Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 They might seem cute, helpless, and charmingly innocent.
00:10 Or they can look fierce, weird, and downright creepy.
00:19 In the world of extreme animals, meet the babies.
00:26 They may be little, but these babies were born to be bold,
00:32 to take outrageous risks, and defy dangerous odds.
00:37 They are baby daredevils.
00:41 But which will be crowned number one most daring?
00:44 Find out in our extreme animal countdown as we reveal the ten most daredevil babies.
00:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:55 This little chap is a proboscis monkey infant.
01:02 Native only to the Indonesian island of Borneo,
01:08 proboscis babies spend much of their time hanging out in the trees with mom.
01:18 Proboscis monkeys are so called because of the adult's pendulous nose.
01:24 Yep, dad's a catch all right.
01:28 With a pronounced pot belly, he honks like a cabbie stuck in traffic.
01:32 And has a nose so long, it beats out double time when he eats.
01:41 But as far as females are concerned, the bigger the better.
01:46 The more supersized the male's nose, the more successful they'll be when it comes to mating.
01:54 While it might not be as big as dad's, baby proboscis are born with a nose for danger.
02:00 Because wherever mom goes, they're along for the ride.
02:11 It's a long way down, but that doesn't seem to bother mom one bit.
02:16 And proboscis babies aren't the only true dwelling tots on a terrifying tour of the jungle canopy.
02:26 Borneo is also home to orangutans.
02:37 Their young are carried everywhere until they're at least two years old.
02:41 And they better hang on because mom, she's got some moves.
02:46 Orangutans are highly skilled at swinging through the trees.
02:56 And they're also risk takers.
03:02 One study suggests more than a third have broken major bones.
03:07 And falls from over 20 meters are common.
03:10 But proboscis monkeys are even more daring than their hairy, ginger neighbors.
03:18 Because they don't just swing, they leap. And not just from tree to tree.
03:27 Of all monkeys, proboscis have the most aquatic lifestyle.
03:31 And, having evolved webbed hands and feet, are the primate world's most avid swimmers.
03:37 Yet their high diving, well, it could use a little work.
03:42 Ooh, that's got to sting.
03:46 As for baby, well, before junior can squeal, are we there yet?
03:52 [music]
03:57 Smackdown.
04:01 And if being on the wrong side of a colossal monkey belly flop isn't enough of an adrenaline rush,
04:08 then there's the crocs.
04:17 While mom and baby have climbed to safety this time, not all cross the river so nimbly.
04:22 And there's a high price to pay.
04:44 For enduring terrifying leaps, death-defying dives, and crocodile-infested waters,
04:49 proboscis monkey babies are number 10 on the countdown of daredevil babies.
04:54 Clinging to your high diving mom is brave, but the next extreme daredevil baby makes a leap of faith all on their lonesome.
05:10 North American wood ducklings begin life like any other duck.
05:14 But unlike most, wood ducklings are born in tree-nesting cavities, which can be more than 15 meters above the ground.
05:25 The good news? The ducklings are well out of the way of ground and river-dwelling predators.
05:37 The bad? They must follow mother duck down to the river or face starvation.
05:42 Worse still, the ducklings will leap within 24 hours of hatching, well before they can fly.
05:48 Equipped with little more than flightless wings and a fearless disposition, this little fluff ball flings herself into the void.
05:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:02 One by one, her siblings take the plunge.
06:10 Cannonballing into shallow water isn't usually a great idea.
06:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:20 But wood ducklings can survive falls of over 14 meters.
06:35 And this lot are the lucky ones. They got to jump into water.
06:43 Some wood ducklings are born over a kilometer from the water's edge, and they face a much harder landing.
06:50 So they've got to be number nine daredevil baby, right?
06:58 Wrong. Because if you think wood ducklings are reckless high divers, get a load of the next diminutive daredevils.
07:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:13 It's spring in eastern Greenland, and barnacle geese have arrived to breed.
07:26 They are true lovebirds and couple up for life, all very romantic.
07:39 What's going to make you feel a little bit less gooey inside is the deadly rite of passage barnacle goslings endure in their first days of life.
