Baby Animals: The Top 10

[narrator] Growing up in the wild can be pretty hardcore.

Imagine learning to leap... roar... swim... or fly for the very first time.

You've got to get it right... because the faster you are, the stronger you are or even the better you can camouflage yourself... the greater your chances of surviving and thriving in the wilderness... when you grow up that is!

But with all this feral rivalry going on, you've got to wonder... who really is Mother Nature's biggest... or smallest... or most dangerous untamed youngling of them all?

The answers will astound you, and we are counting them down from 10 to 1.

They are cute... they are wild.

They are the cover girls and boys of the animal kingdom and they know it.

They are... baby animals.

[upbeat theme music] Baby animals are adorable, right?

But don't be fooled.

These young critters might be small and cute, but that's not going to make them win in the wild.

They must learn to hunt... to poison... to intimidate... and to triumph over anything that gets in their way.

You are about to enter the company of pint-sized chasers... chompers and stingers.

These baby animals with bite are ready to rock.

Kicking off this countdown of 'Babies With Bite' is a creature that could also top the list of 'Most Adorable'.

But beneath the fuzzy fur, long eyelashes and soft paws, there beats the heart of a formidable beast.

Number 10 is the lion.

Lions are carnivores.

No amount of salad will tempt these apex predators which means, whether they like it or not, these soft, fuzzy, playful cubs have to learn to hunt.

So how does something that starts off life looking so cute and cuddly end up being one of the planet's most feared wild animals?

[playful music] For the first six weeks, the tiny defenceless cubs are entirely dependent on their mother, and are hidden from the rest of the lion pride for safety.

But after that, they definitely find their baby lion groove.

Lion cubs might think they are mighty warriors, but the African savannah is full of threats to a baby lion's survival.

And Mum and the aunty lions - the other females in the pride - are the only barrier between a brave little cub and the jaws of an angry male lion, or any other predator species.

Cubs are full of energy and spend much of their day practising their big lion skills.

But as fearsome as a little lion might feel on the inside, Mum is always in charge.

She's never afraid to use her voice to calm her littlies down.

[soft warbling] Lion cubs may be learning to be the best of the beasts but, like always, they have to accept - mother knows best.

[tribal music] Lion life is matriarchal.

The females of the pride take care of all the family business.

Lionesses share care for the cubs.

And while a lion cub will listen to any female telling them what to do, they still need to rely on their mum for food.

At about three months of age, the cubs are ready to join the pride and it's around this point that cute and cuddly becomes a little more dark and dangerous.

The cubs stand by while Mum heads out on a hunt.

[tense music] Before long, she has taken down a gazelle... and after the adults eat... the young ones join the table.

While their meat-eating skills are nowhere near fully developed, these babies show what their sharp teeth and claws can really do.

Lion cubs are not set up for doing real damage to anything but their lunch.

But it is worth remembering that wherever there is a cute little lion cub - there's a much larger, much more powerful, and possibly grumpy, adult lion somewhere close by.

And they are definitely not going to be handing out free hugs... except to their cubs.

[soft percussion] To meet our next baby with bite, we must travel to Australia.

And here, in this harsh land where only the toughest survive, we find a youngster primed for the toughest life possible.

It's Number 9 - the dingo.

[howling] Dingoes are an ancient dog breed, introduced to the Australian mainland by Asian seafarers around 4,000 years ago.

They live in a wide range of habitats... from vast sandy beaches to the bush.

[whining] As pups, dingoes come into the world with about five siblings.

These have even more playmates, as they're being raised at a special sanctuary.

[playful music] Newborn dingos have dark muzzles that will lighten as they mature.

For the first two weeks, milk is on the menu... then the pups are introduced to meat.

By the time they're two months old, these little dingos will be weaned.

At this stage, they will either be allowed to stay with their parents for about a year or... will be left to fend for themselves, hunting for protein.

Remember, no matter how cute they look, they are wild.

The reason dingo puppies are so entertaining is the very same thing that will keep them at the top of the pack in adult life.

