1 00:00:07,257 --> 00:00:09,843 Planet Earth is so spectacular, 2 00:00:10,636 --> 00:00:13,680 it's easy to miss the smaller things in life. 3 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:17,643 But take a closer look... 4 00:00:18,143 --> 00:00:20,562 and there's a whole undiscovered world. 5 00:00:22,648 --> 00:00:24,983 A world where tiny heroes... 6 00:00:26,485 --> 00:00:27,861 and little monsters... 7 00:00:29,029 --> 00:00:31,406 need incredible superpowers... 8 00:00:34,618 --> 00:00:40,040 to help them triumph against giant odds. 9 00:00:50,968 --> 00:00:52,386 It's not easy being small... 10 00:00:56,974 --> 00:00:58,642 living in a land of giants. 11 00:01:00,936 --> 00:01:02,938 Constantly downtrodden. 12 00:01:06,024 --> 00:01:08,151 Occasionally worse. 13 00:01:13,073 --> 00:01:17,744 But there are places beyond the reach of large animals. 14 00:01:20,038 --> 00:01:23,834 Places where being tiny gives you the edge. 15 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:32,509 Baking hot... 16 00:01:34,011 --> 00:01:35,220 bone-dry... 17 00:01:37,556 --> 00:01:38,807 battered by wind. 18 00:01:41,768 --> 00:01:44,271 These dunes are so hostile... 19 00:01:46,481 --> 00:01:48,525 only those smart enough... 20 00:01:50,068 --> 00:01:51,528 and small enough... 21 00:01:53,530 --> 00:01:55,449 have any hope of survival. 22 00:02:16,094 --> 00:02:20,307 This is some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. 23 00:02:22,768 --> 00:02:27,814 The dunes of the Namib Desert are the largest and oldest on earth, 24 00:02:28,857 --> 00:02:30,734 and still shifting in the wind. 25 00:02:33,820 --> 00:02:37,616 In just six months, the whole landscape changes. 26 00:02:44,331 --> 00:02:45,582 But somehow... 27 00:02:46,542 --> 00:02:51,922 tiny animals must find their way in this vast sea of sand. 28 00:02:54,633 --> 00:02:56,134 The Namaqua chameleon. 29 00:02:57,052 --> 00:02:59,012 About the size of your hand. 30 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,643 He doesn't seem quite so well adapted to life in the dunes 31 00:03:05,060 --> 00:03:06,728 as other little creatures here. 32 00:03:11,024 --> 00:03:12,484 A shovel-snouted lizard... 33 00:03:13,569 --> 00:03:15,279 only a quarter the size, 34 00:03:15,362 --> 00:03:19,950 can race across three meters of hot sand in a single second. 35 00:03:25,747 --> 00:03:26,957 The chameleon? 36 00:03:28,792 --> 00:03:30,002 Not so much. 37 00:03:35,215 --> 00:03:37,676 His feet are designed to grasp branches. 38 00:03:38,886 --> 00:03:40,012 Not sand. 39 00:03:54,943 --> 00:04:00,616 But this unlikely nomad wanders the dunes on an important mission. 40 00:04:03,827 --> 00:04:05,287 To find a mate... 41 00:04:06,246 --> 00:04:09,249 somewhere out there. 42 00:04:17,423 --> 00:04:20,093 Traveling over sand is a lot easier by air. 43 00:04:26,183 --> 00:04:28,977 Sandgrouse are well suited to a life in the dunes. 44 00:04:30,729 --> 00:04:32,564 But there's nothing to drink here. 45 00:04:35,692 --> 00:04:40,656 So every day, these little birds embark on an epic journey to find water. 46 00:04:49,748 --> 00:04:51,375 Eighty kilometers away... 47 00:04:53,502 --> 00:04:56,255 they arrive in a different world. 48 00:04:59,842 --> 00:05:02,386 One of large, hungry predators. 