0:00:06 > 0:00:10Our planet is home to millions of different animals.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23The big and the powerful capture our attention...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26but there is another story to tell.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31Beneath our feet are hidden almost magical worlds...
0:00:32 > 0:00:37..teeming with extraordinary little creatures.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41The world looks very different to them.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48A falling acorn becomes a meteor...
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..a tiny trickle, a tsunami...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58..and every enemy is a giant.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Now, using the latest technology,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13we can recreate the world from their perspective.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24These are tales of life from the African plains...
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and America's Sonoran Desert...
0:01:30 > 0:01:33..in the Hidden Kingdoms.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36MOUSE HOWLS
0:02:00 > 0:02:02East Africa...
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and the largest animals that walk the Earth.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12But look closely beneath their feet
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and you will see a network of tiny trails...
0:02:20 > 0:02:24..and the tiny creature that constructed them.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43She's an elephant shrew,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46known by her African name "sengi".
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Trails like this are the secret to a sengi's survival.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00They're race tracks that allow them
0:03:00 > 0:03:04to sprint through this miniature jungle.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07To escape their enemies and chase down food,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10all they really need...
0:03:10 > 0:03:11is speed.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31For their size, a sengi is twice as fast as a cheetah.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Just off trail is her youngster.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Sengi babies spend their first few days in hiding,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55waiting for their mother's fleeting visits.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06The mother's high-speed lifestyle
0:04:06 > 0:04:10requires even more fuel now that there are two mouths to feed.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23She's forced to forage in the far corners of her territory.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Generations of termites built this mountain fortress...
0:04:33 > 0:04:37but now it's the home of a hunter.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47ROARING
0:05:59 > 0:06:03A monitor lizard can taste a scent trail.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09But the forked tongue does more.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Its shape means it tastes in stereo...
0:06:17 > 0:06:21..so it not only knows that prey passed by,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24but in which direction it was headed.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38SHE SQUEAKS
0:06:46 > 0:06:50A mother's instinct is to lure away the danger.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Sengi know their trails so well,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23they can normally outrun an enemy.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But the world above is beyond their control.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38With the trail suddenly blocked,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41there's no escaping the predator.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01SHE SQUEAKS
0:08:01 > 0:08:03With her mother gone,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08how will the youngster learn the secrets of sengi life?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Nearly 10,000 miles away,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25on the other side of the world,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28a different hidden kingdom...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32..in America's Sonoran Desert.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Long before the first human settlers,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47there were already families
0:08:47 > 0:08:49struggling to make this wilderness home...
0:08:52 > 0:08:54..and they're still here.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03A family of grasshopper mice.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The father has long gone.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20This mother is raising four hungry mouths alone.
0:09:22 > 0:09:2420 days after they arrived
0:09:24 > 0:09:27kicking and squeaking into the world,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29they're furred and feisty.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38They're not quite ready to make it on their own,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40except for one.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44An hour older and bolder than his brothers,
0:09:44 > 0:09:50he already has the urge to explore the world beyond his birthplace.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53DISTANT HOWLING
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Every night, his mother goes out to find food.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16And she sees things out there that could scare a young mouse to death.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29There are more venomous creatures here than anywhere in the USA.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36THUNDERCLAP
0:10:45 > 0:10:47No place for the timid.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58But she's not your average mouse.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Her kind has never known a time without this ancient adversary.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's why old-timers would call her by an earlier name...
0:11:23 > 0:11:26..scorpion mouse.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30The sting of a scorpion can cause death in humans.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34But a grasshopper mouse has almost superpowers.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Their reactions are faster than a scorpion strike...
0:11:48 > 0:11:50..their bodies immune to the venom.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56They specialise in killing deadly prey.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05MOUSE HOWLS
0:12:08 > 0:12:11To defend their territory, they stake a claim
0:12:11 > 0:12:13with a warning howl.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16HIGHPITCHED HOWLING
0:12:19 > 0:12:25If we were shrunk to mouse size, it would sound more like a wolf.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32The young grasshopper mouse knows nothing
0:12:32 > 0:12:34of the dangers outside his door.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46But barely three weeks old,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50growing curiosity means he's about to face them.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59The desert will soon have him running for his life.
