1 00:00:39,327 --> 00:00:44,037 In the animal world, the bizarre is commonplace. 2 00:00:46,287 --> 00:00:49,996 The powers of nature make almost anything possible. 3 00:00:53,647 --> 00:00:56,559 But even events that seem paranormal 4 00:00:56,607 --> 00:00:59,804 usually have down-to-earth explanations. 5 00:01:20,167 --> 00:01:21,361 (Cawing) 6 00:01:22,647 --> 00:01:26,560 This journey explores the weirder side of nature. 7 00:01:28,327 --> 00:01:33,401 Crop circles inhabit the strange world between science and popular mythology. 8 00:01:34,647 --> 00:01:36,842 They are either attributed to aliens 9 00:01:36,887 --> 00:01:39,447 or revealed as the work of hoaxers. 10 00:01:39,487 --> 00:01:43,560 In any event, their scientific credibility has collapsed. 11 00:01:44,927 --> 00:01:48,886 But corn circles have been reported since the Middle Ages 12 00:01:48,927 --> 00:01:51,487 when devils in the crop were blamed. 13 00:01:52,807 --> 00:01:56,083 Some must have a natural explanation. 14 00:01:57,687 --> 00:02:02,203 Wind appears in many forms, from tornadoes to dust devils. 15 00:02:02,247 --> 00:02:04,841 Its power is still mysterious. 16 00:02:18,207 --> 00:02:20,721 Although tornadoes are rare in Britain, 17 00:02:20,767 --> 00:02:23,645 smaller pillars of rotating air are common. 18 00:02:23,687 --> 00:02:27,475 It seems these miniature twisters whip the corn into shape. 19 00:02:47,447 --> 00:02:52,601 Inside the vortex, collapsing columns of air create a downward thrust. 20 00:02:52,647 --> 00:02:57,084 0ther rotating forces are thought to cut out the circle. 21 00:02:57,127 --> 00:03:01,245 The more creative designs are the work of hoaxers. 22 00:03:04,927 --> 00:03:08,124 The force of the wind is only one of nature´s miracles. 23 00:03:11,207 --> 00:03:13,767 In the lost worlds of Central America, 24 00:03:13,807 --> 00:03:16,879 it´s animals that dabble in the paranormal. 25 00:03:24,247 --> 00:03:27,319 The Jesus Christ lizard lives up to its name 26 00:03:27,367 --> 00:03:29,756 by performing a miracle. 27 00:03:31,727 --> 00:03:36,517 Also known as the basilisk, its powers are reserved for times of danger. 28 00:03:36,567 --> 00:03:38,319 (Bang) 29 00:03:39,407 --> 00:03:41,398 (Crashing) 30 00:03:50,207 --> 00:03:53,483 In its world, threat takes many forms. 31 00:04:13,247 --> 00:04:17,559 To escape, the Jesus Christ lizard walks on water. 32 00:04:24,487 --> 00:04:29,003 The name basilisk suggests another miraculous power. 33 00:04:29,047 --> 00:04:33,438 The mythical basilisk could kill with a single glance. 34 00:04:39,327 --> 00:04:42,603 Although this lizard takes its name from the fabled beast, 35 00:04:42,647 --> 00:04:46,242 the resemblance is probably purely physical. 36 00:04:54,447 --> 00:04:57,678 The miracle is seems to perform can be explained. 37 00:04:57,727 --> 00:05:03,006 As it runs, its feet trap cushions of air that stop them breaking the surface. 38 00:05:05,607 --> 00:05:10,158 Walking on air, it can cross up to 40 metres of water 39 00:05:10,207 --> 00:05:13,597 but only by reaching speeds of ten kilometres an hour. 40 00:05:21,047 --> 00:05:24,437 Although this basilisk may not really have looks that kill, 41 00:05:24,487 --> 00:05:29,163 some animals do seem to possess the evil eye. 42 00:05:32,007 --> 00:05:35,920 A hunting predator has a penetrating gaze. 43 00:05:37,407 --> 00:05:41,639 Stories tell of animals dropping dead with this intimidating sight. 44 00:05:44,327 --> 00:05:47,399 Perhaps the stress initiates a heart attack. 45 00:05:51,967 --> 00:05:56,677 For when eyes meet, there is often a moment of hypnotic tension. 46 00:06:01,527 --> 00:06:05,964 Frozen, neither wants to initiate a chase when the stakes are so high. 47 00:06:20,127 --> 00:06:23,119 For some, the shock can simply be too much. 48 00:06:31,727 --> 00:06:35,959 The trauma of attack can initiate another hypnotic state. 