Deadly Sins of the Animal Kingdom (Full Episode) | World's Deadliest Sins | Nat Geo Animals

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth... ...and all the animals large and small. He declared it good. But then came the bad. With no one to judge, the Earth's untamed lands are a beastly sinner's paradise. Lust. Gluttony. Sloth. Greed. Wrath. Envy. Pride. These are the seven deadly sins, animal style. In the wild, food's on the mind all the time. But these over-eaters are operating on an entirely different level. Gluttony takes many forms-- eating too much, eating too soon, eating too often. But on the Australian island of Tasmania there's an animal who is guilty of all three. Meet the garbage can of the southern wild-- the Tasmanian devil. The name came from early Europeans, who were rattled by the carnivore's vicious snarling and unearthly screams. But the devil's evil runs deeper, all the way to their stomachs. Weighing 30 pounds, the Tasmanian devil is the world's largest predatory marsupial. One reason they got so large-- they eat just about everything. Their indiscriminate diet is largely a result of epic scavenging skills. This rotting carcass has already been picked over. But for the Tasmanian devil, that's no deterrent. If he finds it... he'll eat it. They've been known to eat birds, fish, frogs, wallabies, wombats, pencils, blue jeans, dog collars, and even steel wool pot scrubbers. It will even fight with other devils to eat the most. Sometimes even to the death. So some go to extreme lengths to win this battle of the bulge. Earlier today, this wombat was lunch for a pack of Tasmanian devils. With tasty meat still left, it will make a good dinner, too. Only problem, all that gorging left one gluttonous devil very tired. He needs to find a warm and comfy place to nap, ideally not too far from a source of food. So he chose... the inside of the wombat. Once awake, the devil can finish his meal of festering flesh. Sleeping in your food so you don't miss a bite? Now that's the sin of gluttony. But gluttony comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes it's not just about how much you eat, but how you eat it. The Burmese python eats prey five times larger than its head in one bite. And its gluttony is legendary. This python has found an American alligator. And like he does with most prey, he's going to eat it. He strikes and wraps himself around it, squeezing until it loses consciousness. Then, he starts to eat, swallowing him python style-- whole. A meal in his grasp, his jaw separates, with the aid of thin elastic ligaments, so the python can swallow prey whole, and digest it over days. But the python may have chosen poorly when he picked that American alligator as his meal. He slithers off to digest. But he doesn't realize his last meal is about to become just that-- his last meal. You see, just because the python can swallow the gator whole, doesn't mean he should. Somehow, whether the gator tries to fight his way out, or is just too big for the python's girth, the exertion for the snake is just too much. The alligator bursts through the python's stomach, leaving a mangled mess of bodies. This time our python's paid for his gluttonous ways with his life. Our next sinner makes gluttony a group activity. This is a hyena. And it is smart enough to know the best way to get the most food is teamwork. To hunt and scavenge, they work in packs. Chasing prey up to 30 miles per hour, they try and separate the weakest from the herd. And once they work to take down prey... They proceed to eat it-- all of it. With powerful teeth designed to break bones, they bite into their prey with the ferocity of a buzz saw. And hyenas possess a powerful digestive system complete with turbo-charged stomach acids, so it can eat almost every part of an animal-- flesh, bone, skin, even hooves. But none of this is why hyenas are on the list. They're on for another particularly ghoulish habit. These hyenas have separated this baby elephant from its herd. But unlike so many other animals, they aren't going to kill the elephant before they tuck in. Instead, they start eating while the animal is still alive, stealing bites as the elephant struggles to escape. As ghastly as it is, there's a good reason for this behavior. Competition in hyena society is so intense that if you don't just dig in, you'll probably starve. Hyenas may be ghoulish gluttons, but you have to admire the speed at which they get down to the task. For our next group of slothful sinners, that's not a character trait. But while they may be slow, they pack a deadly, poisonous punch. In the wild, the seven deadly sins have many faces. And not all of them are cute. And then there's the sloth-- it's the only animal we know named after a deadly sin. And the name is appropriate because it's slow. So slow, digesting food takes almost a month. So slow, algae grows on its fur. But a sloth is only dangerous to plants, so has no place on our list. The same cannot be said for this next group of deadly, lazy, creatures. You were thinking pride? Sure, this king of the jungle has the swagger of Mick Jagger, but truly, he's the sultan of sloth. Our male lion weighs in at over 400 pounds and with piercing teeth and massive claws, he's built for the kill. Yet, he leads the ultimate life of leisure, sleeping up to 20 hours a day. So how does he get away with this? A very accommodating family hierarchy. As he lounges in the sun with the other guys, the female lions prowl the plains looking for prey, risking life and limb to keep the family fed. It's