0:00:06 > 0:00:10Our planet is home to millions of different species.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21The big and the powerful capture our attention.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26But there is another story to tell.
0:00:26 > 0:00:33Beneath our feet are hidden - almost magical worlds teeming with
0:00:33 > 0:00:36extraordinary little creatures.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38BELLOWING
0:00:38 > 0:00:41The world looks very different to them.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47A falling acorn becomes a meteor.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52A tiny trickle, a tsunami.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And every enemy, is a giant.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Now, using the latest technology,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12we can recreate the world from their perspective -
0:01:14 > 0:01:16to experience it as they do.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26These are tales of life from the tropical jungle,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and the northern forest
0:01:29 > 0:01:31in the Hidden Kingdoms.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00The ancient woods of North America.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Hundred-year-old oaks cast their shadows over a hidden world.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It's autumn.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Time for the yearly fall of acorns.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It's what every chipmunk in the forest has been waiting for.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01This youngster is only six weeks old,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05but will soon face the most important challenge of his life.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29For the smallest animals it's time to take cover.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39For chipmunks, it's time to get hoarding.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Winter is on its way.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01A quick quality check, and the first nut goes in the bag.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00A chipmunk's tunnel may run for more than ten metres
0:05:00 > 0:05:02to keep its nuts safe.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10And they need a hoard of more than a hundred acorns to see them
0:05:10 > 0:05:13through the long winter ahead.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22For his first year, this youngster's done well.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27But a hoard is no use unless it's well hidden.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39He's being watched.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45This is an older chipmunk and sneakier too.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03Chipmunks are notorious thieves.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09After all, why work when you can steal from someone else?
0:06:34 > 0:06:40For the burglar it's a dash back to his burrow to stock his own hoard.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Oblivious, the youngster gathers a last few "honest" nuts.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59The competition is about to get a whole lot bigger.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16A moose.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21It's hungry for nuts too.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32BELLOWING
0:07:32 > 0:07:34SQUEAKING
0:07:35 > 0:07:40This holdup is one he can't afford, especially
0:07:40 > 0:07:42when his store is being burgled.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The young chipmunk is still held up.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Every autumn a moose can eat enough acorns to put on 100 kilograms.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Just what it needs to survive the harsh winter ahead.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32And that's the problem for small animals, they just can't
0:08:32 > 0:08:34store enough fat.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38It's why a larder of nuts is so important.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47He's about get a nasty surprise.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00His larder is now almost empty,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and things are about to get worse.
0:09:15 > 0:09:21The burglar is back, and he's a seasoned fighter.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47An older, stronger chipmunk can kill a youngster.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03The youngster may have escaped,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but no chipmunk can survive without a store of nuts.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11How will he make it through the coming winter?
0:10:24 > 0:10:30On the other side of the world is a forest where winter never comes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:42The steamy jungles of Borneo - a kingdom of perpetual heat.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49Concealed in the undergrowth are thousands of tiny creatures,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51more than anywhere else on earth.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03In this hidden kingdom competition is intense.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So many different species battle for survival here.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Each one must find its own place within this crowded world.
0:11:35 > 0:11:43Up in the canopy, lives one of the most curious creatures of them all.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52A tree shrew,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56a tiny mammal whose ancestors have lived in these jungles
0:11:56 > 0:11:59for more than 10 million years.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06BIRDS WHISTLE
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Nearby is a giant mangosteen tree
0:12:12 > 0:12:15that provides all the fruit she needs.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Dinner is served, but it's a long way down.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Luckily tree shrews are born acrobats.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Tree shrews have the largest brain for their body size
0:13:49 > 0:13:52in the world and rarely make a mistake.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58They also have the most demanding metabolism -
0:13:58 > 0:14:01they need food every two hours.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Even if it means leaving the safety of the treetops to find it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14There's no one else around and she has the fruit all to herself.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18For now.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Darkness brings a change to the forest.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Only the toughest creatures venture out,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47with their very effective weapons.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Thousands of vicious quills on a porcupine's back means he'll
0:14:55 > 0:14:58be left to eat in peace.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17At night, the best place for a tree shrew is safe up in the nest.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Until now the forest has provided well.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But she's yet to learn how fickle the rainforest can be.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44Morning, and like every tree shrew she wakes up hungry.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Someone's up before her.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01And they're heading right for the great tree.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Orang-utans are 500 times her size.