49 00:06:40,767 --> 00:06:44,157 These pigeons are in a state of trance, 50 00:06:44,207 --> 00:06:47,165 a bizarre condition that affects many different animals. 51 00:06:52,127 --> 00:06:54,925 Alligators are easily mesmerised too, 52 00:06:54,967 --> 00:06:57,606 a fact exploited by Florida showmen. 53 00:07:01,727 --> 00:07:06,118 Avoid the teeth, and it´s easy to provoke this weird, catatonic state. 54 00:07:13,447 --> 00:07:17,281 The alligator reacts as if it had been grabbed by another predator. 55 00:07:24,847 --> 00:07:27,998 A chicken can be hypnotised too, 56 00:07:28,047 --> 00:07:32,006 by turning it over and focusing its attention. 57 00:07:38,167 --> 00:07:41,762 These strange states probably originated as a defence. 58 00:07:41,807 --> 00:07:44,844 Predators react to movement. 59 00:07:44,887 --> 00:07:48,800 If their quarry plays dead, the killer instinct is suppressed. 60 00:07:52,607 --> 00:07:56,964 It´s this inborn defence that´s triggered when people hypnotise animals. 61 00:08:02,007 --> 00:08:05,079 In trance, breathing and heart rates drop. 62 00:08:05,127 --> 00:08:07,402 They can stay like this for hours. 63 00:08:07,447 --> 00:08:11,235 When they come to, it´s as though a hypnotist has clicked his fingers. 64 00:08:23,407 --> 00:08:26,285 They even wake together. 65 00:08:31,007 --> 00:08:33,316 And they don´t remember a thing. 66 00:08:41,007 --> 00:08:46,081 In the Mexican deserts, predators are faced with another miraculous defence. 67 00:08:49,407 --> 00:08:53,241 The horned lizard uses camouflage only as a first resort. 68 00:08:56,887 --> 00:09:00,243 Its eyes hold the secret of ultimate defence. 69 00:09:00,287 --> 00:09:02,084 (Dog barks ) 70 00:09:09,407 --> 00:09:11,875 The lizard´s behaviour is so bizarre, 71 00:09:11,927 --> 00:09:15,840 reports of it were originally disbelieved by science. 72 00:09:28,607 --> 00:09:32,998 Many predators are deterred by the lizard´s alarming, spiny appearance. 73 00:09:33,047 --> 00:09:36,801 But sometimes, curiosity gets the better of them. 74 00:09:36,847 --> 00:09:38,166 (Dog barks ) 75 00:09:38,207 --> 00:09:41,802 The lizard increases the blood pressure in the eye sinuses 76 00:09:41,847 --> 00:09:45,044 until their walls burst. 77 00:09:46,687 --> 00:09:49,406 Blood squirts a metre into the air, 78 00:09:49,447 --> 00:09:53,281 a trick that can be repeated 20 times in succession. 79 00:09:56,847 --> 00:10:01,477 The dog is shocked into retreat, and the lizard remains unharmed. 80 00:10:05,527 --> 00:10:10,442 Statues that bleed are sometimes credited with the power to heal. 81 00:10:15,247 --> 00:10:19,684 In nature, healing happens without the need for divine intervention. 82 00:10:23,607 --> 00:10:26,485 The red colobus monkeys of Zanzibar 83 00:10:26,527 --> 00:10:28,916 have the power to heal themselves. 84 00:10:30,167 --> 00:10:33,716 The poisonous leaves of almond and mango can give them stomachache. 85 00:10:35,127 --> 00:10:38,039 Just like human sufferers, they seek a cure. 86 00:10:39,167 --> 00:10:41,078 (Cock crows ) 87 00:10:48,087 --> 00:10:52,877 Like herbalists, monkeys and apes have knowledge of medicinal plants. 88 00:10:52,927 --> 00:10:57,125 Chimpanzees know of cures for parasitic infections. 89 00:10:57,167 --> 00:10:59,920 Baboons even have a remedy for period pains. 90 00:10:59,967 --> 00:11:04,438 But these colobus seek a man-made medicine. 91 00:11:08,607 --> 00:11:10,598 They´ve recently discovered 92 00:11:10,647 --> 00:11:14,037 that the remedy for stomachache is theirs for the taking. 93 00:11:20,407 --> 00:11:21,999 (Bicycle bell) 94 00:11:26,247 --> 00:11:28,477 Charcoal burners work in the forest 95 00:11:28,527 --> 00:11:32,315 and a steady stream of baskets carries their produce into town. 96 00:11:35,047 --> 00:11:38,756 This charred wood makes effective medicine for the colobus. 