0:00:05 > 0:00:08There was a time when myths and science were entwined...
0:00:08 > 0:00:14when mermaids and unicorns could mysteriously appear...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Nature was weird.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23When science revealed the truth behind these imaginary creatures,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28it found real animals lay behind the legends.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Today, science still makes astonishing discoveries,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36but nature seems just as weird.
0:00:36 > 0:00:42It's just that fact has broken free from fiction.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05We catch our food in many ingenious ways, but nature is just as inventive.
0:01:07 > 0:01:15The bolas spider can attract male moths by mimicking the scent of a female.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31It uses a blob of glue dangling by a thread to catch them.
0:01:33 > 0:01:40The spider's bolas is named after an old hunting weapon still used in South America.
0:01:41 > 0:01:49Gauchos throw these weighted ropes around the legs of cattle to bring them down.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The spider's version is sticky. It is cued by the beating of wings.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09The thread is stronger than steel. Few escape.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17This weird journey shows many of the strange ways nature catches food.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43In nature, it's only humans that rely on artificial tools to catch prey.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51And nature's weapons put our inventions to shame.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55This lethal saw belongs to a freshwater shark.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Monsters, 7m long, patrol the rivers of northern Australia.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The sawfish's long snout
0:03:10 > 0:03:14is armed with pin-sharp teeth that slash at prey.
0:03:14 > 0:03:21It drives fish to the shallows where this living chainsaw can do its devastating work.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Dismembered victims are sucked up by its underslung mouth.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58While some use vicious weapons to dispatch prey,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02others employ the finesse of a marksman.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The archer fish uses a water pistol.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18It makes a gun barrel by pressing its tongue against a groove in its mouth.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26It closes its gills to force out the water.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It's accurate up to 2 metres.
0:04:45 > 0:04:52This expert in ballistics even allows for the curving of the jet through gravity...
0:05:01 > 0:05:07..and adjusts for the way light bends at the boundary between water and air,
0:05:07 > 0:05:12which appears to shift the position of its target.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23By some amazing computation, it changes its firing angle to compensate for this optical illusion.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Archers target anything that moves or glows.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Hmm?
0:05:52 > 0:05:57The velvet worm employs even deadlier firepower.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02One of the oldest invertebrates,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05its shooting style is unique.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Like a gunslinger, it has two pistols.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17They fire lassos of glue.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26The threads snake up to a metre.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Its glue guns weave from side to side to spread their fire.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54The strands glue down the victim like a sticky net.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02This rapid adhesive dries in seconds.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09The velvet worm's knifelike jaw pierces its victim,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11before sucking it dry.
0:07:19 > 0:07:27New research suggests that dolphins also have a weapon that can be fired at prey,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30but one based on sound.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32CLICKING
0:07:35 > 0:07:38CLICKING
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Dolphins use a form of sonar to investigate their world.
0:07:45 > 0:07:52They create an image by sending out a sound beam and decoding the returning echoes.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57These pulses of high-intensity ultrasound can penetrate the sand
0:07:57 > 0:08:01and create a sound picture of buried fish.
0:08:09 > 0:08:15By upping the intensity, the dolphin appears to turn its sound system into a weapon.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23The blasts disorientate prey, making them easy to catch.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Sonic weapons have been perfected by others.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Far from being quiet,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46the ocean is filled with a cacophony of animal noise
0:08:46 > 0:08:52that can even disrupt the sonic transmissions of submarines.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Most of the din is made by a surprisingly insignificant creature -
0:08:56 > 0:08:58the pistol shrimp.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06By snapping its claws, it can not only make communication sounds,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09but something far deadlier.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15These shrimps are its prey.
0:09:18 > 0:09:26It deals a knockout blow from a distance by using its claw as a sonic weapon.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31First, its claw is cocked like a pistol... CLICK!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33..then fired...
0:09:33 > 0:09:34BANG!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38The effect is literally stunning.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43As the claw snaps shut,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45it fires a blast of bubbles.
0:09:48 > 0:09:55Incredibly, as the bubbles collapse, they momentarily reach the temperature of the sun.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58BANG!
0:09:58 > 0:09:59BANG!
0:09:59 > 0:10:05This implosion causes a shock wave that stuns.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20This is also the haunt of other weird feeders.
0:10:23 > 0:10:30The frogfish gives fast food a new meaning. It can catch its prey quicker than any other creature.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35It uses its fins as legs to creep its camouflaged body around.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Prey, fooled by the disguise, is grabbed faster than the eye can see.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03The process takes 1/6,000th of a second,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05quicker than any creature can react.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Extreme slow motion reveals what no animal eye can see.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Its mouth balloons 12 times, creating a vacuum that sucks in prey.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38The frogfish has the fastest known movement in the animal world.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48But it isn't the only fast-food addict in the ocean.
0:11:53 > 0:12:01The extraordinary eyes of the mantis shrimp, a creature famed for its high-speed knockout punch.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Its speciality is breaking into crab shells.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22It finds its prey using the most sophisticated targeting system in nature.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Our eyes have three types of colour-analysing cells.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The mantis has 16, arranged in bands.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40They target their prey like cross-hairs.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58The mantis's heavy calcified clubs can be swung at prey.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02They strike at lightning speed.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06SMASH!
0:13:06 > 0:13:11The clubs smash with the force of a .22-calibre bullet.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24They shatter glass as easily as they pulverise a crab's shell.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42An eagle's way of breaking into prey gave rise to a Greek legend.
