0:00:44 > 0:00:45Africa.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50The world's greatest wilderness.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04The only place on Earth to see the full majesty of nature.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16There's so much more here than we ever imagined.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I'm standing where the equator
0:01:21 > 0:01:25cuts right across the middle of the continent.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27To the north of me, there's an immense desert
0:01:27 > 0:01:30the size of the United States of America.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34To the west, a vast rainforest the size of India.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36And behind me, for thousands of miles,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39the most fertile savannahs in the world.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49From the roof of Africa...
0:01:52 > 0:01:54..to the deepest jungle.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Rarely seen places, and untold stories.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09There's nowhere in the world where wildlife puts on a greater show.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28This is the last place on Earth
0:02:28 > 0:02:30where you can come eye to eye
0:02:30 > 0:02:33with the greatest animals that walk our planet.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44This is Africa.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Our journey starts in the far south west,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07in the oldest and strangest corner of the continent.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Here, the thirsty land is covered
0:03:17 > 0:03:20with thousands upon thousands of circles.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30We still don't know their origins.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Poisonous plants, foraging insects
0:03:33 > 0:03:38and even magnetism have all been suggested, but each ruled out.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52The circles don't move, and their shape never varies.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57They're unchanging, much like this part of Africa itself.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Ancient and arid, it almost never rains on this land,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09yet there is water here, hidden away.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22To survive here, life must use every trick in the book.
0:04:36 > 0:04:42Winter. Dawn temperatures can fall well below freezing.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49And that's a problem for this drongo.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It's too cold for his normal prey, flying insects.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01But he has a plan. The drongo is the Kalahari's greatest trickster.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09And these are his victims.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14A family of meerkats, desert specialists.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22After warming up in the morning sun,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24the meerkats begin their search for breakfast.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29The drongo can now begin his tricks.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But he must first win the confidence of his victims.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42He spots an eagle on the hunt, and sounds a warning.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45CHIRRUPING
0:05:45 > 0:05:48One that sends the meerkats gratefully scurrying to safety.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Danger over.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And now, he has their trust.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08He sounds another warning.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09CHIRRUPING
0:06:13 > 0:06:15But this time, it's a false alarm.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Thank you very much!
0:06:26 > 0:06:29The meerkats fell for it.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42This all seems too easy. He tries the same trick again.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43CHIRRUPING
0:06:45 > 0:06:46BARKING
0:06:52 > 0:06:55But the meerkats aren't stupid - they'll only fall for it once.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The juicy scorpion won't be for him.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Then, suddenly, the sound of a sentry's warning.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20No meerkat can ignore that. Sentries never lie.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24But the sentry sees no danger.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Guess who?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Of course, it's the drongo.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45He's learnt to mimic the meerkats' own warning call.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And now, he can enjoy his prize.
0:07:52 > 0:07:59A gang of meerkats, outsmarted by a bird.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07The drongo is only deceitful in the hardest winter months.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11For the rest of the year, he provides honest protection.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18So, in the long run, the meerkat family profit as well as the drongo.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22CHIRRUPING
0:08:25 > 0:08:27It's a much harder life,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31if you haven't yet learned the tricks of your trade.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47This young leopard is just a year old,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and at a critical point in his life.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16His mother has battled to raise her two cubs,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20but finding enough food for them is now beyond her.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28From today, he'll have to fend for himself.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Kalahari means "land of great thirst".
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Prey is scarce. Of all the leopards in Africa,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52these have to be the most resourceful.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02A big warthog.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Potential prey,
0:10:05 > 0:10:06but armed and dangerous.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13His mother tried to tackle one, but it nearly killed her.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33He spots something more promising.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51A steenbok, that's more like it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03He won't strike unless he can get to within just four metres,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05and without making the slightest sound.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12ANXIOUS YAPPING
0:11:12 > 0:11:14A jackal barks an alarm.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22But the steenbok still has no idea it's being stalked.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32The nearer he gets, the quieter he must be.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11He's blown it.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29A good opportunity like that won't come around very often.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Hungry and thirsty, he heads back home,
0:12:40 > 0:12:46and spots a kill stashed in a tree, almost certainly by his own mother.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51And, like any teenager, he thinks nothing of raiding her larder.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Booby trapped.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It's not really his day, is it?
