"The master at work"
"another great from the undisputed king"
"can't recommend this series highly enough"
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Life of Mammals Complete by David Attenborough
The story of four thousand species which have
outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth.
Episodes are: 'A Winning Design', 'Insect Hunters', 'Chisellers', 'Plant
Predators', 'Meat Eaters', 'Opportunists', 'Return To The 'Water', 'Life
In The Trees', 'Social Climbers' and 'Food For Thought'.
David Attenborough and the BBC have a well-earned reputation
for producing some of the greatest nature programmes, but The Life of
Mammals could well be Attenborough's magnum opus. Much of the
footage shot for this series had never been seen before, and is presented
with the respect and reverence for the natural world that Attenborough has
made his trademark. It never ceases to surprise: the sight of a lion
taking down a wildebeest on the African savannah has almost become a
cliché of nature programmes, yet in The Life of Mammals the cameras
keep rolling and the viewer witnesses the fallen animal's herd coming to
its rescue and driving off the lion. It's a moving sight and just one of
many remarkable scenes. A thorough and entertaining overview of one of evolution's greatest
success stories, the series is loosely structured to follow the
development of mammals, beginning with the basics in "A Winning Design",
which clarifies what makes a mammal different from reptiles and birds -
no,
it isn't egg-laying: both the platypus and the echidna are egg-laying
mammals; it's their ability to adapt. And it's this adaptability that
becomes the crux of the remainder of the series. "Insect Hunters" focuses
on mammals who have specifically adapted to eating insects, from the giant
anteater and the armoured armadillo to bats, which have evolved into
complex and effective hunters. "Plant Predators" demonstrates the
particular (and often peculiar) adaptations of herbivores, while
"Chisellers" is about those mammals who feed primarily on roots and seeds,
ranging from tree-dwelling squirrels to opportunistic mice and rats. "Meat
Eaters" talks about the evolutionary arms race that exists between
predators and prey, and the unique adaptations of both individual and pack
hunters. Omnivores are explored in "Opportunists" - mammals like bears and
raccoons, whose varied diet allows them to occupy nearly any environment.
"Return to the Water" discusses those mammals such as whales, seals and
dolphins that have left behind life on dry land and adapted completely to
life in the sea, existing at the top of the food chain. The last three
episodes - "Life in the Trees", "Social Climbers" and "Food for
Thought"--take the viewer through the development of primates, eventually
culminating in that most successful mammal: man.
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