97 00:11:49,487 --> 00:11:52,957 People use charcoal primarily as fuel, 98 00:11:53,007 --> 00:11:55,123 but it can also be taken as a remedy. 99 00:11:56,767 --> 00:11:59,201 It works by absorbing poisons, 100 00:11:59,247 --> 00:12:02,876 a property long recognised by western medicine. 101 00:12:06,127 --> 00:12:09,244 0nce the monkeys learned to appreciate its value, 102 00:12:09,287 --> 00:12:11,881 they seized on any chance to steal, 103 00:12:11,927 --> 00:12:15,203 behaviour that hasn´t endeared them to the locals. 104 00:12:16,407 --> 00:12:18,602 (Shouting) 105 00:12:24,087 --> 00:12:27,966 Through thieving, they gain an antidote to the tree´s poisons, 106 00:12:28,007 --> 00:12:30,840 allowing them to feed on a greater variety of leaves 107 00:12:30,887 --> 00:12:33,481 without fear of stomach upsets. 108 00:12:42,647 --> 00:12:47,562 Like monkeys, birds too have an uncanny sense of what´s good for them. 109 00:12:51,167 --> 00:12:55,206 There are even good reasons for this jackdaw´s bizarre interest in smoke. 110 00:13:01,327 --> 00:13:03,921 A crow stirring up an ant´s nest 111 00:13:03,967 --> 00:13:06,356 could provide an explanation. 112 00:13:14,327 --> 00:13:18,161 The ants are provoked to a frenzy by the crow´s ritualised movements. 113 00:13:26,167 --> 00:13:28,556 They attack with aggressive bites. 114 00:13:32,207 --> 00:13:35,199 They also have a chemical weapon, 115 00:13:35,247 --> 00:13:38,159 a spray of formic acid that they squirt at any attacker. 116 00:13:49,367 --> 00:13:52,404 But the crow´s apparent masochism has a purpose. 117 00:13:52,447 --> 00:13:55,280 The acid spray kills bacteria and parasites. 118 00:13:55,327 --> 00:13:58,046 It´s the perfect plumage conditioner. 119 00:14:02,047 --> 00:14:04,402 Smoke seems to act in a similar way, 120 00:14:04,447 --> 00:14:07,280 fumigating the jackdaw´s plumage. 121 00:14:12,207 --> 00:14:14,801 Burning desire can go further. 122 00:14:14,847 --> 00:14:17,441 Some jackdaws crave cigarettes. 123 00:14:31,247 --> 00:14:35,479 It´s not the nicotine that attracts. It´s the smouldering tip. 124 00:14:36,767 --> 00:14:39,406 Anything bright or burning fascinates them. 125 00:14:41,327 --> 00:14:45,878 In the Middle Ages, birds of the crow family were known as fire birds. 126 00:14:51,167 --> 00:14:53,601 When fires in the hearth were common, 127 00:14:53,647 --> 00:14:57,435 nature´s fire starters carried smouldering embers instead. 128 00:15:03,247 --> 00:15:07,684 Some still believe a jackdaw visiting a house is a bad omen, 129 00:15:07,727 --> 00:15:10,195 certainly true if it carries a cigarette. 130 00:15:18,007 --> 00:15:21,317 Birds bringing glowing treasures to the nest 131 00:15:21,367 --> 00:15:24,404 explain many mysterious fires. 132 00:15:31,687 --> 00:15:34,645 A bird´s pyromania may have given rise 133 00:15:34,687 --> 00:15:37,997 to the myth of the phoenix rising from the ashes, 134 00:15:38,047 --> 00:15:41,722 particularly as birds that smoke-bathe also play with fire. 135 00:15:48,767 --> 00:15:53,522 Mysterious fires include spontaneous human combustion. 136 00:15:56,327 --> 00:15:59,717 0ne creature really does self-combust. 137 00:16:04,207 --> 00:16:10,237 Instead of fire, the bombardier beetle´s combustion involves chemical burning. 138 00:16:10,287 --> 00:16:13,518 Two body chambers separate the chemicals involved. 139 00:16:21,887 --> 00:16:26,244 When attacked, the chemicals flood into a combustion chamber 140 00:16:26,287 --> 00:16:27,879 with explosive effect. 141 00:16:37,847 --> 00:16:42,204 They´re shot out as a boiling, noxious spray. 142 00:16:45,847 --> 00:16:47,644 To control the chemical reaction, 143 00:16:47,687 --> 00:16:50,997 the beetle pulses the spray 700 times a second. 144 00:16:55,847 --> 00:16:58,805 This stops it boiling itself alive. 145 00:17:01,087 --> 00:17:05,205 Some creatures appear less concerned about their own survival. 