Wow!
(MAN SCREAMS)
Why is his tongue sticking (MAN SCREAMS)
Why is his tongue sticking out like that?
Why is his tongue sticking (GOAT BLEATS LOUDLY)
Oh, no, this is the side of parrots you never thought you'd see.
Oh, no, this is the side of parrots Waaagh!
G'day, I'm Ann from ABC Science, and today we're going to be
breaking down videos of extraordinary animal behaviour.
From surprising skills.. MAN: Cheers, mate.
From surprising skills.. ..to super senses.
We've searched the internet to find the best videos to show
which of these five wild animals is the most extraordinary.
Wow!
(GOAT BLEATS LOUDLY)
(LAUGHS)
If there was a prize for breaking the internet, these animals
If there was a prize for breaking would probably win it.
Yes, we're going to talk about goats.
Yes, we're going to talk Goats. (BLEATS LIKE A GOAT)
Hm? (LAUGHS)
Oh, they look so handsome when
they're up there like that, don't they?
they're up there like that, It looks like an art piece.
Actually quite good climbers, It looks like an art piece.
Actually quite good climbers, as you can see.
And in Morocco, it's become a little bit famous for having goats
that climb trees, in particular argan trees.
Now, you might use some of that oil in your beauty regime, that climb trees, in particular argan trees.
Now, you might use some of that oil in your beauty regime,
like in your hair or something. of that oil in your beauty regime,
like in your hair or something.
It actually comes from a seed.
And 60% of that has been chewed by a goat.
You do see goats climbing trees, but why
there are like 15 goats in a tree in this case, I don't know.
And it may be a tourist thing or something, but it's definitely
an important part of their diet and your beauty regime.
Look at that. Oh!
These look like juveniles, like young ones.
These look like juveniles, Look at their little hoofies.
Whee! OK, I'm going too.
What a cool creature.
Ibex can be found across Europe, Northern Africa
and across Asia in mountainous areas.
They can jump something like 1.8 metres straight up, without a run up.
Whoo!
Guys, it's making my knees ache just looking at it.
The ibex are incredible climbers, and to enable them to do that,
they've got some really specialised feet.
So they've got two toes that are like little hoofy things,
but they can move independently and that creates the ability for them
to actually grip onto uneven surfaces.
But on top of that, they've got a sort of hard section
and a soft section that's concave.
And that means that they're sort of like little suction cups,
Like, they're not good enough that they're going to be able
to stick to a window, but they're definitely good enough
that they're going to be able to go up an almost sheer cliff face
that they're going to be able to go and be able to grip as they go.
GOAT: Wah, wah.
Wah, wah.
Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah!
Wah, wah, wah!
Why is his tongue sticking out like that?
Waaagh!
Wah!
Waaagh!
This handsome chap appears Waaagh!
This handsome chap appears to be doing a mating call.
He's really advertising his virility or something similar.
One study found that in terms of their vocal behaviour,
that is their communication between each other, kids
that were brought up together had much more similar accents
than kids that were brought up separately.
This sort of thing helps with group cohesion.
So if you've got an accent that indicates you're from Melbourne,
you are going to have solidarity with other people from Melbourne.
And it's sort of similar with the goats.
And it's sort of similar Whoo! Look at those fancy horns.
I reckon he can see a reflection Whoo! Look at those fancy horns.
I reckon he can see a reflection of himself and he thinks
I reckon he can see a reflection that his reflection is competition.
This goat is a markhor.
A markhor is a combination of two different words,
and it means "snake eater."
(LAUGHTER) MAN: Whoa!
(LAUGHTER) They're absolutely gorgeous.
These are really, really rare goats.
There's hardly any of these markhors left in the wild.
They're native to sort of Central Asia, right up high
They're native to sort of in the mountains.
What's up, dude?
The horns are just spectacular.
They grow something like 1.5 metres long.
1.5 metres hanging off the back of your head.
1.5 metres hanging off Can you imagine?
I mean, I get a neck-ache when I wear my binoculars around my neck.
Ah! OK.
Oops. (LAUGHS)
Alright.
OK, there is a lot going on there, right?
There's a puppy chasing a fawn.
But then the goat appears to get into the game, but then fall over.
