Speed Kills

- Season 2

(2013)

Desert creatures endure searing heat and zero rainfall, but speed is their ticket to survival. A Tiger beetle runs at the human equivalent of 500 miles per hour. A caracal jumps six feet to swat a weaver bird out of midair. And the world's fastest chameleon hunts on the desert floor. Only the hardiest, fastest animals survive. Nothing else stands a chance.

There's more than just one creature lurking in this black lagoon. Here, in this bizarre netherworld between river and ocean, evolution has created a variety of freakish assassins, many of whom can strike in the blink of an eye. Witness the fast-paced, deadly action up close and in slow motion as our high-speed cameras capture sharp-shooting archerfish, African fish eagles, mantis shrimp, and other killers at work. Cutting-edge CGI details show just how they use their alien jaws, spear-like arms, and color-changing skin as weapons of underwater war.

Seen from above, the rainforest appears serene and quiet. But below is a world at war, where creatures hide behind trees, sail through the air, and lie and wait until the time is right to strike...and when they do, they attack with blinding bursts of speed. Enter the forest's dark underworld, where cobras, orange baboon tarantulas, chicken hawks, and other predators lurk in the shadows and mist. High-speed cameras capture the battles in gruesome detail and state-of-the-art CGI reveals how these soldiers of evolution are geared to fight.