British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has frolicked with gorillas, tracked ancient fish, introduced viewers to flying pterosaurs, and warned millions that the natural world is running out of time. For more than 70 years, his calm and unmistakable voice has guided audiences through some of Earth's most spectacular ecosystems, including the deep ocean, tropical rainforests and frozen poles.

On May 8, 2026, Attenborough turns 100. The milestone highlights an extraordinary life in communicating the science of planet Earth ‪—‬ a career that began at the BBC in the early 1950s, helped define modern wildlife filmmaking, and eventually made Attenborough one of the world's most recognizable advocates for conservation and climate action.

But there are lesser-known stories, too: the BBC job rejection that nearly sent him down another path, the Jewish refugee children his family adopted during World War II, the fan letters he still tries to answer, and the rats he cannot stand.

To mark Attenborough's 100th birthday, here are 13 surprising facts about the broadcaster who changed how we see life on Earth.

1. He's still making nature films as he turns 100.

Attenborough is still closely involved in natural history broadcasting. His 2025 feature-length documentary, "Ocean with David Attenborough," was timed around major international ocean events, including World Oceans Day (June 8) and the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, and focuses on marine ecosystems and the solutions that will safeguard them for future generations.

2. He helped shape British TV before becoming the face of wildlife documentaries.

Long before the popular "Planet Earth" and "The Blue Planet," Attenborough was a powerful figure behind the camera. In 1965, he was appointed controller (a type of editorial position) of BBC Two, then a young TV channel still defining its identity. Under his leadership, BBC Two became known for its ambitious cultural and educational programming, including series such as "Monty Python's Flying Circus," "Civilisation" and "The Ascent of Man." Attenborough stepped down from this role in 1972 to develop his own series, "Life on Earth."

3. He's the reason tennis balls are brightly colored.

During his time as BBC Two controller, Attenborough was in charge of introducing color on television, beating Germany to the first-ever color broadcasts in Europe. Shortly after the first Wimbledon color broadcast in 1967, Attenborough pushed for the tournament to change its balls from traditional white to bright yellow for easier visibility — a change that eventually stuck.

4. His brother played John Hammond in "Jurassic Park."

David Attenborough is not the only famous Attenborough. His older brother was Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning actor and director who is most famous for playing John Hammond, the eccentric billionaire behind the dinosaur theme park in Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster "Jurassic Park." Richard Attenborough, who was also known for directing the award-winning 1982 film "Gandhi," was the oldest of the three Attenborough brothers; David was the middle child, and their younger brother, John, became a motor-industry executive. David is the only surviving sibling.

5. More than 50 organisms have been named after him.

Attenborough's name lives on not just in television but also in science. The exact number is difficult to calculate, but more than 50 organisms have been named in his honor, ranging from living frogs, plants, fish and insects to extinct marine reptiles. They include Nepenthes attenboroughii (a carnivorous pitcher plant), Pristimantis attenboroughi (rubber frog), Attenborosaurus (a genus of plesiosaurs, extinct prehistoric marine reptiles), Microleo attenboroughi (an extinct prehistoric marsupial lion) and many more.

6. He doesn't like rats.

Attenborough has remained unperturbed by encounters with mountain gorillas, venomous snakes and countless other dangerous wild animals, but rats are another matter. He has spoken openly about his dislike of them, tracing the aversion to one night in the Solomon Islands, when, during a thunderstorm, he discovered rats running across his bed and the floor of his hut. Even so, he has stressed that rats, like all animals, deserve respect.

7. He was rejected from the first BBC job he applied for.

Attenborough's first attempt to join the BBC did not go well. In 1950, when he was 24 years old, he applied to become a radio talk show producer and was rejected. He later joined the broadcaster as a trainee producer in 1952, which marked the beginning of a BBC career that would define nature broadcasting for generations.

8. He never passed his driving test and still doesn't drive.

Despite a lifetime of filming in remote rainforests, deserts, islands and polar regions, Attenborough never passed his driving test. He has said he doesn't like driving ‪—‬ a surprising detail for someone whose career is so closely related to travel.

9. His parents took in two Jewish refugees during World War II.

During World War II, Attenborough's parents fostered Irene and Helga Bejach, two Jewish sisters who had fled Nazi Germany shortly before the war began in 1939. The girls lived with the Attenborough family in Leicester for seven years before moving to New York to join a relative. Decades later, Attenborough hosted a reunion for the sisters' descendants.

10. He tries to write back to fans.

Attenborough receives huge amounts of fan mail, but he tries to reply when he can. In a 2021 BBC Radio 1 interview, he said he receives as many as 70 letters a day and asked correspondents to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if they wanted a response.

11. He served in the Royal Navy.

Before becoming a broadcaster, Attenborough completed national service in the Royal Navy. He was called up in 1947 and was posted to an aircraft carrier. After leaving the Navy, he worked in publishing, editing children's science textbooks. Though it was an early hint of the educational mission that would later define his TV career, he soon tired of the work.

12. His first BBC program was about a "living fossil."

Attenborough's first BBC program as a trainee producer was "Coelacanth," a broadcast in 1952. The program focused on the rediscovery of the coelacanth, a deep-sea fish once thought to be closely linked to the ancestors of land vertebrates. Scientists now know lungfish are the closest living relatives of tetrapods, the four-limbed vertebrates that include amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

The "Coelacanth" program told the story of a remarkable fish that scientists had known only from fossils and believed had vanished with the nonavian dinosaurs around 66 million years ago. That changed in 1938, when a trawler working in South Africa hauled up a strange, steel-blue fish with fleshy, limb-like fins. The rediscovery stunned scientists and made the coelacanth one of the most famous "living fossils" on Earth.

13. Baby mountain gorillas attempted to steal his shoes.

One of Attenborough's most famous animal encounters happened in Rwanda while he was filming "Life on Earth" in 1979. As he sat among mountain gorillas, two young gorillas began tugging at his shoes. Attenborough later described the moment as "bliss." The scene remains one of the defining images of his career, unscripted and full of wonder.

How much do you know about our blue planet? Test your terran knowledge with our Earth quiz!

"Kingdom," the pioneering new BBC series fronted by Sir David Attenborough, is one of the most hotly anticipated nature releases of 2025, and Live Science is here with all the TV and streaming details.

"Kingdom" is billed as "one of the most ambitious wildlife series ever made" and documents four rival animal families in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park over a period of five years.

In a lush corner of the park, known as Nsefu, the filmmakers followed a lion pride, a wild dog pack, a hyena clan and a leopard family, showcasing the groups' behaviors and social dynamics.

Narrated by 99-year-old Sir David Attenborough, who has fronted the BBC's natural history output for decades, "Kingdom" premieres on U.K. screens on Nov. 9. The U.S. release will come in January 2026.

How to watch "Kingdom" in the U.K.

In the U.K., episodes will air live on TV on BBC One and online on BBC iPlayer, where episodes will also be available to watch on-demand once premiered.

"Kingdom" has a primetime Sunday evening slot, with the first episode airing at 6:20 p.m. GMT on Nov. 9, with new episodes coming at the same time on the following five Sundays.

BBC iPlayer is free to use with a registration as long as your TV licence is up to date.

Can I watch "Kingdom" in the U.S.?

Attenborough fans in the U.S. will have to wait until next year to watch "Kingdom," which has a release date of Jan. 24, 2026 on BBC America and AMC+.

Watch "Kingdom" from anywhere

If you're U.K.-based but traveling overseas you can watch Attenborough's "Kingdom" from anywhere, thanks to a VPN.

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's digital location, unlocking the geo-restrictions on most streaming platforms.

Our expert colleagues at TechRadar rate NordVPN as the best VPN. Not only is it great for unblocking streaming services, it has top-level security features, a reasonable price tag and, right now, a big discount.

"Kingdom": Trailer

What to expect from "Kingdom": Synopsis

"Kingdom's" five-year scope is "a first in natural history programming," the BBC said in a statement, with a team of 170 people — including more than 90 Zambian crew and wildlife experts — spending around 1,400 days in Nsefu and filming 76 shoots.

"We filmed over five years, which is the longest we have ever continuously filmed in one location, and that in itself is quite an achievement. There are of course risks to putting all your eggs in one basket by focusing solely on one location, but it has absolutely paid off with 'Kingdom,'" executive producer Mike Gunton said in a promotional interview with the BBC.

"Having spent so much time observing these animals and filming them, we're seeing amazing bits of animal behaviour that people have never seen on television before, like wild dogs working together to force hyenas off a kill."

As well as the wild dogs and the hyenas, "Kingdom" follows a pride of lions and a family of leopards, examining how the groups interact as they fight to survive and thrive.

"If I had to pick one word to describe 'Kingdom' it would be 'intensity.' It's almost Shakespearean in its feel, and it's incredibly ambitious in its scale," Gunton said.

