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 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 →
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 →
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 →
In David Attenborough’s documentary episode “Cities” in Season 1 of Planet Earth: II, a number of species are featured to illustrate how they have adapted to the rapid changes posed by urban cities. Urbanization has led to the destruction of natural habitats of many species due to increased human activity, pollution and noise, all of... Continue Reading →
At first glance the Draco lizard looks like your typical lizard, a small scaly reptile with clawed feet and a long tail. However, these lizards have an extraordinary feature that allows them to easily travel throughout their environment. The Draco lizards have wings! These wings are not analogous to the wings of a bird, but... Continue Reading →
The Galápagos Islands have a rich history in the field of evolutionary biology. In addition to being the islands where Darwin developed his theory of natural selection, it is also home to thousands of species of animals. One of these species is the marine iguana, or Amblyrhynchus cristatus, a land-dwelling reptile that can, fascinatingly, forage... Continue Reading →
Lizards have a ‘fly’ mechanism of fleeing from predators, as depicted by Sir David Attenborough in Season 1, Episode 3 of Planet Earth II. In the documentary, he explains that Draco lizards (genus Draco), who are merely the size of a pencil and have an appetite for ants, can soar over 30 meters in a... Continue Reading →
The Draco Lizard appears in Episode 3 of Planet Earth II Season 1. In the documentary, Attenborough describes how Draco lizards can fly up to 30 meters at a stretch to avoid combat or search for food. In this particular instance in the documentary, a Draco lizard is shown surveying a tree for food. However,... Continue Reading →
You may think that complicated social activities, like agriculture, are unique to humans if you have never seen these leaf-cutting ants. As seen in Planet Earth, Season 2, On the vast grassland of South America, leaf cutting ants are diligently managing their farms of fungi just like humans. Cellulose, a main components of leaves, is... Continue Reading →
The Evolution of Planet Earth 