NATURE • 1100 videos
A young tigress is chosen to found a new dynasty. Airlifted from her home in an Indian park to life in a new reserve, Baghani the tigress must fight with leopards for territory and learn to hunt dangerous wild boar. Also released is Rajore, a hot-blooded young male. For two years, every aspect of their lives is followed by the camera. Will they mate and start a family, or will they be killed by poachers?
2012 • Nature
Over one dramatic year, film crews cope with extreme weather, hungry predators, stormy seas, high altitudes and baking sun as they capture the story of life in one of the wildest places on Earth.
S1E6 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
Patagonia's ancient woodlands are a magical home to creatures found nowhere else on Earth. This journey explores the forests that time forgot, revealing hidden treasures, while meeting scientists and Indigenous people working to protect them.
S1E5 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
Patagonia's far south is closer to Antarctica than anywhere else on Earth; it is a land of extremes where wind speeds above 100 miles per hour and giant waves batter the coastline; for penguins, whales, and people, survival is a daily struggle.
S1E4 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
A journey from the low grasslands, where pumas roam, to the towering peaks of the Patagonian Andes, where only the toughest people and animals can survive.
S1E3 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
Along Patagonia's Pacific coast are the deep, sheltered fjords. These beautiful, flooded valleys were carved out by ice over millennial.
S1E2 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
A magic journey along Patagonia's Atlantic coast where the land may be barren but the sea is rich with life. In this wild and unforgiving place, killer whales risk it all to survive while huge male elephant seals battle for the chance to breed.
S1E1 • Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World • 2022 • Nature
Stephen Fry embarks on a fascinating journey to discover the stories behind some of the world's most fantastic beasts. Mythical creatures have fascinated us for thousands of years, but why are we still captivated by these mythological beasts, even in this modern age of science and technology? With the help of scientists, historians, writers and film-makers, Stephen finds out why the world of magical animals is more popular today than ever before. By digging for dragons, meeting distant relatives of the unicorn or swimming with an unlikely inspiration for mermaids, Stephen uncovers the secrets behind some of our best-loved mythical creatures, and reveals the real-life beasts that have inspired some of the greatest legends in history, from rhinos to narwhals, vervet monkeys to manatees.
2022 • Nature
They are some of the most famous and mysterious monuments on the planet. Nearly 900 giant stone heads scattered across a remote island in the middle of the Pacific. Now, brand new evidence is challenging everything we thought we knew about Easter Island’s awe-inspiring statues – and those who made them. Drawing on the latest science, this authoritative documentary radically rewrites the story of Easter Island.
2024 • Nature
As the planet warms, hurricanes could become even more dangerous and destructive. What can be done to survive and minimize the threat of these storms?
Two passionate filmmakers connect with activists, Indigenous leaders, and renowned scientists to understand the fate of the endangered southern resident orca and find solutions to our most pressing environmental threats.
2021 • Nature
The culture of Japan is incredible, from bloom festivals to ultra-modern cities. But there are also more than 130 mammals and 600 bird species dwelling in Japan’s 6,852 islands. This island chain is long enough to span climate zones, providing a huge range of habitat.
2020 • Nature
Exploring the realm of the creatures to better understand how they have evolved. Travelling from the rain forests of French Guiana to the Arctic Ocean, scientists use traditional and cutting edge techniques to examine both modern insects and the fossil record in their search for a single common insect ancestor.
2024 • Nature
David Attenborough reveals why forests are the ultimate test of survival for mammals, including a tiger whose stealth and hunting strategies are put to the test in the heat of an Indian summer. The programme also features footage of young chimpanzees learning how to get honey without angering bees and Siberian flying squirrel gliding elegantly and effortlessly from tree to tree.
S1E6 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
David Attenborough reveals how, by pushing themselves and their bodies to the limit, mammals have found remarkable ways to survive in the hottest places on earth. In South America, thirsty capuchins need all their natural curiosity as they search for water on the forest floor. Camels roam the vast outback of Australia, where they can go for weeks without water thanks to their distinctive hump as an energy store. White sifaka lemurs hug trees to avoid the heat in Madagascar's spiny forest and the echidna has an even stranger way of keeping cool - it blows snot bubbles.
S1E5 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
From ice-covered seas to snow-capped mountains, mammals have conquered the cold, living in the harshest places on earth thanks to their remarkable intelligence and adaptations. The programme features polar bears on the Arctic islands of Svalbard, arctic foxes in Canada's Hudson Bay, and snow leopards in the lofty mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China.
S1E4 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
How air-breathing mammals have found remarkable ways to overcome the many challenges of a life in water, from freshwater jungle ponds to the dark depths of the open ocean. Featuring footage of the birth of a huge sperm whale calf, never-before-filmed orca hunting behaviour, and coastal coyotes in Mexico that have learnt they can benefit from the daily offerings washed up on the shore with each new tide.
S1E3 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
A look at mammals which have adapted to the changes humans have made to their environment, from sea lions competing with stray dogs for food in the fish markets of Chile to pig-tailed macaques in palm oil plantations in south east Asia. Plus, a look at how elephants have learnt to use the cover of darkness to venture into towns in search of a midnight feast, often leaving destruction in their wake.
S1E2 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
Focuses on animals that thrive in the dark, from leopards that use night vision to hunt their prey to bats using echolocation to navigate the night skies.
S1E1 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature
In the third year of this seven-year project examining the issues facing the planet’s most threatened ecosystems, Dr. M. Sanjayan visits the Maldives to take an in-depth look at coral reefs and the urgent efforts to help them survive climate change.
S3E1 • 2024 • Nature
In 1960, a young secretary from Bournemouth, with no scientific qualifications, entered a remote forest in Africa and achieved something nobody else had ever done before. Jane Goodall became accepted by a group of wild chimpanzees, making discoveries that transformed our understanding of them, and challenged the way we define ourselves as human beings by showing just how close we are as a species to our nearest living relatives. Since then, both she and the chimps of Gombe in Tanzania have become world famous - Jane as the beauty of many wildlife films, they as the beasts with something profound to tell us. As one of the programme's contributors, David Attenborough, suggests, Jane Goodall's story could be a fable if it wasn't true. In this revealing programme filmed with Jane Goodall in Africa, we discover the person behind the myth, what motivates her and the personal cost her life's work has exacted from her - and why she still thinks we have a lot to learn from the chimps she has devoted her life to understanding.
2010 • Nature
Not many can intimidate North America's top predator, Tyrannosaurus rex, whose size and bite are a deadly combo, except for a giant winged foe.
S2E5 • Prehistoric Planet • 2023 • Nature
Deep beneath the water's surface, the world's largest predator -- the Mosasaurus -- lies in wait to ambush unsuspecting prey.
S2E4 • Prehistoric Planet • 2023 • Nature
In a drought-stricken basin where much has perished, an old Pachycephalosaurus bull defends his leadership against a young challenger.
S2E3 • Prehistoric Planet • 2023 • Nature
Trudging through a scorching desert, two young Tarchia find relief at an oasis and encounter an adult twice their size, ready to lay claim.
S2E2 • Prehistoric Planet • 2023 • Nature
On a small island, a monumental display takes place as the giant Hatzegopteryx reveals his gentler side to woo a mate
S2E1 • Prehistoric Planet • 2023 • Nature
Social insects (ants, bees, wasps and termites) are incredibly successful. By some estimates the weight of ants equals that of humanity and that of termites equals terrestrial vertebrates.
S1E3 • Planet Insect • 2022 • Nature
Insects are very good at making more insects, but it's not easy. Insects are tiny creatures living in a big world. Partners must find each other to mate and the next generation must survive in a huge dangerous world.
S1E2 • Planet Insect • 2022 • Nature
Between 5 and 10 million different kinds maybe ten quintillion individuals - there's absolutely no doubt that we're living on Planet Insect. Insects live the most extraordinary lives many of them revealed for the first time in this one-hour program.
S1E1 • Planet Insect • 2022 • Nature
Award-winning wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet has been invited by a team of conservationists from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo to closely document their effort to protect the eastern lowland gorilla, a critically endangered great ape and the largest primate on earth. By living amongst this group of our primate kin for three months, will the habituation of this gorilla family, coupled with Vianet's extraordinary journey, succeed in the effort to save the eastern lowland gorillas from extinction?
2024 • Nature
Discover a land of hauntingly beautiful coasts, magical forests, and volcanic and arctic extremes - and the lynx, orcas, puffins and wolves who call this frozen kingdom home. Chapter 1: Life on the Edge Wild and unpredictable, the Scandinavian coast is a place of haunting beauty and dangerous extremes - a journey from storm-swept islands crowded with seal pups to 3,000ft deep fjords where sea eagles fly and base jumpers parachute from the edge. In the far north, tropical currents and Arctic seas collide, creating riches - billions of herring tracked by orcas and humpback whales - while providing a home to thousands of seabirds, including the feisty puffin. Chapter 2: Heartlands Great forests form the heart of Scandinavia, stretching towards the Arctic and cutting through with a labyrinth of waterways. Incredible creatures like lynxes, wolves, bears and reindeer must survive the ever-changing seasons - from the chilling grip of winter to the warm riches of summer. Here, all life is deeply interconnected through surprising and ancient partnerships, creating a balance that has evolved over millennia. Chapter 3: Ice and Fire Scandinavia's northern extremes have been shaped by ice and fire, but it's the sun that reigns over these frozen kingdoms. Here, musk oxen, polar bears and arctic foxes must endure the long, dark polar night, but in spring, the sun's return ignites a dramatic transformation in the landscape and heralds the return of thousands of migrant visitors. Under the midnight sun, the north bursts into a sleepless rush of life and opportunity, a race against time to raise a family, but for some, it's the summer heat which brings the greatest dangers before the first frost and winter's welcome return.
2023 • Nature
This special (9th) episode brings together highlights from the series, from hidden forests and turbulent coasts to vast, unexplored deserts.
S1E9 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
David Attenborough introduces conservation heroes fighting to save the world's wildlife, from exploring remote jungles to going undercover to catch criminals in the illegal ivory trade. In South Africa, new breeding populations of black rhino are set up in safe havens where they will be protected from poachers, while a conservationist in Ecuador works to protect endangered frogs.
S1E8 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
The ways in which wild animals have adapted to survive in human population centres, from cobras in India hunting in houses, to macaques in Bali stealing mobile phones to barter with temple staff in return for food. Rhinos walk through the streets of Sauraha, Nepal, while in Australia, tawny frogmouths find streetlights useful in catching prey, but have to avoid being eaten by household cats.
S1E7 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
David Attenborough reveals the extraordinary ways in which animals battle to survive in a world of extremes, from mountain summits to deserts, polar tundra to the world's largest cave in Vietnam. On Ellesmere Island, a pack of Arctic wolves fight to rebuild their strength after one of the toughest winters on record, while in the mountains of Mexico, millions of Monarch butterflies huddle together to survive. But the calm is shattered when a storm hits their forest shelter.
S1E6 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
David Attenborough journeys into the hidden world of forests, from the temperate rainforests of Canada, where rarely seen spirit bears fish for salmon, to the teak forests of India, where whistling wild dogs work together to bring down prey three times their size. In the misty mountainous forests of China, male tragopan have developed a comical dance routine, whilst in the dense tropical rainforest, treehoppers form surprising alliances to fight off assassin bugs and oriental pied hornbills go to incredible lengths to protect their young.
S1E5 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
Footage of animals that live in freshwater environments, from gliding treefrogs engaged in fiercely competitive mating rituals in in the Costa Rican rainforest to mugger crocodiles in Sri Lanka, that lie in wait at waterholes for chital deer. In the Okavango Delta, the arrival of the great annual flood poses a significant challenge for a pack of five African wild dogs.
S1E4 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
Life in some of the many deserts and grasslands around the world, including in the baked Namib desert, where a pair of ostriches raise their family in the searing heat to keep them safe from predators. One troop of desert baboons are on a continual quest to find water and a young mother who is low in the pecking order must battle for her right to drink. Closer to the equator, in the grassland paradise of the Cerrado in Brazil, lives the rare, fruit-eating maned wolf, a bizarre creature about whom little is known.
S1E3 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
The wildlife inhabiting the world's oceans, from the shallow seas of the tropics, where predators like the lionfish can become the prey to one of the world's oddest hunters, to the greatest depths, where a massive siphonophore, longer than a blue whale, and a gulper eel with huge jaws are captured on film using specialised vessels designed to withstand the pressure. The episode also features the mating dances of mobula rays and the symbiotic relationship between Columbus crabs and turtles.
S1E2 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
David Attenborough showcases wildlife in coastal regions, from Cape fur seals on South Africa's Robberg Peninsula to hungry lions on Namibia's infamous Skeleton Coast. Plus, a look at how the Arctic coast is the scene of the biggest seasonal transformation on Earth, as the melting of billions of tonnes of ice brings short-lived opportunities to coastal waters.
S1E1 • Planet Earth III • 2023 • Nature
As the Ice Age thawed, humans rose above the rest. But the possibility of a sixth mass extinction now looms: Has our ingenuity caused our downfall?
S1E8 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
Emerging from the dinosaurs' shadows, mammals went from underdogs to global power, with game-changing adaptations that would conquer land, air and sea.
S1E7 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
The dinosaurs met their end with a cataclysmic asteroid impact. Rising from the ashes, birds reinvented themselves into a dynasty 10,000 species strong.
S1E6 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
The formation of continents with varied environments allowed for an explosion of biodiversity — and turbo-charged the evolution of mighty dinosaurs.
S1E5 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
After Earth's third mass extinction, mammals' surviving ancestors ruled the supercontinent Pangea. But lizards soon ushered in the age of reptiles.
S1E4 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
Sprawling moss, towering trees, flying insects, limbed amphibians: Early species vied for domination as the land went from hostile to hospitable.
S1E3 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
For billions of years, land on Earth was uninhabitable. But in the seas, predation allowed species to thrive before — and after — two mass extinctions.
S1E2 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
Evolution. Competition. Mass extinction. Three fundamental rules have driven the rise and fall of life on Earth for over four billion years.
S1E1 • Life on Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
It's time to close another chapter in the lives of the animals of the Serengeti, the end of an extraordinary year for them all. But first, all around is a blackened smoking wasteland, the aftermath of the huge fire. Which of the families made it out alive and who is still missing? Torrential rain brings hope and the land is reborn into a green paradise as water quenches the scorched earth. Mirroring the changes in the landscape, the cycle of death and rebirth comes to the fore as the Serengeti's elders prepare their young for adulthood and a life on their own. Lioness Kali is alive, but one of her three cubs is missing. Kike the cheetah returns and must train her grown-up cubs to survive on their own. The short, lush grasslands make the perfect training grounds for her lessons of survival. She teaches them to stalk, chase and trip their prey. A giraffe, grieving over the unexplained death of her calf, interrupts the cubs' training regime. Leader of the wild dogs Jasari is also showing his pups how to survive on their own, but when he teaches them to fight off hyenas, they too are interrupted by the grieving giraffe. In the flooded river, elephant matriarch Nalla's baby struggles in the torrents. Bakari returns when a huge fight with a rival baboon troop threatens his family, and he shows his bravery once more. Kali has yet more surprises in store which bring hope for her and her pride's future. Kike has to leave her cubs and hope that they are ready for independence. With the death of an old male elephant, all the families come together and old rivalries end in a remarkable truce. With a new regime in place among the baboons, the harmony of nature is restored and for now, the future is bright for the families of the Serengeti.
The dry season is now upon the animals of the Serengeti, the toughest of times for some but a food bonanza for others. The increasing drought turns the waterhole into a death trap for the herds, but for the lions it's a gift and Kali and her cubs are finally able to enjoy life back in the heart of the pride. Jasari and his wild dog family are under siege from Zalika and her hyena clan, so they must train their pups to fight back if they are going to survive. The black-maned male lions return and kill two cubs from Zalika's clan, but this is just the start of their murderous campaign. Bakari the baboon is living in exile from the troop but spies the leader bullying his adopted baby. When a huge storm ignites a devastating fire, the wild dogs are separated from their pups and struggle to save them. When it threatens the troop, Bakari returns to save the baby. The black-maned lions attack the pride and Kali is once again forced to flee for her life. As the fire takes hold and the tinder-dry Serengeti is consumed by flames, who will survive and how will the land ever recover?
The long-awaited arrival of the great migration brings opportunities and food in abundance, but it also increases conflict as every one of the Serengeti's families is put to the test. Tragedy strikes for lioness Kali, who is forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life. Can she return to the pride that once forced her out? Whatever she decides, it will put her cubs in danger. Shani, the zebra mother, has no choice but to cross the river, but the crocodile is waiting and the currents are treacherous. Will her foal survive? Bakari is finally forced to challenge the jealous leader of the baboon troop, but the violence of their confrontation leaves Bakari facing a devastating decision that will change his destiny. The wild dog family, led by male Jasari, is also facing a battle when Zalika and her clan of hyenas declare war on the young family, hoping to force them out of their territory. A long running feud begins. When teenage elephant Tembo behaves badly and falls out with another herd, his mother Nalla has to decide his future. How will both Nalla and Tembo handle the difficult decisions they are forced to make?
The incredible anticipation of the annual great migration is being felt by all of the Serengeti's families as they wait with great desperation for it to arrive. The land continues to get hotter and hunger start to bite as food becomes ever more scarce for the predators. But life continues, with Kali the lioness and her sister entrusting their cubs to their new male babysitter, Sefu, with near-disastrous results. Bakari the baboon is shocked when a trip across the river to collect crocodile eggs looks like it will end in tragedy for his new female, Cheka, and the adopted baby. His rivalry with the troop leader then puts him and the baby in more danger. A family of wild dogs moves in, led by male Jasari. With a huge litter of pups, Jasari is ready to take advantage of the coming feast, but until the migrating herds arrive, it is a struggle to survive. Shani, a female zebra, is leading her family on the great migration. She is forced to stop temporarily to give birth to her foal, but as soon as he can run, they are off again heading towards the great river. When the herds finally arrive at the river, they find it teeming with crocodiles, and zebra mother Shani has to decide how and when she can take her newborn foal across the treacherous water. Lying in wait and watching them carefully is a large mother crocodile, who is determined to eat them if they try. With the great migration now in full flow, there are winners and losers on both sides. The awe-inspiring spectacle it brings are part of the deep seasonal rhythms that govern all life in the Serengeti.
As the Serengeti starts to dry out, competition hots up between the families we were first introduced to in Episode One. The strong females take centre stage, dealing with wayward males and fighting for the survival of their kin. Lioness Kali and her sister are enjoying time with their seven cubs. Together, hunting is much easier and life is good. But their happiness is short-lived as they are being tracked by Sefu, a male lion from the pride. He takes their food and then relentlessly pursues them, but what does he want? A new family has moved into the Serengeti: Kike, a first-time cheetah mother with three tiny cubs in tow. If her first litter is to survive, she must learn the skills of motherhood fast. Not only must she learn to hunt and keep her cubs safe, but she must keep them away from the other predators who are out to get them. Bakari the baboon struggles to raise the baby he rescued when its mother was killed and desperately tries to find a female to help him raise his motherless baby. Nalla, the elephant matriarch, is worried for the safety of her baby when a group of huge male elephants come to fight over one of the family's females. A young female ostrich attempts to raise an enormous brood of chicks whilst being watched by the hungry eyes of the hyena leader, Zalika. As pressure builds, Kali decides that for the sake of her cubs she must confront the male stalker Sefu – but it's a dangerous decision. Bakari is threatened by the leader of the troop when their rivalry escalates and the baby is put at risk. Will a kind-hearted female called Cheka help him raise the baby? Only the strong survive in the Serengeti, and the mothers are the toughest of the lot.
Follows the interconnected stories of a cast of savannah animals over one year, in a bold new dramatised natural history format for BBC One. Narrated by award-winning British actor John , the series captures the high drama of the area's distinctive wildlife up close. There's love and loss, jealousy and rivalry, tragedy and triumph, as their lives entwine and dramatically unfold in the heart of this legendary land. It's the time of plenty in the Serengeti, with food in abundance, but a series of unexpected events turns families against each other and stretches relationships to breaking point. Kali a brave lioness and devoted mother of four cubs, has broken the golden rules of family life, by having cubs with an outsider. When she tries to bring the cubs home, her betrayal is exposed and she is forced into exile. Bakari, a passionate male baboon, starts a deep and jealous rivalry after the female he was devoted to is stolen away by the new, more aggressive, leader of the troop. Zalika, a young hyena, loses her mother in a terrifying attack by some rogue male lions and has to assume the leadership of her family. Somehow, she must prove herself ready for such a huge responsibility. Tembo, a teenage elephant, questions his place in the family when his mother Nalla, the matriarch of the family, gives birth to a new baby and he is sidelined. Bakari attempts to win back his lost love until tragedy strikes and Kali finds salvation from an unexpected place. Emotions run high as each of the characters struggles to cope with their worlds being turned upside down.
Today Earth is a human world, home to eight billion people and counting. Humans now have a greater effect in shaping Earth’s surface than many natural processes. In this episode, Chris Packham explores how dramatic twists in Earth’s story enabled humans to go from being part of nature to controlling it, and what we can learn from this epic tale before it’s too late. The story begins 66 million years ago with the catastrophic impact of the asteroid that wiped out the (Non-avian) dinosaurs. From the ashes of the desolation that followed, a new animal family rose to power. This was adaptable and inventive enough to emerge out of the harsh new world – the mammals. It began with a distant ancestor that shared many traits of the much maligned, but evolutionarily brilliant, rat. Due to a series of extreme geological and climatic events, mammals evolved into early primates feasting in the newly formed tropical rainforests, and then to early humans travelling vast distances between forests in places like East Africa’s Rift Valley. Earth’s story is a saga spanning 4.5 billion years, but it’s only in the last 11,000 years - with the rise of farming - that our species has started to dramatically impact our planet and its ecosystems. The human chapter of Earth’s story might end in disaster, but Chris is keen to argue for a different ending, where all of humanity’s achievements to date “…were just our dress rehearsals, because in the very near future our species will need to reach the zenith of its achievements and… all humanity will have to learn to put our Earth first.”
S1E5 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature
In this episode, Chris Packham tells the almost implausible story of how our world went from a barren rock with a sky of endless black, to the planet we know today, cloaked in the thin blue line of our life-sustaining atmosphere. When Earth first formed from clouds of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago, it was - like so many other lifeless worlds in the universe - devoid of an atmosphere, an inhospitable rock floating in the black void of space. But as the young planet was pummelled by asteroids a period of extraordinary upheaval began. Over a two-billion-year period, the planet faced violent eruptions and a toxic orange haze, vast oceans of water in the sky and seas turning rusty red. Eventually, with the emergence of life and photosynthesis recalibrating the gases in our atmosphere, the stage was set for Earth to become the vibrant azure-skied planet we call home today.
S1E4 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature
In this episode, Chris Packham tells the miraculous story of how plant life turned Earth from a barren rock into a vibrant green world. A four billion year saga of extraordinary highs and lows that almost wiped out all life on the planet. Four billion years ago Earth was predominantly a water world, lacking land masses, with plant life’s early ancestors trapped on the seabed. Everything changed when a giant asteroid bombardment smashed into the young planet’s crust triggering plate tectonics - Earth’s extraordinary land building force. As opportunities on land grew, plants faced an epic struggle to establish themselves in a world dominated by giant eight metre fungi, overcoming death and dehydration and eventually creating the life-giving substance that would allow them to prosper: soil. But just as they seemed set to triumph, evolving into the amazing biological machines that are trees, they became the victims of their own success. Giant swamp forests sprang up, locking up so much carbon dioxide, that global temperatures plummeted sending Earth into one of its most terrifying chapters yet.
S1E3 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature
In Snowball, Chris Packham tells the story of the astonishing moment in Earth’s distant past, when almost the entire planet froze – a glistening ‘Snowball Earth’ in the dark void of space. With ice wrapped around the planet to the equator, the chances of life surviving hang in the balance. Earth’s terrifying journey into the deep freeze started with fire, not ice. 800 million years ago, long before the age of the dinosaurs, before there was even animal life, the giant supercontinent Rodinia broke up. Earth’s vast powerful tectonic forces ripped the land apart, kicking off a series of events that resulted in huge amounts of carbon dioxide being sucked from the atmosphere and sending global temperatures plummeting. This plunge into the deep freeze couldn’t have come at a worse time. The very first forms of complex life - the ancestors to the amazing life we see around us today - were evolving but, as the planet froze to the equator, it looked like their days were numbered. Happily, Chris discovers that after 50 million years locked in ice, volcanic eruptions drove a great thaw. Life broke free from the ice and soon made a giant leap, from the microscopic, to the first animals big enough to see and touch.
S1E2 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature
In Inferno, Chris Packham explores one of the darkest periods in Earth’s history: the worst mass extinction the planet has ever seen, when as much as 90% of all species died, 252 million years ago. This extraordinary moment in Earth’s history took life to the brink, wreaking havoc and destruction on an unprecedented scale. But somehow, life found a way to bounce back, and a new geological era ushered in the age of the dinosaurs. The story begins with a massive volcanic eruption: the Siberian Traps eruption lasted for two million years and created enough lava field to cover an area the size of Australia. Life in the immediate vicinity was no doubt vaporized, but the fossil record reveals a bigger mystery – a strange ‘line of death’ in rock formations all over the world that indicates almost all life dying out, no matter how close it was to the lava field. Chris uncovers what the latest science reveals about the aftermath of the eruption, and the terrifying series of events that led to the global mass dying. It’s a stark cautionary tale of how rapid climate change can cause whole ecosystems to collapse, but the fossil record also hints at Earth’s miraculous powers of reinvention. Chris discovers clues in rocky mountain ranges to one of greatest deluges in the planet’s history – a downpour lasting on and off for almost two million years that transformed conditions and led life to bounce back in extraordinary style, with the rise and eventual domination of the dinosaurs.
S1E1 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature
As snow geese, antelope, army ants and gray whales dodge predators and pollution, get a closer look at how the modern world impacts animal migration.
S2E4 • Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
Left to fend for themselves until they find their footing, baby sea turtles, elephant seal pups, pumas and crabs bravely trek towards adolescence.
S2E3 • Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
As summer spreads across our solar-powered planet, honey bees toil, snow geese breed, tadpoles awaken and lions stalk wildebeest in search of lush grass.
S2E2 • Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
Be it buffalo, polar bears, humpback whales or albatross chicks, migration is a vital survival strategy for animals to feed, reproduce and find homes.
S2E1 • Our Planet • 2023 • Nature
A thousand years ago, many millions of whales dominated the sea, with their ancient behaviours vital to the well-being of the oceans. These marine mammals are the ambassadors between one world and another, land and sea, their close communities only now being truly researched and understood. They are still a keystone species in our fragile ecosystem today, with crucial impact on our seas and the life contained within them. But whaling decimated their numbers over the last 150 years, in particular the whaling industry run by the KGB during the Cold War. In a basement in Odessa, top-secret Soviet whaling reports record the unimaginable number of whales killed. This film tells how surviving members of the Soviet leadership, and original Soviet whalers, uncover these secret records, allowing us to understand the magnitude of historical whale populations and the shocking impact of commercial whaling. Whale populations are now largely cherished across the world as we begin to understand these amazing animals, their intelligence and their important contribution to the sustainability and health of the oceans.
2023 • Nature
Britain is globally important for wildlife, but it is also one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Restoring nature can have far-reaching benefits for our wild isles and for ourselves. We meet the inspirational people trying to make a difference and some of the wildlife they are trying to protect.
S1E6 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
David Attenborough introduces the colourful underwater world of Britain and Ireland's oceans, including thousands of grey seals congregating on the Norfolk shoreline to give birth. Rich beds of sea grass act as important carbon storage areas, as well as providing home for seahorses, while on the shallow seabed, the spider crab undergoes a mass migration of epic scale.
S1E5 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
The wildlife that lives in Britain's freshwater environments. Atlantic salmon battle their way upstream in one of the greatest migrations on the planet, beavers slow the flow with their expert dam-building, and toadlets have to cross a killing zone patrolled by carnivorous leeches. Where rivers spread out to form beds of reeds, great crested grebes pair up in courtship ceremonies, and small agile birds of prey swoop low to catch dragonflies.
S1E4 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
From flower meadows to the rich open landscapes of our mountains some extraordinary and dramatic wildlife stories are revealed. Featuring bees that lay their eggs in empty snail shells, brown hares performing spring boxing courtship routines, and how large blue butterflies have come back from the brink of extinction.
S1E3 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
In an ancient pine tree in the Cairngorms, two eagle chicks are on the verge of fledging their gargantuan nest. In winter in the Forest of Dean, the reintroduction of wild boar has given the robin a lifeline. As they root through the thick snow, the boar unearth the worms with their snouts, which the robins otherwise couldn't find.
S1E2 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
Killer whales hunt for seals in our seas, golden eagles scavenge in snowy Scottish mountains, sinister woodland plants take pollinating insects hostage, and puffins are chased by greedy gulls that try to steal their hard-won catch.
S1E1 • Wild Isles • 2023 • Nature
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
2005 • Nature
Howard Hall, one of the world's foremost underwater filmmakers, brings to NATURE a lifetime of insights into how life in the ocean really works - in surprisingly cooperative communities built on age-old partnerships. Coral reefs turn out to be cosmopolitan cities where relationships thrive: a specialist shrimp, a baby damsel fish, and a porcelain crab all share the protection of an anemone; an urchin and a crab form an unlikely pair; fan corals each support their own kind of seahorse. They're all part of a vast system that only exists because everything is connected. From great whales to turtles, to sharks and tiny blennies, the ocean is full of creatures that need and support each other.
2023 • Nature
Travel the the globe to experience the vital connection between humans, animals, and our planet through stunning, rarely before seen footage which exposes the effects that deforestation have had on endangered species.
2022 • Nature
The ultimate guide to invertebrates, with key biological themes to show a wide range of species. Chapter 1: The Bug Buffet Bugs are the base of the food chain, food for just about everything else, but to start the process, they too must eat. Just like the bigger animals of the plains, there are grazers, scavengers, and predators that hunt them, termites growing fungi, and bees making their own honey. Chapter 2: Breeding Rutting deer and flirting love birds might be what we think of with animal courtship, but even bugs need to breed, and they face all the same challenges of winning a mate and raising their young. Some display, some caress, others fight. There are even insects that care for their young. Chapter 3: Army Few creatures have complex levels of regimented society as social insects. Bees, termites, ants, and wasps can form armies to help them build elaborate homes, defend their territories, grow their own food, raise their young and hunt their prey.
2021 • Nature
In the frozen wilderness of Antarctica, where oceans ice over and just staying alive is an achievement, one creature has perfected the art of survival - the emperor penguin. Eons of evolution have built an animal superbly adapted to the howling gales and sub-zero temperatures, but the emperor may have finally met its match. Parts of Antarctica are warming, giving birth to huge icebergs, and the consequences could be catastrophic for this majestic animal. In a place where all life is touched by the ice, it is a dramatic shift. Explore this region from its inhabitant's perspective, using state-of-the-art technology. By better understanding these amazing animals, researchers can help prepare for their future, as the balance of life in the Antarctic continues to change.
2006 • Nature
Mosses have colonised almost every corner of the earth’s surface. Evolving from oceanic algae that emerged onto the land 450 million years ago, these very first terrestrial plants became one of the main sources of oxygen for our evolving planet, helping to transform it from an arid rock into a lush world. This documentary travels to some of the most beautiful moss-covered landscapes in the world, including Japan, Iceland, France and Denmark, to meet the experts investigating its astonishing properties and potential. Science is only beginning to understand the secrets and possibilities of these remarkable plants.
2023 • Nature
From the rugged peaks of the Himalayas to the blistering Sahara desert, wild dogs thrive in the least likely of places. They are the most widespread carnivores on the planet. The latest scientific revelations reveal fresh perspectives on characters who constantly surprise us with their diversity and their unusual behaviour. These are the world's ultimate canids! Chapter 1: Meet the Family One family, 37 faces: from the Arctic wolf to the talkative dhole, the tiny fennec fox to the long-legged maned wolf, this is the definitive celebration of dogs in the wild. Chapter 2: Secrets of Success The secrets of canid success and their incredible strategies for survival, from leaping jackals to sneezing African wild dogs, and gray foxes that climb trees. Chapter 3: Defending Wild Dogs The people going to extraordinary lengths to understand and protect canids, from preventing wild dogs dying of grief in South Africa to protecting the tiny Darwin's fox.
2023 • Nature
Dynasties Christmas Special - Macaque: Monkeys in the Mountains. High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco lives a group of Barbary macaque monkeys. The alpha male, known as Mac, has just battled to win the leadership of the troop. He must now lead and protect them while fending off rivals who still want his crown.
Shaping our entire universe, gravity has set the stage for life. For two king penguins, it steered them toward their soulmates.
S1E6 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
The story of water's miraculous arrival onto our planet and its pivotal role in the survival — and amusement — of a herd of elephants.
S1E5 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
The elements that constitute every living being were formed within the very first stars. Today, a green sea turtle searches the ocean for them.
S1E4 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
Dive into the long year of the Alaskan brown bear through the Earth's seasonal cycle amid the frigid winter months and into the warmth of summer.
S1E3 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
From the womb to a final moment of peace, witness the steady ticking of the universe’s clock through the eyes of the chimpanzee.
S1E2 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
A penetrating look at the sun as a vital source of energy and its impact on one cheetah’s search for food in the sprawling plains of the Serengeti.
S1E1 • Our Universe • 2022 • Nature
Woodpeckers: The Hole Story goes deep into the woods to explore the lives of a unique avian family. Woodpeckers come in 239 species, each one a colorful character with a story of its own. But all woodpeckers share some very special gifts – they are acutely adapted to life in the trees and are experts at working with wood. They have tree climbing feet, a forest flying technique, and chisel-tipped bills to carve out holes in sol
PBS Nature • 2022 • Nature
At the heart of the US-Canada border sit The Great Lakes - the world's largest freshwater ecosystem, containing as much as one fifth of the planet's supply. Chapter 1: Source to Sea The water's journey from source to sea spans half a continent - 2,000 miles - and takes more than three centuries to complete. This first of three documentaries charts the feature and its surrounding flora and fauna, showing how beavers, wolves, loons, moose help shape this incredibly vast watershed. Chapter 2: The Big Freeze s winter descends on The Great Lakes, life must contend with the return of the ice that carved this immense watershed thousands of year ago. A polar vortex paralyses fish and ducks and attracts hundreds of bald eagles. Wolves hunt deer trapped by ice, but are manipulated by ravens. Chapter 3: Marvels and Mysteries The spring thaw in America's Great Lakes creates ice tsunamis. Photosynthetic salamanders, fishing wolves, deep-diving moose, baby rattlesnakes and colourful fish hunting mid-air all illustrate unique adaptations to to the warmer, brighter season.
2022 • Nature
The series concludes by showcasing the work of scientists studying climate change to discover how exactly the environment is changing and its impact for all life on Earth. Glaciologist Alun Hubbard investigates Greenland's melting glaciers from within, while astronaut Jessica Meir describes witnessing forest fires across Europe from the international space station, and reflects on how changing weather patterns are interconnected.
S1E6 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
The wildlife that inhabit the snow-covered forest and open tundra of the far north, including Arctic foxes that dig face first in the snow to hunt for lemmings and turtle hatchlings that stay frozen during winter, emerging from suspended animation in the first thaws of spring. Snowy owls take advantage of 24 hours of continuous daylight to hunt as much as possible. Plus, a look at how climate change is harming this environment by melting the permafrost deep within the soil.
S1E5 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
The wildlife of Antarctica, from king penguins that must evade leopard seals to feed at sea to albatrosses responding to diminishing number of females in their population, as well as rare footage of the Antarctic blue whale, the largest animal to have ever lived. As the programme ventures into the heart of the continent, surprising footage reveals one of the most volcanic regions on Earth, with unexpected sand dunes hidden in a rare ice-free valley.
S1E4 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
David Attenborough presents a guide to wildlife that have adapted to survive in frozen mountain regions. On the high slopes of Mount Kenya, a pregnant High Casqued Chameleon must choose the right time in a daily cycle of tropical sun and frost at night to give birth. The mountains of Japan are the snowiest place on Earth, providing hostile conditions for a lone male Macaque cast out of his troop. In the remote Southern Alps of New Zealand, parrots feed on the dead, while in the Andes, flamingos thrive in high altitude volcanic lakes.
S1E3 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
As spring begins after four months of winter darkness. Polar bears lead their cubs to hunt, beluga whales trapped by ice see the possibility of escape, harp seals teach their pups to swim, and bowhead whales come in search of food. Plus, a look at how the region is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth due to climate change.
S1E2 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
Beginning in Antarctica, Emperor Penguin chicks are abandoned by their parents as spring begins and must find their way across the treacherous sea ice to the rich waters of the Southern Ocean. In the Himalayas, the world's fluffiest cat hunts for gerbils and voles, while in the boreal forests circling North America, Europe and Asia, a Siberian tiger is on the lookout for black bears.
S1E1 • Frozen Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough • 2022 • Nature
Within the quiet confines of your home, wild things are afoot. The great struggle to survive, the drama of life and death, the cold calculation of the hunter and the anxiety of the hunted and it goes on all around you. In the Great Indoors, every corner is a potential lair, every carpet a dense forest, and the wide spaces of your kitchen, an open savannah where the food is abundant, but so is the danger. A number of creatures fly in and get trapped; others may enter to dine and dash, but some will be found nowhere else but safe and sound at home in your home. So when you trap that house spider and decide to set it free outside, you may in fact be dooming it to death in a world it's never known.
S56E12 • The Nature of Things • 2017 • Nature
He reaches the final stage of his epic 650-mile journey, following the annual migration of Botswana's 130,000 elephants. Together with his guide Kane, Lev follows the elephants deep into the heart of the Okavango Delta, a vast wetland teeming with wildlife where every year more than 40,000 elephants gather to feed. Lev and Kane narrowly avoid a pride of lions who have brought down a male buffalo and watch as they move in for the kill, but are forced to wade through wide channels where crocodiles, hippos and snakes lurk.
S1E3 • Walking with Elephants with Levison Wood • 2020 • Nature
He continues his epic 650-mile journey on foot, following the annual migration of Botswana's 130,000 elephants, and faces his toughest challenge yet. Together with his guide Kane, Lev treks along the route taken by the male elephants through the immense salt pans of the Makgadikgadi, via the frontier town of Gweta, to the edge of the Okavango Delta. Along the way, he narrowly escapes being surrounded by nervous bull elephants, before enjoying the incredible experience of being up close to the same group as they drink at a waterhole.
S1E2 • Walking with Elephants with Levison Wood • 2020 • Nature
He gets up close and personal for the first time with a group of orphans and takes part in an ancient ceremony, before setting off into the bush in search of a herd to follow. Following potentially dangerous encounters with a buffalo and a pride of lions, Lev finds his first herd, but is forced to leave them alone when one threatens to charge.
S1E1 • Walking with Elephants with Levison Wood • 2020 • Nature
Tells the story of human/wildlife conflict in the Western Corridor of the Serengeti, Africa. Human-wildlife conflict is a global issue that has reached crisis levels, threatening the survival of both humans and wild animals. There are communities living alongside wildlife in some of the last remaining wilderness areas on earth. But these wilderness areas have started to disappear due to expanding human development, deforestation and depletion of natural resources, which has left humans and wildlife living in closer proximity than ever before. The situation is dire and if it isn't addressed urgently, it will have a catastrophic effect on the environment and on the communities that live alongside these wild animals. Seen through the eyes of the people who live in the Serengeti, and the daily challenges they face as they struggle to co-exist with Africa's Wildlife.
