1 00:00:18,414 --> 00:00:19,415 The night. 2 00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:30,385 A shadowy world that hides more than half the animals on our planet. 3 00:00:33,555 --> 00:00:38,768 Until now, cameras only offered a glimpse into their lives. 4 00:00:41,771 --> 00:00:44,858 But with next-generation technology, 5 00:00:44,941 --> 00:00:49,863 we can see the night as clear as day. 6 00:00:56,536 --> 00:01:00,790 With cameras a hundred times more sensitive than the human eye... 7 00:01:04,084 --> 00:01:06,880 we can now capture the beauty of night... 8 00:01:09,340 --> 00:01:10,466 in color. 9 00:01:15,346 --> 00:01:17,223 Alien landscapes. 10 00:01:20,226 --> 00:01:24,856 Strange creatures brought to life by the darkness. 11 00:01:27,734 --> 00:01:30,236 Unseen behaviors. 12 00:01:37,243 --> 00:01:40,788 Now we can follow the lives of animals 13 00:01:41,623 --> 00:01:44,125 in Earth's last true wilderness. 14 00:01:46,586 --> 00:01:47,587 The night. 15 00:02:10,735 --> 00:02:16,241 Another day draws to a close across Kenya's Maasai Mara. 16 00:02:24,958 --> 00:02:29,254 A last refuge for Africa's lions. 17 00:02:36,302 --> 00:02:41,891 The grasslands here are home to three generations of a small family. 18 00:02:49,524 --> 00:02:51,234 Six adolescents. 19 00:02:57,073 --> 00:02:58,324 A pride male. 20 00:03:00,618 --> 00:03:03,454 And one devoted mother. 21 00:03:08,167 --> 00:03:09,377 The lioness. 22 00:03:15,174 --> 00:03:17,427 She has three new cubs. 23 00:03:22,015 --> 00:03:23,975 At ten weeks old, 24 00:03:24,058 --> 00:03:27,437 her youngsters are too small to defend themselves... 25 00:03:31,357 --> 00:03:34,068 but big enough to get into trouble. 26 00:03:38,740 --> 00:03:42,118 The coming weeks will test this mother more than ever. 27 00:03:44,787 --> 00:03:49,334 Only around one in three cubs make it through their first year. 28 00:03:56,466 --> 00:04:00,470 By day, the lioness must rest. 29 00:04:06,559 --> 00:04:08,811 Because as the sun sets... 30 00:04:11,564 --> 00:04:13,483 her work begins. 31 00:04:28,831 --> 00:04:31,584 Lions are largely nocturnal... 32 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:41,761 living out 80% of their lives after dark. 33 00:04:46,474 --> 00:04:50,103 We've never been able to tell the full story 34 00:04:51,062 --> 00:04:54,399 of a lioness and her family at night. 35 00:05:00,905 --> 00:05:02,949 But for the first time, 36 00:05:03,032 --> 00:05:07,662 low-light cameras can see their moonlit world... 37 00:05:11,666 --> 00:05:12,709 in color. 38 00:05:20,967 --> 00:05:24,470 This astonishing new way of seeing the night 39 00:05:25,138 --> 00:05:29,559 offers a whole new understanding of lion family life. 40 00:05:36,065 --> 00:05:37,567 At the start of the night, 41 00:05:38,401 --> 00:05:42,238 one important member of the family is absent. 42 00:05:45,325 --> 00:05:48,411 The pride male is out on patrol. 43 00:05:54,125 --> 00:05:58,254 His job is to protect his 40-square-kilometer territory 44 00:05:58,338 --> 00:06:00,381 from rival lions. 45 00:06:10,683 --> 00:06:13,561 His roar is a warning call 46 00:06:14,479 --> 00:06:18,107 that travels further at night when the air is cool. 47 00:06:33,831 --> 00:06:36,584 Bellowing at over a hundred decibels... 48 00:06:41,548 --> 00:06:45,802 he can be heard eight kilometers away. 49 00:06:50,181 --> 00:06:52,433 It's clearly exhausting work. 50 00:06:55,395 --> 00:06:57,355 But he gives it everything he's got... 51 00:07:00,358 --> 00:07:06,865 to keep his family safe in the darkness. 