But then the goat appears to get Right. (LAUGHS)
This is a breed of goat Right. (LAUGHS)
This is a breed of goat called a myotonic goat.
You might have heard of it as the Tennessee fainting goat,
You might have heard of it because it looks like it's... Oh!
..had its smelling salts because it looks like it's... Oh!
..had its smelling salts and fallen over.
When they get a fright, there's like a glitch.
Their muscles got really tense and they just fall over.
This is a congenital condition.
It's like a recessive gene.
In the case of these startling goats,
this is something that we're doing as we breed the goats
this is something that we're doing for these particular traits.
But I don't think that when I got for these particular traits.
But I don't think that when I got a fright that I would want
But I don't think that when I got to be incapacitated.
And, you know, maybe it's the same for the goats as well.
Oh! Oh, my goodness.
Look how little they are.
Goats are much more socially capable
than you might give them Goats are much more socially capable
than you might give them credit for.
They did these tests where they put photos of humans smiling and photos
of humans being sad and grumpy, and tried to figure out which ones
of humans being sad and grumpy, the goat wanted to interact with.
Turns out they really like to interact with happy humans.
So it's not just body language.
It's literally facial expression that the goats can react to.
They appear to want cuddles as well. Like at how sweet they are.
I think goats are extraordinary.
They've got some amazing adaptations I think goats are extraordinary.
They've got some amazing adaptations to their environment,
They've got some amazing adaptations like their little hooves.
They're pretty smart, and they have the ability to read our emotions.
They're pretty smart, and they have That's pretty extraordinary.
Waaagh!
Wah-wah.
Waaagh!
Oh, no.
(LAUGHS)
Dolphins are probably one of the most loved animals
on the planet, but do they really deserve a place in our heart?
What is it that makes them so special?
What is it that makes them Wow, that is so beautiful.
Waaagh!
Nailed it!
I love that.
That would actually hurt
'cause they're pretty big animal.
Here we go.
Oh, that is so good.
Oh, it definitely means it.
Like, it's way too direct
for it to be a mistake.
When you see it for it to be a mistake.
When you see it come out of the water,
it just like goes, "Wah," all in one big block.
It could be because they thought it was a threat.
It could be because it was funny.
I suppose the truth of the matter is, is that dolphins are actually
really socially and emotionally complex creatures.
And this is one of the outcomes of that.
Love it. Could that dolphin be a member of our rugby team
Love it. Could that dolphin be representing Australia?
That was a pretty good tackle.
Is that a dog in the water?
(GASPS) With the dolphins!
That's pretty cool.
They're inherently curious creatures.
So meeting a creature that it's never met before, it wants to look at it.
So meeting a creature that it's never It wants to sense it.
It might be thinking "This is the weirdest fish
It might be thinking "I have ever echolocated on."
So echolocating is a series "I have ever echolocated on."
So echolocating is a series of clicks that they throw out
into the environment, and that echoes back off objects back to them.
A bottlenose dolphin, which I assume this probably is -
that's the most common dolphin that you see
that's the most common dolphin in the waters around Australia -
does something like 1,000 clicks a second.
Not only are they able to sense a target fish in the water,
it's able to sense how big the fish is, how far it is away.
it's able to sense how big It's incredible.
That's amazing.
(GASPS)
Where are they going?
Look, they're creating all of that white water on the top,
that's so incredible.
Some people are really lucky what they get to see.
It looks like a washing machine of dolphins.
That's so cool.
Dolphins make huge groups on occasion.
It's what's called a fission-fusion society,
as they split off into smaller family or friendship units.
And sometimes you might see them in literal hundreds
or thousands of dolphins.
(GASPS)
Oh, it's a baby orca!
Oh, no, This is not ever going to be me.
I'm never going in the water ever again.
They are the scariest animal on Earth for me.
They are the scariest animal I don't know why.
Orcas are the largest of all of the members
Orcas are the largest of the Dolphin family,
and they can kill great white sharks.
They can gang up on things that are much bigger than them.
They can gang up on things They can kill, like, blue whales.
These things are fricking incredible.
It's hard to tell what's happening here exactly.
It could be playful.
It could be slightly aggressive It could be playful.
