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Big Cats

Episode 3 of 12

Chris Packham explores what makes animal groups successful. What is it about big cats that makes them such good hunters?

Chris Packham delves beneath the skin of the big cats to explore what makes them such good hunters, and he reveals that it is not all about brawn.

New scientific research shows how subtle adaptations in their anatomy and physiology contribute to the success of all stages of a big cat hunt: the stalk, the capture and the kill.

Leg hairs help the leopard to stalk, and intricate muscle fibres drive the snow leopard to capture its prey. For the jaguar, jaw muscles and whiskers combine to give it a precision bite that can take down a caiman, and an enlarged area of the lioness's brain gives it the edge over all their big cat cousins.

29 minutes

On TV

Sunday 14:50

Clip

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Ellie Goulding

    Lights

  • Florence + The Machine

    Heartlines

  • Goldfrapp

    Alvar

  • Hurts

    Exile

  • The xx

    Angels

  • Cranes

    Astronauts

  • London Grammar

    Hey Now

  • Foals

    Milks and Black Spiders

  • Arctic Monkeys

    One For The Road

  • Florence + The Machine

    No Light No Light

  • Raffertie

    Known

  • 00:01

    Ellie Goulding

    Lights

  • 00:03

    Ellie Goulding

    Lights

  • 00:04

    Florence + The Machine

    Heartlines

  • 00:09

    Goldfrapp

    Alvar

  • 00:09

    Hurts

    Exile

  • 00:10

    The xx

    Angels

  • 00:11

    The xx

    Angels

  • 00:13

    Heathers

    Gather Up (Nstrumental)

  • 00:15

    Cranes

    Astronauts

  • 00:16

    London Grammar

    Hey Now

  • 00:17

    Foals

    Milk & Black Spiders

  • 00:17

    Foals

    Milk & Black Spiders

  • 00:17

    Arctic Monkeys

    One For The Road

  • 00:17

    Arctic Monkeys

    One For The Road

  • 00:18

    Arctic Monkeys

    One For The Road

  • 00:23

    Florence + The Machine

    No Light, No Light

  • 00:24

    Florence + The Machine

    No Light, No Light

  • 00:27

    Raffertie

    Known

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Chris Packham
Executive Producer Jonny Keeling
Director Emily Taylor
Producer Emily Taylor
Series Producer Aaron Paul

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