1 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:47,040 Africa. 2 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,120 The world's greatest wilderness. 3 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:04,280 The only place on Earth to see the full majesty of nature. 4 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,680 There's so much more here than we ever imagined. 5 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,080 I'm standing where the equator 6 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,360 cuts right across the middle of the continent. 7 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,560 To the north of me, there's an immense desert 8 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,120 the size of the United States of America. 9 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,320 To the west, a vast rainforest the size of India. 10 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:36,440 And behind me, for thousands of miles, 11 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,600 the most fertile savannahs in the world. 12 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:49,960 From the roof of Africa... 13 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,200 ..to the deepest jungle. 14 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,920 Rarely seen places, and untold stories. 15 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,200 There's nowhere in the world where wildlife puts on a greater show. 16 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,320 This is the last place on Earth 17 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,080 where you can come eye to eye 18 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,280 with the greatest animals that walk our planet. 19 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,280 This is Africa. 20 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,200 Our journey starts in the far south west, 21 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,680 in the oldest and strangest corner of the continent. 22 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,840 Here, the thirsty land is covered 23 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,920 with thousands upon thousands of circles. 24 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,040 We still don't know their origins. 25 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,040 Poisonous plants, foraging insects 26 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,360 and even magnetism have all been suggested, but each ruled out. 27 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:52,040 The circles don't move, and their shape never varies. 28 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:57,480 They're unchanging, much like this part of Africa itself. 29 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:06,360 Ancient and arid, it almost never rains on this land, 30 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,480 yet there is water here, hidden away. 31 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,920 To survive here, life must use every trick in the book. 32 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:42,360 Winter. Dawn temperatures can fall well below freezing. 33 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,120 And that's a problem for this drongo. 34 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,520 It's too cold for his normal prey, flying insects. 35 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:01,400 But he has a plan. The drongo is the Kalahari's greatest trickster. 36 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,200 And these are his victims. 37 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,880 A family of meerkats, desert specialists. 38 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,160 After warming up in the morning sun, 39 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,920 the meerkats begin their search for breakfast. 40 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:29,760 The drongo can now begin his tricks. 41 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,880 But he must first win the confidence of his victims. 42 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,640 He spots an eagle on the hunt, and sounds a warning. 43 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,120 CHIRRUPING 44 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,800 One that sends the meerkats gratefully scurrying to safety. 45 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:57,480 Danger over. 46 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,080 And now, he has their trust. 47 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,160 He sounds another warning. 48 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,680 CHIRRUPING 49 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,840 But this time, it's a false alarm. 50 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:21,960 Thank you very much! 51 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,360 The meerkats fell for it. 52 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:42,040 This all seems too easy. He tries the same trick again. 53 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:43,720 CHIRRUPING 54 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:46,640 BARKING 55 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,800 But the meerkats aren't stupid - they'll only fall for it once. 56 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:08,040 The juicy scorpion won't be for him. 57 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,720 Then, suddenly, the sound of a sentry's warning. 58 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,800 No meerkat can ignore that. Sentries never lie. 59 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:24,080 But the sentry sees no danger. 60 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,160 Guess who? 61 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,720 Of course, it's the drongo. 62 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,040 He's learnt to mimic the meerkats' own warning call. 63 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,240 And now, he can enjoy his prize. 64 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:59,040 A gang of meerkats, outsmarted by a bird. 65 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:07,520 The drongo is only deceitful in the hardest winter months. 66 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,440 For the rest of the year, he provides honest protection. 67 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:18,840 So, in the long run, the meerkat family profit as well as the drongo. 68 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,160 CHIRRUPING 69 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:27,480 It's a much harder life, 70 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,080 if you haven't yet learned the tricks of your trade. 71 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,440 This young leopard is just a year old, 72 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,000 and at a critical point in his life. 73 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,560 His mother has battled to raise her two cubs, 74 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:20,360 but finding enough food for them is now beyond her. 75 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,200 From today, he'll have to fend for himself. 