1 00:00:06,381 --> 00:00:09,551 (THUNDER RUMBLING) 2 00:00:14,139 --> 00:00:16,474 (SOFT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING) 3 00:00:33,742 --> 00:00:35,452 (SCREECHES) 4 00:00:35,827 --> 00:00:37,245 (GROWLS SOFTLY) 5 00:00:41,374 --> 00:00:44,169 (CLOUD RUMBLING) 6 00:00:44,294 --> 00:00:46,421 (JEEP ENGINE WHIRRING) 7 00:00:47,422 --> 00:00:50,800 (CRICKETS CHIRPING) 8 00:00:52,177 --> 00:00:54,512 GEORGE: Let's hope we don't see what the lions do at night. 9 00:00:54,637 --> 00:00:56,014 (WILL LAUGHING) 10 00:00:56,139 --> 00:00:57,891 Let's hope we see lions before they see us. 11 00:00:57,974 --> 00:00:59,184 (WILL LAUGHING) 12 00:00:59,768 --> 00:01:01,603 Hey, Rem. Can you cut the lights? 13 00:01:04,022 --> 00:01:05,065 Cool. 14 00:01:07,192 --> 00:01:09,069 (CRICKETS CHIRPING) 15 00:01:23,541 --> 00:01:25,752 Well, this is... We got a pair of night vision goggles, 16 00:01:25,877 --> 00:01:28,171 and if you look out there, and tell me what you see. 17 00:01:29,214 --> 00:01:32,592 I need night vision goggles to get the night vision goggles from you. 18 00:01:32,675 --> 00:01:34,344 (BOTH LAUGH) 19 00:01:39,599 --> 00:01:41,893 Well, I can see they're wildebeest. 20 00:01:42,811 --> 00:01:44,104 GEORGE: Well, that's a start. 21 00:01:45,897 --> 00:01:49,150 Can you tell their shape? Like the shape of the... of the group? 22 00:01:50,110 --> 00:01:51,236 WILL: I can't tell, really... 23 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:54,155 They're like layered up, so I can't really tell. 24 00:01:54,489 --> 00:01:56,157 -GEORGE: Kind of stacked up? -WILL: Yeah. 25 00:01:59,744 --> 00:02:02,330 GEORGE: I don't know. Let's see what... I've got a... another toy 26 00:02:02,413 --> 00:02:03,748 I wanted to show you. 27 00:02:04,374 --> 00:02:05,750 (BIRDS CHITTERING) 28 00:02:05,834 --> 00:02:07,627 (WILDEBEEST GRUMBLES) 29 00:02:09,838 --> 00:02:11,965 (FOLIAGE RUSTLING) 30 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,098 I wonder if a lion could see in this kind of darkness. I dunno. 31 00:02:20,181 --> 00:02:22,058 WILL: Well, that's... We don't need to find out that. (CHUCKLES) 32 00:02:22,142 --> 00:02:24,310 GEORGE: No, no, I just die... I'd... I'd die with the wildebeest. 33 00:02:25,395 --> 00:02:26,646 -You can follow me? -WILL: I can't see. 34 00:02:26,771 --> 00:02:29,190 -GEORGE: Yeah, I got you, we're good. -WILL: All right. Hold on. 35 00:02:31,401 --> 00:02:34,529 WILL: My whole life, I've wanted to see wildebeest. 36 00:02:35,113 --> 00:02:39,450 I just didn't think it would be in the dark with lions everywhere. 37 00:02:40,243 --> 00:02:43,496 But George has a different way of looking at everything. 38 00:02:44,873 --> 00:02:47,000 (CAMERA DRONE WHIRRING) 39 00:02:47,083 --> 00:02:48,960 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 40 00:03:01,973 --> 00:03:05,101 GEORGE: Well, we're looking at these guys, it's interesting, they're moving out. 41 00:03:05,476 --> 00:03:06,728 WILL: Oh, wow, yeah. 42 00:03:09,522 --> 00:03:11,733 GEORGE: But I don't think they can see anything at night. 43 00:03:11,816 --> 00:03:15,278 So they're falling in like that, but they're not falling in based on sight? 44 00:03:15,403 --> 00:03:16,613 GEORGE: That's right. 45 00:03:23,244 --> 00:03:24,621 They're walking differently. 46 00:03:24,787 --> 00:03:27,832 Almost kind of like a loose defensive formation. 47 00:03:31,544 --> 00:03:33,546 They're coming together and working as a group. 48 00:03:41,471 --> 00:03:44,641 -They're clearly following each other. -GEORGE: That's right. 49 00:03:45,058 --> 00:03:48,353 WILL: But if they don't see well, and they're not making any noise, 50 00:03:48,478 --> 00:03:50,313 how do they know where the others are? 51 00:04:05,954 --> 00:04:10,625 Around thirty years ago, I picked up a National Geographic Magazine 52 00:04:10,708 --> 00:04:12,168 and saw this. 53 00:04:13,962 --> 00:04:18,883 That image, one and a half million wildebeests on the plains of Africa, 54 00:04:19,008 --> 00:04:21,219 has stayed with me ever since. 55 00:04:24,138 --> 00:04:28,017 The most dramatic migration on Earth. 56 00:04:29,811 --> 00:04:32,397 And finally, I'm here to see it. 57 00:04:32,689 --> 00:04:34,399 (YAWNS AUDIBLY) 58 00:04:37,777 --> 00:04:39,570 GEORGE: Hey, Will. Come up and take a look. 59 00:04:40,029 --> 00:04:41,030 WILL: All right. 