Whether it's the desert or the coast, a dingo's habitat is tough... very little water... limited food sources... blinding heat... so dingoes need to be fast and canny hunters.

And that means that dingo puppies need to learn those hunting skills through play... chasing... wrestling... dominating - and then having a little nap because it's all too exhausting.

A dingo's jaws are their main tool and weapon.

In fact, a dingo's jaws have the ability to open really wide... and they have longer jaws and larger teeth than domestic dogs of a similar size.

[howling] A dingo has been purpose built for survival... a lean, strong body... and a coat that is completely weather resistant, which means it is unbothered by rain, wind or extreme heat.

On top of that, in a smart pivot for a solo hunter, a dingo has no body odour at all... perfect for sneaking up on unsuspecting lunch.

Is a dingo really a dog?

In 2014, a research team decided to devote some time to answering this question... and the results are surprising.

Scientists have found that it is actually impossible to classify a dingo as a dog or a wolf.

And this is because it is impossible to determine exactly where they came from.

So, we could call them wild dogs, or Australian wolves, or even "smoochy woochy poochy doodles".

Actually, no.

Don't call them that.

They probably wouldn't like it.

Dingoes are Australia's only wild canine carnivores.

They are not animals that adapt easily to urban life.

So, even though a dingo pup looks like a sweet fluffy toy, its place is in the wild.

Has anyone ever called you a "big baby"?

Well, you've got nothing on Number 8 in our "Babies With Bite" list... the hippopotamus.

There are two species of hippo... the pygmy hippopotamus - small, dark and not too grumpy... and the common hippopotamus... about 10 times heavier and a lot more aggressive.

[mischievious music] Both species are found naturally in the rivers and lakes of Africa.

Plus, there are also special "insurance populations" bred within sanctuaries all around the world.

For vegetarians, hippos are hardcore.

The adults take the job of defending their river territory very seriously.

And they use every bit of their massive bulk to do that.

But a hippo calf doesn't yet have the tools to join the grown-ups.

Found close to its mother's side, a hippo calf starts out weighing between 25 and 50 kilos.

That's about the same as a large family dog.

So this baby has a lot of growing to do before it can join Dad in the river.

To get there, it starts packing on weight by drinking its mum's milk that's rich in nutrients.

After a month, the calves start to add grass to their diet.

By the time they're eight months old, they're weaned and chomping their way through around 22 kilograms of grass a night.

That's like eating about 142 hotdogs.

[soft music] With ears that fold shut... in-built eye-goggle membranes and thick pink protective sweat, these babies are uniquely built for their freshwater life.

And they need to be, 'cause hippos spend about 16 hours a day in the water.

So, challenge number one for a baby hippo is to learn how to hold their breath.

Calves can only stay under for about a minute... but eventually they'll be able to last five times that.

And, if they get tired, they can always use their supportive mums like big pool floats.

Hippo Mumma instincts are strong too.

For two weeks after the birth, the mother and baby stay separate from the herd, spending their time bonding and feeding.

And for 18 months after that, they are rarely separated as the calf goes about the business of learning to "hippo".

This is because, while no one is going to mess with an adult hippo, a baby is very vulnerable.

[dramatic music] Crocodiles, that share the African river waters can easily take a baby hippo... and with male hippos clashing daily, a baby could easily get caught in the crossfire.

Once an adult, a hippo's teeth are its most dangerous weapon, growing in excess of 30 centimetres in length.

A full grown hippo bull can swing that jaw open 180 degrees, before chomping down hard on anyone that gets in the way.

And with the strongest bite force of any land animal, you do not want to be anywhere near a hippo's mouth.

A hippo can't swim.

And because they are basically all muscle, they are too dense to float.

So...when they move underwater, they sink down and use their toes to walk across the river bed.

But baby legs are way too short.

So, they just hang next to their protective mothers on the surface.

And with that kind of support, in the water and on the land, a baby hippo has everything it needs to grow up to be one of the most fearsome beasts on planet earth.

