[narrator] Growing up in the wild can be pretty hardcore.

Imagine learning to leap, roar, swim, or fly for the very first time.

You've got to get it right, because the faster you are, the stronger you are or even the better you can camouflage yourself, the greater your chances of surviving and thriving in the wilderness - when you grow up that is!

But with all this feral rivalry going on, you've got to wonder who really is Mother Nature's biggest, or smallest, or most dangerous untamed youngling of them all?

The answers will astound you, and we are counting them down from 10 to 1.

They are cute, they are wild.

They are the cover girls and boys of the animal kingdom and they know it!

They are...baby animals.

[upbeat theme music] Baby animals are as diverse as snowflakes.

Each species looks different, behaves differently, and plays a different role in the ecosystem.

But, even though they are unique, these babies share similarities with other members in their family of animals, close relatives that look a bit like them, or do the things they do and occasionally share the same patch of the planet.

Today we will meet some of the coolest families of animals on earth, each fascinating group filled with precious babies, dedicated parents, and the odd "crazy uncle" or "aunty" to shake up the family tree.

[soft music] Some families of animals can be challenging to understand, which is why we're going to start with one group that's close enough to home to make it familiar.

Number 10 on our "Countdown of Coolest Animal Families" is the primate family.

Even though all of these creatures are different sizes, covered in different coloured fur, and in possession of a huge range of different teeth, limbs and faces, they are all in the same animal family as humans.

Once you look closely, you start to see how alike we really are.

[pensive music] Generally, primates have bigger brains in comparison to their body size than other land mammals.

On average, primates are among the most intelligent members of the animal kingdom.

Most primates also have nails, instead of claws.

These tiny tree-dwelling tamarins have one nail on their toe, even though the rest of their digits have claws, perfect for climbing and clinging.

And the clinging is actually one of the things that make non-human primates seem the most like us.

[upbeat music] Primates are amazing mothers.

Some monkeys, like marmosets, are also excellent fathers.

A lot of primate females make astonishing aunties as well.

From the moment primates are born, these babies are held by someone.

For the first few months, that someone is usually their mother, that doubles as "safe transport", plus an "on-demand" milk supplier.

Once a primate infant starts to realise there's a world outside of their mother's fur, there are a legion of other individuals that are ready and willing to take on the supervision duties.

Like human babies, young monkeys and apes are keen to explore their surroundings.

Pretty much anything is a snack, a toy, or a reason to run back into the safe arms of a troop member.

[soft music] Primates include both monkeys and apes.

The basic difference between the two is found in the "bottom" region - specifically, monkeys have tails and apes do not.

Gorillas, the biggest of the great apes, can weigh in at up to 180 kilograms.

These massive beasts are considered gentle giants and share 98.3 percent of their DNA with humans.

Even though they are smaller in size, chimpanzees are even closer to humans.

In fact, chimps are more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas or orangutans.

And chimps are smart, adept at using tools, efficient communicators and very, very cheeky babies.

[soft music] The world of monkeys ranges from the largest and most colourful - the mandrills, through to mid-size monkeys like capuchin, colobus, and vervet monkeys.

And all the way down to tamarins and marmosets - which we're going to call "micro monkeys", just because it makes them sound like tiny, adorable superheroes.

But no matter the size, or the tail, or the lack thereof, primates are kicking off our list today because they are, in every way, one of the "Coolest Families Of Animals" ever.

We're so not biased.

[soft music] They hop, they climb, they can even...fly.

Plus most females in this family of animals have a pouch!

Meet Number 2 on our "Countdown of Coolest Animal Families", the marsupials.

There are more than 300 species of marsupials on planet earth, but they are only found in two regions.

The majority of marsupial species are residents of Australia and New Guinea.

The rest are found in the Americas.

[upbeat music] Unlike humans and other placental mammals, marsupial babies, or joeys, are born incredibly under-developed.

They are not capable of independent survival when they are newborns.

All the growth they need to do before they are able to survive is done inside their mother's pouch.

Once a joey is old enough to try solid food, it ventures out of its mother's pouch - and that's when things get interesting.

If you think about what they like to eat, marsupials can basically be divided into three main groups.

First up, the herbivores or the "diprotodonts".

They're the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koalas, and wombats.

Next, there are the carnivores, or the "dasyurids".

This "gang" includes the Tasmanian devil, quolls, numbats, and dunnarts.

And finally - the omnivores.

These are the "peramelemorphs" - better known as bilbies and bandicoots.

These guys aren't fussy about what kind of food they get their energy from.

