Super/Natural (2022) s01e05 Episode Script

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.
In the Costa Rican rainforest,
sometimes the only way to get noticed
is to move fast
and move
with style.
Of all the amazing animals here,
of all their unexpected ways
of attracting attention,
this white-collared manakin
may just be the greatest showman of all.
His mating display
has to be seen to be believed.
He spent months preparing his stage.
A star performer demands perfection.
Not a single leaf out of place.
Which can be a problem in a rainforest.
Ah, that's better.
Finally, it's showtime.
A confusing routine of hopping about
strange snaps
and bizarre honking sounds.
If this appears a bit odd to you
that's because it's for her eyes only.
Female manakins
can process visual information
four times faster than a human.
And now, ultra high-speed cameras
replay the action
from her point of view.
Leaping across his stage..
the manakin snaps his wings together,
creating an awesome crack
A crack that can be heard 300 yards away.
As he repeats this display,
the female's
ultraviolet-intensifying vision
picks out his plumage,
and the male's
carefully curated neutral background
heightens her viewing pleasure.
Then to finish with a flourish
the incredible, inverted
crack and flip.
He bows out by spreading his wing tips
and flapping as fast as possible,
which, to her,
sounds like an irresistible purr.
Totally seduced.
She joins him on stage
for one last dance.
When it comes to competing for a mate,
each animal has it's own
rules of engagement.
But only those with
the most enchanting super powers,
will win the ultimate prize.
The perfect partner rarely
appears out of the blue.
In fact, finding a mate
is one of the biggest challenges
animals face.
So, devil rays in Mexico's Sea of Cortez
increase their chances
with an extraordinary power.
The power of sound.
Leaping more than six feet,
they create sonic waves
And at twice the speed of a bullet
the sound radiates across the ocean.
More than two and a half miles away
other devil rays,
using specialized hearing organs
with hyper sensory hairs, lock on.
Numbers grow
until they're gathered in the thousands.
These spectacular aggregations
give each ray the best chance
to pair up,
but now the battle
to breed really begins.
Male rays chase females
and compete with each other
to be the first in line.
All this activity
also attracts trouble.
This is the first time orcas
have been filmed catching devil rays.
Gathering together
makes the rays easy targets.
The opportunity to pass on their genes,
is worth dying for.
When the fight for mates
gets fierce
it could take super strength
and secret powers
just to keep rivals at bay.
Two tons of blubber
send a shockwave
a hundred miles per hour
across the sand.
With amazing seismic sensitivity,
the dominant male elephant seal
detects a rival making his move.
One of the loudest calls
of any animal
a signature bellow
roars across the beach
reminding the competition
who's in control.
On the California coast,
the colony's undisputed heavyweight
is known as the beachmaster.
He's battled for the breeding rights
to over 100 females,
but keeping guard of his harem
in one of the noisiest places
on Earth
is a real headache.
It's almost impossible
to hear his rivals coming.
Up to 60 challengers every day
from every angle.
But thanks to his amazing ability
to detect vibrations,
like a spider in a web,
he can monitor an area
of six tennis courts
from his central position,
His warning is usually enough
to scare rivals into submission.
But every now and then,
a real contender emerges.
He's just as big
just as powerful,
and just as determined to breed.
The beachmaster has no choice
but to stand
and fight.
Two-inch scar tissue shields the blows.
Still, these bloody clashes take a toll.
After two years
and more than 300 fights
the beachmaster is finished.
Time for a new heavyweight
to take his title.
Defeated, exhausted,
the old beachmaster
is unlikely to see
another mating season.
But he can rest in peace.
During his reign, it's likely
he fathered over 100 pups,
securing his place among the elite
one percent of males
who ever get to breed.
Sometimes, the odds of finding
a mate seem even more improbable.
Rooted to the spot,
plants are unable to partner up.
Instead, they use their powers
of attraction in more cunning ways.
Mucuna is a vine on a mission.
It needs to maximize its chances
of reproducing by attracting a pollinator
Most plants do this with bright
and beautiful flowers
But Mucuna does things
a little differently.
With so many kinds of flower on display
in the Costa Rican rainforest,
Mucuna beats the competition
by blooming at night
and recruiting the services
of a very special courier.
Some animals can navigate
in the darkest jungle.
A long-tongued bat emits
a string of ultrasonic clicks
that ricochet back
to its hypersensitive ears.
To build a detailed mental map
of the forest.
And amazingly,
Mucuna's mirror-smooth petals
reflect the bat's clicks so effectively
they're unmistakable.
And irresistible.
The bat can detect Mucuna more easily
than almost any other plant here,
it also scores ten times more nectar,
lapped up with a super absorbent tongue
that's longer than it's match-sized body.
When it leaves
a unique exploding mechanism
splits the flower's petals
and fires out tiny pollen grains
that cling to the bat's fur
as he flies off to the next sweet shop.
