- 5/23/2025
Sir David Attenborough's "Africa" is a BBC documentary series that explores the diverse wildlife and ecosystems of the African continent. The series is known for its stunning cinematography, insightful narration, and exploration of previously unknown animal behaviors and places. It highlights the work of conservationists and scientists, showcasing projects aimed at protecting endangered species.
Key aspects of "Africa" and Sir David Attenborough's involvement:
Breathtaking cinematography:
The series utilizes high-definition camera work to capture the beauty and diversity of African wildlife and habitats.
Educational and informative:
Attenborough's narration makes complex topics accessible, engaging viewers with the beauty and intricacies of the natural world.
Conservation focus:
The series draws attention to the work of conservationists and scientists, highlighting efforts to protect endangered species and restore ecosystems.
Revealing previously unknown aspects:
"Africa" explores previously unfilmed animal behaviors and locations, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the continent's wildlife.
This video shows an adventure through Africa in FHD
Key aspects of "Africa" and Sir David Attenborough's involvement:
Breathtaking cinematography:
The series utilizes high-definition camera work to capture the beauty and diversity of African wildlife and habitats.
Educational and informative:
Attenborough's narration makes complex topics accessible, engaging viewers with the beauty and intricacies of the natural world.
Conservation focus:
The series draws attention to the work of conservationists and scientists, highlighting efforts to protect endangered species and restore ecosystems.
Revealing previously unknown aspects:
"Africa" explores previously unfilmed animal behaviors and locations, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the continent's wildlife.
This video shows an adventure through Africa in FHD
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00But leopards are the most versatile of all the big cats,
00:04adept at finding cover in the most unpromising places.
00:26The steep walls of the gully are now her cover.
00:30For an ambush.
00:36The male puku is close enough, but he's too big to tackle.
00:42She needs to slip past him without being seen.
00:56If he spots her, he'll blow her cover.
01:01But if he doesn't, he won't get anywhere near her.
01:24Slowly does it.
01:30To seed here, she needs to find prey grazing close to the edge or, better still, in the gully itself.
02:00A wild boar
02:25Frustration
02:28Success would have staved off hunger for a week.
02:36But while there's prey around, there's hope.
02:43Peeking over the top is a risk, but it's the quickest way to find a new target.
02:57A wild boar
02:59A wild boar
03:01A wild boar
03:03A wild boar
03:25A burst of speed of 65 kilometres an hour, and it's all over in less than six seconds.
03:33A wild boar
03:40Except, it isn't.
03:51Dazed and disorientated, the impala makes a miraculous escape.
03:57Somewhere along this seemingly barren stretch of sand, there is food in great quantity.
04:18Cape fur seals
04:21There are around 10,000 of them here.
04:40Adult seals are large and strong.
04:51But their pups are neither.
04:59The youngsters are closely guarded by their mothers.
05:04A hyena, however, knows to be patient.
05:13Sooner or later, seal mothers must return to the ocean to cool off.
05:21A hyena
05:27A single seal pup could feed a hyena and her family for days.
05:37But finding food is only half the battle.
05:44It now has to be carried back.
05:51A jackal is here too.
05:58And it's not alone.
06:06If the hyena loses her kill, she'll have nothing with which to feed her cubs.
06:20A hyena
06:27The jackals won't follow her very far from the coast.
06:32It's too hot for them in the desert interior.
06:41Only by making these long journeys can brown hyenas manage to survive in the middle of the Namib.
06:51Ash
06:53In just three weeks, half a million calves are born on these ash-rich plains.
07:01That's 24,000 a day.
07:05A thousand an hour.
07:11Calves stand up within a few minutes of being born.
07:16Though some need a little more time to find their feet.
07:33But a mother won't let her calf suckle until it's mastered a few physical skills.
07:40Walking
07:43Trotting
07:46And running.
07:58Wildebeest calves must run if they're to stay alive.
08:10Hunting
08:21For these plains also support the greatest assembly of hunters on the planet.
08:31Each species has its own special hunting technique.
08:36But all have the same aim.
08:39To make the most of this brief superabundance of life.
09:10Walking
09:29Hunting
09:39Only one in ten wildebeest calves will survive to adulthood.
09:51But that is enough to maintain the million-strong herd of wildebeest and the planet's highest
09:58density of predators.
10:05And many animals here choose the simplest option of all.