0:13:24 > 0:13:30In Africa, the orphaned sengi must learn to fend for herself.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Without a mother to guide her,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42she has no sense of who is friend or foe.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Curiosity gives way to hunger.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44For the first time, she's driven onto the trails her mother left.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50A young sengi must eat every few hours.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Catching enough food is a challenge.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01It's no good trying to fight through thick grass.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Obstacles just slow you down.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19The penny drops.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24The trail is the key to finding food fast.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32So, to maximise speed, a spot of spring-cleaning is in order.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The smaller the mammal, the higher its metabolism.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43So, in the hidden kingdom,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46there's a constant race to fuel your lifestyle.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56It's why sengis are a little...fussy.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10They can spend half their waking hours tidying their home.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19The sengi needs to clear away everything that gets between it...
0:16:19 > 0:16:21and its food.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08But no matter how hard you work,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11some problems are just too big to deal with...
0:17:18 > 0:17:21..even for the most house-proud sengi.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24RUMBLING
0:18:16 > 0:18:17SHREW SQUEAKS
0:18:18 > 0:18:20ELEPHANT RUMBLES
0:19:13 > 0:19:15ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Things seemed to be going so well.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Luckily, in the hidden kingdom, help is at hand.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Dung beetles can sniff the whiff of dung half a mile away.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Within minutes, thousands helicopter in.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Without these miniature marvels,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54the savanna would be drowning in dung.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Serrations on their head saw it up...
0:20:03 > 0:20:07..and legs like spades shape the dung into perfect balls.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Most just take enough to eat.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Others are out to attract female company.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23And for that, the bigger the balls, the better.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35She climbs on board for the ride.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Later, she'll lay her eggs inside...
0:20:41 > 0:20:43..as soon as the male finds them
0:20:43 > 0:20:45a secluded spot where they can start a family.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Pound for pound, a dung beetle is stronger than an elephant.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Sadly, this is no consolation when their worlds collide.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Still, it's not all bad.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29At least the trail is clear.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Alas, bigger problems are brewing on the horizon.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50THUNDERCLAP
0:21:50 > 0:21:53In the Sonoran Desert, the remaining youngsters
0:21:53 > 0:21:56wait patiently in the burrow for their mother.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00HIGH-PITCHED HOWLING
0:22:26 > 0:22:29They're getting a taste of the world outside.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35So far, their mother has protected them from its dangers.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55But there's nothing she can do for her eldest.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59He faces his first night in the desert alone.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06The heat absorbed by this desert road lures insects at night.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11It's the perfect place for a hungry mouse to find food,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and for others to set up an ambush.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37There are more rattlesnakes here than anywhere else on Earth.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45A grasshopper mouse tiptoes through a living minefield.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Grasshopper mice face deadly locals every night.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Usually a dry riverbed would be a place of safety.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00But tonight a powerful force threatens...
0:25:03 > 0:25:07..one so rare, a mouse could go its whole life without seeing it.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21This refuge will soon become a trap.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26There are places in this desert
0:25:26 > 0:25:29that don't see a drop of rain for 1,000 days.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Yet when it does arrive, a year's worth can fall in a single night.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52For one so small, wet fur can lead to a fatal chill.
