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Bugs are the base of the food chain,

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food for just about everything else,

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but to start the process, they too must eat.

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Just like the bigger animals of the plains,

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there are grazers, scavengers and predators that hunt them.

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In their feeding behaviors, creepy-crawlies shape

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and enrich their environments.

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And their quest to eat has led

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to the most spectacular diversity of weird,

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dramatic and beautiful species.

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Some we love, some we hate,

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and some we don't know anything about.

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But regardless, all are fascinating and vital.

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So pull up a seat and join us for The Bug Buffet.

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(dramatic music)

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Being small can be challenging.

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It's a dangerous world of giants.

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Everything eats bugs.

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They feed families and individuals,

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and it can take a lot to satisfy an appetite.

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It's easy to underestimate the importance

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of the little guys, but they are at the base

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of the food chain.

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All life walks a fine line of being productive

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and trying to stay alive.

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And each is linked by what it eats and who eats it.

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Seaweed, algae and sea grass thrive thanks to nutrients

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in the water and food they make

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by harnessing the power of the sun.

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The creepy-crawly world of crustaceans

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specializes in life in the sea.

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And shrimps take advantage of the plant growth,

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the first rung of the ladder.

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It's Eden with food everywhere.

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But there's a snake in the garden.

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(dramatic music)

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A Pipefish, a straightened out version of a seahorse

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with a shrimp-sucking snout.

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Its independently moving eyes lock on

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to give binocular vision.

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With target acquired, it uses patient stealth to hone in.

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The ability to expand its jaws creates a vacuum.

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(suspenseful music)

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With this sucker snout, no shrimp is safe.

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The nutrients the shrimp gathered from the plants

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is passed onto the Pipefish.

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But that's not the end of the line.

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Shrimp killers become easy pickings for a Tern.

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It's running a food delivery service for its little ones.

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Of course, nothing lives forever.

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And when the chain stops,

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the body will rot back into the ground,

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providing nutrients for plants

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and feeding the chain anew from the ground up.

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And of course, it is helped by bugs.

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All living environments are a Pass the Parcel of nutrients,

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but the chains nearly always begin and end

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with the creepy-crawlies.

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To fuel the food chain, insects and other invertebrates

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must feed themselves, and many go straight to the source.

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We think of browsers and grazers, the planet's vegetarians,

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as being the great beasts we see on the African Plains.

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But beneath their feet, there are far more grazers,

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both in numbers and mass.

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It's just they are a little harder to spot.

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There can be more than 4,000 termites per square meter.

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And their combined mass can outweigh all of the vertebrates

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in the same habitat.

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They play a vital role in consuming plants and dead wood,

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breaking them down, unlocking the nutrients

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and releasing them back into the environment.

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(whimsical music)

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With symbiotic bacteria living in their stomachs,

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they're able to digest tough cellulose

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that's beyond the reach of other species.

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They can't function without the bacteria,

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so to feed, they must acquire some.

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Their solution, to eat each other's poop,

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passing on some of the goodies from each other's guts.

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Their poop is nitrogen rich, helping to fertilize the soil.

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And where they've been working,

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their tunnels aerate the soil and trap moisture.

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Their presence can help make landscapes

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more tolerant of climate change.

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Many other insects enjoy the grass too,

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though it's not easy to digest.

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Grasshoppers and crickets excel.

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They have been munching plants

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since the first days of the dinosaurs.

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The earliest group of herbivorous insects

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with the ability to chew.

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Their mouth parts are directed downwards so they can graze

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and keep it look out for danger at the same time.

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Specializing in grass munching, they have an enzyme,

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cellulase, to break down the walls of plant cells

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so they can absorb the nutrients within.

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Grasshoppers, crickets and locusts are not much loved

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by farmers; they are voracious.

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They can multiply quickly and swarm,

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and with each bug eating half its body weight a day,

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can quickly damage crops.

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As a defense to graze safely,

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they have a quick exit strategy.

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With their legs folded, the joints are pulled tight,

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like stretching an elastic band.

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When the tension is released, they catapult the bug.

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They can travel 20 times their body length from one spring.

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But it's a good idea to look before you leap.

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Not all creepy-crawlies are harmless vegetarians.

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There are many ready to make meals of their kin.

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Nutrients pass from prey to predator on a tiny scale.

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Like ancient humans having brought down a mammoth,

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ants need teamwork to butcher their kill.

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Some ants are plant eaters, but not these.

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Bulldog ants and have menacing jaws.

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(suspenseful music)

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And worse still, stings at the other end.

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It's a full-on and aggressive attack.

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They have one of the most toxic venoms in the insect world.

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There have even been a few recorded human deaths

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attributed to these brutes of the bug world.

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Though ants are not impervious to attack.

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The antlion, the voracious larva of a fly

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that has a giant appetite.

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Sand is like a boulder field to the busy little ants,

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a place where accidents can happen.

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And the antlion learns it.

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It builds a pitfall trap.

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All it has to do is wait.

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An avalanche of sand tells it a victim

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has misjudged its step.

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And it's ready to greet it with terrifying jaws.

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(suspenseful music)

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With the loose sand, there is little chance of escape.

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A literal death trap,

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one creepy-crawly becoming food to another.

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The antlion deploys cunning and deceit.

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But other tiny terrors are more direct,

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the tigers beneath our feet.

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Aptly named, the tiger beetle stalks it's insect prey.

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With long legs, it can sprint or pounce.

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With such energetic hunting,

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it's soon ready for another helping.

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Though there can be a lot of competition for food,

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the insect world can be brutal.

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The competition is rife.

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Among creepy-crawlies, predators abound,

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and some have truly unique tricks of the trade.

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None more extraordinary than spider silk.

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The eight-legged freaks are often misjudged.

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They are the finest craftsman and designers

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of the animal kingdom.

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Creating some of nature's most beautiful structures,

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yet with astounding mechanical properties.

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Glands in the spider's body mix a chemical cocktail.

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The silk is a gel at first with stickiness applied

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as it's ejected through spinnerets.

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As it's stretched out, the silk begins to solidify.

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A collection of silk glands can produce silk

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with different properties.

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Some lines are tougher to support the web,

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others more elastic to ensnare prey.

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The webs can be damaged by the weather,

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passing animals, or dust and pollen covering the glue.

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So spiders often rebuild them every night,

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having to lay out tens of meters of line.

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But once built, they have the perfect traps.

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Unsuspecting insects fall foul of the almost invisible lines

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and are caught with sticky blobs of glue.

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The more the victim struggles,

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the more lines it comes into contact with.

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Sensing vibrations on the lines,

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the spider is quickly there, throwing a net

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and cocooning its prey to restrain it,

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and then biting to inject venom and enzymes.

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The enzymes digest the prey from the inside,

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and soon the spider can suck up a protein smoothie

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from the silk container.

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Not all spiders need to make webs to score a meal.

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Cute but deadly, to bugs at least, wolf spiders freestyle.

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They have bigger eyes

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to give them exceptional depth perception.

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In an instant, they can cause a massive buildup of fluids.

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Spider high blood pressure in their bodies,

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and they can release it into their legs.

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One jump can take them 50 times their body length.

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As they go, they launch a bungee,

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a lifeline of silk in case things go wrong.

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But that can be used to slow their fall just before impact.

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Of all invertebrates,

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spiders cause stronger reactions in us,

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but the tiny terrors are more scary in our minds

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than in their weird and wonderful reality.

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Though it can be easy to confuse creepy-crawlies,

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spiders are not insects, but arachnids.

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A family they share with some other odd

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and certainly creepy cousins.

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Solpugids, sometimes called camel spiders, are unique.

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They look like our worst nightmares, spiders on steroids.

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But to humans at least, they are entirely harmless,

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interested only in hunting down other creepy-crawlies.

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Like spiders, they have eight legs.

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But also a huge pair of leg-like organs called pedipalps.

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This fine set of legs make them the cheetahs

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of the arachnid world, enabling them to run down pray

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at 16 kilometers per hour.

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They don't have venom, and instead shear through their prey,

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shredding it with their giant jaws.

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These solifugaes don't have chemical weapons,

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but their cousins do.

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Scorpions.

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They hunt insects and other small creatures.

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And this one has a praying mantis in its path.

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A similar body plan to a solifugae,

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but with pincers at the front and a terrifying tail

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armed with a venom gland and a needle-sharp sting.

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But is it enough?

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The scorpion has met its match.

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The praying mantis is one of the most effective hunters

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of the mini beast world,

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and also one of the most charismatic.

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A hunter with theatrical flair.

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Their eyes are unlike any other creature on earth

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with concentrated areas of photo receptors

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that look like beady pupils

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that can follow you around the room.

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With a wide field of vision, they see in 3d

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for excellent depth perception.

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Insects with extraordinary agility and precision,

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like tigers on a tiny scale.

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Instead of stripes, they have leaf colors

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and the slender waist of a stick insect

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to blend into the vegetation.

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Their weaponized forearms are carried

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in their praying position,

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but unleashed at the crucial moment to impale their victims,

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and then hold them like a carving fork as they feed.

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They have more flexible necks than other insects,

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turning through 180 degrees, adding to their personality.

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Oh, and there's one other thing, they fly.

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It's hard to imagine a more perfect villain.

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There's no doubt that bugs can freak us out,

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especially when they branch out,

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not only preying on each other, but larger prey.

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When baby turtles scramble from the sand,

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the odds are stacked against them.

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They will have a lifetime of battling the elements

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and trying to escape danger,

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and never more so than now.

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They are so small

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that even little creepy crawlies become monsters.

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Red ghost crabs.

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The little crustaceans are mouse size, but fast, agile,

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and with built-in butchers knives, their powerful pinchers.

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The turtles have just hatched.

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They are naive and vulnerable.

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The shells that might offer them some protection

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are yet to harden.

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All they can do is follow their instinct

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to get to the water.

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The claws of the crabs are deadly.

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Most of the newborns will fall

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00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,100
before they even reach the sea.

264
00:27:18,780 --> 00:27:22,890
Killer crabs are pretty creepy, but it gets worse.

265
00:27:28,250 --> 00:27:31,490
This field digger wasp is living up to its name.

266
00:27:33,830 --> 00:27:36,660
(whimsical music)

267
00:27:58,890 --> 00:28:02,220
Excavation complete, it heads out to hunt.

268
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:10,030
Something she's extremely good at.

269
00:28:24,250 --> 00:28:25,500
But she's not hungry.

270
00:28:31,070 --> 00:28:32,620
She is stocking a larder.

271
00:28:41,730 --> 00:28:45,400
The bodies stacked, she'll lay eggs into them.

272
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,710
And when they hatch, the pupa will consume.

273
00:28:52,330 --> 00:28:54,330
Though the victims got off lightly.

274
00:28:59,090 --> 00:29:02,870
This caterpillar, in the clutches of an ichneumon wasp,

275
00:29:02,870 --> 00:29:05,300
is in for a very gruesome future.

276
00:29:06,580 --> 00:29:09,200
The caterpillar is being buried alive.

277
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:13,750
A tombstone is placed over its grave.

278
00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:19,360
The wasp has laid eggs inside and when they hatch,

279
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,610
they will eat this prisoner alive from the inside.

280
00:29:28,750 --> 00:29:30,860
Parasites are fascinating,

281
00:29:30,860 --> 00:29:33,890
but far less appealing members of the creepy-crawly gang.

282
00:29:40,870 --> 00:29:45,370
In their gruesome ways, they sometimes even target us.

283
00:29:53,020 --> 00:29:56,560
The way parasites feed are hugely varied,

284
00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:58,230
but most are vampires.

285
00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,460
Though best suited as horror film extras,

286
00:30:05,460 --> 00:30:09,480
leeches are abundant and diverse and widespread.

287
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:16,950
Most are aquatic though they can loom in humid forests.

288
00:30:24,670 --> 00:30:27,090
With gripping suckers at both ends,

289
00:30:27,090 --> 00:30:31,010
they clamber to vantage points that prey might brush past.

290
00:30:35,940 --> 00:30:38,440
The narrow end is the mouth.

291
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,390
Three slashing blades cut their way through the skin.

292
00:30:44,270 --> 00:30:47,100
Anticoagulant is injected into the victim

293
00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:48,990
to keep the blood flowing,

294
00:30:48,990 --> 00:30:51,490
and the leach can relax and fill up.

295
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,650
When full, it will drop off.

296
00:30:57,650 --> 00:30:59,590
Unless a leach eater spots it first.

297
00:31:16,190 --> 00:31:19,760
Most animals are plagued by ticks during the warmer months.

298
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,660
Deer try to soothe the itch with a mud bath.

299
00:31:37,010 --> 00:31:40,790
But for African Buffalo, another solution presents itself.

300
00:31:43,490 --> 00:31:45,850
Ticks are tiny tormentors,

301
00:31:45,850 --> 00:31:48,310
parasites that are related to spiders.

302
00:31:51,330 --> 00:31:53,730
Warmth, smell, or even movement

303
00:31:53,730 --> 00:31:55,850
can portray the presence of prey

304
00:31:55,850 --> 00:31:57,540
and the ticks climb aboard.

305
00:32:00,130 --> 00:32:02,990
Their mouth parts drill into their victim's bodies

306
00:32:02,990 --> 00:32:04,640
and then lock them in place

307
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:07,920
so they can simply let their soft bodies engorge with blood.

308
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:13,260
Oxpeckers appear, at first glance, to be heroes.

309
00:32:13,260 --> 00:32:16,460
They specialize in eating ticks, and are always found on

310
00:32:16,460 --> 00:32:19,010
and around the plagued big game.

311
00:32:24,090 --> 00:32:27,210
In truth, they have a guilty secret.

312
00:32:27,210 --> 00:32:28,810
They are bloodsuckers too.

313
00:32:34,180 --> 00:32:37,010
They just want the contents of the ticks,

314
00:32:37,010 --> 00:32:39,960
but they are not above having a nibble of the hosts too.

315
00:32:47,130 --> 00:32:49,600
Still, any pest control they can do

316
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:51,810
must offer at least some relief,

317
00:32:51,810 --> 00:32:54,410
especially in those hard-to-reach places.

318
00:33:03,980 --> 00:33:06,230
There's a whole other gang of creepy-crawlies

319
00:33:06,230 --> 00:33:10,860
that feast on other animals, but these are far more amiable.

320
00:33:10,860 --> 00:33:13,140
They do it after the animal has died.

321
00:33:20,700 --> 00:33:22,550
It's not pleasant to look at,

322
00:33:22,550 --> 00:33:25,710
but the world couldn't function without this cleanup crew.

323
00:33:27,980 --> 00:33:30,480
(fly buzzing)

324
00:33:34,050 --> 00:33:36,300
We'd all be up to our necks in rotting flesh

325
00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:39,280
if insects didn't dismember the remains

326
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,710
and help to return the nutrients to the soil.

327
00:33:48,150 --> 00:33:49,950
The same is true of feces.

328
00:33:55,380 --> 00:33:57,960
(upbeat music)

329
00:34:00,260 --> 00:34:02,730
We'd quickly become a planet of poop

330
00:34:02,730 --> 00:34:06,050
were it not for the heroic band of coperphages,

331
00:34:06,050 --> 00:34:07,250
the poo munchers.

332
00:34:12,930 --> 00:34:15,210
The best known toilet cleaners,

333
00:34:15,210 --> 00:34:18,240
true pooper scoopers are dung beetles.

334
00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:28,790
Dung is full of the undigested cellulose

335
00:34:28,790 --> 00:34:32,470
and other plant matter, that the beetles will use,

336
00:34:32,470 --> 00:34:37,050
consume, or bury it to help unlock all of the nutrients.

337
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:51,130
This toilet treasure is such a precious resource

338
00:34:51,130 --> 00:34:54,200
to the beetles that they are willing to fight for it.

339
00:35:03,490 --> 00:35:07,470
They cart it off in balls into which they lay their eggs.

340
00:35:07,470 --> 00:35:09,330
But they also take the occasional break

341
00:35:09,330 --> 00:35:11,370
to have a good mouthful themselves.