60 00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:42,657 (GROANING) 61 00:04:46,661 --> 00:04:47,745 Whoa! 62 00:04:51,708 --> 00:04:53,626 GEORGE: That's a lot of wildebeest, man. 63 00:04:53,835 --> 00:04:54,919 (WILDEBEEST BLEATING) 64 00:04:55,169 --> 00:04:59,465 WILL: Seeing them up close, finally. Man, they're kind of funny-looking. 65 00:04:59,590 --> 00:05:01,259 (CHUCKLES) 66 00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:04,178 GEORGE: Wildebeest are not the most elegant animal. 67 00:05:04,512 --> 00:05:05,930 Or the most intelligent. 68 00:05:08,099 --> 00:05:10,727 WILL: George is straight-up clowning wildebeest. 69 00:05:14,147 --> 00:05:17,817 But, hey, if they don't get by on their looks or their brains, 70 00:05:18,067 --> 00:05:20,236 how do they survive out here in the wild? 71 00:05:22,238 --> 00:05:24,782 Well, that's what George wants me to see. 72 00:05:28,369 --> 00:05:32,415 The front runners chow down on the grass ahead of the herd, 73 00:05:32,623 --> 00:05:35,668 so they all have to keep constantly moving. 74 00:05:37,253 --> 00:05:38,379 And so do we. 75 00:05:39,464 --> 00:05:42,300 So, George, what got you to... to Africa? 76 00:05:42,759 --> 00:05:45,303 I got kind of bored, I was a... kind of bored college student, 77 00:05:45,386 --> 00:05:47,388 and I decided to get the hell out, and I wanted... 78 00:05:47,472 --> 00:05:49,307 I went to Africa, I came hitchhiking here. 79 00:05:49,390 --> 00:05:50,850 -I bought a one-way ticket to London... -Wow. 80 00:05:50,933 --> 00:05:53,102 -...and I hitchhiked down to Congo. -Whoa. 81 00:05:53,186 --> 00:05:55,730 And I found it was really fascinating and there was so much more to learn. 82 00:05:55,813 --> 00:05:57,523 -WILL: Yeah. -And I still feel that way. 83 00:05:57,648 --> 00:06:00,193 Once you get into dangerous things, you just keep on learning more and more. 84 00:06:00,276 --> 00:06:01,569 WILL: Yeah. Exactly. 85 00:06:03,196 --> 00:06:06,616 What kind of image are you hoping to capture? 86 00:06:07,158 --> 00:06:11,120 Well, I'm trying to capture the key moment in the migration 87 00:06:11,204 --> 00:06:13,873 when the, um... when the wildebeest cross the river. 88 00:06:14,248 --> 00:06:17,335 How often do you capture exactly what you're looking for? 89 00:06:17,585 --> 00:06:20,421 (BOTH LAUGH) 90 00:06:20,797 --> 00:06:22,465 That's kind of a depressing question. 91 00:06:22,548 --> 00:06:23,841 (LAUGHS) 92 00:06:25,802 --> 00:06:28,262 GEORGE: I've been photographing wildlife for over forty years. 93 00:06:29,097 --> 00:06:33,059 As a photographer, you try to capture these incisive moments in an animal, 94 00:06:33,142 --> 00:06:35,978 where they reveal the true nature of their species. 95 00:06:36,104 --> 00:06:39,232 And the greatest, the biggie of all, is the crossing of the wildebeest. 96 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,151 (BLEATS) 97 00:06:43,486 --> 00:06:46,406 In your experience, Rem, how rare is it? 98 00:06:46,489 --> 00:06:50,118 How easy will it be for you to catch a crossing? 99 00:06:50,535 --> 00:06:53,538 You have a big chance of seeing a wildebeest, of course. 100 00:06:53,704 --> 00:06:55,915 -WILL: Yeah. -But it's seeing crossing, 101 00:06:55,998 --> 00:06:57,500 that's very rare. 102 00:06:57,583 --> 00:06:59,585 But I think you can consider it a great failure 103 00:06:59,669 --> 00:07:01,838 if you don't show me a... a crossing. 104 00:07:01,921 --> 00:07:03,297 -Of course. -(LAUGHS) 105 00:07:03,381 --> 00:07:04,882 You know, wildebeest don't care... 106 00:07:04,966 --> 00:07:07,260 wildebeest don't care who you are, or how long you've been waiting. 107 00:07:07,343 --> 00:07:08,970 -I know, right. (LAUGHS) -They don't really care. 108 00:07:09,095 --> 00:07:11,222 Hey, you guys, do you know what? The wildebeest haven't seen 109 00:07:11,305 --> 00:07:14,851 Men in Black, I guess. (CHUCKLES) 110 00:07:15,309 --> 00:07:17,728 (WILDEBEEST BLEATING) 111 00:07:18,604 --> 00:07:22,608 In fairness, they've got more pressing things to think about. 112 00:07:25,736 --> 00:07:31,200 But somehow, between them, they manage to survive a 300-mile trek 113 00:07:31,325 --> 00:07:34,412 past hungry lions, hyenas, and cheetahs. 114 00:07:35,746 --> 00:07:37,415 What's their secret? 