07:47 Barnacle geese don't feed their goslings, and their clifftop home is barren of the vegetation they must eat to survive.
07:56 The nearest greenery is in the river valley more than 120 meters below.
08:06 What happens next is hard to believe.
08:09 The goslings are still weeks from being fully fledged and capable of flight.
08:25 But with little hesitation, their tiny wings outstretched, they leap from the cliff.
08:33 With just a light covering of down to cushion the jarring impacts,
08:37 the goslings bounce their way down the cliff face like a car crash you just can't stop watching.
08:44 Although wince-inducing, the more times the chicks bounce, the greater their chance of survival.
08:57 The direct route down, yeah, not such a great idea.
09:02 But this gosling's a little trooper, emerging unscathed.
09:09 Around one in five goslings don't survive the 120-meter plunge, so it may not be lucky last for the remaining hatchling.
09:22 But this feathered fiend spits in the eye of statisticians, and off he goes.
09:28 A steady, controlled descent. Bit of a bump to break the fall, and another. Ooh, and a nice patch of grass to land on. Happy days.
09:39 But he isn't clear of danger just yet.
09:47 Having abandoned their clifftop advantage, the goslings are now in the realm of the Arctic fox.
09:53 All the adult geese can do is hope to distract the fox and lead it away from a feast of tenderized gosling.
10:11 Three of the chicks make it to the edge of the boulder field. They're safe, but the last gosling to jump perishes in the jaws of the fox.
10:19 So barnacle goslings really are brave baby birds.
10:25 Definitely a worthy number nine on the countdown of extreme daredevil babies.
10:31 But you know what? From here on in, it's only gonna get nastier.
10:38 More daring, death-defying, and spectacular.
10:44 On our way to revealing the number one daredevil in Mother Nature's nursery.
10:50 So far in our countdown of extreme daredevil babies, we've seen bugs on the wrong side of a belly flop in at number ten.
11:05 Leaping into ninth place, the barnacle gosling will have more bruises than fond memories after its first hours of life.
11:12 Next stop, sub-Saharan Africa.
11:17 Honey badgers aren't as sweet as their name suggests, and regularly hunt down highly dangerous prey.
11:32 This cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
11:36 But to the honey badger, it's just lunch.
11:43 So, honey badger cubs have super daring parents.
11:55 How about this one?
11:59 Super daring parents. How about their own daredevil credentials?
12:03 Well, this one will hang out with mum until around two years old.
12:09 But while they're dependent when small, they're certainly not entirely defenseless.
12:19 By around three months old, they have fully formed teeth, claws, and tough skin up to half a centimeter thick.
12:28 Perhaps though, their greatest asset is their attitude.
12:32 Mum leaves her cub alone near their burrow while she goes out hunting and foraging for food.
12:38 The burrow provides cover from would-be predators, but the cub is exploring.
12:47 As is this jackal.
12:52 Rodents are irregular on the jackal's menu, but there's good reason honey badgers aren't.
12:58 Even youngsters can be highly aggressive, if not particularly graceful.
13:08 It even seems like this cub goes out of its way to look for trouble.
13:14 With multiple, far larger adversaries.
13:21 The zebra may outweigh this little cub by nearly 50 times.
13:26 Mum broke it up this time.
13:29 But when fully grown at six months old,
13:37 her cub's gung-ho gladiatorial attitude can make all the difference in a scrab.
13:43 And the jackals are scent packing.
13:50 For taking on all comers, no matter how much larger, and generally putting the badass back into badger.
13:56 Honey badger cubs are number eight on the countdown of extreme daredevil babies.
14:02 The animal up next is a prolific killer in the water.
14:14 And if this daredevils prey think they're safe in the shallows, they're in for an explosive surprise.
14:20 With their stunning black and white coloration, orca are always dressed for dinner,
14:34 and feed on a wide array of fish and aquatic mammals.
14:37 Each requires a different hunting strategy.
14:43 And at two locations, orca are known to use a high risk tactic to make a kill.