342
00:35:26,230 --> 00:35:29,020
When it comes to the cleanup job no one else wants,

343
00:35:29,020 --> 00:35:30,710
they are incredibly efficient.

344
00:35:45,810 --> 00:35:46,750
Most of the time.

345
00:35:53,410 --> 00:35:57,140
Of course not all bugs have repellent feeding habits.

346
00:35:57,140 --> 00:36:00,390
There are some that seem totally gentle, harmless

347
00:36:00,390 --> 00:36:01,900
and incredibly beautiful.

348
00:36:04,490 --> 00:36:07,330
(whimsical music)

349
00:36:13,810 --> 00:36:16,610
There are many sugar addicts in the bug world,

350
00:36:16,610 --> 00:36:18,870
but butterflies steal the show.

351
00:36:30,620 --> 00:36:32,980
They delicately probe with their proboscis,

352
00:36:32,980 --> 00:36:37,150
or curled tongue, to sip sugar from overripe fruit.

353
00:36:37,150 --> 00:36:40,660
Sometimes sap or pollen, but mostly nectar.

354
00:36:52,420 --> 00:36:55,740
Flitting from flower to flower, they insert their tongues

355
00:36:55,740 --> 00:36:57,340
to lap up the energy drink.

356
00:37:13,270 --> 00:37:16,120
Like their drinking companions, the bees,

357
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,310
they help to pollinate the plants,

358
00:37:18,310 --> 00:37:20,490
carrying pollen from one to another.

359
00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:39,780
Beautiful butterflies seem helpful to plants,

360
00:37:39,780 --> 00:37:41,950
but looks can be deceptive.

361
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,210
They are strict sugar suckers.

362
00:37:51,210 --> 00:37:53,560
But they, like many insects,

363
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,900
go through different life stages.

364
00:37:55,900 --> 00:37:59,030
And their pupa, better known as caterpillars,

365
00:37:59,030 --> 00:38:01,430
can be a gardener's worst enemy

366
00:38:01,430 --> 00:38:03,500
because of their ravenous appetites.

367
00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:42,360
It's only after the magic of metamorphosis,

368
00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:45,810
when the caterpillar undergoes its miracle transformation,

369
00:38:45,810 --> 00:38:47,180
that things change.

370
00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:07,570
The entire animal is remodeled.

371
00:39:19,930 --> 00:39:22,490
Shearing jaws become a nectar-lapping,

372
00:39:22,490 --> 00:39:24,320
more plant-friendly mouth.

373
00:39:44,370 --> 00:39:47,060
(water bubbling)

374
00:39:47,060 --> 00:39:50,140
Many insects have these massive dietary shifts.

375
00:39:57,290 --> 00:40:02,180
Caddisfly, mayfly and stonefly larvae live underwater.

376
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:09,220
They are usually carnivores, hunting small invertebrates

377
00:40:09,220 --> 00:40:11,580
or scavenging carcasses.

378
00:40:11,580 --> 00:40:14,320
But once mature, they clammer from the water

379
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:15,680
and shed their skins.

380
00:40:20,210 --> 00:40:22,620
(soft music)

381
00:40:44,810 --> 00:40:46,700
Revealing adult fliers,

382
00:40:46,700 --> 00:40:49,070
which will have only a few days to live.

383
00:40:54,500 --> 00:40:57,010
Their only purpose is to find mates

384
00:40:57,010 --> 00:40:59,360
and lay eggs before they die.

385
00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:00,490
They won't eat at all.

386
00:41:17,990 --> 00:41:22,240
The same cannot be said of dragonflies and damsel flies.

387
00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:25,400
They are born and die deadly hunters.

388
00:41:29,980 --> 00:41:32,720
For several years, a dragonfly larvae

389
00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:34,530
will stalk the river beds,

390
00:41:34,530 --> 00:41:37,140
menacing any creatures that share the space.

391
00:41:39,860 --> 00:41:41,990
With jaws like a movie alien,

392
00:41:41,990 --> 00:41:45,080
they can munch through pretty much anything they can catch.

393
00:41:48,710 --> 00:41:50,260
A tadpole nightmare.

394
00:42:02,150 --> 00:42:04,790
But they are in for a radical transformation.

395
00:42:48,180 --> 00:42:52,500
From stealthy stalkers, they become exceptional fliers,

396
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:56,430
some of the fastest and most maneuverable aerial acrobats.

397
00:43:01,140 --> 00:43:02,530
These impressive animals

398
00:43:02,530 --> 00:43:04,760
are not as long lived as the larvae.

399
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:06,810
Some only lasts a few weeks.

400
00:43:06,810 --> 00:43:11,090
Others might make a year, but all remain carnivores,

401
00:43:11,090 --> 00:43:13,060
and thank goodness for us they do.

402
00:43:18,830 --> 00:43:22,750
They specialize in hunting mosquitoes and other pests,

403
00:43:22,750 --> 00:43:25,840
which they do with remarkable precision

404
00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:28,790
and perhaps a 90% hit rate on hunts.

405
00:43:33,620 --> 00:43:37,560
Insect's behavior and variety is driven by food.

406
00:43:41,030 --> 00:43:43,610
(bright music)

407
00:43:49,260 --> 00:43:52,450
And their varied approach to diet is the backbone

408
00:43:52,450 --> 00:43:55,060
that keeps landscapes functioning healthily.

409
00:43:58,290 --> 00:43:59,530
Though the drive for food

410
00:43:59,530 --> 00:44:01,800
can get the creepy-crawlies into trouble.

411
00:44:06,260 --> 00:44:10,300
A lobster can detect traces of tasty, oily fish particles

412
00:44:10,300 --> 00:44:11,620
wafting through the water,

413
00:44:17,090 --> 00:44:19,010
but they are leading him to his doom.

414
00:44:27,450 --> 00:44:31,330
While many crawlies are welcome additions to our diets,

415
00:44:31,330 --> 00:44:35,080
our interactions and exploitations are a balancing act.

416
00:44:48,680 --> 00:44:51,180
If we don't respect their importance,

417
00:44:51,180 --> 00:44:53,250
we will get ourselves in trouble too.

418
00:45:08,290 --> 00:45:11,360
Through their feeding, insects play vital roles

419
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:14,710
in fertilizing and maintaining the soil we need

420
00:45:14,710 --> 00:45:15,900
to grow plants.

421
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:28,110
They break down organic waste so it can be recycled.

422
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:34,100
(upbeat music)

423
00:45:38,690 --> 00:45:41,850
(bees buzzing)

424
00:45:41,850 --> 00:45:44,770
Are very important in pest control.

425
00:45:58,180 --> 00:46:00,820
They pollinate almost all of the plants we need

426
00:46:00,820 --> 00:46:01,810
for our own food.

427
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:07,540
(birds singing)

428
00:46:18,990 --> 00:46:23,260
If we lose insects, we will have nothing to eat.

429
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,640
Most species have already massively declined

430
00:46:36,640 --> 00:46:40,850
due to pesticides, monocultures, and habitat loss.

431
00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:47,740
(bright music)

432
00:47:11,030 --> 00:47:15,030
We need to love and protect the little guys,

433
00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:23,190
no matter how much they creep us out.

434
00:47:30,110 --> 00:47:32,700
(bright music)

435
00:47:34,620 --> 00:47:37,290
(birds singing)

436
00:48:01,300 --> 00:48:02,400
(birds chirping)

437
00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:03,680
Birds do it.

438
00:48:04,500 --> 00:48:06,240
Bees do it.

439
00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:09,090
So apparently do educated fleas.

440
00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:13,750
Finding a mate is not merely a human pursuit,

441
00:48:14,780 --> 00:48:16,930
and few creatures put more vigor,

442
00:48:18,870 --> 00:48:23,870
variety, and unexpected twists into their love lives

443
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:26,850
than creepy crawlies.

444
00:48:26,850 --> 00:48:30,090
(light music)

445
00:48:30,090 --> 00:48:31,950
They fill the air with their music.

446
00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:34,810
They write it in the sky.

447
00:48:36,670 --> 00:48:38,030
Some battle it out,

448
00:48:40,250 --> 00:48:42,840
others embrace in tender caress.

449
00:48:45,650 --> 00:48:50,650
And once the deed is done, there are even caring parents

450
00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:53,690
in the micro world of mini beasts.

451
00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:59,940
Stand by as they prove sexual prowess

452
00:48:59,940 --> 00:49:01,700
has nothing to do with size

453
00:49:03,100 --> 00:49:06,500
as the creepy crawlies start breeding.

454
00:49:06,500 --> 00:49:08,930
(bugs chirping)

455
00:49:08,930 --> 00:49:11,680
(birds chirping)

456
00:49:15,390 --> 00:49:18,720
(light dramatic music)

457
00:49:22,490 --> 00:49:26,070
Kabourophobia is a fear of crabs.

458
00:49:26,070 --> 00:49:28,820
(ominous music)

459
00:49:31,050 --> 00:49:34,150
Like spiders, some of us are creeped out

460
00:49:34,150 --> 00:49:35,990
by the clawed crustaceans.

461
00:49:37,610 --> 00:49:42,030
The monster mini beasts can send shivers down our spines.

462
00:49:42,030 --> 00:49:47,030
(birds chirping)
(ominous music continues)

463
00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:50,870
(waves crashing)

464
00:49:54,650 --> 00:49:58,390
On Christmas Island in the tropical Indian Ocean

465
00:49:58,390 --> 00:50:00,380
crabs are getting frisky.

466
00:50:00,380 --> 00:50:04,870
(light music)
(bugs chirping)

467
00:50:04,870 --> 00:50:09,360
They are land crabs, and their sex life is based around

468
00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:13,000
the lengthy migration from their homes in the hills,

469
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:14,580
down towards the coast.

470
00:50:22,020 --> 00:50:24,730
But as the journey nears its end,

471
00:50:24,730 --> 00:50:27,050
the marching behavior changes.

472
00:50:28,390 --> 00:50:32,280
The males dash on ahead to get to the coast first.

473
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:37,280
(frantic music)
(ground rustling)

474
00:50:59,950 --> 00:51:03,430
And then lay claim to a bit of seafront real estate.

475
00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:09,900
They battle for the best spots.

476
00:51:09,900 --> 00:51:13,210
(light dramatic music)

477
00:51:13,210 --> 00:51:15,730
Not valued so much for an ocean view,

478
00:51:17,950 --> 00:51:19,890
but because they want to be in the path

479
00:51:19,890 --> 00:51:21,790
of the advancing females.

480
00:51:21,790 --> 00:51:25,870
(light dramatic music continues)

481
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:42,540
With site secured, they tunnel.

482
00:51:42,540 --> 00:51:46,230
(light music)
(sand rustling)

483
00:51:46,230 --> 00:51:49,230
A little bachelor pad for the breeding season

484
00:51:49,230 --> 00:51:51,890
into which the male hopes to lure a companion

485
00:51:52,810 --> 00:51:55,220
for a holiday romance on the beach.

486
00:51:55,220 --> 00:52:00,220
(light jazz music)
(sand rustling)

487
00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:11,490
At or in the burrows the crustaceans couple

488
00:52:13,130 --> 00:52:16,180
face to face in a warm embrace.

489
00:52:16,180 --> 00:52:18,760
(light music)

490
00:52:28,990 --> 00:52:31,380
Though a male crab is easily pleased,

491
00:52:32,340 --> 00:52:33,930
that's him done for the season

492
00:52:34,860 --> 00:52:36,830
and he begins his trek home.

493
00:52:36,830 --> 00:52:41,830
(light music)
(birds chirping)

494
00:52:45,110 --> 00:52:47,640
In the tunnel he's left behind

495
00:52:47,640 --> 00:52:51,910
the female will lay and guard her eggs for several weeks.

496
00:52:53,840 --> 00:52:56,590
(waves crashing)

497
00:52:59,120 --> 00:53:01,830
The belly to belly embrace of crabs is perhaps

498
00:53:01,830 --> 00:53:04,530
a more romantic gesture than we might expect.

499
00:53:06,030 --> 00:53:07,890
Just one of the many variations

500
00:53:07,890 --> 00:53:09,750
in creepy crawly copulation.

501
00:53:17,270 --> 00:53:19,150
(birds chirping)

502
00:53:19,150 --> 00:53:23,310
Dragonflies and damselflies are long lived invertebrates.

503
00:53:25,390 --> 00:53:29,550
But for most of their lives, sex is not an option.

504
00:53:29,550 --> 00:53:34,550
(birds chirping)
(water trickling)

505
00:53:38,890 --> 00:53:42,180
They start out as river monsters,

506
00:53:42,180 --> 00:53:43,720
(light dramatic music)

507
00:53:43,720 --> 00:53:48,720
tiny terrors that do nothing but eat.

508
00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:55,300
With extendable mouth parts they stalk and slaughter

509
00:53:55,300 --> 00:53:58,380
just about any small creature they can find.

510
00:53:58,380 --> 00:54:02,470
(light dramatic music continues)

511
00:54:10,870 --> 00:54:13,250
They are well equipped as killers,

512
00:54:13,250 --> 00:54:16,090
but they are all mouth and no trousers.

513
00:54:18,930 --> 00:54:22,850
In this larval form they have no reproductive parts.

514
00:54:27,470 --> 00:54:31,830
In early summer, things are going to radically change.

515
00:54:31,830 --> 00:54:34,410
(light music)

516
00:54:41,780 --> 00:54:45,710
The aquatic larva drag themselves from the water

517
00:54:45,710 --> 00:54:50,560
and literally pump themselves up to tear through their skin,

518
00:54:50,560 --> 00:54:53,970
revealing a redesigned body beneath.

519
00:54:53,970 --> 00:54:58,970
(light music)
(birds chirping)

520
00:55:30,140 --> 00:55:33,490
Like Superman revealing the hero beneath the shirt,

521
00:55:33,490 --> 00:55:34,770
they transform.

522
00:55:34,770 --> 00:55:39,770
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

523
00:55:40,590 --> 00:55:42,480
Pumping up their newly formed wings.

524
00:55:53,570 --> 00:55:56,400
They have transitioned from the most terrifying

525
00:55:56,400 --> 00:56:01,160
aquatic predators to the most acrobatic aerial hunters.

526
00:56:01,160 --> 00:56:06,160
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

527
00:56:21,690 --> 00:56:24,890
Sophisticated flyers, but they now entertain

528
00:56:24,890 --> 00:56:26,280
some adult themes.

529
00:56:28,630 --> 00:56:32,030
The winged warriors are ready for sex.

530
00:56:32,030 --> 00:56:35,190
(quirky upbeat music)

531
00:56:36,320 --> 00:56:39,190
They need to emerge around the same time

532
00:56:39,190 --> 00:56:42,110
so they can gather and find partners

533
00:56:42,110 --> 00:56:44,540
with which they dance to entice.

534
00:56:44,540 --> 00:56:48,780
(quirky upbeat music continues)

535
00:56:48,780 --> 00:56:51,300
Once coupled, different species form

536
00:56:51,300 --> 00:56:54,820
slightly different contortions so that the males

537
00:56:54,820 --> 00:56:56,820
can place sperm into the females.

538
00:57:06,820 --> 00:57:10,770
The females will then drop to the water to lay eggs,

539
00:57:10,770 --> 00:57:13,730
some injecting them into wood or plant stems

540
00:57:13,730 --> 00:57:15,650
around the water's surface.

541
00:57:15,650 --> 00:57:18,050
(light music)
(birds chirping)

542
00:57:18,050 --> 00:57:21,570
Others just dunking their tails and releasing the eggs.

543
00:57:26,960 --> 00:57:29,810
Some females go off alone to perform the act,

544
00:57:32,130 --> 00:57:35,230
but others are escorted or even attached

545
00:57:35,230 --> 00:57:36,610
to their mates throughout.

546
00:57:39,820 --> 00:57:43,090
Having the males tight grip can be useful for females

547
00:57:43,090 --> 00:57:45,160
that dunk themselves beneath the surface.

548
00:57:46,620 --> 00:57:49,120
The males, like rescue helicopters,

549
00:57:49,120 --> 00:57:50,740
can airlift them back out.

550
00:57:57,320 --> 00:58:01,620
The adult dragonflies will just get the one season.

