01x09 - The Tiger

[bunniefuu]

[Tom Hiddleston]
Giant animals, living legends.

Fantastic creatures.

These are nature's big beasts.

But experience the world
from their perspective,

and you'll see it's not easy being huge.

[growls]

- The larger the animal...
- [growling]

...the higher the stakes

and the more epic the adventure.

[monkeys shrieking]

[growling]

[Hiddleston]
The biggest of big cats is moving in.

A young male in his prime.

[growling]

Even so, carving out a home
in this valley won't be easy.

Other tigers are already here...

[roars]

...and they protect breeding
and hunting rights through force.

It will take brains as well as brawn

to claim a territory of his own.

Around 3,000 tigers live in India today.

Anywhere there's cover, water,
and abundant prey.

But these wildernesses
are becoming increasingly rare

and increasingly crowded.

In this park alone,

around 80 tigers
share just 500 square miles.

Competition for space is intense.

[roars]

When such heavily armed animals meet,
it can quickly escalate.

[growling, roaring]

So tigers do all they can...

- [growling]
- ...to avoid a fight.

The newcomer advertises his strength
through scent...

hoping it will warn off other males...

and let females know there's new blood
in the valley.

Tigers aren't the only big beasts here.

[grunting]

India has enough large animals
to rival the African savanna.

[droning]

All of them must fight for food and space...

but the biggest battles are over mates.

Thick forest is ideal habitat

for the world's biggest venomous snake.

They're called king cobras,

but during breeding season,
it's the female who's in charge.

She controls a territory and calls in
males by laying a trail of pheromones.

One huge male is already onto her.

But she still needs convincing.

He must prove he's
the most powerful partner around.

Males can grow up to 19 feet,

as long as a giraffe is tall.

At around 12 feet,
females aren't quite as big

because they aren't
the ones who have to fight.

Her attention turns to another suitor.

The big male must try to intercept.

[hissing]

Spreading his hood and rearing up,
he tries to look as big as possible...

[hissing continues]

...but this opponent is just as impressive...

just as intimidating.

[hissing]

King cobras are largely immune
to each other's venom.

So to win, the male must
wrestle his rival's head to the ground.

Fights can last hours...

and sometimes spill out
into neighboring farms.

- Eventually, his rival concedes...
- [hissing]

...and slinks away.

The victorious male returns to the female.

Soon, a new generation of giant serpents
will be on the way.

- [car horn honks]
- [people chattering]

There are 1.4 billion people in India.

[snake hisses]

Some animals thrive alongside humans...

but bigger beasts need more space.

[elephant droning]

The largest of all is the Asian elephant.

Ten feet tall
and the weight of ten grand pianos,

but surprisingly hard to spot
in elephant grass.

Unfortunately, this giant grass
is not very nutritious.

[elephant trumpets]

So rather than holding territories
like tigers,

elephants keep moving
to find good grazing.

Poor visibility and average eyesight
don't help the search.

[elephant droning]

But with an enormous trunk,

the matriarch can smell food
up to 12 miles away.

Using her massive bulk,

she cuts a swath through the grass,

leading her family straight towards
the next meal.

India's tigers are tied to areas
that hold enough prey.

[birds squawking]

An adult female must make a k*ll
at least once a week.

The deer she targets
are more agile than she is,

so she relies on stealth.

Broad paws spread her weight
so she can stalk in near silence.

[breathing heavily]

She must close the gap to 30 yards.

With expl*sive power,
she accelerates to 40 miles an hour...

and covers 20 feet in a single bound.

[tiger growls]

[growls]

Only one in ten hunts ends in a k*ll...

so she finds somewhere to eat
away from other hungry tigers.

Hunting is even more difficult for a male.

[growls]

Fifty percent heavier than a tigress,
he lacks her stamina and speed.

His larger body also makes hiding harder.

Thankfully, deer are color-blind...

unable to distinguish
between orange and green.

But the deer have allies.

With higher vantage points
and color vision,

monkeys spot danger more easily.

[monkey grunting]

[monkey chirping]

The alarm is relayed through the forest...

[animals shrieking, chirping]

...a multi-species protection racket.

Failed again.

But as the dry season intensifies,

prey will concentrate
around dwindling water,

and the odds will shift his way.

