Animals Like Us (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

Narrator:
In every habitat imaginable,
if you look close enough,
you'll see that
animals and people
have a lot in common.
Nothing beats
a bit of pampering
down at the local spa.
Bands of pirates chase victims
until they hand over
the treasure.
And love is in the air.
But to get
this hunk's attention,
a girl's gotta take
drastic action.
This is a new way
of seeing the natural world.
Where wild animals act
just like we do.
One of the fascinating things
about studying animals
is discovering how many aspects
of their behaviour
have parallels with our own.
Narrator: Around the globe,
animals continue to astound us
with their intelligence
and deep emotions.
The amazing thing is,
the more we learn about them,
the more we realize
animals are a lot like us.
[Squealing]
Across the natural world,
animals communicate
[Howling]
and share information
just like we do.
[Buzzing]
[Spraying]
Sperm whales talk
to other whales kilometres away.
They've even developed
different dialects
depending on
which pod they belong to.
Natterjack toads can croak
over a kilometre away
when they're looking for love.
[Croaking]
And the tiny prairie dog uses
barks and squeaks as its words
that can warn others
of a predator,
what direction its coming from,
and even its colour.
But there is one animal
that takes interaction
and personal
communication skills
to a whole new level.
The African bush elephant.
The true giants
of the animal kingdom.
Found in 37 countries
across the continent,
including the vast plains
of Kenya.
[Rumbling]
Elephants are such
a tight-knit group
and those herds can be
up to 100 strong, all related.
Narrator: Leading these herds,
mostly made up of females
and their young,
is the oldest female,
known as the matriarch.
She is the oldest
and wisest member of the herd
and she makes all the decisions.
About where to find food,
where to find water,
how to keep the whole herd safe,
and especially how to defend
and protect their young.
[Trumpet playing]
Narrator: Elephants are always
on the move
and can travel up to 60 km
in a single day.
So, keeping track of what
every elephant
is up to in the herd
can be a tricky business.
One way they do this,
is by constantly communicating
with each other.
That happens in different ways,
but one thing's for sure
these elephants are as loud
as they are huge.
[Baby trumpeting]
[Low rumbling]
[Loud trumpeting]
Elephants often trumpet
when they're surprised
or being playful,
but there's a lot more
to their sounds than just that.
[Trumpeting]
Narrator: It's true.
Elephants can also squeal, cry,
scream, roar, snort, rumble,
and groan to get
their point across.
[Roaring]
Elephants produce such
an incredible range of sounds.
Not just in terms of the volume,
they can go from these
really loud, high-pitched,
trumpeting alarm calls,
also they can produce
really low, gentle rumbles,
which are like
contact calls to each other
while they're feeding.
Narrator: Rumbling will only
get you so far.
Visual or
non-verbal communication
is as important for elephants
as it is for humans.
They can use their face, ears,
tusks, trunk, tail, and feet
to signal messages
to one another.
They're body language masters.
Elephants use their whole body
to communicate,
and even though their eyes
are around 1.5 inches across
and seemingly much smaller
than the rest of their body,
they become
a lot more expressive
when they're alarmed or excited.
Narrator: Some gestures
are easier to interpret.
Raised ears make them
look more intimidating.
While they paw the ground
if they feel threatened.
Of course, having a trunk
opens up
all kinds of
other possibilities.
Elephants use their trunks
to communicate.
So they can greet one another,
a little bit like
shaking hands.
But they can also be
really tender with their trunks.
They can wrap their trunks
around another,
a little bit like putting
your arm around a friend.
Narrator:
In addition to body language
and obvious vocalizations,
elephants have another,
more secret way
of communicating.
Elephants can be seen
standing still for hours,
ears out and eyes lowered
as if lost in thought.
Finally, they leave.
And later, joins a herd
kilometres away.
How did the elephant
know where to go?
Elephants have an incredible
ability to communicate
that we have only just
started to understand.
It's called infrasound.
And they can communicate
at 20 hertz,
which to us
is impossible to hear,
but to them means everything.
Narrator: These low notes
are produced by vibrations
in the vocal folds
of the elephant's larynx
or voice box.
In essence, elephants sing
or hum, a lot like we do.
But their huge voice box
produces extremely low notes.
As low as the lowest notes
of a pipe organ.
They can travel far and wide
and be picked up
by any elephant in range,
usually anywhere within 3.5 km.
