Super/Natural (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- BENEDICT: Enter a world
just beyond your perception.
A world of extraordinary animals
with hidden powers and super senses.
If you think you know nature
think again.
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Deep
in the Canadian wilderness
(BELLOWS)
an animal so secretive
she's known as the Phantom of the Forest.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: The goshawk.
(GOSHAWK CHIRPS)
- (SCREECHES)
- BENEDICT: Zero to 40 miles an hour
in under a second.
The fastest acceleration
of any bird of prey.
Short, rounded wings and a foot-long tail,
steer through dense forests,
with unparalleled agility.
- Yet even she can be outmaneuvered.
- (SCREECHES)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
BENEDICT: Other,
much smaller creatures here
(GOSHAWK SQUAWKS)
possess astonishing abilities
that can defeat the Phantom of the Forest.
With specialized eyesight adapted
to low light,
the chickadee is first to spot
the airborne threat
(SQUAWKS)
- and first to raise the alarm.
- (CHIRPS)
BENEDICT: A coded message
broadcasting the hawk's position
and speed.
(CHIRPS)
BENEDICT: Squirrels not only recognize
the chickadees' call
(CHIRPS)
they've learned to mimic it
almost perfectly.
(CHITTERS)
BENEDICT: In seconds, the warning
is retweeted from one animal to another.
(BIRDS CHITTERING)
BENEDICT: It relays through the forest
at over a 100 miles per hour.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: More than twice as fast
as the hawk.
Message received, loud and clear.
"Enemy approaching, low and fast."
When the little guys look out
for each other
it keeps them one step ahead.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(SCREECHES)
BENEDICT: You don't have to be big
and tough to survive.
What you really need are friends.
Welcome to the world
of animal alliances
where creatures communicate
and collaborate in wonderful ways
and form the most unexpected partnerships.
BENEDICT: Even in this punishing world
- by joining forces
- (WIND WHISTLING)
animals can triumph
against extreme odds.
When the weather turns
in this North American forest
sticking together can make the difference
between life and death.
At just five ounces, this little squirrel
can't store enough bodyfat to hibernate.
So, he has to find food all winter.
But once he leaves his friends
he could freeze.
When the temperature falls to minus 30
only the most superpowered squirrel
will make it home alive.
He needs food
and fast.
Large eyes drink in the faint light.
He sees in the dark
as well as we see in the day.
And his acute sense of smell helps him
to locate food on the forest floor.
But a mushroom is only four calories.
He needs 20 to survive the night.
Not easy to come by in deep winter.
If racing up and down in search of food
burns more energy than he can find,
this night will be his last.
(CHITTERS)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: But this little lightweight
has a secret.
He can fly.
Northern flying squirrels
have a furry wingsuit,
stretching from wrist to ankle,
called a patagium.
They can glide
nearly the length of a football field.
And to land, he turns his tail
into an air brake.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Sailing between the trees,
he finds enough food with minimal effort.
But now, this ninja of the night is far
from his friends.
- If he doesn't find them soon
- (EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)
he will die.
He sends out
an emergency ultrasonic message.
(SCREECHES)
BENEDICT: Most predators can't hear it
- (SCREECHES)
- but his friends can.
- And when they reply
- (SQUIRRELS SCREECHING)
he knows exactly where to go.
(SQUIRRELS SCREECHING)
BENEDICT: Now, they must head
home together
to warm up before it's too late.
With more than 20 different dens
scattered through the forest
it could be hard to keep track
of where everyone's going
especially at this speed.
But a recent discovery has exposed
an even more spectacular hidden talent.
Flying squirrels
- glow.
- (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Filming in ultraviolet
reveals how they fluoresce
absorbing moonlight in one color
and emitting it in another.
It's believed
that their glow-in-the-dark bellies
act like beacons
so they can see their friends at night
and follow them all the way back
to where they're safe and warm.
Staying close together to make it
through the coldest nights.
Some animals take cooperation
to another level
(OWL SQUEALING)
creating a powerful sense
of community
in which the next generation
can safely grow.
(WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Burrowing owls raise
their babies in a perilous world.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
BENEDICT: Just ten inches tall,
they live beneath the feet.
- of giants.
- (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(BISON BELLOWS)
BENEDICT: And in constant fear
of predators.
(CHITTERING)
BENEDICT: On the wide-open plains
of Montana
- (CHITTERING)
- (BISON BELLOWS)
- danger comes from every angle.
- (CHITTERS)
BENEDICT: Thankfully, burrowing owls
are all eyes and ears.
- Binocular vision and acute hearing
- (SCREECHES)
BENEDICT: allow them
to pinpoint danger.
Even more impressive,
they look out for each other.
The only owls to live in large groups,
up to 100 strong.
They form the ultimate neighborhood watch.
A safe environment
for their growing owlets
(MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: to perfect their skills.
(CHITTERING)
(OWLETS CHITTER)
BENEDICT: At one month old,
an owlet's eyesight
is already fully developed.
