How Lion Cubs Are Raised To Be King Of The Jungle | WORLD'S DEADLIEST | Real Wild

Baby animals. They're cute. They're cuddly. They're simply adorable. Don't be fooled. Out in the wild, these youngsters have to be deadly just to make it past childhood. They're badass babies and pint-sized predators. Born ready to fight, bite, and kill. In a world where only the strong survive, these little guys come out strong. An apex predator on the hunt is an awesome mixture of speed, power, and cunning. It can take years to perfect the technique, and if you don't catch food, you starve. How does a young hunter get to the top of its game? A crash course at Predator School. No question, lion cubs are playful and curious. They're not just trying to be cute. These clumsy cubs have a little more than two years to become expert hunters. By then, young females are expected to help catch food for the pride, and young males must be skilled enough to make a living alone. The real lessons begin on the first day of school. Watch and learn, kids. Mom is a finely-tuned hunter. She puts her technique on display. First stealth, then speed. But she doesn't kill this buffalo calf. She drags the injured beast to her cubs to use as practice. It's a vital lesson in the art of survival. Not all lessons come as easy. Some have to be learned the hard way. By their first birthday, the young hunters are eager to try catching their own prey. Not that they're ready. Baboons can be a tricky catch because they hide out in trees, but this little cub hasn't figured that out yet. The clever monkey is happy to teach its own kind lesson. Never stand under a baboon with a full bladder. The next exam is joining mom on a hunt. This young female shows enthusiasm. Too much of it. She forgets lesson number one, stealth, and charges too early, spooking the herd of zebra. As they mature, the teens become star athletes with over 200 kilograms of muscle, a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour, and five centimeter canines to rip into prey. Mom's lessons have paid off. The cubs now realize the full power of their weaponry and killer instinct that is their birthright. Lessons from a dutiful mother may take a while to master, but for a real crash course, there's nothing like learning from a dozen teachers at once. A remote South American beach is not as quiet as it seems. A mother killer whale is about to teach her daughter a rewarding but risky hunting technique. The prize, young and unwary sea lions. Whales rushes in together, but it's the baby that makes the kill. The calf is already able to hunt the same prey its mother does. It doesn't hurt that she was born weighing 130 kilograms. She also has an entire extended family to hunt with. Mom's her primary teacher, but there's a lot to learn from watching the group. The pod heads for a new hunting ground, a spot where sea lions gather in a huge breeding colony. A smorgasbord of pups waits on the beach. The entire pod approach in silence. They attack as a coordinated group, with the young hunter in the thick of the action. Hunting this way is dangerous, sometimes fatal. The rookie calf could easily become stranded, then crushed under her own weight on the dry beach. But she's well on her way to becoming an expert. With help from the entire pod, this whale has earned the title of killer. Having a support group around definitely helps the learning process. On the African plains, a newborn springbok stumbles to find its feet. Nearby, another youngster is watching. This one has hunting on its mind. This young male cheetah has an audience, four siblings plus a babysitter. While they watch, he tries for his first solo kill. This cub has all the tools of an adult. Long legs for sprinting and dog-like claws for traction. But he has no idea what to do after catching his prey. Nor do any of his siblings. Young cheetahs are unusual among big cats in that they are born without the instinct to hunt. They hit at the springbok's hind legs to trip it up. They eventually succeed at their mission, but their technique is sloppy. It is up to their mother to mold these natural athletes into high-performance predators. Her eyes are tuned for sharp daytime vision, able to identify prey from five kilometers away. She turns on the gas to show her youngsters how it's done, accelerating to become the world's fastest land animal. Reaching top speeds of almost 100 kilometers per hour, twice as fast as the best human sprinters. A strong bite clamps the windpipe shut and suffocates the victim. Cheetahs may be fast, but they're lean with no sharp claws to protect themselves. Cheetahs thump the ground with their paws. They're no match for fierce scavengers like hyenas. So mom teaches her cubs another