1 00:00:01,268 --> 00:00:07,808 In the wild, the struggle for survival is unrelenting. 2 00:00:07,808 --> 00:00:11,778 But some animals have strange powers - 3 00:00:11,778 --> 00:00:15,749 evolutionary gifts that help them conquer foes, 4 00:00:15,749 --> 00:00:19,653 win mates, and stay alive. 5 00:00:22,656 --> 00:00:34,534 (♪♪♪) 6 00:00:40,107 --> 00:00:44,244 Buried in the sandy bays and mud lagoons between the islands of 7 00:00:44,244 --> 00:00:51,451 Indonesia, a tiny pair of eyes peak out, watching and waiting. 8 00:00:53,787 --> 00:00:58,191 This is a coconut octopus. 9 00:00:58,191 --> 00:01:03,463 It's no bigger than an index finger, and yet it has powers 10 00:01:03,463 --> 00:01:09,469 that some of us might find a bit unsettling. 11 00:01:09,469 --> 00:01:14,341 An octopus's power of sight is legendary, with monocular vision 12 00:01:14,341 --> 00:01:18,679 that allows it to use each eye independently. 13 00:01:18,679 --> 00:01:23,850 It has venom to help keep predators at bay. 14 00:01:23,850 --> 00:01:26,453 Let's not forget an octopus's breathtaking ability 15 00:01:26,453 --> 00:01:31,692 to change color, patterns and shape. 16 00:01:31,692 --> 00:01:36,129 Beautiful to watch and also a handy disguise. 17 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:45,372 This multi-limbed crawler has another exceptional skill. 18 00:01:45,372 --> 00:01:51,278 It's what gives the coconut octopus its name. 19 00:01:51,278 --> 00:01:54,881 The coconut octopus uses empty coconut shells 20 00:01:54,881 --> 00:02:00,220 - and clam shells - to accomplish an incredible feat. 21 00:02:00,220 --> 00:02:05,592 It constructs a shelter. 22 00:02:05,592 --> 00:02:09,363 The coconut octopus is the only invertebrate known to collect 23 00:02:09,363 --> 00:02:12,632 and hang on to objects, like building materials, 24 00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:16,103 for future or potential use. 25 00:02:21,475 --> 00:02:27,447 Indeed, there's a method to this madness. 26 00:02:27,447 --> 00:02:30,150 The size of this octopus makes it an easy meal 27 00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:35,122 for sharks, dolphins and seals; 28 00:02:35,122 --> 00:02:38,658 it's venom can't dissuade such big predators. 29 00:02:44,097 --> 00:02:47,367 So for this little guy, building an elaborate fort 30 00:02:47,367 --> 00:02:50,103 out of cast-offs can mean the difference 31 00:02:50,103 --> 00:02:53,440 between life and death. 32 00:02:57,244 --> 00:02:59,880 Researchers believe this ability to use the shells 33 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:06,820 is an indication of the coconut octopus' high IQ. 34 00:03:06,820 --> 00:03:09,456 And the cunning octopus knows that four walls 35 00:03:09,456 --> 00:03:12,626 work better than three. 36 00:03:19,733 --> 00:03:23,537 This is possibly even a type of tool use; 37 00:03:23,537 --> 00:03:27,207 a sure sign of an animal's cognitive powers. 38 00:03:31,445 --> 00:03:33,580 Intelligence like this is usually found 39 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:35,649 in long-lived animals, 40 00:03:35,649 --> 00:03:41,855 but these octopus live only 12 months at most. 41 00:03:41,855 --> 00:03:44,591 Why they have such highly evolved intelligence 42 00:03:44,591 --> 00:03:50,831 is still a mystery. 43 00:03:50,831 --> 00:03:53,333 And while this intelligence may be a notch lower 44 00:03:53,333 --> 00:03:58,538 than human smarts, it's not the only thing we have in common. 