One of my favorite pastime activity is watching nature-oriented program such as Animal Planet, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. I especially love watching BBC UK shows when it features one of my favorite person in the world, Sir David Attenborough.
I grew up watching his documentaries focusing on the life forms. I love watching his 'Life' series documentaries, just like what I just finished watching a few hours ago, Life in the Undergrowth.
I have seen the documentary for the 3rd time and still I'm fascinated at how nature was presented and how good, even with his age, Attenborough is in discussing the topics, doing the tasks to uncover the secrets of life in the undergrowth and presenting the specimens.
Life in the Undergrowth has 5 episodes:
1. Invasion of the Land - shows the first of the invertebrates to colonize dry lands as well as how how these water-dwelling creatures developed the parts they need to walk on land.
2. Taking To the Air - the first creatures that developed wings and the ability to fly. This is also an interesting episode because I learned of the cicada's 17 year hibernation below the ground and only coming out to mate and reproduce.
3. The Silk Spinners - discussed spiders and other silk producing creatures. The fungus gnats of New Zealand who creates glowing fibers to attract prey amazed me. Also, the dangers of mating spiders, especially for the males who are risking their lives because they can be consumed by the females after the mating.
4. Intimate Relations - the relationship between insects and other animals around them. The amazing part of this episode is how butterfly caterpillars are taken care by ants thinking it's one of them just because of the scent.
5. Supersocieties - discussed bees, ants and termites and their life inside their colonies. It might appear to humans that these creatures are just living inside their kingdom but little did we know that there are power struggle, opposing parties, and even power take-overs.
Perhaps the best aspect of the documentary is the fearless and clear explanation of the host, Sir David Attenborough as well as BBC's amazing videography on even the tiniest details. I'll be discussing the other parts of the Life series in the coming days.
