WEBVTT 1 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:31.920 The exclusive sprinting cheetah, 2 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:37.360 the mighty bounding kangaroo, the horned and leaping wildebeest, 3 00:00:38.400 --> 00:00:41.280 the powerful and sure footed horse, 4 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.680 or the quick footed pronghorn, 5 00:00:43.680 --> 00:00:45.840 which is the fastest overland 6 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:56.760 on the mighty expanse of the African savannas. 7 00:00:57.160 --> 00:01:00.120 A battle has been raging and evolving for millions of years. 8 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:04.840 The race between predator and prey can reach astonishing speeds. 9 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:07.560 But there is one animal that can outpace them all. 10 00:01:08.160 --> 00:01:10.400 The elegant and graceful cheetah, 11 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:13.840 the fastest animal on earth 12 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:17.600 with its life body, long, slender legs and acute senses. 13 00:01:17.960 --> 00:01:22.040 The cheetah prowls its home on the savanna. 14 00:01:25.800 --> 00:01:26.760 Cheetahs have long 15 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.040 played an important role in human society. 16 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:34.200 The ancient Egyptians often kept cheetahs as pets, tamed and trained for hunting. 17 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:37.360 Cheetahs were kept as close companions to the pharaohs. 18 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.920 It was believed that the cheetah would quickly carry away the Pharaoh's spirit. 19 00:01:42.360 --> 00:01:45.120 To the afterlife. 20 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:51.040 Cheetahs are phenomenal. 21 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:51.960 Hunters in the flat, 22 00:01:51.960 --> 00:01:55.920 grassy plains of the Serengeti are perfect for their explosive hunting technique. 23 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:00.720 Their incredible eyesight can pick out a target up to five kilometers away. 24 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.240 Every second cheetah hunt results in a kill. 25 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.080 They're almost twice as successful as the mighty lion. 26 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:11.720 The animals grazing on the plains can be completely unaware. 27 00:02:11.720 --> 00:02:13.680 The cheetah is getting close. 28 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.960 Each of the zebra, wildebeest and gazelle are themselves formidable runners, 29 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:23.520 and the cheetah can't afford to tip them off. 30 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:28.680 Its stealth 2000 camouflaging spots, high set eyes 31 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.520 and low stalking body allow it to approach 32 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:39.120 unnoticed. 33 00:02:39.480 --> 00:02:42.960 The cheetah catapults into action aerodynamically built for speed. 34 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:47.080 Its supercharged legs can accelerate faster than most sports cars 0 35 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:52.040 to 113 kilometers an hour in about 3 seconds. 36 00:02:52.880 --> 00:02:56.280 The cheetah is the only big cat with semi retractable claws 37 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.280 that help grip the ground like cleats for traction when running 38 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:01.640 and point turning skills 39 00:03:01.640 --> 00:03:04.080 are vital to make the most of its missile like speed. 40 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:07.520 Using its front paws to smack 41 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.320 and trip, they knock to help the victim off balance. 42 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:15.320 Similar to other feline hunters, cheetahs kill prey with a suffocating bite 43 00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:17.840 to the throat. 44 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:26.680 As the cheetah runs its spine, curves in dips, allowing front 45 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:30.360 and back legs to come together under its body and then fully extend 46 00:03:30.480 --> 00:03:34.760 to almost 180 degrees for nearly half the time. 47 00:03:34.760 --> 00:03:36.360 It's at its maximum speed. 48 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:38.400 The cheetah is completely airborne. 49 00:03:39.160 --> 00:03:43.200 The phenomenal flexibility of its spine, together with pivoting hips and shoulders, 50 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:46.520 give the cheetah stride that can cover eight meters 51 00:03:46.720 --> 00:03:49.280 and it can take three of these every second. 