45 00:04:02,209 --> 00:04:05,679 Coconut octopus are one of only two known octopuses 46 00:04:05,679 --> 00:04:10,417 to use bi-pedal locomotion. 47 00:04:10,417 --> 00:04:14,554 That's another way of saying this little guy can walk! 48 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:25,065 So for those times when the fort isn't enough protection, 49 00:04:25,065 --> 00:04:29,035 the coconut octopus makes a run for it, shells and all. 50 00:04:32,772 --> 00:04:35,108 It rears up on its stilt-like arms, 51 00:04:35,108 --> 00:04:39,179 and bolts like a drunken sailor across the sea floor. 52 00:04:45,452 --> 00:04:46,786 But wait a minute. 53 00:04:46,786 --> 00:04:52,726 How is this little octopus able to walk at all? 54 00:04:52,726 --> 00:04:55,362 It's because it has sucker-covered arms 55 00:04:55,362 --> 00:05:00,066 that can think. 56 00:05:00,066 --> 00:05:05,472 Believe it or not, each arm acts like a mini brain; 57 00:05:05,472 --> 00:05:08,708 packed inside each limb are millions of neurons 58 00:05:08,708 --> 00:05:13,180 similar to the ones found in human brains. 59 00:05:13,180 --> 00:05:16,116 So when this coconut octopus decides to grab its shells 60 00:05:16,116 --> 00:05:22,689 and go, it sends its arms a message: move it out, fellas. 61 00:05:24,524 --> 00:05:26,259 But the arms themselves figure out 62 00:05:26,259 --> 00:05:30,630 how they should carry out the request. 63 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:35,735 They've literally got a mind of their own. 64 00:05:35,735 --> 00:05:38,438 Grooved suction cups on the underside of its arms 65 00:05:38,438 --> 00:05:42,409 glom onto the clam shell, 66 00:05:42,409 --> 00:05:44,578 while chemical sensors inside the cups 67 00:05:44,578 --> 00:05:49,849 prevent its arms from getting tangled or stuck to each other. 68 00:05:49,849 --> 00:05:55,388 Now that's smart. 69 00:05:55,388 --> 00:05:59,626 Aside from grabbing a morsel of food or finding a mate, 70 00:05:59,626 --> 00:06:02,262 there's not much reason for this little shape-shifter 71 00:06:02,262 --> 00:06:06,032 to leave its adopted shelter. 72 00:06:06,032 --> 00:06:08,768 And at the end of the day, the little coconut octopus 73 00:06:08,768 --> 00:06:14,040 is smart enough to know there's no place like home. 74 00:06:21,181 --> 00:06:29,556 Deep in the mists of time, long before humans walked, 75 00:06:29,556 --> 00:06:36,296 a peculiar creature waddled into the picture. 76 00:06:36,296 --> 00:06:39,532 An animal like nothing you've ever seen. 77 00:06:39,532 --> 00:06:43,570 Though it vaguely resembles something you have. 78 00:06:43,570 --> 00:06:46,506 A porcupine perhaps? 79 00:06:46,506 --> 00:06:52,579 An anteater, a hedgehog. 80 00:06:52,579 --> 00:06:57,517 It's a short-beaked echidna. 81 00:06:57,517 --> 00:07:00,020 Those who discovered this creature named it the after a 82 00:07:00,020 --> 00:07:06,192 monster in Greek myth: one that was half woman, half snake. 83 00:07:06,192 --> 00:07:10,730 Though the resemblance to either is a stretch. 84 00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:14,734 It has a head and a beak that approximate a bird's. 85 00:07:14,734 --> 00:07:17,304 It also eats worms and insects. 86 00:07:17,304 --> 00:07:20,440 And, it lays eggs. 87 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,710 But it's clearly not a bird. 88 00:07:23,710 --> 00:07:26,346 It's a mammal. 89 00:07:26,346 --> 00:07:31,384 A rather primitive, and entirely unusual, one. 90 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:35,522 It lives in Australia and New Guinea. 