1 00:00:07,341 --> 00:00:09,841 Planet Earth is so spectacular, 2 00:00:10,636 --> 00:00:13,676 it's easy to miss the smaller things in life. 3 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:17,426 But take a closer look... 4 00:00:18,101 --> 00:00:20,561 and there's a whole undiscovered world. 5 00:00:22,648 --> 00:00:24,978 A world where tiny heroes... 6 00:00:26,485 --> 00:00:27,815 and little monsters... 7 00:00:29,029 --> 00:00:31,409 need incredible superpowers... 8 00:00:34,618 --> 00:00:40,118 to help them triumph against giant odds. 9 00:00:53,929 --> 00:00:55,969 The jungles of Latin America, 10 00:00:57,766 --> 00:00:59,726 home to more little lives 11 00:00:59,810 --> 00:01:01,980 than anywhere else on Earth. 12 00:01:04,565 --> 00:01:09,145 Down in the leaf litter, a new one is just beginning. 13 00:01:11,655 --> 00:01:15,945 This strawberry dart frog is carrying her tadpole on her back. 14 00:01:19,288 --> 00:01:22,078 It's about the size of a grain of rice. 15 00:01:35,804 --> 00:01:38,434 The jungle underworld is far too dangerous for her baby. 16 00:01:43,228 --> 00:01:45,648 She needs to find a safe place for it to grow. 17 00:01:49,401 --> 00:01:56,281 Way up there, in the branches of this 40-meter jungle skyscraper. 18 00:01:59,786 --> 00:02:01,616 For a frog the size of a grape... 19 00:02:02,998 --> 00:02:05,168 this is her Mount Everest. 20 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:21,310 Sticky feet give her grip. 21 00:02:24,311 --> 00:02:26,731 But one slip could be fatal. 22 00:02:35,614 --> 00:02:37,914 She's got plenty of company in the trees. 23 00:02:40,702 --> 00:02:41,702 From root... 24 00:02:43,539 --> 00:02:44,539 ...to tip. 25 00:02:47,459 --> 00:02:50,799 There may be 5,000 different kinds of little creatures 26 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:52,509 living in a single tree. 27 00:03:06,186 --> 00:03:10,186 Finally, up in the canopy, where the sun shines. 28 00:03:16,655 --> 00:03:19,365 A bromeliad plant makes the perfect penthouse pool 29 00:03:19,449 --> 00:03:21,079 for her tadpole to grow in. 30 00:03:29,585 --> 00:03:33,585 But with so many little animals competing for food and space, 31 00:03:34,882 --> 00:03:37,182 life in the jungle is precarious. 32 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,140 Only a true specialist can survive. 33 00:03:58,405 --> 00:04:00,615 Meet the smallest monkey in the world... 34 00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:05,080 The pygmy marmoset. 35 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:11,626 An adult will fit in the palm of your hand. 36 00:04:23,263 --> 00:04:29,813 Being so tiny makes it hard to know who's friend, foe or food. 37 00:04:37,945 --> 00:04:39,815 But at least they can tap into a food source 38 00:04:39,905 --> 00:04:41,105 right beneath their feet. 39 00:04:44,618 --> 00:04:46,698 With sharp teeth, they gouge away the bark 40 00:04:46,787 --> 00:04:51,247 to create miniature wells that fill up with delicious sugary sap. 41 00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:56,048 On a big tree, there may be over 1,000 of them. 42 00:05:02,094 --> 00:05:04,054 Easily enough for a growing family. 43 00:05:07,933 --> 00:05:11,813 Good thing. There are new additions to the troop. 44 00:05:15,566 --> 00:05:17,816 Each the size of a Ping-Pong ball. 45 00:05:30,122 --> 00:05:32,752 Marmosets nearly always give birth to twins. 46 00:05:35,335 --> 00:05:40,085 Both parents share babysitting duties, and even the older siblings pitch in... 47 00:05:42,009 --> 00:05:43,219 when they're not fighting. 48 00:05:47,264 --> 00:05:50,604 Cooperation is a way of life for these pocket-sized primates. 49 00:05:54,688 --> 00:05:57,318 So is hanging around in the middle of the tree. 50 00:06:00,402 --> 00:06:02,032 It's too dangerous below... 51 00:06:08,744 --> 00:06:10,754 and way too crowded above. 52 00:06:12,581 --> 00:06:18,211 Sixty times the size of a marmoset, howler monkeys dominate up here. 53 00:06:27,679 --> 00:06:31,849 The canopy is where 80% of all life in the jungle is found. 