1 00:00:18,393 --> 00:00:19,728 [Tom Hiddleston] The night. 2 00:00:24,399 --> 00:00:30,364 A shadowy world that hides more than half the animals on our planet. 3 00:00:33,617 --> 00:00:38,747 Until now, cameras only offered a glimpse into their lives. 4 00:00:41,792 --> 00:00:44,878 But with next-generation technology, 5 00:00:44,962 --> 00:00:49,883 we can see the night as clear as day. 6 00:00:56,557 --> 00:01:00,811 With cameras a hundred times more sensitive than the human eye... 7 00:01:04,105 --> 00:01:06,942 we can now capture the beauty of night... 8 00:01:09,361 --> 00:01:10,487 in color. 9 00:01:15,325 --> 00:01:17,202 Alien landscapes. 10 00:01:20,247 --> 00:01:24,877 Strange creatures brought to life by the darkness. 11 00:01:27,713 --> 00:01:30,215 Unseen behaviors. 12 00:01:37,306 --> 00:01:40,767 Now we can follow the lives of animals 13 00:01:41,643 --> 00:01:44,104 in Earth's last true wilderness. 14 00:01:46,565 --> 00:01:47,566 The night. 15 00:02:05,584 --> 00:02:08,503 [birds twittering] 16 00:02:08,586 --> 00:02:11,089 The dusty plains of Zimbabwe. 17 00:02:12,090 --> 00:02:14,092 At the height of the dry season. 18 00:02:19,264 --> 00:02:21,141 As day draws to a close... 19 00:02:22,226 --> 00:02:24,645 a family is on the move. 20 00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:39,618 Mothers, sisters, aunts and cousins 21 00:02:40,244 --> 00:02:42,496 on a migration to find water. 22 00:02:47,209 --> 00:02:52,422 They're led by the oldest, most experienced member of the herd, 23 00:02:54,216 --> 00:02:55,551 the grandmother. 24 00:02:59,930 --> 00:03:01,139 [elephant trumpets] 25 00:03:02,140 --> 00:03:05,143 Her family has four calves to look after. 26 00:03:07,271 --> 00:03:11,358 One, an infant born just a few months ago. 27 00:03:20,826 --> 00:03:22,327 She leads them all... 28 00:03:25,122 --> 00:03:28,542 following paths etched in her memory. 29 00:03:41,013 --> 00:03:46,059 But the promise of finding water across this parched land... 30 00:03:46,143 --> 00:03:49,980 all too often ends... 31 00:03:51,607 --> 00:03:52,941 in disappointment. 32 00:03:56,528 --> 00:03:58,363 [insects chirping] 33 00:04:00,199 --> 00:04:03,577 This summer, the elephants of Southern Africa 34 00:04:04,578 --> 00:04:07,915 have been through their worst drought in 40 years. 35 00:04:12,169 --> 00:04:17,466 Many of the water holes that are the lifeblood for animals here 36 00:04:17,548 --> 00:04:20,886 now offer little more than a mud bath. 37 00:04:25,766 --> 00:04:30,979 Elephants can only survive for three days without drinking. 38 00:04:33,190 --> 00:04:35,567 They must find water soon. 39 00:04:41,198 --> 00:04:44,076 -[insects chirping] -[birds twittering] 40 00:04:46,662 --> 00:04:50,874 As the sun sets, the heat of day begins to fade. 41 00:04:53,377 --> 00:04:57,798 The herd can travel vast distances in the cool of night. 42 00:05:01,885 --> 00:05:07,015 We've never been able to see what happens on these epic nocturnal journeys. 43 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,356 But with cameras that can film by moonlight... 44 00:05:15,566 --> 00:05:21,989 we can now show what the world's largest land mammal gets up to at night. 45 00:05:42,426 --> 00:05:45,721 Elephants don't just use their vision at night. 46 00:05:47,806 --> 00:05:52,436 They also have the most sophisticated night navigation equipment: 47 00:05:54,897 --> 00:05:59,484 a two-meter trunk that they use like a periscope. 48 00:06:04,031 --> 00:06:07,534 With twice the scent receptors of a bloodhound, 49 00:06:07,618 --> 00:06:10,954 they raise their trunks to scan the darkness, 50 00:06:12,998 --> 00:06:16,293 picking up tiny odors on the night breeze. 