0:00:02 > 0:00:05This is Deadly 360.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08The show that pits three of the world's deadliest predators
0:00:08 > 0:00:10against their pray.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13We examine their hunting strategies
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and their escape tactics from every angle.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20By delving beneath the fur and the feathers,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23we find out why a hunt succeeds...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and why they sometimes fail.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31One thing's certain - prey animals are anything but sitting ducks.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Their defensive strategies keep them alive...
0:00:36 > 0:00:40..and push predators to the limits.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Prepare for Deadly 360.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48This is Deadly 360 mission control,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51where all of today's action and analysis takes place.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56From here, we have access to some of the most enthralling hunts
0:00:56 > 0:00:59that have ever been caught on camera.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03I've recreated three of the most exciting and analysed them
0:01:03 > 0:01:08from a variety of different angles and perspectives.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11The predators we're looking at have to find and catch food
0:01:11 > 0:01:12or they won't make it.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14In the wild world,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18simply managing to survive is the greatest challenge of all.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I present to you the wasps and spiders.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Some people are scared of wasps and spiders
0:01:24 > 0:01:28but they're some of the most diverse creatures on earth.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And to fully appreciate them,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34I'll show you their complex and ingenious ways of getting a meal.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40Their miniature world is not science fiction, but science fact.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45We'll be checking out the spore spiders' ambush attack.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47By using a cloak of invisibility,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52unsuspecting ants might meet their end in the heat of the desert.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Next up, perhaps the largest wasp in the world
0:01:55 > 0:01:59and a stripy terror to anything in its path -
0:01:59 > 0:02:01the Japanese giant hornet.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And then the black spider wasp.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08A parasitic wasp that uses her sting to turn spiders
0:02:08 > 0:02:10into food for her babies.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13These three bugs have a variety of weapons in their armoury,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16all of them deadly.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They look invincible but there's a continual arms race on in nature
0:02:21 > 0:02:24which ensures that prey animals are always evolving
0:02:24 > 0:02:27spectacular ways of taking care of themselves.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33First up, one of the fastest ants in the world, the dune ant.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Its long legs help keep it one step ahead of its attacker
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and it has brutal jaws.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Then, the golden wheeling spider.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It has a venomous fangs for defence
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but this eight-legged acrobat's best tactic
0:02:47 > 0:02:50has to be seen to be believed.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And, last, the honey bee. A normally peaceful individual
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but with tens of thousands in one colony, they can turn
0:02:56 > 0:02:59on an attacker with strength in numbers and a venomous sting.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Three different prey,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05each with cunning counter-attacks to keep them alive.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I have introduced you to all of our contenders.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Now it's time to meet our first deadly duo going head-to-head.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The first predator uses a cloak of invisibility to catch its prey.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It's the spore spider.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Up against it is this - the mighty dune ant.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28At twice the spider's size, it's no easy meal.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32But which animal has the edge in the race for life?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It's time to go Deadly 360.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42We join the action just before the strike.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The spore spider is waiting to ambush
0:03:45 > 0:03:48from the depths of its carefully positioned underground lair.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52All it needs is one dune ant to stray on to its ingenious trap
0:03:52 > 0:03:55but these ants are speedsters
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and only hit the spider's trap for a split second.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00How on earth can it react in time?
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Even in a hunt like this, there are a lot of factors in play.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08To find out why the hunter succeeds or fails,
0:04:08 > 0:04:14we need to wind back and build up the entire hunt from the beginning.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So, where are we?
0:04:17 > 0:04:21We're in southern Africa in the dunes and deserts of Namibia.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25This is one of the toughest places in the world to survive.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31It's dry and baking hot and food is extremely scarce.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35The spore spider has had to evolve an incredible way of hiding
0:04:35 > 0:04:40from the sun as well as some tactics to become an expert ant-muncher.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44This means the dune ants not only have to avoid the heat
0:04:44 > 0:04:45but also the spider's ambush.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52It's fair to say this is a pretty challenging environment for a hunt.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57What do our two animals have to give them an edge in such conditions?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03The element of surprise is critical for the spider
0:05:03 > 0:05:05so it keeps well hidden.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10It has some scissor-sharp reactions, as well as gripping front legs
0:05:10 > 0:05:14that hold on to prey with a vice-like grip.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18All of that makes our predator a pretty scary prospect.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20What does our prey have to counter?