551
00:58:01,620 --> 00:58:04,870
(light dramatic music)

552
00:58:06,290 --> 00:58:09,130
(birds chirping)

553
00:58:10,220 --> 00:58:13,500
But they will live on through the terrors of the deep.

554
00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:23,170
The reproductive lives of the creepy crawlies

555
00:58:23,170 --> 00:58:27,110
are full of surprises, but you have seen nothing yet.

556
00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:32,110
Warm summer evenings are alive with the sounds

557
00:58:32,110 --> 00:58:34,080
of sexy stridulators.

558
00:58:35,020 --> 00:58:37,390
(light music)

559
00:58:37,390 --> 00:58:39,440
Insects like grasshoppers,

560
00:58:45,860 --> 00:58:49,060
crickets,
(crickets chirping)

561
00:58:50,450 --> 00:58:54,150
and cicadas make music by rubbing ridged legs

562
00:58:54,150 --> 00:58:57,260
or wing cases together to broadcast their songs.

563
00:58:57,260 --> 00:59:00,010
(cicada buzzing)

564
00:59:05,150 --> 00:59:07,470
When you are knee high to a grasshopper,

565
00:59:07,470 --> 00:59:09,010
it's easy to get lost.

566
00:59:11,120 --> 00:59:13,280
Even a grass lawn is a jungle.

567
00:59:15,100 --> 00:59:17,600
When you are little, you need to find ways

568
00:59:17,600 --> 00:59:19,400
to broadcast your presence.

569
00:59:21,680 --> 00:59:24,400
The songs are dating apps for insects.

570
00:59:26,680 --> 00:59:28,630
When you are so small you need

571
00:59:28,630 --> 00:59:31,220
to find creative ways to hook up.

572
00:59:31,220 --> 00:59:33,810
(light music)

573
00:59:42,790 --> 00:59:45,390
The music needs mood lighting.

574
00:59:45,390 --> 00:59:48,210
(light music)
(birds chirping)

575
00:59:48,210 --> 00:59:51,000
All over the world there's a group of insects

576
00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,120
with the ability to create ambience.

577
00:59:54,120 --> 00:59:59,120
(bugs trilling)
(light dramatic music)

578
01:00:03,040 --> 01:00:06,660
The magicians mix potions in their abdomens,

579
01:00:06,660 --> 01:00:09,510
enzymes that react with oxygen

580
01:00:09,510 --> 01:00:11,380
with illuminating consequences.

581
01:00:12,220 --> 01:00:14,720
(light music)

582
01:00:19,290 --> 01:00:21,350
Some just emit a gentle glow.

583
01:00:22,550 --> 01:00:25,280
These are usually flightless females lighting beacons

584
01:00:25,280 --> 01:00:27,440
to guide males in the dark.

585
01:00:27,440 --> 01:00:30,770
(light music continues)

586
01:00:37,920 --> 01:00:41,850
But other species can light up the sky as they fly.

587
01:00:41,850 --> 01:00:45,190
(light music continues)

588
01:01:00,850 --> 01:01:03,820
They have such incredible self-control

589
01:01:03,820 --> 01:01:06,390
that they can time the intake of oxygen

590
01:01:06,390 --> 01:01:11,000
to create pulses of light unique to each species.

591
01:01:11,000 --> 01:01:14,330
(light music continues)

592
01:01:20,800 --> 01:01:24,160
There are fireworks in the bedroom for these love bugs.

593
01:01:24,160 --> 01:01:26,450
(light music continues)

594
01:01:26,450 --> 01:01:29,120
(bugs trilling)

595
01:01:43,320 --> 01:01:46,580
There are other ways to be found in the darkness.

596
01:01:46,580 --> 01:01:49,990
(birds chirping)
(bugs trilling)

597
01:01:49,990 --> 01:01:53,210
The giant peacock moth is a thing of beauty.

598
01:01:54,590 --> 01:01:58,100
So much so that it even Vincent van Gogh,

599
01:01:58,100 --> 01:02:00,080
rarely a painter of animals,

600
01:02:00,080 --> 01:02:02,010
took time to paint its portrait.

601
01:02:05,560 --> 01:02:08,740
It's also known as Aristotle's silkworm

602
01:02:08,740 --> 01:02:12,080
because the famous philosopher was captivated by the moth.

603
01:02:19,920 --> 01:02:23,110
But the enigmatic creature is nocturnal,

604
01:02:23,110 --> 01:02:25,480
making its beauty hard to observe.

605
01:02:27,150 --> 01:02:30,680
And it's not celebrity artists that it needs to attract,

606
01:02:35,250 --> 01:02:38,790
it needs another trick to lure in suitors in the dark.

607
01:02:38,790 --> 01:02:41,940
(crickets chirping)

608
01:02:41,940 --> 01:02:46,660
Females pick prominent perches and then waft their perfume.

609
01:02:46,660 --> 01:02:49,240
(light music)

610
01:02:54,390 --> 01:02:57,040
Delicate fragrances that they produce

611
01:02:57,040 --> 01:02:59,240
that can carry seductively on the night air.

612
01:03:09,240 --> 01:03:12,090
Males are a little smaller than females

613
01:03:12,090 --> 01:03:14,900
but have big, impressive organs.

614
01:03:14,900 --> 01:03:19,900
(upbeat music)
(bugs chirping)

615
01:03:20,120 --> 01:03:23,700
Their antenna are huge and feather-like,

616
01:03:23,700 --> 01:03:26,590
and their purpose; to pick up the pheromone

617
01:03:26,590 --> 01:03:28,320
signals from females.

618
01:03:30,810 --> 01:03:33,330
The antenna are so sensitive that they

619
01:03:33,330 --> 01:03:35,250
can detect just a few particles

620
01:03:35,250 --> 01:03:39,200
of scent in the air from several kilometers away

621
01:03:39,200 --> 01:03:41,630
and follow the signals to locate the girls.

622
01:03:41,630 --> 01:03:46,630
(upbeat music continues)
(bugs chirping)

623
01:04:15,790 --> 01:04:19,130
Once mated, the females will lay eggs

624
01:04:19,130 --> 01:04:21,660
which will hatch to become caterpillars.

625
01:04:21,660 --> 01:04:26,660
(light music)
(bugs chirping)

626
01:04:37,580 --> 01:04:41,590
Fattening themselves up until they are big enough to pupate,

627
01:04:46,220 --> 01:04:51,220
transform and fly forth to discover mates of their own.

628
01:04:55,120 --> 01:04:57,620
(light music)

629
01:05:01,560 --> 01:05:04,640
(birds chirping)

630
01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:07,300
(bugs chirping)

631
01:05:16,170 --> 01:05:19,950
Not all bugs big it up when it comes to sex,

632
01:05:19,950 --> 01:05:21,950
many are quite conventional.

633
01:05:21,950 --> 01:05:24,780
(birds chirping)

634
01:05:29,730 --> 01:05:33,190
Longhorned beetles also use their oversized appendages

635
01:05:33,190 --> 01:05:34,330
to pick up a date,

636
01:05:36,010 --> 01:05:37,880
or at least the scent of one.

637
01:05:37,880 --> 01:05:41,070
(upbeat music)
(birds chirping)

638
01:05:41,070 --> 01:05:44,970
He uses his legs to stroke her back to get her in the mood.

639
01:05:49,180 --> 01:05:52,200
And then doggy style like most of the animal kingdom,

640
01:05:55,140 --> 01:05:56,180
he mounts her.

641
01:06:00,600 --> 01:06:03,830
For insects, the ins and outs are a little different.

642
01:06:05,040 --> 01:06:07,770
He inserts a package of sperm into her abdomen,

643
01:06:08,670 --> 01:06:09,580
then he's done.

644
01:06:12,270 --> 01:06:14,540
She'll store it and use it as she starts up

645
01:06:14,540 --> 01:06:16,370
an egg production line.

646
01:06:16,370 --> 01:06:18,900
(birds chirping)

647
01:06:18,900 --> 01:06:21,810
She injects her eggs into trees where the larva

648
01:06:21,810 --> 01:06:23,050
can munch on the wood.

649
01:06:26,410 --> 01:06:29,970
The little beetles can do a lot of damage to the trees,

650
01:06:29,970 --> 01:06:31,780
and this ant seems to know it.

651
01:06:33,070 --> 01:06:35,020
Trying to stop an invasion of its home.

652
01:06:35,990 --> 01:06:38,490
(light music)

653
01:06:47,180 --> 01:06:49,920
(birds chirping)

654
01:06:49,920 --> 01:06:54,060
Milkweed bugs, like the aptly named black and red bugs,

655
01:06:54,060 --> 01:06:55,460
take a similar approach.

656
01:06:57,470 --> 01:07:00,700
But instead of an intimate party for two,

657
01:07:00,700 --> 01:07:03,760
they go for a bit of speed dating with dozens

658
01:07:03,760 --> 01:07:06,430
of hopeful singles joining in.

659
01:07:06,430 --> 01:07:11,430
(light music)
(birds chirping)

660
01:07:11,640 --> 01:07:14,710
They store toxins from their food in their bodies,

661
01:07:14,710 --> 01:07:18,010
making them unpalatable to most predators,

662
01:07:18,010 --> 01:07:21,990
which is perhaps why they can afford an open air orgy.

663
01:07:21,990 --> 01:07:26,990
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

664
01:07:27,420 --> 01:07:29,760
They mate back to back.

665
01:07:29,760 --> 01:07:34,760
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

666
01:07:40,330 --> 01:07:42,960
Like most couples, they don't agree on everything.

667
01:07:44,810 --> 01:07:46,710
Like which direction to walk in.

668
01:07:59,150 --> 01:08:02,010
But they don't need to stay paired long.

669
01:08:02,010 --> 01:08:05,260
Soon the satisfied crowds will disperse.

670
01:08:05,260 --> 01:08:07,920
(upbeat music)

671
01:08:24,830 --> 01:08:27,480
Of course, sex isn't always fun.

672
01:08:28,940 --> 01:08:32,160
For some it can be downright terrifying.

673
01:08:33,250 --> 01:08:36,170
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)

674
01:08:36,170 --> 01:08:38,830
If jumping spider males try to put the moves

675
01:08:38,830 --> 01:08:39,890
on the wrong girl,

676
01:08:42,140 --> 01:08:44,240
it can lead to all out war.

677
01:08:46,510 --> 01:08:51,510
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)

678
01:09:08,320 --> 01:09:10,280
It couldn't end badly.

679
01:09:10,280 --> 01:09:13,860
(dramatic music continues)

680
01:09:22,470 --> 01:09:25,330
But one has the good sense to hop off.

681
01:09:25,330 --> 01:09:28,910
(dramatic music continues)

682
01:09:37,080 --> 01:09:40,580
But it's not just competition that generates threat,

683
01:09:40,580 --> 01:09:43,130
it can be the act itself.

684
01:09:43,130 --> 01:09:45,750
(light dramatic music)

685
01:09:45,750 --> 01:09:48,420
This is the praying mantis,

686
01:09:48,420 --> 01:09:51,570
among the most effective of insect predators.

687
01:09:52,740 --> 01:09:56,800
A master of stealth with uniquely sharp eyesight,

688
01:09:57,670 --> 01:10:01,280
killer claws, and can unleash its weapon

689
01:10:01,280 --> 01:10:03,020
faster than John Wayne.

690
01:10:03,950 --> 01:10:06,780
(dramatic music)

691
01:10:09,190 --> 01:10:12,770
Praying mantis are famous for eating their mates.

692
01:10:14,580 --> 01:10:17,480
Though sex doesn't always need the unhappy ending,

693
01:10:19,860 --> 01:10:23,020
a cautious male watches the much larger female

694
01:10:23,020 --> 01:10:25,150
stuffing her face with grasshopper.

695
01:10:26,530 --> 01:10:28,880
(birds chirping)

696
01:10:28,880 --> 01:10:31,840
The perfect time for a cheap date.

697
01:10:31,840 --> 01:10:36,840
(light music)
(birds chirping)

698
01:10:38,950 --> 01:10:42,150
Very cautiously he approaches from behind.

699
01:10:53,020 --> 01:10:56,710
He doesn't exactly seem to wow her with throes of passion.

700
01:10:58,140 --> 01:11:00,520
Perhaps he doesn't want to get her too excited.

701
01:11:03,090 --> 01:11:06,080
One false move could have cost him his life.

702
01:11:07,040 --> 01:11:12,040
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

703
01:11:13,720 --> 01:11:16,550
(leaves rustling)

704
01:11:22,810 --> 01:11:27,100
The world of gender identity can be confusing at times.

705
01:11:27,100 --> 01:11:29,680
(light music)

706
01:11:33,630 --> 01:11:36,110
But snails have all bases covered.

707
01:11:44,760 --> 01:11:49,380
They are all hermaphrodite, they can be both girl and boy,

708
01:11:50,420 --> 01:11:52,650
so any two snails can get together.

709
01:11:54,220 --> 01:11:56,270
They just need to decide on their role.

710
01:11:57,150 --> 01:12:01,340
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

711
01:12:01,340 --> 01:12:05,200
They find each other by sensing the slime left behind.

712
01:12:05,200 --> 01:12:08,030
(birds chirping)

713
01:12:11,110 --> 01:12:13,690
They follow their way down the snail trail.

714
01:12:14,550 --> 01:12:17,130
(light music)

715
01:12:20,530 --> 01:12:23,120
One will attempt to be the male in the mating

716
01:12:23,120 --> 01:12:27,130
by firing the creepy crawly equivalent of Cupid's arrow.

717
01:12:27,130 --> 01:12:30,590
A love dart, known as gypsobelum, into the other.

718
01:12:31,580 --> 01:12:36,580
(light music)
(birds chirping)

719
01:12:37,130 --> 01:12:39,630
Sometimes both have a go at penetration,

720
01:12:39,630 --> 01:12:43,010
wanting to be the givers, not the takers.

721
01:12:43,010 --> 01:12:45,600
(light music)

722
01:12:49,180 --> 01:12:53,220
The gypsobelum pumps hormones into the other's body

723
01:12:53,220 --> 01:12:56,050
to prepare it to receive a package of sperm.

724
01:12:58,970 --> 01:13:01,500
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

725
01:13:01,500 --> 01:13:04,580
Then penises from both find their way into each other.

726
01:13:07,450 --> 01:13:10,550
Both will insert sperm into the others' genital pore.

727
01:13:12,490 --> 01:13:14,790
But the love dart ensures that the one

728
01:13:14,790 --> 01:13:17,920
with the most assertive manliness will be the father.

729
01:13:18,760 --> 01:13:21,340
(light music)

730
01:13:28,260 --> 01:13:30,420
With strong vision or hearing,

731
01:13:30,420 --> 01:13:32,900
the experience is governed by touch.

732
01:13:33,780 --> 01:13:36,210
(upbeat music)

733
01:13:36,210 --> 01:13:40,920
Making snail sex a slimy, sensual experience

734
01:13:40,920 --> 01:13:43,350
that can go on for many hours.

735
01:13:43,350 --> 01:13:48,350
(upbeat music continues)
(birds chirping)

736
01:14:01,510 --> 01:14:04,120
It's much easier in nature to be a father,

737
01:14:05,150 --> 01:14:07,730
a wham bam thank you ma'am is all it takes.

738
01:14:11,360 --> 01:14:14,430
Motherhood requires a lot more investment.

739
01:14:16,010 --> 01:14:20,210
But the sperm donor in snails does offer a departing gift.

740
01:14:22,540 --> 01:14:26,730
The love dart is hard, sharp, and big,

741
01:14:26,730 --> 01:14:28,920
doing a lot of damage to its partner.

742
01:14:30,390 --> 01:14:33,550
But it also brings a so-called nuptial gift;

743
01:14:35,320 --> 01:14:38,670
a little package of nutrients to boost the partner,

744
01:14:38,670 --> 01:14:42,770
helping them nurture their eggs and give the next generation

745
01:14:42,770 --> 01:14:45,550
the best possible start in life.

