1 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,960 (THEME MUSIC) 2 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,040 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: Imagine a world 3 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,400 where temperatures rise to 50 degrees centigrade, 4 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,400 where there's no escape from sun, wind and dust. 5 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:01,120 Imagine a world with almost no food or water. 6 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:15,200 These are the conditions in one-third of the lands of our planet. 7 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,120 To live here 8 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,800 demands the most extraordinary survival strategies. 9 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,680 This is the oldest desert in the world. 10 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,480 The Namib in southwest Africa. 11 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,240 It's been dry for 55 million years. 12 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,560 Life here for a hunter is as hard as it gets. 13 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,400 A pride of lions, 14 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,160 one of the very few 15 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,280 that endures this desert's scorching temperatures 16 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:26,560 and lack of water. 17 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,400 Hunting here presents special problems. 18 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:55,600 A herd of oryx, 19 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,520 the only prey within 30 kilometres. 20 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:01,600 (BIRDS SQUAWKING) 21 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,920 Out here, there is no cover for an ambush. 22 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,120 It will have to be a straight chase. 23 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,560 They have failed, 24 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,720 and each failed hunt brings the lions closer to starvation. 25 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,760 To find enough to eat, 26 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,360 the pride continually searches an area the size of Switzerland. 27 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,440 Three days and 150 kilometres later, 28 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,720 and still, no kill. 29 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:28,920 (CRICKETS CHIRPING) 30 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,520 These are desperate times. 31 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:33,440 (CROW CAWING) 32 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,240 A dry riverbed on the edge of their territory. 33 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,040 The only animals here are giraffes. 34 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,920 But these one-tonne giants could kill a lion 35 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,760 with a single kick. 36 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:05,960 Lions seldom tackle such formidable prey. 37 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,680 But this pride can't go on much longer 38 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,280 without food. (PANTING) 39 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:25,800 (BIRD SQUAWKING) 40 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,040 The whole pride must work together as a team, 41 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:45,440 if they're to succeed. 42 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,400 Two lionesses lead the chase. 43 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,800 Others race to cut off possible escape routes. 44 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:41,080 The giraffe has the speed and stamina to outrun the pride. 45 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,560 But it's being chased into a trap. 46 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,520 Up ahead, the lead female waits. 47 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,120 It's now up to her. 48 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,920 (LIONESS GROWLS) 49 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,880 Most lion hunts end in failure. 50 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:31,520 But no lions fail more often than those that live in the desert. 51 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:36,360 Once again, 52 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,240 the pride must continue their search. 53 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,480 (THUNDER RUMBLING) 54 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,400 It does sometimes rain in the desert. 55 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:12,360 Here in the American West, 56 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,120 storms can strike with devastating force. 57 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,880 After 10 months of drought, millions of tons of water 58 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,200 are dumped on the land in under an hour. 59 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,280 (WIND WHISTLING) 60 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:19,480 Over millions of years, 61 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:22,800 sand and gravel carried by the rampaging floods 62 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,800 have carved channels through the solid rock. 63 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,520 Salt canyons, 50 metres deep. 64 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,840 In some places, these canyons have widened 65 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:15,560 until the land between them is sculpted into table lands and isolated pinnacles, 66 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,280 some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet. 67 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:38,760 The rain may be long gone, 68 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,400 but there is water here, 69 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:44,200 (BIRD SQUAWKING) (CRICKETS CHIRPING) 70 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,440 locked away within the tissues of specialist desert plants. 71 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,200 Cacti are unique to American deserts. 72 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,720 They all hoard water, storing it in swollen stems, 73 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,240 and protecting it behind a barricade of spines. 74 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,960 They're so successful that they dominate these deserts. 75 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:16,400 But this forest of spikes 76 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,840 can cause problems for the animals that live here. 77 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:28,880 A Harris's hawk. 78 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,320 It has developed special techniques for hunting amongst the cacti. 79 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:44,040 Ground squirrels. 80 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:45,880 Prey. 81 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:50,840 (SQUIRRELS SQUEAKING) 82 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:57,680 At the first sign of danger, they bolt for the safety of the thorns. 83 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,360 But the hawks have a tactic to flush them out. 84 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,640 These are the only birds of prey that hunt in packs. 