The Wild Episode

Darwin's Frog : Darwin's Menagerie II

Following Charles Darwin on his voyage around South America, we arrive in Chile - where he discovers a remarkable little frog that has one of the strangest approaches to

Steamer Duck : Darwin's Menagerie I

Steamer ducks are big, mostly flightless, famously aggressive ducks in South America. An amazing example of evolution in action, because some supposedly flying steamer du

Reticulated Python : The Killing Mechanism

The Reticulated Python: not only the longest snake in the world, but also the only one you could reasonably call a man-eater. A snake that kills by constriction - but how

Barrel Amphipod : The Hollow Kindergarten

The Barrel Amphipod is a tiny terror for certain animals that share its open ocean habitat ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get addit

Salp : The Great Chain of Being

Salps are the strangest, most extraordinary of your reasonably close relatives in the Animal Kingdom ... some of the most extraordinary animals on Earth, in fact ... fell

Grey Seal : The Corkscrew Killer Mystery

The Grey Seal is a very big predator - but also the victim of a strange killer that was, for a long time, a bit of a mystery ...  You can support the show - keep it goi

Moniliformis : Attack of the Necklace Worm

Moniliformis moniliformis is an example of one of the strangest groups of animals in the world: the parasitic Acanthocephalans, or the Thorny-Headed Worms ... You can s

Kākāpō : Population Boom

The Kākāpō is the world's most extraordinary parrot - remarkable in even more ways than most people realise ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growin

Paradise Flying Snake : Swimming in the Air

The Paradise Flying Snake is one of the most surprising 'fliers' in the Animal Kingdom. How does it do it? And why is the answer to that question different than for all o

Glanville Fritillary : A Madness of Butterflies

The Glanville Fritillary is an elegant European butterfly, the stufy of which reveals some of the hidden forces shaping animal populations. And it was discovered by a wom

Tree Hyrax : Shouting in the Trees

The four species of Tree Hyrax are the survivors of an ancient and diverse group of animals that once dominated Africa. They now live secretive - but very noisy - lives h

Longnose Lancetfish : Ferocious

The Longnose Lancetfish is a big, strange, predatory fish of the open ocean, whose unusual feeding habits and physiology make it of particular interest to scientists ...

Bigfin Squid : Unknown Knowns and Known Unknowns

The Bigfin Squid (species of the genus Magnapinna) is one of the most iconic deep sea animals these days. But we know precious little about it - we can't even be 100% sur

Adélie Penguin : The Ice Riders

The Adélie penguin is the ultimate Antarctic penguin, partly because there's so many of them, partly because of its special and profound connection to Antarctic sea ice .

Shovel-headed Worm : The Worm in the Hothouse

The Shovel-Headed Garden Worm, also known as the Hammerhead Worm, is a voracious, terrestrial predatory flatworm. A world-traveller with amazing anatomy, predatory abilit

Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo : Change is the Only Constant

Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo is one of only two species of tree kangaroo in Australia. Animals change, the world changes, the natural world is - almost - never standing still

Bogong Moth : The Moth and the Stars

Every year, the Bogong Moth undertakes one of the most extraordinary insect migrations on Earth in south-eastern Australia. The question for this episode is: how? You c

Supergiant Isopod : Big is Beautiful III

There are several types of Supergiant Isopod in the deep sea - some of the most successful and effective scavengers on the planet. But why are they so very big? You can

Giant Clam : Big is Beautiful II

The Giant Clam has a secret trick that enables it to grow faster and bigger than any other bivalve mollusc in the world ...  You can support the show - keep it going, k

Giant Armadillo : Big is Beautiful I

The Giant Armadillo is easily the biggest living armadillo, equipped with the biggest claw on Earth. And the fact of its size means it is significant - valuable - to a su