746
01:14:45,550 --> 01:14:48,780
(light music continues)

747
01:14:48,780 --> 01:14:51,530
(waves crashing)

748
01:14:55,970 --> 01:14:58,580
Marine mollusks crank up the courtship.

749
01:15:06,740 --> 01:15:09,330
(upbeat music)

750
01:15:11,690 --> 01:15:15,110
Cuttlefish Casanovas compete around potential breeding

751
01:15:15,110 --> 01:15:19,160
grounds by displaying intimidating body language

752
01:15:19,160 --> 01:15:21,310
and flashing colors of their rivals,

753
01:15:22,210 --> 01:15:24,440
which is usually enough to avoid violence.

754
01:15:25,910 --> 01:15:29,240
(light dramatic music)

755
01:15:42,600 --> 01:15:47,600
Females choose their mates and tango, tentacle to tentacle.

756
01:15:47,630 --> 01:15:50,210
(upbeat music)

757
01:16:02,230 --> 01:16:04,780
Each have two tentacles for hunting

758
01:16:04,780 --> 01:16:06,710
and eight arms for the embrace.

759
01:16:07,560 --> 01:16:10,760
(upbeat music continues)

760
01:16:10,760 --> 01:16:14,300
One of the male's eight arms has a specialized tip

761
01:16:14,300 --> 01:16:17,010
to insert sperm into the female's head.

762
01:16:27,080 --> 01:16:30,650
If he's not the first, it's possible for him to flush out

763
01:16:30,650 --> 01:16:33,410
the sperm from previous partners.

764
01:16:33,410 --> 01:16:35,950
And for that reason, after mating,

765
01:16:35,950 --> 01:16:38,310
the male stands guard over the female

766
01:16:38,310 --> 01:16:40,780
until she has finished laying her eggs.

767
01:16:42,990 --> 01:16:46,960
Only then will the jealous boyfriend depart.

768
01:16:46,960 --> 01:16:50,110
(water bubbling)

769
01:16:50,110 --> 01:16:53,310
The female carefully glues each egg in place

770
01:16:53,310 --> 01:16:56,200
on structures that can support and protect them.

771
01:17:02,100 --> 01:17:05,310
The eggs can be white at first, but she adds ink

772
01:17:05,310 --> 01:17:08,270
to them to help them blend into the sea bed,

773
01:17:08,270 --> 01:17:10,970
leaving them looking like little bunches of grapes.

774
01:17:19,700 --> 01:17:22,690
The mating of mollusks can appear almost

775
01:17:22,690 --> 01:17:24,030
tender and sensual.

776
01:17:25,690 --> 01:17:28,960
(light music)
(water bubbling)

777
01:17:28,960 --> 01:17:31,710
(waves crashing)

778
01:17:33,030 --> 01:17:35,860
(birds chirping)

779
01:17:38,030 --> 01:17:40,500
It's less beautiful than other invertebrates

780
01:17:40,500 --> 01:17:42,720
who battle their way to the bedroom.

781
01:17:50,080 --> 01:17:53,180
Stag beetles have status symbols on their heads.

782
01:17:54,810 --> 01:17:58,280
Like deer's antlers, they are not for defense,

783
01:17:58,280 --> 01:18:00,610
the headgear is to get them sex.

784
01:18:01,660 --> 01:18:06,660
(light music)
(birds chirping)

785
01:18:10,520 --> 01:18:15,430
When a female appears, the males vie.

786
01:18:16,660 --> 01:18:19,410
(dramatic music)

787
01:18:28,750 --> 01:18:32,950
Sumo wrestling, trying to throw their opponents.

788
01:18:32,950 --> 01:18:36,530
(dramatic music continues)

789
01:18:44,530 --> 01:18:47,820
While they use prominent stages high above the ground,

790
01:18:47,820 --> 01:18:50,180
adding jeopardy to the fight.

791
01:18:50,180 --> 01:18:53,740
(singing in foreign language)
(dramatic music continues)

792
01:18:53,740 --> 01:18:57,800
On meadows below, field crickets build arenas.

793
01:19:01,210 --> 01:19:03,480
The male's caves are not homes,

794
01:19:03,480 --> 01:19:07,580
but amplifiers for their proud stridulating love calls.

795
01:19:11,160 --> 01:19:13,790
But a good man cave needs defending.

796
01:19:16,230 --> 01:19:19,060
(dramatic music)

797
01:19:30,700 --> 01:19:33,630
Fighting to the top leads to bug battles.

798
01:19:40,630 --> 01:19:45,630
(singing in foreign language)
(dramatic music continues)

799
01:20:20,090 --> 01:20:21,860
Winner takes all.

800
01:20:21,860 --> 01:20:26,860
(pleasant music)
(birds chirping)

801
01:20:39,990 --> 01:20:43,080
Not all creepy crawlies get a happy ending.

802
01:20:43,080 --> 01:20:47,350
(light music)
(birds chirping)

803
01:20:47,350 --> 01:20:51,310
The most abundant and socially complex of mini beasts,

804
01:20:51,310 --> 01:20:53,900
ants, bees,

805
01:20:55,870 --> 01:21:00,820
wasps, and these termites live in colonies.

806
01:21:03,410 --> 01:21:05,320
Most of the millions of inhabitants

807
01:21:05,320 --> 01:21:09,080
are non reproductive servants made that way by the queen.

808
01:21:10,430 --> 01:21:13,290
Kings and queens are the only breeders in the kingdom.

809
01:21:14,920 --> 01:21:17,080
She's built her empire of workers.

810
01:21:19,090 --> 01:21:24,090
But periodically the colony prepares for a nuptial flight.

811
01:21:24,290 --> 01:21:29,290
(thunder rumbling)
(light music)

812
01:21:30,690 --> 01:21:32,800
Building storm clouds set the scene.

813
01:21:34,090 --> 01:21:39,090
A hot and humid evening, perfect for a genetic legacy

814
01:21:39,160 --> 01:21:41,380
to be unleashed on the plains.

815
01:21:41,380 --> 01:21:46,130
(bugs chirping)
(thunder rumbling)

816
01:21:46,130 --> 01:21:49,110
The queen has been stashing away alates,

817
01:21:49,110 --> 01:21:52,000
her only offspring with the ability to breed.

818
01:21:54,370 --> 01:21:59,030
They didn't mature at first, not until this moment.

819
01:22:01,320 --> 01:22:03,860
But now these special winged boys and girls

820
01:22:03,860 --> 01:22:05,230
are ready for sex.

821
01:22:12,140 --> 01:22:15,060
Swarming out en masse, they draw predators

822
01:22:15,060 --> 01:22:16,400
from far and wide.

823
01:22:19,800 --> 01:22:23,290
But amid the chaos, males and females will find

824
01:22:23,290 --> 01:22:24,860
each other and pair up.

825
01:22:28,570 --> 01:22:30,790
They won't mate until they find a good site

826
01:22:30,790 --> 01:22:31,800
for a new colony.

827
01:22:34,940 --> 01:22:36,870
There, they will plant their flag,

828
01:22:36,870 --> 01:22:39,740
making a small burrow and sealing themselves in.

829
01:22:42,450 --> 01:22:45,950
They will start breeding and will begin a life of monogamy,

830
01:22:45,950 --> 01:22:47,950
never coming to the surface again.

831
01:22:49,250 --> 01:22:53,850
(thunder rumbling)
(bugs chirping)

832
01:22:53,850 --> 01:22:56,600
(waves crashing)

833
01:23:07,620 --> 01:23:09,620
Mass movements are a common part

834
01:23:09,620 --> 01:23:12,450
of the sex lives of invertebrates.

835
01:23:12,450 --> 01:23:15,020
(water bubbling)

836
01:23:15,020 --> 01:23:18,280
Columns of creepy crawlies, like these rock lobsters,

837
01:23:18,280 --> 01:23:20,890
on the way to their breeding grounds.

838
01:23:20,890 --> 01:23:25,890
(light music)
(water bubbling)

839
01:23:32,320 --> 01:23:35,220
It's important for potential dates to be

840
01:23:35,220 --> 01:23:38,150
in the right place at the right time,

841
01:23:38,150 --> 01:23:40,200
especially as some species have

842
01:23:40,200 --> 01:23:42,680
short windows of opportunity.

843
01:23:42,680 --> 01:23:47,680
(light music continues)
(water bubbling)

844
01:23:51,210 --> 01:23:56,210
(birds chirping)
(water trickling)

845
01:23:58,690 --> 01:24:00,900
It's not always possible for insects

846
01:24:00,900 --> 01:24:04,350
to have a spontaneous sex life.

847
01:24:04,350 --> 01:24:06,770
To make the most of short adult lives,

848
01:24:06,770 --> 01:24:08,380
timing is critical.

849
01:24:10,960 --> 01:24:13,950
Especially for mayflies and caddisflies.

850
01:24:14,820 --> 01:24:16,590
(light music)

851
01:24:16,590 --> 01:24:19,510
In both cases, life passes them by as

852
01:24:19,510 --> 01:24:21,370
they forage on river beds.

853
01:24:21,370 --> 01:24:24,700
(light music continues)

854
01:24:29,210 --> 01:24:32,120
The caddisflies building little protective fortresses

855
01:24:32,120 --> 01:24:33,340
around their bodies.

856
01:24:36,060 --> 01:24:38,420
They dribble out silk in their saliva

857
01:24:38,420 --> 01:24:41,030
that binds little pieces of detritus together

858
01:24:41,030 --> 01:24:43,960
around their bodies, protecting them while they munch

859
01:24:43,960 --> 01:24:46,280
on dead and decaying organisms.

860
01:24:50,410 --> 01:24:54,550
It's not very glamorous, but their day will come.

861
01:24:54,550 --> 01:24:59,550
(light music continues)
(water bubbling)

862
01:25:06,930 --> 01:25:08,490
(water trickling)

863
01:25:08,490 --> 01:25:11,010
Then they're cut free of their chastity belts

864
01:25:11,010 --> 01:25:12,510
and clamber from the water.

865
01:25:13,600 --> 01:25:16,520
(water trickling)

866
01:25:17,940 --> 01:25:21,810
The adult forms emerge, and with only one purpose.

867
01:25:24,220 --> 01:25:26,310
They do not have mouth parts to feed,

868
01:25:27,380 --> 01:25:31,460
there is only one thing on their minds: sex.

869
01:25:31,460 --> 01:25:36,460
(light music)
(birds chirping)

870
01:25:39,720 --> 01:25:43,020
Both caddisfly and mayfly have one season a year.

871
01:25:47,370 --> 01:25:50,790
A brief window when all of the population emerges at once.

872
01:25:52,690 --> 01:25:55,510
Synchronicity is vital.

873
01:25:55,510 --> 01:25:58,180
(upbeat music)

874
01:26:12,680 --> 01:26:16,530
The beautiful bugs will only survive for a few days.

875
01:26:16,530 --> 01:26:19,620
They need to attract mates and get eggs laid

876
01:26:19,620 --> 01:26:21,340
as soon as possible.

877
01:26:21,340 --> 01:26:26,340
(upbeat music continues)
(water splashing)

878
01:26:28,030 --> 01:26:31,200
The orgies are spectacular in their scale,

879
01:26:31,200 --> 01:26:34,200
with clouds of insects dancing over the water.

880
01:26:34,200 --> 01:26:37,620
(upbeat music continues)

881
01:26:42,350 --> 01:26:45,190
(birds chirping)

882
01:26:47,060 --> 01:26:50,950
It's a seasonal treat and many other animals,

883
01:26:50,950 --> 01:26:52,840
especially birds and fish,

884
01:26:52,840 --> 01:26:55,560
synchronize their own breeding cycles to make

885
01:26:55,560 --> 01:26:57,150
the most of the abundance.

886
01:26:58,220 --> 01:27:01,960
(birds chirping)
(light music)

887
01:27:01,960 --> 01:27:04,880
(water splashing)

888
01:27:49,840 --> 01:27:53,850
But emerging in such vast numbers, it would be impossible

889
01:27:53,850 --> 01:27:56,400
for the predators to catch them all.

890
01:27:56,400 --> 01:27:58,180
Their legacy is safe.

891
01:27:58,180 --> 01:28:03,180
(light music)
(birds chirping)

892
01:28:06,140 --> 01:28:10,800
Spent from their brief flings, they wither away and die.

893
01:28:15,590 --> 01:28:18,930
The sex lives of these insects are a flash in pan.

894
01:28:20,800 --> 01:28:23,150
Eggs laid, their contribution to

895
01:28:23,150 --> 01:28:25,370
the next generation is complete.

896
01:28:26,850 --> 01:28:28,720
They might be good in the sack,

897
01:28:28,720 --> 01:28:31,500
but they are not exactly role model parents.

898
01:28:33,580 --> 01:28:36,330
(waves crashing)

899
01:28:45,240 --> 01:28:47,490
Other creepy crawlies make more of an effort.

900
01:28:53,200 --> 01:28:57,090
After they mated, the female crabs laid eggs

901
01:28:57,090 --> 01:29:00,160
and gather them into bundles on their undersides

902
01:29:00,160 --> 01:29:02,810
where they can protect them for a few weeks

903
01:29:02,810 --> 01:29:04,400
until they are ready to hatch.

904
01:29:06,130 --> 01:29:09,030
Using their bodies as maternal shields.

905
01:29:09,030 --> 01:29:14,030
(light music)
(water trickling)

906
01:29:15,440 --> 01:29:18,050
But from then on, as the eggs hatch,

907
01:29:18,050 --> 01:29:20,950
they are shaken free, cast off into the sea.

908
01:29:21,840 --> 01:29:24,630
(light dramatic music)
(waves crashing)

909
01:29:24,630 --> 01:29:28,890
Ocean orphans who will have to fend for themselves.

910
01:29:28,890 --> 01:29:33,890
(light dramatic music)
(water bubbling)

911
01:29:43,430 --> 01:29:46,130
Generally, childcare doesn't come naturally

912
01:29:46,130 --> 01:29:51,130
to creepy crawlies, but there are a few surprises.

913
01:29:54,260 --> 01:29:57,790
Giant octopus are huge, with arms

914
01:29:57,790 --> 01:29:59,410
that can wrap around a car.

915
01:30:02,320 --> 01:30:05,660
But their life spans just a few short years

916
01:30:05,660 --> 01:30:07,370
and they only breed once.

917
01:30:08,490 --> 01:30:11,400
So when the time comes to pass on their genes,

918
01:30:11,400 --> 01:30:14,330
a mother octopus needs to make sure she gets it right.

919
01:30:15,220 --> 01:30:20,220
(light music)
(water bubbling)

920
01:30:21,550 --> 01:30:24,760
After mating, she searches for a cave or crevice

921
01:30:24,760 --> 01:30:26,210
on the sea floor.

922
01:30:26,210 --> 01:30:29,540
(light music continues)

923
01:30:32,500 --> 01:30:36,260
Heroically expelling anyone else who might want to use it.

924
01:30:36,260 --> 01:30:39,590
(light music continues)

925
01:30:54,310 --> 01:30:58,280
She needs to lock down the area, making it safe and secure.

926
01:30:59,150 --> 01:31:01,740
(light music)

927
01:31:12,610 --> 01:31:17,330
And then, one by one, she painstakingly lays and glues

928
01:31:17,330 --> 01:31:21,320
each of her eggs, perhaps 400,000 in all,

929
01:31:21,320 --> 01:31:22,840
to the roof of this nursery.

930
01:31:26,540 --> 01:31:29,500
This is a labor of love in itself,

931
01:31:29,500 --> 01:31:31,520
but she's far from finished.

932
01:31:31,520 --> 01:31:34,850
(light music continues)

933
01:31:38,620 --> 01:31:41,330
The sea is like a soup of life forms,

934
01:31:41,330 --> 01:31:44,160
including parasites and bacteria.

935
01:31:44,160 --> 01:31:47,490
(light music continues)

936
01:31:55,090 --> 01:31:58,170
So she spends all day gently stroking,

937
01:31:58,170 --> 01:32:01,720
caressing the eggs to make sure no invaders settle in

938
01:32:01,720 --> 01:32:03,600
and damage her babies.

