The polar winter – this is the planet at its most hostile. Those that stay here at this time must face the harshest conditions on Earth. David Attenborough, Frozen Planet V: Winter
Winter brings a devastatingly destructive force: frost. ibid.
The Emperors are not entirely alone – the weddell seal – the only mammals to remain here during the winter. ibid.
Many animals here are remarkably long-lived. ibid.
The Arctic is rich in coal, oil and minerals. David Attenborough, Frozen Planet VI: The Last Frontier
Most of the Arctic remains empty of human beings. ibid.
Reindeer are one of the few animals that can endure these bitterly cold conditions. ibid.
These hundred-metre high cliffs are home to thousands of Guillemots. ibid.
The men are totally dependent on the stamina of their dogs. ibid.
Since 1959 the whole of Antarctica has been protected by international treaty. ibid.
Sometime within the next few decades perhaps as soon as 2020 there will be open water here. David Attenborough, Frozen Planet VII: On Thin Ice
September 1980: since then there’s been a 30% drop of the area covered by ice. ibid.
To the naked eye glaciers don’t appear to move at all. ibid.
In Antarctica there is ten times more ice. ibid.
Few odder than these proboscis monkeys: 1956 Zoo Quest for a Dragon. Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild I: BBC 2012
The golden age of natural history filmmaking. ibid.
Dassan 1934: An Adventure in Search of Laughter featuring Nature’s Greatest Little Comedians. ibid.
1961: Zoo Quest to Madagascar. ibid.
Life on Earth was shown in 100 different countries. ibid.
1990: The Trials of Life ibid.
Video tapes ran for thirty minutes. ibid.
2001: The Blue Planet … 2009: Nature’s Great Events … 2008: Life in Cold Blood … 1995: The Private Life of Plants … 2006: Planet Earth. ibid.
We knew next to nothing about that great mystery of all – the origin of life. Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild II: Understanding The Natural World
Stanley Miller had demonstrated that the first steps leading on the path to Life would have happened spontaneously. ibid.
Its [submersible] searchlights revealed a whole community of hitherto unknown animals … More of these astonishing eco-systems have now been discovered elsewhere. ibid.
Darwin had explained how different species evolved but he also proposed that all life was inter-related having come from a common origin. ibid.
Maybe it wasn’t the frogs that moved; maybe it was the continents. ibid.
1984: The Living Planet … 1957: Zoo Quest for the Paradise Birds … 1996: Attenborough in Paradise. ibid.
1976: Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene. ibid.
Some animals sometimes behave in an unselfish way. ibid.
The first meerkat film we made turned these animals into stars. ibid.
A whole new branch of science – molecular genetics. ibid.
Chimps use up to twenty different types of tools. ibid.
The natural world is the greatest of all treasures. And yet in my lifetime we have damaged it more severely than in the whole of the rest of the human history. Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild III: Our Fragile Planet
Peter [Scott] had his own natural history series on television: it was called Look. ibid.
Life in Cold Blood 2008: The Giant Galapagos Tortoise – they live longer than any other animal on Earth, well over a hundred and fifty years. ibid.
Diane Fossey had been studying the Mountain Gorilla. ibid.
I actually witnessed the extinction in the wild of the Panamanian Golden Frog which fell victim to the same insidious killer. ibid.
I have been enthralled by coral reefs ever since. ibid.
The change is already beginning to be seen at the Poles. ibid.
London’s Natural History Museum has over seventy million specimens. Attenborough’s Ark: Natural World Special
1) Black Lion Tamarin monkeys: only around a thousand animals left in the world. ibid.
2) Rhinoceros: there are five species of rhinoceros in the world today, and they are all endangered. ibid.
3) The first of the mammals: Solenodons – they can be found in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic. ibid.
4) Olm: it lives for up to a hundred years: its population is shrinking ... It can go into starvation mode – surviving up to ten years without eating. ibid.
5) The Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird: in a remote corner of Peru. ibid.
6) Darwin’s Frogs: the male gives birth to the young and does so out of its mouth ... Darwin's Frog lives in southern Chile. ibid.
7) Pangolin – the only truly scaly mammal in the world. ibid.
8) Priam’s Birdwing Butterfly: exquisite beauty. ibid.
9) Northern Quoll: can be found in the Northern Territories of Australia. ibid.
10) Glass Sponges/Venus Flower Basket: in their own way they are amazing. ibid.
Our world is not always the same. Hidden from our view lies a different world: creatures utterly unlike us. Almost alien. Yet they are more numerous than any other group on the planet. David Attenborough: Micro Monsters I: Conflict ***** Sky 2013
Over 80% of all animal species on this planet are arthropods. ibid.
Centipedes: they are meat-eaters ... there are over 8,000 species of them. ibid.
Chemical warfare like this is widespread in the world of the micro-monsters. ibid.
Bombardier Beetles: hot gas and caustic chemicals ... produced by a reaction in its abdomen. ibid.
Some bugs have such perfect camouflage they are virtually invisible. ibid.
Assassin bug: sucks its victims dry and glues their empty husks on to its back. ibid.
Ever since they first appeared on land the arthropods have been fighting one another … Around 10% of arthropods eat other arthropods. David Attenborough, Micro Monsters II: Predator
This tangle of silk is home to one of Australia’s most feared spiders – the highly venomous red-back. ibid.
Courtship is often complex, protracted, fascinating and for some even brutal. David Attenborough, Micro Monsters III: Courtship
Goliathus [beetles] are among the strongest insects in the world. ibid.
There are over two thousand species of scorpion. ibid.
Golden orb web spiders live for only a year: mating is the culmination of their lives. David Attenborough: Micro Monsters IV: Reproduction
Butterflies: one kind of body for growing, and another for reproduction. ibid.
A small minority look after them – they become families. David Attenborough, Micro Monsters V: Family
This cockroach will live for eight years or more. ibid.
Australia: green ants live in groups of up to half a million. ibid.
The workers use the silk to stitch the leaves together. ibid.
Paper wasps: the queen is constantly under threat from her daughters. ibid.
Bumble bees: there are about two hundred species of them. ibid.
The ability to live in immense colonies: that has enabled them to hunt en masse, to build huge constructions for their homes, and to dominate their surroundings. ibid.
The most revolutionary has been the ability to live in immense colonies. David Attenborough, Micro Monsters VI: Colony
Termites: castles … can be nine metres tall. ibid.
The arthropods are the most successful kind of animal on this planet. ibid.