Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.
Created by Thomas Lovejoy, George Page
Season 1 · 13 episodes
October 10, 1982
Following the path of the condor, whose ten-foot wingspan enables it to soar effortlessly over the peaks of the Andes mountains, this film starts at the storm beaten rocks of Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America and journeys north to the highest peak in the Americas - Aconcagua. Along the way, we see exotic animals and birds such as the penguin, hummingbird, sea otter, guanaco, ostrich-like rhea, and puma.
October 17, 1982
While the cold waters of the Pacific Coast of South America are among the richest in the world, the shore is the driest desert in the world. Yet it is not at all devoid of life. Lizards snatch morsels from the waves, and seagulls fly 40 miles into the desert to nest. The condor searches for carrion and vampire bats feed on the blood of sleeping sea lions. This is a beautiful portrait of a giant land.
October 24, 1982
The third part of the series is a spectacular visual trip down the fabled river. From the snow-clad summit of the volcano Cotopaxi and others comes the greatest river in the world as melting ice creates a torrent that drops three miles in its first short distance. The river is fed by magnificent waterfalls and is channeled through gorges out into the tropical rain forest where there are more species of birds than anywhere.
October 31, 1982
No synopsis yet.
November 7, 1982
No synopsis yet.
November 14, 1982
Examines the fragile ecology of the Caribbean area in a unique and vivid look at the forces affecting this area's ecological balance, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, the continuing evolution of different wildlife and man's influence. International agreements and commissions created to protect the Caribbean area are also covered.
November 21, 1982
Surveying Costa Rica's Monte Verde preserve, which contains some 200 varieties of trees, including 300-ft. oaks. Animal life includes deadly scorpions; army ants; and plumed quetzals, sacred bird of the Maya civilization.
November 28, 1982
The first of the series takes us back to the 13th Century to explore medieval superstitions of ancient "naturalists." Frederick II of Hohenstaufen had a passion for falconry that resulted in his immense illustrated book De Arte Venandi Cum Artibus (On the Art of Hunting With Birds.) Series host is Dr. Donald Johanson, noted paleoanthropologist and director of the Institute of Human Origins in Berkeley, California.
December 5, 1982
Theologians and clerics in the 17th and 18th centuries were among the first to study animal behavior. John Ray began in the 1600's to catalog "the work of the Creation," starting with plants and later including birds. Sir Francis Willoughby continued this work. Rev. Gilbert White studied bird songs, Charlie LeRoy experimented with wolves and deer, and Charles Waterton wrote about jungle animals.
December 12, 1982
In 1848, Charles Darwin began the quest to understand the mysteries of the animal mind. Following Darwin's achievement - suggesting a plausible process for evolution: natural selection - Lewis Henry Morgan discovered evidence of cogitation in beavers. George Romanes experimented with fish, cats, and dogs, Douglas Spalding with newborn chicks, all finding apparent mental activity. Meanwhile Jacques Loeb attempted to prove animals "mindless."
December 19, 1982
First there is a re-creation of Ivan Pavlov's experiments which led to the discovery of the "conditioned reflex." Then we see the investigation by Otto Pfungst of "Kluge Hans" (Clever Hans) a horse whose apparent knowledge of arithmetic was actually response to subtle signals from his trainer. We also see dramatizations of Thomdike's experiments with chicks, Watson's with terns, and B. F. Skinner's famed work at Harvard in the thirties.
December 26, 1982
Continuing with the exploration of animal communication we see recreations of Karl von Frisch unraveling the language of honey bees. Julian Huxley, who discovered a possible language in the ritual movements of great-crested grebes, Konrad Lorenz who recorded the visual language of geese, and Niko Tinbergen, who studied the habits of hunting wasps and together with Esther Cullen recorded the relationship of temperament in birds to their habitat.
January 2, 1983
Scientists have long attempted to discover why animals rarely live alone. Animal society seems to be based on despotic rule by the strongest, tempered by the powerful attractive forces of sex. Portrayals of Thorlief Schjelderup-Ebbe, Solly Zuckerman, Clarence Ray Carpenter, Frank Fraser Darling, William Hamilton, and Amotz Zahavi, show the contributions of each of these men towards understanding the puzzle.
YouTube TV
PBS
Thirteen
WETA+
HooplaPBSWETA+
KQED
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play MoviesOfficial videos, played on YouTube
SPY IN THE WILD on NATURE | Official Trailer | PBS
Trailer · Official
Flyways | Official Trailer | NATURE | PBS
Trailer
Treasure of the Caribbean | Official Trailer | NATURE | PBS
Trailer
Welcome to PBS Nature
Teaser
Spy Octopus Helps Friend Hide From Shark
Clip
ULTIMATE PBS NATURE THEME VIDEO
Featurette
Intro to Nature - PBS (1987)
Opening Credits
Documentary
Wildlife adventure series following a team of explorers in the heart of the tropical island of Borneo.
9.02007
Action & Adventure · Family
Little Champ is a Philippine television drama that premiered on March 18, 2013 on ABS-CBN and worldwide on TFC. It stars Sen. Lito Lapid, Jhong Hilario, and JB Agustin.