It could be slightly aggressive because there's
It could be slightly aggressive those smaller orca there.
Although they're seen as deadly, there is no record of an orca
Although they're seen as deadly, ever killing a human in the wild.
Generally, when you hear of orca attacks, it's from individuals
who are possibly deranged in captive situations,
who are possibly deranged not in this sort of situation.
Would they be capable of absolutely tearing apart
that human and swallowing them?
Yes.
Orcas are a little bit different
than the smaller dolphin species in that orca young
will stay with their mothers in a female-led pod
will stay with their mothers for basically their entire life.
So beautiful.
You'd never, ever forget that experience, would you?
Animal encounters can be absolutely life changing,
and I spoke with Rob and Nicky Howes from New Zealand,
who went out swimming one day and came across a pod of dolphins.
It was kind of like they were charging at us and then slapping
their tails on the water right next to us.
So it was, yeah, pretty aggressive. Wow.
I thought I was going to get eaten by dolphins.
We had no idea what was going on.
And that's when I saw the shark for about two seconds...
(GASPS) ..as it arced around us.
(GASPS) The dolphins just went ballistic.
And then literally within minutes, The dolphins just went ballistic.
And then literally within minutes, two minutes,
the dolphins just suddenly released, just relaxed.
And in own my mind, I knew that the threat had gone.
It's definitely an unbeatable experience.
It's definitely That's so amazing.
I mean, these are the sorts of stories that you hear
handed down like folklore.
So they are some lucky people, not just because the dolphins protected
them and saved their lives, but that they got to be that close
to wild animals that are that smart - very lucky.
to wild animals that are Oh. Ooh! Is it herding those fish?
(GASPS) Look at it. Oh. Ooh! Is it herding those fish?
(GASPS) Look at it. It's going to make a circle.
(GASPS) Look at it. Look at this. Ah, so cool.
Dolphins in Florida have a really special way
Dolphins in Florida of catching their dinner.
They basically go around and they drag through the mud
and create a muddy circle, which acts like a net, right?
and create a muddy circle, So it started drawing the circle
and the fish got caught in the middle of the circle.
And then basically they're a bit discombobulated
And then basically and they can't see where to go.
And the dolphin swings in and they can't see where to go.
And the dolphin swings in with its echolocation
And the dolphin swings in and eats all the fish.
Wow! See the fish just panicking?
Such an ingenious thing.
So, yes, dolphins are undeniably awesome.
They seem to really enjoy having fun.
They communicate with each other in really complex ways.
And even though they have the capacity to kill us,
And even though they have they don't really seem to want to.
So what more could you want?
And if you're one of the lucky people So what more could you want?
And if you're one of the lucky people that's been out there
in the ocean and got close to a dolphin, think yourself lucky
that you got to be close to an extraordinary being.
It's probably smarter than you.
MAN: Cheers, mate.
We've got even better videos to come.
So stay tuned.
(LAUGHS)
Wow!
Whoo! (LAUGHS)
From Disney to Dr Seuss, we have grown up with heaps
of lovable elephants in books and films, but how much
do we really know about wild elephants?
OK.
Aww, is there OK.
Aww, is there a little baby back there?
(GASPS) Look at it just appear out of the bush!
Oh...
Jeez, that's a big animal.
He knows what he's doing, eh?
I've never seen an elephant in the wild, but my understanding
is the best thing to do is remain calm.
And I'd be probably trying to slowly move away
in a really non-threatening way.
Oof!
Look at how big they are. (ELEPHANT TRUMPS)
Look at how big they are. Is she leaving?
Crisis averted.
Oh, no.
It was just to get a run up.
Waaagh!
(GASPS)
(TRUMPS)
She's so powerful and because she's so close up, you get
She's so powerful and because a really good view of her tusks.
These are essentially extensions of their teeth.
These are essentially extensions They're not hollow like horns.
They're absolutely beautiful They're not hollow like horns.
They're absolutely beautiful and solid.
And it's thought that something like 30,000 elephants a year
And it's thought that something are poached just for ivory.
Oh, that driver is so lucky that he is unharmed.
Oh, that driver is so lucky MAN: Uh...
(ELEPHANTS TRUMP) MAN: Uh...