52 00:03:49.880 --> 00:03:54.800 Its long black ring tail acts as a stabilizing rudder as its zig zags 53 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:59.120 after its prey with its core temperature hitting 41 degrees 54 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.640 and its breathing going from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. 55 00:04:03.040 --> 00:04:07.520 A cheetah can only maintain its top speed for a few hundred meters. 56 00:04:11.040 --> 00:04:12.720 The exhausted animal needs to rest 57 00:04:12.720 --> 00:04:17.880 and regain its strength, 58 00:04:17.880 --> 00:04:20.680 but it won't rest for long. 59 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:23.840 There is always a predator on the prowl. 60 00:04:23.840 --> 00:04:27.400 Opportunistic hyenas are skilled hunters and well known scavengers 61 00:04:27.640 --> 00:04:31.920 and will take advantage of anything that drops its guard on the plains of Africa. 62 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:36.800 Every animal has to be alert and at the top of its game, a hyena presents 63 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.360 serious competition for food and would take a cheetah kill if it could. 64 00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:43.720 Any challenge must be defended 65 00:04:46.960 --> 00:04:47.840 with its high set 66 00:04:47.840 --> 00:04:50.680 eyes and using rocks and termite mounds from lookout points. 67 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:56.080 A cheetah has a 210 degree field of vision, relying on its excellent eyesight. 68 00:04:56.280 --> 00:05:00.280 They are much more active during the day. 69 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:06.600 It's the high proportion of fast twitch muscle 70 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:10.160 fiber in the cheetahs hind legs that give them such explosive power. 71 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.280 At full speed, they are 30 kilometers an hour faster 72 00:05:13.320 --> 00:05:16.040 than a lion and almost twice as fast as a greyhound. 73 00:05:16.880 --> 00:05:18.840 Behind the powerful chest of a cheetah. 74 00:05:18.840 --> 00:05:22.000 A large heart pumps oxygen to power its immense speed 75 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:25.200 in large nostrils, allowing increased airflow to its lungs. 76 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:27.960 It is a quick 77 00:05:27.960 --> 00:05:31.680 and bloody fight to the death, regaining its breath. 78 00:05:32.080 --> 00:05:35.240 The cheetah keeps a watchful eye for potential scavengers 79 00:05:43.280 --> 00:05:44.000 with its missile 80 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:48.040 like speed, pinpoint eyesight and amazing flexible spine. 81 00:05:48.320 --> 00:05:57.440 The Cheetahs prowess is unquestionable. 82 00:05:59.880 --> 00:06:02.600 Surveying the land around it, the cheetah, 83 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.960 with its unrivaled sprint and sleek 84 00:06:05.960 --> 00:06:08.960 elegance, is the master 85 00:06:09.520 --> 00:06:19.480 of the plains, the fastest animal in the Western Hemisphere. 86 00:06:19.760 --> 00:06:23.600 The pronghorn slides across the prairies of North America 87 00:06:24.520 --> 00:06:27.880 with its elegant, loping run, covering six meters with each stride. 88 00:06:28.320 --> 00:06:31.560 The pronghorn can sustain speeds of 60 kilometers per hour 89 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:37.040 and can reach a top speed of almost 100. 90 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:42.200 Evolution has reduced the bone and muscle density in their limbs 91 00:06:42.200 --> 00:06:45.720 and shoulders, reducing their weight and adding to their speed. 92 00:06:46.440 --> 00:06:49.840 Interlocking spine and grooves in their joints act as hinges, 93 00:06:50.280 --> 00:06:54.440 allowing only motion in the direction of travel. 94 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:57.080 The seasonal changes 95 00:06:57.080 --> 00:06:59.600 that transform the lowlands from lush to parched 96 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:03.600 heavily impact the movement of the animals that live here as the moisture 97 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:10.320 in the grasses and shrubs that they eat dries out. 98 00:07:10.320 --> 00:07:12.240 Rutting season begins in March. 99 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:15.640 And mature males go horn to horn to defend their territories 100 00:07:15.960 --> 00:07:19.920 and the harem of females inside them. 101 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:23.760 The double pronghorn that gives these graceful animals 102 00:07:23.760 --> 00:07:26.960 their name is the only branched horn in the entire animal 103 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:28.080 kingdom 104 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:32.880 with their elegance and grace. 105 00:07:32.880 --> 00:07:36.000 The fleet footed pronghorn is the second fastest animal on land 106 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:40.520 in these vast open plains. 