David Attenborough: OUR WORLD IS NOT ALWAYS THE SAME.
HIDDEN FROM OUR VIEW LIES A DIFFERENT WORLD...
CREATURES UTTERLY UNLIKE US...
[THUNDER]
ALMOST ALIEN...
YET THEY ARE MORE NUMEROUS THAN ANY OTHER GROUP ON THE PLANET.
WELCOME TO THE FASCINATING WORLD OF THE ARTHROPODS--
SPIDERS, SCORPIONS AND INSECTS.
TODAY WE HAVE NEW CAMERA TECHNIQUES
THAT WILL ALLOW US TO REVEAL IN GREATER DETAIL THAN EVER BEFORE
THEIR LIVES--THE WAY THEY FIGHT AND FEED AND REPRODUCE.
THIS SERIES USES SPECIALLY DEVELOPED 3D CAMERA TECHNOLOGY
TO STUDY THE MICRO-WORLD IN EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL...
BOTH ON LOCATION
AND IN SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENTS.
WE'LL WITNESS THEIR BIRTHS, THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE,
AND THE MOMENTS WHEN THEIR LIVES HANG IN THE BALANCE.
AND THAT MAY HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT TODAY
OVER 80% OF ALL ANIMAL SPECIES ON THIS PLANET ARE ARTHROPODS.
IN THIS SERIES, WE'LL SEE THE WAY THEY HAVE EVOLVED.
FROM THE COMPARATIVE SIMPLICITY OF THE MILLIPEDE...
TO VAST COLONIES THAT CONTAIN HUNDREDS,
EVEN MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS.
WE'LL WITNESS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY TRANSFORMATIONS
IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
WE'LL MEET ANTS THAT FARM...
SPIDERS THAT CAN CAST THEIR WEBS...
AND THE BUG THAT WEARS THE BODIES OF ITS VICTIMS
AS A DISGUISE.
WELCOME TO A STRANGE AND DANGEROUS WORLD.
♪
♪
THE TROPICAL RAINFORESTS OF AFRICA ARE TEEMING
WITH A HUGE VARIETY OF INSECTS.
AND WITH SO MANY BUGS AROUND,
YOU MIGHT THINK THAT FINDING A MATE WOULD BE EASY.
BUT YOU WOULD BE WRONG.
COURTSHIP IS OFTEN COMPLEX, PROTRACTED, FASCINATING,
AND FOR SOME, EVEN BRUTAL.
THIS IS A GOLIATH BEETLE,
ONE OF THE BIGGEST OF ALL INSECTS.
AND I KNOW THAT HE'S A MALE BECAUSE HE'S GOT THESE TWO HORNS
ON THE FRONT OF HIS HEAD WITH WHICH HE BATTLES FOR FEMALES.
♪
GOLIATHS ARE AMONG THE STRONGEST INSECTS IN THE WORLD.
THIS MALE CAN LIFT 850 TIMES HIS OWN BODY WEIGHT--
THE EQUIVALENT OF YOU OR ME LIFTING TEN ELEPHANTS.
HE'LL NEED ALL HIS STRENGTH TO WIN THE RIGHT TO MATE.
♪
THE FEMALE HAS NO HORNS.
SHE DOESN'T NEED THEM.
IT'S THE MALES THAT DO THE FIGHTING.
THEY FACE OFF, EACH ASSESSING THE THREAT THE OTHER MAY POSE.
IT'S A SAVAGE BATTLE
WITH EACH TRYING TO HOOK HIS HORN UNDER THE OTHER'S SHELL.
IF ONE OF THE MALES FLIPS HIS OPPONENT OFF THE BRANCH,
HE'LL HAVE THE FEMALE TO HIMSELF.
♪
♪
THE LOSER RETREATS.
AND WITH THE DUEL OVER, THE WINNER GETS THE MATE.
♪
ON THE FLOOR OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN FOREST,
IT'S ALL ABOUT TOUCH AND SMELL.
SIGHT IS NOT MUCH USE TO BUGS THAT LIVE IN THE UNDERGROWTH.
THIS MALE CHILEAN ROSE TARANTULA IS ALMOST BLIND.
HE SEARCHES FOR A MATE USING SMELL.
AND WHEN HE'S CLOSE ENOUGH, BY TOUCH.
RIGHT NOW, HE'S ON THE TRAIL OF A FEMALE,
AND HE'S COME PREPARED.
BEFORE HE SET OUT, HE WOVE A SILK MAT,
DEPOSITED SPERM ON IT,
AND THEN SUCKED HIS SPERM INTO ONE OF HIS PALPS,
A FINGER-LIKE APPENDAGE CLOSE TO HIS MOUTH.
THIS FEMALE HAS SIGNALED HER PRESENCE TO HIM
BY EMITTING A SEX HORMONE.
AND HE APPROACHES.
HE PUSHES HIMSELF BENEATH HER.
SPECIAL HOOKS ON HIS FRONT LEGS HOLD HER FANGS ASIDE
TO PREVENT HER BITING HIM.
HIS MOVEMENTS ALSO STIMULATE SENSITIVE HAIRS
ON HER UNDERSIDE.