(ELEPHANTS TRUMP) Oh, dear.
So this is a demonstration of anxious elephants.
We've got trumpeting,
the tails are erect, the ears are out.
the tails are erect, Like, this is all saying
that the elephants are uncomfortable
with the presence of these humans.
(TRUMPETING) Oof, big trumpet.
So when a human is speaking, we, as a general rule,
So when a human is speaking, we, use about one octave of sound.
Elephants use about four octaves of sounds.
There are sounds that happen that are barely perceptible
for humans, but elephants can hear them.
And in the right conditions, they can hear each other
over, like, 10 kilometres using these amazing low sounds.
(TRUMPETS) These are African elephants.
The easiest way to tell, essentially -
The easiest way to tell, African elephants generally have
the shape of Africa as their ears.
MAN: Hey.
Hey, come on.
So amazing. That's enough.
It's hard not to be in awe of them, really.
Ooh!
(LAUGHS)
(CLATTERING)
(MEN SHOUT)
Look at it looking for the food!
Oh, that would hurt that driver, because those trunks
can weigh something like 130kg.
It's one of the most complex organs that has ever evolved on Earth.
It's basically a combination of an upper lip and a nose, as well
It's basically a combination as fingers.
As the elephant is looking around the car,
As the elephant is looking it's smelling everything.
Olfaction is a really important part of animal communication,
Olfaction is a really important part and it is for the elephants as well.
(LAUGHS)
That's so cool. No, come back, mate.
That's terrifying, but also very, very, very cool.
(LAUGHS)
Look at its little hairy bum!
Oh, my goodness.
So itchy.
I think it's an Asian elephant.
I can't tell that from its bottom, I think it's an Asian elephant.
I can't tell that from its bottom, but because it's got small ears.
One of the differences between the Asian and African elephants
is the African elephants have a much more wrinkly skin,
and that's because they live in much drier country.
And the wrinkles basically hold on to moisture in the skin.
Hee-hee!
They're so cute.
Look at it, it's just flopping around.
When they're babies, they're a bit uncoordinated,
just like baby humans are with their limbs.
Oh, you're so big!
Oh, it's practising!
When they're little, they practise charging
When they're little, at things like warthogs.
It literally sounds like The Lion King.
When they're born they weigh about 90kg.
So that's a pretty decent-sized human.
The thing is, they have to be pretty much ready to go when they come out,
The thing is, they have to be pretty because to access the mother's milk,
they really have to be able because to access the mother's milk,
they really have to be able to stand up and reach
they really have to be able 'cause the mothers are so big.
So, yeah, they come out pretty much fully formed and gorgeous.
Aww.
(GASPS) Oh, no!
We've got an amazing scene here.
We've got a whole group of elephants
trying to cross the river
and you can see the little baby
using its trunk as a snorkel, not very successfully
because it's getting in a little bit of distress.
But when another elephant shows distress, whether that be physical
or emotional, they will help each other.
You can see that the other adults immediately sort of converge
and figure out the issue. immediately sort of converge
and figure out the issue.
The oldest, largest females are, in general, sort of like the leaders
The oldest, largest females are, of the group.
They have decades and decades of lived experience
and they can remember where waterholes are, where they found
lots of good food, where dangerous things happen,
lots of good food, places to avoid.
They've got incredibly long memories.
Elephants are amazing in every single sense of the word,
whether it's the absolute loyalty to their family group,
their ability to problem-solve, or their unique anatomy.
They are extraordinary in every way.
Camels are weird-looking creatures.
I'm pretty sure that we can say that,
but they make living in the desert
look like a walk in the park.
So how do they do that?
(MEN SPEAK INDISTINCTLY)
(MAN YELPS)
(LAUGHS)
(SHRIEKS)
Pretty sure that white bread isn't good for camels.
Pretty sure that white bread Look at how big its head is.
Camels are huge.
Like, 2, 2.5 metres high at the hump
Like, 2, 2.5 metres high and maybe three metres long.
They are just enormous.
Their nostrils a long and flat and can close over.
And that's so that they don't breathe in heaps of heat and sand,
And that's so that they don't which is pretty red.
And on top of that, their eyes - beautiful eyes.
