Animals Like Us

Narrator: Welcome to a new way

of seeing the natural world...

where wild animals act just like we do!

Across the animal kingdom,

charismatic critters exhibit human-like traits.

From octopuses that dream

and a bird that applies make-up,

to teenage elephant tantrums.

and complex emotions.

One of the fascinating things

about studying animals

is discovering how many aspects of their behaviour

have parallels with our own.

Narrator: The amazing thing is...

the more we learn about them,

the more we realize

animals are a lot like us!

About as far from human civilization as you can get,

you'll find some charismatic little animals

on a search for a soulmate.

These are gentoo penguins.

They call these frozen,

rugged shores of Antarctica home.

The Antarctic is actually

the great penguin capital of the world,

and it's actually extraordinary

to see the lengths that some of these birds will go to

to find a mate.

Narrator: It's one of the largest

breeding colonies of gentoos

in the world.

More than 300,000 noisy couples.

Courting,

mating,

and settling down.

Living in such close quarters can mean tempers get frayed.

But in this frigid outpost,

during breeding season,

there are a lot of young "singles"

focused on finding that special someone

who can warm their heart.

Gentoo penguin s are largely monogamous.

Some stay with the same partner

for at least three breeding seasons.

Others mate for life:

up to 16 years in the wild.

So, for all th e eligible bachelors out there,

impressing just the right female

carries high stakes.

Competition is massively fierce among penguins.

So, they really do pull out all the stops

in order to impress a mate.

Narrator: The females are in charge around here

and will get to pick their preferred partner

out of a large field of very dapper candidates.

These lotharios have to be loud,

impressive, and romantic

if they hope to win some affection.

For gentoos, that means finding a special gift

that they can offer as a token of their love.

Lucy: Males are looking for the perfect present

in order to impress the female.

And in order to find that,

they've got to search their surroundings,

look everywhere for basically the gentoo-equivalent

of a bouquet of flowers, or a box of chocolates.

Narrator: On land, they may look a little awkward.

But fortunately for these guys,

the perfect love token, that can win a female's heart,

can often be found where they're most at home.

The sea.

In the water, these penguins are agile,

elegant, and quick like lightning.

Zipping along with bursts of speed

up to 35 km an hour,

the gentoo is the fastest swimmer

in the bird world.

They can also dive deep,

as far as 200 metres down,

and can stay underwater for as long as seven minutes.

It takes time to find just the right present.

This requires some very careful consideration,

because there's a lot at stake.

Winning a mate,

fathering chicks,

all depends on his choice.

Narrator: This male can't seem to find

what he's looking for on the seabed.

So he's come out,

and now searches the shoreline.

At last!

He likes the look of this.

It's... a pebble.

This is exactly what he's been looking for.

He's found the perfect little pebble,

that is kind of like

an engagement ring,

to impress his desired mate.

And I'm sure if he could get down on one knee,

he would.

Narrator: The male waddles over

to the female he's had his eye on

and presents his prize pebble

as a token of love.

He can only wait and hope that she likes it.

If she accepts, he's got a chance

at fathering her eggs.

Now, of course, pebbles come in all shapes and sizes,

and gentoo females are very particular.

They actually prefer ones that are smooth.

Narrator: Luckily, his pebble wins her affections.

The pebble becomes part of a "love nest"

where the two birds get better acquainted.

What they're after is building a nest

that keeps their eggs high and dry.

Narrator: These nests are called "scrapes"

because of their simple construction.

And gentoos line their small fortress of rocks

with feathers and moss.

For this happy pair, it's mission accomplished.

But not all gentoos want to put in the effort.

This guy's looking a bit shifty.

No one likes a thief!

Lucy: That gentoo male,

he's worked hard for that pebble.

It's not really fair for some other penguin

to sidle up and steal it.

Competition is super fierce,

so this guy doesn't look too happy

that the other guy has found this shiny pebble.

He's like: "Hey, man, come on, share the love.

That was my pebble."

The other guy's like: "No, go find

your own shiny one."

But the rest of those rocks

in the pile

do not look half as shiny as this one.

Narrator: With all pebbles accounted for,

the newlyweds can focus on starting a family.

In most cases,

the female will lay two eggs at a time,

then share egg-sitting duties with her mate.

Gentoos are great at co-parenting.

They will often share the responsibility

of incubating the eggs.

Narrator: When the chicks hatch about a month later,

both parents will step up--

fishing,

and feeding the youngsters.

They can do this for up to 14 months seamlessly.

Narrator: Being a penguin parent

is hard work.

And just like a human father,

the gentoo dad might realize

that his new, busy life as both carer and provider

all started with a small romantic gesture.

Surviving in the wild,

sometimes in extreme conditions,

can be exhausting.

So after a hard day's work,

it's not just people who want to relax and unwind.

Animals need some downtime too.

In places where it can be exceptionally cold,

bears hibernate for five to seven months

without moving from their den.

Lions sleep for up to 20 hours a day.

And sloths?

Well, they tend to go at their own pace

and usually just like to chill out.

Lemurs enjoy letting their hair down too.

But they go a step further.

Incredibly, lemurs have made a medical discovery

that helps them relax in their forest home.

Lemurs are amazing.

They are the most diverse group of primates on the planet.

There's actually over 110 different species,

and they spend a lot of their time

high up in the trees,

so no wonder they need some downtime.

Narrator: Lemurs are found exclusively on Madagascar...

...The large island nation

off the Southeastern coast of Africa.

Because of its long isolation,

Madagascar is home to an incredible array of animals

found nowhere else on Earth.

Known for their long tails and big eyes,

lemurs like to tree-hop in the forest.

They use their powerful legs to leap between branches,

relying on their keen sense of smell to find food.

They eat fruit, leaves,

small birds, and insects,

and occasionally,

they add a little something extra

to their diet.

It comes from nature's own medicine cabinet,

and a dose of it works wonders

in more ways than one.

Red millipedes are invertebrates

and they're really common in forests

right across Madagascar.