[soft music] Marsupials are called "marsupials" because of their pouch.

That's because another word for "pouch" is "marsupium".

It's the place that joeys do most of their development.

If you want to sound really smart, you can refer to marsupials as "metatherians", because science likes to have lots of big words to describe things.

[soft curious music] Bilbies are one of Australia's favourite animals.

In fact, some Australian children get chocolate bilbies instead of chocolate rabbits at Easter time.

But we don't recommend covering an actual bilby in chocolate.

A bilby, just like its close cousin the bandicoot, is much happier with a steady diet of grasshoppers, beetles and termites, with a side of seeds, fungi and bulbs.

[soft music] The carnivores of the marsupial world are not here for the cuddles.

Well, maybe they like cuddling each other, but they also don't mind using their super-sharp teeth and powerful jaws to munch meat.

In fact, the Tasmanian devil has the strongest bite force for an animal of its size.

And the numbat - even though it is classified as a carnivore - likes only one kind of meat... termite meat.

And a lot of termite meat, at that.

About 20,000 termites a day.

Lucky numbats are good at counting really high.

OK, we may have made that last fact up.

[soft acoustic guitar music] The last group of marsupials are the ones you are probably most familiar with, the "diprotodonts".

Most of these marsupials have three pairs of incisors in their upper jaws.

And they use these teeth to grind up grass, roots, flowers, fruit and vegetables.

There is one thing, other than a pouch, that all marsupials share.

Whether they are fearsome, hopping, climbing, or cuddling, all of the animals in the marsupial family, especially the joeys, are undeniably adorable.

[soft music] Our next "Cool Animal Family" is full of soft fur, big eyes, and fuzzy paws.

Lay yourself out in the sunshine and take a look at Number 8 in our "Coolest Family Collection", the felines.

Felines, or cats of all shapes and sizes, are native to every region on earth, except Australia and Antarctica.

Some love the heat, some love the snow, some love a really fast run.

And all of these beautiful beasts are very close cousins of the cheeky animals that many of us have encountered in our own homes.

[soft curious music] Feline babies, for the most part, become independent very quickly.

After a relatively short period of time spent under the care and supervision of their mothers, cubs - or kittens - depending on the species, have to strike out on their own.

So, that stretch of time with Mumma is hectic.

A young feline has a lot to learn - all the skills to catch their own food, grooming and self-care, self-defence.

Cub life is intense.

[relaxed music] Apex predator cubs that live in an animal park or sanctuary will never have to hunt for their survival.

But their instinct to practise their stalking and pouncing is strong.

Even though sometimes their mum might have to step in.

[soft curious music] Cats are built for survival.

Even young felines quickly develop all the tools they need to live a successful cat life - sharp claws, strong, sharp incisors and canines designed for killing and eating, thick, protective fur.

Despite this, many species are teetering on the brink of extinction, mostly because of the effect humans have had on their habitat.

One of these is the snow leopard.

Close cousins of the tiger, these mountain-dwelling cats originate from Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

They grow to be sizeable hunters, topping out at about 55 kilograms - or the size of a large family dog.

Almost half of their two-metre length is tail, crucial for balance.

With an estimated population of only 4,000-6,500, the snow leopard's food sources and habitat are constantly shrinking.

Plus, these protected cats continue to be poached, which is why safe havens, like sanctuaries, are vital for this vulnerable species and their feline cousins.

[upbeat music] Every cub born is an adorable ambassador for their kind, reminding us to protect and conserve these precious creatures for the future.

[soft music] When you look at them from above, bodies of water look like a whole lot of the same thing, beautiful, vibrantly coloured.

But beneath the surface, a massive diversity of animals call the water home.

One of the most diverse groups cruising around in the water is Number 7 on our "Countdown of Cool Animal Families", fish.

But what really makes a fish a fish?

Actually, it's a little bit challenging to answer that.

That's because members of the fish family can look incredibly different.

[tranquil music] In the most simple terms, to attend a "fish family reunion", you need to have a backbone, and live completely in the water.

So, these clownfish, tending their tiny eggs in warm tropical waters off the east coast of Australia, tick all the boxes.

And this seadragon, with its backboned-body sprouting frond-like appendages, is also a fully accredited fish.

Even sharks and stingrays moving swiftly through the ocean, with their gills working overtime to provide vital oxygen for their hunts, are 100 percent fishies.

It's not often we are inclined to fear the very, very young.

To be fair to shark babies, human beings aren't on the menu of any newborn shark species.

While some large adult apex shark species have been known to attack humans, the odds are very much against that happening.

