March Mammal Madness

Championship

Red Kangaroo (1) v. Harpy Eagle (1) – Tonight’s epic championship battle features the #ThunderFromDownUnder Red Kangaroo versus #DeathFromAbove Harpy Eagle. At 85 kg, Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial, although the extinct macropod Procoptodon tipped the scales at ~240kg. Harpy Eagle is the largest living eagle with a 2 m wingspan, but also has a chonkier extinct cousin – Haast’s eagle went extinct around 1400 years ago and was 1.5x larger.

The setting for tonight’s battle is the semi-arid desert in Nitmiluk National Park in Australia near a seasonal water hole. Under the full moon, Red Kangaroo pauses near the water hole, sensing something is amiss. As he stands to his full 6-ft height, Harpy Eagle streaks down from above! Red Kangaroo quickly lifts his tiny T-rex arms to prepare a face-punch, but, after gauging the large size of Harpy Eagle, decides instead to lean back on his massive stabilizing tail to deliver a forceful kick. BATTLE ENSUES!!! THE NIGHT RUNS RED WITH BLOOD!!!

Just kidding! The full moon was three nights ago, and Harpy Eagles are diurnal hunters. Here’s what really happened…

In mid-afternoon, Red Kangaroo rests in the shade of a Eucalyptus tree. Native Australian mammal species have seen catastrophic declines due to invasive species such as feral cats, cane toads, horses, and cattle. #MMMagic brings in a new invasive species tonight – Harpy Eagle arrives on the scene to hunt from a perch in another Eucalyptus tree just 30 feet from Red Kangaroo’s tree. Red Kangaroo prepares to ‘pentapedal crawl’ by using its tail as a crutch, when a <whoom whoomp> resonates from above followed by a wailing cry – a barking owl!

Red Kangaroo’s ancestors faced predation from marsupial lions and thylacines, but now in modern times Red Kangaroo’s only natural, endemic predators are dingoes … and wedge-tailed eagles. From her perch, Harpy Eagle spies the movement of a dingo as it enters the field of battle. Harpy Eagle does occasionally target carnivores, but usually mesopredators like foxes, ocelots, tayras, and raccoons instead of apex canid predators. This dingo is also part of a pack, and Red Kangaroo prepares to hop – two more dingoes enter the field, and their presence is known to inhibit kangaroos from using open pastures even in the absence of overt predatory behavior.

Quietly pentapedal crawling to a dry, depressed streambed, Red Kangaroo manages not to get noticed by the dingoes. But Harpy Eagle’s eyes are watching! Her focus was on the dingoes and only caught sight of part of Red Kangaroo – hmm, maybe it’s a juvenile red brocket? Harpy Eagle takes flight! Red Kangaroo is picking up speed in the streambed and without shrubs and bushes in the way is able to locomote at almost 11 mph – but Harpy Eagle is streaking down at 50 mph, #TalonsOut, aiming for Red Kangaroo’s head & shoulders that are visible above the bank of the dry streambed! Almost… there…

Just before Harpy Eagle makes contact, Red Kangaroo leaps out of the streambed with arms thrown up! This key anti-predator response can create a moment of hesitation at the last moment and interfere with the completion of an attack in Harpy Eagles. Harpy Eagle is repelled, pivoting in the wind and circling to prepare for another attack! Since bird of prey have anatomical limitations that make head-turning difficult when attacking, if they miss they often have to circle around. But from this angle, Harpy Eagle can now see that this is no juvenile – this is full-size and on-the-defensive Red Kangaroo. Harpy Eagle decides that this is not the prey she seeks, wises up to the situation, and flies away to hunt another day. RED KANGAROO defeats Harpy Eagle!!!! Narrated by Prof Katie Hinde, Dr. Lara Durgavich, Dr. Tara Chestnut, Patrice Kurnath & Prof Marc Kissel.