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Some young leopards grow up to be brilliant opportunists.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01But even they find life hard here in the Kalahari.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14These bizarre little birds are baby ostriches.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20They're just a few days old.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27In time, they'll become superb desert survivors.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33But in the Kalahari, these early days are perilous.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Like leopards and meerkats, adult ostriches can extract
0:14:38 > 0:14:42all the moisture they require from their food.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43The chicks, however,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47won't survive much more than another day without water.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51But there's none in sight.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54How can their parents conjure up water out here?
0:15:11 > 0:15:14The youngsters follow their parents,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17as they head out onto a featureless wasteland.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It seems like a suicidal journey.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40The Etosha salt pan.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Here, water is more often a mirage than reality.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's now well over 40 degrees centigrade.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Their father shades his chicks from the midday sun.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Another mirage?
0:16:13 > 0:16:17No. The ostrich family is not alone out here.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Surrounded by miles of sun-baked mud,
0:16:29 > 0:16:36sweet, fresh water wells up from deep below ground...
0:16:36 > 0:16:37like a miracle.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Although the ostrich parents have guided their chicks to water,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05there's still a problem - traffic.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Heavy traffic.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17These tiny, fragile birds could easily be trampled under foot.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The water is tantalisingly close.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Where prey gathers, predators are never far behind.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32The brawling lions have unwittingly done the young ostriches a favour.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35The water hole is now clear.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Sometimes, you need a bit of luck in life.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Their first-ever drink...
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and just in time.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Their father's done his job.
0:19:28 > 0:19:34A black rhinoceros, the Kalahari's most cantankerous resident.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40They don't like company,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and they certainly don't like sharing a water hole with lions.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Fortunately - for everyone else, that is -
0:19:48 > 0:19:50they only visit twice a week.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07The Kalahari is the black rhino's last stronghold.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13And here, under the cover of darkness,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15at one secret and very special water hole,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19rhino abandon their normally solitary life,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23and come from miles around to meet under the stars.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Using the latest starlight camera,
0:20:31 > 0:20:36we can reveal for the first time the rhino's true character.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44This young female seems nervous.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46She senses other rhinos close by.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53A mother appears from the shadows with her calf.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Tentatively, they greet one another.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12They may be ill-tempered by day,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16but now they become gentle and affectionate.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26More and more arrive.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39We had no idea that rhinos met to socialise
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and build friendships like this.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The young female has an admirer.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18But she doesn't seem keen on him.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27She's excited about something.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Or someone.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Here comes a really big male.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45This time, she's much more welcoming.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Who would have thought that rhino could be so flirtatious?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The first male tries to come between them.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Somehow or other, he's got a pair of antelope horns stuck on his nose.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24It looks as if she's been won over by his eccentric style.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30He leads her off, away from the party.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53He may have style -
0:23:53 > 0:23:57but he's turning out to be something of a disappointment.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08GRUNTING
0:24:12 > 0:24:14A girl can only put up with so much.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24The only way she can get rid of him is to pretend she's asleep.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34To see so many rhino in one place is a revelation.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38And that's the power water has here - the power to bring together
0:24:38 > 0:24:42the greatest gathering of rhinos anywhere on Earth.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Spitzkoppe.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09An ancient volcano, that towers above a plateau
0:25:09 > 0:25:12that is two billion years old.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17This land has remained unchanged
0:25:17 > 0:25:20for longer than any other part of Africa.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Animals here have had a long time to find inventive solutions
0:25:29 > 0:25:31to the challenge of finding water.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Out on the open plains, life must await the chance arrival of rain.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04THUNDER RUMBLES
0:26:05 > 0:26:09When it does fall, it has an extraordinary effect.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Each sporadic downpour may only last minutes,
0:26:16 > 0:26:21but it can bring life, and in spectacular numbers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Red-billed quelea.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35SHRILL CHORUS
0:26:37 > 0:26:40They're the most numerous bird in the world.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43In all, more than a billion live here in the Kalahari.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46No-one knows quite how,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49but they seem to have an extraordinary ability to locate
0:26:49 > 0:26:54the fall of rain, and then instantly exploit the bonanza that follows.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16These nomads now have just five weeks to find food,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19build a nest and raise a brood.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31But they're not alone.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38The rains have also created a plague.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53These are armoured ground crickets.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Giant insects, with voracious appetites...for meat.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08With the quelea parents away feeding,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10their chicks are defenceless.
