Six pieds sous la savane

We might think the East African savannah holds no secrets for us. And yet, under the rocks lies a world of eternal darkness, a secret place with unending mazes, swarming with thousands of crawling animals. In Northern Kenya, the most mysterious creatures are hidden underground. The strangest one of all is the naked mole rat, the only mammal who organizes its life around a queen, like ants or termites. From its hairless, wrinkled skin and underdeveloped eyes to its ghastly dentition, the naked mole rat is in a category of its own when it comes to peculiarity. Yet those very same adaptations are what allow the mammal to survive effectively in its environment, avoiding the many dangers present above its head in the African grasslands. Predators vs prey, killers vs victims, sharp claws and ripped flesh are part of their daily grind. Survival is the key word and the naked mole rat has developed incredible and unique capacities to defend itself, dominate and conquer new territories. Thanks to cutting edge filming techniques, such as the reconstitution of the animal’s habitat in a large vivarium and macro shooting cameras in slow motion, this blue chip wildlife documentary allows us to slide discreetly into this underground world. (ZED)