52 00:07:16,958 --> 00:07:19,085 Protected by the male, 53 00:07:20,003 --> 00:07:25,216 the lioness's first job of the night is to feed her cubs. 54 00:07:33,641 --> 00:07:35,518 At ten weeks old, 55 00:07:35,602 --> 00:07:38,980 cubs are entirely dependent on milk from their mother 56 00:07:39,814 --> 00:07:42,567 and can each drink up to a liter a night. 57 00:07:52,118 --> 00:07:53,369 Once she's fed them... 58 00:07:55,413 --> 00:08:00,043 she lets them play with their older brothers and sisters in the moonlight. 59 00:08:08,968 --> 00:08:11,846 Lions aren't just more active at night. 60 00:08:11,930 --> 00:08:14,515 They're also more social. 61 00:08:21,564 --> 00:08:26,569 The cubs might be small, but they're already learning to play fight. 62 00:08:33,368 --> 00:08:35,578 But if things get too boisterous... 63 00:08:39,457 --> 00:08:41,543 the lioness steps in. 64 00:08:52,387 --> 00:08:53,638 Playtime... 65 00:08:56,683 --> 00:08:57,892 is over. 66 00:09:08,069 --> 00:09:15,034 As the most experienced female, the lioness must feed the whole pride. 67 00:09:20,373 --> 00:09:23,751 But she can't hunt with her cubs in tow. 68 00:09:39,809 --> 00:09:41,227 To the human eye... 69 00:09:43,146 --> 00:09:44,981 it's almost pitch black. 70 00:09:48,651 --> 00:09:50,195 But our cameras show... 71 00:09:53,114 --> 00:09:55,116 that to hunt for her family, 72 00:09:55,992 --> 00:10:00,413 her only option is to abandon her cubs. 73 00:10:09,923 --> 00:10:12,342 With her little ones unguarded... 74 00:10:14,469 --> 00:10:17,722 the lioness knows she must work fast. 75 00:10:27,398 --> 00:10:30,485 Lions are known for hunting as a pride. 76 00:10:35,406 --> 00:10:36,533 But tonight... 77 00:10:39,244 --> 00:10:42,497 the lioness doesn't rely on teamwork. 78 00:10:53,508 --> 00:10:57,220 With night vision six times more sensitive than ours, 79 00:10:58,429 --> 00:11:01,516 she picks out a herd of wildebeest. 80 00:11:17,282 --> 00:11:19,659 Approaching from downwind, 81 00:11:19,742 --> 00:11:24,873 she must get within 30 meters of her prey. 82 00:12:18,551 --> 00:12:21,596 She makes the kill all on her own. 83 00:12:25,475 --> 00:12:29,812 An adult wildebeest will provide food for her whole family 84 00:12:29,896 --> 00:12:31,356 for up to two nights. 85 00:12:43,952 --> 00:12:46,746 But the lioness can't rest for long. 86 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,210 She must get back to her cubs. 87 00:13:00,093 --> 00:13:04,722 Lions aren't the only animals to hunt these grasslands by moonlight. 88 00:13:12,272 --> 00:13:14,649 An African eagle owl. 89 00:13:17,944 --> 00:13:20,530 With eyes adapted for the darkness... 90 00:13:22,407 --> 00:13:25,326 and fringed wings that reduce noise... 91 00:13:27,912 --> 00:13:32,417 he swoops silently down on rodents and reptiles. 92 00:13:35,628 --> 00:13:42,135 But under a full moon his usual prey will see him coming. 93 00:13:48,933 --> 00:13:53,605 So instead he targets smaller victims hiding in the grass. 94 00:13:58,526 --> 00:14:03,323 To catch them, the eagle owl must get off his perch 95 00:14:04,282 --> 00:14:07,035 and chase them down on foot. 96 00:14:15,543 --> 00:14:19,964 A wolf spider makes a tasty supplement to his normal diet. 97 00:14:23,509 --> 00:14:26,804 But to get the same calories he'd find in a mouse... 98 00:14:31,100 --> 00:14:36,064 he'll have to catch up to 30 spiders. 