David Attenborough's Life StoriesSeries 1Episodes Episode guide

Back up to: David Attenborough's Life Stories

1. Giant Birds

   The famous naturalist muses on the largest known egg laid by a giant bird on Madagascar.
2. Collecting

   The naturalist comments on the decline in collecting by children.
3. Large Blue

   The naturalist asks why the Large Blue butterfly recently died out in the UK.
4. Amber

   Is it possible to extract the DNA from a fly trapped in amber to recreate a dinosaur?
5. Adam's Face

   Sir David recalls the importance of human eyebrows for communication.
6. Bird's Nest Soup

   The naturalist recalls the challenge of filming the birds of Borneo.
7. Tracks

   The naturalist examines the revelations found from following fossilised animal tracks.
8. The Dodo

   Slaughtered into oblivion, the naturalist asks what lessons can be learned from the Dodo.
9. Coelacanth

   Was the first live specimen of the primitive bony fish shown on TV really a living fossil?
10. Faking Fossils

    The naturalist recalls finding an ammonite inside limestone, sparking his love of fossils.
11. The Serpent's Stare

    Looking at why underground animals have evolved differently from those on the surface.
12. Birds of Paradise

    Musings on the New Guinea residents, who fooled early explorers with their adornments.
13. Salamander

    The naturalist recalls his first pet, a fire salamander which was a birthday present.
14. Archaeopteryx

    A 150-million-year-old feather from an animal that lived before birds had evolved.
15. Dragons

    The famous naturalist recalls meeting the 10-foot-long Komodo dragon.
16. Bowerbirds

    Musings on the structures built by New Guinea's Vogelkop bowerbirds to attract mates.
17. Songsters

    The messages conveyed in the syllables, melodies and repeated phrases of singing birds.
18. Giant Birds

    The largest egg known to have existed was laid in Madagascar.
19. Platypus

    Musings on the elusive female duck-billed platypus of New South Wales, Australia.
20. Monstrous Flowers

    Musings on the world's largest blooms found deep in the steamy forests of Sumatra.
21. Sloths

    Musings on the natural history of perhaps the most lethargic beast in the animal world.