49 00:05:12,729 --> 00:05:14,648 Like all the grouse that flock here... 50 00:05:16,191 --> 00:05:17,734 this male must drink. 51 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:35,460 And so he waits. 52 00:05:47,723 --> 00:05:49,683 Just enough time for a quick sip. 53 00:06:06,033 --> 00:06:11,121 The male returns to his lifelong partner, nesting in rocks between the dunes. 54 00:06:14,249 --> 00:06:17,753 This devoted pair take turns brooding the eggs, 55 00:06:17,836 --> 00:06:19,838 so the other can head off to drink. 56 00:06:24,092 --> 00:06:26,970 But life is about to get even more complicated. 57 00:06:29,348 --> 00:06:31,099 Their eggs are due to hatch. 58 00:06:32,017 --> 00:06:36,480 And the newborn chicks will need water, or they will perish in the sun. 59 00:06:44,613 --> 00:06:49,326 By midday, keeping cool becomes a matter of life and death. 60 00:06:53,288 --> 00:06:56,416 This time, the chameleon is better equipped to cope... 61 00:07:00,212 --> 00:07:03,966 turning his skin white to reflect the sun's rays. 62 00:07:17,479 --> 00:07:23,235 But the shovel-snouted lizard, as ever, is one step ahead... 63 00:07:24,361 --> 00:07:26,530 with his cool moves. 64 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:42,171 The sand's surface can reach a scorching 70 degrees Celsius. 65 00:07:43,922 --> 00:07:47,676 But one centimeter above, it's ten degrees cooler. 66 00:07:49,178 --> 00:07:52,764 So by raising his big feet, he can quickly lose heat. 67 00:08:00,856 --> 00:08:02,399 When it gets too hot... 68 00:08:03,483 --> 00:08:06,904 that shovel snout is a lifesaver. 69 00:08:11,408 --> 00:08:15,370 Just 20 centimeters below, it's a comfortable 30 degrees. 70 00:08:21,627 --> 00:08:25,255 This pompilid wasp is unfazed by the heat. 71 00:08:27,508 --> 00:08:32,304 And with sensitive antenna, she can detect creatures hiding in the sand. 72 00:08:51,990 --> 00:08:53,825 No longer than a paper clip, 73 00:08:53,909 --> 00:08:58,705 she will move over two buckets of sand to unearth her victim. 74 00:09:12,344 --> 00:09:14,096 A golden wheel spider. 75 00:09:19,184 --> 00:09:21,228 The wasp's sting will paralyze. 76 00:09:23,313 --> 00:09:25,524 The spider's bite is lethal. 77 00:09:30,946 --> 00:09:35,784 When these desert gladiators clash, the spider rarely comes out on top. 78 00:09:43,417 --> 00:09:44,918 But it does have... 79 00:09:46,295 --> 00:09:48,881 an amazing exit strategy. 80 00:10:01,435 --> 00:10:03,145 Out of the wasp's range of vision. 81 00:10:09,026 --> 00:10:10,652 And out of danger. 82 00:10:17,409 --> 00:10:18,619 Almost. 83 00:10:22,456 --> 00:10:23,665 Midafternoon... 84 00:10:24,708 --> 00:10:26,293 the dunes are deserted. 85 00:10:27,461 --> 00:10:30,881 Air temperature peaks at 50 degrees Celsius. 86 00:10:36,470 --> 00:10:39,598 The heat only begins to ease towards evening. 87 00:10:43,268 --> 00:10:48,023 Enough for a troop of young baboons to venture onto the fringes of the dunes. 88 00:10:52,694 --> 00:10:53,987 Playful and curious... 89 00:10:56,615 --> 00:10:58,450 but not welcome visitors. 90 00:11:06,458 --> 00:11:08,585 Desert rain frogs are nocturnal. 91 00:11:10,546 --> 00:11:13,382 Wake them at your peril. 92 00:11:19,471 --> 00:11:21,306 Only the size of a golf ball... 93 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:25,644 but full of attitude. 