About this season
Evolutionary biologist and master skeleton builder Ben Garrod looks at how bones have enabled vertebrates to colonise and dominate practically every habitat on Earth.
Episodes (6)
1. Size Matters
Aired 18 February 2014 • 30 min
Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod Ben shows what bone is constructed from and how it can support animals that are both tiny (a frog) and massive (the blue whale).
2. Down to Earth
Aired 25 February 2014 • 30 min
Ben Garrod discovers how the skeleton has adapted for vertebrates to move on land in many ways and explores the role of the spine in both cheetahs and snakes.
3. Into the Air
Aired 4 March 2014 • 30 min
Ben Garrod finds out how the skeleton has allowed vertebrates to take to the air, why the pigeon is an exceptional flier and how the albatross makes huge migrations.
4. Sensing the World
Aired 11 March 2014 • 30 min
Ben Garrod delves into the surprising ways in which bone has evolved to help vertebrates sense the world around them, from wolves and sheep to the great grey owl.
5. Food for Thought
Aired 18 March 2014 • 30 min
Ben Garrod uncovers the secrets of how vertebrates capture and devour their food using extreme jaws, bizarre teeth and specialised bony tools.
6. Sex
Aired 25 March 2014 • 30 min
Ben Garrod seeks out the big part that bones can play in reproduction. Through sexual selection, the skeleton has adapted to aid courtship, competition and even copulation.