115 00:07:38,249 --> 00:07:41,919 Perhaps the answer lies in a completely different creature 116 00:07:42,211 --> 00:07:45,089 over 3,000 miles away from here. 117 00:07:47,884 --> 00:07:50,303 (BIRDS CHIRPING) 118 00:07:53,347 --> 00:07:56,184 (SOFT VOCAL MUSIC PLAYING) 119 00:07:56,392 --> 00:07:57,810 (THUNDER RUMBLES) 120 00:08:05,151 --> 00:08:09,906 (BEES BUZZING) 121 00:08:16,204 --> 00:08:18,873 WILL: But what can the world's largest honeybee 122 00:08:18,956 --> 00:08:20,875 tell us about wildebeest? 123 00:08:22,251 --> 00:08:24,295 ALDO: Have you seen bees like this before? 124 00:08:24,378 --> 00:08:26,797 CORY: I've never seen anything like this before. 125 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,931 Your problem's gonna be how to get in there and be able to then... 126 00:08:35,097 --> 00:08:37,475 -sort yourself out to be able to shoot. -Not... Okay, yeah. 127 00:08:37,558 --> 00:08:39,519 -So I'm not spinning in space. -Yeah. 128 00:08:40,061 --> 00:08:42,813 (BEES BUZZING) 129 00:08:43,231 --> 00:08:45,107 ALDO: Maybe we'll try and climb up from the bottom 130 00:08:45,191 --> 00:08:48,027 and then, from there, try to get in position. 131 00:08:50,029 --> 00:08:52,907 Well, I guess we should go try it. 132 00:08:53,866 --> 00:08:56,953 (BEES BUZZING) 133 00:09:01,082 --> 00:09:03,793 MALE VOICE: 134 00:09:04,126 --> 00:09:05,753 (SPEAKING NEPALI) 135 00:09:08,005 --> 00:09:10,049 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 136 00:09:21,519 --> 00:09:24,522 MALE VOICE 1: 137 00:09:31,362 --> 00:09:36,367 CORY: There can be as many as 100,000 bees on a single hive. 138 00:09:37,493 --> 00:09:39,287 And they can be pretty damn hostile. 139 00:09:50,089 --> 00:09:53,301 If they decide to swarm when you're at the top of a rope, 140 00:09:53,426 --> 00:09:55,886 there's literally nothing you can do. 141 00:09:56,012 --> 00:09:58,014 (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) 142 00:10:03,144 --> 00:10:05,146 (BEES BUZZING) 143 00:10:05,938 --> 00:10:07,523 Aldo, I'm in position! 144 00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:09,025 ALDO: (OVER RADIO) Can you get quite close? Over. 145 00:10:10,067 --> 00:10:11,110 CORY: I can touch it. 146 00:10:11,193 --> 00:10:14,363 I can touch the outer part with my hand and the inner part with my foot. 147 00:10:17,366 --> 00:10:18,534 I'm gonna try to trigger 'em. 148 00:10:19,744 --> 00:10:22,413 There's a sort of invisible barrier around a hive. 149 00:10:22,580 --> 00:10:24,457 It's about 20 inches away. 150 00:10:25,291 --> 00:10:28,836 Cross that line, and something astonishing happens. 151 00:10:32,256 --> 00:10:33,758 (WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING) 152 00:10:41,432 --> 00:10:44,393 Wow. Incredible. 153 00:10:46,228 --> 00:10:48,189 It's a kind of defense strategy. 154 00:10:49,190 --> 00:10:52,360 If the bees spot a predator breaking through that perimeter, 155 00:10:53,110 --> 00:10:57,281 they flip their bodies, starting this massive chain reaction. 156 00:11:00,284 --> 00:11:04,872 It's like they're somehow all connected, and not just by touch, 157 00:11:05,122 --> 00:11:08,250 but like they're thinking as a single unit. 158 00:11:11,379 --> 00:11:13,798 (BEES BUZZING) 159 00:11:18,761 --> 00:11:22,848 WILL: On its own, each bee doesn't amount to much. 160 00:11:24,183 --> 00:11:28,521 But as a swarm, they can create something big enough 161 00:11:28,729 --> 00:11:30,690 or confusing enough... 162 00:11:31,816 --> 00:11:34,443 to deter almost any attacker. 163 00:11:38,656 --> 00:11:40,783 (CAR ENGINE WHIRRING) 164 00:11:42,910 --> 00:11:46,914 So the bees have their shimmer trick to throw off predators. 165 00:11:48,582 --> 00:11:50,793 But the wildebeest don't have that. 166 00:11:51,836 --> 00:11:52,878 I don't think. 167 00:11:54,046 --> 00:11:56,132 So how do they defend themselves? 168 00:11:58,342 --> 00:12:01,387 Rem, there's a lion over there. Can we stop for a minute? 169 00:12:09,437 --> 00:12:10,479 Look out on the left. 170 00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:16,527 WILL: Oh, yeah, I see her. I see her. 171 00:12:25,870 --> 00:12:28,539 (WILDEBEEST BLEATING) 172 00:12:28,831 --> 00:12:29,874 GEORGE: And...? 173 00:12:36,046 --> 00:12:38,174 WILL: She's gone again. I lost her. 174 00:12:43,220 --> 00:12:45,389 GEORGE: Let's try changing our perspective. 