Speed Kills

- Season 1

(2012)

The open plains of the Serengeti are the perfect playing ground for speed, and they're home to the fastest animals on the planet. Some are built for explosive sprints, others for marathon runs. But all of them, predators and prey, need to move fast in order to survive in this unforgiving environment. Enter the African grassland, and discover how cheetahs, hyenas, hawks, crocodiles, and other assassins of the savannah use their evolution-perfected design mechanisms to kill with lightening-fast speed.

Life happens at alarming speeds in the churning, seemingly slow-moving ocean. Here, marlins chase their prey at 75 MPH, stonefish strike at jaw-dropping speeds, and mantis shrimp throw the fastest punch in the animal kingdom. Even caped gannets take dangerous dives, hitting the water at bone-crunching velocity, just to grab a quick bite. Join us as we reveal the science behind the speed and take you on a breathtaking journey under the sea.

Enter the lush and shadowy wild, where baboons rule the day, leopards own the trees, and African Goshawks reign over the skies. The world's jungles host some of the fastest animals on the planet. Vipers literally strike at lightning speed, spiders leap toward their prey at distances 70 times their body length and, with the flick of their tongue, chameleons snatch their targets at speeds of 900 MPH. This is one high-speed trek you don't want to miss.