Final Roar

Mountain Tapir (3) v. Red Kangaroo (1) – Red Kangaroo sailed through the early rounds and revealed some fancy footwork to defeat Red Hartebeest. What other tricks will Red Kangaroo pull out of his pouch for this round? Actually, none – while male Red Kangaroos have incredibly well-developed shoulder and pectoral muscles, they do not have a pouch. Only females have a pouch, used to carry and protect their offspring which are born the size of jellybeans! With incredibly complicated anatomy (including 2 uteri and 3 vaginas) a female red kangaroo can have 3 dependent offspring of different ages at the same time. As the only non-#1 seed to make it to the Final Roar, Mountain Tapir is an underdog both in MMM and life. Increasing human pressures like road building, traditional medicine, and making room for cattle have put populations at-risk. Zoos are working on tapir conservation and even use trained dogs to support local conservation efforts.

Our two foes will do battle tonight in the dwarf forest! Along the Kuskokwin River, in southwestern Alaska in the Black Spruce dwarf tree peatland, climate change has affected the field of battle, causing an early ‘breakup,’ when the river and lake ice thaws. Red Kangaroo is not enjoying the 32° weather and blizzard warning and looks to forage to support the increased energy demands of staying warm. This doesn’t bother Mountain Tapir, who is used to below freezing temperatures at night and sweltering temperatures during the day. Munching on last year’s crowberries, Red Kangaroo spots a strange ungulate in his peripheral vision and raises himself to full height. Looking down upon the strange pig-like creature, Red Kangaroo is feeling twitchy, remembering that feral pigs have chased him away from water holes and eaten small joeys from his group. Red Kangaroo has no patience and begins bounding towards the interloper. Mountain Tapir raises his proboscis to sniff the air to try and identify this strangely locomoting animal. Maybe this creature is all bounce and no bark? Mountain Tapir charges! With the height difference, Red Kangaroo rejects using his short front legs to claw at his opponent’s eyes and instead goes for his signature move – he leans back on his tail, allowing him to use both legs for a double-barreled kick to the face. But Mountain Tapir’s charge was only a bluff, and he stops short! Connecting with nothing but air, Red Kangaroo is caught off-guard and topples, but rights himself quickly.

As they stare at each other, CRACK!!! from upstream, the anchor ice that has accumulated lifts, layers of frozen slush and stacked ice shear off, and the entire accumulation rapidly releases down river! Both combatants pivot their ears towards the sounds coming from upriver. As the ice jam climbs the riverbank 50 feet in less than 10 seconds, Red Kangaroo leaps uphill while Mountain Tapir instinctively runs towards the water to safety, where it is pushed and then crushed by thousands of pounds of ice and frigid water. RED KANGAROO survives Mountain Tapir!!!

Narrated by Dr. Anne Hilborn, Dr. Tara Chestnut, & Prof Marc Kissel.

Harpy Eagle (1) v. Saber-Toothed Anchovy (1) – The two #1 seeds from Of Myths & Monsters and Sea Beasties meet up in the last battle of the night. Saber-Toothed Anchovy was only just described in 2020! A far-cry from its small, plankton-eating modern day anchovy relatives, Saber-Toothed Anchovy is large and sports a set of pointy, curved teeth, accented with a single, massive fang. Harpy Eagle flies into this battle, having gotten a few tasty meals in earlier rounds. While many eagles specialize as predators of fish, Harpy Eagle specializes in hunting arboreal mammals – sloths make up about 80% of Harpy Eagle’s diet, although they are also known to hunt primates.

Tonight’s battle is set in the randomly selected habitat of a seagrass meadow! The Isla Escudo de Veraguas of Bocas del Toro, off the coast of Panama, has been separated from the mainland for nearly 9000 years, allowing for the divergent evolution of the pygmy sloth. Due to nutritional limitations and relaxation of predation, pygmy sloths are lighter and shorter due to insular dwarfism, but Harpy Eagle just sees one of her favorite food groups. Hanging on to a tree branch by its back legs and one hook hand and foraging in the red mangroves, the pygmy sloth sees Harpy Eagle heading right for it! Making a quick decision, the sloth releases from the branch and plummets into the ocean water below. Pygmy sloths routinely swim in the salt water between tree stands. Harpy Eagle dives, talons out … and Saber-Toothed Anchovy surges towards the swimming sloth, mouth open wide!

