Earth at Night in Color (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Cheetah Plains - full transcript
In Kenya's Maasai Mara, two cheetah brothers attempt a high-speed night hunt with a gang of powerful hyenas on their trail.
[Tom Hiddleston] The night.
A shadowy world that hides
more than half the animals on our planet.
Until now, cameras only offered
a glimpse into their lives.
But with next-generation technology,
we can see the night as clear as day.
With cameras a hundred times
more sensitive than the human eye...
we can now capture the beauty of night...
in color.
Alien landscapes.
Strange creatures
brought to life by the darkness.
Unseen behaviors.
Now we can follow the lives of animals
in Earth's last true wilderness.
The night.
Sunset over the plains
of Kenya's Maasai Mara.
One of Africa's
most protected wild spaces.
And home to the fastest land animal
on Earth...
the cheetah.
These agile cats have always
been thought of as daylight hunters.
They target prey
from more than a kilometer away.
And chase it down
at over 100 kilometers an hour.
Fewer than half of all hunts
end in a kill.
And this evening,
this young male has blown it.
[purrs]
Fortunately, he's not alone.
[purrs]
Cheetahs are usually solitary.
But he has a brother.
Since the day they were born,
these 4-year-olds have been inseparable.
Working together, they defend a prime
60-square-kilometer hunting ground.
[braying]
But tonight, a failed hunt means
the brothers have wasted precious energy
and must feed soon.
[brays]
[wind whistling]
As dusk draws in...
it seems their chances
of making a kill are fading.
But following these brothers
through the night...
tells a different story.
With low-light cameras...
we can now see the cheetah's
nighttime world...
in a whole new way.
Under moonlight...
cheetahs lead a secret nocturnal life.
[purring]
The brothers are playful
and surprisingly vocal after dark.
[screeches]
[purrs]
Cheetahs can't roar like most big cats.
But they can purr.
[purring]
In house cats, it's a sign of contentment.
But it's thought cheetahs also purr
to strengthen their bonds.
- [growls]
- [purrs]
And tonight, the brothers will
need each other more than ever.
[purrs]
They must hunt.
Most cats are nocturnal.
But cheetahs have eyes
adapted for daylight.
So the brothers
struggle to see in the darkness.
But our cameras now allow us
to see more than them.
[grunting]
[grunting]
Prey animals usually keep as far
from predators as possible.
But at night, wildebeest reveal
a surprising way to stay safe.
[grunting]
Wherever the brothers go...
[hoofbeats]
...the herd follows.
[grunting]
The trick is to keep the cheetahs
in sight at all times...
[grunting]
...while staying just far enough away...
[snorts]
...to make their escape.
[grunting]
But the brothers
have played this game before.
- [grunts]
- [snorts]
It seems impossible that a cheetah
with poor night vision...
would attempt
a high-speed chase in the dark.
But it's recently been discovered...
that one-third of cheetah kills
take place at night.
[bird squawking]
A skillful hunter,
he swiftly overpowers his prey.
But what happens next shows how tough
life can be for the brothers after dark.
The herd closes rank.
Together,
they can drive a cheetah off a kill.
His brother is there to protect him.
But that's just the start
of their problems.
[squeals]
Within seconds, the kill attracts a hyena,
a nocturnal scavenger.
[hisses]
[growls]
Far stronger than a cheetah...
one hyena can match both brothers.
They must now fight to keep their kill.
But this thief is not alone.
[laughing sound]
[hisses]
[growls]
[hisses]
In the Maasai Mara,
hyenas live in gangs 60 strong.
And 1 in 10 cheetah kills are stolen.
[squeals]
Hunting at night...
is a whole new world.
[squeals]
- [growls]
- [laughing sound]
They will have to try again.
But cheetahs aren't the only animals
out here searching for food after dark.
On the banks of Africa's rivers...
over 100,000 hippos leave the safety
of their watery homes...
to set out on an extraordinary
nocturnal mission.
[snorts]
By day, hippos are notoriously
lazy river dwellers.
Preferring to wallow in the water
and hide from the hot sun.
But at night, they are remarkably active.
Well-trodden trails lead them ten
kilometers out across the open savanna.
They come here
in the cool of night to graze.
Chomping through up to 50 kilos
of grass and plants per night.
By eating on such a scale,
these secret night gardeners
are playing a vital role...
shaping the grasslands
and fertilizing this rich
and diverse ecosystem.
