Small Creatures - Big Lives • 2022 • episode "S1E1" • Planet Insect

58:40

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

0:00

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

44:57

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

41:41

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

22:15

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.

S2E3 • Explained • 2019 • Nature

48:02

Brace yourself for a gruesome trip into the world of predatory insects.

S1E2 • Macro Worlds • 2020 • Nature