In fact, an individual human has a 1 in 3.75 million chance of being attacked by an individual shark.

[soft music] Fish babies are generally born from fertilised eggs.

These eggs can be attached to something, like these clownfish eggs, or occasionally, they are carried by the male of the species, like this seadragon dad.

[tranquil music] Often, when these littlies hatch, they emerge as perfect, teeny tiny miniatures of their parents, small stingrays, itty bitty seahorses, small-ish sharks, independent, adventurous, and ready for their best fish life, which, in case you had forgotten is to use their back-boned bodies to swim and explore their watery surroundings.

Ah...the life aquatic.

We can stay in the waves for our next "Cool Animal Family".

Number 6 on the countdown are free and happy in the water, though sometimes they are a bit tough on each other.

We're feeling you, marine mammals.

Family life is complex.

We can divide marine mammals into three main groups, the cetaceans - better known as whales and dolphins.

These guys never leave the water.

Next, the pinnipeds - the seals, fur seals and sea lions that hunt and feed in the water and rest and breed on land.

And finally, the sirenians, or sea cows, such as the dugong.

They're fully aquatic, and unbearably squishy as well.

There is one thing that unifies all of these ocean-going animals - and that is the incredible skill involved in baby rearing.

These Mummas are dedicated, tenacious and in it for the long haul.

Usually, a dolphin calf is born tail first.

That is to reduce the possibility of them drowning as they enter the water for the first time.

From the moment they hit the underwater world, baby dolphins are protected by their mother and a team of aunties, just in case Mum gets tired.

For two to three years, dolphin calves will feed on their mother's milk, which has a paste-like consistency.

The calf will hang around her until they're as old as 10 which, in dolphin years, is well past the point where they should be living in a share house with room-mates.

"Pinniped" means "fin-footed" and their namesake fins do double duty as legs on land and swim-aids in the water.

For baby seals and sea lions, learning to use these appendages effectively can be a challenge.

[soft curious music] Sea lions and fur seals can engage all four fins to get around on land.

But true seal babies have a different skill to learn.

This "seal" move is called "galumphing" - using a combination of belly and front fins to move.

And, as you can see, it takes a baby seal a little while to work it out.

[upbeat music] Dugongs belong to the sirenians.

This name comes from the stories of ancient sea mariners, who believed they were being called to the shallows by mermaids or sirens.

It is believed what those weary sailors were actually seeing were manatees or dugongs.

We have learned over the last century that if we protect the environment of marine mammals, we protect the animals themselves.

This has meant that some populations of whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and dugong have increased, and their future family life is more secure.

Sounds like a good plan for all of us, right?

[tranquil music] If someone yelled, "Look!

Up in the sky!"

and there weren't any superheroes visible, then chances are you would see one of the members of our next "Cool Animal Family".

Number 5, birds.

A bird is any one of over 11,000 species of warm-blooded vertebrate, that has two legs, plus two limbs that take the form of wings, lays hard-shelled eggs and is covered in feathers.

It's a broad definition because there are a lot of different birds.

But birds don't just look different, there's a huge diversity of behaviour in the bird world as well.

Some fly, some do not.

Some are massive, some are miniscule.

Some happily live close to humans, and some have no interest in us at all.

[curious music] Most baby birds, or hatchlings, emerge from their eggs looking quite different to their parents.

But they are pre-programmed to grow and change fast.

These baby chickens, born covered in fluffy down feathers, will look a lot like their parents in just four to six weeks.

[cheeping] Ducklings are similar, zooming to full adult size in around two to three months, just with the added bonus of adorable bills and big webbed feet.

[soft music] Black swan cygnets aren't actually black.

But it won't be long before these fuzzy, down-coated chicks start to develop darker, grown-up feathers.

Emu chicks hatch out of massive eggs, some up to 13cm long.

Unlike their grey parents, these little ones are striped.

It will take around 12 to 14 months for a baby emu to reach the almost two-metre height of Dad.

And while we are talking about Dad, emu fathers get an extra "gold star", because they take the lead in all the childcare duties in the average emu family.

The study of birds is called ornithology.

It's actually one of the more interesting branches of science for one unexpected reason.

A lot of different birds means a lot of different people are interested in them.

Ornithology, above all other types of zoology, actually takes the contributions and observations of non-professional "bird fans" seriously.

So, if you don't manage to get that science degree you might be dreaming about, you can still make a really valuable contribution to science.

[acoustic guitar music] One of the most diverse arms of the bird family is the parrot group.

There are almost 350 different birds that are classed as parrots, from the giant macaw, to the tiny budgerigar, and their babies are even tinier.