0:25:57 > 0:26:03A mouse shakes up to 30 times a second, generating forces of 70G.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06It may have rained,
0:27:06 > 0:27:12but months of blazing sun has baked Arizona's earth as hard as stone.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20The water can't soak away.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Instead, it gathers momentum
0:27:23 > 0:27:25as it races downhill.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30To us, it's a tiny stream.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36To a mouse, it's a 12-inch high tsunami.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49MOUSE SQUEAKS
0:28:29 > 0:28:34Back in Africa, the grassland is tinder-dry.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40For now, life in the Hidden Kingdom appears tranquil.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56When it comes to perseverance, a young sengi could learn a lot
0:28:56 > 0:28:59from Africa's hard-working waste disposal expert.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07Dung beetles can push the equivalent of a three-tonne truck.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12It provides all the food this male's family will ever need.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17The trouble with keeping your head down, though,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20is that you can't always see where you're going.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Dung beetles don't give up.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Even when they've lost the ball, they get right back on,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20heading off in the same direction, no matter what is in their way.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36The secret to super strength is diminutive size.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Small animals weigh less,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42so waste less muscle power moving their bodies.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48Relative to body weight, the smaller the animal, the stronger it becomes.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57They are unstoppable.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02Almost.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Wildebeest stampede for a reason.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Down here, you're the last to see trouble ahead.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13A sengi's trails are its greatest strength
0:32:13 > 0:32:15and its Achilles heel.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22They're so dependent on them, they're effectively a prisoner.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Every year, lightning sets the bone-dry savanna alight.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Few small creatures can escape the inferno.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24When fire threatens, she can outrun the flames...
0:33:33 > 0:33:37..but it's into the unknown,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40leaving the very trails that kept her alive.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21High noon in the Wild West.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26So hot, the last drop of water is long gone.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The highest temperatures are down at mouse level,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36where it can reach a blistering 60 degrees centigrade.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43It's a side of the sun-scorched desert
0:34:43 > 0:34:46a nocturnal mouse should never see.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Except for those washed up, exhausted,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54and swept very far from home.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38In daytime, the desert is a real-life Jurassic Park,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41where heat brings the lizards to life.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54This realm of reptiles is ruled from the air.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57BIRDS CRY
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Harris hawks.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12"Eyes like a hawk" is no empty phrase.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Their vision is thought to be eight times as good as ours.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's hard to outwit this intelligent team.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47They're the world's only pack-hunting raptors.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56While one attempts to flush the prey,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58others prepare an ambush.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Hawks tend to eat animals alive,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16so have giant talons to hold down struggling prey.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49Long, feather-free legs are ideal for extracting mice
0:38:49 > 0:38:51from those hard-to-reach places.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05When one victim is out of reach,
0:39:05 > 0:39:09it pays to be open to other opportunities.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22A zebra-tailed lizard is the fastest in the West.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29But a collared lizard will chase anything that moves.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Both accelerate so fast they can't help but "pull a wheelie".
0:39:42 > 0:39:45At times, like tiny T-rex, they're on two legs.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18When danger threatens, only one has this trick up its sleeve.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27With a shimmy beneath the sand, the zebra-tail is saved.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33A collared's colours make it an easier target.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39BIRD CRIES
0:40:47 > 0:40:50The daytime is not safe for a grasshopper mouse.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53BIRD CRIES
0:40:53 > 0:40:57For now, best to wait till darkness falls.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15Africa.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23It's hard to see a fire as anything but disaster.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27But for the savanna, it's as natural as the rising sun.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48As the smoke clears, it's already recovering.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15For the survivors, it brings fresh hope for the future.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30The dry grass burns so swiftly
0:42:30 > 0:42:34that a sengi trail can survive almost unscathed.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45It's nothing that an enthusiastic spring-clean can't solve.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Around the trail, the grassland doesn't so much recover
0:42:56 > 0:42:59as burst back into life.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08The flames have swept away the old,
0:43:08 > 0:43:13allowing fertile ash to fuel the growth of fresh young grass.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21In a few short days, the savanna is transformed.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28And the sengis' world is once again restored.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40She's home.
0:43:40 > 0:43:47And as long as she looks after the trails, they will keep her alive.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Sundown in the Sonoran.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13This is the time when grasshopper mice were born to venture out.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26Their territories can be over 300 metres wide...
0:44:28 > 0:44:31..and marked with a distinctive scent.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39When close enough, a lost mouse can follow its nose, all the way home.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51It's true to say that the things we want in life
0:44:51 > 0:44:54are not always the things we need.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58So it is that there comes a time
0:44:58 > 0:45:01when every youngster faces a difficult choice.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11An easy life...
0:45:14 > 0:45:16..or independence.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24The world is full of danger.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30But what would life be without a challenge?