"It's a story that speaks across the ages because it focuses on four families in one location all struggling to survive. They've got their internal struggles, but they've also got struggles against the other rival families. And this creates a really intriguing tapestry of rich stories," he added.

"It’s high drama — it's got a bit of 'Game of Thrones,' it's got a bit of 'Succession,' but it's also got a bit of 'The Lion King.' But 'Kingdom' also has this wonderful warmth about it. It can be quite a white-knuckle ride at times, but there are also some wonderful moments of beauty and tenderness," Gunton said.

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Filmmakers have captured first-of-its-kind, spine-chilling footage of young spiders cannibalizing their mothers and other elderly relatives en masse.

In the video, more than 1,000 young African social spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola) creep out of their nest in search of their next meal. The youngsters appear to play a macabre game of "statues" as they move, before suddenly freezing then moving again in unison.

The young spiders first attack and devour an insect caught in the giant web that holds their nest, tearing at its body while the insect is still alive. But when this source of food runs out, the spiders turn to one of the moms of the nest, whose condition is deteriorating fast after producing so many young.

"The demands of parenthood are finally taking their toll," British biologist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough says in his narration of the clip, which is from a new five-part series from the BBC called "Parenthood."

Related: Starving cannibalistic spiders won't hunt their siblings, but they'll quickly dine on their corpses

But the dying spider mom has a departing gift: Trembling, she waits for her offspring and their cousins to swarm and cannibalize her. "Her's is the ultimate sacrifice, born out of a need to ensure the survival of the next generation," Attenborough says.

Scientists think African social spider moms tremble on purpose while waiting for their gruesome deaths. The vibrations they create may be similar to those made by insects that get caught in the web, so young spiders don't hesitate to attack their moms.

However, after eating the spider mom, the spiderlings still aren't satiated. They move on to their other surviving relatives, "eating every adult in the colony one by one until the next generation is all that is left," Attenborough says.

The clip is the first time TV cameras have captured this stomach-churning behavior, according to The Guardian. Attenborough was both "delighted and horrified" when he saw the footage, Jeff Wilson, the producer and director of "Parenthood," told the newspaper.

"When you step away from it and from the horror of it, it sort of makes sense," Wilson said.

Sir David Attenborough is one of the world's most recognizable naturalists and documentary-makers. In a career spanning eight decades, Attenborough has written, presented and narrated some of the most-watched nature documentaries, such as "Life on Earth" and "The Blue Planet." To celebrate his 99th birthday, here are 9 unusual facts about the biologist and nature historian.

1. Attenborough is agnostic

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 in 2012, Attenborough said he was agnostic and that he does not rule out the possibility of a deity existing. The broadcaster said, "I don't think an understanding and an acceptance of the 4 billion-year-long history of life is in any way inconsistent with a belief in a supreme being. And I am not so confident as to say that I am an atheist."

2. He doesn't like rats

Attenborough is open about his deep dislike of rats, although he says they should be respected. In an episode of the BBC's "Life Stories," he explains how his fear of rats began when he was staying in a thatched hut in a village in the Solomon Islands during a thunderstorm. He felt something brush past his foot, and when he flicked his flashlight on, a rat ran across the bed — and more rats were all over the floor.

3. Attenborough was rejected from the first job he ever applied for at the BBC

In 1950, he applied for a job as a radio talk producer with the BBC but was rejected for the role.

4. His parents adopted two Jewish refugee girls during WWII

Irene and Helga Bejach, two Jewish sisters from Berlin, fled Nazi Germany shortly before World War II broke out in 1939. The girls, who were age 10 and 9 at the time, lived with the Attenborough family in Leicester for seven years before moving to New York to join a relative. Attenborough hosted a reunion for descendents of the sisters in 2019.

5. Attenborough doesn't drive

He never passed his driving test and doesn't like driving.

6. He tries to reply to the many letters he receives

In an interview on BBC Radio 1 in 2021, Attenborough said he was happy to reply to fans who wrote him a letter.

Revealing he receives as many as 70 letters a day, he said: "I do my very best [to respond to them all]. Sometimes people, mercifully, don't actually put their address on because people are so unaccustomed to sending letters. If you wouldn't mind including a self-addressed stamped envelope I'd be delighted to reply."

7. He served in the Royal Navy

In 1947, Attenborough was called for national service in the Royal Navy and was posted to an aircraft carrier. After three years he left and took a job in publishing, editing children's science textbooks.

8. Attenborough's first program was about a prehistoric fish

The show, called "Coelacanth," was broadcast in 1952 and was Attenborough's first programme for the BBC as a producer. It looked at the rediscovery of the coelacanth, a primitive fish once once believed to be an ancestor of the tetrapod — all back-boned animals that ventured onto land. However, we now know this isn't true and that lungfish are the closest living relative of the tetrapod.

9. Baby mountain gorillas tried to steal his shoes

In 1979, while filming in Rwanda for the "Life on Earth" series, Attenborough encountered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) — and two baby gorillas tried to take his shoes off. Later, he described the moment as "bliss."

"Museum Alive with David Attenborough," the CGI-fueled documentary presented by the legendary British naturalist, is landing on U.S. TV and streaming from Feb. 19.

The 64-minute feature film is set in London's Natural History Museum, with special effects bringing its vast collection of extinct species back to life as Attenborough explores the museum and its array of skeletons and fossils.

Attenborough comes face to face with the Gigantophis garstini — an enormous snake species — as well as the giant saber-toothed Smilodon and Haast's eagle (Hieraaetus moorei), among others.

The film was released in 2014 in the U.K., but on Wednesday (Feb. 19) it was launched in the U.S. for free on PBS.

Here's how to watch "Museum Alive with David Attenborough" in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere in the world.

Museum Alive with David Attenborough: TV and streaming in the U.S.

"Museum Alive with David Attenborough" premiered in the U.S on PBS on Wednesday Feb. 19, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT.

You can watch PBS on television via most cable TV packages, but each region has its own local PBS network — check your local listings for details. In New York, it's on channel Thirteen / WNET.

"Museum Alive with David Attenborough" will be available to watch on demand, although it is unclear if there'll be free streaming. Episodes of the "Nature" series on the PBS streaming platform are sometimes reserved for PBS Passport holders. PBS Passport is a membership system for PBS donors, with access offered to those who donate at least $5 per month — check your local PBS station for details.

You can also live stream "Expedition Killer Whale" for free on the PBS website and app, which will provide a simulcast of your local PBS station broadcast. The app requires a registration, but the website browser player is just click-and-play.

Can I watch "David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive" in the U.K.?

Unlike much of his output, "David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive" is not available on the BBC's streaming service, BBC iPlayer.

You can watch it on NowTV, where you'll need the Entertainment Pass at £9.99 a month, or AppleTV users can buy the film for a one-off fee of £2.99.

Watch "Museum Alive with David Attenborough" from anywhere

If you're traveling overseas you can watch the show from anywhere, thanks to a VPN.

Both PBS and NowTV are geo-restricted, meaning they usually work only in the U.S. and U.K., respectively. But a VPN — or virtual private network — enables you to alter your device's IP address to make it appear to be back home.

Museum Alive with David Attenborough: Trailer

Museum Alive with David Attenborough: Synopsis

The following synopsis comes from a PBS press release.

A landmark documentary fulfills the long-held dreams of David Attenborough by bringing the incredible pantheon of the London Natural History Museum’s long-extinct creatures to life.

Using a groundbreaking collaboration of cutting-edge science and astounding CGI, Attenborough takes us on a magical after-hours journey through the museum to see the now-living exhibits as they looked when they roamed the planet.

One evening, David Attenborough slips past the security guards deep into London’s Natural History Museum. Now locked in, he witnesses something extraordinary: long-extinct creatures burst to life, turning from fossils to living, breathing and walking beasts. The historic museum building, with its romanesque columns, great arches and spiral towers, becomes the playground of these fascinating creatures.

This adventure takes Attenborough on an enchanting journey through time where he comes face-to-face with a sabre-toothed tiger, witnesses the terrifying descent of a giant predatory bird, escapes the coils of a colossal snake, and befriends a giant dinosaur, the Diplodocus.

Along the way he reveals the very latest scientific insights into these extinct creatures and how our understanding of them has changed over time.

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Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mind-controlling fungus that creates spider "zombies" after it was stumbled upon in a Victorian gunpowder store on the grounds of a destroyed Irish castle.

The fluffy white fungus, similar to the zombie-ant fungus that inspired the "The Last of Us" video game and TV series, likely uses chemical signals to direct cave spiders out of their lairs and into the open. The fungus then kills the spiders and uses their corpses to release its spores, according to a new study.

Members of BBC's nature documentary TV series Winterwatch first discovered the fungus in a gunpowder storeroom at Castle Espie wetland reserve in Northern Ireland in 2021. Scientists analyzed the fungus and found it is new to science. They describe the species, named Gibellula attenboroughii to honor Sir David Attenborough, in a study published Friday (Jan. 24) in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution.