107 00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:44.240 There is nowhere to hide and to be fast is to survive 108 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.280 running with their mouths open for extra air. 109 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.000 The superbly adapted pronghorn is able to process enough oxygen 110 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:00.720 to allow it to run at over 60 kilometers an hour for long distances. 111 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:05.800 If needed, it can easily outrun any predators that live on the prairie today. 112 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:12.360 Able to spot danger from over six kilometers away. 113 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.440 The fast footed pronghorn leaves coyotes and bobcats in its dust. 114 00:08:17.080 --> 00:08:19.600 When they are alarmed, the hair of their rumps. 115 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:21.680 Stand up. Doubling in size. 116 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.120 This warning patch can be seen at great distances 117 00:08:27.760 --> 00:08:28.800 while running. 118 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.880 Their front hooves carry most of their wheat glands on their feet. 119 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.160 Produce an oily conditioner for these double pointed hooves. 120 00:08:36.920 --> 00:08:39.920 And the padding of cartilage acts as a shock absorber 121 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:44.520 when running over hard terrain and rocks. 122 00:08:48.680 --> 00:08:51.360 Pronghorn have an inbuilt ability for speed. 123 00:08:51.760 --> 00:08:54.960 A fine of just five days old can already outrun 124 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.120 a human. 125 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:05.440 The spectacular landscapes of the North American prairie 126 00:09:05.640 --> 00:09:09.400 are bursting with nature's energy and some of her most impressive 127 00:09:09.400 --> 00:09:11.840 creatures. 128 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:15.440 The pronghorn may be the fastest among them, 129 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.320 but there are others of equal beauty. 130 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:23.760 Rivers flow when 131 00:09:23.760 --> 00:09:27.360 grasslands flourish as springs bathed the mountains and valleys 132 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:31.840 full of pronghorn, hungry bears and coyotes relish in the bounty. 133 00:09:31.880 --> 00:09:34.880 The fertile land offers 134 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:37.960 a healthy adult. 135 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.920 Pronghorn can outrun a coyote with ease. 136 00:09:41.400 --> 00:09:44.600 But still, these agile predators will take thorns if they can 137 00:09:44.920 --> 00:09:49.400 and sometimes work in packs to increase their chances against an adult. 138 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:53.000 Coyotes are excellent swimmers. 139 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:55.880 Despite that, this solitary canine has decided 140 00:09:55.920 --> 00:09:58.440 this is a chase he is not going to pursue 141 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:06.160 with eyes the size of golf balls. 142 00:10:06.160 --> 00:10:08.400 Pronghorn have a wide field of vision. 143 00:10:08.400 --> 00:10:11.240 They are able to spot an object from over three kilometers away 144 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:13.920 and can detect movements from twice that distance 145 00:10:16.400 --> 00:10:16.960 as sure 146 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:19.640 footed herds bound over the land with their leaping gait. 147 00:10:20.040 --> 00:10:22.800 Eyes, limbs, hooves and heart work in unison 148 00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:25.960 to keep the pronghorn running at breathtaking speeds. 149 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:28.800 Built for extreme speed, as 150 00:10:28.800 --> 00:10:32.280 well as endurance, is the world's second fastest land animal. 151 00:10:32.520 --> 00:10:36.360 Even more impressive than the cheetah 152 00:10:42.040 --> 00:10:43.200 wildebeest, 153 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.080 the iconic roaming antelopes of the African plains. 154 00:10:46.520 --> 00:10:49.160 These bearded, shaggy, maned and horned animals 155 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:51.680 are among nature's best endurance runners. 156 00:10:52.680 --> 00:10:54.720 Calves learn to walk within minutes of birth 157 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:58.920 and can keep up with the herd in days. 158 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.840 Wildebeest stand a meter and a half tall at the shoulder 159 00:11:05.880 --> 00:11:10.480 and can be two and a half meters in length, weighing in at 270 kilograms. 160 00:11:10.760 --> 00:11:14.360 They are heavier than a lion and able to run just as fast. 161 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:17.680 Dawn breaks on the plains. 