10 Animal Behaviours Filmed for the First Time Ever | BBC Earth

Why It Matters

The unprecedented footage provides direct evidence of rare ecological interactions, informing conservation strategies and deepening our understanding of adaptive behaviours across ecosystems.

Key Takeaways

• Vampire squid uses bioluminescent bacteria to deter predators.
• Nautilus ascends nightly, feeds monthly, conserving energy via jet propulsion.
• Sea snakes team with goatfish, herding prey on remote Indonesian reefs.
• Cordyceps fungus hijacks ant brains, causing death and colony collapse.
• First wild snow leopard footage reveals den selection and maternal hunting tactics.

Summary

The BBC Earth short compiles ten animal behaviours captured on film for the first time, ranging from abyssal cephalopods to high‑altitude predators. By spotlighting moments rarely seen by humans, the video underscores how much of wildlife ecology remains undocumented.

Among the highlights, the vampire squid flashes bioluminescent bacteria to confuse attackers, while the nautilus performs a nightly ascent to feed, relying on gas‑filled chambers and a low‑energy jet to travel shell‑first. On a remote Indonesian reef, dozens of sea snakes join forces with yellow goatfish, corralling hidden fish into their jaws—a cooperative hunt only recently observed. In the rainforest, a parasitic Cordyceps fungus commandeers ant brains, forcing infected workers to climb vegetation where the fungus erupts from their heads, decimating colonies. The footage also captures a wolf tracking a migrating caribou herd, a snow leopard mother nurturing her cub in a cliff‑side den, and dolphins hydro‑planing across shallow surf to snatch fish.

The narration emphasizes visual details: the squid’s “pockets of light,” the nautilus’s “chemical sensors,” the snakes’ “venomous bite” that immobilizes prey, and the ant’s “mandibles gripping a stem” before the fungal fruiting body bursts. The snow leopard’s “large paws” and “long tail” are shown stabilizing her on sheer rock, while dolphins generate enough momentum to glide over barely‑wadeable water.

These unprecedented recordings expand scientific baselines, revealing complex interspecies collaborations and survival strategies that were previously speculative. They also highlight the fragility of the habitats—only 6% of Indonesia’s reefs remain pristine—underscoring urgent conservation needs across marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Original Description

From the vampire squid from hell to snow leopards hunting markhor in the Himalayas, watch 10 incredible filming firsts from Planet Earth.

Celebrate 20 years of Planet Earth. Head over to the webpage to find out more: https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/planet-earth

#PlanetEarth #DavidAttenborough #PE20

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/BBCEarthSub

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest news, updates and exclusives from BBC Earth https://www.bbcearth.com/newsletter

Watch more:

Best of BBC Earth 🌍 https://bit.ly/BestOfBBCEarth

Best Animal Fights 🥊 https://bit.ly/BestAnimalFights

Videos over 10 minutes ⏰ https://bit.ly/3SHJCEJ

Planet Earth III 🌍 https://bit.ly/PlanetEarthIIIPlaylist

Frozen Planet II ❄️ https:/bit.ly/FrozenPlanetIIPlaylist

Blue Planet II in 4K 🌊 https://bit.ly/BluePlanetII4kPlaylist

Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you'll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn't get more exciting than this.

This is a commercial page from BBC Studios. Service information and feedback: http://bbcworldwide.com/vod-feedback--contact-details.aspx

00:00:00 Vampire Squid From Hell

00:01:27 Nautilus Hunting in the Dark

00:03:29 Highly Venomous Sea Snakes Hunt

00:06:34 Parasitic Cordyceps Take Over Insect's Body

00:09:37 Wolves Hunt Caribou

00:12:51 Snow Leopards Hunt Markhor

00:15:58 Surfing Dolphins

00:18:42 A Pride of Lions Take Down an Elephant

00:22:09 Polar Bear Takes on Walrus Herd

00:25:25 Sailfish Are Master Hunters