Life on the Discovery Channel - Episodes Three and Four

Life, the nature documentary show by BBC, was shot entirely in high definition and gives viewers an absolutely astounding view of nature up close. The BBC series ran from October to December 2009 and now Discovery Channel has brought it to the United States. The series consists of ten 50 minute episodes, each with its own theme of animals. The US is late compared to other countries in showing this series, as it has already been shown in Canada and Latin America. This is the second week of episodes featuring "Mammals" and "Fish" each 50 minutes long and full of amazing animals. Each episode is narrated by the smooth voiced Oprah.

Filming

Life is rumored to have been given the largest budget of any previous documentary: 10 million pounds. The first year of production for the film involved researching places that the camera crew could shoot and what animals would be interesting to observe. Then, the crew spend the next three years doing over one hundred and fifty shoots on all seven continents. The use of new filming techniques such as steady shots from moving vehicles and high speed cameras helped to create amazing results for the crew.

Episode 3: "Mammals"

As our narrator explains to us, mammals are remarkable creatures not only because they are the most successful creatures on the planet (as we are included as mammals, of course), but also because their diversity is so great. Mammals exist all across the globe in some startlingly different forms. In the episode, we journey to Antarctica which we are told is the coldest place on Earth. Here, Weddell seals survive and teach their young how to swim in the ice covered water. We journey to East Africa where a rufous sengi, a small rodent with a long, silly looking nose, survives by memorizing a number of trails. We catch of glimpse of its life as it runs from a lizard predator. We learn firsthand part of what makes warm blooded creatures so well adapted: our energy. The episode also takes us to see some mammals that are a bit far from the ordinary. Ten million fruit bats, for example, gather together in a swamp in Zambia to eat billions of mangoes straight from the trees just as they ripen. It is easy to forget that these flying nocturnal creatures are mammals just like us. We also see polar bears finding food, hyena and lions fighting for a dead carcass, and most amazing of all, a female humpback whale attract males only to flee in order to weed out the weaker males so her offspring have the best chance of survival.

Episode 4: "Fish"

Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrate animals in the world. There are more different species of fish than mammals, reptiles, and birds combined, our narrator tells us. And with such a huge amount of water to inhabit, it is no wonder. Fish were around before most other forms of life and so they have had a long time to adapt and survive. Flying fish are caught on film in this episode in great detail with slow motion cameras. Bizarre sea dragons do a mating dance together and the male is later shown carrying the eggs, like sea horses are famous for doing. A sarcastic fringehead guards its shell home from other marine life while opening its huge mouth to suck in unsuspecting creatures. In Japan, we see mudskippers, odd fish who have developed the amphibian like ability to breathe on land by keeping themselves moist. These creatures have long decided to avoid the competition by living in a way that no other creature would think of. This includes laying their eggs in a mud whole that requires them to manually blow air into to keep the eggs alive! Next are filmed tiny gobies scaling a waterfall by the suction of their mouths in order to get to the calm waters to breed. And you thought salmon were impressive! The famous clownfish are also featured using their anemone allies to protect their eggs and them. Archovies and sardines demonstrate the ability of schools of fish to mimic the fish next to them, thereby confusing predators. Unfortunately for the sardines, sharks were able to corner them in shallows leaving no place for them to run.

Both episodes were magnificent in their filming and information. I look forward to the next episodes on Discovery Channel!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_%28BBC_TV_series%29