The next babies with bite... pack a tiny, but lethal, punch.

These pale little hitchhikers are Number 7 on our countdown... baby scorpions.

Scorpions can be found on every continent on earth except Antarctica.

They are a part of the arachnid family.

That makes them close cousins of spiders and ticks - which would make their family holiday parties just a little bit creepy.

But if you are on the lookout for them and happen to have a UV light handy - fun fact: scorpions glow in the dark.

When it comes to a scorpion's bite, it's not their jaws that are the worry.

Scorpions attack prey and defend themselves with the stinger in their tail.

When a scorpion stings, it can release a deadly venom.

The venom contains a complex mix of toxins that affect the nervous system of smaller animals and humans.

When it comes to being venomous, there is a common misconception that baby scorpion stings are more poisonous than their adult counterparts.

This isn't true.

But scientists have found that they accumulate venom from the moment they are born, enabling them to defend themselves as soon as they go it alone.

But for Mum, raising young scorpions is not a lot of fun.

Scorpion babies are called nymphs, or sometimes scorplings.

They are born live and are perfect miniatures of their parents... same pincers... same curved tails... same sharp claws which they use to hang tight on their mother's back.

They do this because their nymph exoskeleton is soft, making them an easy chewy snack for a hungry spider, lizard or bird.

The nymphs will ride with Mumma until their exoskeleton hardens up.

And once they go through their first moult, most youngsters usually disperse... free to do their own scorpion thing... crawling... stinging... and who's going to argue with them?

Ideal scorpion habitat is a desert landscape.

They have a hard exoskeleton and need very little water to survive.

But scorpions are highly adaptable and very curious... which is one of the reasons they are now so widespread around the world.

An individual scorpion has two pincers at the front... anywhere between 6 and 12 eyes, eight legs... and one tail, made up of five segments and one very nasty stinger.

There's not much about a scorpion's appearance that would lead you to believe that they are delicate eaters.

So, it won't come as a surprise that when a scorpion snacks, there's a fairly gross process going on.

See how this scorpion is doing little bounces while it eats?

What it's doing is regurgitating gastric fluid, which dissolves the bites of cricket and then the meal can be swallowed.

At least it's not this mother scorpion that has been carrying her babies on her back for a couple of weeks... because when she gets hungry, it's not unknown for her to eat one of her babies for dessert... which is a pretty extreme way to lighten the load of motherhood.

Being so tiny, baby scorpions are going to face a lot of challenges getting to adulthood.

It's kind of hard to begrudge them those nasty stingers.

[tribal music] When it comes to babies with bite, the last thing you might think is, "Vegetarian".

And yet, here we are.

Close to the middle of the pack of 'Baby Animals With Bite' - Number 6 - the Cape buffalo.

Cape buffalo live in sub-Saharan Africa, some of the toughest terrain on earth.

And even though their calves are very cute, they have some serious survival skills to learn.

The number one weapon for that survival is right on top of their head.

But it takes a while for their horns to become formidable.

On a baby buffalo... they're quite cute.

A newborn calf comes into the world with two small circles of horn adorning their head.

These appendages take at least five years to grow to full size, which is good news for the mums.

When calves suckle, they sometimes headbutt their mother's udder to encourage milk flow... so the longer the baby's horns stay small, the better.

The calves nurse for up to a year, during which time the pair form a strong bond.

The bulls play no part in raising their offspring, but one doting parent seems to be plenty.

By the time they're one, the calves gain more babysitters - a herd of fully armed babysitters.

Cape buffalo horns grow very close together at their base, forming a bone helmet across the head that's known as a "boss".

The largest males can have horns that measure one metre across.

And the females don't lack firepower on their heads either.

That's where the Cape buffalo's second weapon comes into play.

These are family animals.

A Cape buffalo herd can number up to 2,000 beasts... an aggressive, protective group that are ready to rumble at a minute's notice ... which comes in handy when predators come hunting.

Cape buffalos have some bulk to throw around.

An average male can top out at 900 kilos.

Fully grown females are about half that size.

