Many people may wonder if animals have the same emotions as humans. For those who interact with animals often, such as pet owners, they can firmly attest to this statement. Despite being on top of the food chain▼, humans are just as much a part of the animal kingdom as fish, lions, and insects. In fact, whether they are humans or animals, they all have instincts. For example, baby sea turtles will instinctively make their way toward the ocean just after hatching▼. These instincts are hard-wired▼ in the brains of all animals to perform certain behaviors that they have not learned. Though these may vary from species to species, the fight-or-flight▼ response, or the survival instinct, is nearly universal in all living things, even in humans. Are these, however, enough to explain what motivates animals to eat, hunt, raise families, and survive?
In an all-new series by National Geographic Channel (NGC), Deadly Instincts turns the camera on several animals and follows them in a dramatic light to explore their motivations. It shows and narrates how animals use their instincts to survive in the wild, especially in the face of their predators▼. In one episode, a warthog▼ named Wilma is seen protecting her young piglets▼ against a pack of wild dogs. Her maternal▼ instinct takes the form of courage and she charges▼ at them, scaring them away. In another episode, lionesses on the hunt track down a potential snack—a newborn water buffalo. As the lions approach, a herd of adult water buffaloes, larger than big cats and fitted with menacing-looking▼ horns, senses their presence and starts to crowd together, making it harder for the lions to single any one out for attack. To find out what happens next, be sure to catch Deadly Instincts this month on NGC.
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