Making Of • 2005 • episode "Extra" • Life in the Undergrowth

Category: Nature

Life in the Undergrowth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough

Make a donation

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

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

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

Donation addresses

BTC: bc1q8ldskxh4x9qnddhcrgcun8rtvddeldm2a07r2v

ETH: 0x5CCAAA1afc5c5D814129d99277dDb5A979672116

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

Life in the Undergrowth • 2005 • 7 episodes •

Invasion of the Land

Invasion of the Land

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.

2005 • Nature

Taking to the Air

Taking to the Air

The next programme deals with flying insects. It begins in Central Europe, where the Körös River plays host to millions of giant mayflies as they rise from their larval skins to mate. — the climax of their lives. Mayflies and dragonflies were among the first to take to the air about 320 million years ago, and fossils reveal that some were similar in size to a seagull. Damselflies are also looked at in detail.

2005 • Nature

The Silk Spinners

The Silk Spinners

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.

2005 • Nature

Intimate Relations

Intimate Relations

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.

2005 • Nature

Supersocieties

The final programme looks at the superorganisms formed by bees, ants and termites. Attenborough reveals that their colonies, whose individuals were once considered purely servile, are "full of conflict, power struggles and mutinies." They evolved when such creatures moved away from a solitary existence and started building nests side-by-side, which led to a collective approach to caring for their young.

2005 • Nature

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall

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.)

2005 • Nature

Making Of

Life in the Undergrowth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough

2005 • Nature

You might also like

Madeira: Island Ark

Madeira: Island Ark

Fortey travels to Madeira to examine what happens to a volcanic island as it nears the end of its life-cycle and starts sinking back into the sea. Here, in the island's laurisilva forest, he examines the remains of an ancient forest that once carpeted all of Europe, finds island lizards that live to be four times older than their mainland counterparts, and meets a huge wolf spider. With the help of local divers, he also discovers an unexpectedly rich marine habitat populated by whales, dolphins and unusual deep-sea species that have much to tell us about the changing nature of our seas.

Part 3 • Nature's Wonderlands: Islands of Evolution • 2016 • Nature

River of Life

Once a rich wilderness teeming with lions, tigers and cheetahs, the Gangetic plains of northern India have been transformed into the most densely populated place on Earth. The film explores the impact of this tide of humanity on the wildlife of the plains - from the all-out war between elephants and villagers to worship of the deadly cobra.

S1E2 • Ganges • 2007 • Nature

Cheetah

On Zambia's plains, a cheetah mother must keep her cubs safe, preparing them for life without her. They take on dangerous prey and learn that even tiny neighbours can bite back.

S2E3 • Dynasties • 2022 • Nature

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall

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

Hyena

With the emergence of a young rival, a spotted hyena queen struggles to keep her grip on power - while also trying to raise a family - on Zambia's vast and unforgiving Liuwa Plain grasslands.

S2E4 • Dynasties • 2022 • Nature

Koalas

Arguably in the top three on everyone's list of "cutest animals", the koala lives a sleep-filled life. This film follows the koala community of Otway Forest, south of Melbourne, Australia. How do koalas behave? -- and when are they awake?

S1E2 • Wildlife • 2017 • Nature