Their giant ears,
like satellite dishes,
capture the waves.
The beauty of using
low-frequency sound
to communicate is the sound
can travel across the savannah,
across that habitat,
with very little interference.
But also very few other species
can actually
hear this frequency sound,
so it's almost like
their own channel
to speak to each other.
Narrator:
Elephants use as many
as 70 different sounds
to communicate,
and 60% of them
are actually infrasound.
It's like
an elephant group text
and when one elephant
communicates through infrasound,
all of them
get the same message.
Narrator: These powerful
messages are important.
They help male elephants
find available females.
They also
enable elephants to reunite
with lost friends
and family members.
One rumble means,
"Help, I'm lost!"
and another means,
"Hey, it's okay.
I'm over here."
We've only been
carrying cell phones
for the past few decades,
but elephants have been making
long-distance calls
for millions of years.
Narrator:
Luckily for these elephants,
they don't get billed
for these long-distance calls.
Incredibly, they all have
an in-built ability
to stay in touch
with their loved ones,
as they roam far and wide
across the African savannahs.
[Birds chirping]
Narrator: While most animals
have to work hard
to survive and find food,
some get by with a healthy dose
of deception and deviousness
Many birds in particular
are notorious tricksters.
[Chirping]
The cuckoo lays its eggs
in the nest
of another unsuspecting bird
to escape parental duties.
Blue jays do a good job
of imitating
different hawk species
causing other birds to scatter,
leaving the jays
with sole access
to the bird feeder.
But there's another avian rogue
that's more aggressive
and commits highway robbery
in the air.
This is
the magnificent frigatebird.
A large seabird,
easily recognized by its long,
slender wings and forked tail.
[Chirping]
They spend most of their life
flying effortlessly
over the ocean
searching for fish.
These birds are masters
at staying in the air,
and can glide for weeks on end
without flapping their wings.
They achieve this
with a really large wingspan,
eight feet,
wing tip to wing tip,
and that's the largest
wingspan-to-body ratio
of any bird.
And this is what
allows them to stay airborne
for such long periods,
as they range over the ocean
looking for food.
Narrator: When they do
come ashore to nest,
magnificent frigatebirds
favour tropical islands.
Like Trinidad and Tobago
in the Caribbean Sea.
The cliffs here are packed with
breeding birds of all kinds.
There's stiff competition
between parents
looking to feed
their youngsters.
Fish is always on the menu,
but these giants of the sky
have one weakness.
Even though
the frigatebird is a seabird,
it can't land on water.
Its feathers aren't waterproof.
These birds don't have oil
on their feathers,
and it's this oil that helps
keep seabirds waterproof.
Oil glands are heavy,
they take up a lot of energy,
and because these birds spend
most of their lives on the wing,
they want to be as light
and as streamlined as possible,
so nature
got rid of the oil glands.
Narrator:
So, it has to be careful
not to make a splash
when it goes fishing.
That is a really hard way
for a seabird to make a living
if it can't actually
dive into the water.
Narrator: The magnificent
frigatebird
has found a solution
that allows it to feed while
still keeping its feathers dry.
It has turned
to a life of crime,
and commits high-seas robbery
staying safely in the sky.
They target a seabird
that has a freshly caught fish
in its throat.
Then, the chase is on.
[Squawking]
Frigatebirds attack
from behind,
yanking their victims tail
and forcing it
to cough up the fish.
Honestly, these birds
would terrify me.
They're so intimidating,
not just because of their size,
but because of their tactics.
I mean, this is sky way
robbery.
They are really aggressive,
they're very persistent,
but also,
they're very calculating.
Narrator:
It's simple but effective.
You have to admire
the audacity of these birds.
They really are
the pirates of the sea.
It's a great way
to mug a bird mid-air
and get it to give up
its well-earned prey.
Very successful strategy.
Narrator: Not all victims
roll over so easily.
But the magnificent
frigatebirds
have different tactics
they can deploy.
When they have to,
they team up.
There's a high-speed chase
through the skies.
This tropic bird
tries to shake-off
these flying "Jack Sparrows."
Twisting one way
and then another.
The tropic bird thinks
it's evaded this sky pirate
when the other one pounces.
I'll take that.
These aerial dogfights
are fascinating to watch,
because they are absolutely
fixated on their victim.
This frigate just comes in,
absolutely relentless.
Oh, and there it goes,
lunch is stolen.