SPLASH!!! THRASH!!! Saber-Toothed Anchovy has only shallowly caught the sloth’s arm because he also caught one of Harpy Eagle’s ankles! The smaller teeth of Saber-Toothed Anchovy’s lower jaw do little damage, and Harpy Eagle uses her other foot to try and grasp both sloth and Saber-Toothed Anchovy. Harpy Eagle cannot generate enough lift to offset the combined weight of fish & sloth, so she attempts to drag them across the surface of the water. Even this is too much, and Harpy Eagle collapses into the water!! The sloth still has some fight left and uses its hook hand to scrape across Saber-Toothed Anchovy’s face, causing him to flail. Saber-Toothed Anchovy is slipping from Harpy Eagle’s grasp, but her 5 inch hallux talon fully pierces the chambers of Saber-Toothed Anchovy’s heart! Saber-Toothed Anchovy’s mouth goes slack, the sloth is able to slip away, and Harpy Eagle’s other talons are freed – which she uses to immediately further impale the 3-foot fish. Though partially submerged, Harpy Eagle is triumphant and turns to paddle back to shore with her wings. HARPY EAGLE defeats Saber-Toothed Anchovy!!! Narrated by Prof Katie Hinde, Mauna Dasari, & Dr. Alyson Brokaw.

Elite Trait

Saber-Toothed Anchovy (1) v. Midgardia Seastar (2) – Saber-Toothed Anchovy has had a relatively uneventful tournament thus far, but Midgardia Seastar has earned the title of #2021MMM #WorstBear by doing literally nothing but sitting on the ocean floor and waving its arms. Luckily for these two Sea Beasties, tonight’s randomly chosen habitat is a seagrass meadow in the Florida Keys. Midgardia Seastar rests partially on the sandy seabed, still with arms waving, although now its arms are jutting above the waterline as the sun beats down. Saber-Toothed Anchovy is on the prowl, zipping through the seagrass in search of food, when it spots a baby nurse shark. The seagrass meadow acts as a nursery for newborn nurse sharks. In fact, many marine fish that spend most of their lives in coral reefs or the open ocean need mangroves or seagrasses for nurseries at the start of their lives. Baby nurse sharks are less than a foot long but are already well-developed and ready to hunt and fight. Seastars are a tasty snack that don’t fight back. While Midgardia Seastar may have very long arms, they are weak and fragile. CRUNCH! Baby nurse shark amputates one of Midgardia Seastar’s legs. SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! Saber-Toothed Anchovy attacks baby nurse shark, driving both of their bodies into the precariously tilted Midgardia Seastar and breaking multiple arms! The thrashing bodies of Saber-Toothed Anchovy and baby nurse shark roll over Midgardia Seastar and snap off even more arms. Saber-Toothed Anchovy uses its saber-tooth to drive into the shark’s skull! Shattered, Midgardia Seastar is lost and down for the count. SABER-TOOTHED ANCHOVY defeats Midgardia Seastar!!! Narrated by Prof Katie Hinde and Prof Jessica Light.

Dugong (1) v. Mountain Tapir (3) – Both Dugong and Mountain Tapir play important roles in their ecosystems. As we learned in last night’s battles, Mountain Tapir’s vegetarian diet makes it a significant seed disperser (thanks to its digestive tract), and they may have coevolved and coadapted with Andean plants. Some of these plants have no other adaptations for seed dispersal, making Mountain Tapir a keystone species. Dugongs (which are related to, but not actually manatees) have a direct effect on the seagrass they eat and an indirect effect on the other organisms that use the seagrass beds as shelter. Tonight’s randomly decided habitat is the Paramaribo swamp forest of Suriname, but this swamp is in the dry season, leaving shallower water and making animals more vulnerable to predators. Feeling skittish from all the unfamiliar sounds, Mountain Tapir decides to go for a swim – water helps them escape predators, regulate temperatures, and offers some tasty plants to snack on. In this freshwater swamp, Dugong is having a hard time finding any seagrass and begins using the stiff bristles on its lip to feel out potential treats. Instead of treats, Dugong’s whiskers brush up against a strange, spiky log. But logs don’t usually move! This ‘log’ is a spectacled caiman, though luckily not big enough to pose a threat to Dugong. The startled caiman then startles Mountain Tapir, who has been using its proboscis as a snorkel. Now it uses its proboscis as a water canon and sprays water straight at the caiman! Nearby, but oblivious to the action, Dugong hears a noise – perhaps a squeaky wheel underwater? This chirp-squeak belongs to a manatee. Although manatee calls are slightly longer than those of Dugong, this Dugong wonders if another dugong has been transported to this foreign land through magic. Dugong is intrigued enough to swim off in search of a fellow sea cow and doesn’t see Mountain Tapir scramble to the muddy shore and pull itself up to its full height of 0.9 meters (3.6 stoats). At only 64 cm, the caiman is dwarfed and glides along to another resting spot. MOUNTAIN TAPIR outlasts Dugong!!! Narrated by Dr. Brian Tanis, Dr. Alyson Brokaw, and Prof Marc Kissel.

Red Kangaroo (1) v. Red Hartebeest (2) – Neither of the Red, In Fur combatants had much direct contact with competitors in previous rounds – aside from Red Kangaroo slobbering on Southern Red-Backed Vole and Red Hartebeest squashing Red Squirrel with his hooves – so both enter the arena of battle relatively fresh. This battle takes place in a dwarf forest in Southern California, full of stunted, gnarled trees and pyrophytic plants, which have adapted to tolerate or resist the effects of fire. Although the current fire forecast in this area is low, fire plays a critical role in shaping local environments. While global models suggest that we are currently in a period of reduced severity, some areas of the world, including Southern Africa, Eastern Russia, and the Western US, have been trending towards an increase in fire severity. The home habitats of both Red Kangaroo and Red Hartebeest were devasted by fire in 2020. After the magic of MMM transports our combatants to the field of battle with low fire risk, both Red Kangaroo and Red Hartebeest are parched and spot the same ephemeral pool from a recent rainstorm … a staring contest ensues. Red Kangaroo is not aware that #SharingIsCaring and takes a hop towards Red Hartebeest with a snort. Not to be outdone, Red Hartebeest stomps his hooves and shakes his head. Red Kangaroo ups the ante by licking the fur on his upper chest to release a strong smelling and reddish secretion from scent glands, but Red Hartebeest decides that enough is enough and lunges, aiming his curved horns like twin rapiers to stab at his opponent’s chin and throat. Quickly side-stepping the attack, Red Kangaroo delivers a kick that sends Red Hartebeest tumbling to the forest floor! Regaining his footing, Red Hartebeest initiates another stare-down … before turning and galloping away! Without females or home territory to defend, Red Hartebeest escapes the woodlands for the safety of open space. RED KANGAROO defeats Red Hartebeest!!! Narrated by Dr. Tara Chestnut and Prof Patrice Connors.

Harpy Eagle (1) v. Sphinx Monkey (6) – The two titans of the Of Myths & Monsters division meet tonight, both having dealt out some serious carnage in previous rounds. Now, the most powerful rainforest raptor faces off against the largest and heaviest living monkey – in a teeny, tiny forest. This randomly selected dwarf/elfin/pygmy forest is the pygmy forests of Mount Hamiguitan in Silangang Davao in the Philippines, which is home to cousins of both combatants – the Philippine tarsier and the Philippine eagle. Harpy Eagle is already agitated and having a difficult time here, as she is adapted more for moving from tree to tree in a dense rainforest than soaring. Mandrill is confused by all the weird pitcher plants and looks up to see the biggest crowned hawk-eagle he has ever seen! Or at least Mandrill would think it’s a crowned hawk-eagle. Mandrill lets out a loud alarm bark at Harpy Eagle, who – having heard alarm calls of howler monkeys – is not impressed. Though Mandrill is bigger than her usual prey, Harpy Eagle is feeling peckish. Harpy Eagle takes flight as Mandrill charges with exposed canines, trying to take a chunk out of Harpy Eagle’s leg! Pivoting in the air, Harpy Eagle uses her rudder-like tail to avoid the attack and slashes Mandrill’s back with her talons. Mandrill stumbles but does not back down. This isn’t fight or flight – this is Fight vs. Flight! Mandrill springs back up and lunges again, but Harpy Eagle is ready and dive-streaks with talons out. With a leap, Mandrill angles away from Harpy Eagle and into the dense cover of the short trees. The squat branches block Harpy Eagle … but not for long. With a snap, the fragile branches crack, and Harpy Eagle finds a weakness in the canopy. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, Mandrill commando-crawls off the field of battle through a dry streambed. HARPY EAGLE terrifies Sphinx Monkey!!! Narrated by Mauna Dasari and Katie Hinde

Round Three

Midgardia Seastar (2) v. Ammonite (6) – We spend the first part of this battle just trying to figure out what exactly these two combatants are! Seastars are also known as starfish but are not fish. They are echinoderms, and Midgardia Seastar belongs to an order of primarily deep-sea animals. Ammonite is a type of cephalopod, like squid, octopus, and nautilus, with a very distinctive shell. Ammonites are also called snakestone because their fossilized remains resemble a coiled snake turned to stone. In the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, around 760 m below the surface, Midgardia Seastar is raising her arms up for suspension feeding, in which some species use the spines on their arms like velcro to catch prey. At this depth, Ammonite is cold … but not too cold. Near the seafloor, Ammonite is floating just above the waving arms of Midgardia Seastar as it drops lower for a closer look. Midgardia Seastar remains unaware of the descending doom. Other shelled cephalopods, like nautiloids, spend their days between 200-800 m in depth, while internally shelled cephalopods like squid can go much deeper, up to 1900m! This field of battle at 700+ m below the surface is experiencing ~1041 pounds of pressure per square inch. Midgardia Seastar is adapted to this pressure, and Ammonite descends lower and lower. POP!!! Ammonite implodes! With a different shell than nautiloids, Ammonite’s structural integrity maxed out and couldn’t take the crushing pressure. MIDGARDIA SEASTAR outlasts Ammonite!! Narrated by Prof Jessica Light.

Dugong (1) v. Egyptian Fruit Bat (12) – Both Dugong and underdog of the season Egyptian Fruit Bat have sailed through the first two rounds with relative ease and without injury. However, neither experiences a life of ‘relative ease’ in relation to human interactions. Egyptian Fruit Bat populations are vulnerable to subsistence hunting and persecution due to fears of zoonotic disease, while Dugong is threatened by accidental entanglement in mesh fishing nets and pollution. But in the glistening waters of Wali El-Gemal National Park in Egypt, Dugong is busy enjoying another meal of seagrass and leaving a dusty plume of excavated sand in its wake. Flying overhead, Egyptian Fruit Bat is a few hundred kilometers from its home range and becomes disoriented by the bright sunlight and glistening waters of the Red Sea. Trying to dip down for a quick splash of cool water, Egyptian Fruit Bat is thrown off balance by a wave! Flapping his wings in an awkward imitation of a butterfly stroke, Egyptian Fruit Bat tires and begins to sink as it is promptly engulfed in the jaws of a large, 4-meter tiger shark (#GarbageCanOfTheSea)! This tiger shark had been aiming for its preferred prey – Dugong. Dugong lifts its head from the sand just in time to see the gaping maw of the shark as it closes around Egyptian Fruit Bat’s flailing body. With a surprising burst of speed, Dugong turns tail and heads for safer waters. DUGONG out-survives Egyptian Fruit Bat!!! Narrated by Dr. Alyson Brokaw.

Red Kangaroo (1) v. Red Brocket (5) – Red Kangaroo may be listed as of “least concern” in terms of conservation but was of great concern to Southern Red-Backed Vole and Red-Crested Tree Rat in previous battles. Peruvian hunters use Red Brocket as an important source of food and income, but this hunting is sustainable – deforestation that has caused habitat loss is more concerning. In the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, Red Kangaroo is grazing with his ‘mob’ of other kangaroos in an area with few shrubs, which can pose a tripping hazard. Without these shrubs for cover, Red Kangaroo quickly spots Red Brocket and efficiently hops over to investigate. Red Brocket freezes, hoping to go unnoticed by this terrifying new creature. As Red Kangaroo continues his approach and stomps the ground, Red Brocket realizes that today is not the day to make a stand and leaps away towards an escape. RED KANGAROO chases off Red Brocket!!! Narrated by Prof Marc Kissel.

Red Hartebeest (2) v. Bay Cat (3) – Another set of animals has eased through the first two rounds, but both Red Hartebeest and Bay Cat have their own concerns. Endangered Bay Cat has to deal with the threat of their home habitat being converted to palm oil plantations, and Red Hartebeest is luckily rebounding after populations were driven down by hunting. But tonight, Red Hartebeest is relaxing in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa when he spots a hungry cheetah. This cheetah is young, though, and known for trying to take on inappropriately sized prey. As Red Hartebeest squares up and stares down the cheetah, the feline decides not to tangle with those horns and runs off. Red Hartebeest returns to his termite mound but is now being stalked by Bay Cat. Although Bay Cat takes the time for appropriate recon, he ultimately decides that maybe this wouldn’t be a good battle. As Bay Cay tries to slink away, Red Hartebeest spots it! Thinking it might be the cheetah back for another round, Red Hartebeest starts snorting and tossing its horns in classic aggressive behavior. Bay Cat turns tail and quickly runs away from the field of battle (#CatScandal). RED HARTEBEEST chases off Bay Cat!!! Narrated by Dr. Asia Murphy & Dr. Anne Hilborn.

Saber-Toothed Anchovy (1) v. Vampire Squid (5) – After escaping from Basket Star and Black Dragonfish, Vampire Squid finds itself in the warm, shallow waters off the coast of what will become Pakistan, as Saber-Toothed Anchovy is on patrol. Adapted to the cold and dark of the deep sea, Vampire Squid is in a horrifying (to it) new world of new smells and bright light. It’s large eyes – 1 inch eyes on a 6 inch creature – make this light quite painful! However, the blinding light is only the beginning of Vampire Squid’s problems, as it has a body adapted to the pressures of the deep sea, and these shallow waters are causing rapid depressurization. Murky waters from a recent rain are the only saving grace to help hide Vampire Squid. Saber-Toothed Anchovy isn’t bothered by murky waters. It has an air bladder for maintaining optimal buoyancy that extends into its skull where it is hypothesized to act as a subwoofer to collect and magnify low sounds … including the ultrasound noises of thrashing prey. A blinded Vampire Squid is in the throes of pain as its organs expand with no support, and it comes as a mercy when Saber-Toothed Anchovy uses its eponymous dentition. The murky water takes on a sheen of red, and a silver flash of scales is the only evidence left. SABER-TOOTHED ANCHOVY defeats Vampire Squid!!! Narrated by Prof Josh Drew.

Red Wolf (2) v. Mountain Tapir (3) – The tricksy taxonomy of Red Wolf will likely not be resolved until the genomes of ancient red wolves are analyzed – current populations show high proportions of coyote gene flow. Mountain Tapir has some of its own tricksy taxonomy tucked up its odd-toed ungulate sleeve, with some unique trypanosome parasites that have mysterious intermediate hosts (Ticks? Leeches? Who knows!). Although not its actual habitat, Mountain Tapir is feeling right at home in the hilly grasslands and shrublands of the southeastern corner of North America during the 13th century, when Red Wolf lived among the Cherokee people. Mountain Tapir starts nom-noming on some leafy greens, but this isn’t gratuitous #PlantCarnage. The digestive tract aids in the germination of many plant seeds, and Mountain Tapir is thought to be an important seed disperser. A strange smell on the wind causes Mountain Tapir to raise its proboscis … canid predators are somewhere nearby. Spring can be difficult, with new vegetation making it harder to track prey, but Red Wolf has caught the scent of something and moves in! Mountain Tapir tries to escape by sliding down a hill on its rump, a behavior that reportedly wears the fur away and leaves bare patches of skin on their behinds. Red Wolf is hungry and in hot pursuit! With nowhere left to go, Mountain Tapir falls back on its signature move against bush dogs: stomp the floor and make frequent loud whistles. Used to eating much smaller mammals than Mountain Tapir, Red Wolf decides that this loud and odd looking animal could actually do some damage in a fight and moves on in search of more familiar prey. MOUNTAIN TAPIR defeats Red Wolf!!! Narrated by Prof Patrice Connors & Dr. Brian Tanis.

Sphinx Monkey (6) v. Blue-Capped Ifrit (7) – These combatants enter the Sweet Sixteen with a few meals under their belts – Sphinx Monkey brutally devoured Bush Squirrel in Round 1, and Blue-Capped Ifrit got a snack of Crypt-Keeper Wasp in Round 2. Sometimes Sphinx Monkey (aka Mandrill) find itself being a meal for humans, meaning that conservationists must work with resident communities to find sustainable alternatives to game hunting. The batrachotoxins in Blue-Capped Ifrit’s skin and feathers can cause numbness, tingling, and sneezing in humans, meaning that humans typically only interact indirectly with these birds. In Mandrill’s home habitat of the Lékédi Park in Southern Gabon, Blue-Capped Ifrit spots a large congregation of unfamiliar creatures with resplendent colors, including a face of fine blue, with the ridge and tip of the nose a brilliant red. While Mandrill sits and forages with his troop, Blue-Capped Ifrit spies a beetle scrambling through the leaf litter and snatches it. Blue-Capped Ifrit’s beak crushes the beetle’s exoskeleton but drops the beetle in surprise as he is grabbed from behind! Trying to fly away is futile, as Mandrill has a firm grip and uses its great canines to deliver a craniocervical killing bite. PTHW-WHTTT! Mandrill spits out feathers and pieces of skull as he feels the immediate effect of the batrachotoxins. Luckily, toxin levels are lower in the head feathers, but Mandrill still spits out the remainder of Blue-Capped Ifrit and returns to forage on safer fruits. SPHINX MONKEY dispatches Blue-Capped Ifrit!!! Narrated by Dr. Lara Durgavich.

Harpy Eagle (1) v. Devil Frog (5) – Although listed as “Near Threatened,” Harpy Eagle populations have managed to maintain a high level of genetic diversity, suggesting a conservation strategy that focuses on multiple diverse local populations, rather than any single existing population. Devil Frog is about 65-70 million years away from its home habitat. Through comparisons with living relatives, such as South American horned frogs, scientists have inferred that the bite force of Devil Frog may overlap with the bite force range of hyenas and even exceeds that of coyotes! That bite force may not be the only trait on display in tonight’s battle in Tambopata National Reserve in Peru. As Devil Frog walks (having legs that were likely too short to hop), it snaps a twig and draws the attention of Harpy Eagle. Smaller gray feathers along a facial disk may focus sound waves and improve Harpy Eagle’s hearing. Mistaking Devil Frog for its more typical iguana prey, Harpy Eagle strikes but is repelled by Devil Frog’s spiked and armored back – no surprise, since beachball-sized Devil Frog’s armor-like plates are believed to have fended off crocodile and dinosaur attacks. Devil Frog snaps at Harpy Eagle in a counterattack but misses! The miss causes Devil Frog to get off-balance, and it trips over a log. With Devil Frog’s soft underbelly now exposed, Harpy Eagle uses its 5-inch talons to slice open the amphibian. HARPY EAGLE defeats Devil Frog!! Narrated by Prof Chris Anderson.