Matches in DBpedia 2014 for { <http://dbpedia.org/resource/Life_on_Earth_(TV_series)> ?p ?o. }
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) runtime "55.0".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) abstract "Life on Earth: A Natural History by David Attenborough is a television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions. It was transmitted in the UK from 16 January 1979.During the course of the series presenter David Attenborough, following the format established by Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man (both series which he designed and produced as director of BBC2), travels the globe in order to trace the story of the evolution of life on the planet. Like the earlier series, it was divided into 13 programmes (each of around 55 minutes' duration) so that it would exactly fill a scheduler's quarter-year. The executive producer was Christopher Parsons and the music was composed by Edward Williams.Highly acclaimed, it is the first in Attenborough's 'Life' series of programmes and was followed by The Living Planet (1984).".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) channel BBC_Two.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) company BBC_Natural_History_Unit.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) company Warner_Bros..
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) completionDate "1979-04-10".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) composer Edward_Williams_(composer).
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) executiveProducer Christopher_Parsons.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) format Monaural.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) genre Nature_documentary.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) numberOfEpisodes "13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) presenter David_Attenborough.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) producer Richard_Brock.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) releaseDate "1979-01-16".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) runtime "3300.0".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subsequentWork The_Living_Planet.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) wikiPageExternalLink life-earth.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) wikiPageExternalLink b0414dz9.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) wikiPageExternalLink index.html.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) wikiPageID "325634".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) wikiPageRevisionID "605131846".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) audioFormat Monaural.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) caption "Region 2 DVD cover".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) channel BBC_Two.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) company BBC_Natural_History_Unit.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) company Warner_Bros..
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) company "Reiner Moritz Productions".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) composer Edward_Williams_(composer).
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) country "United Kingdom".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "10".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "11".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "12".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "2".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "3".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "4".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "5".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "6".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "7".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "8".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) episodenumber "9".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) executiveProducer Christopher_Parsons.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) firstAired "1979-01-16".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) followedBy "The Living Planet".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) genre Nature_documentary.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) hasPhotoCollection Life_on_Earth_(TV_series).
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) language "English".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) lastAired "1979-04-10".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) linecolor "667".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) numEpisodes "13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-01-23".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-01-30".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-02-06".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-02-13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-02-20".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-02-27".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-03-06".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-03-13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-03-20".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-03-27".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-04-03".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) originalairdate "1979-04-10".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) pictureFormat "4".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) presenter David_Attenborough.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) producer Richard_Brock.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) producer "John Sparks".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) runtime "3300.0".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "1.262304E16".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "1.893456E16".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "2.524608E13".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "9.46728E15".