Gillian:
It's a real aerial dogfight.
I feel really sorry
for the birds
that come under attack.
But it's not always
in favour of the frigatebirds
because surprisingly,
some of the smaller birds
have a bit of an advantage,
because they have
these shorter wingspans.
It makes them
more manoeuvrable in the air,
but also they stay closer
to the surface of the water
and we know
the frigatebirds cannot afford
to get close to the surface
of the water and ditch.
Narrator:
Just like in the human world,
when it comes to greed
there is no honour
among thieves.
One sky pirate's booty,
can easily become
another's stolen treasure.
[Squawking]
Gillian:
It's really tempting,
but we cannot
judge this behaviour.
It seems brutal.
It seems dishonourable.
They'll seem like thugs.
But actually,
frigatebirds have chicks too.
So they've got their young
to keep alive
just like
any other species does.
Narrator:
Although terrifying in the air,
but at the nest,
frigatebirds are doting parents.
And one day,
these chicks will grow up
to become
young buccaneers themselves.
[Squawks]
[Playful growls]
Parenthood is something
we and most animals
have in common.
A biological necessity,
and rite of passage.
Many adult species,
human or otherwise,
temporarily put
their own lives on hold
while they raise
and look after kids.
Male emperor penguins
incubate their partner's eggs
for two months straight,
over the harsh
Antarctic winter.
It's Daddy Day Care
round the clock,
until mom returns.
An orangutan mother will stay
in close contact with her baby
for up to eight years.
But in our planet's seas,
there's a marine mammal
that looks after
the younger generation
for its entire life.
The Norwegian Sea.
[Waves crashing]
Just one of many places
where you'll find a species
that shares
a particular human trait
that almost no other creature
on Earth does.
The orca.
Also known as a killer whale.
Orcas were given
the name "killer whales"
by sailors
who directly observed them
hunting and killing
much larger whales in the sea.
Narrator:
These killer whales, though,
are very family-orientated,
living in pods
of up to 40 family members,
travelling
and hunting together.
Wherever they roam,
they are the apex predators.
Fearsome, adaptable,
and long-lived.
On average,
orcas live around 50 years old,
but some females have been known
to live as much as
90 years old.
Narrator: Like us humans,
these whales
are evolutionary oddballs.
Most mammals on the planet
stay fertile
until the end of their life,
which is usually
much shorter than ours.
But humans and orcas
are in the same boat
when it comes to menopause.
Ben: It really is incredible
when you think about it.
Apart from humans,
the only other mammals
to go through menopause
are short-finned pilot whales,
belugas and narwhals.
And why orcas do the same
is still a little bit uncertain,
but it might be down
to their close-knit
family units,
which consist of
both males and females.
And this in itself
is quite unusual
within the mammal world.
Narrator: Female orcas
reach sexual maturity
when they're between
10 and 13 years old
and start breeding
when they're 14 or 15.
Most orca moms will give birth
to a single calf
every three to ten years.
When they're about
40 years old,
they stop reproducing.
It's not clear whether orcas
experience symptoms of menopause
the way we do,
but certainly
they do stop breeding
when they reach middle age
But it doesn't mean that
they no longer have a role
in orca society.
Narrator: Far from it.
New studies have shown
that female orcas,
young and old alike,
are key to their pod's survival
and future.
Orca communities
are incredibly tightly knit,
and just like
a large human family,
they're made up
of multi-generations.
You get grannies,
you get moms,
you get the kids, the grandkids,
and they all cooperatively work
and live together.
And this group has to be
very good at finding food
and keeping each other safe.
Narrator: In fact,
after menopause,
these older females become
even more crucial to the family
and in many cases,
leave the pod.
Their accumulated knowledge
and know-how
can often be the difference
between life and death.
Especially when prey
becomes scarce.
So, grandma savvy is crucial.
For example, grandma can help
the whole pod find food.
But more than that,
when times are tough,
she'll also share food
with the younger ones.
But most crucially of all,
this older female will actually
help to teach the younger ones
how to hunt their prey.
So she actually
gives them the knowledge
of how to go out into the world
and hunt for themselves.
What's interesting is,
the orcas are able to use
a whole range of tactics
depending on
which species they're hunting.
So whales, seals,
fish, even rays,
all determine
how the particular pod hunts
Narrator: A favourite orca
delicacy is seal.
