About this season
Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.
Episodes (13)
1. Forest in the Sea
Aired 9 October 1983 • 53 min
The vast areas of kelp growing on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean provide a vital food source for countless creatures.
2. Fungi: The Rotten World About Us
Aired 16 October 1983 • 53 min
As an agent of decay, fungi performs a function essential to life on earth.
3. Acacia: Tree of Thorns
Aired 23 October 1983 • 53 min
A great variety of wildlife species live in and around the thorny acacia trees on the African plains.
4. On the Tracks of the Wild Otter
Aired 6 November 1983 • 53 min
Wildlife photographer Hugh Miles finds an opportunity to film a female otter on one of the remote Shetland islands.
5. Secret Weapons
Aired 13 November 1983 • 53 min
Insects such as the beetle, firefly and moth make use of their natural chemicals as weapons against their enemies.
6. Voices in the Forest
Aired 18 December 1983 • 53 min
The time-honored and ritualistic relationship of the highland peoples of Papua, New Guinea, to the birds of paradise is examined.
7. Osprey
Aired 5 February 1984 • 53 min
A look at this large bird’s life cycle, from hatching in the Scottish highlands through migration to Africa and its annual return to Scotland.
8. Big Business in Bees
Aired 12 February 1984 • 53 min
Examined is the giant industry of bee cultivation in the U.S. and its relation to the billions of dollars annually at stake in the alfalfa crop.
9. Jet Set Wildlife
Aired 19 February 1984 • 53 min
An examination of the effects of alien plants and animals on Florida’s resident wildlife, agriculture, commerce and health.
10. The Masterbuilders
Aired 26 February 1984 • 53 min
An examination of the nest-building habits of birds in various parts of the world.
11. Plight of the Bumblebee
Aired 4 March 1984 • 53 min
The life cycle of the bumblebee is compared to that of humans in order to explain the “energy crisis” confronting the insects.
12. The Missing Monsoon
Aired 11 March 1984 • 53 min
The will of wildlife to survive is documented by photographers Stanley Breedon and Belinda Wright at the Keola Deo National Park in India during one of the droughts that occurs every 20 to 30 years when the monsoons do not come.
13. Resurrection at Truk Lagoon
Aired 25 March 1984 • 53 min
An exploration of the sunken Japanese war machinery destroyed by the Allies during World War II in the South Pacific, which provides an environment for underwater plant and animal life.