2020 • Nature
From a primate that's no bigger than a mouse, to a chameleon that can fit on your fingertip, the natural world is full of fantastically small animals. Biologist Patrick Aryee explores the fascinating secrets behind these miniature marvels and shows that they're not the underdogs you might think they are. Super Small Animals follows him as he meets the leading experts on these pint sized superstars, and finds out what makes them some of the most successful on the planet. First up, he reveals the huge benefits that being small can bring. There's the little lemur whose diminutive frame helps it to exploit a unique gap in the eco-system, the tiny hummingbird that uses its size to out-manoeuvre the competition, and the world's smallest seahorse that never has to leave home. He also explores why small animals are proportionally the strongest in the world, and introduces a peanut-sized beetle that can pull over a thousand times its own weight. Next he explores the challenges that animals face when they shrink in size, and the ingenious ways they overcome them. We find out how the smallest armadillo in the world manages to control its temperature in the searing desert sun, and the how the world's smallest fish can survive in nothing more than a puddle, because it never really grows up. Patrick meets a secretive hippo that lives in the dense jungle, and looks like it's been shrunk in the wash, and some of the world's smallest snakes that give birth to enormous babies. He also meets a scientist that studies how really tiny spiders have a surprising trick that enables them to travel an incredible 40 miles per day, using almost no energy. Then there are the animals that refuse to be pigeon holed as small, and manage to punch way above their weight. He puts some astonishing invertebrates to the test, to see how they work together to become much bigger than the sum of their parts and meets a pint-sized predator that takes on some of the largest and most dangerous creatures on the planet, getting hands on to discover how its build helps it to be brave. Finally he uncovers the incredible lengths that deep sea anglerfish go to in order to be big and small at the same time, and has an endearing encounter with a tiny carnivore that manages to be small in just one direction. Whether their size helps them to hunt, hide or survive, all these remarkable animals prove that good things really do come in small packages.
2017 • Nature
Zoologist and explorer George McGavin goes in search of some of the world's most impressive swarms. By getting right to the heart of these natural spectacles, he finds out why swarms are the ultimate solution to surviving against all odds and discovers how unlocking the secrets to how animals swarm could be crucial to understanding our own increasingly crowded lives.
2013 • Nature
Ancient footprints in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park reveal new evidence of Ice Age humans that walked the land alongside enormous ground sloths and mammoths—thousands of years earlier than archaeologists thought people were in the Americas.
A journey through an underground cave in North America turns perilous when a young Triceratops is separated from its mother.
S1E5 • Prehistoric Planet • 2022 • Nature
Within the snow-covered forest, a tense standoff develops between ancient rivals, Pachyrhinosaurus and Nanuqsaurus.
S1E4 • Prehistoric Planet • 2022 • Nature
With its feathered body and duck bill, the eight-ton Deinocheirus wades through an Asian wetland in search of relief from pesky biting flies.
S1E3 • Prehistoric Planet • 2022 • Nature
Above the deserts of North Africa, aerial combat ensues as male Barbaridactylus pterosaurs fight for the attention of females below.
S1E2 • Prehistoric Planet • 2022 • Nature
A pregnant Tuarangisaurus is in distress—and her young calf can sense it—as she travels waters that are home to the ocean’s deadliest predators.
S1E1 • Prehistoric Planet • 2022 • Nature
David Attenborough brings to life, in unprecedented detail, the last days of the dinosaurs. Palaeontologist Robert DePalma has made an incredible discovery in a prehistoric graveyard: fossilised creatures, astonishingly well preserved, that could help change our understanding of the last days of the dinosaurs. Evidence from his site records the day when an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest devastated our planet and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Based on brand new evidence, witness the catastrophic events of that day play out minute by minute.
2022 • Nature
Ch1. Zambezi Follow the journey of the mighty Zambezi - Africa's wildest river. It floods across endless plains, fuelling the migration of 30,000 wildebeest, turning villages into islands accessible only by boat. It plunges over cliffs, creating the largest curtain of water on Earth - Victoria falls. Ch2. Danube From crystal-clear waterfalls to baby turtles the size of a thumb nail - explore the magical wonders of the Danube. Branching out across Europe, its tributaries gather water from 19 countries, making it the world's most international river. Ch3. Yukon Cameras focus on the Yukon, a river of wild extremes. Home to grizzlies, moose, and great runs of salmon, the Yukon lies at the heart of a vast Northern wilderness. Bears delay their winter hibernation to fish for a final salmon feast, while the frozen river provides a lifeline for lynx and a race track for intrepid dog sledders.
Earth's Great Rivers • 2022 • Nature
To fly like a bird, Earthflight not only captured remarkable images of wild flocks but also relied on some extraordinary relationships between people and birds. Filmed over four years, in six continents and more than 40 countries, the Earthflight team used many extraordinary techniques. For some of the unique flying shots, members of the team became part of the flock. The birds followed wherever they went - even in a microlight over Edinburgh and London. In Africa, paragliders floated alongside wild vultures, while a model vulture carried a camera inside the flock. In South America, wild-living macaws, that were rescued as babies, still come back to visit their 'foster mother' as he travels along a jungle river. In Africa, a radio-controlled 'drone' silently infiltrates masses of pink flamingos without disturbing a feather, and microlights and helicopters capture the dramatic moment white storks arrive over Istanbul. In Africa a tame vulture carried a camera across the African bush and recreated the behaviour of his wild relatives. Similarly, in the USA, a flock of hand-reared snow geese followed the migration route of wild flocks and took in the sights and sounds of New York - managing to get lost in Brooklyn
S1E6 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
In this bird's-eye view of two continents, demoiselle cranes negotiate a dangerous Himalayan pass on their way to India while high-flying bar-headed geese take the fast track five miles above. In Rajasthan, vultures watch hunting tigers hoping for a meal and pigeons visit a temple dedicated solely to sacred rats. Pigeons are also our guide to the greatest gatherings of camels on Earth and learn to dodge buzzards around the battlements of Jodhpur Fort. 9,000 cranes overwinter in the most unlikely of spots - a barbed wire compound in the centre of a desert town. In Australia, rainbow lorikeets drop in on Sydney and patrol Australia's Gold Coast. In the outback, white cockatoos swirl in thousands and budgerigars pass Uluru (Ayers Rock) and gather in the biggest flocks ever recorded. In China, swallows and swifts visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City of Beijing. In Japan, the country's most revered birds - Japanese cranes are fed fish by appreciative locals and are joined in strange, momentary harmony by hungry red foxes, white-tailed eagles and Steller's eagles. As peace descends, Japanese cranes dance beautifully in the snow.
S1E5 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
The documentary series gives a bird's-eye view of South America, as condors soar along the Andes, scarlet macaws explore the heart of the Amazon and hummingbirds and vultures see the continent's greatest sights. It is a journey that includes Machu Picchu, the Nasca Lines and the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Santiago. In Patagonia, giant petrels shadow killer whales as they hunt seals by stranding their huge bodies on the beach. At Iguassu Falls, dusky swifts dive through the cascades to huddle in communal roosts while hummingbirds bathe below. In a secret Andean location, condors soar in flocks over 40-strong and scavenge on casualties from herds of fighting guanacos. Elsewhere, a mother condor gently pushes her youngster to the edge of a 200-metre cliff, as flight school begins. Deep in the Amazon, macaws seek medicinal clay. They are joined by a host of secretive jungle animals, including spider monkeys and tapirs, all after the same remedy. In Peru, condors soar over fighting sealions waiting for casualities and on a mass exodus north, birds converge on the Panama Canal. In Costa Rica, black vultures descend on turtles as they lay their eggs in the sand and pick off the eggs that ping-pong through the air.
S1E4 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
Earthflight departs on its grand European tour, using a host of techniques including taking extraordinary footage from microlites as they fly alongside imprinted birds. Among other wonders, cameras soar with cranes and geese over Venice, the white cliffs of Dover and Edinburgh. White storks leave Africa and struggle to reach Istanbul, the gateway to Europe, while cranes take an easier route over the monkey-guarded Rock of Gibraltar. In France, the white horses of the Camargue make a splash around the new arrivals. In Rome, the heat of the city lures 20 million starlings that perform nature's greatest aerial display to outwit peregrines. In Hungary, sand martins grab mayflies from the air; and at Bass Rock, gannets create Britain's greatest natural spectacle as they dive in exquisite slow-motion. The story takes an emotional turn as storks and swallows wait for their partners to return and indulge in a spot of DIY to impress. Finally, geese touch down in Svalbard to raise a family. To protect their young, a squadron of birds assemble to see off polar bears. With views of birds flying over the Loire Valley, London docklands and the bulb fieds of Holland, this is Europe as never before.
S1E3 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
Fly over Africa on the back of a vulture and see the most animal-packed continent with fresh eyes. Arrow-dive with cape gannets among sharks, dolphins and whales as they join the great sardine run. Soar with fish eagles as they discover an S-shaped living island comprised entirely of flamingos, and join them on a spectacular hunt. Fly with kelp gulls as they study the hunting behaviour of the greatest underwater predator of all: the great white shark. On the wings of eagles, fly through the mist-filled Victoria Falls and dive for fish in the mighty Zambezi. Circle with vultures high above the Serengeti as they watch the drama of the wildebeest migration below, and discover what happens when this canny scavenger suddenly becomes prey. Among toxic soda lakes, find out what it is like to be a flamingo, vulnerable to every predator on the continent, including baboons and hyenas. Join these flamingos as they take part in one of the most beautiful dances in the bird world. This is Africa as never seen before - from the wings of birds
S1E2 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
This episode takes flight across North America, as a flock of millions of snow geese discover what it is like to be on the hit list of America's national bird: the bald eagle. In California, pelicans reveal devil rays that perform astonishing somersaults and find bizarre grunion fish that wriggle ashore to spawn. In Alaska, bald eagles swoop among brown bears fishing for salmon. And on the Great Plains, cowbirds duck and dive under the feet of fighting bison.
S1E1 • Earthflight • 2012 • Nature
Will Smith discovers hidden worlds in the middle of the planet's oldest desert.
S1E5 • Welcome to Earth • 2021 • Nature
Will Smith pursues tiger sharks in the Pacific and explores the power of smell in the process.
S1E4 • Welcome to Earth • 2021 • Nature
Will Smith heads to the Serengeti to catch a glimpse of one of Earth's greatest migrations.
S1E3 • Welcome to Earth • 2021 • Nature
Two out of five wild plants are threatened with extinction. Today people are finding remarkable ways to help them, and so make our world a little greener and a little wilder.
S1E5 • The Green Planet • 2022 • Nature
Desert plants spend decades in suspended animation waiting for rain, or they travel to find it. They survive using weapons, camouflage and surprising alliances with animals.
S1E4 • The Green Planet • 2022 • Nature
Plants of the seasonal world face constant change. They use use strategy, deception and feats of engineering to survive. Most importantly, they must get their timing right.
S1E3 • The Green Planet • 2022 • Nature
Water plants create beautiful, bizarre worlds. Flowers smother rivers and lakes. Plants fight and hunt. A river bubbles like champagne as plants create the atmosphere itself.
S1E2 • The Green Planet • 2022 • Nature
More kinds of plants are crammed together in the tropical rainforests than anywhere else on Earth. The result is astonishing beauty and intense competition - a plant battleground. New filming techniques allow us to enter the plants’ world and see it from their perspective and on their timescale. From fast-growing trees to flowers that mimic dead animals, this is a journey into a magical world that operates on a different timescale to our own.
S1E1 • The Green Planet • 2022 • Nature
A team of intrepid paleontologists discovers that dinosaurs thrived in the unlikeliest of places—the cold and dark of winter in the Arctic Circle. How did they survive year-round and raise their young in frigid and dark winter conditions?
Land-based African chameleons and coastal cuttlefish both change color and pattern to hide or to advertise their mood. Both fight to win their mate and shoot out tongues or tentacles to snare their prey.
S1E2 • Greece: The Wild Side • 2021 • Nature
Dalmatian pelicans fly north to their high altitude breeding grounds on Lake Prespa. Beneath them a brown bear mother and cubs enjoy the springtime in the forests of the Pindos mountains. The 300-meter cliffs of the world famous Meteora monasteries shelter Greece’s last Egyptian vulture breeding pair
S1E1 • Greece: The Wild Side • 2021 • Nature
The hidden scientific secrets of butterflies reveal them to be more inventive and resilient than we ever imagined. Follow their extraordinary life cycle and migrations to tropical rainforests, windswept prairies, and even inside a chrysalis as it’s being spun.
Sir David Attenborough joins an archaeological dig uncovering Britain’s biggest mammoth discovery in almost 20 years. In 2017, in a gravel quarry near Swindon, two amateur fossil hunters found an extraordinary cache of Ice Age mammoth remains and a stone hand-axe made by a Neanderthal. Professor Ben Garrod joins the team at DigVentures during the excavation as they try to discover why the mammoths were here and how they died. Could the Neanderthals have killed these Ice Age giants?
2021 • Nature
Ch1. Oceans In Cape Verde, Gordon starts the adventure with a look at one of the world's largest populations of nesting loggerhead turtles. He then heads to the Bahamas with Caribbean reef sharks, California to see young elephant seals and the British Isles to attach featherweight cameras to a squadron of gannets. Ch2. Australia In New South Wales, Gordon encounters a marsupial facing a complex set of challenges when he meets a population of kangaroos that are being pushed to the very brink by a coastal development boom. How are they surviving on the edge of this urban expansion? Gordon meets the scientists driven to find out more about what the roos are feeding on as they are pushed onto the coastal fringes. As we become immersed in their world, we get a better understanding of kangaroos' social lives and the impact of human encroachment on their diet. In southern Australia, we head to Adelaide, where one of the team's toughest challenges yet is to create the lightest of cameras to find out what the lure of the big city is to a colony of newly arrived fruit bats. Their appearance is a bit of a puzzle. Are they a threat to the local commercial fruit crops or have they found other ways to adapt to city life? For the first time ever, the fruit bats take our cameras up above the cityscape, showing us a unique view of their nocturnal worlds while providing information crucial to their future. In Queensland, we help scientists find out if koalas really deserve their dozy daytime reputation when we join researchers at a reserve to discover some incredible revelations surrounding their night-time manoeuvres. The team's tech allows us to shadow them after sundown, unveiling their remarkable agility and surprising navigational skills. Specially designed with tree-hugging in mind, koalacams offer an insight which could help koalas as we find out what they need to survive - not just here, but elsewhere in the country.
S2E1E2 • Animals with Cameras • 2021 • Nature
In the heart of the Atlantic, Gordon Buchanan joins a team looking to discover why huge numbers of devil rays, fish with 'wings' nearly four metres across, and gather every summer near the Azores archipelago. In northeast Turkey the on-board cameras are carried by brown bears as part of a study trying to understand why so many bears survive in a small patch of forest. In southern France on-board cameras help scientists trying to prove that guard dogs can help protect sheep flocks from wolf attacks. The night-vision cameras show how the dogs work together as a team to fend off the wolves.
S1E3 • Animals with Cameras • 2018 • Nature
In Namibia, Gordon joins a cheetah conservationist who wants to see if three orphaned cheetahs, which she has raised from a day old, can learn to hunt effectively in the thick vegetation. The on-board cameras, the first to ever be worn by cheetahs hunting in Africa, In Australia, the team puts cameras on fur seals to try to see how they hunt their prey and avoid attacks by great white sharks. In South Africa, we deploy the first ever cameras on wild baboons in an effort to understand why these clever monkeys sometimes raid farmers' crops.
S1E2 • Animals with Cameras • 2018 • Nature
In the first episode, the team uncover the hidden lives of three iconic animals. In the Kalahari Desert the team put cameras on wild meerkats for the first time, allowing scientists to finally understand what these miniature mammals get up to underground. Heading to Cameroon, Gordon works with scientist Mimi Swift, who is desperate to understand whether Kimbang, a four-year-old orphan chimp, has the skills she needs to be able to join a chimp family living wild in the forest. Leaving Africa for Argentina, the team have penguins carry tiny cameras far out to sea on an epic journey of up to 300 kilometres (200 miles). For the first time, scientists are able to see the tactics these charismatic characters use to catch their prey.
S1E1 • Animals with Cameras • 2018 • Nature
Sir David Attenborough chooses his favourite recordings from the natural world that have revolutionised our understanding of song. Each one - from the song of the largest lemur to the song of the humpback whale to the song of the lyrebird - was recorded in his lifetime. When Sir David was born, the science of song had already been transformed by Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection: singing is dangerous as it reveals the singer’s location to predators, but it also offers the male a huge reward, the chance to attract a female and pass on genes to the next generation. Hence males sing and females don't. Today, new science in the field of birdsong is transforming those long-held ideas. Scientists are discovering that, in fact, in the majority of all songbird species, females sing - and it is only now they are being properly heard. Through this revelation and others, we can understand that animal songs are marvelous examples of the spectacular survival strategies that species have developed in order to stay alive.
2021 • Nature
Follows a team of international scientists including Dr. Tori Herridge, Paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, and Harvard Medical School Geneticist Professor George Church dig up frozen beasts in Belaya Gora, Siberia.
2019 • Nature
How do you decide nature's weirdest animal? Is it the sloth that hangs upside down and moves so slowly that moss grows in its fur? Is it a sea pen that sits rooted to the seabed in endless darkness and emitting its own glow?
2021 • Nature
All habitats present challenges to life, but few more so than the desert, but still, even here, life abounds, from little foxes to speed lizards and light-footed gazelles to huge camels. Each one finds its own ways to exploit and conserve food and water, creating new dramas every day.
2021 • Nature
Liz Bonnin introduces a cast of charismatic animals to reveal the remarkable strategies they use to survive, and even thrive, in winter. For animals this is the toughest time of year, and preparations start early. In autumn, Siberian chipmunks collect food in their cheek pouches to stockpile in their burrows, while caribou make an epic journey to new feeding areas away from the worst weather. With the arrival of winter, the American bobcat has to find its prey beneath deep snow, while an Arctic fox must sniff out its very own frozen ready meal. A sea otter mum keeps her cub warm by blowing air into its coat, while some animals turn white to blend in with the snowy world around them. As winter begins to loosen its grip, an Arctic ground squirrel stirs from an eight-month hibernation and has to woo its mate in just twelve hours, and baby animals emerge to play in the snow before spring's imminent arrival. Along the way, Liz meets some of our most iconic winter animals to uncover the secrets behind their seasonal success stories.
2019 • Nature
In the final episode of animal Super Senses, we look at special weapons that help some animals to govern the wilderness. In this episode, we literally see it, hear it, touch it, smell it and taste it as animals do. Come and see the champions of the animal supremeness yourselves.
S1E13 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
Animals use communication to attract mates, warn off predators, defend territory, or trick their prey. And of course, it's the senses that play the key role - Sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing - all are employed to send signals to others in the hope actions speak louder than words.
S1E12 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In this episode, we find out more about the animals that have their feet firmly planted on or under the ground. How are their senses tuned to survive? What we see above the ground is only a small part of the natural world, a busy, complex web of life lies just beneath our feet.
S1E11 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In this episode of Animal Super Senses, we find out more about the animals that live in the shadows and the adaptations they need to survive... Nocturnal animals have taken to this dark world for good reason but to navigate life in the dark, you need some special abilities.
S1E10 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
Animals that live life on the wing, have a vast expanse of the sky to navigate, find mates, locate food, and avoid predators... Living in this aerial realm requires a unique set of senses, specialized to cope with life above ground.
S1E9 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
While all life began in the oceans, human beings now rely on technology to navigate the seven seas - left to our own devices; we're like the proverbial fish out of water. Only the other way around.
S1E8 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In this episode, we examine how every animal has what could be called a sense of rhythm - the human-animal included. To give an obvious example, there's our internal body clock which responds to the so-called Circadian rhythm. That's the 24 hour night and day cycle.
S1E7 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
There's a whole world, and more than one spectrum of sensations that animals are aware of, which surpass humans. There's a kind of "sixth sense" that some animals have, which still defies explanation. Call it extra-sensory perception animal abilities we can't entirely explain.
S1E6 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
This episode is all about "superhuman" senses - animal sensory systems that can detect magnetic fields (magneto- reception), electric fields (electroreception), and infrared radiation.
S1E5 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
We examine how things taste, and how vital scent is from the animal perspective. But their sense of smell will also detect the scent of odorants carried through the air. In mammals, taste receptor cells are scattered over the tongue but how they work underwater, well, it's a whole other world.
S1E4 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In this episode of Animal Super Senses, we get in touch with the feelings of wild animals. Just like humans animals rely heavily on their sense of touch, every day in every way. There may be a fine line between pleasure and pain, but not knowing the difference between the two can be absolutely fatal
S1E3 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
On this episode we travel from the desert, to the forest, Australia to Borneo and back to learn how species as diverse as Bat-eared Foxes, the Bilby, Deer, Kangaroo Rats, cicadas, Proboscis Monkeys and other creatures never miss an auditory trick. Species: Kangaroo, Bilby, Bats.
S1E2 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In this episode we will explore the animal's sense of sight. You will see there's a lot more to this than meets the naked eye. You won't believe how some animals see the world, including the Nankeen Kestrel, Eagle, Owl, Cheetah, and Chameleon.
S1E1 • Animal Super Senses • 2020 • Nature
In episode three, Fortey looks at the Ice Age. 2.8 million years ago - triggered by slight changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun and shifts in its ocean currents - the world began to cool. Within a few thousand years much of the planet was shrouded in a dense cloak of ice that would come and go until only 10,000 years ago. We call this age of ice - the Pleistocene Age - and it transformed the hierarchy of nature. This is the story of how a few specialist species that evolved to live in the biting cold survived into the present day.
S1E3 • Survivors: Nature's Indestructible Creatures • 2012 • Nature
Professor Fortey travels across the globe to find the survivors of the most dramatic of these obstacles - the mass extinction events. In episode two, Fortey focuses on the 'KT boundary'. 65 million years ago, a 10 km diameter asteroid collided with the Earth and saw the end of the long reign of the dinosaurs. He investigates the lucky breaks and evolutionary adaptations that allowed some species to survive the disastrous end of the Cretaceous Age when these giants did not
S1E2 • Survivors: Nature's Indestructible Creatures • 2012 • Nature
It is estimated that 99 per cent of species have become extinct and there have been times when life's hold on Earth has been so precarious it seems it hangs on by a thread. This series focuses on the survivors - the old-timers - whose biographies stretch back millions of years and who show how it is possible to survive a mass extinction event which wipes out nearly all of its neighbours. The Natural History Museum's Professor Richard Fortey discovers what allows the very few to carry on going - perhaps not for ever, but certainly far beyond the life expectancy of normal species. What makes a survivor when all around drop like flies? In this episode Professor Fortey focuses on a series of cataclysms over a million year period, 250 million years ago
S1E1 • Survivors: Nature's Indestructible Creatures • 2012 • Nature
Whatever you think of pigs, you’re probably underestimating one of the world’s most amazing animals. A year with wild boars and their relatives reveals a tender and dedicated matriarchal society, playful youngsters, and powerful warriors
2021 • Nature
The New Human takes the audience on a whirlwind tour into the minds of experts who remind us that our bodies are always changing in reaction to the world around us. What’s in store for us may be beyond anything we ever imagined.
S61E4 • The Nature of Things • 2021 • Nature
All life is driven by the need to breed. Yet for a few, the odds of success are overwhelmingly against them, so these have adopted the most extraordinary mating strategies of all.
S1E5 • The Mating Game • 2021 • Nature
Jungles are home to 80% of all species but they cover just 2% of the planet. When animals in these crowded forests want to mate, the challenge is how to stand out from the crowd.
S1E3 • The Mating Game • 2021 • Nature
The Ocean is where life first experimented with the Mating Game, and over time this has led to some of the most ingenious mating strategies of all!
S1E2 • The Mating Game • 2021 • Nature
The grasslands of our planet are some of the most challenging habitats for playing the Mating Game. They are an open stage where potential partners and jealous rivals can witness your every move… and every failure.
S1E1 • The Mating Game • 2021 • Nature
Argentina's northern territory contains one of the largest reserves in the country. Ibera is a vast expanse of swamps, marshes and lagoons, with a biodiversity count to rival the Pantanal. These lands are bursting with life, home to over 4000 animal and plant species. The rainy season in Ibera finds the wetlands in bloom... but unseen perils lurk beneath the surface, and even here, life can be a struggle for survival.
S1E3 • Wild Argentina • 2017 • Nature
Stretching almost 1000 miles, from the jungles of Brazil to the southernmost point of South America, Patagonia's coast is home to some of the natural world's most spectacular animals.
S1E2 • Wild Argentina • 2017 • Nature
This episode follows the animals of Argentina, living life at the mercy of the Andean mountains. These peaks dictate a hard existence for every living creature from their summits to the very edge of the Patagonian steppe, forcing even the cutest resident to turn carnivore.
S1E1 • Wild Argentina • 2017 • Nature
(Contains 2 episodes) Shot over a year in the Mediterranean forests of Spain and Portugal, this series reveals the challenges faced by the astounding and rare creatures that make this unique environment their home. Competition here is fierce and survival means overcoming constant challenges. Home for some of the world's rarest species including Iberian lynx, genet, chameleon, Iberian wolf, Spanish imperial eagle and Egyptian mongoose, this series captures the cycle of life for the creatures that roam this ancient woodland.
2020 • Nature
(Contains all 12 episodes) Shows the diversity of animals in East Africa, in unspoiled landscapes and extraordinary sceneries.
2017 • Nature
Bats have been implicated in deadly epidemics such as COVID-19 and Ebola, yet scientists are discovering evidence that they may hold a key to a longer and healthier life. From caves in Thailand and Texas to labs around the globe, NOVA meets the scientists who are decoding the superpowers of the bat.
Gunda provides a glimpse into the raw and simple power of nature through mesmerising encounters with farm animals, the eponymous Gunda, a mother pig, two ingenious cows and a scene-stealing, one-legged chicken. Film-maker Victor Kossakovsky reminds us of the many lives that share this earth with humans and their value. From the first steps of piglets to the roaming joy of freed cows, Gunda: Mother, Pig draws a connection between human and animal, and the planet that we share with creatures great and small.
2021 • Nature
In Southeast Alaska, there's an ice-bound Eden that harbours possibly the richest temperate rainforests of all.
S1E6 • Eden Untamed Planet • 2021 • Nature
Journey from the lava ramparts to its fiery heart, we'll discover how this place became one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world
S1E4 • Eden Untamed Planet • 2021 • Nature
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
Borneo is the richest rainforest island of all; home to 60,000 species of plants and animals. 6,000 of them are unique - and more are discovered almost daily.
S1E1 • Eden Untamed Planet • 2021 • Nature
[3 parts] Steve Backshall explores the world of insects and their close relatives, the arachnids and crustaceans, in order to find out more about their habits and secrets. Ch1. Them and Us Steve Backshall explores the connections and relationships humans have with insects and their close relatives, the arachnids and crustaceans. He begins by revealing how huge armies of driver ants give houses a five-star clean-up in Kenya, while in China, silkworm caterpillars are credited with shaping culture and distribution. He also explains that, despite people's perceptions of these creepy-crawlies, mankind could not live without them. Ch2. Making Worlds Steve Backshall explores the influence that insects and their close relatives, the arachnids and crustaceans, have on the planet's many ecosystems. He reveals how the landscape of South America's grasslands has been created almost solely by one team of bugs - grass-cutter ants - while in east Africa, the savannah would quickly become swamped in dung were it not for the activities of a particular beetle. He also contemplates the idea that without one tiny creature, the blue whale could not exist. Ch3. The Secrets to Their Success Steve Backshall explores why an estimated 10 million species of insects are so abundant, and examines the secrets of their success. In Yellowstone National Park, he reveals how teamwork enables a colony of bees to scare off a hungry bear, and he travels to the Swiss Alps to highlight the relationship between ants, wasps and butterflies.
2013 • Nature
Fantastic Fungi is a descriptive time-lapse journey about the magical, mysterious and medicinal world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth that began 3.5 billion years ago.
2019 • Nature
What goes on inside an animal's mind? Figuring out how they think and feel might just be the key to understanding our own place in the world.
A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
2020 • Nature
In the final programme in the series, Brian explores the enigma of time - a phenomenon we take for granted but which is one of the biggest mysteries in the universe. He recalls highlights from his TV series that touch upon this conundrum.
S1E4 • Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time • 2021 • Nature
Phefo cubs are trapped by merciless killers, while she desperately searches for food.
S4E6 • Savage Kingdom • 2020 • Nature
Tsebe's cubs finally arrive but a fight between the Northern Brothers puts lives at risk.
S4E5 • Savage Kingdom • 2020 • Nature
Orphaned leopard, Motsidi, makes a heart-breaking decision to leave her mother's forest.
S4E3 • Savage Kingdom • 2020 • Nature
The forest residents turn on Motsidi. Hounded from every direction, will she ever be queen?
S4E2 • Savage Kingdom • 2020 • Nature
To save her beloved pride’s cubs, lioness Tsebe, is forced to make a terrible decision.
S4E1 • Savage Kingdom • 2020 • Nature
After the death of her mother, Motshidi is starving and alone; in an act of charity, Blue Eyes gives Motshodi a new lease of life; a violent traitor rises in the ranks, challenging the selfish princess and bringing an end to Mmamotse's rule.
S3E6 • Savage Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
As rival dynasties jostle for control of the kingdom, one reign comes to a tragic end.
S3E5 • Savage Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
As the flood waters retreat, Dikeledi readies her cubs for escape through enemy territory.
S3E4 • Savage Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
After the murder of one of its own, the Makulu Pack of wild dogs looks to a new leader for salvation; the Western Pride is exiled to the fringes of the kingdom as it fights to protect its cubs; the marauding hyena clan commits the cruelest of acts.
S3E3 • Savage Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
Trapped by the rising flood waters, Dikeledi must teach her wayward cubs the lessons of survival in a kingdom ruled by the rotten army of hyenas.
S03E02 • Savage Kingdom • 2017 • Nature
The kingdom is turned upside down as a plague of hyenas rips the throne from the lions. One warrior queen plots to take it back.
S03E01 • Savage Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
An aging king must lead his family into hostile territory, but it's how he deals with his treacherous son that will determine his power and pride's legacy.
S2E4 • Savage Kingdom • 2017 • Nature
The Marsh Pride reaches its breaking point as Sekekama struggles to suppress the rebellion of his three treacherous sons and protect his kingdom.
S2E3 • Savage Kingdom • 2017 • Nature
Leopard prince Neo’s life hangs in the balance when his mother is seriously injured.
S2E2 • Savage Kingdom • 2017 • Nature
As the dry season ravages the Great Marsh, the lion king Sekekama must defend his throne and his legacy from his three treacherous sons.
S2E1 • Savage Kingdom • 2017 • Nature
Five heroes, each with a unique power, fighting to survive, killing to reign supreme over the Savage Kingdom.
S1E6 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
A small family of wild dogs on the run is tested to the limit trying to raise six pups in the Savage Kingdom.
S1E5 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
Zalika, Hyena Queen, has only one option if she wants to raise her clan from the shadows - to confront her mortal enemy, the Marsh Lions.
S1E4 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
Not all lions in the Savage Kingdom are born equal - the three lionesses of the Northern Pride face hunger, exile or worse as they are tested to the brink.
S1E3 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
Matsumi, the new Queen of the Marsh Pride must keep her dynasty together or she will lose the heart of the Matsumi, the new Queen of the Marsh Pride must keep her dynasty together or she will lose the heart of the Savage Kingdom. Kingdom.
S1E2 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
Trying to raise cubs in a cauldron of warring predators tests Saba the leopard's powers of survival to the utmost.
S1E1 • Savage Kingdom • 2016 • Nature
Marine biologist Matthias Kopfmiller wants to know whether the Wallace Line exists underwater. We descend deep into a subterranean crevice and shine a light on a universe that has never before been captured on film.
2007 • Nature
Watch as birds solve puzzles and challenge our basic notions of intelligence. Call somebody a “bird brain,” and you’re not delivering them a compliment. But as NOVA shows, birds turn out to have advanced problem-solving skills that we usually assume are unique to humans. Watch astonishing tests of avian aptitude: parrots that can plan for the future, jackdaws that can “read” human faces, and crows that can solve multi-step puzzles with tools like pebbles, sticks, and hooks. Could these just be clever tricks based on instinct or triggered by subtle cues from their human handlers? To rule out any doubts, NOVA puts feathered Einsteins through their paces and reveals skills that even three- or four-year-old children have a hard time mastering—such as putting off one reward now to get a bigger one later. From this revolution in thinking about our feathered friends, the conclusion seems irresistible that bird brains see the world in ways that aren’t so different from our own.
Learn how rain transforms the area into a lush grazing pasture, creating an abundance of food. Moderate weather makes it harder for predators, as prey can migrate further. With plenty of food available, mating and birthing seasons have arrived.
S1E3 • Life at the Waterhole • 2021 • Nature
Discover how hotter weather impacts the animals, as the waterhole becomes busier in the evening cool. Nocturnal activity brings a new predator out of the shadows: hyena, creatures so elusive it’s hard to know the size of the clan.
S1E2 • Life at the Waterhole • 2021 • Nature
Meet the first animal visitors to a new manmade waterhole in the African savannah. Using state-of-the-art cameras, scientists watch as warthogs and elephants discover the new oasis. But things become dangerous when leopards and lions close in.
S1E1 • Life at the Waterhole • 2021 • Nature
During the rainy season in Africa, a herd of buffalo can create thousands of pounds of waste in a day, which would be an environmental disaster if not for the dung beetle. These extraordinary insects depend on waste to survive. They eat it, attract mates with it, and raise families in it. Although dung beetles are critical to the ecosystem, they don't have it easy. Every day, they must avoid being trampled, evade predators like bullfrogs, honey badgers, and rock monitor lizards, and rival dung beetle families desperate for the same fecal prize.
2018 • Nature
David Attenborough concludes his documentary series with a programme about our closest animal relatives, the intelligent great apes, and finds out how their large brains enabled one of their kind, an upright ape, to go on to dominate the planet. David travels to the forests of Borneo to meet a remarkable orangutan with a passion for DIY and a talent for rowing boats. He shifts continent to Africa and takes part in a special nut-cracking lesson with a group of chimps learning survival skills. He discovers how food - and the ways apes find it - has been key to the evolution of our large brains.
S1E10 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
In the penultimate episode, David Attenborough looks at monkeys. This group started its life in the tree-tops and this is where we join the capuchin, whose acute vision and lively intelligence helps them find clams in the mangrove swamps of Costa Rica and crack them open on tree-anvils. The swamps are also full of biting insects, but the monkeys rub themselves with a special plant that repels them.
S1E9 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
David Attenborough meets the tree dwellers - those mammals that have adapted to a life at height. Some, like meerkats, might hardly seem to qualify but they do regularly climb small trees to scout for danger. Others, like gibbons, live 100 feet or more above the forest floor and never descend to the ground.
S1E8 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
From the roughest seas to the crystal clear waters of the Florida springs, David Attenborough swims with sea otters and dives with manatees, as he follows those mammals who, millions of years ago, left dry land and returned to the water to feed.
S1E7 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
David Attenborough meets the omnivores - the opportunists. When it comes to food, this diverse range of animals, which includes grizzly bears at one end and rats on the other, are so adaptable that they can always make the most of whatever happens to be around at the time. They are nature's generalists but each is equipped with some very specialised skills.
S1E6 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
Rodents like rats, mice and squirrels are the most numerous mammals on the planet. This programme reveals how, with their constantly growing, chisel-sharp front teeth, they are specialists in breaking into seeds. It also shows how they have adapted this talent to help them make their homes and even live underground, as well as revealing their ability to store food - and their ability to breed prolifically.
S1E4 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
Some of the biggest predators to walk the earth face a constant battle - their prey is heavily armoured, indigestible and sometimes even poisonous. What makes this struggle more remarkable is that these predators do not prey on animals - but on plants.
S1E3 • The Life of Mammals • 2008 • Nature
120 metres down off the wild coast of South Africa lives an animal once thought to have been extinct for 65 million years - the coelacanth, locally known as Gombessa. A dinosaur fish, a living fossil, that remains the only link connecting fish to terrestrial tetrapods: its fins contain the beginning of reptile and mammal leg bones! And what about the vestigial lung found at the back of its huge mouth? …
2013 • Nature
This episode discusses the human exploration of Antarctica, in particular the mission led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, whose team died on the way back from the South Pole. It shows the scientific work in the modern human bases in Antarctica, especially Mawson Base and its observation of Adelie Penguins (partially through tracking devices).
Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
As almost all animal inhabitants of Antarctica are forced to migrate north, the sea underneath the frozen ice still provides a home to many specially adapted fish whose cells are protected from freezing through an "antifreeze" liquid. Many of them feed on the faeces of other animals. The most notable larger animal that does not migrate north is perhaps the Weddell Seal, which can be found as close as 1300 kilometres to the pole. Groups of seals tear holes into the ice to dive for food and come up to breathe. The females come back to the ice to give birth.
S1E5 • Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
This episode describes the migration of most animals northwards (some from the Antarctic continent, others from the few islands surrounding it) as the continent and surrounding sea freeze over at the end of summer. It shows how young penguins often fall prey to Leopard Seals as they try to make their way across the already partially frozen water and how their stripped remains become food for isopods and meter-long nemerteans (ribbon worms). Before going to the sea, however, the adult penguins must shed their coats (molting).
S1E4 • Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
Almost all life in the region breeds in summer. A growing colony of fur seals on a beach in South Georgia resembles that of elephant seals shown in the previous episode. The pups grow fast on the rich, fatty milk provided by their mothers and double their weight in just sixty days. As the females become sexually available, the mating season begins and males try to claim territory and mate with females. Like elephant seals, fur seals fiercely attack all competitors.
S1E3 • Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
Elephant seals are the first animals to return to the beaches of the subantarctic islands in spring, forming large breeding colonies, where the males fight fierce battles to gain and retain permanent access to a large number of females. They mate with the females as soon as they are receptive again. Millions of Macaroni Penguins form huge colonies on the islands to breed.
S1E2 • Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
The first episode introduces the viewers to the continent of Antarctica and the surrounding sea and islands, its glaciers and the icebergs that form from it. It describes how the continent changes throughout the seasons, as it effectively doubles in size in winter when the surrounding sea freezes over, "the greatest seasonal change that takes place on this planet".
S1E1 • Life in the Freezer • 2003 • Nature
In this final installment to the series, David Attenborough travels to four unique locations about the globe where an abundance of fossilized plant and animal remains have given us a detailed picture of what life could have been like in prehistoric times. Each of the sites experienced its own set of circumstances which enabled it to preserve many perfect specimens for extraction and analysis. Piecing together the collected evidence, paleontologists have been able to determine early animal hierarchies, their diets and their evolutionary paths.
S1E4 • Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives • 1989 • Nature
Attenborough visits several museums of natural history. With the aid of dinosaur skeletons, he demonstrates how they existed in real life, and speculates about the reasons for their sudden demise.
S1E3 • Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives • 1989 • Nature
2nd prog in series about fossils. David Attenborough investigates some fossil mysteries - could pterodactyls fly? And why did trilobites have such good eyes?
S1E2 • Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives • 1989 • Nature
First prog in series about fossils. David Attenborough travels in UK, Dominican Republic, West Germany & USA in search of fossils, & the palaeontological techniques to find and reveal them.
S1E1 • Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives • 1989 • Nature
Snakes have developed the ultimate economy of design and are the most elegant and iconic of hunters. Among the incredible species seen here are blind tiger snakes that hunt using their sense of smell, magnificent African spitting cobras and a bizarre turtle-headed sea-snake hunting on a coral reef. And, for the first time ever, cameras capture a snake ambush in the wild and the beautiful spectacle of yellow anacondas giving birth underwater.
