Basic Info
First Air: October 04, 1990
Rating: ⭐ 8.4/10 (21 votes)
Status: Ended
Seasons & Episodes
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 12
Last Episode
Name: Continuing the Line
Season: 1, Episode: 12
Air Date: 1990-12-20
Runtime: 50 min
The final installment illustrates how species fulfill their ultimate raison d'être and ensure that their genes are passed on to the next generation. It is a universal problem, but one which has given rise to a variety of solutions. Barnacles cannot move, but each has both male and female sex cells, allowing each neighbour to be a potential mate. On the other end of the scale, a female elephant undergoes a long pregnancy - 22 months - and so wishes to ensure that her calf is fathered by a strong and proven male. She is therefore very choosy about her partner. A female chinchilla is even more so, and rejects an unwanted suitor by squirting urine in its face. Mating is a dangerous business when weapons are involved, and a male tarantula approaches his intended with trepidation. Only when he succeeds in holding off her poison fangs is he able to progress any further. For some, the right moments to get together are few and far between: a male crab, for example, must wait until a female moults her shell before he is able to fertilise her. Male sea lions are shown fighting over a harem, and some use the battle to their advantage by making off with reluctant females. Attenborough observes that the monogamous relationships enjoyed by humans are rare within the animal kingdom, but he highlights the Royal albatross as a "beautiful" exception. The pair of birds featured met as five-year-olds, and have been together for twenty years.
Videos
One Hundred Million Crabs | The Trials of Life | BBC Earth (YouTube)
Trials of Life
1990
1 seasons
12 episodes
⭐ 8.4/10
21 votes
Overview
Each of the twelve 50-minute episodes features a different aspect of the journey through life, from birth to adulthood and continuation of the species through reproduction.
Genres
Documentary
Family
Production Countries
- United Kingdom
Spoken Languages
- English en
Flatrate
Britbox Apple TV Channel
Flatrate
BritBox
Flatrate
BBC Select Apple Tv channel
Cast
David Attenborough
Self - Narrator (voice)
Crew
Mike Gunton
Director
Peter Jones
Executive Producer
Peter Jones
Producer
George Fenton
Music
Backdrops
Posters