Sun, Jun 11, 2017
Homing pigeons are specially trained for competitive use of their natural ability to navigate (back, home) in flight, which in Cher Ami's case saved near 200 allied troop lives in the Great War. Studies slowly unravel their impressive set of methods, including orientation by sun or moon, earth magnetism and memorizing landmarks. The Ancient Egyptians venerated the scarab, believing his east-west rolling of dung balls imitates the sun god Cephti rolling the sun back daily. They belong to a family of dung-beetles, where one in ten arrives early at a rich dropping and prevents being robbed by evacuating a rich portion to bury. Rolling back, with eyes specially split to look both down and up, they manage to roll away in a remarkably straight line, albeit often not E-W. They too navigate by sun or moon and reset their bearings having to avoid an obstacle by way of an orientation dance on the ball.
Sun, Jun 25, 2017
David Attenborough investigates two shells that have proved to be winners in evolution: the bird's shell and the hard shell of the tortoise. The ostrich egg is so strong it's possible for a person to stand on it without it breaking - 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.
Mon, Feb 9, 2015
David presents the progress into IQ research concerning some highly intelligent, long under-estimated species. First the orangutan, a forest primate from the Indonesian jungles, originally mistaken for a violent degenerated human, hen believed never to use its learning ability, shown in captivity, in the wild, as research on Borneo indicated, but now found enterprising in more demanding Sumatran marshes. Next the crow family, which proves that predatory birds can be as observant and agile problem-solvers as any primate.
Tue, Feb 25, 2014
Some animals have mastered the art of deception. The cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of other birds and tricks them into raising its young, while the spooky looking Death's-head hawk-moth deceives hundreds of bees to steal their honey. How do these cheats and imposters get away with it?
Sun, Jun 11, 2017
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.
Sun, Jun 18, 2017
When the giant panda was discovered in Chine by a French missionary, zoological disputes began whether the black-white bamboo eater is a bear -as DNA confirms- or closer related to the weasel-like red panda. Its tiny, usually single baby turns out better then a layer of cubs due to the poor nutritional value of their diet, and ads to its zoo popularity. Since Victorians received the first kiwi corpses in London, its exceptionally big egg in proportion, requiring ten days to ponder, contributed to speculation concerning its relatives -ostriches, casuary, emu- and loss of flight. It seems they descend not from a local giant but from a small South American bird flying all over Oceania and abandoning energy-consuming flying due to lack of predators and easy foraging, which security also makes raising a single chick intensively more sensible then a nest with spares.
Tue, Jan 29, 2013
David presents vertebrate species who cope amazingly with freezing cold. First the emperor penguin, where the males especially brave incredible cold to mate and protect their offspring. Next North American frog species who mastered the art of surviving frost even in ice thanks to a sort of cry-stasis.
Sun, Jun 18, 2017
Can animals count? This is a question that has intrigued and fooled investigators for a long time. Just over a hundred 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?
Tue, Feb 19, 2013
For centuries, superstition ascribed magical powers to the mythical unicorn. When the first tusks of the narwhal were brought to Western Europe, it was sold as unicorn corn, although the Vikings knew the whale species much earlier. The giant tooth's natural purpose remains a matter of speculation, especially as it's usually restricted to males. The twist is assumed to have a hydrodynamic stabilizing function. Snailhouses are generally twisted, a highly successful, strong design, as with the extinct ammonites, who ruled the seas a long time before the dinosaurs. For snails, it enabled conquering land.
Tue, Jan 29, 2013
David presents animal species who produce amazingly elaborate and efficient constructions. First spiders, and to a lesser degree caterpillars, who spin silk for webs and various specialized purposes, a process scientists still are unable to fully understand, let alone copy. Next weaver birds, whose hanging nests, a male's best bid to earn an impressed female as breeding mate, require incredible, largely innate qualities, including tying knots (uniqe for birds) and expertly selecting fit materials.