146 00:17:09,367 --> 00:17:13,918 Why whales strand is one of the natural world´s great mysteries. 147 00:17:17,687 --> 00:17:20,759 The reason may lie in their extra sensory perception. 148 00:17:20,807 --> 00:17:25,437 Whales can sense distortions in the earth´s magnetic field 149 00:17:25,487 --> 00:17:28,718 caused by the rock beneath the ocean floor. 150 00:17:28,767 --> 00:17:34,558 These create an invisible landscape similar to the contour lines of a map. 151 00:17:43,487 --> 00:17:47,878 In places, the magnetic force lines create invisible roadways, 152 00:17:47,927 --> 00:17:50,122 almost like ley lines. 153 00:17:50,167 --> 00:17:53,842 Whales are believed to follow these routes on their migrations. 154 00:17:55,087 --> 00:17:59,205 When the roadways lead to the shore, the results can be devastating. 155 00:18:14,727 --> 00:18:17,924 If the leader beaches, the others follow. 156 00:18:17,967 --> 00:18:21,198 Their strong social bonds bind them together. 157 00:18:24,087 --> 00:18:26,920 Between 1,000 and 2,000 whales 158 00:18:26,967 --> 00:18:31,006 inadvertently kill themselves this way each year. 159 00:18:37,607 --> 00:18:40,724 Illness might be another cause of stranding, 160 00:18:40,767 --> 00:18:44,840 but disruption of their magnetic sense is the likely explanation. 161 00:18:49,687 --> 00:18:53,316 Mysteries still surround many natural phenomena. 162 00:18:56,567 --> 00:19:00,355 Stories tell of live toads found entombed in rocks, 163 00:19:00,407 --> 00:19:04,161 a paranormal riddle that may have a rational explanation. 164 00:19:06,927 --> 00:19:12,445 When young toads disperse, they seek shelter anywhere damp and protected. 165 00:19:12,487 --> 00:19:18,039 Insects seeking similar shelter give the toad little reason to leave. 166 00:19:24,687 --> 00:19:28,077 0ver the years, the toad starts to outgrow its home 167 00:19:28,127 --> 00:19:30,846 until the chamber becomes a prison. 168 00:19:36,447 --> 00:19:40,360 The crack is too small to squeeze through and the toad is entombed. 169 00:19:40,407 --> 00:19:45,083 0nly human help can release him from his rocky grave. 170 00:20:04,327 --> 00:20:07,842 To an observer, the natural has become paranormal. 171 00:20:16,847 --> 00:20:20,920 Another apparently supernatural power is that of telepathy. 172 00:20:20,967 --> 00:20:23,765 Because termites build complex structures 173 00:20:23,807 --> 00:20:26,446 as though controlled by a single mind, 174 00:20:26,487 --> 00:20:29,763 telepathy was once proposed as an explanation. 175 00:20:36,207 --> 00:20:38,163 We now know chemical messages 176 00:20:38,207 --> 00:20:42,325 unite the actions of the colony in their construction work. 177 00:20:48,007 --> 00:20:51,795 True telepathy involves the transfer of electrical waves 178 00:20:51,847 --> 00:20:53,917 from one brain to another. 179 00:20:53,967 --> 00:20:57,243 The elephant-trunk fish has this power. 180 00:20:59,927 --> 00:21:04,318 Special circumstances can demonstrate their paranormal ability. 181 00:21:27,447 --> 00:21:31,440 Elephant-trunk fish communicate with electricity. 182 00:21:31,487 --> 00:21:35,002 This signal travels along a wire more readily than through water. 183 00:21:36,607 --> 00:21:39,644 If a wire links two pools together, 184 00:21:39,687 --> 00:21:43,919 a female could use it to send a message, as if making a phone call. 185 00:21:49,247 --> 00:21:53,399 If a male is on the other end of the line, the conversation can get heated. 186 00:21:56,087 --> 00:21:58,885 He can even persuade her to lay eggs. 187 00:22:10,127 --> 00:22:13,836 But when making private calls like this, you never know who´s listening. 188 00:22:15,527 --> 00:22:19,600 A rival male can be provoked into sending an electrical challenge. 