10:11Staying hidden all day and only venturing out in the cool of the night.
10:25As darkness falls, animals appear from seemingly nowhere.
10:37And among them, inevitably, are hunters.
10:57One of the most voracious nocturnal predators is also one of the hardest to see.
11:06This mysterious creature hardly ever appears on the surface of the dunes.
11:13But there are signs on the sand that can give it away.
11:35It lives only here, where the sand grains are so perfectly dry and polished that they
11:40flow almost like water.
11:45It's no bigger than a ping-pong ball, a golden mole.
11:55It's totally blind.
11:57But there's nothing to see underground anyway.
12:06Instead it has superb hearing.
12:11Its entire head acts as an amplifier that picks up vibrations through the sand.
12:17So to locate prey on the surface of the dune, it has, paradoxically, to thrust its face
12:24into the dune.
12:30Termites.
12:35Not easy to catch when you're blind.
12:42Far better to go into stealth mode.
12:46Once below the sand, it can detect the slightest movement, allowing it to strike with pinpoint
12:56accuracy.
12:57Well, most of the time.
13:10It can travel a kilometre a night in search of its dinner.
13:28And right now, it has just detected its main course.
13:33No wonder it's sometimes called the shark of the dunes.
13:45The lions are surrounded by wildebeest on their annual migration.
13:56A quarter-ton bull would make a good meal for all ten of the pride.
14:10And even though Charm is an experienced hunter, most attempts end in failure.
14:41Charm uses her hind legs to knock the wildebeest off balance.
15:36The smallest cubs won't be able to catch food for themselves for another 12 months.
15:55Their ever-growing appetites mean that Charm and Sienna have to hunt around the clock.
16:07The females are often forced to head out alone.
16:12Tonight, it's Sienna's turn.
16:21Sienna is seriously injured.
16:34She's too weak to move.
16:43No lion is always at risk of attack by buffalo, hyenas, even other lion prides.
17:13It's evening, and Sienna hasn't returned to her family.
17:32Now, everything depends on Charm.
21:02For many years, Blacktip has lived in peaceful coexistence with her mother.
21:32Each with enough territory to survive.
21:37But Blacktip's pack has grown huge. It's now 30 strong.
21:47For the first time, she needs more territory if she's to feed her growing family.
22:04Normally, a daughter would not invade her mother's territory.
22:11However, with hyenas ruling to the south, and humans having taken the hunting lands to the west,
22:20Blacktip has no choice but to turn her sights east, towards her mother's lands.
22:36Where, after a morning's hunt, Tate and her pack are resting.
23:06Blacktip's pack outnumbers her mother's by more than two to one.
23:36An ambush!
23:56Against these odds, Tate is powerless.
24:23Retreat is the only option.
24:33This has now become Blacktip's territory.
24:47A brief but bloody battle.
24:51Tate and her pack are now homeless.
25:05She retreats eastwards.
25:08But this is dangerous country.
25:12The Namib Desert. One of the most exposed places on Earth.
25:23As the sun climbs high, everybody takes cover from the extreme heat.
25:32Everybody except the hotrod ant.
25:41As others take refuge, their day is just beginning.
25:49Cleaning out the nest.
25:58The sand can reach a scorching 70 centigrade.
26:03The ants' long legs raise their bodies above the surface, where it's 10 degrees cooler.
26:13But if they stand still, they will fry.
26:19They must keep moving, or risk the same fate as their quarry, the creatures that have collapsed from heatstroke.
26:27Too deeply buried, but a good place to cool off.
26:33Foraging decisions must be fast.
26:37Too big?
26:41Perfect.
26:45Back to the nest before they also die.
26:55But they've strayed into a minefield.
27:03Each of these strange, cone-shaped pits is a death trap.
27:13With a brutal predator at its centre.
27:18Here lie antlion larvae. Tiny ambush predators with venom-filled pincers.
27:47Some ants manage to escape, but the antlion has other tricks.
27:53Flinging sand into the air, it creates an avalanche.
28:02In this cone of death, the walls are so angled that the sand slips beneath the ants' feet.
28:12As boulders rain from the sky, escape seems almost impossible.
28:34Phew.
28:38Somewhere along this seemingly barren stretch of sand, there is food in great quantity.
28:59Cape fur seals.
29:04There are around 10,000 of them here.
29:22Adult seals are large and strong.
