Whales and Dolphins Deadly 360

This is Deadly 360,

the show that pits three of the world's

deadliest predators against their prey.

Examining their hunting strategies

and their escape tactics from every angle.

By delving beneath the fur and the feathers,

we find out why a hunt succeeds

and why they sometimes fail.

'One thing is certain,

'prey animals are anything but sitting ducks.'

Their defensive strategies keep them alive

and push predators to the limits.

Prepare for Deadly 360.

This is Deadly 360 mission control,

where all of today's action and analysis takes place.

'We have access to the most enthralling hunts

'that have ever been caught on camera.'

I have recreated three of the most exciting

and analysed them from a variety

of angles and perspectives, in true 360 degree style.

The predators we are looking at

have to find and catch food or they just won't make it.

In the wild world,

simply managing to survive is the greatest challenge of all.

I present to you the whales and dolphins.

'In today's leaping line-up is the killer whale.

'Endurance, stamina and power that is world-beating.

'We also meet the humpback, a monster whale that hunts on a massive scale.

'And in the open seas of East Africa, the dolphin,

'who uses sonar to track down prey.

'Three predators, three hunting strategies, all deadly.'

They look invincible, but there is a continual arms race going on

in nature, which ensures that prey animals

are always evolving spectacular ways of taking care of themselves.

'Today's line-up of defenders include the sardine,

'an agile fish, with quite a turn of speed.

'And this aquatic acrobat, the sea lion - a true master in the water.

'Along the North American coast,

'we investigate the herring's tactics for survival.

'Three prey with three very different escape strategies

'to evade even the most persistent of killers.'

I have introduced you to all of our contenders.

Now it is time to meet our first deadly duo going head to head.

'We start with the dolphin. Playful, elegant mammals,

'but also ruthless ocean predators.'

Up against it is this.

'The slippery sardine. They are small, quick and agile

'and are equipped with some pretty clever tactics for survival.'

Which animal has the edge in the race for life?

It is time to go Deadly 360.

'As we join the action, dolphins are circling the shoal.

'The sardines stick together for safety,

'twisting, to cause confusion.

'The lead dolphin makes a move. Now the sardines are in trouble.'

But even in a hunt like this, there are still lots of factors in play.

To find out why a predator might succeed or fail,

we need to wind back the action

and build up the entire hunt right from the beginning.

'The first thing to show you is where in the world this takes place.

'What you are about to see

'happened in the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean,

'off the East Coast of Africa.

'It is June and thousands of sardines have made their annual migration

'up from the south.

'Brought here by the cold currents, they come to feed on the vast blooms

'of plankton, and where the sardines go for food,

'dolphins will follow.

'Dolphins follow schools of fish from place to place.

'When the ocean is this big, it needs to use all of its skills

'of hunting to find and catch them.'

So, that is the scene set.

Let us have a look at some of our predator's attributes.

'Dolphins are solely predatory and intelligent, efficient killers.

'They are incredibly brainy,

'using sophisticated sonar and teamwork to succeed.

'Add to this their speed

'and you have one of the finest fish-finders in the ocean.'

Those are the weapons our predator will be unleashing on its target.

What about the animal in the firing line?

What has it got to protect itself?

'Well, sardines have the edge over predators in their sheer numbers.

'These synchronised swimmers stick together for safety.

'Sardines also have acute hearing which will alert them to predators

'and they are also nifty little fish,

'capable of covering ten body lengths in just one second.

'That is like me covering 18 metres in the blink of an eye.'

So, our predator is going to find it pretty difficult

to get anywhere near this prey.

Let's see what happens.

'We join the hunt at mid-morning and the sardines have headed

'out of deep water into the shallows, in search of plankton.

'There is no sign of the pod of dolphins yet.

'They are swimming up the coast.'

But how are they going to find their food in this vast,

and often empty, ocean?

Well, they use sound.

They can actually track down their prey using sonar.

Let's find out how.

Dolphins are extremely vocal creatures.

They create a whole range of chirps and whistles to communicate

with each other, but they also have one other very special kind of sound.

A structure beneath the blowhole can create a series of clicks,

some of which we can hear and some of which are too high for human ears.