The G. attenboroughii found in the gunpowder store was on a dead orb-weaving cave spider (Metellina merianae). As their name suggests, these spiders usually live in caves but will also inhabit dark human-made areas such as cellars and old storerooms.

Related: Horrifying photo captures moment parasitic fungus bursts from huge spider's body

Following the chance discovery in 2021, study co-author Tim Fogg, a caving specialist, found more examples of the fungus in cave systems in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including on another cave spider species, Meta menardi, according to the study.

Cave spiders are usually concealed in lairs or webs, yet all of the infected individuals were exposed on the roofs and walls of the caves in which they were found — the gunpowder spider was on the storeroom's ceiling. The researchers proposed that the fungus altered the spiders' behavior, sending them out into the open and exposing them to air currents that dispersed G. attenboroughii spores.

Study lead author Harry Evans, an emeritus fellow who researches fungi at CABI, an international nonprofit focussed on agriculture and the environment, told Live Science that the fungus infection process is complex and G. attenboroughii would have evolved alongside the cave spiders.

Evans explained that G. attenboroughii spores penetrate the spider and infect its hemocoel — a cavity that holds the invertebrate equivalent of blood. After the spider leaves its lair, G. attenboroughii produces a toxin to kill its host, then uses antibiotics — antimicrobial substances that kill bacteria — to preserve the corpse whilst mummifying it. The fungus absorbs all of the spider's nutrients and when conditions are right, like high humidity in the cave, G. attenboroughii grows long structures on the spider to disperse its spores.

"Medicinal treasure chest"

While the relationship between the fungus and spiders is interesting, Evans noted the endpoint of this research should be the potential human medicines that could come from the antibiotics and other substances the fungus produces. "It's a medicinal treasure chest," he said.

Evans and his colleagues extracted DNA from the fungus to confirm it was a previously unknown species. So far, it's only been found in Ireland, but the researchers also suspect that G. attenboroughii infects orb-weaving cave spiders in Wales, based on photographs of what appeared to be the same fungus.

The study highlighted that there is a hidden diversity of parasitic fungi in the British Isles and likely many more species to be discovered. Fungi are one of the five kingdoms that make up all living things — the other kingdoms are plants, animals, protoctista and monera.

"There's a lot more fungi to find," Evans said. "The fungal kingdom could be up to 10, 20 million species, making it the biggest kingdom by far, but only 1% have been described."

G. attenboroughii was originally going to be called G. bangbangus — "bangbangus" being a nod to the gunpowder store where the fungus was found. However, the study authors changed the species name to honor Attenborough instead.

Researchers have reconstructed a deadly Jurassic sea monster after excavating an enormous fossilized pliosaur skull from a U.K. cliff face.

The discovery of the skull and subsequent reconstruction are highlighted in a new documentary, "Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster," which airs Wednesday (Feb. 14) on PBS. 

The pliosaur — a group of large, carnivorous marine reptiles — and would have been over 30 feet (9 meters) long, with jaws full of huge, razor-sharp teeth. Pliosaurs lived 150 million years ago, when global temperatures were far higher than they are today, with seas that were "warm, shallow and teeming with life," David Attenborough said in a clip from the show. They were the largest ocean predators of the Jurassic period (201.3 million to 145 million years ago). 

"The animal would have been so massive that I think it would have been able to prey effectively on anything that was unfortunate enough to be in its space," Andre Rowe, a researcher in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol in the U.K., told the BBC. "I have no doubt that this was sort of like an underwater T. rex."

Related: Jurassic pliosaur 'megapredator' was a giant 'sea murderer'

In 2022, fossil enthusiast Phil Jacobs was walking along a beach on England's Jurassic Coast when he noticed a bit of snout sticking out of the cliff. He contacted his friend Steve Etches, a paleontologist and prolific fossil collector, and the pair carried the fossil to safety. 

But Etches believed more of the pliosaur was locked inside the cliff, so he and his colleagues located and removed the rest of the 6.5-foot (2 m) skull. They took roughly three weeks to excavate the skull from a sheer cliff face while suspended 50 feet (15 m) above the ground. 

"It was by far the most difficult, back-breaking and exhausting dig I have ever worked on, both physically and mentally," Etches told Live Science. Eventually, they successfully removed it, and it turned out to be one of the biggest and most complete pliosaur skulls ever found. 

Meanwhile, experts at Imperial College London set about reconstructing this Jurassic predator. Researchers knew the sea monsters had short, thick necks and four strong flippers to propel themselves at high speeds, but how these worked together was unclear. 

Luke Muscutt, a lab technician at Imperial College London who had been building a robotic plesiosaur — the group of marine reptiles that pliosaurs belong to — as a passion project, built the prototype to show how these extinct reptiles might have moved. "We found that plesiosaurs used a tandem flipper propulsion system, meaning the four flippers work together to push them through water," he said in a statement. 

"This system is unique, because all other animals with flippers, like penguins and turtles, only use the front two for propulsion and the back flippers or feet for steering," he said. "We studied this by building a tandem flapping flipper system mounted on a gantry, without a head or tail." Body plates and prosthetic "skin" were then added to the robot to finish the reconstruction. 

Scientific research is now being carried out on the pliosaur's skull to learn more about the extinct animal, Etches said. "It gives us a more in-depth look at the individual bones and structures of a pliosaur skull — joints and suture lines, which haven't been previously seen before due to its exceptional preservation," he said. 

Etches is also now planning the next phase of excavation in the hope of recovering the rest of the fossilized body. "I stake my life [that] the rest of the animal is there," he told the BBC. This part of the cliff line is going back by feet a year. And it won't be very long before the rest of the pliosaur drops out and gets lost. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Spectacular footage captured off the southern coast of Africa shows a huge band of seals swarming and driving off a great white shark. The scene features in the first episode of the new documentary series "Planet Earth III."

South African fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) feast on massive shoals of fish that gather in nutrient-rich coastal waters. In the three-minute-long clip narrated by naturalist and presenter David Attenborough, a herd of seals clambers down jagged cliffs to reach the water and dives below the waves in search of food.

But in recent years, waters off the southern coast of Africa have also attracted unprecedented numbers of seal-hunting great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) — up to a dozen at a time on this particular stretch of coastline. The clip shows the great white sharks prowling clear waters of the Robberg Peninsula. The footage highlights just how fast these predators can accelerate to ambush their prey, reaching top speed with just five swipes of their tails. But it also shows how the seals are fighting back.

"Over the past two decades there has been an increased frequency of sightings of great white sharks in the area, likely as a result of the growing seal colony, but also possibly other factors that we're still trying to understand," Georgina Ward, the associate producer on the "Coasts" episode who directed the seals versus great white sharks sequence, told Live Science via email.

Related: Big, healthy great white shark washes up dead on Canada beach in latest of string of mystery strandings

Aerial footage in the clip shows the sharks skirting the rugged cliff edge and driving the seals closer to the rocks, cornering them to make for an easier catch.

As one great white moves in for the kill, however, dozens of seals gather behind the shark and chase it back out to sea. More and more seals approach the shark from all sides and join the mob, eventually driving the huge predator away.

"To see such a large and competent predator completely overwhelmed by its prey and swimming off into deeper waters [is] both incredible and surprising," Ward said. "It's not how you'd expect a shark-seal encounter to go. Very occasionally you'd get one shark that just wouldn’t give up and we'd watch and film it for 10 to 15 minutes just going up and down the cliff with a swarm of seals in tow. But most of the time once mobbing started, they didn't hang around."

Fur seal mobbing has been seen and studied in other parts of the world — but not with the intensity and consistency seen at Robberg Peninsula, Ward said.

"Until recently nobody had studied the mobbing behavior here, so it's hard to know exactly how long this population of seals has been doing it," Ward said, adding an adult male was first seen mobbing a great white shark in the area in 2000.

The mobbing behavior is an aggressive form of defense utilized throughout the animal world. "Sharks are ambush hunters, preferring to sneak up on their prey, usually from below. Most of the time the seals start mobbing the shark before it's even tried to predate them, meaning the sharks lose the element of surprise," Ward said.

Researchers still aren't sure exactly why this technique is effective. "Do the sharks give up because they know the seals can now all see them? Are the seals doing more to annoy them when they are in a mob," such as biting or making sounds? "There's still so much we don’t know about these interactions," Ward said.

"Planet Earth III" will be available to watch from Nov. 4 at 8pm ET/PT on BBC America and AMC+.

Apple TV+'s award-winning series "Prehistory Planet" will return in May, but for viewers itching to discover what the second season has in store, the official trailer is now out.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the five-episode event promises to transport viewers back to the age of dinosaurs with extraordinary visual effects and never-before-seen species on screen. Among them are some of the biggest creatures ever to soar the skies, North American feathered dinosaurs and Indian sauropods that laid eggs in toasty volcanic soils — some of which, including an ancient crystal-filled egg found in a museum collection, are preserved as fossils.

