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 (18)
1. Krakatoa: The Day that Shook the World
Aired 30 September 1984 • 53 min
An examination of the Indonesian volcanic island Krakatoa, focusing on the global effects of the disastrous 1883 eruption that was heard 3,000 miles away and killed 36,000 people.
2. Treasures of the Gulf
Aired 7 October 1984 • 53 min
How the war between Iran and Iraq is threatening the fragile ecology of the Persian Gulf.
3. Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind
Aired 14 October 1984 • 53 min
How various species of plant life lure insects and animals to effect the pollination process.
4. Fragments of Eden
Aired 21 October 1984 • 53 min
Explores the varieties of plant and animal life found in the Seychelles, a 90-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean, described in 1609 as “an earthly paradise”.
5. The Face of the Deep
Aired 28 October 1984 • 53 min
Examines the variety of plants and animals living in the Sargasso Sea, a gigantic floating bed of seaweed near Bermuda.
6. Yellowstone in Winter
Aired 11 November 1984 • 53 min
Natural history photographer Wolfgang Bayer documents a winter spent in Yellowstone National Park.
7. Winter Days
Aired 2 December 1984 • 53 min
Describes how wildlife copes with the challenge of cold weather by storing food building layers of fat, hibernating or merely fleeing for a warmer climate
8. Kilimanjaro
Aired 9 December 1984 • 53 min
9. Danube Delta
Aired 16 December 1984 • 53 min
An examination of the Danube delta on the Black Sea where industrialization threatens the areas wildlife.
10. Tumbler in the Sky
Aired 13 January 1985 • 53 min
Examines the breeding and nesting cycles of Africa’s Bateleur eagles.
11. Kinabalu: Summit of Borneo
Aired 20 January 1985 • 53 min
A look at the unusual plant and animal life on Kinabalu, Borneo's highest mountain.
12. Birds of Paradox
Aired 3 February 1985 • 53 min
A survey of the birds that cannot fly, some of which have evolved highly efficient means of travel on land and water.
13. Lost World of the Medusa
Aired 17 February 1985 • 53 min
An exploration of life forms, flourishing in the tropical islands of Palau, including schools of jellyfish.
14. Kitum - The Elephant Cave
Aired 10 March 1985 • 53 min
African elephants are observed on a risky trek to a cave that provides salts and minerals necessary to their diets.
15. Rhino on the Run
Aired 17 March 1985 • 53 min
A study of the history and plight of the rhinoceros, one of the most seriously endangered species on earth.
16. Through Animal Eyes
Aired 31 March 1985 • 53 min
The use of new camera lenses and special video techniques makes it possible for viewers to see the world as animals and insects observe it.
17. Man's Best Friend
Aired 28 April 1985 • 53 min
This profile of the world's most popular household pet, the dog, examines a special, centuries old relationship.
18. Namaqualand: Diary of a Desert Garden
Aired 26 May 1985 • 53 min
An exploration of a windy semi-desert in southwest Africa notable for its beautiful flowers.