And because the bat can distinguish
between old and new flowers
it ensures he gets nectar every time
and that he only delivers
Mucuna's previous pollen
to fresh, fertile flowers.
Sometimes, it pays to enlist
a little help
to find success in the mating game.
And on Kenya's Lake Victoria,
even humans have become
an essential ingredient
in one little critter's
gruesome romantic plans.
Only the size of a grain of rice,
a male vampire spider
is desperate to win attention
with his courtship ritual.
But the female of the species
is into some pretty freaky stuff.
And right now,
he's just not doing it for her.
He only gets to mate
if he's wearing a sweet perfume
of human blood.
But his fangs aren't made
for human flesh.
So he needs some other sucker
to do his dirty work.
A mosquito is far better equipped
for the job.
With supersensitive antennae,
it hones in
on carbon dioxide in our breath
and heat from our bodies.
Then the mosquito deploys
a highly sophisticated
blood extraction tool.
Six specialized mouthparts
combined to drill down
and tap the human pipeline.
Once a mosquito has drunk four times
its body weight in blood,
it's the spider's turn to strike.
Large, forward-facing eyes
with movable lenses
enable the spider to lock onto the color
and shape of a blood-laden mosquito.
Then, on spring-loaded legs,
he closes in.
The only thing worse
than a vampire spider
is a vampire jumping spider.
Okay, make that a venomous
vampire jumping spider.
Fast-acting neurotoxin
disables his victim instantly.
Then he sucks it dry.
And this is just the beginning
of his bloodthirsty killing spree.
Because the more he drinks
the sexier he smells.
Now,
he's ready for romance.
And with the sweet scent
of blood oozing from every pore
who could possibly resist?
Few animals do stranger things for love,
but some get a whole lot sneakier.
And one of the sneakiest of all
is found in the rocky shallows
of South Australia.
A giant cuttlefish
may be king of camouflage,
but he can't hide forever.
The males only live for two years,
only have one season to breed,
and face a lot of competition.
Eleven males fighting over each female.
Many of them are twice his size
and displaying war paint.
Broadcast at higher resolution
than a 4K TV,
hundreds of thousands
of color-changing cells flash.
It's a warning
that a ten-inch little guy
knows to heed
because the alternative is to fight.
When large males clash,
they risk serious injury.
Battles can last up to 20 minutes
and usually end when one escapes
in a cloud of ink
leaving the winner to guard his prize,
a smaller, paler female.
Uniquely shaped pupils
that boost color detection
and see 360 degrees
enable him to keep a lookout
for any other males who dare to muscle in.
But this little guy knows how to operate
under the radar.
Time to assume
a more unexpected identity.
Turn pale brown,
retract tentacles,
and appear more like a female.
He needs to be careful,
or he'll get a beating from the big guy
for moving in on his mate.
But the cross-dressing disguise
is so convincing,
he gets away with it.
The female knows exactly what
the sneaky little faker is up to.
And she likes it.
In fact, sneaky males
are more successful at mating
than their larger rivals.
By the time the big guy realizes,
it's too late.
The little mimic is long gone.
But his deed is done.
A little role reversal
can be best way to win.
And it can also help
in the lonely search for love.
This female brown bear is only
receptive for a few weeks every spring.
So far, no male has come to visit,
and if she doesn't mate soon,
it won't happen this year.
In the vast British Columbian wilderness,
chances of just bumping into
Mr. Right are slim.
But this female knows a place
with mysterious powers of attraction.
Hidden deep in this forest,
there's an enchanted tree.
It may look like any other,
but this Pacific silver fir
has such phenomenal properties.
It's a hotspot for male bears.
They've been visiting it
for more than 100 years.
Rubbing glands in their back,
their front,
and their feet.
They leave behind
secret scent messages
about their age, fitness,
and social status.
And because the fragrance
gets trapped in sticky sap,
it slowly diffuses into the atmosphere
for up to a month.
Male bears regularly use the rubbing tree
to establish hierarchy.
But this is something very rare.
The female has figured out
the tree also works
as a woodland dating app.
A site to post her
"looking-for-love" status
for any perusing male.
Her own Timber profile uploaded,
now all she can do
is wait for the tree to work its magic
The sap begins to exude
her signature perfume on slow release.
Hours turn into days,
and still no one passes.
Then finally,
a male.
As soon as he gets wind
of an available female,
he's determined to track her down.
And with a sense of smell
seven times more sensitive
than a bloodhound's,
he follows her alluring scent,
all the way to the beach.
He's only just in time,
but at least they already know
they have the right chemistry.
All thanks to the mysterious power
of a matchmaking tree.
Beneath the surface,
further south,
another animal also taps into
the power of trees
to help win the mating game.
This periodical cicada
has been feeding from tree roots
in the North American forests of Virginia
for more than 16 years.
When he registers
the spring sap beginning to flow
for the 17th season,
he knows it's time to surface.
This numerical marvel has calculated
his best chances of breeding.
Still, there are no guarantees.
Sluggish,
and juicy,
cicadas are an easy target,
even for the slowest predator.
But once again,
they have numbers on their side.
Incredibly, each cicada
population synchronizes their lives
to a precise 17-year schedule,
an unpredictable prime number cycle
that makes it almost impossible
for predators
to count on this glut of prey.
Millions of them, all emerging
at the same time,
and this is the biggest emergence of all,
known as Brood X.
They must reproduce fast.
In just six weeks, they'll all be dead.
America's biggest speed dating event
is about to begin.
But first,
an amazing transformation.
By the time day breaks,
nymphs have become adults,
ready to attract a mate.
Rubbing special organs on their sides
makes a strange, buzzing sound,
which their hollow bodies amplify.
The call for love rings out
as loud as a rock concert.
But not all who respond
are quite as welcome.
A zombie cicada,
riddled with the powder-like spores
of a fungus called Massospora.
The only enemy to crack
the periodical cicada's 17-year code.
This fungal body snatcher eats its victims
from the inside
while flooding their brains
with mind-controlling chemicals
that compel them to mingle.
Infected males even mimic
the seductive flicks of females
to entice others to mate.
And so the contagion spreads.
The fungus keeps its victims alive
so they infect as many other cicadas
as possible,
and spread its spores
far and wide.
Finally, 14 days later
the zombie cicadas die.
The spores, however,
will lie in wait for 17 years,
ready to infiltrate the next generation
of unlucky cicadas.
But with millions mating,
and with each female laying 400 eggs
into the tree's bark,
such mind-boggling strength in numbers
ensures periodicals cicadas
are always able to multiply.
For some animals, mating success
is about playing the long game.
On a coral reef in Southeast Asia,
one creature uses
mysterious powers of seduction
to keep her partner under her spell.
Female harlequin shrimps
can only mate for a brief time
after they shed their skin.
And that happens only every three weeks.
She needs to prepare.
And her best chance of having
healthy offspring
is to eat as much as possible.
Slow-moving and packed with protein,
sea stars are her favorite prey.
But getting to it's soft underside,
that's hard.
Ten times her size,
it's hard to handle on her own.
Thankfully, help is never far away.
Her long term partner.
She keeps him under her control
by casting an invisible chemical potion.
The male picks up this pheromone trail
with hypersensitive hairs on his antennae.
Powerless to resist,
he's always around
whenever she needs him
Sea star finally flipped.
There's more than enough
to keep her fed
till it's time to mate.
Thanks to her powers of attraction,
her partner stays put.
Patiently waiting 20 days, until finally,
she retires to her secret crevice
to undress.
She emerges from her old shell,
all soft-skinned,
even more beautiful than before.
But now, she only has
a few hours to mate
before her shell hardens.
So to get her partner in the mood,
she releases another potion,
this time
with powerful aphrodisiac properties,
turning her submissive shrimp
into a lusty male
with only one thing on his mind.
Filmed for the first time, they mate.
It lasts only seconds.
Then she's back to her old tricks
for keeping him under her spell.
So, a few weeks later,
when her thousand tiny eggs finally hatch,
he's right there, by her side
as their offspring escape
their mother's embrace
to take their chances
in the deep blue sea.
Our world is full of wonderful animals
with weird ways to win the mating game.
But only a few have the power
to make love last.
Lar gibbon partnerships
can endure for decades.
But when the reality
of family life kicks in,
you have to go above and beyond
to keep the spark alive.
The mother's attention
is focused on raising their young.
She needs her partner
to own the job of defending their home.
A home that is one hundred acres
of pristine Thai rainforest.
It's too large an area to patrol.
So, he uses
a more sophisticated deterrent.
Singing is his superpower.
The louder and more melodic the call,
the stronger the gibbon.
Sound travels best in cool air.
By singing at first light,
he ensures rivals hear him loud and clear
right across his territory.
But soon,
the hot sun causes moisture
from the trees
to rise.
Creating air currents
that disrupt his calls,
reducing their effectiveness.
By then, his work is usually done.
But not today.
Fruiting trees
at the heart of the family territory
have attracted the attention
of a rival troop.
If Dad can't defend their home,
he'll lose his partner
to a male who can,
and his offspring could even be killed.
Time for the father to step up
and show his full force.
With extended arms, hook-like hands,
and a rotating shoulder joint,
he accelerates to 35 miles per hour.
With his awesome display of
speed and strength,
he intimidates his rivals.
It's enough to drive them away
and prove to his partner
he's got what it takes.
Next morning,
the male is up and singing as usual.
But this time, she joins him
to let him know he's still
her king of swing.
And let the whole jungle know
that their bond is strong.
In the quest to pass on their genes,
animals use incredible skills
to win a mate.
And spectacular displays
to beat their competition.
After all
when it comes to sharing your future
only the most super-powered partner
will do.
You think you know nature?
Think again.