[rock music] Growing up buffalo is a long process.

They are between five and six years old before they reach full maturity.

And they have a lot to learn in that time... like how to swim and cross rivers.

When the grass is greener on the other side, herd mentality says it's worth the risk to take the plunge.

It's a big ask for small legs.

But these calves come from tough stock.

[tribal music] Cape buffalo might be threatening when it comes to humans and predators in their eyeline, but there's one group of animals they are quite happy to share the couch with... birds... specifically oxpeckers.

These small birds have what is known as a "mutualistic" relationship with Cape buffalo.

That means that while they aren't completely dependent on each other for survival, they help each other out - a lot.

The buffalo gets a personal cleaner and a bonus security force... ticks and other parasites are cleared off their bodies... and at the same time, the birds alert when predators appear.

And for the birds?

Well, they get breakfast... and lunch... and the odd nostril dinner.

While this baby waits for its budding horns to get big enough to form a boss, it looks happy just to chill and chew the cud with its family.

[tense music] Australia Is home to some lethal creatures.

Meet Number 5 on our 'Bitey Babies Countdown' - the taipan.

There's no way to make this information any prettier.

The taipan is undeniably the world's most venomous snake.

It has the most toxic venom of any species.

And taipans can have fangs more than 12 millimetres long, which they use to deliver that venom.

But the news isn't all bad.

And to understand why, we need to begin at the beginning of the taipan story.

This is a clutch of inland taipan eggs.

[playful music] The leathery surface of a snake egg is quite unique.

It absorbs liquid from the air and ground... expanding to accommodate the growing snake inside.

There's about 45cm of snake coming out of each one of those eggs.

Even on day one of life, this baby taipan has a tiny set of fangs that work just like an adult's fangs do.

Before long, each one of these babies will grow to four times the size they are now.

Their fangs will grow too.

And taipans aren't afraid to use them whenever they need a meal.

Despite the obvious danger involved, taipan venom, along with other snake venoms, are actually incredibly useful for humans.

Anti-venom, a lifesaver in the case of an actual snake bite, is developed from the venom itself.

But also, many other medicines for humans suffering neurological and vascular conditions have been developed using the chemicals found in snake venom.

This process, however, requires two things.

Firstly, some very brave expert herpetologists, called "snake milkers", who are highly trained in the handling of extremely dangerous snakes to source the precious venom.

And secondly, the cooperation of the snake - which cannot always be guaranteed.

We can all be grateful for two facts.

One - inland taipan territory is almost completely limited to very remote, very tough country in the very centre of Australia.

And two - taipans are not naturally aggressive to humans - preferring to keep their distance from large species they cannot eat.

So, people don't often end up anywhere near the mouth of a hungry taipan.

The news is not so great for the small mammals that share the arid Australian desert with taipans.

Specifically, this plague rat that has found itself in a taipan lair at the wrong time.

And there it is.

With one strike, the taipan has used its long fangs to inject more than enough venom to take out numerous animals.

[dramatic music] Apart from their long hollow fangs, taipans also have other smaller teeth.

So, when you are in their home, you need to respect their rules.

And in the case of the taipan, the rule is "do not mess with me".

The ocean... blue... inviting... and full of our Number 4 'Babies With Bite' ... sharks... [tense music] many being the proud owners of between 5 and 15 rows of ever-replenishing teeth.

Sure, sharks have a bad reputation, but is it deserved?

Out of more than 500 species of sharks, only about 30 species have been documented using their teeth on humans... the "Big 3" being tiger sharks, bull sharks and great white sharks.

The fact is, very few people per year around the world are killed by sharks.

Yet, in contrast, millions of sharks are killed by humans every year.

[playful music] So, yes.

Some are bitey, but hundreds of species aren't.

Like these littlies.

These are Port Jackson shark pups.

They do have teeth, but they are so small, they have very little interest in using them to bite anything but lunch.

And this bizarre-looking thing is one of their egg casings.

Yep, these adorable fishy bundles come into the world by hatching out of these spiral-shaped wonders.