175 00:12:47,057 --> 00:12:49,643 (CAMERA DRONE WHIRRING) 176 00:12:52,688 --> 00:12:55,483 GEORGE: I've always loved getting up and looking at things in a new way. 177 00:12:56,525 --> 00:12:58,778 When I was a kid, I was a real tree climber, 178 00:12:58,861 --> 00:13:00,154 much to my mother's chagrin. 179 00:13:00,529 --> 00:13:02,615 I loved climbing up to the tallest branches 180 00:13:02,698 --> 00:13:04,492 to get a view over my back yard. 181 00:13:04,742 --> 00:13:06,994 And now my back yard's become a lot bigger. 182 00:13:17,421 --> 00:13:18,506 WILL: Any luck? 183 00:13:21,133 --> 00:13:22,134 Can you see her? 184 00:13:44,031 --> 00:13:45,616 Wow! 185 00:13:47,701 --> 00:13:49,370 Like a flash mob. 186 00:13:53,165 --> 00:13:57,044 If it were humans down there, that would be chaos. 187 00:13:57,628 --> 00:14:01,257 I'd be tripping up and bangin' off this dude, 188 00:14:01,340 --> 00:14:03,843 and runnin' into that guy over there. 189 00:14:03,968 --> 00:14:08,264 But the herd didn't miss a beat. Just kept on keepin' on. 190 00:14:08,931 --> 00:14:10,307 It looks difficult. 191 00:14:10,641 --> 00:14:14,353 But it turns out, you just have to follow three simple rules. 192 00:14:15,396 --> 00:14:18,858 Rules that apply to all sorts of animals that swarm. 193 00:14:27,408 --> 00:14:31,287 Rule number one, don't get too far away from your neighbor. 194 00:14:35,291 --> 00:14:36,709 Rule number two, 195 00:14:37,626 --> 00:14:40,379 don't get too close to your neighbor either. 196 00:14:44,592 --> 00:14:49,179 Rule number three, if your neighbor turns, you turn. 197 00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:56,770 And that's enough to turn thousands of individuals 198 00:14:56,854 --> 00:15:00,024 into something beautiful and complex. 199 00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:02,359 (WINGS FLAPPING) 200 00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:08,741 Starlings can fly at 40 miles an hour. 201 00:15:08,866 --> 00:15:14,997 So to keep together in formation, they need the reactions of racing drivers. 202 00:15:15,831 --> 00:15:20,294 Especially as the other "cars" aren't just in front or behind, 203 00:15:20,586 --> 00:15:22,630 they're above and below. 204 00:15:23,631 --> 00:15:28,177 It's hard to get how special that is, until you see it mapped out. 205 00:15:53,118 --> 00:15:58,082 A hundred thousand birds racing around a constantly changing track 206 00:15:58,165 --> 00:15:59,875 without a single crash. 207 00:16:05,923 --> 00:16:11,720 That's the way the wildebeest roll too, with simple rules and not overthinking it. 208 00:16:15,057 --> 00:16:20,229 They're not as fast or as pretty, but as they search for fresh grass, 209 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:22,898 the wildebeest are just as coordinated. 210 00:16:28,862 --> 00:16:32,491 Things get more complicated when they reach the Mara River. 211 00:16:37,830 --> 00:16:41,041 Keeping an eye on the guy next to you isn't much use, 212 00:16:41,125 --> 00:16:46,714 when you're facing strong currents... and giant crocs. 213 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:54,513 It's the single most dangerous part of the whole 300-mile round trip. 214 00:17:00,811 --> 00:17:01,937 (TRUCK ENGINE WHIRRING) 215 00:17:02,229 --> 00:17:03,564 Wait, we can get out here? 216 00:17:03,856 --> 00:17:05,399 GEORGE: It's safe. Yeah, get out. 217 00:17:05,566 --> 00:17:07,943 WILL: I'm gonna let you get out first. (LAUGHS) 218 00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:09,278 GEORGE: "That looks good, you go first?" 219 00:17:09,361 --> 00:17:12,031 (ALL CHUCKLE) 220 00:17:13,741 --> 00:17:15,034 WILL: What are we looking at? 221 00:17:15,117 --> 00:17:18,454 Uh, basically, this is the main barrier that the animals have to go over 222 00:17:18,662 --> 00:17:21,415 to get up to the big grasslands of the Mara, 223 00:17:21,498 --> 00:17:23,709 where the really good vegetation is for them at this time of year. 224 00:17:24,084 --> 00:17:25,961 So, what... what are all of these marks? 225 00:17:26,336 --> 00:17:29,798 REMTULLA: Uh, those are the crossing points, so we mark it. 226 00:17:30,090 --> 00:17:31,884 Like, it's along the river, 227 00:17:31,967 --> 00:17:33,343 so whenever they cross, we just put the mark, 228 00:17:33,427 --> 00:17:36,555 so we know like, crossing number two, number three, number four. 229 00:17:36,889 --> 00:17:38,515 GEORGE: They seem to have a few favorite places. 