1 00:00:05,100 --> 00:00:10,400 The natural world is full of fantastically small animals. 2 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,500 Hello! Where are you going? 3 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,500 And I mean REALLY small. 4 00:00:15,940 --> 00:00:20,640 Some you'll recognise because millions of us watch them online. 5 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,720 Some are rare and unusual... 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:31,000 ..and others look like big animals that have shrunk in the wash. 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:32,880 Despite initial appearances, 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,480 these animals aren't the underdogs you might think they are. 9 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:42,400 In fact, new science is revealing that these small-scale superheroes 10 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,080 are perfectly adapted to deal with the challenges 11 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,720 of the big, wide world in their own unique ways. 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,640 I'm Patrick Aryee and as a biologist, 13 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,840 I want to find out what makes these super small creatures 14 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,800 some of the most successful animals on the planet. 15 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,320 HE CHUCKLES 16 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:07,360 That is brilliant! This is the first time I've seen anything like this. 17 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,880 We're going to travel the world to meet the leading experts 18 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,400 on these incredible creatures and discover the secrets 19 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,280 behind these pint-sized superstars, 20 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,680 revealing the huge benefits that being small can bring, 21 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,720 as well as the challenges that small creatures face 22 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,160 and the ingenious ways they overcome them. 23 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:33,400 Look at that. 24 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,280 And I'll also show you how some miniature animals 25 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:38,480 punch way above their weight. 26 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:44,160 They've all turned being small into a HUGE advantage. 27 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:45,960 And we're going to find out why. 28 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,680 This is a leaf chameleon. 29 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,880 It lives in northern Madagascar 30 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:06,520 and as its name suggests, 31 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,720 it goes about the leaf litter eating tiny insects. 32 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,600 Weighing less than a quarter of a gram, it's minuscule 33 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,280 and one of the smallest lizards in the world. 34 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:23,640 Pound for pound, they are 3,500 times smaller than this guy. 35 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,120 The Parson's chameleon. 36 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:29,840 The weight difference between them 37 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,680 is the same between me and ten elephants. 38 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,800 I can't get them too close together 39 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,320 because the Parson's chameleon's prey 40 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,800 is bigger than the leaf chameleon. 41 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,440 But despite the size difference, 42 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,320 these two are remarkably similar. 43 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,720 They both have all the classic chameleon characteristics... 44 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,440 ..independently moving, rotating eyes... 45 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,520 ..specialised gripping feet 46 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,920 with toes that point forward and backwards... 47 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,640 ..and a super-powered tongue that shoots out and suckers prey. 48 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,120 The leaf chameleon has all the same complex attributes, 49 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,520 just miniaturised. 50 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,480 But why? 51 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,800 Nothing ever happens by accident in nature. 52 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,720 This guy obviously wouldn't be this size if it didn't make sense. 53 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,560 If anything, it means that it's easier to hide, 54 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,600 it needs less food and less space. 55 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:34,240 So, by being small, 56 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,440 this chameleon has overcome some of life's biggest challenges - 57 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,080 finding food, keeping out of danger 58 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,600 and finding its own space in this big, wide world. 59 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,040 And it's not alone. 60 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,960 Animals all over the globe are using their small size 61 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,320 to solve life's problems. 62 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,080 And one of the biggest problems 63 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,400 is finding enough food in a fiercely competitive world. 64 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,080 The island of Madagascar, 65 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,720 home to over 100 species of lemur. 66 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,400 Just like us, they're primates, 67 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,720 and they come in all different shapes, 68 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,600 colours and sizes. 69 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:34,920 But I'm here to meet the smallest. 70 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:38,040 Mouse lemurs. 71 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,680 They're barely the size of an apple. 72 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,720 Now, this guy probably weighs about 70g 73 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,920 which is surprising when you think that the largest primates, 74 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,920 the gorilla, weighs over 3,000 times as much. 75 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,040 And even the largest lemur, the indri, 76 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,200 is still over 100 times this lemur's weight. 77 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,720 Despite this, when it comes to a special source of food, 78 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:10,000 they come out on top. 79 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,800 All lemurs eat fruits, seeds and leaves. 80 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,840 And with so much competition for the tastiest treats, 81 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:27,800 you'd think the tiny mouse lemur would be at the back of the queue. 82 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,680 But this little lemur uses its size to its advantage. 83 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,360 Whilst other lemurs are just too heavy... 84 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:41,360 ..because they're small, 85 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,440 mouse lemurs can head straight for the ends 86 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,280 of the highest, flimsiest branches. 87 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:48,880 And the special food they're after? 88 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:51,920 Flowers. 89 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,440 Rich in sugars, they make one of the best meals 90 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,880 and these tiny lemurs get to them with ease. 91 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,320 Their larger, heavier cousins 92 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,160 have to compete for food on bigger branches... 93 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,280 ..but mouse lemurs avoid the competition 94 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:13,080 by reaching the unreachable. 95 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,160 Lemurs aren't the only ones using their size to secure a snack. 96 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:27,840 On the other side of the globe, 97 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,080 in the cloud forests of Ecuador, 98 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,960 another tiny animal is muscling in on its next meal. 99 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,960 Hummingbirds are the smallest birds on the planet. 100 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,440 They are incredibly appealing 101 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,080 and when it comes to viral videos, 102 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,240 they are an internet sensation. 103 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,680 The smallest are the same size as a large bee. 104 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,640 And take a look at how tiny their nests are. 105 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,360 Hummingbirds are well-known for the incredible speed 106 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:09,440 with which they move their wings. 107 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,000 They can beat them up to 15 times a second. 108 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,200 But it uses a huge amount of energy, so they feed on sugar-rich nectar. 