29:31But their pups are neither.
29:39The youngsters are closely guarded by their mothers.
29:44A hyena, however, knows to be patient.
29:53Sooner or later, seal mothers must return to the ocean to cool off.
30:07A single seal pup could feed a hyena and her family for days.
30:17But finding food is only half the battle.
30:24It now has to be carried back.
30:32A jackal is here too.
30:38And it's not alone.
30:47If the hyena loses her kill, she'll have nothing with which to feed her cubs.
31:07The jackals won't follow her very far from the coast.
31:12It's too hot for them in the desert interior.
31:21Only by making these long journeys can brown hyenas manage to survive in the middle of the Namib.
31:31A giant tortoise.
31:35These creatures can float and live without food or fresh water for long periods of time.
31:45This isolated atoll is the perfect refuge.
31:50Their only enemy is the sun.
31:59Without shade, a tortoise risks being boiled in his shell.
32:08So, after feeding in the cool of the morning and before the sun becomes too crushingly hot, they have to find cover.
32:18All of them.
32:25There is very little vegetation, but caves in the coral rock can provide the shade they so badly need.
32:40He's nearly there.
32:43All that is left is a white knuckle ride to the bottom.
32:52And he's in.
32:57Thousands of others are still out in the sun.
33:02This tree could shade a couple of hundred if they pack tight.
33:21It's bumper-to-bumper parking.
33:29Within an hour or so, all must find shade of some sort if they're to survive.
33:59Safe.
34:14But the future for Aldabra's tortoises is far from certain.
34:20Climate is changing, sea levels are rising, and Aldabra's tortoises may soon have to find a new refuge or drown.
34:32Lions will normally avoid hunting in such heat.
34:38But they're also opportunists.
35:02The lions will need to bring him down quickly before they overheat.
35:33Even away from the herd, a bull is a formidable opponent.
35:46He could gore and kill a lion.
36:15Close to overheating, they finally survive.
36:44They finally succeed in bringing him to the ground.
37:01But the massive bull is not giving up.
37:16Against the odds and the full weight of the lions, he regains his feet.
37:28And it is now that the tables turn.
37:37The lions are exhausted.
37:40After a 20-minute struggle, only the bull has the energy to finish the fight.
38:08In such exposed and extreme conditions, the challenge for predators and their prey is at its most intense.
38:21The temperature has reached 50 degrees.
38:28Still, Blacktip pushes her pack on in pursuit.
38:36They're closing in, just a kilometer behind Tate.
39:07But finally, the heat is just too much.
39:20Blacktip is forced to call a halt.
39:50But danger is approaching.
40:49The pack are scattered.
41:06And now the lions will try to pick off the puppies.
41:24There's only one adult with the pups.
41:28That won't be enough to save them.
41:43But this might.
42:10Pups and lions are always in conflict.
42:19To charge in alone is very unusual.
42:24But it certainly saved the pups.
42:30When mature, young males begin to explore the boundaries of the pride's territory.
42:41Red has ventured out alone.
42:58And blundered straight into the middle of the hyena clan.
43:25He's trapped by over 20 of them.
43:46The pack tries to wear him down.
43:50This number of hyenas could kill him.
44:18It's impossible to fight them all at once.
44:36He can't keep them at bay for much longer.
44:40He's towering fast.
44:51His ally, Tartu, has heard the commotion.
45:15The odds have changed.
45:24Even for 20 hyenas, a pair of male lions is too much to take on.
45:41Red is lucky.
45:51Tartu has saved his cousin's life.
46:01Every lake and river has a resident population of hippos.
46:06They too are social creatures, but they are also territorial.
46:19Spy hippo is going where few others dare to go.
46:29He needs to be cautious.
46:43His subjects are notoriously bad-tempered.
46:48And they could be anywhere.
46:55It's never a good idea to get on their wrong side.
47:06Spy hippo has been given a warning.
47:12He must avoid sudden movements.
47:18As he gets closer, ear-wiggling shows confidence.
47:27Facing one of Africa's most dangerous animals, spy hippo must hold his ground.
47:35The pod is made up of females looked over by a single male.
47:40Fortunately, females are less aggressive.
47:47Spy hippo is already capturing some of the closest views that have ever been seen.
47:58But hippos spend much of their time below the surface.
48:03As the hippos dive, so must spy hippo.
48:12He mimics their movements.
48:15Rather than swim, hippos walk underwater.
48:25Through the murk, spy hippo glimpses an extraordinary sight.
48:34Fish are shadowing the hippos' every move.
48:38These are barbs.
48:41They usually feed on the riverbed, but when the hippos appear, they shoal around them.
48:52As spy hippo moves closer, it's clear that their skin is a maze of cuts and scratches.
49:00These fight marks easily become infected, and parasites can also invade.
49:09This is where the fish come in.
49:13Together, they set up an underwater clinic with the hippos as willing patients.
49:22The barbs may be skin specialists, but they'll try a bit of dental hygiene too.
49:40After having a full body treatment, the hippos seem to enter a trance.
49:53She's the biggest meerkat they've ever seen, and requires serious examination.
50:11She's been made to smell like the colony, so this reassures them.
50:22Each day, different volunteers set up a creche, giving all the child support a mother could wish for.
50:33They share roles, including sentry duty.
50:38It demands concentration, and it's easy to lose focus.
50:51And sometimes it's good to have someone watching your back.
50:56Being a sentry is a risky business, as they are easy targets for predators.
51:01But with young pups to protect, they take greater risks by climbing higher.
51:06Here, they can see predators earlier, but are vulnerable to birds of prey.
51:12Their self-sacrifice is about to be tested.
51:22But this is no ordinary cobra. It's a spy cobra.
51:28With no regard for her own safety, she prepares to face the snake.
51:39She reacts as she would to the real thing, bravely protecting the colony with no thought for herself.
52:02Her aim is to harass the snake into leaving.
52:08But with spy snake holding its ground, the meerkat calls for reinforcements.
52:17This is where fraternity comes into its own.
52:32An intimidating wall of meerkats face up to spy cobra.
52:48They push their luck as far as they dare, goading the snake to strike.
53:02Real snakes tie her easily, so it's a matter of wearing it down.
53:12But one meerkat senses there's something different about this serpent.
53:20It may look and move like a real snake, but it shows no sign of leaving.
53:32Spy snake has been well and truly rumbled.
53:41Satisfied he's harmless, the meerkats go back to what they enjoy best.
53:48Relaxing among friends.
53:52To help with the filming, spy egret has backup.
53:57This is Dung Cam, a camera based on a pile of elephant poo.
54:03It even smells the pot.
54:06It's designed to film on the move.
54:11Its zoom lens can capture the elephant's every move.
54:17That's not all.
54:19It can release a team of spy dung balls to litter the savannah with yet more cameras.
54:30One dung ball is radio controlled and can travel without any visible moving parts.
54:48With the action covered from every angle, it's time to see what this elephant family gets up to.
54:56The babies must learn the rules of behaviour at an early age.
55:05Wrestling older siblings is a favourite pastime.
55:13They learn their own strength and, crucially, how to play nicely with each other.
55:21It's the older elephants who make sure they don't cross the line.
55:28It takes a few years before they're big enough to do real damage.
55:35But as they get older, they need to be reined in.
55:39Those who overstep the mark soon know it.
55:43The rules are strict for everyone when the family is on the move.
55:48To follow them, spy egret and Dung Cam join forces.
55:56For their own safety, the babies must stay next to their mothers in the centre of the herd.
56:02The elephants are heading to the swamp.
56:10A place to cool off as the day heats up.
56:18But the mud can be treacherous and babies must only enter with their mums.
56:24But this little one seems to have forgotten the rules.
56:28Chasing egrets is irresistible.
56:33But as the herd enter the swamp, the baby is being left behind.
56:41Realising his predicament, he looks for his mother and thinks he's found her.
56:52He tags along as the group head into the swamp.
56:57But he's following the wrong elephant.
57:04With his mother nowhere to be seen, he's lost in a confusion of trunks and legs.
57:18The elephants head into the swamp without him.
57:22The baby is now alone and afraid.
57:30While his herd appear to have forgotten him.
57:42He can smell that his mother is out there, somewhere.
57:57But entering the swamp alone could be deadly for one so small.
58:08He's really starting to panic now.
58:17His mother is inexperienced. She's only just realised her mistake.
58:30Both will have learnt from what happened.
58:37He won't misbehave while the family are travelling again.
Recommended
39:27
|
Up next
54:01
57:59
50:27
58:58
37:54
57:58
1:45:38