S1E4 • Life in Cold Blood • 2008 • Nature
Enter the world of the lizard: from the chameleons, masters of the arboreal life to geckos tapping a code to plant-hopper insects and baby pygmy blue-tongued skinks huddling in their burrows long after birth. In the deserts are found some of the most bizarre lizards: baby Bushveld lizards mimicking acid-squirting beetles; the well-armoured and bizarrely spiky; thorny devils and the lizard kings - the Australian monitors - fast, intelligent and efficient hunters.
S1E3 • Life in Cold Blood • 2008 • Nature
David Attenborough reveals the bizarre adaptations which have helped amphibians break their ties with water as he meets marsupial frogs, show-off newts and giant salamanders.
S1E2 • Life in Cold Blood • 2008 • Nature
Showcasing footage from around the world after an unprecedented year, “The Year Earth Changed” is a timely documentary special that takes a fresh new approach to the global lockdown and the uplifting stories that have come out of it. From hearing birdsong in deserted cities and seeing whales in Glacier Bay, to meeting capybara in suburbs across South America, people worldwide have had the chance to engage with nature like never before. In this documentary special, viewers will witness how the smallest changes in human behavior – reducing cruise ship traffic, closing beaches a few days a year, identifying more harmonious ways for humans and wildlife to coexist – can have a profound impact on nature. The documentary, narrated by David Attenborough, is a love letter to planet Earth, highlighting the ways nature’s resiliency and ability to bounce back can give us hope for the future.
2021 • Nature
![Deep Trouble [Extra]](https://ihavenotv.com/img/12215.jpg)
Dr Martha Holmes looks at man's influence on the oceans. Is there a solution so that we can save our seas or is it too late to get us out of Deep Trouble?
Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
![Making Waves [Making of]](https://ihavenotv.com/img/12214.jpg)
Revealing the titanic efforts behind Blue Planet, this diary reveals the skills and dedication of the film makers.
Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates a natural history of the oceans, examining how animals from in and around the sea use the constantly changing coastal areas.
S1E8 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
As snails surf the waves in pursuit of a meal, how do the tides create opportunities for marine life?
S1E7 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
Developed over centuries, coral reefs house fragile ecosystems, but they too have to fight to survive.
S1E6 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates a natural history of the oceans, exploring the richest waters on Earth, where the annual cycle of the sun drives an explosion of life.
S1E5 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
A look at the survival techniques of creatures that endure the harsh conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic.
S1E4 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates a natural history of the oceans. The deadly game of hide-and-seek played by the sea's charismatic hunters - whales, shark and billfish.
S1E3 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates a natural history of the oceans to uncover the strange, otherworldly creatures living in the depths of the ocean.
S1E2 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
The ocean's influence dominates the world's weather systems and supports an enormous range of life. This first episode demonstrates the sheer scale, power and complexity of the "Blue Planet".
S1E1 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature
Under the waves and tropical sun, each of Hawaii’s volcanic islands host a unique ocean landscape teeming with biodiversity. But one predator reigns supreme – the shark. With 40 species of shark calling these warm waters home, scientists are seeing new animal behavior around every corner. Whitetip reef sharks “sleep” in tight volcanic tunnels. In the deep water, everything is on the menu for the hunting Tiger shark, from birds to Humpback whales. Hopping from island to island, uncover surprising moments of cooperation, rarely seen hunting tactics and striking insights into these predators of the world’s paradise.
PBS Nature • 2021 • Nature
Filmed over two years in a remote part of the Canada. Cameras observe a young female grizzly as she grows into adulthood. Filmed over two years, the documentary features vistas of open plains on the Arctic Circle and frigid rivers in vast mountain ranges. Against the backdrop of the vast Yukon tundra, the climate changes from frigid winter to spring thaw with a brief sunny season in-between. The cast of characters features hulking male grizzlies, mothers and cubs socialising until the salmon runs begin. Female bears must consume enough salmon during this brief time in order to sustain the cubs that will be born during the winter.
2021 • Nature
Chris discovers the cleverest animal travellers and how they find their way, from deer with mental maps, blue whales planning routes, and dung beetles navigating by the stars.
S1E6 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
Chris Packham reveals that deceit is rife in the natural world – from cunning masters of disguise and sneaky thieves, to kidnapping otters and even femme fatale fireflies.
S1E5 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
Chris looks at social intelligence in the animal kingdom and finds out why it is that, for animals, being together means being clever. He looks at how lions hunt in teams and each hold a very specific position, how vampire bats build trust and donor networks through grooming, and how wild wolves first became domesticated and transformed into man's best friend.
S1E4 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
Finding somewhere to keep safe is one of the biggest challenges an animal faces. But some animals don't have to find a safe place - they build one. Chris reveals some of the best building animals in the world - a group that is incredibly varied. Accomplished animal architects include everything from beavers to bees and prairie dogs to bowerbirds. They don't only build homes, however - they also make structures to raise their young, store food, catch prey and impress mates. But what can be learnt from their building brilliance?
S1E3 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
Chris reveals some of the cleverest animal communicators on the planet. For decades, people have longed to emulate Dr Doolittle and be able to understand what animals are communicating to one another. But their methods often go far beyond the capabilities of our human senses. Now, thanks to dedicated researchers, new science and cutting-edge technology, we're being given a glimpse into the ingenious ways that animals get their message across - that dolphins have individual names for each other, that cuttlefish use covert signals, and that humans can understand apes without even realising it.
S1E2 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
Chris investigates how nature's masterminds measure up against human brain power. Looking at a variety of animals, such as ravens, crows, bees and starlings, Chris explores how different animals can use tools, solve complex puzzles, recognise themselves in mirrors and even reason like humans.
S1E1 • Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins • 2021 • Nature
A film following a young meerkat queen living in the harsh beauty of the Makgadikgadi salt pans. If her new pups are to survive, she must unite her family in the face of rivals, predators and immense dust storms.
Stephen Fry and the zoologist Mark Carwardine follow attempts to move the world's rarest rhinos from a snowy zoo in the Czech Republic, to the expanses of Kenya in the hope that they will breed in the wild. With only eight of these creatures left on earth, the mission becomes a race against time to save the Northern White Rhino from extinction.
Last Chance to See • 2010 • Nature
In the climax of the expedition, the team prepares to explore a 100-meter chasm at the very bottom of the river. Underwater robots take cameras down the abyss and find the deep water flesh-feeding candiru.
S1E5 • Amazon Abyss • 2005 • Nature
The team has come to the very deepest part of the jungle, where streams contain the richest life, as well as danger, from four-metre caiman and the electric eel - a fish with a 600 volt shock.
S1E4 • Amazon Abyss • 2005 • Nature
Mike and his team confront an armour-plated catfish, discover a 45-metre hole in the riverbed and come face to face with an anaconda.
S1E3 • Amazon Abyss • 2005 • Nature
The team are on a quest to find a fish that talks and the candiru - a parasitic catfish notorious for invading the human body. Kate heads deep into the jungle to film a rare freshwater dolphin and track down the elusive giant otter.
S1E2 • Amazon Abyss • 2005 • Nature
Hunting for it in the piranha-infested waters looks like no fun at all, but some of the images we see of astonished fish along the way are brilliant.
S1E1 • Amazon Abyss • 2005 • Nature
As the expedition team near the end of their journey across Micronesia, it's a race against time for the extreme deep divers as they continue their search for new species. As Kate Humble explores the Rock Islands of Palau, Mike DeGruy embarks on a unique training programme. The Newtsuit is an incredible feat of submarine engineering - a bright yellow one-man submersible that Mike has to master before he can venture even deeper into the Pacific abyss.
S1E3 • Pacific Abyss • 2008 • Nature
Off the coast of Micronesia, Kate Humble and her scuba team continue to discover spectacular examples of underwater life. Meanwhile, the deep-sea divers search for previously unseen fish in depths that test the limits of human endurance, but their explorations are hindered by an unexpected equipment failure.
S1E2 • Pacific Abyss • 2008 • Nature
Kate dives to some of the most intact shipwrecks left by World War II, while it is one drama after another for the deep dive team in their quest to find new species.
S1E1 • Pacific Abyss • 2008 • Nature
See the extraordinary wildlife and people of the Andes. Pumas hunt guanaco, shape-shifting frogs hide in remote cloud forests and the descendants of Inca build bridges of grass. The world’s driest desert, huge salt lakes and spectacular peaks are all found in the world’s longest mountain range.
S1E3 • Kingdoms of the Sky • 2021 • Nature
Tour the extraordinary wildlife and people of the Himalaya – the highest mountain range on earth. Bizarre snub-nosed monkeys live in frozen forests. Tibetan monks perform ancient rituals high in the mountains whilst snow leopards prowl the mountain sides.
S1E2 • Kingdoms of the Sky • 2021 • Nature
The Rockies stretch 3,000 miles up the length of North America, and are one of the great mountain ranges of the world. These mountains are home not just to cougars, wolverines, wolves, and grizzly bears, but also daredevil wingsuit flyers, which jump from high peaks, and Native Americans, competing in breakneck horse races.
S1E1 • Kingdoms of the Sky • 2021 • Nature
On a high ridge in Newfoundland, Canada, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the borders of an old grove forest, a Red fox, the matron of her family group, gives birth yet again. Follow the pups as they grow and learn to hunt, adapt, and survive. Explore the family dynamic of these clever creatures as bonds are formed. But the vixen knows that not all her cubs will inherit these tall trees, crystal lakes, and the ocean spray. Before the snows come again, she will have to banish some of her offspring for the good of the family. We also hear from scientists in Madison, Wisconsin and Bristol, England, about their studies on urban Red foxes who are facing a much different challenge than their Canadian counterparts. And another scientist tracks how Red foxes are moving out to the Arctic tundra and surviving in one of the harshest landscapes.
PBS Nature • 2017 • Nature
The Danube is the largest preserved wetland on the continent, a sanctuary for thousands of species -many are the last of their kind. Conservationists are working to preserve and restore these precious habitats before it’s too late.
S1E4 • Europe's New Wild • 2021 • Nature
Sami reindeer herders and modern conservationists are teaming up in a bid to save one of Europe’s wildest frontiers. Through ice and snow, the link between man and wild is being reforged.
S1E3 • Europe's New Wild • 2021 • Nature
Embark on a journey to Spain and Portugal, In Europe’s Carpathian Mountains, the introduction of Bison is helping numerous other species to thrive, while just beyond this mountainous region, Gray Wolves are staging an astonishing return.
S1E2 • Europe's New Wild • 2021 • Nature
Across Iberia, food chains and ecosystems are being restored allowing endangered animals, including the rarest cat in the world, to flourish.
S1E1 • Europe's New Wild • 2021 • Nature
1. Stephen at home in the Amazon (with a monkey), 2. Fish market, 3. Tree climbing lions, 4. Barak the rhino listens to the radio, 5. Encounter with a fossa, 6. Giant jumping rat, 7. Stephen plays mummy to a takahe, 8. Just a little dandruff
S1E7 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
In a dramatic conclusion to the series, the travellers have a close encounter with grey whales and meet the deadly Humboldt squid in a search for the mighty blue whale, the biggest creature that has ever lived.
S1E6 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
In New Zealand the travellers make their way through one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. They are on a journey to find the last remaining kakapo, a fat, flightless parrot which, when threatened with attack, adopts a strategy of standing very still indeed.
S1E5 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
On a journey through Malaysia and Indonesia to track down the deadly Komodo dragon, the travellers help to release turtles into the wild and encounter one of the deadliest snakes on earth.
S1E4 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
In Madagascar, the travellers encounter the biggest and the smallest lemurs on earth. But they are searching for the aye-aye, a peculiar lemur which, according to local legend, brings death to those who encounter it.
S1E3 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
On a journey across Africa towards the war-torn Congo, the travellers encounter chimpanzees, gorillas and elephants, but are there any northern white rhinos still alive in the wild? The news is not good but there is some hope in the remarkable project under way to save the black rhino in Kenya.
S1E2 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
Stephen and Mark set out to discover how the lugubrious Amazonian manatee, a freshwater mammal, has survived the last two decades.
S1E1 • Last Chance to See • 2009 • Nature
For the last leg of their journey, the team search for the most iconic animal of them all, the tiger. To find it, they must split up. Wildlife camerawoman Justine Evans and the science team head to the tangled jungles of northern Burma, one of the largest swathes of unbroken forest in Southeast Asia. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan heads to the only other place in Burma where tigers may still exist, the far south. The forests of Karen State were once home to a thriving population of tigers, but this region has been isolated by war for over 60 years and little is known about the fate of the animals. The team must overcome intense physical hardship and tough field conditions to find the evidence they need to help preserve this unique and largely untouched wilderness. What they discover could change the future of Burma's forests forever.
S1E3 • Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom • 2013 • Nature
On the second leg of their journey, wildlife filmmakers Gordon Buchanan and Justine Evans, along with a team of scientists, head deep into the mountains of western Burma. This is where they hope to find the shy sun bear and two of the world's rarest and most beautiful cats: the Asian golden cat and the clouded leopard. Meanwhile, zoologist Ross Piper and the science team are on a mission to create a wildlife survey to present to the government of Burma to persuade them that these forests are so unique they must be protected. High on the forest ridges, Gordon finds evidence to suggest that Burma's wildlife might be in danger. Undercover filming in a border town known as the 'Las Vegas of the jungle' leads to a shocking discovery.
S1E2 • Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom • 2013 • Nature
On the first leg of their journey, wildlife filmmakers Gordon Buchanan and Justine Evans set out to discover whether the mountains of western Burma are home to a population of Asian elephants that could prove critical to the survival of the species. Finding elephants in a dense bamboo forest is a challenge. Notoriously grumpy, Asian elephants are likely to charge if caught unaware. It is a race against time as the world eyes up Burma's natural riches - what the team finds could change the future of Burma's wilds forever.
S1E1 • Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom • 2013 • Nature
Wildlife adventure series searching for tigers in the Himalayas. Along the Tibetan border, explorer Steve Backshall has a close encounter with the world's most elusive predator.
S1E3 • Lost Land of the Tiger • 2010 • Nature
Series following an expedition to search for tigers in the Himalayas. The team leaves base camp to track down tigers. Kayaker Steve Backshall heads to Bhutan's eastern jungles.
S1E2 • Lost Land of the Tiger • 2010 • Nature
Series following a dramatic expedition searching for tigers hidden in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, featuring explorer Steve Backshall and cameraman Gordon Buchanan.
S1E1 • Lost Land of the Tiger • 2010 • Nature
Following extraordinary rumours of tigers living in the mountains of Bhutan, the expedition shifts to high altitude. Cameraman Gordon Buchanan captures remarkable footage of a snow leopard cub from over 5,000 metres in the air. Along the Tibetan border, explorer Steve Backshall treks to the mystical Tiger Mountain, where he has a very close encounter with the world's most elusive predator.
S1E3 • Lost Land of the Jaguar • 2009 • Nature
The team pushes further into the jungle wilderness, searching for unusual and endangered animals that live there. Base camp is invaded by scorpions and poisonous centipedes, while Gordon Buchanan discovers an animal thief helping itself to base camp supplies.
S1E2 • Lost Land of the Jaguar • 2009 • Nature
Cameras follow the team every sweaty step of the way as they explore the beautiful wilderness of Guyana, from abseiling down one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world to climbing to the very top of the rainforest trees. Known as the land of giants, Guyana is home to the huge anaconda, the world's largest tarantula and giant otters.
S1E1 • Lost Land of the Jaguar • 2009 • Nature
Wildlife series. Steve Backshall descends into the crater of a giant extinct volcano in New Guinea which biologists have long believed could be home to spectacular new creatures.
S1E3 • Lost Land of the Volcano • 2009 • Nature
Wildlife series. The team push deeper into the rainforest, enlisting the help of a tribe to find and film the birds of paradise as they perform their courtship displays.
S1E2 • Lost Land of the Volcano • 2009 • Nature
A team of scientists and film-makers explores the jungle wilderness of New Guinea. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan discovers the nest of the world's smallest parrot.
S1E1 • Lost Land of the Volcano • 2009 • Nature
Using the latest camera technology, David Attenborough reveals the extraordinary ways in which animals use colour: to win a mate, to fight off rivals and to warn enemies.
S1E1 • Attenborough's Life in Colour • 2021 • Nature
Simon discusses the challenge of preserving unspoilt wildernesses, from the icy expanses of Siberia to the tropical forests of central and South America. Simon reflects on how his past series have dealt with the causes and impact of climate change, as well as remembering a memorable report exposing the extent of plastic pollution in the ocean. He also recalls meeting indigenous people around the world and hearing their first-hand experiences of ecological damage.
S1E4 • Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve • 2021 • Nature
Cameras travel to the Arctic and Antarctic circles, following chicks in a king penguin colony on the island of South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. On the other side of the world, Spy Walrus discovers a walrus family hauled out on an ice floe, before Spy Gyrfalcon follows the family as they head towards dry land. Elsewhere on Norway's Hornoya island, Spy Puffin follows thousands of male puffins as they gather in the snow and search for their life-long partners.
S2E4 • Spy in the Wild • 2020 • Nature
On Christmas Island, the Spy Crab camera walks among red crabs as they march into the sea, and in Madagascar, cameras follow many of the species of chameleon that live there. Meanwhile on Seal island off the tip of South Africa, Spy Seal Pup finds itself in the midst of the 60,000 cape fur seals that have come ashore to raise their young.
S2E3 • Spy in the Wild • 2020 • Nature
Cameras follow Japanese macaques in the snow-covered mountains of Japan, as they gather at steaming hot thermal pools to bathe and socialise. Elsewhere in the cool mountains of Mexico, cameras capture a spectacular gathering of billions of monarch butterflies, and in Bavaria, Germany, Spy Beaver gains unique access to the secretive world of the beaver.
S2E2 • Spy in the Wild • 2020 • Nature
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
In the second and final part of NATURE's miniseries "The Alps," experience the hostile and bitter cold ecosystems of the Alps, shaped by snow blizzards and avalanches. (PBS Nature Season 39 Episode 8)
In Part One of the miniseries "The Alps", enjoy the Alps in spring and summertime as newborn animals grow up to face the coming brutal winter. (PBS Nature Season 39 Episode 7)
How Earth's five oceans connect to form the largest ecosystem on the planet, and how its network of currents supports the health of the seas and marine wildlife.
S1E4 • A Perfect Planet • 2021 • Nature
A look at how without volcanoes, there would be no life on Earth. Although destructive, magma from the planet’s molten core builds land, and mineral-rich ash from eruptions fertilises the surface.
S1E1 • A Perfect Planet • 2021 • Nature
Leading experts examine a rock in a crate of finds from an archaeological dig in Africa, which could contain a very rare 200-million-year-old dinosaur skull. The museum staff prepares for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. Other artefacts from the museum featured in this episode include meteorite fragments that are older than the solar system and the oldest complete beetle specimens ever found in the UK.
S1E4 • Natural History Museum: World of Wonder • 2021 • Nature
World-leading dinosaur expert Susie Maidment is in the museum basement trying to piece together the skeleton of the first Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered. It's a priceless specimen but somehow the bones have got muddled up with another dinosaur and it's up to Susie to work out if any of the bits are missing. The experts inspect Guy the gorilla, who was a London Zoo favourite for decades and now sits fully preserved in his own glass case, and the museum launches an ambitious project to capture a sample of every living bug in the UK today.
S1E3 • Natural History Museum: World of Wonder • 2021 • Nature
An alarming decline in insect populations could devastate all life on earth. What's causing it, and can anything be done to stop it?
Bright Now • 2021 • Nature
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
Every year, five million people visit London's Natural History Museum to see its incredible collection, from extraordinary dinosaurs to giant whales, and rare fossils to space rocks said to be as old as the solar system itself. But only a fraction of the staggering 80 million items in the collection are on display. Here cameras capture some of these incredible specimens, revealing the unique and rare pieces too valuable to exhibit.
S1E1 • Natural History Museum: World of Wonder • 2020 • Nature
This edition follows the plight of some of the youngest and most vulnerable of the mountain gorilla population. Includes the two young orphans whose mothers were callously murdered in execution-style killings, the young female battling with new emotions, and the new gorilla king struggling to keep hold of the group he fought so hard to win. Discover how they cope in this exploration of what the future holds for the remaining last few hundred mountain gorillas.
S1E3 • Mountain Gorilla • 2010 • Nature
Titus the gorilla king faces the biggest challenge of his life. He's lived longer and sired more offspring than any other known gorilla, but his time as a great leader may be coming to an end. The mighty silverback has a little orphan in his care - and both their lives hang in the balance. In Uganda, young silverback Marembo is back with his raging hormones and desire to be dominant - he's sure to shake things up a bit.
S1E2 • Mountain Gorilla • 2010 • Nature
The largest gorilla family in the world is starting the perilous journey down to feed on the fresh shoots of bamboo. They run the risk of being caught in illegal snares and Cantsbee, the dominant silverback, will have his work cut out keeping them all safe, especially those closest to him. Meanwhile on the other side of the Rwandan volcanoes a young gorilla has been deserted by her mother. She turns to her silverback father for guidance and protection, but is he up to the job? In Uganda, Marembo the teenage silverback has come of age. He has lived 15 years under the watchful eye of dominant silverback Rukina but now feels it is time to make the break on his own.
S1E1 • Mountain Gorilla • 2010 • Nature
Nothing shouts northern wilderness more than a magnificent moose, the undisputed king of the forest. But moose don’t start out big and burly; for two twins born into a forest glade, a challenging life lies ahead. PS Funny Stuff inside :)
2020 • Nature
David Schwimmer visits a forgotten Brazilian rainforest.
S1E5 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature
David Schwimmer explores the Ethiopian Highlands.
S1E4 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature
David Schwimmer travels through the Andes, uncovering two different worlds. The Andes: one mountain range connecting two completely different worlds: A frigid ice-land and a fortress of Fire
S1E3 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature
David Schwimmer explores an underground world of monsters and aliens. The largest gathering of the largest fish on the planet--over four hundred whale sharks--assembles in the same small patch of ocean just off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Why are they here? Mysterious Planet embarks on an epic journey to find out: from the clear blue waters of the Caribbean, into the largest network of flooded caves on Earth, spiritual underworld of a lost civilization, home to monsters and alien life forms ,where a meteorite the size of Manhattan is hurtling towards planet Earth, on course to kickstart the evolution of a whole new line of ocean giants.
S1E2 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature
David Schwimmer meets some of the strangest creatures on Earth. Komodo Dragons are excellent swimmers who have migrated far from the Komodo Islands in the past. Without the need for any males to reproduce, and one single female could potentially populate an entire island on her own.
S1E1 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature
A unique celebration of one of Earth's most iconic birds. For the first time, we meet the entire penguin family - all 18 species. This colourful cast of characters may seem familiar, but their incredible diversity won't fail to surprise. New Zealand's lush green forests might not be the first place you would expect to find penguins, but it was here the penguin family first evolved 60 million years ago, and there are now more species living here than anywhere else on earth. One quirky-looking resident is the Snares penguin, which likes nothing more than a spa treatment. In Cape Town, the African penguin has adapted to the modern world, strolling the city streets with all the other commuters. And, against all the odds, one of the smallest members in the family, the Galapagos penguin, has found a way to survive the sweltering heat of the equator. One of the biggest secrets to the penguin success story is their remarkable parenting skills. Adelie penguins perform the longest penguin migration on earth, over 6,000 miles, to find the perfect nesting site. Ninety-nine per cent of them return to the same nests each year, but after a hard winter their stone nests need some serious renovation. Other species are sneakier, stealing their neighbours stones the moment they turn their backs. The fastest penguin on the planet is the gentoo, reaching speeds of 22mph and diving to 200 metres. Short feet that act like rudders and a streamlined body allows them to shoot through the water, while fused muscular wings act like paddles. Penguins are supremely adapted to an aquatic life, spending 75 per cent of their lives in water, but all penguins have to walk at some point, so to get around they have developed the infamous waddle. This bizarre locomotion may look inefficient, but surprisingly it actually works in their favour. Whilst we get 65 per cent of the energy back with each step, penguins can get up to 80 per cent, so the waddle is more efficient that our own walk. Over millions of years, penguins have mastered life on land and in the sea, but we are now changing the planet faster than ever before, and some penguins are struggling to keep up, so technology is being used to locate and observe new colonies from the equator to Antarctica. This is the family penguin as you have never seen them before.
2020 • Nature
A bold experiment to bring fierce African wild dogs back to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique reveals how predators—and the fear they trigger—play a surprising and crucial role in keeping wild ecosystems healthy. Until recently, the impact of predators on ecosystems was thought to be simple: predators eat prey, keeping their populations in check. But more and more, ecologists are realizing that it’s not all about consumption. In fact, just the presence of predators can cause significant changes in behavior. Scientists call this the “Landscape of Fear,” and in Gorongosa, they are hoping to harness its effects to help bring an ecosystem back from the brink.
Discover why restoring nature might be our best tool to slow global warming. From Borneo to Antarctica, the resilience of the planet is helping us find solutions to cope and even mitigate climate change, providing hope for a more positive future.
S1E3 • The Age of Nature • 2020 • Nature
Explore how a new understanding of nature is helping us find surprising ways to fix it. From the Pacific Northwest to Yellowstone to Scotland, scientists, citizens and activists are restoring the environment, benefiting humans and animals alike.
S1E2 • The Age of Nature • 2020 • Nature
Discover how a new awareness of nature is helping to restore ecosystems from Panama to China to Mozambique. See how innovative actions are being taken to repair man-made damage and restore reefs, rivers, animal populations and more.
S1E1 • The Age of Nature • 2020 • Nature
In our hectic world so much seems to pass us by. All around us dramas are playing out, but they often happen so fast that we don’t even see it: blink and you’ll miss it. But when you slow down the action a whole new world is revealed.
2020 • Nature
Meet slime molds: the brainless blobs that can learn, make decisions, and navigate mazes. Who says you need brains to be smart? Extremely primitive life-forms called slime molds can navigate mazes, choose between foods, and create efficient networks—no brain required. New research on these organisms, which are neither plant nor animal, could help reveal the fundamental rules underlying all decision making.
2020 • Nature
With over 350,000 different varieties, these ancient insects make up nearly one-fourth of all known animal species.
S1E3 • Macro Worlds • 2020 • Nature
Brace yourself for a gruesome trip into the world of predatory insects.
S1E2 • Macro Worlds • 2020 • Nature
Many insects won't survive the winter. But thanks to these remarkable adaptations, their offspring will live on.
S1E1 • Macro Worlds • 2020 • Nature
Jungles contain up to 90% of the world’s plant and animal species: flowering plants, trees, birds, fungi, reptiles, fish – their range and beauty is absolutely staggering. It is becoming clear that what affects the rainforest affects us all deeply.
2020 • Nature
Nearly twice the size of the United States, Russia is the biggest country on Earth. From the subtropics to the arctic and the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific; giant lakes, active volcanoes and endless forests.
2020 • Nature
Forget what you think you know about pigs. These remarkable animals have talents we're only beginning to understand. See how pigs have conquered nearly every habitat on Earth, thanks to their remarkable senses, intelligence, and adaptability. From the islands of Indonesia to the beaches of the Bahamas to the frozen tundra of Siberia, meet eight-inch pygmy hogs, cheetah-avoiding warthogs, domesticated pigs with super senses, and more.
2018 • Nature
Going for a dramatic approach, this installment takes a look at the changing world of nature, from the sky to the sea to the sun to the insects to volcanic action to the planet itself. It's nature's strange and intricate designs for survival and her many methods of perpetuating life in this spectacular story. It takes a lot to make nature footage dramatic but here we are and it's quite a sight. It's exciting, beautifully shot and photographed, sometimes a little suspenseful, though it might not look like it at the start of it. Experience nature's Secrets of Life and witness the wonder of it all with this solid and visually splendid True-Life Adventure!
1956 • Nature
For years, researchers have overlooked the naked mole rat, an elusive rodent that lives underground. But now they believe they may help humans live longer, healthier lives. Follow scientists around the globe as they study these remarkable rodents in labs and in their natural habitat, tracking their mating habits, testing their blood, and decoding their genome in an ongoing quest to combat age-related illnesses and even aging itself.
2019 • Nature
The Mediterranean. Because people have been traveling there for thousands of years, it is believed to be without secrets. And yet, far below its surface, lie vast unexplored territories, luxurious gardens worthy of the finest tropical coral reefs. These natural wonders are inaccessible to the traditional diver, in a twilight zone, between 60 and 120 m, where there’s less than 1% of sunlight. If diving at such depths is always a challenge, staying there is a fantasy, a utopia that becomes reality in Planet Mediterranean. In the tradition of Commander Cousteau and his houses under the sea, the team of diver-photographer Laurent Ballesta is undertaking a new world-record-setting mission in complete freedom and without time limit.
2020 • Nature
The latest archaeology and genetics answer the biggest questions about our cats. Where do they come from? Why do we love them? What’s going on inside their heads?
S1E2 • How We Tamed the Cat and Dog • 2020 • Nature
The latest archaeology and genetics answer the biggest questions about dogs. Where did they come from? How can they all look so different? Why do they make such perfect companions?
S1E1 • How We Tamed the Cat and Dog • 2020 • Nature
Like the Galapagos, Rottnest and its surrounding islands hold secrets that defy reason. Only now will they be revealed with an exclusive and intimate look at the life cycle of the Quokka and the other animals intertwined in their lives on the islands and in the fringing ocean.
S1E2 • Rottnest Island: Kingdom of the Quokka • 2020 • Nature
One of the world’s happiest, yet most vulnerable marsupials, the Quokka thrives only on Rottnest Island. In almost plague proportions over ten thousand of the strange relic wallabies live here. How do they survive here in such inhospitable conditions and nowhere else?
S1E1 • Rottnest Island: Kingdom of the Quokka • 2018 • Nature
Gorillas live in complex social groups led by a dominant male ‘silverback’. He is intelligent and powerful, fiercely leading his troop through the dangers of the jungle. Gorillas are like us in so many ways, but their existence is under threat.
2020 • Nature
With a million species at risk of extinction, Sir David Attenborough explores how this crisis of biodiversity has consequences for us all, threatening food and water security, undermining our ability to control our climate and even putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases. Extinction is now happening up to 100 times faster than the natural evolutionary rate, but the issue is about more than the loss of individual species. Everything in the natural world is connected in networks that support the whole of life on earth, including us, and we are losing many of the benefits that nature provides to us. The loss of insects is threatening the pollination of crops, while the loss of biodiversity in the soil also threatens plants growth. Plants underpin many of the things that we need, and yet one in four is now threatened with extinction. Last year, a UN report identified the key drivers of biodiversity loss, including overfishing, climate change and pollution. But the single biggest driver of biodiversity loss is the destruction of natural habitats. Seventy-five per cent of Earth's land surface (where not covered by ice) has been changed by humans, much of it for agriculture, and as consumers we may unwittingly be contributing towards the loss of species through what we buy in the supermarket. Our destructive relationship with the natural world isn’t just putting the ecosystems that we rely on at risk. Human activities like the trade in animals and the destruction of habitats drive the emergence of diseases. Disease ecologists believe that if we continue on this pathway, this year’s pandemic will not be a one-off event.
2020 • Nature
While the pandemic restricts our movements, wildlife remains free. In this time of crisis, the natural world can be a source of solace and escape. In the most extreme of environments, from the hottest deserts to the freezing poles, from the highest mountains to underwater kingdoms, animals overcome adversity to survive and thrive, offering a message of hope to humanity. To raise our spirits, join Sir David Attenborough on a round-the-world trip to the wildest places on earth to see some of the most spectacular wildlife. The BBC Natural History Unit has brought together the most astounding stories from the Bafta-winning Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II to create the ultimate escape. The journey is accompanied by a thrilling new musical score, created by renowned composers Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and featuring Mercury Prize winner Dave on the piano.
2020 • Nature
The endearing pangolin is a little-known scaly mammal. Found in Africa and Asia, these shy creatures have an unfortunate tagline - they are the most poached and illegally trafficked animals in the world. Based in Namibia, conservationist Maria Diekmann rescues and rehabilitates her local pangolins. In a bid to better understand the global issues they are facing, we follow Maria to Vietnam, Thailand and China into the very heart of the crisis, where demand for pangolin products is greatest. In what turns out to be an emotional journey, Maria joins forces with a Chinese megastar to build a campaign to bring awareness to the plight of an animal most people have never even heard of.
Natural World • 2018 • Nature
In their vast and unforgiving home of the Namib Desert, meerkats rely on their companions to watch their backs. Only together can they find the strength and resources to defeat the odds stacked against them. One young female is forced from her group after a brutal attack.
2020 • Nature
Tells the stories of a panda and her cub, a young golden monkey and his sister and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs in their homeland of China. Narrated by John Krasinski.
2016 • Nature
Witness the hard knock life of male kangaroos as they engage in constant fights to determine social rank.
S1E3 • Secret Life of the Kangaroo • 2016 • Nature
Kangaroos can have up to three young in different stages at once--which makes child rearing a constant preoccupation.
S1E2 • Secret Life of the Kangaroo • 2016 • Nature
Hop along with a mob of kangaroos as they search for food while keeping a vigilant eye out for predators.
S1E1 • Secret Life of the Kangaroo • 2016 • Nature
Sri Lanka, the tropical island lying off the southern coast of India, is home to its own special elephants. A subspecies of the Asian elephant, they have their own unique characteristics. In this programme, award-winning wildlife cameraman Martyn Colbeck of Echo of the Elephants fame travels to Sri Lanka to try and get to know them. Martyn has planned his arrival to coincide with the start of the monsoon, hoping it will be the best time to find and follow a newborn calf. By drawing on local knowledge, Martyn begins to unravel the complex social world of Sri Lanka's elephants - he witnesses a fight over a calf, a battle between two bulls in musk and, at an elephant sanctuary, befriends an orphaned elephant who sadly lost a leg to a snare and is facing an uncertain future.
Natural World • 2013 • Nature
The beautiful, mysterious world of rain is visualized using the latest filming technology. Ultra-high speed cameras capture breathtaking images in Odaigahara, the rainiest area in Japan that receives an annual rainfall of 5,000 millimeters. On the ground form lakes that only appear after summer heavy rains, allowing rare frogs to thrive. In winter, a unique natural phenomenon called Glazed Frost takes place if rain falls unfrozen and the air temperature is below zero. Through poetic cinematography, we discover just how rain enriches the natural beauty in Japan, a country unusually blessed with rain.
2009 • Nature
The remarkable story of 43-year-old Sudan, the very last male northern white rhino on the planet. Aged just three, Sudan was snatched from his mother's side in Central Africa. He became a prized exhibit in a zoo behind the Iron Curtain, while the rest of his kind was poached to extinction in the wild. Today, Sudan has become an unwitting celebrity and the focus of a desperate eleventh hour battle to save his sub-species. This astonishing modern-day fable is told through the international cast of characters who have been involved in Sudan's life, for better and for worse.
Natural World • 2017 • Nature
There is an electric grid submerged deep within the Amazon River, made up of a fascinating community of fish that have technological superpowers. Biologist Will Crampton ventures into this world, one which few have ever seen, on a mission to find, catch, and study electric fish. Armed with his own electric devices, join him as he uncovers the fighting style of the jaw lockers, the navigational skills of the knifefish, and the remarkable hunting technique of the electric eel.
2015 • Nature
In the Kalahari Desert, lions grow to be the size of grizzly bears--and they have appetites to match. These big cats need big prey to survive, but hunting giants isn't easy, even for the king of beasts. Follow the unique pride that rules over this desert empire during the worst drought in decades and see how they strategize and use their might to dominate their prey. Dry season is usually a windfall for lions, but this year, it will push these apex predators to the brink.
2017 • Nature
A look at wildlife in hostile environments, including glow-worms, condors, thorny devils, emperor penguins and polar bears. High in the mountains, deep underground, out in the deserts and at each of our vast frozen poles, animals have had to develop extraordinary resilience to survive. There are many challenges faced by animals living in extreme environments. Superbly adapted to these inhospitable habitats, their fortitude and resilience.
S1E6 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
Wildlife that lives on grassland, Grasslands are the great stages of the natural world where large animals play out spectacular lives in a clear view of people. From the iconic African grasslands, the series showcases lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros, cheetahs, and impalas. Australian kangaroos, wallaby and the wonderfully odd potoroo join American bison and wolves in a grand tour of iconic animals.
S1E5 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
A look at marine wildlife around the world, Oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet. This is where life on earth began. And where it continues to surprise those looking for animal encounters with bite. Scientists are discovering new species every day here, on our shorelines, on our reefs and out to sea. These watery wonderlands are home to the largest, and indeed many of the smallest, creatures on Earth.
S1E4 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
Forests and woodlands are the green lungs of the Earth and vital to mankind's survival. The air we breathe, the timbers we build with... the medicines we take. The list of benefits they provide is exhaustive. As is the list of other animals making a meal of these resource-rich environments.
S1E3 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
Wetland Animals dives into the swamps, rivers and flood plains of Florida's Everglades, Botswana's Okavango Delta, Kakadu National Park in Australia, the Amazon and more. Meet deadly crocodiles, alligators and piranhas, wading elephants, hippopotamus and flamingo, and unlikely swimmers such as the manatee and platypus.
S1E2 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
In Jungle Animals, viewers encounter gorillas and orangutans, killer pythons, delightful monkeys from three continents, awe-inspiring tigers and millions of land-dwelling red crabs. This episode explores Australia, the islands of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Amazon.
S1E1 • World's Greatest Animal Encounters • 2020 • Nature
The jungles of the sacred city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka are home to 33 identified troops of toque macaques and one man. This is the extraordinary story of Dr. Wolfgang Dittus, a scientist from the Smithsonian Institution who, over decades, has tracked and documented the lives of thousands of monkeys, revealing a complex society that is in many ways like our own. His journey is captured through his own words, footage he's taken over the course of 50 years, and his interactions with the scrappy, cheeky monkeys he's dedicated his life to.
2018 • Nature
Eagles are the most powerful birds in the sky, capable of tackling enormous prey, spotting food at vast distances and soaring for miles on the wing. Armed with cutting-edge filming technology, this documentary examines the science behind such extraordinary abilities. Featuring dramatic stories and some remarkable experiments, the film follows the story of a family of bald eagles in Iowa as two chicks face the challenges of life in the wild. Plus, bird specialist Lloyd Buck puts his trained golden eagle Tilly's skills to the test.
Natural World • 2020 • Nature
In the second of this two-part series, Colin Stafford-Johnson continues his journey in Cuba, one of the most captivating islands in the world. Here, he encounters bats emerging from a labyrinth of limestone caves to feed on nectar from giant hibiscus flowers, and tiny frogs, smaller than a fingernail, living in patches of hidden emerald forest. And on the white sand beaches, baby green turtles emerge from their nests to make their way to the sparkling Caribbean Sea.
S1E2 • Natural World • 2020 • Nature
Colin Stafford-Johnson journeys through one of the most bewitching islands in the world, featuring the wildlife and wild places that make it so special. In the first part of this two-part mini-series, Colin explores corners of Cuba that few outsiders have seen. Amongst the wonders he encounters is the bee hummingbird, the world’s tiniest bird, found nowhere else on the planet, and the spectacle of thousands of crabs migrating en masse.
S1E1 • Natural World • 2020 • Nature
[6 parts merged into one] Featuring groundbreaking new science, experiments and leading scientists from a variety of disciplines, the series unravels the natural history of the body's largest organ. Skin is an incredible, multi-function organ that science is still learning so much about. It has adapted to allow animals to conquer virtually every habitat on the planet.