Summer temperatures
reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

[panting]

Water holes shrink...

and trees shed their leaves.

It's so hot,

even a cold-blooded creature doesn't
have to waste time basking in the sun.

[snake hissing]

Just as well.

Six weeks since mating, she's looking
for a safe place to incubate 40 eggs.

Finding somewhere big enough isn't easy...

so she uses size and strength
to do something no other snake does.

Throwing her coils around
dead leaves and twigs,

she drags them together...

to create an enormous mound

over two feet high
and more than three feet across.

Then she takes up guard
on her newly built nest.

Like a compost heap,

the rotting leaves will produce enough
heat to keep her eggs nice and warm.

Most other big beasts are struggling
to stay cool at this time of year.

[grunts]

A greater one-horned rhinoceros
weighs one and a half tons.

[rhino grunts]

Her big, bulging belly helps
digest vast quantities of low-energy food.

The trouble is, such a huge body
could quickly overheat.

But what looks like armor plating
is really folds of soft skin...

that increase the rhino's surface area,

so more heat radiates into the atmosphere...

keeping this giant nicely refrigerated...

as she grazes all day,
out in the tropical sun.

And when a lot goes in,

a lot comes out...

but nothing goes to waste.

Shared dung heaps act like message boards.

One quick sniff reveals who's around.

And by coating her feet in her own manure,

she leaves her mark wherever she goes.

During the dry season, rhinos congregate
on the last-remaining pastures,

and unlike some,
they happily rub along together.

[thunder rumbling]

Come June, the monsoon begins to build.

As humid air rolls in
from the Indian Ocean,

it rises over the land...

[thunder rumbles]

...and condenses into rain.

Sheltered in the forest,
the cobra sits tight on her nest.

But staying put isn't an option
for some large animals.

When land turns to swamp,
being heavy can be hard going.

And finding food
becomes increasingly difficult.

Thankfully, many of India's bigger beasts
are surprisingly good swimmers.

Huge lungs and impressive stamina
allow elephants to paddle all day.

The matriarch guides her herd
towards higher ground.

But their route is blocked.

The matriarch chooses her moment to cross.

[horns honking]

[elephant droning]

This time, a traditional respect
for elephants prevents disaster.

And the matriarch can continue
leading her family to food.

But this is a tea plantation.

[elephants trumpeting]

[droning]

Elephants don't eat tea leaves,

but they can easily destroy
the plants as they pass through.

[shouting]

Understandably, local people
try to protect their crops

by moving the elephants on.

- [person whistling]
- [elephant drones]

[shouts]

[shouts]

[roars]

[whistling]

Eventually, the matriarch decides
to head off into the forests beyond,

and on to safer grazing.

By the end of the monsoon,
the land is rejuvenated...

[birds, insects chirping]

...full of new growth and new life.

Keeping warm and dry in their nest...

the king cobra eggs
have been incubating nicely.

The babies inside have grown so large,
they have run out of room.

Now it's time to break free.

Already a foot and a half long,
the hatchlings have enough energy

to survive two weeks
before they have to feed.

And just as well.

King cobras emerge fully armed
with k*ller venom.

[hisses]

But that k*ller instinct
hasn't kicked in quite yet.

Now the monsoon is over
and the grasslands have been refreshed.

India's largest giants reap the rewards
of enduring the floods.

Thanks to her experience and wisdom,

the matriarch has kept her family
growing safe

in one of the most
crowded countries on Earth.

[birds squawking]

This young male tiger seems
to be settling into his new home.

A single deer will feed him for days.

As long as he can keep it to himself.

[tiger panting, growling]

Another tiger...

encroaching on his space.

[growls]

But this visitor is welcome.

A tigress, keen to introduce herself.

A good sign
that he's now fully established

and ruler of this coveted land.

The new couple spend several days
getting acquainted.

The male will enjoy
exclusive breeding rights

to all the tigresses
that share this valley

for as long as he remains in charge.

She certainly seems in no rush
to leave him...

[bird honking]

...but after three days together,
hunger takes over.

It's time to head off hunting again.

With the tigress
now carrying his offspring,

the young male can relax.

His strength and size should be enough
to secure several years of success,

until an even bigger cat comes along.

[growls]