76 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,480 Kalahari means "land of great thirst". 77 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,960 Prey is scarce. Of all the leopards in Africa, 78 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,760 these have to be the most resourceful. 79 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,040 A big warthog. 80 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,000 Potential prey, 81 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,840 but armed and dangerous. 82 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:13,360 His mother tried to tackle one, but it nearly killed her. 83 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,440 He spots something more promising. 84 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,440 A steenbok, that's more like it. 85 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:03,120 He won't strike unless he can get to within just four metres, 86 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,640 and without making the slightest sound. 87 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:12,840 ANXIOUS YAPPING 88 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:14,920 A jackal barks an alarm. 89 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,520 But the steenbok still has no idea it's being stalked. 90 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:32,720 The nearer he gets, the quieter he must be. 91 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:11,920 He's blown it. 92 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:29,600 A good opportunity like that won't come around very often. 93 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,400 Hungry and thirsty, he heads back home, 94 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:46,400 and spots a kill stashed in a tree, almost certainly by his own mother. 95 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,920 And, like any teenager, he thinks nothing of raiding her larder. 96 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:05,520 Booby trapped. 97 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,760 It's not really his day, is it? 98 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:57,400 Some young leopards grow up to be brilliant opportunists. 99 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:01,280 But even they find life hard here in the Kalahari. 100 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,480 These bizarre little birds are baby ostriches. 101 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,000 They're just a few days old. 102 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,000 In time, they'll become superb desert survivors. 103 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,480 But in the Kalahari, these early days are perilous. 104 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,800 Like leopards and meerkats, adult ostriches can extract 105 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,280 all the moisture they require from their food. 106 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:43,720 The chicks, however, 107 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:47,680 won't survive much more than another day without water. 108 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,000 But there's none in sight. 109 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,360 How can their parents conjure up water out here? 110 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,160 The youngsters follow their parents, 111 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,720 as they head out onto a featureless wasteland. 112 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,840 It seems like a suicidal journey. 113 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,320 The Etosha salt pan. 114 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:45,800 Here, water is more often a mirage than reality. 115 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,240 It's now well over 40 degrees centigrade. 116 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:59,680 Their father shades his chicks from the midday sun. 117 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:09,720 Another mirage? 118 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,800 No. The ostrich family is not alone out here. 119 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:29,440 Surrounded by miles of sun-baked mud, 120 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:36,200 sweet, fresh water wells up from deep below ground... 121 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:37,960 like a miracle. 122 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,640 Although the ostrich parents have guided their chicks to water, 123 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,440 there's still a problem - traffic. 124 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:09,240 Heavy traffic. 125 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:17,600 These tiny, fragile birds could easily be trampled under foot. 126 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,360 The water is tantalisingly close. 127 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:35,360 Where prey gathers, predators are never far behind. 128 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:32,560 The brawling lions have unwittingly done the young ostriches a favour. 129 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,640 The waterhole is now clear. 130 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,720 Sometimes, you need a bit of luck in life. 131 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,240 Their first-ever drink... 132 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,880 and just in time. 133 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,400 Their father's done his job. 134 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:34,760 A black rhinoceros, the Kalahari's most cantankerous resident. 135 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,120 They don't like company, 136 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,680 and they certainly don't like sharing a waterhole with lions. 137 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,560 Fortunately - for everyone else, that is - 138 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,840 they only visit twice a week. 139 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:07,040 The Kalahari is the black rhino's last stronghold. 140 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,080 And here, under the cover of darkness, 141 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:15,800 at one secret and very special waterhole, 142 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:19,280 rhino abandon their normally solitary life, 143 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,160 and come from miles around to meet under the stars. 144 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,320 Using the latest starlight camera, 145 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:36,320 we can reveal for the first time the rhino's true character. 