Perhaps as many as 1,000 of these a second.

These are directed off into the water

and will bounce back off any objects that are in front of the dolphin.

They are then interpreted inside the head, so the dolphin can build up

a three-dimensional picture of the world around it, just using sound.

Let's see how our dolphins get on.

'Back to the hunt.

'The pod of dolphins have locked into the sardines and are in hot pursuit.

'They are beautiful swimmers, moving at speed with total ease.'

Any animal swimming through the water has to battle against

two different types of drag.

First, pressure drag, which is caused as it forces itself forward.

Secondly, there is the drag of water across its skin.

Dolphins get around this by having a slick, rubber-like skin,

which sheds water with ease,

allowing them to get up to speeds of around 25 mph,

which is as fast as a speedboat.

'But just down the coast,

'the sardines have detected the dolphin's approach in the water.

'Sardines have excellent hearing.

'Sound travels further and faster in water than it does in air -

'about four-and-a-half times faster.

'So fish can pick up the tiniest vibrations in the water.

'But their hearing won't help them now.

'Their best defence tactic is to rely on their speed and teamwork.'

Proportionately, fish have much more of their body

given over to muscle than mammals, like dolphins, do.

'Almost all of that muscle is purely used for swimming.

'In the case of the sardine, that is often fast,

'explosive bursts of speed.

'This comes in handy when you need to move quickly as a group.

'This is called shoaling.'

So why is shoaling such an effective defence against predators?

Well, let's have a look inside one of those mighty shoals.

It is quite common for prey animals to stick together in large numbers.

This is perhaps where you see most definitively why they do it.

First of all, in a shoal of fish this size, you have many,

many eyes on the lookout for a threat.

100,000 fish are much more likely to see

an approaching predator than 100 fish are.

Next, you are looking at what seems to be one huge, great

single, shimmering organism.

It is almost impossible for a predator

to pick out any one individual that it might want to feed on.

So it can easily swim into this shoal of fish

and come up with nothing at all.

The shoal looks incredibly enticing, but it is certainly not an easy meal.

Right, back to the hunt.

'The dolphins are just metres from the sardines,

'and are poised and ready to strike.

'This massive, churning mass of sardines is tricky to get close to.

'This is where the dolphins' teamwork really comes into play.

'Each dolphin dives underneath the sardines and drives them

'upwards towards the surface, creating a smaller,

'tighter shoal called a bait ball.

'But the sardines don't panic.

'They keep their shape and move in unison,

'making it hard for the dolphins to pick out a single target,

'so the dolphins pull out their secret weapon.'

Just before the dolphins attack, they set their sonar to stun mode.

They use it at a far higher intensity,

and it completely scrambles the fish's hearing, making them panic.

'With their plan in full effect, the lead dolphin dives in,

'scattering and breaking up the fish.

'The rest of the pod follows suit.

'The sardines now search for safety in the crowd.

'With so many fish in the shoal, their chances of survival are good.

'All they can really do is twist and turn together and hope to stay alive.

'It may look like a devastating attack,

'but in the end, the pod will probably only eat around 1,000 fish.

'In a shoal of maybe 100,000 sardines, that won't make a dent.'

We think of dolphins as being friendly, smiley, brainy mammals.

Certainly, they are very intelligent.

But they are also completely ruthless when they are looking for a meal,

as our sardines certainly found out.

'Despite their sophisticated sonar, streamlined swimming and teamwork,

'the dolphin pod attack wasn't enough to do much damage,

'thanks to the sardines' nifty speed, acute hearing

'and their force of numbers, ensuring the shoal survived to swim again.'

Now, onto our next pair of hunters locked in a battle for survival.

'This is the killer whale, or orca.

'They are sophisticated, co-ordinated pack hunters.'

Up against it is this -

'the biggest and baddest of all the sea lions, the Steller sea lion.'

But which has the edge in the race for life?

It is time to go Deadly 360.

'We join the hunt moments before the final strike.

'A Steller sea lion is all alone in deep water

'and is unaware of what lies beneath...

'A killer whale.

'It is speeding towards its target. The sea lion is in serious trouble.'