0:16:18 > 0:16:24They are fruit-eating machines and can strip a tree bare in no time.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51They're not the only ones attracted to fruit-bearing trees.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58The hungry will come from far and wide.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02GRUNTING
0:17:15 > 0:17:19If she's going to get her breakfast she'd better hurry.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Forest giants have got there first.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Weighing more than a man,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16these bearded pigs are as aggressive as they are greedy.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Unluckily for the shrew,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51pigs have the most sensitive noses in the forest.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Nothing escapes their attention.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02GRUNTING AND SNORTING
0:19:21 > 0:19:23SNORTING ECHOES
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Breakfast is disappearing.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53To eat again means finding another fruiting tree and fast.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02But in the rainforest,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06trees in fruit are actually few and far between.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14This young tree shrew must leave her home
0:20:14 > 0:20:16and search deep into the jungle.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32She will need all her wits to survive.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54In the hidden kingdom of the northern woods, it's leaves,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57not acorns, that are falling now.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Winter is just a breath away.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Small animals are already hunkering down for winter.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42A wood frog buries itself, soon to become a living block of ice.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Once the freeze sets in,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54this chipmunk won't last long without a store of nuts.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08Facing an empty larder this late in the season means a chipmunk
0:22:08 > 0:22:11is forced to forage in enemy territory.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Spotted.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32No neighbour will tolerate an intruder.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Not where nuts are concerned.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42CHIPMUNKS CHITTER
0:22:56 > 0:22:58THUD OF ACORN
0:22:59 > 0:23:01THUDDING
0:23:03 > 0:23:06That sound is irresistible.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29There's a reason why chipmunks don't gather nuts from here.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48This is the home of a silent killer.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55A horned owl.
0:24:04 > 0:24:11Owls sleep during the day, so he might just get away with it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42So far, so good, but he still needs lots more nuts.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57The days are getting shorter and once it's dark,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00it's a very different proposition.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26CHIPMUNK SQUEAKS
0:25:32 > 0:25:34OWL HOOTS
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Owls have extremely sensitive hearing.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Time to go.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42SQUEAKING
0:27:10 > 0:27:18Speed may have saved him, but his larder is still half empty.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And even worse, the first frost of winter is upon him.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Chipmunks can't survive outside in the cold.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13THUNDER RUMBLES
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Back in the rainforest,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31the tree-shrew's supply of fruit has run dry.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44She needs an alternative source of food...
0:28:44 > 0:28:46THUNDER CLAP
0:28:46 > 0:28:49And there's the daily shower to contend with.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07When you're this small, raindrops are like water bombs.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52BIRDS TWEET
0:29:56 > 0:29:59She must make up for lost time.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Down on the forest floor,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18dangers lurk around every corner.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Fire ants.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36They sting with acid.
0:30:39 > 0:30:45Not to be disturbed, unless you're armour plated.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20A pangolin has claws as strong as a bear's and eats fire ants for lunch.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56She's drawn by the scent of something tasty.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Pitcher plants are carnivorous,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06known for luring insects to a watery grave.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13This one lures hungry tree shrews.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21The inside of the lid is covered in a sweet secretion.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33STOMACH RUMBLES
0:32:44 > 0:32:49But the liquid is a laxative,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52and a fast acting one.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04The pitcher was after nutrients in the tree shrew's dung.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11It means she is now running on empty.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15And worse, she's not alone.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28A reticulated python.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Instinct sends her up to the canopy.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00No snake can climb as fast as this.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04But nightfall is approaching.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Night is no time for a tree shrew to be up and about.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16You never know who you might bump into.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28Twice her size, flying foxes are the largest bats in the world.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33They're able to fly from one fruit tree to another.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45More than half the creatures of the jungle are nocturnal,
0:34:45 > 0:34:51but for a daytime creature, night in the rainforest is an alien world.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Strange fungi light the way.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Why they glow is one of nature's mysteries.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Their light doesn't travel far.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47It's almost pitch dark.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07CHIRRUPING
0:36:16 > 0:36:21These tarsiers are only ten centimetres tall.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30They're hunting.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Nothing escapes their huge eyes and acute hearing.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Not even the stealthiest predator in the forest.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21This python is also an expert night hunter.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25It has heat-sensing pits on the side of its face and can follow
0:37:25 > 0:37:29the heat trail of a warm blooded mammal, even in the dark.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56In the wild woods, dawn melts away the first ground frost.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59But it was a warning.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Finding his stolen nuts and getting them back
0:38:31 > 0:38:35is now the youngster's only chance.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51The nut thief is going out.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11The youngster will have to be quick.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Caught in the act.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53It's flight or fight.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56He chooses fight
0:40:34 > 0:40:37SQUEAKING
0:40:51 > 0:40:53CHIPMUNK CHITTERS
0:40:56 > 0:40:58The youngster's won.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08He can reclaim his stolen nuts,
0:41:08 > 0:41:13while the thief nurses his wounded pride.
0:41:43 > 0:41:50The youngster had better hurry, winter is here.
0:42:06 > 0:42:12Back in the jungle, the young tree shrew is weak with hunger,
0:42:14 > 0:42:19and is being pursued by the most relentless predator in the forest.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29She's driven higher.
0:43:03 > 0:43:04Another snake.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Cornered.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29There's only one way out...
0:43:33 > 0:43:36But it's further than she's ever jumped before.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44SNAKE HISSES
0:43:48 > 0:43:53Speed, distance, and timing must be judged to perfection.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Safe.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56And, at last, a fruiting tree.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11For today, the adventure is over.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17But soon, her search will begin again.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42With each day that passes, this clever little creature will grow a
0:45:42 > 0:45:47little wiser and better able to cope with the danger that comes her way.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57In the Hidden Kingdom, life never slows down.
0:46:02 > 0:46:08Except perhaps in the temperate forest, when the big freeze sets in.
0:46:46 > 0:46:51Although for many animals this is a time of hardship,
0:46:51 > 0:46:56for a chipmunk, it's a chance to take a well-deserved rest.
0:46:58 > 0:47:03The start of six months of peaceful sleep.
0:47:08 > 0:47:13And when he gets hungry he'll wake, briefly and his nuts will be there.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20They'll last him all the way until spring,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23when he'll re-emerge, ready to begin again.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34Few little creatures survive their first months,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38but for those that do, what they have learned should make life become
0:47:38 > 0:47:44just that little bit easier, in the hidden kingdoms of the forests.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09Traditional natural history is
0:48:09 > 0:48:12filmed from a distance behind a telephoto lens.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Hidden Kingdom is different.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20One of the biggest challenges filming Hidden Kingdom
0:48:20 > 0:48:22is trying to get down to the animal's eyeline and
0:48:22 > 0:48:26really portray the world that they see and the world that they live in.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29To see the world through the eyes of our tiny creatures
0:48:29 > 0:48:33meant getting our lenses as low to the ground as possible.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Getting a camera to sit right on the forest floor
0:48:37 > 0:48:41at this sort of height is really tricky.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42Oops!
0:48:42 > 0:48:44HE LAUGHS
0:48:44 > 0:48:47It's amazing what difference an inch makes.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00We headed to Quebec in Canada to film an animal
0:49:00 > 0:49:04that would hopefully allow us into its world.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06At a unique animal research station,
0:49:06 > 0:49:10chipmunks have been closely observed for over 20 years.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Come on. You coming?
0:49:15 > 0:49:20Zoologist, Alessia Kockel, has a detailed knowledge of these animals.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23My favourite chip is this one, this is Beach Boy.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28Chipmunks can be nervous but Alessia is with them
0:49:28 > 0:49:32every day and knows which chip might best tolerate the filming.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38This a lot to ask for a chipmunk to put up with.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41After all, film crews aren't known for travelling light.
0:49:59 > 0:50:00OK, down.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02So the trick is to be set up and ready
0:50:02 > 0:50:04before the chippies get out of bed.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Luckily for us, they're late starters.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11They choose to camp outside the burrow of a chipmunk called Simon.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17And they begin to wait...
0:50:21 > 0:50:22And wait.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32The second part of our film is set in the jungles
0:50:32 > 0:50:37of Borneo and involved filming a host of small animals.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Getting up close and personal here would bring
0:50:44 > 0:50:46very different challenges.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53The jungle's most notorious creatures
0:50:53 > 0:50:55are easiest to find to find at night.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01I mean, really, they will kill anything that can't get away.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Fire ants.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09Yeah, they're in here and here. The line is still going this way.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11They're right in here as well.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16SHE YELPS
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Just over a centimetre long, to do them justice, we would
0:51:19 > 0:51:22either have to shrink down our film crew...