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Dune ants are twice the spider's size, with crushing jaws
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and can hit speeds of nearly half a metre a second.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Scaled up, that's like me running 150mph.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38With two worthy opponents, let's drop in on the action.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42The heat of the Namibian desert can cause the surface of the sand
0:05:42 > 0:05:45to hit temperatures hot enough to cook an egg.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Exposed to these conditions, the spore spider wouldn't last long.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Out here the only way to survive is to get out of the sun
0:05:54 > 0:05:57but with virtually no plants to give cover,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59what other options has the spider got?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Let's look at how the spider hides.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04As it's moving its abdomen around,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it's using the spinnerets to create a silken blanket
0:06:07 > 0:06:12on the surface of the sand and integrating grains of sand into it.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16And look at this! It's created its very own invisibility cloak.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Within 30 seconds it's disappeared.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24That sandy cloak acts like a parasol,
0:06:24 > 0:06:29protecting it from the sun as it builds its deep, dark burrow.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33This thermal image shows how the spider
0:06:33 > 0:06:36moves down from the surface where it's punishingly hot -
0:06:36 > 0:06:38it's marked in yellow and orange -
0:06:38 > 0:06:41to this deeper sand that's blue or green and cooler.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44This movement could be the difference between life or death.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49But now the spider's beneath the sand and its prey, the ants,
0:06:49 > 0:06:50are scurrying around above.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It doesn't have a web, it can't see them,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55so how is it going to find a meal?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Well, let's take a closer look.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01The spore spider sits cool and comfortable
0:07:01 > 0:07:04inside its vertical burrow.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07There's the silken blanket covering the hole.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09And then a fine network of threads
0:07:09 > 0:07:12running over the surface of the sand.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15One single thread joins in the middle
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and runs down into the burrow.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22The spider sits with its front legs touching that thread.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Anything that runs over the threads on the surface
0:07:25 > 0:07:27is going to trigger the trap
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and the spore spider can leap into lethal effect.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33OK, let's see this trap in action.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Positioning is critical for the spore spider's trap to work.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44It places it between two rival ant colonies.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47This means there's more chance of an ant from either side
0:07:47 > 0:07:49running over the top of it.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50It just has to be patient.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53The ants are foraging for food on the dunes
0:07:53 > 0:07:55where the sand can be scorchingly hot.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59They handle the heat better than the spider with a crafty body design.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Their silver bodies reflect the sun's crippling heat.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06And their long legs hold them up from the scorching sand.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Just 5mm off the surface, the temperature can be 15 degrees lower
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and this is how they cope when looking for food.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15And they have just found a large meal.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17They need to get it back quickly
0:08:17 > 0:08:20before the rival colony of ants picks up the smell.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Food is so scarce here that battles will break out over meals.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Dune ants will fight to the death to keep hold of it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32But what weapons does the ant have in its armoury?