AND WITH THIS SHE YIELDS, AND HE USES HIS PALPS TO FERTILIZE HER.
♪
WHEN SHE LAYS HER EGGS, THE OFFSPRING WILL ALL BE HIS.
♪
IN NORTH AMERICA,
THERE'S A MALE WITH FAR LESS TIME TO FIND A MATE.
HE IS A NASONIA JEWEL WASP,
AND HE'S NO BIGGER THAN A MATCH HEAD.
HE ONLY LIVES FOR TWO DAYS,
SO HIS ENTIRE SHORT LIFE IS DEVOTED TO MATING.
AND WITH SO LITTLE TIME,
HE HAS AN UNUSUAL WAY TO ENSURE THAT HE'S SUCCESSFUL.
WHEN HE FINDS A FEMALE,
HE SMEARS A SEX HORMONE ON HER ANTENNA.
IF SHE FINDS IT STIMULATING, SHE'LL LET HIM MATE.
THIS FEMALE DOESN'T,
AND WIPES HIS SCENT OFF AS FAST AS HE SMEARS IT ON.
♪
HE HAS NO TIME TO WASTE...
AND MOVES ON TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER FEMALE.
HERE'S ONE.
♪
THIS FEMALE LIKES HIS SCENT, AND HE MATES.
SUCCESS.
BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE DOESN'T MATE WITH ANY OTHERS,
HE CLIMBS BACK ONTO HER AND SMEARS ON MORE HORMONES.
NOW OTHER MALES WILL NOT FIND HER RECEPTIVE...
AND HE WILL BE ALMOST CERTAIN TO PASS ON HIS GENES.
AT LEAST SOME OF THE NEXT GENERATION WILL BE HIS.
IN THE AFRICAN RAINFOREST, A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS BUG
HAS EVOLVED A SURPRISINGLY BALLETIC WAY TO WIN HIS MATE.
[THUNDER]
THERE ARE OVER 2,000 SPECIES OF SCORPION.
AND WHILE ONLY AROUND 20 OF THEM ARE DANGEROUS TO HUMANS,
ALL OF THEM ARE DEADLY TO OTHER BUGS.
THESE TANZANIAN RED CLAWS, LIKE ALL SCORPIONS,
ARE MAINLY NOCTURNAL.
THEIR MATING RITUALS GENERALLY TAKE PLACE AT NIGHT.
BUT THEIR BODIES FLUORESCE UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT,
AND THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE
FOR US TO WATCH THEIR MOST INTIMATE BEHAVIOR.
WHEN A FEMALE FINDS A MALE,
THEIR EXTRAORDINARY RITUAL BEGINS.
THEY DANCE.
[TANGO MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
HE AROUSES HER BY CARESSING HER MOUTHPARTS.
♪
BUT WHILE HE TRIES TO STIMULATE HER,
SHE IS TESTING HIS STRENGTH.
♪
SHE YIELDS.
♪
NOW HE IS LEADING HER.
♪
EVENTUALLY HE DEPOSITS HIS SPERM ON THE GROUND,
AND GENTLY PULLS HER ONTO IT.
♪
HE'S PROVED HIS STRENGTH AND AGILITY,
AND SHE HAS ENSURED THE BEST POSSIBLE FATHER FOR HER YOUNG.
ARTHROPODS HAVE MANY FASCINATING COURTSHIP RITUALS.
FROM THE DANCE OF THE SCORPION...
TO THE GOLIATH BEETLE'S BATTLE OF STRENGTH...
AND THE TARANTULA'S INTIMATE EMBRACE.
BUT FOR SOME CREATURES, COURTSHIP IS MORE VIOLENT.
AND THIS HAPPENS IN EVEN THE SMALLEST WORLDS.
THIS DISH CONTAINS A COMPLETE COLONY OF TRAMP ANTS.
THEY ARE MINUTE.
EACH INDIVIDUAL IS LESS THAN THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SAND.
SO TO SEE THEM PROPERLY, WE HAVE TO USE HUGE MAGNIFICATIONS.
BUT THEY'RE WORTH WATCHING,
BECAUSE THE DOMINANT MALE HAS A REALLY BRUTAL WAY
OF ENSURING THAT ONLY HE BREEDS.
200 TIMES MAGNIFICATION REVEALS THE INTIMATE WORKINGS
OF THIS TINY COLONY.
A FEW HUNDRED ANTS, ALL AT WORK.
THE WINGED FEMALES ARE QUEENS, AND THEY'RE READY TO MATE.
AND THESE TWO MALES ARE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO MATE WITH THEM.
♪
THE COLONY'S CURRENT DOMINANT MALE
IS THE YELLOWER OF THE TWO.
HE MUST SOMEHOW DRIVE ALL THE OTHER MALES OUT OF THE NEST,
LEAVING HIM AS THE ONLY MALE THAT CAN MATE.
BUT HE'S NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL THE OTHER MALES HIMSELF.
INSTEAD HE GETS OTHER ANTS TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK.
HE SMEARS A RIVAL MALE WITH A POWERFUL SCENT.
