A gibbon.
The most acrobatic...
..the most graceful...
..of a remarkable animal family.
One family...
..countless faces.
Monkeys...
..apes...
..lemurs.
A family that's found in almost every habitat on the planet.
BABOON CALLS
Each has their own unique strategy for survival,
which we're only just beginning to understand.
Meet the primates.
The canyons of Northeast Brazil.
Home to one of the world's smartest animals.
THEY CALL
Bearded capuchins.
This large troop of 40
sleep in the caves at the top of the cliffs...
..safe from predators.
But that means they have a daily descent
of 200 metres
just to find anything to eat.
It's the peak of the dry season.
There's been no rainfall for eight months.
There is some food here.
Lizards are a source of protein and water,
but to catch them, you need to be smart.
Capuchins have mastered a skill
almost no other animal has.
They make and use tools...
..tailor-made for every job.
And these sticks are shaped
for hunting in crevices.
But they have another,
even more ingenious strategy
that gives them access to a superfood.
Wild cashews.
The nuts inside are rich
in fats and minerals,
but the shells are almost impossible to break into.
Unless you're a capuchin.
The adults make it look easy,
although, in fact, it takes several years of practice.
By age five, this youngster has learned the basics.
But that hammer's too small.
That's a better size...
..but he's still got to get the angle just right.
Finally.
No capuchin is born with these abilities -
they have to be learned,
passed down from generation to generation.
We've recently discovered
that capuchins have been using stone tools here
for at least 3,000 years.
And it's one of the key reasons
why they can survive
in such an inhospitable environment.
Across the world,
there are over 500 different species of primates.
And we are constantly discovering more
about their diverse adaptations.
Spider monkeys are born
for a life in the highest canopy,
with a tail that works like an extra arm.
MONKEYS HOWL
Howler monkeys - the loudest primate.
In fact, one of the loudest animals on land.
The strange aye-aye
has a unique, bony middle finger
so sensitive it can locate grubs
hidden in tree trunks.
Colourful forest monkeys.
Acrobatic urban residents.
Primates come in all shapes and sizes.
And one of the biggest - and most endangered -
lives here...
..on these volcanic slopes
in Virunga, Central Africa.
A silverback mountain gorilla.
He's well over twice the weight of an average man...
..and over 4,000 times bigger
than the smallest primate.
HE GRUNTS
His displays of strength
keep intruders and challengers at bay.
And him at the top.
It's no surprise gorillas have a fearsome reputation.
The silverback's aggression maintains order
in gorilla family life.
This male has been very successful.
He's ruled his group of 14 for six years.
He's in the prime of his life.
But not everyone
shows him the respect he deserves.
JAUNTY MUSIC
HE GRUNTS
YOUNG GORILLA TRILLS
SILVERBACK GRUNTS
There really is no escape.
He's a climbing frame.
A drum.
A trampoline.
But this tolerance could be a deliberate tactic.
The latest research shows that for an alpha male,
there's more to success
than just aggressive displays of power.
He certainly is strong...
..but he's also gentle...
CONTENTED GRUNTS
..attentive...
..even playful.
The females seem to find
his softer side irresistible.
Caring fathers
raise up to five times as many infants.
For primates...
..family matters.
When it really counts,
they back each other up.
This yellow baboon is on the run.
BABOON CALLS
Somehow, he's escaped this leopard's first attack.
LOW GROWLS
But the cat is still on his trail.
His hope is that he won't be discovered.
The game is up.
Baboons can elude most predators in the trees...
..but not a leopard.
BABOONS CALL
Fortunately, this baboon...
LEOPARD GROWLS
..has got backup.
His family.
Yellow baboons are one of the few animals
that dare to challenge a leopard.
BABOON GRUNTS
The bolder males try to distract the attacker.
But the leopard is relentless.
BABOONS CALL
LEOPARD SNARLS
BABOONS CALL
LEOPARD SNARLS
The fall leaves him injured and disorientated.
But now he might just have a chance
if the leopard can be kept at bay.
BABOONS CALL
The family are not backing down.
LEOPARD SNARLS
They'll hold the leopard here
for as long as they can.
Remarkably, this baboon has survived.
BABOONS CALL
BABOON GRUNTS
The secret to baboons' success
is that they work together.
Primates are excellent collaborators,
but they will also turn
to ruthless exploitation
if it can give them the edge.
And there are few sneakier
than these lion-tailed macaques.
Here in southern India,
monsoon rains mean
that it's jackfruit season.
These enormous 10kg hulks
are the largest tree fruits in the world.
A feast.
But until they're ripe,
they remain completely inedible.
And macaques, unfortunately,
find it hard to tell which ones are ready to eat.
Luckily, help is at hand.
These giant Malabar squirrels
have a keen sense of smell...
..tuned in to the ripest fruits.
The macaques watch the squirrels' every move...
..then try to muscle in.
When the squirrels hold their ground...
..the macaques have another trick
to get their ripe fruit...to go.
They know that the squirrels won't follow them down to the ground.
This tactic gives the monkeys access
to the pick of the bunch.
The squirrels do get a look-in eventually...