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Ants are a surprisingly diverse group of animals.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38They all have the same basic body plan.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43We have head, thorax, abdomen, six legs and antennae.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46But the proportions can be very different.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48In the dune ant we have a large head,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and very well-developed mandibles or jaws.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54These are really useful for both attack and defence.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00The ants are taking the food back to their nest
0:09:00 > 0:09:04but out of range of the spider's ingenious booby-trap.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It needs one to come closer.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12And it looks like the spore spider's chances of a meal have improved.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15A rival colony of ants are invading, trying to steal food,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18so the home side rush out to defend their meal
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and this is in the spider's favour.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24The ants will be concentrating on their enemy
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and won't notice the spider's ingenious trap.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31With everything to lose, the home side sends reinforcements
0:09:31 > 0:09:36but don't realise they're heading straight towards the spore spider.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40One sets off the trap, but the spider was too slow.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And again! That one's lucky to be alive.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50But it's third time perfect for the spider.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54It grips on to the ant with its front legs.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57The ant is fighting back, trying to pull itself out,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02but it's not working, so it tries landing a defensive bite.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But the spider uses the trapdoor like a shield,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12blocking the ant's crushing bite, and it pins it to the hot sand.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21This is where the spider's final tactic comes into play.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Let's see that thermal-imaging camera.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It's holding the ant down on that burning hot sand
0:10:27 > 0:10:32and the ant literally cooks to death. That is just extraordinary.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36The sun that has been the spider's enemy is now its friend.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40The spore spider can now drag the ant down into the cool safety
0:10:40 > 0:10:44of its underground lair where it can then get stuck in.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49It's very easy for us to overlook the tiny invertebrate battles
0:10:49 > 0:10:52that go on underneath our feet, but you have to say
0:10:52 > 0:10:56in the case of the conflicts between the dune ant and the spore spider,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00it's just as impressive as any large-scale animal battle.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03This time, the spore spider was victorious.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08The dune ant, despite having long, fast legs, a massive size advantage
0:11:08 > 0:11:12and powerful jaws, got snared and cooked alive.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16The spider's invisibility cloak, rapid reactions
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and grasping front legs made a perfect ambush.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Now on to our next pair of hunters locked in a battle for survival.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28This is one of the largest wasps in the world,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31the Japanese giant hornet. Up against it is this,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35a hive of honey bees with thousands of venomous stings for defence.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39But which has the edge in the race for life?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41It's time to go Deadly 360.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Once again, we drop in on the action in the final stages of the hunt.
0:11:49 > 0:11:5230 worker hornets are scouring the area for food.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56One hornet peels off from the group to inspect a honey-bee nest
0:11:56 > 0:11:59filled with juicy grubs - the perfect meal.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03She scent-marks at the entrance as a signpost to the others
0:12:03 > 0:12:07that there is a food here before heading in to hunt down the grubs.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09But the grubs aren't done for yet.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13They have tens of thousands of worker bees to defend them,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16each one armed with a venomous sting.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20One on one, the hornet completely overwhelms the smaller honey bees.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Based on size alone, it looks like the prey is done for,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30but don't give up hope just yet - it's rarely as simple as that.
0:12:30 > 0:12:36Let's rewind to the start of the hunt and begin our investigation.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43This battle is taking place in Japan and, more specifically, here,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45the foothills of Mount Fuji.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50This couldn't be more different to the dry desert of the spore spider.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It's a temperate region with plenty of flowers full of sugary nectar,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56perfect for a busy bees' nest.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02Where you find honey bees in Japan, you also find giant hornets.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Ferocious predators of pretty much anything
0:13:05 > 0:13:07they can get their jaws into.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13That is the arena for our gladiatorial contest.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17What weapons and defences do the two animals doing battle have?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Japanese giant hornets are one of the largest wasps in the world
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and come armed with many weapons,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28from their snipping jaws to their fantastic sense of smell.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32And their venomous sting that they can use time and time again.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35They are so deadly, it's estimated giant hornets
