About this season
We humans are part of an extraordinary family, with hundreds of bizarre and colourful relatives all over the world. Monkey Planet explores the ingenious survival tactics and amazing physical adaptations of our primate family, including strange lemurs, acrobatic monkeys, and enigmatic apes. Spanning the globe, we uncover the secrets of an array of fascinating, flexible primate minds.
Episodes (3)
1. Meet the Family
Aired 2 April 2014 • 59 min
Dr George McGavin gets up close and personal with Siswi, an orangutan who uses soap to improve her personal hygiene. He strips off to experience the mind-numbing cold of the Japanese Alps, and heads 100 metres underground to a secluded monkey dormitory. Then there are baboons with a thirst for flamingo flesh; macaques with criminal minds; fluorescent mandrills who wear war paint to do battle; and Ardry, a real-life gremlin who sees the unseeable with her extraterrestrial fingers.
2. Family Matters
Aired 9 April 2014 • 59 min
The key to primate success is that, like us, most species live in close-knit family groups. How do you choose your friends, learn from those around you and know who to trust? We explore the complex world of primate social lifestyles.
3. Master Minds
6.0Aired 16 April 2014 • 59 min
Our primate cousins are much smarter than you might imagine. Just like us they use tools, solve problems, and even have emotions. George witnesses the largest monkey party in the world, goes to orangutan school in Sumatra and meets a bonobo that can light a fire to toast its own marshmallows. In Thailand long-tailed macaques floss their teeth with human hair. Chimps pass on customs through generations and in India adrenaline fuelled monkeys take extreme sports to a surprisingly human level.