54 00:06:47,950 --> 00:06:51,410 On the forest floor, life is more of a struggle. 55 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:59,035 Hardly any sunlight reaches down here, so not much can grow. 56 00:07:10,681 --> 00:07:13,811 This pint-sized agouti relies on what falls from above. 57 00:07:27,406 --> 00:07:29,826 Rain is the lifeblood of the jungle. 58 00:07:33,662 --> 00:07:35,662 Up to three meters falls each year. 59 00:07:39,668 --> 00:07:43,878 Every drop has a huge impact on tiny lives. 60 00:07:46,925 --> 00:07:50,175 Showers keep the tadpole pool topped up. 61 00:07:53,765 --> 00:07:56,765 But there can be too much of a good thing. 62 00:07:58,353 --> 00:08:04,993 Water soaked up by the plants and bark adds enormous weight to ancient trees. 63 00:08:12,659 --> 00:08:15,449 Torrential rains wash away thin soil. 64 00:08:20,375 --> 00:08:24,085 Giant trees endure centuries of drenching storms... 65 00:08:28,217 --> 00:08:29,547 until one day... 66 00:09:02,876 --> 00:09:05,086 When a tree this size falls... 67 00:09:06,588 --> 00:09:08,838 it leaves a big hole in jungle life. 68 00:09:15,222 --> 00:09:17,722 The strawberry dart frog has survived. 69 00:09:20,602 --> 00:09:22,602 But her tadpole is exposed. 70 00:09:30,988 --> 00:09:33,818 And a fire-bellied ground snake can sense it. 71 00:09:52,092 --> 00:09:53,932 There's nothing the mother can do... 72 00:09:58,182 --> 00:09:59,392 but start again. 73 00:10:10,903 --> 00:10:15,573 A disaster for some is a windfall for others. 74 00:10:18,869 --> 00:10:21,409 Leaf-cutter ants no longer have to climb. 75 00:10:27,836 --> 00:10:30,506 The leaves are many times their size. 76 00:10:32,758 --> 00:10:36,348 But each ant can carry ten times their own weight. 77 00:10:47,940 --> 00:10:51,820 And a colony of eight million can strip a tree like this 78 00:10:51,902 --> 00:10:53,782 in a matter of days. 79 00:11:04,665 --> 00:11:08,875 The fallen giant attracts all sorts of other tiny leaf eaters too. 80 00:11:11,338 --> 00:11:14,218 Unfortunately, marmosets don't eat leaves. 81 00:11:16,802 --> 00:11:20,222 And losing a major sap tree is a huge setback. 82 00:11:28,230 --> 00:11:32,230 But these little gremlins do have a surprisingly predatory side. 83 00:11:44,997 --> 00:11:48,627 Their spring-loaded legs can launch them up to three meters. 84 00:11:52,129 --> 00:11:54,839 Curved claws grip like mini grappling hooks. 85 00:12:05,976 --> 00:12:10,056 And those bark-chomping teeth are just as effective on insects. 86 00:12:18,197 --> 00:12:23,407 Hunting among tangles of fallen branches comes easily to these miniature monkeys. 87 00:12:32,002 --> 00:12:34,052 They'll eat pretty much anything they can grab. 88 00:12:52,773 --> 00:12:55,233 But not all is what it seems. 89 00:12:57,611 --> 00:12:59,911 An amazing display of mimicry. 90 00:13:00,614 --> 00:13:04,624 This caterpillar's impression of a deadly snake is so convincing 91 00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:08,078 it's scary. 92 00:13:21,176 --> 00:13:23,006 After hundreds of years in shadow, 93 00:13:23,554 --> 00:13:28,684 suddenly the forest floor is bathed in sunlight. 94 00:13:36,567 --> 00:13:40,987 Seeds that have laid dormant start small but aim high. 95 00:13:44,575 --> 00:13:47,995 This is now a race for light. 96 00:13:51,623 --> 00:13:54,043 Climbers and vines are quick off the mark... 97 00:13:57,129 --> 00:14:00,759 smothering any saplings as they fight for their place in the sun. 98 00:14:14,396 --> 00:14:17,816 Soon the fallen giant is carpeted in new growth. 99 00:14:25,574 --> 00:14:30,624 And the gap is transformed into a lush glade. 100 00:14:38,545 --> 00:14:40,205 But this is no Eden. 101 00:14:44,259 --> 00:14:46,679 Hummingbirds are as light as a sheet of paper. 102 00:14:48,889 --> 00:14:52,179 What they lack in size, they make up for in aggression. 103 00:15:02,569 --> 00:15:06,409 Some have daggerlike bills and even teeth. 104 00:15:10,702 --> 00:15:12,702 All for fighting over flowers. 105 00:15:17,042 --> 00:15:19,592 Hummingbirds have to refuel every few minutes. 