The Great Desert Race | Race of Life | Episode 3 | Free Documentary Nature

Race of Life - Episode 10: Underwater Predators | Wildlife Documentary Almost all animals living in the sea are predators - from small fish to great white sharks and starfish to giant squid. Their bodies have been designed and built to capture prey and avoid becoming prey themselves. Raiders of the Underwater Universe have evolved to become among the more efficient war machines of our planet. There are "predators lurking" as stone fish, cleverly disguising themselves to wait for unsuspecting prey which wander too close. In an episode that illustrates the Race of Life in an underwater world of dangerous predators with razor-sharp teeth, we will see sharks, barracuda and moray eels go about their grisly business. Underwater predators have adapted some fairly extreme measures to hunt and to survive. The fish of the reef need to be fast to escape the barracuda, with its lightning speed and pincushion teeth. And stay on the alert when they swim near the lairs of the moray eel, a large and lethal creature of perhaps surprising grace and beauty. They may be ambushed

Race of Life - Episode 9: Defensive Strategies | Wildlife Documentary Some have powerful strides and flashing teeth, some employ poisons and trickery, so we know for sure that predators are well equipped for survival. But this episode reveals the unique ways in which animals protect themselves. Obviously, being able to flee a predator is the choice of many prey animals but there are also very interesting methods of defense which involve deception and chemistry. These include using toxic chemicals, camouflage, and mimicry. Insects that look like leaves, snakes that play dead, fish that fly, and toads with poisonous skin, these animals are among the many creatures that defend themselves in fascinating ways. Almost every animal is hunted as food by some other kind of animal and has developed ways to defend itself against predators. The relationship between predator and prey is a bit like an evolutionary arms race. As soon as one develops a weapon or defense mechanism, the other is working on an adaptation that allows them to circumvent that mechanism. Common defense mechanisms include claws, teeth, camouflage

Race of Life - Episode 8: Reptiles | Wildlife Documentary Crocodiles, like all living reptiles, are descended from animals that roamed the Earth about 250 million years ago. There’s something so viscerally terrifying about these creatures that lay in wait for their prey, just under the waterline. The comparatively friendly seeming turtle is among the most ancient of the reptiles alive today and has a protective shell that encloses their body and provides protection and camouflage, just as it did millions of years back. They inhabit terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats and are found both in tropical and temperate regions. Poisonous or harmless, large or small, all snakes - from the desert rattlesnake to the dwarf pipe snake - have certain things in common: a long, thin shape; scaly, legless bodies; and unblinking, lidless eyes. Like all reptiles, snakes rely on the heat of the sun to control their body temperature. The venom of the king cobra, the world's largest poisonous snake, is strong enough to kill an elephant. Lizards have developed their own adaptations – some lose their tail

Race of Life - Episode 7: Hunter & Prey | Wildlife Documentary Predator versus prey: in this installment, we analyze three attack-escape scenarios involving bird predators and their prey. One is the climbing flight escape, another is horizontal speeding, and thirdly, there is turning and diving to avoid capture. Predator and prey attack-escape behavior is another outcome of the evolutionary arms race. There is something about birds of prey that make us pay attention – maybe it is the inherent fear we all have that one will attack us – or perhaps it is just because they are seldom seen by most Westerners. Regardless, birds of prey are fascinating and in this episode, we examine some of the largest, mightiest, and most spectacular raptors from around the world. We’ll watch with fascination the Eagle, a large bird of prey that is a skilled hunter and highly efficient killer. These elegant predators work in large open spaces, where they can fly high and see for miles and miles. Meanwhile, the fastest living animal on land, sea, or sky is also a

Race of Life - Episode 6: Run Like the Wind | Wildlife Documentary With predators practically always on the lookout for a meal, prey must constantly avoid being eaten. Any defensive adaptation that prey can utilize adds to the chances of survival for its species. Some adaptations are defense mechanisms which can give the prey an advantage against their enemies. The first is very direct and comes naturally. Animals can use speed as a very effective means of escaping predators. In the evolutionary history of big herbivores and the carnivores that prey upon them, the phrase “arms race”is only technically a metaphor. Antelope are literally born to run, and many of the things that chase them, such as the cheetah, are either masters of endurance or champion sprinters. The evolutionary story almost writes itself: over millions of years of chasing, and being chased, wherever predators evolved to move quickly, their prey were selected to run even faster. Except of course there’s more to life than running for your life. An antelope’s frame is under more demands than evading cheetahs—it also

Race of Life - Episode 5: Natural Warriors | Wildlife Documentary Males and females of most species will fight viciously in self-defense. And females can be even more aggressive than males when defending their young. In this episode we'll explore the Race of Life from the point of view of food, territory, social status, and mates. Though some fights occur between two different species, most battles are fought between members of the same species. Though the wildlife warriors in these battles usually are not trying to kill each other, the fighting can result in death. Why would members of the same species fight with such ferocity? Food is one reason. Animals that store and hoard food for survival will aggressively protect their pantries. Animals are also willing to fight to protect their food indirectly. For example, predators will defend a territory that provides them with enough prey, or food, to survive. This territorial aggression serves to space out members of a species across their range in a way that maintains sufficient food within each territory. But it also may limit