109 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,240 And because they need to consume a lot of calories, 110 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,680 access to the best flowers is worth fighting for. 111 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,200 But in this world of tiny birds, 112 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,440 size still matters and it turns out that being even smaller 113 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,120 is even better. 114 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,680 The booted racket-tail is tiny, no bigger than your little finger. 115 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,440 So, while the big boys are fighting over the flowers, 116 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,200 the smaller, more agile racket-tail can sneak in... 117 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:04,080 ..feed and fly off before being spotted by the bigger birds. 118 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,080 A cheeky move proving that being the smallest of the small 119 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:12,560 can sometimes offer big payoffs in the fight for food. 120 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:22,080 Going unseen is another huge advantage of being miniature. 121 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,760 And it's something that my next super small animal 122 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,880 has taken to the extreme. 123 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,680 The ocean is a perilous place for little creatures. 124 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,120 They're easy pickings for hundreds of larger predators. 125 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:47,400 In fact, less than 1% of fish reach maturity. 126 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,640 So, to survive, you need a strategy. 127 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,520 On the reefs of Australia and Southeast Asia, 128 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,280 a super-small creature, 129 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,320 living in this sea fan coral, 130 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,800 has just that. 131 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,600 But first, we have to find it. 132 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,360 The pygmy seahorse, 133 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:22,360 the smallest of its kind. 134 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,760 So small they could fit on your fingernail... 135 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,200 or the end of a pencil. 136 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,280 Truly tiny and perfectly camouflaged to their coral home. 137 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:41,280 Which makes these little seahorses almost impossible to spot. 138 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:46,400 In fact, they were unknown to science until 1969 139 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,240 when they were discovered completely by accident. 140 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,080 Nobody knew they existed until one of the corals was collected 141 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,160 and when they brought it up to look at the coral, 142 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,920 they saw something small and moving on it. 143 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,600 And when they looked closely, they realised it was a tiny seahorse 144 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:01,640 that looked exactly like the arms of the coral. 145 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,120 These little seahorses are actually born smooth and brown. 146 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,480 But as they develop, they transform to match the colour and texture 147 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:14,560 of the sea fan they land on, 148 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:17,760 regardless of the colour of their parents. 149 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,480 Within 24 hours, 150 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,360 they would clearly change colour 151 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,960 and change in characteristics to match that coral, 152 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,800 and that was a pretty amazing thing to see happen. 153 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,200 These miniature marvels then spend their entire life 154 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,920 on that one piece of coral, 155 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,280 which can be over a metre tall and wide. 156 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,440 When you're that small, 157 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,680 that's plenty of space to make a home. 158 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:47,760 The pygmy seahorse has evolved to be so small to take advantage 159 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:49,200 of a piece of real estate 160 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,000 that nobody else is really taking advantage of. 161 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,760 In fact, there could be up to 28 pairs of seahorses 162 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,840 living on one sea fan... 163 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:01,040 ..hidden in plain sight. 164 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,160 But even a secretive seahorse needs to eat. 165 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,080 The pygmy seahorse is a predatory fish, 166 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:13,600 just like the massive great white shark. 167 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,200 Now, you might think of the shark as having it better, 168 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:17,840 but they have to travel hundreds 169 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,440 if not thousands of miles in search of food, 170 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:25,440 whereas pygmy seahorses just wait for a meal to come to them. 171 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,200 They catch plankton as it passes by, 172 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,560 or pick it from the polyps of the coral, 173 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,680 while their bigger relatives, like the weedy sea dragon, 174 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:40,240 have to go out in search of food, 175 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,040 putting themselves in the paths of predators. 176 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,280 This free delivery service means the pygmy seahorse 177 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,080 never has to leave home... 178 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,560 ..and that's pretty smart. 179 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,000 Being miniature means that the pygmy seahorse 180 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,440 can live in a world that is also miniature. 181 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,640 When it comes to staying out of sight, 182 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,160 being small offers a huge advantage. 183 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,720 But do small animals sacrifice strength and power in return? 184 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:22,160 Surely the Goliaths of the animal world have the upper hand 185 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:24,800 in terms of sheer muscle and might? 186 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:29,880 Well, not quite. 187 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:35,600 When it comes to brawn, 188 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,560 it's the little guys that pack the most serious punch. 189 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,720 I'm in the African bush to meet one of the most impressive. 190 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,920 You've probably guessed that this little insect is a dung beetle. 191 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,440 Now, of course, their diet may be unsavoury to us, 192 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,480 but it clearly works for them. 193 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,440 Not only have they evolved to feast on the dung of other animals, 194 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,800 but they are proportionately one of the strongest animals alive. 195 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,280 Some of these high rollers 196 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,160 can push balls that are ten times their own weight, 197 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:14,320 even up steep hills. 198 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,560 A Herculean effort with a huge payoff. 199 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,320 A single ball of dung can be enough to feed them 200 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:24,960 for the rest of their lives. 201 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,880 And they're not the only super-strong insects. 202 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,080 These are leafcutter ants. 203 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,280 They carry pieces of leaf 204 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,560 up to 50 times their own body weight. 205 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,920 Now, that would be like me trying to carry a van on my back. 206 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,160 In terms of weight-to-strength ratio, 207 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:56,040 this ant is stronger than an elephant. 208 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,560 In fact, measured this way, 209 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:04,000 all of the strongest animals on Earth are tiny 210 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,880 and it's all to do with physics. 211 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,120 The Scaling Law means that if you doubled all the dimensions 212 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,360 of any living thing, it would become eight times heavier. 213 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,960 So, weight increases more quickly 214 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:23,840 than dimensions or size. 215 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,320 Because strength is determined by how big your muscles are 216 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,000 compared to your weight, 217 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,920 animals get heavier more quickly than they get stronger. 