dirty, dangerous work. And where are the guys? Watching, waiting, and getting hungry. When dinner's served, our male and his buddies saunter in, shoo off the ladies that did all the work, and devour the prime cuts. Lazily. It's only when the males have had their fill can everyone else eat. There's only one thing to do after such exertion-- take a nap. Our next sinner proves just because you're not fast on your feet doesn't mean you can't be a threat. This is the gaboon viper. Native to Africa, the gaboon viper is famous for having the longest fangs of any snake-- two-inch venom-injecting killers that frighten and intimidate... when she's awake. You see, gaboon vipers mostly sleep all day. A long, deep, slothful sleep. They're protected from predators by camouflage skin patterns that blend in almost perfectly with the forest floor. But even when this sluggish snake is awake, she's not moving very quickly. Because she's fat, the heaviest viper around, with a very slow, slithering style. But even a lazy snake's got to eat, particularly a fat one. The gaboon viper isn't going to exert much effort here. Instead, she remains inert and undetected as she waits for something to come by. Something easy... like a rat. With the highest venom yield of any snake, the viper is efficient. And because our gaboon viper is a true sloth, she is even equipped with hemotoxic venom, venom that starts breaking down the rat's tissue immediately. So she even gets to skip out on some of the hard work of digestion. While the gaboon viper slowly slinks away... ...an angry group of animals moves into the spotlight. And these deadly, wrathful beasts are not apologizing for any bad behavior. Wrath is brutal. A terrifying display of indiscriminate and indeterminate rage. Translation-- piss off these animals, and you may pay for it with your life. The deadly sin of wrath is not just about getting mad, wrath runs deeper. Wrath is furious, unbridled anger that fuels every aspect of survival, from hunting to mating to just being. This is a rhinoceros. He may have a two-foot-long horn projecting from his skull, but a friendly unicorn, he is not. Rhinos are one of the most territorial creatures on the planet. Nothing makes them see red like an invasion of their space. And the numbers prove it-- 50% of male rhinos will die fighting with other rhinos in land disputes. Rhino rage is not pretty. They can barrel forward at nearly 30 miles an hour, a speeding, snarling ball of badass. But rhinos don't save all their aggression simply for other rhinos. Anything that invades their territory gets the full wrath treatment. Like a safari bus coming close to snap some pictures. Now, we all get annoyed by tourists, but rhinos are not good at anger management. The rhino is as menacing as any Hollywood monster. But our next wrathful fauna is like the terminator of the insect world. Or, to be literal, the attack of the killer bees. Spawned in a laboratory in Brazil in the 1950s, killer bees are an experiment gone horribly wrong. Biologists were trying to create a new type of bee that could produce more honey in Brazil's hot, tropical environment. So they bred African with European honeybees. But there was an unanticipated problem. The hybrid bees were far more aggressive than their ancestors. The scientists knew they had created a monster and that they had to contain it. But one day 26 swarms of these hybrid horrors slipped out. Since then, killer bees have seemingly bred out of control. They have killed over 1,000 humans and have traveled as far north as the U.S. In the wild, they take over normal beehives by killing the queen, and replacing her with one of their own. Then, they can mount a wrath-filled assault on all the remaining bees, chasing them up to half a mile away. Scientists still don't really know why these bees are so aggressive, even when unprovoked. But what they do know is they're not showing any sign of standing down. As ferocious as these swarming marauders are, they seem like harmless little gnats next to our most seething sinner. They're often thought of as the friendly, even cartoonish beasts of the savannah, but hippos may kill more people every year than any other African animal. Unbelievably, hippos are herbivores, which means their wrath is not about hunting for prey. It goes deeper. That's the first problem. The second--hippos are frighteningly territorial. Access to water defines their hierarchical system. Translation--there is nothing more wrathful than a hippo who thinks his watering hole is threatened. This intruder is munching away on grass in one hippo's territory. With 20-inch teeth, the offended hippo attacks. It's an epic battle of real-life titans. But for hippos, it's a way of life. But hippos save their fiercest behavior for outside invaders. When this unlucky crocodile tries to share some hippo H2O, it's a wrathful free-for-all. By inflaming a whole herd of hippos, this doomed croc has committed the most unforgiving sin of all... the one of stupidity. Wrath is a terrifying sin. But it will eventually stop. for the greedy. They never have enough, and so they never stop sinning. For some sinners of the animal kingdom, life is pretty simple. They see what they want, and they take it. And then they take some more. No sharing, no guilt, no shame. But there can be consequences. This is the other deadly sin of overindulgence... [roars] The majestic grizzly bear is an American legend. Native tribes considered the growling Goliath to be a bold, noble god. It reality, they're deadly, greedy grubbers, devouring everything in their