0:28:54 > 0:28:55The adults return.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07But the cricket fights back.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14Squirting its own foul-tasting blood into their eyes.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42The cricket is still alive,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46but the stench of its blood attracts the attention of others.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Now, IT is the target.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02These crickets become cannibals.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22All too soon, the bonanza brought by the rain is over,
0:30:22 > 0:30:27and the quelea head off in search of the next rare downpour.
0:30:45 > 0:30:50The Kalahari is scarred by rivers that have long since run dry,
0:30:50 > 0:30:54the water claimed by the thirsty land.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08But it's not gone far.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Deep below lies a secret,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19one that was discovered only 25 years ago.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39Humid air rushing to the surface gives this place its name,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Dragon's Breath Cave.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53The shaft descends for 60 metres, until it meets...
0:31:57 > 0:31:59..water.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Here, there is a massive chamber,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08big enough to swallow three jumbo jets, nose to tail,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11filled with cool, fresh water.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15The world's largest underground lake.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28This is fossil water.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34It's been trapped here, undisturbed, for thousands,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36if not millions, of years.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45We have no idea how deep the lake is.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Divers have been down to 100 metres,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and still there's no sign of the bottom.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Remarkably, Dragon's Breath is part of a vast cave system
0:33:01 > 0:33:05that extends beneath the Kalahari for thousands of miles.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Even here, in this lonely cave, there is life.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29Golden catfish, only found in this one cave.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33They're the rarest and most isolated fish in the world.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42Life down here is as challenging as it is in the desert above.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45There's no food,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48except the debris that occasionally falls onto the surface.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56And these catfish are totally blind.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00The only world they know is the one they sense through touch.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09A blind fish living in perpetual darkness,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13deep beneath one of the most arid regions of Africa.
0:34:21 > 0:34:27Such cruel irony. So much water hidden away out of reach.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Along the western edge of the Kalahari, the land becomes so dry,
0:34:37 > 0:34:41it seems impossible that any life could survive here.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00The Namib.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06A million square miles of sand exquisitely sculpted by the wind.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12This is the oldest desert in the world.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Respite comes from fog rolling in from the Atlantic ocean.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31It condenses into a few precious drops.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Just enough to sustain life.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48A pompilid wasp is searching the dunes.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58She's not looking for a drink, but for somewhere moist to lay her egg.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05How will she pull off a trick like that?
0:36:11 > 0:36:15The entrance to a burrow. That's worth investigating.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26She may be tiny, but once she decides to dig,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29she can shift extraordinary quantities of sand.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49She's unearthed this spider for a grisly purpose.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59It's so dry, the only place with enough moisture for her egg
0:36:59 > 0:37:02is within the body of another living thing.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08First, she must paralyse her victim.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15But then, the spider plays its trump card.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38The aptly-named golden wheel spider can cartwheel fast enough
0:37:38 > 0:37:40to escape its gruesome fate.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55For the wasp, her near impossible search goes on.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24If it's hard enough for a tiny wasp to survive here in the Namib,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27how is it possible for a giant?