91 00:07:35,522 --> 00:07:37,490 Echidnas' young hatch from eggs 92 00:07:37,490 --> 00:07:42,629 and then live in pouches on their mother's bellies. 93 00:07:42,629 --> 00:07:44,497 They have no nipples. 94 00:07:44,497 --> 00:07:46,666 So the babies - known as puggles - 95 00:07:46,666 --> 00:07:51,071 suck milk from pores in two milk patches. 96 00:07:51,071 --> 00:07:55,108 Yes, they are Australian mammals with pouches; 97 00:07:55,108 --> 00:07:58,611 no, they're not marsupials. 98 00:07:58,611 --> 00:08:02,015 Their closest relative is the duck-billed platypus - 99 00:08:02,015 --> 00:08:07,020 the only other egg-laying mammal in the world. 100 00:08:07,020 --> 00:08:10,056 Unlike platypus, which only live in freshwater systems 101 00:08:10,056 --> 00:08:13,259 in Australia, the echidna has conquered 102 00:08:13,259 --> 00:08:15,729 every part of the country. 103 00:08:15,729 --> 00:08:18,631 Even its cities. 104 00:08:18,631 --> 00:08:20,700 They follow the food. 105 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:23,703 And their food, in the form of ants and termites, 106 00:08:23,703 --> 00:08:27,073 is everywhere. 107 00:08:27,073 --> 00:08:29,209 Their long tongues can forage pretty much anywhere 108 00:08:29,209 --> 00:08:33,046 they discover a nest. 109 00:08:33,046 --> 00:08:35,215 But, for all its oddities, there's one thing 110 00:08:35,215 --> 00:08:40,353 that makes this curious animal really stand out. 111 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:43,757 The male has a 4-headed penis. 112 00:08:43,757 --> 00:08:47,360 A rarity indeed. 113 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,829 You'd be right to ask: how? 114 00:08:49,829 --> 00:08:54,300 And why? 115 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:57,270 It seems echidnas use only two heads at a time 116 00:08:57,270 --> 00:09:03,009 to fit into the female's two reproductive canals. 117 00:09:03,009 --> 00:09:08,748 The next time they mate, they use the other two heads. 118 00:09:08,748 --> 00:09:12,051 Researchers think this technique helps their sperm 119 00:09:12,051 --> 00:09:17,190 stay strong and competitive. 120 00:09:17,190 --> 00:09:23,430 It has clearly worked for these guys. 121 00:09:23,430 --> 00:09:29,702 These waddling pin cushions have survived for 15 million years. 122 00:09:29,702 --> 00:09:31,738 And they live long lives - 123 00:09:31,738 --> 00:09:37,210 up to 50 years in captivity and slightly less in the wild. 124 00:09:39,045 --> 00:09:43,149 That might be because they have a very slow metabolism - 125 00:09:43,149 --> 00:09:47,654 their little bodies don't need much energy. 126 00:09:47,654 --> 00:09:53,593 And they have the lowest body temperature of any mammal. 127 00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:58,832 We humans operate at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 128 00:09:58,832 --> 00:10:04,771 On any given day, these guys are at a chilly 89 degrees. 129 00:10:08,274 --> 00:10:10,543 This cool little mammal has a few tricks 130 00:10:10,543 --> 00:10:14,514 to avoid getting eaten. 131 00:10:14,514 --> 00:10:18,551 Its most obvious defense is its quills. 132 00:10:18,551 --> 00:10:22,255 It can roll up into a prickly, unappetizing ball, 133 00:10:22,255 --> 00:10:24,691 shielding its head. 134 00:10:24,691 --> 00:10:28,228 Although, that's a last resort. 135 00:10:28,228 --> 00:10:31,130 The first resort is camouflage. 