The new season will combine the latest scientific discoveries in paleontology with state-of-the-art technology to wow natural history enthusiasts and create an immersive experience for all to enjoy. 

"Prehistoric Planet 2" will feature fan-favorites like Tyrannosaurus rex and unveil less-known inhabitants of ancient Earth, including the long-necked Isisaurus, the sharp-clawed Pectinodon, gargantuan pterosaurs and many more prehistoric wonders.

The series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton is brought to life by the world-renowned BBC Studios Natural History Unit with an original score by Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman and Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music.

The teaser, released Tuesday (April 18) by Apple TV+, sets the scene in spectacular landscapes around the globe, spanning from tropical islands and ragged cliffs to the volcanic terrain of the Deccan Traps and ice-covered tundras.

"Prehistoric Planet" season 2 is a journey through the history of our planet, which will bring viewers face to face with a land before our time and its incredible inhabitants. The new episodes will debut globally on Apple TV+ in a week-long event, starting on May 22, 2023.

Until then, the complete first season of the natural history hit series is available to stream on Apple TV+. Check out our how to watch prehistoric planet guide for more information on the original series and the upcoming second season. 

A bizarre, tentacled creature that lived in the deep ocean 560 million years ago resembled a goblet crammed full of wriggling fingers. It may be an ancient relative of modern jellyfish and the earliest known predator in the animal kingdom, analysis of a newly described fossil suggests. 

More than a decade ago, scientists uncovered a fossil of the purported jellyfish relative in an outcrop of volcanic and sedimentary rocks called the Bradgate Formation in Leicestershire, England. Located in Charnwood Forest, the outcrop formed about 557 million to 562 million years ago, during the Ediacaran period (635 million to 541 million years ago). 

This means that the newly identified fossil predates the Cambrian explosion, a 55-million-year episode  in which life on Earth rapidly diversified. During the Cambrian period (541 million to 485.4 million years ago), many animal forms evolved, including arthropod ancestors of insects, spiders and crustaceans; clamlike and hard-shelled brachiopods; and chordates — creatures with a spinal nerve cord. 

It's almost unheard of for Precambrian fossils to resemble forms seen in animals alive today, so the discovery of an Ediacaran animal resembling a jellyfish is exceptional, said Philip Donoghue, a professor of palaeobiology at the University of Bristol in England, who was not involved in the study. "They found an animal, a member of a modern group of animals, in the Precambrian, where they're classically not meant to be found," Donoghue told Live Science.  (Although not involved in the new work, Donoghue was formerly the doctoral advisor to several authors on the paper.)

Related: Largest crown jellyfish ever discovered is a blood red, saucer-like weirdo

To date, the vast majority of Ediacaran fossils don't share structural features with any living animals, so they're generally thought to belong to extinct animal groups, Donoghue said. "This fossil's probably the oldest one recognized, with quite convincing evidence, to be a member of one of the living phyla," or large groups of related animals, Donoghue said.

The researchers named the newly identified creature Auroralumina attenboroughii and described the animal in a new study, published Monday (July 25) in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The genus name, Auroralumina, translates to "dawn lantern" in Latin and references the fossil's old age and its torch-like shape. The species name honors broadcaster and biologist Sir David Attenborough for "his work raising awareness of the Ediacaran fossils of Charnwood Forest," the authors wrote in their report. 

The world's oldest known predator? 

The research team uncovered A. attenboroughii during a 2007 expedition in Charnwood Forest, but the first major fossil discoveries there date to the 1950s, when two children, first Tina Negus and then Roger Mason, stumbled upon a fern-shaped fossil in a quarry, according to the University of Reading in England. That organism, named Charnia masoni, was the first fossil that could be confidently dated to the Ediacaran period, and since its discovery, many paleontologists have traveled to Charnwood to hunt for similar snapshots of Precambrian life.

On their 2007 expedition, the scientists focused their search on a rockface that rose from the forest floor at a 45-degree angle and wore a thick coat of lichen and dirt. The team dug into the rockface while dangling from ropes, using toothbrushes, toothpicks and high-pressure water jets to expose any fossils hidden under the muck. 

"As soon as we cleaned off all the dirt, all of sudden, rather than just a couple scrappy fossils there were a thousand fossils on this surface," said paleobiologist Philip Wilby, a team leader for Palaeontology at the British Geological Survey and senior author of the study. The fossils, which likely represent 20 to 30 different species, were preserved as impressions in the rock; excluding A. attenboroughii, many of the fossils resembled the frond-like creatures previously found in Precambrian rocks. 

"Beautifully preserved — some of them absolutely stunning," Wilby told Live Science.

The team made rubber casts of the fossil-filled rockface and transported the casts back to the lab. Such impressions can be difficult to work with "because they're all squidged, flattened," which makes the animals' internal anatomy and body shapes challenging to interpret, Donoghue said. To create 3D models of their flat fossil casts, the researchers used a technique that involved illuminating the casts from different angles and snapping lots of photos; these photos were then compiled into a virtual 3D model that could be manipulated digitally.   

Related: Coral reefs have 'halos,' and they can be seen from the heavens

These reconstructions revealed that one of the fossil creatures resembled a simple candelabra, with two goblet-like structures branching off from a single node. "They seem to have actually budded off from one another," Wilby said. The tips of short tentacles could be seen poking over the edge of each goblet, like stubby fingers reaching from the center of a cup. Ridges that ran up the sides of the fossil suggest that these "goblets" were supported by a stiff skeleton.

"This is the first creature, the first animal that we're aware of that actually grew a skeleton," Wilby said. Its tentacle structure hints that A. attenboroughii likely fed on plankton and protists, which would make it the earliest known predator in the animal kingdom.

A. attenboroughii shares many core characteristics with Cambrian fossils of Medusozoa, a group that includes modern jellyfish and other animals that transform into free-swimming, bell-shaped creatures for part of their life cycle. "That's what leads us to believe that it is a Medusozoan," Wilby said. While the fossil might not look like a jellyfish at first glance, it's important to note that, for part of their life cycle, neither do Medusozoans. For a chapter of their lives, the animals anchor themselves to the seafloor to reproduce asexually. During this life stage they resemble anemones — and A. attenboroughii.

If A. attenboroughii is indeed a member of Medusozoa, it would belong to a broader group of organisms known as the cnidarians, which also includes corals, sea pens and sea anemones. Prior to the new study, fossil evidence suggested that the basic "blueprint" for cnidarians didn't emerge until the Cambrian period. However, "what we're able to show here is that, at least 20 million years before that, the blueprint for cnidarians was actually set," Wilby said. 

This not only pushes back the evolutionary history of cnidarians but also provides hints about what animals must have come before them, Donoghue said. Prior research suggests that cnidarians and bilaterians — a group of animals that includes humans — split off from a common ancestor. If A. attenboroughii existed 560 million years ago, it’s possible that the split already occurred and the earliest bilaterians were already roaming the planet.

"The fossil's not just important for showing us, clearly, cnidarians are here — by implication, their sibling lineage must have also evolved by this time," Donoghue said.

Originally published on Live Science.

"Prehistoric Planet" sends viewers back in time on a guided tour of the Cretaceous period with Sir David Attenborough, in a documentary series that reimagines familiar dinosaurs such as the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex and introduces lesser-known creatures like the charming owl-like Mononykus. 

The show portrays the extinct creatures moving and behaving with a level of realism that has never been seen before in movies or television. And if you draw back the curtain and peer backstage, you'll find the work that went on behind the scenes of the groundbreaking series is almost as impressive as the dinosaurs themselves, from perilous treks in the desert to Sherlock Holmes-like deductions of dinosaur anatomy and behavior. 

"Prehistoric Planet" debuted on Apple TV+ on May 23, and all the episodes are now available to stream. This is our behind-the-scenes coverage of the show, so if you don't want to know how the sauce was made, check out our "Prehistoric Planet" preview instead.

The series paired the BBC Studios Natural History Unit — the group behind award-winning nature documentaries like "Planet Earth" (BBC 2006) — with the Moving Picture Company's visual effects team, which has worked on 3D animated movies like “The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures, 2019). This combined team went to extraordinary lengths to make "Prehistoric Planet" feel as authentic and close to a modern nature documentary as possible. 

"Everything starts with the fossil record," showrunner Tim Walker told Live Science at a behind-the-scenes press tour. The team studied ancient landscapes and vegetation to find modern habitats that could pass for the Cretaceous period so they could film in real-world locations. "It's surprising that now, 66 million years on, that there's a lot of things that are very similar to what they were then," Walker said. 

