The Research Behind the Documentaries
With a wingspan of up to over eight feet and eyesight over eight times stronger than that of a human, the Golden Eagle is one of the most feared hunters in the wild. They possess 20/5 vision, and they can spot an object from 20 feet with the same clarity a visually unimpaired human can... Continue Reading →
In his documentary, Life, David Attenborough explores the mysteries and complexities of life by observing a variety of land and marine animals. In Season 1 episode 1, Attenborough addresses the various “challenges of life” that animals face and mentioned, in many cases, parental care and contributions toward their offspring. Of the many examples, the Oophaga... Continue Reading →
In Season 1, Episode 2 of Planet Earth II, Sir David Attenborough describes how one special hummingbird has gone through great lengths to avoid competition. In tropical jungles, nectar is first come first serve, so competition is furious among the hundreds of hummingbird species. However, one particular hummingbird species, the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensiferas) has... Continue Reading →
Do prairie dogs possess lingual capabilities? Animal House, a David Attenborough documentary, might lead you to believe so. In this documentary, Attenborough claims that prairie dogs have a unique language that they use to communicate with each other, alerting their communities to potential threats. Attenborough notes the remarkability of their language system and how unique... Continue Reading →
Hand-feeding wild hyenas is not an unusual practice in Harar, Africa, as it appears in Episode 6 of Planet Earth Season 2. In the documentary, Attenborough describes a peaceful relationship between humans and spotted hyenas. The hyenas chomp down on the bones left in the meat market by butchers with their powerful bone-crushing jaw bones... Continue Reading →
Fish breathe and swim in water. Everybody but the lungfish knows this. To the naked eye, the lungfish is like any ordinary fish until it takes a big gulp of air and “walks” instead of swims. With six species in Africa, Australia, and South America, the lungfish can grow to seven feet and weigh twenty-two... Continue Reading →
In India, Hanuman Langurs establish strong territories on the rooftops of Jodhpur. In episode 6 of Planet Earth II, Sir David Attenborough describes the langurs coexisting with the people of Jodhpur; they are fed well due to the local population’s reverence of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman. Hanuman langurs are within the colobinae subfamily of... Continue Reading →
“Like a fish out of water,” a saying meant to describe someone in a situation or position they are not comfortable in, highlights how fish are not comfortable on the land. But not all fish are “like a fish out of water” when they are on land, as is seen in season one, episode six... Continue Reading →
In the Planet Earth episode “From Pole to Pole,” we are shown a courageous mother who guides her two cubs into the unprotected outside Arctic for the very first time. Upon becoming pregnant, female polar bears build their own maternity dens, where she will birth and nurse her babies until the spring, by excavating a... Continue Reading →
In Richard Attenborough’s BBC documentary The Living Planet (1984), episode “World’s Apart”, he discusses the evolution of Komodo Dragon’s in the isolated Indonesian island archipelago that comprises Komodo National Park (23:05). Attenborough states that Komodo dragons can grow up to 9 ft. in length and up to 100 lbs in weight, which is much larger... Continue Reading →
The Evolution of Planet Earth 