2019 • Nature
Otters are playful, adaptable and champion swimmers - they've captivated cameraman Charlie Hamilton James for the last 25 years. He's filmed them more than anyone else and now, through the eyes of three orphaned river otters, a set of groundbreaking experiments and some incredible wild encounters, Charlie wants to reveal their survival secrets and exactly why he believes they're so special.
Natural World • 2017 • Nature
In southern Africa, a pride of lions has rewritten the rules - by learning to take down elephants. In this follow up to Africa's Giant Killers, we join the pride at the start of the rainy season. As the elephants depart, a catalogue of dramatic events unfolds. The pride males turn against each other, an inexperienced mum puts her new born cubs in mortal danger, a rival group of lions challenge the pride for its territory and, when lightning strikes, fires burn day and night. When the dust eventually settles, the pride is left with only one choice - to face their old foe the elephants or risk starvation. The final showdown awaits.
Natural World • 2015 • Nature
Deep in the rainforest of Central Africa lies an elephant oasis - a remarkable place that holds the key to the future for forest elephants. Over the last 20 years, Andrea Turkalo has been studying these enigmatic giants, getting to know over 4,000 intimately. She has begun to unravel the secrets of their complex social lives and the meanings of their unique vocalisations. New acoustic research is shedding light on the many mysteries that still surround forest elephant society. Will these endangered elephants finally speak out and tell Andrea what it is they need to survive?
Natural World • 2010 • Nature
In the 1990s, one million chimpanzees lived across Central Africa. Since then, habitat loss, hunting for bushmeat, and the exotic pet trade has caused their population to crash to just 200,000. But on Ngamba Island, a semi-wild sanctuary just off the coast of Uganda's Lake Victoria, a team of caregivers is dedicated to giving them another chance in life. Visit this remarkable safe haven, where victims--most arriving as orphaned babies--recover from mental trauma, form a new family, and learn how to be chimps.
2019 • Nature
A look across Hawaii's varied islands, discovering how they were made, and how its wildlife thrives. The most remote island chain on Earth, its tropical shores are hard to reach. However, for the hardy creatures that have made it there, such as the waterfall-climbing fish, carnivorous caterpillar and Laysan albatross, a land of opportunity awaits. From newly formed lava fields, to lush jungles, and vibrant coral reefs, these diverse and beautiful islands have it all. As this documentary reveals, its people are looking to the future and attempting to protect and foster its flora and fauna.
S1E3 • Earth's Tropical Islands • 2020 • Nature
In the heart of south-east Asia lies the tropical island of Borneo. Twice the size of the British Isles, it is the third largest island on earth and home to possibly the greatest diversity of life of any island. Its huge variety of habitats, from bustling coral reefs and ancient jungles to towering mountains, have given rise to more than 60,000 species of plants and animals - many found nowhere else on Earth. This documentary covers Borneo's rich abundance of wildlife, from frogs to orang-utans.
S1E2 • Earth's Tropical Islands • 2020 • Nature
David Harewood narrates a documentary exploring three of the most exotic and remote islands on the planet, beginning with the unique and extraordinary wildlife of Madagascar. As the oldest island on Earth, life has had time to evolve and there are now more unique plants and animals on Madagascar than any other, with footage of ring-tailed lemurs, labord's chameleons and Decken's sifakas.
S1E1 • Earth's Tropical Islands • 2019 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates the story of Rodrigo Medellin. Since he first kept vampire bats in his bathroom as a child, Rodrigo has dedicated his life to saving them. Now Mexico's most famous export, tequila, is at stake. Rodrigo's beloved lesser long-nosed bat is crucial to the liquor - pollinating the plants the drink is made from. To save both, Rodrigo must track the bats' epic migration across Mexico - braving hurricanes, snakes, Mayan tombs and seas of cockroaches. The threats are very real for not only Rodrigo and the bats, but also for anyone with a taste for tequila.
Natural World • 2014 • Nature
Also known as "The Best of Seven Worlds, One Planet". The most spectacular moments from the Seven Worlds, One Planet series that highlights the incredible rich and wonderful diversity of life found on our planets seven unique continents. Millions of years ago huge forces ripped apart the Earth's crust, creating seven distinct continents. Over time, each one developed its own remarkable wildlife. We see the extraordinary variety of life found in South America and visit the largest of all continents - Asia, so big it still hides rarely seen creatures. We explore the cities of Europe, full of surprises, and the wilds of Africa, home to the greatest gatherings of animals. We travel to the searing heat of Australia with its weird and wonderful wildlife, and witness the pioneering animals of North America that make the most of every opportunity. Finally, we venture to the frozen wilderness of Antarctica were, on the most hostile continent of all, life manages to thrive against the odds. And we reveal how today the biggest challenge faced by wildlife is the impact of human activity on all seven of our incredible continents.
Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2020 • Nature
From the mighty grizzly bear to the endearing real life Paddington, the spectacled bear, and Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book's Baloo, the sloth bear, this remarkable animal family has long captured our imagination. As some of the largest animals on earth, they need more than just the 'bare necessities' to survive - especially in today’s ever-changing world. This film explores how bears across the world have overcome the challenges of life - from finding food and raising the cubs to confronting rivals and habitat loss - all thanks to brains, brawn and a remarkable ability to adapt.
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
Chris Packham aims to raise enough money to plant 100,000 trees across Britain, by asking viewers to contribute to The Woodland Trust. Martin Hughes-Games, JB Gill and Clare Nasir also take a closer look at the science of trees, exploring how they can lower carbon emissions, fight flooding and reduce pollution.
2019 • Nature
How do you study an animal you can't even get close to? Camera traps and drones are revolutionizing wildlife biology by recording the secret lives of animals—from whales and tigers to elusive giant armadillos—all without disturbing them.
This crowded continent hides the most surprising animals in pockets of wilderness. Above Gibraltar, Europe’s only primate lives a life of kidnapping and high drama, whilst in the cemeteries of Vienna grave robbing European hamsters do battle with each other. Come nightfall, the Italian mountain villages are the hunting grounds for rarely seen wolves, whilst lynx lurk in the forests of Spain. Deep underground in Slovenia’s caves, baby dragons live for up to a hundred years. Meanwhile, on the surface the continent has been developed beyond recognition.
S1E5 • Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2019 • Nature
Australia, a land cast adrift at the time of the dinosaurs. Isolated for millions of years, the weird and wonderful animals marooned here are like nowhere else on Earth. In its jungles a cassowary - one of the most dangerous birds in the world – stands six feet tall. Inland, kangaroos and wombats brave snowstorms and gum tree forests are filled with never-before-seen predators. In its red desert heart, reptiles drink through their skin and huge flocks of wild budgerigars swirl in search of water. On secret islands Tasmanian devils roam and offshore, thousands of sharks gather for a rare event.
S1E4 • Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2019 • Nature
South America - the most species rich continent on Earth. From the volcanoes of the Andes to the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, animals here must specialise to carve out a niche. In Patagonia, a puma mother draws on a lifetime’s experience to catch prey three times her weight. In the cloud forest, rarely seen Andean bears clamber thirty metres into the canopy to find elusive fruit. Poison dart frogs use ingenious methods to keep their tadpoles safe, whilst anacondas stalk capuchin monkeys. At Igauzu, swifts make death-defying flights through one of the biggest waterfalls on Earth.
S1E3 • Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2019 • Nature
Asia - the most varied and extreme continent - stretching from the Arctic Circle to the equator. Walrus gather in huge numbers in the frozen north and brown bears roam remote Russian volcanoes. This is a world of the rarely seen, from yeti-like monkeys in the mountain forests of China to the most bizarre predator in the baking deserts of Iran. Asia is the largest of all continents but it seems there’s not enough space for wildlife. The deep jungles provide sanctuary for the last few Sumatran rhino.
S1E2 • Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2019 • Nature
Antarctica - the coldest, windiest, most hostile continent. Only the toughest can survive here. From Weddell seals that grind back the ice with their teeth, to colourful starfish carpeting the seabed beneath the ice. Huge colonies of king penguins crowd any ice-free land, and four tonne elephant seals fight for territory on the beach. Life comes here because the ocean that surrounds the continent is incredibly rich. Thousands of penguins, seals, albatross, and over a hundred great whales feast on krill baitballs. However, the ocean here is warming and with that comes an uncertain future. (Number of days filming: 236)
S1E1 • Seven Worlds, One Planet • 2019 • Nature
Todd trains hard to improve his body intelligence, visualization skills, and emotional intelligence before attempting a super-human feat. He faces his greatest fear - being chained, handcuffed and blindfolded underwater with only his radically improved brain to help him escape.
S1E3 • Redesign my brain • 2013 • Nature
Members of the weasel family are often portrayed as the villains of the natural world, but do they deserve this reputation? By following the adventures of a tiny orphaned weasel named Twiz, this film reveals the true nature of these pocket-sized predators, which relative to their size have a bite more powerful than a tiger’s. In Yorkshire, a unique garden rigged with over 50 cameras gives a rare insight into the dramatic life of a mother stoat as she tries to raise her first family. And new science uncovers the problem-solving abilities of the honey badger, the secrets behind the ferret’s legendary flexibility, and the remarkable sense of smell of the wolverine. Together, using their extraordinary skills, this feisty and fearless family have conquered the planet.
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
Explore the stark landscape, frigid sea, and wild animals in one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. National Geographic Pristine Seas Explorer-in-residence Enric Sala leads a group of scientists on the first international scientific expedition to Franz Josef Land. His team works with Russia's most formidable biologists, geomorphologists and ornithologists to understand how climate change is affecting this remote ecosystem. From diving in subzero temperatures to running away from polar bears to avoiding titanic icebergs, the Pristine Seas team faces some of its most dangerous challenges to date.
2015 • Nature
How much do you know about animal superpowers? Follow the everyday lives of prairie dogs, howler monkeys, and rattlesnakes, as they harness the power of sound to protect themselves.
2019 • Nature
The island of Barro Colorado in the Panama Canal is full of mysteries, some involving the wide diversity of wildlife, and some involving the island itself. Every year, hundreds of scientists and students come here to uncover the rainforest's secrets, but this year is very different. The island is running dry and no one knows why. Follow several research teams as they observe, experiment, and conduct research in this pristine habitat, and most pressing of all, try to find out what happened to the rain and when it will come again.
2016 • Nature
Deep in the jungles of Peru, a silky anteater is fighting to stay awake and a mother hummingbird is struggling to raise her chick. As this documentary reveals, life in his incredible part of the planet faces changing conditions.
2015 • Nature
An in-depth look at the northern Andes' active volcanoes, cloud forests, and wildly diverse collection of creatures.
S1E3 • The Wild Andes • 2019 • Nature
Meet the exceptional animals that have adapted to survive in the difficult conditions of the Andes' Altiplano plateau.
S1E2 • The Wild Andes • 2019 • Nature
See how life adapts to explosive change in the untamed Patagonian Andes.
S1E1 • The Wild Andes • 2019 • Nature
Cheetahs are not your standard big cats, they differ from the others in many ways. First, cheetahs are daytime hunters with eyesight optimized for open landscape and distant prey. Second, They're possibly the fastest land animals that have ever lived.
S1E7 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
The first jaguar scientists struggled to go anywhere near their subjects. But times have changed. There are now a couple of places in the world where seeing a wild jaguar is a possibility rather than a dream.
S1E6 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Like most big cats, the leopard is a master of secrecy. It's one of the hardest of all big cats to see, let alone observe. This is mainly because leopards need absolute invisibility to hunt. This is why they're such good climbers and why they evolved to be so incredibly secretive.
S1E5 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Lions differ from all other cats in that they are highly social, forming prides of up to 35 animals. There are now thought to be fewer than 15,000 lions remaining in Kenya's Masai Mara, a drop of 75% in 50 years.
S1E4 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Pumas are also known by the names of cougar or mountain lion. However, these cats are only distantly related to lions. They're much more closely related to cheetahs. And while pumas are often found in mountains, they're just as at home in the lowlands, dense forests, or deserts.
S1E3 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Often referred to as the gray ghost or ghost of the mountains, this animal's rarity and elusiveness was legendary. In the past, it was known as the ounce, but today we've settled on the name snow leopard.
S1E2 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Siberian tigers are the largest of all cats. In historic times, the tiger's range was vast, covering much of Asia. Over the last century, they've experienced an almost total population crash, and at least 97% of those tigers have gone.
S1E1 • The Secret Lives of Big Cats • 2019 • Nature
Lions may be known as the kings of the jungle, but it was saber-tooth cats that ruled over the Americas. New fossil evidence is shinning a light on the violent lives of these mysterious species.
Breakthrough • 2019 • Nature
Danielle Dufault from Animalogic ventures into the jungles of Costa Rica in search of its majestic wildlife. Come face to face with a Jaguar, a Margay, a Tapir, Sloths and so much more.
2019 • Nature
Life in the sea rebounded with a vengeance in the Devonian. Dozens of monstrous predators emerged, like the 40-foot long Dunkleosteus. Nearly everything was wiped out in Earth’s second mass extinction. But the stage was set for an explosion of life on land.
S1E2 • Ancient Oceans • 2019 • Nature
For nearly 4 billion years, the continents of Earth were a lifeless wasteland. But beneath the sea, our planet was teeming with life. Many strange creatures evolved, from eel-like conodonts to voracious cephalopods, until nearly all life was wiped out in our planet’s first mass extinction.
S1E1 • Ancient Oceans • 2019 • Nature
Professor David Scheel takes an octopus into his home to learn about its intelligence and the extraordinary relationship he and his daughter develop with the creature. Named Heidi, the octopus is seen unravelling puzzles, recognising individual humans and even watching TV with the family. The film also looks at the remarkable behaviour of other octopuses around the world, from those that can change their colour and texture in a split second to the octopus that carries around its own coconut shell to hide in.
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
Approaching the end of their first year on Earth, the animal babies take on the most complex challenges of their lives. A mountain gorilla infant learns the co-ordination to roam free in the forest.
S1E3 • Animal Babies: First Year on Earth • 2019 • Nature
From around three months old, the animal babies can all get around on their own, but that means the impact of their environment and the struggle to find food really begin to hit home.
S1E2 • Animal Babies: First Year on Earth • 2019 • Nature
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
Meet leaping acrobats, nut-cracking wizards, and Earth's loudest land animal as we celebrate primates of the Americas.
S1E3 • Amazing Monkeys • 2018 • Nature
Witness Africa's monkeys and apes and see how they evolved into the world's biggest, strongest, and smartest primates.
S1E2 • Amazing Monkeys • 2018 • Nature
Span the jungles, beaches, and snowy landscapes of Asia and come face-to-face with its remarkable variety of primates.
S1E1 • Amazing Monkeys • 2018 • Nature
With scientist Kerisha Kntayya, Judi joins a crocodile hunt with a difference. Kerisha plucks young crocodiles out of the water. Judi then joins Kerisha's team as they wrestle an adult croc as part of the study Kerisha hopes will help save these prehistoric creatures. Judi, who's had a fascination with bats from an early age, also explores the Gomantong cave, home to more than a million bats.
S1E2 • Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure • 2019 • Nature
She experiences the rainforest for the first time travelling to the heart of the island with expert Glen Reynolds, before observing orangutans in the wild and learning how they are helping to prevent global warming. She then journeys down Borneo's Kinabatangan river and along the island's coastline to explore the unique wildlife that lives in this threatened environment.
S1E1 • Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure • 2019 • Nature
Experience a village of birds, masks that come alive, the world's greatest mountain range and baby turtles erupting out of the sand.
S1E2 • India: Nature's Wonderland • 2015 • Nature
This is a land where the tea comes with added elephants, gibbons sing to greet the morning, tigers dance and lions roam.
S1E1 • India: Nature's Wonderland • 2015 • Nature
In the wilds of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a mother moose tends to her newborn calf. Spring is in full swing, but this far north, winter is never far away and, with hungry bears and wolves for neighbours, many challenges lie ahead. Local cameraman Hugo Kitching knows this only too well, but he is determined to follow the mother and calf through the four seasons. What unfolds is a very intimate story, and when Hugo finds a second moose calf born late in the year, things take an unexpected and dramatic turn.
Natural World • 2016 • Nature
This film is a unique production that reveals the beauty of Romania as it is, raw, magical but fragile at the same time. In the heart of Europe, there is a fabulous wildlife, rich in biodiversity, home to numerous wild animals. The endless mountain peaks and river streams, ancient forests, all provide home to various creatures. Their lives are dictated by the seasons of these lands of beauty. It's a never ending battle for survival and Untamed Romania will tell their stories. Who will survive the trials of life in this ever changing environment?
2018 • Nature
A look at what causes a pair of giraffes to turn white; why are millions of birds creating crazy patterns; why would the world's fastest land animal give up the hunt.
S1E24 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at which animals get the giggles; what would cause the sea lions of San Francisco to mysteriously swim away all at once, manta rays that synchronize swim.
S1E23 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a herd of wild elephants check into the same hotel every year and what is causing giant bubble rings off the coast of Portland, Maine.
S1E22 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at how bats avoid bumping into each other at night; why a bottlenose dolphin seeks out the help of a scuba diver; are cicadas expert mathematicians.
S1E21 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at how a dung beetle standing on its head can roll a ball in a straight line; if egrets ever regret hanging out next to hungry alligators; and what ghostly creature was caught on camera 3000 feet below the ocean's surface.
S1E20 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a seal throw an octopus at a kayaker; why a moth is drinking from the eye of a bird in the Amazon jungle and what surprising creature has been leaping out of the Irish Sea.
S1E19 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
Where would you go to find an enchanted underwater forest? How come some Mexican rattlesnakes have lost their rattle? And why does an Indian elephant look like its smoking cigarettes?
S1E18 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
Narwhals are the unicorns of the sea, but what is the point of those tusks? What could swallow 50-foot trees in seconds? What animal has changed the face of Yellowstone?
S1E17 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a leopard let its dinner escape; an ominous dark mass looming over an Icelandic lake; some scorpions glow in the dark.
S1E16 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why goats risk life and limb to climb an almost vertical dam wall; a zebra has no stripes; a school of fish swarm a diver.
S1E15 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
Helen Macdonald traces the dramatic journey of Britain's greatest river, the Tay, over an entire year. Mixing natural history, cutting-edge science and historical biography with a spectacular travelogue, the film is a celebration of our largest river as it transforms from melting Highland snow to a vast torrent flowing into the cold North Sea.
2019 • Nature
A look at why some spiders disco dance; a mysterious creature is preying on Europe's sheep; a whole town is engulfed by bubbling foam.
S1E14 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at what would cause a ferocious tiger shark to cuddle up with a diver and why pigs are swimming in the Caribbean; and what mysterious blobs have washed up by the thousands on the shores of Oregon.
S1E13 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
How did a moose get stuck in an apple tree? Why is a crow snowboarding on a jam jar lid? Is Yellowstone's super volcano about to erupt?
S1E12 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
Is it possible that a snake could exist totally undetected? What has brought this big cat fight to ear piercing decibels? Why is this lone dolphin getting muddy?
S1E11 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at how spiders covered a town in webs overnight and why a lake in South America is the lightning capital of the world.
S1E10 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at what animals are breaking into thousands of cars every year, how ants form a ten-foot bridge using only their bodies, and why did the fish cross the road.
S1E9 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at what could make an animal vanish into thin air, what could cause the sea to take on an eerie glow, and what event would bring killer whales together in huge numbers.
S1E8 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at how a bird could sing without using its voice and how an octopus could simply disappear from his aquarium tank.
S1E7 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at the possibility that zombie spiders are real and why would a pod of beluga whales adopt a unicorn of the sea.
S1E6 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at if fish really can predict earthquakes and why eggs are egg shaped.
S1E5 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a skunk would do a handstand, why 5,000 birds fell from the sky in Arkansas, and what would make a frog flash like a lighthouse.
S1E4 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a humpback whale would hold a diver hostage, how a colony of 1.5 million animals hide from the world in plain sight, and how a surprising stash of acorns could disrupt a whole town.
S1E3 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at why a raccoon would scale a 25-story skyscraper, why one mother duck would have a super-sized flock of 76 ducklings, and what would motivate a bird to feed a school of fish.
S1E2 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
A look at what would dare take on the ocean's deadliest predator, why a spider lights up like a Christmas tree, and why a wild animal begins to deliver unwanted newspapers like a paperboy.
S1E1 • Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved • 2019 • Nature
The Tyrannosaurus Rex is known as the king of the dinosaurs, but how did its reign begin? Meet Moros Intrepidus, a 180 lb., deer-sized ancestor to the T-Rex. Learn how the latest in paleontology can now link this small dinosaur to the 19,000-pound Scotty, the largest T-Rex ever discovered.
S3E3 • Breakthrough • 2019 • Nature
Great white sharks are one of the most feared predators on Earth, and yet we know very little about them. Science is now revealing the mysteries of this perfect predator through evolutionary biology.
S3E1 • Breakthrough • 2019 • Nature
Squirrels are among the most widely known and recognized mammals in the world. Living in an extraordinarily diverse range of habitats, some can fly, some can swim, some live in trees or underground, others love icy wastelands or burning hot deserts.
2019 • Nature
Going down into these narrow flooded passageways is not for the faint-hearted but, with only an estimated one percent of the caves explored, it is an opportunity for the team to write themselves into cave diving history, by pushing further in than anyone has before. This is a challenge that tests even the most accomplished cave divers. Steve must face the terrors of being lost in an underwater silt cloud in a cave. But there is a bigger issue at stake. All life in the Yucatan depends on the fresh water in this network of caves, but it's being contaminated by human development. With every metre the team maps, it adds to the knowledge of the system, which, in turns, helps protect it for future generations.
Steve Backshall leads a team of elite explorers - including world leading underwater cave explorer Robbie Schmittner, former Royal Marine Aldo Kane and diving camera operator Katy Fraser - into the wilds of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Under the vast jungle here is the largest unexplored network of caves in the world, comprising thousands of kilometres of passageways. They are stunningly beautiful but incredibly dangerous - much of the system is under water. First the team must trek through tough, scorpion-infested jungle to camp alongside a giant sinkhole in the jungle floor - a dark gateway to an underworld full of nightmarish creatures.
Every year, the painted lady butterflies undertake a mysterious migration. This discreet journey covers thousands of kilometers and triggers puzzles that scientists are still trying to understand today. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we will track the butterflies on their journey.
S1E4 • Secret Migrations • 2019 • Nature
Every year the black cap warbler undertakes a mysterious migration. This discreet journey covers thousands of kilometers and triggers puzzles that scientists are still trying to understand today. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we will track the black caps on their journey.
S1E3 • Secret Migrations • 2019 • Nature
Every year, the pipistrelle bat undertakes a mysterious migration. This discreet journey covers thousands of kilometers and triggers puzzles that scientists are still trying to understand today. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we will track the bats on their journey.
S1E2 • Secret Migrations • 2019 • Nature
Every year, just above our heads, Eleonora’s falcon undertakes a mysterious migration. This discreet journey covers thousands of kilometers and triggers puzzles that scientists are still trying to understand today. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we will track the falcons on their journey.
S1E1 • Secret Migrations • 2019 • Nature
Richard Hammond concludes his look at miracles in the natural world by discovering some incredible animal super-powers. Creatures that can create slime as strong as steel, survive massive extremes of temperature or even turn invisible. Animal super-powers that have inspired scientists and engineers to create brand new human inventions that could change the way we live. He discovers how the husky's paw can help American footballers; how a strange eel-like creature with a skull but no skeleton might be the next best thing to a spider; how the kingfisher could revolutionise air-sea rescue; and how the cuttlefish has enabled a military tank to pretend it's a small family saloon.
S1E3 • Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature • 2012 • Nature
Richard Hammond continues his exploration of weird and wonderful animal abilities by focusing on super-senses, and discovers how those same animal senses have inspired some unlikely human inventions. Richard gets buried in a Californian gold mine, attempts to talk to a rattlesnake by telephone, and is taken for a ride by a monster truck that drives itself. Along the way, he encounters elephants who can talk to each other through solid rock; seals who use their whiskers to sense the shape, size, speed and direction of an object that passed over thirty seconds earlier; and a blind cyclist who relies on fruit bats to get him safely down a twisting mountain bike trail.
S1E2 • Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature • 2012 • Nature
In this first episode, he discovers how the Cape vulture has inspired a flying submarine; how a giraffe's neck can stop a jet pilot losing consciousness; how a woodpecker's skull can safely protect a light bulb dropped from space; and how a South American butterfly holds the secret to making any mobile phone waterproof.
S1E1 • Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature • 2012 • Nature
The frozen poles are home to the planet's ultimate survivalists, including polar bears, penguins and Arctic wolves; their world is changing fast -- breaking apart under their feet -- and their resilience will be tested beyond the extreme.
S1E6 • Hostile Planet • 2019 • Nature
Deserts are getting even hotter, drier and bigger, yet a host of remarkable animals still survive in the harshest of conditions, including cunning hyenas, pint-sized meerkats and sand-dwelling spiders.
S1E5 • Hostile Planet • 2019 • Nature
In the grasslands, animals endure freezes, fires, floods, and droughts; bull elephants clash in mating battles; cheetahs and gazelles engage in a predator-and-prey dance in the Kenyan savanna; bison battle a blizzard while being pursued by wolves.
S1E3 • Hostile Planet • 2019 • Nature
Delving beneath the surface of the Earth's oceans to uncover a world of extraordinary extremes, including crushing depths, stormy coasts, vast blue deserts, and crowded reefs; how seals fend off sharks; how orcas fight to survive.
S1E2 • Hostile Planet • 2019 • Nature
The highest mountains on Earth are home to snow leopards, golden eagles, mountain goats, barnacle goslings, and gelada monkeys; only the toughest of animals can endure the extreme weather, scarce food supplies and limited oxygen on these peaks.
S1E1 • Hostile Planet • 2019 • Nature
The Auckland Islands are an isolated archipelago of islands far south of New Zealand. They might seem bleak, but they are a surprising sanctuary for wildlife. In summer, hordes of giant sea lions descend upon a desolate beach, and testosterone-driven males begin bloody battles for mating rights. When the pregnant females return to give birth on the beach, chaos ensues. The pups are always in danger of being squashed by overly eager males. Some of the rarest penguins on the planet, the yellow-eyed penguins, are also breeding here and must constantly evade the huge brawling male sea lions. Southern royal albatross, giant petrels and skuas are other species that go to extremes to ensure their offspring’s survival. The drama of summer in the sub-Antarctic islands peaks as the sea lion pups dare to take their very first ocean swims.
2019 • Nature
Naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall leads a team on a mission to summit a remote and unclimbed mountain deep in Greenland’s Arctic wilderness.
Steve Backshall visits unexplored parts of the world. This time his team is kayaking in the Arctic - they face perilous sea ice and have a terrifying encounter with a polar bear.
Humanity’s history has been full of great architects. However, what is less well known is that animals are also very talented. Embark on a surprising journey along with bowerbirds, ants, beavers, and chimpanzees to discover their secret skills.
2019 • Nature
Florida is famous for its beaches, blue water and year round sun – but it also has a surprising wild side. It's home to pine forests, coral reefs and the famous Everglades wetland, the largest sub-tropical wilderness in the US. Here, manatees swim in crystal clear rivers, baby alligators practice their hunting skills and miniature deer roam free. Every year, this state faces the full forces of nature - from wildfires to flooding and powerful hurricanes. And today, a growing human population and a cast of animal invaders are threatening this wild paradise. With the help of pioneering scientists, will Florida’s wildlife continue to weather the storm?
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
Africa's largest herd of elephants and a fearless pride of young lions come face to face in an epic fight for survival. Rarely do their worlds collide, until now. This is no chance conflict; nature has played its part. Drought has weakened the elephants, and the lions are desperately hungry. The dawn of the giant killers has arrived.
Natural World • 2014 • Nature
The need for fresh water is as strong as ever. However, the supply is becoming increasingly unpredictable for all manner of species.
S1E7 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
Venture into the deep, dark and desolate oceans that are home to an abundance of beautiful -- and downright strange -- creatures.
S1E6 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
Cameras follow desert elephants seeking sustenance, bison roaming North American grasslands and caterpillars living the good life underground.
S1E5 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
From fearsome sharks to lowly urchins, 90 percent of marine creatures live in coastal waters. Protecting these habitats is a battle humanity must win.
S1E4 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
Jungles and rainforests are home to an incredible variety of species like preening birds, intelligent orangutans and remarkably ambitious ants.
S1E3 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
On the unforgiving frontier of climate change, polar bears, walruses, seals and penguins find their icy Edens in peril.
S1E2 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
Witness the planet's breathtaking diversity -- from seabirds carpet-bombing the ocean to wildebeests eluding the wild dogs of the Serengeti.
S1E1 • Our Planet • 2019 • Nature
The final programme comes from St Abbs in Scotland and looks at whether herring are making a comeback, and there's exploration into the lesser-known British coral reefs.
S1E5 • Blue Planet UK • 2019 • Nature
Steve finds out how washing our clothes is harming our marine life. Why has the fish and chips supper changed? And which lobster is making a comeback? Plus why is one man fascinated by 'the Christmas Tree fish of the sea? Chris finds out. Presented from Herne Bay in Kent .
S1E4 • Blue Planet UK • 2019 • Nature
In Herne Bay in Kent, Steve makes a jaw-dropping discovery of sharks teeth on the beach. Looking at how bad fatbergs are for the arteries of our seas. Plus we soar high over Mull with Sea eagles, and Chris meets a photographer who believes we have the best marine life in the world.
S1E3 • Blue Planet UK • 2019 • Nature
Steve uncovers the historic secrets of seabirds in Yorkshire, Gillian finds out how we're stressing our sea creatures, and Chris meets a retired couple adding to shark science.
S1E2 • Blue Planet UK • 2019 • Nature
From St Abbs in Scotland, Steve reveals how ocean plastic rubbish is turned into kayaks that clean up our seas, Gillian goes oyster fishing in Cornwall and Chris meets author Philip Hoare who thinks we should all take a daily dip in the sea.
S1E1 • Blue Planet UK • 2019 • Nature
An exploration of Australia’s mesmerising wildlife and how they have adapted to survive in the human environment, including a dancing peacock spider in a suburban garden.
Part 3 • Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
A natural history exploration of Australia’s magical coasts and islands, where three oceans create the perfect environment for whales, giant cuttlefish and sharks.
Part 2 • Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
A look at one of the most magical lands on the planet. Its unique wildlife includes tree-dwelling kangaroos, spiders that survives under water and a bird that spreads fire.
Part 1 • Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom • 2019 • Nature
David Attenborough reveals that the animal inhabitants of this vast wilderness are every bit as extraordinary as they are bizarre. Unearthly calls of the notorious Tasmanian devil echo through the land, but following them over the course of a year reveals a surprisingly gentle side. In the dry east, rare white wallabies graze on the plains and jack jumper ants build huge nests – these venomous ants are amongst the most dangerous on earth. In the west, where it can rain nearly every day of the year, caves light up with the magical spectacle of thousands of glow-worms, and the trees are 100-metre towering monsters. Rivers are home to the peculiar platypus, and world’s largest freshwater invertebrate, the Tasmanian giant lobster. Miniature penguins come ashore to breed, and as winter approaches, the southern lights dance in the sky. Tasmania’s isolation and unique climate has created a world that is as weird as it is wonderful.
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
In the final programme of this week-long ocean health check, we find out what the future holds for the next generation of marine life and how we can help.
S1E4 • Blue Planet Live • 2019 • Nature
As marine life around the world embarks on epic journeys across the planet’s oceans, we discover how ocean traffic, over-fishing and noise pollution could have an impact.
S1E3 • Blue Planet Live • 2019 • Nature
In a race to find out what great pressures confront life in our ocean, the team continue their mission to investigate the effect human impact has had on our marine ecosystem.
S1E2 • Blue Planet Live • 2019 • Nature
Chris Packham, Liz Bonnin and Steve Backshall explore our oceans and its wildlife, to find out how marine life is coping in the face of increasing environmental pressure.
S1E1 • Blue Planet Live • 2019 • Nature
Vultures are the birds that many people love to hate, but cameraman and naturalist Charlie Hamilton James sees them as beautiful and intelligent creatures that deserve respect. He believes that to appreciate them, people just need to spend time with them and he headed to East Africa to do exactly that. His journey exposes not only a softer, more caring side to these maligned birds but also a much bigger story, one that leaves vultures needing many more admirers.
Natural World • 2014 • Nature
In Tokyo, there are unapproachable "lost islands" with unspoiled environs and rich wildlife. Minami Iwo-to, part of the Ogasawara island chain, is about 1,300km from the Japanese capital. Normally, entry is banned to protect the environment. An exception was made in 2017 for the first comprehensive scientific survey in 10 years. The island compresses multiple climate zones into a small area, offering researchers a rare opportunity to view evolution in action. Braving an arduous climb and a swarm of seabirds, the team discovers one new species after another.
2019 • Nature
In Tokyo, there are unapproachable "lost islands" where unspoiled environs cradle rich wildlife. Sofugan is a 100-meter-high solitary rock pillar standing in the ocean 650km south of the capital city's center. Remote and difficult to access, it had never been explored in detail. A group of scientists and engineers set out on a two-year survey. This program records their journey, along with the creatures they discover - from unusual species amongst the rugged rocks to mysterious marine life in the surrounding deep sea.
2019 • Nature
In the last 30 years the world's urban areas have almost tripled in size, changing at a rate wildlife has never experienced before. As cities are built, animals are pushed out of their natural homes. Their stories are the most surprising and captivating of all. Today, these 'wild outcasts' find themselves fighting for their place in a land that once belonged to them. In this episode we feature elephants in Sri Lanka and see that competition between them and humans for land and resources is resulting in deadly territorial conflicts, which demand solutions. And on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica we meet a troop of capuchin monkeys and learn how our behaviour is affecting them, and raising big questions about their future. But we also discover where we learn to live with wildlife as neighbours, and give it the space and resources it needs, it can thrive. The resulting relationships between human and animals can be mutually beneficial. We meet an Amsterdam heron called Kiri who has been visiting the same house twice a day for the last 17 years, befriending its owner, and the Florida manatees whose population has recovered to such an extent under the guardianship of local human residents that, in recent years, they have been taken off the endangered species list, and contributed to a massive boom in the local tourism industry. We meet the swiftlets who have evolved to live only in people's houses and specially built swiftlet hotels in Indonesia. And the surprising story of a population of tiny foxes on a Californian island whose presence benefits the hardened military personnel of a US naval base. This hopeful but realistic episode culminates with the return of charismatic ocean giants to the world's most iconic city, as humpback whales breach against the New York skyline.
S1E3 • Cities: Nature's New Wild • 2018 • Nature
More than a billion people around the world commute into cities each day, and they are not alone. The world's wildlife is commuting too. A steady flow of animals journey in and out of cities to find food and shelter or to start a family. Leaving the wilderness they must overcome the unique challenges that the urban world throws at them to benefit from the opportunities on offer. This episode explores whether the secret to an animal's success in this fast-changing world is to keep one foot in the wild and one in the city, becoming a wild commuter. It seems that all over the world animals are finding that the city can offer opportunities that are harder to come by in the natural world. Some, like African penguins, whose population has plummeted by 80 per cent in the last 50 years, find shelter in the city. By nesting in Cape Town they are safer from predators, and with relatively easy access to their fishing grounds they have the best of both worlds. Many other animals commute into cities because they are filled with food. In St Lucia, South Africa, that includes hippos. Able to eat up to fifty kilograms of grass in a single sitting, they have developed a taste for the short, manicured lawns and come to town every night to dine out. St Lucia's human residents have learnt to give the hippos the space they need during their night-time raids. Black bears need to eat more than 20,000 calories a day to survive their six-month hibernation through winter, and using their acute sense of smell they can easily track down leftovers. In North America they come into towns and cities in search of food. Many animals displaced from their natural habitat are now using their wild skill set in the city to help fulfill their needs. Could this be the beginning of a new and very modern migration?
S1E2 • Cities: Nature's New Wild • 2018 • Nature
The world's cities are growing at a faster rate than any other habitat on the planet. And while most of us imagine them to be concrete jungles devoid of nature, for animals of all shapes and sizes they are just a new habitat filled with new and surprising opportunity. With similar needs to humans, these wild animals face similar challenges, and like us, if they play their cards right, they can find everything they need in the city. With the natural world shrinking, and our urban centres continuing to grow, adapting to life in the city has never been more important. This first episode examines what it takes for these wild residents to thrive in the newest and fastest changing habitat on the planet. From smooth-coated otters at home in Singapore and huge colonies of megabats in Adelaide to reticulated pythons living on the streets of Bangkok, experience our cities through fresh eyes - the eyes of the animals that live in them, and discover a wilder side to a world we think we know.
S1E1 • Cities: Nature's New Wild • 2018 • Nature
Diablo the giant otter lives in a lake in the jungles of Peru, with his unruly family of six cubs. Even at the tender age of six months, they need to learn how to survive in this dangerous paradise. Their dad teaches them to swim and eventually to catch piranha for themselves, but they must also learn to stay away from the neighbours from hell - the giant caiman. These large members of the crocodile family are a real threat to the giant otter family and Diablo must go to extraordinary lengths to try to protect his cubs. Charlie Hamilton-James returns to the place he first filmed Diablo. Following the family over several months, sometimes in very difficult conditions, he discovers how perilous a home this is for the cubs and watches them develop under the careful guidance of their father. He also films remarkable scenes of the giant otters fighting caimans.
Natural World • 2013 • Nature
Bill Bailey introduces a delightfully eccentric cast of creatures that have chosen to do things differently. Odd, unconventional and unusual - these are animals that don't normally grab the limelight. They include the parrot that has forgotten how to fly, the bear that has turned vegetarian, a chameleon that is barely bigger than an ant, and a penguin that lives in a forest. Nature's Misfits reveals the extraordinary and rarely seen lives of these evolutionary oddballs along with their strange habitats, unusual forms and the incredible hurdles they overcome.
Natural World • 2014 • Nature
Uncover the variety of activity, both human and natural, that occurs on the slopes of active volcanoes. Take a terrifying descent into the crater of one of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes alive today. James Naughton narrates.
PBS Nature • 2019 • Nature
Experience the natural world through the eyes of the Vikings. From the killer whales of the North Sea to the volcanic mounts of Iceland, see the deep history and cultural respect the Vikings had with the land and sea. Ewan McGregor narrates.
PBS Nature • 2019 • Nature
Discover how humans have partnered with the horse throughout the centuries, creating more than 350 breeds found all around the world.
S1E2 • Equus Story of the Horse • 2019 • Nature
The relationship between man and his noble steed is almost as old as civilization itself, allowing our species to explore, conquer and flourish side by side with the horse.
S1E1 • Equus Story of the Horse • 2019 • Nature
David Attenborough journeys to both Polar Regions to investigate what rising temperatures will mean for the people and wildlife that live there and for the rest of the planet. David starts out at the North Pole, standing on sea ice several metres thick, but which scientists predict could be Open Ocean within the next few decades. The Arctic has been warming at twice the global average, so David heads out with a Norwegian team to see what this means for polar bears. He comes face-to-face with a tranquilised female, and discovers that mothers and cubs are going hungry as the sea ice on which they hunt disappears. In Canada, Inuit hunters have seen with their own eyes what scientists have seen from space; the Arctic Ocean has lost 30% of its summer ice cover over the last 30 years. For some, the melting sea ice will allow access to trillions of dollars worth of oil, gas and minerals. For the rest of us, it means the planet will get warmer, as sea ice is important to reflect back the sun's energy. Next David travels to see what's happening to the ice on land: in Greenland, we follow intrepid ice scientists as they study giant waterfalls of meltwater, which are accelerating iceberg calving events, and ultimately leading to a rise in global sea level. Temperatures have also risen in the Antarctic - David returns to glaciers photographed by the Shackleton expedition and reveals a dramatic retreat over the past century. It's not just the ice that is changing - ice-loving adelie penguins are disappearing, and more temperate gentoo penguins are moving in. Finally, we see the first ever images of the largest recent natural event on our planet - the break up of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, an ice sheet the size of Jamaica, which shattered into hundreds of icebergs in 2009.
