The Hunt

Episode: Nowhere to Hide - Ep5
Broadcast Info: 2015 (58 mins)
Description: Half of all land is either desert or grassland: open habitats where predators like cheetahs, bald eagles, and lions can usually find their prey easily. But it works both ways: prey always knows where their predators are. With nothing but open vistas, the element of surprise is hard-won; predators must make their own opportunities. Nowhere to Hide explores the strategies of predator and prey in the open arena.
Some, like the cheetah, use unparalleled speed to close the gap. Others are masters of using whatever scraps of cover they can find: an elegant caracal blends seamlessly into tall dry grass while the lions in Etosha have learned that desert storms conceal their scent and panic their prey.
Some of the world’s smallest predators resort to trickery. Namibia’s hot rod ants let the sun do the killing for them and in Brazil, headlight beetle larvae lure termites to their death with an eerie glow.
However, prey have their own counter-strategies. They burrow deep, band together, and fight back with every last ounce of strength.
For a predator to outmatch their prey in the most exposed habitats on the planet, they must constantly improve their game.
Genre: Science; Research; Biology; Natural History; Climate

The Open University, "The Hunt". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/221207 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)

The Open University