136 00:10:31,130 --> 00:10:34,434 The echidna can blend in. 137 00:10:34,434 --> 00:10:36,536 But if that's not enough, it can actually become 138 00:10:36,536 --> 00:10:41,274 one with the earth, digging and burrowing in for protection. 139 00:10:43,877 --> 00:10:49,582 In a pinch, these land-loving animals can even swim to safety. 140 00:10:49,582 --> 00:10:52,385 It's a throwback to their aquatic ancestor, 141 00:10:52,385 --> 00:10:57,257 which more closely resembled a platypus. 142 00:10:57,257 --> 00:10:59,392 Like their present-day aquatic cousins, 143 00:10:59,392 --> 00:11:02,729 echidna can pick up electric signals in their environment, 144 00:11:02,729 --> 00:11:07,534 particularly if the ground's moist. 145 00:11:07,534 --> 00:11:10,303 Their snouts can nose out termites and ants 146 00:11:10,303 --> 00:11:13,373 by electric pulse. 147 00:11:13,373 --> 00:11:16,476 They're thought to be one of the few land-living mammals 148 00:11:16,476 --> 00:11:21,347 to have this ability. 149 00:11:21,347 --> 00:11:24,183 Echidnas have unusually big brains. 150 00:11:24,183 --> 00:11:30,557 And the biggest part of their brain is the neocortex. 151 00:11:30,557 --> 00:11:35,228 That's what we use for higher level thinking. 152 00:11:35,228 --> 00:11:38,831 In humans, it's three quarters of our brain. 153 00:11:38,831 --> 00:11:43,570 In echidnas, it's an impressive half. 154 00:11:43,570 --> 00:11:48,808 A big part of their neocortex is devoted to their snout. 155 00:11:48,808 --> 00:11:50,843 And something else is going on in their brains 156 00:11:50,843 --> 00:11:53,646 while they're asleep. 157 00:11:53,646 --> 00:11:57,850 Scientists know the echidna experience rapid eye movement - 158 00:11:57,850 --> 00:12:03,623 REM sleep, which is a surprise in such primitive mammals. 159 00:12:03,623 --> 00:12:09,762 In humans, REM sleep is connected with dreams. 160 00:12:09,762 --> 00:12:12,198 Like so many things about this mammal, 161 00:12:12,198 --> 00:12:13,700 the things they might dream about 162 00:12:13,700 --> 00:12:18,571 would no doubt be just as odd as they are. 163 00:12:23,443 --> 00:12:26,446 Arachnids. 164 00:12:26,446 --> 00:12:32,752 So terrifying, they have a phobia named after them. 165 00:12:32,752 --> 00:12:36,322 You've heard of spiders and scorpions - 166 00:12:36,322 --> 00:12:37,557 they're both household names 167 00:12:37,557 --> 00:12:43,229 in this class of eight-legged arthropods. 168 00:12:43,229 --> 00:12:48,334 But you may not have heard of their lesser known cousin. 169 00:12:48,334 --> 00:12:53,406 This is Mastigoproctus Giganteus. 170 00:12:53,406 --> 00:12:55,742 It's part of a small family - 171 00:12:55,742 --> 00:13:00,713 only 100 known species are in it. 172 00:13:00,713 --> 00:13:03,216 Compare that with the over 40,000 species 173 00:13:03,216 --> 00:13:08,655 of spiders and true scorpions. 174 00:13:08,655 --> 00:13:11,257 They're rare, but if you see one, 175 00:13:11,257 --> 00:13:15,395 you're not likely to forget it. 176 00:13:15,395 --> 00:13:21,601 With its eight eyes, menacing claws, and whip-like tail, 177 00:13:22,702 --> 00:13:26,472 it looks more mythological beast than bug. 178 00:13:30,677 --> 00:13:35,281 Some call it a whip-scorpion. 179 00:13:35,281 --> 00:13:38,718 But it's not a scorpion at all. 180 00:13:38,718 --> 00:13:44,390 It's not a spider either. 181 00:13:44,390 --> 00:13:48,127 It has a common name, and it's as bizarre 182 00:13:48,127 --> 00:13:53,700 as the nightmarish thing itself: the vinegaroon. 