Related: Cretaceous dinosaurs come to life in stunning footage from 'Prehistoric Planet'

From searing deserts to lush jungles, the habitats that dinosaurs called home often still exist in some form today. The film crews traveled to these locations and used life-size physical objects, such as cardboard cutouts and 3D-printed puppets, as stand-ins for the long-extinct dinosaurs. 

These dino stand-ins were a point of reference for the filmmakers and special effects team, enabling the creators to see how much space the animals would take up and how they would move in their environments. Some animals were far too big to be puppets or cutouts — imagine walking through the desert carrying enormous, long-necked sauropods made out of cardboard — so the team used long boom poles and drones to capture the eye-line and scale of really giant creatures. 

"Just because there are no animals there to film doesn't mean you don't go through hardships," Walker said. The crew encountered deadly venomous snakes and the footprints of lions in their faux-Cretaceous scenes. They were so committed to authenticity that before the team decided where to place their cameras they considered how living dinosaurs might react to human observers. 

"You could never ask the camera person to go and stand in front of a T. rex 'cause he would eat them!" executive producer Mike Gunton said at the press tour. "So, you have to stand back."

The crew didn't just have cameras and stand-in models; they were also equipped with laser-shooting light detection and ranging (lidar) scanners for modeling environments, and high dynamic range (HDR) imaging equipment to measure light, enabling visual effects specialists to recreate natural environments and lighting in 3D space when adding the CGI dinosaurs. 

The visual effects team designed the dinosaurs on computers, starting with skeletons based on fossil scans, and then adding muscles and skin. The appearance, motion and behavior of the dinosaurs were inspired by evidence from paleontology, contemporary biology and other scientific disciplines such as biomechanics — the study of biological structures and mechanisms that control how animals move. 

Gunton described their approach as being like "Sherlock Holmes," pulling together information from various sources and threading it together with the help of scientific advisors. A scene in the "Deserts" episode highlights how animators used this approach to show viewers the unexpected: two sauropods in the genus Dreadnoughtus wrestling and stabbing each other with deadly looking arm spines. 

"These are big, apparently docile, herbivorous animals," Gunton said. "Yet on their forelimbs are these two massive great spikes. Now they don't use those for picking their nose!"

When the fossil evidence didn't have all the answers, the team used a scientific technique known as phylogenetic bracketing. This practice enabled them to infer the likelihood of unknown dinosaur traits — such as vocalizations or other kinds of social behavior — based on the characteristics of related animals in their family tree, or of unrelated animals with a similar lifestyle. 

For example, the team looked at crocodiles, iguanas and birds for inspiration when animating the movement of a T. rex's head during a courtship scene in the “Freshwater” episode, and the creators referenced large herbivores such as elephants and rhinos to inform the movements of extinct herbivores such as Dreadnoughtus.

"Everything we do in the visual effect process, we are trying to replicate reality," visual effects supervisor Elliot Newman said at the press tour. "There's no better way of doing that than looking at real things." 

“Prehistoric Planet” is available to stream on Apple TV+. 

Originally published on Live Science.

What would happen if you put Sir David Attenborough and a specialist team of wildlife filmmakers in a time machine and set the dial to 66 million years ago — to the end of the Cretaceous period and the final days of the dinosaurs? An upcoming documentary series aims to provide visually stunning answers to that intriguing question. 

"Prehistoric Planet" debuts on Apple TV+ on May 23, launching a five-night dinosaur extravaganza. There's no time machine, but the series does the next best thing by pairing BBC Studios Natural History Unit — the team behind nature documentaries like "Planet Earth" (BBC, 2006) — with the Moving Picture Company's visual effects team that’s worked on Hollywood movies like “The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures, 2019). 

The result of this partnership is spectacular: scientifically accurate dinosaurs brought to life through computer-generated imagery (CGI), and shown behaving in ways never before seen in movies or television.  

"These are not monsters," executive producer Mike Gunton said at a behind-the-scenes press tour. "These are extraordinary animals with complex behavior, complex lives, and our aim was to show you the unexpected."

Related: Cretaceous dinosaurs come to life in stunning footage from 'Prehistoric Planet' 

Each of the five episodes of "Prehistoric Planet" will explore a different habitat, including coasts, deserts, freshwater lakes and rivers, icy landscapes and lush forests. In the episode devoted to creatures living in and around freshwater, you'll see a fierce-looking Tyrannosaurus rex gently nuzzle a potential mate during a moment of courtship. 

The scene “sort of epitomizes the series as a whole for me because it shows the familiar — a dinosaur that everybody knows — but depicted slightly differently to what we've become used to seeing with the T. rex," showrunner Tim Walker said at the press tour. "And the second part of why it epitomizes the series is because it's deeply rooted in science." 

A 2017 study published in the journal Scientific Reports found evidence that tyrannosaurs had sensitive snouts that would have helped them perform delicate behaviors, such as gently picking up their eggs or potentially nestling against the faces of other tyrannosaurs before mating. 

If you’re hoping to see teeth and claws, however, you won't be disappointed, as the series features plenty of dinosaurs behaving like mighty predators. One episode shows a gripping chase between a small pack of tyrannosaurs and a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus — relatives of triceratops. But even in that hunting scene there are details that may surprise even the most die-hard dinosaur fan. For example, the tyrannosaurs are from the genus Nanuqsaurus, which means "polar bear lizard," and the hunt takes place during a snowstorm. 

"We know that these dinosaurs at the Poles, as surprising as it might seem, did live in cold, snowy environments [that were] dark for most of the year," Darren Naish, a paleontologist and the show's chief scientific advisor, said at the press event.  

"Prehistoric Planet" pulls information from a variety of scientific disciplines, including climate modeling, paleontology and contemporary biology. "We're kind of like Sherlock Holmes pulling together the evidence from a forensic incident," Gunton said. "And as you pull these threads together, you start to weave them together and a picture starts to emerge."

Just like a modern nature documentary, the creatures are presented as individual characters, and the filmmakers give you reasons to root for them. In the deserts episode, you'll see two male, long-necked sauropods in the genus Dreadnoughtus battle for mating opportunities with females. A seasoned champion is challenged by a younger foe, and the herbivores clash like vicious titans in a dusty arena.  

The on-screen action is accompanied by an original score by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, whose iconic music can be heard in films such as "Gladiator" (Universal Pictures, 2000). 

Filming took place in real-world locations, as though the extinct animals were really there, to make the scenes feel more authentic. This determination by filmmakers to make the show feel authentic is also reflected in how the animals were “filmed." That meant no through-the-legs camera angles that might appear in animated movies, but wouldn't be possible to film in natural settings with living wild animals. 

"Prehistoric Planet" is a global snapshot of life towards the close of the Cretaceous period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago), featuring not just dinosaurs but also birds, reptiles, amphibians and even mammals. In total, the show recreates 95 different CGI animals. Some species have familiar names but unfamiliar appearances that reflect scientists' improved understanding of the fossil record, such as a Velociraptor covered in feathers. 

There are also many animals viewers will likely be seeing for the first time, including a long-snouted stripy predator called Qianzhousaurus, discovered in 2014, chasing blue cassowary-like Corythoraptors, discovered in 2017.

"There's actually a pretty good list of brand-new animals that have never been brought to the screen before," Naish said.

“Prehistoric Planet” debuts on Apple TV+ from May 23 to May 27. Apple TV+ is available on various devices using the Apple TV app.

Originally published on Live Science.

A fateful day some 66 million years ago, a 7.5-mile-wide (12 kilometer) space rock slams into Earth, setting off a series of events that ended the age of dinosaurs. From the dinosaurs' perspective, it's one of the unluckiest days for life on Earth, and a new TV special reconstructs what happened using freshly unearthed evidence.

"Dinosaur Apocalypse," part of NOVA's science series, airs in two parts beginning on May 11 on PBS. In the documentary, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, you'll follow paleontologists as they dig up new fossils, and then watch their findings play out with dinosaurs rendered with computer-generated imagery (CGI). 

These scenes and the entire program center around discoveries made at a section of the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota called Tanis, where researchers suspect they've found a mass graveyard of animals killed soon after the asteroid struck. "We're excited to bring viewers along on this journey as scientists excavate this extraordinary dig site," Julia Cort, a NOVA co-executive producer, said in a statement. 

"We're able to look over the shoulders of paleontologists uncovering some of the rarest fossils ever found in North America — perhaps in the world — that if confirmed, could help illuminate the most dramatic single day in the history of the planet," Cort added.

Related: Darkness caused by dino-killing asteroid snuffed out life on Earth in 9 months 

Filmed over three years, the special takes a detailed look at the work of Robert DePalma, a doctoral student at the University of Manchester in England, and his team. Viewers will see breathtaking discoveries of a pterosaur embryo still in its egg and a piece of Triceratops skin, and more in the first part of the special, called "Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence."

