The Amazing Wildlife of Africa in Stunning 4K | BBC Earth

The leopards are the most versatile of all the big cats, adept at finding cover in the most unpromising places. The steep walls of the gully are now her cover for an ambush. The male puku is close enough, but he's too big to tackle. She needs to slip past him without being seen. If he spots her, he'll blow her cover. Slowly does it. To succeed here, she needs to find prey grazing close to the edge. Or better still, in the gully itself. Frustration. Success would have staved off hunger for a week. But while there's prey around, there's hope. Peeking over the top is a risk, but it's the quickest way to find a new target. A burst of speed of 65 kilometres an hour, and it's all over in less than six seconds. Except it isn't. Dazed and disorientated, the impala makes a miraculous escape. The Namib Desert. One of the most exposed places on Earth. As the sun climbs high, everybody takes cover from the extreme heat. Everybody except the hot-rod ant. As others take refuge, their day is just beginning. Cleaning out the nest. The sand can reach a scorching 70 centigrade. The ant's long legs raise their bodies above the surface where it's 10 degrees cooler. But if they stand still, they will fry. They must keep moving or risk the same fate as their quarry, the creatures that have collapsed from heat stroke. Too deeply buried, but a good place to cool off. Foraging decisions must be fast. Too big? Perfect. Back to the nest before they also die. But they've strayed into a minefield. Each of these strange cone-shaped pits is a death trap with a brutal predator at its centre. Here lie antlion larvae, tiny ambush predators with venom-filled pincers. Some ants manage to escape, but the antlion has other tricks. Flinging sand into the air, it creates an avalanche. In this cone of death, the walls are so angled that the sand slips beneath the ant's feet. As boulders rain from the sky, escape seems almost impossible. Lions will normally avoid hunting in such heat, but they're also opportunists. The lions will need to bring him down quickly before they overheat. Away from the herd, a bull is a formidable opponent. It could gore and kill a lion. Close to overheating, they finally succeed in bringing him to the ground. The massive bull is not giving up. Against the odds and the full weight of the lions, he regains his feet. And it is now that the tables turn. Lions are exhausted. After a 20-minute struggle, only the bull has the energy to finish the fight. In such exposed and extreme conditions, the challenge for predators and their prey is at its most intense. She enters into the maze of gullies. The damp channel margins are carpeted with grass that lures in grazing antelope. Still, they remain on high alert. Stealth is the best weapon. Placing faith in perfect camouflage, the trap is set. Just a few more careless steps and they'll be inside the required 30-foot range. Clamping her jaws over both nose and mouth, she can stay clear of those stiletto horns and cut off its airflow. But a spotted hyena is drawn to the commotion. Close to twice the weight of a leopard, armed with bone-crushing jaws, this opportunist won't pass up the chance to cash in on the hard work of others. This time, one very lucky impala gets a second chance at life. In just three weeks, half a million calves are born on these ash-rich plains. 24,000 a day. 1,000 an hour. Calves stand up within a few minutes of being born. Though some need a little more time to find their feet. But a mother won't let her calf suckle until it's mastered a few physical skills. Walking, trotting. Wildebeest calves must run if they're to stay alive. For these plains also support the greatest assembly of hunters on the planet. Each species has its own special hunting technique. But all have the same aim. To make the most of this brief superabundance of life. One in ten wildebeest calves will survive to adulthood. But that is enough to maintain the million-strong herd of wildebeest, planet's highest density of predators. Avoiding the extreme heat imposes a rhythm on desert life. And many animals here choose the simplest option of all. Staying hidden all day and only venturing out in the cool of the night. As darkness falls, animals appear from seemingly nowhere. And among them, inevitably, are hunters. One of the most voracious nocturnal predators is also one of the hardest to see. This mysterious creature hardly ever appears on the surface of the dunes. But there are signs on the sand that can give it away. It lives only here, where the sand grains are so perfectly dry and polished that they flow almost like water. It's no bigger than a ping-pong ball. Golden mole. Totally blind. But there's nothing to see underground anyway. Instead, it has superb hearing. Its entire head acts as an amplifier that picks up vibrations through the sand. So, to locate prey on the surface of the dune, it has, paradoxically, to thrust its face into the dune. Not easy to catch when you're blind. Far better to go into stealth mode. Once below the sand, it can detect the slightest movement, allowing it to strike with pinpoint accuracy. Well, most of the time. It can travel two-thirds of a mile a night in search of its dinner. And right now, it has just detected its main course. Little wonder it's sometimes called the shark of the dunes. Tortoise. These creatures can float and live without food or fresh water for long periods of time. This isolated atoll is the perfect refuge. Their only enemy is the sun. Without shade, a tortoise risks being boiled in his shell. So, after feeding in the cool of the morning, and before the sun becomes too crushingly hot, they have to find