The Hunt

Episode: The Hardest Challenge - Ep1
Broadcast Info: 2015 (58 mins)
Description: The contests between predators and prey are the most dramatic events in nature; for both it’s a matter of life and death. The Hardest Challenge reveals the extraordinary range of techniques predators use to catch their prey; each one shaped by the unique challenge of the habitat in which they live.
Survival depends on many skills - for a leopard success hinges on its powers of stealth, making the most of whatever cover it can find to get within striking distance of its prey. Wild dogs face a very different challenge - how to catch their prey in a habitat where there’s nowhere to hide - Africa’s open plains. Their solution is stamina, literally wearing their quarry down in a long chase. For killer whales it’s all about teamwork and intelligence - skills that allow them to take on the might of 40 ton humpback whales.
Predators must rise to many challenges, whether it’s the Serengeti’s giant crocodiles - the Planet’s most patient predator - that can wait an entire year for a meal; or, Amur falcons that travel 16,000 miles every year in their search for insect prey.
But, whatever the strategy, the surprising truth is that most predators fail most of the time. Even for the most accomplished hunters the outcome is far from certain. It’s what makes predators some of the hardest working animals on the planet.
Genre: Science; Research; Biology; Natural History; Climate

The Open University, "The Hunt". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/221203 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)

The Open University