939
01:32:03,600 --> 01:32:08,600
(light music continues)
(water bubbling)

940
01:32:20,390 --> 01:32:23,740
The cave doesn't allow for much flow of fresh water,

941
01:32:23,740 --> 01:32:26,650
so she uses her siphon to make a current

942
01:32:26,650 --> 01:32:30,730
and blows clean, well-oxygenated water across the eggs.

943
01:32:30,730 --> 01:32:35,730
(light music continues)
(water bubbling)

944
01:32:44,200 --> 01:32:47,980
This round-the-clock care carries on all day

945
01:32:47,980 --> 01:32:51,390
every day for an incredible six months.

946
01:32:51,390 --> 01:32:56,390
(water splashing)
(light music continues)

947
01:32:59,740 --> 01:33:03,130
Until finally the eggs are ready to hatch.

948
01:33:05,130 --> 01:33:08,610
(water bubbling)

949
01:33:08,610 --> 01:33:13,610
But as her family drifts off, so does her life.

950
01:33:14,670 --> 01:33:17,170
(light music)

951
01:33:18,860 --> 01:33:21,960
Throughout her motherhood, she hasn't moved,

952
01:33:21,960 --> 01:33:25,610
hasn't eaten, just prioritized their care.

953
01:33:28,150 --> 01:33:32,020
Now her job is done, and so is her life.

954
01:33:34,840 --> 01:33:38,330
She fades away, her body becoming food

955
01:33:38,330 --> 01:33:42,920
for marine creatures that might later feed her offspring,

956
01:33:42,920 --> 01:33:45,080
investing yet more in their future.

957
01:33:46,100 --> 01:33:48,850
(waves crashing)

958
01:33:52,020 --> 01:33:53,790
Few invertebrates deserve parent of the year

959
01:33:53,790 --> 01:33:56,490
more than the gentle giant octopus.

960
01:33:59,790 --> 01:34:01,720
(birds chirping)

961
01:34:01,720 --> 01:34:06,720
Though there is one competitor, there's a clue in the name.

962
01:34:09,270 --> 01:34:11,600
This is a parent bug.

963
01:34:13,150 --> 01:34:16,730
This diligent mother neatly lays her eggs

964
01:34:16,730 --> 01:34:18,330
and then stands guard.

965
01:34:19,450 --> 01:34:21,640
She's a type of shield bug,

966
01:34:21,640 --> 01:34:26,590
and that's exactly how she uses her body, as a shield.

967
01:34:26,590 --> 01:34:28,290
(light music)

968
01:34:28,290 --> 01:34:31,980
As soon as she spots a threat she aggressively postures,

969
01:34:31,980 --> 01:34:34,350
rocking her shield back and forth.

970
01:34:34,350 --> 01:34:37,880
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

971
01:34:37,880 --> 01:34:39,620
She can flash her wings, too.

972
01:34:42,170 --> 01:34:46,850
And if all else fails, emit an unpleasant odor.

973
01:34:46,850 --> 01:34:50,180
(light music continues)

974
01:34:56,480 --> 01:34:59,310
(birds chirping)

975
01:35:03,370 --> 01:35:05,530
And she doesn't stop when they hatch.

976
01:35:08,780 --> 01:35:10,490
She keeps her babies together,

977
01:35:11,430 --> 01:35:13,090
guiding them with her antenna.

978
01:35:16,470 --> 01:35:17,910
So they move through the branches

979
01:35:17,910 --> 01:35:20,550
in lines like a school outing.

980
01:35:20,550 --> 01:35:23,220
(upbeat music)

981
01:35:27,030 --> 01:35:29,720
She'll only stand down once they have matured.

982
01:35:31,600 --> 01:35:35,510
Certainly the best mother among mini beasts.

983
01:35:35,510 --> 01:35:38,930
(upbeat music continues)

984
01:35:44,030 --> 01:35:46,340
Though caring creepy crawlies are not as rare

985
01:35:46,340 --> 01:35:47,370
as you might think.

986
01:35:48,460 --> 01:35:51,290
(birds chirping)

987
01:35:58,480 --> 01:36:01,290
Even among the ones that creep us out the most.

988
01:36:01,290 --> 01:36:06,290
(bugs chirping)
(birds chirping)

989
01:36:11,030 --> 01:36:14,550
Some scorpions and spiders guard their offspring.

990
01:36:14,550 --> 01:36:17,160
(light music)
(leaves rustling)

991
01:36:17,160 --> 01:36:21,360
This tarantula guarded her eggs, brooding them,

992
01:36:21,360 --> 01:36:24,330
keeping them safe and clean until they hatched.

993
01:36:24,330 --> 01:36:27,880
(light music continues)

994
01:36:27,880 --> 01:36:30,890
She'll keep them under the gaze of her eight eyes

995
01:36:30,890 --> 01:36:34,380
until have absorbed their egg sacs and are stronger.

996
01:36:35,540 --> 01:36:38,270
Only then will they leave their mother's home.

997
01:36:39,160 --> 01:36:44,160
(light music continues)
(birds chirping)

998
01:36:49,390 --> 01:36:52,580
And the tarantula wolf spider carries her little ones

999
01:36:52,580 --> 01:36:54,840
on her back and out of harm's way.

1000
01:36:57,570 --> 01:36:59,190
She'll carry them until they're ready

1001
01:36:59,190 --> 01:37:01,760
to fend for themselves and hop off.

1002
01:37:01,760 --> 01:37:06,760
(bugs chirping)
(light music continues)

1003
01:37:06,940 --> 01:37:09,890
(frogs croaking)

1004
01:37:09,890 --> 01:37:12,370
We tend to think of insects as lowly,

1005
01:37:13,880 --> 01:37:15,710
simple and primitive.

1006
01:37:16,830 --> 01:37:19,190
And that complex behaviors are reserved

1007
01:37:19,190 --> 01:37:22,120
for us and our mammalian kin.

1008
01:37:25,140 --> 01:37:27,930
But that is far from the truth.

1009
01:37:27,930 --> 01:37:30,600
(upbeat music)

1010
01:37:30,600 --> 01:37:32,470
There are hectic communities.

1011
01:37:37,540 --> 01:37:41,360
And strict rules of society.

1012
01:37:44,460 --> 01:37:45,350
Battles,

1013
01:37:54,940 --> 01:37:55,770
hookups,

1014
01:38:01,810 --> 01:38:02,810
courtships,

1015
01:38:05,250 --> 01:38:06,930
and warm braces.

1016
01:38:06,930 --> 01:38:10,350
(upbeat music continues)

1017
01:38:20,330 --> 01:38:22,420
They can serenade their suitors

1018
01:38:22,420 --> 01:38:25,580
(bug trilling)

1019
01:38:25,580 --> 01:38:30,160
and plan romantic nights out.
(muffled talking)

1020
01:38:31,770 --> 01:38:33,710
And are even good parents.

1021
01:38:36,040 --> 01:38:39,900
They may be small, but the mini beasts make up for it

1022
01:38:39,900 --> 01:38:41,250
with surprising flare.

1023
01:38:49,150 --> 01:38:51,520
The creepy crawlies of the world have a rich

1024
01:38:51,520 --> 01:38:53,220
and varied sex life.

1025
01:38:53,220 --> 01:38:55,890
(upbeat music)

1026
01:38:59,250 --> 01:39:02,510
We miss it even though it's right under our noses.

1027
01:39:04,430 --> 01:39:05,260
Take a look.

1028
01:39:06,700 --> 01:39:09,430
There is magic when bugs breed.

1029
01:39:09,430 --> 01:39:14,430
(upbeat music continues)
(birds chirping)

1030
01:39:44,200 --> 01:39:47,300
(sinister music)

1031
01:39:47,300 --> 01:39:50,100
Few creatures have the complex levels

1032
01:39:50,100 --> 01:39:54,180
of regimented society as the social insects.

1033
01:39:57,900 --> 01:40:01,820
Termites, ants, and wasps

1034
01:40:01,820 --> 01:40:05,240
can form armies to help them build elaborate homes,

1035
01:40:08,120 --> 01:40:09,820
defend their territories,

1036
01:40:11,560 --> 01:40:12,880
grow their own food,

1037
01:40:14,460 --> 01:40:15,590
raise their young,

1038
01:40:17,550 --> 01:40:19,020
and hunt their prey.

1039
01:40:22,290 --> 01:40:26,740
The sheer strength and think tank power of these communities

1040
01:40:26,740 --> 01:40:28,850
can plague our nightmares,

1041
01:40:28,850 --> 01:40:31,390
(bees buzzing)

1042
01:40:31,390 --> 01:40:33,380
and yet, fascinate us.

1043
01:40:35,170 --> 01:40:38,000
(suspenseful music)

1044
01:40:38,000 --> 01:40:41,590
Society is considered the realm of higher beings.

1045
01:40:43,210 --> 01:40:45,160
But at ground level,

1046
01:40:45,160 --> 01:40:49,010
an army is rising in social skills.

1047
01:40:57,400 --> 01:40:59,440
We are not alone.

1048
01:40:59,440 --> 01:41:02,190
(birds chirping)

1049
01:41:03,340 --> 01:41:05,680
Not all of us like creepy crawlers.

1050
01:41:07,360 --> 01:41:10,210
(tense music)

1051
01:41:10,210 --> 01:41:12,890
And yet, they are all around us.

1052
01:41:16,150 --> 01:41:18,590
But there are some we fear more than most.

1053
01:41:23,740 --> 01:41:25,570
An army of hornets.

1054
01:41:25,570 --> 01:41:28,490
(foreboding music)

1055
01:41:33,800 --> 01:41:37,810
Common close to home, few creatures frighten us more.

1056
01:41:37,810 --> 01:41:40,870
(hornets buzzing)

1057
01:41:40,870 --> 01:41:43,240
Not just because they are tiny terrors

1058
01:41:43,240 --> 01:41:45,060
that can hunt and sting,

1059
01:41:45,060 --> 01:41:47,810
(sinister music)

1060
01:41:50,490 --> 01:41:53,270
even putting wasps on their menus.

1061
01:41:53,270 --> 01:41:56,100
(hornets droning)

1062
01:42:00,830 --> 01:42:03,450
These intimidating stinging insects,

1063
01:42:03,450 --> 01:42:06,900
hornets, wasps, and bees scare us.

1064
01:42:06,900 --> 01:42:09,480
(bees buzzing)

1065
01:42:10,700 --> 01:42:12,800
We fear an uprising,

1066
01:42:12,800 --> 01:42:15,190
worrying their armies will swarm.

1067
01:42:15,190 --> 01:42:17,940
(menacing music)

1068
01:42:19,670 --> 01:42:21,440
Triggering their defenses

1069
01:42:21,440 --> 01:42:25,150
can put us on the sharp end of insect efficiency.

1070
01:42:25,150 --> 01:42:27,730
(bees buzzing)

1071
01:42:29,660 --> 01:42:33,470
Some, like these bees, know how to leave their mark.

1072
01:42:33,470 --> 01:42:36,300
(water splashing)

1073
01:42:41,020 --> 01:42:42,700
(soft music)

1074
01:42:42,700 --> 01:42:45,140
Big gatherings of insects are common.

1075
01:42:48,740 --> 01:42:51,680
Swarms can happen for a wide variety of reasons.

1076
01:42:53,790 --> 01:42:56,560
Some gatherings are for group sex.

1077
01:42:56,560 --> 01:42:59,140
(jaunty music)

1078
01:43:00,200 --> 01:43:02,540
Many invertebrates have short lives.

1079
01:43:03,900 --> 01:43:07,020
Sometimes only a few days, like mayflies.

1080
01:43:08,440 --> 01:43:11,930
And so, a whole annual population can emerge at once,

1081
01:43:12,900 --> 01:43:15,430
maximizing their chances of finding a mate

1082
01:43:15,430 --> 01:43:16,830
before they kick the bucket.

1083
01:43:27,550 --> 01:43:29,980
Others gather to exploit resources.

1084
01:43:29,980 --> 01:43:32,560
(bright music)

1085
01:43:34,100 --> 01:43:37,480
Clouds of butterflies lapping up minerals from wet sand

1086
01:43:37,480 --> 01:43:38,870
are hardly terrifying.

1087
01:43:45,570 --> 01:43:48,140
But how about swarms of crabs?

1088
01:43:48,140 --> 01:43:50,360
(sinister music)

1089
01:43:50,360 --> 01:43:53,190
(turtle snorting)

1090
01:43:55,180 --> 01:43:57,220
Especially ghost crabs gathering,

1091
01:43:58,110 --> 01:44:00,780
(ominous music)

1092
01:44:03,520 --> 01:44:05,300
harbingers of death

1093
01:44:05,300 --> 01:44:08,100
to drag off and slaughter newborn turtles.

1094
01:44:22,810 --> 01:44:24,590
Or flesh eating snails

1095
01:44:26,540 --> 01:44:28,550
Drawn in to feast on the dead.

1096
01:44:29,730 --> 01:44:32,640
(foreboding music)

1097
01:44:38,310 --> 01:44:41,700
(flesh squishing)

1098
01:44:41,700 --> 01:44:45,850
A jellyfish swarm dragging a net of stinging tentacles

1099
01:44:45,850 --> 01:44:48,190
is enough to keep us out of the water,

1100
01:44:51,100 --> 01:44:53,680
especially box jellies,

1101
01:44:53,680 --> 01:44:57,280
the tiny terrors with the power to kill.

1102
01:44:57,280 --> 01:45:00,030
(sinister music)

1103
01:45:05,350 --> 01:45:08,270
All of these gatherings are frightening,

1104
01:45:08,270 --> 01:45:10,080
but they are not very coordinated.

1105
01:45:12,530 --> 01:45:14,340
(apprehensive music)

1106
01:45:14,340 --> 01:45:17,110
But there are some very special insects

1107
01:45:17,110 --> 01:45:19,280
that live with army precision

1108
01:45:19,280 --> 01:45:21,840
in some of the biggest societies on earth.

1109
01:45:27,330 --> 01:45:30,570
Bumblebees are at the cute end of the creepy-crawly clan,

1110
01:45:32,910 --> 01:45:35,240
Though we usually see them bumbling alone,

1111
01:45:36,920 --> 01:45:38,580
they can enjoy a crowd.

1112
01:45:38,580 --> 01:45:41,320
(bright music)

1113
01:45:41,320 --> 01:45:45,970
A bee kingdom requires just one founder, a queen.

1114
01:45:48,530 --> 01:45:51,660
(bee buzzing)

1115
01:45:51,660 --> 01:45:54,330
This female outlived her last colony.

1116
01:45:55,810 --> 01:45:57,490
They all died off.

1117
01:45:57,490 --> 01:46:00,120
Only she hibernated through winter,

1118
01:46:00,120 --> 01:46:03,140
and now begins a spring search for a new place

1119
01:46:03,140 --> 01:46:04,660
to start a founder colony.

1120
01:46:09,640 --> 01:46:13,890
Log piles, crevices, and burrows are ideal.

1121
01:46:13,890 --> 01:46:16,440
(sinister music)

1122
01:46:16,440 --> 01:46:18,270
This one already has an owner,

1123
01:46:20,970 --> 01:46:25,170
but the queen doesn't like challenges to her estate.

1124
01:46:25,170 --> 01:46:27,920
(sinister music)

1125
01:46:31,010 --> 01:46:35,110
Unlike honeybees, she can sting more than once.

1126
01:46:37,470 --> 01:46:42,100
It isn't fatal to her, making her a formidable invader.

1127
01:46:43,570 --> 01:46:46,570
(threatening music)

1128
01:46:58,540 --> 01:47:00,060
(metal scraping)

1129
01:47:00,060 --> 01:47:03,080
Sword drawn, the mouse quickly gets the point.

1130
01:47:08,790 --> 01:47:09,620
(industrious music)

1131
01:47:09,620 --> 01:47:12,620
With her castle secure, she can get to work.

1132
01:47:14,650 --> 01:47:16,680
She's been carrying sperm inside her

1133
01:47:16,680 --> 01:47:18,180
from a mating last autumn.

1134
01:47:19,980 --> 01:47:23,410
The king is long gone, but his legacy lives on.