162 00:11:17.680 --> 00:11:21.520 Predator and prey embrace the challenges of a new day 163 00:11:22.040 --> 00:11:24.480 in the battle between the quick and the dead. 164 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:27.520 Every day can be your last 165 00:11:28.760 --> 00:11:29.600 stop, 166 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:32.920 with their bull concentrated high in the front of their bodies. 167 00:11:33.280 --> 00:11:38.000 These beasts are capable of long distance running as well as tremendous bursts 168 00:11:38.040 --> 00:11:49.040 of speed topping 80 kilometers per hour. 169 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:52.800 The wildebeest calving season 170 00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.200 is synchronized with the beginning of rainy season. 171 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:58.200 Every year, half a million 172 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.200 energetic newborn calves arrive 173 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:04.680 and the right to father these calves is one worth fighting for. 174 00:12:05.400 --> 00:12:07.280 Four heads flat on the ground. 175 00:12:07.280 --> 00:12:09.360 The males are dubbed the combat position. 176 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.480 They lock horns that can reach almost a meter 177 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.000 in length. 178 00:12:17.400 --> 00:12:20.200 Wildebeests are some of the noisiest animals on the plains. 179 00:12:20.680 --> 00:12:21.840 The loud vocalizations 180 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:25.200 made during these fights give the creature their other common name. 181 00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:26.760 The Ganoon 182 00:12:28.560 --> 00:12:30.520 immensely strong and agile. 183 00:12:30.520 --> 00:12:33.240 Leopards pounce from trees with deadly accuracy. 184 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.840 Grazing animals on the plain look to each other for any sign of alarm 185 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:40.800 signs. 186 00:12:41.160 --> 00:12:44.040 But the nocturnal leopard spends the day at rest. 187 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:46.960 Come dusk, they are formidable hunters. 188 00:12:47.280 --> 00:12:47.960 And wildebeest. 189 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:54.840 Calves can be at risk, living in immense herds and sharing the plains 190 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:58.720 with the sharp eyes and ears of the zebra give some safety in numbers. 191 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.280 As the annual migration nears 192 00:13:02.280 --> 00:13:04.760 over a million and a half wildebeest gather, 193 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:08.800 the migration offers a feast to all the great hunters 194 00:13:08.800 --> 00:13:11.160 of the plains. 195 00:13:15.240 --> 00:13:15.840 The constant 196 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.520 race between predator and prey pushes both to adapt to even faster 197 00:13:19.560 --> 00:13:22.560 and more successful techniques of escape or capture. 198 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.360 The most abundant and successful predator in Africa, 199 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.880 the spotted hyena, has jaws strong enough to split open rhino bones. 200 00:13:32.400 --> 00:13:35.760 Even so, if a lion wanted to take a hyenas kill, 201 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:40.560 the hyena would give way and wait until the lion had its fill. 202 00:13:43.560 --> 00:13:44.160 Hyenas are 203 00:13:44.160 --> 00:13:48.120 almost four times smaller than wildebeest and will hunt them in groups of three. 204 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:49.400 Will more 205 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:53.360 predator and prey share the same powerful shoulders and front legs? 206 00:13:53.640 --> 00:13:56.520 And both are skilled endurance runners. 207 00:13:56.520 --> 00:13:58.480 For the hyena to win this hunt. 208 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:01.760 It will take a high speed chase which can go on for over 209 00:14:01.760 --> 00:14:04.640 five kilometers. 210 00:14:04.880 --> 00:14:08.200 The powerful jaws and strong digestive tract of the hyena 211 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:11.120 allow it to process almost every part 212 00:14:11.640 --> 00:14:14.160 of any animal. 213 00:14:18.680 --> 00:14:20.640 The only thing the hyena can digest 214 00:14:20.640 --> 00:14:23.760 are hooves, hair and horns. 215 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.480 The Great Migration to and from grazing in water 216 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:30.680 every year is one of the most phenomenal sights on earth. 217 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:35.080 Zebra, gazelle and Impala join the wildebeest 218 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:38.680 in a journey of great endurance, covering hundreds of kilometers 219 00:14:40.640 --> 00:14:42.320 or wildebeests 220 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.880 with their skill for both distance and speed running. 