Deep Jungle

A three-part mini-series following researchers carrying out groundbreaking research in jungles around the world. In the first episode we witness Phil de Vries attempting to capture on film a species of hawk moth using infra-red cameras. The moth was predicted to exist by Charles Darwin, but its existence was not confirmed until more than 40 years after his death. The moth has an exceptionally long proboscis measuring over 30cm (12in). Darwin's prediction was based on the existence of an orchid – Angraecum sesquipedale – with a similarly long nectar spur. He reasoned that there must be an insect with a sufficiently long proboscis to reach the nectar otherwise the orchid could never be pollinated. In this program Phil de Vries set out to capture on film for the first time this species of moth feeding from the orchid.

In DEEP JUNGLE: NEW FRONTIERS, see the jungle through the eyes of scientists who are using a new generation of high-tech tools to reveal long-hidden secrets.

Travel to Sumatra where researchers Gavin Thurston and Jeremy Holden try to capture on film - for the first time ever - the rare Sumatran tiger in the wild. As the explorers scramble along twisting paths struggling to follow the big cat's trail, the question becomes: Who is stalking whom?

Explore Central America with bird expert Kimberly Bostwick, who seeks to understand how frenetic manakin birds produce their amazing sounds. Can a special video camera capture movements too fast for the eye to see?

Investigate Madagascar, where, 150 years ago, Charles Darwin predicted the evolution of an unusual moth with a 12-inch-long tongue. In DEEP JUNGLE, researchers stay up all night with a special night vision camera, looking for proof that he was right.

Take a trip to Borneo, where forest scientist Roman Dial proves that you can see the forest for the trees - but only if you climb up 200-foot-tall trees, armed with a special laser measuring stick that helps create a three-dimensional map of the forest.

Finally, journey to the Congo, where elephant researcher Steve Blake tracks forest elephants by satellite. First, Blake must manage to tag an elephant without getting killed.

After this visual voyage, your image of the jungle will be forever changed.

NATURE's DEEP JUNGLE: MONSTERS OF THE FOREST takes you into the depths of the Amazon, home to millions of marvelous species. Here you will be treated to a front-row seat while…

Bee expert David Roubik takes on a hive of bees in the Peruvian jungle in an effort to understand the bizarre relationship among the bees, a fragrant orchid flower, and the towering Brazil nut tree.

Tarantula expert Martin Nicholas searches for a spider so big and fierce it can reputedly attack a chicken. A sneaky strangler fig tree takes on a 160-foot-tall Brazil nut tree – and wins.

It's all part of the amazing web of life that is the Amazon.

Accompany researchers in NATURE's DEEP JUNGLE: THE BEAST WITHIN as they explore tropical forests for clues about the origins of humans and what our own future might hold.

In a bid to understand the genesis of human aggression, primatologist David Watts travels to Uganda's Kibale National Park to study chimpanzees. In the past, researchers had witnessed these primates hunting, killing, and eating colobus monkeys. Watts, however, made a chilling new discovery that these primates also hunted and murdered their own kind. The theory under investigation is that violence may help chimp groups cement social ties.

In Brazil, clever capuchin monkeys use heavy rocks to crack open nuts for food. NATURE's DEEP JUNGLE: THE BEAST WITHIN marks the first time the behavior has been captured on film. Tool use, which was previously thought to be a skill only of primates – humans and chimps – reminds us that human abilities arose long before the evolution of our species.

In Central America and Cambodia, archaeologists ponder the ruined remains of ancient cities that once flourished in the jungle. What might have happened to these lost civilizations? And can modern cities avoid the fate that befell those that came before?

In the Central African Republic, primatologist Chloe Cipolletta enlists the help of the BaAka people in her effort to preserve the jungle's future. The BaAka have lived in the forest for generations, and are experts at tracking the elusive western lowland gorilla. Together, Chloe and the BaAka are gaining the gorilla's trust and in return, the BaAka are learning to see the gorillas as more than a threat.

• Episode 1: The New Explorers
• Episode 2: Monsters of the Forest
• Episode 3: The Beast Within

Refer to the glossary for definitions of terms used to describe the condition of items.

• Fauna > Madagascar > Moths > Xanthopan morganii praedicta
• Flora > Madagascar > Orchids > Angraecum sesquipedale