In part two, "Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day," the team uncovers more evidence that the fossils at Tanis represent victims of the extinction event that ended the Cretaceous period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago), wiping out about 80% of Earth's animal life. Fossils include a dinosaur leg that looks like it could have been ripped off a Thescelosaurus — a small bipedal dinosaur — in the wake of the asteroid hitting what is now the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, where the impact left a deep scar known as the Chicxulub crater.

However, not all experts are convinced that the Thescelosaurus featured in the documentary died on the day the fateful asteroid struck Earth, or they are withholding judgment until all the findings are published in peer-reviewed journals, Live Science previously reported. 

The documentary is co-produced by PBS and BBC Studios Science Unit. A version of this documentary called "Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough" aired on BBC One in the U.K. on April 15, 2022. However, the new two-part NOVA special includes additional experts commenting on the findings who didn't appear in the U.K. version. 

"Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence," airs on May 11 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS, followed immediately by "Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day" at 10 p.m. ET. The episodes will also be available to stream online at pbs.org/nova and on the PBS video app. 

Originally published on Live Science.

Tyrannosaurus rex youngsters paddle through shallow ocean water near a sandy shore, their powerful legs working hard to make up for their disproportionately tiny arms. Long-necked sauropods nuzzle their heads together in affectionate mating displays. And packs of duck-billed dinosaurs raise dust clouds as they migrate across vast deserts. These and other scenes in the official trailer for "Prehistoric Planet," a new documentary series from Apple TV+, offer a glimpse of dinosaurs and their Cretaceous neighbors, much in the way a nature documentary would feature dramatic moments in the lives of modern animals. 

Released on April 20, the trailer showcases stunning footage from around the world, combined with astonishingly realistic computer-generated imagery, to bring an assortment of Cretaceous creatures back to life — and to challenge what viewers thought they knew about these animals that once dominated ecosystems on every continent.

The new five-part series introduces habits, lifestyles and behaviors of long-extinct species and shows how dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago interacted, Apple TV+ representatives said in a statement.

With scenes that unfold beneath the ocean's surface to brutal battles on icy plateaus, the trailer features diverse habitats and offers a fresh perspective on a variety of dinosaurs, from the famed Triceratops to the less-familiar, heavily armored and tanklike Nodosaurus. 

Related: 10 extraordinary dinosaur discoveries from 2021

Renowned nature documentary presenter Sir David Attenborough narrates the series, and the trailer hints at untold stories about thrilling mating competitions between colossal sauropods; standoffs between theropod predators and Triceratops prey; and the nesting habits of cliff-dwelling pterosaurs. (Pterosaurs were flying archosaurs, not dinosaurs, but they lived alongside dinosaurs during the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods.) 

Recent discoveries in paleontology informed how the dinosaurs and other Cretaceous animals of "Prehistoric Planet" look, move and behave, according to Apple TV+. Viewers will meet two relatively recently discovered species of tyrannosaur: Qianzhousaurus rex from eastern China, described in 2014 in the journal Nature Communications, and the diminutive Nanuqsaurus — whose name means "polar bear lizard," taken from the Alaskan Inupiat word "Nanuq" — which was also described in 2014, in the journal PLOS One.

Qianzhousaurus was slightly smaller and more slender than T. rex, Live Science reported in 2014. It had a long snout, which led scientists to lend it the nickname "Pinocchio rex."

Other well-known dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor, have previously appeared in popular movies wearing scaly, lizard-like skin, but in the "Prehistoric Planet" trailer, these dinosaurs are covered in feathers, reflecting recent discoveries about how commonly feathers appeared across the theropod lineage. In one of the trailer's most dramatic images, an extreme close-up of a Velociraptor's enormous claw hints at further adaptations that contributed to this dinosaur's reputation as a deadly predator.

We'll be bringing you more sneak peeks of this series in the coming weeks, check back here at Live Science for more theropod teasers and sauropod surprises!

"Prehistoric Planet" premieres May 23 on Apple TV+.

Originally published on Live Science.

Powerful natural forces on our planet and in our solar system work together to sculpt and support life on our fragile pale blue dot. 

A new five-part series called "A Perfect Planet," narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough, explores how these natural forces have worked together to make life possible — and how a fifth force, humans, are destroying this perfection at breakneck speed. 

The planet is at a "crucial point" and "poised" for really big disasters, Attenborough said during a question and answer session on Nov. 23. "We can stop them, but if we're going to stop them," he added, we need to understand what forces are driving these disasters and how those forces work. 

Related: 50 interesting facts about planet Earth

The series, which took about five years to research and film, brings viewers to various spots across the globe to tell stories of four natural forces — oceans, sun, weather systems and volcanoes — that have dramatically shaped our planet. In the first episode, for example, the series focuses on volcanoes — one of the most destructive forces of nature but one that's vital for life on our planet.

On the northern side of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania, one of Africa's most active volcanoes, sits Lake Natron, one of the world's most corrosive bodies of water. And yet, this seemingly inhospitable environment is crucial for the survival of one species.

Millions of lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) fly in from East Africa to breed on islands of salt that emerge within the lake when scalding hot temperatures evaporate the water. This environment is filled with "gloopy sulfurous mud" and has a pH that's "not far short of household bleach" and temperatures equivalent to  "a scalding cup of tea," said wildlife cinematographer Matt Aeberhard. Yet the flamingos thrive there because the caustic soda in the lake makes it inaccessible to land-based predators.

It's also good at keeping humans out. A hazy mirage shrouds the lake, making it dangerous for helicopters and aircraft to land there, so the only way to reach the lake is via hovercraft, Aeberhard said. And you have to wear snowshoes, "which actually doesn't look that strange because Lake Natron, when you're out on the flat, is white, so it's almost like a crazy snowscape." The team also relied on drones for some of the incredible footage from that scene. 

"This series is a celebration of the planet," said Huw Cordey, the series producer. "Now is as good a time as ever to really look and see how well everything fits together, how beautifully it's all connected."

The last episode takes a dramatic tone shift and Attenborough talks about how humans are now the dominant (and destructive) force of the planet and what we can do to diminish our influence. "It's just no longer enough to make pure celebratory natural history series, we have to tell a bigger story," said Alastair Fothergill, the executive producer of the show. 

This series comes as our perfect planet roils under a deadly pandemic. "The remarkable thing about it is that it has made a lot of us actually suddenly become aware of the natural world in a way that we have not been before," Attenborough said, noting that he's never listened to more bird songs in his life. "We realize our dependency emotionally and intellectually on the natural world in a way that we've never done before."

The series is a Silverback Films Production for BBC and Discovery and will premiere on discovery+ on Jan. 4.

Originally published on Live Science.

Netflix released a documentary series called "Our Planet" on April 5 that sits in the pantheon of great wildlife docs alongside BBC's "Planet Earth" and "Blue Planet." The new series stands out, though, because it explicitly shows how every ecosystem it highlights is being changed and threatened by climate change. And it includes one especially unsettling scene: Russian walruses tumble brutally down cliff sides to their deaths, one after another.

David Attenborough, the series' narrator, blames the incident on changes to the Arctic ecosystem that walruses inhabit. With sea ice receding year after year, he says, the walruses are forced to rest on crowded, tiny beaches. Those beaches are so overcrowded, he says, that some of the walruses scale cliffs for a bit of peace. But when the lumbering animals, unaccustomed to climbing or to heights, decide to return to the water, they wander right off the edge of the cliffs to their horrible deaths.

It's a shocking scene and a compelling story. [In Photos: A Conveyor Belt for Arctic Sea Ice]

So, did climate change really drive the walruses up the cliffs and to their deaths?

Here's what Live Science found out:

This incident isn't the first time people have documented the mass-falling deaths of walruses. Back in 1996, Alaskan wildlife officials reported a then-nearly unprecedented incident in which nearly 60 male walruses fell to their deaths off a 200-foot (60 meters) cliff side in the state. At the time, when sea ice was still more extensive and climate impacts less well-understood, researchers didn't blame the deaths on climate change. Rather, they were perplexed, without an answer to explain the behavior, The New York Times reported at the time. The years since have seen further reports of these sorts of walrus events.

But more-recent research has indicated that climate change could be driving deadly "disturbances" at walrus "haul-outs" in exactly the way the documentary indicates. Walruses typically spend most of their time on sea ice, with some intermittent time spent on land in large groups called haul-outs.

A May 2017 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) found that the retreat of sea ice from the Arctic does indeed lead walruses to engage in mass haul-outs onto crowded beaches more often. And at those crowded haul-outs, the walruses are indeed easily spooked, with an increase in deadly "disturbance" events — though tramplings, especially of young calves, are much more common than cliff falls, according to that report.

Subject matter experts suggested to Live Science that falling events typically don't involve the walruses scaling cliffs as the documentary indicated. Rather, the events happen as walruses go up shallow slopes on the cliffs' far sides. Once up top, the creatures can sometimes stampede off these cliff sides if a passing plane, polar bear, boat or other unfamiliar freaky thing scares them.