0:13:35 > 0:13:40may kill 70 people a year, so they are definitely best avoided.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44It's clear we are dealing with another well-equipped predator,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48but how is our prey going to try and neutralise the threat?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53With a fantastic sense of smell, honey bees can sense danger early
0:13:53 > 0:13:58and, like the hornet, they all come armed with a venomous sting.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01But their strength comes from being able to defend themselves
0:14:01 > 0:14:04in huge numbers to fight off their attackers.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Let's get back to the very start of the hunt.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11The hornet grubs are hungry.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14It's the worker hornet's job to find food for them.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17This scout party is 30 hornets strong
0:14:17 > 0:14:19and they scour the land for a meal.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21The chief method they have to find food
0:14:21 > 0:14:23is their remarkable sense of smell.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Those two antennae are covered with scent receptors.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32They work like our nostrils and are incredibly sensitive.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37They've picked up the sugary sweet smell from a nearby honey-bee nest.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40The first thing she does is to create a scent trail behind her.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43She uses chemicals called pheromones,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46creating a marking post that both herself and fellow workers
0:14:46 > 0:14:49can come back and find later on.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52The honey bees see the danger of their monstrous attacker
0:14:52 > 0:14:56so they waft their own chemical smell into the hive.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's an alarm pheromone,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02warning the others there's a deadly predator on their doorstep.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Armed with venomous stings, you'd think they would fight
0:15:05 > 0:15:08but, instead of trying to get rid of their attacker,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12they are actively encouraging it into the hive.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15This seems like mass suicide.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Even once they've let the hornet in, the workers are still holding back.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23They don't seem interested in defending their grubs.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24And with no opposition,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28the hornet starts attacking with her powerful jaws.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Let's just pause the action there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32It might look like a total mismatch
0:15:32 > 0:15:36and the hornet is going to easily destroy these bees,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40but that's only one of tens of thousands defending the grubs.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43However, the hornet's jaws did get through that one bee
0:15:43 > 0:15:45incredibly quickly.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Let's get a closer look at why those jaws are so special.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The giant hornet is an absolute machine.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It looks like some kind of insane flying robot.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03It's one of the largest wasps in the world with a wingspan of over 7cm.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Believe it or not, that's double the wingspan
0:16:06 > 0:16:08of the smallest bird in the world.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14If you compare it to the size of our bee, it absolutely dwarfs it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19It's probably five times the length and many, many times the size.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22At the front end of the hornet
0:16:22 > 0:16:25is this extraordinary pair of mandibles.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28They move together, almost like a pair of scissors,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32and they can clip clean through other insects, like the bees.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Let's go back to the moment
0:16:35 > 0:16:40when it encountered the first bee at the entrance to the hive.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44As the hornet cuts through the bee's body,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48it releases an explosion of the bee's attack pheromone.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52This is the signal all the bees have been waiting for.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Now the hornet's inside the hive, they can counter-attack en masse.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58If the hornet got past them now,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01it could easily munch its way through the soft grubs
0:17:01 > 0:17:04so they throw hundreds of bees into the battle.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07But they're not using their venomous stings.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10When a bee uses its sting, it will die soon afterwards.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12The number of bee deaths would be too great
0:17:12 > 0:17:14so what are the bees doing?
0:17:14 > 0:17:19We need to switch to a thermal image to properly understand this one.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The hottest areas are shown in white.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25You can see that around the hornet, it is getting incredibly hot.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27The bees have powerful flight muscles
0:17:27 > 0:17:31and they are vibrating them which is generating heat
0:17:31 > 0:17:35and that is the bees' most efficient defence.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Hornets can only survive temperatures up to 46 degrees
0:17:38 > 0:17:43but bees can survive temperatures of 48.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Those two degrees are the difference between life and death.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Able to withstand the heat, the bees are cooking the hornet alive.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55And by not using their stings, the bees have nearly all survived.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57An incredible defensive tactic.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But there's still one critical thing the bees have to do.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Remember, when the hornet arrived,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06it stamped its smelly pheromone trail all over the entrance.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Now the bees have to get rid of that smell
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and they're doing that by chewing away with the mandibles
0:18:11 > 0:18:13on the wood that's covered in pheromone.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16However, they just can't work fast enough