218 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,680 What's more, larger animals 219 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,040 have to use more energy simply supporting all their bulk. 220 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:47,960 So, smaller, lighter animals 221 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,520 are proportionately stronger than big animals. 222 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,360 And one of the strongest animals in the world 223 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,200 is only the size of a peanut. 224 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:05,880 The bull-headed dung beetle. 225 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,240 Whereas an elephant can't even pull twice its own weight... 226 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,480 ..scientists found that the bull-headed dung beetle 227 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,480 can pull a staggering 228 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,040 1,141 times their own weight. 229 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:28,240 Now, that is the equivalent 230 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:31,720 of me pulling six fully-loaded double-decker buses. 231 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:36,360 Amazingly, this mighty strength isn't for pushing balls of dung. 232 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,320 They don't roll their dung away to bury it. 233 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:47,720 Instead a pair dig a tunnel directly underneath a big fresh pat 234 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,400 where the females lay their eggs. 235 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,400 So, why, then, are they so strong? 236 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:55,680 Well, digging might be one reason. 237 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,320 But there's another more important one. 238 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:05,200 A rogue male is searching for a mate down an already-occupied tunnel. 239 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,480 The horned male needs to keep his mate to himself. 240 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:15,720 Intruders have to be pushed out with brute force. 241 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,040 In their world, strength is king. 242 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,440 These animals have all found fantastic ways 243 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,040 of using their small size to solve the big problems 244 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:36,840 that all animals face. 245 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,640 But being small does make some things more difficult. 246 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,360 I'm going to investigate some of the challenges 247 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:50,280 that the smallest animals face because of their size 248 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,760 and reveal the many ways they've overcome them to succeed. 249 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,160 One of the biggest problems about being small is temperature. 250 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:06,360 Small animals get hot and cold much faster than big animals. 251 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:11,040 And this time-lapse footage demonstrates this perfectly. 252 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:17,120 There's a good reason why the ice cube on the left is melting faster. 253 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:18,960 Because it's smaller. 254 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,600 It may seem obvious that a small ice cube 255 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,680 would melt quicker than a large one, 256 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,720 but have you ever stopped to consider why that happens? 257 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,480 Well, it all comes down to the amount of surface area an object has 258 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:36,200 in comparison to its volume - the physical space that it takes up. 259 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:39,680 Because smaller objects have a greater surface area 260 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,520 in comparison to their volume than larger objects, 261 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:43,720 they lose heat quicker. 262 00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:51,400 That same principle applies to animals too. 263 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,800 If you're tiny, dealing with temperature extremes 264 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,200 is a big problem. 265 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:04,680 But this hasn't stopped small animals living in extreme places 266 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,560 because they've found some creative solutions. 267 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:11,720 This shovel-snouted lizard 268 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:16,200 lives in the blistering heat of the Namibian desert. 269 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:20,240 To stop his feet burning on the sand, he's learnt to dance. 270 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,840 His neighbour, the silver ant, 271 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,200 has evolved to grow a fine covering of shiny hair 272 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,680 to reflect the scorching heat. 273 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,120 But even so, they can only survive 274 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,560 for up to ten minutes in the midday sun. 275 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,640 But there's one tiny Namibian mammal 276 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:47,400 that's mastered desert survival 277 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,360 with an impressively large adaptation. 278 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,240 The fennec is an extraordinary fox. 279 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,120 Weighing less than a bag of sugar, 280 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:05,360 they are the smallest member of the fox family. 281 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,400 But they've got the biggest ear-to-body ratio of any carnivore. 282 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,840 These cunning foxes use their oversized ears to radiate body heat. 283 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:18,640 Because they're so large and thin, 284 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,440 they quickly lose heat to the surrounding air 285 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:23,240 which cools down their blood 286 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,840 and stops them from overheating in the searing Sahara sun. 287 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,440 8,000 miles away in Argentina, 288 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:36,880 there's one colourful little animal that's taken desert dwelling 289 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,080 to a whole new level. 290 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,960 That is, when you can find one. 291 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,800 I have been working in the desert in Argentina for 15 years 292 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,920 and I have never seen a pink fairy. 293 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,320 They would tell me that Mendoza was a hot spot, 294 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,520 so I wandered around in the desert, 295 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:56,960 looking for pink fairies and just couldn't find them. 296 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,240 No, not an actual fairy, 297 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,560 a pink fairy armadillo. 298 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,280 With its pink back and fluffy white body, 299 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:15,680 it's one of the oddest and strangely endearing animals on the planet. 300 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,560 They are the world's smallest armadillo, 301 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:24,800 250 times lighter than their largest relatives. 302 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,000 They're so elusive, they're only captured on camera 303 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,920 by locals who have stumbled across them by accident. 304 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:37,800 It is very difficult to see a pink fairy armadillo 305 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,040 because they live underground. 306 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,680 Most sightings that we have recorded 307 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,120 are from pink fairy armadillos that were crossing a road, 308 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:48,200 so we suspect that they are digging 309 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,040 and they find a hard underground that they cannot dig through. 310 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:58,480 Living underground is a clever way to keep cool. 311 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,800 Unlike many of their larger relatives, 312 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,600 they don't even emerge to feed. 313 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,840 We don't even know if they are rare or if they are very abundant. 314 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,440 We simply don't know because we can't find them. 315 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,840 But why do these compact critters look so different to their cousins? 316 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,040 When you look at these two armadillos, 317 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,160 the most striking difference, other than their size, 318 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:27,440 is their shell. 319 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,080 This bigger one has what many of us would consider to be 320 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:34,080 the classic armoured armadillo shell, 321 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,720 which pretty much covers its entire body. 322 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:38,760 Whereas the shell of the pink fairy armadillo 323 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:40,600 only covers the top of its back 324 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,640 and, in fact, it's only connected along the spine. 