THIS MAKES IT SMELL LIKE AN INVADER.
THE COLONY'S STERILE WORKER ANTS ATTACK IT
ON THE DOMINANT MALE'S BEHALF, SLICING IT IN TWO.
IN THIS COLONY AT LEAST, VIOLENCE PAYS.
ON THE FOREST FLOORS OF INDIA,
ANOTHER INSECT IS TAKING A MUCH GENTLER
BUT NO LESS DEVIOUS APPROACH TO SECURING A MATE.
THESE MALE TROPICAL HOUSE CRICKETS ARE CHIRRUPING
BY RUBBING THEIR WINGS TOGETHER,
IN THE HOPE OF ATTRACTING FEMALES.
[CHIRPING]
THEIR CALLS ARE SO LOUD THAT THE FEMALES CAN HEAR THEM
FROM 20 METERS AWAY.
[CHIRPING]
THIS FEMALE HAS MADE HER CHOICE.
BUT THE MALE HAS A TRICK TO INCREASE THE CHANCES
OF HIS SPERM FERTILIZING HER.
HE WILL GIVE HER A PRESENT.
SHE SITS ON TOP OF THE MALE, AND TASTES HIM WITH HER ANTENNAE
TO MAKE SURE SHE HASN'T MATED WITH HIM ALREADY.
HE RESPONDS BY PRODUCING A PARCEL OF SPERM
WRAPPED IN A RICH SYRUP.
♪
AS HE LEAVES, THE PARCEL STICKS TO THE FEMALE'S SEX ORGANS.
♪
♪
SHE EATS THE SYRUP.
♪
AND HIS SPERM REMAINS ATTACHED TO HER SEX ORGANS.
THIS GIFT OF FOOD DISTRACTS THE FEMALE
AS FERTILIZATION TAKES PLACE
AND MAKES HER FAR LESS LIKELY
TO GO OFF SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER MATE.
THE MALE'S GIFT HAS ENSURED THAT HE FATHERS HER OFFSPRING.
♪
THROUGHOUT THE TROPICS,
ONE INSECT HAS COME TO SYMBOLIZE THE EXTREMES
THAT SOME ANIMALS WILL GO TO IN ORDER TO MATE.
PRAYING MANTISES ARE HIGHLY SKILLED PREDATORS,
AND THEY HUNT BY SIGHT.
BUT THEIR HEARING IS LIMITED TO JUST ONE SOUND.
THEY CAN DETECT BAT SONAR TO AVOID BEING EATEN.
PRAYING MANTISES ARE SO NAMED
BECAUSE OF THEIR PIOUS-LOOKING POSTURE.
BUT THESE BUGS ARE NEITHER MEEK NOR MILD.
THEY ARE VORACIOUS PREDATORS.
♪
THEY'LL MOSTLY EAT LOCUSTS AND CRICKETS
BUT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO EAT CREATURES
FAR LARGER THAN THEMSELVES.
♪
♪
THIS MALE MANTIS, CLIMBING UP TOWARDS HIS POTENTIAL MATE,
CAN HAVE LITTLE IDEA OF THE DANGER THAT HE'S IN.
♪
PERHAPS PUT OFF BY THE UNWELCOME ADVANCES OF THE MALE
OR SIMPLY DRIVEN BY HUNGER,
THE FEMALE MANTIS BEGINS TO EAT HER SUITOR.
♪
♪
HOLDING HIS UPPER BODY IN HER LEFT CLAW,
SHE STARTS TO CHEW THROUGH HIS THORAX...
♪
UNTIL THE TWO HALVES OF HIS BODY ARE ONLY HELD TOGETHER
BY A THREAD OF FLESH.
EVENTUALLY HIS HEAD DROPS AWAY.
BUT REMARKABLY, THIS MALE ISN'T ENTIRELY DEAD.
HE'S BEGUN TO IMPREGNATE HER.
♪
THE FEMALE HAS REMOVED HIS HEAD,
AND WITH IT THE BRAIN CELLS THAT CONTROL HIS INHIBITIONS.
BUT HIS ABDOMEN HAS ITS OWN NERVE CELLS...
CELLS THAT CONTROL THE ACT OF COPULATION.
AND THEY ALLOW HIM TO PASS ON HIS GENES,
EVEN IN THE THROES OF DEATH.
IN REPRODUCTIVE TERMS, THIS MALE HAS SUCCEEDED.
BUT HIS DEATH IS A SYMBOL OF HOW STRANGELY UNFEELING
THE ARTHROPOD WORLD CAN BE.
EVERY SPECIES OF ANIMAL MUST REPRODUCE.
IF IT DIDN'T, IT WOULD BECOME EXTINCT.
ARTHROPODS HAVE DEVELOPED MANY DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING SO,
SOME FANTASTIC, SOME VIOLENT.
AND THEIR SUCCESS HAS LED THEM TO BECOMING
ONE OF THE MOST ABUNDANT FORMS OF ANIMALS ON THIS PLANET.
BUGS WILL DANCE, FIGHT AND EVEN SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES
JUST TO FIND A MATE.