51 00:06:24,968 --> 00:06:27,804 They can pinpoint the location of water... 52 00:06:28,388 --> 00:06:30,516 from over a kilometer away. 53 00:06:36,605 --> 00:06:41,151 At night, the herd also changes the way it moves. 54 00:06:45,656 --> 00:06:48,283 They walk in tighter formation, 55 00:06:48,742 --> 00:06:51,995 protecting their calves in the middle of the herd. 56 00:06:55,666 --> 00:06:58,544 If anything ever scares the little ones... 57 00:07:00,462 --> 00:07:01,630 [trumpets] 58 00:07:03,799 --> 00:07:07,386 ...there's always an adult nearby to comfort them. 59 00:07:17,855 --> 00:07:21,275 And the family are right to guard their youngest. 60 00:07:25,737 --> 00:07:27,739 [elephant rumbling] 61 00:07:33,537 --> 00:07:34,746 At night... 62 00:07:37,499 --> 00:07:40,919 it's hard to see what's lurking in the shadows. 63 00:07:44,047 --> 00:07:47,885 But our cameras show the dangers they face. 64 00:07:52,723 --> 00:07:53,849 Lions. 65 00:07:59,021 --> 00:08:03,483 There are prides here that specialize in taking down elephants at night. 66 00:08:06,278 --> 00:08:09,489 They wait on known routes to water. 67 00:08:12,284 --> 00:08:16,079 On the lookout... for a target. 68 00:08:29,259 --> 00:08:34,056 Sensing trouble, the family moves quickly on. 69 00:08:40,770 --> 00:08:44,733 Elephants can travel at over 20 kilometers an hour. 70 00:09:03,377 --> 00:09:07,005 But the youngsters can't sustain these speeds for long. 71 00:09:10,759 --> 00:09:14,721 All the lions need to do is keep up the pressure... 72 00:09:19,643 --> 00:09:21,562 and wait for their chance. 73 00:09:26,191 --> 00:09:31,864 In the rush to get away, a calf has become separated from the herd. 74 00:09:33,574 --> 00:09:39,621 It's small enough to be taken down by just one powerful lioness. 75 00:09:48,881 --> 00:09:49,965 [trumpets] 76 00:09:57,097 --> 00:09:58,307 [trumpets] 77 00:09:58,974 --> 00:10:02,436 An alarm call alerts the herd. 78 00:10:02,519 --> 00:10:05,105 [trumpeting] 79 00:10:10,861 --> 00:10:13,697 A family of three-ton elephants 80 00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:19,077 can see off even the biggest pride of lions. 81 00:10:19,161 --> 00:10:22,289 [trumpets, bellows] 82 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,051 [elephant rumbling] 83 00:10:36,637 --> 00:10:39,097 Herds with the most experienced leaders 84 00:10:39,806 --> 00:10:43,018 stand the best chance of saving their young ones. 85 00:10:44,436 --> 00:10:49,525 But the family will face even greater threats in the nights ahead. 86 00:10:57,199 --> 00:11:00,702 Hidden in grassland, at the elephants' feet, 87 00:11:00,786 --> 00:11:06,041 is one of Africa's most secretive nocturnal foragers. 88 00:11:06,124 --> 00:11:07,751 [sniffing] 89 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,548 It may look like a tiny dinosaur, 90 00:11:13,841 --> 00:11:18,053 but this is the world's only fully scaly mammal. 91 00:11:19,012 --> 00:11:20,430 The pangolin. 92 00:11:23,767 --> 00:11:29,189 They spend their days in burrows and only venture out after dark. 93 00:11:30,983 --> 00:11:33,193 [sniffing] 94 00:11:42,244 --> 00:11:47,708 They track down insects at night with an exceptional sense of smell... 95 00:11:49,501 --> 00:11:53,172 rooting them out with their long, curved claws. 96 00:12:02,306 --> 00:12:07,728 Tonight a trail of ants has led this male out of his comfort zone. 97 00:12:15,319 --> 00:12:20,115 There are some species of pangolin that have adapted to climb trees. 98 00:12:22,201 --> 00:12:23,243 But this... 99 00:12:25,245 --> 00:12:26,371 isn't one of them. 100 00:12:31,335 --> 00:12:34,546 The ground pangolin may be no tree climber... 