221 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:47.640 One of the most impressive movers. 222 00:14:47.640 --> 00:14:56.840 On the plains. 223 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:01.320 The diverse landscapes of Australia are home to an alert, curious, 224 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:07.440 an enigmatic animal, the world's largest and fastest marsupial, the mighty kangaroo 225 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:09.760 bounding across 226 00:15:09.760 --> 00:15:12.840 vast open bushland with hops of up to nine meters. 227 00:15:13.280 --> 00:15:15.960 Their spring loaded hind legs power them forward 228 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:23.720 as seen here celebrated in artwork. 229 00:15:24.280 --> 00:15:26.720 The Aboriginal people have a long and deep 230 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.280 respect for this extraordinary animal. 231 00:15:29.960 --> 00:15:33.920 For millennia, their lives have been inseparably intertwined. 232 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:38.400 The faster they travel, the more elastic energy is created. 233 00:15:38.760 --> 00:15:41.440 Self propelling these masters of the outback 234 00:15:42.640 --> 00:15:46.600 kangaroo forms are short but strong, with five claw digits. 235 00:15:46.640 --> 00:15:48.640 They're used mainly for eating a grooming. 236 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:51.080 But don't let their size fool you. 237 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.480 They can also be used viciously in self-defense 238 00:16:01.160 --> 00:16:02.520 at full speed. 239 00:16:02.520 --> 00:16:06.600 Their hind legs extend fully and as the kangaroo hops upwards, 240 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.560 its diaphragm is pulled down, pulling air into its lungs. 241 00:16:10.920 --> 00:16:14.280 As the hind legs are brought forward past its chest and the stride 242 00:16:14.280 --> 00:16:17.280 lands, the kangaroos internal organs flap 243 00:16:17.280 --> 00:16:19.680 out of the diaphragm and force air out. 244 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:23.160 Combined with the elastic energy of the hind leg tendon, 245 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:28.920 this supercharged hop is supremely energy efficient. 246 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:31.320 The strong, 247 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:35.280 thick, muscular tail of a kangaroo acts as a balance as they fly 248 00:16:35.280 --> 00:16:38.640 over the Australian bush when not flat out. 249 00:16:39.040 --> 00:16:43.200 Most kangaroos have a comfortable hopping speed of about 25 kilometers 250 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:45.720 per hour. 251 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.520 Throughout these vast expanses of outback. 252 00:16:53.760 --> 00:16:55.320 There is only one wild animal. 253 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:58.680 The kangaroo truly fears 254 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:01.920 the dingo 255 00:17:01.920 --> 00:17:05.160 dog, Australia's largest land carnivores. 256 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:09.760 They hunted dawn and dusk when their prey is distracted by feeding. 257 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:13.680 These pack hunting canines are enough to strike fear 258 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:17.360 into even the largest individual 259 00:17:17.520 --> 00:17:18.240 life. 260 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:21.080 And nimble dingoes are highly adept hunters, 261 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:24.640 patient and intelligent with large canine teeth. 262 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:27.960 Dingoes may not be able to outrun a kangaroo at full speed. 263 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:30.880 But working together, they are a fearsome opponent 264 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.440 for the fleeing roo. 265 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.240 Flat out 266 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:43.760 and heart pounding it flee for its life. 267 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:49.000 These four legged carnivores with their flexibility 268 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:53.520 and stamina, teamwork in a raging hunger chase after the kangaroo, 269 00:17:53.520 --> 00:18:04.040 even though it is over twice the weight of each of the dogs, it's over. 270 00:18:05.520 --> 00:18:07.640 The dingo kills with a bite to the throat 271 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:10.840 and the unlucky kangaroo becomes the next meal 272 00:18:11.080 --> 00:18:13.640 for the pack. 273 00:18:14.320 --> 00:18:16.640 With each new day, kangaroos, young and old 274 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:19.040 make the most of the cool before the heat of the day. 275 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.680 Mobs made up of several females 276 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.280 their young and a dominant male travel together. 