94 00:11:40,784 --> 00:11:43,203 There's still a little time to snooze 95 00:11:43,537 --> 00:11:47,332 before the creatures of the day make way for the night shift. 96 00:11:55,215 --> 00:11:56,633 As darkness falls... 97 00:11:57,926 --> 00:11:59,261 so does the temperature. 98 00:12:04,683 --> 00:12:06,602 The desert becomes busier. 99 00:12:07,352 --> 00:12:09,146 And noisier. 100 00:12:15,319 --> 00:12:16,904 A lullaby for the weary. 101 00:12:20,657 --> 00:12:23,202 A wake-up call for nocturnal beasts. 102 00:12:26,163 --> 00:12:29,249 And a dinner bell for hunters. 103 00:12:33,670 --> 00:12:38,050 Barn owls comb the dunes, listening for small prey. 104 00:12:44,264 --> 00:12:46,183 But a more insidious predator... 105 00:12:47,392 --> 00:12:49,019 prowls below. 106 00:12:52,856 --> 00:12:53,941 Swimming... 107 00:12:55,192 --> 00:12:56,610 beneath the sand. 108 00:13:06,119 --> 00:13:08,205 The shark of the desert. 109 00:13:20,843 --> 00:13:22,719 The Namib golden mole. 110 00:13:24,721 --> 00:13:28,433 Totally blind and smaller than an egg. 111 00:13:35,232 --> 00:13:39,319 His oversized skull acts as a satellite dish, 112 00:13:39,403 --> 00:13:41,697 picking up the pitter-patter of termites. 113 00:13:43,866 --> 00:13:46,118 They provide all his water and food... 114 00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:49,872 as long as he catches about 60 a night. 115 00:13:53,292 --> 00:13:56,128 Many other night stalkers join the feeding frenzy. 116 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:10,517 The sleepy frog transforms into a termite terminator. 117 00:14:21,403 --> 00:14:23,989 But termites bite back. 118 00:14:31,747 --> 00:14:34,875 And that huge head makes it hard to brush them off. 119 00:14:54,436 --> 00:14:58,273 The sand is the mole's only escape from biting termites... 120 00:15:05,155 --> 00:15:07,115 and other unseen dangers. 121 00:15:25,717 --> 00:15:26,844 Early morning. 122 00:15:29,263 --> 00:15:32,391 The chameleon is famished and freezing. 123 00:15:34,977 --> 00:15:39,606 To warm up, he darkens the side of his body facing the sun. 124 00:15:46,196 --> 00:15:48,282 So by the time beetles emerge... 125 00:15:52,119 --> 00:15:54,621 the chameleon is ready. 126 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:07,843 A rookie error. 127 00:16:13,348 --> 00:16:17,352 This species of beetle tastes so disgusting, 128 00:16:17,436 --> 00:16:20,272 no chameleon makes the same mistake twice. 129 00:16:29,948 --> 00:16:33,118 A darkling beetle has an incredible journey ahead of him. 130 00:16:36,663 --> 00:16:43,295 350 meters of sand is no easy climb for a dune bug the size of a bottle cap. 131 00:16:47,216 --> 00:16:48,842 But well worth the effort. 132 00:16:53,764 --> 00:16:57,601 On a few special mornings, the dunes are blanketed in fog. 133 00:17:02,105 --> 00:17:04,983 Just what this little beetle has been waiting for. 134 00:17:08,819 --> 00:17:12,782 Dimpled ridges on his back cause the mist to condense there... 135 00:17:17,871 --> 00:17:19,790 and channel it towards his mouth. 136 00:17:26,003 --> 00:17:29,299 He conjures water from thin air. 137 00:17:37,474 --> 00:17:40,102 They can drink almost half their weight in water. 