Animals Like Us (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

Narrator:
Welcome to a new way
of seeing the natural world
where wild animals act
just like we do!
Across the animal kingdom,
charismatic critters
exhibit human-like traits.
From octopuses that dream
and a bird
that applies make-up,
to teenage elephant tantrums.
and complex emotions.
One of the fascinating things
about studying animals
is discovering how many aspects
of their behaviour
have parallels with our own.
Narrator:
The amazing thing is
the more we learn about them,
the more we realize
animals are a lot like us!
About as far from human
civilization as you can get,
you'll find some
charismatic little animals
on a search for a soulmate.
These are gentoo penguins.
They call these frozen,
rugged shores
of Antarctica home.
The Antarctic is actually
the great penguin capital
of the world,
and it's actually extraordinary
to see the lengths that
some of these birds will go to
to find a mate.
Narrator:
It's one of the largest
breeding colonies of gentoos
in the world.
More than 300,000
noisy couples.
Courting,
mating,
and settling down.
Living in such close quarters
can mean tempers get frayed.
But in this frigid outpost,
during breeding season,
there are a lot
of young "singles"
focused on finding
that special someone
who can warm their heart.
Gentoo penguin
s are largely monogamous.
Some stay with the same partner
for at least
three breeding seasons.
Others mate for life:
up to 16 years in the wild.
So, for all
th e eligible bachelors
out there,
impressing just the right female
carries high stakes.
Competition is massively fierce
among penguins.
So, they really do
pull out all the stops
in order to impress a mate.
(Squawking)
Narrator: The females
are in charge around here
and will get to pick
their preferred partner
out of a large field
of very dapper candidates.
These lotharios
have to be loud,
impressive, and romantic
if they hope
to win some affection.
For gentoos, that means
finding a special gift
that they can offer
as a token of their love.
Lucy: Males are looking
for the perfect present
in order to impress the female.
And in order to find that,
they've got to search
their surroundings,
look everywhere for basically
the gentoo-equivalent
of a bouquet of flowers,
or a box of chocolates.
Narrator: On land,
they may look a little awkward.
But fortunately for these guys,
the perfect love token,
that can win a female's heart,
can often be found
where they're most at home.
The sea.
In the water,
these penguins are agile,
elegant, and quick
like lightning.
Zipping along
with bursts of speed
up to 35 km an hour,
the gentoo
is the fastest swimmer
in the bird world.
They can also dive deep,
as far as 200 metres down,
and can stay underwater
for as long as seven minutes.
It takes time to find
just the right present.
This requires
some very careful consideration,
because there's a lot at stake.
Winning a mate,
fathering chicks,
all depends on his choice.
Narrator:
This male can't seem to find
what he's looking for
on the seabed.
So he's come out,
and now searches the shoreline.
(Gentle squawking)
At last!
He likes the look of this.
It's a pebble.
This is exactly
what he's been looking for.
He's found
the perfect little pebble,
that is kind of like
an engagement ring,
to impress his desired mate.
And I'm sure if he could
get down on one knee,
he would.
Narrator:
The male waddles over
to the female
he's had his eye on
and presents his prize pebble
as a token of love.
He can only wait
and hope that she likes it.
If she accepts,
he's got a chance
at fathering her eggs.
Now, of course, pebbles come
in all shapes and sizes,
and gentoo females
are very particular.
They actually prefer
ones that are smooth.
Narrator: Luckily, his pebble
wins her affections.
The pebble becomes part
of a "love nest"
where the two birds
get better acquainted.
What they're after
is building a nest
that keeps their eggs
high and dry.
Narrator: These nests
are called "scrapes"
because
of their simple construction.
And gentoos line
their small fortress of rocks
with feathers and moss.
For this happy pair,
it's mission accomplished.
But not all gentoos want
to put in the effort.
This guy's looking
a bit shifty.
No one likes a thief!
Lucy:
That gentoo male,
he's worked hard
for that pebble.
It's not really fair
for some other penguin
to sidle up and steal it.
Competition is super fierce,
so this guy doesn't look
too happy
that the other guy has found
this shiny pebble.
He's like: "Hey, man,
come on, share the love.
That was my pebble."
The other guy's like:
"No, go find
your own shiny one."
