01x01 - Savannah

[bunniefuu]

[Paul Rudd]

Planet Earth is so spectacular,

it's easy to miss

the smaller things in life.

But take a closer look

and there's a whole undiscovered world.

A world where tiny heroes

and little monsters

need incredible superpowers

to help them triumph against giant odds.

-[insects buzzing]

-[birds singing]

The African savannah.

A land of legends.

Home to some of our planet's largest

and most majestic animals.

But beneath the feet of elephants,

there's an unexplored world.

The world of the elephant shrew.

It's teeming with all kinds of amazing

little grazers and tiny predators.

-[flies buzzing]

-[lion growls]

But being small in the land of giants

is never easy.

And as the herds head this way,

life is about to get a whole lot tougher.

An elephant shrew

is not much bigger than a hamster.

But much faster.

On her scale, she's three times faster

than a cheetah.

Racing at nearly 30 kilometers per hour

on a relentless hunt for food.

She must eat almost a third

of her body weight every day

to fuel her fast-paced life.

So she's built a network of trails

over thousands of square meters

to help her find enough food,

even in the dry season.

A cobra strikes faster

than the blink of an eye.

But her tracks help her

stay one step ahead.

The elephant shrew's life is frenetic

and solitary.

[sniffing]

Unlike the kings of this big red castle.

[winds gusting]

Dwarf mongoose often make their home

in termite mounds.

Only the size of your hand,

they find strength and warmth in numbers.

[squeaking]

Savannah mornings are surprisingly cold.

It's all too easy to lie in.

But not today.

This little hornbill is hungry.

[hornbill grunts]

And keen to go grab breakfast.

[mongoose squeaking]

Twenty mongoose and one hornbill

might seem an odd team.

But when you're small,

it pays to stick together.

The mongoose flush out prey.

While the hornbill keeps a lookout

for danger.

Dwarf mongoose patrol a big area,

about 50 football fields,

marking their territory along the way.

The higher the scent,

the bigger they'll seem to others.

Even in the dry season, their patch

provides all the food they need.

They may be Africa's smallest carnivore,

but they're not afraid

to take on big game.

[sniffing]

A venomous baboon spider.

By seizing every opportunity,

this tenacious team can survive

through the harshest times.

[thunder rumbles]

But when the rains arrive,

everything changes.

[thunder rumbling]

[rain pattering]

[squeaking]

A life on the road offers little shelter.

But the mongoose stay safe and warm.

They've chosen their home well.

[rain pattering stops]

Termite mounds provide

excellent protection from the elements.

Mixing spit and dirt,

these industrious insects

build castles as hard as concrete

and as big as an elephant.

[birds chirping]

[elephant grunts]

Following the rains,

the big animals start to arrive.

Elephants are the first to make

an impact on the landscape.

A five-ton footprint

creates a water world

swimming with all sorts of tiny creatures.

Including one of the planet's oldest.

Tadpole shrimps

have lived in tiny ponds like this

since they were created

by the feet of dinosaurs.

[elephant bellows]

Just days after the rain,

the whole savannah flushes green.

As animals begin to gorge

it has enormous consequences.

[sniffs]

There's no way an elephant shrew

can move this mess.

But help is here.

Dung beetles are onto a fresh pile

in seconds

hoping to make off

with a share of the spoils

before competition arrives.

[fly buzzing]

This ball is very precious.

His food and his hopes

of winning a mate, all rolled into one.

In this tiny world,

a single step can be a setback.

And a whole stampede can be a disaster.

Over a million wildebeest and zebra,

the greatest migration on land.

The promise of fresh grass

driving them on right this way.

Crowned plovers nest out

on the open savannah.

This female's new clutch

is in danger of being trampled.

[plover caws]

Only ankle-height,

she's not afraid to stand up to a gazelle.

[cawing]

[caws]

But a herd of wildebeest is unstoppable.

[wildebeest grunting, snorting]

[caws]

Amazingly, all of her eggs are unbroken,

but it's still a month before they hatch.

