Antarctica Calling

Chris Packham presents, mentioning others that didn't quite make the list, his favorite top ten animal - and plant species from the half million discovered in the first decade of the 21st century. The animals include the most endangered African monkey, a lemur (Madagascar simian), a mouse-size and -resembling relative of the elephant, a Caribean island-adapted sloth, a shark which 'walks coral reefs on an arm', the largest mega-stick, a deep sea jellyfish without tentacles and a jungle gecko mutation happening in Malaysian state Perlis in order to flee serpent predation into caves. Plant species include a giant Venus-flytrap on Palawan (Philipines) and the largest ever orchid from Peru.

This is the story of the incredible struggle for survival of the dragons of the Galapagos. On the island of Fernandina, each year Land Iguanas migrate up the steep slopes of the 5000ft active volcano to lay their eggs in the warm soil. If the rim of the crater is fully occupied they have to climb 1 km down the steep crater walls to the floor below. Many are killed finding a path down as the walls are steep & dangerously unstable causing many landslides.

Flight is the ultimate superpower, an extraordinary ability that humans can only dream of. Yet an astonishing number of animals have mastered the skies. Now, new technology allows us to join them in their previously hidden world, ‘flying’ alongside these gravity-defying animals and experiencing their unique point of view. With exceptional skills and breath-taking design, creatures ranging from frogs to fish, from spiders to squirrels, spend their lives mid-air. Life in the Air captures this extraordinary animal behaviour and reveals – in incredible detail – the amazing science of flight.

The community of Woodberry Down in Hackney rallies to save a beloved local plane tree from development.

The Cousteau Collection N°6-1 | Hippo, Hippo

Join barefoot scientist Jesús Rivas in the murky marshes of Venezuela on his quest to understand these huge, fearsome reptiles. Up to 30 feet long, weighing many times more than the scientists studying them, anacondas are difficult subjects at best, but the National Geographic team captures brilliant footage of them swimming, resting, mating, and hunting prey.

Do they really launch themselves onto the shore to grab a hapless snack? See for yourself, and gain a vivid appreciation for their appetites and skills. While your jaw drops at their fearsome agility, you’ll also be learning about their migratory and other behaviours from scientists who observe them daily and strive to increase our understanding of their needs for survival. In this National Geographic ‘Wildlife Special’ you’ll journey around the globe to see their extraordinary hunting techniques in action.

Any unlucky carcass is dispatched in a matter of minutes by a feeding frenzy that attracts jackals and hyenas along with vultures. Scavenging insects swarm over the remaining bones and horns. While this film focuses primarily on the griffin vulture (“nature’s undertaker”), it considers the role of all scavengers in this harsh ecosystem. Generally despised as harbingers of death, they actually help maintain the health of the savannah by disposing of waste and returning nutrients to the soil.

Eerie, forbidding, and darkly beautiful - Okefenokee is ruled by a relative of the dinosaur: the fearsome alligator. Day and night the alligator glides silently through its steamy realm, stony eyes just above the waterline, mouth held in a seemingly perpetual smile.

The eight lionesses soon give birth to their new leaders’ cubs and there are young everywhere, feeding, playing and training for survival. But danger lurks behind virtually every bush, whether from ever-present hyenas or from a clever mongoose. One lonely cub, born late and orphaned early, endures hardships so heart-rending the filmmakers were tempted to intervene. But they decided to let nature run its unpredictable course.

The Wind Sculpted Land is a film about Estonian nature. The nature of this Northern country might not seem anything special at a first glance, but digging deeper one can find true gems. Flooded meadows, coastline, bogs altogether with wild animals and flocks of migrating birds are actually small worlds on their own. Even more, the very same nature has held and sculpted the character of the people living here. The film was made during 2015-2018, it took more than 400 days out on the field filming birds, animals and different landscapes. Filming took place in different parts of Estonia, mainly in natural parks. The Wind Sculpted Land is truly a magical journey to Estonia´s unique and scenic nature. The film is part of a film programme dedicated to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The tropical climate and contrasted topography of Costa Rica has fostered exceptional biodiversity, hosting wildlife from both North and South America. From the peaks of the volcanoes down to the Pacific and Caribbean shores, and amidst the dense Cloud forest, the country is home to the most remarkable mammals, beautiful birds, and astonishing reptiles… all in for a beauty contest!

'Guadalquivir' is a feature length documentary directed by Joaquín Gutiérrez that features a fox, an animal that has adapted, living in packs and alone and that is a carnivore, vegetarian and even carrion. The camera follows the path of the fox by the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas.

Along the coast of British Columbia lies an enchanted wilderness, where bear-hunting wolves take to the sea and grizzlies clash in titanic battles. In this magical, yet forbidding place, wildlife coexists and behaves as nowhere else on earth. As this precious arc of habitat faces an uncertain future, threatened by chainsaws and fish farms, a team of dedicated scientists are racing to prove that it must be protected. National Geographic joins these experts on a 250-mile adventure through remote and unexplored territory, battling nature's most brutal elements and witnessing its breathtaking best. The scientists form a wilderness detective squad, collecting clues that will decipher the secret life of the forest's elusive inhabitants and perhaps even reveal a glimpse of the rare white spirit bear in Great Bear Rainforest.

Transumanza

A critical look at the human-nature relationship in the tundra.

Exploring hydrothermal vents, cold-seep habitats, and food-falls including whale-falls and the communities at shipwrecks

This documentary highlights the endangered existence of the Scottish wildcats, and the conservation efforts required to prevent their extinction.

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was the deadliest in U.S. history. Survivor testimonies and rare images reveal the cataclysms it unleashed.

In the Southern Andes, a living being survives since 200 million years: the "Araucaria Araucana" with its incredible history, little known and forever linked to an Amerindian people of Chile: Pehuenches. This isolated community survived during centuries thanks to the Araucarias. A perfect harmony between man and nature, forever upset by the invasion of the Spanish colonists, the conflicts of territories and the increase of logging. Protected today, this sacred forests are the refuge of a unique and wild nature; but fires threaten this balance. What remain of these people and the link with this tree? What can they teach us about our environmental problems?