325 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:47,240 So, it's not really armour for defence, 326 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,520 but instead, it's another perfectly pint-sized solution 327 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,720 to control their temperature. 328 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,840 It's thought that when they want to cool down, 329 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:56,840 they pump blood into this shell, 330 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,360 allowing the heat to be given off to the surrounding environment. 331 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,240 It's a bit like a hot water bottle - 332 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,800 as the surroundings get warmer, it gets cooler. 333 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,120 But when they want to do the opposite and stay warm, 334 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:10,240 they drain blood out of the shell 335 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,480 and back into their furry, insulated bodies. 336 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,280 It's a fabulous way of keeping their body temperature in check 337 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,040 and the reason why they're pink. 338 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,960 Their blood vessels are so close to the surface, they show through. 339 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:33,640 Underground, their unusual body also performs another fantastic function. 340 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,840 Pink fairy armadillos have a rump plate, 341 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:38,000 or it's sometimes called a butt plate. 342 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:42,880 It's very strong and this is used to compact the soil. 343 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,000 It starts digging forward and then it backs up 344 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,560 and it compacts the sand behind it. 345 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,520 These miniature Argentinian architects 346 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,320 have carved out a very special niche. 347 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,560 By trading in their protective shell, they've given up a lot. 348 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:05,720 But for this subterranean explorer, 349 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,120 it works because they rarely ever make an appearance above ground 350 00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:14,160 and that's why you hardly ever see a pink fairy in the desert. 351 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:20,920 Temperature control isn't the only problem that tiny creatures face. 352 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,600 It's a big world out there and if you've got very short legs, 353 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:28,800 it takes much longer to get around. 354 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,320 This is a money spider. 355 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,360 It's only about five millimetres long. 356 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,480 They're found all over the UK, 357 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:44,680 but these tiny arachnids are also intrepid explorers, 358 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:46,920 capable of covering hundreds of miles... 359 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:52,800 ..because they've turned their size to their advantage 360 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,440 and made a home in almost every continent. 361 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,280 So, how has such a tiny creature 362 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,400 colonised the far corners of the world? 363 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,440 It has to do with something that all spiders produce 364 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,880 and that...is silk. 365 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:13,120 It's the spiders' secret weapon. 366 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:17,200 They use it to build webs... 367 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:21,280 ..lay traps... 368 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,560 ..and some even use it to ensnare... 369 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:32,440 ..or lasso their prey. 370 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:44,560 But the smaller spiders use their silk in a very special way. 371 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,320 When they want to travel, 372 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:54,160 they send out a stream of silk which they use to catch the wind... 373 00:24:55,760 --> 00:25:00,040 ..and lift themselves up into the air, like a parachute. 374 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,640 It's called "ballooning" and it enables small spiders 375 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:08,960 to migrate hundreds of miles, 376 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,480 carried by the wind. 377 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:19,040 But colonising continents means crossing oceans 378 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,800 and they can't control where they land, 379 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:26,080 so what happens if an unfortunate spider lands on water? 380 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,880 Surely, that's the end of its adventures? 381 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,600 Far from it, because these tiny spiders have a solution 382 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,560 that has made them record-breaking long-distance travellers. 383 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,040 Dr Sara Goodacre and a team of scientists 384 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,360 have been studying these tiny explorers... 385 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:48,120 So, we've got one spider, there. Here it goes. 386 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,880 ..and she's going to show me their special skill. 387 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,120 So, what you can see is that it's floating, 388 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:56,520 it's definitely not sinking. 389 00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,560 It's floating across the surface of the water. 390 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:00,880 Because they're so light, 391 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,360 their weight is supported by the surface tension of the water. 392 00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:06,800 Their legs make tiny dents in it, 393 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,680 but, miraculously, don't break through. 394 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,800 If you look... Look, it's starting to run. Isn't that amazing? 395 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,840 So, for something that's really not supposed to survive on water at all, 396 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:19,440 it's doing rather well. Yeah. 397 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:22,320 But introduce a breeze... 398 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:23,560 OK. 399 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,760 ..and they do something even more astonishing. 400 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,720 Let's have a look. Can you see those front two legs? Yes! 401 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:42,640 This tiny spider is using its raised legs to catch the wind, 402 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:43,840 just like a sail. 403 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,600 There you go. You can see how, all of a sudden, they go so much faster. 404 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:55,200 So, it's all about timing and sensing what the wind is doing? 405 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,160 Once they make the decision to go, 406 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,760 they're really at the mercy of the winds. 407 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:01,720 And what's even more incredible 408 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,280 is that different spiders have different sailing styles. 409 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,880 That one's doing more with its back legs. Yeah... 410 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:19,800 These are the same species and they're doing different things. 411 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,880 Sometimes they'll use four legs, sometimes two, 412 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,640 sometimes the front legs, sometimes the back legs. 413 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:29,280 They've got a range of options. 414 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:34,560 I guess that kind of gives them their own little personalities. 415 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,280 Absolutely. And to me, really, it makes perfect sense. 416 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,000 One strategy doesn't always win. 417 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,200 By sailing and ballooning in this way, 418 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,680 these tiny spiders can travel over 40 miles in a single day. 419 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,360 By utilising the power of the wind, 420 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:58,600 they can cross not only whole continents, but the oceans too, 421 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:01,120 using virtually no energy. 422 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:04,080 And that is what has enabled these tiny spiders 423 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,360 to colonise almost every part of the globe. 424 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,080 But not all small animals are international travellers. 425 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:18,360 And sometimes, just getting from A to B can be a struggle. 