14:47 In Punta Norte, Argentina, the orca approach around high tide,
14:57 carefully selecting the right wave before propelling themselves onto the shore.
15:01 They deliberately target sea lion pups, with around half a meter of water in the water.
15:12 And they attack the pups, with around half of attacks resulting in a kill.
15:16 But it's a dangerous ploy for the orca.
15:23 Adults can weigh close to six tons, and it takes considerable effort to free their bulk from the beach.
15:29 Land too high up the shoreline, and the orca risks stranding and a slow death.
15:41 In the Jose Islands of the sub-Antarctic, orca use the same beaching method to hunt elephant seals.
15:46 It's such a daredevil tactic, orca calves must undergo a long apprenticeship, before attempting it themselves.
15:54 This young orca is escorted by an adult female, which nudges the calf a safe distance ashore.
16:03 The youngster must learn to strike a balance between being brave enough to reach those tasty seals,
16:09 but not so brave she gets stuck.
16:11 For now, the adult helps by positioning her bulk between the calf and the beach,
16:20 pushing the apprentice back to deeper water when necessary.
16:23 But for the next lesson, the calf must beach on her own.
16:38 This attempt ends in near disaster. The calf lands too far up the beach.
16:43 Fortunately, there's a team of scientists on hand who don't mind getting their corduroys wet.
16:48 And after a bit of effort, and the help of the incoming tide, the calf swims back to her waiting mother.
17:02 Cue overjoyed boffin, "Yeah!"
17:08 So this highly dangerous mode of hunting is not easy to master.
17:13 It can take several years of practice before calves graduate their beaching apprenticeship with a ruthless flourish.
17:20 With the help of her mother, this calf has made its first brutal shoreline kill.
17:33 It's enough to scare even the big lads up the beach.
17:37 That, or an ice cream van just pulled up.
17:41 For popping to the beach for a seal-shaped snack,
17:46 orca calves have torpedoed their way to the number seven spot in the extreme animal countdown of daredevil babies.
17:52 Later, this baby snake's about to get munched.
17:58 But it's got a truly stinky trick to save its own skin.
18:02 We've seen daredevil babies taking crazy leaps,
18:10 while others picked seemingly hopeless fights,
18:14 yet emerged victorious.
18:18 Next up, an animal with a killer rep, but will its babies make the grade?
18:25 Africa's lions are known as king of the beasts for good reason.
18:29 Weighing up to 240 kilograms, armed with razor-sharp claws and powerful jaws,
18:41 lions are the most dangerous animals in the wild.
18:44 They're the most dangerous animals in the wild,
18:48 and the most dangerous animals in the wild.
18:51 With razor-sharp claws and powerful jaws, lions are ruthless apex predators.
18:57 They can take down animals up to four times their size.
19:03 With such menacing parents, lion cubs should be a sure thing for a spot in the extreme animal countdown of daredevil babies.
19:17 (MUSIC)
19:20 But born blind, toothless and unable to walk, lion cubs start life helpless.
19:30 In fact, they won't actively hunt with the pride until they're 16 months old.
19:43 But even very young cubs will follow prey movements and practice hunting.
19:47 And this one's on the prowl.
19:50 Future king of the beasts versus a weasley-looking mongoose.
19:56 This is going to be brutal.
20:00 Only the mongoose has mates.
20:05 Rather a lot of mates.
20:09 And they're not intimidated by this overgrown pussycat.
20:13 (MUSIC)
20:16 Perhaps a lion cub should try taking on something with a little less attitude to prove its mettle.
20:23 Something like... yeah, definitely not a snake.
20:29 (MUSIC)
20:32 It's less daredevil and more plain daft to hiss at a python.
20:40 A baboon. Now that's more like it.
20:43 But this one's quick and disappears up a tree.
20:52 The cub does try and follow.
20:55 But soon gives up the chase.
21:08 So it's another unsuccessful hunt.
21:11 And as if to rub it in, the baboon pelts the cub with sticks.
21:16 Could her day get any worse?
21:19 Well, it never rains, but it pours.