230 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:44,021 But if they cross at regular spots, why is it so hard to catch a crossing? 231 00:17:44,104 --> 00:17:45,731 There's no way to know which one they're going to choose. 232 00:17:45,814 --> 00:17:46,648 Ah, okay. 233 00:17:47,191 --> 00:17:48,609 Conglomeration of thousands of animals, 234 00:17:48,734 --> 00:17:50,736 and they all might have crossed at a different place the year before, 235 00:17:50,819 --> 00:17:52,071 so they've gotta have like a group decision, 236 00:17:52,154 --> 00:17:53,197 -like a swarm decision, -WILL: Wow. 237 00:17:53,322 --> 00:17:54,782 about which way to go. 238 00:17:54,865 --> 00:17:58,285 We can either hold and wait in one spot, or we can get fidgety and patrol. 239 00:17:58,786 --> 00:18:00,704 If there was a crossing happening, we can go there, 240 00:18:00,788 --> 00:18:02,456 but by the time we get there, it might be over, 241 00:18:02,539 --> 00:18:03,749 so it's like, do you... 242 00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:05,959 It's hard to know whether you chase after crossings 243 00:18:06,043 --> 00:18:07,711 or do you wait for a crossing to come to you. 244 00:18:07,795 --> 00:18:08,837 Got it. 245 00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:10,964 So, how long will it take for me to get comfortable 246 00:18:11,048 --> 00:18:14,051 just letting a fly be on my face without having to swat it? 247 00:18:14,343 --> 00:18:17,346 'Cause you got two flies on your face and you're just relaxed. 248 00:18:17,513 --> 00:18:18,597 (ALL LAUGH) 249 00:18:18,722 --> 00:18:20,557 -I'm like, man. -I just get tired of swatting at them. 250 00:18:20,641 --> 00:18:22,351 Oh, yeah? (LAUGHS) 251 00:18:22,434 --> 00:18:24,812 -Bush... Really bush man. Yeah... -Oh, man... 252 00:18:25,562 --> 00:18:27,481 All right, so are we waiting or are we chasing? 253 00:18:28,190 --> 00:18:29,817 My instinct is to find a really good place. 254 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:32,903 We got a lot of animals over there. And if we're in wait, they'll come to us. 255 00:18:33,195 --> 00:18:34,363 -WILL: All right. -Yeah. 256 00:18:35,447 --> 00:18:38,450 (TRUCK ENGINE REVVING) 257 00:18:41,036 --> 00:18:44,206 So we sort of look where they're moving to, right? 258 00:18:44,289 --> 00:18:46,917 Yeah, they're coming to the river. And see, the herd is down here. 259 00:18:47,126 --> 00:18:48,127 WILL: Yeah. 260 00:18:50,254 --> 00:18:52,673 -They're moving faster, yeah. -GEORGE: Trying to run there... 261 00:19:02,015 --> 00:19:03,517 GEORGE: Are these guys about to cross? 262 00:19:06,353 --> 00:19:08,230 I can't believe how lucky we're about to get. 263 00:19:09,982 --> 00:19:13,402 WILL: Never underestimate the power of beginner's luck. 264 00:19:14,778 --> 00:19:17,072 I mean, George has been trying to get this shot for years, 265 00:19:17,156 --> 00:19:19,825 and I'm here two minutes and it's all happening. 266 00:19:20,534 --> 00:19:21,535 I'm just saying. 267 00:19:21,827 --> 00:19:23,412 (TRUCK ENGINE REVVING) 268 00:19:33,505 --> 00:19:35,340 Go, George. This is your big moment. 269 00:19:44,558 --> 00:19:46,810 (WATER SPLASHING) 270 00:19:48,562 --> 00:19:51,356 (BLEATS) 271 00:19:54,860 --> 00:19:56,069 He's going on his own. 272 00:20:00,365 --> 00:20:01,742 (BLEATS) 273 00:20:07,372 --> 00:20:08,707 Oh, I can't watch this. 274 00:20:10,459 --> 00:20:11,919 -(BLEATS) -(MUSIC ENDS SHARPLY) 275 00:20:12,085 --> 00:20:13,378 Oh, man. 276 00:20:16,924 --> 00:20:18,926 (WILDEBEEST BLEATING) 277 00:20:22,054 --> 00:20:23,764 Why did they let him go alone? 278 00:20:29,102 --> 00:20:31,730 Looks like there's a fourth swarm rule. 279 00:20:33,690 --> 00:20:36,777 Don't go where there's crocs. 280 00:20:38,195 --> 00:20:40,113 (THUNDER RUMBLING) 281 00:20:44,284 --> 00:20:47,579 If I saw one of my boys get wacked by a crocodile, 282 00:20:47,996 --> 00:20:50,707 I'd have second thoughts about crossing that river too. 283 00:20:53,210 --> 00:20:57,798 Looks like the momentum now is moving away from this point. 284 00:20:58,173 --> 00:21:00,217 Where it was moving toward this point before, 285 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:03,345 now it feels like it's kind of gently drifting away. 286 00:21:03,428 --> 00:21:05,889 (THUNDER RUMBLING) 287 00:21:07,599 --> 00:21:10,936 Clearly, one brave dude jumping into the water 288 00:21:11,019 --> 00:21:13,480 is not enough to make them all start crossing. 