101 00:12:35,881 --> 00:12:40,969 but he can walk over six kilometers on a single nightly forage. 102 00:12:43,889 --> 00:12:46,975 What he's really on the lookout for... is this. 103 00:12:48,810 --> 00:12:51,104 A giant termite mound. 104 00:12:54,149 --> 00:13:00,113 For a hungry pangolin, this is a towering treasure trove of treats. 105 00:13:04,576 --> 00:13:06,411 Using a sticky tongue... 106 00:13:07,162 --> 00:13:08,914 [sniffs, licks] 107 00:13:08,997 --> 00:13:12,042 ...that's almost as long as his body... 108 00:13:13,335 --> 00:13:17,548 a pangolin can eat up to 30,000 insects a night... 109 00:13:19,883 --> 00:13:25,347 in what has to be one of Africa's most bizarre midnight feasts. 110 00:13:37,734 --> 00:13:39,194 A week has passed. 111 00:13:41,446 --> 00:13:44,533 The elephants are still searching for water. 112 00:13:54,459 --> 00:13:58,672 They've survived so far by draining the last drops 113 00:13:58,755 --> 00:14:01,091 from dried-up water holes en route. 114 00:14:04,261 --> 00:14:09,892 The oldest member of the herd must lead them to water soon. 115 00:14:13,020 --> 00:14:16,523 With a mental map formed over decades, 116 00:14:16,607 --> 00:14:19,318 she's brought the family to an ancient seep, 117 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,031 where water oozes up from underground wells. 118 00:14:30,162 --> 00:14:33,373 It's a hidden lifeline in times of drought. 119 00:14:38,337 --> 00:14:41,798 The elephants can smell the water through the earth, 120 00:14:43,133 --> 00:14:46,428 and they know that to get to it, they must dig. 121 00:14:50,349 --> 00:14:52,559 For the adults, it's easy. 122 00:14:56,688 --> 00:14:57,981 But for calves... 123 00:15:01,527 --> 00:15:03,070 it's more of a challenge. 124 00:15:06,865 --> 00:15:11,286 They won't have tusks to dig with until they're two years old. 125 00:15:17,376 --> 00:15:21,046 Tonight their chance of a much-needed drink 126 00:15:21,129 --> 00:15:23,340 is about to be cut short. 127 00:15:26,260 --> 00:15:30,097 [elephants rumbling, bellowing] 128 00:15:35,936 --> 00:15:38,772 The herd seems spooked. 129 00:15:43,569 --> 00:15:44,736 In the darkness... 130 00:15:48,282 --> 00:15:50,284 [low howling] 131 00:15:50,367 --> 00:15:52,369 ...it's hard to see what's out there. 132 00:15:59,793 --> 00:16:02,421 But night cameras reveal... 133 00:16:05,716 --> 00:16:07,718 a gang of hyenas. 134 00:16:11,430 --> 00:16:16,435 They've been attracted here by a large antelope known as a kudu 135 00:16:17,728 --> 00:16:19,563 that's become stuck in the mud. 136 00:16:26,195 --> 00:16:28,280 [low howling continues] 137 00:16:30,657 --> 00:16:33,619 -[laughing sound] -[elephant trumpets] 138 00:16:34,536 --> 00:16:37,748 [rumbles, bellows] 139 00:16:40,626 --> 00:16:44,838 An adult elephant is 40 times heavier than a hyena. 140 00:16:46,423 --> 00:16:49,843 But the herd knows their little ones could still be at risk. 141 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,805 It's time to move on. 142 00:16:57,351 --> 00:16:59,561 Everyone will need to keep up. 143 00:17:15,661 --> 00:17:17,663 The kudu is hard to reach. 144 00:17:18,997 --> 00:17:21,083 [groaning] 145 00:17:21,165 --> 00:17:25,546 The hyenas can't risk getting stuck in the mud themselves. 146 00:17:32,469 --> 00:17:34,096 [howling] 147 00:17:37,683 --> 00:17:42,855 But in the moonlight the gang spots a more tempting target. 