Animals Like Us

Narrator: In Earth's wildest places

animal behaviour continues to surprise us.

Two unlikely companions bond over lunch.

Acquiring beachfront property has never been easier.

And the planet's tiniest farmers

work to feed their family.

This is a new way of seeing the natural world

where wild animals act just like we do!

One of the fascinating things

about studying animals

is discovering how many aspects of their behaviour

have parallels with our own.

Narrator: Around the globe,

animals continue to astound us with their intelligence

and deep emotions.

The amazing thing is...

...the more we learn about them...

...the more we realize...

...animals are a lot like us!

Narrator: These are some of our closest living relatives.

Chimpanzees.

We share roughly 99% of our DNA

with these great apes.

So it makes sense that chimps have a lot in common with us.

Along with bonobos, chimpanzees are the species

most closely related to us.

And right across the animal kingdom,

it's pretty fair to say that it's beyond doubt now

that they're incredibly intelligent animals.

Narrator: And it's not just their smarts.

Chimps are highly social animals...

just like us.

They live in large communities,

each with their own unique relationships and culture.

They do like to chat about all kinds of things.

Inviting friends over for dinner,

discussing plans for the day,

or simply trying to get someone's attention.

So they rely on facial expressions

and intricate vocalizations to communicate.

More than that, they're capable of

displaying a whole range of complex emotions

and feelings and other behaviours.

Narrator: The tropical forests of West Africa.

This is Senegal...

where one particular chimp has amazed the world

by showing another side of those complex emotions.

This young male has found a quiet spot

some distance away from his family.

He's caught the attention of some of the other chimps...

because he's got something unusual.

A pet!

It's quite hard to see what's going on initially,

but that young chimp is lying down

and is really interested in a young animal there.

And for a chimp,

he's being quite tender, actually.

Narrator: This chimp has found a small cat-like creature

abandoned in the jungle.

It's not a leopard. It's a genet.

They're related to cats,

but not really a true feline.

It's more like a mongoose or civet.

Either way,

the chimp seems to have taken a shine to this little one.

The chimp can be seen playing

and caressing with this small animal.

And it appears, that like a human child with a pet,

this young chimp has really become affectionate

towards this young animal.

Narrator: But it's not at all clear

if the affectionate chimp

will get to keep his new companion.

The other chimps stand by and watch.

They're intrigued.

But this older male has come to investigate.

It looks like he wants the genet for himself.

Time to make a move.

The young chimp gently cradles the genet,

carrying it away to safety.

This is really extraordinary behaviour.

At first it looks almost childlike.

But then, eventually,

we start to see something that looks like compassion

and even something that looks like empathy.

Narrator: Empathy, because it appears as if

the young chimp is trying to protect the genet

from the older male.

Confident that they're on their own now,

he finds a stick

and helps himself to some tasty termites.

His pet genet tucked close by his side,

keeping him company.

It's clear the chimp likes having the genet around.

Just like dogs and cats help us fend off loneliness and stress,

perhaps the chimp is also benefiting

from its close bond with the genet.

So this chimp has shown incredible capacity

not only to look after another animal

that's not its own species,

but to show quite a range of emotions towards it,

so, really, it goes to show

that maybe we're not the only species

that likes to keep pets.

Narrator: Chimpanzees,

so intelligent,

and complex.

Always capable of amazing us with their abilities

and behaviours.

They're like us in so many ways.

Now, perhaps, it seems we can even add "pet lovers"

to the list.

We've all heard the expression "Monkey see, monkey do."

But for orangutans, another great ape species

known for its smarts,

that old adage is taken to the next level.

By observing human behaviour,

orangutans can learn new skills

and adopt them as their own.

Orangutans live only in Borneo and Sumatra.

The name "orangutan" means "man of the forest"

in the Malay language.

These primates reside in lowland forests,

leading mostly solitary lives,

although moms keep their young by their sides

longer than most other mammals besides us,

sometimes for as long as seven or eight years.

That's plenty of time

for a young orangutan to learn from its mum,

watching and copying what she does.

When they do venture out of the forest,

they've been known to watch people...

...and pick up some amazing behaviours.

This wild female orangutan

has wandered into an old research camp

and, for fun, decides to do a bit of sawing.

Orangutans have opposable thumbs

so they can hold and manipulate tools and objects,

just like we can.

She uses her feet as a vice to hold the branch steady...

...then works like a skilled carpenter.

She's learned how to saw by watching workers here

build wooden huts and porches.

Another adult female has found a leftover camp provision,

helping herself to a bar of soap

for a spa day down by the river.

Having observed people washing in the river,

this orangutan knows how to lather herself up

and gives her arms and hands a good scrub.

Apparently, for an orangutan,

soap is also pretty tasty.

After her bath, it might be time to hit the hay.

But instead of nesting back up in the trees,

she finds an old hammock strung up in one of the huts.

This'll do just fine.

As long as she doesn't get too tangled up.

Despite how this might look,

orangutans are without a doubt exceedingly clever

and can master some very human habits,

simply by being good observers

and making themselves at home.

All creatures, human and animal,

need a place to call home.

Some are more unusual than others.

On the East Coast of Central America,

you'll find the beautiful beaches of Belize.

A tropical paradise in Central America.

These beaches look pretty empty.

But there are hundreds of local residents

who live here year-round.

Some nest here.

Others burrow underground to make their dwelling.

And some happen to carry their homes on their backs...

Hermit crabs.

Crafty crustaceans that inhabit abandoned sea-snail shells.

Just like us,

they place a high value on beachfront real estate.

There are more than 800 different species

of hermit crab.

And they all need a shell to survive.

They don't have a completely hard exoskeleton

and they can't grow their own shells,

so they find shells to live in, mostly for protection.

Narrator: Exposed in the tropical heat,

a hermit crab would quickly cook in the sun...

or fall prey to a sharp-eyed seabird.

So, for hermit crabs, homelessness is not an option

and, often, as the crab grows,

the shell they're living in becomes a bit cramped.

Narrator: If the shell's too tight,

the crab can't escape back inside fast enough

and risks being eaten.

So, in this case,

it's time for a hermit crab to shed its starter home

and find something a bit more roomy.

But that's not as easy as it might sound.

Many of us have been there.

You start off in a small place, it's good enough,

but then you acquire more stuff,

you've got to get a bigger place, you got to move.