Name: Nature
Genre: Documentary, Family
Rating: 6.8
Cast: George Page, F. Murray Abraham, Donald C. Johanson, David Attenborough, Jay O. Sanders

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George Page

F. Murray Abraham

Donald C. Johanson

David Attenborough

Jay O. Sanders

Nora Young

Jayce Bartok

Gordon Buchanan

Tim Pigott-Smith

Kevin Draine

Thomas Lovejoy

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.

Nature

Joe Shimp

Flyways | Official Trailer | NATURE | PBS

Spy Octopus Helps Friend Hide From Shark

Treasure of the Caribbean | Official Trailer | NATURE | PBS

ULTIMATE PBS NATURE THEME VIDEO

Welcome to PBS Nature

SPY IN THE WILD on NATURE | Official Trailer | PBS

Intro to Nature - PBS (1987)

Following the path of the condor, whose ten-foot wingspan enables it to soar effortlessly over the peaks of the Andes mountains, this film starts at the storm beaten rocks of Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America and journeys north to the highest peak in the Americas - Aconcagua. Along the way, we see exotic animals and birds such as the penguin, hummingbird, sea otter, guanaco, ostrich-like rhea, and puma.

The Flight of the Condor: Ice, Wind, and Fire

While the cold waters of the Pacific Coast of South America are among the richest in the world, the shore is the driest desert in the world. Yet it is not at all devoid of life. Lizards snatch morsels from the waves, and seagulls fly 40 miles into the desert to nest. The condor searches for carrion and vampire bats feed on the blood of sleeping sea lions. This is a beautiful portrait of a giant land.

The Flight of the Condor: Ocean, Desert, and Thin Air

The third part of the series is a spectacular visual trip down the fabled river. From the snow-clad summit of the volcano Cotopaxi and others comes the greatest river in the world as melting ice creates a torrent that drops three miles in its first short distance. The river is fed by magnificent waterfalls and is channeled through gorges out into the tropical rain forest where there are more species of birds than anywhere.

The Flight of the Condor: Down the Amazon

Amate: The Great Fig Tree

Kopje: A Rock for All Seasons

Examines the fragile ecology of the Caribbean area in a unique and vivid look at the forces affecting this area's ecological balance, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, the continuing evolution of different wildlife and man's influence. International agreements and commissions created to protect the Caribbean area are also covered.

On the Edge of Paradise

Surveying Costa Rica's Monte Verde preserve, which contains some 200 varieties of trees, including 300-ft. oaks. Animal life includes deadly scorpions; army ants; and plumed quetzals, sacred bird of the Maya civilization.

Forest in the Clouds

The first of the series takes us back to the 13th Century to explore medieval superstitions of ancient "naturalists." Frederick II of Hohenstaufen had a passion for falconry that resulted in his immense illustrated book De Arte Venandi Cum Artibus (On the Art of Hunting With Birds.) Series host is Dr. Donald Johanson, noted paleoanthropologist and director of the Institute of Human Origins in Berkeley, California.

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Natural Mysteries

Theologians and clerics in the 17th and 18th centuries were among the first to study animal behavior. John Ray began in the 1600's to catalog "the work of the Creation," starting with plants and later including birds. Sir Francis Willoughby continued this work. Rev. Gilbert White studied bird songs, Charlie LeRoy experimented with wolves and deer, and Charles Waterton wrote about jungle animals.

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: In Praise of God

In 1848, Charles Darwin began the quest to understand the mysteries of the animal mind. Following Darwin's achievement - suggesting a plausible process for evolution: natural selection - Lewis Henry Morgan discovered evidence of cogitation in beavers. George Romanes experimented with fish, cats, and dogs, Douglas Spalding with newborn chicks, all finding apparent mental activity. Meanwhile Jacques Loeb attempted to prove animals "mindless."

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Search for the Mind

First there is a re-creation of Ivan Pavlov's experiments which led to the discovery of the "conditioned reflex." Then we see the investigation by Otto Pfungst of "Kluge Hans" (Clever Hans) a horse whose apparent knowledge of arithmetic was actually response to subtle signals from his trainer. We also see dramatizations of Thomdike's experiments with chicks, Watson's with terns, and B. F. Skinner's famed work at Harvard in the thirties.

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning

Continuing with the exploration of animal communication we see recreations of Karl von Frisch unraveling the language of honey bees. Julian Huxley, who discovered a possible language in the ritual movements of great-crested grebes, Konrad Lorenz who recorded the visual language of geese, and Niko Tinbergen, who studied the habits of hunting wasps and together with Esther Cullen recorded the relationship of temperament in birds to their habitat.