valuable lesson. After making a kill, drag it somewhere safe, away from thieving eyes. Another valuable lesson the young ones must learn, speed comes at a price. An all-out sprint pushes their metabolism so hard that they can only keep it up for a few hundred meters. And if they don't cool down for about 30 minutes after running, they'll die. That's why they must learn the art of stealth, so that one short burst will pay off. This time, the cub strangles the antelope before trying to eat it. With mom's expert training and help from their siblings, awkward baby cheetahs will eventually transform into the fastest four-legged hunters on earth. Some young animals need expert training and take years to become lethal predators. Others are born into the world rough, tough, and ready to rumble. Not every baby animal has a patient parent to teach them how to kill. Some have to rely on being tough as nails. They're born ready to fight and claw their way to the top of the food chain. These youngsters may be small, but they've got attitude way beyond their size. Never underestimate the little guy. A blood-curdling screech pierces the still Australian night. A devil is on the loose. Meet the bellowing, brawling, Tasmanian devil. Adults and babies alike never get tired of snarling and biting one another. No surprise how they got their name. Australian settlers figured these devils must have clawed their way from hell. Their aggression starts from infancy. Mother devils are only pregnant for three weeks before they give birth. Like all marsupials, her babies are born blind and helpless. They must find their way to her pouch and life-saving milk. Life's first brutal test comes early. There can be 25 or more newborns, but mom only has four nipples. It doesn't take a math expert to know how that will turn out. No time to mourn. She eats her dead babies so nothing goes to waste. These infants are the ones that beat the odds. By now, they've got a serious set of teeth. Pound for pound, an adult devil has one of the strongest bites in the world. Able to slice through hide and crush bone is an easy target for biting practice. She's one tough mother, but everyone has their limits. After seven months, she cuts the apron strings and leaves the den with no plans to see her rowdy infants ever again. The little devils quickly go their separate ways. The next time they meet, it may be to battle over a rotten carcass. Live prey or putrid flesh, a little devil eats it all and keeps eating and eating up to 40% of their body weight in a single meal. With a temperament like this, calories burn fast. A few more months is all it takes for a devil's scavenging skills to reach grisly perfection. Well, look who's all grown up. This youngster has devoured his way through bone and muscle so he can hide in his dinner and have it all to himself. Mom would be so proud. On the plains of Africa lives a different kind of temperamental little devil. An adult rhinoceros is a three-ton battering ram with a horn sharp enough to pierce a car door. And a baby rhino? All that aggression crammed into a pugnacious pint-sized package. Born at around 40 kilograms, this baby rhino is on his feet within an hour. After two months, he's following mom everywhere. It's been a long hot day. Time to head to the waterhole to cool off. However, a huge adult male wants it all to himself. And he doesn't seem willing to share. He charges, separating mother and calf. A critical situation. Mom could be killed in an instant. What's a baby to do? Run away? Cower in fear? Not this little guy. He may be the size of a prize pig, but he's got the heart of a full-grown bull rhino. By the age of three, this feisty young calf is really testing mom's patience and he's ready to go solo. By 10, he will have grown into one of Africa's most dangerous beasts. Bashing and bulldozing his way around the waterhole. Another of Africa's toughest babies can be a real handful. For its mother and every other animal it meets. A honey badger and her baby are on the hunt for dinner. Rather explore, she turns to see him sprinting off. Now what's he up to? Oh, just attacking a couple of zebras 10 times his size. Luckily, mom is even more fearless. Junior's already showing the fighting spirit that honey badgers are famous for. If he makes it to full size, he'll chase off cheetahs, devour deadly snakes, and generally dare the world to mess with him. At this age, his independent streak can leave him open to larger threats. Like this jackal. He already knows the best defense is a good offense. And attitude can make up for skill. To be worthy of the name, this little honey badger has to learn how to raid a beehive. Mother shows how it's done. Tearing into the nest with four