And if you think they're weird, these curious things are known as "mermaid's purses".

Those wriggly things inside these bizarre egg capsules are baby catsharks - a type of ground shark.

Even weirder, some of their ground shark cousins include hammerhead and tiger sharks.

After four to six months in the egg case, this coral catshark is ready to explore the nooks and crannies of its new home.

These sharks are named for their cat-like eyes.

While some shark species hatch from eggs, other pups develop inside their mother - like blacktip reef sharks.

The mothers deposit their babies in shallow water "nurseries".

Here they're safe, as the water isn't deep enough for adult blacktips or other marine predators to swim and turn them into a snack.

On the subject of snapping up a bite to eat, these pups might be small, but - feeding frenzy!

[tense music] The good news is that when sharks are fully grown they want to bite prey, like fish and marine mammals - not humans.

In fact, most sharks are too small and ill-equipped "teeth-wise" to even attempt biting a human.

But larger species, like great whites and tigers, are undeniably apex predators.

A fear of sharks, or "galeophobia", is not irrational, because big sharks are scary... but with a 1 in almost 4 million chance of being attacked... our fears are implausible at best.

Even so, if you come across a baby shark in your ocean travels, it's probably best to leave it to live its best life - biting food, and not you.

[percussive music] In today's countdown, we have encountered babies that use their mouths for chomping... injecting... and shredding anything in their way.

And now we are down to the Top Trio of 'Babies With Bite'.

Meet Number 3... which might not bite much more than grass, but will grow up to be one of the toughest animals on the planet... the rhinoceros.

There are five species of rhinoceros, each with a slightly different look.

The Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinos are found in southern Asia, while the black and white are found in Africa.

But while they look and live slightly differently, what unifies these impressive land mammals is their massive bulk and their ability to throw it around, whenever necessary.

[soft percussion] A baby rhino is, on average, the size of a young adult human when it is born.

Depending on the species, these babies are between 40-68kg of instant attitude.

A rhino calf is almost immediately on its feet after birth, feeding from its mother within hours and exploring its world in days.

[upbeat music] These babies are up for life's adventure, copying and annoying their mother from the moment they can move.

That's smart, because even though they are large, baby rhinos are not too large to be eaten by predators.

[upbeat music] While a baby rhino only has a bump where its horn - or horns in some species - will be, a mother rhinoceros has some serious facial jewellery.

And she is not afraid to use her horns, her teeth and her impressive body weight to scare away anything she doesn't like.

If a lion or a tiger comes looking for a rhino calf lunch, Mumma will attack!

Thankfully, baby rhinos grow fast.

They will add two to three kilograms of weight per day... and before long, they will be too big and too grumpy for predators to chase.

And that is good, because rhino numbers are in steep decline around the world.

In fact, only two of the five species are not critically endangered.

This is mostly due to human activity - habitat loss, hunting and poaching for rhino horn.

What's in a name?

When it comes to rhinos, the word "rhinoceros" comes from the ancient Greek language.

"Rhino" refers to the "nose", and "keros" refers to keratin - the substance that makes up a rhino's horn.

While we are talking about rhinos and names, you may have noticed that the white rhino isn't actually white.

There's a theory that the name came from the Afrikaans word "wyd" meaning "wide" - as in their mouth.

But when English-speaking naturalists heard "wyd", they thought they were hearing "white".

There is no doubt that a frolicking baby rhino looks like a sweet, innocent toy.

But it is worth remembering that this baby will grow up to be Africa's second largest land mammal... packing a pointy horn, sizeable teeth and no desire to put up with any nonsense.

[soft percussion] Our next "Baby With Bite" can be found in many different territories through Africa... the Middle East...and Asia.

They're big, they are fearsome and as babies, they are very, very beautiful.

They are also Number 2 on our countdown today.

They are leopards.

Leopard cubs are born blind and completely dependent.

A mother leopard keeps her tiny, half kilo babies hidden for their first weeks, moving them frequently.

