01x04 - Texas

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] In a small corner

of rural Texas

nestled in the rugged landscape,

there's a ranch,

home to a tiny house mouse.

And right now, in the courtyard,

she is running for her life.

[owl screeches]

[squeaks]

Being chased when you're a mouse

happens all too often.

This barn owl is a super predator,

capable of silent flight.

[chain rattles]

An aerial acrobat,

it can switch direction in a split second.

[screeches]

But the mouse can't afford to look back.

Using the landscape to her advantage,

she hopes to outmaneuver the owl,

skirting the buildings

and the objects in the courtyard.

But the owl doesn't need

to see the mouse to hunt.

With the best hearing

in the animal kingdom,

the owl can hear her every step,

even in complete darkness.

[mouse squeaks]

Despite the dangers in this world,

-bigger isn't always better.

-[screeches]

[squeaks nervously]

To make it when you're this small,

you have to take chances.

It's not over for her.

She has a trick up her sleeve.

This is her territory.

She's mentally mapped out every crack,

crevice, and shortcut,

giving her the edge.

Barn owls go by another name:

the death owl.

And this one is determined

to catch its prey.

It appears the mouse

has reached a dead end.

But for her final trick,

the house mouse can squeeze

through surprisingly small spaces,

contorting her body to the size of a dime.

[screeches]

She has survived this encounter,

but this is just one of the many obstacles

she must face each day.

[screeches]

The loud noise grabs the attention

of a far more dangerous predator.

The farm is old.

Inside its walls and courtyard

exists a labyrinth of rusty pipes

and worn-out beams

that create a complex maze.

Perfect for a mouse.

Remarkably, the mouse instinctively knows

how to navigate these pathways.

She can identify

which routes lead to danger

and those that lead to safety.

Young mice inherit fear of certain smells

from their parents,

and this information

is genetically passed down

from one generation

to the next.

[squeaking]

Finally, she's home.

Long since abandoned,

this stable on the farm

is quiet enough to raise a family.

Her hungry brood eagerly greet her.

Six healthy pups.

In the outside world,

any number of unfortunate events

could befall a young mouse.

Not strong enough to fend for themselves,

her babies are still dependent

on their mother's milk.

At almost two weeks old,

they'll soon be ready for solid foods.

Until then,

the quality of milk she provides

must be at its peak.

To cater for this, she must increase

her calorie intake by 230%

each day.

In just one week's time,

they'll be old enough to venture outside.

And so she must ensure

they are strong enough

to get the best start they can.

But for now,

they find security in one another,

as a family.

[crows]

[continues crowing]

A rude awakening.

The young mother has overslept.

Even worse, she's starving.

If she goes hungry,

so will her babies.

Thankfully, her young are well-fed

for now.

Leaving the stable,

she heads back out to the courtyard

to find food.

[rooster crows]

Temporarily blinded by the bright sun,

she steps into the yard

and waits for her eyes to adjust.

History dictates wherever there's a man,

there's usually a mouse.

Unknowingly over the years,

this farmer has provided

more for this mouse than anyone.

She relies on him.

However, she cannot afford

to be complacent.

Giants lurk around every corner.

[dog snoring]

But she needn't worry.

The farmer's dog is a lazy creature.

-[snorts]

-[squeaks]

To her sensitive nose,

the world is a concoction of smells.

Some advertise danger. Others, food.

What a sight for tired eyes.

Her favorite place to dine out.

She can always rely on the barn

to provide her

with all the food she needs.

Although she feels comfortable here,

a mouse can't afford to stay

in one place for too long,

for fear of being spotted by a predator.

And so her tactic is

to nibble, move, and repeat.

It's fast-food.

But every action has a reaction

and what goes in must come out.

In a single day, she can produce

as many as 100 droppings.

Little does she know, she's contaminating

the farmer's precious food stocks.

This mouse's family has called this ranch

home for generations.

Its stockpiles of cattle feed

and abundant shelter

has made it a haven

amongst the rugged Texas landscape.

These ranchers are often separated

by hundreds of miles of dry prairie

an endless, arid,

often hostile environment.

This makes the concentration of food

at the many ranches very enticing

to an assortment of creatures

attracted to this gargantuan feast.

[caws]

The raven is one of the most intelligent

birds on the planet,

and one of the most curious.

The raven's dietary menu

doesn't rule out the house mouse.

Luckily, the bird's attention

is diverted elsewhere.

[caws]

c*ck.

These meals-on-wheels

are packed full of protein.

The raven just can't resist

much to the misery of these insects.

But the c*ck have made their home

next to the electric power cables.

The sharp beak of the raven

has sliced through the protective casing,

exposing the copper wire within.

[cawing]

The farmer has become

a little too complacent,

overlooking the potential hazards

in the barn.

Any of them could threaten

his precious hard-earned harvest.

[caws]

The raven's actions

have disastrous consequences.

[cawing]

The mouse's world is erupting

before her very eyes.

The thick smoke and intense heat

is spreading rapidly throughout the barn.

As the hot air rises,

she detects a cooling draft

from under the floorboards

but she finds little relief.

