Battle of the Alphas

Steering clear of alphas, whose horns, claws and other protective gear keep them ready for battle, no matter what the weather dishes out; examining killer Highland cow horns, plucky mallard bills, razor-edged wolverine claws, and more.

A male brown hare throws punches at his beloved; admiring a sandhill crane dance battle; ibexes butt heads (literally) during mating season; why leopards are stealth masters.

Meeting alphas who get by with a little help from their friends; the inescapable gang mentality of mating male dolphins; ant colonies' unique scents; female geladas always get the last word; wolves hunt family-style.

Celebrating small but mighty animal warriors armed with sheaves of scary weapons; admiring nutrias' stink bombs; honey badgers' needlelike choppers; black-tailed gulls' razor-sharp beaks; the killer talons on dive-bombing peregrine falcons.

Elands lock corkscrew horns; storks rattle sabre-shaped beaks; rhinos scare the competition with massive horns; striped marlins spear unsuspecting prey.

Tasmanian devils get into food fights with rivals; how dung beetles roll over the competition; wild boars' fierce mating strategies; hyenas' bone-crushing teeth demolish any meal.