But landing
one of these tasty morsels
can be a dangerous endeavour
for a killer whale.
Especially a newbie.
Baby seals spend a lot of time
by the shoreline.
They look like easy pickings.
But if an over-eager
juvenile orca
rushes in to grab one,
it might miss
and end up beaching itself.
A successful raid
depends on timing, and skill.
Without an educator around,
it's tricky.
But if grandma's there
to show you how it's done,
it can be a piece of cake.
What's really nice is
seeing they're adapting
their behaviours
these really sharp
flips of the tail
to propel themselves
up this steep sandy beach
just to get those pups there.
They've learned
this special adaptive behaviour
to get back into the sea
to make sure
they're not in trouble.
It's really clever.
[Puppy seals crying]
Narrator:
Like a human society,
orcas value
and revere their elders
and seem to
instinctively realize
that these veterans
of life on the high seas
have a lot to offer.
Not in spite of,
but because of their old age.
Scientists call it
"the grandmother effect."
And for young orcas,
it is profound.
Studies show
that calves with grandmothers
are more likely to stay alive
than those without.
Ben: Many human grandmothers
love to spoil their grandkids
with treats and attention,
and for good reason,
because research has shown
that by having
living grandmothers
actually improves
the well being of the children.
And it appears
the same is true for orcas.
It just goes to show
that with the decades
of hard-earned experience
that these older females have,
it's not just
about having babies,
it's also about being able to
pass on the knowledge
that they have
to the younger generations.
Narrator: Respect your elders,
it's a piece of advice
young people
around world often hear.
For juvenile orcas,
it's not just a nice idea,
it's key to survival.
Having an elder female around
just might be
the kind of influence they need
early in life,
to flourish and make their way
in the world.
For them,
grandma really does know best.
Some people go to
a lot of trouble
to find that special someone.
And like us, many animals
also go to great lengths
to attract a mate.
For example, male peacocks
use elaborate tail dances
to impress the ladies.
While the male fiddler crab
waves his large claw
to entice a female.
Their first date
is getting together
to dig a burrow.
But for a certain kind
of cheeky monkey,
the female does
all the chasing.
The tropical forests of Brazil.
In the far northeast
of the country,
you'll find
the Serra da Capivara
National Park.
During the dry season,
many of the trees
lose their leaves.
[Birds tweeting]
But for some animals,
love is in the air.
The only problem
not everyone
is on the same page.
[Squeaking]
These are Capuchin monkeys.
Known around the world
for their supreme intelligence.
They can fashion tools
out of sticks,
and use rocks
for cracking nuts.
When the Portuguese explorers
first saw these primates
in the 1400s,
they names them "cappuccinos,"
after the "capuchin monks."
Capuchin friars
wear a brown, pointed hood
called a cappuccino,
and the monkeys
really look like them
with their brown fur
and white faces.
So the name just stuck.
Narrator:
Unlike real monks, though,
these monkeys live in large,
mixed sex groups
of up to 40 individuals.
They're made up
of a dominant male
and lots of females
vying for his attention.
They communicate
in a variety of ways,
but usually through calls
and vocalizations.
[Squeaking]
Capuchins communicate with
each other through the trees.
They'll be like,
"Hey, where are you?"
And the other one will be like,
"Oh, I'm over here!"
And they get really excited
when they find food,
and they make sure
to let others know
where the food is at.
[Squeaking]
They also
warn each other of predators
and have a specific alarm call
if they see an eagle or a snake.
[Squeaking]
Narrator: Sometimes,
when they're trying
to make their feelings known
to a member
of the opposite sex,
they need to take
a more direct approach.
Like this lustful lady.
Capuchins are polygamous,
meaning they mate
with several
different partners.
And there's one guy the females
all have their eyes on.
The group's alpha male.
To them, he's kinda like
the coolest guy on the block.
The school heartthrob.
But getting his attention
can be tricky.
This female is in heat
and ready for romance.
So she needs to work extra hard
to get his attention.
Capuchins love to play games
and they're known for all sorts
of strange social behaviour.
They test friendships
by poking their fingers
in their friends eyes.
And when it comes
to mating rituals,
it can be even more bizarre.
Narrator: First, she'll do
a bit of stalking.
You know, following him
wherever he goes.
We've all had one of those.
Not very subtle,
and probably quite annoying.
It's just like
teenagers in high school
trying to impress their crush.