0:51:22 > 0:51:25Or build some tiny lenses.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33These lenses are powerful enough to take us
0:51:33 > 0:51:35straight into the ants' world.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Just let it go.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57All we had to do now was avoid the stings.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00SHE YELPS IN PAIN
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Back in Canada, Simon the chipmunk is getting used to the crew
0:52:11 > 0:52:13and gaining in confidence.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Well. Hello, there he is. So this is Simon.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Oh! This is Simon and he is so beautiful.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Soon he is so focused on his nuts, he stops noticing us at all.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36It's time to get ambitious.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43We wanted to track along-side a running chipmunk
0:52:43 > 0:52:46and that meant a bit of make-shift engineering.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52Well, we've just set up this long track on quite
0:52:52 > 0:52:55uneven ground and we've got this broken tree
0:52:55 > 0:52:58that our chipmunks are running up and down.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01So we're setting up for a tracking shot.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03If they behave.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12OK, running, running, we're running.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Oh!
0:53:15 > 0:53:16It's all happening now.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22Cut. Well done.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Just as chipmunks and crew are getting the hang of it,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36the weather takes a turn for the worse.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43The storm has brought down trees all around the chipmunks' burrows,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and, worryingly, there's no sign of Simon.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54In Borneo, the team is getting grips with the jungle.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00And cameraman Mat Thompson is about to take on
0:54:00 > 0:54:05another notorious rainforest creature, but this time a giant.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Bearded pigs are dangerous,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13they are huge and have sharp 15 centimetre tusks.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Unfortunately for Mat, to reveal what a pig looks like when
0:54:19 > 0:54:25you're only ten centimetres tall, means getting the camera very close.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28So it makes sense to start with the piglets.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42You really have to start thinking like the animal that
0:54:42 > 0:54:45you're filming, more so than usual.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50Almost to the point where you have to start acting like the animal.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55But piglets would never be a threat to a tree shrew,
0:54:55 > 0:54:59for that we need a big, dribbling tusker.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02We know there's one around here, he's been seen.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06He's big, he's orc-ish, you know, he really, he slathers.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08That's the character we're after.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15Mat has found just the pig.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31But the adults don't like the limelight.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Whoa.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36PIG SQUEALS
0:55:36 > 0:55:39That's what happens when you get too close.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44OK. More than a lens cloth to clean that one, I think.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48Keeping a wary eye out, Mat manages to get the shots he needs.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Go on. Look, there's more.
0:55:53 > 0:55:59We got some lovely shots, big, teeth, beard, dribbly,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02the perfect orc for Hidden Kingdoms.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08Back in the chipmunk's forest, the crew assess the damage.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10That is destruction.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Our best talent, Simon the chipmunk,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19this tree has just missed his hole by, literally, a couple of feet.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Luckily, it hasn't put him off his nut-collecting.
0:56:24 > 0:56:29Or his inclination to become more territorial.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33You tell, you know, he's just got so much attitude, this is his manor
0:56:33 > 0:56:37and anyone who comes near him, chased off, it's unbelievable.
0:56:37 > 0:56:38We have another chipmunk.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42We could see this was building to a big fight.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45But knowing how fast chipmunks can move
0:56:45 > 0:56:48we'd need a very special camera to film it.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52OK, this could be it, this could be the moment.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56One that records at 40 times normal speed.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59- Arm me up as soon as you can.- Yep.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04It's over in a flash.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Do you want to look?
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Only when they play it back can they see what really happens.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14- Whoa!- Ow, he did it.- Oh, my God!
0:57:14 > 0:57:16Whoa! That is amazing.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Witnessing the extraordinary challenges
0:57:25 > 0:57:29chipmunks face to prepare for the winter could only bring
0:57:29 > 0:57:32admiration for these tiny heroes.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40With filming over, there was just one thing left to do.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Hey, Simon, so we're done now.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48Here's a little something so see you through the winter.
0:57:48 > 0:57:49See you, mate.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11In the next episode, we enter the hidden kingdoms of the urban jungle.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15Experience the colour and the commotion of Rio.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20And the futuristic metropolis of Tokyo.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27How will our little heroes survive the hazards of city life?