21:24 Chased off by mongoose, slapped down by snakes, and abused by baboons,
21:35 these cubs may soon be big cats, but are far from daredevil babies.
21:40 Sorry, Fluffy. No spot in the countdown for you.
21:44 Nicaragua boasts one of the largest volcanic chains in South America.
21:51 And the Masaya Complex is one of the most active of its 19 volcanoes.
21:57 Despite emitting clouds of toxic sulfuric gas,
22:02 it's home to a particularly brave population of birds.
22:05 The Pacific parakeet is known to have nested in two of its craters
22:11 since at least the 16th century.
22:13 But although it's a long-favored location,
22:18 nesting in an active volcano poses a high level of danger
22:22 to the parakeet chicks once they fledge.
22:24 If this chick gets its maiden flight wrong,
22:29 it risks a 300-meter fall into the active crater below.
22:33 Just don't look down.
22:40 Fly or fry, the parakeet's early life choices
22:55 are tough enough to earn it sixth place on the countdown.
22:59 From monkey madness...
23:01 to explosive orca...
23:04 you might think you've seen it all.
23:07 But as we approach the top spot, hold on to your tongs,
23:11 'cause the daredevil babies up next
23:14 will blow all your expectations clean out of the water.
23:19 (dramatic music)
23:22 The hog-nosed snake is a scary-looking native of North America.
23:38 When threatened, it primes to deliver an apparently venomous strike.
23:47 But don't be fooled.
23:49 The hog-nosed snake is a slippery con artist.
23:54 Whilst it is venomous, it's just potent enough to kill toads.
23:59 But the snake flattens its head to look like a cobra.
24:08 It strikes viciously, but does so with its mouth closed.
24:14 Such is the respect shown to venomous snakes in the wild,
24:18 this fraudulent song and dance is often enough to deter predators.
24:22 It's undoubtedly a ballsy bluff,
24:26 especially for an animal conspicuously lacking cojones.
24:30 But does a freshly hatched hog-nose have the guile and guts of its parents?
24:41 (dramatic music)
24:44 This newborn snake has attracted the attention of a hungry rat
24:53 several times its size.
24:55 There's no fake strike.
25:10 But the hatchling instinctively pulls a different con.
25:14 Rolling belly up, its mouth agape, the snake plays dead.
25:20 This morbid pretense enhanced by the secretion of a deathly odor.
25:25 Many predators will not eat foul-smelling corpses.
25:31 And the rat gives up on its meal.
25:36 As soon as it disappears, the snake has a seemingly miraculous recovery.
25:41 The life of the theater isn't for everyone.
25:48 But the hog-nose snake will call upon its talent for acting
25:52 time and again to save its skin.
25:54 Although the audience will always be hostile,
26:05 the show must go on if the snake wants to live.
26:08 What? No encore?
26:18 Despite serving up drama in the face of death,
26:25 infant hog-nose snakes don't earn a place in the countdown.
26:29 Because the baby you're about to see is such a masterful actor,
26:33 its performance turns killers into slaves.
26:36 The blue alken butterfly.
26:41 Not particularly fast or acrobatic in the air.
26:46 More of a flutterer than a fighter.
26:48 And yet its offspring have the most outlandishly daring start to life.
26:55 Female blue alkens lay their eggs on carefully selected gentian plants.
27:02 (Music)
27:07 Once hatched, the caterpillar doesn't look like much of an adventurer.
27:11 But if it's to survive, it must hitch a lift with some very dangerous strangers.
27:18 (Music)
27:25 The caterpillar has been found by foraging European fire ants.
27:31 It would undoubtedly make a quick, juicy meal.
27:35 But the ants don't eat it because it smells just like one of their own larvae.
27:39 Thanks to this cunning chemical mimicry,
27:43 the ants instead haul the caterpillar back into the heart of their nest.
27:47 The caterpillar is bigger and a completely different colour
27:53 than the ant larvae it's been stashed next to.
27:57 Fire ants are known for their aggression, fierce defensive territory, and fiery stings.
28:03 If they knew the caterpillar was actually an intruder, it would be instantly attacked.