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Signs and Signals

Scientists have long attempted to discover why animals rarely live alone. Animal society seems to be based on despotic rule by the strongest, tempered by the powerful attractive forces of sex. Portrayals of Thorlief Schjelderup-Ebbe, Solly Zuckerman, Clarence Ray Carpenter, Frank Fraser Darling, William Hamilton, and Amotz Zahavi, show the contributions of each of these men towards understanding the puzzle.

The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Living Together

The vast areas of kelp growing on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean provide a vital food source for countless creatures.

Forest in the Sea

As an agent of decay, fungi performs a function essential to life on earth.

Fungi: The Rotten World About Us

A great variety of wildlife species live in and around the thorny acacia trees on the African plains.

Acacia: Tree of Thorns

Wildlife photographer Hugh Miles finds an opportunity to film a female otter on one of the remote Shetland islands.

On the Tracks of the Wild Otter

Insects such as the beetle, firefly and moth make use of their natural chemicals as weapons against their enemies.

Secret Weapons

The time-honored and ritualistic relationship of the highland peoples of Papua, New Guinea, to the birds of paradise is examined.

Voices in the Forest

A look at this large bird’s life cycle, from hatching in the Scottish highlands through migration to Africa and its annual return to Scotland.

Osprey

Examined is the giant industry of bee cultivation in the U.S. and its relation to the billions of dollars annually at stake in the alfalfa crop.

Big Business in Bees

An examination of the effects of alien plants and animals on Florida’s resident wildlife, agriculture, commerce and health.

Jet Set Wildlife

An examination of the nest-building habits of birds in various parts of the world.

The Masterbuilders

The life cycle of the bumblebee is compared to that of humans in order to explain the “energy crisis” confronting the insects.

Plight of the Bumblebee

The will of wildlife to survive is documented by photographers Stanley Breedon and Belinda Wright at the Keola Deo National Park in India during one of the droughts that occurs every 20 to 30 years when the monsoons do not come.

The Missing Monsoon

An exploration of the sunken Japanese war machinery destroyed by the Allies during World War II in the South Pacific, which provides an environment for underwater plant and animal life.

Resurrection at Truk Lagoon

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.

Krakatoa: The Day that Shook the World

How the war between Iran and Iraq is threatening the fragile ecology of the Persian Gulf.

Treasures of the Gulf

How various species of plant life lure insects and animals to effect the pollination process.

Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind

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”.

Fragments of Eden

Examines the variety of plants and animals living in the Sargasso Sea, a gigantic floating bed of seaweed near Bermuda.

The Face of the Deep

Natural history photographer Wolfgang Bayer documents a winter spent in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone in Winter

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

Winter Days

Kilimanjaro

An examination of the Danube delta on the Black Sea where industrialization threatens the areas wildlife.

Danube Delta

Examines the breeding and nesting cycles of Africa’s Bateleur eagles.

Tumbler in the Sky

A look at the unusual plant and animal life on Kinabalu, Borneo's highest mountain.

Kinabalu: Summit of Borneo

A survey of the birds that cannot fly, some of which have evolved highly efficient means of travel on land and water.

Birds of Paradox

An exploration of life forms, flourishing in the tropical islands of Palau, including schools of jellyfish.

Lost World of the Medusa

African elephants are observed on a risky trek to a cave that provides salts and minerals necessary to their diets.

Kitum - The Elephant Cave

A study of the history and plight of the rhinoceros, one of the most seriously endangered species on earth.

Rhino on the Run

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.

Through Animal Eyes

This profile of the world's most popular household pet, the dog, examines a special, centuries old relationship.

Man's Best Friend

An exploration of a windy semi-desert in southwest Africa notable for its beautiful flowers.

Namaqualand: Diary of a Desert Garden

Torrential rains flood Kenya’s Tsavo Plain triggering a cycle of animal and plant regeneration that flowers in the short period before the next drought.

And Then the Rains Came

How plants and their leaves adapt to different climates, predatory animals and man.

Battle of the Leaves

A five-year chronicle of India’s endangered gharial crocodile.

The Ganges Gharial

The year-long sojourn of artist and naturalist Keith Brockie on Scotland's Isle of May is captured on film.

One Man’s Island

An exploration of the ecosystem of Central America's rain forest.

Selva Verde: The Green Jungle

An exploration of the scientific research into the nutritional, medicinal and economic value of plants.

The Plant Hunters

An examination of the diverse plants and animals that have adapted to the harsh environment of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

Kalahari: Wilderness Without Water

A visit to Brazil's national park Emas, home to a unique collection of rare and unusual wildlife.

Emas: High Plains of Brazil

The huge mating flocks of the East African quelea, feared by farmers almost as much as they fear locusts.

