The Secret of the Savannah • 2012 • episode "S1E2" • Secrets of Our Living Planet

Category: Nature

In this episode, Chris reveals how the world's most spectacular grasslands flourish, despite being short of one essential nutrient - nitrogen. As it turns out, the secret lies with the animals. There are the white rhinos of Kenya that create nitrogen hotspots by trimming and fertilising the grass. They are drawn to these particular points by communal toilets or 'fecal facebooks', where they meet and greet each other. In the whistling acacia grasslands of Kenya, Chris reveals the amazing relationships between termites, geckos, ants, monkeys and giraffes that make these places so rich in wildlife

Make a donation

Buy a brother a hot coffee? Or a cold beer?

Hope you're finding these documentaries fascinating and eye-opening. It's just me, working hard behind the scenes to bring you this enriching content.

Running and maintaining a website like this takes time and resources. That's why I'm reaching out to you. If you appreciate what I do and would like to support my efforts, would you consider "buying me a coffee"?

Donation addresses

buymeacoffee.com

patreon.com

BTC: bc1q8ldskxh4x9qnddhcrgcun8rtvddeldm2a07r2v

ETH: 0x5CCAAA1afc5c5D814129d99277dDb5A979672116

With your donation through, you can show your appreciation and help me keep this project going. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant impact. It goes directly towards covering server costs.

Secrets of Our Living Planet • 2012 • 4 episodes •

The Emerald Band
58:46
The Emerald Band

The amazing web of life centred on the Brazil nut tree is revealed.

2012 • Nature

The Magical Forest
59:05
The Magical Forest

Chris Packham looks at the annual miracle of the temperate forest.

2012 • Nature

Waterworlds
59:04
Waterworlds

Chris Packham travels across the world to reveal the secrets of our watery habitats.

2012 • Nature

The Secret of the Savannah
58:59
The Secret of the Savannah

In this episode, Chris reveals how the world's most spectacular grasslands flourish, despite being short of one essential nutrient - nitrogen. As it turns out, the secret lies with the animals. There are the white rhinos of Kenya that create nitrogen hotspots by trimming and fertilising the grass. They are drawn to these particular points by communal toilets or 'fecal facebooks', where they meet and greet each other. In the whistling acacia grasslands of Kenya, Chris reveals the amazing relationships between termites, geckos, ants, monkeys and giraffes that make these places so rich in wildlife

2012 • Nature

You might also like

Life in the Trees
54:10
Life in the Trees

The penultimate instalment investigates the primates, whose defining characteristics are forward-facing eyes for judging distance, and gripping hands with which to grasp branches, manipulate food and groom one another. The programme begins in Madagascar, home to the lemurs, of which there are some 20 different types. Two examples are the sifaka, which is a specialised jumper, and the indri, which has a well-developed voice. Away from Madagascar, the only lemur relatives to have survived are nocturnal, such as the bushbaby, the potto and the loris. The others were supplanted by the monkeys and a primitive species that still exists is the smallest, the marmoset. However, Attenborough selects the squirrel monkey as being typical of the group. Howler monkeys demonstrate why they are so named their chorus is said to the loudest of any mammal and their prehensile tails illustrate their agility.

12/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature

Tropics
58:00
Tropics

Cameras follow a family of gorillas, with Spy Grub and Spy Fruit testing their intelligence. Elsewhere in Brazil, Spy Jaguar Cub explores a beautiful gathering of water birds, capybara and caiman, and joins Spy Caiman to film a feeding frenzy.

S2E1 • Spy in the Wild • 2020 • Nature

Part 2
43:33
Part 2

The museum's dinosaur experts Susie Maidment and Paul Barrett follow up an exciting tip-off about some possible dino footprints in Wales. Meanwhile, the world's most famous dinosaur - Dippy the Diplodocus - is on a road trip around the country and needs an up-close inspection to make sure it's safe.

S1E2 • Natural History Museum: World of Wonder • 2020 • Nature

The Problems of Parenthood
49:11
The Problems of Parenthood

Raising children is no easier in the air as it is on the ground, as bird parents care for, defend, and even kill their young.

S1E9 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature

Namib Skeleton Coast and Beyond
53:04
Namib Skeleton Coast and Beyond

The Namib Desert is one of the oldest of all. It’s also one of the most diverse. With 50-degree temperatures and half a millimetre of rainfall annually, how is this possible?

S1E2 • Eden Untamed Planet • 2021 • Nature

Part 1
59:02
Part 1

The first three critical months are when our animal babies have to rapidly get to grips with their new family and the challenges of environment that surrounds them.

S1E1 • Animal Babies: First Year on Earth • 2019 • Nature