148 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:51,989 A mother nursing her newborn calf, less than a month old. 149 00:17:53,699 --> 00:17:55,367 [trumpets] 150 00:17:57,035 --> 00:17:59,454 -[laughing sound] -[elephant trumpets] 151 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:05,210 She's anxious, only now realizing they've been left behind. 152 00:18:09,464 --> 00:18:11,633 -[laughing sound] -Hyenas aren't usually a threat, 153 00:18:12,301 --> 00:18:14,803 but in this one part of Southern Africa 154 00:18:14,887 --> 00:18:18,348 they've been known to attack elephant calves at night. 155 00:18:20,684 --> 00:18:23,687 -[elephant trumpets] -[hyenas whining] 156 00:18:40,579 --> 00:18:44,041 Hyenas have a chilling way to hunt young elephants. 157 00:18:48,212 --> 00:18:49,671 They target the tail. 158 00:18:54,051 --> 00:18:55,177 If they can grab it... 159 00:18:57,804 --> 00:19:00,224 they'll pull the calf off its feet. 160 00:19:01,642 --> 00:19:04,144 [laughing sounds, whining] 161 00:19:15,948 --> 00:19:19,826 The mother must keep her little one under her legs to protect him. 162 00:19:41,515 --> 00:19:43,934 But whenever she tries to lead him to safety, 163 00:19:44,935 --> 00:19:47,646 the calf is left dangerously exposed. 164 00:19:53,235 --> 00:19:55,404 -[trumpets] -[bellows] 165 00:19:58,156 --> 00:20:00,576 More hyenas join the attack. 166 00:20:09,459 --> 00:20:12,379 The mother has nowhere left to turn. 167 00:20:20,554 --> 00:20:21,972 But their struggle... 168 00:20:23,307 --> 00:20:27,144 [elephants rumbling, trumpeting] 169 00:20:28,187 --> 00:20:29,605 ...has been heard. 170 00:20:35,277 --> 00:20:36,486 [laughing sound] 171 00:20:39,656 --> 00:20:41,867 [trumpeting] 172 00:20:49,208 --> 00:20:50,667 [trumpeting continues] 173 00:20:51,752 --> 00:20:53,045 [laughing sound] 174 00:20:54,588 --> 00:20:57,007 -[trumpets] -[hyena growls, whines] 175 00:21:05,974 --> 00:21:10,187 In the darkness, the elephants' tight family bonds... 176 00:21:12,606 --> 00:21:18,028 have allowed the herd to save their most precious new arrival. 177 00:21:32,668 --> 00:21:34,753 [thunder rumbling] 178 00:21:40,884 --> 00:21:46,139 Distant storms mark an end to the drought. 179 00:21:50,894 --> 00:21:55,899 Amazingly, elephants can detect low-frequency rumbles of thunder... 180 00:21:56,441 --> 00:21:58,777 from 100 kilometers away. 181 00:22:01,738 --> 00:22:06,577 It's believed their highly sensitive feet pick up vibrations through the ground. 182 00:22:11,832 --> 00:22:16,336 Instinctively, the oldest member of the herd 183 00:22:16,420 --> 00:22:19,423 leads her family towards the rains. 184 00:22:37,149 --> 00:22:39,151 After journeying for weeks... 185 00:22:43,113 --> 00:22:47,117 and conserving energy by covering hundreds of kilometers 186 00:22:47,201 --> 00:22:48,535 in the cool of night... 187 00:23:02,132 --> 00:23:05,928 this family finds what it's been looking for. 188 00:23:35,249 --> 00:23:37,417 Following elephants through the night... 189 00:23:42,422 --> 00:23:48,762 has shown just how vulnerable the largest land mammal can be after dark. 190 00:23:52,516 --> 00:23:54,601 And how far the herd must go... 191 00:23:56,645 --> 00:23:58,063 to protect their young... 192 00:23:59,815 --> 00:24:02,484 from the unseen trials of night. 193 00:24:23,505 --> 00:24:28,343 The Earth at Night team scoured the plains of Southern Africa over two years... 194 00:24:30,179 --> 00:24:33,140 to reveal the lives of elephants after dark... 195 00:24:34,808 --> 00:24:38,228 and the challenges they face from nocturnal predators. 196 00:24:40,022 --> 00:24:42,191 [man] Lions are very successful as predators, 197 00:24:42,274 --> 00:24:44,026 in that they actually hunt in numbers, 198 00:24:44,109 --> 00:24:48,322 and that's why lions can take down animals which are much bigger than themselves. 