While parrots all share hooked beaks and four toes on each foot, the members of this group come in every colour and shape imaginable.

And that is typical of so many bird families.

Everyone is different in some way, which makes birds a lot more like human beings than we might think on the first look.

[tranquil music] Do you ever look at your family and think, "Wow, how are these people related to me?"

Then you might be a little bit like members of our next "Cool Animal Family".

Meet Number 4 on our countdown, the reptiles.

All reptiles share some qualities, but very few of them share all of those qualities at once.

In the most basic of terms, members of this "Cool Animal Family" are cold-blooded, have a backbone, and have dry, usually scaly skin.

But when it comes to things like legs, shells, eggs or no eggs, each individual reptile species marches to the beat of its own drum.

[soft music] Reptile babies, more often than not, come into the world via an egg, and use a nifty "egg tooth" on their nose to hatch out.

A reptile egg is soft and leathery.

Snake eggs expand as the snakelets inside grow.

Marine turtle eggs are buried in the sand by mother turtles.

The temperature of the sand actually influences what gender the hatchling will be.

Warmer sand means female babies, while cooler sand will produce more males.

But it's once the baby turtles hatch that their real life battle begins.

With predators waiting on the sand and in the water, these little ones have the odds stacked against them.

In fact, only one in every 1,000 or even 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings will make it to adulthood.

[soft tense music] Crocodile and alligator babies are also born tough.

These young reptiles might not be the fearsome killing machines that their parents are yet, but they are born with everything they need in miniature - tiny sharp teeth, tough leathery skin and enough attitude to fill a big crocodilian body.

Reptiles may be incredibly different to the other members of their direct family, but they also have family ties in unusual places.

Their closest cousins are actually birds, which makes sense given the whole "egg laying" thing.

But just to get even stranger, crocodiles are genetically closer to birds than they are to lizards, snakes or turtles.

Lizards come in all shapes and sizes.

This young lace monitor will grow to almost 2 metres in length when it reaches adulthood.

And this knob-tailed gecko - even though it looks like a tiny baby - is actually an adult that won't grow bigger than 10cm from snout to vent.

But almost all lizards have one thing in common - their colouring.

Not that they all look the same, because they don't.

But lizard colouring generally reflects the colours of their favoured habitat.

They are so good at this excellent camouflage strategy, that some lizards, like these bearded dragons, even change colour along with their environment.

[tranquil music] So, reptiles might all look quite different, but when you stick them all together, they are tough, clever, efficient and flexible, which are all qualities more human families could do with, right?

In our "Coolest Animal Family Countdown" today, we have met biters, swimmers, and swoopers.

But, if you are the sort of person that loves running around in the outdoors, then you might just feel an affinity with this next family.

Number 3 on today's countdown, the equines.

The word "equine" comes from the Latin word "Equus", meaning "horse".

When looking at members of this family, you see animals you would recognise as a horse - largish mammals, four legs, single hooves, manes on their necks, and immediately active young that love a good bout of the "zoomies".

On the plains of Africa, there are also equines that might not immediately scream "horse" at you... zebras.

[soft music] These animals are unique members of the equine family in many ways.

You've probably heard that a zebra's stripey coat is individual to each animal, like a human fingerprint.

What you may not know is that zebra skin is black.

This black colour comes from a substance called melanin.

The black strands of their fur also contain melanin.

The white hairs have none.

Zebra foals are very vulnerable to predators.

But zebra herds work very hard to keep their babies safe.

If a threat appears on the horizon, the adults will surround the foals while the dominant male will charge any predator that comes too close.

In the world of horses, there are miniature horses that give birth to foals that are barely bigger than a domestic dog.

[soft acoustic guitar music] At the other extreme are draft horses.

Their newborns weigh about the same as an adult human.

These horses were bred specifically to pull heavy things.

With more than 680 kilograms of bulk in their massive bodies, these animals are the reason the term "work horse" is used to describe someone who never gives up.

And their immense hooves come in handy as well.

The closest thing left to being "true" wild horses on the planet originate from the Mongolian Steppe.

The Przewalski's horse is an ancient breed.

In fact, it is so ancient that there are cave paintings from prehistory depicting them alongside woolly mammoths.

We almost lost this species in the 19th century, but thankfully, human intervention "turned the ship around" and now captive-bred Przewalski's horses are being returned to their natural habitat, and they are beginning to thrive again.

Humans and horses have had a close relationship for thousands and thousands of years.

We keep horses for recreational uses.

We keep horses for work animals.