1135
01:47:25,930 --> 01:47:27,870
She will lay founder eggs

1136
01:47:27,870 --> 01:47:31,060
in little waxy cells she builds herself.

1137
01:47:33,310 --> 01:47:35,810
Then she heads out to collect pollen

1138
01:47:35,810 --> 01:47:38,600
that she can feed to the young when they hatch.

1139
01:47:41,640 --> 01:47:44,420
But once the first clutch has emerged,

1140
01:47:44,420 --> 01:47:47,160
the queen will not lift a finger to help.

1141
01:47:52,020 --> 01:47:55,040
Her only role in the colony is to lay eggs.

1142
01:47:55,040 --> 01:47:57,780
(upbeat music)

1143
01:47:57,780 --> 01:48:00,040
And like most social insects,

1144
01:48:00,040 --> 01:48:03,240
her young are born to lives of well-organized servitude.

1145
01:48:05,520 --> 01:48:09,070
They are workers and will devote their entire lives

1146
01:48:09,070 --> 01:48:10,670
to working for the greater good.

1147
01:48:13,520 --> 01:48:16,180
They build the waxy chambers in the home

1148
01:48:16,180 --> 01:48:18,980
and ferry back pollen and nectar to store

1149
01:48:18,980 --> 01:48:21,030
and to feed the family.

1150
01:48:21,030 --> 01:48:23,610
(bees buzzing)

1151
01:48:35,160 --> 01:48:37,920
(bees buzzing)

1152
01:48:37,920 --> 01:48:40,270
The queen keeps laying eggs into the chambers

1153
01:48:59,440 --> 01:49:02,660
and the workers will tend to them and her,

1154
01:49:02,660 --> 01:49:04,010
cleaning and feeding.

1155
01:49:09,310 --> 01:49:11,880
Once the larva molt into adults,

1156
01:49:11,880 --> 01:49:14,360
they instinctively know their place

1157
01:49:14,360 --> 01:49:16,410
and get straight to work.

1158
01:49:16,410 --> 01:49:19,750
(bees buzzing)

1159
01:49:19,750 --> 01:49:22,140
As soon as it's found its feet,

1160
01:49:22,140 --> 01:49:24,730
(bright music)

1161
01:49:27,780 --> 01:49:30,410
this new worker joins the task force

1162
01:49:30,410 --> 01:49:32,660
and heads off to collect food for the family.

1163
01:49:37,710 --> 01:49:40,470
The first time a new worker leaves the nest,

1164
01:49:40,470 --> 01:49:43,580
she hovers over the entrance to imprint on it

1165
01:49:43,580 --> 01:49:45,760
to make sure she can find her way back.

1166
01:49:53,300 --> 01:49:56,170
From now on everything she does

1167
01:49:56,170 --> 01:49:57,700
will be for the greater good.

1168
01:50:02,180 --> 01:50:04,930
(birds chirping)

1169
01:50:06,700 --> 01:50:11,210
All social insect societies start in the same way,

1170
01:50:11,210 --> 01:50:12,420
with a queen.

1171
01:50:12,420 --> 01:50:15,870
(hornet buzzing)

1172
01:50:15,870 --> 01:50:18,420
(children yelling)

1173
01:50:18,420 --> 01:50:21,470
Hornets are among the most extraordinary craftsmen.

1174
01:50:23,740 --> 01:50:27,320
The queen harvests bark, which she chews to make wood pulp.

1175
01:50:30,500 --> 01:50:32,920
(soft music)

1176
01:50:36,290 --> 01:50:38,970
And then in her chosen nesting spot,

1177
01:50:42,300 --> 01:50:44,600
begins to construct nesting chambers.

1178
01:50:52,690 --> 01:50:54,890
The delicate paper shells,

1179
01:50:54,890 --> 01:50:57,390
always with perfect geometry,

1180
01:50:57,390 --> 01:50:59,370
will each house her first eggs.

1181
01:51:00,310 --> 01:51:02,730
(soft music)

1182
01:51:08,670 --> 01:51:12,400
After weeks of being cared for and fed by their mother,

1183
01:51:12,400 --> 01:51:14,790
the larvae will seal themselves in.

1184
01:51:19,430 --> 01:51:22,360
When they emerge two weeks later, they are transformed.

1185
01:51:23,380 --> 01:51:25,960
(gentle music)

1186
01:51:29,770 --> 01:51:33,030
They are all females, but all sterile.

1187
01:51:33,030 --> 01:51:35,330
This is true of all social insects.

1188
01:51:38,370 --> 01:51:42,460
The queen produces workers that cannot reproduce.

1189
01:51:46,140 --> 01:51:48,700
She will remain the only one to lay eggs.

1190
01:51:52,770 --> 01:51:56,570
As each generation emerges, they get to work.

1191
01:51:56,570 --> 01:51:59,010
(bright music)

1192
01:51:59,010 --> 01:52:01,090
The nesting chamber becomes bigger.

1193
01:52:04,930 --> 01:52:07,120
And the workers go out to hunt,

1194
01:52:07,120 --> 01:52:08,770
bringing food back for the young.

1195
01:52:11,130 --> 01:52:13,960
(hornets buzzing)

1196
01:52:15,940 --> 01:52:19,770
The colony will last just the one season,

1197
01:52:19,770 --> 01:52:22,540
but will grow to contain hundreds of workers,

1198
01:52:24,530 --> 01:52:26,290
all the offspring of the queen

1199
01:52:30,060 --> 01:52:33,230
who will stay and look after future generations,

1200
01:52:33,230 --> 01:52:36,130
the definition of social insects.

1201
01:52:36,130 --> 01:52:38,960
(hornets buzzing)

1202
01:52:41,660 --> 01:52:43,790
She's built an army to do her bidding.

1203
01:52:48,940 --> 01:52:51,240
Hornets are a type of wasp,

1204
01:52:51,240 --> 01:52:55,440
and together, they were probably the first social insects,

1205
01:52:55,440 --> 01:52:57,520
the first to raise an army.

1206
01:52:57,520 --> 01:53:01,000
(hornets buzzing)

1207
01:53:01,000 --> 01:53:04,630
Their family dates back to the Jurassic period.

1208
01:53:04,630 --> 01:53:06,610
And it's from these ancient groups

1209
01:53:06,610 --> 01:53:11,130
that other social insects, the ants and bees, emerged.

1210
01:53:11,130 --> 01:53:13,960
(hornets buzzing)

1211
01:53:19,970 --> 01:53:22,930
But there is one other group that appeared soon after

1212
01:53:22,930 --> 01:53:24,880
that is not related,

1213
01:53:24,880 --> 01:53:28,930
the only rebel army to go it alone in a family of their own.

1214
01:53:33,380 --> 01:53:34,460
The termites.

1215
01:53:34,460 --> 01:53:37,430
(eerie music)

1216
01:53:37,430 --> 01:53:41,140
These little guys are related to cockroaches,

1217
01:53:41,140 --> 01:53:42,550
but are truly unique.

1218
01:53:47,680 --> 01:53:49,740
There are thousands of species

1219
01:53:49,740 --> 01:53:52,320
and thousands of individuals in each home.

1220
01:53:56,420 --> 01:53:59,150
It's been suggested that social insects

1221
01:53:59,150 --> 01:54:03,460
make up 75% of all insect biomass

1222
01:54:03,460 --> 01:54:05,920
because they are so numerous and successful.

1223
01:54:08,210 --> 01:54:10,500
Because there are billions of them,

1224
01:54:10,500 --> 01:54:13,640
termites represent a massive mound of food,

1225
01:54:13,640 --> 01:54:16,110
and every anteater wants in,

1226
01:54:16,110 --> 01:54:19,390
(sloth bear scuffling)

1227
01:54:19,390 --> 01:54:22,270
though it's the big animals like these sloth bears

1228
01:54:22,270 --> 01:54:23,510
that catch our eye.

1229
01:54:26,010 --> 01:54:28,030
The tiny termites they are feeding on

1230
01:54:28,030 --> 01:54:30,410
collectively weigh more.

1231
01:54:30,410 --> 01:54:32,220
That's how many there are.

1232
01:54:32,220 --> 01:54:34,970
(sinister music)

1233
01:54:36,690 --> 01:54:38,510
Having built a fortress,

1234
01:54:38,510 --> 01:54:41,140
the protein treats can be hard to extract.

1235
01:54:47,120 --> 01:54:49,030
In the termite castles,

1236
01:54:49,030 --> 01:54:50,800
there are kings as well as queens.

1237
01:54:53,540 --> 01:54:55,980
And unlike the other social insects

1238
01:54:55,980 --> 01:54:58,750
where the ruler and her family's lives are short,

1239
01:54:58,750 --> 01:55:00,260
just one season,

1240
01:55:00,260 --> 01:55:02,970
(intense music)

1241
01:55:02,970 --> 01:55:06,150
termite queens are the longest-living insects,

1242
01:55:06,150 --> 01:55:09,220
with some individuals reigning for half a century.

1243
01:55:13,680 --> 01:55:15,490
Most termites are blind.

1244
01:55:16,900 --> 01:55:19,550
Living underground, they have little need for vision.

1245
01:55:21,400 --> 01:55:25,630
With soft bodies, they are less hardy than bees and wasps,

1246
01:55:25,630 --> 01:55:27,900
So don't live in the colder extremes.

1247
01:55:29,630 --> 01:55:33,600
These hardworking creepy-crawlies are vital to ecosystems

1248
01:55:33,600 --> 01:55:35,320
not only as food,

1249
01:55:35,320 --> 01:55:37,900
(bright music)

1250
01:55:40,860 --> 01:55:42,830
but as detritivores,

1251
01:55:42,830 --> 01:55:46,020
recycling rotten wood and other organic waste

1252
01:55:46,020 --> 01:55:48,190
and returning its goodness to the soil.

1253
01:55:53,640 --> 01:55:56,790
The mounds are often considered super-organisms

1254
01:55:56,790 --> 01:55:58,270
made up of thousands,

1255
01:55:58,270 --> 01:56:00,610
often millions of individuals.

1256
01:56:00,610 --> 01:56:03,610
(suspenseful music)

1257
01:56:09,090 --> 01:56:12,770
In bees and wasps, all the citizens are the same.

1258
01:56:12,770 --> 01:56:14,680
But among termite workers,

1259
01:56:14,680 --> 01:56:17,310
most are charged with building the home,

1260
01:56:17,310 --> 01:56:20,220
gathering food, and feeding it to the young.

1261
01:56:20,220 --> 01:56:22,370
(bustling music)

1262
01:56:22,370 --> 01:56:25,370
But some are born soldiers,

1263
01:56:25,370 --> 01:56:28,090
modified only to defend the colony.

1264
01:56:32,980 --> 01:56:36,470
With such huge numbers of animals in a colony,

1265
01:56:36,470 --> 01:56:39,420
they represent a vast source of protein

1266
01:56:39,420 --> 01:56:41,700
that many other animals seek.

1267
01:56:41,700 --> 01:56:44,790
(apprehensive music)

1268
01:56:49,580 --> 01:56:52,750
Though not even the guards can do much about giants

1269
01:56:52,750 --> 01:56:56,000
like an echidna that uses its strong claws

1270
01:56:56,000 --> 01:56:57,250
to tear apart their homes

1271
01:56:59,080 --> 01:57:02,170
(apprehensive music)

1272
01:57:08,910 --> 01:57:11,910
(echidna snuffling)

1273
01:57:14,540 --> 01:57:18,020
and a long, sticky tongue to slaughter the exposed army.

1274
01:57:22,940 --> 01:57:26,280
There are some advantages of being a social insect.

1275
01:57:27,950 --> 01:57:30,080
With sheer numbers on their side,

1276
01:57:30,080 --> 01:57:33,470
it's unlikely the attack will massively dent their numbers.

1277
01:57:38,870 --> 01:57:41,510
And after the mass destruction,

1278
01:57:41,510 --> 01:57:43,210
there is a team ready to rebuild

1279
01:57:45,470 --> 01:57:47,390
bigger and better than before.

1280
01:57:48,570 --> 01:57:51,650
(apprehensive music)

1281
01:57:57,160 --> 01:58:01,780
Among regimented rulers, few are more effective than ants.

1282
01:58:01,780 --> 01:58:03,460
(energetic music)

1283
01:58:03,460 --> 01:58:06,700
The mini marvels never seem to stop working,

1284
01:58:06,700 --> 01:58:10,110
tirelessly building and cleaning their homes,

1285
01:58:10,110 --> 01:58:12,370
maintaining the structure and entrances.

1286
01:58:16,620 --> 01:58:21,270
There's somewhere between 13 and 20,000 species of ants

1287
01:58:21,270 --> 01:58:24,170
occupying almost every corner of the globe.

1288
01:58:24,170 --> 01:58:27,090
(frenetic music)

1289
01:58:27,090 --> 01:58:30,780
They are far more diverse than the other social insects,

1290
01:58:30,780 --> 01:58:34,200
with herbivores, hunters, and scavengers,

1291
01:58:35,560 --> 01:58:39,430
and within the colonies have much more variety.

1292
01:58:39,430 --> 01:58:41,390
Not just workers and soldiers,

1293
01:58:42,790 --> 01:58:45,850
but there can be class systems within the workers,

1294
01:58:45,850 --> 01:58:49,340
groups with different sizes and shapes.

1295
01:58:49,340 --> 01:58:51,510
There are even farmers.

1296
01:58:51,510 --> 01:58:54,260
(frenetic music)

1297
01:58:59,780 --> 01:59:03,980
Leaf cutter ants seem to defy the laws of physics.

1298
01:59:03,980 --> 01:59:05,940
(leaves rustling)

1299
01:59:05,940 --> 01:59:09,480
Like tiny yachts sailing the forests of Southern America,

1300
01:59:09,480 --> 01:59:12,660
they ship the pieces of leaf in the hundreds of thousands.

1301
01:59:17,690 --> 01:59:20,920
With large, sharp, shearing jaws,

1302
01:59:20,920 --> 01:59:23,950
each worker sets out to find a nice leaf

1303
01:59:23,950 --> 01:59:26,410
and cut out a piece to take home.

1304
01:59:26,410 --> 01:59:29,160
(ants crunching)

1305
01:59:30,620 --> 01:59:34,950
To cut, their jaws vibrate at 1000 times per second,

1306
01:59:34,950 --> 01:59:37,300
like an electric saw, to slice through.

1307
01:59:40,380 --> 01:59:43,130
(ants crunching)

1308
01:59:48,260 --> 01:59:52,180
The leaf pieces can weigh 20 times more than the worker,

1309
01:59:52,180 --> 01:59:55,620
but ants are tough and make the weightlifting look easy.

1310
02:00:06,670 --> 02:00:09,520
The jungle's a dangerous place to have your hands full,

1311
02:00:11,180 --> 02:00:14,300
though leaf cutter ants have unique body armor.

1312
02:00:14,300 --> 02:00:16,530
It's reinforced with rock.

1313
02:00:19,860 --> 02:00:23,020
All this hard work is to stock the larder,

1314
02:00:23,020 --> 02:00:24,800
but it's not the leaves they eat.

1315
02:00:26,990 --> 02:00:29,900
(melancholy music)

1316
02:00:31,800 --> 02:00:35,140
Back at base, the fragments are cleaned,

1317
02:00:36,770 --> 02:00:38,170
infections removed,

1318
02:00:39,390 --> 02:00:42,270
and then they are mushed in the ants' jaws

1319
02:00:42,270 --> 02:00:45,280
and carefully placed on a giant compost heap.

1320
02:00:47,870 --> 02:00:51,980
The ants are cultivating a tasty and nutrient rich fungi.

1321
02:00:53,420 --> 02:00:56,840
It's the fungus they will eat and feed to their young,

1322
02:00:56,840 --> 02:00:58,220
not the leaves themselves.

1323
02:01:07,870 --> 02:01:11,070
The jaws of the ants don't stay sharp forever,

1324
02:01:12,090 --> 02:01:13,930
so the worker's role changes

1325
02:01:15,450 --> 02:01:17,480
as they lose their cutting edge.