If we freeze the action at this critical moment,

who do the odds favour, the predator or the prey?

As ever, we need to examine this hunt in forensic detail.

To do that, we have to take it back to the start.

'Well, let's find out where all this happened.

'We are now travelling to the Pacific Ocean,

'along the west coast of British Columbia in Canada.

'It is here in these chilly waters that the killer whales are hunting.

'Orca are the largest member of the dolphin family,

'and like other dolphins, they live in pods, travelling,

'socialising and hunting together.

'On the menu today is one of their favourite meals,

'the Steller sea lion.

'These coasts are perfect for sea lion colonies.

'There are rocky platforms, ideal for raising a family,

'and with hungry pups to feed,

'these waters offer a plentiful supply of fish.'

So, that's our location.

What sort of attributes do our predator and prey have

that would give them an advantage in this kind of environment?

'The killer whale has some pretty impressive stats.

'First up, its size.

'Weighing the equivalent of four hefty cars,

'it is capable of moving at great speed in pursuit of its dinner.

'Next, its three-metre tail,

'powerful enough to deliver a fatal blow to its prey.

'And lastly, hunting skills.

'Their attacks are timed to perfection.

'They are ruthless and focused.'

An impressive line-up of hunting skills,

but as ever on Deadly 360,

our prey animal is armed with some pretty impressive means of defence.

'The sea lions are equipped with both agility and speed.

'Although cumbersome on dry land,

'once in the water they are like graceful ballerinas,

'with the ability to outmanoeuvre their attacker.

'Add to that jaws that can deliver a bite equal to a grizzly bear

'and you've got one tough cookie.'

With two such talented animals,

this hunt is going to be a close-run thing.

Let's see what happens.

'It's early morning and the sea lions are out hunting,

'but it's the end of summer and a lack of fish makes it tough.

'They now have to head out to deeper waters to find a meal.

'And just a few miles down the coast,

'a pod of killer whales are also on the move.

'These orca have superlative stamina,

'covering vast areas of ocean in search of their food.'

But this is a six-tonne mammal

and it is moving through the water absolutely effortlessly.

How on earth do they manage that?

The killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family

and a fully-grown male is absolutely enormous.

In fact, I think we are going to need to see it larger than this.

I can't show you a life-size model,

because it would be way too big to fit into Deadly HQ.

Here is one at about half life-size.

Well, even at this size, it's still pretty impressive.

This is only about the length of a fairly well-fed calf.

This animal is really built for speed.

The killer whale is capable of having burst of up to 30 mph,

thanks to the muscles, which are here.

Now, killer whales are mammals,

so the way their spine articulates is very much the same

as you will see in a horse or a cheetah - in an up and down motion.

This means that it can't have its tail flukes orientated vertically,

as you will see in a fish that swims from side to side.

Instead, the flukes have to be horizontal, like this.

This is actually a fully scaled-up male killer whale's tale.

Look at the size of it! It's three metres across.

It is not surprising that it can generate so much force.

You have to say,

the killer whale would vie for the title

of the mightiest predator on Earth.

'Right, back to the hunt.

'The killer whales have arrived in the bay and spotted the sea lions,

'but they're keeping their distance from the shore.

'Sea lions have sensitive hearing, to alert them to predators,

'but this is only one of a whole range of special adaptations

'these animals have.'

A fully-grown male Steller sea lion can be three metres in length

and weigh as much as a tonne,

but they're incredibly manoeuvrable underwater.

They create their forward thrust

using their four limbs, which are shaped into flippers.

The rear flippers are pretty much used to give them direction.

That sinuous, streamlined body

means they can move in all kinds of different shapes

and evade even the most tenacious of predators.

'If any predator can get close enough to these guys,

'they will find themselves face to face with this set of teeth.'

I am hoping to prove to you now that they come plenty well-equipped

to take care of themselves.

I remember the first time that I saw a sea lion skull,

I couldn't believe that this could belong to the same playful,

intelligent animal that I had seen in the wild.

After all, this is bigger than a lion's skull.

Sea lions have 34-38 teeth. Look at the size of them!

Their canines are up to seven centimetres in length and are sharp

and slightly curved to grip onto their prey.