Doing whatever you can
to get noticed.
It's like typical
"Hey, come get me" behaviour.
Narrator: She's doing her best
to catch his eye,
but he's totally distracted.
Fed up with being ignored,
she finally resorts
to more drastic action.
Here's a female.
Oh, she's got a coconut.
Really? She's gonna go that far?
Yeah, she is.
She's actually
chucked a coconut at him!
Always works for me.
I'm not sure
it's the best approach,
but anyway, obviously it works
for the female capuchins.
Nadeem: This female
is being really cheeky.
But it's cool, it's kinda sweet,
it's just like playful,
innocent.
A bit of puppy love, you know?
This guy doesn't look like
he's receiving it too well,
but hey, persistence, sister,
I believe in you.
Narrator: These blatant
attention-seeking ploys
may seem comical
but a female Capuchin
doesn't have many options.
These monkeys don't have
any physical indicators
to let males know
when they're most fertile
and ready to mate.
They're not showy,
like some female primates,
who will display
their swollen genitals
to the males.
Instead, capuchins rely on
bad behaviour.
Essentially bugging the boy
they like non-stop,
until he finally gets the hint.
She knows
when she's most fertile
and most likely to get pregnant.
And this is vital
for keeping the troop going
and producing
the next generation.
By making sure she's the mother
of the alpha-male's offspring
is a smart move.
Narrator: While
their romancing techniques
might seem somewhat juvenile,
capuchins are usually
considered the most intelligent
of all South American monkeys.
And scientists confirm
that the unusual tactics
usually pay off.
The desperate
coconut-throwing female
gets to spend some quality time
with the man of her dreams.
[Squawking]
In the bird world,
mates tend to come and go.
After a single breeding season,
many avian couples
call it quits
and go their separate ways.
Regardless of whether
they produce chicks, or not.
But in the southern hemisphere,
there's a seabird
that is more faithful,
pairing with the same partner
year after year.
The black-browed albatross
spends most of its life at sea.
For months at a time,
they don't see land.
Until they return
to one special place
to breed.
That special place is a remote,
rocky archipelago.
The Falkland Islands.
Home to one of
nature's greatest love stories.
Black-browed albatrosses
return to these same shores.
over and over again.
More than 70%
of the world's population
of these massive seabirds
nests here.
The shores of the Falklands
are flooded with albatross,
close to a million.
It's like a packed beach
in summer vacation.
Everyone jostling around
trying to find the best spot,
and there's nowhere to stand
without stepping
on a foot or a wing.
Narrator: They'll usually spend
the next six months or so
here in the colony
reuniting with a partner
to produce the next generation
of albatrosses.
[Albatross calling]
Albatross pairs actually spend
half the year apart,
on the wing, foraging for food,
and then half the year together
to build their nests
and raise their chick.
Narrator: These albatrosses
are socially monogamous,
which means year after year,
they'll pair up
with the same partner.
And these couples
make a long-term commitment
to each other.
It's really impressive
because some of these bonds
can last for decades.
Most birds will mate
for one season,
but these albatross
will very frequently
mate for season after season.
Narrator: Young albatrosses
that aren't coupled up yet
have to find their ideal mate
before they settle down.
They perform a very specific
and elaborate
courtship display.
[Albatross calling]
These rituals can include
up to 25 different poses.
[Beaks clicking]
Clicking beaks
seems to be the most popular.
The idea is to find a mate
that makes communication
and coordination easy.
Once both partners are happy
that they've found
their soulmate,
they set up a home together.
Albatrosses will make
a basic nest,
and then the female will lay
one single egg,
and then both sexes
will incubate it
for up to three months.
It's had work
raising a chick,
and so the parents take turns.
While one is on incubating duty,
the other one is off foraging.
And it takes about 130 days
for the chick to fledge.
Narrator: These couples
have a strong connection,
and unlike in humans,
divorce is rare.
Worldwide, the figure
for failed relationships
between albatrosses
has been estimated
at around 1%.
But divorce rates
for those birds
living in the Falklands
are actually on the rise.
There's a few factors
at play here.
The birds have to fly
much further to find food,
sometimes up to 5,000 miles
on a round trip to find squid.
Narrator: Squid, fish,
and crustaceans
are their favourite food.
But in recent years,
these "goodies" have dropped
in supply close to home
So the albatross'
search for sustenance
becomes longer
and more arduous.