sight. And "sharing" is not part of their vocabulary. Not to say that grizzly bears don't have good reasons for their ravenous behavior. Imagine if you were 800 pounds, 7 feet tall, and needed to eat 20,000 calories a day. Now imagine if you lived 25 years that way. Not only that, you sleep about half the year, surviving only off of your stored fat. You might not feel like sharing either. And you might feel like killing to get what you want. A top predator, the bear is equipped with many lethal methods to hunt and scavenge. Starting with perhaps the best nose in nature. With smelling sense seven times keener than a bloodhound, it is believed bears can smell prey over a mile away. Like caribou. Our bear might seem outmatched by this aggressive horned animal, but with a bite force strong enough to crush a bowling ball, he takes down the caribou. With very few natural predators, the grizzly bear's greed is almost too easy. It wants everything so it takes everything. But our next selfish sinner needs to work a little harder. Ten feet long and known as the heaviest lizard on Earth, this is a Komodo dragon. And this is where greedy gets gross. These giant lethal lizards are found, thankfully, on just a few small islands in Indonesia. And here the killer Komodo is the king of the castle. The top predator on the islands, these greedy guys can attack just about anything, and do. Horses, cows, goats, you name it. The secret weapon--dragon drool. Dripping, dangling, disgusting drool. The dragon's noxious, fetid saliva is a cocktail of venom and deadly bacteria featuring strands of E. coli and staph. Pretty? No. Effective? Certainly. A Komodo bites its prey only once. Then it's just a waiting game. The venom causes the wound to bleed and sends the animal into shock. The bacteria soon causes a severe body-wide infection. The unlucky victim usually dies of the venom's effects within 24 hours, allowing the Komodo dragon and all his greedy friends a happy, hearty, gross meal. It's hard to stay proud when your defining deadly characteristic is drool. Our next set of arrogant sinners doesn't have that problem. It's a tough sin to pin down. After all, pride can be a good thing. [trumpets] But for the deadly animals on this list, pride is an inflated sense of being. Basically, these creatures are totally full of themselves. It's been said that pride can bring about a fall. Case in point, the African Cape buffalo. This colossal, combative son of a bull is one tough animal. And no doubt, he has a lot to be proud of. He's one of Africa's "big five" most dangerous game animals, sharing top billing with lions, leopards, rhinos, and elephants. [bellows] His massive horns are so strong they can deflect a rifle bullet like natural Kevlar. Take a look at this face. The message is clear... bring it on. The Cape buffalo behaves as if it has no fear, and therefore no problem taking on anything that offends his massive ego. Even the king of the jungle. He thinks this group of lions is a little too close for comfort on his turf. So even though he's alone and outnumbered, he starts a fight. It's as if pride fuels his aggression. But the lions strike back. The lion jumps on the Cape buffalo's back and digs in. A big mistake. Nothing enrages a buffalo more than an injury. Finally, the Cape buffalo joins his herd. His point is made... or so he thinks. What was that about pride goes before a fall? Apparently elephants are not the only animal that never forget. [growling] For the Cape buffalo, pride is his final sin. But when it comes to our next arrogant sinner, the only thing big about it is its ego. Behold the honey badger. He's a creature of modern legend, and his fame is well-deserved because honey badger just don't care. He's an ornery, aggressive predator who will tangle with anybody, no matter how large or dangerous. He's so proud, he literally has thick skin. Some scientists think this tough exterior, and maybe tough behavior, evolved from the animal's favorite food... honey. Eons ago, the badger wanted honey so badly, it adapted thicker skin to become immune to bee stings. But nowadays, this armor helps fuel the badger's outsized pride. Watch it hunt this puff adder-- one of the most dangerous predators on Earth. It takes a truly outsized ego to think this is a good idea. A single venomous bite from this snake can melt the flesh of its target. But honey badger He charges the deadly viper again and again, taking multiple venomous strikes in the process. Because of his tough skin, the bites only go so deep. So when the moment is right, he lunges in and bites off the snake's head. Then he rests. When he wakes, a breakfast of champions is served. Making this an instance where an animal's pride is entirely justified. The same cannot be said for this last egotistical animal. Male moose, called bulls, can be 7 feet at the shoulder and weigh nearly a ton. They're huge. Their egos are even bigger... [horn honks] ...and fuel violence. In the moose world, between fighting for females, angling for territory, or just showing off their massive antlers, almost anything can injure a bull's pride, and set him off. But there's an issue. The moose doesn't seem so smart. They often take out their prideful aggression on the wrong target. You got a problem, mailbox? What are you looking at, swing set? Their prideful stupidity is obvious to many. [meows] But when a big ego comes crashing down, things get ugly, and out can come the green-eyed monster. Of the seven deadly sins, there's one that's so wicked, it's also one of the Ten Commandments... thou