426 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,120 In the forests of New England in North America 427 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:27,840 lives a little squirrel that can fit in the palm of your hand. 428 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:33,800 It needs to move from tree to tree in search of food, 429 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,400 but the trees are widely spaced 430 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:40,440 and the forest floor is a dangerous place. 431 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:42,480 So, what's a squirrel to do? 432 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,720 Fly, of course! 433 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:58,840 They have a furry parachute-like membrane 434 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:00,760 between their wrists and ankles 435 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,800 that they use to glide effortlessly between trees. 436 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,760 They're only a quarter of the size of a common grey squirrel, 437 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:16,800 but this in-built wingsuit means they can travel much further, 438 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,640 covering up to 70 metres in a single flight. 439 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:27,080 This saves energy and allows them to avoid predators on the ground. 440 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:34,480 When trees are close together, 441 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,320 like in the jungles of Liberia, West Africa, 442 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,560 travel problems are different. 443 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:45,360 Animals like hippos would never be able to get through the trees... 444 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:47,480 unless they shrunk. 445 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,040 And that's exactly what pygmy hippos have done. 446 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,400 They've evolved a shape and size 447 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,080 to help them move through the dense jungle. 448 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,320 It's made for an adorable small animal 449 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,960 with even more adorable babies 450 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,640 that have proved to be internet celebrities. 451 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,440 This pygmy hippo really does look like... 452 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,120 Hello! ..a scaled-down version of a common hippo. 453 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,760 But as well as a reduction in size - 454 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,000 it's about ten times smaller - 455 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,200 there are a number of other differences 456 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,080 that make it really well adapted to life in the jungle. 457 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,960 As well as having much bulkier bodies, 458 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,040 common hippos' spines are almost parallel to the ground, 459 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,880 whereas pygmy hippos' backs slope downwards, 460 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,920 making it easier for them to move through the dense forests. 461 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,440 While pygmy hippos' eyes are on the sides of their head 462 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:49,640 for navigating the jungle floor, 463 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,680 common hippo eyes are on the tops of their heads, 464 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:57,560 for keeping a look out in the water where they spend most of their time, 465 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:02,240 which is also why common hippos have webbed feet and pygmies don't. 466 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:07,480 Pygmy hippos like this one 467 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,480 probably weigh about three times as much as I do 468 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:14,880 and that just comes down to a diet of leaves, grasses and fruit. 469 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,800 So, even though they aren't small in terms of sheer weight, 470 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,960 in comparison to the common hippo, they are miniature. 471 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,640 Their size and shape means they can effortlessly move 472 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,120 through the dense forest almost unseen. 473 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:36,040 So, by being well adapted to their jungle environment, 474 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:40,400 these 300kg animals have almost become invisible. 475 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,680 Small animals have conquered the problems 476 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:47,160 of getting around brilliantly. 477 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,800 But what about raising the next generation? 478 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,640 No matter how small you are, 479 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,480 your offspring will inevitably be even smaller. 480 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,240 So, if you're pushing the limits of what's possible as an adult, 481 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,600 having babies that are big enough to survive is going to be a problem. 482 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:10,080 But as we'll see, it's another example of how small creatures 483 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,320 have risen to the challenge. 484 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:14,920 This cool little thing 485 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,320 might look like an earthworm, 486 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:20,680 but when you look closely, 487 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,960 you'll see that it's actually a very tiny snake, 488 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:28,800 complete with super small scales and a miniaturised fork tongue. 489 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:36,400 These worm-like snakes are found all over the Americas, Asia and Africa. 490 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:41,520 This one is a brahminy blind snake and it weighs less than a gram. 491 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,800 Which is mind-boggling when you consider 492 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,440 that the largest snakes can weigh more than a fully-grown human. 493 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,120 And this isn't even the smallest species. 494 00:32:55,160 --> 00:33:00,560 Thinner than a piece of spaghetti, these thread snakes are even tinier. 495 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,120 They're 700 times smaller than a large python 496 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,960 and weigh a staggering 100,000 times less. 497 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,240 Found only on the Caribbean island of Martinique, 498 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,480 they've tapped into a food source 499 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,640 that bigger animals aren't competing for... 500 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:25,040 ..the eggs and larvae of ants and termites. 501 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,760 So, their size is an advantage when finding food, 502 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,480 but being so tiny is an enormous challenge when reproducing. 503 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:40,880 Most snakes lay large clutches of eggs - 504 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,840 in some cases, up to 100 - 505 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,240 all in the hope that at least some of their hatchlings survive. 506 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,480 Because they're so short and thin, 507 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,840 Martinique thread snakes lay just one egg at a time. 508 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,000 And even though it's only one centimetre long, 509 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,840 it's still huge compared to the snake's tiny body. 510 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:08,760 And that's because when it hatches, 511 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,080 the single baby snake is already 512 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:12,960 half the size of the adults. 513 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:17,640 That's in stark contrast to bigger snakes whose hatchlings 514 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:19,720 are only around a tenth of their size. 515 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,600 So, strangely, for their size, 516 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,040 these tiny snakes have enormous babies. 517 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,120 And these babies can eat the same food as their parents 518 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,240 as soon as they're born. 519 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:44,080 But this is by no means the only tactic employed by small animals. 520 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,760 This little critter is a tenrec - 521 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:52,560 a hedgehog-like mammal found in Madagascar. 522 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,640 They feed on insects on the forest floor 523 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:59,440 and like all small animals that live on the ground, 524 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,120 they're vulnerable to predators, even with their protective spines. 525 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,600 So, to survive as a species, 526 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:10,240 tenrecs have taken the absolute opposite approach to babymaking. 527 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:14,920 They have more offspring than any other mammal, 528 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:17,440 with as many as 32 in a litter. 529 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:21,920 And, remarkably, the young can breed themselves 530 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,280 when they're just 35 days old. 531 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:27,920 This brilliant solution means that, 532 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,760 in contrast to big animals like elephants, 533 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,040 that are pregnant for nearly two years, 534 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:37,040 when conditions are good, tenrecs can have lots of babies. 