146 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,120 This young female seems nervous. 147 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,640 She senses other rhinos close by. 148 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:53,200 A mother appears from the shadows with her calf. 149 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,480 Tentatively, they greet one another. 150 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,760 They may be ill-tempered by day, 151 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:16,800 but now they become gentle and affectionate. 152 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,560 More and more arrive. 153 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:39,080 We had no idea that rhinos met to socialise 154 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,120 and build friendships like this. 155 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,840 The young female has an admirer. 156 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,280 But she doesn't seem keen on him. 157 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,760 She's excited about something. 158 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,720 Or someone. 159 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,240 Here comes a really big male. 160 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,840 This time, she's much more welcoming. 161 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,160 Who would have thought that rhino could be so flirtatious? 162 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,600 The first male tries to come between them. 163 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,840 Somehow or other, he's got a pair of antelope horns stuck on his nose. 164 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,480 It looks as if she's been won over by his eccentric style. 165 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,840 He leads her off, away from the party. 166 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,920 He may have style - 167 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,200 but he's turning out to be something of a disappointment. 168 00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:08,000 GRUNTING 169 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,560 A girl can only put up with so much. 170 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,760 The only way she can get rid of him is to pretend she's asleep. 171 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:34,480 To see so many rhino in one place is a revelation. 172 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,520 And that's the power water has here - the power to bring together 173 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,240 the greatest gathering of rhinos anywhere on Earth. 174 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:04,640 Spitzkoppe. 175 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:09,680 An ancient volcano, that towers above a plateau 176 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,040 that is two billion years old. 177 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,720 This land has remained unchanged 178 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,440 for longer than any other part of Africa. 179 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:29,000 Animals here have had a long time to find inventive solutions 180 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,440 to the challenge of finding water. 181 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:02,520 Out on the open plains, life must await the chance arrival of rain. 182 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:04,280 THUNDER RUMBLES 183 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:09,920 When it does fall, it has an extraordinary effect. 184 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,960 Each sporadic downpour may only last minutes, 185 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:21,280 but it can bring life, and in spectacular numbers. 186 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,240 Red-billed quelea. 187 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,600 SHRILL CHORUS 188 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,280 They're the most numerous bird in the world. 189 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,920 In all, more than a billion live here in the Kalahari. 190 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,400 No-one knows quite how, 191 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,640 but they seem to have an extraordinary ability to locate 192 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:54,040 the fall of rain, and then instantly exploit the bonanza that follows. 193 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:16,080 These nomads now have just five weeks to find food, 194 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:19,160 build a nest and raise a brood. 195 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:31,080 But they're not alone. 196 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,320 The rains have also created a plague. 197 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,000 These are armoured ground crickets. 198 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,920 Giant insects, with voracious appetites...for meat. 199 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,320 With the quelea parents away feeding, 200 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,160 their chicks are defenceless. 201 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:55,560 The adults return. 202 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,920 But the cricket fights back. 203 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:14,120 Squirting its own foul-tasting blood into their eyes. 204 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,120 The cricket is still alive, 205 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:46,000 but the stench of its blood attracts the attention of others. 206 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,840 Now, IT is the target. 207 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,600 These crickets become cannibals. 208 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:22,160 All too soon, the bonanza brought by the rain is over, 209 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:27,160 and the quelea head off in search of the next rare downpour. 210 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:50,960 The Kalahari is scarred by rivers that have long since run dry, 211 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,120 the water claimed by the thirsty land. 212 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,320 But it's not gone far. 213 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:16,200 Deep below lies a secret, 214 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,680 one that was discovered only 25 years ago. 215 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:39,080 Humid air rushing to the surface gives this place its name, 216 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,040 Dragon's Breath Cave. 217 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:53,600 The shaft descends for 60 metres, until it meets... 