183 00:14:03,643 --> 00:14:09,182 It has no stinger to paralyze its prey. 184 00:14:09,182 --> 00:14:14,654 No venomous bite to send unlucky hikers to the hospital. 185 00:14:14,654 --> 00:14:17,090 But underestimating this fiendish beast 186 00:14:17,090 --> 00:14:21,160 would be a mistake. 187 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:22,762 At first glance, 188 00:14:22,762 --> 00:14:27,200 the long whip-like tail looks threatening. 189 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:32,805 In reality, it's nothing more than an extra feeler. 190 00:14:32,805 --> 00:14:35,641 But at it's base is one of the most outlandish 191 00:14:35,641 --> 00:14:42,315 defense mechanisms in the animal kingdom. 192 00:14:42,315 --> 00:14:44,250 If threatened by a predator, 193 00:14:44,250 --> 00:14:50,456 the vinegaroon sprays it with, what else, vinegar. 194 00:14:52,225 --> 00:14:57,830 This substance is made of highly concentrated acetic acid. 195 00:14:57,830 --> 00:15:02,802 To humans, it smells like household vinegar. 196 00:15:02,802 --> 00:15:04,704 But to small hungry mammals, 197 00:15:04,704 --> 00:15:09,709 it's pungent and dangerous stuff. 198 00:15:09,709 --> 00:15:12,478 The vinegaroon can actually aim its sour stream 199 00:15:12,478 --> 00:15:15,548 with surprising precision. 200 00:15:15,548 --> 00:15:20,119 It can fire about one foot in any direction. 201 00:15:20,119 --> 00:15:25,124 That's at least 4 times the average length of its body. 202 00:15:25,124 --> 00:15:32,131 It's like a grown man with a 24-foot spit range. 203 00:15:32,131 --> 00:15:35,735 And if a predator gets it in the eye, it will almost certainly 204 00:15:35,735 --> 00:15:39,739 start looking for an easier meal. 205 00:15:39,739 --> 00:15:45,344 That is, once the wicked sting wears off. 206 00:15:45,344 --> 00:15:49,615 Fending off predators is one part of the equation. 207 00:15:49,615 --> 00:15:54,720 Being an adept hunter is another. 208 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,623 Vinegaroons have two eyes on the front of their head, 209 00:15:57,623 --> 00:16:00,193 and three on each side. 210 00:16:00,193 --> 00:16:03,162 But in a cruel twist of evolutionary irony, 211 00:16:03,162 --> 00:16:10,169 these night hunters have terrible eyesight. 212 00:16:10,169 --> 00:16:13,439 Despite this shortcoming, they're formidable hunters 213 00:16:13,439 --> 00:16:18,244 under the cloak of darkness. 214 00:16:18,244 --> 00:16:21,080 Their two front legs are long, deft feelers, 215 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,083 used to locate their prey. 216 00:16:29,322 --> 00:16:35,061 And then their powerful claws take over. 217 00:16:35,061 --> 00:16:41,133 They pinch and cut, squeeze and crush, 218 00:16:41,133 --> 00:16:44,537 until the victim bursts open. 219 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:48,741 The vinegaroon then feeds on the soft flesh inside. 220 00:16:52,511 --> 00:16:56,215 But the vinegaroons aren't just hunters. 221 00:16:56,215 --> 00:16:59,585 They're fighters. 222 00:16:59,585 --> 00:17:02,421 They compete with each other for food, 223 00:17:02,421 --> 00:17:06,626 and even wrestle before mating. 224 00:17:06,626 --> 00:17:09,629 It's the best way for males and females to judge 225 00:17:09,629 --> 00:17:13,733 if a potential mate has the mettle to be a good breeder. 226 00:17:20,339 --> 00:17:23,509 The vinegaroon may not have the notoriety of some of its 227 00:17:23,509 --> 00:17:27,313 venomous cousins, but this little-known and 228 00:17:27,313 --> 00:17:32,718 under-appreciated arachnid has survived for millions of years, 229 00:17:32,718 --> 00:17:37,356 and can clearly fend for itself. 