[wildebeest grunting in distance]

The elephant shrew's tracks

took more of a beating.

[sniffs]

It's time for some highway maintenance.

Back in the fast lane.

As the herds graze on grass,

giraffes look to the trees.

The acacias are flush with fresh leaves.

Protected by long thorns.

They are little use against

a half-meter-long tongue.

But the tree has a second line of defense.

An army of acacia ants

swarm to the rescue.

Attacking any part of the giraffe

they can sink their jaws into.

Until it finally moves on.

The acacia grows special swollen thorns

to house its loyal army.

And ant-sized cups filled with nectar

to keep them fed.

By working together,

little creatures can stand up to giants.

-But sometimes, it's better to run.

-[clucks]

-[snorts]

-Sharp, slicing tusks,

150 kilos of muscle

A warthog is imposing.

And this mongoose knows

just what it's after.

A little pampering.

[sniffs]

The boldest mongoose

gets the pick of the juiciest ticks.

As the rest of the team join,

the warthog gets a thorough grooming.

[mongoose squeaks]

Soon, more clients are trotting

into the mongoose spa.

-[warthog grunts]

-[mongoose squeaks]

The mongoose even mark

returning customers as their territory.

Those small and smart enough

work even the most intimidating animals

to their advantage.

Oxpeckers can reach the highest of prizes.

And use their sharp beaks

to pick off parasites.

When one host has had enough,

they move on to the next.

[grunts]

Oxpeckers get almost all their food

on the hoof.

[snorts, grunts]

With a bit of ingenuity

and a very strong stomach,

little animals make the most

of the migration.

But the predators that follow

can be more of a challenge.

The plover's eggs have just hatched.

Her chick is still finding its feet

[chirps]

in a dangerous world.

[caws]

[buck grunts]

Jackals are opportunistic hunters.

[caws]

[jackal snarls]

And the smaller the animal,

the easier the prey.

[caws]

A desperate move.

The brave mother does all she can

to draw the attention to herself

and away from her chick.

[caws]

As long as it doesn't move,

it's almost invisible.

But biting ants are hard to ignore.

[chick chirps]

-[cawing]

-Mom creates a diversion.

[caws]

Distracting the jackal just enough.

[chirping]

But she will have to keep

protecting her chick

until the migration moves on.

[insects buzzing]

The herds are being plagued

by a mini migration

that follows them everywhere.

Swarms of flies agitate

the larger animals.

But in the tiny world,

it's a movable feast.

And away from the herds,

isolated on rocky outcrops,

agama lizards wait

for the food to come to them.

Most of the time, it's a bit hit-and-miss.

[insect buzzing]

So, when a bigger opportunity

presents itself

they have to grab it.

[flies buzzing]

Lions come here to rest

in the heat of the day.

And with them come flies.

Lots of them.

Fortune favors the brave.

But best not to wake a sleeping lion.

Maybe there's a less direct approach.

[panting]

It's amazing what you get away with

when you're small.

But when flying in the face of danger

don't push your luck.

As the land dries, the herds move on.

[wildebeest bellows]

Some won't be sad to see them gone.

Peace is returning.

[sniffing]

The elephant shrew

has the run of the place again.

Hunting insects at high speed

and nothing to stop her.

As the seasons roll on

new challenges lie ahead.

A dried-out elephant footprint

really could be the end of the road.

But this little beetle is strong.

He can lift ten times his own weight.

And now with the herds gone,

he can't afford to lose this ball.

His Herculean effort has paid off.

A female, ready to share

his most treasured possession

and be his mate.

Life is good for the mongoose too.

At least, most of the time.

A single mongoose

could easily fall victim to a cobra.

But when they stand together

this little g*ng is unbeatable.

[snarls]

And now they've got new recruits.

[squeaking]

Still only a month old,

but in just three more,

they'll be fully-fledged members

of the team.

[squeaks]

Even up against

the biggest migration on Earth,

tiny heroes don't just survive,

they thrive.

The savannah is the land of legends.

And as it turns out,

some of the greatest stories here

are tiny.