0:38:37 > 0:38:39A desert giraffe.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45It's difficult to imagine how such a huge animal
0:38:45 > 0:38:47can live in a place with so little water.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58This old male is at the very limit of his endurance.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13The land may be bone dry,
0:39:13 > 0:39:17but there are signs that water once flowed here.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27The Hoanib, one of Namibia's rivers.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32A river of sand.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49The trees that line these sand rivers send roots down
0:39:49 > 0:39:54over 30 metres to tap water that lies deep beneath the river bed.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01These trees are the giraffe's salvation,
0:40:01 > 0:40:06even if he has to stretch to his very tallest to get a mouthful.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Even on tiptoe, he still needs a half-metre-long tongue
0:40:15 > 0:40:18to reach the leaves he so badly needs.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43He's ruled this stretch of the Hoanib for over a decade,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46and this prime territory is attracting females.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00He waits confidently for her.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13But they've got company.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14A young male.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59The old bull won't tolerate a rival.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Pushing and shoving, they size each other up.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18The young rival seems to think he has a chance and attacks.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35The first few blows usually settle things in such battles,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38but here, the stakes are high.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48To lose means exile in the desert.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Neither will back down.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03As the fight intensifies, they change tactics.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06The young male aims for the rump.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12The old bull targets his rival's legs.
0:44:00 > 0:44:01The old bull is down.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Is this the end of his reign?
0:44:18 > 0:44:21He knows a knockout blow is coming.
0:44:35 > 0:44:36But the old bull ducks...
0:44:41 > 0:44:46..and strikes a blow to his rival's underbelly.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Out for the count.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37The old bull is victorious.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43But only just.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55The sand river remains his to rule.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21It's a river that is about to be transformed.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Under clear blue skies, water floods down the Hoanib.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41The welcome consequence of rain that fell hundreds of miles away.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58The water may only flow for a matter of hours.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05But this miraculous flood is enough to provide
0:47:05 > 0:47:09a lifeline for the trees and the giraffes of the Hoanib River.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19It's what makes this place worth fighting for.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Here, fossil lakes, secret water holes, desert fog
0:47:42 > 0:47:46and ephemeral rivers like this provide just enough water
0:47:46 > 0:47:50for life to get by, no matter how tough it gets.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58It's hard to find more inventive solutions to staying alive
0:47:58 > 0:48:03than in this, the most ancient corner of Africa.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31For four years, the Africa team searched the continent
0:48:31 > 0:48:33for new and surprising stories.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Not only of strange and unfamiliar creatures,
0:48:36 > 0:48:38but also of some we think we know.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Veteran wildlife cameraman Martyn Colbeck took on the challenge
0:48:45 > 0:48:48of shedding new light on the life of Namibia's desert giraffe.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56I jumped at the opportunity of working with an animal that
0:48:56 > 0:48:58I hadn't really spent much time with.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Straightaway, they proved to be quite an eye-opener.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05They're very bizarre looking animals.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08We just kept looking at them from different angles
0:49:08 > 0:49:11and they looked even weirder.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16The combination of the sort of weird close ups, the beautiful
0:49:16 > 0:49:17landscape that they're in.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19They're amusing...
0:49:19 > 0:49:22I got really attached to them, actually.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Overlying all this, we were always waiting for a fight.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34But to see a full-blooded fight is very rare.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38So, the only way that we were going to see it
0:49:38 > 0:49:42is if we stuck at it, day after day, every day for 30 days.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47We were lucky enough that we found a male guarding a female.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55And out of nowhere, this male came round the corner.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05And almost immediately faced up to our male.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Absolutely no warning that this was going to happen,
0:50:10 > 0:50:13so it was complete pandemonium in the car.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18But luckily I got the camera up and running in time to actually
0:50:18 > 0:50:22capture this fight, and it all came down to one minute in real time.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30When I filmed it, you don't see it in slow motion.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33And you just have to go with the flow.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37You're not experiencing the fight,
0:50:37 > 0:50:39you're just basically framing it and capturing it.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42So it was only afterwards, when we looked at it in slow motion,
0:50:42 > 0:50:45that you could really understand how ferocious it was.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54You can see the impact on the skin.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57You can see the ripples going through the flesh.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03But it was the final blows that delivered the real surprise.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06It was like one of those chimneys falling down.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13At the last moment, the head just went clunk!