289 00:21:14,398 --> 00:21:16,358 So, what will it take? 290 00:21:18,735 --> 00:21:21,989 To best explain that, we need to go underwater. 291 00:21:22,531 --> 00:21:24,950 (WATER LAPPING) 292 00:21:40,340 --> 00:21:42,092 JILL: They are truly amazing. 293 00:21:43,010 --> 00:21:44,678 The first time I ever saw them, 294 00:21:44,928 --> 00:21:47,139 certainly something that you'll never forget. 295 00:21:55,272 --> 00:21:57,024 (WATER ECHOES) 296 00:22:00,193 --> 00:22:03,488 (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) 297 00:22:24,134 --> 00:22:26,261 (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) 298 00:22:27,596 --> 00:22:30,182 WILL: Flashlight fish are weird. 299 00:22:31,641 --> 00:22:35,520 They make their cheeks light up like, "I'm here, follow me!" 300 00:22:37,898 --> 00:22:40,067 But just like that poor wildebeest, 301 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:44,446 one fish signaling isn't enough to make the others follow. 302 00:22:44,863 --> 00:22:46,990 Neither is two or three. 303 00:22:48,533 --> 00:22:51,411 But if enough of them flash at the same time, 304 00:22:51,745 --> 00:22:53,413 in the same direction... 305 00:22:54,623 --> 00:22:56,208 (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) 306 00:22:57,834 --> 00:22:59,211 ...they all go. 307 00:23:07,344 --> 00:23:12,432 It's not about one animal taking the lead. It's about enough of them doing it. 308 00:23:12,516 --> 00:23:15,435 Then the swarm behavior kicks in strong. 309 00:23:22,484 --> 00:23:24,236 So this is a numbers game. 310 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,490 The place where the wildebeest are most likely to cross 311 00:23:28,615 --> 00:23:31,952 is the place where the biggest numbers are gathering. 312 00:23:33,537 --> 00:23:35,372 (PLANE ENGINE WHIRRING) 313 00:23:35,831 --> 00:23:37,624 But how do you find that? 314 00:23:38,083 --> 00:23:44,297 Well, with a plane with the doors off, and a crazy co-pilot. 315 00:23:48,218 --> 00:23:50,262 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 316 00:24:31,761 --> 00:24:32,762 Here we go. 317 00:24:35,015 --> 00:24:36,266 WILL: Oh, wow. 318 00:24:44,649 --> 00:24:46,109 Come forward, you can see it better. 319 00:24:50,739 --> 00:24:52,616 WILL: That's a huge line. 320 00:24:53,533 --> 00:24:55,619 That's definitely the most we've ever seen. 321 00:25:08,590 --> 00:25:13,512 That's crazy. It does look like ants, like how you see ants move. 322 00:25:13,595 --> 00:25:15,263 -Yeah, like army ants. -Army ants, yeah. 323 00:25:15,347 --> 00:25:16,348 Exactly. 324 00:25:20,185 --> 00:25:22,896 There's a few thousand there at least. A convoy. 325 00:25:26,566 --> 00:25:28,360 WILL: That one's even bigger. 326 00:25:30,654 --> 00:25:32,989 You can definitely tell where this bunch is heading. 327 00:25:33,657 --> 00:25:35,158 Straight to the river. 328 00:25:36,368 --> 00:25:38,537 GEORGE: We gotta get there before they start crossing. 329 00:25:39,162 --> 00:25:40,789 WILL: Roger that. Let's get down there. 330 00:25:41,414 --> 00:25:42,749 (PLANE WHIRRING LOUDLY) 331 00:25:42,958 --> 00:25:44,626 Let the games begin. 332 00:25:51,591 --> 00:25:53,843 (TRUCK ENGINE WHIRRING) 333 00:26:03,186 --> 00:26:04,688 Look at that line, those lines. 334 00:26:11,152 --> 00:26:12,988 WILL: Have we found our crossing point, Rem? 335 00:26:13,071 --> 00:26:14,197 REMTULLA: Yeah. 336 00:26:20,704 --> 00:26:22,205 So, I think we better hold here. 337 00:26:22,414 --> 00:26:25,750 'Cause if we drive close, may scare them, they may run away from the river. 338 00:26:26,751 --> 00:26:30,797 So our presence would potentially keep them from crossing? 339 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,883 True, yeah. So, we'd better continue to wait. 340 00:26:36,219 --> 00:26:39,264 WILL: So, now we just wait for someone to call "action"? 341 00:26:41,516 --> 00:26:43,768 Welcome to wildlife photography. It's a lot of waiting. 342 00:26:43,977 --> 00:26:45,270 (WILL CHUCKLES) 343 00:26:47,230 --> 00:26:49,107 Eh, it's not different than acting either. 