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00:06Snakes, age-old villains, or modern superheroes, potent, lethal, and lightning-fast, from fan to tail.
00:31Over 4,000 species share our planet, each uniquely evolved to master their habitat.
00:44And without them, we'd be overrun by rodents.
00:58These are snakes from all corners of the planet, ready to rewrite their history, shed the old
01:12beliefs, and let their real stories emerge.
01:38This is the secret world of snakes.
01:50Africa, one of the most biodiverse continents on the planet.
01:57Here, in the semi-desert of Botswana, the remarkably varied terrain is covered in majestic sandstone
02:05outcrops.
02:07To survive in this rugged wilderness requires special adaptations for both predator and prey.
02:21Those who are opportunistic are most likely to thrive.
02:31In the midst of the dry landscape, the water table mercifully rises to the surface, providing
02:39a lifeline to the thirsty wildlife.
02:45The flooded ground offers a handy habitat to a highly specialized resident.
02:51The Mozambican spitting cobra, a versatile snake, able to thrive in a multitude of habitats.
03:00This watery realm offers both hydration and hunting opportunities.
03:10The African bullfrog also thrives in this marshy habitat.
03:16And it's a staple on the cobra's menu.
03:26The spitter is an active hunter, tracking its prey using its highly sensitive tongue.
03:39The frog freezes.
03:47If he leaps now, he'll surely blow his cover.
03:51But it's already too late.
03:57The bullfrog loses his nerve, jumping clear.
04:05But his stalker is now locked onto its target.
04:09At the end of the event, he'll be the other one.
04:17He's hiding.
04:21The wolf will only be the other one.
04:21He's on the inside.
04:25The wolf will be the other one.
04:30The wolf will be the other one.
04:38The wolf will be the other one.
04:40Short fangs hold the frog in a vise grip, while the snake pumps potent cytotoxic venom into its body.
04:50The toxins destroy cell membranes and break down the tissue of the prey, preparing it for easy digestion.
05:13This snake is a master of evolution, capable of spraying venom up to three meters with almost 100% accuracy,
05:32into its attacker's eyes when threatened.
05:37Quite possibly a technique that evolved specifically to fend off humans.
05:44Their highly cytotoxic venom can cause debilitating tissue damage and even fatalities in humans.
05:54Although he does his best to spit first and bite later.
06:03From the arid semi-desert to the lush green heart of the jungle, Africa's diverse habitats offer a variety of
06:13lifestyles.
06:15In Luango National Park, the soaring canopies are home to some of the world's most secretive creatures.
06:26Chimpanzees straddle both worlds, equally at ease swinging through the branches or foraging on the jungle floor.
06:38Deep in the undergrowth, this resident prefers a more sedentary lifestyle.
06:44The Gaboon Adda, barely visible in its leafy lair, waits patiently for dinner.
06:54She's an ambush hunter of the highest order, selecting prime positions along busy forest tracks to surprise her prey.
07:06Her distinctive nose horns enhance her cryptic camouflage, blending her seamlessly into the leaf litter.
07:18They play no sensory role.
07:20She has that covered with large, heat-sensing pits on her snout.
07:25And a highly tuned tongue, which reads the scent particles in the air around her.
07:36Her camouflage is almost foolproof.
07:50Apart from the highly vigilant chimpanzees, her movements usually go undetected.
08:02But today, the pesky primates blow her cover.
08:13She moves off reluctantly, to reset her ambush.
08:22Her tongue guides her like a GPS, towards a fresh spot, where the scent of potential prey still lingers.
08:36Here, she sets up her ambush once more, lying motionless, apart from her breath.
08:46And a sideways glance.
09:03She has the prey in her crosshairs.
09:24Now, patience is her superpower.
09:27She is still alive!
09:28She is still alive.
09:57The adder holds onto her victim, injecting a massive dose of venom, which attacks both
10:03the tissue and the blood of her prey.
10:08A potent killer, with the largest quantity of venom per bite, of any snake in the world.
10:19The rodent doesn't stand the chance.
10:23Death comes swiftly.
10:56The lethal huntress adjusts her jaw, showcasing the longest fangs of all venomous snakes.
11:06She's a force of nature.
11:08A snake so powerful, she masters her habitat with effortless grace.
11:16In the heart of Southern Africa, the Chobe National Park spans over 10,000 square kilometers
11:24of breathtaking wilderness.
11:28The meandering Chobe River offers a critical lifeline to a huge diversity of species.