But at the tender age of three months, baby leopards begin to join their mothers on hunts.

By the time they're two years old, these babies will have learned enough survival skills from their "teacher" to strike out on their own as independent adults.

[tense music] Leopards are fast, with a top speed of around 60 kilometres per hour.

And they can pounce... the length of three adult humans if they are keen to catch something.

And their razor sharp teeth are their hunting weapon of choice.

A leopard isn't particularly fussy about what it eats - antelope, rodents, rabbits, even farm animals like cattle, sheep and goats.

Are you sensing a theme here?

No greens, no fruit or veg.

So perhaps we should re-phrase.

A leopard isn't fussy about what it eats, as long as it's meat.

But leopards don't just use their teeth for catching their food.

And that's because they don't like sharing.

With their prey clamped in their powerful jaws, leopards climb up a tree and onto a secure branch and there, they feast alone.

As odd as that may seem, it's par for the course for a leopard.

They are solitary animals as adults... happy with their own company, a comfy tree and the odd antelope or rabbit for company.

Well not quite company, but you get the idea.

A leopard drinking water, like this, is a relatively rare sight.

This is because they get most of the fluid they need from their prey.

And while leopards are found in a greater diversity of habitats than any other big cat species, many of those habitats are incredibly dry.

So not needing a lot of drinking water is a very handy adaptation.

[acoustic guitar plays] The name "leopard" is a combination of two root words - "leo" for "lion", and "pardus" which is the Latin word for "panther".

This is because the scientists who first described the leopard believed these elegant cats were a crossbreed of lions and panthers, and not a species in their own right.

But, no matter why we call them what we call them, leopards are precious animals.

Their numbers are in steep decline because of hunting, poaching and habitat loss.

So, spotting a leopard in the wild - see what we did there - is an incredibly special thing.

[percussive music] Among the many monkey species around the world... there is one that is known to have some serious bite.

And that's why it is on the top of our countdown today.

Meet the baboon.

Found across Africa and Arabia, in a huge diversity of environments, these large Old World monkeys are powerful animals.

[calming music] While their size varies across the five species of baboon, an average adult male can weigh between 15-37kg and can stand up to a metre tall.

A baboon also has a long tail... which it carries proudly in an arc as it struts around.

A baby baboon will also show off its tail, even if it isn't quite sure what it is.

You can recognize a baboon by its distinctive long snout with large open nostrils at the end.

And by its teeth - long, razor sharp chompers that a baboon will not hesitate to show to anyone who wants to see them.

The interesting thing about a baboon's scary, toothy display is it can be exactly that - a display.

But it's not always just an act.

Baboons can be incredibly aggressive and fearsome animals, with the males constantly competing for dominance and mating rights.

But, in between these moments, baboons usually reserve their bite for lunch time.

Baboons have an incredibly diverse diet.

They are the omnivore of all omnivores.

Baboon food would be best described as... everything.

If it's edible, it will be eaten... mammals... fruit... grasses... the whole nine yards.

And baboon teeth, very similar in structure and strength to lion's teeth, are perfect for catching, killing and breaking down their food.

A baboon baby is usually born at night.

Weighing less than one kilogram, baby baboons have one reflex working on overdrive... their grip.

They use their strong hands and feet to cling to their mothers' chests... doing nothing but drinking and hanging on for dear life for their first two months.

After that, a baby baboon starts to explore the world away from Mum's chest.

And a little bit later, they get the idea that everything is food.

And they start to use their bite.

Baby baboons have a lot to learn to match their adult counterparts' fearsome performance skills.

And they do that with each other.

Baby play is the best rehearsal for adult life.

And these tiny ones believe they are capable of much more than they actually are, constantly getting themselves in trouble with their over-inflated sense of independence.

[playful music] Of the five baboon species, only one - the hamadryas baboon - is listed as a species of least concern.

Its glorious mane makes it a target for hunters.

But we can be thankful to conservation programs around the world for maintaining safety or insurance populations of all baboon species... so these incredible monkeys are protected into the future.

[upbeat theme music]