277 00:18:26.040 --> 00:18:30.240 They can bound tirelessly at 40 kilometers per hour for over two kilometers. 278 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.960 Kangaroos are strict vegetarians, and the fresh green growth they prefer 279 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:38.960 is reliant on seasonal rainfall 280 00:18:41.040 --> 00:18:43.600 living on grasses, shrubs and herbs. 281 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:47.240 The rains not only bring new forage, but also welcome relief 282 00:18:47.280 --> 00:18:50.840 from the extreme temperatures of the bush. 283 00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:54.280 Until that is, the rain just gets to be a bit 284 00:18:54.280 --> 00:18:57.760 too much. 285 00:18:57.760 --> 00:19:01.880 When moving slowly on all fours, their strong tails act like a crutch 286 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:04.800 as they swing their back, legs forward like a pendulum. 287 00:19:05.760 --> 00:19:08.680 This way of moving uses much more energy than its efficient 288 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:13.680 hop, traveling at anything over 18 kilometers an hour. 289 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:16.920 It takes less energy for a kangaroo to hop than it does 290 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:20.160 for a four legged animal to run at the same speed. 291 00:19:23.520 --> 00:19:25.680 Kangaroo males strive for the meeting rights. 292 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:28.080 They come with dominance, 293 00:19:28.080 --> 00:19:30.240 using his massive tail for balance. 294 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.400 A male who kicks out with those immensely powerful hind legs. 295 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.200 Such muscle power, combined with claws on his hind feet, 296 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.640 is enough to rip open his opponent's belly. 297 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:44.080 Powerful shoulders, drive strong forearms and sharp claws. 298 00:19:44.080 --> 00:19:46.640 Strike out. 299 00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:50.120 It will be several years before this. 300 00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:53.760 Joey is ready for such battles. 301 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:55.640 Practice fights start young. 302 00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:58.360 But as soon as one of the pair backs down, the matter 303 00:19:58.360 --> 00:20:01.040 could be forgotten. 304 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:06.160 Young joeys soon get the hang of their spring powered legs 305 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:09.360 and seem to take great pleasure in testing them out for bounce 306 00:20:14.520 --> 00:20:16.080 when food is plentiful. 307 00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:18.600 The superpowered kangaroos can take things easy. 308 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:21.600 Relaxing with their mom and enjoying feeding 309 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:27.720 time, moving in an easy 25 kilometers an hour. 310 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:31.000 They find shady spots to hone their skills for adulthood 311 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:34.800 and slowly understand the power that their limbs possess. 312 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:38.480 Icons of the outback. 313 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:42.640 These energy efficient, spring powered kangaroos reigns supreme 314 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:48.760 as the fastest marsupials in the world. 315 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:55.040 Wild horses are truly a symbol of majestic power. 316 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.920 Strong, sleek, elegant. 317 00:20:58.320 --> 00:21:00.600 The ultimate untamable, free spirit. 318 00:21:01.080 --> 00:21:03.480 Galloping, unbridled across the land. 319 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:06.760 Almost a million brumbies grace. 320 00:21:06.760 --> 00:21:10.040 Australia's landscapes. 321 00:21:10.600 --> 00:21:13.560 Descendants of the working horses of the early 1800s. 322 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:17.120 Brumbies are a mix of thoroughbred, Arab and draft horse. 323 00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:25.920 Their tough, fast icons of freedom, the brumbies of the Alps 324 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:29.120 gallops are sure footed over its rocky, snow covered terrain. 325 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:33.120 The horse's hoof is the tip of a single toe protected 326 00:21:33.120 --> 00:21:36.320 by a wall of carotene that can be likened to our fingernails. 327 00:21:37.520 --> 00:21:39.360 Having evolved as a prey animal, 328 00:21:39.360 --> 00:21:43.440 its long, sturdy, lightweight legs helped the horse to run at great speeds. 