218 00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:59,360 ..water. 219 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,440 Here, there is a massive chamber, 220 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,760 big enough to swallow three jumbo jets, nose to tail, 221 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,360 filled with cool, fresh water. 222 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,560 The world's largest underground lake. 223 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:28,560 This is fossil water. 224 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,080 It's been trapped here, undisturbed, for thousands, 225 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,080 if not millions, of years. 226 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,040 We have no idea how deep the lake is. 227 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,480 Divers have been down to 100 metres, 228 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:51,120 and still there's no sign of the bottom. 229 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:01,800 Remarkably, Dragon's Breath is part of a vast cave system 230 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,440 that extends beneath the Kalahari for thousands of miles. 231 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:15,120 Even here, in this lonely cave, there is life. 232 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:29,160 Golden catfish, only found in this one cave. 233 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:33,880 They're the rarest and most isolated fish in the world. 234 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:42,040 Life down here is as challenging as it is in the desert above. 235 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:45,160 There's no food, 236 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:48,440 except the debris that occasionally falls onto the surface. 237 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,800 And these catfish are totally blind. 238 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,800 The only world they know is the one they sense through touch. 239 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:09,200 A blind fish living in perpetual darkness, 240 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:13,920 deep beneath one of the most arid regions of Africa. 241 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:27,840 Such cruel irony. So much water hidden away out of reach. 242 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:37,680 Along the western edge of the Kalahari, the land becomes so dry, 243 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:41,240 it seems impossible that any life could survive here. 244 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:00,000 The Namib. 245 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:06,120 A million square miles of sand exquisitely sculpted by the wind. 246 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,160 This is the oldest desert in the world. 247 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:25,560 Respite comes from fog rolling in from the Atlantic ocean. 248 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:31,720 It condenses into a few precious drops. 249 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:38,120 Just enough to sustain life. 250 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,000 A pompilid wasp is searching the dunes. 251 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:58,040 She's not looking for a drink, but for somewhere moist to lay her egg. 252 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:05,240 How will she pull off a trick like that? 253 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:15,200 The entrance to a burrow. That's worth investigating. 254 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,040 She may be tiny, but once she decides to dig, 255 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,000 she can shift extraordinary quantities of sand. 256 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,240 She's unearthed this spider for a grisly purpose. 257 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,320 It's so dry, the only place with enough moisture for her egg 258 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,560 is within the body of another living thing. 259 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:08,840 First, she must paralyse her victim. 260 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:15,520 But then, the spider plays its trump card. 261 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:38,800 The aptly-named golden wheel spider can cartwheel fast enough 262 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,600 to escape its gruesome fate. 263 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,960 For the wasp, her near impossible search goes on. 264 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:24,400 If it's hard enough for a tiny wasp to survive here in the Namib, 265 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,480 how is it possible for a giant? 266 00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:39,520 A desert giraffe. 267 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:45,080 It's difficult to imagine how such a huge animal 268 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,720 can live in a place with so little water. 269 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,800 This old male is at the very limit of his endurance. 270 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:13,800 The land may be bone dry, 271 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,400 but there are signs that water once flowed here. 272 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,600 The Hoanib, one of Namibia's rivers. 273 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:32,400 A river of sand. 274 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,880 The trees that line these sand rivers send roots down 275 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:54,520 over 30 metres to tap water that lies deep beneath the river bed. 276 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:01,800 These trees are the giraffe's salvation, 277 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:06,000 even if he has to stretch to his very tallest to get a mouthful. 278 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,760 Even on tip-toe, he still needs a half-metre-long tongue 279 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,600 to reach the leaves he so badly needs. 280 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:43,400 He's ruled this stretch of the Hoanib for over a decade, 281 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,920 and this prime territory is attracting females. 282 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,000 He waits confidently for her. 283 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,040 But they've got company. 284 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:14,720 A young male. 285 00:41:56,840 --> 00:41:59,840 The old bull won't tolerate a rival. 286 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,440 Pushing and shoving, they size each other up. 287 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,960 The young rival seems to think he has a chance and attacks. 