They could be
away from the nest
for days, weeks, even months.
The partner left behind
has a tough choice to make.
Wait for their partner to return
or look for another.
Narrator:
Just like it is for us,
climate change is making life
more stressful
for the albatrosses.
As ocean temperatures rise,
it robs the water of nutrients
that fish
and other marine creatures
need to survive,
so their numbers drop.
By the time the albatrosses
return to land to mate,
they may be too exhausted
or too sick to start a family.
Warmer weather causes
a rise in stress for the birds,
and they're more likely
to divorce their partner
if they fail to breed.
Narrator: But over in Hawaii,
one species of albatross
has found an alternative
path to parenthood.
One that may help
stack the odds in their favour.
The laysan albatross.
Many of them
are in same sex relationships.
Dan: It's actually
a bigger proportion
than you might think.
Up to 31% are same sex pairs.
What's really cool, though,
is that there are major benefits
to being in a same sex pair,
including having two eggs hatch.
Lucy: These albatrosses
are true pioneers.
There aren't enough males
on the colony,
so they'll mate
with other albatross husbands
and then partner
with another female
in order to do the hard job
of raising the chick.
Narrator: These
all female relationships
are helping to secure a future
for these magnificent birds.
Climate change
and rising sea levels
are expected to destroy 95%
of albatross nesting areas
in this part of the Pacific.
But some same-sex
female couples
have been observed
building their nests
on much higher ground.
Out of reach of the waves,
so they are
ensuring a safe home
for the next generation
of albatrosses.
A species famous
for its steadfast monogamy,
is now showing
that it's also adaptable.
Finding a way
to reproduce and raise chicks
even when there aren't enough
dads to go around.
[Chirping]
Most animals don't mind
getting a little muddy.
But some can get carried away.
[Snorting]
These bathing beauties
are warthogs.
Wild African pigs
that will never say no
to a good mud bath.
While we all might like
a nice spa treatment,
these guys take it
to the extreme.
Dan: You gotta love warthogs.
They're not gonna win
any beauty contests
but they're a joy to watch.
Just look at them, they're like
fully armoured pigs.
Narrator: Warthogs live
all over sub-Saharan Africa.
Like here, in Uganda.
Where they share
watering holes and habitat
with a wide range
of other creatures.
All taking advantage of
this African nation's bounty.
Although they look
pretty fierce,
and looks can be deceiving,
and warthogs actually spend
most of their time grazing.
They're always rootling around
in the ground
looking for bulbs
or roots to eat.
They're greedy, basically.
Narrator:
These tough looking guys
are perfectly adapted
to life here.
During the wet season,
they feed
on the abundant grasses.
But during
the oppressive dry season,
when temperatures
regularly reach almost 32 C,
these versatile hogs cope
by spending more time
in their underground burrows.
The warthogs always seem
to have one pesky problem
ticks.
The parasites flourish
in warm, humid climates.
And feed exclusively
on the blood of other animals.
With all that exposed skin,
the warthog is an easy target.
Dan: Ticks are a real problem
in the wild.
They latch onto to the skin
of their hosts
and suck their blood.
If these ticks stay on,
the warthog
could get really sick.
Lucy: Ticks can carry
all sorts of diseases,
like African swine fever,
which is highly contagious.
But those hogs have found
an ingenious way
of ridding themselves
of those pesky ticks.
Narrator:
To keep themselves tick-free,
warthogs take
a lot of mud baths.
Wallowing also
helps them stay cool
and avoid sunburn.
But that's not always enough.
So from time to time,
these hogs head off
to the local spa.
Where there's a team
of trained beauticians waiting
dedicated to pampering
their clients.
Staffing this wildlife spa
mongooses.
The relationship between
the mongoose and the warthog
is pretty unique
because they don't have
any other reason
to hang out with each other.
In fact, warthogs
are being known
to kill mongooses.
So you'd think the mongooses
would be steering clear of them.
But the warthog knows
that the mongoose provides
a very special service.
Narrator: The first step
of any beauty treatment
is to assess
the clients' needs.
So, the mongoose
inspects the warthog
to see which treatment
it would best benefit from.
Then, they get to work.
The mongoose picks off
any ticks and other insects
the warthog might have
on its body,
and the warthog just lies there,
enjoying the work
of natural beauticians.