..although, even then,
the macaques can't seem to let them
enjoy their share in peace.
Across the Indian Ocean is Madagascar.
Land of the lemurs.
They live nowhere else.
LEMUR HOOTS
Isolated for millions of years,
they've evolved into
over 100 different species,
making up a fifth of all primates.
LEMUR SNORES
In the north-west of the island,
soaring daytime temperatures mean it's siesta time...
..for a family of
blue-eyed black lemurs...
..although only the males are black.
The females are brown...
..but still blue-eyed.
BABY LEMUR TRILLS Every female is carrying an infant.
They're in the midst of their seasonal baby boom.
The adults snatch any opportunity for a rest.
But the infants have other ideas.
PLAYFUL MUSIC
The males can slope away for peace and quiet.
But the females are left to deal
with the boisterous youngsters.
At a month old,
the infants still rely on their mothers for milk.
And their daily wash.
Like many primates,
lemurs are prone to ticks and other parasites,
but as well as grooming each other,
this group have developed a more ingenious means
of keeping pests at bay...
..self-medication.
When these carpenter ants feel under attack,
they spray formic acid -
which the lemurs put to good use.
This behaviour has only just been discovered...
..but it seems that rubbing this acid,
mixed with a bit of spit, onto their fur
acts as an effective tick repellent.
They've learned to access
their own jungle pharmacy.
The only possible side-effects
seem to be yet more drowsiness.
Luckily, this time
the youngsters are also ready for a rest.
Or maybe not.
Isolated off Africa's west coast...
..is the tropical island of Bioko.
It's one of the last strongholds...
..of perhaps the least-known primate in the world.
A shy forest monkey
that rarely ventures out into the open...
..unless there's a good reason.
LOW GRUNT
Scientists think this is a candidate
for the largest monkey in the world.
But so few have been studied,
no-one's sure.
This is a drill.
A battle-scarred male.
He's past his prime,
and now pretty much toothless.
Getting into this bounty is going to be hard.
Kicked out of the family group,
he's forced to live out
his final years alone,
combing the beach for food.
Deep inside the forest...
..life couldn't be more different.
For the rest of the troop,
a giant fruiting tree
provides more than enough for everyone.
A group that might be 50 strong.
Drill society is ruled by alpha males
in peak condition.
Adult males that can't compete
are not tolerated.
The old male is now an exile.
And he's not the only one keeping a low profile.
A much younger male, not ready to be an alpha,
is also an outcast,
skulking around the beach.
He's showing off something the old male is lacking...
..massive canine teeth.
The youngster puts them to work on the coconut.
That's how it's done.
To survive as a toothless outcast,
the old male has adopted a new strategy...
..scavenging.
It's still a mouthful.
But it seems an old drill
can learn new tricks.
THUNDER RUMBLES
Adaptability and resilience are primate hallmarks.
When the Amazon rainforest floods each year,
it creates a challenging maze
that few can navigate.
An exception
is the bald-headed white uakari...
..but they do pay a price.
To find enough food,
they have to spend more of their daily energy travelling
than any other primate.
In the dry season here in Senegal,
a chimpanzee troop can survive
thanks to their elders' memory
of hidden water supplies
in every corner of their territory.
Life-saving knowledge
they pass on to the next generation.
Snub-nosed monkeys in China
survive higher than any other wild primate.
They've adapted to the thin air at this altitude.
And their snub noses
aren't prone to frostbite
in the freezing cold.
This adaptability means primates
can exploit the most unexpected opportunities.
CHIRPING
Winter in South Africa.
As the sun sets...
..the night shift starts to stir.
CHIRPING
Bushbabies are rather different-looking primates...
..and, being nocturnal,
more often heard than seen.
CHIRPING
ANIMAL GRUNTS
For their size, they have the largest ears of any primate...
ANIMAL GRUNTS
..which tune in to the sounds of the African night.
TRUMPETING
It's a jungle out there.
ZEBRA BRAYS, SNORTS
Well, almost.
GROWLING
This is Pretoria Zoo.
SIREN WAILS
INSECTS BUZZ
But these bushbabies are wild.
ANIMALS CALL
Although it might seem a dangerous place
for an animal so small
it could fit in a pint glass,
there is something in these zoo gardens
that, for a bushbaby, is irresistible.
They usually catch insects on the wing...
..but in winter, there aren't any around.
What they really want is nectar.
To get it, they've learned to find their way around the zoo,
all 200 acres of it.
And they have an unusual trick to help them.
They smear sticky drops of urine
onto their hands and feet...
..to leave a scent trail
and to give them extra grip...
..before they jump to light speed.
Elastic tendons in their legs...
..act like catapults,
firing them ten times their body length.
A bushbaby needs to be careful.
Cats, snakes and owls
would all make a meal out of them.
Good job that, here,
most of the hunters are safely behind bars.
GROWLS
Even so, this bushbaby's smart enough
not to hang around.
At last, jackpot!
Bird-of-paradise flowers.
These native plants grow in abundance here
and they're full of syrupy nectar...
..a high-energy drink
that will keep this bushbaby fuelled all night.
When feeding time is over...