centimeter long claws. And braving hundreds of angry bees with only her tough skin for protection. Her son has a much harder time of it. His skin isn't yet as thick as mom's. After six months, he's as big as mom. When the jackals return, he's now got the fight to back up his bravery. By the time he's full grown, he's turned into a professional snake slayer. He'll gladly go out on a limb for his favorite meal. The honey badger's fearless pursuit of this deadly delicacy is made a bit safer thanks to super thick skin and some resistance to venom. Still, the Cape Cobra is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. But as they say, honey badger don't care. You might think a baby predator is way less dangerous than its parents. But some creatures are born bad. And capable of killing from their very first day on earth. Animals have to hone their killing skills through years of training. Some are fully fledged predators just moments after arriving into the world. The peaceful English countryside. What better place for young life to frolic and play? But these little bundles of fur aren't what they seem. They're stoats, relatives of the weasel. One of the most efficient killers of any mammal. The playful antics of these young kits are just a warm-up for the serious business ahead. At just 12 weeks old, they're fully independent and ready to hunt for themselves. Their favorite meal is 10 times bigger than they are. A stoat may be tiny, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in stamina. It knows it's too dangerous to pounce on the rabbit straight away. So it wears it down by chasing it. And chasing it over one and a half kilometers at full sprint. The prey begins to flag. Predator still has energy to burn. The rabbit might weigh two kilograms or more. The stoat barely cracks 100 grams. But it overwhelms the larger animal with sheer ferocity. Instinct tells it what to do next. A bite to the back of the neck and the rabbit is now a very large lunch. The artful young hunter will take over its victim's burrow. And continue its mismatched reign of terror over the meadow. Some baby predators get no help from their parents at all. And have to figure it all out for themselves. On the floor of an African rainforest, a tiny baby claws its way towards the light. Its mother has left it to its fate. This is a chameleon. It's born with a deadly weapon already locked and loaded. The first target, a spider web teeming with young. This baby is a natural marksman. Its tongue stretches double the length of its body. A couple milliseconds before it hits, the tip transforms into a kind of suction cup. That latches onto prey. Baby chameleon nails a cricket faster than the human eye can blink. Chameleon babies combine this weapon with skin that can change color. Eyes that can see in two directions at once. And some fancy footwork. This baby's so well equipped for survival. It doesn't need parental supervision. Another baby reptile is even more dangerous. This little Aussie snake can kill anything its mother can. From the day it hatches. It's an inland taipan. The most venomous snake on earth. Taipan stalk the Australian interior. Searching for rodents. And armed with a weapon that could drop 100 men. A baby taipan's venom is no less toxic. This infant is on her very first hunt. Instinct tells her to target exactly what her mother would. One quick bite and the venom begins its deadly work. Destroying tissue and causing convulsions. She has killed adult-sized prey with ease. Making a meal of it is another story. Then the tiny serpent picks up another faint odor in the grass. Something more her size. In looks and in killing power. Baby inland taipans are a chip off the old block. Some baby predators like to confront their prey head on and in the open. But others take a more devious approach. And are junior masters of deception and manipulation. Not every animal is born with sophisticated weapons. Ferocity beyond its years. Or a mother eager to teach it killer moves. Some babies need other ways of getting ahead. They're cunning schemers for such a tender age. Nature's most devious youngsters. This wasp is looking for a place to lay her eggs. Or rather a foster mom. A caterpillar is the preferred choice. One stab and her life is no longer her own. The caterpillar keeps feeding on leaves. While inside her body, tiny wasp larvae are feeding on her. They keep their lunch alive by making sure they don't touch vital organs. After a few weeks, the kids have fattened up and are ready to leave home. The wasp babies literally chew their way out. But they're so surgical, the caterpillar often lives through the ordeal. The larvae start spinning cocoons where they will grow and transform into adults. In