199 00:24:49,031 --> 00:24:53,619 [Tom Hiddleston] The elephants of Zimbabwe are vulnerable to attack at night, 200 00:24:53,702 --> 00:24:57,956 and rapid changes in our climate are making things worse. 201 00:25:00,167 --> 00:25:03,504 Facing the most serious drought in four decades... 202 00:25:04,755 --> 00:25:09,051 more elephants than ever have been forced to gather around 203 00:25:09,134 --> 00:25:11,094 whatever water they can find. 204 00:25:12,054 --> 00:25:15,057 And lions have learned to take advantage. 205 00:25:15,724 --> 00:25:18,018 [Varley] There's well over 35,000 elephants, 206 00:25:18,101 --> 00:25:21,772 so everything has to come to very few, um, remaining water holes. 207 00:25:23,690 --> 00:25:27,027 The lions have figured out that it's the most abundant food source for them. 208 00:25:27,110 --> 00:25:29,947 Um, so eventually they gotta learn how to take them down. 209 00:25:34,535 --> 00:25:37,079 [woman] Currently, with my own eyes, I can't see anything at all. 210 00:25:37,162 --> 00:25:40,499 I can just hear some lions just outside here. 211 00:25:40,582 --> 00:25:43,043 But unfortunately the moon's not quite up yet 212 00:25:43,126 --> 00:25:44,837 so we're checking on the app. 213 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:47,256 We've got about another 15 minutes until the moon comes up. 214 00:25:52,177 --> 00:25:53,804 [Tom Hiddleston] With lions around, 215 00:25:53,887 --> 00:25:57,266 the crew had to film from specially adapted vehicles 216 00:25:58,308 --> 00:26:02,020 fitted with gyro-stabilized moonlight cameras. 217 00:26:02,521 --> 00:26:04,731 [mechanism whirring] 218 00:26:04,815 --> 00:26:08,485 When I move my hand across this joystick, it makes the camera move. 219 00:26:08,944 --> 00:26:11,530 You can see just how dark it is out there. 220 00:26:12,364 --> 00:26:15,492 It just unlocks a whole new world of seeing things. 221 00:26:16,702 --> 00:26:19,955 [Tom Hiddleston] Night after night, the team followed the herd 222 00:26:20,038 --> 00:26:22,833 on their perilous journey through lion country. 223 00:26:26,753 --> 00:26:32,259 But an unexpected threat emerged, taking the crew by surprise. 224 00:26:34,094 --> 00:26:36,305 [Varley] Are those hyenas? Where the hyenas? 225 00:26:37,973 --> 00:26:39,266 [Godwin] This could be interesting. 226 00:26:40,142 --> 00:26:41,602 [Varley] He's at 11:00. 227 00:26:41,685 --> 00:26:44,104 -[Godwin] Okay, focus... -Yes, I'm on the baby anyway. 228 00:26:44,188 --> 00:26:46,815 Nice one. She's nipping the back. 229 00:26:48,025 --> 00:26:51,904 [Tom Hiddleston] Research shows that when seven or more hyenas hunt together, 230 00:26:51,987 --> 00:26:54,364 they can kill an elephant calf. 231 00:26:54,448 --> 00:26:56,533 [Godwin] There's a hyena. He's running towards the kudu now. 232 00:26:56,617 --> 00:26:58,619 They're going in now, so just keep a wide. 233 00:27:00,204 --> 00:27:03,582 [Tom Hiddleston] It was a true life-and-death struggle in the darkness... 234 00:27:04,291 --> 00:27:05,792 [laughing sound, growls] 235 00:27:05,876 --> 00:27:07,544 [trumpets] 236 00:27:10,214 --> 00:27:12,424 ...that had never been filmed before. 237 00:27:12,508 --> 00:27:14,927 -[laughing sound] -[elephant trumpets] 238 00:27:24,853 --> 00:27:28,607 Following elephants at night over two dry seasons 239 00:27:28,690 --> 00:27:33,862 gave the team a fresh insight into the world's biggest land animal. 240 00:27:36,406 --> 00:27:41,537 It showed the true power of these majestic animals 241 00:27:41,620 --> 00:27:46,625 comes from the herd sticking together as one.