But the rest
of those rocks
in the pile
do not look half as shiny
as this one.
Narrator:
With all pebbles accounted for,
the newlyweds can focus
on starting a family.
In most cases,
the female will lay
two eggs at a time,
then share egg-sitting duties
with her mate.
Gentoos are great
at co-parenting.
They will often share
the responsibility
of incubating the eggs.
Narrator: When the chicks hatch
about a month later,
both parents will step up--
fishing,
and feeding the youngsters.
They can do this for
up to 14 months seamlessly.
Narrator:
Being a penguin parent
is hard work.
And just like a human father,
the gentoo dad might realize
that his new, busy life
as both carer and provider
all started with
a small romantic gesture.
Surviving in the wild,
sometimes
in extreme conditions,
can be exhausting.
So after a hard day's work,
it's not just people
who want to relax and unwind.
Animals need some downtime too.
In places where it can be
exceptionally cold,
bears hibernate
for five to seven months
without moving from their den.
Lions sleep
for up to 20 hours a day.
And sloths?
Well, they tend to go
at their own pace
and usually
just like to chill out.
Lemurs enjoy
letting their hair down too.
But they go a step further.
Incredibly, lemurs have made
a medical discovery
that helps them relax
in their forest home.
Lemurs are amazing.
They are the most diverse group
of primates on the planet.
There's actually
over 110 different species,
and they spend
a lot of their time
high up in the trees,
so no wonder
they need some downtime.
Narrator: Lemurs are found
exclusively on Madagascar
The large island nation
off the Southeastern coast
of Africa.
Because of its long isolation,
Madagascar is home to
an incredible array of animals
found nowhere else on Earth.
Known for their long tails
and big eyes,
lemurs like to tree-hop
in the forest.
They use their powerful legs
to leap between branches,
relying on their keen sense
of smell to find food.
They eat fruit, leaves,
small birds, and insects,
and occasionally,
they add
a little something extra
to their diet.
It comes from nature's
own medicine cabinet,
and a dose of it works wonders
in more ways than one.
Red millipedes are invertebrates
and they're really common
in forests
right across Madagascar.
Interestingly, they've developed
a defence mechanism
which benefits not only them,
but also the local lemurs.
Narrator: The red millipedes
are not a simple snack.
They rely on chemical weapons
to deter would-be predators.
When they're disturbed,
these millipedes
exude a cocktail
of dangerous chemicals
and toxins,
including cyanide.
Now, this is normally enough
to stop them
from being gobbled up.
Narrator:
But to some lemurs,
the millipedes are too tempting
to pass up,
and offer
a little sweet relief.
You wouldn't catch me picking up
a millipede like that.
They're loaded with toxins.
But those lemurs have found
a way to scoop them up.
And they also have discovered
that their toxins
can actually be beneficial.
Narrator:
When bitten,
the millipedes deploy
their chemical defences,
which contain
a strong insect repellent.
Mixing the secretions
with their own saliva,
the lemurs rub this concoction
all over their bodies.
On their chests, and bellies,
and down below,
around their privates.
They do this
to ward off parasites,
and mosquitoes that
could be carrying malaria.
Lemurs are primates,
which is a group
that includes us,
and it means we share
lots of characteristics,
but it also means we're able
to share lots of diseases too,
and, like us,
they can catch many of these
through insect bites.
Narrator: Safeguarding yourself
from malaria
with a natural
insect repellent
that seems pretty ingenious.
But that's just the half of it.
Some lemurs continue
to chew millipedes
even after they've applied
their bug lotion.
It seems the secretions
also contain a substance
that leaves the lemurs
feeling intoxicated.
Definitely dazed and confused.
What's actually happening,
I think,
is that the lemurs are
processing the toxins,
and so that's why
they look stoned.
So it's basically,
being stoned, if you're a lemur,
is a by-product of using
millipedes as medicine.
As far as we know,
there's no evidence that lemurs
overdose on these millipedes.
However, they do drool
quite a lot.
Narrator: At least while
they're incapacitated,
they're not getting bitten
by insects, mites, or ticks.
And they're certainly not alone
in their bid
for a bit of bliss.
Many other animal species
are also known to overindulge.
There are
quite a few other examples
of animals getting drunk or high
from around the world.
