Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago

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From chimpanzees hunting in East Africa to humans mastering fire… from leaf cutter ants farming fungus to vultures using tools… survival is built on one brutal truth: life consumes life. Subscribe to Our World: bit.ly/3xnPuGL

This programme looks at the most universal instinct in all forms of life; feeding. Above all, "Basic Instincts" shows that whatever we look at, be it fighting behaviour, mating behaviour or feeding behaviour, the real difference between humans and animals is never quite as great as it may seem.

This film was first broadcast: 1999

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Explore Our World and watch some of the most successful nature documentary series about the environment and the wonders and dangers nature has to offer. We will be posting some of the longest-running and most successful nature documentary series, revealing the trials and tribulations of life on Earth and often for the first time, the secrets of the natural world in all its wonder.

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