shalt not covet. Call it jealousy, resentment or longing, for these animals, envy is about wanting something so bad, they'd kill anything to get it. This may look like a serene scene. [howling] A pack of wolves working together to raise children and protect their territory. But there is a seamy underbelly to this apparently peaceful world. This wolf pack is actually a den of envy, a canine game of thrones. [howls] Certain packs are divided into alpha, beta and omega members. There are just two alphas, one male and one female, and they run the show. In the wolf world, this is the ultimate power couple. Identified by their larger size and proudly upheld tail, the alphas get first pick of food and control the pack's movements. And that leads to a whole lot of envy for everyone else. The omegas are the lowest of the low and more or less resigned to their fate. But the betas do not take their positions lying down. The true pretenders to the throne, they seethe with jealousy that erupts into violence. Unfortunately for the betas, they rarely win this battle. Often, the only way to ascend to alpha position is the death of the king. Until then, the other wolves must continue a life of festering, smoldering envy. For wolves, envy is about status. For our next jealous creature, it's a little more basic. Here on the steep slopes of the Congo's lush mountains, we find a king. He's a male silverback gorilla, and he reigns supreme over his harem of females. Our silverback has got it all-- power, territory and sex. He's only envious of one thing, another silverback gorilla. When two silverbacks meet, each eyes the other's females and territory with jealousy. If he feels even slightly challenged by another male, he attacks... [roaring] ...giving the rival a beating he won't soon forget. Although we can't prove it, there may be one more envious trait in a silverback gorilla to fuel their aggressive behavior. Although close to a massive six feet tall, let's just say not everything on this guy is proportional. Like all male gorillas, his penis is only about an inch and a half long. Calling Dr. Freud! Could envy be the reason for his fearsome reputation? While the envious stew about what they want and do not have, at least they keep it PG-13. Our last sinners are for adults only. Without reproduction, there would be no life. It's natural. It's normal. It's beautiful. Except when it's not. Lust is a deadly sin. And sometimes, it's not pretty to watch. You might think lust would be fun... that unbridled carnal desires would make animals... happy. Sure, sometimes. But when it comes to African elephants, you would be wrong. Dead wrong. After a rather mellow, passive childhood, male African elephants reach sexual maturity around age 20. And then, all hell breaks loose. It's around that time that males, known as bulls, first enter a phase called musth. A bull in musth is identifiable by a few traits... His vocalizations are lower and more menacing. Musth glands on each side of their face secrete a dark, oily substance. And he goes crazy. Musth, the word means "intoxicated" in Hindi, is an insanely lustful, unpredictable state of being. During the 6 to 12 week musth, a bull's personality changes as his testosterone levels rise to 60 times more than normal. All he cares about is mating. Therefore, anything that gets in the way of mating is an enemy. This amorous elephant sees another bull eyeing his lady. And he's not going to take that lying down. Crazed with testosterone, they clash. Until our elephant emerges the winner. While elephants are driven to a lather by lust, some animals approach the act more calmly. Take our little male antechinus. He's a tiny marsupial, and today's his big day. He's going to mate for the first time, and then he's going to die. Antechinuses are semelparous, meaning they breed once, then perish. But our little guy's going out with a bang. He a finds a willing female and gets down to business. To ensure breeding success, his plan is to mate with her for nearly 12 hours. But just an hour into the action, there's suddenly some male competition. But he's not about to bow out of this once-in-a-lifetime event. So he attacks. With his rival vanquished, he can now finish what he started. 12 hours later, this marathon of sex has destroyed his immune system. He's a shell of his former self. But at least he passed on his genes. So he crawls away to die. His offspring will soon be born, and carry on his proud tradition of epic lovemaking. But for the male praying mantis, having sex is a game of Russian roulette. He might die, he might not. But he's so lustful, he simply can't stop himself. But the real sinners are the females. They're the femme fatales They sometimes get hungry during sex. When they do, they devour the closest thing, which is often their lover. This male is trying to woo this female. He knows he could easily become dinner, so he begins an elaborate courtship dance. Scientists once thought this dance was simply used to gain a female's attention. But they now think he might be dancing to take her mind off of her appetite. Let's see if it works. It did not. So today was not his lucky day. Oddly enough, this beheading actually speeds up ejaculation. So she finishes her meal and gets on with her day. For her, lust is truly the deadliest sin of all. From the prideful hubris of honey badgers, to the wrath of raging rhinos and the repulsive greediness of the Komodo dragon, the ultimate list of nature's most sinful creatures on land has come to an end. But one thing is for sure, the sinning will go on.