106 00:15:21,296 --> 00:15:25,756 With feathered tongues, they lap up nectar 20 times a second. 107 00:15:29,972 --> 00:15:31,352 And they need to be quick. 108 00:15:35,310 --> 00:15:37,310 The competition is relentless. 109 00:15:40,232 --> 00:15:42,152 But it doesn't have to be like this. 110 00:15:47,573 --> 00:15:49,993 The crescent-shaped flowers of the heliconia 111 00:15:50,075 --> 00:15:52,695 are impossible for most hummingbirds to feed from. 112 00:15:57,124 --> 00:15:59,924 But the green hermit has a long, curved bill. 113 00:16:03,213 --> 00:16:05,723 It allows it to feed on the nectar in peace. 114 00:16:17,644 --> 00:16:19,564 Well, almost. 115 00:16:21,398 --> 00:16:22,818 Tinier than a pinhead, 116 00:16:23,650 --> 00:16:27,280 these flower mites have nearly drunk this heliconia dry. 117 00:16:30,157 --> 00:16:32,987 To reach the next flower, they need to hitch a lift. 118 00:16:41,084 --> 00:16:43,924 For their size, they're almost as fast as a cheetah. 119 00:16:47,299 --> 00:16:49,129 Racing up the hummingbird's beak... 120 00:16:51,637 --> 00:16:53,717 to stow away in its nostrils... 121 00:16:58,810 --> 00:17:01,360 ready to be airlifted on to the next flower. 122 00:17:13,700 --> 00:17:15,120 As the glade is overgrown, 123 00:17:15,202 --> 00:17:18,622 the forest floor falls into darkness once more. 124 00:17:24,211 --> 00:17:26,511 Fungi thrive in these damp conditions... 125 00:17:28,674 --> 00:17:31,094 rotting away the remains of fallen trees. 126 00:17:37,057 --> 00:17:40,057 Finding fresh food here is much harder. 127 00:17:52,114 --> 00:17:55,164 A Brazil nut pod is too tough for most animals. 128 00:17:58,120 --> 00:17:59,330 But not an agouti. 129 00:18:06,879 --> 00:18:09,509 What she can't eat now, she'll bury for later. 130 00:18:12,718 --> 00:18:14,138 She's nervous by nature. 131 00:18:16,346 --> 00:18:17,756 And for good reason. 132 00:18:24,897 --> 00:18:27,727 A margay is only slightly bigger than a house cat... 133 00:18:31,361 --> 00:18:33,361 but a lot deadlier. 134 00:18:59,014 --> 00:19:02,314 The dark forest floor conceals many predators. 135 00:19:05,062 --> 00:19:08,902 And on a smaller scale, they are even more sinister. 136 00:19:12,277 --> 00:19:13,737 On 40 little legs, 137 00:19:13,820 --> 00:19:18,030 this finger-length velvet worm stalks in silence. 138 00:19:19,535 --> 00:19:22,575 Its hunting tactics are the stuff of science fiction. 139 00:19:28,961 --> 00:19:32,801 Vibration sensors on its body track its victim's movement. 140 00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:40,220 It must creep closer... 141 00:19:43,141 --> 00:19:45,021 to use its secret weapon... 142 00:19:55,237 --> 00:19:56,657 Web-slingers. 143 00:20:05,247 --> 00:20:07,877 The sticky strands harden in seconds. 144 00:20:13,714 --> 00:20:14,924 There's no escape. 145 00:20:26,268 --> 00:20:29,688 Tiny creatures must be on guard at all times. 146 00:20:34,401 --> 00:20:38,241 The female strawberry dart frog has just laid a new clutch of eggs. 147 00:20:41,950 --> 00:20:44,370 But it's the male's job to keep them safe. 148 00:20:58,217 --> 00:21:00,837 Bright red color is a warning to predators. 149 00:21:04,139 --> 00:21:06,559 His skin secretes a deadly toxin. 150 00:21:10,062 --> 00:21:11,272 Just one problem... 151 00:21:15,025 --> 00:21:17,025 Fire-bellied snakes are immune. 152 00:21:19,071 --> 00:21:22,121 They are also highly sensitive to any movement. 153 00:21:26,286 --> 00:21:27,956 Keep perfectly still... 154 00:21:30,415 --> 00:21:32,075 and he might just survive. 155 00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:47,177 But he can't hide from everything. 156 00:21:54,106 --> 00:21:55,316 A rival male. 157 00:21:58,610 --> 00:22:00,030 He's after this territory. 158 00:22:07,870 --> 00:22:10,870 If he claims it, he'll eat the eggs. 159 00:22:14,793 --> 00:22:17,213 This little dad has everything to fight for. 160 00:22:27,055 --> 00:22:31,685 Both no heavier than a sugar cube, they're evenly matched. 