28:08 So its deception is truly daring.
28:11 (Music)
28:15 And it gets more brazen still.
28:17 Not content with mere acceptance by the ants,
28:22 the caterpillar begins to imitate the sound made by the queen.
28:25 And consequently, attains the colony's highest rank.
28:29 The caterpillar's every need is catered for.
28:34 It's fed directly by the worker ants.
28:36 And, although it's given more food than the actual ant larvae,
28:40 the caterpillar will polish a few of these off too.
28:43 Once more, the blue alken caterpillar's audacious ruse is sustained,
28:50 taking advantage of its host's unwitting hospitality for up to two years.
28:55 When eventually ready to take on adult form, the blue alken caterpillar forms a chrysalis.
29:01 And the ants continue to clean and care for it.
29:05 (Music)
29:12 With the game finally up, the blue alken must exit the nest and sharpish.
29:18 (Music)
29:23 It's pulled off an outrageously dangerous con to emerge as a superfly butterfly.
29:29 (Music)
29:42 For living like a queen while betting its young life on an outrageous hoax,
29:46 the blue alken caterpillar is number five in the countdown.
29:50 The killer that's coming for our next young daredevil can't be hidden from, tricked, or evaded.
29:57 Its mortal foe is the very climate itself.
30:00 (Music)
30:07 For so-called cold-blooded animals, wood frogs have a surprisingly cozy start to life.
30:14 As tadpoles, they seek out the company of their siblings and hang out together in large groups.
30:20 In fact, it's thought that of all amphibians, they're best able to recognize other family members.
30:26 Although remembering all their names, well, that's another challenge entirely.
30:31 During the summer months, the tadpoles will shed their family ties and tails to become frogs.
30:38 Some will emerge onto land.
30:41 Soon to face a very cold, new world indeed.
30:45 Because wood frogs are found further north than any other North American amphibian,
30:50 even living here in the frigid climes of Alaska.
30:53 (Music)
30:58 Amphibians are only ever as warm as the day,
31:01 and in Alaska, that can be sub-zero for six months of the year.
31:05 (Music)
31:08 With the mercury plunging to lows of minus 20 in the depths of winter.
31:13 (Music)
31:15 So, just months into life on land, and with up to three years to wait until it can breed,
31:20 how will this young frog escape the killer climate?
31:24 (Music)
31:29 As the weather rages topside, the wood frog can be found buried under leaf litter.
31:34 Close to half of its body is frozen solid.
31:38 The semi-frozen frog's heartbeat, breathing, and brain activity have ceased altogether.
31:45 Clinically speaking, it's dead.
31:48 (Music)
31:50 Wood frogs can remain in near total physiological shutdown for up to seven months.
31:56 (Music)
32:01 But when spring and the big melt arrives, something astonishing happens.
32:08 (Music)
32:20 Thanks to an antifree substance in its blood,
32:23 the frog's cells have remained functional, and it begins to thaw.
32:27 (Music)
32:29 Until eventually, it's completely reanimate.
32:33 (Music)
32:42 The young frog has survived its first Alaskan winter,
32:46 emerging to warm its body in the spring sunshine.
32:49 (Music)
32:54 Like Kermit said, it ain't easy being green.
32:56 But guess what? It's even tougher being a frogcicle.
33:00 And for that death-defying feat, the wood frog's in at number four.
33:04 (Music)
33:06 Jumpers, scrappers, bluffers, and even the back-from-the-dead-hanging tuffers,
33:11 there's been some outrageous antics in the countdown so far.
33:15 But there are three spots left for a trio of babies which were born to be badass.
33:21 (Music)
33:27 There's a voracious killer which is so successful,
33:30 it can be found hovering over every continent but Antarctica.
33:34 (Music)
33:42 Dragonflies combine speed, graceful aerial agility, and often vivid colors.
33:49 They are truly visually compelling insects.
33:54 At first glance, they're infant offspring. Yeah, not too much.
33:59 Flightless, dull-colored, and let's face it, ugly.
34:04 Dragonfly nymphs have a lot of growing up to do
34:07 before they're as charming as their parents.
