Underwater Defenses | Race of Life | Episode 11 | Free Documentary Nature

Race of Life - Episode 13: Predators After Dark | Wildlife Documentary Finally for this series, we look deep into the darkness to examine creatures that live in the shadows and the adaptations they need to survive. Nocturnal animals have taken to this dark world for good reason: they can escape predators, avoid the heat of the day, and take their turn sharing food and resources in their ‘niche’. But which animals come out at night? How do they find food in the dark? Where do they go during the day? Nocturnal animals have some fascinating ways to survive in the dark. Spend a night on an exploratory tour with porcupines, raccoons, mice, and cats as their day begins, while the rest of the world goes to sleep. The world of the night is a world of fear, excitement and survival. Every animal adapted to live in the dark is a specialised survivor. The raccoon will eat almost anything and has a hyper-sensitive sense of touch. A wheat field hides thousands of mice – surviving as a team thanks to

Race of Life - Episode 12: The Race Underfoot | Wildlife Documentary In this episode we explore the Race of Life on a small scale but no less competitive or cruel for all that. Insects burrow through the ground, hop and sing in the trees, and dart and dance in the air. They come in many different colors and shapes. There are many reasons why insects are so successful at surviving. Their ability to survive in all kinds of temperatures and environments. A strong, hard but flexible shell called an exoskeleton covers their soft organs and is resistant to chemicals, water and physical impact. Their wings give them the option of flying away from dangerous situations or toward food or mates. In this episode: Dragonflies hover like helicopters over ponds and lakes, then suddenly dart away, pursuing prey or other dragonflies. The monarch butterfly goes through a miraculous metamorphosis, changing from an egg to a hungry caterpillar to a quiet pupa and emerging as a beautiful winged adult. The praying mantis is a master of disguise. Its green body, wings

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