329 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:47.920 A galloping horse travels at about 45 kilometers per hour, but 330 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:57.440 the world record for a horse in a sprint distance is almost double that. 331 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:00.280 Man and horse have a 332 00:22:00.280 --> 00:22:02.760 relationship that goes back hundreds of years. 333 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:07.600 Brumbies are still mustered in parts of Australia, valued 334 00:22:07.600 --> 00:22:11.080 for their endurance, strength, sure, footedness and agility. 335 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.880 They're rounded up to be tamed for walkers, stock and trail horses 336 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:31.400 as well as for show and for recreation. 337 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:35.440 With a strong, slight instinct, the brumbies prey response kicks in 338 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:46.320 and they will attempt to outrun the surrounding horseman. 339 00:22:50.360 --> 00:22:51.480 These wild creatures 340 00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:54.400 have never had a bridle in their mouth or a saddle on their back. 341 00:22:55.080 --> 00:22:59.240 If caught, they will not tame easily. 342 00:23:01.800 --> 00:23:04.720 A horse has a highly developed sense of exactly where its body 343 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:08.400 and limbs are at all times, and a sensitivity to anything foreign 344 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:12.080 with the ability to detect an insect landing on its back. 345 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:15.200 A man and a subtle will not be tolerated. 346 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:18.520 Lowering its head and raising its hindquarters. 347 00:23:18.840 --> 00:23:22.160 The bucking horse will do anything in its power to remove 348 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.320 the unwanted rider. 349 00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:32.280 This is a dangerous pastime 350 00:23:32.280 --> 00:23:34.840 for both man and horse. 351 00:23:37.080 --> 00:23:37.920 The unleash power 352 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:40.600 of the horse rejects the rider again 353 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:48.080 and again. 354 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:53.560 But being social creatures that form companionship, 355 00:23:54.120 --> 00:23:57.480 brumbies gather and frolic in this situation. 356 00:23:57.760 --> 00:24:00.320 Bucking is for joy, not for descents. 357 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:05.440 As soon as Europeans settled in Australia, they realized they would need horses. 358 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:08.320 That equaled the demands of this hard country 359 00:24:08.320 --> 00:24:11.160 crossbreeding those that had survived the tough sea voyage 360 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:15.440 gave a stronger, faster horse that could thrive on the need of pastures. 361 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.160 Although able to survive on routes and park in dry times 362 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:22.320 when the pasture is lush, brumbies live on grasses 363 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:32.000 with four very different types of movement. 364 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:36.080 Horses range from their powerful 45 kilometer per hour gallop 365 00:24:37.360 --> 00:24:39.480 to the 20 kilometers per hour canter. 366 00:24:40.520 --> 00:24:43.520 The 15 kilometers per hour trot 367 00:24:43.520 --> 00:24:45.800 down to a slow walking pace 368 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:53.800 in the searing heat of the summer months. 369 00:24:53.800 --> 00:24:57.440 Brumbies will travel long distances to find the relief of a watering hole, 370 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.000 such as the sheer footedness and resilience of these creatures 371 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:06.640 that they were used as war horses during the First World War. 372 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:09.720 Today, the untamed Brumbies of Australia 373 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:12.600 roam across its wild land. 374 00:25:13.360 --> 00:25:18.200 This unburdened beast is surely one of nature's powerhouses of speed 375 00:25:18.560 --> 00:25:20.040 and strength. 376 00:25:20.280 --> 00:25:24.000 The powerful galloping horse, the mighty hopping kangaroo. 377 00:25:24.320 --> 00:25:28.000 The endurance running wild, the beast, the bounding pronghorn, 378 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:30.000 or the sprinting cheetah. 379 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.000 Which one is the most impressive across 380 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:59.520 land?