And we keep horses as super-efficient lawnmowers.

In return, equines of all sizes delight human beings with their grace, their energy, and their absolutely and completely adorable babies.

Do us a favour, would you?

Look down at your toes.

See your toenails?

They're something you share with all the members of the next "Cool Animal Family".

It's Number 2 on our countdown - the ungulates.

Ungulates are mammals with hooves - and hooves are just fancy enlarged toenails.

Ungulates are a diverse group.

There are tall ones, short ones, hairy ones, and loud ones.

[bleating] There are two types of ungulate - even-toed, and odd-toed.

But no matter how many toes they have, there's one thing all ungulates have in common - babies that are up on their hooves and ready to explore the world not long after they are born, curious, energetic and almost always adorable.

Ungulate babies need their mothers for milk and protection, but they are also very keen to use their hoofed feet to get out and see how their world works.

Himalayan tahr are cousins of the goat.

[tranquil music] Tahr are most at home in cool mountainous regions.

They are agile animals, that escape predators and forage for food in rocky, vertically-challenging places.

That's where baby tahr learn to use their hooves like mountain climbing picks, wedging into crevices and balancing in precarious positions.

Both domestic pigs and peccaries are even-toed ungulates.

[curious music] Their tiny toes keep them stable in the sandy or muddy environments they both favour.

When they aren't bathing in mud and dirt - or snacking on roots and vegetables - baby pigs and peccaries are not afraid to tippy toe up to their mothers for some much-needed milk.

[oinking] Why did animals develop hooves?

Many mammals survive just fine without hard caps on the end of their toes.

But most of those animals have well-developed muscular hips and legs that give them super speed when they run.

Ungulates, on the other hand, have disproportionately thin legs for their body size.

So if they want to pick up speed, they need something to grip on the ground.

And so, they have hooves that dig into the soil and take the impact as an ungulate's four feet propel them across the ground.

Baby rhinos are among some of the most endangered animals on earth.

[tense music] So any adaptations that give them an advantage are handy.

Rhinos are odd-toed ungulates, with three toes per foot.

Their feet give them great balance in the sandy soil of their natural habitat.

So, whether they are attached to a stocky hairy calf, a small spiky peccary, or a "cute as a button" goat, just like human toes, ungulate hooves are crucial for balance, for speed, and for being tickled.

OK, maybe that's just a human thing.

[soft music] We have reached the top of the pile of "Cool Animal Families".

And it seems appropriate to spend some time with the creatures that are, by far, human's long-time favourite companions, dogs.

Licking machines, keepers of our secrets, also known as members of the canine family.

All dogs are carnivorous mammals descended from wolves.

[soft guitar music] In fact, their family tree goes all the way back to the hypercarnivores of the Ice Age.

Over time, dogs have evolved into at least 360 distinct breeds of scruffies, fidos, and buddies.

And, along the way, no matter how cute they got, they have retained the DNA of their wild ancestors.

[soft guitar music] Baby dogs are born in litters - the average number for most breeds being five to six pups.

For the first two weeks, puppies are totally dependent on their mother for food, warmth and security.

After that, their little world starts to open up.

With their eyes wide open, puppies start to test out their legs, interact with their siblings, and work on their tail-wagging skills.

Armed with baby teeth, they can start weaning off mother's milk, and give meat a try.

These furry bundles never seem to stop playing.

While it looks like fun - and it is - these youngsters are actually taking life lessons at "Puppy School" - learning the ins and outs of being a dog.

[soft upbeat music] Somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks, puppies are old enough to leave their dog family and join a human family.

It doesn't take long for these eager newcomers to work their way into their new family's hearts.

Apart from being adorable and cuddly, some pups will grow up to have special jobs.

Border collie's belong to the "herding dogs" group.

These canines have been bred to help round up livestock.

"Working dogs", like Alaskan malamutes, were bred to pull sleds.

Breeds in the "hound group", such as dachshunds and whippets, were originally bred for hunting.

Dogs in the "sporting group", like Labradors, are excellent retrievers.

Getting rid of vermin was the job "terriers" were bred for.

And some, like the petite members of the "toy group", have been bred for a really tough job - to be cute, affectionate lap dogs.

A dog's natural family is called a pack.

[soft upbeat music] Usually, the pack is led by a dominant male, sometimes a dominant breeding pair.

And the pups, the next generation, are the pack's priority.

Even with domesticated dogs, the job of raising pups to be polite pack members and cherished companions is a full-time job, which, if you want to check with your Mum and Dad, is pretty much the way human families work too.

[upbeat theme music]