A Real Bug's Life

Australia,

a land of curious, cuddly creatures we all love.

And others, not so much.

Sure, this place has its fair share of bugs

that bite, sting,

and generally...

ruin your day.

But, truth is, most here aren't like that.

Take this Botany Bay weevil,

just chillin' in a tree on a ranch.

She's totally harmless.

Actually, she's a bit of a scaredy bug.

Ah, a cute koala.

But not from her perspective.

First hint of danger

and she's like...

"Nnnn-nope."

Um...

Is she alright?

It's okay.

She's only playing dead

till the coast is clear.

A little overdramatic, but better safe than sorry.

I'm telling ya, that guy is freaky!

In the east Australian bush,

most little creatures are just trying to survive.

And that's not so easy out here.

Once you see the incredible ways

they endure in this brutal land,

you'll realize they're not little monsters,

but really tiny heroes down under.

Late spring on the ranch,

and down on the ground

something is stirring.

Oh, too cute!

A spiderling.

The size of a grain of sand.

So small, you can barely see him.

He's no ordinary arachnid.

He's a peacock spider.

And if you think this little guy is adorable now,

just wait till you see what he might grow into.

There are over 100 species of these spiders.

Each has a unique way of attracting a mate.

Outrageous outfits,

fancy footwork,

and sweet little booty shakes.

But before a female swipes right,

a male's got to perfect his moves.

One day, our little spider will have to find his special way

to impress a lady.

But first, he's got some growing to do.

Time to go grab some food.

Four side eyes give almost 360 motion detection.

Then, with vision sharper than a cat's,

four larger front eyes lock on.

Only problem is...

...they're bigger than his stomach.

It's not easy being so small...

...in a big bugs' world.

Even Scaredy Bug's intimidating.

He needs to find a safe place to grow.

Maybe try up there.

Oh, look, a friendly caterpillar.

Ooh, what is that?

It's an assassin bug,

venomous enough to take down a mouse.

I'm outta here!

The assassin bug injects enzymes to liquefy his victims.

Sucks them up like a protein shake,

then discards the rest.

What a litterbug!

Some bugs here have a bad rep, for good reason.

Meet one of Australia's most notorious insects.

Cross a jack jumper ant, and it'll hurt!

Ah, strewth!

But she's not a bad bug really.

She was only out looking for food for the family.

This ain't much,

but one bug's trash is another bug's treasure.

Three feet underground,

her little siblings, these larvae, are hungry.

Jack jumper colonies usually have hundreds of ants,

but there's only 30 in hers.

It's been so hot and dry, there's not enough food.

Summers here can reach 120 degrees.

Heat waves in Australia kill more people

than any other natural hazard.

And if the ant larvae get too hot,

they'll die, too.

Up against the sun's full force,

she seems powerless.

But this little GI Jane has some serious survival skills.

Collecting rocks is heavy work.

But their light color reflects heat.

She's building a sunproof roof to keep the family home cool.

Weeks pass.

Summer temperatures soar.

Bugs need shade.

In the rancher's shed,

our little peacock spider has found shelter.

He's over two months old now

but still hasn't grown into his true colors.

If he's gonna get bigger,

he needs to eat more.

But his way of hunting is hard to master.

Some of his neighbors, like this huge huntsman,

or this deadly Australian black widow,

just lay around, waiting for prey to come to them.

But our little guy has to hustle for every bite.

First, he's got to plan his attack.

Sneak into position.

Then take aim.

Oh. Okay, so the landing needs work.

But even a spider this tiny

packs potent venom.

Paralyzed!

And lunchtime, thank you very much.

Keep this up, and maybe soon he'll have his chance to dance.

The jack jumper family is still struggling in the heat.

But our ant is out, braving the sun, searching for food.

Unlike most ants,

she doesn't need a scent trail to find her way.

This girl scout is more of an explorer.

Like us, she relies on color vision and good memory

and can recognize landmarks for up to six months.

So determined to find food,

nothing's gonna stop...

Oh!

Anyways.

They call her jack jumper for a reason.

This intrepid ant can forage 50 feet from the nest.

But traveling far from home is risky

when it's this dry.

Incoming clouds may seem like a good thing,

but it's so hot...

any rain evaporates before it even reaches the ground.

It only takes one strike...

...and this place goes up in flames.

Now our weevil really should be scared.

No use playing dead.

It's time to fly.

Head for higher ground.

Extend flaps.

Raise landing gear.

And...

Let's try that again.

Come on, Scaredy Bug.

This could be your last chance.

You can do this!

Flying isn't an option for our ant.

She needs to get out of here as fast as possible.

But all her landmarks have disappeared.