Beyond the limits of the human eye
life holds secrets we never imagined.
Attacks, too fast to see
mysteries of survival and death.
Our crew will break extreme conditions
using the most advanced photographic technology
to reveal this connections between living things.
Faster, slower, closer.
capturing the beauty and brutality of nature
at The Speed of Life.
PREDATORS OF THE SOUTHWEST
Time
for nearly every wild creature on the planet
it's measured by the rise and fall of the sun.
From dawn to dusk
it sets the patterns and rhythms of life here, in the Great American Southwest.
Now, under the hot desert sun, our cameras slow down natural time
to let us explore the awesome attack of an apex desert predator.
The Harris's hawk is the king of the southwestern sky.
As dawn breaks this male seems to be watching the day go by
but inside, he is a highly tuned killing machine.
Scanning the grasses for the slightest movement
the hawk is hungry and he's craving some fresh meat
But this rabbit is safe for now
the hawk is looking for something different this morning
His eyes are 8 times more powerful than a human's
And from this high purge, he can spot prey from a radius of 1,000 feet.
like this chukar partridge
this hawk is armed with three inch talons
and he is borne aloft by massive, 47-inch wings
to power them his heart beat triples
His sharp eyes lock on the chukar's position some 50 yards away
to escape predators
the partridge can burst into the air at 30 miles per hour, in just a second.
But today, she is a second too late.
Filmed in normal time, details of the strike escape the eye
But the details are now revealed in super slow motion.
The hen manages to spread her wings but it's too late
instead, the wings of the hawk corral her
As she struggles to escape
he pierces her lungs and heart with his talons
Like the top predators of any ecosystem
these hawks eat less often than her foraging prey
the protein supplied by the hapless chukar
will keep the hawk going by some 4 days
after the rush of the hunt and kill he'll be able to coast for a while
and the creatures that cross his path will be safe for now
until he gets hungry again
as the sun rises and the temperatures soar
a veteran survivor makes his way across the burning desert floor
These sharp eyes belong to a wise, old tortoise.
He'll live to be 100.
And he is already older than any member of the camera team.
And while he looks like a wreck
the tortoise is a marvel of desert efficiency
to experience the world from the tortoise's perspective
the crew has mounted a camera on its back
his front limbs are built like shovels for digging burrows.
elephant like rear legs push soil out of the way
desert tortoises are walking water tanks
this male can go for five years without a drink.
because he gets most of his water from plants and stores it in his bladder.
The sticky goo on his tongue snags vegetation and flowers
and draws it to his mouth.
Tortoises play a vital role in the ecosystem
they're attracted to the desert's brightly colored flowers
and help spread the seed to bring new plants in the waste they leave behind
but the sun that brings all life to the desert
just as easily takes it away
By July, these badlands roar like a furnace
With the hottest avarage temperatures on the western hemisphere
before the morning ends,
the desert floor sizzles at a deadly 122 degrees fahrenheit.
Yet for every sign of death
life slithers through the desert's cracks and shadows
here, even the landscape can rise up and move.
like a herd of giant beasts
the imperial sand dunes occupy an area roughly 200 miles square
A sign from the plants and creatures they contain
the dunes are alive in a way.
They are actually moving about 50 feet per year
The dunes are built with jewel-like bits of corks
the size of salt shaker crystals
these tiny building blocks driven by wind and physics
create majestic heaps of sand 30 storys high
to capture macro footage of a dune in the making
you've got to get down to the level of grains themselves
so the team takes a handful of dune back to the studio
to shoot at this level of detail
the team needs a slow motion camera capable of recording on a microscopic level
this kind of rig doesn't exist, so they have to build it
We're actually gonna be using microscope on the camera today
which has never been done before with this type of camera
this is it right here
it's about $10,000 microscope right here. Don't need this.
What we're gonna do is just connect this directly to the camera
to solve the problem
they marry a high powered microscope to a slow motion camera
3-2-1.
A view of the desert, never seen before
A day for a dune
is like a trickle of sand falling through an infinitely large hourglass
single grains by themselves don't amount to much
but when you have billions upon billions of them
they can engulf almost anything
just 500 years ago parts of the imperial dunes were covered by a lake
only to be swallowed by the giant dunes and dried up by the sun.
to survive the dunes and the scorching flats that surround them
southwest animals depend on sophisticated survival strategies
Whiptail lizards race over the hot sand to escape the sun
they can change color from dark to light
to reflect whatever heat they can't escape
But heat is by no means the only danger facing creatures her size
and some of them are hiding where they are least expected
Coming up, the deadliest predators of the Southwest.
And later, a monster that feasts on the unborn.
11:51 AM, Sonoran desert.
The wild American Southwest is guarded by a wall of mountains
behind them are high deserts at 4000 feet
an area of extremes
Both of environment and weather
the only way to thrive in this brutal land
is to have impeccable adaptations
scales, venom,
feathers and eyes
have all evolved to work incredibly in every imaginable way
The lifespan of creatures here can be decades apart
but often, a radical difference in lifetimes
can insure the survival of both predators and the prey
The hot desert sands are home to a killer so deadly
it shares its name with a heat-seeking missile
The graceful, sinister, phantom of the dunes
The sidewinder
As other creatures seek shelter in the shade
this devilish killer
prowls the dunes in the hellish heat of the high noon sun.
sidewinder seem almost devilish down to the horn-like scales above their eyes
The horns protect the from excess sand
and help camouflage the snake by breaking up its profile on the dunes.
Armed with long hallow fangs connected to venom glands
these snakes lunge at their prey
this strike behaviour is so hard-wired
even dead sidewinders have inflicted venomous bites reflexively
when touched by careless humans
This is a highly venomous snake
that's literally inches from our lense right now
this is actually using the shade from the camera to cool himself off
I deal with these creatures everyday
that's something you just get used to. And that's where it becomes dangerous.
Be careful! Be careful!
While it looks creepy
the sidewinder's form of locomotion is a brilliant adaptation
the sideways movement of this male
reduces his body contact with the hot surface
and saves energy in an environment where every calory is gold
now he swings off the hot sands and heads for the brush
where prey is more likely to come along
sidewinders are insidiously patient ambush predators
this male can lie motionless for days
waiting for potential victims
but this morning, he doesn't have to wait very long
Desert mice tend to jump from place to place
to make themselves hard targets
the lifespan of this male is just 700 days
but only if he manages to die in peace
he is digging for seeds to eat
but when he pops out at the other side of this mount
he runs straight into the sidewinder
shot at normal speed the mouse looks unharmed
but using a super slow motion camera, what actually happened is revealed
the sidewinder's strike is a series of automatic muscle and skeletal reflexes
in 1/20 of a second he racks his fangs from the upper jaw
and bites the mouse's mid-body for maximum penetration.
as the mouse is thrown off his feet by the torque of the impact
a muscular contraction injects the sidewinder's venom
within two heart beats the mouse's respiratory system begins to shut down
as the snake disengages his fangs
it remembers the unique chemical signature of the mouse
combined with its own venom
if his prey runs away the snake can follow the precise smell
even if it comes across the smells of other rodents
But this mouse is going nowhere. He is in shock.
A few seconds more, and his breathing stops completely.
Hinged jaws allow the mouse to be swallowed whole.
And with an extendable breathing tube,
the snake can do this without suffocating.
The male's blood and moist tissues will keep the snake fed and hydrated for days.
This explains how sidewinders can survive the desert
without drinking a single drop of water.
The population of sidewinders in the desert is high.
The average lifespan is 20 years.
so why haven't they exterminated the mouse population
whose members live just a tenth as long.
the answer is simple
this female may only live for two years
but she gives birth every thirty days give or take
and just over a month these very pups will be fully grown and raising young of their own
It's a win-win situation
her species is perpetuated
but predators will still have plenty of mice to eat
It's time for a mother mouse to forage for barracks and seeds
but, out on the desert
snakes are just one type of predator that stalks creatures her size
One of the deadliest hunters walks on four pairs of silent legs
each leg ends with two cat-like retractable claws
But this is no kitty
It's a fully grown desert tarantula 3.5 inches long
her legs can detect and localize the tiniest vibrations around her
and fixed on her forehead are 8 eyes instead of 6.
they are set in 2 groups
that give this female a nearly 300 degree field of view.
Housed in her head is a pair of powerful venomous fangs
and the female will use them to nail anything
from beatles to small mammals
like the mother field mouse
as she forages in the shadow
she doesn't spot the tarantula until she literally bumps into it
Coming up, the king of the desert has a faceoff with a very formidable prey
And later, we turn on the lights to see what's creeping around in the dark
Watch out!
Lock it up.
In the battle for life some creatures are better armed than others
but sometimes, a little luck can make the difference between life and death
The tarantula grabs the mouse in her cat like claws.
but before she can sink her fangs mouse escapes
the tarantula takes the loss in stride
time is on her side
because her lifespan is a whopping 20 years or more
4:51 PM, in Death Valley.
By the afternoon, the scorching temperatures start to fall
plants here can barely survive the freezing temperatures in winter
and summer highs that exceed 120 degrees fahrenheit
yet these highs and lows allow the ecosystem to thrive
and the flowers to bloom
The sounds of the desert can be peaceful
but there is one sound everyone dreads to hear
Rattlesnakes.
If you're lucky, you'll hear their warning first.
The rattle consists of modified scales that interlock and overlap
a unique muscle at the base of the tail
vibrates these segments 20 times per second
to produce the distinctive rattling sound we all dread.
This rattler comes fully loaded with eliptical pupils and heat sensing pits
a deadly venom system
and reserve fangs to replace ones that might break off inside a victim
nearly every creature in the desert fears the rattler
every creature but one
the king snake
4 feet long, and glowing with vivid patterns
it doesn't have any venom of its own, but it has a different deadly trick
the king is a constrictor
The fangs of the rattlesnake could easily kill the king snake if they strike with enough force
but his venom will have little effect
she is protected from the toxins by complexive proteins in her body
the standoff doesn't last for long
It's over in the blink of an eye
the king snake got the drop on the rattler without being bitten
her secret can only through the lense of a slow motion camera
using her superior reflexes
the king snake stages a brilliant attack
she claps down on the rattler's jaws before they can open
Next, she pulls the rattler into a clearing
and positions his body for the next gruesome step, consumption
King snakes may be pretty
but this female is a femme fatale with a whale sized appetite.
She eats the rattler while he is still alive
Her strong body surrounds the rattler
making it impossible for him to bite her or breathe
Snakes are one of this female's favourite meals
for one thing, snake have no arms or legs to deal with
for another, this rattler fits perfectly in her long stomach
right down to the last rattle
Coming up, a mythical monster with a venomous bite
And later, the crew encounters the ghost of the desert
6:12 PM, in the Sonoran desert.
Life in the desert is not only a struggle between predator and prey
It can also come down to a race between young and the old.
In the blistering heat of the day
animals will seek shelter to conserve energy
and some may only emerge a few times a year to eat
Deep in its burrow a reluctant hunter is about to surface
The only venomous lizard in the American Southwest
and it's a real monster
For 95% of the year it stays in its burrow
living off the stored energy
But eventually, it's forced to surface to fatten up
The Gila monster.
This 5-pound female is 2 feet long.
Her colors warn other animals, she is venomous and armed to the teeth
She kills her prey with powerful jaws
But her jaws are also part of a toxic defense system.
When the lizard moves them,
muscle pressure forces venom out for docks directly onto her teeth
Biologists believe that the venom, used only for defense,
makes her bite so painful to enemies
that they'll remember to leave her alone in the future
Gila monsters have poor eyesight
Instead, they use their forked tongues to pick up the scent of food
Nearby, anorher monster has emerged
This male is literally on his last legs
He's almost 20 years old, the average lifespan of his species
Gila monsters are binge eaters who eat only 3 or 4 times a year
This old male can chow down 35% of his body weight in a single feeding.
But his legs are beginning to go
and now, he is on the brink of starvation
suddenly his tongue picks up a welcome scent
a feast with a fat contend that's off the charts
but the female is already there
It's a cluth of eggs from a ground nesting bird.
Breaking through the shells will splatter most of the eggs on the ground
so she eats them whole
The egg feast will sustain the female for weeks
her low metabolic rate and ability to store fat
mean she can relax in her burrow
until she is ready to venture out and eat once more.
As for the old male, he never got close to the eggs
and he hasn't the strength to go on.
The Apache Indians believe
that a single breath from a Gila monster could kill the strongest of warriors
Now the short breaths of this old hunter are his last
He is two weak to go on
and starvation brings his long life to an end
Coming up, a glow in the dark nightstalker
And later, a tiny tiger with a gluttonous appetite.
As the sun's glare fades
the desert's stubborn architecture becomes more defined
7:46 PM, Valley of Death.
The crew assembles a spinning rear to capture the sunset as never before
It's all set. Let's get out of here.
The arm's 360 degree sweep will capture it all
Allright, we gotta go. We're gonna do this. We're gonna miss the sunset.
- Ready. - Hang on. Two more seconds. Start it.
As the sun arches down, we travel the entire edge of the earth
as the majesty of a desert sunset is compressed from hours into seconds.
Now, the darkness and cooler temperatures
activate a new wave of predators and prey.
10:06 PM, Joshua Tree National Park.
In a pitch black world the crew fires up a new tool
They'll use it to locate one of the most mysterious and dangerous creatures of the desert
The black light is their only hope of locating their target
if they ever find one, at all.
Haven't seen anything yet.
The team searches the desert floor without success.
- Hey Kevin, I found one. - Where?
Right out here. Check it out.
It's a big size one.
Finally the work pays off.
You got power?
Yes.
Nice. Looks good.
Under the cover of darkness
this venomous warrior is on the hunt
for any insect, he can overpower.
The desert hairy scorpion
the largest species of scorpion in North America.
Capturing the ultra-violet light, he gives off an eery florescence
The glow is created by a mysterious substance in a thin layer of his body shells.
Scientists suspect that one of these layers detects UV radiation
to warn him, he is straight into sunlight.
The scorpion's primary weapon is its stinger.
The bigger the stinger, the more lethal.
They are highly territorial killers
and allow nothing to stand on their way. Even one of their own kind.
In courtship dances, scorpions stand pincer to pincer
But this embrace has nothing to do with affection.
These arachnids will fight to the death, unless one of them retreats.
But the fighters are too evenly matched in size.
And they are resistent to each other's venom.
The deadly game is a draw.
After match posturing and wrestling
they part ways.
Coming up, the rain reveals slimy poisonous creatures
and a 100-legged freak that eats brains.
The moon dictates animals' behaviors at night
as surely as the sun drives the speed of life by day.
10:06 PM, Joshua Tree National Park.
The air fills with a chorus of life
Insect life.
Crickets occupy every imaginable desert habitat,
from the sand dunes, to the high mountain forests
And with lifespans of only about 21 days
life is hard for these little guys.
The hotter it is, the faster they live and die.
At the height of summer, they are forced to eat each other to survive.
But tonight, they forage by the thousands on the wet blanket of plant debris.
Rain is welcome, but it can also be disasterous for the crickets
If they don't get out of the rain,
crickets can absorbe so much moisture, they literally explode.
Prowling the crickets' perimeter is a male tiger salamander.
Named after its distinctive stripes
Tigers are the largest land-dwelling salamander on earth.
This one can grow to 14 inches in length.
And could live to 20 years.
That's equal to about 35 generations of crickets.
The salamander's bright colors are warning to other predators,
that its skin is packed with toxic glands.
During dry weather, it also secrets a mucus to keep his delicate skin moist.
Tiger salamanders have no eardrums.
Instead, this male uses his sense of smell to lock onto the cricket's location.
He can also pick up substrate vibrations through sensitive nerves in his feet.
Shot in super slow motion, the male races his upper jaw 60 degrees
and his prey is caught in the trough of his sticky tongue.
This salamander gorges himself
before returning to his burrow to rest.
2000 feet below, on the lower desert floor
the brush remains green from the passing rains.
A 6-inch western banded gecko moves through the clutter with ease.
That's because the eyes of this female are larger than daytime geckos
and give her excellent night vision.
Her white color and almost translucent skin
is result of living under the cover of rocks during the light of day.
Geckos can pick up the scent of a predatory snake 100 yards away.
But tonight, as the female searches for prey,
she is being shadowed by a slinky killer. And it's no snake.
8 inches long, the giant desert centipede
is one of the largest of its species in the world.
Its lifespan is 5 years
and it can move over the ground at 2 feet per second.
The male glides on long, 20 pairs of high performance legs.
Each pair a little longer than the next.
The graduated sizing prevents him from tripping over his own feet.
This adaptation has served his species well, over the past 400 million years.
Sensing antennae attached to his head make up for poor eyesight.
and his first pair of legs are actually large powerful fangs
designed to deliver a crippling jolt of toxic venom.
While this centipede is fast, the gecko can run 10 times faster.
She is in no danger unless she makes one mistake.
Falling asleep.
The centipede makes a surgical strike.
It sinks its fangs into the gecko's thorax injecting a massive dose of venom.
As the venom paralyses the prey
the gecko was held in a death grab by the centipede's 20 sets of claws.
Centipedes often eat the brains of their prey
because they're full of nutritous fat.
As the centipede finished her feast a more voracious eater comes online.
A Colorado River toad, the size of a dinner plate.
This male adult represents the largest native toad species in the US.
He is 9 inches long with a lifespan of 15 years.
Two large glands found behind the eyes
secret a poisonous hallucinogenic substance
powerful enough to kill enemies as big as coyotes
This male has a retractabe eye shell, called a nictitating membrane
that protects his eyes from hot desert winds and small debris.
Now this toad spots the first targets of the night
using his powerful legs
he leaps 5 times his body length to get to jump on them.
Crickets are plentiful even down here, on the desert floor.
Unfortunately, this bull is eating directly in the path of the centipede.
Unfortunately, for the centipede.
The centipede's toxins won't hurt the frog
because all venom is digestible.
A day in the life of the Southwest Desert has come to a close.
A day that took months of exacting planning and scheduling to film.
Revealed through new photographic tools
we've seen how each creature here
is as vital to the health of this ecosystem
as the cogs that run a precision watch
In the process, we've discovered that
no matter how hot and rugged the terrain,
no matter what species of animal,
whether walks, crawls, jumps or flies
the Speed of Life never slows.