- (SCREECHES)
- (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: But now,
only weeks before they leave home
they still need to master
their listening skills
by learning how
to rotate their concave faces
to direct sound towards their ears.
Get it right and it amplifies noises
up to ten times
but it takes practice and coordination.
All the while,
the parents have their backs,
keeping a lookout
and keeping them fed.
Owls are carnivorous,
but have no teeth to chew.
So, even the babies swallow meals whole.
Claws, fur, bones, and all.
And what goes in
must come out
as a pellet.
(SQUAWKS)
BENEDICT: Anyway, back to class.
How to avoid danger
by listening to their parents
and following their example.
When the rattlesnake alarm is raised
- (CHITTERING)
- (RATTLES)
the owlets know to keep their distance.
(RATTLES)
BENEDICT: Its venom is potent enough
to kill even the largest animals,
to roam America.
But being inquisitive can be a lifesaver.
As long as they keep a watchful eye
and keep their distance
they should be safe.
(RUMBLING)
BENEDICT: Some dangers are harder
to avoid.
(BISONS BELLOW)
- (RUMBLING)
- (CHITTERS)
- BENEDICT: Bison.
- (BISON GROANS)
BENEDICT: They target the openings
around owl burrows to dust bathe.
(FLIES BUZZING)
BENEDICT: This two-and-a-half-thousand
pound giant
could easily crush the den,
and then trap those inside.
So, the owlets do something truly amazing.
(IMITATES RATTLE)
BENEDICT: They've mastered the art
of imitation
copying that telltale snake-rattle
to near perfection.
They scare off a beast 11,000 times
their size.
- (IMITATES RATTLE)
- (MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: These marvelous little mimics
are well on their way to becoming
fully-fledged members
of the burrowing owl security force.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Look up, look around,
look closer
and you'll see
strange relationships hidden everywhere
in this wonderful world.
On a few special nights each year
this small patch of forest
in the mountains of Mexico
stages one of the most mesmerizing
displays of cooperation on Earth.
(EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)
- (CRICKETS CHIRPING)
- (SCREECHING)
BENEDICT: This male firefly
has been waiting
for two years underground.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Now is his chance to shine.
And he has just the right chemistry
for the job.
He drives oxygen into his abdomen.
It reacts
with potent chemical compounds
luciferin and luciferase
in an explosion of bioluminescence.
But even this enchanting ability
is not enough on its own.
Females like to be dazzled.
The brighter, the better.
So, his only choice
is to team up with his rivals.
When thousands of male fireflies
come together
it's certainly brighter
but far more chaotic.
Females will only make their move
when the males flash in sync.
So, slowly, they adjust their timing
until finally, something magical happens.
They reach supernatural synchronicity
a glowing Mexican wave,
rarely filmed before.
Of 2000 firefly species
only around 12 display in unison
and this ripple effect is so phenomenal
even the pickiest female
can't help being turned on.
She shows her interests
but her light is so faint
she must make her signal in the gap
between the male's flashes.
There are ten rivals vying
for each female.
So now, it's every male for himself.
It's this determined fellow
who reaches her first
and finally gets to mate.
But ultimately,
his luck in love is all thanks
to this spell-binding display
of cooperation.
The deeper we delve
into nature's strange relations
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT:
the more surprising they become.
On the African savanna
unlikely allies collaborate to overcome
a big problem.
(ELEPHANTS TOOT)
BENEDICT: To satisfy
its enormous appetite
an elephant eats 300 pounds of vegetation
in a day.
- (ELEPHANTS HUFF, TRUMPET)
- BENEDICT: Trees can't escape.
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)
BENEDICT: But the whistling acacia
has an extraordinary elephant deterrent.
A low-frequency sonic shield
(BEES BUZZING)
BENEDICT: that sounds like
a swarm of angry, stinging bees.
It's a noise that even elephants fear.
(ELEPHANT HUFFS, TRUMPETS)
(SCREECHES)
BENEDICT: The acacia doesn't come
with a built-in alarm system
it's installed by little helpers.
Cocktail ants gnaw holes
in the swollen thorns.
It's believed they use their antennae
to judge the perfect angle.
So, when the prevailing wind blows
the acacia starts to sing.
(EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: The ant holes not only make
the tree whistle
they are also portals to a hidden world.
Secret safe houses
where the ants raise their young.
The tree also supplies highly-addictive,
sugary nectar to make sure the ants
stick around.
(MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: And just one acacia can house
a colony 50,000 strong.
It's a city in the sky
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: but it's under attack.
(LEAVES RUSTLE)
BENEDICT: A six-foot neck
can reach the highest leaves.
A dexterous 21-inch tongue can pick
between the thorns.
And unlike elephants
giraffes are immune
to an acacia's whistle.
Time for the ants to earn their keep
(RHYTHMIC DRUM MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: and to mobilize an army
to take on an enemy,
158 million times their size.
Cocktail ants can't see far,
so they detect attackers
using hypersensitive vibration sensors.
As the giraffe feeds
it sends shockwaves through the branches.
The ants can measure minute differences
in these tremors with their legs.