They swarm over the body,
getting into those crevices
in the folds of the skin,
and the warthog
will even lift its leg
to help them access those
difficult to reach places.
Narrator:
It's a very thorough process.
No area is off limits.
This particular treatment
is swift.
Carried out by a number
of the spa staff.
Ten minutes later,
the treatment is over.
Our refreshed warthog emerges
cleaned and reinvigorated.
And as an added bonus,
the warthog doesn't even
have to pay.
For the mongooses,
a full stomach
is payment enough.
This is a great example
of mutual benefit.
You scratch my back
and I'll scratch yours.
But the fact that
this involves different species,
makes it even more amazing.
Narrator: An animal helping
another species is rare
but not unique.
Zebra and wildebeest
travel together
as they benefit
from each other's keen senses.
The zebra
has exceptional sight,
even at night.
And the wildebeest use
their sharp sense of hearing
and smell
to keep the herd safe
and find water.
And bottlenose dolphins
make regular trips
to their local
underwater "pharmacy"
to treat very specific
skin problems.
This particular pharmacy
is in the Red Sea.
The warm waters cover
over 453,000 square kilometres.
Beneath the waves,
bottlenose dolphins
dance and dash
through a world
brimming with biodiversity.
Ben: Everyone loves dolphins.
They're so smart,
they're charismatic,
and that little smile
on their faces permanently.
They are quite human-like.
Narrator: Incredibly social
and highly intelligent,
these dolphins
are also adaptable
and health conscious.
That's important,
because around the world,
dolphins are threatened
by man-made chemicals
and the rise in sea pollution.
Just as we can get sick
from polluted water,
dolphins can too.
Because they're at the top
of a food chain
this toxic build up accumulates
all the way up
and causes massive problems
for them individually,
but also as a group.
Narrator: Heavy metals,
including mercury,
and industrial chemicals,
affect the dolphins' health.
These pollutants can cause harm
to the dolphins' growth,
development,
and even their reproduction.
These contaminants also
weaken their immune system.
The result of
all this environmental stress
means that
they're prone to infections,
especially fungal infections
on their skin,
which can become fatal.
Narrator: To guard against
and treat
harmful skin infections,
the dolphins take advantage
of a natural remedy.
One that's on offer
free of charge,
courtesy of another
underseas species.
There are over 1200
known species of gorgonians,
and they come
in a great variety
of shapes and sizes.
They thrive in the tropics
and grow in huge colonies.
In the Red Sea,
bottlenose dolphins seek out
specific kinds
of gorgonian corals
among an enormous reef.
Including one known as
Rumphella aggregata.
They seem to be able to focus
on this one species
and pick it out in amongst
all the other types
of coral there.
It's quite amazing.
Narrator: They get in line
and wait their turn.
One by one,
the dolphins swim to the coral,
and scrape their skin over it.
This rubbing behaviour
is all about self-medicating.
And of course,
because they're dolphins,
it's an orderly queue.
Dolphins have
a highly developed
way of communicating.
It's clear they've
shown the youngsters
and told each other
about this special coral.
And they all want in
on the action.
Dolphins are spotted
repeating this
over and over again.
It looks like they really enjoy
engaging in this behaviour.
So they're rubbing their sides,
their bellies.
And more interestingly,
it's all members of the pod,
the juveniles and the adults
that engage in this behaviour.
Narrator: They may enjoy it,
after all,
scraping up against the coral
is probably like
a good back scratch.
But these dolphins
have also learned
that this coral
has medicinal properties.
This is much more complex
than a simple body scrub
because the corals are releasing
a whole cocktail
of natural compounds.
And it's released in this
sort of mucus-like substance
as the dolphins swim over
and tub against them
triggering this response.
Narrator: This coral contains
17 compounds,
including
antibacterial elements
and antioxidants.
A perfect mix for getting rid
of troublesome skin complaints.
As the dolphins are using
this natural medicated skincare,
to rub and expose
sore parts of their skin
the chemicals released
will help to soothe
and also to treat
these infections.
Narrator:
These medicated corals
can be a life saver
for dolphins.
This is natural medicine
at its best,
using nature to cure your ills.
But for me,
it's amazing that they're able
to identify
and locate specific corals
that can help them
in this particular way.
Narrator: Scientists
who observed this behaviour
think it plays an integral role
in the dolphins' lives.
Kind of like a daily ritual,
for old and young alike.
That helps to keep them happy,
as well as healthy.