11:37With the only permanent water source in the area, the park is home to the highest concentration
11:42of elephants in Africa.
11:48Large family herds make daily pilgrimages between their feeding grounds and the river, to get
11:56enough water to survive.
11:59But it comes at a price.
12:02Chobe's resident lion prides are notorious for preying on young elephants.
12:11Today, however, it's not the big cats who pose the greatest threat.
12:20A black mamba is also passing through.
12:31Armed with lightning speed and lethal venom, it's arguably Africa's most formidable snake.
12:45With a bite that's potent enough to kill an elephant.
12:48A black mamba is also passing through.
13:05This snake knows no fear.
13:10The herd panics.
13:16Despite the difference in size, the snake holds the upper hand here.
13:35Even the largest and smartest land mammals agree that tangling with a black mamba should
13:42be avoided at all costs.
13:48The snake continues his mission, heading away from the waterhole.
13:55It's mating season, and he's picked up on the pheromones of a receptive female.
14:02But in his path, two more males.
14:11His delay has cost him.
14:14His rivals are already locked in combat over the female.
14:21His only option now is to join the brawl.
14:43The goal is to push the opponent's head down, but a sneaky bite breaks the rules.
14:51The goal is to push the opponent's head down, but a few more.
15:20They're the longest venomous snakes in Africa, and they fight like live wires.
15:28One slam dunk decides the duel.
15:37The victor heads off to claim his bride, three meters of sheer muscle and potent energy.
15:50The female black mamba is very selective when choosing her mate.
15:56Which is why her suitors must fight for her favor.
16:02Once her eggs are fertilized, she finds a safe place to lay her clutch.
16:11Ten leathery eggs incubate within the protective walls of the termite mound.
16:18As the shells start to dimple, the time for their hatching draws near.
16:28And their mother leaves the nest.
16:35Almost three months have passed when the tiny killers emerge.
16:50Exact replicas of their parents.
16:53And equally venomous from the moment they are born.
17:00From their first breath, they are self-sufficient.
17:04Ready to hunt and fully equipped to take on their role as Africa's most formidable snake.
17:13On the southwestern border of Botswana, the Kalahari Desert spans roughly 900,000 square kilometers.
17:25It's a vast, semi-arid expanse that endures searing heat.
17:30With temperatures often hitting 46 degrees Celsius.
17:35But during the wet season, the parched earth transforms into a vibrant green paradise.
17:46This is a time of plenty for all.
17:50From herds of graceful herbivores.
18:00To a host of iconic predators.
18:16Among them, the Cape Cobra takes its place.
18:21Far more elusive than the big cats, but equally feared.
18:37For the Kalahari's iconic meerkats, it's the peak of their breeding season.
18:43And while the young pups scamper around, the adults have their hands full.
18:51Danger is everywhere.
18:56In the sky.
18:58And on the ground.
19:02The Cape Cobra is their nemesis.
19:06It's one of Africa's most venomous snakes.
19:09And a highly skilled hunter of meerkat pups.
19:26The playful babies are having too much fun to notice the danger.
19:38A piercing alarm call from a meerkat sentinel sends the mob scurrying.
19:53The cobra has lost its element of surprise.
19:56And that means trouble.
20:01The entire family launches a counterattack.
20:07Sharp teeth and aggressive barks threaten the cobra.
20:19The snake spreads his hood to make himself appear larger.
20:25But he's outnumbered.
20:31The cobra retreats.
20:34He's a potent predator among snakes.
20:37But meerkats are notoriously the most murderous mammals on the planet.
20:45There are less aggressive menu options at this time of year.
20:55The communal nests of the social weaver are abuzz with activity.
21:02The cobra sees his opportunity.
21:06During the breeding season, the labyrinth of nests is a treasure trove of eggs and newborn chicks.
21:18Easy pickings for the wily snake.
21:27The predator works his way through the maze of nests, eating his fill while the adult weavers watch helplessly.
21:45Leaving a ransacked community in his wake, the cape cobra moves off.
21:50The stealthy assassin of the Kalahari.
22:01In South Africa, the Waterberg Reserve boasts over six and a half thousand square kilometers of rugged savannah and bushveld
22:11landscape.
22:13Its perfect habitat for Africa's big five.
22:19Among them, the formidable cape buffalo and the majestic white rhino are notorious for their brute strength.
22:33But there are lesser known giants of this wilderness that lead far more secretive lives.
22:41The snouted cobra is one of Africa's largest cobras and can reach lengths of up to two and a half
22:48meters.