Every familiar exit and escape route

is blocked. She's trapped.

In her desperation,

she crisscrosses through the raging fire.

In a bid to flee the flames,

she seeks higher ground.

As she climbs the rope,

the air becomes hotter and hotter.

[squealing]

[squeals]

She's made it out without a scratch.

Although she's lived on the farm

all her life,

this mouse hasn't seen a cow before.

[cow moos]

Having never ventured

more than 30 feet from her nest,

this mother is now far from home

thrust into a strange, new world.

She sniffs the air for a sign

of something recognizable,

anything that can help her return

to her young in the stable.

But the strong smell of smoke

has dulled her senses,

masking any familiar odors

she'd ordinarily use to find her way home.

[mice squeaking]

By now, her lonely pups will be hungry,

and their high-pitched cries

to their mother

could alert nearby predators

to their presence.

Tired, hungry, and despondent,

she's been wandering the field

for what seems like forever,

and losing hope

of ever finding her way back.

Around each corner,

she encounters a new and unusual animal.

Some intriguing. Mysterious, even.

A praying mantis.

A darkling beetle.

Something is sliding ahead.

To the mouse, it appears like a dragon.

Time to go.

The wooden gate

provides just enough shelter

for her to assess her surroundings.

But not all is what it seems.

The ground begins to tremble

beneath her feet.

[rumbling]

Loose debris catapults out

in all directions.

The growing noise is deafening

to her sensitive ears.

She must find cover.

[leaf blower whirring]

[engine turns off]

Fortunately, she spots a mouse-sized gap

in the window of the farmhouse.

She wastes no time and seizes

her opportunity to escape

the man-made storm.

Entering further into new territory,

she's cautious of what she might find.

She's hit the jackpot:

an endless treasure trove

crammed full of goodies.

There's enough food here

to sustain her family for generations.

With so much choice,

she doesn't know where to begin.

But precautions have been taken

against any would-be thieves.

Clearly, this stockpile

was not meant for the mouse.

But she's not alone.

A tarantula st*lks the pantry for prey.

Temporarily distracted, the mouse

hasn't noticed a deadly predator

illuminated by the black light

of a fly zapper.

The scorpion wears its skeleton

on the outside of its body.

Reacting to the ultraviolet rays,

the armor plating glows in the dark.

Yet the scorpion

has no appetite for mice.

Perceiving the mouse as a threat,

its venomous-tipped tail

is ready to strike in self-defense.

And so, she makes a hasty retreat.

But this black light

has revealed something else.

In her wake, the mouse is leaving

glowing smudges of urine

like an illuminated trail of breadcrumbs.

It's easy to see

why humans dislike mice in their homes.

If discovered,

she risks being exterminated.

[farmer whistling]

Another sinister being

emerges from the dark.

A venomous, two-headed monster,

this giant centipede can inject venom

into prey much larger than itself.

The mouse is an easy target.

Fortunately,

the centipede's vision is poor,

and its antennae fail to detect

the mouse's movement behind the glass.

That's one too many close calls.

Although this pantry provides

all the food this mother could ever need,

her instinct is to continue on.

No matter what,

she must return to her young.

Upon leaving the farmhouse,

the mouse detects a familiar scent.

She knows where she is

the courtyard.

[rooster crows]

She wastes no time,

and sprints the final leg.

A shortcut through the barn

will get her home to the stable faster.

The barn is now a shadow

of what it once was.

Burnt wood and ash fill

the once-welcoming space.

It's a cold and eerie place now,

but it's all she has.

Fortunately, some of the food

was spared from the fire.

Starving, she must now select

the good bits from the scorched earth.

-[sniffing]

-But something's in the barn with her,

lurking in the shadows.

It's her old enemy

the barn owl.

[mouse squeaks]

[screeches]

The lives of her young

depend on her safe return,

so she sprints for her life,

searching for any sign of an escape route.

[mouse squeaks]

[screeches]

She's done it.

Speeding back to the stable,

she's unsure of what she'll find there.

Have her babies survived?

Luckily, all is well.

Tucked up safe and warm,

her pups are just as she left them.

Although separated from her young

for only 24 hours,

in human terms, she's been gone

for the equivalent of three months.

Against all odds,

she's made it back in one piece.

Despite the dangers she faced,

her maternal instincts gave her

the drive and determination to continue.

This mother

is nothing short of a super mouse.

All the animals in the farm are connected

by a common goal:

to provide for their young.

There's no such thing here

as good and evil,

only a deep motivation for life.

All creatures want to give their young

the best start they can,

protecting future generations

of their species.

There is a critical balance

between all living things,

each one as important as the other.

[hisses softly]

[squeaking]

Facing unfamiliar challenges

and fighting through hardship

is the key to this mouse's survival

and the legacy she'll leave behind

for generations to come.

But there will always be new challenges.

Mother Nature announces her arrival.

A tornado is on the horizon,

heading this way.

How will this event shape the future

in this small corner of the world?

Only time will tell.

All we do know

is that it's just another day in the life

for these amazing, tiny creatures.