230 00:17:42,295 --> 00:17:48,267 You are about to embark on a journey into a peculiar world. 231 00:17:48,267 --> 00:17:51,337 One where creatures shimmer like dappled sun 232 00:17:51,337 --> 00:17:56,208 and guard glistening orbs underwater. 233 00:17:56,208 --> 00:18:02,481 It's a world of deception, and your eyes may trick you. 234 00:18:02,481 --> 00:18:05,518 This is the watery home of the delicate 235 00:18:05,518 --> 00:18:11,390 but determined sunburst diving beetle. 236 00:18:11,390 --> 00:18:14,760 They're petite - an inch long at most. 237 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,231 Their legs move in sync, like the oars of a row boat, 238 00:18:19,231 --> 00:18:22,702 making them refined swimmers. 239 00:18:22,702 --> 00:18:26,572 But don't be lured by their beauty. 240 00:18:26,572 --> 00:18:29,208 Those pretty yellow specks are nature's way 241 00:18:29,208 --> 00:18:33,179 of warning predators to stay away. 242 00:18:33,179 --> 00:18:37,083 An awful-tasting surprise awaits if they don't. 243 00:18:42,655 --> 00:18:45,791 These creatures lurk below the surface of warm ponds 244 00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:51,097 and streams in the American Southwest. 245 00:18:51,097 --> 00:18:54,734 The shimmering beads they guard may look like fragile crystal, 246 00:18:54,734 --> 00:18:58,838 but they're many times more valuable to them. 247 00:18:58,838 --> 00:19:01,307 Air bubbles. 248 00:19:01,307 --> 00:19:03,676 Like scuba divers, the beetles need oxygen 249 00:19:03,676 --> 00:19:08,647 to survive underwater, so they carry it down with them. 250 00:19:08,647 --> 00:19:11,650 While at the surface, they trap air bubbles 251 00:19:11,650 --> 00:19:14,620 between their abdomen and wings. 252 00:19:14,620 --> 00:19:18,290 Then, as they dive down, they breathe the air in 253 00:19:18,290 --> 00:19:20,659 through little holes on the sides of their body 254 00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:24,764 that are hidden beneath their wings. 255 00:19:24,764 --> 00:19:28,567 As they dive deeper, the water compresses the oxygen creating 256 00:19:28,567 --> 00:19:35,041 a single, glistening bubble that emerges out of their bottoms. 257 00:19:35,041 --> 00:19:37,209 As they hang out underwater, 258 00:19:37,209 --> 00:19:41,547 they sip from the shimmering air-sack. 259 00:19:41,547 --> 00:19:44,383 The bubble can even draw oxygen from water around it 260 00:19:44,383 --> 00:19:49,288 to top up what the beetles consume. 261 00:19:49,288 --> 00:19:54,660 The beetles can stay submerged for several minutes at a time. 262 00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:59,298 Voila: portable, renewable oxygen tanks. 263 00:20:02,068 --> 00:20:07,306 If you think that's impressive, you should see what they see. 264 00:20:07,306 --> 00:20:11,277 The adults have six eyes. 265 00:20:11,277 --> 00:20:14,413 Just like two heads are better than one, 266 00:20:14,413 --> 00:20:17,817 six eyes are better than two when hunting insects 267 00:20:17,817 --> 00:20:23,656 that make the mistake of dropping by. 268 00:20:23,656 --> 00:20:27,393 These sunburst diving beetles aren't just built to kill. 269 00:20:27,393 --> 00:20:31,197 They're built to make babies. 270 00:20:31,197 --> 00:20:35,768 These little critters caught the attention of Charles Darwin. 