[snorting]
[growls]
So far from the safety of the river...
it can be a little risky.
[snorts]
But when you're a three-ton lawn mower...
even Africa's most imposing predator...
has to get out of your way.
With their surprising free rein
over the grasslands at night,
we are beginning to see hippos
in a whole new light.
Under clear skies and a full moon...
the cheetah brothers continue to hunt,
having lost their hard-won kill.
But they're not the only cheetahs
out here tonight.
On the fringes of their territory...
[purrs]
...their sister is getting some rest.
And she needs it.
She has four one-year-old cubs.
They're already fed.
All she wants to do now is keep them safe.
[purring]
[growling in distance]
But she can sense trouble in the darkness.
[growling]
Hyenas.
They can kill young cheetahs.
Her one-year-olds might look fully grown.
But they are lighter and weaker
than adults.
It's safer to move them on.
[laughing sound]
A whole gang has got wind
of the young family.
[laughing sound]
Hyenas are territorial and will bully
weaker rivals off their patch.
[laughing sound]
The hyenas close in...
surrounding the family.
[hisses]
- [hisses]
- [laughing sound]
- [squeals]
- [hisses]
Young cheetahs have the lowest survival
rate of any of the large African cats.
[laughing sound]
[laughing sound]
Their only defense is to make themselves
look bigger than they are.
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
The mother's last resort
is a bluff charge.
- [growls]
- [squeals]
She's running out of options.
[hisses]
But the most unexpected things
can happen at night.
[trumpeting]
A young bull elephant in must.
[growls]
He's a four-ton giant, raging with
50 times more testosterone than usual.
And he's had enough of all the commotion.
[growls]
The fastest land mammal
saved by the biggest.
[growls]
We're only beginning to understand
the strange things that take place
on the African plains at night.
Back in the brothers' territory...
their persistence has paid off.
They've made another kill.
[thunder rumbling]
Once again, a familiar character
is quick on the scene.
[hisses]
But this time, something unusual happens.
The hyena doesn't call in
the rest of its gang.
And rather than fight for their kill...
- [growls]
- [hisses]
...the brothers decide to share.
[growls]
[hisses]
The two rivals accept an uneasy truce.
Finally, the brothers get their fill.
Cheetahs have long been considered
daytime cats.
But only now are we discovering...
they live complex nocturnal lives.
[thunder rumbling]
Following these two brothers
night after night...
shows a powerful
but surprisingly fragile side...
to the world's fastest land animal.
Filming cheetahs hunting in the dark...
was one of the Earth at Night team's
hardest challenges.
I've filmed cheetah hunts
during the daytime before
but this is the first time
I've ever tried to get one at nighttime.
[chattering]
[Tom Hiddleston] Cheetahs are more likely
to make a kill around full moon.
But the brothers seemed to
have other things on their minds.
[Pilcher] Yeah, they're coming.
[Tom Hiddleston] They spent most nights
scent marking their territory...
just like house cats.
[Pilcher] A cheetah's biggest habit
is going from one tree to the next tree...
to the next tree.
And I've got a lot of them doing that.
[laughs]
[whirring]
[Tom Hiddleston]
Following the brothers in the darkness...
the team saw just how much space
these cats need to survive.
But all too often,
they were confronted by a glaring issue.
So what we're seeing with our cameras
we're picking up towns,
maybe 10 kilometers away.
It just reminds you
how close these extraordinary predators
are to living with people.
[man] These areas are really good
for the conservation
and protection of these predators.
But at the same time,
with the increasing human population
growth and, uh, demand for land,
you know, they are still vulnerable.
[Tom Hiddleston] There are around
7,000 cheetahs left in the wild.
And their range is decreasing
year-on-year.
Even in one of the most protected
wild places on Earth,
our night cameras show
humans are never far away.
Following the brothers in the darkness...
the team finally got their chance.
Just another meter or so.
Okay, just go slowly.
Okay, no problem.
[engine stops]
[Pilcher] Okay, looks like one of them is
starting to run in. Hold still, everyone.
It was actually quite amazing
to finally get it.
I was starting to think we... we wouldn't.
You gotta be so quick and hope
that you're kind of in the right place
at the right time.
The hyena are coming in already.
Incredibly fast.
An amazing hunter, but yet so fragile.
[Tom Hiddleston]
After months following the cheetahs...
the team captured behaviors
new to science.
And in doing so...
revealed a secret nocturnal side...
to these iconic African cats.
A shadowy world that hides
more than half the animals on our planet.
Until now, cameras only offered
a glimpse into their lives.
But with next-generation technology,
we can see the night as clear as day.
With cameras a hundred times
more sensitive than the human eye...
we can now capture the beauty of night...
in color.
Alien landscapes.
Strange creatures
brought to life by the darkness.
Unseen behaviors.
Now we can follow the lives of animals
in Earth's last true wilderness.
The night.
Sunset over the plains
of Kenya's Maasai Mara.
One of Africa's
most protected wild spaces.
And home to the fastest land animal
on Earth...
the cheetah.
These agile cats have always
been thought of as daylight hunters.
They target prey
from more than a kilometer away.
And chase it down
at over 100 kilometers an hour.
Fewer than half of all hunts
end in a kill.
And this evening,
this young male has blown it.
[purrs]
Fortunately, he's not alone.
[purrs]
Cheetahs are usually solitary.
But he has a brother.
Since the day they were born,
these 4-year-olds have been inseparable.
Working together, they defend a prime
60-square-kilometer hunting ground.
[braying]
But tonight, a failed hunt means
the brothers have wasted precious energy
and must feed soon.
[brays]
[wind whistling]
As dusk draws in...
it seems their chances
of making a kill are fading.
But following these brothers
through the night...
tells a different story.
With low-light cameras...
we can now see the cheetah's
nighttime world...
in a whole new way.
Under moonlight...
cheetahs lead a secret nocturnal life.
[purring]
The brothers are playful
and surprisingly vocal after dark.
[screeches]
[purrs]
Cheetahs can't roar like most big cats.
But they can purr.
[purring]
In house cats, it's a sign of contentment.
But it's thought cheetahs also purr
to strengthen their bonds.
- [growls]
- [purrs]
And tonight, the brothers will
need each other more than ever.
[purrs]
They must hunt.
Most cats are nocturnal.
But cheetahs have eyes
adapted for daylight.
So the brothers
struggle to see in the darkness.
But our cameras now allow us
to see more than them.
[grunting]
[grunting]
Prey animals usually keep as far
from predators as possible.
But at night, wildebeest reveal
a surprising way to stay safe.
[grunting]
Wherever the brothers go...
[hoofbeats]
...the herd follows.
[grunting]
The trick is to keep the cheetahs
in sight at all times...
[grunting]
...while staying just far enough away...
[snorts]
...to make their escape.
[grunting]
But the brothers
have played this game before.
- [grunts]
- [snorts]
It seems impossible that a cheetah
with poor night vision...
would attempt
a high-speed chase in the dark.
But it's recently been discovered...
that one-third of cheetah kills
take place at night.
[bird squawking]
A skillful hunter,
he swiftly overpowers his prey.
But what happens next shows how tough
life can be for the brothers after dark.
The herd closes rank.
Together,
they can drive a cheetah off a kill.
His brother is there to protect him.
But that's just the start
of their problems.
[squeals]
Within seconds, the kill attracts a hyena,
a nocturnal scavenger.
[hisses]
[growls]
Far stronger than a cheetah...
one hyena can match both brothers.
They must now fight to keep their kill.
But this thief is not alone.
[laughing sound]
[hisses]
[growls]
[hisses]
In the Maasai Mara,
hyenas live in gangs 60 strong.
And 1 in 10 cheetah kills are stolen.
[squeals]
Hunting at night...
is a whole new world.
[squeals]
- [growls]
- [laughing sound]
They will have to try again.
But cheetahs aren't the only animals
out here searching for food after dark.
On the banks of Africa's rivers...
over 100,000 hippos leave the safety
of their watery homes...
to set out on an extraordinary
nocturnal mission.
[snorts]
By day, hippos are notoriously
lazy river dwellers.
Preferring to wallow in the water
and hide from the hot sun.
But at night, they are remarkably active.
Well-trodden trails lead them ten
kilometers out across the open savanna.
They come here
in the cool of night to graze.
Chomping through up to 50 kilos
of grass and plants per night.
By eating on such a scale,
these secret night gardeners
are playing a vital role...
shaping the grasslands
and fertilizing this rich
and diverse ecosystem.
[snorting]
[growls]
So far from the safety of the river...
it can be a little risky.
[snorts]
But when you're a three-ton lawn mower...
even Africa's most imposing predator...
has to get out of your way.
With their surprising free rein
over the grasslands at night,
we are beginning to see hippos
in a whole new light.
Under clear skies and a full moon...
the cheetah brothers continue to hunt,
having lost their hard-won kill.
But they're not the only cheetahs
out here tonight.
On the fringes of their territory...
[purrs]
...their sister is getting some rest.
And she needs it.
She has four one-year-old cubs.
They're already fed.
All she wants to do now is keep them safe.
[purring]
[growling in distance]
But she can sense trouble in the darkness.
[growling]
Hyenas.
They can kill young cheetahs.
Her one-year-olds might look fully grown.
But they are lighter and weaker
than adults.
It's safer to move them on.
[laughing sound]
A whole gang has got wind
of the young family.
[laughing sound]
Hyenas are territorial and will bully
weaker rivals off their patch.
[laughing sound]
The hyenas close in...
surrounding the family.
[hisses]
- [hisses]
- [laughing sound]
- [squeals]
- [hisses]
Young cheetahs have the lowest survival
rate of any of the large African cats.
[laughing sound]
[laughing sound]
Their only defense is to make themselves
look bigger than they are.
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[hisses]
The mother's last resort
is a bluff charge.
- [growls]
- [squeals]
She's running out of options.
[hisses]
But the most unexpected things
can happen at night.
[trumpeting]
A young bull elephant in must.
[growls]
He's a four-ton giant, raging with
50 times more testosterone than usual.
And he's had enough of all the commotion.
[growls]
The fastest land mammal
saved by the biggest.
[growls]
We're only beginning to understand
the strange things that take place
on the African plains at night.
Back in the brothers' territory...
their persistence has paid off.
They've made another kill.
[thunder rumbling]
Once again, a familiar character
is quick on the scene.
[hisses]
But this time, something unusual happens.
The hyena doesn't call in
the rest of its gang.
And rather than fight for their kill...
- [growls]
- [hisses]
...the brothers decide to share.
[growls]
[hisses]
The two rivals accept an uneasy truce.
Finally, the brothers get their fill.
Cheetahs have long been considered
daytime cats.
But only now are we discovering...
they live complex nocturnal lives.
[thunder rumbling]
Following these two brothers
night after night...
shows a powerful
but surprisingly fragile side...
to the world's fastest land animal.
Filming cheetahs hunting in the dark...
was one of the Earth at Night team's
hardest challenges.
I've filmed cheetah hunts
during the daytime before
but this is the first time
I've ever tried to get one at nighttime.
[chattering]
[Tom Hiddleston] Cheetahs are more likely
to make a kill around full moon.
But the brothers seemed to
have other things on their minds.
[Pilcher] Yeah, they're coming.
[Tom Hiddleston] They spent most nights
scent marking their territory...
just like house cats.
[Pilcher] A cheetah's biggest habit
is going from one tree to the next tree...
to the next tree.
And I've got a lot of them doing that.
[laughs]
[whirring]
[Tom Hiddleston]
Following the brothers in the darkness...
the team saw just how much space
these cats need to survive.
But all too often,
they were confronted by a glaring issue.
So what we're seeing with our cameras
we're picking up towns,
maybe 10 kilometers away.
It just reminds you
how close these extraordinary predators
are to living with people.
[man] These areas are really good
for the conservation
and protection of these predators.
But at the same time,
with the increasing human population
growth and, uh, demand for land,
you know, they are still vulnerable.
[Tom Hiddleston] There are around
7,000 cheetahs left in the wild.
And their range is decreasing
year-on-year.
Even in one of the most protected
wild places on Earth,
our night cameras show
humans are never far away.
Following the brothers in the darkness...
the team finally got their chance.
Just another meter or so.
Okay, just go slowly.
Okay, no problem.
[engine stops]
[Pilcher] Okay, looks like one of them is
starting to run in. Hold still, everyone.
It was actually quite amazing
to finally get it.
I was starting to think we... we wouldn't.
You gotta be so quick and hope
that you're kind of in the right place
at the right time.
The hyena are coming in already.
Incredibly fast.
An amazing hunter, but yet so fragile.
[Tom Hiddleston]
After months following the cheetahs...
the team captured behaviors
new to science.
And in doing so...
revealed a secret nocturnal side...
to these iconic African cats.