288 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:35,680 The first few blows usually settle things in such battles, 289 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:38,600 but here, the stakes are high. 290 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:48,800 To lose means exile in the desert. 291 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:54,520 Neither will back down. 292 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,880 As the fight intensifies, they change tactics. 293 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:06,000 The young male aims for the rump. 294 00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:12,440 The old bull targets his rival's legs. 295 00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:01,920 The old bull is down. 296 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:12,880 Is this the end of his reign? 297 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:21,440 He knows a knockout blow is coming. 298 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:36,640 But the old bull ducks... 299 00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:46,080 ..and strikes a blow to his rival's underbelly. 300 00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:23,680 Out for the count. 301 00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:37,960 The old bull is victorious. 302 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:43,080 But only just. 303 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:55,320 The sand river remains his to rule. 304 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:21,640 It's a river that is about to be transformed. 305 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:31,320 Under clear blue skies, water floods down the Hoanib. 306 00:46:36,880 --> 00:46:41,160 The welcome consequence of rain that fell hundreds of miles away. 307 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,680 The water may only flow for a matter of hours. 308 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,040 But this miraculous flood is enough to provide 309 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:09,840 a lifeline for the trees and the giraffes of the Hoanib River. 310 00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:19,840 It's what makes this place worth fighting for. 311 00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:42,200 Here, fossil lakes, secret waterholes, desert fog 312 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:46,440 and ephemeral rivers like this provide just enough water 313 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:50,880 for life to get by, no matter how tough it gets. 314 00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:58,840 It's hard to find more inventive solutions to staying alive 315 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:03,040 than in this, the most ancient corner of Africa. 316 00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:31,400 For four years, the Africa team searched the continent 317 00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:33,440 for new and surprising stories. 318 00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:36,760 Not only of strange and unfamiliar creatures, 319 00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:38,960 but also of some we think we know. 320 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:45,240 Veteran wildlife cameraman Martyn Colbeck took on the challenge 321 00:48:45,240 --> 00:48:48,880 of shedding new light on the life of Namibia's desert giraffe. 322 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,880 I jumped at the opportunity of working with an animal that 323 00:48:56,880 --> 00:48:58,920 I hadn't really spent much time with. 324 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:03,160 Straight away, they proved to be quite an eye-opener. 325 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:05,720 They're very bizarre looking animals. 326 00:49:05,720 --> 00:49:08,760 We just kept looking at them from different angles 327 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:11,280 and they looked even weirder. 328 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:16,280 The combination of the sort of weird close ups, the beautiful 329 00:49:16,280 --> 00:49:17,720 landscape that they're in. 330 00:49:17,720 --> 00:49:19,720 They're amusing... 331 00:49:19,720 --> 00:49:22,920 I got really attached to them, actually. 332 00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:30,840 Overlying all this, we were always waiting for a fight. 333 00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:34,640 But to see a full-blooded fight is very rare. 334 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,480 So, the only way that we were going to see it 335 00:49:38,480 --> 00:49:42,320 is if we stuck at it, day after day, every day for 30 days. 336 00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:47,520 We were lucky enough that we found a male guarding a female. 337 00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:55,760 And out of nowhere, this male came round the corner. 338 00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:05,480 And almost immediately faced up to our male. 339 00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:10,760 Absolutely no warning that this was going to happen, 340 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:13,880 so it was complete pandemonium in the car. 341 00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:18,240 But luckily I got the camera up and running in time to actually 342 00:50:18,240 --> 00:50:22,320 capture this fight, and it all came down to one minute in real time. 343 00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:30,680 When I filmed it, you don't see it in slow motion. 344 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,360 And you just have to go with the flow. 345 00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:37,000 You're not experiencing the fight, 346 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:39,800 you're just basically framing it and capturing it. 347 00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:42,680 So it was only afterwards, when we looked at it in slow motion, 348 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:45,840 that you could really understand how ferocious it was. 349 00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:54,240 You can see the impact on the skin. 350 00:50:54,240 --> 00:50:57,000 You can see the ripples going through the flesh. 351 00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:03,920 But it was the final blows that delivered the real surprise. 352 00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:06,640 It was like one of those chimneys falling down. 353 00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:13,960 At the last moment, the head just went clunk! 354 00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:31,720 And we thought it was dead. 355 00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:36,200 We thought this thing was dead. 356 00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:41,000 And it lay there for, it must have been three minutes. 