episode-of

In a South American swamp, a broad-snouted caiman floats along a river on a hot day. She's not only looking for prey, but listening closely for the calls of her babies. High up on the bank, a mound of peat covers her precious eggs.From within its shell, a young caiman calls out to its brothers and sisters. One by one, the babies begin chirping from inside their eggs, encouraging one another to emerge; their chances of survival are higher if they hatch simultaneously. Using sound to synchronize themselves, the baby caimans…

In a sea of bright pink feathers, soft trills emerge. A male flamingo rubs its beak against the grey-tufted head of its newly hatched offspring. But the clock is ticking, and the chick and its father must listen closely and learn each other's voices quickly. Within 10 days of a flamingo chick hatching, its parents will fly off to find food, while the chick stays behind with the other juveniles under the supervision of a few adults. When the parents return, babies and parents must find each other among their flock.…

Some creatures are so quiet, they appear to make no sound at all.When a male treehopper calls out for a mate, he shakes his abdomen 100 times a second to produce a low sound that vibrates through the stem of the plant he is standing on. While that sound is audible to other treehoppers — particularly the female treehoppers he's trying to attract — it's outside the frequency that humans can hear.In Love and Rivals, the second episode of Secret World of Sound, we listen in on dime-sized treehoppers in conversation. But how…

On the vast grasslands of Alberta, a group of sharp-tailed grouse gather for the most important event of the year: a song and dance competition.While most male birds compete against each other to win a mate, the grouse take a different approach. They perform a synchronized dance routine as a team, and the more males, the more impressive their performance.These sharp-tailed grouse put on a remarkable show. With their heads down and wings outstretched, they stomp and rattle their tail feathers. Flashes of yellow from the…

In the forests of eastern Australia, a unique annual ritual is underway. A male superb lyrebird fans out its large tail and bobs up and down amongst the foliage. It's performing a song and dance routine in hopes of winning a potential mate. Unfortunately, this bird isn't drawing any attention. Female lyrebirds require more complex songs to win the ability to mate. During his mating display, the male lyre bird puts on a show in his performing ground, replicating the sounds he hears in the surrounding forest — with…