85 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:21,720 Flying in formation, 86 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,360 they try to drive their quarry into the open. 87 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:37,880 But this squirrel is staying put. 88 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,880 So now the hawks continue the hunt 89 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:49,560 on foot. 90 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,080 They're closing in from all sides. 91 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,920 Soon, all escape routes are cut off. 92 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:30,760 The squirrel is trapped. 93 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,760 (SCREECHING) 94 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,360 The spines that cover almost every plant in this desert 95 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,160 can provide protection and shelter for many animals. 96 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:01,960 So, why should these spikes be hung with corpses? 97 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:10,760 What kind of creature could be responsible 98 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,440 for creating such a gruesome scene? 99 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,680 There's a mysterious killer at work in this desert. 100 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,520 It's a butcher bird. 101 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:43,040 This little song bird uses the spines as a butcher uses his hook, 102 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,240 to hold its prey as it dismembers it. 103 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:47,400 (SQUAWKING) 104 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:51,800 (CHEEPING) 105 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:00,840 And with chicks to feed, he also uses the spines as a larder. 106 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,880 He's been stocking it for weeks. 107 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,760 Hanging his prey out of the reach of scavengers on the ground 108 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,520 ensures that his newly hatched young will never go hungry. 109 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:22,560 An ingenious solution 110 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,280 to making the good times last in the desert, 111 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:30,920 if a little macabre. 112 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,160 (CHEEPING) 113 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,440 (BUTCHER BIRD SQUAWKS) 114 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,200 Some deserts are so arid, 115 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,840 they appear totally devoid of all vegetation. 116 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,400 Yet even these landscapes 117 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:51,840 can be transformed 118 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:53,640 in a matter of days. 119 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,440 The deserts of Peru are amongst the driest in the world. 120 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:10,560 But just add a little water, 121 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,360 and plants that have lain dormant for months 122 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,400 will burst into life. 123 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:21,680 (BIRDS SINGING) 124 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,720 (BEES BUZZING) 125 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,880 And when a desert suddenly turns green, 126 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,160 even the most seemingly desolate 127 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:40,560 can become a land of opportunity. 128 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,320 No creature exploits the greening of a desert more quickly, 129 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:57,880 or more dramatically, 130 00:16:57,960 --> 00:16:59,120 than a locust. 131 00:17:08,120 --> 00:17:10,360 Madagascar's arid southwest 132 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,360 has received its highest rainfall in years. 133 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,960 Now, an army is on the march, 134 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,320 attracted by the smell of newly sprouting grass. 135 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,600 Locusts are normally solitary creatures, 136 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,160 but when food becomes suddenly plentiful, 137 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,440 they come together into an unstoppable force 138 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,280 that devours everything in its path. 139 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:10,960 But this devastation is about to get a lot worse. 140 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,440 The locusts now transform into winged adults. 141 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,360 And with conditions as good as this, 142 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,440 they do so three times faster than normal. 143 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,120 Now, they are at their most voracious. 144 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,680 And with wings, they can take to the skies. 145 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:11,160 Once airborne, the locusts can travel over 100 kilometres a day 146 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,800 in their search for new feeding grounds. 147 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,440 A super-swarm of this scale may only appear once in a decade. 148 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:37,040 This one extends over 500 square kilometres 149 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:40,240 and contains several billion individuals. 150 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:46,880 Between them, they will devour 40,000 tonnes of food in a day. 151 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,040 (LOCUSTS BUZZING) 152 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:25,240 Nothing can strip a land of its vegetation with such speed 153 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,960 and thoroughness as a plague of locusts. 154 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,480 When the food eventually runs out, the whole army will die. 155 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,880 But not before it's devastated the land. 156 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,200 With no plants to bind them, 157 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:00,720 thin soils soon turn to dust and blow away. 158 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:12,000 Now, these barren lands are left to the mercy of the elements. 159 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:33,200 Scorched by the sun and scoured by windblown sand, 160 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:38,800 desert rock is shaped into strange, otherworldly landscapes. 161 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:49,160 These rocky deserts may have a beguiling beauty, 162 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:53,480 but when they become this barren, very little life can endure. 163 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:01,560 For many animals, 164 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,000 the only way to survive the most hostile times 165 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:05,600 is to keep moving. 166 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:14,680 In the Kalahari, 167 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,440 brief rains have given way to the dry season. 168 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,920 Food and water are becoming increasingly scarce. 169 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,320 For these zebra, it's time to leave. 170 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:35,200 (HUFFING) 171 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,480 They are setting off on the longest overland migration 172 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,520 made by any mammal in Africa, 173 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,760 marching towards the scent of distant rains. 174 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,240 As drought intensifies, 175 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,920 desert-living elephants must also undertake long journeys 176 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,680 in search of water. 177 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,560 (GRUNTING) 178 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,720 (ELEPHANT TRUMPETING) 179 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,400 The older females can remember where, even in times of extreme drought, 180 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,720 there may still be water, 181 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,320 and sometimes lead the herd 182 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,680 to a waterhole they may not have visited for decades. 183 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,240 (BIRDS SQUAWKING) 184 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:02,400 (ZEBRAS GRUNTING) 185 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:07,560 These zebra are almost at the end of their journey. 186 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,720 This is what they've been heading for. 187 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,480 A rare waterhole. 188 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,840 In deserts, most waterholes are short-lived. 189 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,680 They appear after rains, 190 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:40,680 but then vanish almost as quickly as they came. 191 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:42,680 (ELEPHANT RUMBLING) 192 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:47,600 (ELEPHANT SNORTS) 193 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,920 Animals have come here from many kilometres around. 194 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:54,760 (ZEBRAS WHINNYING) 195 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,960 Yet, this can be a dangerous place in which to linger. 196 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:11,800 A hundred kilometres away, in the heart of the desert, 197 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,320 sandgrouse chicks are hatching. 198 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,080 It's safer for them to be here. 199 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,120 (CHICK CHEEPING) 200 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,360 But being so distant from water is a gamble. 201 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,360 With only their mother to shield them from the sun, 202 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,120 if they get nothing to drink, 203 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,600 they will be dead within hours. 204 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,240 Their only hope is their father. 205 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:48,320 (SQUAWKING) 206 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,360 Every morning, he makes the 200-kilometre round trip 207 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,160 to get water for the family. 208 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:56,280 (SQUAWKS) 209 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,760 Grouse from all over the desert visit this oasis, 210 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:05,240 arriving together in large flocks. 211 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,120 And that is important. 212 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:13,400 There's safety in numbers. 213 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:14,720 (CHIRPING) 214 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:22,320 (ZEBRA GRUNTS) 215 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,760 The male snatches a drink, 216 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,280 but he also needs to collect water for his chicks. 217 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,640 Using specially adapted breast feathers, 218 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,200 he can soak up water like a sponge. 219 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,280 But it takes time, 220 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:44,880 and he is in danger. 221 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:46,680 (CHIRPING) 222 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:53,600 Goshawk. 223 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:58,160 (CHIRPING) 224 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,880 Sandgrouse here are their main prey. 225 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,280 Again and again, 226 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:23,040 the male sandgrouse risk their lives 227 00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:25,760 in order to collect water for their chicks. 228 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:50,720 This is why sandgrouse nest so far from waterholes. 229 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:15,480 At last, 230 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,920 he soaked up as much as he can. 231 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:22,160 Carrying a quarter of his body weight in water, 232 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,720 he can now set off on the long journey home. 233 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:51,920 (CHEEPING) 234 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,200 He's back, and just in time. 235 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,640 He can give the chicks their first-ever drink. 236 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,120 But he will have to undertake this perilous journey 237 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,840 every day for the next two months, 238 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:14,760 until his chicks 239 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,840 can finally make the flight to the waterhole for themselves. 240 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,800 It's July in the deserts of Nevada 241 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:35,000 in the western United States. 242 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,520 The hottest time of the year. 243 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:41,360 (SNORTS) 244 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,920 Bands of wild horses, mustang, 245 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,320 are converging on one of the last remaining waterholes around. 246 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,440 (SNORTS) 247 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,760 Now, water not only offers them the chance to drink. 248 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:10,960 It can also bring power. 249 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,160 If a stallion can control access to water, 250 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,560 he will have secured mating rights to the entire herd. 251 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,480 (NEIGHS) 252 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,000 So stallions try to dominate these pools, 253 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,960 fighting off rivals who venture too close. 254 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,400 (STALLIONS NEIGHING) 255 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:42,160 A stranger. 256 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,120 He's travelled 15 kilometres to be here 257 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,760 because the pools where he's come from have already dried up. 258 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:56,040 With him come his females. 