Monkey Planet

The key to primate success is that, like us, most species live in close-knit family groups. How do you choose your friends, learn from those around you and know who to trust? We explore the complex world of primate social lifestyles. In Peru, Emporer tamarin males are conned into childcare; vervet monkeys in South Africa have a sophisticated alarm system to warn for predators, and by using team work chimpanzees have become some of the most success hunters on the planet. But living in families isn't always easy. in Gibraltar barbary macaques steal babies to impress their boss. Hamadryas baboon males in Ethiopia rule with an iron fist and in matriarchal ring-tail lemur societies the girls have to fight pitched battles with babies in tow.

Our primate family has some weird and wonderful members. From the ninja tarsier, a spring loaded ambush predator the size of a tennis ball, to the aye aye - a real life gremlin that hunts with its extra-terrestrial fingers. In this programme we explore how primates have adapted in both body and mind to survive right across the planet. In the depths of winter Japanese macaques huddle to save vital heat in temperatures that would kill any other monkey. At the other extreme, chacma baboons head 100 metres underground to avoid being eaten, and verreaux's sifakas navigate a dangerous world of spines to gain access to precious water. Then there are baboons with a thirst for flamingo flesh; macaques with criminal minds; and fluorescent mandrills who wear war-paint to do battle.

There's one thing that sets us primates apart from most other families on the planet, and that's a flexible mind. Our primate cousins are much smarter than you might imagine. Just like us they use tools, solve problems, and even have emotions. We discover how these animals are individuals with a sense of self and why brainpower is essential to primate survival. In Thailand, long-tailed macaques floss their teeth with human hair and use tools to open oysters on the beach. In Uganda, chimps pass on cultures and customs through generations. We meet Dora at orangutan school in Sumatra and a bonobo in the US who can have conversations with humans and toast marshmallows in a fire he makes himself.