COURTSHIP IS KEY TO THEIR SUCCESS.
BUT MORE IMPORTANT STILL IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
THE ARRIVAL OF OFFSPRING-- THE BIRTH OF A NEW GENERATION.
[THUNDER]
IN THE WOODLANDS OF MADAGASCAR AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
LIVES A SPIDER THAT HAS TO RELY ON STEALTH
IN ORDER TO MATE AND FATHER YOUNG.
THIS IS THE MALE GOLDEN ORB WEB SPIDER.
HE HATCHED TWO MONTHS AGO AND IS NOW LOOKING FOR A MATE.
HE'S FOUND A FEMALE'S WEB, AND HE'S LURKING AT ITS EDGE.
THIS IS THE FEMALE.
AS SPIDERS GO, SHE'S HUGE.
HER BODY ALONE IS AS LONG AS YOUR THUMB,
AND HER LEGS SPAN SOME 15 CENTIMETERS.
♪
SHE'S ABOUT 20 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE MALE.
NOT ONLY THAT, SHE'S A DEADLY PREDATOR...
WITH A VORACIOUS APPETITE.
AND ALL THIS MAKES MATING A RISKY BUSINESS FOR THE MALE.
♪
THE START OF THEIR COURTSHIP IS TRIGGERED
BY THE INSECT THE FEMALE HAS ALREADY CAPTURED.
♪
SHE IS DISTRACTED BY IT, SO HE SEIZES HIS OPPORTUNITY.
HE CAUTIOUSLY BEGINS AN APPROACH.
♪
♪
HE CLIMBS, VERY TENTATIVELY, ONTO HER ABDOMEN.
NOW HE'S IN POSITION, HE DEPOSITS HIS SPERM.
♪
SUCCESS.
HIS ALERTNESS HAS SAVED HIM FROM BECOMING THE FEMALE'S NEXT MEAL.
HE WILL ONLY MATE ONCE IN HIS SHORT LIFE.
AND THIS IS HIS REWARD.
HE IS FATHER TO THE 400 OR SO EGGS IN THIS EGG SAC.
♪
A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE YOUNG EMERGE FROM IT.
THE SPIDERLINGS ARE EACH NO BIGGER THAN A PINHEAD.
TO BEGIN WITH, THEY STAY CLOSE TO THE EGG SAC
FROM WHICH THEY EMERGED.
THEY MOLT, AND THEN AFTER 30 DAYS,
THEY START TO DISPERSE.
♪
GOLDEN ORB WEB SPIDERS LIVE FOR ONLY A YEAR.
MATING IS THE CULMINATION OF THEIR LIVES.
FOR SOME CREATURES, THOUGH, TIME IS SIMPLY TOO SHORT FOR MATING,
SO THE FEMALES REPRODUCE WITHOUT A MALE.
SPRING IS THE SEASON WHEN MOST ARTHROPOD EGGS HATCH.
BUT IN COLDER CLIMATES,
SPRING ARRIVES LATE AND THE SUMMER IS SHORT,
LEAVING LITTLE TIME TO MATE
AND FOR THE YOUNG TO GROW STRONG ENOUGH
TO SURVIVE THE COMING WINTER.
MEGABUNUS, A SPECIES OF HARVESTMAN,
HAS A WAY OF DEALING WITH THAT.
THE FEMALE LIVES IN ALPINE FORESTS,
AND SPENDS THE FREEZING WINTER SHELTERED IN THE LEAF LITTER.
SHE EMERGES IN SPRING AND STARTS TO HUNT.
HER LONG LEGS HELP HER TO CLAMBER OVER THE MOSS.
IN FACT, HER LEGS ARE SO LONG
THAT SHE HAS BREATHING HOLES IN THEM
TO SUPPLY THEM DIRECTLY WITH OXYGEN.
BUT SHE MUST REPRODUCE IF THE SPECIES IS TO SURVIVE.
SO SHE DOES SO WITHOUT MATING.
SHE LAYS UNFERTILIZED EGGS,
WHICH HATCH INTO EXACT GENETIC COPIES OF HERSELF.
CLONES.
MEGABUNUS HAS ADAPTED HER REPRODUCTION
TO THE HARSH CLIMATE,
AND SO SACRIFICED THE GENETIC VARIATION
THAT COULD HAVE COME WITH SEX.
BUT OTHER PLANT EATERS IN GENTLER CLIMATES
USE THE SAME TECHNIQUE--
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GLUT OF FOOD THAT COMES WITH SPRING.
APHIDS ALSO CLONE THEIR OFFSPRING,
AND WHAT IS MORE, A FEMALE PRODUCES HER YOUNG ALIVE.
AND SHE CAN DO SO TEN TIMES A DAY OR MORE.
NOT ONLY THAT, EACH OF HER OFFSPRING
WILL START PRODUCING YOUNG OF THEIR OWN WITHIN DAYS.
IF THE DESCENDANTS OF A SINGLE FEMALE ALL SURVIVED,
THEY WOULD, BY THE END OF SUMMER,
NUMBER 600 BILLION,
ALL OF THEM IDENTICAL CLONES.