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and the hornet scouts are on their way.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21They may have won the battle but they haven't won the war.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26That scent mark left by the first hornet is still strong enough
0:18:26 > 0:18:30to guide in 30 more scouts to the bees' home.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32There's panic within the hive.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36With so many predators, the bees change tactic and rush outside
0:18:36 > 0:18:38but that's exactly where the hornets want them.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Outside the hive,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43the hornets can outmanoeuvre the bees' swarming tactics
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and use those jaws and stings with deadly effect.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Bee after bee attempts to defend the grubs.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58The battle goes on for three hours and, in that time,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03the 30 hornets have killed 30,000 bees.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05The grubs' defensive wall has been breached.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The hornets can now enter the hive.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The last few workers offer little resistance.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14The defenceless grubs are butchered into pieces by the hornets.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The next generation has been wiped out
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and the entire colony is completely destroyed.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25It's a scene of utter devastation.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30The hornets then take back the grubs to feed to their own young.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32They've won this epic battle.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Initially it looked like the honey bees' superior tactics
0:19:37 > 0:19:38were going to pay off
0:19:38 > 0:19:42but as it took about 500 bees to overcome one hornet,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45as soon as the hornets attacked en masse, it was all over.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Honey bees have venomous stings, strength in numbers
0:19:49 > 0:19:53and the power to kill using heat, but only with single attackers.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57The hornet's fantastic sense of smell, slicing jaws
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and superior size gave them victory when they worked as a unit.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07This is our last deadly duo locked in a battle for life or death.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Our final predator is the black spider wasp.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Another expert hunter on the sand dunes.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Up against it is this, the golden wheeling spider.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22But which animal has the edge in the race for survival?
0:20:22 > 0:20:24It's time to go 360.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30We join the action at the crucial moment.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34The female black wasps is busy trying to land a venomous sting
0:20:34 > 0:20:36to paralyse the spider.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39She needs to stun it before she can lay her egg on it,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42turning the spider into live food for her baby.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46The golden wheeling spider has impressive fangs
0:20:46 > 0:20:50but the wasp has faster reactions and a venomous sting.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54If we freeze the action at this crucial moment,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57who do the odds favour, the predator or the prey?
0:20:57 > 0:21:00To find out, let's take it back to the start
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and build up the entire hunt from the beginning.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07We're back in the hot deserts of Namibia,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10but we're heading to a different region
0:21:10 > 0:21:12far away from the spore spider and dune ants.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15These sand dunes are hundreds of metres high
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and the desert itself is about 50 million years old.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The battle between the wasp and the spider
0:21:22 > 0:21:25has been going on for a very long time
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and evolved into possibly the most epic battle of all.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31We've set the scene,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34but how do these animals operate in this environment
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and what attributes do they have
0:21:36 > 0:21:38that might tip the balance in their favour?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42This is one of the most impressive and lethal
0:21:42 > 0:21:45of all the wasps in the world.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48They can dart at speeds of 15mph
0:21:48 > 0:21:51with perfectly adapted legs for surviving in the desert.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Add to that an extremely venomous sting
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and it's a worthy opponent for any bug.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01An impressive line-up of hunting skills but, as ever on Deadly 360,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05our prey animal is armed with some pretty impressive means of defence.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The golden wheeling spider is an expert
0:22:09 > 0:22:11in hiding from predators in this barren land.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15They come armed with monstrous fangs.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19But they have a trick to avoid capture that will amaze you.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21More on that in a bit.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Right, back to the hunt.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28We're going straight over to the spider.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's dawn, so this nocturnal spider is in a dangerous place.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Exposed to the heat and potential predators that daybreak brings,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38it must seek cover and fast.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Its arch nemesis, the spider wasp, has started its day of hunting
0:22:42 > 0:22:46a few hundred metres down at the bottom of the dune.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Luckily, the spider is in the perfect place to dig into the sand.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54The spider's at the top of the dune. Digging up here is much easier
0:22:54 > 0:22:57because the sand grains are smaller and much lighter.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01With its eight legs, the spider's effectively equipped