259 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,040 If he can't provide them with water, 260 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,520 they will leave him for the white stallion 261 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,960 who already dominates this pool. 262 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,240 So he will have to fight. 263 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:33,640 (STALLIONS GRUNTING) 264 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,120 (STALLIONS NEIGHING) 265 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,200 There is everything to lose. 266 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:26,880 A broken leg or a shattered jaw would mean a slow and painful death. 267 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:28,880 (STALLIONS NEIGHING) 268 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:49,200 A missed kick, 269 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:50,680 and it's all over. 270 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,320 The new arrival has won. 271 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:01,280 And his prize is more than just a chance to drink. 272 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,520 He has provided for his herd, and in the process, 273 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,960 stolen his rival's females. 274 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,280 The white stallion's rule is over. 275 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:13,520 (SNORTS) 276 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:23,440 Desert life is not only shaped by the scarcity of water, 277 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,640 but also by the relentless power 278 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:28,720 of the sun. 279 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,960 The highest temperatures on Earth have all been recorded in its deserts. 280 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:53,680 Changes in the climate 281 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:56,960 mean temperatures here are rising more than the global average. 282 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:58,800 And as deserts heat up, 283 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:00,920 they are also expanding. 284 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,080 Every year, 285 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:08,560 a further 130,000 square kilometres of grass and farmland 286 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:12,480 are turning into barren stretches of dust and rock. 287 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:19,120 In the heat of the day, 288 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:22,320 surface temperatures can reach a scorching 70 degrees, 289 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,680 far too hot to handle for most. 290 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:31,440 But not for this shovel-snouted lizard. 291 00:34:35,720 --> 00:34:38,360 Raising its feet off the ground in turn 292 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:44,160 enables each to briefly cool. 293 00:34:50,240 --> 00:34:53,080 But even this dancing desert specialist 294 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,320 can't stand the heat for long. 295 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:06,720 One option is to find shade. 296 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:15,440 Dune grass, the only vegetation here, provides virtually none. 297 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,120 But just beneath the surface of the sand, 298 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,520 it is several degrees cooler. 299 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:34,440 Avoiding the extreme heat imposes a rhythm on desert life. 300 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:40,960 And many animals here choose the simplest option of all, 301 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,200 staying hidden all day 302 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:48,320 and only venturing out in the cool of the night. 303 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:58,920 As darkness falls, 304 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,160 animals appear from seemingly nowhere. 305 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,520 And among them, inevitably, 306 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:14,000 are hunters. 307 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,640 (SNIFFING) 308 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,000 One of the most voracious nocturnal predators 309 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:35,440 is also one of the hardest to see. 310 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:39,680 This mysterious creature 311 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:42,800 hardly ever appears on the surface of the dunes. 312 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:53,520 But there are signs on the sand that can give it away. 313 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:08,680 It lives only here, 314 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,600 where the sand grains are so perfectly dry and polished 315 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:14,200 that they flow almost like water. 316 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,880 It's no bigger than a Ping-Pong ball. 317 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:25,800 A golden mole. 318 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:28,320 It's totally blind, 319 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,080 but there's nothing to see underground anyway. 320 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,080 Instead, it has superb hearing. 321 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:46,320 Its entire head acts as an amplifier 322 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:48,960 that picks up vibrations through the sand. 323 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,320 So, to locate prey on the surface of the dune, 324 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:57,080 it has, paradoxically, to thrust its face into the dune. 325 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:00,880 (SNIFFING) 326 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:06,680 Termites. 327 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:09,920 Not easy to catch when you're blind. 328 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,920 Far better to go into stealth mode. 329 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:19,840 Once below the sand, 330 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,080 it can detect the slightest movement, 331 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,360 allowing it to strike with pinpoint accuracy. 332 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:40,720 Well, most of the time. 333 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,960 It can travel a kilometre a night in search of its dinner. 334 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:03,880 And right now, it has just detected its main course. 335 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:10,040 Little wonder it's sometimes called "the shark of the dunes." 336 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:20,960 Food can be so scarce in the desert 337 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:24,640 that even at night, animals can't afford to be choosy 338 00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:26,360 about what they eat. 339 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,560 Israel's Negev Desert. 340 00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:47,160 Otonycteris, the desert long-eared bat, 341 00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:48,560 is on the hunt. 342 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:55,920 Most bats catch flying insects on the wing. 343 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,080 But there are so few of these in the desert 344 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:01,080 that this bat must do things differently. 345 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:07,440 It has to hunt on the ground. 346 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:09,240 (BAT SCREECHING) 347 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:16,760 But what really sets it apart 348 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:18,560 is what it's hunting. 349 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:28,160 A deathstalker scorpion. 350 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:34,080 The venom of this species is potent enough to kill a human. 351 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:40,320 Tackling it seems madness for a bat weighing just 15 grams. 352 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,080 In the pitch black, 353 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,960 both predator and prey are effectively blind. 354 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,880 But the scorpion has one advantage, 355 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,840 he can sense the approach of the bat through vibrations in the sand. 356 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:04,640 Otonycteris must rely entirely on its hearing. 357 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,080 If the scorpion doesn't move, it won't know it's there. 358 00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:24,840 The battle is on. 359 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:31,560 Armed with crushing pincers and a sting loaded with venom, 360 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:34,440 this scorpion is a dangerous opponent. 361 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:49,800 A direct strike on the head. 362 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:53,800 Is it all over? 363 00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,560 Not for this bat. 364 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:18,400 Otonycteris clearly has some immunity to the venom, 365 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:23,200 but repeated stings must still be extraordinarily painful. 366 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:32,680 And if the bat is not to go hungry, 367 00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:36,800 it must catch another three scorpions before sunrise. 368 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:08,080 Desert animals have developed remarkable strategies 369 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:10,600 to make the most of the rare opportunities 370 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:12,040 that come their way. 371 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:17,440 Although some deserts may not see rain for several years, 372 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:21,440 most will hold a little water in one form or another. 373 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:25,640 The trick is simply knowing how to reach it. 374 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,200 Dawn in the dunes of the Namib, 375 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:39,760 and something magical is happening. 376 00:43:58,240 --> 00:44:01,560 Moist air lying over the neighbouring Atlantic 377 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,200 is cooled and blown inland, 378 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:08,120 forming fog banks that shroud the desert in mist. 379 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:17,440 This precious moisture 380 00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:21,280 lies tantalizingly out of reach at the top of the dunes, 381 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:23,280 and it won't last long. 382 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:28,040 It will be burnt off by the sun just hours after it rises. 383 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,640 Darkling beetles race to the top of the dunes 384 00:44:46,720 --> 00:44:49,320 to reach the fog before it vanishes. 385 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:02,160 Some of the Namib's dunes are 300 metres high, 386 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:04,440 the tallest in the world. 387 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:08,280 For a beetle no larger than a thumbnail, 388 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:11,400 this is the equivalent of us climbing a dune 389 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:13,280 twice the height of Everest. 390 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:19,800 But even more impressive 391 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:21,680 is what it does next. 392 00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:29,720 Standing perfectly still, facing into the wind, 393 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,360 the beetle does a headstand. 394 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:38,520 Fog begins to condense on its body. 395 00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,040 Microscopic bumps on its wing cases 396 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:48,280 direct the water to grooves that channel it towards the mouth. 397 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:55,800 Before returning down the slip face, 398 00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:59,280 it will drink 40% of its body weight. 399 00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:05,400 This little beetle 400 00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:08,960 has learned how to conjure water out of the air 401 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:12,040 in one of the driest places on Earth. 402 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:19,000 And it's not alone on the top of the dunes. 403 00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:28,280 Web-footed geckos use a similar trick. 404 00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:42,160 Surely, few animals go to greater lengths to get a drink. 405 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:04,520 Unfortunately, Namaqua chameleons know that on foggy mornings, 406 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:09,480 the beetles coming down the dunes are juicier than those going up. 407 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:22,640 The diversity of life 408 00:47:22,720 --> 00:47:25,760 that thrives in a world almost totally devoid of water 409 00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:27,920 is truly remarkable. 410 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,280 Success in the desert 411 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,040 depends on an extraordinary variety of survival strategies 412 00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:38,560 that have evolved over millions of years. 413 00:47:40,840 --> 00:47:43,440 But our planet is changing. 414 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:50,200 The world's deserts are growing bigger, hotter and drier, 415 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,440 and they're doing so faster than ever before. 416 00:47:54,640 --> 00:47:57,960 How life will cope here in the future 417 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:00,120 remains to be seen. 418 00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:11,840 Next time, we journey to the world's Great Plains. 419 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:15,800 Where spectacular gatherings of wildlife 420 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,240 cope with extreme change. 421 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:23,120 And surprising creatures survive 422 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:24,920 in unexpected ways. 423 00:48:29,680 --> 00:48:33,960 (ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) 9999 00:00:0,500 --> 00:00:2,00 www.tvsubtitles.net