S1E7 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
The documentary series reveals the extraordinary riches and wonders of the Polar Regions that have kept people visiting them for thousands of years. Today, their survival relies on a combination of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science. Most Arctic people live in Siberia, either in cities like Norilsk - the coldest city on earth - or out on the tundra, where tribes like the Dogan survive by herding reindeer, using them to drag their homes behind them. On the coast, traditional people still hunt walrus from open boats - it is dangerous work, but one big walrus will feed a family for weeks. Settlers are drawn to the Arctic by its abundant minerals; the Danish Armed Forces maintain their claim to Greenland's mineral wealth with an epic dog sled patrol, covering 2,000 miles through the winter. Above, the spectacular northern lights can disrupt power supplies so scientists monitor it constantly, firing rockets into it to release a cloud of glowing smoke 100 kilometres high. In contrast, Antarctica is so remote and cold that it was only a century ago that the first people explored the continent. Captain Scott's hut still stands as a memorial to these men. Science is now the only significant human activity allowed; robot submarines are sent deep beneath the ice in search of new life-forms, which may also be found in a labyrinth of ice caves high up on an active volcano. Above, colossal balloons are launched into the purest air on earth to detect cosmic rays. At the South Pole there is a research base designed to withstand the world's most extreme winters. Cut off from the outside world for six months, the base is totally self-sufficient, even boasting a greenhouse.
S1E6 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
There is no greater test for life than winter, as temperatures plummet to 70 below and winds reach 200kph. Darkness and ice extend across the polar regions and only a few remarkable survivors gamble on remaining. We join a female polar bear trekking into the Arctic mountains to give birth as the first blizzards arrive. Out on the frozen ocean, the entire world's population of spectacled eider ducks brave the winter in a giant ice hole kept open by ferocious currents. Arctic forests transform into a wonderland of frost and snow - the scene of a desperate and bloody battle between wolf and bison, but also where a remarkable alliance between raven and wolverine is made. Beneath the snow lies a magical world of winter survivors. Here tiny voles dodge the clutches of the great grey owl, but cannot escape the ultimate under-show predator - the least weasel. Midwinter and a male polar bear wanders alone across the dark, empty icescape. Below the snow, polar bear cubs begin life in an icy den while fantastical auroras light the night skies above. In Antarctica, we join male emperor penguins in their darkest hour, battling to protect precious eggs from fierce polar storms. Weddell seals escape to a hidden world of jewel-coloured corals and alien-looking creatures but frozen devastation follows as sinister ice stalactites reach down with deadly effect.
S1E5 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
For the animals in the polar regions, autumn means dramatic battles and epic journeys. Time is running out - the Arctic Ocean is freezing over and the sea ice is advancing at 2.5 miles per day around Antarctica. Polar bears gather in large numbers on the Arctic coast as they wait for the return of the ice. Soon, tempers fray and violent sparring contests break out. Meanwhile 2,000 beluga whales head for one special estuary, a gigantic 'whale spa' where they will thrash their snow-white bodies against the gravel and exfoliate. Inland, the tundra undergoes a dramatic transformation from green to fiery red. Here, musk ox males slam head-first into each other with the force of a 30mph car crash as they struggle to defend their harems. Frisky young caribou males play a game of 'grandma's footsteps' as they try to steal the boss's female. Down in Antarctica, Adelie penguin chicks huddle together in creches. When a parent returns from fishing, it leads its twins on a comical steeplechase - sadly there's only enough for one, so the winner gets the meal. Two months later and the chicks are fully feathered apart from downy Mohican hairdos - they're ready to take their first swim - reluctantly though, as it seems penguins are not born with a love of water! And with good reason - a leopard seal explodes from the sea and pulls one from an ice floe, a hunting manoeuvre that has never been filmed before. As winter approaches and everyone has left, the giant emperor penguin arrives and makes an epic trek inland to breed. The mothers soon return to the sea leaving the fathers to hold the eggs and endure the coldest winter on earth.
S1E4 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
It is high summer in the Polar Regions, and the sun never sets. Vast hordes of summer visitors cram a lifetime of drama into one long, magical day; they must feed, fight and rear their young in this brief window of plenty. Summer is a tough time for the polar bear family, as their ice world melts away and the cubs take their first swimming lesson. Some bears save energy by dozing on icy sun beds, while others go egg-collecting in an Arctic tern colony, braving bombardment by sharp beaks. There are even bigger battles on the tundra; a herd of musk oxen gallop to the rescue as a calf is caught in a life and death struggle with a pair of Arctic wolves. But summer also brings surprises, as a huge colony of 400,000 king penguins cope with an unlikely problem - heat. The adults go surfing, while the woolly-coated chicks take a cooling mud bath. Nearby, a bull fur seal is prepared to fight to the death with a rival. Fur flies as the little pups struggle desperately to keep out of the way of the duelling giants. Further south, a minke whale is hunted amongst the ice floes by a family of killer whales. The dramatic chase lasts over 2 hours and has never been filmed before. The killers harry the minke whale, taking it in turns to wear it down. Eventually it succumbs to the relentless battering. Finally, comical adelie penguins waddle back to their half a million strong colony like clockwork toys. The fluffy chicks need constant feeding and protection as piratical skuas patrol the skies. When an unguarded chick is snatched, a dramatic "dogfight" ensues.
S1E3 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
Spring arrives in the polar regions, and the sun appears after an absence of five months; warmth and life return to these magical ice worlds - the greatest seasonal transformation on our planet is underway. Male Adelie penguins arrive in Antarctica to build their nests - it takes a good property to attract the best mates and the males will stop at nothing to better their rivals! But these early birds face the fiercest storms on the planet. In the Arctic, a polar bear mother is hunting with her cubs. Inland, the frozen rivers start to break up and billions of tons of ice are swept downstream in the greatest of polar spectacles. This melt-water fertilizes the Arctic Ocean, feeding vast shoals of Arctic cod and narwhal. The influx of freshwater accelerates the breakup of the sea-ice - an area of ice the size of Australia will soon vanish from the Arctic. On land, a woolly bear caterpillar emerges from the snow having spent the winter frozen solid. Caterpillars normally become moths within months of hatching, but life is so harsh here that the woolly bear takes 14 years to reach adulthood. Once mature it has only days to find a mate before it dies! Alongside the caterpillars white Arctic wolves race to raise their adorable cubs before the cold returns.
S1E2 • Frozen Planet • 2011 • Nature
Antarctica is the most remote and pristine wilderness on the planet. , It is a timeless and harsh land like no other. Night here can last three months and in the peak of summer the sun never sets. To understand how life can exist in this continent of snow and icebergs you must spend a year there. You discover that despite being the least habitable place on Earth, life abounds in Antarctica. Megafauna such as humpback whales and orca, massive seals and stately penguins all take the brutal conditions head on and thrive in this year on ice.
2017 • Nature
Following extreme diver and biologists Laurent Ballesta and acclaimed photographer Vincent Munier, exploring for the first time sub-glacial lakes deep under the ice pack and decoding the secret weapons of wildlife and micro-organic life thriving under such extreme conditions.
S1E2 • Expedition Antarctica • 2016 • Nature
An expedition which will help viewers decipher Antarctica's key role in climate regulation and see the challenges the iconic Emperor penguin faces in the light of climate change. Discover the secrets of these polar environments on the ice and underwater and get close and personal with the emperor.
S1E1 • Expedition Antarctica • 2016 • Nature
On 12th September 2015, a 30-ton humpback whale breached and landed on Tom Mustill and his friend Charlotte Kinloch as they paddled a sea kayak in Monterey Bay, California. Incredibly, both survived the incident, but the near-death experience haunted documentary maker Tom and left him wondering if the whale was deliberately trying to hurt them. To find the answer, Tom returned to California in 2018 to investigate. Tom meets those who have survived similar hair-raising encounters and the experts who know the whales best. What he discovers raises far bigger questions, not just about what happened that day but also about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
Natural World • 2019 • Nature
The tropical climate and varied topography of Costa Rica have fostered exceptional biodiversity, with wildlife from both North and South America. From the peaks of volcanoes down to the Pacific and Caribbean shores. Discover the life of 90 of the most remarkable animals in this remarkable country.
2018 • Nature
Deep in the remote basin of the Pacific Ocean is an island where dragons still roam, a Jurassic-type underworld, where every day is a fight for supremacy and survival. Welcome to Komodo Island, home to the world's largest living lizard on the planet, the Komodo dragon. Witness the start of a new era as we follow the island's current monarch, Drogo. He has just overthrown the old king and must now defend his title against a group of young dragons, here on one of the harshest and hottest habitats on the planet.
2016 • Nature
Follows the first few months of a newborn humpback calf's life, as he learns to fend off the many hazards of the open ocean with the help of his devoted mother.
2019 • Nature
First transmitted in 1965, David Attenborough retraces the steps of the famous Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone in the final part of his African adventure.David Attenborough starts his journey in Sesheke, on the northern bank of the Zambezi river in the Western Province of Zambia. Retracing Livingstone’s Zambezi expedition takes him from Sesheke to Victoria Falls, named by Livingstone in honour of Queen Victoria, through to Zumbo and Tete in Mozambique.Using extracts from Dr Livingstone’s journal David Attenborough revisits African traditions and ceremonies that shocked Livingstone at the time, such as a masked dance featuring the Makishi devil.
First transmitted in 1965. David Attenborough continues his journey along the Zambezi River. This episode begins at Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. At the foot of the falls, with its moist climate, a wealth of plants and animals can be found, such as hyraxes. To coax the hyraxes out of hiding, David Attenborough illustrates why taking a dog whistle with you while on an African adventure is a very good idea indeed. Other highlights encountered on the way include an estivating lungfish and a herd of elephants washing and dust bathing at a water hole.Further along his journey David Attenborough explores a Portuguese fortress at Tete, believed to have been built over 400 years ago, and assesses the impact of the then newly constructed Kariba Dam, one of the largest dams in the world, on the displaced Tonga people and surrounding countryside.
At the start of his journey, Attenborough meets some of the people and animals that have made their home along the river in Zambia. He is invited to witness the Kuomboka festival, featuring the Litunga, chief of the Lozi people of western Zambia, and his people. In the festival they migrate from Lealui to Limalunga, before Lealui is flooded by the Zambezi. The spectacular ceremony consists of a fleet of barges, many containing the Lotunga’s possessions, making the journey up the river accompanied by heavy drumming of the royal Maoma drums. Other highlights include David Attenborough joining the Litunga as he opens the court and presides over the inauguration ceremony.
This episode is a pioneering exploration of the latest discoveries concerning the Amazon - by far the greatest river on Earth. It is the river of superlatives, flowing more than 4,000 miles from the Andes to the Atlantic. Its 1,100 tributaries drain the greatest river basin on the planet and along its incredible journey it collects and transports one-fifth of the world's fresh water. Due to its enormous size, it still hides secrets.
S1E1 • Earth's Great Rivers • 2018 • Nature
Are you genetically destined to despise brussels sprouts? We’re all human, but why are we all so different? With the help of a line-up of dogs and many sets of twins, Prof Alice Roberts explores what makes each of us totally unique.
S1E3 • Who Am I (Royal Institution Christmas Lectures) • 2018 • Nature
Professor Alice Roberts explores the story of human evolution, revealing how a humble African ape became a successful global species. With daring parkour athletes and life-size primate animatronics, Alice explores the greatest leaps in our evolution by conjuring fire and re-enacting how we spread across the globe.
S1E2 • Who Am I (Royal Institution Christmas Lectures) • 2018 • Nature
Professor Alice Roberts meets our ancient ancestral family, from armadillos to sharks, and discovers our true place in the tree of life. With 4D scanning, giant origami and a ukulele, they will explore evolution like never before.
S1E1 • Who Am I (Royal Institution Christmas Lectures) • 2018 • Nature
Take a cross-country flight over Ireland's natural wonders and ancient ruins. In this spectacular overview of the historically significant Emerald Isle, we explore the sites, the people, and the milestones of this unique gem of Western Europe.
2017 • Nature
Take an epic voyage over the remote island nation of New Zealand, the last habitable landmass to be discovered on the planet. No bigger than the state of Colorado, this small country offers an incredibly diverse landscape view that changes dramatically with each mile. From snow-capped mountains to sandy beaches, and from the glacier-carved Fiordland National Park to the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand is a land of extremes. It's a place where fire clashes with ice and people are always pushing the limits.
2017 • Nature
It's death on an unimaginable scale, when a majority of Earth's species quickly die out. It's called "mass extinction," and it's happened at least five times before. Cataclysms, such as supervolcanoes or asteroids, are thought to cause these events, but some experts believe a man-made mass extinction could be next. Is our planet in trouble? And if so, is there anything we can do to stop the next catastrophic annihilation? Experts are traveling the world, performing groundbreaking scientific detective work to answer these very questions.
2014 • Nature
Join us as we fly the skies of Zambia. Explore natural wonders, sacred places, and one of Africa's most pristine wildlife sanctuaries. We also delve into the nation's complex past and its transformation into a proudly independent African nation.
S1E6 • Aerial Africa • 2017 • Nature
Soar over Namibia as we take you on a tour of an ancient world, from the oldest desert on Earth to the emerald green waters of the Kunene River. On the journey, we delve into the country's rich culture, reborn from the shadows of its past.
S1E5 • Aerial Africa • 2017 • Nature
At the southern tip of Africa, where two oceans collide, the flat-topped Table Mountain stands guard over a diverse metropolis of cultures and people. Take flight over the Western Cape and discover the breathtaking wonder of this province from above.
S1E4 • Aerial Africa • 2017 • Nature
Take flight across Botswana's sprawling Kalahari Desert, through the Okavango Delta, and deep into its dynamic history. During the journey, Botswana's history of ancient civilizations, notorious slave traders, and enormous wealth are brought to life.
S1E3 • Aerial Africa • 2017 • Nature
Journey over the lands of South Africa. From mountains forged billions of years ago to mines full of riches, and from landscapes formed by Shaka Zulu to the Ubuntu philosophy, experience the beauty and spirit of this remarkable nation.
S1E2 • Aerial Africa • Nature
The southern edge of Africa is a microcosm of natural and human history. It's where wilderness, ancient relics, and modern industry collide. Join us for a soaring look at Africa's Wild South Coast.
S1E1 • Aerial Africa • 2017 • Nature
The members of the Nsefu pride take a huge risk: they're leaving their home turf, and crossing the Luangwa River in search of prey. Navigating croc-infested waters is a challenge, especially for the pride's yearling, dubbed the Misfit. It's a foolhardy gamble, but hunger has forced their hand. If they're to succeed, they'll need the Misfit to come of age-their very survival depends on it.
Great Parks of Africa • 2018 • Nature
As the first animal to be domesticated, pigeons have a story to tell. A drama filled, steeped-in-history, amazing story. Although they’ve faded into the background of city life, pigeons have made an incredible contribution to human history. For centuries, we relied on them for everything from food, to vital communications, to entertainment to modern day brain science. They deserve more respect! The ones you see on city streets today are the descendants of domestic birds. Their gritty urban lives are spent trying to evade all manner of perils…and… stay one step ahead of starvation, a constant threat. To survive where they’re not wanted, pigeons rely on a combination of charity from a few and their own incredible smarts…. In a series of fascinating experiments and carefully placed cameras, we take you inside their perilous world; in the air, on the street and in the nest. One of the first things to notice is just how incredibly smart they are.
S54E07 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • Nature
In the thick of the jungle of Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, an infant mountain gorilla has been caught in a snare. If the rope is not removed quickly enough, the young gorilla could lose its hand. In order to remove the snare, a team of veterinarians will first need to sedate the infant's mother. But if the infant screams too much, the three 400-pound adult males that form part of this gorilla group will all attack. Everything must go perfectly, or there's no telling what could happen. And being jungle medicine, things rarely go perfectly. The pioneering group of vets performing this medical intervention is known as Gorilla Doctors. Led by Canadian Mike Cranfield, they work in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where the world's last Mountain Gorillas can be found.
S54E02 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • Nature
Their habitat once stretched across the Prairies, but when humans wiped out the one thing they eat, the black-footed ferret disappeared. The only native North American ferret, this mysterious animal became the most endangered species in the world. For many years, they survived only in zoos. Now a fledgling project is attempting to bring the black-footed ferret back to Saskatchewan. This dramatic story of the ferrets’ reintroduction to the wild unfolds in Return of the Prairie Bandit, a new documentary by Kenton Vaughan set in the stunning prairie of southern Saskatchewan.
S50E13 • The Nature of Things • 2011 • Nature
In an effort to outwit raccoons, are we pushing their brain development and perhaps even sending them down a new evolutionary path? Using high-definition, infrared cameras that turn pitch dark into daylight; we take viewers deep inside a world that was once shrouded in mystery – to gain new insights and understanding about a species that is far more elusive and wily than most people ever imagined. “There is a lot we don’t know, and the more we’ve looked at raccoons, the harder they are to understand.” — Stan Gehrt, Wildlife Biologist & Internationally recognized raccoon expert
S50E14 • The Nature of Things • 2011 • Nature
See the world through the eyes of nature’s fastest animal: the peregrine falcon. Though once perilously endangered in the U.S., this spectacular predator is now thriving again in American cities and on every continent but Antarctica. What is the secret to its predatory prowess? Join expert falconer Lloyd Buck as he trains a captive peregrine and puts its hunting skills to the test.
Documentary following endangered species fighting for their survival. A painted wolf matriarch's feud with her daughter threatens to bring the dynasty down.
The film shows how polar bears are adapting to changing conditions in their environment or, in some cases, failing to adapt.
The Nature of Things • 2012 • Nature
We flail, we swat, we sweat. We spray, cover up, and hide. But still the tiny, fearsome mosquito penetrates our best defenses. ZAPPED: the buzz about mosquitoes is the story of our ongoing struggle to conquer a little insect that is both delicate and deadly. As the program reveals, this beautiful and versatile blood-sucker has always managed to stay one step ahead of us. As tortured as we are Zapped uncovers, in exquisite detail, how the mosquito goes about its handiwork. It's really only the females that are the problem – they need our blood to incubate their eggs. And, out of more than 3500 species, only 200 or so transmit disease.
S52E08 • The Nature of Things • 2013 • Nature
The leatherback sea turtle is a magnificent creature that can be found in Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. This ancient species swims faster, travels further, and dives deeper than any other reptile on the planet. In the Atlantic, they migrate every year from their nesting grounds in the Caribbean to the chilly waters off the east coast of Canada where they feast on jellyfish. This epic annual journey – at a staggering 12,000 km – is the longest for any reptile in the world.
S53E13 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • Nature
A Dog’s Life reveals how our best friends perceive the world - from the moment they take their first morning walk to the time they curl up at our feet to go to sleep. We accompany Daisy, a Jack Russell Terrier, through an average day and on the way discover that, while dogs are not miniature humans, they are amazingly well adapted to life with us. But how well do we know them? A Dog’s Life explores the widely assumed facts that may actually be based on faulty and out-dated research. Is your dog really like a wolf? Does she need you to be the “alpha” dog, so she knows where to fit into your pack? Do they really see in black and white? Is it true that dogs have an amazing sense of direction?
S53E07 • The Nature of Things • 2013 • Nature
Part wolf, part coyote this new hybrid species is the subject of a startlingly beautiful new film called Meet the Coywolf. A documentary that will both shock and amaze you. Coywolves emerged from a thin strip of land at the southern end of Algonquin Park less than a hundred years ago. Their arrival on the scene marks a rare event, the creation of a brand new hybrid species. A formidable wild animal that has spread across North America at an unprecedented pace, returning a new top predator to territories once roamed by wolves. Zoologist Roland Kays of the New York State Museum has been tracking these new creatures and describes them as having "a coyote like skull with wolf like teeth".
S52E10 • The Nature of Things • 2013 • Nature
Elephant poaching worldwide has reached epidemic proportions. In Kenya, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust provides a sanctuary for baby elephants who are its greatest victims, left to die without the nurture and protection of their matriarchal herds. In 2010 a baby elephant named Sities was rescued and brought to the Trust’s Nairobi Nursery to begin her rehabilitation. Her remarkable story was followed by audiences worldwide who watched her progress from day one. Now three years later we catch up with Sities, who has reached the age where she can be integrated into the wild elephant herds of Tsavo East National Park. HOW TO BE A WILD ELEPHANT observes the challenges Sities will face as she leaves the safety of the Nursery and moves on to the next phase of her journey back to freedom.
S53E11 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • Nature
Documentary following endangered species fighting for their survival. David, a chimpanzee in Senegal, tries to overcome threats to his leadership and ensure an heir.
Supermarkets are stocked with fruit year round in a global permanent summertime, but despite its accessibility, have we lost the diversity that makes it so special? The second episode of The Fruit Hunters will look at what happens when we abandon the Garden of Eden for an industrialized monoculture. In lush jungles of Borneo, Bala Tingang, an elder of one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes, lives of the wild fruits that are the key to his tribe's survival. And yet, all around the world, natural diversity is being replaced with monocultures, plantations of only one variety, bred for long shelf life and transportability rather than their taste or health properties. Not only is this lost of diversity impoverishing our taste buds, but it has catastrophic implications for our food security. In the vast uniform banana fields of Honduras, Juan Aguilar, a banana scientist, frantically tries to breed a banana resistant to a deadly fungus.
S52E12 • The Nature of Things • 2013 • Nature
A journey through nature, commerce and adventure, The Fruit Hunters takes us from the dawn of humanity to the cutting of edge of modern agriculture — a series that will change not just the way we look at what we eat, but what it means to be human. The Fruit Hunters' first episode, "The Evolution of Desire," explores the origins of fruit's diversity and tells the story of humanity and fruit's intimate co-evolution. Every variety of fruit has a story, the story of the person who cultivated an individual plant, and then shared something wonderful with the world. To preserve this diversity is to retain this living memory. A passionate few, the fruit hunters, fight to preserve this diversity in a world increasingly dominated by economically driven monoculture.
S52E11 • The Nature of Things • 2013 • Nature
The Great Butterfly Hunt tells the story of incredible journeys. The first is that of the remarkable Monarch migration, which is the longest insect migration on Earth, is. The second story is that of Fred Urquhart, the determined Canadian scientist who spent 40 years trying to discover exactly where the butterflies mysteriously disappeared when they flew south for the winter. The Great Butterfly Hunt is a beautiful and colourful one-hour program that combines the spectacular visuals from Flight of the Butterflies with the production’s behind-the-scenes look at how such films get made. On Thursday, January 2, when many Canadians will be groaning about the long grey winter ahead, The Great Butterfly Hunt will remind audiences of the promise of spring. And, at a time when the monarch population is in rapid decline, viewers will have an opportunity to watch one of Nature’s most dramatic feats unfold.
S53E10 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • Nature
Is it possible that plants are smarter than we think? They are among the world's oldest and most successful organisms and represent some of the strangest and longest living life forms on the planet. Stunningly diverse, plants have served us in many critical ways, from providing food, shelter and clothing to life-saving medicine. And yet we know very little about them. A luscious exploration of the natural world, Smarty Plants effortlessly integrates pioneering science with a light hearted look at how plants behave, revealing a world where plants are as busy, responsive and complex as we are. From the stunning heights of Utah's Great Basin Desert to the rainforests of Canada's west coast, Smarty Plants follows lead scientist and ecologist JC Cahill as he treks the green world and discovers that plants are a lot more like animals than we ever imagined. The world he reveals is one where plants eavesdrop on each other, talk to their enemies, call in insect allies to fight those enemies, recognize their relatives and nurture their young.
S51E17 • The Nature of Things • 2012 • Nature
Thanks to a recent remarkable discovery in the BBC's film vaults, the best of David Attenborough's early Zoo Quest adventures can now be seen as never before, in colour, and with it the remarkable story of how this pioneering television series was made. First broadcast in December 1954, Zoo Quest was one of the most popular television series of its time and launched the career of the young David Attenborough as a wildlife presenter. It completely changed how viewers saw the world, revealing wildlife and tribal communities that had never been filmed or even seen before. Broadcast ten years before colour television was seen in the UK, Zoo Quest was thought to have been filmed in black and white, until now. Using this extraordinary new-found colour film, together with new behind-the-scenes stories from David Attenborough and cameraman Charles Lagus, this special showcases the very best of Zoo Quest to West Africa, Zoo Quest to Guiana and Zoo Quest for a Dragon in stunning HD colour for the very first time.
2016 • Nature
Our body is a true time machine. It is a mirror of the history of the living world. If an engineer today had to fabricate the ideal human, he would most likely not design us the way we are currently made. He would go to the most logical, the most efficient, the most rational; and when you look closely, this is not always what characterizes us.
S1E1 • The Secret History of our Evolution • 2018 • Nature
Canada is in the grip of snow and ice, and animals are struggling. But while some animals hunker down, others have babies to raise.
S1E4 • Canada: A Year in the Wild • 2018 • Nature
Summer is the season of plenty for most animals, but not polar bears. Unable to hunt seals until the sea freezes over again, they grow hungrier by the day. For other animals summer is when youngsters must learn how to survive.
S1E2 • Canada: A Year in the Wild • 2018 • Nature
Left to their own devices, birds have reached almost all ends of the Earth - still, humans can do many things to help their feathered friends.
S1E10 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
Laying eggs and keeping nests are two things that keep birds grounded.
S1E8 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
Male birds show off in the exotic ritual of mating.
S1E7 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
Cameras follow birds as they dive into fresh and salt waters for their meals.
S1E5 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
Birds eat more than berries; this episode takes a look at birds that eat meat.
S1E4 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
Discovering the role of beaks within various species of birds.
S1E3 • The Life of Birds • 1998 • Nature
France is known for its delicious food and wines, great art and architecture and celebrated culture of all kinds. But there’s another side to this popular destination that is not as visible, its wild side. Deep in the French countryside, it is possible for the adventurous to spot brown bears, wild boar, griffon vultures or wolves.
PBS Nature • 2015 • Nature
On the other side of the world under the crystal clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean lies one of the most enchanting places on the planet. Over ten thousand miles away on the north eastern coast of Australia lies the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of our world. It provides shelter to some hidden wildlife sanctuaries that contain some magical marine creatures. Iolo Williams dives deep beneath the surface of the coral sea to discover what state this natural wonder is in. He travels from the extreme swells of the northern part of the reef right down to the cooler pristine corals of the south. He discovers how healthy the Great Barrier Reef really is in some of its key locations to see and find out if there are real signs of hope the reef can survive the threat of global warming.
2018 • Nature
Documentary using groundbreaking computer graphics and close-up photography to reveal the inner alchemy that gives four extraordinary hunters the edge, from the moment they detect their prey through to the vital kill. Soaring above the people of London is the fastest animal on the planet, the peregrine falcon, on a mission to kill for her chicks. Off the coast of South Africa the world's largest predatory fish, the great white shark, has just completed a 7,000-mile journey and is hungry for seal blubber. On the plains of Africa the fastest land animal, the cheetah, struggles to provide for her cubs as her enemies move in. And having survived a drought by entering into a state of suspended animation, the prehistoric Nile crocodile is poised to ambush his dinner.
2010 • Nature
We look at the ways in which plants have adapted to survive in the harshest climates on Earth. Whether in the driest, hottest deserts or the coldest Arctic wastes, plants have come up with some ingenious ways of surviving, including eating animals and actually caring for their offspring.
S1E6 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
The fifth programme explores the alliances formed between the animal and plant worlds. It examines the ways in which plants live together and rely on each other. Whether living together in harmony, relying on each other for homes, protection or food, or living off each other, by strangling or otherwise destroying each other in a bid to survive.
S1E5 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
This episode examines how plants either share environments harmoniously or compete for dominance within them. It looks at the ways in which plants have to fight to survive, using any means available, be it excessive growth, capitalizing on disaster or even courting.
S1E4 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
This instalment looks at the ways in which plants procreate. Examining how plants use brightly coloured flowers and sweet scents to lure animals to them so they can spread their seeds to other flowers.
S1E3 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
This episode shows the ways in which plants defend themselves against animals, and grow in search of sunlight, nutrients and water, all the elements needed to survive.
S1E2 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
Using time-lapse photography this episode examines the ways in which plants travel from place to place in search of a new area to grow in.
S1E1 • Private Life of Plants • 1995 • Nature
Life in the Undergrowth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough
Extra • Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • Nature
Making Of (Special Fly On The Wall inserts at the end of each programme will explore, in greater detail, how the BBC's Natural History Unit was able to capture such stunning footage for the first time.)
Extra • Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • Nature
The penultimate episode focuses on the relationships between invertebrates and plants or other animals. It begins with ants and aphids: the former 'herd' the latter and protect them in return for secreted honeydew.
Part 4 • Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • Nature
The third instalment examines the spiders and others that produce silk. Attenborough visits New Zealand's Waitomo Caves, which are inhabited by fungus gnats whose illuminated larvae sit atop glistening, beaded filaments to lure their prey.
Part 3 • Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • Nature
The first episode tells how invertebrates became the first creatures of any kind to colonise dry land. Their forerunners were shelled and segmented sea creatures that existed 400 million years ago. Some of them ventured out of the water to lay their eggs in safety, and Attenborough compares those first steps with today's mass spawning of horseshoe crabs off the Atlantic coast of North America.
Part 1 • Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • Nature
What changes has the Earth has undergone through the eyes of the puma and leopard? From the almost complete disappearance of American wildlife to the rise of man and the industrialized and urban areas of the modern 21st century. Big cats face numerous threats to their survival.
S1E3 • Age of Big Cats • 2018 • Nature
The era of the sabretooth and many other Pleistocene creatures comes to an end. The biggest big cats ever, the lion and the tiger, become the kings of their respective habitats - but they had to fight for their place. To survive, these great cats target larger and more challenging prey.
S1E2 • Age of Big Cats • 2018 • Nature
The Pleistocene Era, when packs of saber-tooths ruled. The arrival of the new cats; early snow leopards, cheetahs, and jaguars, marked a turning point in the evolutionary track. Their emergence as their innovative hunting techniques and physical advantages enable them to dominate their habitats.
S1E1 • Age of Big Cats • 2018 • Nature
From crowned lemurs to Bornean orangutans, the higher we move up the primate family tree, the closer their behavior mimics our own-especially when it comes to family and raising young. Peer into the astonishing adaptations that highlight the lengths primates will go to preserve and build family bonds.
S2E6 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
What's appealing about a nosy tapir with an appetite for its own poop? How about a baby gelada that crawls awkwardly on its behind? The adaptations these baby animals employ may seem strange, but they're vital to their growth and survival. Join us as we cozy up to some of nature's most peculiar young ones.
S2E5 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
To say some baby animals are dependent on their parents is an understatement. At Caversham Wildlife Park in Australia, a koala joey can always be found clinging to its mom's body, and Asian small-clawed otter pups share a lifetime family bond. Enjoy a heart-warming look at mother-baby animal relationships.
S2E4 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
For many endangered baby animals, the right zoo can mean hope for the entire species. Watch an endangered red panda cub get a warm welcome at Cornwall's Newquay Zoo, a rare baby macaque receive care from parents and keepers alike at the Dudley Zoological Gardens, and more.
S2E3 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
For many animals, group living offers protection, better food, and more social opportunities. For their young, it's a valuable education. From flamboyant flamingo mating dances, to elephant calves growing up under the watchful eye of the group matriarch, peer into some of nature's most tight-knit social groups.
S2E2 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Losing a parent in the wild can be deadly for young animals, but these orphans got lucky when conservationists stepped in. Meet clouded leopard cub sisters taken in by the Nashville Zoo, a baby wombat raised in an artificial pouch at Tasmania's Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, and more.
S2E1 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Meet Hope, an orphaned baby moose being raised by a goat. Nearby, watch three unruly baby raccoons cause havoc between meal times. These are some of the adorable inhabitants of Park Omega, Quebec--a place where threatened animals get a second chance.
S1E7 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Despite being born with survival instincts, some baby animals need extra help to thrive in their environment. Watch as hamadryas baboons, gentoo penguins, emperor tamarins, and capybaras all work as a family to help raise the next generation.
S1E6 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
They might be young and vulnerable, but every second of these baby animals' lives is a training ground, preparing them for their destiny as an elite predator. Watch as young lions, coyotes, cheetahs, and foxes engage in the kind of play that prepares them for life at the top of the food chain.
S1E5 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
When you're a baby zebra, muskox, or pronghorn, there is no shortage of predators eyeing you as their next meal. From learning defensive herding to early sprinting skills, these vulnerable newborns hit the ground running with keen survival instincts.
S1E4 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Some species need to be part of a group to survive--more so when they're in their infancy and taking their first, uncertain steps into the world. Join in the rough-and-tumble lives of black bear cubs, playful meerkat pups, and adorable fur seals.
S1E3 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
For many animals, from lemurs to hummingbirds, the maternal bond is one of the strongest forces in nature. Not only do mothers carry their young everywhere, feed them, and help teach them essential life skills, they're also their primary source of comfort and security.
S1E2 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Gorillas, rhinos, and elephants, three of nature's largest animals, deliver enormous babies. But the immense size of these newborns stands in stark contrast to their vulnerability. Everything from feeding to protection against predators to learning essential life skills falls on one devoted parent: their mothers.
S1E1 • Baby Animals • 2016 • Nature
Located on the Malilangwe Game Reserve in southern Zimbabwe, this 800-year-old baobab is a remarkable tree containing its own ecosystem. Capable of withstanding extreme drought by storing water in its hollow trunk, it draws a multitude of wildlife, from elephants who strip its bark in search of food, to vultures that nest on its branches. Remarkably, it also has another gift: a velvety fruit packed with an astonishing cocktail of nutrients. To witness the baobab is to be awed by the natural forces that produced it.
The Namaqua rock fig is known as the rock splitter. It's not just a testament to its ability to withstand the dry conditions, but a literal tribute to its powerful root system, which extends 200 feet into the Earth in search of water. Besides the army of wildlife who rely on it for survival, the rock splitter has a unique relationship with its own species of miniature wasp that help pollinate its tiny flowers. As temperatures soar each passing year, this ultimate survivor reaches deeper to squeeze every drop of water from the parched land.
In the misty and lush tropical forest surrounding South Africa's Soutpansberg Mountains, a 600-year-old outeniqua yellowwood tree reigns supreme. It's 115 feet tall, and a source of food and shelter for an array of plants and animals. Crowned eagles construct massive nests in her fold, and Samango monkeys take refuge in her branches. As if it wasn't unique enough, this ancient, endangered tree has no flowers, instead reproducing through male and female cones-a marvel of the natural world, and a true South African treasure.
In the northeast corner of Botswana, the rainy season is months away. The sausage tree offers a beguiling oasis for wildlife--from birds and insects, to much larger mammals like elephants--all reeling from the dry conditions. Then, as the rains descend, brilliant red flowers bloom and entice parrots, squirrels, and sunbirds to help with pollination. Summer allows the sausage tree to live up to its name, delivering massive, sausage-shaped fruit, a nutritious feast and a cornerstone of life in this exotic ecosystem.
Across the dunes of the Kalahari, a towering, 200-year-old tree extends its branches to the heavens. This camel thorn Acacia is a secret refuge for those in the know. Colonies of sociable weavers use its branches for their oversized nests. Oryx, kudu, and other herbivores feed on her ripened pods, helping soften the seeds for germination. As the rainy season descends, its branches become draped with golden flowers, a magnet for pollinating insects. For many, the Acacia is a 'tree of life.' It's a relationship as old as the Kalahari itself.
This documentary focuses specifically on insects. Giving you an unbelieveably up close and intimate view of the many unique secrets of the bug world. Answering scientific questions on how and why they have evolved certain bizarre adaptations, whilst using stunning imagery never seen before.
2018 • Nature
Peanut, Hero and Tarzan are three cheeky monkeys. They live on the paradise Indonesian island of Sulawesi with the rest of their gang of crested black macaques. These very special primates are found nowhere else in the world. Twenty-five years ago, wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson visited Sulawesi for the first time and now he's returned. Fascinated by the monkeys, Colin hopes to reveal their sometimes violent, often playful and, just like our own, highly political world. What he discovers leads him on a much bigger journey than he was ever expecting.
Natural World • 2013 • Nature
On the southern coast of Africa lies Algoa Bay--a protected refuge for the continent's only penguin species. Join them in their quest for survival as they brave unforgiving elements to build an unlikely marine community.
S1E4 • Coastal Africa • 2016 • Nature
At the southern tip of Africa lies an underwater forest of haunting beauty. Venture into the depths of this singular world of strange plants and exotic sex-changing fish as they take refuge in this fertile and unique ecosystem.
Coastal Africa • 2016 • Nature
Just off the southern coast of Africa, beneath the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, lies a safe zone created by a unique confluence of geography and climate: a sanctuary with a vibrant concentration of dazzling aquatic life. Embark on an underwater adventure into a marine wilderness stronghold.
S1E2 • Coastal Africa • 2016 • Nature
On the rocky southern tip of Africa lies a narrow peninsula held hostage by the elements. From pounding ice-cold waves to relentless sun, the extreme conditions demand toughness and adaptability from its resident wildlife.
S1E1 • Coastal Africa • 2016 • Nature
David Attenborough tells the revealing story of this Caribbean island's exotic but vulnerable wildlife. A team of conservation champions are making it their mission to save the most precious species. We see how Puerto Rican parrots, manatees and turtles are now making a comeback.
Natural World • 2018 • Nature
The world's biggest beasts have always captured the imagination. But whilst being big can have its advantages, it also comes with sizeable challenges. Take the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, whose huge appetite means it must take on prey ten times its weight, or the tallest animal of them all - the giraffe - who, with such a long neck, must control immense blood pressure. Nature's biggest beasts must go to extraordinary lengths to thrive. These are their epic survival stories!
Natural World • 2018 • Nature
Liz meets the animal rebels who will stop at nothing to survive. From cockatoos vandalising houses in Sydney, to crabs who hold nemones hostage to protect themselves, it seems there are no lengths these animals won't go to. Liz sets out to see these animals in action, revealing the science behind their extreme behaviours. She meets the sloth whose disgusting hygiene habits may help hide it from predators, the stone martens who cause millions of pounds' worth of damage to cars to protect their territories and the chimpanzees who use bullying tactics to get to the top. As Liz discovers, when life in the wild gets tough, this outrageous behaviour could just be the key to survival.
S1E3 • Animals Behaving Badly • 2018 • Nature
Liz meets the animal rogues doing whatever it takes to find food. From kleptomaniac crabs on a stealing spree, tigers deceiving their prey and chimpanzees waging war on their neighbours, the need for a square meal can drive many animals to some seemingly extreme behaviour. Liz sets out to discover the science behind these tactics, joining experts making new discoveries around the world. She sees macaques using psychology to pull off a theft, a spider conning its prey with a chemical disguise and the wedge-billed hummingbird stealing nectar from under the beaks of its rivals. When it comes to finding food, this outrageous behaviour is actually an ingenious way to get ahead.
S1E2 • Animals Behaving Badly • 2018 • Nature
Liz Bonnin meets the animals using outlandish means to find a mate and raise a family. From feisty mongooses who start wars to pick the perfect partner, to swaggering peacocks faking a mating call and thieving macaques who kidnap babies to get ahead, the natural world appears to be rife with animal rogues.
S1E1 • Animals Behaving Badly • 2018 • Nature
From powerful sharks to mysterious fish shoals, the underwater dynamic between predator and prey is a never-ending one. Join these amazing creatures as they employ both offensive and defensive evolutionary adaptations, such as sharp senses and swarm intelligence, in their bid for survival.
Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
Staying alive is the first priority for all creatures--and with clever adaptations like poison and mimicry, some species defy the odds to outwit predators. From the hoverfly to the scarlet kingsnake, join us on a fascinating rundown of some uniquely successful survivors.
S1E5 • Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
From the stealthy tarantula to the prehistoric Komodo dragon to the deceptive mosquito--one of the more prolific modern predators--killers come in all shapes and sizes. Join us as we examine the deadly adaptations of these cold-blooded culprits.
S1E4 • Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
Some of the most skilled, efficient predators on the planet target an often-overlooked food source: insects. Get a closer look at the sophisticated hunting techniques of dragonflies, scorpions, Venus flytraps, and other cunning bug eaters.
S1E3 • Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
Aerial predators like owls, falcons, and eagles have keen senses that allow them to see and hear things that would normally go unnoticed by other species. Fly alongside these magnificent raptors at the Canadian Raptor Conservancy in Ontario as they showcase the full range of their hunting abilities.
S1E2 • Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
Lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and the highly intelligent African painted dog all have different, but brutally efficient, hunting instincts. Meet these intimidating rulers of the African plains and learn the secrets of their secure reign at the top of the natural food chain.
S1E1 • Attack and Defend • 2016 • Nature
Two North American species have nearly vanished from their natural habitat in the course of the last century, due to a host of human and environmental factors. Can the elk and the wild turkey of Ontario be successfully brought back? Join the team of daring and ambitious scientists making it happen.
S1E8 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
Bat populations are plummeting from a seemingly unstoppable fungal infection. Meanwhile, northern flying squirrels are being crowded out by their southern cousins. Learn about the life-or-death challenges faced by key wildlife in two of the Great Lakes region's most delicate ecosystems.
S1E7 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
What can the struggles of sturgeons and muskrats, two key Great Lakes species, tell us about the impact of upstream dams on the local ecosystem? Join conservationists as they assess the threats to the habitats of these animals and weigh options to counteract the damage before it's too late.
S1E6 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
Peregrine falcons are slowly rebounding from the edge of extinction, while snapping turtles face different life-threatening challenges. Learn about conservation efforts in Ontario, Canada to help give these threatened species a boost while they fight back.
S1E5 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
Should a creature's bad reputation impact its survival prospects? As the venomous massasauga rattlesnake edges towards extinction and cormorants in Toronto destroy the trees they nest in, accommodating these misunderstood species has never been more important.
S1E4 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
The Lake Erie water snake, once on the brink of extinction, now looks to be rebounding--thanks mainly to the invasive goby fish that's wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes ecosystem. Can scientists studying this environmental anomaly find a healthy ecological balance?
S1E3 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
Of the more than 180 invasive species found in the Great Lakes, two in particular stand out for their indiscriminate devastation: the fast-breeding Asian carp and the deadly sea lamprey. Join the front lines of an urgent battle to limit the impact of their ecological damage.
S1E2 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • Nature
On an island in the world's largest freshwater lake, a single, isolated population of moose battle for survival against a pack of wolves. Find out how this delicate ecosystem in the midst of Lake Superior reveals invaluable scientific information on the dynamics of predator-prey relationships.
S1E1 • Great Lakes Wild • 2017 • 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
S1E2 • Secrets of Our Living Planet • 2012 • Nature
The Orange River travels almost two-thirds the length of South Africa to reach its most scenic checkpoint: The mighty Augrabies Falls. Widely regarded as one of the six great waterfalls on Earth, it is also an interminable source of hydration and food for the wildlife that live near its waters.
S1E9 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
Sandwiched between the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers in South Africa lies Pafuri, a multi-habitat area with astonishingly biodiverse animal and plant life--including the famous fever tree, rumored to cause illness to anyone who lives near it. Dive into this secret corner of Kruger National Park.
S1E8 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
Garden Route National Park is a patchwork of protected areas that safeguard a range of land and marine habitats in southern Africa. Take a tour of this conservationist paradise offering hope for creatures as varied as the humpback whale, the blue duiker antelope, and the Knysna seahorse--the only endangered seahorse in the world.
S1E7 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
Chobe is Botswana's first national park, as well as the name of the mighty river that runs through it. Explore how its iconic species, like elephants, baboons, and lions, pass on their secrets of survival to the youngest members of their families.
S1E6 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
The riverbeds that carve their way through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offer a tantalizing promise of life, as well as a fierce test of survival. Explore the hidden lifelines that create a fragile link for the creatures that inhabit this unwelcoming wilderness.
S1E5 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
From mountain zebras to shy and secretive caracals, Karoo National Park showcases a diversity of creatures who have adapted to demanding environmental conditions. Scale the varying altitudes of this nature reserve's vast landscape.
S1E4 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
The name iSimangaliso means "Miracle" in Zulu--and the sheer number of species sustained by this diverse haven live up to this name. Explore this rare sanctuary, home to some of the world's most striking and iconic creatures, including the black rhino and the giant leatherback turtle.
S1E3 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
Nicknamed "Cape of Storms," Table Mountain National Park teems with life despite its unforgiving weather conditions. Dive into the contrasts of this harsh world and learn about the life it harbors, including the fynbos--plant life that demands brush fire in order to spread its seeds and rejuvenate.
S1E2 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
The vast plains of Addo Elephant National Park stretch more than 600 square miles into South Africa's interior. Embark on a thrilling journey through this unique wilderness sanctuary and meet its most endangered resident: the African elephant.
S1E1 • Great Parks of Africa • 2017 • Nature
The squirrel family is one of the most widespread on earth, so what is the secret to their success? There are squirrels that can glide through the air, outwit rattlesnakes and survive the coldest temperatures of any mammal. We uncover the extraordinary abilities of these cheeky characters, putting their problem solving to the test on a specially designed assault course. We team up with some of the world's top squirrel scientists who are making groundbreaking discoveries - from the fox squirrel who can remember the location of 9,000 nuts to the grey squirrel whose tree-top leaps are the basis of new designs in robotics. We also see the world through the eyes of an orphan red squirrel called Billy, as he grows up and develops all the skills he will need to be released back to the wild. It is time to meet the animal family we should never underestimate - the super squirrels.
Natural World • 2018 • Nature
A polar bear mother keeps watch over her cub as they wait for the coming winter and the plentiful feeding opportunities it brings. But there are threats abound: from cannibalistic male bears, to the devastating impact of climate change, which has delayed the seasonal freeze and put them at risk of starvation.
S1E8 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
Every year, thousands of salmon make their way upstream along the nearly 2000-mile-long mighty Yukon River, desperate to reach spawning beds. Eagerly checking their progress is a host of hungry predators, from grizzly bears to bald eagles-all desperate to stock up on protein before the long winter months ahead.
S1E7 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
Every summer, the frozen waters of Hudson Bay partially thaw for a few short months. For migrating beluga whales, it's a seasonal window of feeding and breeding opportunities, but for polar bears, it's a famine-filled test of their survival. Explore the shifting fortunes of a vibrant Arctic world.
S1E6 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
North Atlantic bowhead whales have the largest mouths of any living creature and can live up to 200 years. In fact, some still carry harpoon fragments from a century ago. Join two intrepid Inuit tribesmen as they venture into the harsh Arctic region known as Ninginganiq to witness a gathering of these mysterious and awe-inspiring giants.
S1E5 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
As the days shorten and the temperature drops, the inhabitants of Nunavik, Quebec prepare to face the approaching arctic winter. Watch as muskoxen fatten up, ptarmigans hunt for berries, and Inuit make use of the last warm days of the year.
S1E4 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
The Mackenzie Delta is an Arctic network of channels and islands at the mouth of Canada's largest river. It's home to the ancient Inuit, as well as a variety of highly specialized wildlife, including the sonorous sandhill and majestic peregrine falcon. Follow them as they contend with a rapidly changing climate.
S1E3 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
Canada's Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island in the world--and with good reason. Temperatures below freezing for nine months of the year and an annual rainfall comparable to the Gobi Desert leave the icy landscape so barren that NASA uses it to simulate conditions on Mars. Take an exhilarating expedition into a land where only the most experienced Inuit hunters dare set foot.
S1E2 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
The American Dipper can plunge its head into freezing Arctic water up to 60 times a minute. In the summer, ferocious mosquitoes can draw up to a pint of blood a day from caribou. Take a fascinating look into the Arctic seasons and the impact that rising sea levels have on local wildlife, and, ultimately, our own world.
S1E1 • Arctic Secrets • 2015 • Nature
The Maldives are the lowest country in the world-and getting lower, due to rising sea levels. Especially at risk is the island's reef system, the biggest in the Indian Ocean, with over 200 types of coral and thousands of tropical fish species. Witness the race to preserve this marine paradise from the ravages of climate change.
13 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Beneath Indonesia's coral reef, tiny creatures have made the murky seabed their home. Here, you'll find shrimps that kill with a whip-fast punch, toxic nudibranch sea slugs, and six of the nine species of the world's walking sharks. Dive into the depths of this unlikely ocean ecosystem.
12 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Indonesia's marine rainforests are under threat, and rising sea temperatures and destructive fishing practices have taken a toll. However, conservation initiatives in hundreds of protected marine zones have given hope to the giant manta rays, 300 species of coral, and six of the world's seven sea turtle species that call this ecosystem home.
11 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
The vibrant reef ecosystem of Raja Ampat, off the coast of Indonesia, is home to a conservation sanctuary twice the size of Singapore. It's one of the few places on Earth where two different species of manta ray live side by side. Join a dedicated team of conservationists as they track these mysterious creatures to safeguard their future.
10 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
In Palau, the local economy relies on ecotourism that's sustained by strong legal support. Shark hunting is banned, giant manta rays are protected by law, and tireless efforts are made to combat the acidification an ocean ecosystem housing coral reefs. But can ambitious conservation keep pace with the scale of man-made devastation?
9 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Palau has set up the world's first shark sanctuary-a California-sized marine zone where hunting these endangered predators is strictly prohibited. Can this tiny island-nation defend against a sophisticated army of poachers? Join the front lines to save one of the ocean's most cherished and endangered predators.
8 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
In three decades, the waters around the remote village of Cabo Pulmo have gone from wildly biodiverse, to barren, to a bountiful and pristine haven for mighty sharks and flying rays once again. See how local fishermen ultimately turned back the clock, restoring one of the world's most majestic coral reefs.
7 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Across the 3,000 scattered islands of the Bahamas lie visions of unexpected wonder. Experience its unique natural marvels-from towering pine forests to tangled mangrove swamps, to a mysterious labyrinth of underwater caves.
6 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second-largest coral reef system in the world. Estimated to be nearly 4,000 years old, its waters are home to an immense marine ecosystem. Explore a deep blue wilderness brimming with rare, exotic fish, sea turtles, sharks, and huge green morays.
5 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Explore the wild blue Caribbean waters of Cozumel, a lush paradise packed with marine surprises. From the spectacular Paso Del Cedral coral reef to the world's longest subterranean underwater cave system, go where only the bravest divers dare venture.
4 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Forty miles north of Honduras, near the Bay Island of Roatan, is a spectacular and pristinely preserved coral atoll: the Mesoamerican Reef. Explore the abundant and diverse marine life, lush vegetation, and magnificent caves of this rare underwater wonder.
3 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Jacques Cousteau once called Cocos Island "the most beautiful island in the world." Beyond its pristine rainforest is a marine wilderness brimming with multicolored fish, enormous sea turtles, and vast schools of sharks.
2 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
Three hundred and seventy miles off the coast of Mexico in the eastern Pacific, the waters surrounding Socorro Island are home to some of the world's largest marine life. Take a deep dive through surging currents and majestic coral reefs with whale sharks, giant manta rays, and more.
1 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature
The rains are late. It is the most brutal time of year. Babies born into drought face starvation. The weak and the injured are weeded out. Everything is desperate for rain. When it finally arrives, it is a downpour on an enormous scale. Alien creatures emerge into a different world. The wet season begins.
S1E3 • The Big Dry • 2017 • Nature
It’s October in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. The hottest and harshest time of year. But this year dry season conditions are exacerbated by a global El Nino event… the Valley is in the throes of drought. There’s been no rain since April and desperate animals are drawn to the only remaining source of water in the Valley – the dwindling Luangwa River...
S1E2 • The Big Dry • 2017 • Nature
The Luangwa Valley in Zambia experiences one of the toughest dry seasons imaginable. Seven months with no rain and spiralling temperatures. And with this year’s El Nino conditions the drought is threatening to be even more intense than usual.
S1E1 • The Big Dry • 2017 • Nature
Formed from the remains of a 2.5 million-year-old imploded volcano, the Ngorongoro crater is a study in contradictions: On one hand, it's a self-sustained and plentiful land that provides for the many animals that call it home. Conversely, its isolation threatens the existence of many of its key species. What does the future hold for this unique habitat?
S1E6 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
While the immense ecosystem of the Kalahari is characterized by its harsh conditions, it also offers a wealth of resources to the native wildlife. From the burrows of nocturnal bat-eared foxes to the massive colonies of harvester ants, the region provides habitats for a vast array of life.
S1E5 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
Journey deep into the heart of Swaziland--a wild kingdom of riverine forests and endless savanna. From dominant elephant herds to tiny dung beetles, a number of diverse keystone species are shaping a vibrant ecosystem.
S1E4 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
Deep within the arid expanse of the Kalahari Desert lies a true anomaly of nature: a land shaped by the unstoppable flow of inland floods to create one of the greatest wildlife havens in Africa. Experience the life-giving might of the Okavango Delta, in all its lush beauty.
S1E3 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
Two billion years ago, a giant meteorite crashed into southern Africa's interior plateau, forming a six-mile-deep crater. Today, the site of this cataclysmic event is the Vredefort Dome--a dazzling and rich ecosystem of unique plant and animal life.
S1E2 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
Take a trip through the spectacularly diverse terrain of the Waterberg--a South African land so old it was formed before terrestrial life itself. Today, its sprawling grasslands are home to some of the most eclectic wildlife on Earth, all sustained by the region's abundant water supply.
S1E1 • Africa's Wild Horizons • 2017 • Nature
How do animals experience the world around them? How does what they see impact their place in nature and how has their place in nature impacted what they see? We asked Professor Thomas Cronin to show us how the most interesting and prolific eyes in the animal kingdom work and how they came to be.
2018 • Nature
David Attenborough travels to the Jura Mountains in the Swiss Alps, to find out about one of the largest animal societies in the world, where over a billion ants live in peace.
2017 • Nature
Follow the adventures of the filmmakers behind "Big Pacific". This "Making Of" special explores the highlights and challenges of wildlife filmmaking.
S1E5 • Big Pacific • 2017 • Nature
In the Pacific, the quest to multiply has spawned a stunning array of unusual behaviors and adaptations. There are forest penguins with a tenuous marriage, the secret rendezvous of great white sharks, and the tale of male pregnancy.
S1E4 • Big Pacific • 2017 • Nature
There is plenty of food in the Pacific Ocean, but it is the challenge of finding that food that drives all life in the Pacific. In the voracious Pacific we meet a destructive army of mouths, a killer with a hundred mouths and the biggest mouth in the ocean.
S1E3 • Big Pacific • 2017 • Nature
Surrounded by the Ring of Fire, the Pacific Ocean is the epicenter of natural mayhem. Violence is part of life in the Pacific and creatures that live here must choose whether to avoid conflict or rise to meet it.
S1E2 • Big Pacific • 2017 • Nature
Man has explored land, the oceans surface, and large parts of the solar system, and in the 21st century we are just beginning to explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean. We yearn to unravel the mysterious Pacific but she does not give up her secrets willingly.
S1E1 • Big Pacific • 2017 • Nature
Two male ocelots, among the rarest wild cats of the Pantanal, are fighting it out over a freshly killed anaconda. In the distance, the loudest land animal in the Western Hemisphere, the howler monkey, fills the air with its primal cry. There's excitement at every turn in this protected South American wetland.
5 • Brazil Untamed • 2016 • Nature
A young jaguar embarks on the first solitary hunt of his adult life, deep in the Pantanal, a vast wetland 10 times larger than the Everglades. His target is a savage caiman, a relative of the crocodile, who will fight back for any opportunity to turn the tables on his inexperienced predator.
4 • Brazil Untamed • 2016 • Nature
At first glance, they look like pigs, but they're actually white-lipped peccaries from the Brazilian wetlands of the Pantanal, 10 times the size of the Everglades. Follow scientists as they track these mysterious mammals in their daily quest for food, while keeping a watchful eye for their main predator: jaguars.
3 • Brazil Untamed • 2016 • Nature
In the heart of Brazil lie the immense wetlands of the Pantanal--an area 10 times the size of the Florida Everglades. In the dry season, over 650 species of birds descend onto the shallow marshes to feast, breed, and raise their young, including the the regal jabiru, the colorful hyacinth macaw, and the noisy chacalaca.
2 • Brazil Untamed • 2016 • Nature
Venture into the lush confines of the Brazilian Pantanal, host to an assortment of unusual creatures with similarly strange habits. Among these, you'll encounter the piraputanga fish that leaps out of the water to pluck fruit off low-hanging branches and the lowland tapir--the largest land mammal in South America--who can eat up to 100 lbs. of vegetation each day.
1 • Brazil Untamed • 2016 • Nature
For the last decade, a team of frontline medics has been fighting to save Borneo's critically endangered orangutans. Armed with cameras, International Animal Rescue has documented their struggle: pulling apes from devastated jungle, giving emergency medical care, rehabilitating and releasing the healthiest orangutans back into the wild. This is both the story of their life-saving work and of how one of our closest wild relatives has been pushed to the brink of extinction. Combining genuine rescue footage with contributions from experts throughout, this documentary looks toward the future and asks what hope remains to save the orangutan.
2018 • Nature
In the 1950s, Howard Hughes eyed purchasing the precious Exuma Cays--that is, until the Bahamian government intervened to protect the untouched gems. Set sail with the scientists, tour guides, and guards who have carried on that legacy to protect reefs, patrol waters, and propagate coral.
S1E5 • Ocean Parks • 2015 • Nature
The Mesoamerican Reef is the second longest on the planet--a threatened world of coastal wetlands, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds. That it exists at all is testament to decades of tireless activism, sustainable tourism, responsible fishing, and strict policing. Join us as we tour its many delights.
S1E4 • Ocean Parks • 2015 • Nature
Decades ago, Monterey Bay National Sanctuary was on the brink of ecological disaster. Today, it is a lush world of sandy sea floors and twisting seaweed jungles. Explore the home of 525 species of fish and 34 species of marine mammal, including the only species of sea lion with a growing population.
S1E3 • Ocean Parks • 2015 • Nature
With coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and vibrant coral reefs, the Florida Keys are home to a wealth of underwater environments, all connected by what scientists have dubbed the 'Corridor of Life.' Take a journey through the vital underwater sanctuaries that preserve these delicate ecosystems.
S1E2 • Ocean Parks • 2015 • Nature
With crystal-clear waters, breathtaking marine life, and teeming biodiversity, the Caribbean island of Bonaire is a top destination for ecotourists. Visit one of the world's great ocean parks and see how the influx of travelers is fueling an ambitious project to conserve it.
S1E1 • Ocean Parks • 2015 • Nature
The older a species, the better it is at adapting to change. From the ancient lineage of sharks, who've evolved into perfect predators, to the living fossil known as the bichir, get a closer look at some of nature's enduring evolutionary masters.
S1E6 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
Bees and ants work selflessly toward a common goal. Bonobos maintain social harmony through sex, while meerkats organize themselves with military-level discipline. What do these creatures all have in common? The basic recognition that their survival hinges on an ability to work and live together.
S1E5 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
From penguins whose salt-removing eye glands shield them from the harsh ocean to caterpillars whose fake facial markings are meant to mimic a snake's, animals have evolved in amazing ways to see and be seen. Meet these creatures and see how they use eyes and illusions to their advantage.
S1E4 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
Clownfish can change genders, male seahorses carry their young, and some snakes have remnants of leg bones--but why? Discover how significant evolutionary changes inside these creatures have equipped them for survival.
S1E3 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
When did we start riding horses? When did dogs become man's best friend? Answering questions like these help us understand our impact on other species' evolutionary journeys - a crucial step toward ensuring our survival doesn't necessarily come at the expense of their own.
S1E2 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
Why are vultures bald? Why do some orangutans have big cheeks? And if giraffes have long necks to help them reach the highest leaves, why do they mostly eat low-lying shrubs? Embark on a whirlwind tour around the world as we explore some of nature's most-fascinating evolutionary wonders.
S1E1 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature
A pioneering team of zoologists and botanists, in search of new creatures and plants, gets rare access to Brazil's highest and most isolated mountain, the Pico da Neblina.
2018 • Nature
There are more than 370 species of birds unique to Australia, including flightless wonders like the prehistoric-looking cassowary and the dramatic male Victoria's riflebird, whose elaborate and flamboyant mating ritual just can't be ignored. Venture into the natural habitat of these avian oddities as they showcase their unique takes on family life.
S1E4 • Wild Birds of Australia • 2018 • Nature
Much of Australia consists of vast tracts of uninhabited land, a perfect hunting ground for the country's imperious birds of prey. From the brown falcons that feed on the country's deadliest snakes, to eagles that have been known to start fires on purpose so they can hunt fleeing animals, soar above the diverse habitats of this island continent in the company of its most accomplished aerial predators.
S1E3 • Wild Birds of Australia • 2018 • Nature
Emus are unique: Native only to Australia, they're the second largest bird in the world and can trace their lineage back to the dinosaurs. When males incubate their eggs, they don't eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom until the job is done. Follow the fascinating life of this flightless bird as it stubbornly defies the odds by doing things its own way.
S1E2 • Wild Birds of Australia • 2018 • Nature
Despite their diminutive stature, little penguins are a formidable species. They spend months at sea hunting, they mate for life, and when gulls threaten to steal their hard-earned fish, they band together in groups for self-defense. Journey to the sandy beaches of Southern Australia, where the tiniest penguin species on the planet is living large.
S1E1 • Wild Birds of Australia • 2018 • Nature
They are among the most hated and feared animals on the planet - only few people recognize their beauty. This documentary features some of Europe's most stunning species, like the European adder, the nose-horned viper, the dice snake, the ringed snake and the Aesculapian snake. So watch out next time you're walking in the park. After a winter safe in burrows, sometimes in bundles of hundreds, the spring's warmth brings them back to life.
2016 • Nature
From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic sounds of our fellow creatures. What are they saying? While we believe language sets us apart, some animals demonstrate they can learn our language—like Chaser the dog, who recognizes hundreds of words, and Kanzi the bonobo, who appears to have a sophisticated understanding of spoken English. But can we decode their own communications? NOVA Wonders follows researchers around the globe who are deciphering an amazing array of clues that reveal how animals share information critical to their survival. Will we one day be able to write the bat dictionary or decode the hidden sign language of chimps? And what can these findings tell us about the roots of our own language?
1 • Nova Wonders • 2018 • Nature
Exploring an unknown world 10,000 m beneath the waves. After capturing a giant squid on film, NHK's deep-sea film crew explores our planet's deepest point The Mariana Trench is nearly 7 miles deep. The water pressure is immense, and it's a world that's long been out of our reach. What creatures could survive such hostile conditions? This is an expedition to explore the earth's deepest frontier. Narrated By David Attenborough.
Part 3 • Deep Ocean • 2018 • Nature
This episode of the documentary series focuses on the new giants, the heavyweights of the dinosaur world. It is only in recent years that experts have unearthed the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived. One monster eclipsed all others; more than seven times as heavy as diplodocus was the immense argentinosaurus - a single backbone was bigger than a human. For years, these giants were considered immune to attack from any predator - until the discovery of mapusaurus, a new giant killer whose fate appeared to be inextricably linked to argentinosaurus.
S1E5 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • Nature
This episode focuses on the Jurassic period, a time when the first giant killers stalked the Earth and lurked in the seas; a time when the slightest advantage meant the difference between life and death. In North America the iconic allosaurus, an ambush hunter with a lethal bite, dominated. Not even the heavily-armoured stegosaurus was safe from this killer, and incredible evidence reveals a glimpse of a vicious battle between these two giants. Life in Jurassic oceans was no easier; in 2008, a fossil was dug out of a frozen island high in the Arctic. It was a colossal marine reptile, twice as big as most ocean predators, at 15 metres long and weighing about 45 tonnes. This was Predator X. Its skull alone was nearly twice the size of a tyrannosaurus rex's, and its bite force unmatched by anything in the Jurassic seas. The balance of power between predator and prey is a fine one, as prey continually evolves different ways to avoid predators. But for the most successful and enduring predators, the battle to survive has always been tipped in their favour.
S1E4 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • Nature
The third episode looks at the last generation of killer dinosaurs - carnivores that took killing to a new level. By the end of the cretaceous period - 75 millions years ago - these gigantic and specialised hunter-killers had spread throughout the globe. In the southern continents it was the powerful and muscular abelisaurids that reigned supreme but it was the famous tyrannosaurids (or tyrant dinosaurs) that dominated in the north. Whilst the northern daspletosaurus hunted in gangs, using its highly developed smell and hearing to take down opponents like the horned rhino-sized beast, chasmosaurus, in the Southern hemisphere the small-skulled majungasaurus reigned. And though the sharp toothed majungasaurus was an efficient killer of the much smaller feathered rahonavis that did not stop it from occasionally turning cannibal and hunting its own.
S1E3 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • Nature
The second episode of the documentary series takes a look at bizarre and extraordinary feathered dinosaurs, many of which have only just been discovered. These feathered beasts are revolutionising our understanding of life on Earth as they blur the boundaries between what we know of dinosaurs and birds. China sits at the heart of the feathered dinosaur discoveries and is the home of one of the most unusual discoveries on Earth: the epidexipteryx. Only the size of a pigeon, this predator was the most bird-like of any dinosaur and is the first known case of ornamental feathers. But feathers were not just confined to the small. From caudipteryx to sinosauropteryx and the 8-metre-long gigantoraptor, feathers may have been used for flight, for insulation or even to intimate and attract. These dinosaurs not only hint at how animals might have developed flight, but also suggest that dinosaurs may still live among us today - as birds.
S1E2 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • Nature
The series starts in North Africa, where two of the world's biggest predators once battled for supremacy. At 13m and seven tonnes, the carcharodontosaurus was a huge beast, a gigantic lizard-like carnivore with shark-like teeth over six inches long. It was an efficient hunter that would slash at its prey until it bled to death. But the discovery of an upper jaw in Morocco revealed an even bigger carnivorous killer - spinosaurus. Four metres longer than Tyrannosaurus rex, spinosaurus is thought to have been one of the biggest killers to ever walk the Earth. But unlike the meat-eating carcharodontosaurus, spinosaurus mainly ate fish, living and hunting almost exclusively in the water. Like all predators that share an environment, the two may once have had to compete for food. Planet Dinosaur takes a look at what one such deadly battle may have looked like and finds out which giant beast would have been most likely to survive a fight to the death.
S1E1 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • Nature
At more than 1,200 miles, the Orange River is the longest in South Africa. Join as we trace its westward journey, bringing to its shores a diverse sample of African wildlife, large and small. From powerful swimming birds like the African darter, to flat lizards who inhabit the granite rocks of the mighty Augrabies Falls, it's the journey of life-bringing water passing through some of the continent's most diverse and dramatic landscapes.
S1E6 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
Explore a corner of Namibia dominated by stifling heat and parched sand, where a desolate landscape of haunting beauty lies. While most of Etosha National Park is devoid of growth, its margins are dotted with a series of oases that attract herds of thirsty creatures: antelopes, exotic birds, and the world's biggest elephants.
S1E5 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
Venture into the heart of Namibia, where some parts of the landscape receive less than an inch of rain each year. Yet, despite its arid nature, the southern drylands exude a desolate beauty thanks in part to the massive sand dunes--the largest in the world--that dominate its Atlantic coastline.
S1E4 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
Known as "the roof of Africa," the Simien Mountains offer a glimpse at some of the rarest creatures on the continent. Among plunging cliffs that give way to lush greenery and foggy skies, learn how native wildlife like the magnificent walia ibex and cunning Simien wolf have adapted to this remote alpine terrain.
S1E3 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
Tanzania's Lake Manyara National Park boasts a number of diverse habitats. From woodland savannas to grassy marshes, the region is a special part of the east African ecosystem and provides a wealth of resources to the wildlife that call it home.
S1E2 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
With every step towards the summit of the mighty Drakensberg, new species of exotic animals showcase the attributes that enable them to endure their harsh mountain home. Meet the sungazer, the intriguingly named suicide lizard, and other reptiles that inhabit South Africa's high-altitude terrain.
S1E1 • Extreme Africa • 2017 • Nature
Lake St. Lucia, Africa's largest estuary lake, is under siege. A series of human missteps have left it cut off from the sea, and the water levels are dangerously low. The wildlife relying on its ecosystem are most affected--from hippos and crocodiles that live on its banks, to exotic birds that migrate from as far as 6,000 miles away. Can they adjust to the new, drier reality imposed on them?
S1E8 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
Many of the great rivers of southern Africa start high up in mountain ranges, power their way eastwards across wild forests and grasslands, and eventually empty out into the Indian Ocean. Ride the currents of these powerful bodies of water as they reshape the lives of the wild animals who rely on them.
S1E7 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
During the dry season in Northern Botswana, over 45,000 elephants--more than 10% of the world's population--congregate along the banks of the Chobe River. Join local wildlife on a quest to escape the punishing drought.
S1E6 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
Unlike the many freshwater lagoons in South Africa, the Langebaan consists of 18.5 square miles of saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean. Of all the creatures that rely on it, two are pivotal for its own rejuvenation and sustenance: the regal flamingos and the nutrient-producing prawns.
S1E5 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
During the dry winter season on the savanna, life is ruled by water. From gargantuan hippos to nimble antelope, explore how the wildlife of South Africa's lowveld adapt to the harsh conditions of their ecosystem.
S1E4 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
African penguins were once the most numerous sea bird on the continent--until their population was decimated by human activity. Visit a rare colony at South Africa's Boulders Beach and see how these master divers and ocean hunters are staging a remarkable revival.
S1E3 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
For the animals of the Okavango Delta, life itself depends on a fortuitous natural anomaly: a river that cuts through the mighty Kalahari Desert. Embark on a tour of this accidental paradise, where a colorful ecosystem of plants, animals, and birds flourish in the unexpected abundance.
S1E2 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
On the eastern coast of Africa lies a subtropical realm of staggering beauty and diversity--a mangrove forest where saltwater meets fresh and a variety of secretive forest dwellers work feverishly to survive. Take a thrilling journey into this rarest of ecosystems, one that few get to witness.
S1E1 • Waterworld Africa • 2017 • Nature
The Serengeti is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth--but it's also the scene of some of the most important fossil discoveries ever made. Join us as we meet the modern inhabitants of this ancient land, and track how their evolution helped shape our understanding of human origins.
S1E5 • Nomads of the Serengeti • 2018 • Nature
Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain and volcano in the world. Join wildlife expert Jean du Plessis as he makes the perilous summit climb through its five vastly different climates to understand how quickly its famed glaciers are melting.
S1E4 • Nomads of the Serengeti • 2018 • Nature
Formed during a cataclysmic volcanic eruption two million years ago, Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater is home to the highest concentration of mammals in the world. Explore this vibrant ecosystem and the extraordinary geological features that have made it a haven for biodiversity.
S1E3 • Nomads of the Serengeti • 2018 • Nature
The annual Serengeti wildebeest migration is a journey so fraught with peril, it's a wonder they set off at all. For wildlife expert Jean du Plessis, it's a unique chance to see how a new generation of calves, born just months ago, will fare among the predatorial lions and crocodiles that await them.
S1E2 • Nomads of the Serengeti • 2018 • Nature
The annual migration of wildebeest through the plains of the Serengeti reaches its unforgiving apex at the banks of the crocodile-infested Mara River. Undeterred, the herd leaps in despite the deadly predators within. Join wildlife expert Jean du Plessis as he charts this epic and often-deadly journey.
S1E1 • Nomads of the Serengeti • 2018 • Nature
This vibrant new Nature special explores the astonishing survival techniques of butterflies, including their 360 vision, deceptive camouflage, chemical weaponry, and fantastic flight across continents. Through sophisticated macro-filming, viewers get a rare glimpse beyond the butterflies’ bright colours and fragile beauty as they follow them on one of the greatest migrations on Earth. Narrated by Paul Giamatti.
PBS Nature • 2018 • Nature
The Siamese fighting fish is so aggressive it will fight its own reflection until it is exhausted. Recent research shows that the fighting behaviour varies and depends on the personality of the fish! Male kangaroos were once pitted against humans in the boxing ring, with the most impressive male kangaroos being solid blocks of muscle with a kick that can kill. Why do they fight and what skills must a winner have?
S4E6 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
David Attenborough investigates two shells that have proved to be winners in evolution: the tortoise's shell and the shells of birds' eggs. The ostrich egg is so strong it is possible for a person to stand on it without it breaking, but how does the chick break out of this fortress? The evolution of the tortoise shell was for a long time a mystery and this bony box offers a lot more than just protection.
S4E5 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
Can animals count? This is a question that has intrigued and fooled investigators for a long time. Just over 100 years ago, a German horse called Hans was declared a mathematical genius but all was not as it seemed. And strangely, some bamboos around the world flower exactly at the same no matter where they are. Are they counting down the years?
S4E4 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
The giant panda gives birth to the smallest baby of any mammal and has to care for and protect it for many months. Why don't they give birth to more developed, robust young? The kiwi lays one of the largest eggs in the bird world, which produces a very well-developed chick. Why do kiwis produce a single egg that is a quarter of its body mass and almost too big to lay?
S4E3 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
Some animals have an extraordinary ability to find their way. The dung beetle, an insect revered by ancient Egyptians, uses the sun, the moon and even the Milky Way to move its prized ball of dung in the right direction. Pigeons are often considered feeble birdbrains, but they have incredible memories that can recall several complex travel routes with amazing accuracy and they even use man-made roads and hedgerows to find the quickest way home.
S4E2 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
Hybrids can be bizarre and they can be deadly. We look at two hybrid animals that owe their existence to human interference - the pizzly bear (a cross between a polar bear and grizzly), which has come into being because of global warming, and the killer bee, brought into existence because of the transfer of African bees to South America.
S4E1 • Natural Curiosities • 2018 • Nature
The sea turtle is one of the oldest animals on Earth. These ancient mariners pre-date the dinosaurs and have existed for over 100 million years, but now all seven of the surviving species are endangered.
S1E5 • Arabian Seas • 2018 • Nature
In the Gulf of Oman, survival is all about defense. Some species of sea urchins and sea slugs rely on toxins to keep predators at bay, while guitarfish use their size and armored bodies to stay off the menu. Peek into a little-known reef where fortune favors the bold and the well-prepared.
S1E4 • Arabian Seas • 2018 • Nature
Despite the scorching heat, a cold upwelling of nutrients in the Gulf of Oman creates favorable conditions for a host of marine migrants. The behemoth whale shark, hawksbill turtle, and millions of tiny, exotic fish settle in to feast. Take a plunge into the algae-cloaked coral reefs of this underwater tapestry.
S1E3 • Arabian Seas • 2018 • Nature
A seahorse blends perfectly into its coral surroundings, while a male day octopus hides to avoid the female's cannibalistic impulses. Meanwhile, cuttlefish change color to both attract mates and ward off rivals. Explore the Gulf of Oman, a kaleidoscope of color coordination, starring the dazzling masqueraders of the Arabian Sea.
S1E2 • Arabian Seas • 2018 • Nature
Nine miles off the coast of Oman, a zebra shark scans the ocean floor for crustaceans, while a menacing giant stingray floats by. Soon, night becomes day and new killers emerge, from toxic scorpion fish to crown-of-thorns starfish, both bringing coral devastation. Dive among these deadly marine carnivores.
S1E1 • Arabian Seas • 2018 • Nature
David Attenborough has a passion for birds' eggs. These remarkable structures nurture new life, protecting it from the outside world at the same time as allowing it to breathe. They are strong enough to withstand the full weight of an incubating parent and weak enough to allow a chick to break free. But how is an egg made? Why are they the shape they are? And perhaps most importantly, why lay an egg at all? Piece by piece, from creation to hatching, David reveals the wonder behind these miracles of nature.
Natural World • 2018 • Nature
High above the skies of Israel, an avian migration of staggering proportions attracts birdwatchers from all over the world. From gliding birds like the short-toed eagle to waders like red-necked phalaropes, here's your chance to track one of the most important stops on the bird migration route--no binoculars needed.
S1E5 • Wild Israel • 2018 • Nature
Since the Suez Canal's completion in 1869, more than 350 species of plants and sea creatures have migrated through it. Now, over half the marine species in the Mediterranean Sea used to live in the Red Sea, and the ecological ramifications of the canal are still being studied. Dive into the new underwater world that's resulted from this seismic migration.
S1E4 • Wild Israel • 2018 • Nature
In southern Israel, two vastly different worlds live side-by-side. A tropical sea and ancient coral reef teem with aquatic life alongside a harsh desert landscape filled with hardy reptiles and alien acacia trees. Venture into a part of Israel that few people imagine exists.
S1E3 • Wild Israel • 2018 • Nature
What the Judean Desert lacks in size, it makes up for in extreme features: it's home to the lowest sea in the world, dazzling salt formations, and an array of plant and animal life. Watch the Arabian leopard, striped hyena, and other fascinating and resourceful creatures thrive against a backdrop of sun and sand.
S1E2 • Wild Israel • 2018 • Nature
Covering more than half of Israel, the Negev Desert is a land of harsh extremes, one where flora and fauna must adapt to searing summers and bitter winters. Spend a year alongside some of its toughest inhabitants in their ongoing quests for survival.
S1E1 • Wild Israel • 2018 • Nature
Sir David Attenborough tells the stories of the world's best animal architects. There are house-proud bower birds, who only find a mate if they decorate their homes perfectly. There are hornets, who build electric central heating systems, and the star-nosed mole, whose house is designed so well that worms, his favourite meal, literally drop in for dinner. From larders to nurseries and from high-rises to subway systems, Attenborough shows that the animal architects have designed it long before humans.
Natural World • 2011 • Nature
Thanks to new technologies combining genetics, ethology, geology and even particle physics, paleontologists can now recreate the missing branches of the tree of life. Because of this, it has been discovered that prehistoric mammals were more varied and numerous than previously thought.
S1E3 • Ancient Earth: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
Thanks to new technologies combining genetics, ethology, geology and even particle physics, paleontologists can now recreate the missing branches of the tree of life. Now, paleontologists can show that there were far more feathered dinosaurs than previously believed.
S1E2 • Ancient Earth: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
Giant insects once dominated the earth before the dinosaurs. Thanks to new technologies combining genetics, ethology, geology and even particle physics, paleontologists can now recreate the missing branches of the tree of life. Assumptions have been shattered and all the rules are changing.
S1E1 • Ancient Earth: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
In 1912, the largest volcano eruption of the 20th century laid waste to one of the most pristine corners of Alaska. Today, the Valley of 10,000 Smokes has become a home to one of the largest bear populations in the world.
2018 • Nature
In Taiji, Japan, local fishermen hide a gruesome secret: the capture and slaughter of dolphins. Activist Ric O'Barry, who trained dolphins for the "Flipper" TV series, joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to expose the brutal practice, risking life and limb in the process.
2009 • Nature
Scientists around the world are asking themselves the same questions. Over the decades the focus on dolphin research has changed from asking “how intelligent are dolphins?” to “how are dolphins intelligent?” and we look at research from the world's foremost dolphin experts for the answers.