If the front right detects motion,
a fraction of a second before back left,
it means enemy ahead, to the right.
The army attacks
inflicting painful bites to the tongue
and face.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: It's one for all
and all for the tree.
Raising their abdomens,
they blast out noxious acid.
It's how they earned their name.
Cocktail ants.
And it works.
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Losses are inevitable
but eventually, the giraffe is forced
to move on.
Despite damage and casualties
both acacia and colony live on.
Thanks to their remarkable partnership.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
BENEDICT: It's not only conflict
that brings species together.
(WARTHOG OINKS)
BENEDICT: Warthogs love a good mud bath.
(WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: It feels great
and exfoliates the skin
but there are some things
mud just can't remove.
A hog's body plays host to all sorts
of parasites,
blood-sucking ticks and lice
hiding in places they simply cannot reach.
At least, not without a little help.
This band of mongooses lives close by.
They're a chatty bunch
with one of the most
sophisticated animal languages.
(MONGOOSES CHATTER)
BENEDICT: Using a wide vocabulary
of vowels and syllables
they discuss where to find food
and everyone's agreed.
- It's time to hit the town.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Weighing in at 330 pounds
- (WARTHOG GRUNTS)
- BENEDICT: and armed to the teeth
warthogs are usually on the defensive.
But in this Ugandan village
they've learned
to be a little more approachable.
Warthogs and mongooses
don't speak the same language
but they share something
exceedingly rare between mammals
a cross-species collaboration
initiated
by body language.
When the hog rolls over,
the mongooses understand.
It's an invitation to dine.
With a sense of smell 1000 times
more sensitive than our own
they detect the faint smell of blood
and pick off protein-packed parasites.
A nutritious meal for the mongooses
and a much-needed deep clean
for the warthog.
This special relationship is only seen
in two places on Earth.
Both, around human settlements
where there are fewer predators
so prey can relax a little
in the company of newfound friends.
As animals adapt to the modern world
it's giving rise to some
of the most efficient
and effective partnerships of all.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Bottlenose dolphins
use highly sophisticated techniques
to catch their prey.
But some have taken hunting
to a whole new level
by teaming up
with another intelligent animal.
(SEAGULLS SQUAWKING)
BENEDICT: Local fishermen in Laguna,
Brazil know that between May and June,
these estuarine waters are swimming
with mullet
but it's too murky to see them
unless you see in sound.
Echolocation is a precision sonar system,
that can detect the size,
speed, and distance of prey.
The dolphins use it to find the mullet
and then they shepherd them together.
But schooling fish are very hard
to target.
So, with a flick of their flukes
they make a distinctive dive
providing a signature slap that signals
to their fishermen friends
"It's time to cast."
It helps the humans land catch
after catch.
Where otherwise,
they would be fishing blind.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: It helps the dolphins too.
When the nets are cast
the mullet panic
break formation
and scatter
straight toward the waiting dolphins.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: Everyone gets a belly full
of fish.
It's the perfect partnership.
Strategic
ingenious
with two intelligent species combining
to succeed.
There's still much to explore
in our world.
And even stranger relationships
to discover.
(CROAKING)
BENEDICT: It turns out, one of the most
surprising alliances on Earth
has been hiding right under our feet.
Trees lead a secret social life.
- Deep underground
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
there's a lively conversation
taking place.
The trees are talking
through a newly-discovered
social network
known as the wood wide web.
Fungi, form a matrix
of hair-like threads
detach sugars from tree roots
and in return
they provide the tree with minerals,
they siphon from the soil.
And this secret subterranean relationship
allows something even more unexpected
- to take place.
- (CREAKING)
BENEDICT: Once the trees are connected
they can exchange information
vital warnings of drought and disease.
This Douglas fir has stood for decades.
But now, it's in peril.
(EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: A Douglas fir beetle
has a deadly plan
to raise an army
and kill the tree.
Broadcasting chemical
and electrical signals,
the fir warns its neighbors
to produce defensive poisons.
But it may be too late to save itself.
The pea-sized pest emits a pheromone
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: that could seal
the fir's fate.
It's calling reinforcements
and summoning a mass invasion.
Beetles
arrive
mate
and burrow in.
Then their young eat the tree alive.
This mighty fir will be dead within weeks.
But in a selfless final act
the dying giant diverts sugars
to its roots
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: so these life-giving supplies
can be shared through the "woodwide web."
And in doing so,
it helps neighbors and offspring
to grow stronger.
As one life ebbs away
the rest of the forest
becomes better prepared to fight
for its future.
We're still discovering the power
of the connection
between trees and fungi.
But it's already clear
this deep-rooted relationship
is fundamental to all life on Earth.
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: They say in nature
that only the strongest survive.
BENEDICT: But when cooperation
and communication
bring animals and plants together
and superpowers combine
even the most vulnerable
can become unstoppable.
(RHYTHMIC DRUM MUSIC PLAYING)
BENEDICT: If you think you know nature
(IMITATES RATTLE)
BENEDICT: think again.