Seafood Tools (08:12)

FREE PREVIEW

A Thailand long-tailed macaque troop has learned that shellfish is available at low tides; they take advantage of bi-daily feasts, using specific shaped rocks to open different mollusks. Sea otters swim with flat stones on their bellies, cracking clams while floating.

Feathered Tool Users (05:17)

Great grey shrikes use thorny trees to impale prey while eating. Lammergeier vultures are the only animals primarily subsiding on bones; highly acidic stomachs enable digestion. They transport large meals to high altitudes, dropping and breaking them into bite-sized pieces.

Learned Cultures (05:18)

Japanese macaques wash their food in the ocean off Kashima beaches; technique mastery and taste for saltiness is developed after two-years-old. Weaver Bird males build complex nests, using their beaks to tie knots; structures are often torn down and rebuilt until meeting a female's requirements.

Premeditation and Preparation (03:57)

A pod of orcas off Patagonia have developed a hunting technique, beaching themselves to catch seal pups on shore. The method requires practice; incorrect performance leads to stranding. During off season, they train young how to time attacks with wave surges.

Disorientating Victims (05:03)

Florida dolphins hunt by sending an individual to stir up a mud circle around prey; blinded, fish jump over the barrier, into their mouths. Humpback whales use bubbles and vocalizations to push krill and small fish to the surface, and then surge up from below, swallowing large quantities.

Teamwork and Interaction (03:12)

Hyenas use communication to coordinate hunts, leading to high success rates. One singles out an impala while the pack spreads, anticipating escape attempts; individuals circulate through the chase, tiring prey. They consume entire carcasses quickly and silently, avoiding scavengers.

Biggest Bird Brains (02:57)

Ravens get much food from scavenging carcasses; older individuals choose meals first. They communicate with many distinct calls; when bodies freeze, they signal locations to bigger animals, who expose softer parts, allowing them to eat.

Memory and Empathy (03:56)

Elephants have the biggest brains of any land animal; Asian types have evolved language, communicating their feeling. A Tanzania herd mourns the death of another, investigating remains and grieving for hours before moving on.

Emotional Primates (07:49)

A 60 member rhesus macaque troop has claimed Galta Temple. Droughts have caused food shortages, contributing to territorial tensions; a challenger to the alpha attacks all within range before being driven out by females. He kills an infant; its mother mourns, and her grieving impacts the group.

Credits: Animal Superbrains - Wildest (00:31)

Credits: Animal Superbrains - Wildest