some cases, it is thought that a few larvae stay behind in their host. Keeping it under their control. Because even now, it acts on their behalf. Spinning a silken blanket to conceal the brood. And acting as a bodyguard for its own ferocites. Their zombie protector doesn't even stop to eat. Until it eventually starves to death. The adult wasp emerge with one main purpose. To breed and lay another clutch of eggs inside an unfortunate host. Baby parasitic wasps can force a caterpillar to protect the brood. But that's nothing compared to the animal kingdom's true masters of mind control. No, this is not a Hollywood B-movie. The snail's eye stalks really are pulsing. A sure sign it's under alien control. Parasites have invaded its body. This snail is now on a march towards destruction. As a healthy snail grazes, it occasionally ingests bird droppings. But this bird is infected with flukeworm parasites. Flukeworm eggs hatch and creep into the snail's eye stalks. Which appear to flash and pulse as the little bugs squirm. Now for the death march. The flukeworms force the snail to head out into broad daylight. Instead of hiding in the shade. Hungry birds spot the pulsating beacon. Flukeworm's twisted life cycle starts all over. Forcing your will on a hapless foster mom isn't just for baby worms and bugs. A certain baby bird is notorious for it. High in a Korean forest, a mother parrot bill is tending to her nest. Her newborns are fighting. The weaker one is pushed out of the nest to his death by his unusually large brother. It seems like sibling rivalry gone bad. But all is not as it seems. Earlier a common cuckoo spent days spying on the parrot bill. While the parrot bill is away, the cuckoo swoops in. Destroys an egg and lays one of her own. Mom returns none the wiser. The cuckoo's egg is much bigger. But she doesn't seem to notice. The imposter egg usually hatches first. The mother treats the baby as her own. She instinctively cares for any chick that's in her nest. It's a sinister strategy called brood parasitism. And this trick is just the beginning. The parrot bill's own chicks hatches. But it's born next to a deadly imposter. Killing works up an appetite. Below, a graveyard testifies to the baby cuckoo's efficiency. Soon the imposter is too big for the nest. But the unsuspecting mother keeps feeding it. And cleaning up after it. She will slavishly care for it even as it outgrows her. It may be cuckoo, but it's smart enough to know a good deal when it sees one. Inside a cave in New Zealand is a galaxy of glittering stars. This beautiful light show is created by a deceptive and ugly baby insect. Glow worms will turn into a harmless fly when they grow up. But they spend their youth covered in a tube of mucus. Mixing up chemicals to create a natural glow stick in their butts. But the lights are not just for show. Lurking under them are curtains of silk and sticky mucus fishing lines. They're designed to lure innocent victims. It's lights out for this moth. The glow worm rips the moth apart piece by piece and slowly devours it. Glow worms eventually turn into an adult fungus gnat fly. Which only lives for a few days because they don't even have a mouth. It's their time as babies that they're at their most terrifying. Spending nine months dining on all types of insects. These babies lead a devious life, both beautiful and deadly. Some baby animals may be more sly than their parents. But others take outdoing mom and dad to a whole new level. These pint-sized predators are even more dangerous than the adults of their species. Most baby predators are no match for their parents' hunting prowess. A few are just as lethal at a young age. But one extreme class of youngsters are deadlier than mom and dad. And often look like completely different animals. The snowy egret. In this family, violence is strictly hush-hush. This elegant looking bird has demanding mouths to feed. And her ungainly chicks take sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Most egret mothers lay three or four eggs. Those born early get a jump on the food. And quickly outsize their later siblings. Hungry alligators have learned to lurk beneath an egret's nest. They know what's coming. The stronger chicks peck and stab their smaller sibling. Mom does nothing to intervene. This is all quite normal. Finally, the inevitable result. And a meal for one of the gators. These are the harsh rules of an egret's childhood. This behavior, known as siblicide, can be caused by a shortage of food. After this single act of violence, calm presides over the nest. A doodleful mother, two healthy chicks, and one well-fed alligator. Death lurks at the bottom of this pit. A ferocious newborn hunter called an antlion. Its parents