Climate change does seem to have made these sorts of events more common. However, in Alaska these mass fallings appear to local observers to have declined in recent years thanks to human efforts to manage the environments of the haul-outs. Reductions in overhead planes and other human disturbances appear to have prevented at least some of the deaths. Coastal management efforts, led by local native groups, have also been effective to some degree.

The USFWS report found that even as their populations have struggled with calf deaths, reduced sea ice and poorer foraging opportunities, walruses are a comparatively resilient species. At least at the level sea ice has reduced to so far, the animals seem able to weather the many human encroachments on their territory, the report said.

• In Photos: The Vanishing Ice of Baffin Island
• Antarctica: The Ice-Covered Bottom of the World (Photos)
• Photos: Traces of an Ancient Ice Stream

Originally published on Live Science.

The ultimate parents

The fifth episode of BBC America's new series, "Dynasties," follows a colony of several thousand emperor penguins as they brave the elements to breed and raise their young during Antarctica's ruthless winter. Catch the episode this Saturday, Feb. 16, at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST on BBC America. Viewers can still watch the first episode, "Lion," online for free.

All together now

In a gentle, slow dance, emperor penguin couples synchronize their movements to strengthen their bond. The couples have one of the strongest mating pair bonds in nature, which is vital for successfully raising their single offspring in one of the harshest environments on the planet.

A strong bond

A pair of emperor penguins court one another and form one of the strongest parental bonds in nature. The penguins take only one mate per year and may choose to return to the same mate year after year.

An awkward moment

Emperor penguins are perfectly designed for many things, but mating is not one of them. [Animal Sex: How Penguins Do It]

Huddle for warmth

Winter in Antarctica reaches temperatures of minus 47.7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 44.2 Celsius) with wind speeds of 80 mph or more. Adult emperor penguins join together in a tight huddle for protection from the abusive conditions. Penguins on the outside of the huddle continuously push and shuffle around for a more protected position.

Braving the elements

Thousands of papa penguins huddle together for warmth during a severe winter storm. Once the female lays her egg, she leaves the egg with her male partner so she can go fishing. The male is left behind to keep himself and his egg warm and safe for several weeks during the dead of winter. [Read more about how emperor penguin dads keep their eggs from freezing]

A safe peek

A 2-week-old chick balances on its mother's feet and stays warm in her soft, feathered pouch. For several weeks, the chicks spend all of their time under the warm protection of their parents.

Find a buddy

When their parents leave to go fishing, the down-covered chicks take a tip from the adults and stay warm by huddling together. Here, a pair of 6-week-old fuzzballs snuggle up with one another.

Staying undercover

These fluffy 1-month-old chicks are too big to sit on their parents' feet, but the chicks are reluctant to give up their warm and cozy hideaway.

Using their resources

When their parents leave to go fishing, 2-month-old chicks surround an adult penguin much larger than them, to soak up the adult's warmth and use the larger bird as a windbreak.

Clear, colorful skies

The weather becomes a bit more bearable in the spring. The vibrant colors of the southern lights, the aurora australis, dance above the large colony of emperor penguin families.

Coming out

As the summer sun melts their icy home, the chicks begin to molt their downy feathers, and their sleek adult plumage grows in. Nearly grown, these young penguins will spend the next few years at sea before returning to breed and raise their own young.

A misunderstood species

The fourth episode of BBC America's new series, "Dynasties," follows two packs of painted wolves (also called African wild dogs) living in Mara Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Catch the episode this Saturday, Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST on BBC America. Viewers can still watch the first episode, "Lion," online for free.

A legendary matriarch

This is Tait at 10.5 years old. Tait was a very successful alpha female who reared eight litters of pups. There are only 6,600 painted wolves left in the world, and about 280 are from Tait's bloodline.

Alpha-in-training

Tammy (standing) is one of Tait's grown daughters. The BBC America crew followed Tammy from the time she was 6 months old until David Attenborough met her at 4 years old. Eventually, Tammy stepped into her mother's position as leader of the pack.

On the run

Painted wolves are one of Africa's most efficient hunters, but they're vulnerable to serious leg injury when running across large, deep footprints left behind from herds of elephants. [Video: Elephants Aren't Fans of Painted Wolves]

Baboon hunters

Most predators in the animal kingdom know better than to go after prey that could seriously hurt them, but Africa's painted wolves don't seem too concerned about that. This week's episode of "Dynasties" presents the first time painted wolves have been documented hunting and eating baboons — a primate species that's well known for retaliating violently against its predators.

Family drama

Blacktip is another one of Tait's grown daughters, and the alpha female of a rival pack. Blacktip successfully reared a litter of 10 puppies, which made her pack bigger than Tait's; it also allowed her to drive Tait's pack out of their territory.

Practice punch

Tait play-fights with one of her relatives. Life in the African wilderness can be rough, but there's still time for wrestling. Playtime is an important pastime for this incredibly social species.

Show me your teeth

Tammy, Tait's daughter, shows off her teeth. Painted wolves are more closely related to wolves than domestic dogs. Like their many canine relatives, painted wolves come with an impressive set of sharp teeth.

Curious pup

Painted wolf pups are born with mottled caramel, black and white coats that become more striking as they grow. Pups are weaned at around 5 weeks old, at which point they'll eat regurgitated food from their fellow adult pack members.

Returning with force

With a few new males, Tammy's pack is strong enough to win back her mother's old territory.

Leaders of the pack

Tammy, the alpha female, stands next to Twiza, her alpha male. Painted wolves grow up to 30 inches (75 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 55 lbs. (25 kilograms).

Traveling together

Painted wolves live in packs of two to 30 individuals, although most packs have around 10 members, according to the Painted Wolf Foundation. A single alpha female makes virtually all the decisions for the pack, including where to go and when to hunt.

Always on watch

As the leader of her pack, Tammy stays on alert for nearby threats. The painted wolves live alongside lions and other, larger predators in Mara Pools National Park.

Ruler of the forest

The third episode of BBC America's new series, "Dynasties," follows tigress Raj Bhera and her family. Catch the episode this Saturday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST on BBC America. Viewers can still watch the first episode, "Lion," online for free.

A powerful tigress

As a mother tiger, Raj Bhera must balance her time between hunting down prey, staking her claim on her territory and feeding and protecting her cubs. This is Raj Bhera's second litter. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources estimates that there are fewer than 3,100 tigers remaining in the wild. There are now more "pet" tigers than there are tigers in the wild.

Sharing a drink

Raj Bhera's four young cubs, at about 4-months-old, share a drink from a small pool. [Video: Adorably Awkward Tiger Cubs Learn to Walk and Wrestle].

Tiger papa

This is Munga, the father of Raj Bhera's cubs. His presence in the area keeps the cubs safe from other males who might kill them so that Raj Bhera would become receptive to mating. Munga has no interest in harming his own cubs.

Happy family

Raj Bhera with three of her 9-month-old cubs. For about the first two years of their lives, tiger cubs depend on their mothers for food and protection.

Observing from above

This is Biba, Raj Bhera's daughter and the only female in her litter. She tends to keep her distance from her more boisterous brothers.

A flamboyant escape

Raj Bhera attempts to ambush a male peacock that's in full courtship display. Although tigers are fierce predators, their hunting attempts are unsuccessful more often than not.

On patrol

Raj Bhera consistently marks her territory to ward off potential intruders. The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has become such a successful place for tigers that it now has an overcrowding problem, and competition for valuable territory is fierce.

Curious cats

Two of Raj Bhera's male cubs take a cautious peek at the camera crew.

Awkward position

Although many of their feline cousins are expert climbers, Tigers aren't that great at it. One of Raj Bhera's young sons managed to make it partway up a tree but seemed unsure about what to do next.

Master of disguise

Raj Bhera waits for the right moment to ambush her prey under the cover of the dry summer grasslands. This mighty tiger mother will stop at nothing to protect and feed her cubs.

Tigers are cunning predators that many cultures idolize and respect. But these iconic big cats aren't born as expert hunters. Over the first several weeks and months of their lives, adorable tiger cubs weighing just a few pounds each must learn what it takes to survive and grow into the forest's most magnificent predator.

In a charming clip from BBC America's new series "Dynasties," four tiger cubs are just beginning to get their feet — or paws — under them. Their clumsy attempts at simply trying to walk make you wonder how these precious furballs will ever become powerful big cats like their mother, Raj Bhera.

The third episode of "Dynasties" airs this Saturday (Feb. 2) at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST on BBC America and highlights the day-to-day lives of Raj Bhera and her family in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh, India. [In Photos: Tigers of India's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve]

Raj Bhera's 7-square-mile (18 square kilometers) territory is a sublime spot, with spring-fed pools and lush meadows that attract plenty of tasty deer to eat; it's any tiger's dream. This is the second litter Raj Bhera has raised in her beautiful home, and according to BBC America, these may be the youngest tiger cubs ever filmed in the wild.