34:12 It takes some species up to seven years to shed their skin.
34:18 And assume their adult form as flying insects.
34:22 But as nymphs, they already possess some of their parents' attributes.
34:27 For one thing, they're quick in the water,
34:29 traveling in bursts of up to 10 centimeters per second.
34:33 So how does the nymph generate this daring turn of speed?
34:38 Its limbs are way too spindly.
34:41 But its abdomen is a muscular pump, moving water in and out of the nymph's body.
34:47 Contracted with force, and the nymph's out of there.
34:53 It's like it's got a jet propulsion pack up its backside.
34:58 (Music)
35:05 And there's another impressive feature of the dragonfly nymph's internal hydraulics.
35:13 By suddenly releasing built-up water pressure inside its abdomen,
35:17 the nymph can fire out its lower jaw to grab prey.
35:27 So thanks to packing jet propulsion and a high-velocity harpoon,
35:31 the dragonfly nymph is a formidable predator for its size.
35:43 What's more, with a penchant for tadpoles.
35:46 Apparently, they taste just like chicken.
35:50 And even tadpoles nearly grown into frogs,
35:52 dragonfly nymphs own an exclusive club.
35:57 Very few insects are capable of hunting down and munching up vertebrates.
36:04 Mmm, crunchy.
36:10 For stashing a jet propulsion pack where the sun don't shine,
36:13 and going fishing with its face,
36:15 the dragonfly nymph is a well-deserved number three
36:19 on the countdown of extreme animal daredevil babies.
36:34 With its gothic appearance and mythic association with the supernatural realm,
36:39 the raven has a pretty scary rep.
36:43 And yet these American raven chicks are far from tough guys.
36:47 Under mom's watchful gaze,
36:49 this lot are finally ready to leave the nest they now barely fit into.
36:56 They're around five or six weeks old and fully fledged.
37:00 But when they attempt to fly, they don't get very far.
37:04 Mom rewards this chick with a bit of food for trying anyway.
37:11 For the first week or so, the chicks remain close to the nest,
37:14 flying only short distances.
37:18 And it looks like that this deserves a wee treat too.
37:23 Even once capable of looking after themselves,
37:26 raven chicks will often continue to hang around their parents.
37:30 Ooh, well done. Great crowing.
37:32 And the food keeps on coming.
37:41 But when they eventually do go out on their own,
37:44 juvenile ravens get into all sorts of mischief.
37:51 On the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia,
37:54 this youngster has decided to steal lunch off a stellar sea eagle.
37:59 It's only a chick, but it's far larger than the raven.
38:03 And its nearby mother could be more than 10 times the raven's size.
38:08 What's more, around three quarters of this eaglet's diet is likely to be other birds.
38:14 Time to call in some backup.
38:17 Ravens are highly intelligent and will sometimes team up to problem solve.
38:21 And this pair aren't here to do a crossword.
38:24 They've got a rather daring scam in mind.
38:27 One distracts the eaglet while the other...
38:31 Ooh, that's sneaky.
38:34 Young punk ravens won, big dumb sea eagle chick nil.
38:39 But ravens don't even place on the countdown.
38:42 Because while nicking lunch from a hungry bird of prey takes steely nerves,
38:46 our next battling baby must fight its way off the lunch menu.
38:54 Royal albatross chicks are the product of a one-egg brood,
38:57 but these are not spoiled birds.
39:03 Once fully grown, royal albatross have a wingspan of over three meters,
39:07 which, once airborne, allows them to soar at speeds in excess of 112 kilometers per hour.
39:16 At eight months old, having never flown before,
39:18 this chick is about to set off on an epic adventure
39:21 navigating the southern hemisphere's cold, treacherous open oceans.
39:32 Incredibly, it might be five years before he touches dry land again,
39:36 in which time he's likely to have clocked up at least 800,000 kilometers on the wing.
39:43 But while this is an epic maiden journey,
39:46 the royal albatross' tropical cousins have a first flight even more fraught with danger.
39:56 The Leysan albatross is reared in the far warmer climes of Hawaii.