535 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,760 But when it comes to bringing up baby, 536 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:48,840 there's one species so minuscule it pushes the physical limits 537 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:50,960 of being able to reproduce at all. 538 00:35:55,400 --> 00:36:01,280 Inside this phial is a specimen of the smallest fish in the world. 539 00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,280 In fact, it's so small that it can live 540 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,800 in nothing more than a mere puddle. 541 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,400 But miniaturisation on this scale 542 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:13,840 comes at an almost unbelievable price. 543 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:23,000 Found only in the swamps of Sumatra, Paedocypris progenetica are so rare 544 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,000 they don't even have a common name. 545 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,640 They live in a drought-prone world, 546 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,200 where water comes and goes, 547 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,440 and for a fish, THAT is a serious challenge. 548 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,640 The adults are less than eight millimetres long, 549 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:44,440 smaller than a 5p piece 550 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:47,960 and they have adapted to be this small so a shoal can survive 551 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:50,000 in the smallest puddle of water. 552 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:56,120 But how is something this tiny still able to bear young? 553 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:00,760 The world's smallest fish have evolved 554 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:04,720 an astonishingly dramatic physical solution. 555 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:08,480 To understand, we have to look at a more average fish. 556 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,760 The zebrafish is a common aquarium fish 557 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,200 that scientists often use as a comparison. 558 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,520 They have a very typical skeleton, 559 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,320 fully developed bones, 560 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:22,000 complete with long ribs, 561 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,320 and a thick casing around the brain. 562 00:37:25,720 --> 00:37:29,120 The tiny Paedocypris skeleton is very different. 563 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:31,000 The ribs are hardly developed 564 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,240 and they don't have a proper skull, 565 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:35,280 so their brains are actually exposed. 566 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:38,960 But here's the weird thing. 567 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,600 They look remarkably like a zebrafish 568 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,600 that hasn't fully developed. 569 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:44,840 A juvenile. 570 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:49,080 And that's no coincidence. 571 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:53,320 Because Paedocypris are the Peter Pans of the fish world. 572 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:56,160 The fish that never really grows up. 573 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:03,240 It's only their reproductive organs that really mature, 574 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:05,280 so they can create the next generation 575 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:09,000 while keeping as compact as possible to survive through droughts. 576 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:14,880 An extreme solution that's extremely clever. 577 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:24,840 By finding extraordinary ways 578 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,040 to overcome the physical barriers of their size, 579 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,760 all these animals reap the benefits that being little brings. 580 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:35,840 But, finally, 581 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,120 I want to introduce you to some animals 582 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,080 that refuse to be pigeonholed as small 583 00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:45,000 and manage to reap the rewards of much larger animals 584 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,000 in a host of different ways. 585 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:55,320 First up, a feisty animal that's found a way of becoming big. 586 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:58,560 This is a fire ant and I'm handling it with care 587 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:01,600 because they pack a pretty nasty sting. 588 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,960 Now, as much as they might not be that friendly to me, 589 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,520 they are, in fact, social insects 590 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:10,560 and that means that if one were to sting me, 591 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:14,160 that would send a signal to the rest of the colony and, within minutes, 592 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:18,280 I could have an entire army on the attack. 593 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:26,200 This cooperation is key to overcoming their small size 594 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,440 and it's crucial where they live. 595 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:35,040 They're native to the rainforests of Central and South America 596 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:37,560 and with rainforests comes rain. 597 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:40,200 Lots of it. 598 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,160 THUNDER CRASHES 599 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:47,880 In fact, one of the biggest problems they face in their underground homes 600 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:49,960 is the risk of flooding. 601 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,040 So, let's see how they deal with getting wet. 602 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,160 If I gently place this ant in this tank of water... 603 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:04,320 We can see that it's not doing particularly well. 604 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,840 Their exoskeletons do repel water, but other than that, 605 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,120 they're not particularly well equipped for swimming. 606 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,840 Just going to fish her out of that water. 607 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:16,720 There we go. 608 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,600 So, I guess the question is, how on earth do these ants cope 609 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:23,680 with living in one of the most flood-prone places on the planet? 610 00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:27,960 That's where working together comes in. 611 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,840 Inside this beaker are thousands of fire ants. 612 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:36,200 And if I just swirl them around... 613 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:37,840 Wow. 614 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:39,760 They kind of form this ball. 615 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:43,320 Wow. 616 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:49,720 So, if I keep on moving them around in my hand like this, 617 00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:55,240 they stay in this cluster and so far, so good. 618 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:58,200 Now, watch what happens when I put them in this tank of water. 619 00:40:58,200 --> 00:40:59,440 Here we go. 620 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:06,080 Amazing. So, this ball of ants is staying together... 621 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:08,720 ..like a raft. 622 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:13,640 That is brilliant. 623 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:18,040 This is the first time I've seen anything like this. 624 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,200 Unlike the individual ant, 625 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,400 they don't have any trouble at all in the water. 626 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:27,240 Instead, they form a floating waterproof island. 627 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,960 And scientists have found that when they raft in this way, 628 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:36,400 they can take a force of 400 times their body weight. 629 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:41,840 Now, you'd think that the ones at the bottom would be sacrificed. 630 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,000 But what's happening is that their bodies repel water 631 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:48,040 and so that allows for a layer of air to be trapped in the raft 632 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:51,000 which means they can still breathe. That is amazing. 633 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,440 By linking their bodies together, 634 00:41:57,440 --> 00:42:00,320 they're enhancing their ability to repel water. 635 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:06,040 The way they knit together has been likened to the weaving 636 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:07,760 of a waterproof fabric. 637 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:13,560 These ants are waterproof, flexible, 638 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:16,280 and almost completely indestructible. 