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00:00The End
00:01The End
00:02The End
00:03The End
00:04The End
00:05The End
00:06The End
00:07The End
00:08The End
00:09The End
00:10The End
00:11Experience a world beyond imagination.
00:15Where fish can fly.
00:21Lizards walk on water.
00:27Apes master tools.
00:34And frogs disappear in plain sight.
00:40Animals do the smartest things.
00:47Through every stage of their lives.
00:51From leaving home
00:55to raising a family.
01:00From finding food
01:03to making friends.
01:09They find ingenious ways to survive
01:14against all odds.
01:19Welcome
01:21to the secret lives
01:23of animals.
01:37We all need somewhere to call home.
01:40And deep in the rain forests of Borneo.
01:48This sun bear
01:50is house hunting.
01:53She needs a new place to sleep every night.
01:57because she's always roaming for food.
02:05But when you live in a rain forest
02:07packed with creepy crawlies
02:10finding a cozy spot to bed down
02:16is tricky.
02:18And if things weren't uncomfortable enough
02:22in this forest
02:23it never rains
02:25it pours.
02:27This would dampen anyone's spirits.
02:33Worse still
02:43the rain awakens the nightmare neighbors.
02:46Tiger leeches.
02:50Hundreds of them.
02:54Each able to eat six times its body weight
03:01in blood.
03:11But there's one place the leeches won't go.
03:13And that's up.
03:22Some bears claws can grow
03:24twice as large as a grizzly's.
03:29So they can shimmy up a tree in no time.
03:34To a dizzying 130 feet.
03:40And trees
03:42are not designed
03:44for sleepy bears.
03:50Not comfy.
03:53Still awake.
04:00Oh, enough is enough.
04:06This clever bear
04:08knows exactly what to do.
04:16She chooses the perfect location.
04:22Somewhere sheltered
04:23with a handy fork in its branches to build on.
04:28And she does something rarely seen
04:31in the animal kingdom.
04:34She begins to weave.
04:38carefully tensioning each branch.
04:46And weighing them down into position.
04:52She's building a bear-sized bed.
04:59And for a spot of luxury,
05:03she tops it with fresh leaves.
05:06Like many dwellings in nature,
05:15hers is temporary.
05:18But it provides comfort and safety.
05:22Just like all the best places to live.
05:23just like all the best places to live.
05:29Owning your first home is one of life's great landmarks.
05:32And building it yourself is a labour of love.
05:42In southern Thailand, this male bio-weaver is facing a daunting project.
05:47He needs to craft one of the most intricate constructions in the natural world.
06:01Woven from around 1,000 strands of grass,
06:15his nest must not only attract a mate,
06:18and keep her eggs safe,
06:31it must also withstand a monsoon storm.
06:36The right building material is essential.
06:53And he knows just the thing.
06:55the right building.
06:56The right building.
07:02Bullrush grass.
07:05It's pliable and waterproof.
07:15But working with it is challenging.
07:19And he's tying himself in knots.
07:33He threads the strand around a branch.
07:38Then back through the loop,
07:41a faultless half hedge.
07:43One down.
07:49999 to go.
07:54If his nest is to survive,
07:57he'll need a solid foundation.
08:00And there's no cutting corners when your future depends on it.
08:07This female will only mate with the best builder.
08:14And the other males are putting him to shame.
08:19He must up his game.
08:24He weaves the egg chamber,
08:27carefully tensioning every single strand.
08:31But a nest this light could easily be destroyed in the wind.
08:42He needs to find a solution.
08:47Fast.
08:50Pellets of clay.
08:54Will add stability.
08:55After 11 days, he's almost finished.
09:14Will his new build win him a mate?
09:16Her mate?
09:32A flutter of her wings...
09:38...shows her approval.
09:40She'll lay her eggs in the next few days.
09:49But the storm is approaching.
09:55He reinforces the foundations,
09:58weaving extra strips of bulrush grass
10:01around the tree's thorns.
10:03With eggs laid, his nest faces the ultimate test.
10:16The monsoon wins.
10:26His future hangs in the balance.
10:29The colony has taken a hit.
10:55The colony has taken a hit.
10:57But many nests have stood firm.
11:01Including his.
11:03It will safely house his chicks.
11:05Until they fly the nest.
11:07In around two weeks' time.
11:11It will safely house his chicks.