The Feathered Swarm

A look at sea creatures of the Arctic including planktonic animals, small crustaceans, seals, belugas, tucked narwhals and polar bears.

Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean

After the nine-month Arctic winter, lemmings, hares, foxes and caribous become active to raise their young.

Kingdom of the Ice Bear: Land of Beyond

A study of man’s relationship with the Arctic and its wildlife.

Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Final Challenge

Wolfgang Bayer focuses on the native giant saguaro cactus of the southwestern United States.

Saguaro: Sentinel of the Desert

The sophisticated trapping mechanism of the main group of carnivorous plants.

Death Trap

A look at the trembling aspen, a widely distributed poplar found in more regions of North America than any other tree.

Aspen: Dancer on the Wind

The fragile ecosystem of the great African rainforest of Korup in Cameroon.

Secrets of an African Jungle

Chronicling a weeklong series of bird-watching activities at sites that include the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades, Tampa Bay Island and Port Orange.

Birdwatch from Florida

Wildlife cinematographer Wolfgang Bayer focuses on the Laysan Albatross of the Hawaiian Islands.

The Gooneys of Midway

A five year study of the golden eagle, Britain's largest bird of prey, in the Scottish highlands.

Where Eagles Fly

An examination of the vultures of Africa's Serengeti plain and the rainforests of South America.

The Skyhunters

Examines how the plants and animals of Alaska’s Alyeska wilderness have adapted to the regions harsh climate.

Alyeska: The Great Land

An examination of the plants and animals that make their home in a shallow lagoon found on the Western coast of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

Baja Lagoon

This exploration of the Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean West of Ecuador, examines theories explaining the arrival of wildlife to the archipelago.

Galapagos: How They Got There

Marine iguanas, cormorants, green turtles, sea lions, and sperm whales are among the animals that thrive in the cold waters surrounding the equatorially located Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos: Cold on the Equator

A look at the Galapagos Islands’ many birds, include the waved albatross, blue-footed booby, frigate bird and the ground finch; also, man’s relationship with the islands’ changing environment.

Galapagos: The Ocean Travelers

A look at how the Pantanal's wildlife species cope with the annual cycle of flood and drought which transforms the marshy prairie from a dry savannah into the world's largest freshwater wetland – a 36,000 square-mile area that encompasses Southwestern Brazil and parts of Bolivia and Paraguay.

Pantanal: Prairie of the Great Waters

An examination of the behavior of man’s feline friends.

Cats

The activities of an elusive female leopard are traced over a two-day period on the hot plains of Africa.

Leopard: A Darkness in the Grass

A look at the survival of the African elephants, as ivory and foraging land became more valuable.

The Elephant Challenge

A freshwater lake in Tunisia that turns salty every summer.

Ichkeul: Between the Desert and the Deep Blue Sea

The Japanese take efforts to save an indigenous monkey.

In the Shadow of Fujisan: See No Evil

A look at the crane, Japanese symbol of longevity, true love and happiness.

In the Shadow of Fujisan: Bird of Happiness

Hunters and egg poachers threaten the existence of the giant loggerhead turtle.

In the Shadow of Fujisan: Long Live the Turtle

Following the wild mustangs of America’s West.

America's Wild Horses

An exploration of the Rift Valley that sweeps North from Kenya to Turkey, where prophets said their god first planted a garden.

Holy Land: A Wilderness Like Eden

The unusual life in the salty Dead Sea, where the desert plunges 1,200 feet below sea level.

Holy Land: Sweet Water, Bitter Sea

What happens when a finely maintained garden is abandoned.

The Forgotten Garden

A year on a Japanese island following a family of red foxes.

Lords of Hokkaido

The tunnelers, thatchers, weavers, dam builders, sculptors, potters and spinners of the animal kingdom.

Designed for Living

Echoing hoots and trills, bandit masks, feathered tufts and orange noses distinguish African forest monkeys called quenons.

Masked Monkeys

Wildlife flourishes in Nevada's desert landscape because of one narrow river covering less than 1% of the land.

The Flowing Oasis

Attempts to protect the unique animals and plants of Brazil threatened by development of the Amazon jungle.

Amazonia: A Burning Question

The lemur, an agile nocturnal primate of Madagascar, so-named because of its secretive habits and haunting cries.

Spirits of the Forest

The process of wildlife filmmaking as chronicled by a crew during their three-year study of the Galapagos Islands.

Perspectives of Paradise

The tremendous difference in animal lifestyle and in landscape during East Africa's dry season and its wet season.

A Season in the Sun

The hammerhead stork, believed by East African tribesmen to have the power to call lightning from the sky.

The Legend of the Lightning Bird

Scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft seek to uncover the mystery of volcanoes by studying them on location as they erupt.

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