639 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,760 In the wild, they can assemble these rafts quickly 640 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:25,800 and that's what allows them to endure the epic storms 641 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:27,320 in their rainforest home. 642 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,880 They can survive like this for months, 643 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:36,000 spreading out over the water's surface in search of solid ground. 644 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:40,760 This is teamwork at its finest. 645 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:42,320 When ants behave in this way, 646 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,280 they display all the hallmarks of a superorganism. 647 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,560 And they're not the only small animals 648 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:53,800 that work together to become bigger. 649 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:02,400 Starling murmurations are much more than just hypnotic spectacles. 650 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:07,200 They're all about safety in numbers. 651 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:13,480 It's much harder for a predator like a peregrine falcon 652 00:43:13,480 --> 00:43:15,560 to target one small bird 653 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,280 in the middle of a swirling flock of thousands. 654 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:26,360 And when small fish move as one, they're harder to catch, 655 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:29,520 so they become much bigger than the sum of their parts. 656 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,400 But not all small creatures need back up. 657 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:40,400 There's one legendary little animal 658 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,360 that seems to think it's bigger than it is 659 00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:46,840 and it takes on huge predators all on its own. 660 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:50,920 Meet the honey badger. 661 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:54,760 It lives on the African plains, 662 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:58,040 home to some of the biggest animals that roam our planet. 663 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:03,880 Honey badgers live in Southern Africa and Asia 664 00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:06,520 and they share their home with some of the largest, 665 00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:08,320 most dangerous predators in the world. 666 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:13,400 Lions are the biggest predators in Africa. 667 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:16,880 A male can weigh nearly 200kg. 668 00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:18,400 Whereas a honey badger 669 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:19,920 is 20 times smaller, 670 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:22,560 weighing in at only 10kg. 671 00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:25,960 So, when they're out hunting, 672 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:28,920 how do they avoid becoming a meal themselves? 673 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:34,520 By being a small animal with a seriously big attitude. 674 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:42,080 Running or hiding just isn't a honey badger's style. 675 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:45,720 For them, the best defence is a good offence. 676 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:51,800 The bigger and more intimidating the predator, 677 00:44:51,800 --> 00:44:53,920 the more feisty the honey badger's response. 678 00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:58,880 A suicidal strategy, you might think, 679 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:02,160 if it weren't for the fact that this fearless fighter 680 00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:04,400 has a few tricks up its sleeve. 681 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:10,480 Aww! What an amazing little guy. 682 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:15,800 This is Stompy. He's a hand-reared honey badger 683 00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:19,840 and he's going to let me show you why honey badgers 684 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:22,160 are so resilient, 685 00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:24,280 very agile 686 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:26,760 and also, very muscular, 687 00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,000 which makes them very hard to subdue and pin down. 688 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:31,840 Good boy, Stompy. 689 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:37,080 This skin is about six millimetres thick in some places 690 00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:39,880 and it's so tough that even the quills of porcupines 691 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:41,560 struggle to get through. 692 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:45,280 Not only that, look how loose all that skin is around his body. 693 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:51,200 It means that when they're grabbed from behind, 694 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:53,840 they're able to twist inside their own skin. 695 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,560 All this combined means not only can this little honey badger survive 696 00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:03,520 an attack from a ferocious lion, 697 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,760 it can actually bite back. 698 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,440 Their jaws are incredibly strong, 699 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:12,040 so not only are they very hard to kill, 700 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:14,280 they're also a dangerous opponent. 701 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:22,600 Although they're much smaller than many of their adversaries, 702 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:26,120 they're built to fight like much larger animals, 703 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:30,280 and in my eyes, they're the smallest big predator 704 00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:31,760 on the African plains. 705 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:34,360 HYENAS WHIMPER 706 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:37,080 By punching well above their weight, 707 00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:40,680 honey badgers have found a fantastic way of living alongside 708 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:43,680 some of the world's largest predators. 709 00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:48,000 Their bulletproof build makes up for their small size 710 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:52,680 and their big attitude has made them an internet hit. 711 00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:54,680 Maybe you're one of the 80 million people 712 00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:56,520 that have watched them online. 713 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,680 In the depths of the ocean, 714 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:07,720 another group of animals reap the benefits 715 00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:11,560 of being both big and small at the same time. 716 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,040 Deep-sea anglerfish. 717 00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:20,480 Ambush predators that entice prey 718 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:23,520 with a fantastic bioluminescent lure. 719 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:30,240 With those scary-looking teeth and gaping mouths, 720 00:47:30,240 --> 00:47:33,560 small may not be the first word that springs to mind. 721 00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:40,280 But in fact, this fearsome-looking fish is hiding a small secret. 722 00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:46,480 This absolute beast of an animal 723 00:47:46,480 --> 00:47:49,520 is a female anglerfish 724 00:47:49,520 --> 00:47:52,440 and it looks quite bizarre. 725 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:55,240 What's even more bizarre than that, though, 726 00:47:55,240 --> 00:47:59,120 is the fact that this is her male counterpart. 727 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:02,800 Now, the reason why they look so different 728 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,800 comes down to something called sexual dimorphism. 729 00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:08,880 That's where males and females look different. 730 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:13,120 In this case, it's an extreme version of exactly that. 731 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:19,200 For anglerfish, it's more extreme than in any other animal. 732 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:21,240 In some species, 733 00:48:21,240 --> 00:48:25,280 the males can weigh a staggering half a million times less 734 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:28,040 than their female partners. 735 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:30,760 So, why on earth are they so small? 736 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:37,080 Incredibly, it's to help them survive in the depths of the ocean 737 00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:40,160 where food is almost impossible to find. 738 00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,960 It is a joint venture and the two sexes 739 00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:47,840 have very different strategies. 740 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:53,960 The females have huge jaws and elastic stomachs, 741 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:57,400 so can feast on almost anything they come across. 742 00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:59,880 They're definitely not fussy eaters. 743 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:06,120 The males have also adapted perfectly to deepwater survival, 744 00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:08,360 but in a completely different way. 745 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:11,600 They've evolved to go without food. 746 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:15,560 Once they reach adulthood, they stop feeding. 747 00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:21,160 They use every ounce of energy in their body to find a female. 