..bushbabies can retrace
their scented urine trails
back to the family nest...
..until they head to the zoo again tomorrow.
For many primates, living alongside humans
is a challenge.
But it's a skill at least one family has mastered.
The macaques.
They are the widest-spread group of monkeys,
ranging across Asia,
North Africa and Southern Europe.
MACAQUES CHATTER
These long-tailed macaques in Thailand
have learned to pluck human hair
to use as dental floss.
WOMAN SHRIEKS
And this population in Bali
have gone one step further.
They've learned to barter...
..only giving up their loot
in exchange for the highest-value foods.
But there is one place
where the relationship is rather different.
It's cherished.
One of the most sacred sites
in Kathmandu's city of temples
is Swayambhunath Stupa.
A troop of rhesus macaques
joins the throng of early-morning worshippers...
..looking for food.
But here, the macaques don't need to steal.
They simply take up their positions...
..and wait.
These monkeys are worshipped as gods.
They have charmed us,
and take full advantage of our adoration.
Once they're full,
the group finally has time to relax.
But it isn't long
before the youngsters start to get bored.
THEY SQUEAK
And of course, once one goes in,
they all want to take the plunge.
They seem to double-dare one another
to make increasingly outlandish leaps.
Finally, it's the turn of the senior swimmers
to get their chance to cool off.
But the old girls
do make a rather irresistible target.
This temple troop are thriving...
..in a world increasingly shaped by humans.
Exploiting their revered status
is a brilliant strategy for survival...
..making these rhesus macaques...
..one of the most successful
of this extraordinary animal family.
Many primates live in the tropical rainforest.
Our teams spent months trekking in steamy jungles...
..searching in the pouring rain,
and staring hopefully upwards into the tree tops.
One crew headed to the Brazilian Amazon
to film white uakari.
Another set out to capture lion-tailed macaques
feasting on jackfruit
on a tea plantation in India,
and their first job
was to find the best fruiting trees.
We don't have any passages or pathways.
We're making our ways
cutting the roots and all the bush through.
In Brazil, the forest isn't just thick with vegetation -
it's also flooded five metres deep.
You can't get anywhere without a boat.
The flooded forest is full of life,
including caiman.
For this shoot, it's all about
being up in the tree tops
with the uakari.
First, rope specialist James
fires a fishing line over the highest branch...
..then uses that to pull up over 100m of ropes
to rig a filming platform in the tree.
When you're 6'4",
working from a tiny canoe is a bit precarious.
And only once he's in the canopy
can James work out exactly where to position
the camera platform.
JAMES: OK. Take in the slack as tight as you can, please.
OK, it's locked.
For James, this cramped treehouse
will be home for the next few weeks.
Back in India, the monsoon weather
brings a rather unwanted animal encounter.
Like, so many leeches today.
Thousands of bloodsuckers.
Every time we stop, they're just all over us.
He's got 30,
he's got 27 or something,
and I've counted more than 40.
The rain also seems to be putting the macaques off their food.
We've been here for over five hours now, absolutely nothing.
The weather's changing continuously.
It's a day that's wasted.
And the forecast in Brazil
is...changeable.
THUNDER RUMBLES
Filming is now the last thing on James's mind.
This is the sort of weather that gets me very nervous
when I'm up in the canopy, swaying around all over the place.
Very, very big tree.
I can hear thunder,
which means there's lightning prowling around somewhere.
And here comes the rain.
HE CHUCKLES
And this is proper rain.
Oh, man.
Now, that's a downpour.
THUNDER CRACKS
I'm out of here.
That was getting too hairy for me.
Rain is one thing.
Heavy wind, thunder, lightning -
that's another.
You either stay in the canopy and get zapped by lightning
or you come down and expose yourself
to all sorts of nastiness.
In India, the rain has eased off,
and the macaques are finally feeding on the jackfruit.
But they've been joined by giant squirrels,
and the macaques don't like it.
We just saw a squirrel being chased
by a lion-tailed macaque.
It's the first time we are seeing a squirrel
actually trying to go for a jackfruit.
A monkey and a giant squirrel
fighting over an enormous fruit?
That's too good to miss.
We were this close from getting that shot, but just missed it.
We just have to keep waiting.
The squirrel and the lion-tailed macaques are in frame.
Wait for it.
Ohh! Whoa.
Oh, my God. Nice little slap, huh?
Very gentle slap, it's not really hurting him,
but just like "buzz off" kind of thing.
Perfect.
So, success in India - but what about Brazil?
James has spent ten hours a day,
for 15 consecutive days,
cramped in his hide in all weathers,
on a mission to film uakari.
The bald-headed monkeys
paid him a handful of brief visits
and of course, when they did,
it was inevitably raining.
But, for James, this was still a result.
It was still hacking down with rain, really heavy.
I got a few shots.
It's beautiful - really, really cool.
Filming primates is undoubtedly challenging.
But come rain, and occasionally shine,
we were able to capture new stories
and reveal new insights
about these fascinating animals.
Next time...
..family is everything for the primates.
Every triumph is shared,
and every drama too.
Discover how this remarkable family
conquered the planet
by working together.