♪
BUT AS THE WINTER APPROACHES,
THE APHIDS CHANGE THEIR WAY OF REPRODUCING.
THEY LAY EGGS.
APHIDS CANNOT SURVIVE THE COLD OF THE WINTER,
BUT THE EGGS ARE HARDY AND WILL HATCH NEXT SPRING.
AND THEN ONCE AGAIN THE APHID POPULATION WILL EXPLODE.
♪
THE MILLION OR SO SPECIES OF ARTHROPOD ON OUR PLANET
HAVE MATCHED THE WAY THEY REPRODUCE
TO SUIT THE PARTICULAR ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY LIVE.
♪
MOST OF THEM LAY EGGS...
AND SOME DO SO IN SCARCELY BELIEVABLE NUMBERS.
♪
ONE SUCH LIVES ON A HEDGEHOG.
♪
IXODES IS A TICK-- A PARASITE.
THE FEMALE IS SO WELL ADAPTED TO LIFE ON A HEDGEHOG
THAT SHE RARELY LIVES ANYWHERE ELSE.
SHE HAS A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF FOOD IMMEDIATELY BESIDE HER--
BLOOD.
SHE STAYS ON THE HEDGEHOG UNTIL SHE'S READY TO LAY HER EGGS.
THEN SHE LETS GO, FALLS TO THE GROUND,
AND STARTS TO DEPOSIT HER EGGS IN THE UNDERGROWTH.
THE EGGS MAKE UP 50% OF HER ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT.
SHE CAN LAY AROUND 1,500 OF THEM.
AND IT TAKES HER UP TO 20 DAYS TO LAY THEM ALL.
PRODUCING SO MANY IS HER WAY OF ENSURING
THAT AT LEAST ONE OR TWO OF HER YOUNG
WILL FIND THEIR OWN HEDGEHOG HOST.
FOR THOSE THAT DO, THE CYCLE CAN BEGIN AGAIN.
BY THE TIME IXODES HAS PRODUCED THEM ALL,
HER ONCE PLUMP BODY IS DEFLATED, AND SHE DIES.
♪
SOME INSECTS, AMONG THEM BUTTERFLIES,
HAVE DEVELOPED A WAY OF GROWING
THAT INVOLVES A TRULY ASTONISHING TRANSFORMATION.
THIS IS A HELICONIUS BUTTERFLY.
AND THIS IS ITS OFFSPRING-- A CATERPILLAR.
THE TWO LOOK AS THOUGH THEY'RE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CREATURES,
BUT OF COURSE, THEY'RE NOT.
THE BUTTERFLY HAS DIVIDED ITS LIFE INTO TWO HALVES.
THE FIRST HALF, THE CATERPILLAR,
IS DEVOTED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY TO GATHERING FOOD AND GROWING.
AND THE SECOND, THE ADULT,
IS DEVOTED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO REPRODUCTION.
♪
ADULT BUTTERFLIES FEED ON NECTAR
WHICH THEY LOCATE WITH THEIR ANTENNAE,
TASTE THROUGH THEIR FEET,
AND COLLECT WITH LONG, TUBE-LIKE MOUTHPARTS.
THIS SUGAR-RICH FOOD FUELS THEIR SEARCH FOR A MATE.
ONCE A MALE AND FEMALE HAVE FOUND ONE ANOTHER,
THE MALE USES SPECIAL CLASPERS AT THE END OF HIS ABDOMEN
TO TRANSFER HIS SPERM TO HER.
♪
ONCE FERTILIZED, THE FEMALE HELICONIUS LAYS HER EGGS
ON THE LEAVES OF THE PASSION FLOWER PLANT.
HER YOUNG, THE CATERPILLARS, ARE FUSSY EATERS,
AND THESE LEAVES ARE ALMOST THE ONLY ONES THEY WILL EAT.
SHE LAYS AROUND 50 EGGS, AND THEN HER WORK IS DONE.
♪
ABOUT A WEEK LATER, THE CATERPILLARS EMERGE.
THEY ARE LITTLE MORE THAN EATING MACHINES,
AND THEY GET DOWN TO WORK IMMEDIATELY.
SOME, OVER A MONTH OR TWO,
CAN GROW TO 40 TIMES THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.
♪
THEY HAVE PROTECTIVE SPINES TO WARD OFF THEIR PREDATORS,
BUT NO REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS.
♪
THEN, WHEN THEY'VE GROWN ENOUGH, THEIR BEHAVIOR CHANGES.
THEY STOP EATING AND SETTLE IN A SUITABLE RESTING PLACE.
THEN THEIR SKIN HARDENS TO FORM A SHELL.
THIS IS A CHRYSALIS.
IF WE COULD SEE INSIDE,
WE WOULD WITNESS ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY CHANGES
IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM-- METAMORPHOSIS.
♪
SOME PARTS OF THE CATERPILLAR ARE TRANSFORMED,
AND OTHERS DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY.
THE CATERPILLAR HAD A MASSIVE GUT FOR PROCESSING FOOD.
THAT SHRINKS--FOR NECTAR WILL BE EASIER TO DIGEST
THAN THE LEAVES THE CATERPILLAR CONSUMED.