0:45:38 > 0:45:40Life will be hard.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45But not even a two-headed monster will slow it down.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53The false head of a venomous, giant centipede confuses predators
0:45:53 > 0:45:55and packs a powerful punch.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04It's the real head that inflicts the venom.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12But this is a scorpion mouse.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13And as they say,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37MOUSE WAILS
0:46:47 > 0:46:50MOUSE WAILS
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Their mothers give them the start they need.
0:46:54 > 0:46:59But it's their own experience that finally makes a man of the mouse.
0:47:02 > 0:47:07At less than four weeks old, he's finally ready to leave his home...
0:47:11 > 0:47:15..to wander the desert alone.
0:47:28 > 0:47:34These two tiny lives may be separated by continents,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37but for all youngsters, the challenges are the same.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43They'll face hardship.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54There will be twists and turns along the way.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00With luck, they'll avoid the dangers
0:48:00 > 0:48:04and live their extraordinary lives running free.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Little guys don't always finish last.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20And heroes come in all sizes,
0:48:20 > 0:48:24especially in the Hidden Kingdom.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04In this series, the team's mission was to show viewers
0:49:04 > 0:49:08the natural world from a completely new perspective.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15To achieve their goal,
0:49:15 > 0:49:19they had to combine their experience as wildlife film-makers
0:49:19 > 0:49:23with techniques learned from the world of feature films,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26using special effects, storyboards,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30but most crucially of all, a great cast of characters.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Cameraman Jip and producer Simon
0:49:34 > 0:49:37set off into the wilds of Kenya to find them.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41The animals in the series were small,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44but the kit required was greater than ever,
0:49:44 > 0:49:45weighing almost half a tonne.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50The theory is, the smaller the things you film, the more kit you need.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56After dark, Simon discussed his ambition with the team.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58If there was one thing I'd really love to get, it's just trying
0:49:58 > 0:50:01to give the audience an impression of what it might feel like
0:50:01 > 0:50:03to be running down there,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06just a couple of inches high off the ground at the same speed as a sengi.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09- So, basically like a car chase? - Yeah, a sengi car chase.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13To learn as much as possible about the sengi,
0:50:13 > 0:50:16next morning they met with trackers from the local village.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Trackers are more used to finding lions or big game,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25but these had been using their skills to piece together
0:50:25 > 0:50:27the sengis' movements.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Yeah, this is the poo of the sengi.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34And with their help, they soon spot one of the distinctive race tracks.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38- Here's a trail. - Really, where?- There.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41- You're kidding. - No, it goes over there.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45But it is true when you come down here, you definitely can see a path.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47That's a great sign.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51It wasn't long before the team got their first glimpse.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- There it goes.- Wow, that was right in the distance.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54Did you see that?
0:50:57 > 0:50:59- It just went "vooom!" - That is amazing.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- Did you even get it in shot? - I don't even know.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05I mean, I think I wasn't framed where it was.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08This was going to be harder than they thought.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11The ground they're covering in that time is ridiculous.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Jip, keep your eyes open.
0:51:13 > 0:51:18Jip moved into position. The sengi continued to run rings around them.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21Oh, there he goes, he went straight past you.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25It would be tricky but the team put their plan into action.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33Work began on building the perfect stage for the Hidden Kingdom stars.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35First, for a dung beetle.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38By building stages in the savanna,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41the team could film the animals from low angles
0:51:41 > 0:51:45to show the audience the true scale of this Hidden Kingdom.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52To recreate the world from a small creature's perspective
0:51:52 > 0:51:55would require some special effects.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Another technique, the use of blue screen.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00We can then cut out the blue background
0:52:00 > 0:52:01and replace it with something else.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03And all these elements come together
0:52:03 > 0:52:05to create this kind of Hidden Kingdoms look.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11The stage is set.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Tomorrow they would go in search of the one thing
0:52:17 > 0:52:19that would attract the beetles.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Time enough to implement their plan for the sengi.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28They would need to win its trust...
0:52:28 > 0:52:33and began to build a special filming territory, complete with trail.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36If a sengi would adopt their track, they had a chance,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39and Jip knew how he could keep up.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43The camera's going to whizz down here...