S1E2 • Conversations with Dolphins • 2016 • Nature
Dolphins have been a source of curiosity to humans and have appeared in our stories and myths for thousands of years. What is the link between our two species? Why do we seem to be so interested and curious about each other?
S1E1 • Conversations with Dolphins • 2016 • Nature
In some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders, people push themselves to the limit in order to survive. For the people who call these extraordinary places home, survival requires skill, ingenuity and bravery. In Brazil, the Kamayura people of the Xingu Indigenous Park believe they must appease the spirits if they are to remain in good health. In Ethiopia, belief in a higher power leads villagers in the Tigray region to climb a huge, vertiginous mountainside to reach their church. Laos is one of the most fertile places on earth. Despite this, life is dangerous for the rice farmers in this beautiful country. During the Vietnam War, the United States dropped an estimated 270 million bombs on this small country and approximately 80 million of them failed to explode.
S1E3 • Earth's Natural Wonders: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
In many of the earth's natural wonders there is an abundance of animals. These can be a devastating threat to the people who live there, or they can provide a means of survival, but often at a high price. In the coastal salt marshes of northern Australia's Arnhem Land, Indigenous Australians still go hunting for the eggs of one of the world's most aggressive predators - the saltwater crocodile. Vanuatu is an island paradise in the south Pacific, but life here isn't perhaps as idyllic as it appears. Overfishing has reduced fish stocks, making food harder to come by for the indigenous islanders like 45-year-old Nigasau.
S1E2 • Earth's Natural Wonders: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
In the high Himalaya, yak-herder Thokmay Lowa and his small group steer his herd through one of the region's extreme mountain passes. For several months of the year, In the Canadian Arctic, traditional Inuit communities still forage for much of their food. 63-year-old Minnie Nappaaluk and her granddaughter Eva embark on one of the most hazardous expeditions for food Some Natural Wonders are threatened as never before - nowhere more so than the Brazilian Amazon. In the Mato Grosso, as a result of deforestation, the region's microclimate has changed. Now fires rage out of control in the dry season.
S1E1 • Earth's Natural Wonders: Series 2 • 2018 • Nature
Totalling an estimated 10 million species, the insects and their close relatives are the most abundant and diverse group of animals in the world, so what is the secret of their success? Their hard external skeleton provides strength and protection and their small size allows them to exploit many microhabitats. In Yellowstone, Steve Backshall reveals how teamwork allows a colony of bees to scare off a hungry bear, and in Australia this same teamwork allows a colony of ants to beat the rising tide. But to unlock the real secret of their success Steve visits the Swiss Alps, where an incredible relationship exists between the ant, the wasp and the butterfly.
Insect Worlds • 2013 • Nature
Steve Backshall reveals the incredible influence that insects and their close relatives have on Earth's many ecosystems. In the grasslands of South America the landscape has been created almost solely by one team of insects - grass-cutter ants. Across the world's oceans one tiny creature plays such a key role that, without it, the largest animal on our planet, the blue whale, could not exist. And in East Africa the savannah would quickly be swamped in dung were it not for the activities of a certain beetle. Yet the greatest influence of all comes from a group of insects that have ultimately changed the colour and diversity of our planet.
S1E2 • Insect Worlds • 2013 • Nature
Steve Backshall explores the connections and relationship that we have with insects and other arthropods. In Kenya, huge armies of driver ants give houses a five-star clean-up, and in China, we discover how silkworm caterpillars have shaped our culture and distribution. While locusts devastate crops in Africa, bees and beetles across the world provide a key link in our food chains. Many of us perceive these animals merely as creepy crawlies and nothing more than a nuisance, but as Steve reveals, we couldn't live without them.
S1E1 • Insect Worlds • 2013 • Nature
You find fungi in Antarctica and in nuclear reactors. They live inside your lungs and your skin is covered with them. Fungi are the most under appreciated and unexplained organisms, yet they could cure you from smallpox and turn cardboard boxes into forests. They could even transform Mars into Eden. There are vastly more fungi species than plants and each and every one of them plays a crucial role in life’s support systems. Join us on a journey into the mysterious world of Fungi to witness their beauty, unravel their mysteries and discover how this secret kingdom is essential to life on Earth, and may in fact hold the key to our future.
2018 • Nature
During summer, the Atlantic coast of the northeastern United States attracts huge amounts of fish and wildlife. Particularly interesting are the basking sharks, the world’s second-largest fish, and the leatherback sea turtles, which weigh one ton and are the world’s largest reptile.
This story takes place in the vast northern land near the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in eastern Hokkaido. Taking center stage are two mother Hokkaido red foxes caring for 10 pups. The mothers, who are in fact mother and daughter, each use their strengths and display amazing parental teamwork.
The Comb-crested Jacanas are unique birds that use their long toes to walk delicately across lotus leaves and catch underwater prey. This episode, filmed between the rainy season and dry season in Kakadu, follows a father bird raising his chicks through their dramatic and difficult first year.
So, you think you know penguins? Experience life in "Penguin Paradise", on South Island, New Zealand, from which the first penguins are supposed to have evolved. Home to unusual penguins like the Little Penguin, and the forest-dwelling crested Fiordland Penguin - it is a penguin wonderland!
Following a large family of gorillas over nine years, this film captures many aspects of unique behavior as well as revealing touching stories of compassion among this gorilla family in the tropical rainforests of Gabon.
Picture the last two hundred years without the publication of Darwin's "On The Origin of Species" -- how might the scientific conversation have developed? What were the influences in Victorian England during Darwin's youth, and how tenuous was his opportunity for sailing on the Beagle's voyage?
S1E13 • Butterfly Effect • 2016 • Nature
Once a mountain kingdom of ancient palaces and emperors, Korea in the 21st century is largely known for its modern cities and decades of conflict. Tensions between North and South may be what defines it to outsiders but beyond the battle scars there is another side to Korea. In the south are large pockets of untouched wilderness where extraordinary animals flourish and Koreans continue to practice age-old traditions in tandem with the seasons and with nature. It is in these connections, rather than in division, that we see the true Korea. At the southernmost tip of the peninsular we follow a pod of bottlenose dolphins through the volcanic islands of Jeju. They click at each other as they encounter a human in their midst, but the dolphins know this diver well - they have shared the ocean with the Haenyeo, or sea women, for thousands of years. We travel onwards to the isolated island of Marado, where three generations of sea women are preparing for a dive. Today is the start of the conch season, and they work hard whatever the weather to maximise their catch. In the grounds of an ancient palace on the mainland, a raccoon dog family takes advantage of a rare event. Just once every five years, hundreds of cicadas emerge from below ground providing an easy feast for the raccoon dogs who voraciously fill their bellies. Those that escape their jaws make for the safety of the trees, where they metamorphosise into their flying form. On the mud flats of Suncheon Bay we find a habitat that is neither land nor sea. Only recently has the ecological value of mudflats been recognised. A staggering 50 per cent of the earth's oxygen is produced by phytoplankton - microscopic algae that are found here in great abundance. That is why the mudflats are known locally as the lungs of the earth. Plankton is far from the only life here - the mud of the bay is rich in nutrients and supports one of the most diverse ecosystems on the peninsula. We follow the story of a young mudskipper who has emerged for his first mating season. His journey to find love is paved with obstacles.
2018 • Nature
Surveys those environments that have been created by and for humans.
12/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Attenborough goes underwater to observe the ocean's life forms and comment on them at first hand.
11/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Investigates remote islands and their inhabitants. Some islands are tips of volcanoes; others are coral atolls. Those that colonise them transform into new species with comparative speed.
10/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Details coastal environments and the effect of tides, of which the highest can be found in the Bay of Fundy in North America. In places, erosion is causing the land to retreat, while in others — such as the tropics — the expansion of mangroves causes it to advance.
9/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Attenborough describes the course the Amazon, starting high up in the Andes of Peru, whose streams flow into the great river. Young rivers are by nature vigorous and dangerous: they flow fast and form rapids, thick with mud and sediment.
8/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Starts in NASA's gravity research aircraft to illustrate the effect of weightlessness. There are surprisingly many plants whose seeds are, in effect, lighter than air.
7/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Starts in the Sahara, where the highest land temperatures have been recorded. Rock paintings depict creatures such as giraffes and antelopes, suggesting that at one point there was enough vegetation to support them.
6/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Explores the grasses which are present all over the world. Grass sustains huge numbers of creatures the world over, particularly in the African grasslands, where huge numbers of savannah animals have made their homes.
5/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Ascends a kapok in the South American tropical rainforest to observe "the greatest proliferation of life that you can find anywhere on the surface of the Earth. There are two main causes for this: warmth and wetness. As this climate is constant, there are no seasons, so trees vary greatly in their flowering cycles.
4/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Begins in northern Norway, 500 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Here, there is only just enough light for the pine trees to survive, but it is extremely cold during the winter. Pine cone seeds provide one of the few foods available at this time of year, and large herbivores such as the moose must also rely on their fat reserves.
3/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Describes the inhospitable habitats of snow and ice. Mount Rainier in America is an example of such a place: there is no vegetation, therefore no herbivores and thus no carnivores. However, beneath its frosty surface, algae grow and some insects, such as ladybirds visit the slopes. Africa’s mountains are permanently snow-covered, and beneath peaks such as Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, there are communities of plants and animals.
2/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
Visits the world's deepest valley: the Kali Gandaki river in the Himalayas. Its temperatures range from those of the tropics in its lower reaches to that of the poles higher up. It therefore shows how creatures become adapted to living in certain environments.
1/12 • The Living Planet • 1984 • Nature
In the third episode, Iain discovers the remarkable impact of just one plant: grass. On the savannah of South Africa he sees how grass unleashed a firestorm to fight its greatest enemy, the forests. He shows how cutting your finger on a blade of grass shows us how it transformed life in the oceans. In Senegal, he meets the cleverest chimps in the world. And, in the ruins of the oldest temple on Earth, he tells the extraordinary story of how grass triggered human civilisation.
S1E3 • How to Grow a Planet • 2012 • Nature
In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South Pacific to track down the earliest flowers. In the deserts of Africa and rainforests of Vietnam, he sees how they brought brilliant colour to the most barren landscapes and sculpted the earth itself. And he learns how they drove the evolution of all animals - kick-starting our human story.
S1E2 • How to Grow a Planet • 2012 • Nature
In this first episode Iain journeys from the spectacular caves of Vietnam to the remote deserts of Africa. He sees how plants first harnessed light from the sun and created our life-giving atmosphere. He uncovers the epic battle between the dinosaurs and the tallest trees on the planet. And, using remarkable imagery, he shows plants breathing - and for the first time talking to each other.
S1E1 • How to Grow a Planet • 2012 • Nature
Blue Whisper immerges into the ocean's fascinating underwater world and gets to the bottom of a widely unexplored field of underwater science: the communication among fish. The documentary accompanies a team of specialists to overwhelmingly beautiful coral reefs, ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea and sunken submarines that are clouded in secrecy, to explore the versatile forms of underwater communication. What language do fish use? Do they make sounds? Do they have a body language? And what role do colours play? With the aid of complex underwater video and audio equipment those and further questions are answered during a suspenseful journey around the world.
2013 • Nature
This new age of discovery is revealing there is still so much to learn about the cat family. Using high-tech collars, Professor Alan Wilson has discovered it is not straight-line speed that is a cheetah's greatest weapon but their ability to break, change direction and accelerate. His research is rewriting what we understand about the fastest animal on land. This is also a crucial time for cat conservation - most are threatened, facing extreme habitat loss and conflict with humans. Yet there are many positive stories of cats bouncing back from the brink,
The secret lives of the world’s most mysterious cats are brought to light by advances in remote and low-light filming technology. In South Africa, we follow the nocturnal pursuits of the tiny black-footed cat that stakes its claim to the title of the world's deadliest, and in remotest Mongolia we reveal the rarely seen Pallas's cat, at home with her kittens - she hunts by looking like a rock. Finally, in South Africa, we uncover the secret of the serval that thrives amongst the futuristic landscape of Africa's biggest industrial complex. These are remarkable cats, with surprising lives in extraordinary places.
In Ruaha, Tanzania, lions form huge super prides in order to hunt giants. Amongst cats lions are unusual, the only one to live in groups. In numbers they find the strength and audacity to hunt the most formidable prey. In Sri Lanka a tiny rusty-spotted cat explores his forest home - 200 times smaller than a lion, the rusty-spotted is the smallest of all cats, but just as curious. The Canada lynx lives further north than any cat, relying on snowshoe hares to survive the bitterly cold winters. Until now, lynx were creatures of mystery, but now technology provides an insight into their secret lives.
Professor Richard Fortey investigates the remains of ancient volcanic lake in Germany where stunningly well-preserved fossils of early mammals, giant insects and even perhaps our oldest known ancestor have been found. Among the amazing finds are bats as advanced and sophisticated as anything living today, more than 50-million-years-later; dog-sized 'Dawn' horses, the ancestor of the modern horse; and giant ants as large as a hummingbird.
S1E3 • Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures • 2014 • Nature
Professor Richard Fortey travels to northeastern China to see a fossil site known as the 'Dinosaur Pompeii' - a place that has yielded spectacular remains of feathered dinosaurs and rewritten the story of the origins of birds. Among the amazing finds he investigates are the feathered cousin of T-rex, a feathered dinosaur with strong parallels to living pandas and some of the most remarkable flying animals that have ever lived.
S1E2 • Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures • 2014 • Nature
Professor Richard Fortey journeys high in the Rocky Mountains to explore a 520-million-year-old fossilised seabed containing bizarre and experimental lifeforms that have revolutionised our understanding about the beginnings of complex life. Among the amazing finds he uncovers are marine creatures with five eyes and a proboscis; filter-feeders shaped like tulips; worm-like scavengers covered in spikes but with no identifiable head or anus; and a metre-long predator resembling a giant shrimp.
S1E1 • Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures • 2014 • Nature
Even after thousands of years of ice crushing the northern hemisphere and temperatures of 20 degrees lower than those of today, many of the great giants of the ice age still walked the earth. It was only when the world had warmed up again that mammoths, woolly rhinos, sabre-toothed cats, giant ground sloths and glyptodonts finally became extinct. Professor Alice Roberts sets off on her last voyage back to the Ice Age to discover why.
S1E3 • Ice Age Giants • 2013 • Nature
The series begins in the 'land of the sabre-tooth'; North America, a continent that was half covered by ice that was up to two miles thick. Yet this frozen land also boasted the most impressive cast of Ice Age giants in the world. Across locations such as the Grand Canyon, the sands of Arizona and the coast of California, Alice traces the movements of Ice Age beasts like bear-sized sloths, vast mammoths and the strange beast known as the glyptodon. These leviathans all have one thing in common: they were stalked by the meanest big cat that ever prowled the Earth, armed with seven-inch teeth and hunting in packs - Smilodon fatalis, the sabre-toothed cat.
S1E1 • Ice Age Giants • 2013 • Nature
At the very northern edge of North America is Ellesmere Island, where the unforgiving Arctic winds tear through the tundra, dipping temperatures to 40 below zero. Running through this shifting sea of snow and ice is one of the most hardened predators on the planet, the White Wolf. But as the spring melt approaches, these roaming hunters must adapt to being tethered parents as new additions to the pack have just been born. With their herds of prey continuing to move, we witness a desperate race to keep up and bring back a kill to the hungry mothers and cubs. Traveling farther and farther away from their den each day puts these hunters and their children at risk in this fight for survival.
2018 • Nature
Living with sharks is one of Andy Brandy Casagrande greatest passions in life. A two-time, Emmy Award winning, wildlife cinematographer and on-air talent for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Andy is helping revolutionize the way the world sees the ocean’s top predators.
2015 • Nature
The prodigies of the animal kingdom have feathers, beaks – and unexpectedly large brains! Just how high does their intellect soar? Rest upon the wings of the Keas in New Zealand and the New Caledonian Crows and take part in this ultimate avian I.Q. test.
2014 • Nature
Intelligence and adaptability allow primates to tackle the many challenges of life, and this is what makes our closest relatives so successful. This resourcefulness has enabled primates to conquer an incredible diversity of habitat. Hamadryas baboons live on the open plains of Ethiopia in groups up to 400 strong. Strength in numbers gives them some protection from potential predators. But, should their path cross with other baboon troops, it can lead to all-out battle, as males try to steal females from one another, and even settle old scores. Japanese macaques are the most northerly-dwelling primates and they experience completely different challenges. Some beat the freezing conditions by having access to a thermal spa in the middle of winter. But this privilege is only for those born of the right female bloodline. For western lowland gorillas, it's the male silverback that leads his family group in the rich forests of the Congo basin. He advertises his status to all with a powerful chest-beating display. Most primates are forest dwellers, and one of the strangest is the tarsier – the only purely carnivorous primate. As it hunts for insects the tarsier leaps from tree to tree in the dead of night, using its huge forward-facing eyes to safely judge each jump. Good communication is essential for success in primate society.
Plants' solutions to life's challenges are as ingenious and manipulative as any animal's. Innovative time-lapse photography opens up a parallel world where plants act like fly-paper, or spring-loaded traps, to catch insects. Vines develop suckers and claws to haul themselves into the rainforest canopy. Every peculiar shape proves to have a clever purpose. The dragon's blood tree is like an upturned umbrella to capture mist and shade its roots. The seed of a Bornean tree has wings so aerodynamic they inspired the design of early gliders. The barrel-shaped desert rose is full of water. The heliconia plant even enslaves a humming bird and turns it into an addict for its nectar.
Marine invertebrates are some of the most bizarre and beautiful animals on the planet, and thrive in the toughest parts of the oceans. Divers swim into a shoal of predatory Humboldt squid as they emerge from the ocean depths to hunt in packs. When cuttlefish gather to mate, their bodies flash in stroboscopic colours. Time-lapse photography reveals thousands of starfish gathering under the Arctic ice to devour a seal carcass. A giant octopus commits suicide for her young. A camera follows her into a cave which she walls up, then she protects her eggs until she starves. The greatest living structures on earth, coral reefs, are created by tiny animals in some of the world's most inhospitable waters.
Mammals' ability to learn new tricks is the key to survival in the knife-edge world of hunters and hunted. In a TV first, a killer whale off the Falklands does something unique: it sneaks into a pool where elephant seal pups learn to swim and snatches them, saving itself the trouble of hunting in the open sea. Slow-motion cameras reveal the star-nosed mole's newly-discovered technique for smelling prey underwater: it exhales then inhales a bubble of air ten times per second. Young ibex soon learn the only way to escape a fox - run up an almost vertical cliff face - and young stoats fight mock battles, learning the skills that make them one of the world's most efficient predators.
There are 200 million insects for each of us. They are the most successful animal group ever. Their key is an armoured covering that takes on almost any shape. Darwin's stag beetle fights in the tree tops with huge curved jaws. The camera flies with millions of monarch butterflies which migrate 2000 miles, navigating by the sun. Super slow motion shows a bombardier beetle firing boiling liquid at enemies through a rotating nozzle. A honey bee army stings a raiding bear into submission. Grass cutter ants march like a Roman army, harvesting grass they cannot actually eat. They cultivate a fungus that breaks the grass down for them. Their giant colony is the closest thing in nature to the complexity of a human city.
Birds owe their global success to feathers - something no other animal has. They allow birds to do extraordinary things. For the first time, a slow-motion camera captures the unique flight of the marvellous spatuletail hummingbird as he flashes long, iridescent tail feathers in the gloomy undergrowth. Aerial photography takes us into the sky with an Ethiopian lammergeier dropping bones to smash them into edible-sized bits. Thousands of pink flamingoes promenade in one of nature's greatest spectacles. The sage grouse rubs his feathers against his chest in a comic display to make popping noises that attract females. The Vogelkop bowerbird makes up for his dull colour by building an intricate structure and decorating it with colourful beetles and snails.
Fish dominate the planet's waters through their astonishing variety of shape and behaviour. The beautiful weedy sea dragon looks like a creature from a fairytale, and the male protects their eggs by carrying them on his tail for months. The sarcastic fringehead, meanwhile, appears to turn its head inside out when it fights. Slow-motion cameras show the flying fish gliding through the air like a flock of birds and capture the world's fastest swimmer, the sailfish, plucking sardines from a shoal at 70 mph. And the tiny Hawaiian goby undertakes one of nature's most daunting journeys, climbing a massive waterfall to find safe pools for breeding.
Mammals dominate the planet. They do it through having warm blood and by the care they lavish on their young. Weeks of filming in the bitter Antarctic winter reveal how a mother Weddell seal wears her teeth down keeping open a hole in the ice so she can catch fish for her pup. A powered hot air balloon produces stunning images of millions of migrating bats as they converge on fruiting trees in Zambia, and slow-motion cameras reveal how a mother rufous sengi exhausts a chasing lizard. A gyroscopically stabilised camera moves alongside migrating caribou, and a diving team swim among the planet's biggest fight as male humpback whales battle for a female.
Reptiles and amphibians look like hang-overs from the past. But they overcome their shortcomings through amazing innovation. The pebble toad turns into a rubber ball to roll and bounce from its enemies. Extreme slow-motion shows how a Jesus Christ lizard runs on water, and how a chameleon fires an extendible tongue at its prey with unfailing accuracy. The camera dives with a Niuean sea snake, which must breed on land but avoids predators by swimming to an air bubble at the end of an underwater tunnel. In a TV first, Komodo dragons hunt a huge water-buffalo, biting it to inject venom, then waiting for weeks until it dies. Ten dragons strip the carcass to the bone in four hours.
In nature, living long enough to breed is a monumental struggle. Many animals and plants go to extremes to give themselves a chance. Uniquely, three brother cheetahs band together to bring down a huge ostrich. Aerial photography reveals how bottle-nosed dolphins trap fish in a ring of mud, and time-lapse cameras show how the Venus flytrap ensnares insect victims. The strawberry frog carries a tadpole high into a tree and drops it in a water-filled bromeliad. The frog must climb back from the ground every day to feed it. Fledgling chinstrap penguins undertake a heroic and tragic journey through the broken ice to get out to sea. Many can barely swim and the formidable leopard seal lies in wait.
This special, narrated by Andrew Scott, celebrates spring on planet Earth, and the extraordinary tricks that animals and plants find to rise to the new challenges it brings. This magical season brings a burst of new life - but as soon as the air starts to warm, it's a race to wake up and get ahead of everyone else. For many, it's the perfect time to find a mate and raise babies - but for everything, from adventurous grizzly bear cubs and amorous dancing grebes, to flowers in the desert and swifts that fly marathons, spring is about rushing to make the most of the opportunities this busy season brings.
S1E4 • Earth's Seasonal Secrets • 2016 • Nature
Andrew Scott narrates a special programme which celebrates winter and explores how animals and plants rise to the challenges it brings. With their world encased in snow and ice, animals must find the most inventive ways to survive and even benefit from the cold. Caribou become ice road travellers as it gets slippery underfoot, stoats make their own fur bedding, and snow monkeys find a warm bath. Emperor penguins are built for the cold weather, but even they must find their own tricks to endure the world's most savage winter.
S1E3 • Earth's Seasonal Secrets • 2016 • Nature
This special, narrated by Andrew Scott, celebrates the drama of Autumn and how animals and plants deal with the new challenges it brings. This is the time of year that brings the world's most spectacular transformations. With winter fast approaching, life has to get ready and that means feeding up while you can, fighting for the last chance to breed and rushing to grow up before the cold returns. While chipmunks and beavers dash to stash their winter supplies, many animals from musk oxen to beetles have to battle for mates and young gannets must face life's first dangerous challenges.
S1E2 • Earth's Seasonal Secrets • 2016 • Nature
This programme, narrated by Andrew Scott, celebrates the glorious nature of summer on Earth and the extraordinary ways animals and plants rise to the challenges it brings. With the sun shining and the flowers blooming, this is the season of splendid abundance, and the long hours of daylight make life burst out in a riot of activity. But you have to find clever ways to get your share of the good times while they last, and as temperatures soar, everything has to deal with sweltering heat. For a whole range of animals, from sneaky ring-tailed lemurs to battling ibex, and from overheated penguins to astonishing colour-changing lizards, summer is a time when the living is not always easy.
S1E1 • Earth's Seasonal Secrets • 2016 • Nature
David Attenborough attempts to animate the life of the ichthyosaur whose 200-million-year-old fossil remains were found on Britain's Jurassic coast. Using state-of-the-art imaging technology and CGI, the team reconstruct the skeleton and create the most detailed animation of an ichthyosaur ever made. Along the way, they stumble into a 200-million-year-old murder mystery - and only painstaking forensic investigation can unravel the story of this extraordinary creature's fate.
2018 • Nature
The inside of a termite mound proved especially challenging for Attenborough: it was so cramped that he could only face in one direction. He therefore had to slowly crawl backwards out of shot when performing re-takes.
special • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
A look at the many and varied ways in which animals procreate in order to ensure that their genes are passed on to the next generation.
12/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
This edition looks at the various methods employed by species to attract a mate, including whales that sing "songs", hamsters that emit an odour, and manakins that do acrobatic dances.
11/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
From the love songs of fish to the flashes of millions of tiny beetles, Sir David Attenborough examines methods of communication used by animals.
10/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
From vampire bats to baboons, Sir David Attenborough investigates the importance of recognising friends and respecting the power of rivals throughout the animal kingdom.
9/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
How many animals - including zebras, moose and stalk-eyes flies - assess their opponents' fighting prowess before making an attack that risks injury or death.
8/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
Examining some of the weird relationships that develop between species, from birds that relieve clients of hangers-on to hermit crabs that enlist stinging anemones to repel octopuses.
7/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
How all animal architects aim to keep both the elements and intruders at bay through features that include defensive moats.
6/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
How animals ranging from albatrosses to ants can navigate themselves over long distances.
5/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
Life-and-death duels are fought daily in the wild: an orchid turns out to be a predator, killer whales ambush sea lions and chimps pursue colobus monkeys.
4/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
The search for food in the animal world. With leaves defended by poisons and seeds clad in thorns, animals fight back in very innovative ways.
3/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
For animals, there is no greater challenge than surviving the vulnerable first years of life. This episode demonstrates that nature's solutions are as varied as those in human society.
2/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
An examination of the diverse techniques employed by animals to disperse and protect offspring.
1/12 • Trials of Life • 1990 • Nature
Chris Packham explores a childhood fantasy - discovering the true animal behind centuries of Hollywood misrepresentation. Using knowledge from groundbreaking paleontological discoveries and utilising the latest CGI wizardry, Chris creates the most authentic T-Rex ever.
2018 • Nature
David Attenborough is in the Swiss Jura Mountains to discover the secrets of a giant. Beneath his feet lies a vast network of tunnels and chambers, home to a huge empire of ants. It is believed to be one of the largest animal societies in the world, where over a billion ants from rival colonies live in peace. Their harmonious existence breaks many of the rules for both ants and evolution, and raises some important questions. Through winter, spring and into summer, David turns detective to find the answers.
Natural World • 2017 • Nature
This extended special of the nature documentary series journeys from the equator to the unexplored depths, meeting the best-loved characters from the series.
S1E8 • Blue Planet II • 2018 • Nature
Riding onboard with a cheetah, a green turtle and a white-tailed sea eagle as they show us around their respective homes. With natural sounds and elegant embedded graphics delivering information, this is an immersive journey into their world like no other. Each section rides onboard with one of the animals as it shows us around its world. Revealing how they go through their daily routines, journey across different parts of their homes and introduce us to the other animals they share them with, in this extraordinary immersive show. A trio of cheetahs hunting on the Namibian bushveld, a green turtle cruising the reefs of Indonesia and a white-tailed sea eagle as it soars above the west coast of Scotland. All the animals are part of ongoing scientific studies or research projects, they are habituated or trained to carry small, lightweight cameras capable of capturing images in high definition. With often bespoke technology developed and pioneered by research scientists and the teams from Blue Planet II and forthcoming series Animals With Cameras. This is the core of this immersive BBC Four series that reveals the natural world through the perspective of its subjects, and has afforded the scientific community an even deeper understanding of their subjects.
2017 • Nature
Sophie looks at one skill in particular that seems to give humans an advantage over all other animals - our superior talent for language. She explores what language really is, and how close other animals come to having it. She considers the world of primates and the theory that some apes may communicate through sign language, and reveals how, even in the womb, humans start to practise making the mouth movements needed for speech. But language isn't just a power to combine words. Professor Scott explores how we convey information through the tone of voice, our accents and the pace and pitch of our speech. But in a world when we regularly talk to computers, she also shows why scientists need to develop machines that can understand the subtleties of our speech. Finally, she looks at language in this digital age and explores the role that emojis play.
S1E3 • Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Language of Life • 2017 • Nature
Sophie explores the world of silent communication in the animal kingdom and the human world - showing how much we can actually say without ever opening our mouths or making a noise. She reveals how some species have harnessed bacteria to generate light and how light messages are used by insects and deep-sea fish for a range of reasons, including attracting prey. Exploring how body language communicates huge amounts about us and other species, Professor Scott shows why a dog's wagging tail does not always mean it is happy and how humans can tell a lot about someone's state of mind from their posture alone. She reveals why yawns and smiles are contagious and how this can play a key role in social bonding and cohesion.
S1E2 • Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Language of Life • 2017 • Nature
Sophie is joined in the theatre by chirping crickets, hissing cockroaches and groaning deer to reveal the very different ways that animals have adapted their bodies to send audible messages that are vital to their species. She also explores how and why the human voice evolved to become the most versatile sound producer in the natural world. She demonstrates what sound actually is and how it travels. Unpacking the power behind sound, she uses it to shatter glass and reveal how the human body can resonate in a way that amplifies our voices to send our messages further. She also explores how different species use very different frequencies to communicate and why humans can only hear a fraction of these animal messages. Finally, she investigates why we all have unique vocal prints, and how computers are learning to recognise these.
S1E1 • Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Language of Life • 2017 • Nature
The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world and home to astonishing hidden worlds, extraordinary animals and remarkable people. A female puma and her three cubs hunt in the mountains of the frozen south. Spectacled bears search for water on scorched mountain forests and the descendants of the Inca gather in an ancient ceremony to build a bridge made from woven grass. High in the cloud forest, a newly discovered shape-shifting frog baffles scientists with its superpowers and in the Atacama desert - the driest place in the world - strange reptiles battle for access to precious water. This is the mountain range of surprise and wonder.
S1E3 • Mountain Life at the Extreme • 2017 • Nature
The highest mountain range on earth is home to extraordinary animals and remarkable ancient cultures. In the depths of winter, snow leopards creep into isolated mountain villages in search of food. In hidden valleys, bizarre-looking monkeys huddle for warmth in a frozen forest. Ancient Buddhist monasteries have age-old rituals creating beautiful works of art made from mountain sand and athletes compete in the gruelling Everest marathon. Strange and exotic creatures live in the Himalaya - the chiru, with the warmest wool in the world, snakes bathing in hot springs and wild yak competing in their annual rut. Breathtaking photography reveals a lost world of surprises in the latest landmark wildlife series from the BBC.
S1E2 • Mountain Life at the Extreme • 2017 • Nature
The Rockies are the spine of North America, a beautiful wilderness of snow-capped peaks and hidden valleys. Cougars hunt in abandoned ranches, wolverines search the deep snow for food and grizzly bears hunt in the high mountain meadows. Daredevil wingsuit flier’s leap from mile-high cliffs and Native American tribes compete in breakneck horse races. It is also the range of surprises, with tiny cannibal salamanders hunting in mountain ponds and hummingbirds making enormous migrations
S1E1 • Mountain Life at the Extreme • 2017 • Nature
Cats are said to hate water, crave warmth and only eat meat. But in episode three, Super Cats, viewers are introduced to the wild cats that break all the feline rules. From jaguars with sub-aqua skills to tigers that can survive temperatures of minus forty, the programme reveals how cats have developed super powers to survive in the most unlikely landscapes. As well as the iconic big cats, in this final episode viewers get a glimpse into the lives of the most rare and strange cats of all – including a real-life Garfield recently discovered living high in the Himalayas. It’s revealed how the cats’ ability to adapt to extremes has made them some of the most successful predators on the planet.
S1E3 • The Story of Cats • 2016 • Nature
The second episode; tells the story of how wild predators became such popular pets. Kittens trigger an emotional reaction in us. Their baby-like features make us want to nurture them. Its part of the reason we brought cats into our homes. Viewers will discover how the animal’s amazing senses and mouse-catching prowess brought man and cat together ten thousand years ago. And how domestic cats are still evolving and will in the future become less wild, and more mild.
S1E2 • The Story of Cats • 2016 • Nature
In the first episode and for the first time ever, the programme compares the humble moggy with their big cat cousins, gaining surprising insights into the entire cat family. In Africa, lion whisperer Kevin Richardson proves how similar domestic pets are to the fearsome big cats and why there's more to feline communication than meets the eye. In the thick jungles of South East Asia, the series discovers which sabre-tooth wild cat has given tabbies their gravity defying climbing skills and in Namibia, shows how a strange looking cat called a caracal has given them the ability to jump over three metres and catch birds in flight, inspiring the phrase "put the cat amongst the pigeons". To truly understand the world’s most beloved purring pets, there needs to be an understanding of their wild relatives.
S1E1 • The Story of Cats • 2016 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates the intimate story of a leopard mother and her two cubs. This very special family must survive in the wilds of Botswana alongside some less-than-friendly neighbours: lions, wild dogs and hyenas. The competition for food is tough, and if they are going to make it they must learn a new skill - they must learn to fish. This is an epic family drama. With them every step of the way is local cameraman Brad Bestelink. Brad's 18-month journey following the lives of these secretive big cats offers a rare glimpse into an otherwise hidden world.
Natural World • 2015 • Nature
The Galapagos Islands are home to some animals that washed up on the islands millions of years ago and have made adaptations. Penguins, iguanas, tortoises and cormorants have changed so they can survive the harsh climate. But possibly the oddest adaptation is that of the Vampire finch.
S1E2 • Wild Galapagos • 2017 • Nature
The incredible reef life and the birds, lizards and reptiles who cope with the lava rock islands of the Galapagos make this remote series of islands a unique natural habitat. The Panama and Humboldt currents regulate the seasons and the rhythm of life onshore and off.
S1E1 • Wild Galapagos • 2017 • Nature
Blue Planet II explores parts of the ocean that nobody has ever visited, encountered extraordinary animals, and discovered new insights into life beneath the waves. In Our Blue Planet, Sir David Attenborough examines the impact of human life on life in the ocean. In this final episode, we uncover the impact that our modern lives are having on our best-loved characters from across the series, including devoted albatross parents unwittingly feeding their chicks discarded plastic and mother dolphins potentially exposing their newborn calves to pollutants through their contaminated milk. Scientists have even discovered that increasing noise levels may stop baby clownfish finding their way home.
S1E7 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
For 10,000 years or more, humans created new plant varieties for food by trial and error and a touch of serendipity. Then 150 years ago, a new era began. Pioneer botanists unlocked the patterns found in different types of plants and opened the door to a new branch of science - plant genetics. They discovered what controlled the random colours of snapdragon petals and the strange colours found in wild maize. This was vital information. Some botanists even gave their lives to protect their collection of seeds. American wheat farmer Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel peace prize after he bred a new strain of wheat that lifted millions of people around the world out of starvation. Today, botanists believe advances in plant genetics hold the key to feeding the world's growing population.
S1E3 • Botany: A Blooming History • 2011 • Nature
The air we breathe, and all the food we eat, is created from water, sunlight, carbon dioxide and a few minerals. It sounds simple, but this process is one of the most fascinating and complicated in all of science, and without it there could be no life on earth. For centuries people believed that plants grew by eating soil. In the 17th century, pioneer botanists began to make the connection between the growth of a plant and the energy from the sun. They discovered how plants use water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce sugars - how, in fact, a plant grows. The process of photosynthesis is still at the heart of scientific research today, with universities across the world working hard to replicate in the lab what plants do with ruthless efficiency. Their goal is to produce a clean, limitless fuel and if they get it right it will change all our lives.
S1E2 • Botany: A Blooming History • 2011 • Nature
What makes plants grow is a simple enough question, but the answer turns out to be one of the most complicated and fascinating stories in science and took over 300 years to unravel. Timothy Walker, director of the Oxford University Botanic Garden, reveals how the breakthroughs of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, Chelsea gardener Phillip Miller and English naturalist John Ray created the science of botany. Between them these quirky, temperamental characters unlocked the mysteries of the plant kingdom and they began to glimpse a world where bigger, better and stronger plants could be created. Nurseryman Thomas Fairchild created the world's first artificial hybrid flower - an entirely new plant that didn't exist in nature. Today, botanists continue the search for new flowers, better crops and improved medicines to treat life-threatening diseases.
S1E1 • Botany: A Blooming History • 2011 • Nature
In this final episode, Iolo explores bird design - from their ability to fly to the way that their beak design, colour and camouflage enable them to live in the many habitats Wales has to offer. Using ultra-slow motion photography, Iolo looks at how garden birds have such control over take off and landing, and explains why fulmars are one of our most supreme fliers.
S1E5 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature
In this fourth episode, Iolo Williams explores how birds in Wales have adapted to living alongside us, making use of our buildings, parks and gardens and even the waste we throw away. One of the most notorious urban birds is the gull and Iolo explains why these very adaptable and intelligent birds are doing so well in Cardiff
S1E4 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature
Today, Iolo discovers the difficulties birds face in order to stay alive, and the programme includes a dramatic scene in which a sparrow hawk seizes the moment to attack a woodpigeon nest.
S1E3 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature
In this episode, Iolo investigates the courtship and nesting behaviour of birds, including the amazing courtship display of great crested grebes at a reservoir near Pontypool, the impressive sky dance of hen harriers in the dramatic Cambrian Mountains, how nuthatch use mud like cement to prepare their nest in a woodland near Harlech, and why long-tailed tits near Newtown are exceptional nest builders. On the Lleyn Peninsula near Trefor, he looks at why one colony of shags nest earlier than any others in Wales, and in Pembrokeshire he finds out where house martins nested before they used our buildings. Iolo also looks at the variety of places birds like to nest, from little ringed plovers on shingle banks along the River Tywi to puffins underground on Skomer.
S1E2 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature
In this first episode, he investigates how and why birds communicate, looking at the reasons snipe use their tail feathers to make a very distinctive noise and what's happening when thousands of starlings participate in stunning aerial displays in Aberystwyth.
S1E1 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature
At the coast, two worlds collide. Coasts is the story of how our Blue Planet’s wildlife survives in this ever changing world. It’s a roller-coaster ride of heart stopping action and epic drama, with characters from beautiful to bizarre. This episode is a rollercoaster ride of heart-stopping action and epic drama, peopled with characters from the beautiful to the bizarre. We meet fish that live on dry land and puffins that must travel 60 miles or more for a single meal, and witness a life-and-death struggle in a technicolour rock pool.
S1E6 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
Dr George McGavin investigates the highly varied and dramatic life of oak tree. Part science documentary, part historical investigation, this film is a celebration of one of the most iconic trees in the British countryside. It aims to give viewers a sense of what an extraordinary species the oak is and provide an insight into how this venerable tree experiences life.
2017 • Nature
Footage of wildlife inhabiting underwater kelp forests, including thousands of giant cuttlefish spawning along a restricted area of rocky reef off the south coast of Australia. Males outnumber females 11 to one, which leads to fierce competition. Larger males use brute force to drive off competition, while their smaller rivals use deception by mimicking the appearance of females. The programme also features tiger sharks hunting for green turtles in fields of seagrass and spider crabs trying to avoid predators while they shed their shells.
S1E5 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
The big blue is the world's greatest wilderness, far from shore and many kilometres deep. It's a vast marine desert where there is little to eat and nowhere to hide. Yet it's home to some of the biggest and most spectacular creatures on earth. This episode reveals what it takes to survive in this savage and forbidding world. We witness feats of incredible endurance, moments of high drama and extraordinary acts of heart-wrenching self-sacrifice. Every animal in the big blue must find their own unique way to survive.
S1E4 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
Secret History documentary charting an astounding archaeological investigation in South Africa that has discovered the remains of an entirely new species of human ancestor: Homo naledi. Following an expedition by a team of experts, led by Professor Lee Berger, as they recover over 1,500 fossilised bone fragments from a deep and nearly inaccessible cave and conduct extensive analysis
2015 • Nature
This is the ultimate hidden kingdom - the urban jungle. In the colourful and chaotic streets of Rio, a young marmoset is separated from his street gang and forced to confront of the dangers of the city alone. In the futuristic metropolis of Tokyo, a rhinoceros beetle escapes his captors and begins an extraordinary journey through this alien world to find sanctuary.
S1E3 • Hidden Kingdoms • 2014 • Nature
This is the story of two tiny animals coming of age. In the wild woods of North America, a young chipmunk is gathering a vital store of nuts ahead of his first winter - in his way are ruthless rivals and giant predators. In the steaming rainforest, a young tree-shrew is forced deep into the jungle to find food. She must draw on all her intelligence and agility if she is to escape the ultimate jungle predator - a reticulated python!
S1E2 • Hidden Kingdoms • 2014 • Nature
This is the story of two young animals forced to grow up fast. In Africa's savannah, a baby elephant shrew learns how speed is the secret to survival amongst the largest animals on Earth; and in America, a young grasshopper mouse confronts the Wild West's deadliest creatures to stake a claim of his own.
S1E1 • Hidden Kingdoms • 2014 • Nature
Coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species. Survival in these undersea mega-cities is a challenge with many different solutions. A turtle heads to the reef's equivalent of a health spa - but she must use trickery to avoid the queue. A remarkable Grouper uses the fish equivalent of sign language to collaborate with an octopus, flushing their prey out of hiding holes. A metre-long, ferocious-jawed Bobbit Worm hides in its tunnel. Monocle Bream retaliate by squirting water to expose its sandy lair.
S1E3 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
The Okavango Delta is one of the world's largest inland deltas - and supports a variety of life as rich as any you will see in Africa. Yet this lush wetland of islands and lagoons lies in the middle of the vast, featureless Kalahari Desert. This is the story of how it happens. Following groups of wildlife, including hippos, baboons, catfish, kingfishers, leopards, warthogs and elephants, the film reveals how the yearly flood transforms the landscape and impacts their lives. But more surprisingly, it reveals how, with the help of termites and hippos, the flood actually creates this extraordinary delta in the first place.
S1E3 • Earth's Greatest Spectacles • 2016 • Nature
Svalbard in the Arctic spends many months of the year in complete darkness, an unrelenting frozen winter with temperatures down to -40 Celsius. But when the sun finally reappears, the landscape magically transforms from an ice world into a rich tundra, full of exotic plants, birds, arctic foxes, polar bears, walrus and reindeer. This film captures the changes in all their glory and reveals how this transformation is only possible thanks to some bizarre micro-organisms that feed on ice and the stunning abilities of migrating birds.
S1E2 • Earth's Greatest Spectacles • 2016 • Nature
New England is the stage for the most incredible colour change on earth, when the vivid greens of summer give way to the gold’s and reds of autumn. This film reveals how this vibrant fiesta is created by the battles between the trees and the forests' inhabitants. Moose, chipmunks, rattlesnakes and a bizarre mixture of caterpillars all play a crucial role, but surprisingly the forest itself was made so colourful thanks to a combination of hard work by beavers, ants and humans.
S1E1 • Earth's Greatest Spectacles • 2016 • Nature
The deep is perhaps the most hostile environment on earth, at least to us - a world of crushing pressure, brutal cold and utter darkness. We have barely begun to explore it, and yet it is the largest living space on the planet. Scientists already think that there is more life in the deep than anywhere else on earth. This episode takes us on an epic journey into the unknown, a realm that feels almost like science fiction. We discover alien worlds, bizarre creatures and extraordinary new behaviours never seen before. We encounter savage hordes of Humboldt squid hunting lanternfish in the depths and coral gardens flourishing in absolute darkness, with more species of coral to be found in the deep than on shallow tropical reefs.. Narrated by David Attenborough,
S1E2 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
Before man ruled the world, Earth was a land of giants. Count down the biggest beasts of their kind to ever roam the planet in this eye-opening special, and uncover the secret lives of these supersized species. Birds with plane-length wingspans, dinosaurs rivalling a Boeing 737; this stunning CGI special goes in search of the truth behind these monsters, counting down the ten largest and most extraordinary finds. From handling the recently unearthed bones of a dinosaur far larger than previously known, to analysing the flight technique of a giant seven-metre bird uncover the unique adaptations that allowed each animal to thrive. Visual stunts and surprising size comparisons bring each beast vividly back to life in ever-increasing sizes. Get ready for a dramatic countdown of the most mind-blowing lost giants.
2015 • Nature
Take a journey through majestic primeval forests of the Urals. These protected sites are known for their extremes, where the fine side by side, and giant deer, and giant leviathan, weighing half a ton, and tiny animals. This also, in search of food, make their seasonal raiding Eurasian elk. Unlike other types of elk Eurasian elk live alone, so for the pregnant female elk stress of meeting with other animals usually leads to a fight. As soon as the snow begins to melt in the woods, baring the ground, a lone wolf set out in search of food, not disdaining the frozen remains of animals
S1E6 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
The Arctic region of Russia is considered the most inhospitable places to live. But polar bears, lemmings, Arctic foxes, and seals - Arctic - simply heaven. In late August, with the onset of the breeding season is going very strong male musk for traditional competitions for the right leadership in the pairing with females. Weight of an adult bull can reach 400 kilograms. In a skirmish with a rival musk ox to deliver a decisive blow running away at 40 miles per hour. Sound from the blow horns fighting males can be heard at a distance of more than one kilometer.
S1E5 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
From the snow-white peaks to scorching sun of deserts - all the Caucasus. Caucasus Mountains - not just a mountain ridge. This is a rich habitat for many species of flora and fauna, which feel great on the wooded slopes, and alpine meadows, and even in salt marshes. It is well settled down wild boar, Eurasian lynx, European bison and the rare fragile ophidian lizard. Caucasus - is another jewel in the crown of Wildlife Russia.
S1E4 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
Siberia - It accounts for 10% of the land on our planet. Siberia is known for its frost and is known worldwide as one of the coldest places on earth. However, Siberia is home to numerous species of large wild animals, beasts and other creatures, including musk deer, camel, gazelle and rare species of lizard - Siberian salamander, which can be several years in a frozen state at - 40gradusov C and survive. From the cold north to the southern steppes - all Siberia, in all its splendor. Kamchatka - Land exploding volcanoes and glaciers, a country of ice and fire.
S1E3 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
There is no uncommon sight hanging on the trees of Asian black bears, chipmunks, scurrying about in search of food, as well as the sika deer, gracefully descend to the water to supplement your diet with brown algae. The very presence of deer and deer attracts the largest predator in this region - the Amur tiger. But the world's largest wild cat is also at risk. Poaching and destruction of habitat of tigers in the Ussuri taiga in Russia for many years have created a real threat of extinction of this rare animal.
S1E2 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
The volcanic Kamchatka peninsula is located on the far east of Russia. Because of the frequent volcanic eruptions and landslides, the terrain is constantly changing. But, despite the fact that the remote Kamchatka region is considered dangerous, it is unusually rich and fertile. Exploring the riches of this magical land, our film does not miss anything. In the frame - the golden eagles soaring in the sky, the wolverine, scavenge, the whole family of red foxes, and even the owners of these places - brown bears, happy to take baths in natural hot springs.
S1E1 • Wild Russia • 2009 • Nature
In recent years, our knowledge of life beneath the waves has been transformed. Using cutting-edge technology, One Ocean takes us on a journey from the intense heat of the tropics to our planet's frozen poles to reveal new worlds and extraordinary never-before-seen animal behaviours.
S1E1 • Blue Planet II • 2017 • Nature
Britain's best-loved broadcaster brings his favourite extinct creatures back to life in David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive. In this ground-breaking film, Sir David takes us on a journey through the world-famous Natural History Museum in London in a captivating tale of discovery, adventure, and magic, where state-of-the-art CGI, science, and research combine to bring the museum's now long-extinct inhabitants to life to discover how these animals once roamed the planet. As the doors are locked and night falls, Attenborough stays behind and meets some of the most fascinating extinct creatures which come alive in front of his eyes; dinosaurs, ice age beasts, and giant reptiles. The film fulfils a lifelong dream of the nation's favourite naturalist, who said: "I have been coming to the Natural History Museum since I was a boy. It's one of the great places to come to learn about natural history. In this film we have the technology to bring back to life some of the most romantic and extraordinary extinct creatures that can be conceived; some are relatively recent animals like the dodo, others older like the dinosaurs, and some we only know through fossil evidence. Using our current scientific knowledge, this film brings these creatures alive, allowing me to look at some of the biggest questions surrounding them."
2013 • Nature
Young animals prepare for their first winter away from their parents, humpback whales return to Alaska's rich feeding grounds and salmon return to spawn in the rivers where they were hatched. But the returning salmon have to negotiate a path past hungry brown bears fattening themselves before they hibernate.
S1E4 • Alaska: A Year in the Wild • 2017 • Nature
Summer has arrived in Alaska. Free of ice, rivers and streams can flow again. This sets the scene for one of the world's greatest migrations, the Alaskan salmon run.
S1E3 • Alaska: A Year in the Wild • 2017 • Nature
With the arrival of spring, days grow longer and temperatures rise. But spring in Alaska is short. Animals have two months to feed, and start a family, while avoiding predators. Spring is also the time that millions of birds return to Alaska.
S1E2 • Alaska: A Year in the Wild • 2017 • Nature
As temperatures hit minus 60 food becomes scarce, and animals such as foxes and hares shed their colourful coats to camouflage themselves in the snow. The end of winter heralds one of the world's greatest feeding frenzies as large ocean predators target the millions of fish who have found refuge in the Gulf of Alaska.
S1E1 • Alaska: A Year in the Wild • 2017 • Nature
An extraordinary new discovery of a dinosaur fossil so pristine and complete, that it shows off the texture, patterns, and colour of a prehistoric giant. Discover this brand new species that roamed during the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta has spent five years and over 7,000 hours preparing the fossil for research and display.
Science Breakthroughs • 2017 • Nature
Life and Death explores the impact of Darwin’s ideas on our understanding of the meaning of extinction and the interconnections between all life on earth and the environment. Darwin learned many lessons from the giant fossils of extinct animals he found in Argentina and Chile. He eventually revealed to us the unpalatable truth that the logical conclusion to evolution is not perfection but extinction. The extinction of one species creates an environmental niche for new species to fill. Darwin’s theory also gives us vital knowledge we can use to help prolong the existence of our species by respecting the interconnections between all elements of the natural world and the environment. It’s a story in which Darwin’s ideas are taken up with great enthusiasm by his followers throughout the 20th century. But humanity misses one opportunity after another to acknowledge and reduce its destructive impact on the planet. As a result we have set in motion the sixth mass extinction of life on earth. And we are running out of time to do something about it by preserving ecological "hotspots" like certain rainforests which are some of the most productive cradles of evolution. This programme is a warning, but also a celebration, of the knowledge Charles Darwin gave us in his theory of evolution. It confirms that Darwin’s theory continues to inform our understanding of ourselves, our planet and the intricate interconnections between all life on earth.
S1E3 • Darwin's Dangerous Idea • 2009 • Nature
The second episode of Andrew Marr's exploration of Darwin explores the impact of Darwin’s ideas on society and politics. Darwin’s first port of call on the Beagle was Salvador in Brazil – then a major port for the international slave trade. His experience there confirmed his enlightenment views of liberty and progress and his hatred of slavery. But his theory of evolution that began to take root on that epic voyage would describe a world of conflict, ruthless competition and struggle. It would be taken up and abused by some of the most reactionary movements of the late-19th and 20th centuries. The phrase “survival of the fittest” would help propel Darwin’s theory as a scientific justification for eugenics, enforced sterilisation and genocide. But after the Second World War, Darwin’s theory finds redemption in the United Nations statement on race which confirms Darwin’s long-held view that all humans are members of the same race and deserving of equal treatment. This is further reinforced in the extraordinary work of a small Jewish community in New York who used DNA testing and a voluntary and anonymous form of selective breeding to eliminate a debilitating disease from the Jewish community. DNA testing is the final frontier of Darwin’s Dangerous idea. But the lessons from history suggest that the new choices we face about what to do with the knowledge Darwin has given us when combined with genetics and DNA testing remains a major social and political challenge.
S1E2 • Darwin's Dangerous Idea • 2009 • Nature
The first programme of Darwin's Dangerous Idea explores the impact of Darwin’s ideas on religion and morality. Andrew Marr discovers that an important part of the Beagle’s mission was to return three natives to their homeland, Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost tip of Argentina. Years before he reached the Galapagos, they raised questions in his mind about the fragility of civilisation and what it really means to be human. Marr explores how Darwin developed his ideas when he returned to Britain and finally unleashed his theory of evolution by natural selection on the world. Darwin’s ideas are taken up by many of the major thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud. We discover that his ideas helped motivate the Kaiser’s army in the First World War and would also help convince the United States government to drop its isolationist policy and enter the conflict. In the 20th century, we discover a growing backlash against Darwin’s ideas among fundamentalists from the world’s major religions. At the same time science has been showing that Darwin’s theory of natural selection holds sway over our behaviour - including our morality - as much as it does over the evolution of our bodies. There is significant scientific evidence that suggests that Darwin has returned humanity to nature, in all its wonder, its glory and its danger.
S1E1 • Darwin's Dangerous Idea • 2009 • Nature
Following the success of Helen Macdonald's bestselling novel of the same name, H is for Hawk: A New Chapter is an intimate and personal journey. After the loss of her father, Helen trained the hardest bird in falconry, a goshawk. The cathartic experience helped her to grieve and now she is ready to do it again, but this time she hopes it will be her wings to somewhere new. In this beautiful and moving film, Helen trains a new bird and follows a wild goshawk family at the nest, getting closer than ever before to these fiery eyed birds of prey.
Natural World • 2017 • Nature
A group of world-renowned scientists are on a quest to uncover the secrets of the most significant day in our planet's history: the day that killed the dinosaurs. 66 million years ago an asteroid the size of London hit the planet in the modern-day Gulf of Mexico. Now, as co-leaders of an expedition to drill deep into the Chicxulub asteroid impact crater, Geologists Sean Gulick and Jo Morgan have set out to answer how this resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs.
S1E5 • Catalyst: Series 18 • 2017 • Nature
Making of David Attenborough’s Galapagos, which is aired first, offers an unrivalled and actually far more interesting view of the dramas that went into capturing all that footage. The way all the shots have been so calmly edited together makes the process look so effortless, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are broken helicopters and broken camera cables that threaten the whole enterprise and the grunting of mating tortoises that threaten to drown out Attenborough’s pieces to camera. This making of programme also includes the discovery of a previously unknown species of pink iguana, as well as the final television appearance of the last-remaining member of another species – the iconic long-necked tortoise known as Lonesome George. “He’s about 80 years old and he’s getting a bit creaky in his joints,” whispers Attenborough. “As indeed am I.”
S1E4 • Galapagos with David Attenborough • 2010 • Nature
No two islands in the Galapagos are the same. The imperceptible drift of a continental plate keeps each island biologically isolated. David Attenborough explores this evolutionary crucible, encountering tortoises that weigh up to half a tonne, finches that use tools and lizards that communicate using press-ups; for Darwin, this was all evidence for his theory of evolution. We see the final footage of the world famous tortoise fondly known as Lonesome George, the last survivor of his species. David Attenborough was the last person to have ever filmed with him. Darwin’s famous visit had a downside – the arrival of man. David investigates the impact we’ve had in these islands, as our influence is a double-edged sword. We’ve disrupted the natural balance but he also believes Darwin would be thrilled with the advances we have made in science. We’re also now uncovering evidence that evolution is more rapid than Darwin could ever have imagined. Whatever wonders the Galapagos Islands hold today, they are only a hint of what awaits them in the future.
S1E3 • Galapagos with David Attenborough • 2010 • Nature
Once life arrived in the Galapagos, it exploded into unique and spectacular forms. David Attenborough investigates the driving forces behind such evolutionary innovations. We learn that life must be able to adapt quickly in these ever-changing volcanic landscapes. It has resulted in species found nowhere else in the world, such as giant whale sharks and marine iguanas that can spit sea-salt from their noses, dandelion seeds that grow into tree-sized plants and spiders that can blend perfectly into the darkness. Adaptation has been the key to survival in these islands so far, but the story of life in the Galapagos doesn’t end here. The catalyst that triggers these explosions of life remains in place.
S1E2 • Galapagos with David Attenborough • 2010 • Nature
The islands of the Galapagos rose explosively from the ocean four million years ago. Although life would not seem viable in such a remote Pacific outpost, the first arrivals landed as the fires still burned. David Attenborough explores the islands for the animals and plants that descend from these pioneers: from the sea birds carrying the seeds that made a tentative foothold on these rocks, to equator-dwelling penguins and a dancing bird with blue feet. This is a story of treacherous journeys, life-forms that forged unlikely companionships, and surviving against all odds. It is the story of an evolutionary melting pot in which anything and everything is possible.
S1E1 • Galapagos with David Attenborough • 2010 • Nature
In what turns out to be an explosive year, witness Iceland through the eyes of the animals and people that have made this wild island home. An arctic fox family must eke out a cliff-top living, an eider farmer has his hands full playing duck dad to hundreds of new arrivals and Viking horsemen prepare to saddle up for the autumn round up. But nature's clock is ticking, and the constant volcanic threat eventually boils over with one of Iceland's biggest eruptions in more than 200 years. This land of ice and fire will not be tamed.
Natural World • 2015 • Nature
As a boy, frogs were the first animals Sir David Attenborough kept and today he is still just as passionate about them. Through his eyes, the weird and wonderful world of frogs is explored, shedding new light on these charismatic, colourful and frequently bizarre creatures. David reveals all aspects of the frogs' life, their anatomy, their extraordinary behaviour and their ability to live in some of the most extreme places on the planet, as he goes on an eye-opening journey into the fabulous lives of frogs.
Natural World • 2014 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates this astonishing story of a wild cheetah family. Known for being fast, captivating and extremely elusive, a new insight into their remarkable lives is offered by cameraman Kim Wolhuter. For nearly two years, he walked alongside a wild cheetah mother and her young family to unravel in intimate detail what it takes to turn tiny cubs into accomplished predators.
Natural World • 2017 • Nature
The final episode deals with the evolution of the most widespread and dominant species on Earth: humans. The story begins in Africa, where, some 10 million years ago, apes descended from the trees and ventured out into the open grasslands in search of food. They slowly adapted to the habitat and grew in size. Their acute sense of vision led to them standing erect to spot predators, leaving their hands free to bear weapons. In addition, the primitive apemen also had stones that were chipped into cutting tools. Slowly, they grew taller and more upright, and their stone implements became ever more elaborate.
13/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
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
This programme surveys mammal herbivores and their predators. The herbivores began to populate the forests when the dinosaurs disappeared, and many took to gathering food at night. To prepare for winter, some store it in vast quantities, some hibernate and others make do as best they can. However, the carnivores joined them, and when a drying climate triggered the spread of grass, they followed their prey out on to the plains. Grass is not easily digestible and most animals that eat it have to regurgitate it and chew the cud. Out in the open, the leaf-eaters had to develop means of protection.
11/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This episode continues the study of mammals, and particularly those whose young gestate inside their bodies. Attenborough asks why these have become so varied and tries to discover the common theme that links them. Examples of primitive mammals that are still alive today include the treeshrew, the desman and the star-nosed mole. Insect eaters vary enormously from the aardvark, giant anteater and pangolin to those to which much of this programme is devoted: the bats, of which there are nearly 1,000 different species. These took to flying at night, and its possible that they evolved from treeshrews that jumped from tree to tree, in much the same way as a flying squirrel.
10/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This instalment is the first of several to concentrate on mammals. The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that lay eggs (in much the same manner of reptiles), and it is from such animals that others in the group evolved. Since mammals have warm blood and most have dense fur, they can hunt at night when temperatures drop. It is for this reason that they became more successful than their reptile ancestors, who needed to heat themselves externally. Much of the programme is devoted to marsupials (whose young are partially formed at birth) of which fossils have been found in the Americas dating back 60 million years.
9/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This programme focuses on birds. The feather is key to everything that is crucial about a bird: it is both its aerofoil and its insulator. The earliest feathers were found on a fossilised Archaeopteryx skeleton in Bavaria. However, it had claws on its wings and there is only one species alive today that does so: the hoatzin, whose chicks possess them for about a week or so. Nevertheless, it serves to illustrate the probable movement of its ancestor. It may have taken to the trees to avoid predators, and over time, its bony, reptilian tail was replaced by feathers and its heavy jaw evolved into a keratin beak.
8/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This episode is devoted to the evolution of reptiles. They are not as restricted as their amphibian ancestors, since they can survive in the hottest climates. The reason is their scaly, practically watertight skin. The scales protect the body from wear and tear and in the case of some species of lizard, such as the Australian thorny devil, serve to protect from attack. The horned iguana from the West Indies is also one of the most heavily armoured. The skin is rich in pigment cells, which provide effective means of camouflage, and the chameleon is a well-known example. Temperature control is important to reptiles: they cant generate body heat internally or sweat to keep cool.
7/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
The next instalment describes the move from water to land. The fish that did so may have been forced to because of drought, or chose to in search of food. Either way, they eventually evolved into amphibians. Such creatures needed two things: limbs for mobility and lungs to breathe. The coelacanth is shown as a fish with bony fins that could have developed into legs, and the lungfish is able to absorb gaseous oxygen. However, evidence of an animal that possessed both is presented in the 450 million-year-old fossilised remains of a fish called a eusthenopteron. Three groups of amphibians are explored.
6/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This programme looks at the evolution of fish. They have developed a multitude of shapes, sizes and methods of propulsion and navigation. The sea squirt, the lancelet and the lamprey are given as examples of the earliest, simplest types. Then, about 400 million years ago, the first back-boned fish appeared. The Kimberley Ranges of Western Australia are, in fact, the remnants of a coral reef and the ancient seabed. There, Attenborough discovers fossils of the earliest fish to have developed jaws. These evolved into two shapes of creature with cartilaginous skeletons: wide ones (like rays and skates) and long ones (like sharks).
5/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This episode details the relationship between flowers and insects. There are some one million classified species of insect, and two or three times as many that are yet to be labelled. Around 300 million years ago, plants began to enlist insects to help with their reproduction, and they did so with flowers. Although the magnolia, for instance, contains male and female cells, pollination from another plant is preferable as it ensures greater variation and thus evolution. Flowers advertise themselves by either scent or display. Some evolved to produce sweet-smelling nectar and in turn, several insects developed their mouth parts into feeding tubes in order to reach it.
4/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
This instalment examines the earliest land vegetation and insects. The first plants, being devoid of stems, mainly comprised mosses and liverworts. Using both sexual and asexual methods of reproduction, they proliferated. Descended from segmented sea creatures, millipedes were among the first to take advantage of such a habitat and were quickly followed by other species. Without water to carry eggs, bodily contact between the sexes was now necessary. This was problematical for some hunters, such as spiders and scorpions, who developed courtship rituals to ensure that the female didn't eat the male.
3/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
The next programme explores the various sea-living invertebrates. In Morocco, the limestones are 600 million years old, and contain many invertebrate fossils. They fall broadly into three categories: shells, crinoids and segmented shells. The evolution of shelled creatures is demonstrated with the flatworm, which eventually changed its body shape when burrowing became a necessity for either food or safety. It then evolved shielded tentacles and the casings eventually enveloped the entire body: these creatures are the brachiopods. The most successful shelled animals are the molluscs, of which there are some 80,000 different species.
2/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
The episode begins in the South American rainforest whose rich variety of life forms is used to illustrate the sheer number of different species. Since many are dependent on others for food or means of reproduction, David Attenborough argues that they couldn't all have appeared at once. He sets out to discover which came first, and the reasons for such diversity. He starts by explaining the theories of Charles Darwin and the process of natural selection, using the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands (where Darwin voyaged on HMS Beagle) as an example. Fossils provide evidence of the earliest life, and Attenborough travels a vertical mile into the Grand Canyon in search of them.
1/13 • Life on Earth • 1979 • Nature
Two hundred million years ago there was an extraordinary development in the history of life: an ancient group of reptiles made a giant evolutionary leap into the skies. In this groundbreaking, BAFTA winning, documentary, David Attenborough travels back in time to discover how and why these creatures took flight, and why after 150 million years of aerial domination they vanished. Using state of the art CGI, and based on new finds and the latest research, Flying Monsters recreates these spectacular creatures and takes us into their world. Beginning on Dorset’s 'Jurassic Coast', David’s journey takes him to sites around the world, from Southern France to New Mexico. With the help of a team of scientists he unravels one of palaeontologys enduring mysteries, how did lizards the size of giraffes defy gravity and soar through prehistoric skies? Driven by the information he finds as he attempts to answer these questions, Attenborough finds that the marvel of pterosaur flight has evolutionary echoes that resonate even today.
2011 • Nature
An elaborate river portrait-in this case of one of the greatest rivers of Europe. An epic journey of discovery into the continent's unknown wild lands, "Danube - Europe's Amazon" shows how the river's famous currents helped sculpt the incredible landscapes, and it links them together.
S1E2 • Danube - Europe's Amazon • 2012 • Nature
Reveals the unknown side of a world-famous river that has shaped a whole continent. Over a period of two years, the Science Vision team traveled 90,000 kilometers and spent 481 days on location, returning with over 400 hours of material. Only two hours will be included in the finished film.
S1E1 • Danube - Europe's Amazon • 2012 • Nature
A behind-the-scenes special offering an insider's look at Sir David Attenborough's innovative series exploring the macroscopic world of bugs. David reveals how the film-makers got up close with the insect and arachnid world for the innovative documentary series
7 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
Watching the fascinating display of leafcutter ants at the Natural History Museum in London is one of my favourite ways to while away a few hours, but David Attenborough is operating on a much grander scale here in the last in the series. In Argentina he observes some cousins of the leafcutters who are part of a community so vast it spans an entire continent. It’s one of the mandible-dropping facts in a look at one of the key inventions of arthropods: colonies. From termites and honey bees to the leafcutters, it seems that if you want to get ahead, you move to the big city.
6 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
While most of the series has focused on conflict, this episode is all about co-operation. The suitably named social spiders spin one enormous, 30m web for the whole colony, a queen bee rules her hive with a strict hierarchy and some green ants show great team spirit to help build a nest together. There are no broken societies here. David Attenborough shifts the focus to bugs that prefer cooperation rather than conflict. They include burrowing cockroaches, the suitably named social spiders - which share a 30-metre web.
5 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
A close-up view of sex, bug-style, as David Attenborough talks viewers through the different ways in which creepy-crawlies reproduce. Size matters for the minuscule male orb spider, creepily sneaking up on its intended and trying to mate without her noticing, while there's no rest for the lothario-like butterfly, which has plenty of notches on its proverbial bedpost. However, the harvestman spider has no use for sex at all, and reproduces by cloning itself.
4 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
It’s sexy time with the arthropods! This week David Attenborough takes a look at the courtship rituals of the creatures beneath our feet. But lovebugs won’t want to take tips from these bugs. The male Chilean rose tarantula, for instance, weaves a silk mat; deposits sperm on it, then sucks that sperm into a finger-like appendage near his mouth before he looks for a mate. Then there’s the gruesome, but surprisingly effective, coupling of praying mantis. The cinematography is as amazing as ever, catching the mating battles of tramp ants and providing luminescent footage of the courtship dance of Tanzanian red claw scorpions.
3 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
The broadcaster continues his bug-eyed view of the world of creepy-crawlies, revealing how predators defuse the defences of their prey. Highlights include the cockroach wasp, busy preparing a tasty - and very live - treat for its young, the whirligig beetle, which employs a water-based radar system, and the jumping Portia spider, which feeds on other arachnids.
2 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
David Attenborough employs the latest technologies to explore the violence, rivalries and deadly weaponry existing within the world of bugs. This first episode examines the survival tactics of its terrifying residents including killer ants, trap-setting spiders and beetles with the ability to shoot boiling chemicals at their enemies.
1 • Micro Monsters with David Attenborough • 2013 • Nature
The Pray will immerse you into the forested world of the dead leaf mantis. This action packed film boasts incredibly unique and dynamic shots. Fly through the forest with flies, witness the cunning behavior between the mantis and the hawk and experience a hunt like you’ve never seen before. Using stunning cinematography we divulge the truth of a catch and behold the incredible way a mantis devours its prey. It’s everything a fantasy movie would have except this time, it’s real.
2017 • Nature
A fascinating look at the secret, underground world of the ant colony in a way that has never been seen before. At its heart is a massive, full-scale ant nest, specially-designed and built to allow cameras to see its inner workings. The nest is a new home for a million-strong colony of leafcutter ants from Trinidad. For a month, entomologist Dr George McGavin and leafcutter expert Professor Adam Hart capture every aspect of the life of the colony, using time-lapse cameras, microscopes, microphones and radio tracking technology. The ants instantly begin to forage, farm, mine and build. Within weeks, the colony has established everything from nurseries to gardens to graveyards. The programme explores how these tiny insects can achieve such spectacular feats of collective organisation. This unique project reveals the workings of one of the most complex and mysterious societies in the natural world and shows the surprising ways in which ants are helping us solve global problems.
2013 • Nature
In this Short Documentary, Geologists in New Zealand created a stir earlier this year when they declared their discovery of the eighth continent of the world. Learn how was it formed and how something so massive could remain undetected until now.
3 • Science Breakthroughs • 2017 • Nature
David Attenborough narrates this documentary about the giant squid, a creature of legend and myth which even in the 21st century, has rarely been seen in it's natural environment. But now, an international team of scientists think they have finally found their lair, one thousand metres down, off the coast of Japan. This is the culmination of decades of research. The team deploys underwater robots and state of the art submersible vessels for a world first - to find and film the impossible.
Natural World • 2013 • Nature
Just as Africa constantly throws-up mountains which intercept moisture-laden clouds from the oceans, so the changing landscape also creates grooves and basins which channel and gather the precious moisture that falls on the high ground.
S1E6 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
Plants amazingly dominate this green world by employing poisons, recruiting defensive armies, feeding off the dead and using animals for pollination and seed dispersal. For predators this world presents exceptional challenges, not only in finding prey in such a tangled place, but in how to deal with the toxins that so many animals and plants are laced with.
S1E5 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
Africa's coasts were formed by the break-up of Gondwanaland 100 million years ago. They define the familiar shape of this special continent, and touch on a variety of environments including deserts, mountains, forests, wetlands and savannahs. Wild Africa takes us back in time to witness the birth of Africa and also carries us on a spectacular journey around the edge of the continent.
S1E4 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
As a whole, Africa is a dry continent with deserts dominating the landscape. Wild Africa explores how these deserts were created, and the amazing ways in which animals and plants have evolved to cope with the meagre and unpredictable rainfall, intense solar radiation, shortages of food and lack of shelter. By traveling through the African deserts, Wild Africa reveals that given enough time, a diverse variety of animals and plants can make a living in even the harshest conditions.
S1E3 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
The savannah is home to some of the greatest herds on Earth, and in this episode, Wild Africa brings you close encounters with these animals. The savannah is Africa's youngest landscape, shaped by the weather and the animals themselves as the continent dried. It is now home to baboons, wildebeest, lions, cheetah, and aardvarks who must struggle through the eight-month dry season to survive.
S1E2 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
This episode looks at Africa's mountain ranges. From the giant mole rats of the Ethiopian Highlands to the Barbary Macaque monkeys of the Atlas Mountains, this episode gives a fascinating look at the mountains of Africa and the animals that inhabit them.
S1E1 • Wild Africa • 2001 • Nature
Reconstructing a dinosaur skeleton for a museum is a balance between art and science - but getting that balance right is a tricky diplomatic, as well as scientific, process. Presenter and anatomist Dr. Alice Roberts follows the reconstruction of L.A.'s Natural History Museum's 2011 dinosaur exhibit.
2011 • Nature
The NHK team that captured the world's first footage of a live giant squid in its natural habitat is setting out for another deep-sea adventure. They will give us a look at the amazing life forms with luminous bodies that have survived the harsh, pitch-dark deep sea environment of the Pacific.
S1E2 • Deep Ocean • 2016 • Nature
The same submarine which successfully captured the world’s first moving images of a giant squid in its natural habitat is used for exploring the deep sea cliffs off the coast of New Guinea. The team encounters true living fossil species one after another. Join this exciting deep sea adventure!
S1E1 • Deep Ocean • 2016 • Nature
Explore the nature of Fraser Island's Beaches
S1E5 • The Living Beach • 2015 • Nature
Chris and Martha discover which of our tagged bees have survived over the midsummer week - a frenetic nectar and pollen gathering period - and if they have collected enough food at this critical time to see them through the winter. With the help of Prof Adam Hart they will also explore the queen's remarkably deadly mating ritual and look at how bees can help us medically and how we can help them.
S1E2 • Hive Alive • 2014 • Nature
Using a specially designed hive, with a formidable arsenal of cutting-edge technology to monitor the bees, we enter the bees' miniature world. Chris and Martha also put to the test the very latest scientific findings about bees, to discover why they are one of the most incredible creatures on our planet.
S1E1 • Hive Alive • 2014 • Nature
From the food on our tables to the fuel in our cars, crude oil seeps invisibly into almost every part of our modern lives. Yet many of us have little idea of the incredible journey it has made to reach our petrol tanks and plastic bags from its origins millions of years ago.
2007 • Nature
Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and author, discusses the need to preserve and protect the amazing global eco-system of the oceans.
S1E9 • Curiosity Retreats: 2015 Lectures • 2015 • Nature
As the Ganges nears the sea, it joins its mightiest tributary the Brahmaputra, creating a vast flood-prone delta. Here the bustling cities of Calcutta and Dhaka meet the wetlands, home to giant lizards and snakes, huge mean-eating crocodiles and forests full of monkeys. This is a story of human life persisting in wildly variable conditions in a domain that is still the preserve of the royal Bengal tiger.
From earthquakes to tsunamis to volcanic eruptions, natural disasters are both terrifying and fascinating - providing endless fresh material for documentary makers. But how well do disaster documentaries keep pace with the scientific theories that advance every day? To try and answer that question, Professor Danielle George is plunging into five decades of BBC archive. What she uncovers provides an extraordinary insight into one of the fastest moving branches of knowledge. From the legendary loss of Atlantis to the eruption that destroyed Pompeii, Danielle reveals how film-makers have changed their approach again and again in the light of new scientific theories. While we rarely associate Britain with major natural disaster, at the end of the programme Danielle brings us close to home, exploring programmes which suggest that 400 years ago Britain was hit by a tidal wave that killed hundreds of people, and that an even bigger tsunami could threaten us again.
A Timewatch Guide • 2017 • Nature
Oxygen – we all need it, we can't live without it. It's integral to life on this planet. And it's probable that, as you watch this film, you will be breathing in an oxygen atom that was also breathed by Genghis Khan – or by the first ever apes to stand upright on the plains of Africa. The oxygen that we breathe is made from two oxygen atoms joined together – O2. They were first joined more than 3 billion years ago by the earliest blue-green algae to evolve. The oxygen molecule first came from bacteria and was present in the fires that destroyed the dinosaurs and the chemical reactions in all human cells, and as ozone they protect the earth from radiation. Since then, both together and apart, they've had the most extraordinary adventures. Each of the two atoms in an oxygen molecule is virtually indestructible – so they have been first-hand players in some of the most dramatic events in the whole of Earth's history. It's often said that we are breathing the same oxygen that the cavemen did. The life of a single molecule of oxygen is traced on it's astonishing journey spanning millions of years, from its creation, into photosynthesis, through the age of the dinosaurs, early man, and on into today.
2008 • Nature
The British back garden is a familiar setting, but underneath the peonies and petunias is a much wilder hidden world, a miniature Serengeti, with beauty and brutality in equal measure. Chris Packham and a team of wildlife experts spend an entire year exploring every inch of a series of interlinked back gardens in Welwyn Garden City. They want to answer a fundamental question: how much wildlife lives beyond our back doors? How good for wildlife is the great British garden? Through all four seasons, Chris reveals a stranger side to some of our more familiar garden residents. In summer he meets a very modern family of foxes - with a single dad in charge - and finds that a single fox litter can have up to five different fathers. In winter he shows that a robin's red breast is actually war paint. And finally, in spring he finds a boiling ball of frisky frogs in a once-in-a-year mating frenzy. The secret lives of the gardens' smallest residents are even weirder. The team finds male crickets that bribe females with food during sex, spiders that change colour to help catch prey, and life-and-death battles going on under our noses in the compost heap. So how many different species call our gardens home? How well do our gardens support wildlife? By the end of the year, with the help of a crack team from London's Natural History Museum and some of the country's top naturalists, Chris will find out. He'll also discover which type of garden attracts the most wildlife. The results are not what you might expect... You'll never look at your garden in quite the same way again.
2017 • Nature
During the rainy season, the Blue Nile tributary is more powerful than the main river. Follow it from the Ethiopian highlands to the delta.
Pouring out of Lake Victoria, the Nile bursts into life, growing vast with sandy banks and mighty rapids. Under the scorching sun, elephant herds leave the savannah to drink and bathe in the river.
The Nile has many sources. This episode looks at the headwaters in the Great East African Rift Valley and the Rwenzori Mountains' melting snow.
It really is a big bad world out there. So what happens if you are the little guy? This film tells the epic survival stories of the world's smallest animals. To make a living, these tiny heroes have evolved extraordinary skills and achieved mind-boggling feats. From the animal kingdom's greatest artist to the tiny creatures that provide us with so much of the air we breathe, we discover what it takes to be a miniature miracle.
2017 • Nature
The Cretaceous was the golden age on ancient Earth. Magnificent and terrifying dinosaurs like Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus ruled the land. But they were all wiped out in an instant by one of the most powerful impacts our Earth has ever endured -- a collision with an asteroid!
S1E3 • Ancient Earth • 2017 • Nature
After the Permian period, the epic saga of evolution and extinction on Earth produced the world's first dinosaurs, plesiosaurs and pterosaurs. They dominated land, sea and air until another period of extreme volcanism generated vast waves of lava and toxic gas and killed roughly 75% of all species.
S1E2 • Ancient Earth • 2017 • Nature
Planet Earth was inhabited by many wondrous creatures throughout the Permian period. Massive geologic changes finally allowed life to thrive on land and sea, producing voracious saber-toothed carnivores like Gorgonopsid and the terrifying 40-foot shark Helicoprion. But it couldn't last forever...
S1E1 • Ancient Earth • 2017 • Nature
This documentary follows a spectacular pioneering story of nature preservation. Engadin was created 100 years ago and the wildlife left without human interference to re-populate the Alps first nature reserve. Now ibex, lynx and wolves are thriving in this pristine area.
2015 • Nature
How have some plants managed to live 5000 years? They are masters of photosynthesis and have survived on trips into space. In fact, there are now "plantimals". Perhaps it is time we learned more from plants about our world and how to live in it as partners.
S1E3 • Invisible Nature • 2017 • Nature
Plants are able to communicate with each other in ways we are only now beginning to understand. Some plants can differentiate between roots of their "family" and roots of other kinds of plants when they touch underground. See how plants "talk" to each other and find out what they talk about!
S1E2 • Invisible Nature • 2017 •