344 00:26:49,274 --> 00:26:52,068 -(CHUCKLES) -You just kinda sit around and wait. 345 00:27:05,498 --> 00:27:08,960 (WILL HUMMING) 346 00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:13,381 -(BIRDS CHIRPING) -(WILL HUMMING) 347 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,676 GEORGE AND WILL: (SINGING) A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh 348 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:18,178 A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh 349 00:27:18,595 --> 00:27:22,057 A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh 350 00:27:22,265 --> 00:27:26,227 In the jungle, the mighty jungle 351 00:27:26,394 --> 00:27:30,231 The lion sleeps tonight 352 00:27:30,523 --> 00:27:34,444 In the jungle, the mighty jungle 353 00:27:34,569 --> 00:27:38,490 The lion sleeps tonight 354 00:27:38,782 --> 00:27:44,454 Woo-oo-oo-ooo Ee-e-e-oh-mum-a-weh 355 00:27:45,747 --> 00:27:47,082 I'm out of breath. 356 00:27:47,165 --> 00:27:48,667 ("THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT" PLAYING) 357 00:27:48,958 --> 00:27:53,338 Weeheeheehee dee heeheeheehee weeoh aweem away 358 00:27:54,631 --> 00:27:58,093 Near the village, the quiet village 359 00:27:58,551 --> 00:28:01,805 The lion sleeps tonight 360 00:28:02,305 --> 00:28:06,476 Weeheeheehee dee heeheeheehee 361 00:28:06,559 --> 00:28:09,521 Weeoh aweem away... 362 00:28:10,230 --> 00:28:11,773 Weeheeheehee 363 00:28:12,065 --> 00:28:14,317 I'm a real explorer if I have a slouch hat? 364 00:28:14,442 --> 00:28:16,736 -REMTULLA: Yeah, exactly. -All right, so that... so... so... 365 00:28:16,820 --> 00:28:19,364 so it's like... it's like, that's the vibe? 366 00:28:19,489 --> 00:28:22,450 Weeheeheehee dee heeheeheehee 367 00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:25,412 Weeoh aweem away 368 00:28:28,415 --> 00:28:29,666 (EXHALES) 369 00:28:33,253 --> 00:28:36,381 -(WILDEBEEST GRUMBLING) -(CRICKETS CHIRPING) 370 00:28:37,215 --> 00:28:39,801 GEORGE: It looks good. You go first. 371 00:28:40,885 --> 00:28:42,387 WILL: I'm not gonna go first. You go first. 372 00:28:42,470 --> 00:28:44,139 -GEORGE: No, you go first. -REMTULLA: No, you go, you go. 373 00:28:44,222 --> 00:28:46,057 -REMTULLA: No, you go, you go. -WILL: I'm right behind you. 374 00:28:46,141 --> 00:28:48,101 Just go ahead. I mean, you're already standing there, just go ahead. 375 00:28:48,184 --> 00:28:49,644 Yeah, I got your back, man. 376 00:28:49,728 --> 00:28:52,105 (ALL LAUGH) 377 00:28:56,484 --> 00:29:00,071 WILL: The single brain is saying, "I don't want to get eaten." 378 00:29:00,613 --> 00:29:05,326 But the swarm mind is saying, "There's grass over there. Let's go." 379 00:29:07,078 --> 00:29:08,997 It's a pressure cooker. 380 00:29:15,670 --> 00:29:20,341 Maybe what they really need is one last push. 381 00:29:22,302 --> 00:29:24,846 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 382 00:29:37,650 --> 00:29:41,613 There are tiny dots of slime mold almost everywhere. 383 00:29:43,698 --> 00:29:48,203 Most of the time, slime mold just sits around, 384 00:29:48,745 --> 00:29:52,749 eating bacteria and making more slime mold. 385 00:29:54,292 --> 00:29:57,629 But when these single-celled organisms run out of food, 386 00:29:59,339 --> 00:30:01,216 something weird happens. 387 00:30:07,931 --> 00:30:11,518 Waves of restless energy ripple through the swarm. 388 00:30:13,269 --> 00:30:18,691 They join themselves together into a new creature. 389 00:30:30,036 --> 00:30:32,831 Many cells become one body. 390 00:30:33,373 --> 00:30:38,378 And then when the pressure finally gets too much, they move. 391 00:31:24,674 --> 00:31:26,301 There's sacrifice involved. 392 00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:32,056 The long, thin stems are created by cells dying. 393 00:31:34,517 --> 00:31:37,604 But they give the others a chance to survive 394 00:31:37,687 --> 00:31:42,942 by being carried away to pastures new when something brushes against them. 395 00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:52,327 Individually, these guys are literally brainless, 396 00:31:53,286 --> 00:31:56,915 but together, they're smart. 397 00:32:04,422 --> 00:32:09,135 And wildebeest? They're a bit like slime mold. 398 00:32:10,803 --> 00:32:11,846 No offense. 399 00:32:27,362 --> 00:32:32,200 Loads of individuals somehow having to make a joint decision. 400 00:32:32,909 --> 00:32:36,454 Thousands of brains slowly crunching the data. 401 00:32:39,749 --> 00:32:41,584 (CROCODILE HISSING) 402 00:32:41,918 --> 00:32:43,378 "Danger in front... 