From the womb to a final moment of peace, witness the steady ticking of the universe’s clock through the eyes of the chimpanzee.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2022 • Nature
Shaping our entire universe, gravity has set the stage for life. For two king penguins, it steered them toward their soulmates.
2022 • Nature
Plants survive and thrive by using different skills than humans. Take a look at how they adapt to their environments, co-opt insects to help them out and manage to survive in extreme climates and terrain.
1/3 • Invisible Nature • 2017 • 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.
4/6 • Planet Dinosaur • 2011 • 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.
A cold-blooded creature needs solar power - soaking up the rays but hibernating in winter. We meet frogs that moisturise, jousting tortoises adn frozen turtles that retuen to life. They can be sophisticated creatures like the bubble-messaging saltwater crocodile or the Balearic wall lizard that has a relationship with a flower, but there are the exceptions to teh cold blooded rules such as the teenage tyrannosaurus rex and the largest reptile on earth, the leatherback turtle.
S1E1 • Life in Cold Blood • 2008 • Nature