were simple flying insects common all over the world. The larva is a mini monster with a savage set of jaws. Once hatched, it goes to work on a fiendish contraption. A pit in the sand, just five centimeters deep. But for some, it's a death trap. An unsuspecting ant edges closer to the pit. The antlion showers sand over the ant, creating a landslide that delivers lunch right to its jaws. It drags the ant underground to suck out its insides. The meal over, the antlion simply rebuilds his trap and waits for the next guest to drop in for dinner. You might think a baby predator is way less dangerous than its parents. But some creatures are born bad and capable of killing from their very first day on earth. Killing skills through years of training. Some are fully fledged predators just moments after arriving into the world. Predators, and almost all of them live in Hawaii. Isolated on these islands, their evolution took a different and deadlier path. Carnivorous caterpillars rely on camouflage to blend in. They sit motionless. Six savage claws stand at the ready. Delicate bristles on their backs are super sensitive. The slightest touch springs the trap. When it grows up, it will become a beautiful nectar-eating moth. Until then, this baby is wired for murder. Another larval insect is also nothing like its parents. Dragonflies are elegant aerial hunters, flying over streams and swamps to pick off mosquitoes and flies. Their babies live in a completely different world. They even look like a different insect. And they're armed with a lethal natural weapon that their parents don't have. Its jaws launch forward, grab and impale. A fraction of a second and a tadpole is devoured alive. Dragonfly babies are so voracious, they'll slay and eat things nearly their own size. Even their own kind. This victim keeps trying to catch tadpoles, even as it's being cannibalized. A predator to the very end. After spending up to six years underwater, the larva radically transforms, loses its spring-loaded jaw, and emerges to buzz over the swamp. Still a hunter, but leaving behind a reign of terror that it will never match again. Baby animals can be fierce, devious, and deadly. But only a select few are truly the stuff of nightmares. Young predators will bite, fight, and even kill to get ahead. But only a few cross the line into the extreme. The deadliest babies in the world routinely commit the most twisted acts that nature could devise. In a British garden, the players gather for a grisly scene. Dozens of tiny spiders. Baby black lace weavers. These freshly hatched spiderlings are hungry. Their mother provides their only food. She lays a second batch of eggs, and the babies eagerly feast on their unborn brothers and sisters. As they grow, their appetites get bigger too. What's a mother to do? She has one last source of emergency food. Herself. She signals to them by tapping the web, and her little ones gather around. Their killer instinct suddenly switches on, and they attack. The mother's insides dissolve, and the babies suck out the liquid meal. In three weeks, they'll disperse to lead solitary lives. And the females will one day make their own ultimate sacrifice for their babies. In a British garden, the players gather for a grisly scene. Dozens of tiny spiders. Baby black lace weavers. These freshly hatched spiderlings are hungry. Their mother provides their only food. She lays a second batch of eggs, and the babies eagerly feast on their unborn brothers and sisters. As they grow, their appetites get bigger too. What's a mother to do? She has one last source of emergency food. Herself. She signals to them by tapping the web, and her little ones gather around. Their killer instinct suddenly switches on, and they attack. The mother's insides dissolve, and the babies suck out the liquid meal. In three weeks, they'll disperse to lead solitary lives. And the females will one day make their own ultimate sacrifice for their babies. Other eggs hatch. He has a plan for them too. When it began, this shark shared the womb with countless eggs and half a dozen other embryos. By the time it's ready to be born, it's the only one left. Almost. Sand tiger mothers have two uteri. While the feeding frenzy was taking place on her right side, its macabre mirror image was playing out on her left. In the end, she gives birth to two offspring already experienced in the art of killing. Two of the deadliest newborns in the animal kingdom. It's a dangerous world. When the rule is kill or be killed, the ones that start early are the ones that survive. These babies do what they must to make it through their most vulnerable years. Call them ambitious. Call them crafty. Call them tough. But don't ever just call them cute again.