189 00:22:26,327 --> 00:22:29,524 This jamming signal forces his opponent off the line. 190 00:22:31,487 --> 00:22:33,478 (Dialling tone ) 191 00:22:36,887 --> 00:22:40,436 The world of the paranormal is full of surprises. 192 00:22:45,807 --> 00:22:50,642 Like some kind of astrologer, a bush baby looks to the stars for guidance. 193 00:22:52,767 --> 00:22:55,042 He knows the different constellations, 194 00:22:55,087 --> 00:22:59,444 and uses them like a map to plot his nightly wanderings. 195 00:23:19,207 --> 00:23:24,235 The Dogon tribe of Central Africa also have an interest in the stars. 196 00:23:24,967 --> 00:23:28,243 Their understanding almost defies belief. 197 00:23:29,687 --> 00:23:33,316 Bush babies can see ten times better in darkness than humans, 198 00:23:33,367 --> 00:23:36,723 but the Dogons have knowledge beyond any vision. 199 00:23:38,087 --> 00:23:42,797 Without telescopes, they knew of the existence of Jupiter´s moons 200 00:23:44,727 --> 00:23:47,639 and the complexities of the Sirius star system, 201 00:23:47,687 --> 00:23:51,475 long before it was discovered by astronomers. 202 00:23:52,967 --> 00:23:57,882 The Dogons believe the information was given to them by extraterrestrials. 203 00:24:01,207 --> 00:24:03,641 Aliens may be more common than we think. 204 00:24:08,167 --> 00:24:12,843 Throughout history, comets have been associated with outbreaks of disease 205 00:24:12,887 --> 00:24:15,845 and there is a theory that viruses and spores 206 00:24:15,887 --> 00:24:18,447 are carried in the icy debris of their tail. 207 00:24:30,367 --> 00:24:33,643 Comets do contain the chemicals needed for life 208 00:24:33,687 --> 00:24:36,485 and probably seeded our planet with them. 209 00:24:36,527 --> 00:24:38,961 But fungal and bacterial spores 210 00:24:39,007 --> 00:24:41,760 are resilient enough to make the journey unaided. 211 00:24:41,807 --> 00:24:45,925 Spores produced on earth can survive the rigours of space. 212 00:24:54,367 --> 00:24:57,803 They can stay in suspended animation for thousands of years 213 00:24:57,847 --> 00:25:01,760 and are small enough to escape the effects of earth´s gravity. 214 00:25:09,487 --> 00:25:13,605 Perhaps the spores of earth travel to other planets 215 00:25:13,647 --> 00:25:16,684 and the life of other planets reaches us. 216 00:25:23,407 --> 00:25:27,036 Who knows? Aliens may have been under our noses all along. 217 00:25:27,087 --> 00:25:28,679 (Sneezes ) 218 00:25:45,647 --> 00:25:48,719 We look to the sky to find evidence of other life 219 00:25:48,767 --> 00:25:52,965 but the life of our own planet is still full of surprises. 220 00:25:56,047 --> 00:26:00,438 The wind not only carves the corn circles we attribute to aliens, 221 00:26:00,487 --> 00:26:04,321 it´s responsible for the one of the most bizarre events in nature. 222 00:26:11,607 --> 00:26:16,237 Whirlwinds over water become water spouts. 223 00:26:24,927 --> 00:26:27,646 They have phenomenal lifting power. 224 00:26:54,247 --> 00:26:58,638 The swirling suction can empty the entire contents of a pond. 225 00:27:11,407 --> 00:27:14,319 But what goes up must come down, 226 00:27:14,367 --> 00:27:16,085 somewhere. 227 00:27:17,327 --> 00:27:21,479 Stories of fish falling from the sky have been told for centuries. 228 00:27:26,127 --> 00:27:29,164 0ver 600 accounts date from this century alone. 229 00:27:33,447 --> 00:27:37,998 Sometimes they fall in a frozen state, suggesting a spell in a storm cloud. 230 00:27:40,207 --> 00:27:42,038 0thers survive the journey. 231 00:27:49,847 --> 00:27:54,125 Besides fish, newts, eels and frogs have all fallen from the sky. 232 00:27:58,487 --> 00:28:02,275 Nature is rich in bizarre events that seem to us paranormal. 233 00:28:02,327 --> 00:28:08,436 As our understanding grows, it prepares us to expect the unexpected. 234 00:28:21,207 --> 00:28:23,277 0n our next journey, 235 00:28:23,327 --> 00:28:28,003 we explore how the supernatural powers of animals interact with us.