0:13:43 > 0:13:51It concerned a soothsayer who prophesied that a poet would die when a house fell down on him.
0:13:57 > 0:14:05The story arose in an area where golden eagles prey almost exclusively on tortoises.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15It has a beak that surgically cuts through flesh and effortlessly rips skin from bone
0:14:15 > 0:14:19and talons that can pierce and crush almost any prey.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30But these tools are no match for the tortoise's armour.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43The eagle's solution fulfilled the soothsayer's prophesy.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56The poet did die from a falling house, but one that belonged to a tortoise.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Its dive keeps up with its hapless prey.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21The impact achieved what defeated the talons.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27SQUAWKING
0:15:27 > 0:15:32In the mountainous regions of northern Greece,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37chicks are reared almost exclusively on tortoises,
0:15:37 > 0:15:43but even the specialist tools of the eagle need help to keep food coming.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49But one tool specialist is more perfectly equipped.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52SQUEAK!
0:15:54 > 0:15:58It lives in the forests of Madagascar.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59SQUEAK!
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Its specialist tool is a bony finger.
0:16:12 > 0:16:20In a remarkable adaptation, the aye-aye finds hidden prey by tapping with this elongated middle digit.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23TAPPING
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Hollow cavities make a characteristic echo.
0:16:32 > 0:16:38Variations in the echoes build up a 3D picture of the cavity.
0:16:40 > 0:16:47It also listens for the characteristic sounds of a wood-boring grub.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Its ears cup the sound and confirm the spot.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The aye-aye's tool becomes a probe.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17A sniff confirms there's life.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31The finger transforms again,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34this time into a gaffer hook.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Reaching inaccessible prey is a problem with many natural solutions.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55The chameleon's independent swivelling eyes help it locate food.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58BUZZING
0:17:58 > 0:18:01They act as rangefinders,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06only coming together when prey is firmly within their sights.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Reliable targeting is vital when using their projectile tongue,
0:18:14 > 0:18:19an organ that new research shows is more remarkable than was thought.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32The converging eyes help confirm distance, crucial for rangefinding.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47With a tongue longer than its body, it needs long-range accuracy.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54But some challenges are just too great.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01But they do reveal the tongue's mechanics.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Circular muscles contract to shoot it forward.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09The sticky tip then forms a suction cup.
0:19:20 > 0:19:27The suckered tip allows some chameleons to even pluck small birds from the air.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Its tongue extension is the fastest movement of any land animal.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42It accelerates to 50G,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45five times that of a fighter plane.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48There seems to be a fly in my soup.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53What was that there?
0:20:11 > 0:20:17Cuttlefish also use a long reach to catch food at a distance.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29Instead of a tongue, they deploy two extendable tentacles.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Like the chameleon's tongue, the ends form suckers.
0:20:45 > 0:20:51Each sucker has a ring of minute teeth
0:20:51 > 0:20:55which bite into its prey to increase grip.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Having two tentacles also means they can act like tongs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11They accelerate at 25G, half the speed of the chameleon's tongue,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15but even more impressive, as they have to plough through water.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Cuttlefish have more mysterious powers.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29They appear to specialise in hypnosis.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34These bands of colour are under nervous control.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38The effect can be hypnotic.
0:21:45 > 0:21:52Pigment cells beneath the skin expand and contract to create a mesmerising display.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03The pulsing seems to create a deadly fascination.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18But the cuttlefish may not be alone in using hypnotic powers.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Rabbits are a stoat's favourite prey.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37Stoats are living bundles of energy and live life at breakneck speed.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41They can tackle prey ten times their size...
0:22:41 > 0:22:45if they can catch them.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48To help, they do something quite strange.
0:22:57 > 0:23:03This manic dance seems to be for the rabbit's benefit.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And it appears to cast a spell.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22It's a deadly kind of enchantment.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Some snakes have found other ways to fool.
0:23:41 > 0:23:49The death adder is one of Australia's deadliest and most perfectly camouflaged serpents.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And it has a deadly trick.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Its tail wriggles like a live lure.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Skinks are among its favourite prey.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13They are especially partial to insect larvae.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33This snake's tail wriggles like a beetle grub.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Its squirming tip even mimics a grub's segments.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Any animal finds it hard to tell the difference.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00As the lizard nears, the writhing intensifies,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03as the snake tries to lure it closer.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But a reprieve is at hand.
0:25:15 > 0:25:22The death adder is aptly named - half of all humans bitten die.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Here you are, mate.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Crocodiles also lunge at prey.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47They rely on stealth and a jump that exceeds their body length.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Many fish have also found that leaping makes the perfect ambush.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14A tail flip propels the archer fish from the surface.
0:26:14 > 0:26:22They often prefer this direct approach to shooting down prey with water.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27These leaps are only used on prey that's close to the surface.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42But the arowana is the ultimate high-jumper.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47It jumps two metres out of the water.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52A long tail provides propulsion.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Swivelling eyes help with targeting.
0:27:15 > 0:27:21The arowana performs this feat using rhythmic waves of its long muscular tail.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Nature's animals use many fantastic ways of feeding,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38from the graceful to the bizarre.
0:27:38 > 0:27:46But we are the weirdest of all. We have no natural means to catch the animals we eat.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Sometimes, our equipment catches more than we bargained for.