01x01 - The Big City

[bunniefuu]

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[Narrator] New York.

The ultimate concrete jungle.

It may not seem
like a great home

from a bug's perspective.

But even in this
towering megatropolis,

a lucky few are enjoying
Uptown life.

If you're a bold
jumping spider,

this is prime real estate.

A luxurious penthouse
potted plant,

with everything
a pea-sized spider needs.

It's the leafiest location
on the block.

And each morning, breakfast
gets served up on a plate.

Well, kinda.

It's not eggs he's after,

it's the flying side dishes.

[buzzing]

So many flies pass by,
he's making a k*lling up here.

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[buzzing]

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Even the luckiest little spider

has days that
don't start so well.

And some get even worse.

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That starling could eat him
for breakfast.

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But with his leafy retreat,
he's all good.

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Oh, no! A larger male.

[knives sharpening]

And this plant is
single occupancy only.

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Jumping spiders are
fiercely territorial.

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Let's face it,
when two tiny spiders fight,

who the heck knows
what's going on?

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But you can bet
the bigger guy's gonna win.

Evicted, homeless, vulnerable.

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Oh, come on, man!

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All a jumping spider
can do is...

...jump!

Being as light as a bug

makes for a softer landing.

But from here on,

the spider's day
is only gonna get tougher.

[siren]

Finding food and shelter
on the streets of New York,

the struggle's real, y'all.

[horns honking]

[rapping]
♪ We're going downtown ♪

♪ New York City going down ♪

♪ New York, New York,
we're going downtown ♪

[Narrator] At street level,
it's hectic, grimy,

and there's a lot more...

feet.

Only the most street-smart bugs
can make a home here.

The c*ck is one of the
fastest things on six legs.

On his scale,

he moves at the equivalent
of 200 miles an hour,

to hustle a living
beneath our feet.

And when morning
rush hour hits,

he's already planned
his getaway.

Later, suckers!

You gotta be clued in
to know this hideout.

Squeezing through gaps
a tenth of an inch wide,

he enters a hidden underworld.

The perfect place
to keep a low profile

till the crowds clear.

Forget the subway.

Welcome to the bugway.

A vast network
of pipes and tunnels

all sorts of creatures
use to move around town.

And as a breeding ground.

When it comes
to insects in the city,

roaches are rampant.

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There are thought to be


for every human in New York.

And each female can produce


We're all cool with that,
right?

But before you get
too grossed out,

there are cuter critters
living down here.

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Pavement ants thrive
in New York,

thanks to their
industrious nature.

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Even the queen of the colony
works,

laying up to 40 eggs a day.

So it's up to her all-female
team to tend the young

and keep the food coming in.

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But feeding the 5,000
takes a small miracle.

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This tiny scout ant,
only a tenth of an inch,

has a huge challenge ahead:

to go find food,

out there, among the giants.

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct chatter]

For a lost spider,

getting squished
is a pressing problem.

Not easy to climb
out of trouble here,

gotta find somewhere
dark and shadowy.

[horn honks]

But this hideout isn't
as secure as it looks.

[siren]

All he can do
is keep searching.

[siren]

[honking]

You might think the streets
look even more intimidating

from an ant's perspective,

but she's not scared.

She doesn't see so well.

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Instead, she relies
on her antennae.

They can pick up scent
from 15 feet.

And nothing beats
the smell of fast food.

Like us, pavement ants
are addicted.

[squirt]

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Problem is, to her,

that hot dog is a two-mile hike

with huge obstacles in the way.

But this scout knows how
to turn being tiny

into an advantage.

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Jackpot!

But it's way more than
one ant can handle.

Time to call in the squad.

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On her way back to the colony,
she lays a scent trail.

So her sisters can get
straight onto the job.

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Each can carry around


But even with their
combined strength,

this could take a while.

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Through the day,
the sun bakes the streets.

By afternoon, the city
can be 20 degrees hotter

than the surrounding
countryside.

But these hardy, heat-loving
ants just keep chipping away.

No challenge is too big
when you work as a team.

But when you're lost,
hungry and alone,

life on the mean streets
ain't easy.

At least the search
for a safe place is looking up.

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Now that's a legit
potted plant.

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So, it's an up-and-coming
neighborhood.

He can live
with a little trash.

It's the neighbor
who's the problem.

Armed, deadly,
and quick on the draw,

this mantis st*lks the city,
preying on smaller bugs.

Time for a fast exit,

head somewhere
dark and shadowy again.

Later!

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Hey, does this stroller
go to Queens?

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Accidental hitchhiking is
a very buggy way to travel.

And every day,
we are unwittingly

carrying them around town.

But a freewheeling spider
has no control

over where he's heading.

Of course, that's no problem
if you can...

fly.

Now, this guy really knows
how to get around town.

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Super sensitive antennae can
sniff out food from 30 blocks.

[buzzing]

Though he rarely
has to go that far.

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[sizzling]

Sometimes he gets delivery.

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[dogs whining]

[bark]

[squish]

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But why settle
for recycled food,

when you can steal
something fresher?