THE MOUTHPARTS MUST CHANGE.
THE ADULT NEEDS NOT MUNCHING JAWS,
BUT A TUBE-LIKE TONGUE.
THE CATERPILLAR'S SIMPLE EYES ARE ALSO TRANSFORMED.
SEARCHING FOR A MATE NEEDS BETTER EYESIGHT
THAN FINDING LEAVES.
ANTENNAE SPROUT FROM ITS HEAD.
IT WILL USE THEM TO SNIFF OUT THE SCENT OF A FEMALE...
OR A FLOWER.
AND FINALLY, ITS WINGS.
THEIR SHAPE AND COLOR WILL WARN OFF PREDATORS
AND ENABLE IT TO FIND AND SELECT A SUITABLE MATE.
AN ADULT HELICONIUS BUTTERFLY EMERGES
AFTER EIGHT DAYS OF TRANSFORMATION.
♪
♪
ITS DELICATE WINGS ARE CRUMPLED AND WET.
IT STRETCHES THEM BY PUMPING BLOOD ALONG THEIR VEINS
AND THEN WAITS FOR THEM TO DRY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO FLY.
♪
FROM THIS POINT ON, ITS BODY WILL NOT GROW OR CHANGE.
IT WILL LIVE FOR JUST A MONTH OR TWO
AND FEED JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP ITSELF GOING.
THIS BODY IS PURELY FOR MATING.
♪
A MALE'S ANTENNAE CAN DETECT FEMALE SCENT
FROM MORE THAN A KILOMETER AWAY.
♪
AND HE'S OFF TO FIND A FEMALE.
♪
♪
SUCCESS FOR THIS BUTTERFLY IS REPRODUCTION,
AS IT IS FOR ALL SPECIES.
AND THAT NEED HAS SHAPED THE BODIES, THE BEHAVIOR,
THE ENTIRE LIFECYCLE OF ALL ARTHROPODS
AND PRODUCED THE DAZZLING RANGE OF FORMS
THAT WE SEE AROUND US IN THE WORLD TODAY.
EVERY GENERATION MUST REPRODUCE ITSELF.
IF IT DOES NOT, THE SPECIES WILL DISAPPEAR.
FROM THE CUNNING TINY MALE GOLDEN ORB WEB SPIDER...
TO THE AMAZINGLY FERTILE APHIDS
THAT CLONE THEMSELVES TO MAKE THE MOST OF SUMMER...
AND THE TICK THAT LEAVES ITS HEDGEHOG HOST TO LAY ITS EGGS...
THE ARTHROPODS HAVE EVOLVED REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES
THAT ARE SURELY AMONG THE MOST FASCINATING,
ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE STORIES IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
Narrator: DAVID'S TEAM HAVE SOLVED MANY OF THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
REQUIRED TO FILM ON A MACRO SCALE,
BUT THEY'RE NOW FACED WITH A VERY PRACTICAL PROBLEM--
GETTING THE TINY STARS OF THE SHOW
TO BEHAVE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.
TO FIND OUT WHAT'S POSSIBLE,
THE TEAM HAVE DECIDED THEIR FIRST FULL SHOOT
WILL TACKLE A NOTORIOUS PIECE OF INSECT BEHAVIOR--
MATING BETWEEN A MALE AND A FEMALE PRAYING MANTIS--
SOMETHING THAT HAS RARELY BEEN CAPTURED ON CAMERA.
THE NAME, PRAYING MANTIS,
SUGGESTS A GENTLE, RELIGIOUS NATURE.
BUT ITS APPARENT PRAYING POSTURE BELIES A RUTHLESS PREDATOR.
CREATING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS FOR THE PAIR IN THE STUDIO
IS PROVING TRICKY.
Martin French: YOU'RE DEALING WITH AN ANIMAL
THAT LIKES TO DO THIS AT DUSK,
AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT IN BASICALLY BRIGHT LIGHT
AT THE END OF A STICK IN FRONT OF A CAMERA.
LOTS OF MOVEMENT, LOTS OF VIBRATION.
THIS MALE IS QUITE PRONE TO FLYING, SO...
Narrator: THE CREW KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO MATING,
A FEMALE MANTIS IS VERY PICKY.
Attenborough: BY AND LARGE, MALE AND FEMALE
NEED TO GET TOGETHER TO PRODUCE YOUNG.
AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW
WHETHER THE ANIMAL YOU'RE SEEKING
IS WELL-DISPOSED TOWARDS YOU.
NOW, THIS DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE JUST HERBIVOROUS,
A PLANT-EATING CREATURE,
BUT IF YOU'RE A HUNTER,
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS
IF I CAN GET CLOSE TO THAT ONE OVER THERE,
HOW DOES HE OR SHE KNOW THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT INTENTIONS?
Narrator: MARTIN IS CONCERNED THAT ONE DISTURBANCE
FROM THE CREW WILL TURN THIS FEMALE INTO A KILLING MACHINE.
French: NO, I DAREN'T.
Man: YEAH, DON'T BOTHER.
