BBC Life On Earth Disc 4: The Hunters and the Hunted (1979)

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When, some thirty million years ago, a change in the earth's climate caused the rain forests to shrink, they were replaced by grassy plains. Some plant-eating mammals ventured there to graze. But out in the open, they were vulnerable to hunting animals. So vegetarians became swift runners and gathered in herds for their mutual protection; and the big cats developed the weapons they needed to kill.
Peter's DVD rating: 3.0 stars
David Attenborough looks at the herbivore and their hunters. This is a weak episode in the series. The chase scenes are routine and predictable, all shot in Africa. What is the point in speculating about things found in a cave in Patagonia, when they turn out to be just rocks and dung? He probably ran out of things to say near the end: after already explaining how lions hunt in prides (in case you were not aware of that) and then how hyenas hunt in packs, the film winds up with a long, 9-minute segment on lions again, hunting Wildebeest. Yawn. Seems like he was desperate to find enough material to fill 52 minutes of program time. The best scene is a peek inside a Bison's stomach.
2:10 Three-toed Sloth eats only leaves of the Cecropia Tree 4:00 Dormouse ventures out at night, hibernates in winter 4:15 Hamster stores food in cheek pouches and stores them in burrow
5:40 Wood Mouse finds seeds and gnaws bark in winter 6:30 Grass can survive fire and grazing 7:40 Rabbit eats its own half-digested pellet
8:20 American Bison has Bacteria to digest grass by fermentation 10:40 Impala chews cud for the protein of microbes 19:50 Cape Buffalo chews cud with head up
11:15 Serval hunts rodents 12:50 Mole Rat eats roots 15:35 Prairie Dogs farm their fields
17:15 Giant Ground Sloth skin (Patagonia) 21:05 Armadillo 21:25 Capybara has eyes, ears, nostrils on top of its head
22:55 Plains Viscacha ? comes out at dusk to nibble grass 23:25 Patagonian Mara has long legs to run away from predators 23:50 Zebras run on their toes
25:05 Rhinoceros has a tough hide 25:55 African Elephant can feed on twigs and bark 27:25 Dik dik male pokes twig in gland to mark territory, lives in pairs
28:55 Impala form herds in country containing bushes and trees 30:05 Blue Wildebeest forms great herds on the open plain 31:05 Cheetah relies on speed
35:20 Lions are social hunters 38:50 Spotted Hyenas hunt in a pack   
Bradypus tridactylus
2:10 Three-toed Sloth
Cecropia
2:10 Cecropia Tree
Gliridae
4:00 Dormouse
Cricetinae
4:15 Hamster
Apodemus sylvaticus
5:40 Wood Mouse
Poaceae
6:30 Grass
Lagomorpha
7:40 Rabbit
Bison bison
8:20 American Bison
Bacteria
8:20 Bacteria
Aepyceros melampus
10:40 Impala chews cud
Syncerus caffer
19:50 Cape Buffalo chews cud
Leptailurus serval
11:15 Serval
Nannospalax
12:50 Mole Rat
Cynomys
15:35 Prairie Dogs
Megatherium
17:15 Giant Ground Sloth
Dasypodidae
21:05 Armadillo
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
21:25 Capybara
Lagostomus maximus
22:55 Plains Viscacha ?
Dolichotis patagonum
23:25 Patagonian Mara
Equus zebra
23:50 Zebras
Rhinocerotidae
25:05 Rhinoceros
Loxodonta africana
25:55 African Elephant
Madoqua
27:25 Dik dik
Aepyceros melampus
28:55 Impala
Connochaetes taurinus
30:05 Blue Wildebeest
Acinonyx jubatus
31:05 Cheetah
Panthera leo
35:20 Lions are social hunters
Hyaena hyaena
38:50 Spotted Hyenas
   

Index Jan 16, 2006 CC BY 4.0 Peter Chen 2.0