1326
02:01:17,480 --> 02:01:19,020
They leave the front line,

1327
02:01:19,020 --> 02:01:21,690
the leaf collecting expedition parties,

1328
02:01:21,690 --> 02:01:24,710
and take semi-retirement tending the farm.

1329
02:01:28,810 --> 02:01:31,790
Though no ant gets to fully retire.

1330
02:01:31,790 --> 02:01:34,630
They will work until they die.

1331
02:01:34,630 --> 02:01:37,670
(water splashing)

1332
02:01:37,670 --> 02:01:40,250
(bright music)

1333
02:01:41,750 --> 02:01:44,310
Ants have another way of farming food.

1334
02:01:44,310 --> 02:01:46,710
This time, not a plant-based diet,

1335
02:01:57,540 --> 02:01:59,860
but by managing livestock.

1336
02:01:59,860 --> 02:02:02,440
(bright music)

1337
02:02:15,170 --> 02:02:17,060
Many species become guardians

1338
02:02:17,060 --> 02:02:20,250
to their own private flocks of aphids.

1339
02:02:26,440 --> 02:02:28,610
The ants will even take aphid eggs

1340
02:02:28,610 --> 02:02:31,140
into their nests to protect them

1341
02:02:31,140 --> 02:02:32,540
and then bring the young out

1342
02:02:36,420 --> 02:02:38,900
and release them back onto the plants.

1343
02:02:38,900 --> 02:02:41,310
(soft music)

1344
02:02:43,250 --> 02:02:45,670
And a queen can take a single egg with her

1345
02:02:45,670 --> 02:02:47,260
when she starts a new colony

1346
02:02:51,300 --> 02:02:53,510
The shepherds stand over their flock.

1347
02:02:57,690 --> 02:03:00,090
The aphids are sap-suckers,

1348
02:03:00,090 --> 02:03:03,670
piercing the plant's stems and sucking up the plant's sap.

1349
02:03:03,670 --> 02:03:06,090
(soft music)

1350
02:03:10,210 --> 02:03:13,980
The waste product from their sugary diet is honeydew,

1351
02:03:14,930 --> 02:03:16,390
a drip of sugar water,

1352
02:03:18,140 --> 02:03:19,670
elixir to the ants.

1353
02:03:23,880 --> 02:03:26,850
This is what they consume, not the aphids,

1354
02:03:26,850 --> 02:03:29,270
but the syrup they squeeze from their butts.

1355
02:03:36,570 --> 02:03:38,830
They will even milk their herd,

1356
02:03:38,830 --> 02:03:42,690
caressing the aphids back to encourage the release of food.

1357
02:03:42,690 --> 02:03:45,270
(somber music)

1358
02:03:51,340 --> 02:03:54,630
It's calorie-rich, a precious resource,

1359
02:04:01,250 --> 02:04:04,250
so the ants constantly monitor their herds.

1360
02:04:12,190 --> 02:04:15,950
The ladybird larva is enemy number one,

1361
02:04:15,950 --> 02:04:18,310
the wolf to the aphids' world.

1362
02:04:22,830 --> 02:04:26,230
But when an attending farmer spots the intruder,

1363
02:04:26,230 --> 02:04:28,040
it tries to drive it off

1364
02:04:29,220 --> 02:04:31,690
and releases pheromones to call in backup.

1365
02:04:33,100 --> 02:04:35,770
(intense music)

1366
02:04:39,480 --> 02:04:43,820
The ants will not tolerate a wolf among their sheep.

1367
02:04:47,580 --> 02:04:50,330
(dramatic music)

1368
02:04:53,510 --> 02:04:56,030
But this is a trade off for the aphids.

1369
02:04:56,030 --> 02:05:00,330
In return for feeding the ants, they get home security.

1370
02:05:03,650 --> 02:05:05,700
The defenses are not infallible.

1371
02:05:07,290 --> 02:05:10,170
This caterpillar is an enemy.

1372
02:05:10,170 --> 02:05:12,160
It's here to eat the aphids,

1373
02:05:13,610 --> 02:05:16,010
but it releases a chemical signature

1374
02:05:16,010 --> 02:05:19,180
that makes it look like an aphid to the ants,

1375
02:05:19,180 --> 02:05:20,930
a wolf in sheep's clothing.

1376
02:05:23,350 --> 02:05:27,050
The predator can slaughter the ants' precious livestock

1377
02:05:27,050 --> 02:05:28,730
right under their noses.

1378
02:05:32,280 --> 02:05:34,850
But to add insult to injury,

1379
02:05:34,850 --> 02:05:37,260
the caterpillar takes further advantage

1380
02:05:37,260 --> 02:05:39,530
of the ants' unwitting hospitality.

1381
02:05:41,980 --> 02:05:46,240
When it's ready to pupate, it drops from the plant.

1382
02:05:46,240 --> 02:05:48,790
(suspenseful music)

1383
02:05:48,790 --> 02:05:51,230
The concerned animals worry about it

1384
02:05:51,230 --> 02:05:53,830
and carry it into their nesting chamber.

1385
02:06:06,970 --> 02:06:10,520
They'll feed and clean it as though it is one of their own.

1386
02:06:16,760 --> 02:06:18,660
Here, it can stealthily murder

1387
02:06:18,660 --> 02:06:21,240
and eat its stepbrothers and sisters

1388
02:06:21,240 --> 02:06:24,520
until it turns to a butterfly and flies away.

1389
02:06:30,410 --> 02:06:31,940
Despite the tricksters,

1390
02:06:31,940 --> 02:06:36,020
for the most part, ants are highly successful farmers.

1391
02:06:36,020 --> 02:06:39,700
(soft bluegrass music)

1392
02:06:39,700 --> 02:06:42,370
But they not only produce their own food.

1393
02:06:42,370 --> 02:06:43,200
They store it

1394
02:06:45,680 --> 02:06:47,450
in many of the world's deserts.

1395
02:06:47,450 --> 02:06:49,660
In this case, in Australia,

1396
02:06:49,660 --> 02:06:51,950
a group of ants have found a solution

1397
02:06:51,950 --> 02:06:53,740
worthy of a horror film.

1398
02:06:53,740 --> 02:06:56,240
(eerie music)

1399
02:06:59,590 --> 02:07:03,880
They use a dedicated band of workers known as repletes.

1400
02:07:08,590 --> 02:07:11,460
After the rains, when the going is good,

1401
02:07:11,460 --> 02:07:14,170
the ants gather nectar from desert flowers

1402
02:07:16,090 --> 02:07:19,940
But in this barren landscape, it's hard to store,

1403
02:07:19,940 --> 02:07:23,130
so they store it inside the repletes.

1404
02:07:23,130 --> 02:07:25,630
(eerie music)

1405
02:07:29,670 --> 02:07:33,110
Their bodies distend into hanging storage jars,

1406
02:07:33,110 --> 02:07:36,270
giving this family of insects the name honeypot ants.

1407
02:07:42,270 --> 02:07:46,500
Underground, the temperature and humidity are more constant,

1408
02:07:46,500 --> 02:07:47,440
like a larder.

1409
02:07:50,500 --> 02:07:52,370
Here, the repletes just hang about.

1410
02:07:56,260 --> 02:07:59,220
Other workers bring the nectar in and feed it to them,

1411
02:07:59,220 --> 02:08:00,740
as well as keep them clean.

1412
02:08:01,940 --> 02:08:04,440
(eerie music)

1413
02:08:14,450 --> 02:08:17,890
And when needed, the workers can stroke the honeypots

1414
02:08:17,890 --> 02:08:20,950
to encourage them to regurgitate a little food,

1415
02:08:20,950 --> 02:08:23,150
which they can distribute around the colony.

1416
02:08:34,620 --> 02:08:38,370
Typical ant army cooperation and efficiency.

1417
02:08:38,370 --> 02:08:41,120
(sinister music)

1418
02:08:45,660 --> 02:08:50,130
Thanks to their teamwork, ants can move mountains,

1419
02:08:52,760 --> 02:08:54,700
or at least mountains of food.

1420
02:08:58,530 --> 02:09:01,690
The discovery of a dead chameleon in Madagascar

1421
02:09:01,690 --> 02:09:03,680
is cause for celebration.

1422
02:09:03,680 --> 02:09:06,350
(intense music)

1423
02:09:08,540 --> 02:09:10,910
A feast for a huge ant colony.

1424
02:09:13,690 --> 02:09:15,490
But to make sure other scavengers

1425
02:09:15,490 --> 02:09:17,410
don't run off with the goods,

1426
02:09:17,410 --> 02:09:20,260
the ants want to get it underground and out of sight.

1427
02:09:27,920 --> 02:09:29,710
The little reptile carcass weighs

1428
02:09:29,710 --> 02:09:32,380
thousands of times more than an ant,

1429
02:09:32,380 --> 02:09:34,840
but size isn't everything.

1430
02:09:34,840 --> 02:09:37,510
(intense music)

1431
02:09:38,610 --> 02:09:41,850
The social insects know that teamwork is the key.

1432
02:09:45,750 --> 02:09:49,280
As they forage, the ants leave pheromone trails,

1433
02:09:49,280 --> 02:09:51,680
and these guide other workers to the treasure.

1434
02:09:59,300 --> 02:10:02,320
(bright music)

1435
02:10:02,320 --> 02:10:04,990
(ants rustling)

1436
02:10:09,240 --> 02:10:11,780
Soon, there is enough muscle to move the body.

1437
02:10:27,940 --> 02:10:31,020
It's not always clear who is steering.

1438
02:10:31,020 --> 02:10:33,610
(bright music)

1439
02:10:52,220 --> 02:10:55,100
It takes a few attempts to guide the big body

1440
02:10:55,100 --> 02:10:57,130
into a narrow hole.

1441
02:10:57,130 --> 02:10:59,800
(ants rustling)

1442
02:11:11,190 --> 02:11:14,020
But the community spirit pays off.

1443
02:11:20,580 --> 02:11:23,750
Teamwork is a great way to defend the home

1444
02:11:23,750 --> 02:11:25,590
and the family fortunes, too.

1445
02:11:35,820 --> 02:11:38,590
Ants can make up a quarter of the weight

1446
02:11:38,590 --> 02:11:42,130
of all animals combined in a productive environment.

1447
02:11:45,070 --> 02:11:47,370
It's hardly surprising that other species

1448
02:11:47,370 --> 02:11:49,420
want to cash in on their resource.

1449
02:11:52,360 --> 02:11:55,270
A huge ant mound is packed with protein.

1450
02:11:58,640 --> 02:12:01,060
A blackbird digs for some tasty grubs

1451
02:12:02,780 --> 02:12:04,780
and a greater spotted woodpecker

1452
02:12:04,780 --> 02:12:07,140
takes advantage of his handiwork,

1453
02:12:07,140 --> 02:12:10,700
(suspenseful music)

1454
02:12:10,700 --> 02:12:14,120
rushing beakfuls of ants and the exposed grubs

1455
02:12:14,120 --> 02:12:16,080
back to hungry young.

1456
02:12:16,080 --> 02:12:18,830
(chicks peeping)

1457
02:12:20,590 --> 02:12:22,980
As each featherweight alights,

1458
02:12:22,980 --> 02:12:25,900
defense calls ring out around the colony,

1459
02:12:25,900 --> 02:12:30,110
the ants using chemical signals to summon the home guard.

1460
02:12:32,490 --> 02:12:35,510
The ants squirt formic acid at the intruders.

1461
02:12:35,510 --> 02:12:38,260
(acid splashing)

1462
02:12:41,160 --> 02:12:43,110
It's enough to drive some away,

1463
02:12:45,150 --> 02:12:46,930
but it attracts others.

1464
02:12:49,550 --> 02:12:50,380
A jay.

1465
02:12:52,170 --> 02:12:54,770
The cunning crow isn't here to dine,

1466
02:12:54,770 --> 02:12:56,700
but enjoys winding the ants up.

1467
02:12:58,900 --> 02:13:01,370
It's here for a bit of spa treatment.

1468
02:13:03,330 --> 02:13:05,100
Jays and some other birds

1469
02:13:05,100 --> 02:13:08,790
use the formic acid like an antiseptic shampoo.

1470
02:13:10,810 --> 02:13:14,300
It kills fungi and other pests that invade their feathers.

1471
02:13:15,670 --> 02:13:17,900
(bright music)

1472
02:13:17,900 --> 02:13:19,780
So, the jay fans itself out

1473
02:13:19,780 --> 02:13:21,900
to try and get the spray everywhere.

1474
02:13:23,110 --> 02:13:25,860
(acid splashing)

1475
02:13:29,960 --> 02:13:32,370
(jay cawing)

1476
02:13:36,030 --> 02:13:38,290
Ant armies are so effective

1477
02:13:38,290 --> 02:13:41,410
that some plants actively employ them,

1478
02:13:41,410 --> 02:13:44,070
(ominous music)

1479
02:13:46,160 --> 02:13:49,900
offering them food and shelter in return for home defense.

1480
02:13:53,370 --> 02:13:56,510
Because the plants become vital to the ants,

1481
02:13:56,510 --> 02:13:59,650
the fearless insects will stop at nothing to protect them.

1482
02:14:06,720 --> 02:14:08,600
Beetles can wreak havoc,

1483
02:14:08,600 --> 02:14:11,640
munching through leaves and threatening the plant's health.

1484
02:14:14,400 --> 02:14:16,880
But not if the ants have anything to do with it.

1485
02:14:21,400 --> 02:14:24,040
It could be a David and Goliath fight,

1486
02:14:24,040 --> 02:14:26,080
but ants stand united.

1487
02:14:26,080 --> 02:14:29,620
(frenetic music)

1488
02:14:29,620 --> 02:14:32,050
They use numbers to go up against the giant.

1489
02:14:49,270 --> 02:14:52,380
Many are trampled, crushed during the assault.

1490
02:14:55,960 --> 02:14:57,710
But they haven't died in vain.

1491
02:14:58,920 --> 02:15:01,570
Everything ants do helps their colony.

1492
02:15:04,260 --> 02:15:06,060
They slowed the colossal intruder

1493
02:15:06,060 --> 02:15:08,130
while more soldiers rushed to help.

1494
02:15:12,170 --> 02:15:15,760
And eventually, the enemy is overthrown.

1495
02:15:23,870 --> 02:15:26,300
Ants are vital to the health of environments

1496
02:15:26,300 --> 02:15:28,060
for their pest control skills.

1497
02:15:29,020 --> 02:15:31,640
(sinister music)

1498
02:15:31,640 --> 02:15:34,390
(birds chirping)

1499
02:15:51,780 --> 02:15:54,370
(bright music)

1500
02:15:57,080 --> 02:15:59,720
But also because they are useful gardeners.

1501
02:16:07,550 --> 02:16:10,720
Many plant seeds have little fatty deposits on the ends,

1502
02:16:14,120 --> 02:16:17,380
high-end dining to keep an army's energy levels up.

1503
02:16:20,040 --> 02:16:22,620
(mellow music)

1504
02:16:27,940 --> 02:16:31,660
So, ants transport the precious goods across the forest,

1505
02:16:31,660 --> 02:16:33,700
taking them back to their food stores.

1506
02:16:36,480 --> 02:16:37,520
They'll eat the fat.

1507
02:16:39,870 --> 02:16:42,240
But the process not only carries the seeds

1508
02:16:42,240 --> 02:16:44,120
away from the parent plant,

1509
02:16:44,120 --> 02:16:48,340
but also buries them, planted, ready to start their lives.

1510
02:16:55,720 --> 02:16:59,370
Of course, not all ant armies are Peace Corps,

1511
02:16:59,370 --> 02:17:01,720
gentle landscape gardeners.

1512
02:17:01,720 --> 02:17:03,500
Among creepy-crawlies,

1513
02:17:03,500 --> 02:17:06,660
they also include some of the most effective predators.

1514
02:17:08,500 --> 02:17:11,430
According to the Guinness Book of World Records,

1515
02:17:11,430 --> 02:17:13,560
this is the most dangerous ant,

1516
02:17:16,620 --> 02:17:19,250
the bulldog ant of Australia.