HE DOESN'T NEED ANYTHING TO PUT HIM OFF.
Narrator: NOBODY DARES BREATHE.
French: JUST SOUND AND EVERYTHING.
IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KEEP IT ALL DOWN.
Narrator: IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ALL GOING TO PLAN
AS THE MALE SLOWLY ADVANCES ON THE FEMALE.
♪
SUDDENLY IT ALL GOES WRONG.
THE FEMALE DECIDES SEX IS OFF THE MENU.
INSTEAD, HER POTENTIAL SUITOR HAS NOW BECOME DINNER.
Jonathan Watts: YOU SEE THAT THERE?
LET THIS BE A SEVERE WARNING
TO ALL THE GUYS OUT THERE.
Alex Hemingway: IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN,
BUT INSTEAD IT'S TURNED INTO A KILL.
THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WERE AFTER.
WE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH VIBRATION,
BECAUSE THEY SENSE A LOT THROUGH FEEL.
Narrator: BUT THE MALE IS ABOUT TO SURPRISE EVERYONE
AND GIVE THE TEAM A TASTE OF QUITE HOW UNPREDICTABLE
THE INSECT WORLD CAN BE.
French: THEY'RE MATING.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE END, THE BACK END, THEY'RE MATING.
Narrator: EVEN IN THE THROES OF DEATH,
THE MALE HAS SUCCEEDED IN MATING WITH THE FEMALE.
Attenborough: QUITE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE SAID,
YOU KNOW, ABOUT PRAYING MANTISES,
THEY'LL SAY, "YEAH, OH, THAT'S THE ONE WHEN THE MALE IS MATING,
HE GETS HIS HEAD CHEWED OFF."
[CHUCKLES]
BUT IN FACT, THE CURIOUS THING ABOUT THAT
IS THAT WE ARE NOT ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN
HOW FREQUENTLY IT HAPPENS IN THE WILD.
BUT NONETHELESS, THE FACT IS THAT IT DOES HAPPEN.
French: THERE, THAT'S THE ACTUAL CONNECTION THERE.
IT COULDN'T BE BETTER.
Man: THAT HEAD LOOKS SEPARATED.
Man: THERE'S JUST A CONNECTION.
Man: THAT TINY SINEW THERE.
Man: ANY MINUTE NOW.
Man: OH, HE'S GONE!
♪
Attenborough: BUT REMARKABLY THIS MALE ISN'T ENTIRELY DEAD.
HE'S BEGUN TO IMPREGNATE HER.
♪
THE FEMALE HAS REMOVED HIS HEAD
AND WITH IT THE BRAIN CELLS THAT CONTROL HIS INHIBITIONS.
BUT HIS ABDOMEN HAS ITS OWN NERVE CELLS,
CELLS THAT CONTROL THE ACT OF COPULATION.
AND THEY ALLOW HIM TO PASS ON HIS GENES
EVEN IN THE THROES OF DEATH.
Hemingway: TO CAPTURE THAT BEHAVIOR,
CAPTURE IT QUICKLY,
AND CAPTURE IT WELL,
SHOWED US WHAT WE WERE CAPABLE OF DOING
AND ALLOWED US, I THINK,
TO SET OUR AMBITIONS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.
[SLAP]
Narrator: WITH THE PRODUCTION UP AND RUNNING
IN SPECTACULAR STYLE,
THE CREW NEED TO START WORKING
THROUGH THE HUGE LIST OF BEHAVIORS DAVID HAS REQUESTED.
TO COMPLETE THE SERIES, THE TEAM WILL NEED TO FILM
MORE THAN A HUNDRED DIFFERENT SPECIES.
SO THE PRESSURE IS ON.
FOR THE MOST PART, THE BUGS BEHAVE THEMSELVES...
UNTIL THE TIME COMES TO FILM THE MAFIA OF THE INSECT WORLD--
THE COMMON AMERICAN COCKROACH--
IN A SET DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A FILTHY DOMESTIC KITCHEN.
Tim Usborne: WHAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN
IS HOW THEIR ANTENNAE ARE SO WELL DEVELOPED
THAT THEY CAN FIND THEIR WAY INTO TINY SPACES.
Narrator: THIS SHOULD BE A SIMPLE SHOOT.
THEY DON'T NEED TO FILM AT THE CLOSE-UP, MACRO LEVEL
TO CATCH THE ACTION,
SO THEY CAN MAKE DO WITH A STANDARD CAMERA RIG.
Hemingway: LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE, SHALL WE?
Man: YEP.
THREE, TWO, ONE, GO.
♪
Narrator: THE CREW CAN'T MOVE FAST ENOUGH
TO KEEP UP WITH THE COCKROACHES.
Usborne: THEY'RE RUNNING ALL OVER THE PLACE,
THEY'RE COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL.
I SUPPOSED THAT'S WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM COCKROACHES.
Man: OH, NO, NO, NO.
Usborne: THERE. THERE HE IS.
Man: WHOA!
♪
Narrator: THE CREW TRACE THE BUGS' OVERACTIVE BEHAVIOR
TO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS NEEDED TO FILM THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL.