138 00:17:43,772 --> 00:17:45,524 Beetles coming down the hill... 139 00:17:47,025 --> 00:17:49,653 are a lot juicer than those going up. 140 00:17:55,951 --> 00:17:59,079 The chameleon may not be as well suited to life here as some. 141 00:17:59,663 --> 00:18:01,748 But if you can't beat them... 142 00:18:03,208 --> 00:18:04,376 eat them. 143 00:18:24,938 --> 00:18:26,982 The sandgrouse chicks are hatching. 144 00:18:29,568 --> 00:18:33,238 Even in the low morning sun, they need their mother's shade. 145 00:18:35,991 --> 00:18:39,411 Soon it'll be so hot, they'll die without water. 146 00:18:43,540 --> 00:18:45,334 Dad is their one hope. 147 00:18:48,795 --> 00:18:52,424 He's found a new water hole with fewer big predators. 148 00:18:54,927 --> 00:18:57,012 But for such a small bird... 149 00:18:58,764 --> 00:19:02,059 even negotiating gentle giants is tricky. 150 00:19:20,035 --> 00:19:23,247 Carrying water back to his chicks will be even harder. 151 00:19:34,216 --> 00:19:35,342 A goshawk... 152 00:19:36,385 --> 00:19:38,053 here to prey on the thirsty. 153 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:07,457 To save his chicks, the father risks his own life. 154 00:20:23,015 --> 00:20:25,559 With special absorbent feathers on his belly, 155 00:20:25,642 --> 00:20:29,938 a male sandgrouse can soak up enough water to fill a shot glass. 156 00:20:35,110 --> 00:20:37,237 Ready to carry it back to his chicks. 157 00:20:54,213 --> 00:20:57,674 A two-hour flight home, heavily laden. 158 00:21:07,142 --> 00:21:08,477 Just in time. 159 00:21:10,771 --> 00:21:14,525 The chicks take their first sip of water from dad's feathers. 160 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:22,449 He'll have to risk the same journey every day for two months, 161 00:21:22,533 --> 00:21:24,535 until his chicks can fly. 162 00:21:37,506 --> 00:21:40,676 The chameleon's mission has led him to a Nara bush. 163 00:21:42,052 --> 00:21:43,929 A good place to find shade. 164 00:21:47,391 --> 00:21:49,893 And with luck... 165 00:21:51,144 --> 00:21:52,187 a female. 166 00:21:57,818 --> 00:21:59,903 Could this be his moment? 167 00:22:09,162 --> 00:22:12,040 To show her feelings, she changes color... 168 00:22:17,546 --> 00:22:19,089 and dances. 169 00:22:43,906 --> 00:22:47,201 It appears he's not quite what she had in mind. 170 00:22:50,913 --> 00:22:53,290 But mates are very hard to find out here. 171 00:22:54,750 --> 00:22:56,418 Perhaps he'll have to do. 172 00:23:04,843 --> 00:23:06,386 She doesn't hang around. 173 00:23:09,598 --> 00:23:11,433 Soon she'll be laying eggs. 174 00:23:15,771 --> 00:23:17,314 Leaving the male fulfilled... 175 00:23:18,857 --> 00:23:20,234 but totally exhausted. 176 00:23:32,788 --> 00:23:36,416 Fifty-five million years of evolution 177 00:23:36,500 --> 00:23:40,170 has produced the most incredible desert adaptations. 178 00:23:44,675 --> 00:23:46,593 With resilience and ingenuity... 179 00:23:47,803 --> 00:23:53,225 tiny animals triumph in Namibia's desolate dunes. 180 00:24:01,859 --> 00:24:07,781 After months buried in the sand, a baby smaller than a golf tee. 181 00:24:14,454 --> 00:24:16,957 The chameleon's legacy continues. 182 00:24:20,002 --> 00:24:22,129 So many challenges ahead. 183 00:24:23,755 --> 00:24:27,759 Best to take one slow step at a time.