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "The next instalment describes the move from water to land. The fish that did so may have been forced to because of drought, or chose to in search of food. Either way, they eventually evolved into amphibians. Such creatures needed two things: limbs for mobility and lungs to breathe. The coelacanth is shown as a fish with bony fins that could have developed into legs, and the lungfish is able to absorb gaseous oxygen. However, evidence of an animal that possessed both is presented in the 450 million-year-old fossilised remains of a fish called a eusthenopteron. Three groups of amphibians are explored. The Caecilians have abandoned legs altogether to aid burrowing, newts and salamanders need to return to the water to allow their skins to breathe, but it is frogs and toads that have been the most successful. Attenborough handles a goliath frog, the largest of the species, to demonstrate its characteristics. Their webbed feet form parachutes that turn them into "dazzling athletes", and some can leap over 15 metres — 100 times their body length. In addition, their vocal sacs ensure that mating calls can be heard from up to a mile away. Poison dart frogs deter predators by means of venom, and one such example could kill a human. Various methods of breeding are examined, including laying eggs in rivers, depositing them in other damp habitats for safety or, as with the Brazilian pipa, embedding them within the skin of the parent itself.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "The penultimate instalment investigates the primates, whose defining characteristics are forward-facing eyes for judging distance, and gripping hands with which to grasp branches, manipulate food and groom one another. The programme begins in Madagascar, home to the lemurs, of which there are some 20 different types. Two examples are the sifaka, which is a specialised jumper, and the indri, which has a well-developed voice. Away from Madagascar, the only lemur relatives to have survived are nocturnal, such as the bushbaby, the potto and the loris. The others were supplanted by the monkeys and a primitive species that still exists is the smallest, the marmoset. However, Attenborough selects the squirrel monkey as being typical of the group. Howler monkeys demonstrate why they are so named — their chorus is said to the loudest of any mammal — and their prehensile tails illustrate their agility. However, such tails are not characteristic of monkeys that inhabit Africa and many of them, such as vervets and baboons, are just as happy on the ground. Others have moved elsewhere, and the macaques of Koshima in Japan have learned to wash their food before eating. Most apes have taken to swinging from trees, and their feet are just as versatile as their hands. They include the orangutan, the gibbon, the chimpanzee and the primate with whom Attenborough has arguably his most famous encounter, the mountain gorilla.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This episode continues the study of mammals, and particularly those whose young gestate inside their bodies. Attenborough asks why these have become so varied and tries to discover the common theme that links them. Examples of primitive mammals that are still alive today include the treeshrew, the desman and the star-nosed mole. Insect eaters vary enormously from the aardvark, giant anteater and pangolin to those to which much of this programme is devoted: the bats, of which there are nearly 1,000 different species. These took to flying at night, and it’s possible that they evolved from treeshrews that jumped from tree to tree, in much the same way as a flying squirrel. Most bats use sonar to hunt and navigate, and ultrasound to communicate. However, some of their prey, such as the lacewing and tiger moth, have developed techniques to confuse and evade them. Aquatic mammals superseded sea-going dinosaurs such as the plesiosaur. The whales’ immense size is related to the retention of body heat. The dinosaurs’ growth was limited by the strength of their bones but the whales only rely on water to support their weight, and so have been able to grow into the world’s largest animals. Some of those shown include humpbacks, narwhals, killer whales and dolphins. The latter use echolocation in much the same way as bats, and Attenborough observes one finding objects in the water even after it has been blindfolded.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This episode is devoted to the evolution of reptiles. They are not as restricted as their amphibian ancestors, since they can survive in the hottest climates. The reason is their scaly, practically watertight skin. The scales protect the body from wear and tear and in the case of some species of lizard, such as the Australian thorny devil, serve to protect from attack. The horned iguana from the West Indies is also one of the most heavily armoured. The skin is rich in pigment cells, which provide effective means of camouflage, and the chameleon is a well-known example. Temperature control is important to reptiles: they can’t generate body heat internally or sweat to keep cool. Therefore, they rely on the sun and areas of shade. The reptiles were the first vertebrates for whom internal fertilisation was essential, so they developed the watertight egg, which hatches fully formed young. The age of the dinosaurs is explored, and Attenborough surmises that it may have been climate change that led to their abrupt demise. Those that survived were water-dwellers, and the bull Nile crocodile is the largest reptile alive today. Snakes evolved when burrowing lizards lost their legs but returned above ground. The boa, puff adder and sidewinder demonstrate methods of locomotion, the egg-eating snake has an extreme example of a hinged jaw, and the lethal diamondback rattlesnake is described as the most efficient at despatching its prey.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This instalment examines the earliest land vegetation and insects. The first plants, being devoid of stems, mainly comprised mosses and liverworts. Using both sexual and asexual methods of reproduction, they proliferated. Descended from segmented sea creatures, millipedes were among the first to take advantage of such a habitat and were quickly followed by other species. Without water to carry eggs, bodily contact between the sexes was now necessary. This was problematical for some hunters, such as spiders and scorpions, who developed courtship rituals to ensure that the female didn't eat the male. Over time, the plants' cell walls strengthened and they grew taller. Ferns and horsetails were among the first such species. Insects then evolved wings to avoid climbing and the dragonfly is one of the most successful. The elaborate wingbeats of the damselfly are shown slowed down 120 times. Some plants, like the cycad enlisted the insects to transport pollen, while others, like the conifer, spread spores. Over a third of forests contain conifers and the giant sequoia of California is the largest living organism of any kind: it grows to a height of 112 metres. The conifer secretes resin to repair its trunk, and this survives as amber. Within it, insect specimens have been found that are 200 million years old. In fact, at this time, every insect known today was already in existence.