2010-01-01
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Only twenty-five years ago, the first evidence of self-medicating behaviour among animals was reported among chimpanzees. On the basis of this pioneering research, led by the American Michael Huffman, a new science was founded: "zoopharmacognosy", or the study of animal pharmacopeia. Animals are apparently able to treat themselves actively, to detect natural substances that can provide a remedy for health problems, or to prevent them. The primatologist Michael Huffman explains how he discovered that chimpanzees can heal their diseases with medicinal plants from their environment. The scientist then comments on other very surprising examples: Birds that disinfect their nests by filling them with aromatic plants with repellent properties, a rodent that covers its coat with toxic sap as a poisonous defence against predators and elephants that place mud plasters on their injuries. Some therapeutic behaviours may even be transmitted socially among certain species.
6.5A black-and-white visual meditation of wilderness and the elements. Wildlife filmmaker Richard Sidey returns to the triptych format for a cinematic experience like no other.
The BBC looks at our current weather and climate compared to the climate of our past to see if it really is changing...which it is and they explain science behind it
0.0A young Belgian woman returns to Japan to gain insight and find peace in her past relationship with her Japanese ex-lover. She travels around Japan, observing nature as the seasons change. She is guided by the richness of the Japanese vocabulary, which has many words to describe the transience of nature and emotions that have no equivalent in Dutch or English. If she can accept this transience, she will be able to understand what happened to their love.
0.0For generations lions have ruled over the Londolozi region of Mpumalanga but one brotherhood reigns supreme: a coalition of two brothers descendent from a long dynasty. To get to the top they have hunted, fought and won many battles. This film follows this Brotherhood as they conquer prides, kill rivals and continue their bloodline guaranteeing their genes are firmly entrenched in future generations to come.
0.0In Sekenani River in Maasai Mara Park, a pod of hippopotamuses and a bask of crocodiles keep a cautious truce.
0.0On Botswana's Linyanti Plains, a band of brothers reigns amongst the top predators: three cheetahs - partners since birth and one of the most efficient hunting forces on the plains - until tragedy strikes. Achilles, the hunt leader of the brotherhood, is killed by a cobra bite, leaving his brothers Odin and Shiva to fend for themselves. With their coalition diminished they must adapt fast: learning to hunt as a twosome and defend their kills without the help of Achilles. Confounding their efforts is a host of predators: an injured leopard, a cunning hyena and a devious black-backed jackal. Making matters worse, a lone male cheetah begins to trespass on their land. Will these cheetah blood brothers survive the overwhelming odds stacked against them?
0.0Set in the vast expanse of South Africa's Mala Mala game reserve, a host of Africa's biggest and fiercest wildlife species compete for food, mates and territory against the backdrop of a harsh dry season.
In the Philippines, the reefs, coasts and islets of the island of Palawan, the Straits of Balabak and the Sula Sea are amongst the richest in biodiversity on Earth. Some scientists claim that the entire submarine wildlife of the Pacific originated from this area. The coral is magnificent and the protected sites offer an incomparable vision of marine life to scuba divers from all over the world. However, since the end of the Second World War, Philippine fishermen have been fishing with dynamite all over the coral reefs of this marine Wild West. Today, far from diminishing, this form of fishing has taken on industrial dimensions and 50% of the coral has been destroyed, turning this underwater Eden into arid desert…
5.5Slovakia lies in the heart of Europe. What natural treasures the small country holds, what spectacular nature and what peculiarities of flora and fauna, it is told in "Wild Slovakia".
7.4One Life captures unprecedented and beautiful sequences of animal behaviour guaranteed to bring you closer to nature than ever before, as well as a second disc packed full of never before seen extras including an exclusive making of featurette narrated by Daniel Craig.
A nature documentary about the sustainability of contemporary riverbank habitats... In the past, we were surrounded by vast river worlds. All living creatures came together in the richest and ever-changing environment of lowland rivers. The freedom of river basins is now a thing of the past. We have also shackled the Danube landscape. We dammed the flow, cut off the side arms, fortified the banks, and drained the wetlands. Water can no longer bring new nutrients to the land. This also negatively affects the fate of golden bee-eaters, playful sandpipers, and wet-footed fishermen.
0.0How would natural habitats develop without human interference? In this documentary we follow an international team of scientists and explorers on an extraordinary mission in Mozambique to reach a forest that no human has set foot in. The team aims to collect data from the forest to help our understanding of how climate change is affecting our planet. But the forest sits atop a mountain, and to reach it, the team must first climb a sheer 100m wall of rock.
No one in nature has mastered the art of deception like mantises. These seemingly innocent creatures are among the most feared predators in the insect world. Find out how they live, how they breed and who their biggest enemies are... They're killers. They kill their prey with incredible precision. They fight kung-fu style and are considered a symbol of vigilance in Japan. Who are they? Mantises, of course. They have an unmistakable, uniquely bendable head in the shape of a triangle. Two large eyes unerringly measure their prey. The thoracic part of their body is greatly elongated and studded with sharp protrusions that can stab an unfortunate victim with the speed of a switchblade. Mantises have a reputation for being stealthy creatures, especially as they are rarely seen. They are perfectly adapted to their environment, whether moving among leaves, flowers, tree bark, sandy soil or even flowering orchids.
8.0An exploration of the diversity of moths and butterflies from caterpillars to larvae to chrysalis to winged flight. The documentary covers camouflage and other anti-predatory tactics along with uniqueness of different species and amazing feats and colors.
8.990-year-old architect Shuichi Tsubata and his 87-year-old wife Hideko live in Aichi Prefecture. Their garden is bursting with 70 types of vegetables and 50 types of fruits, and they live in harmony with nature.
0.0The Channeled Scablands in Washington state defied conventional explanations for their formation for decades. Little by little evidence mounted for an old theory that was rejected by the scientific establishment. It involved glaciers, volcanoes, a relatively minor river and a prodigious amount of water. Originally aired as an episide of NOVA.
6.9With Olin's 85-year-old father as guide, we experience Norway's most adventurous valley, Oldedalen in Nordfjord. He grew up here, and here generations before him have lived in balance with nature.
10.0Intact ecosystems provide the best defense against climate change! The ecosystem of a small creek is complex and diverse – the shocking reality is that in Central Europe only one in a thousand is still intact, today. What happened to our streams and brooks? What does the future hold? The film ‘One in a Thousand’ portrays the diverse wildlife inside and alongside a stream, explains the importance of this habitat and identifies the sources of its destruction. A blue-chip wildlife film that carries an important message.