0:51:30 > 0:51:31And we thought it was dead.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36We thought this thing was dead.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41And it lay there for, it must have been three minutes.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46Eventually, this thing suddenly got up, the one that was
0:51:46 > 0:51:50lying down, and the two of them were then standing, and then the one that
0:51:50 > 0:51:54had been knocked over completely then just said, "I've had enough.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57"OK, OK, you won and I'm off".
0:52:03 > 0:52:05I, I think it's very unlikely I'm going to see
0:52:05 > 0:52:06anything like that again.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10I think that's a once-in-a-life-timer. I really do.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16It won't be easy to look at giraffes in the same way again.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23On the other side of the desert,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26another of Africa's great animal icons
0:52:26 > 0:52:29was attracting the attention of the team
0:52:29 > 0:52:31as they staked out a secret water hole.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39They hoped to reveal a very different side
0:52:39 > 0:52:42to the personality of the black rhinoceros.
0:52:45 > 0:52:50The team have heard that at night rhinos behave a little strangely.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07A specially-built starlight camera would allow the team
0:53:07 > 0:53:09to pierce the darkness.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18It's amazing. That's filming something we can't even see.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Yeah, and if you look out there now...
0:53:20 > 0:53:21Yeah, it's just black, isn't it?
0:53:21 > 0:53:25But through this, it looks as sharp as day.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Rhinos are notoriously antisocial,
0:53:28 > 0:53:34yet here they come to revel in each other's company.
0:53:34 > 0:53:35This is amazing.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40This is such intimate behaviour,
0:53:40 > 0:53:45which you can only see filming them at night like this.
0:53:45 > 0:53:46It's incredible.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58But it wasn't just cameras that would show a new side to rhinos.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03By concealing tiny radio microphones around the water hole,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07the crew hoped to eavesdrop on the night's activity.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12RHINOS GRUNT
0:54:22 > 0:54:25And what they heard was astonishing.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28RHINO GRUMBLES
0:54:29 > 0:54:31They're really talkative.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35They really are having a good chat.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42These guys are far more communicative than elephants, even.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48They're just going on and on, chatting away.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50SQUEALS AND GRUNTS
0:54:52 > 0:54:54It's a beautiful, crystal clear night,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56so we've got beautiful starry shots.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01Loads of amazing noise. Puffing and huffing.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08So it's about two in the morning.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10There's only one rhino left up there.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12The rest of the them have gone to bed,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15but he's decided to lie down right on top of the radio mic.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19RHINO GRUNTS AND SNORTS
0:55:28 > 0:55:31The crew prepared for one more night
0:55:31 > 0:55:33at the water hole under the full moon.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44It seems that they're not really here for the water,
0:55:44 > 0:55:46but more to socialise.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48A bit like going out for the evening.
0:55:53 > 0:55:58He's got some kudu horns on his face, draped over his nose!
0:55:58 > 0:56:00LAUGHTER
0:56:00 > 0:56:02Is it all on camera, too?
0:56:05 > 0:56:09These images have a particular poignancy in a world where
0:56:09 > 0:56:14rhino horn is worth more than its weight in gold.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Poaching is going through a really bad time right now
0:56:17 > 0:56:18in Southern Africa.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20If you averaged it out,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24a rhino has been killed every day for the last year.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29That's really serious poaching.
0:56:29 > 0:56:35It's a huge concern that what we saw and filmed just won't happen again.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Ever!
0:56:39 > 0:56:43It's only now that technology has revealed a new side
0:56:43 > 0:56:45to the rhino's personality.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56The black rhinoceros is a symbol of the African bush.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00But it seems that this creature has been long misunderstood.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08For the Africa team, revealing giraffes
0:57:08 > 0:57:11and rhinos in this new light was just the beginning.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16Africa may be a continent we think we know,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19but it's still full of surprises.