23:03To match their size, they're powerful and highly specialized predators.
23:09To match their size, they're powerful and highly specialized predators.
23:17Apart from the predictable rodents and toads on their menu, these cobras have a particular appetite for fellow snakes.
23:32The snouted cobra stares down his potential meal.
23:37This Mozambican spitting cobra is up against his nemesis and his chances are slim.
23:51The snouted cobra rears up to dominate.
23:55The snouted cobra rears up to dominate.
23:55He holds all the cars.
23:57He's bigger, taller and immune to the venom of his rival.
24:06The spitting cobra has one chance.
24:09The spitting cobra has one chance.
24:10Flee and hide.
24:16But his pursuer keeps coming.
24:32The spitting cobra is running.
24:34The spitting cobra is cornered.
24:41The snouted cobra strikes like lightnings.
24:48As he twists and coils his prey, he delivers a lethal mix of neurotoxic and cytotoxic venom,
24:55which gets to work shutting down the spitter's respiratory system and breaking down tissue.
25:14But the spitter has one last card to play.
25:17In a final act of defiance, it pulls its signature move, spraying venom into its attacker's eyes.
25:29It's too late.
25:31The snouted cobra is relentless, twisting his prey mercilessly to get it into position.
25:48He swallows his victim head first, sliding his meal down his gullet.
25:56This is the secret underbelly of his idyllic realm, a snake-eater, the African counterpart to the great king cobra.
26:12South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park spans over two million hectares.
26:20It's one of the largest protected areas on the continent and home to an impressive biodiversity of species.
26:34In an area so large, there's more than enough choice for every creature to find their niche.
26:43For the notorious puff adder, rocky grassland is his preferred domain.
26:52Among the rough edges, he prepares for some routine maintenance.
26:59Every snake needs to shed its skin regularly as it grows.
27:06It rubs against the log, and once a tear forms, it slides out of its old skin, revealing shiny, new
27:15scales.
27:38It rubs against the frogs.
27:44The
27:47Freshly kitted out in his new suit, the Puffadder pursues his next duty.
27:55He follows the promising trail of female pheromones.
28:06Artfully camouflaged by the leaf litter, the female lets her seductive scent do the work.
28:16Luring suitors to her lair.
28:27The male flicks his tongue over her to make sure she's receptive.
28:33She's giving off all the right scents and signals.
28:37Look at that.
29:24For two highly venomous creatures, their courtship is a gentle and sensuous affair.
29:41The female will incubate her fertilized eggs inside her body and give live birth to fully
29:48formed snakelets in around nine months' time.
29:53This strategy keeps the embryos protected within her body at a stable temperature.
30:04They will continue their courtship for several hours.
30:12Roughly 4,000 kilometers to the north, the mighty Victoria Nile flows through Uganda's
30:18largest national park.
30:23This majestic river cuts across the land for 115 kilometers.
30:33It carries a massive volume of water, which then dramatically funnels through a mere 7-meter
30:40gorge, plunging 43 meters to create the magnificent Murchison Falls.
30:52Along its banks and in its depths, the Nile offers a pristine wildlife paradise to a variety
31:08of inhabitants, including the feisty cob, endemic to the Central African region.
31:18Another sub-Saharan resident prefers the riverine forest to the open plains.
31:26The enigmatic ball python.
31:29It's one of the continent's smallest pythons, typically reaching lengths up to a meter and a half.
31:40But its size doesn't affect its predatory prowess.
31:46A specialist ambush hunter, the ball python sticks to wooded areas where there's an abundance
31:53of its primary prey, rodents.
32:09The python seeks out a place to lay his trap.
32:22The python seeks out a place to lay his trap.
32:28The python seeks out a place to lay his own within the water.
32:30And the cat is also the also known as the london.
32:35The animal seeks out a place to lay their own.
32:59His tongue tastes the air, collecting scent particles, which confirm that his quarry is
33:06directly ahead.
33:10This is a good spot for an ambush.
33:21Now, he waits.
33:41The python strikes with incredible speed and precision, sharp, curved teeth, latch on
33:48and immobilizes prey.
33:57The snake coils the rat into a ball of muscle, tightening its grip each time the prey exhales.
34:08The constriction eventually stops the blood flow to the rat's heart.
34:19And the python drags his meal to a less watery dining area.
34:29He swallows the rat head first, using strong muscles to guide it down his gullet.
34:38The ball python is small but deadly.
34:42In the world of snakes, size doesn't matter.
34:52The Okavango Delta in Botswana, a true wonder of the natural world.