Attenborough: ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH TEMPERATURE,
AS FAR AS AN INSECT IS CONCERNED,
IS THAT THE WARMER IT IS, THE MORE ACTIVE IT IS.
AND SO IF YOU GET THE LIGHTS TOO HOT,
THEY BECOME SO ACTIVE THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL THEM.
Narrator: MARTIN THE BUG WRANGLER SUGGESTS A STRATEGY OFTEN USED--
COOLING THE BUGS DOWN.
Usborne: SO WE'RE SLOWING THEM DOWN,
SO THEY GET MUCH, MUCH COLDER,
SO THEY'RE MUCH LESS BUZZY AND PHYSICAL.
ALRIGHT, SHALL WE HAVE A GO?
Man: THREE, TWO, ONE, GO.
♪
Narrator: THE COOLING TRICK SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED.
Man: NICE ONE.
Attenborough: WELL, THE SECRET, AS IN ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE,
IS KNOWLEDGE.
IF YOU KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT WHY THEY BEHAVE IN THAT WAY
AND HOW THEY BEHAVE IN THAT WAY
AND WHAT STIMULATES THEM TO BEHAVE IN THAT WAY,
THEN YOU CAN CONTROL THAT AND SOMETIMES REPRODUCE IT.
Narrator: IT MAY HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
TO TAME THE COCKROACHES,
BUT NOT ALL THE ARTHROPODS ARE SO OBLIGING.
AND DESPITE MARTIN'S EXPERT, GENTLE HANDLING,
THE BUGS STILL DON'T ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE ATTENTION.
French: EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH IT,
YOU'RE STRESSING IT TO THE POINT THAT IT DOESN'T WANT TO BEHAVE.
WHAT ABOUT IF WE MOVED IT A LITTLE CLOSER TO US?
Narrator: PATIENCE WILL BE CRUCIAL
FOR THE NEXT SEQUENCE THE TEAM HAS TO TACKLE.
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE WHOLE SERIES,
AND ALSO ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT BEHAVIORS TO CAPTURE--
THE RARELY SEEN MATING DANCE BETWEEN A PAIR OF SCORPIONS.
Attenborough: WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT A MALE AND FEMALE SCORPION
WILL COME TOGETHER, AND THEY WILL LOCK PINCERS.
AND THEN THEY WILL MOVE BACK AND FORTH,
AND IT DOES LOOK VERY LIKE A COUNTRY DANCE.
Narrator: THE CREW HAVE BEEN TOLD BY EXPERTS
THAT THEIR CHANCES OF FILMING THE SCORPION'S MATING DANCE
ARE VERY SLIM.
CREATING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS IS ESSENTIAL.
SCORPIONS ONLY MATE AT NIGHT,
SO TO CREATE THE RIGHT MOOD,
THE SET IS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS.
Man: NICE AND QUIET, PLEASE, WE'VE GOT SCORPIONS ON SET.
Narrator: FILMING THEM IN THE DARK WILL BE MADE POSSIBLE
BECAUSE SCORPIONS HAVE A VERY UNUSUAL TRICK UP THEIR SLEEVES,
WHICH CAN BE TRIGGERED WITH SPECIAL ULTRAVIOLET LIGHTS.
Usborne: SCORPIONS DO HAVE THIS ABILITY TO FLUORESCE,
AND NOBODY KNOWS QUITE WHY THEY DO THIS.
BUT IT'S ALSO AN INTERESTING WAY TO DO IT,
BECAUSE THEN BEHAVIOR IS MORE NATURAL.
THEY DON'T FEEL AS THREATENED UNDER UV LIGHTS.
FOR THEM IT FEELS LIKE NIGHTTIME,
SO THEY'RE MUCH MORE RELAXED.
Narrator: WITH THE PERFECT CONDITIONS IN PLACE
FOR SCORPION ROMANCE,
IT'S TIME TO LET NATURE TAKE ITS COURSE.
Attenborough: WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE MALE
PUTS A LITTLE PACKET OF SPERM ON THE GROUND
THEN TRIES TO PULL THE FEMALE OVER IT.
SO THAT ONCE SHE'S IN OVER IT
AND HER GENITAL OPENING IS ON THE TOP,
THEN SHE CAN TAKE IT IN.
IT'S AS THOUGH SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE IT IS,
AND HE HAS TO GUIDE HER.
AND SOMETIMES IT LOOKS AS THOUGH SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE GUIDED.
Man: SHE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO HIM.
Narrator: SCORPION PAIR ONE
DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE THE PERFECT LOVE MATCH.
Usborne: THE FEMALE BROKE AWAY AND RAN AWAY.
Narrator: A CHANGE OF MALES DOESN'T IMPROVE MATTERS.
BUT WITH A LITTLE BIT OF PATIENCE...
Man: OH, MY LORD.
♪
Attenborough: SHE YIELDS.
♪
NOW HE IS LEADING HER.
Usborne: THEY SAID WE WOULDN'T GET THIS.
THEY SAID THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE PIECES OF BEHAVIOR
THAT WE'D NEVER BE ABLE TO MANAGE.
AND WE DID, WE GOT IT.
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