For many species the possession of territory is the ultimate goal. With good territory comes plentiful food, access to shelter, attraction to mates and safety to raise offspring - all tremendous strategic advantages in the wild. For a territorial species, their territory is their kingdom. Those that want it will stop at nothing to get it, and those that have it will fight fiercely to defend it.
To provide an edge to survive in their habitats, some animals have developed techniques that allow them to share information. Communication represents one of the most versatile and widely used strategies in the animal world. In both social and solitary species it is the transfer of information that lies at the heart of so many behaviours in the wild. For those that harness the power of communication, the advantage is theirs.
From microscopic single celled organisms to the largest animals on the planet, one goal is shared by all living things: to reproduce. For many creatures, finding a suitable mate to pass on strong genes and rear young that will survive to adulthood is a challenge that is met with a variety of strategies. In this episode we will observe the creative tactics animals employ to find the best mates and to win them over.
The ability to fight and win is essential to any animal living in the wild. The strategies of that fight are known as agonism and it can be used to establish hierarchy, secure resources, win territory and seduce mates. In the wild, there are no guarantees. But those that master agonism have the best chance of seeing another day.
For carnivores, their food does not grow on trees. If they want to survive they must employ all the strategies at their disposal to overcome a foodsource that is equally determined to live as they are. They must find it if it hides, chase it if it flees, track it if it is elusive and defeat it if it fights. The predator's physical powers will only finish the job. The real work comes down to strategy
Animals can employ a number of different defenses in order to withstand an attack. Some seek safety in herds, some hide in plain sight, some meet aggression with even stronger aggression, and some build fortresses. Whatever the strategy, it is clear that animals will do whatever it takes to survive the wild.