Small, fast and stealthy,

his crimes mostly go unnoticed.

We process 60 images a second;

for him, it's 250.

Like seeing in
slooow mooootion.

He can pull off

the most audacious
high-speed maneuvers.

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[crash]

And if things get really hairy,

he's got another trick
up his sleeve.

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A pair of gyroscopic weights
swing under his wings,

for Top g*n level aerobatics.

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Anyway, back to the burger.

[buzzing]

Receptors on his feet
taste the food,

then he spews out digestive
enzymes to make a burger shake,

and sucks it up
through his own built-in straw.

Transferring bacteria

from one source

to another.

[whimper]

[squish]

Flies are the masters
of stealing

from right under our noses.

Infiltrating our world,

outsmarting us at every turn,

and getting away with it.

[Narrator]
Heading even further downtown,

the spider's day is about to
hit another bump in the road.

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Better hope the new hood
brings better luck.

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But evening is approaching.

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As it gets colder,
his energy runs low.

As it gets darker,
he struggles to see.

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When the night shift begins,

it's time for those hustlers...

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...and stalkers

to come out and play.

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Gotta find a safe place
to sleep.

Good thing he always carries
a silk sleeping bag.

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Just find a place
to sling it up.

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And he's snug as a bug in a...

[screech]

Oh, come on, man!
Not him again!

♪ ♪

Praying mantises usually
only hunt during the day.

But under street light,

they can keep k*lling
through the night.

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[buzzing]

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Just stay hidden
behind that silk screen,

and he should avoid
any nightmares.

Good thing, too.

When jumping spiders sleep,

like us, they have bursts
of brain activity.

So, if spiders can dream,

what on Earth
do they dream about?

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[buzzing]

For a c*ck,

the quiet of night is
a much safer time to surface

and dine out on our leftovers.

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c*ck
may seem disgusting,

but they're only here because
of all the food we waste.

[Worker] Oi!

[Narrator] And you gotta admire
their survival skills.

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Even in the pitch dark,
they can detect tiny movements,

using hairs
on tail-mounted sensors.

So they can react



And being crushed to
a quarter of their height?

[squish]

No big deal.

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But some enemies are
wise to their game.

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Staying completely still

can fake out a c*ck's
motion detectors.

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Mantises let their victims
come to them.

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And eat their prey headfirst.

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Decapitated.

But not done yet.

c*ck don't need
a mouth to breathe,

and they have backup brains
in their bodies.

So this guy could keep
crawling around for a week.

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[siren]

Just making it till morning
is good enough for the spider.

He's survived the worst


Head still attached,
thank you very much.

[buzzing]

But hungrier than ever.

[buzzing]

[buzzing]

Miss this breakfast, and you
might not live to see another.

Thankfully, jumping spiders
have the best vision

and the best brains
of all arachnids.

The fly, on the other hand,
isn't looking so sharp.

Insects suffer
from a kind of brain freeze.

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The colder a fly gets,
the slower its reactions.

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Got him!

Powerful legs
and paralyzing venom

ensure this one
doesn't get away.

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Maybe soon he'll have the
energy to get off the streets.

[Narrator] Mid-morning,
and the incredible tiny team

is still sweating it out.

Dismantling their massive meal,
bit by bit.

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Pavement ants are part of the
city's invisible cleanup crew.

A 10 billion strong workforce

who can remove the equivalent
of 60,000 hot dogs a year.

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Just one could keep
her colony fed for weeks.

If it sticks around that long.

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Swept completely off course...

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...separated from her sisters,

far from home,

a lonely ant won't last long.

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All she can do is hope she
picks up the scent trail soon.

But she risks stumbling
into the wrong hood.

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If your pheromones
don't match...

...ants from rival gangs
will k*ll you.

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But this doesn't
smell like foe.

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It smells like family!

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A sister!

And she knows the way home.

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No matter what big city life
throws at them,

pavement ants rise
to the challenge.

By working hard,
working together,

and eating a lot of junk food,

they've become some
of the most successful insects

in the world.

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Now that the spider's full
of food and warmed by the sun,

he has a better chance of
getting back to the high life.

[squawk]

Oh, you have got
to be kidding me!

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[screech]

[screech]

[screech]

♪ ♪

A lucky escape.

And finally, a chance to use
those spidey skills.

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Scaling sheer walls?

No problem.

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Treacherous voids?

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Piece of cake!

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But a jump 20 times
his body length?

That's right at
this spider's limit.

Could this be
the end of the road?

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[rope stretching]

The smart spider
always has a lifeline.

Hanging from silk
stronger than steel,

he falls with style.

Take that, Peter Parker.

Now, the only way is up.

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Wait, wait.

Is he dreaming again?

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No.

This is a vision of how good
city life can be.

Plenty of space for all,

and plenty to eat.

A green oasis in the middle
of an urban desert,

abuzz with life.

Forget his old penthouse;
this place is paradise!

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When we give a helping hand

and let nature back
into our world,

a greater diversity of bugs
can go forth and multiply.

Females!

Well, hello, ladies.

This little spider's day
just got a whole lot brighter.