99 00:14:58,002 --> 00:15:02,006 With more than 60 different species on his nightly menu, 100 00:15:02,090 --> 00:15:05,718 the eagle owl isn't exactly a fussy eater. 101 00:15:31,452 --> 00:15:33,121 Back with the pride... 102 00:15:34,455 --> 00:15:36,624 the family is still feasting. 103 00:15:43,965 --> 00:15:46,384 But the lioness can hear danger. 104 00:15:51,180 --> 00:15:52,181 Hyenas. 105 00:15:54,684 --> 00:15:59,480 These nocturnal scavengers steal around 20% of lion kills. 106 00:16:07,906 --> 00:16:10,408 The pride male has heard the commotion. 107 00:16:22,003 --> 00:16:26,716 A single adult male is powerful enough to drive off an entire mob. 108 00:16:33,932 --> 00:16:37,227 Now he wants his share of the kill. 109 00:16:38,394 --> 00:16:40,563 And not even the lioness... 110 00:16:44,067 --> 00:16:46,152 can stand in his way. 111 00:16:58,957 --> 00:17:00,750 Bullied off her own kill... 112 00:17:03,628 --> 00:17:05,629 and with hyenas at large, 113 00:17:06,422 --> 00:17:09,634 the lioness must now find her three cubs. 114 00:17:19,060 --> 00:17:24,357 A low-pitched grunting call is how lion mothers summon their youngsters. 115 00:17:56,180 --> 00:17:59,309 One of the cubs is safe. 116 00:18:06,065 --> 00:18:10,278 But the other two are missing. 117 00:18:16,743 --> 00:18:20,622 It's not uncommon for cubs to go astray for a few hours at night. 118 00:18:21,414 --> 00:18:27,420 But they usually respond to their mother's contact calls if they're close by. 119 00:18:36,554 --> 00:18:41,517 Her young cub's meows are a sign of distress. 120 00:18:52,111 --> 00:18:58,201 In the darkness, she scans the night for any trace of her cubs. 121 00:19:04,916 --> 00:19:08,878 She will not give up until she finds them. 122 00:19:21,140 --> 00:19:22,767 Three days later... 123 00:19:27,689 --> 00:19:31,526 and despite calling day and night across her territory... 124 00:19:37,532 --> 00:19:41,411 the lioness still hasn't found her missing cubs. 125 00:19:50,253 --> 00:19:56,009 Without milk, cubs will struggle to survive beyond four days. 126 00:20:01,180 --> 00:20:04,475 The odds are now stacked against them. 127 00:20:10,607 --> 00:20:13,193 A fourth night draws in. 128 00:20:21,910 --> 00:20:23,661 Her search continues... 129 00:20:27,290 --> 00:20:28,833 with her little one in tow. 130 00:20:43,306 --> 00:20:45,767 And she's right to persevere. 131 00:20:51,356 --> 00:20:54,108 Her missing cubs are alive. 132 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,282 But they're not alone. 133 00:21:06,913 --> 00:21:09,374 Hyenas are close by. 134 00:21:12,835 --> 00:21:14,879 And they're not the only threat. 135 00:21:21,970 --> 00:21:25,265 If buffalo stumble into the cubs' hiding place, 136 00:21:25,348 --> 00:21:26,599 they will trample them. 137 00:21:39,112 --> 00:21:41,447 The lioness can sense the dangers. 138 00:21:54,335 --> 00:21:58,172 Finally, after four nights... 139 00:22:00,258 --> 00:22:03,678 she hears a call she recognizes. 140 00:22:25,033 --> 00:22:29,162 Moving closer, she picks up a scent. 141 00:22:56,356 --> 00:22:57,357 Safe... 142 00:23:00,318 --> 00:23:01,736 at last. 143 00:23:12,914 --> 00:23:15,917 Her family is reunited. 144 00:23:37,564 --> 00:23:41,609 Lions are the most social of all the big cats. 145 00:23:45,780 --> 00:23:48,408 But because they're largely nocturnal 146 00:23:48,491 --> 00:23:54,122 until now we've only had a glimpse of their complex family lives. 147 00:24:06,342 --> 00:24:10,471 By following this pride night after night... 148 00:24:11,931 --> 00:24:16,644 we can finally see the lengths a lioness will go to... 149 00:24:19,314 --> 00:24:24,694 to keep her family fed, together and alive. 150 00:24:46,883 --> 00:24:50,345 Following a small pride of lions in the darkness 151 00:24:50,428 --> 00:24:52,555 across Kenya's Maasai Mara... 152 00:24:55,016 --> 00:24:56,184 Is that yours? 153 00:24:58,269 --> 00:25:01,606 ...the Earth at Night team saw how the whole family 154 00:25:01,689 --> 00:25:05,026 relied on the lioness to survive. 155 00:25:06,986 --> 00:25:08,112 She's a great mom. 156 00:25:09,113 --> 00:25:12,408 It's amazing how well she's worked to protect these cubs. 157 00:25:17,163 --> 00:25:18,331 She's incredibly vigilant. 158 00:25:18,414 --> 00:25:20,124 You watch her when she's with her cubs. 159 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:25,421 She's always looking around for potential signs of danger, approaching hyenas... 160 00:25:26,965 --> 00:25:29,342 The lioness was a devoted mother. 161 00:25:30,468 --> 00:25:32,512 But with so many mouths to feed, 162 00:25:32,595 --> 00:25:35,056 it was clear she was also overstretched. 163 00:25:40,478 --> 00:25:44,232 So when two of her young cubs went missing during filming... 164 00:25:51,281 --> 00:25:53,283 the team feared the worst. 165 00:25:54,242 --> 00:25:58,079 Buffalo, lions and hyenas are the three biggest threats to lion cubs. 166 00:25:58,162 --> 00:26:00,081 And two of them hit them yesterday afternoon. 167 00:26:00,582 --> 00:26:02,542 I mean, it's heartrending. It really is. 168 00:26:04,669 --> 00:26:09,215 Each life is precious in this last refuge for lions. 169 00:26:13,052 --> 00:26:15,972 Guides and spotters worked around the clock. 170 00:26:22,562 --> 00:26:26,983 And the team's low-light camera technology aided the search. 171 00:26:34,157 --> 00:26:37,118 By the fourth night they were giving up hope. 172 00:26:38,036 --> 00:26:40,121 I can hear hyenas. 173 00:26:41,581 --> 00:26:45,293 There's something happening just near your side. 174 00:26:45,376 --> 00:26:46,711 Okay. Hold it. Hold it. 175 00:26:48,087 --> 00:26:50,089 We were absolutely convinced that they weren't alive. 176 00:26:50,173 --> 00:26:51,507 That they'd been killed. 177 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,721 Hey, hey, look at this! Here the two cubs are there. 178 00:27:00,642 --> 00:27:03,269 Using these cameras, for me, has been a real revelation. 179 00:27:05,605 --> 00:27:08,650 It's allowing us to see stuff that we would never normally see. 180 00:27:10,276 --> 00:27:12,946 Turns us humans into nocturnal animals. 181 00:27:18,868 --> 00:27:20,328 This is just incredible. 182 00:27:21,079 --> 00:27:24,374 We've now found the mother with all three cubs together. 183 00:27:33,925 --> 00:27:38,555 There are only around 20,000 lions left in the world. 184 00:27:39,556 --> 00:27:46,312 The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a last refuge for these majestic animals. 185 00:27:47,105 --> 00:27:49,190 Lions represent the spirit of Africa. 186 00:27:50,942 --> 00:27:52,610 You take that spirit away 187 00:27:52,694 --> 00:27:54,946 and Africa's just lost something truly very special. 188 00:27:57,282 --> 00:27:59,117 At this crucial time... 189 00:28:01,244 --> 00:28:07,125 when we're only beginning to understand the complex nocturnal lives of lions, 190 00:28:07,834 --> 00:28:14,465 it's more important than ever to protect Africa's most magnificent big cat.