40:03 These chicks are nearly fully fledged, but have yet to shed all their down.
40:09 Like many adolescents, they have a rather experimental look.
40:14 But for this lot, there's no time to add questionable piercings and bad tattoos,
40:19 because soon they, along with fledgling black-footed albatross, will take to the air for the first time.
40:32 Hawaii is world-renowned for its stunning coastline.
40:38 But although this albatross chick doesn't yet know it,
40:45 the scary dangers lurk in its waters.
41:01 Tiger sharks arrive just off Hawaii's albatross colonies every June and July,
41:07 just in time for the maiden flights of fledgling albatross.
41:25 This chick's first flight will be its last.
41:34 Around one in ten of these young birds will be devoured by these formidable predators.
41:59 A two-kilogram baby bird versus a highly aggressive apex predator up to five and a half meters long.
42:08 No contest. Or so you'd think.
42:14 But this chick isn't going down without a fight.
42:25 And this battling baby lives to fly another day.
42:31 For a shockingly dangerous first flight and fighting off sea monsters,
42:35 fledgling albatross are number two on the countdown of daredevil babies.
42:40 Which means we're moments away from revealing the animal kingdom's number one daredevil baby.
42:53 It's been an adrenaline-soaked trip through the extreme animal countdown of daredevil babies.
42:59 At number ten, a young monkey which knows no fear.
43:07 They might be battered and bruised, but barnacle goslings land in ninth place.
43:13 He's no sweetie. It's the honey badger, in at eight.
43:19 So daring the whole ocean can't contain its bravado, orca calves are in at number seven.
43:26 At number six, braving dizzying heights and clouds of poison gas, it's pacific parakeets.
43:33 In at fifth place, it's a master of manipulation, the blue alcan caterpillar.
43:40 With one heck of an ice cream headache, the wood frog takes out fourth place.
43:46 In at number three, jet-propelled and keeping it gooey, it's dragonfly nymphs.
43:53 Just when number two thought it was safe to go back in the water,
43:56 it was, because albatross chicks are feisty fledglings.
44:07 So finally, we've reached the top spot of the extreme animal countdown of daredevil babies.
44:16 The savannah of Africa is home to a truly imposing mega herbivore.
44:25 This white rhino is in the final throes of labor.
44:34 A calf arrives in the world weighing 40 kilograms.
44:43 Despite her heft and practically armor-plated skin, calves are unsteady on their feet for the first few days.
44:53 And that makes them vulnerable to predators.
45:03 But if these hyena think they're getting past mom, they're having a laugh.
45:17 Weighing anywhere between a car and a small truck, with a horn capable of inflicting horrific wounds,
45:24 rhino can charge at up to 50 kilometers an hour.
45:31 So if you see a rhino in a bad mood, probably best to stay out of their way.
45:44 Rhino calves take full advantage of their formidable bodyguard.
45:49 This newborn will stay with her massive mother until two or three years old.
45:57 Black rhino live primarily in brushland, so calves always travel behind their mother, who can thwart any hidden attackers.
46:05 White rhino calves trot along in front of mom.
46:08 They mostly live on the open savannah, so this leaves them less prone to attack from the rear by lions, leopards, and hyena.
46:17 But while mom's great at deterring predators, at this waterhole, she's attracted the attentions of a very large bull.
46:28 Female rhinos are frequently killed by territorial males.
46:33 If mom is on heat and her calf is male, he could also be in mortal danger.
46:47 But rhino calves are so attached to their mothers, they may refuse to leave her side.
46:55 For its own safety, this calf does something extraordinarily brave.
47:10 The calf has seen off an aggressor many times its size and saved its mother from a potentially lethal encounter.
47:18 For being so devoted to mom, they'll risk grievous injury or even death.
47:23 Rhino calves are number one in the countdown of extreme animal daredevil babies.
47:31 But rhino calves aren't always such tough guys.
47:35 This little fella just loves to kid around.
47:41 After all, even the ultimate daredevil baby needs some downtime to hang out with pals and ag the goat.
47:54 [MUSIC]