403 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:47,465 "food running out behind." 404 00:32:51,719 --> 00:32:54,389 Waves of nervous energy building... 405 00:32:57,225 --> 00:33:00,353 that finally pushes them to the edge. 406 00:33:03,648 --> 00:33:04,774 -And an answer. -(MUSIC GETS QUIETER) 407 00:33:07,026 --> 00:33:10,321 (MUSIC CRESCENDOS) 408 00:33:10,530 --> 00:33:12,156 REMTULLA: They're going. Going. 409 00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:15,201 -WILL: They're gone. They're gone. -GEORGE: They're going. 410 00:33:20,123 --> 00:33:21,249 Look at that. 411 00:33:28,631 --> 00:33:29,757 Oh, man. 412 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,844 -All right, you got the... -REMTULLA: They're crossing. 413 00:33:32,927 --> 00:33:34,679 -Get the bino... -WILL: Thank you, thank you. 414 00:33:35,179 --> 00:33:38,099 (STAMPEDE RUNNING) 415 00:33:38,933 --> 00:33:41,477 (INTENSE DRAMATIC MUSIC) 416 00:34:39,243 --> 00:34:41,162 That's spectacular. 417 00:34:41,829 --> 00:34:43,206 (WILL LAUGHS) 418 00:34:48,211 --> 00:34:50,129 That looks crazy. 419 00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:54,008 -Wow. (LAUGHS) -GEORGE: Wow. 420 00:34:55,510 --> 00:34:57,261 (WILDEBEESTS BLEAT) 421 00:34:59,097 --> 00:35:02,642 WILL: I've had more than half my life to get ready for this. 422 00:35:02,850 --> 00:35:06,312 But nothing prepares you for the dust, 423 00:35:07,438 --> 00:35:11,400 the noise, the sheer scale of it. 424 00:35:19,450 --> 00:35:20,910 Wow! 425 00:35:24,455 --> 00:35:26,165 Hey, that... Once you commit... 426 00:35:27,291 --> 00:35:28,376 GEORGE: No turning back. 427 00:35:31,379 --> 00:35:34,257 All right, 30 years. That was on my bucket list for like 30 years. 428 00:35:34,382 --> 00:35:36,384 We just got it, the migration of the wildebeest, 429 00:35:36,467 --> 00:35:37,844 the crossing of the river. 430 00:35:38,261 --> 00:35:40,972 We have done what we have come to done. 431 00:35:43,141 --> 00:35:47,728 Thousands and thousands of individual organisms 432 00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:52,316 surviving by joining together. 433 00:35:53,151 --> 00:35:57,155 The swarm drives them and protects them. 434 00:35:59,740 --> 00:36:01,742 Not everyone can make it. 435 00:36:05,746 --> 00:36:07,623 But most of them do. 436 00:36:14,797 --> 00:36:18,968 Look at them go. It's like they're tied together. 437 00:36:19,218 --> 00:36:22,680 You can, like... You can feel the connection. 438 00:36:27,393 --> 00:36:28,978 So it looks like, even from... 439 00:36:30,771 --> 00:36:33,900 What could be a quarter mile away, that they know. 440 00:36:35,318 --> 00:36:40,823 Like these all the way back here, can sense what's happening up here. 441 00:36:47,955 --> 00:36:53,753 For almost 30 years, I've had an image in my mind. 442 00:36:58,090 --> 00:37:02,220 The plains of Africa dense with millions of wildebeest. 443 00:37:03,262 --> 00:37:07,225 But in the end, I saw something I wasn't expecting. 444 00:37:07,934 --> 00:37:10,686 It's not millions of animals at all. 445 00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:14,357 It's just one. 446 00:37:14,690 --> 00:37:16,984 (DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES) 447 00:37:25,326 --> 00:37:28,371 Like George said, shift your perspective, 448 00:37:30,414 --> 00:37:31,832 switch your lens, 449 00:37:33,251 --> 00:37:37,213 and you'll see the swarm everywhere. 450 00:37:47,807 --> 00:37:52,311 Makes you wonder, do they even know they're in a swarm? 451 00:37:54,063 --> 00:37:56,607 Come to think of it, do we? 452 00:38:00,069 --> 00:38:02,863 Damn. Now, that's a question. 453 00:38:05,157 --> 00:38:06,534 (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) 454 00:38:06,784 --> 00:38:09,954 Next, I'm on the trail of a deadly predator. 455 00:38:10,037 --> 00:38:11,122 MALE VOICE: Shark! 456 00:38:11,998 --> 00:38:14,041 -Whoa, there he is. -Mm-hmm, you got one. 457 00:38:14,250 --> 00:38:16,043 WILL: Aw, yeah. 458 00:38:17,628 --> 00:38:21,465 Following my nose to solve a desert island mystery. 459 00:38:21,716 --> 00:38:24,010 Whoa, that is gorgeous. 460 00:38:24,844 --> 00:38:29,181 And discover that smell is not what it seems. 461 00:38:36,522 --> 00:38:38,649 (THEME MUSIC PLAYING)