There are Bohemian Waxwings,
and they like to feast
on fermented berries
and can get quite tipsy
as a result.
Then there are tree shrews
that are known to drink
fermented palm nectar.
And most strange of all
are reindeers which have been
observed eating magic mushrooms
and apparently
feeling the effect.
So we don't know whether
they're enjoying it or not,
but it could be that animals
have been getting high and drunk
for longer than we have.
Narrator:
One thing's for sure,
these wild and crazy guys
on Madagascar
are giving new meaning
to the term "party animals."
The world of birds
is a riot of colour.
Around the globe,
there are nearly
10,000 species.
And the colour combinations
are endless.
Birds are some of the most
extraordinary animals
when it comes to colour,
and it's not just colour.
It's the patterns,
the way they use them,
the combinations.
And they seem
to be able to cover
the whole spectrum
of the rainbow and beyond.
Narrator: Birds use colour
in a variety of ways.
Distinct colour patterns
are useful
to identify a member
of your own species.
Birds also use colour
for camouflage,
and very often,
bright colours
are super helpful
in attracting a mate.
In fact, scientists discovered
that one
particular bird species
enhances
its colourful appearance
in much the same way
a person would.
The South of France.
Home to large colonies
of birds.
Including one of the most
striking birds in the world,
the greater flamingo.
Greater flamingos
are the largest
of the five species
of flamingos
found around the world.
They stand up to five-foot tall
but most of that,
about two-thirds,
is made up of their legs.
And they use those long legs
to wade into the water
and they stir up the sediment
on the bottom of the water
and then swoop down
with those long necks,
and they'll actually filter out
all food particles in the water
using these really bizarre
upside-down bills.
Narrator:
They scoop out algae, shrimp,
and other small crustaceans.
Tasty treats that are vital
for the flamingo
not only as nourishment
But also to give
the flamingo
its iconic pink plumage.
Flamingos' feathers
are tinged
a beautiful rose-pink colour
due to a nutrient in their diet
called carotenoids.
They get them from eating
algae and crustaceans
in their environment,
and they're like
natural pigments.
So if they don't eat enough
of the carotenoids,
their feathers will turn pale.
Narrator:
In the flamingo world,
it's not enough to be tall
and thin and pretty.
You've also gotta be
a dazzling shade of pink.
It appears that
the pinker the bird,
the more desirable it becomes
to a potential mate.
Being bright and pink
for a flamingo
isn't just about looking good.
It actually is a signal
of a fit, a dominant bird.
Because if you can
dominate the access
to better feeding grounds,
then you're taking more and more
of this pigment into your body,
and therefore
that's a really great way
to show off your fitness
and that you possibly
are a really good mate.
Narrator:
During the spring,
the mudflats are full
of tens
of thousands of flamingos
looking for love.
That's a lot of competition.
So these birds have to do
everything they can
to stand out from the crowd.
Like humans, flamingos are
deeply social creatures.
They make friends and they form
strong bonds
with their partners.
Narrator:
During breeding season,
flamingos need to consume a lot
of carotenoid-rich food
every day
in order to keep
their feathers bright.
The ones that
don't eat the right diet
see their rich plumage fade.
A team of French scientists
realized that, incredibly,
many of the flamingos used
a kind of make-up
to make themselves
more attractive.
Like many birds,
they can treat their feathers
with a special oil.
It's found in what's called
the uropygial gland,
also known
as a "preening gland,"
located just above
the bird's tail.
The secretions from this gland
contain waxes, contain fats,
and, of course,
that all-important pigment:
the carotenoids.
The oil provides
a waterproof cover
for the bird's feathers
and keeps their skin supple.
But for the flamingo,
keen to keep their feathers
as bright as possible,
it's the pigments that are key,
because that's where they boost
their colour intensity.
Narrator: This flamingo
uses its long neck
to reach around
and gather the oily compound.
It coats its face and beak,
then twists around
and applies it to its feathers.
Just like lipstick or blusher,
it's a colour enhancer
that will rejuvenate
the flamingo's appearance.
The pigment in this preen gland
is actually
in much higher concentrations
than it's found in its original
food source, in the algae,
so the colour is pink,
it's intense.
But it fades quickly,
so during the breeding season,
the flamingos
have to work very hard
to keep themselves
looking their best
by applying and reapplying
and expertly blending
this pigment
through their plumage.