11:14Until they fly the nest.
11:17In around two weeks' time.
11:18Building a family home from scratch.
11:32Takes hard work.
11:34And carries a lot of risk.
11:39Sometimes it's easier to restore an old property.
11:43A beaver couple.
11:52In the mountains of North America.
12:01They've taken on a major renovation project.
12:04This mud and log lodge.
12:07Was abandoned.
12:09And is falling to bits.
12:15Fixing it up is a massive undertaking.
12:18Even for one of nature's most famous builders.
12:23The walls may be a foot thick.
12:27But they're full of holes.
12:32And time is not on their side.
12:37Winter has arrived on the mountain tops.
12:41And will soon reach their valley.
12:45They must hunker down in their lodge.
12:47For four freezing months.
12:49They won't survive if their renovation isn't finished.
12:50To seal the holes.
13:08They need a flexible filler.
13:09To seal the holes, they need a flexible filler.
13:20Dredged mud and grass is perfect.
13:27They know it will plug even the smallest nook and cranny
13:33and will work as insulation.
13:39But something doesn't sound right.
13:46Running water.
13:50Alarming for any homeowner, especially beavers.
14:04To survive, they need not just a lodge, but a dam.
14:09The dam holds back a river, creating a lake.
14:20Deep enough for beavers to swim away from predators.
14:27If the level drops, they'll be vulnerable.
14:30She checks out the damage and comes up with a plan.
14:51First, large logs to underpin the repair.
14:55Placing them at an angle will give the dam more support.
15:10He adds a barrier of carefully selected stones.
15:14Then finishes the wall with smaller logs.
15:26Sealed with trusty, dredged mud.
15:34Job done.
15:35But like builders the world over, they're behind schedule.
15:50And winter is here.
15:53Soon it will be too cold for the beavers to survive outside.
16:10Their lodge will be their sanctuary.
16:12But only if they can finish insulating it in time.
16:32As the temperature plummets to minus four degrees Fahrenheit,
16:36the only creatures outside are those adapted to these bitter extremes.
17:06And so is she.
17:25Their tireless building efforts have paid off.
17:31Holes repaired and perfectly insulated.
17:35The temperature in here is an incredible 30 degrees warmer.
17:45They'll stay in their cozy winter sanctuary, safe until the spring.
17:56In such extreme locations, a home provides vital protection from the elements.
18:04They'll stay in their home.
18:05They'll stay in their home.
18:06But in other areas, properties are all about attracting attention.
18:16This male black palm cockatoo lives in Queensland, Australia.
18:21It's on a tight house hunting deadline.
18:29It's breeding season.
18:33And his lifelong partner lays just one precious egg every two years.
18:40And she'll only do that if he can find her the perfect home.
18:48He's looking for a solid, hollow tree trunk.
19:09Easier said than done.
19:10Over the last decade, intense bushfires have burned many to the ground.
19:26This one is spacious.
19:32But its foundations leave a lot to be desired.
19:35Looks promising.
19:55Or maybe not.
19:59With less property on the market, demand is high.
20:03He's running out of options.
20:13This trunk is hollow, solid, and tall.
20:19It looks perfect, to him at least.
20:24She needs convincing.
20:26She starts to build a platform to support her egg.
20:45Still not interested.
20:48But he has a clever trick up his sleeve.
20:51He needs a stick.
21:02Just the right size.
21:12Now he's ready for a special performance.
21:16Unique in the animal kingdom.
21:21Unique in the animal kingdom.
21:25He drums.
21:34The sound may just persuade her.
21:37This is the solid home she's been looking for.
21:40Unique in the animal kingdom.
21:52Finally, he has her attention.
22:03A blush of her cheek...
22:05...shows he's back in the good books.
22:13And she has a safe, secure home to lay her egg.
22:24If you think building a family home on land is difficult...
22:28...try the ocean.
22:41Off the coast of Japan...
22:45...a white-spotted Japanese pufferfish.
22:48He's a little broody that needs to build an impressive home to attract a mate.
23:01But on this vast, empty plain, all he has to work with...
23:07...is sand.
23:08And there's the constant danger...
23:17...that his efforts will be swept away.
23:24It's a huge task for a fish not much larger than a credit card.
23:28He starts by sieving the sand with his pectoral fins.
23:45Moving the finest grains to the center to make a soft bed for eggs.