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This instalment is the first of several to concentrate on mammals. The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that lay eggs , and it is from such animals that others in the group evolved. Since mammals have warm blood and most have dense fur, they can hunt at night when temperatures drop. It is for this reason that they became more successful than their reptile ancestors, who needed to heat themselves externally. Much of the programme is devoted to marsupials of which fossils have been found in the Americas dating back 60 million years. However, because of continental drift, this kind of mammal flourished in Australia. Examples shown include the quoll, the Tasmanian devil, the koala, the wombat and the largest marsupial, the red kangaroo. The thylacine was similar to a wolf but is now thought to be extinct. In 1969, bones of creatures such as a 3 metre-tall kangaroo and a ferocious marsupial lion were found in a cave in Naracoorte, South Australia. The reason for these animals' extinction is, once again, thought to be climate change. Finally, Attenborough describes the most prolific mammals — those that originated in the Northern Hemisphere and give birth to fully formed young. He states, "The placenta and the womb between them provide a degree of safety and a continuity of sustenance which is unparalleled in the animal world."".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This programme focuses on birds. The feather is key to everything that is crucial about a bird: it is both its aerofoil and its insulator. The earliest feathers were found on a fossilised Archaeopteryx skeleton in Bavaria. However, it had claws on its wings and there is only one species alive today that does so: the hoatzin, whose chicks possess them for about a week or so. Nevertheless, it serves to illustrate the probable movement of its ancestor. It may have taken to the trees to avoid predators, and over time, its bony, reptilian tail was replaced by feathers and its heavy jaw evolved into a keratin beak. Beaks come in a variety of shapes depending on a bird’s feeding habits: examples given include the pouched bill of a pelican, the hooked beak of the vulture and the elongated mouth of the hummingbird. Attenborough hails the tern as one of the most graceful flyers and the albatross as a skilled glider. The swift is shown as one of the fastest: it can fly at 170 km/h. Birds communicate through display and/or song, and the elaborate courtship rituals of New Guinea’s birds of paradise are shown. All birds lay eggs, and the range of different nesting sites and parenting skills is explored. Finally, Attenborough visits Gibraltar to observe migratory birds. These rely on thermals when flying overland and use height to conserve energy when crossing oceans. It is estimated that some 5,000 million southbound birds cross the Mediterranean Sea each autumn.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) shortsummary "This programme surveys mammal herbivores and their predators. The herbivores began to populate the forests when the dinosaurs disappeared, and many took to gathering food at night. To prepare for winter, some store it in vast quantities, some hibernate and others make do as best they can. However, the carnivores joined them, and when a drying climate triggered the spread of grass, they followed their prey out on to the plains. Grass is not easily digestible and most animals that eat it have to regurgitate it and chew the cud. Out in the open, the leaf-eaters had to develop means of protection. A few species turned into burrowers: examples include the blind mole-rat, which is completely underground, and the prairie dog, which isn't. The capybara — the largest rodent — spends much of its time in the water. Those that evolved long legs and hooves, such as the zebra and impala, seek safety in speed, while larger creatures, such as the rhinoceros, rely on their armoured hides. The elephant is the world’s largest land animal and is virtually invulnerable. Cheetahs and lions are attracted by those that herd in large numbers, like wildebeest. The cheetah uses its considerable speed while the heavier lion is a social predator, mostly using co-operation and stealth to capture its victims, and its methods are explored in detail. Meanwhile, a pack hunter, such as the hyena, has immense stamina and will eventually wear down its quarry, easing the kill.".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) showName "Life on Earth".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Building Bodies".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Conquest of the Waters".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Invasion of the Land".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Life in the Trees".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Lords of the Air".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "The Compulsive Communicators".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "The First Forests".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "The Hunters and Hunted".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "The Rise of the Mammals".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "The Swarming Hordes".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Theme and Variations".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) title "Victors of the Dry Land".
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subject Category:1970s_British_television_series.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subject Category:1979_British_television_programme_debuts.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subject Category:1979_British_television_programme_endings.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subject Category:BBC_television_documentaries.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) subject Category:Documentary_films_about_nature.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) type Abstraction100002137.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) type Artifact100021939.
- Life_on_Earth_(TV_series) type BBCTelevisionDocumentaries.