748 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:29,880 The white shape at the front of the male's head are his nostrils 749 00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:31,680 which are the biggest in proportion 750 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:34,760 to their head of any animal on Earth. 751 00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:38,680 And using these, he sniffs out females in the vast ocean. 752 00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:44,480 An almost impossible task at which most males probably fail. 753 00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:49,800 The male's self-sacrifice is a pretty dramatic one, 754 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:52,320 but it does make sense. 755 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,240 Between them, an anglerfish pair 756 00:49:54,240 --> 00:49:56,440 only need about half the amount of food 757 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:58,760 as they would do if they were both large. 758 00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:01,760 But the question is, how on earth do they mate? 759 00:50:04,680 --> 00:50:07,280 If he's lucky enough to find a female, 760 00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:11,080 he bites onto her and releases a chemical 761 00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:16,960 that fuses his mouth to her body, joining them for life. 762 00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:25,480 His eyes and fins then waste away 763 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:27,560 and he's nourished only by her blood. 764 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:32,520 But he still breathes with his own gills and, crucially, 765 00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:34,280 still produces sperm. 766 00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:43,440 So, this female has a male attached to her right there. 767 00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:45,400 You can just make him out. 768 00:50:45,400 --> 00:50:48,440 And the males pretty much act as a reproductive organ 769 00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:50,400 that the females carry around. 770 00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:52,560 Now, when the females want to lay eggs, 771 00:50:52,560 --> 00:50:55,200 they send a hormonal signal through their blood 772 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:56,880 to literally turn him on, 773 00:50:56,880 --> 00:51:00,080 so that he can fertilise the eggs as they come out. 774 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:03,200 Over their lifetime, 775 00:51:03,200 --> 00:51:06,000 females can collect several males 776 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,080 who produce sperm season after season. 777 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:10,760 By reducing in size, 778 00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:12,680 the male has given the species 779 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,080 a better chance of survival 780 00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:18,120 in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. 781 00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:23,360 Another way for small animals to reap some of the benefits 782 00:51:23,360 --> 00:51:27,160 of being big is, well, to pretend to be big. 783 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:35,080 When the white-faced scops-owl feels threatened, 784 00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:40,280 they make themselves as big and intimidating as they possibly can, 785 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:42,520 almost doubling in size. 786 00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:51,120 Frilled lizards intimidate would-be attackers by opening their mouths 787 00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:54,040 and expanding the skin around their necks. 788 00:51:58,640 --> 00:52:02,880 For birds of paradise, it's all about getting a mate. 789 00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:07,120 They make themselves as big, grand and colourful as they can, 790 00:52:07,120 --> 00:52:09,680 in the hope of attracting a female. 791 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:19,160 There's one final small superstar with an ingenious size solution 792 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:21,640 that I want you to meet. 793 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:24,920 And it just happens to be the smallest carnivore in the world. 794 00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:28,440 Hello! Where are you going? 795 00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:30,160 This little guy... 796 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:31,600 HE LAUGHS 797 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:34,200 ..is Fidget and he's a weasel. 798 00:52:34,200 --> 00:52:35,960 He's running all over the place! 799 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,960 They aren't usually this friendly. 800 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:43,880 Weasels are actually one of the most ferocious predators out there. 801 00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:50,600 But Fidget has been hand-reared by wildlife artist Robert Fuller, 802 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:53,440 who rescued him when he was abandoned by his mother. 803 00:52:55,240 --> 00:52:57,840 Robert is obsessed with weasels, 804 00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,360 and he doesn't just paint them, he films them too. 805 00:53:03,240 --> 00:53:05,960 There's 30 surveillance cameras in the gardens 806 00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:09,400 covering all the different areas. Nest chambers, pathways. 807 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:12,480 So, I'm able to follow the track of the weasels through the garden. 808 00:53:12,480 --> 00:53:14,160 So, you've got the whole place rigged up? 809 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:16,560 It's a bit like weasel Big Brother! It is, yeah, exactly. 810 00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:20,240 All these cameras here, while I'm painting, in my peripheral vision, 811 00:53:20,240 --> 00:53:22,480 I can see what's happening with the weasels. 812 00:53:30,600 --> 00:53:33,240 Although, to me, Fidget seems small, 813 00:53:33,240 --> 00:53:35,880 in comparison to rodents like mice and voles, 814 00:53:35,880 --> 00:53:38,320 weasels are actually quite big... 815 00:53:40,960 --> 00:53:43,600 ..or at least that's how they first appear. 816 00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:47,880 But they've got a surprising trick 817 00:53:47,880 --> 00:53:50,320 that gives them the best of both worlds. 818 00:53:52,240 --> 00:53:55,520 And this demonstration should help me to explain. 819 00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:00,560 My silhouette is a pretty good way 820 00:54:00,560 --> 00:54:03,120 of getting an idea of my overall size. 821 00:54:03,120 --> 00:54:05,760 How much space I take up. 822 00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:08,360 But all you need is a change in perspective 823 00:54:08,360 --> 00:54:11,520 to see things a bit differently. 824 00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:15,960 From above, you can see that I appear to be much smaller, 825 00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:18,360 and could fit into some tight places. 826 00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:21,800 Just like weasels. 827 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:25,880 By being long and thin, they're small in just one direction 828 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:29,240 and can squeeze into really tiny spaces. 829 00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:34,160 So, we've got a 50-mill clear pipe here and we can... 830 00:54:34,160 --> 00:54:36,960 He's obviously designed to go down vole holes, mouse holes. 831 00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:38,760 So, that's pretty easy for him. 832 00:54:38,760 --> 00:54:41,880 Straight through there, yeah. We expected that. 833 00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:45,360 We go down onto a 40-mill pipe. Wow, you can see... 834 00:54:45,360 --> 00:54:47,760 I love how he's able to even spin around. 835 00:54:47,760 --> 00:54:50,880 Yeah, this is important if they get stuck in a mouse hole, 836 00:54:50,880 --> 00:54:54,000 they've got to obviously find their way out, or a vole hole. 837 00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:56,320 So, they can spin, twist. 838 00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:59,040 He's so nimble! Yeah! 839 00:54:59,040 --> 00:55:01,600 But the challenge for him right now 840 00:55:01,600 --> 00:55:03,440 is to see if he can make it through... 841 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:09,240 He's halfway through! So, is 34...millimetres. 842 00:55:09,240 --> 00:55:10,320 The smallest tube. 843 00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:16,800 These tubes are smooth inside, so he can't get any traction. 844 00:55:18,600 --> 00:55:22,520 But take a look at how Fidget handles some of the other obstacles. 845 00:55:22,520 --> 00:55:26,600 He can squeeze through tiny tunnels and navigate tight spaces. 846 00:55:34,920 --> 00:55:37,560 And in the wild, it's even more apparent. 847 00:55:39,560 --> 00:55:41,920 Watch as this winter-coat weasel 848 00:55:41,920 --> 00:55:46,480 seems to shrink itself down to the same width as its prey. 849 00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:53,400 They're thin enough to chase down mice and voles in tiny tunnels, 850 00:55:53,400 --> 00:55:58,280 but strong enough to overpower them and take down much larger prey. 851 00:56:03,640 --> 00:56:07,640 Weasels like Fidget are small without being small. 852 00:56:07,640 --> 00:56:11,080 Which, in my opinion, is a pretty ingenious size solution. 853 00:56:17,920 --> 00:56:22,800 Although being small does bring some big challenges, 854 00:56:22,800 --> 00:56:26,880 these animals have found impressive ways of overcoming these problems. 855 00:56:29,360 --> 00:56:32,440 Reaping the benefits that being smaller brings to them... 856 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:38,520 ..and turning size to their advantage. 857 00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:53,320 Because they can grow quicker, 858 00:56:53,320 --> 00:56:58,280 breed earlier and survive with less food and space, 859 00:56:58,280 --> 00:57:01,440 they're often better than big animals at coping 860 00:57:01,440 --> 00:57:03,680 with dramatic changes to their environment 861 00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:06,200 that could threaten their existence. 862 00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:16,760 So, although this chameleon looks delicate, 863 00:57:16,760 --> 00:57:19,480 in many ways, it's less fragile 864 00:57:19,480 --> 00:57:22,280 than some of the biggest animals on the planet.