161 00:22:46,617 --> 00:22:49,077 They can keep this up for over half an hour. 162 00:23:00,088 --> 00:23:02,298 The little frog is beginning to tire. 163 00:23:10,516 --> 00:23:12,346 But Dad comes out on top. 164 00:23:15,437 --> 00:23:18,857 His rival's seen off, at least for now. 165 00:23:21,818 --> 00:23:25,448 It's still two more weeks of guard duty before his eggs hatch. 166 00:23:34,915 --> 00:23:38,955 As the forest matures, more intricate relationships develop. 167 00:23:47,928 --> 00:23:50,558 This orchid bee is on an extraordinary mission. 168 00:23:52,432 --> 00:23:55,142 He's flown over 40 kilometers to get here. 169 00:23:58,355 --> 00:23:59,475 And he's not alone. 170 00:24:02,734 --> 00:24:07,664 All of them males, and all after one thing. 171 00:24:10,284 --> 00:24:11,494 Not pollen. 172 00:24:12,870 --> 00:24:13,910 Perfume. 173 00:24:16,498 --> 00:24:18,168 This orchid produces a fragrance 174 00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:20,880 that will make him irresistible to female bees. 175 00:24:23,297 --> 00:24:25,757 So he collects as much as he can. 176 00:24:28,177 --> 00:24:29,597 But if he's not careful... 177 00:24:32,848 --> 00:24:33,848 he'll drown in it. 178 00:24:44,985 --> 00:24:46,395 There's only one way out. 179 00:24:54,912 --> 00:24:56,412 It's a tight squeeze. 180 00:25:02,127 --> 00:25:04,957 And the orchid won't let him leave without a parting gift. 181 00:25:09,593 --> 00:25:11,803 A pollen package stuck to his back. 182 00:25:21,396 --> 00:25:23,976 The little bee's mission for a mate continues, 183 00:25:24,983 --> 00:25:26,403 but the orchid's work is done. 184 00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:46,205 For the pygmy marmosets, life seems to be returning to normal. 185 00:25:50,217 --> 00:25:52,467 Insects are harder to come by these days. 186 00:25:56,139 --> 00:25:57,219 Not a problem. 187 00:25:58,308 --> 00:26:01,558 They've been busy digging new sap wells in new trees. 188 00:26:10,112 --> 00:26:11,992 Their noisy neighbors are back too. 189 00:26:18,579 --> 00:26:22,999 Making a racket, hogging the food... 190 00:26:32,009 --> 00:26:33,429 and creating a mess. 191 00:26:42,394 --> 00:26:43,774 When nature calls, 192 00:26:44,938 --> 00:26:47,268 it falls on the little guys to sort it out. 193 00:26:54,531 --> 00:26:57,951 This tiny superhero keeps things clean in the canopy. 194 00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:07,335 A beetle, only the size of a dime. 195 00:27:08,504 --> 00:27:09,924 But no job is too big. 196 00:27:17,888 --> 00:27:19,058 From 20 meters up... 197 00:27:21,225 --> 00:27:23,345 he just holds on tight. 198 00:27:43,580 --> 00:27:45,750 And here comes the rest of the cleanup crew. 199 00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:03,135 The dung balls are rolled away to be buried. 200 00:28:06,270 --> 00:28:07,480 Food for their young. 201 00:28:10,691 --> 00:28:12,691 And fertilizer for the forest. 202 00:28:19,199 --> 00:28:23,199 The jungle is a complex world full of amazing little animals. 203 00:28:24,663 --> 00:28:26,793 All with their own unique role to play. 204 00:28:32,129 --> 00:28:34,969 And these tiny primates have found their place too. 205 00:28:41,555 --> 00:28:44,385 Their crowded little patch of forest is ever-changing. 206 00:28:48,437 --> 00:28:51,357 But for now, life is sweet. 207 00:28:56,195 --> 00:28:57,235 And down below... 208 00:28:58,614 --> 00:29:01,414 One Brazil nut the agouti left behind... 209 00:29:07,206 --> 00:29:09,416 Slowly growing in the shadows. 210 00:29:13,086 --> 00:29:14,506 Playing the long game. 211 00:29:17,424 --> 00:29:22,434 From small beginnings, giants emerge. 212 00:29:34,358 --> 00:29:37,188 The jungle might look like an endless sea of green... 213 00:29:40,739 --> 00:29:45,579 but each and every tree is home to a universe of little wonders. 214 00:29:51,166 --> 00:29:52,576 A strawberry dart frog 215 00:29:53,085 --> 00:29:55,915 looking to find a safe place for her tiny tadpole. 216 00:30:00,300 --> 00:30:01,390 She better get moving... 217 00:30:13,981 --> 00:30:15,981 to raise the next generation. 218 00:30:17,943 --> 00:30:19,613 It's a long journey... 219 00:30:20,404 --> 00:30:22,164 all the way up.