NATURE: "NATURAL BORN HUSTLERS"
PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Part 1 of 3. This new three-part Nature documentary, Natural Born Hustlers, is a delightful examination of the clever ways animals have adapted, or the behaviors they’ve adopted, to survive and thrive in the wild. Tonight’s Part 1 is titled Staying Alive, and runs through some of the wild kingdom’s trickier defensive hustles. There’s the “motion dazzle” of zebras, which finally explains the value of those distinctive black-and-white stripes. And the “disruptive camouflage” of Australian geckos. And burrowing owls who, from the safety of their burrows, imitate the sounds of rattling rattlesnakes to dissuade predators from finding them. And, my favorite, squirrels who evade being eaten by snakes by chewing on dead, shed snakeskin, rubbing the resultant “mush” all over themselves and their offspring, and confusing the snakes by throwing off the same scent. It’s exactly the same trick used on The Walking Dead – by humans, not squirrels – who cover themselves in zombie blood and guts to walk undetected among the unliving. Who knew? Check local listings.