They've got really long eyelashes,
which is to keep the heat and the sand out.
They are perfectly adapted for that desert environment.
90% of the world's camels are dromedary camels,
90% of the world's camels this one-humped camel.
There are millions of camels worldwide, but most of them
are domesticated and there is no such thing anymore
are domesticated and as wild dromedary camels.
Oh, they're so regal!
That's pretty cool.
So these are a different species of camel.
These are Bactrian camels, and you can tell because they've got
two humps and, in fact, there's two species within them.
There's one that is a domestic Bactrian camel, which I'm imagining
that these are, but there are wild Bactrian camels.
And these are the only truly wild camels left in the world.
And they are simply amazing.
They turn into these huge shaggy monsters
in the winter, and are able to withstand well below freezing.
in the winter, and are able They can drink saltwater.
They live in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China,
They live in the Gobi Desert and there are less than 1,000 left,
which means and there are less than 1,000 left,
which means they're critically endangered.
Camels are found in some really weird places
Camels are found that you wouldn't quite expect.
Like, we've got heaps in Australia.
They're not native here. They're feral.
That means that they were once domesticated,
used as stock animals or for transport,
and then were released or escaped and have made Australia home.
Oh!
Yuck!
Urgh, that is disgusting.
That is a dulla.
It's essentially a little fleshy sack
that's on the inside of a male camel's mouth,
and they can inflate it with air when they feel things.
Yeah, so this is a male camel with feelings.
It does have like a sexual element to it, where he's showing off,
but he can use it in all sorts of different situations.
Oh!
Wow, that's incredible.
Look at it.
Nom, nom, nom.
Inside the lips of a camel is sort of scary.
They can eat the most amazingly prickly
and hard things, and it comes down to a whole heap of conical things
that are on the inside of their lips.
that are on the inside of They're called papillae. Yeah.
They're partly made of keratin, They're called papillae. Yeah.
They're partly made of keratin, the same stuff
They're partly made of keratin, that makes your nails or your hair.
And so that's what gives them that sort of rigidity.
I don't think that, like, prickly pears
I don't think that, like, would probably be the sort of thing
that they would eat had they been wild,
because it does seem like it would probably be
because it does seem like on the extreme end of things.
As an adaptation to living on the extreme end of things.
As an adaptation to living in these hot environments,
camels are also able to lose a lot of water,
like 30% of the water in their body.
If that happened to us, we would cark it, right?
Because we can only lose about 10% of our water mass before our blood
basically becomes too thick for our heart to pump.
basically becomes too thick When it gets extremely hot,
a camel can last something like four to seven days, maybe,
without drinking, but in really good conditions,
they can go, like, 10 months without having a drink.
It can drink an incredible amount to rehydrate itself.
Something like 110 litres in 10 minutes.
Something like 110 litres That's 11 litres a minute.
Is this a stuntman?
Is he going to...
He's going to leap a camel.
Oh! Yeah.
Roundhouse kick.
Yeah. I mean, they're not predators, right.
But they have ways to defend themselves.
And if you're going to do something annoying, like take a running jump
to land on its back, it's, yeah, it's going to clock you one.
It's good timing, though, isn't it?
And right on the knees. Vicious!
(MAN SHRIEKS)
So there you have it.
Camels are bizarre, but despite the fact that they do
all of this weird stuff, they are really amazing at surviving
all of this weird stuff, in the world's harshest environment.
And for that reason, they are extraordinary.
MAN: Cheers, mate. MAN 2: Look, look, look!
MAN: Cheers, mate. (LAUGHS)
Whoo!
The kea is a New Zealand parrot
that has been nicknamed The kea is a New Zealand parrot
that has been nicknamed 'the clown of the mountains'.
but why is it that something that likes
having fun so much can live in the freezing cold?
MAN: Hey, mate, got job for you.
Cheers, mate.
Can you give us a hand?
Cheers, mate.
That's amazing.
So, kea are what's called neophilic.
And before you get worried, it actually means
that they're attracted to new things.
They like to have new experiences.
So they're really curious.
So they're going to do things like open a bottle of beer for you.
The beak on the kea is so amazing for a parrot.
