Plot Synopsis

Biologist Patrick Aryee and physicist Dr Helen Czerski explore the animal world -- one beyond the limits of human perception -- to reveal extraordinary animal senses. Taking science out of the lab and to some of the most exotic locations on Earth, they conduct experiments and demonstrations with a variety of species from the animal world, including cheetahs, baboons, killer bees, elephants, owls, wolverines, giant sharks and tiny golden moles. Each one-hour episode focuses on a different sense, including sight, hearing and smell. In the first episode, "Sight," Helen and Patrick reveal how caribou -- wild reindeer of Alaska -- use ultraviolet light to avoid their predators; they discover how dragonflies' ability to see in slow motion allows them to make a kill in the blink of a human eye; and how a snake can see in the pitch black -- without using its eyes. In the second episode, "Sound," the duo use specalized recording technology to access sounds far beyond the range of human hearing. They reveal how alligators of the Florida Everglades use low pitched rumbles to make the water around them dance; show what it's like for a bat to see with sound; and convert a 1960s camper van into a giant speaker, to conduct the ultimate hearing test for a herd of African elephants. In the third episode, "Scent," Helen dives into shark-infested waters in the Bahamas with only a small pouch of liquid as her defense, while Patrick controls the behavior of a swarm of bees using tiny traces of scent. BBC America aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT, one week after the show's world premiere on August 19, 2014 on BBC Two, which broadcast the program with the title SUPER SENSES: THE SECRET POWER OF ANIMALS.