Having a skull this large means they can deliver a bite

that could even injure an orca.

If you think I'm overstating how intimidating

a big, male sea lion can be, I have been in the water with them

and I can promise it is as scary as any shark encounter.

Oh!

He is gigantic!

This is spectacular!

Wow!

That is a big male Steller sea lion.

At the moment, the animals do seem kind of playful and inquisitive,

but because they are so very, very big...

..it's, erm, it's a bit unnerving, actually.

Oh, crikey! There was close!

It grabbed me. Ow! Ah, that hurt!

So, I've seen first-hand that being in the water with

a Steller sea lion can be just as frightening as any shark encounter.

Let's see how the sea lion gets on against an orca.

'We are into the final stages of the hunt.

'The whales are waiting out of sight of the sea lions.

'It's too risky to attack the group.

'The orca's best bet is to wait for one to wander off.

'It looks like it's been worth the wait.

'One of the male sea lions is hunting alone

'and that makes him the perfect target.

'But any attacking whale will still need the element of surprise.

'Hunting a one-ton, three-metre sea lion isn't easy.

'OK, the lead killer whale is making a move.

'It drives upwards, using the power from its three-metre tail

'to rocket towards the surface at astonishing speed.

'And...

'Oh, wow!

'It blows the sea lion clean out of the water.'

Well, that was one of the most extraordinary kills

you will ever see, and definitely worth another look.

'You can see six tonnes of killer whale coming racing

'towards the surface and hitting the sea lion

'straight into its underbelly.'

Really, it is going to be pretty much all over in that initial strike,

but just to make sure, it hits it with a punishing tail slap.

Now, there is no doubt that sea lion is dead.

Orca have a vast array of different hunting strategies

and also potential prey.

These come with a varying degree of success rate and also of risk.

You have to say that this is one of the most dangerous kind of hunt

they could possibly take on.

This time, the risk was worthwhile.

'The sea lion's agility...

'speed...and deadly jaws just weren't quite enough...

'..against the whale's phenomenal power, flat-out pace and precision.'

This is our last deadly duo, locked in a battle for life or death.

'This is the mighty humpback whale.

'At around 30 tonnes, it is one of the largest creatures on earth.'

Up against it is this, the North Atlantic herring.

'With reflective scales, they are the illusionists of the water world.'

But which animal has the edge in the race for survival?

It is time to go 360.

'We witness the final stage of the hunt.

'The herring have detected the humpback's approach

'and dropped down into deeper water and the whales give chase.'

Well, based on size alone,

you would have to say it looks like the prey is done for.

But don't give up hope yet. It's rarely as simple as that.

Let's rewind to the start of the hunt and begin our investigation.

'First off, let's find out where this hunt happened.

'Well, we are staying in the Pacific Ocean, but heading

'further north, into the waterways of Alaska.

'It's summer and these waters have attracted a massive number

'of herring, to feed on the rich plankton.

'It is this event that triggers the humpback's annual migration

'to these feeding grounds.

'They've spent the winter in the warm waters

'of the south and have travelled 3,000 miles to take advantage

'of these huge shoals of fish.'

So, that is where this drama's taking place,

but how will the environmental factors

affect our two animals' survival and hunting skills?

'Well, the humpbacks have evolved a two-metre-wide mouth,

'to help them hoover up thousands of fish.

'They are the most vocal of whales,

'and can produce screams of 180 decibels, to confuse their prey.

'Plus, their fishing technique, which makes them a wonder whale.'

So, I think it is clear we are dealing with another

well-equipped predator,

but how is our prey going to try and neutralise the threat?

'The herring has numbers in its favour.

'Up to two million can live in a shoal.

'And, just like the sardines,

'shoaling is also their strategy of choice.

'It is teamwork on a massive scale.

'They also have one other trick, their reflective scales.

'In these numbers, it is a dazzling defence.'

OK, now we have all the background, let's get the hunt underway.

'We join the humpbacks as they reach the waters of Alaska.

'After eating nothing for six months, they are starving,

'but their journey isn't over.

'The final leg takes them into the maze of waterways

'to their feeding grounds.

'When it comes to feeding, they rely on their massive mouths.'

And the humpback certainly has that.

The mouth is nearly four metres long and two metres wide,

which is big enough to swallow a fridge freezer.

'So with mouths like that,

'how do the herring avoid getting munched?

'They live together in large numbers, for protection.

'And what a defence!

'It's a beautiful display of choreography and agility.'

Just like the sardines, the herring's scales are actually transparent.

All of the colour of the fish comes from a layer

of pigment cells underneath the scales.

These give it a metallic sheen, which functions almost like a mirror.

When light hits the fish, it scatters in all directions,

making it difficult for a potential predator

to select one individual fish.

But how on earth do these fish manage to stay in formation?

Let's find out.

The many individual fish within a shoal

keep themselves in formation with a couple of simple mechanisms.

The first is eyesight -

watching your neighbour

and maintaining a constant distance from them.

But the second is a more complex organ

called the lateral line, which runs down the length of each fish.

This can detect the changes in movement in the water,

the wakes that are left behind

as other fish are swimming around it.

As a predator darts into the shoal, the rules change

and all the fish scatter in completely different directions.

They then have to get back into formation

as quickly as they possibly can.

Any fish that lingers too long on the outskirts

is exactly the one that's likely to get targeted.

Let's see how these herring fare

against one of the largest mouths in the ocean.

'Now an attacker's nearby, their defence strategy goes into action.

'The shoal drops down in the water, to about 35 metres.

'This gives them enough room to keep in formation.

'Advantage to the herring.

'But it may not be enough.

'The humpbacks have arrived and make their move.

'One whale gives chase and finds the shoal down in deep water.

'With this many fish, it will need a team effort to catch them.

'This is where the rest of the whales come in,

'diving down to join the lead whale.

'These humpbacks are hunting in a way only 100 whales

'in the world have learned to do.

'And this is just phase one.'

So how does that work?

A group of whales will actually swim around

and underneath a shoal of fish.

While they're doing that, one particular whale will call,

to synchronise the group.

That sound can be incredibly loud,

as much as 180 decibels,

the equivalent of a jet engine.

Humpbacks are known for producing some of the most beautiful

and haunting sounds of any animal.

They can also use sound to deadly effect.

This waveform here represents what's going on

in my voice as the volume is changing.

As whales come in ready for the kill, they can produce sounds

of up to 180 decibels, which would be more like this.

WHALE SONG

A sound of that scale travels through the water

four times faster than it travels through air.

Fish have a remarkably sensitive sense of hearing

so you can imagine a sound like this

coming raging through a shoal must be absolutely deafening.

This confuses the fish

and makes it much more easy for the humpbacks to overpower them.

Let's see this incredible animal at work.

'Back down at 35 metres below the surface,

'the humpback's screams are having the desired effect on the herring.

'There's panic within the shoal.

'With so many whales, the herring change tactics and try to escape.

'The humpbacks have to act fast.

'They bring out their final weapon and phase two goes into action.'

They start blowing air out of their blowholes,

creating a tangible curtain of shimmering bubbles,

which the herring simply won't swim out of.

'As the cage of bubbles rises from beneath,

'the herring are funnelled upwards, with nowhere to go.

'Now the humpbacks strike and just open wide.

'Using this method, the whales will continue feeding

'until all of the herring are gone.

'That can be as much as two tonnes in a day.

'That is like me eating 60,000 fish fingers.'

Quite often on Deadly 360, when we have a really large animal

going up against lots of very, very small animals,

the smaller animals succeed by force of numbers.

Not this time around.

Humpbacks will quite often keep feeding on a shoal of herring

until there is simply nothing left.

That's what happened in this case.

The herring's combination of synchronised swimming,

stunning scales

and huge numbers were impressive,

but they just couldn't escape

the humpbacks' massive mouths,

stunning song

and tactical teamwork.

The whales and dolphins are endlessly fascinating.

They have large brains,

even when considered in proportion to their massive bodies.

So they are intelligent, they can communicate,

they can be social and they can use these cerebral skills

to catch a dazzling variety of seafood.

That's all we have time for.

Join us next time as three more pairs of animals go head to head

and we analyse the action, Deadly 360 style.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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