Narrator: With her appearance
given a cosmetic enhancement,
and no doubt feeling
confident and glamorous,
this female flamingo
sets out to find a mate.
Clearly,
the males are impressed.
Scientists say that
the more colourful females
find mates quicker
and start nesting earlier
than their paler,
drabber girlfriends.
So, clearly,
it pays off for flamingos
to use this natural make-up
and make sure they keep
looking their best.
Narrator: They say beauty
is only skin deep.
But these fancy ladies
with their bright pink plumage
flying off into the sunset
with their smitten partners
might disagree.
In the animal kingdom,
there are a few species
that are well-known
for their
superior intelligence.
At the top of the list:
great apes.
Chimps and gorillas,
for example,
can learn up to 400 words
in their lifetime.
Elephants are recognised
for their smarts as well.
But there's a surprising animal
that's recently shown
it may be right up there
with these intellectual giants
of the natural world.
The honey badger.
An unlikely-looking
engineering mastermind.
Honey badgers are famous
for their smarts.
They've got a big
brain-to-body ratio.
They get their name
because they're famous
for raiding beehives.
The like to eat the honey
and the bee larvae,
and they are not afraid
of being stung.
Narrator:
Small and powerful,
the honey badger is a member
of the weasel family.
It's a feisty carnivore,
with a well-earned reputation
for ferocity.
The honey badger is world famous
for being hard,
tough, and fearless.
They don't appear
to be scared of anything.
Narrator: Just under
a metre, nose to tail,
the honey badger has short,
sturdy legs.
On his front feet?
Long, sharp claws,
perfect for self-defence
and digging.
With equally sharp teeth
and powerful jaws,
the honey badger
can crush bones.
Their skin is thick and tough,
able to withstand bee stings,
porcupine quills,
and bites from bigger animals.
The bravery of that honey badger
is just admirable.
If I could take any quality
from any animal,
it would be hard
to argue against
the bravery of a honey badger.
Can you imagine walking around,
thinking you're invincible,
when you're obviously outgunned.
Narrator: Honey badgers
are not just built for battle.
They are also
astonishingly clever,
especially when it comes
to matters of engineering.
They've got fantastic
problem-solving skills,
they're highly adaptable,
and they've even been known
to use tools.
So that's one of the hallmarks
of intelligence: tool use.
Narrator:
South Africa.
Home to Stoffel,
a honey badger famous for
outwitting his human keepers.
Lucy: Stoffel was taken
to an animal rehab centre,
where they take care
of sick and injured animals
until they can be released.
And of course,
he started causing trouble
almost immediately.
Narrator:
Stoffel escaped easily
from any enclosure
he was kept in.
Showing himself to be
a real master of innovation
and engineering.
Puzzle-solving is something that
many of us would probably think
is a distinctly human trait.
Recognizing what the problem is
and then figuring out
how to solve it.
But there are actually
lots of animals
that can solve problems,
and Stoffel is just one
that's showing that the ability
to solve complex problems
like this
isn't just peculiar to humans.
Narrator: Stoffel has amazed
the animal keepers
with his
inventive escape techniques.
To get out of his first cage,
he was able to open gates
and doors by sliding the bolts.
On this occasion,
he did have an accomplice:
his girlfriend, Hammie.
So when they moved Stoffel
to a more secure compound,
Stoffel showed that he's got
more than just fearlessness.
He's got brains.
And he fashioned a ramp
out of rocks and mud
and managed to get himself
over the concrete wall.
Narrator:
He even used tools,
like this handy garden rake.
Propped up against the wall,
it served as a bridge
to freedom.
A lot of tool use
in the animal kingdom
is about survival,
warding off predators.
But Stoffel's was
only about escape.
Engineers could learn a lot
from the animal world.
From ant nests to beaver dams,
to weaver birds
honestly, the feats are endless.
But Stoffel's is
a little bit unique,
because what Stoffel did was use
a man-made tool
in order to escape.
Narrator: As he continues
to outsmart his keepers,
Stoffel's living proof
that for a honey badger,
brawn and brains
is a winning combination.
More than 3,000 km north
of Stoffel's South African home
is one of the most bio diverse
countries on the planet.
Kenya.