2013
Documentary
Ronan Donovan, our expert guide and National Geographic photographer, takes the audience on an intimate exploration of the Arctic during the endless day of the summer months, giving insight to the unexpected abundance of the 'Garden of the Arctic' in Wolf Valley as he attempts to embed with a wolf family pack.
7.52019
Documentary
In a picturesque South African town, an eclectic group of endangered penguins flock together to find mates, raise families and mix with the locals.
7.42021
Documentary
Whales are beautiful and powerful, which rightly puts them in the category of 'most unique animals in the world'. Dive into the world of whales and discover what makes these creatures so fascinating.
2024
Documentary
Get an intimate look inside the Orangutan Jungle School in the heart of Borneo. Survey this sanctuary, where orphaned orangutans learn survival skills, make friends, and navigate the journey to adulthood as they prepare to return to the wild.
8.02022
Action & Adventure · Family
Thunderstone is an Australian science fiction children's series broadcast on Network Ten from 12 February 1999 to 8 September 2000. Created by Jonathan M. Shiff, the show is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a comet has destroyed most life on Earth. The year is 2020. 15-year-old Noah Daniels lives with his family in the futuristic underground community of North Col. The world above is a frozen wasteland after the comet destroyed all other life including the animals. One night, Noah accidentally time travels to the future and finds himself trapped in 2085 in a desolate desert called Haven with a group of children, the Nomads, led by Arushka.
6.61999
Documentary
Geologist Iain Stewart explain in three stages of natural history the crucial interaction of our very planet's physiology and its unique wildlife. Biological evolution is largely driven bu adaptation to conditions such as climate, soil and irrigation, but biotopes were also shaped by wildlife changing earth's surface and climate significantly, even disregarding human activity.
8.32012
Documentary
Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British television, with more than 400 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World is produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, but individual programmes can be in-house productions, collaborative productions with other broadcasters or films made and distributed by independent production companies and purchased by the BBC. Natural World programmes are often broadcast as PBS Nature episodes in the USA. Since 2008, most Natural World programmes have been shot and broadcast in high definition.
7.41983
Documentary
Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, this documentary tells the powerful stories of many of the planet's species and their movements, while revealing new scientific insights with breathtaking high-definition clarity and emotional impact. The beauty of these stories is underscored by a new focus into these species; fragile existence and their life-and-death quest for survival in an ever-changing world.
7.72010
Documentary · Family
Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, this eight part series follows some of the world's most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.
8.62023
Documentary
Filmed across six continents, this docuseries uses cutting-edge camera technology to capture animals' nocturnal lives, revealing new behaviours filmed in full color like never before.
8.22020
Documentary · Family
Millions of years ago, incredible forces ripped apart the Earth’s crust creating seven extraordinary continents. This documentary series reveals how each distinct continent has shaped the unique animal life found there.
8.52019
Documentary
The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us.
9.11979
Documentary · Family
Experience our planet's natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope.
8.52019
Documentary
David Attenborough celebrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this epic documentary series, filmed over four years across 64 different countries.
8.62006
Documentary · Family
David Attenborough presents a documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.
8.62016
Documentary
This immersive series follows the world's most magnificent creatures, capturing never-before-seen moments from the heartwarming to the outrageous.
8.02021
Documentary · Family
Follow the true stories of five of the world's most celebrated, yet endangered animals; penguins, chimpanzees, lions, painted wolves and tigers. Each in a heroic struggle against rivals and against the forces of nature, these families fight for their own survival and for the future of their dynasties.
8.32018
Documentary
Utilizing the latest scientific innovations and leading-edge filmmaking technology, this documentary reveals the secret powers and super-senses of the world’s most extraordinary animals, and invites viewers to see and hear beyond normal human perception to experience the natural world as a specific species does — from seeing flowers in bee-vision to eavesdropping on a conversation between elephant seals to soaring the length of a football field with glow-in-the-dark squirrels.
7.32022
Documentary
Discover the clever and creative ways animals navigate life’s most extraordinary challenges, from leaving home to finding a partner.
8.02024
Documentary · Action & Adventure
Australian host Steve Irwin and his wife Terri run a wildlife refuge. Their shared passion is educating the world about wildlife, including the much feared crocodile and numerous venomous snakes. Steve's specialty is the capture and relocation of crocodiles. No animal appears too threatening to Steve, his true respect for animals is the foundation for everything he does.
7.61997
Documentary
David Attenborough presents a nature documentary series looking at why mammals are the most successful creatures on the planet.
8.42002
Documentary
In the documentary series produced by the BBC, The Life of Birds, Sir David Attenborough unveils a new investigation into the behaviour of birds, perfectly adapted animals that conquer the air. This ten-part series reveals the secret of the birds' great success, their remarkable strategies for finding food, their complex social systems, and their ingenious and often bizarre ways of mating and breeding. From the high speed of large airborne hunters to long distance migrations or the bright colors of nectar feeding hummingbirds, this is the ultimate bird series that every ornithologist should not miss.
8.21998
Documentary
David Attenborough looks at the extraordinary ends to which animals and plants go in order to survive. Featuring epic spectacles, amazing TV firsts and examples of new wildlife behaviour.
8.42009
Documentary
This docuseries showcases nature's lesser-known tiny heroes. Spotlighting small creatures and the extraordinary things they do to survive, each episode is filled with surprising stories and spectacular cinematography.
8.02020