0:23:01 > 0:23:04with eight different shovels to do the digging.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It can shift about 80,000 times its own body weight in sand
0:23:07 > 0:23:09when it's digging its burrow.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11At the bottom of the dune,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15the female wasp is busy searching for the spider.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Its paralysing sting is poised and ready.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Let's take a closer look at that phenomenal sting.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The wasp we're looking at is a female
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and at this end is the stinger.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34The stinger is actually very interesting.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's what's called a modified ovipositor,
0:23:37 > 0:23:42which sounds pretty complicated but all it is is an egg-laying tube,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45except, in this case, it has been slightly changed
0:23:45 > 0:23:48so it can act to inject venom.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50The venom inside is what's called neurotoxic.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It attacks the nervous system of its prey.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57When it stings the spider, it actually paralyses it.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Let's see how this one plays out.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The wasp has relatively poor eyesight
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but staying hidden isn't quite enough for the spider.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11It needs to dig deeper under the sand
0:24:11 > 0:24:15because its tell-tale aroma is being carried on the desert breeze.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The wasp is picking up those smells using its antennae
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and special feathery hairs on the legs
0:24:21 > 0:24:23which are adapted to pick up smells.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27It can detect the scent of the spider even though it's underground.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33And the smell's getting stronger. She knows the spider is nearby.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Now she's found its hideaway she begins to rake back the sand,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40able to shift 300 times her own body weight.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44It's only a matter of time before she unearths it,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and when she does, she will try and sting the spider to stun it.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50She will then lay a single egg on the spider,
0:24:50 > 0:24:55the larva will hatch out and feed on spider flesh.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03Now the spider is exposed, it's an epic fight for life.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It rears up to look as big as possible,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08displaying the most fearsome defensive weapons.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Some incredibly large and venomous fangs.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Let's look at those in closer detail.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The spider is an accomplished predator in its own right.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20The fangs are a very specific shape.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24They're joined to these structures, called chelicerae.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27The venom gland is here.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32And it can swing those fangs forward and stab down towards its prey.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35But it does have one distinct disadvantage.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39The spider is incapable of striking upwards.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42That means any potential attacker, like our wasp,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45just has to come at the spider from above
0:25:45 > 0:25:49and it physically cannot retaliate. Let's see how this plays out.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56On the top of the sand dune, it's fang verses sting,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59but the wasp has much faster reactions.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03It doesn't look good for the spider if this goes on much longer.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09But just when the number is nearly up, it unleashes a secret weapon.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Tucking the legs into the body,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14the golden spider turns itself into a wheel
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and spins off down the dune at over 40 cycles a second.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21This changes its shape and blurs its outline.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The wasp doesn't recognise the blur as food
0:26:24 > 0:26:26so doesn't follow the spider.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Safe at the bottom of the sand dune,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34it's so far away that the wasp can't smell it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35She's left at the top
0:26:35 > 0:26:40trying to work out where her baby's eight-legged meal has just gone.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Of course, if it hadn't made its burrow at the top of the dune,
0:26:44 > 0:26:49it wouldn't have been able to get up enough speed to wheel itself down.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51But at least the spider survives.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Evading a parasite that's evolved solely to overcome you
0:26:55 > 0:26:57is incredibly difficult
0:26:57 > 0:27:02but the golden wheeling spider has achieved this in spectacular form.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Golden wheeling spider, one, spider wasps, nil.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The spider wasp missed out on this occasion
0:27:08 > 0:27:13despite its incredible sting, sense of smell and speedy reactions.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18The golden wheeling spider has huge fangs and eight legs for digging
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and turned into a turbo wheel to escape with its life.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Many people have an irrational fear of creepy-crawlies.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I say irrational because we as human beings
0:27:31 > 0:27:34don't have that much to worry about from spiders and wasps.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37That's not true of the animals they feed on.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41In the world of invertebrates, these creatures are monsters.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44That's all we have got time for.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Join us next time as three more pairs of animals go head-to-head
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and we analyse the action Deadly 360 style.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:02 > 0:28:05E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk