnerable
42:04and it's saving their lives
42:06there's no doubt about it
42:14but what if an animal
42:16used mimicry
42:17not to fool its predators
42:19but to trick others
42:21of its own species
42:24sounds far-fetched
42:26but an amazing new discovery
42:28could well be an example
42:30of exactly that
42:41so lions
42:44what do we need to know
42:46about lions
42:47well firstly
42:49they're very territorial
42:57each pride
42:58defends a home patch
43:01which they absolutely
43:03depend on
43:04to survive
43:10secondly
43:11it's the males
43:12who guard
43:13that territory
43:22everything clear
43:23good
43:24because here comes
43:25the sneaky bit
43:31deep in Botswana's
43:33Okavango doubter
43:34there's an extraordinary lion
43:38that's rewriting
43:40all of the rules
43:42this
43:43is Mamoreri
43:47a perfectly ordinary
43:49male lion
43:50complete with a characteristic mane
43:54right
43:55well actually
43:56no
43:57wrong
44:01you see
44:02Mamoreri
44:03is a lioness
44:06well she's all you'd ever want
44:08she's the kind
44:09I'd like to flaunt
44:10and take to dinner
44:14well she always knows her place
44:16she's got style
44:17she's got grace
44:18she's a winner
44:22she's a lady
44:23oh oh oh
44:26she's a lady
44:27talking about
44:29that little lady
44:31yes
44:31I know she's got a full name
44:33but I promise you
44:34she
44:35is all woman
44:36come out
44:37a little lady
44:40and the lady is mine
44:44yeah
44:45she's a lady
44:51not only does Mamoreri
44:53look like a male
44:54she acts like a male
44:57even her roar
44:58is deeper
44:59and more masculine
45:06right now
45:07there are thought to be
45:08five of these
45:09maned lionesses
45:10in the Okavango
45:15and this is the first time
45:17that one of them
45:18has ever been filmed
45:24they probably
45:25all have the same
45:27genetic mutation
45:28which has created
45:30an imbalance of hormones
45:39this is extraordinary stuff
45:42but what does it mean
45:44for this pride
45:45well scientists suspect
45:48that because Mamoreri
45:49mimics a male
45:51rivals might think
45:52there are more males
45:54in her pride
45:55than there actually are
45:57if they can increase
45:59their territory
46:00because of this
46:01then it would really
46:03improve her pride's
46:05survival chances
46:09this mutation
46:10could even be the start
46:12of a new
46:13and very devious
46:14lion strategy
46:18evolution
46:19happening right before
46:21our eyes
46:22with one of the most
46:22iconic animals
46:24on the planet
46:25it's incredible
46:40mimicry
46:41is a successful
46:42survival strategy
46:44used by animals
46:45the world over
46:47impersonating others
46:48has entirely changed
46:50the way that animals
46:51look
46:51and even
46:52how they behave
46:58but what if animals
46:59could adapt
47:00their behaviour
47:02and make deliberate
47:04strategic decisions
47:06about when
47:06and how
47:07to trick others
47:11well
47:11then they could pull off
47:13the sneakiest
47:14con tricks of all
47:17one of these animal
47:18hustlers lives here
47:21in the forests
47:22of Panama
47:26white-faced
47:28capuchins
47:33this group
47:34are a close-knit
47:35family
47:38together
47:39they defend
47:40a territory
47:40that they depend
47:42upon to survive
47:44but other monkey
47:45troops
47:46are trying
47:46to take
47:47their turf
47:52and as a consequence
47:53of that
47:54these monkeys
47:55are always
47:56in conflict
48:11fighting
48:12fighting is a dangerous
48:13business
48:19injuries are common
48:25in fact
48:26more capuchins
48:28are killed
48:28by each other
48:29than by predators
48:33the stakes
48:34couldn't be higher
48:37guarding a territory
48:39obviously takes
48:40teamwork
48:41and individual
48:42capuchin
48:43can't keep
48:44an invading
48:45troop out
48:45on its own
48:46and obviously
48:47from that
48:48troop's point of view
48:49it makes sense
48:50to look after
48:51the territory
48:51they need it
48:52to survive
48:52but let's just
48:54stop for a moment
48:55and think about
48:56the implications
48:57on the individual
48:59monkeys
49:04yes
49:05it's their duty
49:07to help defend
49:08the territory
49:10but that takes
49:11time
49:12and energy
49:13and then
49:14there's the likelihood
49:16of getting
49:16seriously injured
49:20and for a monkey
49:21like this
49:22that
49:22is a huge
49:24dilemma
49:24and it's led
49:26to the evolution
49:26of some
49:27extraordinarily
49:28treacherous tactics
49:33these monkeys
49:35are part of
49:35a long-term
49:36study
49:39leading the research
49:40is primatologist
49:42Meg Crawford
49:46she's going
49:47to show me
49:48just how sneaky
49:49these monkeys
49:51can be
49:52by playing
49:54a recording
49:54of a neighbouring
49:55troop
49:56she's simulating
49:57a territorial
49:58invasion
50:04there's a female
50:05looking towards
50:05the seeker
50:06with the baby
50:06on her back
50:09on the ground
50:10right here
50:10what is that
50:11there's brother
50:12that's his alpha male
50:13on this coat
50:14that's certainly
50:15got a response
50:16from him
50:20here we go
50:20one of the juveniles
50:22yes
50:24wow
50:25look look
50:26two more there
50:30so we've seen
50:31five monkeys
50:32come this way
50:33the big male
50:33the three juveniles
50:35and that one female
50:35with the baby
50:36on her back
50:36but two of the females
50:37looked at the speaker
50:38and didn't come forward
50:39at all
50:42they didn't seem
50:42to want to get involved
50:43did they didn't
50:44looking after their tail tree
50:48I just saw