35:01Nestled deep within the Kalahari Desert, this seasonal oasis undergoes a miraculous transformation.
35:10Once a year, the floods arrive, swelling its waterways.
35:16And at its peak, the flooded desert expands to a size roughly half the vastness of Belgium.
35:28Surrounded by drought, it becomes a lifeline, offering respite to some of Africa's most iconic animals.
35:42For the Delta's inhabitants, the wet season is a time of abundance.
35:53Even this cobra will profit from the flood.
35:59As the waters rise, African bullfrogs waste no time in spawning thousands of tiny tadpoles.
36:11The abundance of Wrigley prey draws in a host of opportunistic hunters.
36:17Yellow-billed storks probe the shallows.
36:22While a black heron creates an umbrella of shade to easily spot the helpless tadpoles.
36:32The hustle and bustle in the water is too much for the shy and secretive snake.
36:37He slinks inland in search of a less congested hunting ground.
36:44His forked tongue picks up scent particles in the air and steers him towards an enticing scent.
36:59Rodents are always high up on his menu.
37:20Rodents are always high up on his menu.
37:40Rodents are always high up on his menu.
37:41The prey is cornered.
37:49A huge dose of neurotoxic venom attacks the rat's nervous system, shutting down its vital organs and finally its heart.
38:05The Anchitos Cobra won't need to hunt for another two weeks.
38:12From the flooded desert to one of the driest places on earth.
38:18The Sahara is a land of extremes, spanning over 9 million square kilometers, it covers an area almost the size
38:27of the United States.
38:29It's the world's largest hot desert, with daytime temperatures soaring to 49 degrees Celsius.
38:40And water, a precious rarity.
38:47Survival in this habitat requires special adaptations.
38:53Among the Sahara specialists, the Sahara sand viper has evolved in genius ways to make his living here.
39:05His sandy coloring blends him into the dunes.
39:14But the tip of his tail stands out, mimicking a wriggling lava in the barren soil.
39:22It's a clever way to lure prey to him when he waits in ambush.
39:33He can't rely on this method alone, so he also actively hunts for his meals, raiding burrows where the rodents
39:41or lizards hide.
39:47His side-winding motion enables him to nimbly navigate across the loose sand.
40:04When he senses an opportunity, he uses his rough keeled scales to shimmy himself down into his ambush position.
40:39To be continued...
41:02With lightning speed, the viper snatches its prey and holds it in a vice grip, while sharp
41:09fangs pump potent venom into its bloodstream.
41:21The toxic cocktail works fast, allowing the predator to quickly dispatch of its meal.
41:35In the heart of the Sahara, where survival is a full-time job, the industrious sand viper
41:43stands testament to its incredible powers of adaptation.
41:54Since the dawn of ancient civilizations, humanity has shared a complex relationship with snakes.
42:02For millennia and across cultures, serpents have been both feared and revered.
42:09They're a timeless symbol of change, but also of rebirth and renewal.
42:20In the vast deserts of Egypt, both ancient peoples and modern inhabitants have a particular fear
42:28of one small but deadly snake, the sawscale viper.
42:45Considered one of the world's most dangerous snakes, it's armed with potent hemotoxic venom
42:50and an aggressive nature.
42:58When the sawscale feels threatened, it issues an unmistakable warning, rubbing its serrated
43:05scales against each other to create an iconic rasping alarm before it strikes with astonishing
43:12speed.
43:20Every desert inhabitant knows the cue to beat a hasty retreat.
43:34The sawscale is typically a nocturnal hunter, but it does venture out on cooler days.
43:48Especially if it's hungry.
43:56Using its forked tongue as a chemical compass, the snake tracks the scent of a meal.
44:05rodents often forage along regular pathways, offering a predictable hunting route to the
44:12viper.
44:32The strike is lightning fast, and her venom is lethal.
44:39Even a small amount is potent enough to immobilize her prey and cause massive internal damage.
44:52In this land of heat and dust, where survival demands raw tenacity, the sawscale viper rules
45:00not with size or strength, but with a deadly bite and a rasping death knell that echoes through
45:08the desert.
45:16Whether they use fangs or force, stealth or speed, evolution has honed every snake into
45:25a highly efficient hunting machine.
45:29devoid of limbs to chase or grapple with prey, they're armed with some of the most sophisticated
45:35sensory organs and some of the most potent venom in the animal kingdom.
45:42It's never been a better time to celebrate the secret world of snakes.
45:48Thanks.