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Talking With Animals

Episode 1: Open Worlds

Duration: 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC One WestLatest broadcast: on BBC One Wales

Charlotte Uhlenbroek explores the secret world of animal communication. By using the latest advances in science she eavesdrops on their fascinating conversations. In the first programme, she explores the arctic ice lands, deserts, and grasslands to reveal how animals get their message across vast, open spaces. She investigates how polar bears find each other over hundreds of kilometres of ice, and she checks out a scent trail in the desert that an iguana can actually see. The personal power of scent is tested when she dabs beetle love potion onto herself. Stink bugs use scent, but they also send out vibrating 'songs' which travel along the stems of plants and through the ground. Charlotte mimics their song by humming and is charmed when the little male bug responds. Elephants use infra-sound - something we cannot hear - and vibrations to send messages to each other over huge distances. They use vibration detectors in their trunks and legs to pinpoint the precise location of the sender. Show less

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