David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities

2013
David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

EP1 Animal Frankensteins Jun 11, 2017

Hybrids can be bizarre and they can be deadly. We look at two hybrid animals that owe their existence to human interference – the pizzly bear (a cross between a polar bear and grizzly), which has come into being because of global warming, and the killer bee brought into existence because of the transfer of African bees to South America.

EP2 Finding the Way Jun 11, 2017

Some animals have an extraordinary ability to find their way. The dung beetle, an insect revered by ancient Egyptians, uses the sun, the moon and even the Milky Way to move its prized ball of dung in the right direction. Pigeons are often considered feeble birdbrains, but they have incredible memories that can recall several complex travel routes with amazing accuracy and they even use manmade roads and hedgerows to find the quickest way home.

EP3 Extreme Babies Jun 18, 2017

The giant panda gives birth to the smallest baby of any mammal and has to care for and protect it for many months. The kiwi lays one of the largest eggs in the bird world, which produces a very well developed chick. Why don’t pandas give birth to more developed, robust young and why do kiwis produce a single egg that is a quarter of its body mass and almost too big to lay?

EP4 Curious Counters Jun 18, 2017

Can animals count? This is a question that has intrigued and fooled investigators for a long time. Just over a hundred years ago, a German horse called Hans was declared a mathematical genius but all was not as it seemed. And strangely, some bamboos around the world flower exactly at the same no matter where they are – are they counting down the years?

EP5 Incredible Shells Jun 25, 2017

David Attenborough investigates two shells that have proved to be winners in evolution: the bird’s shell and the hard shell of the tortoise. The ostrich egg is so strong it’s possible for a person to stand on it without it breaking – how does the chick break out of this fortress? The evolution of the tortoise shell was for a long time a mystery and this bony box offers a lot more than just protection.

EP6 Ferocious Fighters Jun 25, 2017

The Siamese Fighting Fish is so aggressive it will fight its own reflection until it is exhausted. Recent research shows that the fighting behaviour varies and depends on the personality of the fish! Male kangaroos were once pitted against humans in the boxing ring – the most impressive male kangaroos are solid blocks of muscle with a kick that can kill. Why do they fight and what skills must a winner have?
8.6| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 29 January 2013 Ended
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Country: United Kingdom
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Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://watch.uktv.co.uk/shows/david-attenboroughs-natural-curiosities/
Synopsis

Sir David shines the spotlight on some of nature’s evolutionary anomalies and reveals how these curious animals continue to baffle and fascinate.

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TheLittleSongbird As said many times, David Attenborough is a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best documentaries there's ever been.It is really hard picking favourites, let alone a definite favourite, among what Attenborough has done because he has done so many gems, it is the equivalent of trying to choose your favourite ice cream flavour or your favourite operatic role (for examples) and finding you can't pick. 'Natural Curiosities' is another gem of his, there is nothing artificial about it at all, it's imaginatively done and there is more than enough in every episode to make one stick with it, the curiosity factor is high. It is also very entertaining, very candid and very much accessible.'Natural Curiosities' as always with Attenborough is a beautiful-looking series. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate and there is nothing static about it at all. The editing is smooth and succinct and the wide range habitats make for some truly eye catching scenery that are just as big in character as the animals and Attenborough himself.The animals are also wide in variety and not only do they look great their personalities, whether prey or predator, are big. One learns a lot about them and cares about them in the same way they would for a human character in a film (more so than most actually). This may sound like hyperbole, but it really came across that way to me.Entertainment value is high, and as always with Attenborough 'Natural Curiosities' is incredibly informative. Found myself learning a lot and found that even familiar knowledge was expanded upon. Format-wise, the episodes are similar to each other but the variety in habitats and animals is so diverse that repetition never kicks in. Like Attenborough's best work, it is easy to connect emotionally and it is hard not to be captivated by the fun, tension and pathos.Attenborough is a huge part of the appeal, of course, and his contribution helps significantly. He is very candid, clearly knowing his stuff and knowing what to say and how to say it. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more.Overall, a gem all round. For Attenborough fans 'Natural Curiosities' is a must watch regardless of how it stacks up compared to the rest of his work (have not seen a "bad" effort from him) and whether it's original or not. While it's not one of his very best, it still compares favourably. 10/10 Bethany Cox
MarcusBritish David Attenborough is, of course, the champion of knowledge when it comes to nature and the living world. His shows usually explore the lives of various species by focusing on the topic of the episode, such as hunting or mating habits. We're given the major facts without all the extraneous trivia that surrounds each creature.In this series, Attenborough takes this trivia and expands on it, thus making it less trivial and more relevant when understood. For example, we know a zebra has stripes but unlike a tiger it doesn't blend in with the surrounding environment - it stands out which, for a creature that is not a predator but prey, seems unusual. He investigates by exploring past theories and beliefs, presenting research and new ideas that try to explain why an array of creatures have evolved unique characteristics and abilities which are considered curious.Each episode has a runtime of about 22 minutes, but in that short time Attenborough manages to explore two curious creatures and deliver a compelling argument for each ones curious trait. In this show he does not only provide a narrative voice but a hands-on role in order to show us documents, artwork, collections of species, and other materials that have been gathered over the years by various museums and institutions studying nature.There is never a boring moment in "Natural Curiosities" - each episode moves swiftly and is over before you could ever tire. The format of each episode is similar but because each case is unique there is no feeling of repetition. What you get here is a splendid show for people who like nature documentaries but want to see something a little less mainstream, because it focuses on the surreal things in nature, rather than the highlights of well known places. This is a show that will take you to many places, not to see epic vistas and magnificent wildlife shots, but to analyse nature's way of doing things that may have baffled scientists for years.