Narrator: ln a monster bug war,
there are all kinds of killers --
the callous...
The cold-blooded...
Grab onto the prey, hold it, and tear it apart.
Narrator: ...and the truly terrifying.
They can tear things apart using the claws.
Narrator: But the scariest of all
are the calculating killers
who leave nothing to chance.
Every day, millions of bugs
fight millions of individual battles...
...to feed and breed.
But every now and then,
two tribes will wage an epic war
where there's just one outcome --
carnage.
When an army of green ants
marches against a swarm of paper wasps,
it's a battle worthy of the big screen.
Above the ground,
a high-rise militia goes through its maneuvers.
lts headquarters is a leafy bunker,
home not to generals...
But to green ant larvae...
Who could one day become soldiers
in an ever-expanding army.
Green any colonies are generally spread around a dozen trees
that might contain up to 1 50 nests...
With 1 00,000 to a half a million ants total...
...all of which will risk life and limb to protect the colony.
Narrator: Every one of these workers
comes equipped with weapons of war --
serrated mandibles...
That cut and crush.
As in all ant societies,
male drones stay at home,
leaving this army of sterile females to forage for food.
But at the first sign of war,
chemicals called pheromones are sent out.
Foragers become green grunts
and more move into the kill zone.
Even a huge and highly venomous scorpion
is no match...
For a company of angry green ants.
For green ants, defense is all about strength in numbers.
They will just keep sending more and more troops out...
Until whatever they're battling with is either gone
or they kill it and carry it away for dinner.
Narrator: Green ants also deploy chemical weaponry.
Formic acid that burns organic tissue
sprays from their abdomens.
lf that weren't bad enough,
they swarm over a victim, literally biting it to death.
A grasshopper many times bigger than one ant
is no match for a seething mass of foot soldiers.
Dr. Fry: When the workers are called to arms,
you're no longer dealing with
a bunch of cute and fascinating little green ants.
Rather, they become like this unstoppable organic plasma
that can deter any predator,
whether it's coming from the ground or the air.
Narrator: Victims become helpless marionettes,
dancing to the tune of a swarm of single-minded puppeteers.
Below this treetop bunker, with its elite soldiers,
another force has moved in --
a colony of paper wasps.
ln a skirmish,
they use their aerial maneuverability like a weapon.
Paper wasps don't fly fast,
but they hover with intent,
like attack helicopters waiting to strike...
And feed.
Dr. Rayor: Paper wasps are really important
because they kill so many pest species of caterpillars.
The adults are active
for anywhere from two weeks to maybe three weeks.
They spend all of their time going out and foraging
to kill the caterpillars.
Narrator: Like the ants, most of the wasp-foraging force
are sterile females,
with heavy artillery at the front
and some big guns at the rear.
Unlike bees, that can only sting once,
these wasps can sting repeatedly.
Narrator: But paper wasps don't rely just on firepower.
They have tactical coordination down to a fine art.
Wasps are actually really smart.
They're capable of complex learning.
They've got excellent vision.
Narrator: Like green ants,
adult paper wasps hunt and kill only to feed their larvae.
Their own survival depends on it.
Wasps feed the larvae with captured caterpillars.
ln turn, the larvae produce nutrient-rich saliva
that's fed back to the adults.
Life goes on
in the paper wasp nest...
And the green ant colony.
lt's live and let live.
[ thunder crashes ]
But nature is fickle.
One unfortunate windstorm...
...can smash one bug civilization
up against another without warning.
This is two insect civilizations at war,
and no matter who wins,
both sides are going to suffer massive losses.
Narrator: Wasps mobilize their airborne troops.
Gangs of green ants swarm over individual wasps.
Dr. Fry: Green ants have a major tactical advantage here
because they can team up very efficiently
against an individual wasp,
but the wasps can't work together
against an individual ant.
Narrator: The ants lay pheromone trails
and shake their bodies to communicate
and coordinate their attack.
Without the ants' superior teamwork,
the wasps are at a disadvantage.
But one-on-one, a larger wasp overpowers a single ant.
Some are thrown to the ground,
others killed instantly,
but in ant battle tactics, strength lies in numbers.
lndividual wasps are pinned down,
sprayed with formic acid, and bitten ferociously.
Alone, they have no answer to a combined attack.
The wasps are so much larger than the ants,
and they're not cooperating the same way.
They're all actively defending the area,
but the ants are able to gang up and pull on different legs,
so an individual wasp may have multiple ants attacking it.
The green ants may have the upper hand,
but now the wasps retaliate.
Mounting a concerted airborne attack,
they breach the ants' headquarters
and begin carrying off the ant brood.
More and more wasps overwhelm the ants' nest.
lt's a mass attack.
Under the onslaught,
green ants scurry to save their young.
lt's carnage.
The battlefield is littered
with the wounded, the dying, and the dead.
All either colony can do
is pick up the pieces and start over again.
Narrator: The wasps' superior airborne maneuverability
and their preemptive strike on the ants' nest
tips the balance.
They overcome their assailants...
But at enormous cost.
Defeated, the green ants sound a retreat.
[ siren wails ]
Their bunker is torn apart.
They scramble to salvage the surviving larvae.
ln a bug war of this magnitude,
the refugees have no choice
but to escape with their young
to start a new life in another part of the forest.
ln the bug world, there are many ways to kill.
Some slay with weapons...
Others with venom.
But the deadliest of all...
May be the bugs with brains.
When a portia spider takes on a long-jawed orb weaver...
...it's brains versus bite for the biggest prize --
survival.
ln the rainforest, hunters don't come any smarter than this.
A flair for strategy.
A master of disguise.
The name is spider --
portia spider -- licensed to kill.
Portia is a specialist assassin.
She prefers other spiders.
And her eight all-seeing eyes
can pick them off in all sorts of conditions.
Dr. Rayor: The eyes have different functions.
The eyes on the sides are very attuned to movement.
A jumping spider can see 360 degrees.
Narrator: Portia is also a mistress of camouflage.
Tufts of brown and white hair all over her body,
thick brushes on the top of her legs,
and thin lower-leg segments
make her look like forest debris.
lt's the perfect cover for ambushing prey.
And when it comes to the kill,
she has all the equipment a stealthy assassin needs...
...fangs that deliver lethal venom
and mouth parts that flood the victim's body
with digestive enzymes so it can be dissolved,
ground up, and sucked in as a liquid lunch.
But portia is armed with another weapon...
You can't see.
Portia are incredibly intelligent spiders.
Dr. Rayor: What portia seems to do is locate its prey,
figure out where it is,
approach it from a number of different angles
until it's in an optimal hunting position.
Narrator: She's also a master deceiver.
She doesn't just look like leaf litter.
She acts like it.
Dr. Rayor: They will pluck on webs that indicate
that just a little debris has fallen into the web.
And so the spider may come up to the web,
try to remove the debris, only to be attacked.
Narrator: You don't mess with a fine-tuned killing machine
unless it has a weakness.
And this is the arch-villain who could find it.
A stay-at-home hunter and a high-wire-walking warrior.
The long-jawed orb weaver.
The orb weaver's web is laid out like a circular grid
with lines radiating out from the center.
The spider will sit in the center, and from there,
it can get to any point in the web very fast,
and those long legs just enhance their speed.
Narrator: The orb weaver lies in wait...
A silent ninja poised to strike.
Orb weavers have three little claws at the end of each leg,
and while they're sitting on the web,
they're monitoring every little vibration.
Narrator: Each movement means something --
a puff of wind, a falling leaf...
...or what this skillful hunter is really waiting for --
a trapped insect.
Dr. Fry: Sensing vibration is far more important to these guys
than seeing things.
ln fact, vision doesn't really play a role at all
in their hunting strategy.
Narrator: When this eight-legged ninja strikes,
it's lightning-quick.
But no throwing stars here.
Just two long, razor-sharp fangs,
perfect for turning prey into shish kebobs.
The long-jaw's spiked chelicerae
effectively perform the same function
as the raptorial arms of a mantid.
They help grab onto the prey, hold it, and tear it apart.
Narrator: A lethal assassin versus a deadly ninja.
Only one will survive.
Dr. Rayor: Portia's a camouflage spider.
They look like a piece of debris,
and that's all there is to it.
They don't look like a spider walking along.
They don't look like a predator,
and they don't feel like a predator.
Narrator: Portia has devised a plan of attack.
She starts sniffing the long-jaw's silk lines...
...clearing a jumping path for a view to kill.
The portia has done such a good job
of tricking the long-jaw that it is oblivious to the threat --
even has its back to it.
Narrator: Portia keeps snipping.
One stray line in the path of her jump,
and the diner could become the dinner.
With the lines clear...
...she moves into position.
A quick, clinical kill.
As the venom-filled fangs plunge into the orb weaver's body...
What took more than an hour of scheming and preparing
is over in a moment.
Portia venom is unusually potent,
especially to spiders.
As the deadly cocktail courses through its body,
the long-jaw is paralyzed, then eaten.
You know, it's no surprise that this portia won.
Long-jawed spider, unless it escaped fast, was doomed.
lt isn't a spider hunter. Portia is a spider hunter.
They're good at what they do. They're really smart.
l don't think the long-jawed spider had a chance.
Narrator: Like a professional assassin,
portia is ruthlessly efficient.
And she's already planning her next kill.
ln the bug world,
there's no such thing as a G-rated monster movie.
On every blade of grass...
On every leaf...
On every tree...
There's a killer plot just waiting to be played out.
When a balloon-winged katydid...
...takes on a tree centipede,
it's a battle of the bad guys...
With only one winner.
At first glance,
it looks like a green leaf...
Swaying harmlessly in the breeze.
But there's nothing harmless
about the balloon-winged katydid.
The simplest way to describe the balloon-winged katydid
is that its a mobile leaf with razor-sharp jaws.
lt's an ambush hunter
with a very straightforward attack strategy --
rush, grab, tackle, eat alive.
Narrator: As a hunter,
the balloon-winged katydid has it all...
...long antennae to detect prey and danger...
...huge hind legs...
...for jumping and kicking.
But up front is the serious weaponry.
There are two rows of massive spines on the front four legs,
and balloon-winged katydid basically uses them
to pin the prey down in a spiked cage.
Narrator: A fellow katydid...
ls easy meat.
Legs...
Wings...
Head...
Gone.
But what will happen when this ambush hunter
crosses paths with the freight train of the forest?
This is a killer with a need for speed...
...a tree centipede that's as long as it is ferocious.
The tree centipede has 21 pairs of pointy legs
to grip any surface and any prey,
plus one pair of venom claws
that plunge into its victims' bodies,
injecting fatal neuroto xins.
Of all the animals in my lab,
it's the centipedes that are the scariest animals,
because they can just climb all over the place,
and they do it fast,
and they've got a strong, venomous bite.
Narrator: lt's a hyperactive carnivore with a big appetite.
So a large katydid should be an easy snack.
But don't count on it.
The balloon-winged katydid isn't one to run away
at the first sign of a predator.
Remember, this is an animal that's used to winning fights.
Narrator: What will happen
when the prize fighter meets the runaway train?
Narrator: Tonight, the balloon-winged katydid
is out looking for dinner.
So is the tree centipede,
and it's picked up a katydid's chemical signal.
The centipede storms in...
But stops.
The katydid backs off.
lt's all the hesitation the tree centipede needs.
lf it's a large prey item, they will literally wrap around.
Their back end is capable of holding onto the prey,
so they're both wrapping and grabbing
with front and back end.
Powerful animal.
With one trademark blow from its venom claws,
the centipede delivers the knockout.
Dr. Rayor: The tree centipede is venomous enough
that it has a big effect
on essentially anything that it bites --
everything from invertebrates to vertebrates.
lt's a strong, potent venom.
Narrator: The katydid is alive but helpless.
lts savage mandibles and spiky legs are useless.
The centipede's powerful jaws now go to work...
...ripping, tearing, feeding.
Dr. Rayor: Centipedes are voracious predators.
By the time she's finished with this katydid,
there's nothing left.
Narrator: ln Hollywood, the underdog often wins.
But when Mother Nature's writing the script,
there's usually a sting in the tale.
ln the bug world, there's just one way to earn your stripes.
That's by staying alive...
...and making sure your victims...
Stay dead.
When a badge huntsman faces off
against a spider-hunting scorpion...
lt's a head-to-tail battle.
The badge huntsman is a running, climbing master
of one-on-one combat,
equally at home on the ground and among the grass.
lt's the commando of this forest,
and it has the stripes to prove it.
Badge huntsman are really attractive huntsman spiders.
They've got this gorgeous patch on its belly
that's black and sometimes purply colors.
When they're defending themselves,
they'll rear up their legs and show the bands on their legs.
Every badge huntsman species has a unique pattern.
Mimicking an all-seeing eye,
the war paint makes them look big and mean.
Blindingly quick,
badge huntsmen chase down their prey
in any part of the forest.
Dr. Rayor: The badge huntsmen are very, very fast spiders.
The underside of their legs
are covered with something known as scopulae.
These act as suction cups
so that they can essentially walk upside down anywhere.
Narrator: When they attack,
they inject a to xic cocktail with two supersharp fangs.
The venom first paralyzes...
Then triggers cell death.
These poison darts mean the badge huntsman
is not afraid to take on bigger opponents.
This katydid is about to be toast.
Actually, once those digestive juices go to work,
it's more like a green smoothy.
But fancy badges don't cut it with these guys.
Spider-hunting scorpions.
And they've been around the block a few times.
Scorpions outlasted the dinosaurs.
They outlasted the Neanderthals.
They've made it through every form of climate change imaginable.
The reason is that they're incredibly adaptable
and very skilled predators.
Narrator: Fast on its feet.
A tough armored shell.
The spider-hunting scorpion is a small, mobile fighter
with a long reach.
The pincers are an effective weapon
because they're very long.
This gives a scorpion a really good reach,
making it difficult for another animal to get close
without being grabbed and stung.
Narrator: With claws that grab
and a stinger that delivers paralyzing venom,
it's a stealthy nocturnal hunter --
an all-night diner with an appetite for fresh spider.
Two forest killers are about to face off...
...tooth and tail.
[ owl hooting ]
Narrator: lt's midnight in the forest...
As two killers face off...
...each waiting for the other to make a move.
The spider opens with a sidestep,
but the scorpion grabs its leg.
The wound is a badge of courage for this huntsman.
There's a predetermined juncture in most spiders
where they're able to lose the legs,
and there is a sphincter that closes off
so the spider doesn't bleed to death.
Narrator: But she's not the only spider
prowling in the forest tonight.
Another huntsman comes along, flashing its badge.
But after tasting spider flesh,
the scorpion's keen for more.
Now it's back for a kill.
The badge huntsman will attack with lightning speed
and hypodermic fangs.
The spider killer grabs first and tries to land a death blow.
But the huntsman fends off the stinger with its long legs...
Hoping to sink in its fangs.
When a scorpion gets into a difficult tussle,
uses his pincers and its tail like a wrecking ball,
just throwing them around,
hoping to knock the prey off their feet,
and if they stumble -- bang! -- they get in a sting.
Narrator: The wrecking ball overcomes the commando
and lands a clean shot
to the back of the badge huntsman's head.
Dr. Fry: The scorpion's venom acts very, very quickly on the prey.
lt's like a slow-burning acid through the body.
Starts shutting down the vital organs in the nervous system.
Once the venom's in the bloodstream,
it's ''Good night, and don't come back.''
Narrator: No need to hurry this meal.
Meat always tastes better if it's hung.
The scorpion feasts on its victim's body.
A once-proud badge of honor...
ls trash on the forest floor.
The animal world teems with monsters that crawl
and fiends that fly,
but some of the strangest
and most savage beasts on the planet
do their dirty work underwater.
When a hard-shelled freshwater crab
and a slimy tiger leech bump heads,
there are no soft options.
Both creatures live and feed in the same pond.
The freshwater crab is a shameless scavenger,
feeding on the recently dead
or anything too weak to fight.
They'll eat small fish. They'll eat small invertebrates.
They'll eat other small crustaceans.
They'll eat a little bit of plant material.
They'll eat essentially anything that they can get.
Narrator: Like a knight in show-hard armor,
the freshwater crab's body and legs
are safe from all but the most extreme assault.
Even her eyes retract on stalks...
Folding in like car side mirrors for safety.
But the freshwater crab's major weapon is its claws.
And it's with these claws that they're able to do everything.
They can grab prey or potential predators.
They can tear things apart.
They can move rocks around. They can dig burrows.
They do courtship, waving their claws to the females.
They can do whatever they want to do.
Narrator: Sharing the freshwater pond is a devastating opponent...
...the tiger leech.
lt doesn't feed on the dead.
lt sucks life from the living.
The tiger leech is an aquatic vampire
that actively seeks out its victims.
But instead of using fangs, it has three jaws
that it makes a Y-shaped incision
and then sucks the life out of them.
Narrator: Tiger leeches are relentless.
The posterior sucker attaches to their victims
with an almost unbreakable grip.
Up at the head,
the anterior sucker does the real damage.
lt's all mouth...
With tiny, razor-sharp jaws.
Dr. Fry: Once they bite a prey,
they hold on with a combination of suction and mucous.
They also inject an anti-clotting enzyme
to keep the wound from closing up
and slowing down their feeding.
Narrator: That's bad news for the tiny freshwater crab.
But it does have the weapons to fight back.
l think the leech is quite capable
of bringing the crab down
without getting cut to pieces by the claws.
Narrator: When a flesh-sucking leech
fights a sharp-clawed crab...
One is destined for Davy Jones' locker.
The crab shell is tough,
but the leech's jaws and teeth can cut through it
like a diamond-tipped saw.
Narrator: That's if the crab doesn't cut the leech in two.
lt's feeding time in the pond,
and any creature is fair game.
The crab backs off.
But the leech is back.
lt searches for the crab's Achilles heel...
...and finally finds access to the soft flesh.
The jaws clearly visible,
the leech starts to suck the crab dry...
From the inside.
This is bad news.
The crab is able to defend itself really well
in the front of its body,
but behind, it can't get its pincers,
it can't get its legs behind it.
Narrator: And if that's bad news,
there's worse to come.
Leeches have chemosensory organs,
and they've detected a crab in trouble.
The scent of the crab's blood in the water
is like a homing beacon for the pond's other leeches.
They're gonna do everything they can to join the party.
And the more that are on board,
the less chance the crab has of fighting free.
Narrator: Another tiger leech joins the feeding frenzy.
lt latches on.
The crab grabs with its claws,
but the leech is covered with slimy mucous
and slips out of the crabs grasp.
The claws have dispensed with one leech,
but now they're gummed with slime.
Undisturbed,
the remaining leech sucks the life out of the crab.
Dr. Fry: When the tiger leech drilled through the crab's carapace,
the crab began losing all its fluids.
Narrator: Emptied of its body fluids,
the crab draws its last breath...
...and is consigned to a watery grave.
ln a monster bug war,
clever tactics triumph over superior firepower,
battle know-how overwhelms defensive display,
infiltration foils the finest defenses,
and maneuverability gives you the edge in a mass attack.
When bugs go to war, you fight smart or die.