50:49two monkeys
50:51cheating their own family
50:52in a social species
50:55that's supposed
50:56to work together
50:59this new discovery
51:01has surprised everyone
51:03but what's really interesting
51:06is that some days
51:07these same two females
51:10do respond to the recordings
51:12they do rush in to help
51:14another day
51:15a different monkey
51:17cheats the troop
51:17to a lesser and greater extent
51:19they're all up to it
51:21so there's definitely
51:22a sneaky strategy
51:24in play here
51:29so if the same monkeys
51:31don't cheat
51:31all of the time
51:32that means
51:33they must be making decisions
51:34every time
51:35there's a potential conflict
51:36as to whether
51:36to cheat or not
51:37yes
51:38I think that's definitely true
51:39it seems to be
51:41an interesting tension
51:42between the likelihood
51:43that the group
51:43is going to be able
51:44to win without you
51:45and your own sort of
51:46personal desire
51:47to avoid risk entirely
51:51these monkeys
51:52have weighed things up
51:54and decided
51:55to cheat the group
51:58but it's a huge risk
52:00after all
52:01it could jeopardize
52:02their own family's
52:03long-term survival
52:06but for the individual monkey
52:09if it means avoiding injury
52:11then the con pays off
52:19being able to decide
52:21which trip to pull out of the bag
52:23and when
52:24is critical
52:25to a successful
52:26sneaky strategy
52:28so what is
52:30the ultimate
52:30animal hustle
52:31well
52:32one creature
52:34really will do
52:35whatever it takes
52:36to survive
52:38the horned lizard
52:40what an animal
52:42look at it
52:43I'm absolutely smitten
52:45to me
52:46this
52:47is gorgeous
52:48this defines
52:50cute
52:50and of course
52:52you can see
52:52how it gets its name
52:54this super
52:55spiky skin
52:56and this dinosaur appearance
52:59normally protects it
53:01from predators
53:02normally
53:02but occasionally
53:04this little animal
53:06has to pull off
53:07the riskiest con
53:08of all
53:13horned lizards
53:14lay eggs
53:15and then carefully
53:16bury them
53:19then
53:20they stand guard duty
53:23her camouflage
53:24keeps her concealed
53:26as she scans the horizon
53:27for any potential danger
53:31and what's this
53:33a western patch
53:35nosed snake
53:36that's not good
53:38she eyes him up
53:39but she
53:41is not the one
53:42in danger
53:43you see
53:44this is an egg
53:45eating snake
53:46there's no point
53:47in staying hidden
53:48now
53:50it's protecting
53:51the eggs
53:51that's important
53:52she charges
54:05into battle
54:05her frenzied attack
54:08drives the snake away
54:17it's a tactic that works
54:19when it comes to protecting eggs
54:24so a horned lizard like this
54:27can recognize its adversary
54:28measure the threat to its eggs
54:31and then decide on the appropriate defensive response
54:36or very clever stuff
54:38but what about if the tables are turned
54:44well then
54:45the lizard has to change
54:47its strategy
54:48and that's when things
54:50get really interesting
54:56a coach whip snake
55:00this snake
55:01eats lizards
55:03and she knows it
55:16first
55:17she tries a simple scam
55:19puffing herself up
55:22to look bigger
55:24more intimidating
55:28but this doesn't fool
55:30the persistent snake
55:33this is now a matter
55:35of life and death
55:39so she's forced
55:41into pulling
55:42the sneakiest strategy
55:44of all
55:44her greatest deception
55:53she's faked
55:54her own death
56:02if the snake doesn't buy the con
56:05this is going to backfire
56:07in a spectacularly bad way
56:11but snakes you see
56:13never eat dead animals
56:14unless they've made the kill
56:16themselves
56:30completely confused
56:31the snake slopes off
56:35a quick peek
56:37to check the coast is clear
56:42and she springs back to life
56:48ready for whatever life
56:50throws at her next
56:56surely this has to be
56:58the ultimate predator response
57:01faking your own death
57:03right under the nose
57:04of your most dangerous enemy
57:06it's audacious
57:08and it's gutsy
57:09and what's more
57:10this little lizard
57:12actually decides
57:13when to fight
57:15and when
57:16to pull off
57:17that show-stopping deception
57:18and by making that decision
57:21it can protect its eggs
57:22and keep itself alive
57:25what about that
57:26in fact
57:27I'm going to give
57:28the horned lizard
57:29a very rare
57:3010 out of 10
57:32not just because of the behaviour
57:34but also
57:35because I'm totally in love with it
57:37look at it
57:38it's my little dinosaur
57:43all these extraordinarily sneaky animals
57:46have gone to incredible lengths
57:48to fool their enemies
57:51and outwit their predators
57:55by using deception
57:57they've overcome one of life's greatest challenges
58:00staying alive
58:09next time
58:11we meet the animals
58:12using sneaky strategies
58:14to find food
58:17the hunters
58:18the con artists
58:20and thieves
58:21who will stop at nothing
58:22to get a meal
58:24these animals
58:25definitely
58:26don't play by the rules
58:31and the series continues
58:32in the new year
58:34going retro now
58:35with Dad's Army
58:36Captain Manorings
58:37cracking the jokes
58:38and carving the turkey
58:39next on BBC2
58:40that's followed by
58:41seasonal sketches
58:42from the two Ronnies
58:43a festive treat
58:44featuring Elaine Page
58:45on the way
58:45in half an hour
58:47and it wouldn't be
58:47Christmas night
58:48without a ballet
58:49Carlos Acosta's Carmen
58:50the farewell performance
58:52over on BBC4
58:53now
58:54on BBC4