357 00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:46,240 Eventually, this thing suddenly got up, the one that was 358 00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:50,720 lying down, and the two of them were then standing, and then the one that 359 00:51:50,720 --> 00:51:54,960 had been knocked over completely then just said, "I've had enough. 360 00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:57,960 "OK, OK, you won and I'm off". 361 00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:05,440 I, I think it's very unlikely I'm going to see 362 00:52:05,440 --> 00:52:06,960 anything like that again. 363 00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:10,080 I think that's a once-in-a-life-timer. I really do. 364 00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:16,520 It won't be easy to look at giraffes in the same way again. 365 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:23,360 On the other side of the desert, 366 00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:26,080 another of Africa's great animal icons 367 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:29,120 was attracting the attention of the team 368 00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:31,760 as they staked out a secret waterhole. 369 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:39,440 They hoped to reveal a very different side 370 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:42,360 to the personality of the black rhinoceros. 371 00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:50,440 The team have heard that at night rhinos behave a little strangely. 372 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:07,240 A specially-built starlight camera would allow the team 373 00:53:07,240 --> 00:53:09,000 to pierce the darkness. 374 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:18,160 It's amazing. That's filming something we can't even see. 375 00:53:18,160 --> 00:53:20,680 Yeah, and if you look out there now... 376 00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:21,960 Yeah, it's just black, isn't it? 377 00:53:21,960 --> 00:53:25,200 But through this, it looks as sharp as day. 378 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:28,440 Rhinos are notoriously anti-social, 379 00:53:28,440 --> 00:53:33,840 yet here they come to revel in each other's company. 380 00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:35,720 This is amazing. 381 00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,960 This is such intimate behaviour, 382 00:53:40,960 --> 00:53:45,040 which you can only see filming them at night like this. 383 00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:46,480 It's incredible. 384 00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:58,640 But it wasn't just cameras that would show a new side to rhinos. 385 00:53:59,880 --> 00:54:04,520 By concealing tiny radio microphones around the waterhole, 386 00:54:04,520 --> 00:54:09,280 the crew hoped to eavesdrop on the night's activity. 387 00:54:09,280 --> 00:54:12,480 RHINOS GRUNT 388 00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:25,560 And what they heard was astonishing. 389 00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:28,240 RHINO GRUMBLES 390 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:31,440 They're really talkative. 391 00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:35,560 They really are having a good chat. 392 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:42,720 These guys are far more communicative than elephants, even. 393 00:54:44,440 --> 00:54:48,560 They're just going on and on, chatting away. 394 00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:50,680 SQUEALS AND GRUNTS 395 00:54:52,120 --> 00:54:54,600 It's a beautiful, crystal clear night, 396 00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:56,520 so we've got beautiful starry shots. 397 00:54:56,520 --> 00:55:01,320 Loads of amazing noise. Puffing and huffing. 398 00:55:05,360 --> 00:55:08,520 So it's about two in the morning. 399 00:55:08,520 --> 00:55:10,600 There's only one rhino left up there. 400 00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:12,520 The rest of the them have gone to bed, 401 00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:15,360 but he's decided to lie down right on top of the radio mic. 402 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,760 RHINO GRUNTS AND SNORTS 403 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:31,040 The crew prepared for one more night 404 00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:34,080 at the waterhole under the full moon. 405 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:43,840 It seems that they're not really here for the water, 406 00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:46,320 but more to socialise. 407 00:55:46,320 --> 00:55:48,920 A bit like going out for the evening. 408 00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:58,360 He's got some kudu horns on his face, draped over his nose! 409 00:55:58,360 --> 00:56:00,640 LAUGHTER 410 00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:02,080 Is it all on camera, too? 411 00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:09,400 These images have a particular poignancy in a world where 412 00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:14,040 rhino horn is worth more than its weight in gold. 413 00:56:14,040 --> 00:56:17,000 Poaching is going through a really bad time right now 414 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:18,800 in Southern Africa. 415 00:56:18,800 --> 00:56:20,400 If you averaged it out, 416 00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:24,160 a rhino has been killed every day for the last year. 417 00:56:26,680 --> 00:56:29,480 That's really serious poaching. 418 00:56:29,480 --> 00:56:35,800 It's a huge concern that what we saw and filmed just won't happen again. 419 00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:37,880 Ever! 420 00:56:39,600 --> 00:56:43,120 It's only now that technology has revealed a new side 421 00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:45,240 to the rhino's personality. 422 00:56:52,120 --> 00:56:56,640 The black rhinoceros is a symbol of the African bush. 423 00:56:56,640 --> 00:57:00,600 But it seems that this creature has been long misunderstood. 424 00:57:05,160 --> 00:57:08,240 For the Africa team, revealing giraffes 425 00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:11,640 and rhinos in this new light was just the beginning. 426 00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:16,320 Africa may be a continent we think we know, 427 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:19,400 but it's still full of surprises. 428 00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:26,360 Next week, I'll be here on the great savannahs of East Africa. 429 00:57:28,000 --> 00:57:34,400 This is an ever changing land with a turbulent past and present. 430 00:57:41,280 --> 00:57:44,360 Where animals must gamble with their lives. 431 00:57:49,720 --> 00:57:53,440 Bounded by mighty mountains and steaming swamps, 432 00:57:53,440 --> 00:57:58,040 this land is the most prolific wildlife haven on Earth. 433 00:57:59,960 --> 00:58:03,040 A land worth fighting for! 434 00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:16,960 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd