Life on Earth S01E03 · The First Forests

Overview

For most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water, closely followed by the first animals - the ancestors of millipedes and insects.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. The Infinite Variety1979-01-16 · 55mThe first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evoluti
2. 2 2. Building Bodies1979-01-23 · 54mBright blue starfish, crimson feather stars, shell-less snails in designs as extravagant as any Paris fashion show, shrimps of every colour, others that are transparent - just a sa
3. 3 3. The First Forests1979-01-30 · 54mFor most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water, closely followed by the first animals - the
4. 4 4. The Swarming Hordes1979-02-06 · 55mDavid Attenborough looks at the role of a few of the millions of insect species, some of which have developed extremely close relationships with plants. Insects pollinate flowers a
5. 5 5. Conquest of the Waters1979-02-13 · 55mFish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The development of the backbone was a crucial advance in
6. 6 6. Invasion of the Land1979-02-20 · 55mSome 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from the water onto the land and became amphibians. Today, newts, salamanders, toads
7. 7 7. Victors of the Dry Land1979-02-27 · 55mDavid Attenborough looks at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry on the land. Their waterproofed skin and sealed egg
8. 8 8. Lords of the Air1979-03-06 · 54mThe story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us. David Attenborough examines the uses and advantages of birds' unique possession
9. 9 9. The Rise of the Mammals1979-03-13 · 54mMammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptiles 200 million years ago. This remarkable transiti
10. 10 10. Theme and Variations1979-03-20 · 53mA little furry animal from the jungles of South East Asia, called a tree shrew, has attracted great interest from scientists because it shows how a great group of animals may have
11. 11 11. The Hunters and Hunted1979-03-27 · 55mDavid Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution. As the hunters develop speed and cunning, the prey become
12. 12 12. Life in the Trees1979-04-03 · 55mDavid Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates, whose ancestors sought their fortune in the tre
13. 13 13. The Compulsive Communicators1979-04-10 · 54mDavid Attenborough looks for crucial clues that help to explain how and why we have come to dominate life on earth. He traces back the African origins of humans to nearly three mi