23:50And to ensure they won't be swept away, he creates a series of channels and peaks...
24:05...to slow the current.
24:12This could take some time.
24:17About eight days.
24:20After moving around 2,500 times his body mass in sand...
24:31...he's almost done.
24:38His clever design allows the water to flow in from multiple directions...
24:44...aerating the eggs, encouraging them to hatch.
24:50...aerating the eggs, encouraging them to hatch.
24:54His creation has caught the eye of a female.
25:06And also...
25:09...a hungry goatfish searching for food.
25:12...a potential homewrecker.
25:22If he can't see off the intruder...
25:24...his future will be in pieces.
25:42Disaster averted.
25:44...a few repairs and a little zhuzh.
25:50He has the female hook, line, and sinker.
25:54He lays her eggs.
25:59She lays her eggs.
26:02He fertilizes them.
26:04And he'll tend them until they hatch...
26:09...into a home that's out of this world.
26:13Building a home takes precise engineering.
26:36...creativity.
26:43And a heap of hard work.
26:48Get it right.
26:51And you have security...
26:54...comfort...
26:54...and a place to call your own.
27:07Deep in the heart of the Bornean rainforest...
27:12...the team faced an unusual challenge.
27:16They wanted to film a sun bear building a nest in the jungle canopy.
27:21A rarely observed behavior that requires some lateral thinking.
27:27The main issue that we're having is that they build those nests up high.
27:31We have to somehow get a camera up there with them...
27:34...in order to see what they're doing.
27:39To get the best view possible...
27:41...the crew will need to work from filming platforms...
27:44...100 feet up in the canopy.
27:45And that takes precision planning.
27:53We've got to start to try and get into the mind of a bear...
27:55...and decide where we put our platform...
27:58...which is pretty tricky.
28:00Hoisting each 80-pound platform 10 stories high is back-breaking work.
28:09And there's an added complexity.
28:12Sun bears make a different nest every night.
28:16One of the trickier elements of setting a tree platform...
28:19...is that once you've chosen your location, you can't move.
28:25So they've come prepared with a secret weapon.
28:29We do have a trick up our sleeves, however...
28:31...which is the use of a 30-foot crane.
28:33That gives us a bit more scope to move about the canopy...
28:37...as the bear's deciding which tree to nest in.
28:40The team hope that this two-pronged approach...
28:43...will get them the shots they need.
28:49But no matter how much you prepare...
28:52...animals play by their own rules.
28:55We arrived this morning to see that she's made...
28:57...a postcard-perfect nest right on the end of our crane.
29:02If she'd done that last night, that would have been perfect.
29:05But this sun bear isn't playing ball.
29:08Opting to tease the crew instead.
29:17Everyone's going to think it's so easy.
29:24Filming wildlife is rarely straightforward.
29:26But eventually, it looks like the sun bear is starting to cooperate.
29:33The team's planning may just pay off.
29:40All they can do now is wait patiently.
29:43And finally, they capture her elusive nest building on camera.
29:55We've been waiting, waiting, waiting for this to happen.
29:57It's just so cool to see and film.
30:02Using this jib gives you this intimacy that is lost...
30:07...when you're on the end of a thousand-millimeter lens.
30:09It's a triumphant success.
30:13And gives us an insight into the secret lives of these incredible creatures.
30:19We pretty much got everything that we set out to capture.
30:23Plus a few extra little bonus pieces, which is amazing.
30:26A real privilege.
30:32It just goes to show that even with the latest technology at your disposal...
30:36...it's the animals who call the shots.
30:44Next time, the most essential part of survival is finding food.
30:52Knowing where to get it...
30:55...and how to catch it...
30:58...is a constant challenge.
30:59...because in the animal kingdom...
31:07...there's no such thing...
31:09...as a free lunch.
31:29It's the animal kingdom...
31:31...not like a rock...
31:32...so it can be.
31:33...but there's no such thing...
31:34...if the animal kingdom...
31:35...and it's a fastball...
31:37It's a free lunch.
31:38It's the time of the animal kingdom to eat...
31:38...and a free lunch.
31:42Two puppy...
31:45One puppy...
31:47...a free lunch...
31:50One puppy...
31:53One puppy...
31:53One puppy...
31:54One puppy...
31:56...we're safe.
31:57One puppy...