271 00:20:35,768 --> 00:20:40,172 He wondered how mating was possible for diving beetles. 272 00:20:40,172 --> 00:20:43,442 Living underwater makes it difficult to hold on, 273 00:20:43,442 --> 00:20:47,279 but this beetle is well equipped. 274 00:20:47,279 --> 00:20:50,716 The male has two large suction cups on his forelegs, 275 00:20:50,716 --> 00:20:54,386 so mates can't wriggle away. 276 00:20:54,386 --> 00:21:01,327 All the better to grip you with, my dear. 277 00:21:01,327 --> 00:21:04,763 This is one of their babies. 278 00:21:04,763 --> 00:21:08,300 The larvae are known as water tigers. 279 00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:15,274 With good reason: they have ferocious appetites. 280 00:21:15,274 --> 00:21:19,078 These babes can breakfast on tadpoles, small fish, 281 00:21:19,078 --> 00:21:25,851 and other insects; even prey larger than themselves. 282 00:21:25,851 --> 00:21:30,089 Having six eyes isn't enough for these killer cutie-pies. 283 00:21:30,089 --> 00:21:33,792 They have twelve. 284 00:21:33,792 --> 00:21:35,594 And with those eyes, they have vision 285 00:21:35,594 --> 00:21:41,834 unlike any other in the animal kingdom. 286 00:21:41,834 --> 00:21:44,637 They're bifocal, which lets the little killers see 287 00:21:44,637 --> 00:21:50,509 both near and far at the same time. 288 00:21:50,509 --> 00:21:53,812 Using their front legs to grab and pincers to bite, 289 00:21:53,812 --> 00:21:57,149 they can latch onto their target. 290 00:21:57,149 --> 00:21:59,718 These little larvae then pump digestive fluids 291 00:21:59,718 --> 00:22:03,522 into their prey and suck out the remains. 292 00:22:03,522 --> 00:22:07,493 Charming. 293 00:22:07,493 --> 00:22:08,527 Once fully grown, 294 00:22:08,527 --> 00:22:12,565 sunburst beetles keep up their carnivorous ways. 295 00:22:12,565 --> 00:22:16,168 Bigger and badder, they won't hesitate to take down prey 296 00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:21,507 larger than themselves like crickets, fish or even frogs. 297 00:22:23,442 --> 00:22:26,812 With such a strenuous routine of predation, seduction 298 00:22:26,812 --> 00:22:31,383 and survival, these bugs need frequent breaks. 299 00:22:31,383 --> 00:22:36,455 So they hang out together on rocks beneath the surface. 300 00:22:36,455 --> 00:22:38,557 Looks innocent enough. 301 00:22:38,557 --> 00:22:43,696 But competition is fierce, even when they're relaxing. 302 00:22:43,696 --> 00:22:46,732 If one beetle sees a great resting spot that's taken, 303 00:22:46,732 --> 00:22:49,301 look out. 304 00:22:49,301 --> 00:22:51,237 Popping bubbles forces competitors 305 00:22:51,237 --> 00:22:55,474 to surface for more air. 306 00:22:55,474 --> 00:22:57,710 The underwater world is full of startling 307 00:22:57,710 --> 00:23:01,680 and sometimes unbelievable life forms. 308 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,450 The sunburst diving beetle, with its portable tank 309 00:23:04,450 --> 00:23:10,489 and air-popping defenses, fits right in. 310 00:23:10,489 --> 00:23:13,058 Extraordinary appendages. 311 00:23:13,058 --> 00:23:15,127 Excellent aim. 312 00:23:15,127 --> 00:23:18,364 And exceptional brainpower. 313 00:23:18,364 --> 00:23:22,201 Evolution has been kind to some animals. 314 00:23:22,201 --> 00:23:24,770 Their strange powers give them advantages 315 00:23:24,770 --> 00:23:29,308 that help them survive the wild. 316 00:23:30,175 --> 00:23:38,183 ♪♪♪ 317 00:23:38,183 --> 00:23:46,191 ♪♪♪ 318 00:23:46,191 --> 00:23:54,199 ♪♪♪