Race of Life

Crocodiles conserve energy. Sharks retain the traits that made them formidable hunters. Whales have evolved for life at sea. Each reveals a different answer to the same challenge: how to survive in a competitive world.

A cheetah's sprint. A leopard's ambush. A snow leopard's footing on a steep mountainside. Meet the big cats whose survival depends on speed, stealth and strength-and the terrain they've mastered.

Water is scarce, heat is punishing, and shelter can mean survival. From armored scorpions to rattlesnakes and the roadrunners that confront them, desert animals find ways to endure one of Earth's harshest environments.

Elephants, rhinos, and hippos have size on their side. But even Africa's heavyweights face danger. Protecting their young and confronting rivals, these plant eaters are built to put up a fight.

Food, territory, and mates are worth fighting for. But every clash risks injury, exhaustion, or death. Animals take on their own kind for the resources they need-and sometimes survival means avoiding the fight.

Antelopes race to escape cheetahs. Ostriches cover ground on powerful legs. A desert spider rolls out of danger. When predators close in, speed takes extraordinary forms.