Insects: Episode Description

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Watch a monarch butterfly winter migration.

Watch a Darwin's beetle toss rivals.

More "Insects."

Masters of adaptation, the vast variety of insects outnumber all other animal species put together. While the female Darwin stag beetle has normal-sized jaws, the male's mandibles are longer than his body. Serrated and strangely curved, they're used as a weapon against rival males.

Japanese red bug juveniles eat a rare fruit, which their mother collects from the forest floor. It can take her hours to find a perfectly ripe fruit — but if she doesn't get it back quickly enough, her young will abandon their nest and find a better mother.

The bombardier beetle has two chambers within its body to store different inert chemicals. When threatened, the beetle mixes the chemicals in a third chamber, where they react explosively and burst from its rear end, spraying its enemy in a boiling, caustic jet.

TELEVISION FIRSTS

An aerial camera system creates a "butterfly-eye" perspective of more than a million monarch butterflies in their wintering grounds in Mexico.
Male Darwin's stag beetles fighting, then mating, in the treetops.
A Japanese red bug mother working tirelessly to feed her young with a rare fruit, only to have them abandon the nest when she's not quick enough with the meal.
Male Dawson's bees committing mass murder to gain access to a female.

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Challenges of Life	Reptiles and Amphibians	Mammals	Fish

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