BBC Life of Mammals Disc 1: Insect Hunters (2002)

prev Index Next
The insect hunters were there at the very beginning of the mammals and are still thriving today. They are one of the great success stories of mammals.
Peter's DVD rating: 4.5 stars
Attenborough surveys the insectivores. Outstanding scenes include infrared images of hibernating bats and hot-air ballooning to investigate what the Mexican Free-tailed Bats eat.
1:20Female Shrew with young 5:20 Water Shrew feeds on Dragonfly larva 7:10 Golden Mole "swims" in sand (Africa)
8:55Star-nosed Mole (North America) 10:35 Elephant Shrew races along track, evades Goshawk (East Africa) 15:10 Hedgehog mating - be careful!(London)
18:35 Nine-banded Armadillo raids Bobwhite? nest (America) 19:40 Pangolin tears open ant nest (Africa) 22:10 Giant Anteater rips open termite mound (Brazil)
27:00Fossil Anteater and Pangolin, and Termite 29:00Bats take to the air 30:00 Daubenton's Bat uses sonar like its shrew-like ancestor
32:35 Long-eared Bat uses hearing to catch moth 34:45 Natterer's Bat detects web to capture spider 35:50 Mexican Free-tailed Bats fly 3 km. into night sky to catch moths traveling in prevailing winds from the tropics (Texas)
39:55 Little Brown Bats hibernate in cave; males arouse to mate with females (Canada) 43:20 Lesser Short-tailed Bats hunt in pack on ground, like shrews, to capture a Wetta (giant flightless cricket); also pollinate Dactylanthus plant (New Zealand)   
Soricidae
1:20 Shrew
Sorex
5:20 Water Shrew
Eremitalpa granti
7:10 Golden Mole
Rhynchocyon
10:35 Elephant Shrew
Erinaceus
15:10 Hedgehog
Dasypus novemcinctus
18:35 Nine-banded Armadillo
Colinus virginianus
18:35 Bobwhite?
Manis tricuspis
19:40 Pangolin
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
22:10 Giant Anteater
Myotis daubentoni
30:00 Daubenton's Bat
Plecotus auritus
32:35 Long-eared Bat
Myotis nattereri
34:45 Natterer's Bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
35:50 Mexican Free-tailed Bats
Myotis lucifugus
39:55 Little Brown Bats
Mystacina tuberculata
43:20 Lesser Short-tailed Bats
Deinacrida
43:20 Wetta
   

Index Dec 09, 2005 CC BY 4.0 Peter Chen 2.0