Hunting and Escaping

Trials of Life Season 1 Episode 4

Overview:
This episode looks at those that hunt other creatures and ways of avoiding capture. Attenborough is attacked by a pair of skuas as he approaches their nest, which demonstrates this particular bird's aggressive behaviour, both when taking food and defending its young. Off the shores of Patagonia, the same group of killer whales returns each year to ambush sea lion pups, which stray out of the safer shallow waters. Having grabbed their prey, they take it back out to sea and 'play' with it for some time before killing it. Poison can be used both as a weapon and a deterrent, such as by the viper and tomato frog respectively. Some animals advertise their defensive measures in advance, in case deployment occurs too late. Among them are the skunk, which discharges an appalling smell, and some salamanders that display their toxicity by remaining stationary, with their warning markings visible. Several species of stick insect and their elaborate camouflage are shown. However, none of these methods of protection pose problems to army ants, which can subdue any of their prey, simply by virtue of their size and vast numbers. The Harris hawk is unusual, since it hunts in teams, and a group of six are shown practising their skill in the desert of New Mexico. The final sequence depicts a troop of chimpanzees displaying strategy and co-ordination as it successfully pursues colobus monkeys through a forest in the Ivory Coast.

Release Date : 1990-10-25

Genre : Documentary, Family

Duration : 50 menit

Rating : ⭐ 6/10 (1 votes)

Actors : David Attenborough

▶ Play

Select Season

Other Episodes (Season 1)

Arriving
1. Arriving
Growing Up
2. Growing Up
Finding Food
3. Finding Food
Hunting and Escaping
4. Hunting and Escaping
Finding the Way
5. Finding the Way
Home Making
6. Home Making
Living Together
7. Living Together
Fighting
8. Fighting
Friends and Rivals
9. Friends and Rivals
Talking to Strangers
10. Talking to Strangers
Courting
11. Courting
Continuing the Line
12. Continuing the Line


TV Series Recommendations