0:52:43 > 0:52:45at sengi speed, which is...
0:52:45 > 0:52:47well, lightning speed, really.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54To get down on the sengis' level we have to dig a trench,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57dig a blooming great hole to put the camera in, and the cameraman in,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01so that we're eyeball to eyeball with this incredible animal.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06After a lot of work with a pick and shovel,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09the track was ready for a test run.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13This should give you something to look at.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Every Hollywood star needs its own stand-in.
0:53:16 > 0:53:17And, three, two, one.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24If they could earn the sengis' confidence and work with them,
0:53:24 > 0:53:29they might have a chance of bringing this animal's incredible abilities
0:53:29 > 0:53:31to the screen.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38But obviously at ten times the speed.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41- You know, this might just work. - Yeah.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47The following morning, the team got up well before dawn
0:53:47 > 0:53:49to collect the vital ingredient
0:53:49 > 0:53:52that would attract the beetles to the stage.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59At the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02young elephants are cared for by their keepers
0:54:02 > 0:54:05until they're ready to head back into the wild.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Our chances of obtaining elephant dung have drastically increased.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13The crew would join them on their daily walk
0:54:13 > 0:54:15to seize any opportunity that presented itself.
0:54:18 > 0:54:19Morning.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23You on that? Nice close up.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28It's a two-trowel technique now.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31That one was nice, solid, good form.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33ELEPHANT BREAKS WIND
0:54:33 > 0:54:36THEY LAUGH
0:54:36 > 0:54:37Elephant flatulence.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39It's a good sign, it's a good sign.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42It really smells bad.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52With the secret ingredient to hand, they could return to the stage,
0:54:52 > 0:54:57watch the skies, and wait for the dung castle to work its magic.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01- Here he is.- Look, look, look, look, look.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03There's our star.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05The first sighting.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07- They are coming in from all directions.- What do you want to do?
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Look, straight for it, look.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13At last, the beetles can take the stage.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Welcome to the Hidden Kingdom.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17The great thing about these beetles in the wild
0:55:17 > 0:55:20is they just pick a direction and they keep going and keep going
0:55:20 > 0:55:22and keep going - they're the perfect actors.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30But despite this success, as the days wore on, one worry remained.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37Would a sengi ever adopt the trail they'd built
0:55:37 > 0:55:42and trust the team enough to race alongside it?
0:55:42 > 0:55:44- OK, try one as fast as you can. - Ready?- Yeah, I got it.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50What would happen?
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- THEY LAUGH - Did you get that?
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Well, it went through frame, for sure.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00The trails are so important to the lives of these tiny creatures
0:56:00 > 0:56:03that they were even willing to forgive the questionable
0:56:03 > 0:56:06trail-building skills of the team.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09I just need to be slightly ahead of him...
0:56:09 > 0:56:13All they had to do now was keep up.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15I was behind that then.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16You've got a tail disappearing.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22The sengi weren't slowing down but eventually Jip managed to keep up.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27That felt more on it.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29It was close. I lost him towards the end.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Oh, the moment of truth.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40He's through. Look, he's running, he's running.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- There was certainly a moment. - That was more than a moment.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46It's going to work, it's going to work.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50This was one of the many filming territories required to capture
0:56:50 > 0:56:52the story of the sengis' Hidden Kingdom.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57After a brief spell as TV stars,
0:56:57 > 0:57:01it was as if we had never visited their world.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10Come on, up over the top. Brilliant. You superstar.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14Camera speed. On the move in three, two...
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Here we go, this is it. Fantastic, guys. Well done.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26The crew's adventure in the miniature world was over,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29but they returned home with a new-found admiration
0:57:29 > 0:57:32for the little things in life,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35those extraordinary tiny heroes.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43Next week, we enter the Hidden Kingdom of the forest,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47a secret woodland and a steaming jungle.
0:57:48 > 0:57:53Two tiny heroes must fight for survival,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55escape their enemies...
0:57:56 > 0:58:02..and above all, learn to use the incredible powers
0:58:02 > 0:58:03they were born with.