This is the perfect place
to find the largest
land mammals on Earth.
The African elephant.
So massive and unique.
But also like us
in so many ways.
Lucy: I love elephants.
Who doesn't love elephants?
They're so smart, and they live
in these extraordinarily
complex societies
which seem to have
many parallels with our own.
Narrator:
Just like us,
elephants have rules
and structure.
On the savannahs, females
and their calves form big herds
led by the eldest,
most dominant female,
known as the matriarch.
Mature males
form their own herds.
For the most part,
a herd is harmonious
and cohesive.
There's not a lot
of family feuding.
But the tranquility
does get broken
by something most parents
deal with at some point
teenagers.
Teenage rebellion in humans
generally involves
slamming doors,
sulking,
screaming at your parents.
If you're an elephant,
teenage rebellion involves
the same kind of
hormonal changes
but often
with less adult supervision.
Narrator: In elephant families
all across the savannah,
when young bulls become
sexually mature,
they suddenly become
a real handful.
Kind of like teenage boys,
who, let's face it,
can be loud and obnoxious.
(Loud trumpeting)
Raging hormones can make
for a raging bull!
These two have had a fight.
Now the winner
is pursuing the loser
just to rub it in.
(Trumpeting)
But like hormonal teenage boys,
the young bull elephants
can't really help it.
It's all down to biology.
After puberty,
and every year afterwards,
their hormones
go into overdrive,
producing 60 times the normal
level of testosterone.
Narrator: This condition
is called "musth."
As a result,
the bulls in musth are
more restless
and aggressive
and more likely
to get into fights.
(Grunting)
A lot of times over a female.
This guy's apparently hit
on someone else's girl.
Or sometimes, it's more simple,
like needing to be first
in line to get a drink.
(Low roaring, trumpeting)
Lucy:
With elephants in musth,
you see a total change
in their behaviour.
They become consumed
with one desire:
that is, to mate.
So the males,
they get incredibly competitive
and the bulls
will fight each other,
and these fights
can be really brutal.
Narrator:
Elephants have hormonal glands
on both sides of their head,
between their eye and ear.
During musth,
these temporal glands secrete
a substance
known as "temporin,"
a dark, oily, musky fluid.
Sometimes you can
actually see it
running down
the elephant's face.
Temporin actually has
23 different components.
It's got proteins,
lipids, hormones,
vitamins,
and it's got
a very distinct smell to it.
It's kind of like
a sweaty urine.
Narrator:
Male elephants leave the herd
when they reach puberty,
around 10 to 12 years old.
Very often, they'll fall in
with other young males
going through the same thing.
These gangs
of young bulls in musth,
they'll rub their secretions
onto trees
in order
to scent-mark their turf,
but they'll also hope
that it attracts the attention
of females
that might be willing to mate.
Narrator:
Of course, they're teenagers
so there's a lot of pushing
and shoving that goes on.
Oh, wow.
There is a huge amount
of strength there
and these are
very young elephants.
Already at this age,
which probably isn't very old,
these two are about as powerful
as two cars ramming
into each other.
and a sure sign that
the young elephant is healthy
and reaching full maturity.
So, when your teenager
has their next tantrum,
just be thankful they're not
the size of an elephant.
Despite some unruly offspring,
the animal kingdom is filled
with wonderful parents.
Individuals or couples
dedicated to nurturing
and protecting their young.
And just like human society,
they sometimes have to make
tough choices or sacrifices.
For example,
if a panda mum has twins,
she might favour
the stronger of the two
and neglect the other,
so at least one
of her babies survives.
And harp seal mothers
nurse pups
with some of the richest milk
on the planet.
But after just 12 days,
they leave them alone
to fend for themselves.
But far below the ocean waves,
there's one animal that makes
the ultimate sacrifice
for its offspring
the octopus.
Octopuses are found
in every ocean on the planet.
Expectant mothers tend
to their eggs until they hatch,
using every last bit
of their energy to defend them.
Starving themselves,
until eventually,
their bodies start
to disintegrate.
Octopus mothers are heavily
invested in their young,
and in the lead-up
to them hatching,
they stop eating,
they stop moving around,
and eventually they waste away,
meaning they never get
to meet their babies.
When the babies hatch,
they're on their own,
and it's a big wide world
for them.