cover. All of them. There is very little vegetation, but caves in the coral rock can provide the shade they so badly need. He's nearly there. All that is left is a white knuckle ride to the bottom. And he's in. Thousands of others are still out in the sun. This tree could shade a couple of hundred if they pack tight. It's bumper-to-bumper parking. Within an hour or so, all must find shade of some sort if they're to survive. Safe. But the future for Aldabra's tortoises is far from certain. The climate is changing, sea levels are rising, and Aldabra's tortoises may soon have to find a new refuge or drown. Every lake and river has a resident population of hippos. They too are social creatures, but they are also territorial. Spy Hippo is going where few others dare to go. He needs to be cautious. His subjects are notoriously bad-tempered, and they could be anywhere. It's never a good idea to get on their wrong side. Spy Hippo has been given a warning. He must avoid sudden movements. As he gets closer, ear-wiggling shows confidence. Facing one of Africa's most dangerous animals, Spy Hippo must hold his ground. The pod is made up of females looked over by a single male. Fortunately, females are less aggressive. Spy Hippo is already capturing some of the closest views that have ever been seen. But hippos spend much of their time below the surface. As the hippos dive, so must Spy Hippo. He mimics their movements. Rather than swim, hippos walk underwater. Spy Hippo glimpses an extraordinary sight. Fish are shadowing the hippos every move. These are barbs. They usually feed on the riverbed, but when the hippos appear, they shoal around them. As Spy Hippo moves closer, it's clear that their skin is a maze of cuts and scratches. These fight marks easily become infected, and parasites can also invade. This is where the fish come in. Together, they set up an underwater clinic with the hippos as willing patients. The barbs may be skin specialists, but they'll try a bit of dental hygiene too. After having a full body treatment, the hippos seem to enter a trance. She's the biggest meerkat they've ever seen, and requires serious examination. She's been made to smell like the colony, so this reassures them. Each day, different volunteers set up a creche, giving all the child support a mother could wish for. They share roles, including sentry duty. It demands concentration, and it's easy to lose focus. And sometimes it's good to have someone watching your back. Being a sentry is a risky business, as they are easy targets for predators. But with young pups to protect, they take greater risks by climbing higher. Here, they can see predators earlier, but are vulnerable to birds of prey. Their self-sacrifice is about to be tested. But this is no ordinary cobra. It's a spy cobra. With no regard for her own safety, she prepares to face the snake. She reacts as she would to the real thing, bravely protecting the colony with no thought for herself. Her aim is to harass the snake into leaving. But with spy snake holding its ground, the meerkat calls for reinforcements. This is where fraternity comes into its own. An intimidating wall of meerkats face up to spy cobra. They push their luck as far as they dare, goading the snake to strike. Real snakes tire easily, so it's a matter of wearing it down. But one meerkat senses there's something different about this serpent. It may look and move like a real snake, but it shows no sign of leaving. Spy snake has been well and truly rumbled. Satisfied he's harmless, the meerkats go back to what they enjoy best. Relaxing among friends. To help with the filming, spy egret has backup. This is dung cam, a camera based on a pile of elephant poo. It even smells the part. It's designed to film on the move. Its zoom lens can capture the elephant's every move. That's not all. It can release a team of spy dung balls to litter the savannah with yet more cameras. One dung ball is radio controlled and can travel without any visible moving parts. With the action covered from every angle, it's time to see what this elephant family gets up to. The babies must learn the rules of behaviour at an early age. Wrestling older siblings is a favourite pastime. They learn their own strength and, crucially, how to play nicely with each other. It's the older elephants who make sure they don't cross the line. It takes a few years before they're big enough to do real damage. But as they get older, they need to be reined in. Those who overstep the mark soon know it. The rules are strict for everyone when the family is on the move. To follow them, spy egret and dung can join forces. For their own safety, the babies must stay next to their mothers in the centre of the herd. The elephants are heading to the swamp, a place to cool off as the day heats up. But the mud can be treacherous and babies must only enter with their mums. But this little one seems to have forgotten the rules. Chasing egrets is irresistible. But as the herd enter the swamp, the baby is being left behind. Realising his predicament, he looks for his mother and thinks he's found her. He tags along as the group head into the swamp. But he's following the wrong elephant. With his mother nowhere to be seen, he's lost in a confusion of trunks and legs. The elephants head into the swamp without him. The baby is now alone and afraid. While his herd appear to have forgotten him, he can smell that his mother is out there, somewhere. But entering the swamp alone could be deadly for one so small. He's really starting to panic now. His mother is inexperienced. She's only just realised her mistake. Both will have learnt from what happened. He won't misbehave while the family are travelling again.