1517
02:17:19,250 --> 02:17:22,000
(sinister music)

1518
02:17:23,630 --> 02:17:27,360
This mini menace has killed at least three people,

1519
02:17:27,360 --> 02:17:29,460
though usually, it's less ambitious.

1520
02:17:33,560 --> 02:17:35,680
Like most insect armies,

1521
02:17:35,680 --> 02:17:38,720
they look harmless enough doing their housework.

1522
02:17:38,720 --> 02:17:41,390
(ominous music)

1523
02:17:43,000 --> 02:17:46,270
But these ranks are armed and dangerous.

1524
02:17:49,500 --> 02:17:52,080
As ants go, they are not small,

1525
02:17:52,080 --> 02:17:54,020
up to four centimeters apiece.

1526
02:18:01,200 --> 02:18:04,090
They have excellent eyesight to spot the enemy

1527
02:18:08,090 --> 02:18:10,960
and are always ready to launch their attack.

1528
02:18:12,830 --> 02:18:14,360
But it's a double whammy.

1529
02:18:16,100 --> 02:18:18,150
Giant jaws slam shut.

1530
02:18:21,080 --> 02:18:23,530
Some ant jaws can snap shut faster

1531
02:18:23,530 --> 02:18:26,180
than any other predatory animal's weapons

1532
02:18:26,180 --> 02:18:29,040
at over 230 kilometers per hour.

1533
02:18:29,040 --> 02:18:32,400
(foreboding music)

1534
02:18:32,400 --> 02:18:34,660
But as if that wasn't enough,

1535
02:18:34,660 --> 02:18:37,060
bulldog ants hold their victims still

1536
02:18:37,060 --> 02:18:39,250
in their menacing jaws,

1537
02:18:39,250 --> 02:18:40,840
then swing their tails,

1538
02:18:40,840 --> 02:18:43,680
which are tipped with wasp-like stings.

1539
02:18:48,700 --> 02:18:52,390
Again and again, venom is injected into the prey.

1540
02:19:04,190 --> 02:19:06,770
(somber music)

1541
02:19:12,150 --> 02:19:15,290
(ants rustling)

1542
02:19:15,290 --> 02:19:17,330
In their natural environments,

1543
02:19:17,330 --> 02:19:20,860
ants, though small, can have big impacts.

1544
02:19:23,490 --> 02:19:26,980
But animals and plants have co-evolved to cope.

1545
02:19:28,970 --> 02:19:31,720
(sinister music)

1546
02:19:33,660 --> 02:19:38,430
However, ants that stow away on our ships and imported goods

1547
02:19:38,430 --> 02:19:42,130
can invade new territory and cause carnage.

1548
02:19:43,110 --> 02:19:45,680
(water splashing)

1549
02:19:45,680 --> 02:19:48,740
Christmas Island is a land of crabs.

1550
02:19:48,740 --> 02:19:52,110
The crunchy creepy-crawlies blanket the entire island.

1551
02:19:55,540 --> 02:19:57,530
They have grown up in an environment

1552
02:19:57,530 --> 02:19:59,820
where they are top of the food chain

1553
02:19:59,820 --> 02:20:01,230
and have little to fear.

1554
02:20:03,370 --> 02:20:07,160
That was, until yellow crazy ants arrived.

1555
02:20:08,210 --> 02:20:11,070
The tiny terrors are aggressive.

1556
02:20:11,070 --> 02:20:14,500
(dramatic music)

1557
02:20:14,500 --> 02:20:17,460
As baby red land crabs storm the beaches,

1558
02:20:17,460 --> 02:20:20,470
making a dash for their adult lives on land,

1559
02:20:20,470 --> 02:20:23,380
the lurking predators pick them off with ease.

1560
02:20:30,100 --> 02:20:32,960
With the infant crabs' little, soft bodies,

1561
02:20:32,960 --> 02:20:34,510
it's hardly a fair fight.

1562
02:20:37,910 --> 02:20:41,250
But the ants don't judge their targets on size.

1563
02:20:41,250 --> 02:20:44,000
(dramatic music)

1564
02:20:47,880 --> 02:20:50,950
The biggest land-dwellers here are robber crabs,

1565
02:20:50,950 --> 02:20:54,390
armor-plated giants that let nothing stand in their way.

1566
02:20:57,760 --> 02:20:59,900
Nothing can bring them down.

1567
02:21:01,760 --> 02:21:02,720
Almost nothing.

1568
02:21:03,600 --> 02:21:06,010
Their armor is impenetrable.

1569
02:21:07,320 --> 02:21:09,990
(crab clicking)

1570
02:21:15,540 --> 02:21:17,260
Well, to most.

1571
02:21:20,550 --> 02:21:23,330
But ants can seek under the radar.

1572
02:21:26,040 --> 02:21:28,940
One ant alone is not much of a threat,

1573
02:21:28,940 --> 02:21:30,240
but their numbers swell.

1574
02:21:31,570 --> 02:21:34,240
(ominous music)

1575
02:21:41,450 --> 02:21:44,200
(claws clunking)

1576
02:21:50,740 --> 02:21:55,140
They find chinks in the armor and inject their acid.

1577
02:21:55,140 --> 02:21:57,810
(ominous music)

1578
02:22:07,180 --> 02:22:09,840
(ants rustling)

1579
02:22:18,780 --> 02:22:22,460
Eventually, the giant is brought down.

1580
02:22:22,460 --> 02:22:25,040
(somber music)

1581
02:22:34,180 --> 02:22:37,010
(insects buzzing)

1582
02:22:43,910 --> 02:22:46,820
(ethereal music)

1583
02:22:46,820 --> 02:22:50,290
Whether naturally native or spread with our help,

1584
02:22:50,290 --> 02:22:53,100
the creepy-crawly armies are everywhere.

1585
02:22:53,100 --> 02:22:55,690
(bees buzzing)

1586
02:23:07,090 --> 02:23:10,600
This would be the strategy for world domination,

1587
02:23:10,600 --> 02:23:13,350
establishing bases all over the globe.

1588
02:23:14,670 --> 02:23:17,300
(sinister music)

1589
02:23:17,300 --> 02:23:19,420
Have they conquered the world?

1590
02:23:19,420 --> 02:23:22,170
Are they poised, ready for a takeover?

1591
02:23:22,170 --> 02:23:25,710
(hornets buzzing)

1592
02:23:25,710 --> 02:23:28,180
Or is the success of this incredible group

1593
02:23:28,180 --> 02:23:31,770
of highly-organized societies to our advantage?

1594
02:23:38,460 --> 02:23:41,580
There is one army that we have recruited,

1595
02:23:41,580 --> 02:23:45,040
a fleet of workers who shaped the world as we know it.

1596
02:23:48,460 --> 02:23:50,830
Our ancestors eyed the organized

1597
02:23:50,830 --> 02:23:53,500
and efficient achievements of insects with envy.

1598
02:23:55,780 --> 02:23:58,720
Honeybees in particular caught our eyes.

1599
02:23:58,720 --> 02:24:01,070
(soft music)

1600
02:24:01,070 --> 02:24:03,440
There's little doubt humans have long raided

1601
02:24:03,440 --> 02:24:05,190
the nests of bees for their honey.

1602
02:24:07,510 --> 02:24:11,240
But somewhere around eight to 10,000 years ago,

1603
02:24:11,240 --> 02:24:13,700
people found ways to manage hives.

1604
02:24:16,380 --> 02:24:19,910
The bees have never been fully domesticated,

1605
02:24:19,910 --> 02:24:22,530
but we have developed ways to house them

1606
02:24:22,530 --> 02:24:25,000
that suit both the bees and us.

1607
02:24:25,990 --> 02:24:29,070
(uplifting music)

1608
02:24:29,070 --> 02:24:32,820
Earlier attempts would've been something like this,

1609
02:24:32,820 --> 02:24:36,390
traditional hollow logs strung in trees,

1610
02:24:36,390 --> 02:24:39,780
enough to entice the social insects to set up shop

1611
02:24:41,500 --> 02:24:44,080
and ideal for people to lower the log

1612
02:24:44,080 --> 02:24:46,530
and enjoy a honey harvest.

1613
02:24:50,470 --> 02:24:55,150
Honey is one of the most energy-dense foods in nature,

1614
02:24:55,150 --> 02:24:57,670
almost pure sugar,

1615
02:24:57,670 --> 02:25:00,320
but with some essential minerals and vitamins.

1616
02:25:01,820 --> 02:25:03,680
(extractor clicking)

1617
02:25:03,680 --> 02:25:07,420
Through our long, glorious, and sticky history with it,

1618
02:25:07,420 --> 02:25:10,410
honey has also been used as a preservative

1619
02:25:10,410 --> 02:25:14,140
and in medicine for its antibacterial properties.

1620
02:25:14,140 --> 02:25:16,240
(menacing music)

1621
02:25:16,240 --> 02:25:17,570
(bees buzzing)

1622
02:25:17,570 --> 02:25:19,310
The wax it's prepared in,

1623
02:25:19,310 --> 02:25:22,640
those little hexagonal chambers in the bees' nests,

1624
02:25:22,640 --> 02:25:25,090
can be used as wax for candles,

1625
02:25:25,090 --> 02:25:28,690
but also sealing, binding, and waterproofing.

1626
02:25:29,540 --> 02:25:32,370
(boaters yelling)

1627
02:25:33,440 --> 02:25:36,730
There's evidence of its use by early Greeks,

1628
02:25:36,730 --> 02:25:39,970
and the Egyptians employed it in the embalming of mummies.

1629
02:25:41,320 --> 02:25:43,570
(dramatic music)

1630
02:25:43,570 --> 02:25:47,110
Like their feared cousins, wasps and hornets,

1631
02:25:47,110 --> 02:25:49,420
bees have painful stings.

1632
02:25:49,420 --> 02:25:51,850
But they are more reluctant to use them

1633
02:25:51,850 --> 02:25:54,250
because their stings are barbed.

1634
02:25:54,250 --> 02:25:56,000
For the bees to pull free,

1635
02:25:56,000 --> 02:25:58,000
they damage and kill themselves.

1636
02:26:01,410 --> 02:26:04,130
This trait made them easier to manipulate.

1637
02:26:05,930 --> 02:26:07,760
And humans learned another trick.

1638
02:26:12,300 --> 02:26:15,580
Wildfires cause bees to gorge on honey

1639
02:26:15,580 --> 02:26:17,850
and then hide in the center of their hives.

1640
02:26:20,640 --> 02:26:23,570
In this state, they are very reluctant to sting,

1641
02:26:23,570 --> 02:26:25,960
(fire crackling)

1642
02:26:25,960 --> 02:26:27,950
perhaps because they are prioritizing

1643
02:26:27,950 --> 02:26:29,620
saving the life of the hive

1644
02:26:29,620 --> 02:26:31,640
and its precious honey resources.

1645
02:26:33,480 --> 02:26:37,460
As far back as the Egyptians, maybe even much earlier,

1646
02:26:37,460 --> 02:26:40,320
people have learned that a few puffs of smoke

1647
02:26:40,320 --> 02:26:41,790
could pacify a colony.

1648
02:26:45,070 --> 02:26:47,980
It's now an essential beekeeper's tool.

1649
02:26:49,680 --> 02:26:51,620
(smoker puffing)

1650
02:26:51,620 --> 02:26:55,730
Beekeepers can collect a swarm, the foundations of a colony,

1651
02:26:55,730 --> 02:26:58,310
(bright music)

1652
02:27:01,700 --> 02:27:03,250
and move it to a hive

1653
02:27:18,050 --> 02:27:19,930
even in an urban setting,

1654
02:27:22,540 --> 02:27:25,270
and allow their insect army to go to work.

1655
02:27:25,270 --> 02:27:27,850
(bees buzzing)

1656
02:27:30,390 --> 02:27:32,110
(soft music)

1657
02:27:32,110 --> 02:27:34,980
And while collecting the pollen and nectar

1658
02:27:34,980 --> 02:27:37,120
to convert to our beloved honey,

1659
02:27:38,820 --> 02:27:41,190
they also pollinate the flowers.

1660
02:27:45,770 --> 02:27:47,880
And this role of the regiments is something

1661
02:27:47,880 --> 02:27:49,820
that is easy to underestimate.

1662
02:27:54,440 --> 02:27:57,770
Eight in 10 of the mouthfuls of food we eat

1663
02:27:57,770 --> 02:28:02,290
are only there because insects have pollinated our crops.

1664
02:28:02,290 --> 02:28:04,710
(soft music)

1665
02:28:05,740 --> 02:28:08,430
The insect armies also help the environment

1666
02:28:08,430 --> 02:28:11,790
by recycling waste and controlling pests.

1667
02:28:11,790 --> 02:28:14,540
(birds chirping)

1668
02:28:18,180 --> 02:28:22,220
Without insect armies, the world would collapse.

1669
02:28:26,360 --> 02:28:30,110
However, because of human activities,

1670
02:28:30,110 --> 02:28:32,420
insects are in trouble.

1671
02:28:32,420 --> 02:28:34,610
(ominous music)

1672
02:28:34,610 --> 02:28:37,880
Globally, insects have declined by 40%,

1673
02:28:39,180 --> 02:28:43,640
and the decline trend seems to be more than 2% per year.

1674
02:28:46,330 --> 02:28:50,760
Already, a third of insects are endangered.

1675
02:28:50,760 --> 02:28:53,580
But this is just a global average.

1676
02:28:53,580 --> 02:28:57,300
In some regions, the decline is much higher,

1677
02:28:59,760 --> 02:29:01,960
and it's all because of us.

1678
02:29:04,230 --> 02:29:08,480
As our population grows, so does our need for food.

1679
02:29:11,280 --> 02:29:13,470
Intensive agriculture destroys

1680
02:29:13,470 --> 02:29:16,660
animal and plant communities in the soil,

1681
02:29:16,660 --> 02:29:19,670
including the burrows of social insects,

1682
02:29:19,670 --> 02:29:24,670
and replaces biodiversity with monocultures of single crops.

1683
02:29:25,020 --> 02:29:27,940
(machine whirring)

1684
02:29:28,830 --> 02:29:32,750
And our fertilizers and pesticides poison the insect armies.

1685
02:29:33,660 --> 02:29:36,500
(somber music)

1686
02:29:36,500 --> 02:29:37,700
We have clean-cut,

1687
02:29:39,990 --> 02:29:40,820
plowed,

1688
02:29:42,390 --> 02:29:45,620
or poured cement over insect habitat,

1689
02:29:45,620 --> 02:29:49,140
and what's left is damaged and fragmented.

1690
02:29:54,680 --> 02:29:56,580
And human-driven climate change

1691
02:29:56,580 --> 02:29:59,420
is making life harder for all,

1692
02:29:59,420 --> 02:30:01,350
especially insects.

1693
02:30:03,780 --> 02:30:07,580
And yet, insects are the foundations of ecosystems.

1694
02:30:10,740 --> 02:30:13,880
Landscapes and their plant and animal communities

1695
02:30:13,880 --> 02:30:17,340
only function with abundant insects.

1696
02:30:17,340 --> 02:30:22,340
So, by losing mini beasts, we will lose much more.

1697
02:30:22,380 --> 02:30:24,730
(somber music)

1698
02:30:24,730 --> 02:30:29,730
If the trend continues and these armies march to extinction,

1699
02:30:30,260 --> 02:30:35,040
many of the foods we love and even depend on will vanish.

1700
02:30:40,940 --> 02:30:42,470
There is little doubt

1701
02:30:42,470 --> 02:30:46,380
that we cannot survive in a world without insects.

1702
02:30:46,380 --> 02:30:48,960
(bees buzzing)

1703
02:30:51,510 --> 02:30:55,180
We need to clean up our act, replant,

1704
02:30:55,180 --> 02:30:57,510
and improve the health of the environment.

1705
02:30:59,210 --> 02:31:01,280
Help the allied armies.

1706
02:31:02,350 --> 02:31:04,810
They need our assistance,

1707
02:31:04,810 --> 02:31:09,410
and there is no doubt we'd be lost without their help.

1708
02:31:09,410 --> 02:31:11,820
(soft music)