In fact, some people have called it the Swiss Army knife of beaks
because it can basically do everything.
Wild kea found on the South Island of New Zealand
and only there in the world - they're really, really special birds.
and only there in the world - (GASPS)
Look at it!
God, they're so cool. Look at it!
God, they're so cool. (LAUGHTER)
In certain parts of New Zealand,
right up in the alpine areas where the kea are native,
right up in the alpine areas they are attracted to vehicles,
because at some point someone has fed them from a vehicle.
Perhaps they think there's food inside there,
Perhaps they think or they're just having fun.
Oh, it gets it right at the end!
That's so good! That's so good.
I mean, it's sad for That's so good! That's so good.
I mean, it's sad for any radio listening, I suppose.
I mean, it's sad for But apart from that...
You can see a little bit of the iridescence
on the wings and in their under-wing part is this amazing patch
on the wings and in their of, like, scarletty red.
It's just absolutely gorgeous.
Keas are now protected
because they're an endangered species.
because they're And it's thought that these days
there's only like 3,000 to 7,000 kea left
there's only like in the wild, which isn't that many.
I mean, it's a lot of car aerials in the wild, which isn't that many.
I mean, it's a lot of car aerials though, isn't it?
(LAUGHS)
It works for the council.
to try and stop cars?
Oh, is it putting them out to try and stop cars?
Oh, my God, they're so smart! Look at it.
Because then, when you stop a car, you can start
to attack the car until someone gives you a sandwich.
to attack the car until someone Oh, I love these birds.
It's dragging, pushing, pulling. Oh, I love these birds.
It's dragging, pushing, pulling.
One of the strategies to get around
this sort of kea damage
has been to create playgrounds for them this sort of kea damage
has been to create playgrounds for them
next to stopping points like this.
They put a kea gym right there, and it's got things for them
to swing on and spin around and movable bits
to try and keep them off the cars,
to try and keep them because they just love new things.
They love to play.
Hello, night-time kea.
Oh, no!
This is the side of parrots you never thought you'd see.
Under the cover of darkness,
the keas will go up to a flock and they'll take some chunks
the keas will go up to a flock out of the hindquarters of sheep.
It's pretty gory stuff.
And back in the earlier colonial days,
And back in they would pay people to go out
and kill the keas because they thought that they were murdering
and kill the keas because heaps and heaps of sheep.
Now, you might wonder heaps and heaps of sheep.
Now, you might wonder why kea would do this.
Well, it's really high in fats and all the protein that you need,
especially if you live at a high altitude
and you've got a chick in the nest.
But these attacks are extremely uncommon and rarely fatal.
It's generally from an infection from the wound, and that doesn't
happen so much anymore.
Sometimes kea can just sort of like ride around and be playing
Sometimes kea can just sort on the back of a sheep.
So I don't think they're always being sort of murderous
So I don't think they're always when they're up there.
I mean, look at it, when they're up there.
I mean, look at it, it's like sheep rodeo.
Ooh!
(LAUGHS)
Oh, now this is fascinating.
So we've got two juveniles here and one adult, and I can tell that
because the fleshy bits around the eye and the fleshy bit
at the base of the beak is yellow in juveniles and gets darker
at the base of the beak is yellow the older that they get.
God, they're silly.
Play is a way of God, they're silly.
Play is a way of not just enjoying your environment,
but learning about it.
And, you know, it's always good to have a toy
that your friends don't have.
It's been shown that the calls they make when they're playing
are like laughter in that they're infectious
are like laughter in that to the other keas around them.
So when they're making the sounds of play and another kea hears it,
So when they're making the sounds they'll play harder and longer,
just like, you know, encouraging each other, I suppose.
These cocky alpine parrots have made a life for themselves in a place
These cocky alpine parrots have made where no other parrot can live.
I think it's because they're fearless.
And despite the fact that it can be a little gory,
And despite the fact that it can be the kea is definitely extraordinary.
(LAUGHTER)
So there you go.
Five of the world's most extraordinary wild animals.
Now, you might be surprised at how smart some of them are
or how sneaky, or perhaps you might just like
laughing along with their antics.
But the truth is that, just like us, animals are extraordinary
But the truth is that, just like us, in a million different ways.
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation