Hidden Kingdoms (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Urban Jungles - full transcript

Our planet is home to
millions of different animals.

The big and the powerful
capture our attention.

But there is another story to tell.

Beneath our feet are hidden,
almost magical worlds...

teeming with extraordinary
little creatures.

The world looks very different to them.

A falling acorn...

becomes a meteor.

A tiny trickle, a tsunami.

And every enemy... is a giant.

Now, using the latest technology,



we can recreate the world
from their perspective.

In this episode, we enter the
secret worlds of two urban jungles-

the chaos and commotion of Rio...

and the futuristic
metropolis that is Tokyo.

These are dramatic tales of
life inside the Hidden Kingdoms.

HIDDEN KINGDOMS

URBAN JUNGLES

Tiny marmoset monkeys, small enough
to sit in the palm of your hand.

They're a close-knit family,
at home in the tree tops of the forest.

But this is no ordinary forest.

Rio de Janeiro.

This vast city crammed with
over six million people

is eating into the jungle.

But some jungle creatures
are standing their ground.



The only way to survive is by making
the most of what humans can offer.

For a gang of marmosets,
finding food in the city

means leaving the safety of the trees.

It's a journey fraught with danger.

One young male is bold
enough to lead the way.

To marmosets, these power
cables are like tree branches...

if a little more slippery.

Surveying the streets below, they
can spot any opportunity for a meal.

The streets of Rio are
strewn with discarded litter.

But they are also
patrolled by cats and dogs.

To survive,
the marmosets must work as a team.

Look-outs sound the alarm.

Young marmosets are more
inquisitive than the adults.

The city is so noisy,

it's hard to hear the others
calling time to move on.

The link to the rest of the
family has been severed.

He has no choice but
to take to the streets.

How can this young marmoset survive
without the protection of his family?

On the other side of the planet...

Tokyo.

With well over 30 million people,

there's barely room for any green space.

This concrete jungle is one of the most
inhospitable places on earth for wild animals.

But there is one out tonight,
an armour-plated mini monster...

a rhinoceros beetle.

Removed from the forest,
he's now a captive...

and a gladiator.

Introduced to another male,
all he needs to do

is what comes naturally to him...

fight.

The winner is the one who
throws the other on his back.

He wins.

Beetles usually eat
high-energy tree sap.

Here, some fruit will have to do.

Then he's back in the ring.

For their size, rhinoceros beetles
are the strongest creature on Earth-

able to lift over 100 times
their own body weight.

Males with longer horns
are more likely to win

and this male's horn
is as big as they get.

But even he's not invincible.

Nonstop fighting is exhausting.

No longer a hero,
he's just an unwanted bug.

Now the only hope for survival is to
find an oasis amongst the concrete.

Back in Rio, the young marmoset
is searching for his lost family.

Down at street level,
he is far from alone.

A cane toad- quite at
home in the gutter...

and poisonous to the touch.

The warning rattle of a snake...

mimicked by a burrowing
owl to keep intruders away.

Burrowing owls have adapted
well to city life...

and even enjoy a trip to the beach.

Rotten food isn't on the menu,
but collecting it is all part of a plan.

Just one more trip is needed.

This time, to visit the local agouti.

Agouti usually live in the forest,

but these have come to feast on
scraps left by the residents.

It looks like the owl
has hit the jackpot, too.

A crowd this size would
never occur in the forest

but here, food is abundant.

The agouti barely notice
one more mouth to feed.

Cats, on the other hand, miss nothing.

The city owl is too quick for a cat.

Back at the burrow,
it's time to put the plan into action.

It's not long before visitors
are attracted to the smell.

He's been setting a trap all along.

Burrowing owls live on a diet of bugs.

In the wild,
owls use animal dung as bait,

but this one has adapted
brilliantly to city life

and can now enjoy its own
home delivery service.

Life is not proving quite
so easy for the marmoset.

Without the rest of the gang to help
him, the youngster is very hungry...

and very alone.

In Tokyo,
the rhinoceros beetle is not just alone,

but still miles from any oasis.

He does have one trick up his sleeve,
though...

a huge pair of wings.

And the strength to perform
a vertical take-off.

He may have escaped the back streets,
but flying around Tokyo's skyscrapers

is a precarious business.

He isn't alone. The sky is
filled with other nocturnal bugs.

Insects normally navigate
by the light of the moon.

Tokyo's lightscape plays
havoc with their map reading.

Light radiates in all directions...

and the confused bugs are
lured closer and closer.

..right into the path of a predator.

The glaring lights don't distract bats.

They see with sound.

Listening to the echoes
from its high-pitched calls

allows the bat to form a detailed
picture of the world around it.

A large, clumsy rhinoceros beetle
might seem a tempting target.

One way to avoid capture
is to drop out of the sky.

That's one thing a heavy
beetle can do well.

Bats aren't the only animals up
here feasting on the glut of bugs.

It's warmer in the busy city than
in the surrounding countryside,

so very attractive to
cold-blooded geckos.

The extra heat speeds up
the lizard's metabolism,

allowing it to strike
with lightning speed.

In the forests,
geckos hunt on the trunks of tall trees,

so a Tokyo skyscraper is home from home.

Gecko feet can normally
stick to anything.

Unfortunately,
the tall buildings and the warm city air

can create a problem
never found in the forest.

The swirling currents of air
form millions of mini tornadoes.

There's too much turbulence,
even for a gecko.

When its grip fails,
a gecko can glide to safety.

But he's landed on someone else's patch.

The hungry rhinoceros
beetle has gate-crashed too.

all in the sight of the
deadliest man-eater in Tokyo.

In Rio's labyrinthine streets, there
are endless places for animals to hide.

A leafcutter ant has left the security
of its family to scout for food.

Ants use their antennae to detect food.

This is fuel for the colony.

Within minutes,
fellow workers are by her side,

having followed a trail of chemicals that
she has deliberately left behind her.

The ants must work fast. Down here, exhaust
fumes can create a thick toxic smog.

Now they must take the long road home,
back to the rest of the colony.

As the first worker ants reach the
safety of the underground colony,

city life is about to come
crashing in on their world.

Washed away from the colony, any chance
of finding the way back seems impossible.

But there's help to guide them.

Despite the flood,
the chemical trail is still strong.

A single gram of it would be powerful enough
to create a trail around the entire globe.

Such extraordinary communication
and teamwork enables leafcutter ants

to overcome whatever
the city throws at them.

The only way marmosets can
keep in touch is by calling.

For a moment, the young male thinks
his calls are being returned.

But the noises of the
city can be deceptive.

It's not the call of his family,
but the sound of a truck braking.

Down on the streets,
there are trucks everywhere.

Back in Tokyo, the beetle has
landed in the lair of a man-eater.

This praying mantis is
trying to attract a mate.

The breeze will carry her
scent to the city beyond.

Out on the town,
a male is quickly hooked.

But he's aware of this
lady's reputation.

He has to exercise a bit of caution.

This city breeze will work in his favour,
distracting her from his approach.

He's lucky.
Most males don't even make it this far.

Success.

But the lady wants more...

His head.

It may look gruesome,

but the extra protein that the
female gets from eating him

will actually improve the
chance of his young surviving.

A bamboo house plant provides
a mantis with all she needs,

but it's not enough for
a rhinoceros beetle.

He needs tree sap.

The scent is on the air, but it's
drawing him deeper into the city.

Saved by his armour.

A jumping spider- no bigger
than a grain of rice.

Up on a traffic light,
the spider is looking for a meal.

These spiders don't make webs.
Instead, they hunt.

Using his silk safety line,
the spider gets within range.

It locks eight eyes on the target,
focuses, jumps...

and misses.

In the forest, jumping spiders
rarely miss their target.

And they certainly
don't miss it again...

and again.

and again.

In red light, the spider
can't judge distance properly.

But when the light turns green,
everything snaps back into focus.

This time, the aim is perfect.

Unfortunately,
in a city with this much traffic,

it's only a matter of time
before the lights turn red again.

Caught in the rush, the rhinoceros
beetle hasn't the energy to fly.

Any chance of finding
sanctuary seems impossible.

Night in Rio.

Marmosets normally retreat to the treetops
and huddle together for warmth and security.

This young marmoset isn't so lucky.

Under the cover of darkness,
unsavoury characters appear.

Rats are the ultimate city winners-

opportunists that can
adapt to any environment

and consume almost anything they find.

The city offers a tarantula
countless places to make a burrow.

Night also brings out the
city's most ruthless hunter.

Silent and supple,
with superb night vision,

cats are the kings of
Rio's back streets.

And a marmoset's worst enemy.

Even a cat can't match the agility

of a marmoset that's learnt to
live on the high wires of Rio.

At last, dawn is near, bringing
relative safety to the marmoset.

But in Tokyo,
dawn brings a beetle's nemesis.

The skyscrapers echo with their calls.

In the forest, beetles bury themselves in
the ground to sit out the perils of the day.

A crow.

For the beetle,
it's like facing a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

With every step, the beetle tests the
ground, looking for somewhere to hide.

Crows are one of the world's
most intelligent animals.

They always rise to a challenge,
especially where food is concerned.

To a beetle,
these wrappers are the closest thing

to burying itself in fallen leaves.

A crow's beak can crack a
beetle's armour like an egg.

The beetle makes a break for it.

With size comes strength- he can
force his way between the heavy sacks.

Safe for a moment, the beetle catches
the scent of trees on the warm air.

At last they're close.

It's a temple- a sanctuary for
humanity in the heart of the city.

At last,
trees flowing with delicious sap.

The garden has attracted other beetles.

A female.

He's not the only male to be interested.

At last,
there's everything to fight for.

He has lost before.

This will be the battle of his life.

He searches for some extra grip,
then makes his move.

For the beetle,
life has just got a whole lot better.

Back in a world he knows, he can
now spend the rest of his short life

surrounded by everything he needs.

Outside this oasis in the
unforgiving world of Tokyo,

only the most resilient and
most adaptable can survive.

Dawn in Rio.

It's now nearly a day since the young
marmoset was separated from his family.

Suddenly he hears them,

far over on the other side of the road.

The only way to them is to cross the wire
and he's seen how dangerous that can be.

But the alternative is
the danger of life alone.

At last, he's back.

For any social animal,
the only way to survive

is with the support and
protection of friends and family.

Only a few animals have the skills
to meet the challenges of city life.

But for those who can,
there are great rewards.

With over half the world's
population now living in cities,

animals and humans are
forced to live side by side.

Wherever you are, you're never far

from the tiny heroes
of the Hidden Kingdoms.