Narrator: These strange
but wonderful creatures
continue to surprise scientists
with new discoveries
about their lives.
Octopuses really are amazing,
and, superficially,
they can appear quite alien.
They've got three hearts,
they've got blue blood,
they've got no bones.
Incredibly intelligent.
They have,
of all the invertebrates,
the largest brain-to-body ratio,
and if you count the neurons
in their brain,
it's roughly the same as a dog.
Narrator:
Considered a sentient being,
an octopus is capable
of experiencing
a range of feelings
and emotions.
Kind of like us.
There are more than 300
different species of octopus
and they all seem
to be deep thinkers
that perhaps
can even dream big.
A few years back,
an octopus surprised the world
with a behaviour
that we've only ever really
associated with ourselves,
and maybe just a few
of the higher mammals,
pigs and dogs,
but certainly not
with an invertebrate.
An animal without a backbone?
Narrator:
This is Heidi.
A small day octopus
that lived in a saltwater tank
at the home of
a marine biologist in Alaska.
One day,
something miraculous happened.
She began
to rapidly change colour.
But not in the usual way.
An octopus can change colour
on demand,
a bit like being
an aquatic chameleon.
But much more instantaneous.
Octopuses rely on
neurons that fire
within fractions of a second
to shift colour,
shape, and texture.
For the most part,
they'll alter
their colour patterns
to match their surroundings
and stay hidden.
Really helpful when hunting.
The way they achieve this
is with cells
called chromatophores,
which, when they're contracted,
almost disappear.
When they're expanded,
like a balloon full of,
like, a colourful liquid,
all of a sudden it reveals
a whole range of colours
and they can do this not just
to change their overall colour,
but they can have waves
of colour and patterns
passing over their bodies
in seconds.
It's really incredible.
Narrator:
Here's the amazing part.
For Heidi,
these dramatic colour changes
were happening in her sleep.
Scientists think
that while she slept,
Heidi was dreaming.
You can see these
really rapid colour changes,
from ghostly white,
right through to deep reds
and yellows,
and purple hues as well.
There's definitely something
going on in her brain right now.
You can just imagine
some vivid dream.
Maybe she's being chased
by a shark,
or she's chasing something,
but it's fascinating to imagine
just what's going on there.
Narrator:
Researchers say, like us,
octopuses have
two stages of sleep.
"Quiet" sleep,
when their skin is pale,
and their body
doesn't move at all,
and "active" sleep,
when their muscles twitch,
and their skin changes colour.
It's similar to
our own active sleep,
which is a phase
called REM sleep.
And this is when we dream.
So it appears from this study
that they might be dreaming.
So that is what
the marine biologist
that was studying Heidi thought,
and certainly
plenty of other people
have been speculating
as to whether octopuses
can dream.
Narrator:
Octopuses evolved more than
270 million years ago.
Long before reptiles
or mammals appeared on Earth.
And on the evolutionary tree,
these cephalopods couldn't be
much further from us humans.
But despite the huge divide,
these amazing creatures seem
to dream a lot like we do.
Dreaming is really
important for our health.
It's where we can process
our experiences,
store our memories,
and make sense
of what we experience
during the waking day.
And it is quite possible
that even in an animal
like an octopus
that they need to
dream as well,
for the very same reasons
that we do.
We don't have definite proof,
but it does seem highly likely.
And as for what an octopus
dreams about, who knows?
But how amazing is that
to think about?
Narrator:
To sleep.
Perchance to dream.
For an octopus,
who knows
what dreams may come?
If only they could tell us.
In some animal societies,
just like some human societies,
one sole individual
or mated pair
will call all the shots
and make all the decisions.
For many species,
this makes sense
and gives the group
order and structure,
boosting their chances
of survival.
But some animal groups
are different.
And just like many
modern human societies,
they try to be
much more inclusive.
Right through the natural world,
there are a whole bunch
of different species
where there are alpha males,
or alpha females,
and basically,
the rest of the group
has to do what they're told.
But that's not always the case.
Right across Southern Africa,
there are democratic dogs,
where even though they've got
an elected leader,
the rest still have
their own voice.
Narrator:
Dawn in Botswana.
As the sun climbs in the sky,
it's time to get up
and start the day.
These are African wild dogs,
sometimes known
as painted wolves.
They're one of the most
social wild canids
and exist
in big family groups.
Some have more than
two-dozen members.
They live together,
hunt together,
and raise young together.
Their motto could very well be:
"All for one, and one for all."
Gillian: I absolutely
love these animals.
They really are more charismatic
than many people realize.
They're very sociable,
so they spend
their entire lives together,
24/7, with the pack,
and what's really amazing is
there's hardly any infighting.
Narrator:
For these dogs,
most days begin
with a morning rally.
It's like a high-energy
greeting ceremony.
Where each dog
says "good morning"
to every other dog.
Big and small alike.
Regardless of age or rank.
Ben: This appears to be
a really exciting time
for them.
There's really high energy.
There's lots of licking,
lots of yapping at each other.
There's lots of contact.
And bowing towards one another.
It's almost as if
they're showing reverence
towards one another.
Narrator: African wild dogs
live in a democracy.
Apart from
very small newborn pups,
every member
of the pack has a voice
and is allowed to take part
in the decision-making process.
There are important choices
to make every day.
For instance,
when and where to go hunting.
Here, that's a group decision.
And like it is,
say, in government,
these democratic dogs
cast their vote.
All those in favour say
-achoo!
-(Wild dog sneezing)
Narrator: It sounds strange,
but one
of the dogs' vocalizations
is a sort of sneeze.
(Sneezing)
Scientists say
it's the equivalent
of a "yes" vote.
It takes
a certain number of sneezes
to confirm the hunting mission.
This is not just
extraordinary behaviour
but it's actually quite new.
It's been overlooked
and only recently
been described,
which, I think, is actually
really important for the species
because
they're really threatened,
there are very few of them left,
and up until now,
people have focused on
maybe their
less palatable behaviour,
their hunting behaviour,
which can be quite brutal.
This sort of behaviour is rare
but it's not unprecedented.
There are some monkeys,
such as macaques,
that effectively vote
where to go each day,
and the others will follow.
And we see
the same sort of thing
in African Buffalo as well,
who get together in the morning
and effectively decide
where to go and graze
throughout the day.
It's almost an elected decision.
Narrator: For the dogs,
a winning vote
doesn't have to be unanimous.
And not all ballots
count the same.
High-ranking members only need
as few as three sneezes
to start a hunt.
Low-ranking members
may need as many as ten
before the "yeas" have it.
Even in this system
of everyone having a voice,
there's still a hierarchy.
So, for example,
around the kill,
the young pups will be allowed
to eat first,
then the dominant animals
will feed,
and then only the elders
will get to feed.
However, the elders
aren't completely down
at the bottom of the pile
because when it comes
to decision-making,
they still hold some sway.
Narrator:
With a consensus reached,
the adult dogs trot off
to search for prey.
Juveniles often
stay behind at the den
to look after
and safeguard the puppies.
The pack hunts
as a cohesive unit,
stalking animals that
they know they can outrun.
Wild dogs
are the endurance athletes
of the African savannah
and can run at speeds
of more than 60 km/h
over long distances,
allowing them to catch prey
that gets tired
long before they do.
When they cooperate
and hunt together,
they are enormously successful.
These wild dogs have
a hunting success rate
of approximately 80%.
That's something almost
unheard of
within the natural world.
When they make a kill,
they share the food
without too much squabbling,
and food is also brought back
for members who've stayed behind
including the pups as well.
Narrator: It's all done
with an extraordinary level
of cooperation and teamwork.
But for these dogs,
democracy goes beyond hunting.
This is quite exceptional.
When a pack leader dies,
it appears the rest
of the group get together
and effectively cast votes
for the new leader,
and it's a time full
of hoots and whoops
and just lots of noise
and energy.
Narrator: African wild dogs
are also known
to care for pack members
that are old, sick, or injured.
Around here,
no dog is left to suffer alone.
Certainly for wild dogs,
they could really do
with a little bit of a PR boost.
Because
they have been persecuted
and they are endangered,
and seeing them working together
in this way,
almost like a democracy,
if you like,
might help us relate to them
a little bit more
and endear them to us.
Narrator: It's a society
based on respect,
affection,
and devotion.
Maybe we can take a lesson
from wild dogs
and try to make our world
more like theirs.