The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is the largest protected tiger habitat in India (595 square miles or 1,541 square km) and contains the highest density of tigers. More than 80 Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) call the reserve home.

While the tiger population within the reserve is booming, the cats' global population is struggling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has classified all six remaining subspecies as endangered (three subspecies are already extinct) and estimates that fewer than 3,100 tigers remain in the wild. In fact, there are now more "pet" tigers than there are tigers in the wild. The main threats to the tiger population are habitat loss for residential and commercial development, agriculture, aquaculture, and mining.

Although Bandhavgarh has proven to be a supreme area for tigers, the ones that live there are running out of room, and that's a problem. Tigers are territorial loners; they mostly live by themselves and don't like to share. So, that means the tigers in Bandhavgarh are forced to either fight for an already-occupied territory or venture to the edge of the reserve and enter locations where people live, which aren't great places for the big cats.

At the time of the new series' filming, one of Raj Bhera's grown daughters from her first litter, Solo, set up her own territory next door and encroached on her mother's hunting grounds. Watch this week's episode of "Dynasties" to find out if Solo and Raj Bhera can learn to respect one another's space or if one of these dominant tigresses will be pushed to the edge.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, BBC America's "Dynasties" gives viewers an up-close-and-personal look into the family lives of five of the most celebrated and endangered animals on the planet. The third episode, "Tiger," premieres Saturday, Feb. 2, on BBC America at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST. Viewers can still watch the first episode, "Lion," for free online.

• Iconic Cats: All 9 Subspecies of Tigers
• Gallery: Tiger Species of the World
• Photos: World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals

Originally published on Live Science.

You're probably used to hearing Sir David Attenborough's sonorous, British voice describe the miracles of pufferfish courtship and blooming stink flowers in nature documentaries like "Planet Earth" and "Blue Planet." But today (Dec. 3), the naturalist and filmmaker delivered a far more somber monologue at the United Nations Climate Summit in Katowice, Poland.

"Right now, we're facing a man-made disaster of global scale," Attenborough told delegates from almost 200 nations. "Our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change. If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon."

Attenborough was chosen to speak at the summit as part of the U.N.'s new "people's seat" initiative, which encouraged citizens of the world to share their personal messages and videos explaining how climate change has already affected their lives. Several of these messages were shared as part of Attenborough's speech today; they included footage of people standing in front of the ashen remains of their homes, which had been incinerated by wildfires. [6 Spectacular Species Named for David Attenborough]

"The world's people have spoken," Attenborough said. "Their message is clear. Time is running out. They want you, the decision-makers, to act now."

This meeting of the U.N. was convened so that leaders of the world could negotiate ways to turn their pledges made at the 2015 Paris climate accord into a reality. Per the Paris accord, 184 countries agreed to implement emissions-reduction policies to help limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels over the next century. Most of the world's nations are not on track to meet this goal; in fact, a global temperature rise of 4 degrees C (7.2 degrees F) seems far more likely right now.

According to a recent U.N. climate report, even limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) this century could result in serious consequences for the planet's cities and ecosystems. Those effects include increased flooding and severe weather around the world, the destruction of up to 90 percent of the ocean's coral reefs, mass animal extinctions, and food shortages brought on by regular droughts. A recent U.S. climate assessment, released quietly over Thanksgiving weekend by President Donald Trump's White House, affirmed these findings and the impending danger of climate change.

"Leaders of the world, you must lead," Attenborough concluded. "The continuation of our civilizations and the natural world upon which we depend is in your hands."

• The Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted
• Top 10 Ways to Destroy Earth
• Unexpected Effects of Climate Change | Global Warming Effects

Originally published on Live Science.

What does British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough have in common with the Finnish founder of a symphonic metal band? Both recently inspired names for new species.

A newly described frog from Peru is the first amphibian named for Attenborough, who has already lent his name to various species of invertebrates, mammals, plants and reptiles, both living and extinct.

And a fungus gnat that lives in shadowy environments in the province of Lapland, Finland, is the first creature named for self-proclaimed "nature nerd" Tuomas Holopainen, musician and founding member of the band Nightwish, which combines head-banging heavy-metal music dynamics with classical instruments. [6 Spectacular Species Named for David Attenborough]

The species named for Attenborough, Pristimantis attenboroughi, will go by the common name Attenborough's rubber frog. Like others in its family, this fleshbelly frog does not have a tadpole stage. Researchers collected 34 specimens of the frog — 10 adult females, 11 adult males and three juveniles — in central Peru's Pui Pui Protected Forest at elevations between 11,155 feet and 12,913 feet (3,400 and 3,936 meters) above sea level.

The researchers found that the adult female frogs measured about 0.8 to 0.9 inches (19 to 23 millimeters) in length, and males were somewhat smaller — around 0.6 to 0.7 inches (15 to 19 mm). The adult frogs' coloration ranged from gray to green to red, whereas juveniles were lighter in color — yellowish or reddish brown — and patterned with darker spots and stripes. Scientists reported their findings in a new study, published today (March 7) in the journal ZooKeys.

Meanwhile, about 7,200 miles (11,600 kilometers) away in eastern Lapland, researchers were investigating a new species of fungus gnat, a type of tiny fly that inhabits and breeds in soil, and feeds on fungi.

Scientists found the gnat, which they named Sciophila holopaineni, in the Törmäoja conservation area in Savukoski, Finland, and described the newly discovered insect in a study published March 6 in the Biodiversity Data Journal. S. holopaineni's Finnish common name — "tuomaanvarjokainen" — further references Nightwish, referring to the band's latest album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," which touches on themes of biodiversity and evolution.

"I am very, very touched," Holopainen said in a statement, after he was asked to lend his name to the tiny insect. "This is the highest honor a nature nerd like me can receive."

Attenborough, of course, has received this honor multiple times. Before P. attenboroughi, his most recent namesake was the extinct marsupial mini-lion Microleo attenboroughi, which was described in July 2016 in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.

2016 also marked a naming first forAttenborough: A research vessel destined to explore polar oceans was dubbed the "Sir David Attenborough" on May 6, shortly before his 90th birthday. However, although Attenborough's name is usually a first pick for researchers, in this case, his moniker was chosen to replace another name that was the overwhelming favorite in an internet poll — the somewhat less dignified "Boaty McBoatface."

Original article on Live Science.

Inspiring science

Sir David Attenborough has pretty much seen it all (at least when it comes to the wild and quirky creatures that call this planet home). The beloved naturalist is best known for his work as host of such venerated programs as the BBC's "Planet Earth" nature documentary and "Life" series.

Attenborough, who celebrates his 90th birthday on May 8, has become one of the most famous science communicators in the world, and he has inspired countless people along the way. And within the scientific community, nowhere is Attenborough's legacy more apparent than in the number of species that share his namesake.

Here are six spectacular species that are named for David Attenborough.

Rare Amazonian butterfly

The butterfly Euptychia attenboroughi is a black-eyed satyr that can be found in the parts of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela that make up the upper Amazon basin. The rare butterfly's wings have a peculiar pattern and shape, distinct among other members of its genus Euptychia.

The Amazonian butterfly lives within a 311-mile (500 kilometers) region of tropical forest, and was first described by researchers in December 2015 in the journal Zookeys. The study researchers said they named the critter for Attenborough because they had been influenced and inspired by the famed naturalist's documentaries.

"Other animals and plants have previously been dedicated to Sir David, but it makes us happy and proud to be the first to dedicate a butterfly species in his name," study lead author Andrew Neild, a scientific associate at the Natural History Museum, London, in the United Kingdom, said at the time.

Goblin spider

In 2012, a new species of goblin spider, Prethopalpus attenboroughi, was named after Sir David Attenborough. The tiny spider measures just 0.04 inches (1.02 millimeters) long, and is found only on Horn Island, part of the Torres Strait Islands in Queensland, Australia.

"Prethopalpus attenboroughi is named in recognition of Sir David’s significant contribution to natural history and promotion of the world's biodiversity," Alec Coles, Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Museum said in a statement to mark the christening in 2012.

The goblin spider was first described in a study published in June 2012 in the journal Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.

Pygmy locust

In 2011, scientists with the Illinois Natural History Survey discovered 160 pounds (73 kilograms) of raw amber stashed away and forgotten in a museum. The amber fragments, which had been collected from the Dominican Republic in 1959, contained several insects and other interesting specimens, including a new pygmy locust species that had been fossilized in the amber after its death. The locust measured less than an inch (20 millimeters) long, and scientists said the tiny bug fed on lichen and algae.

Sam Heads, an insect paleontologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, named the locust Electrotettix attenboroughi, in honor of his childhood hero. The new species was described in a study published in July 2014 in the journal Zookeys.

Ghost shrimp

Ctenocheloides attenboroughi is a species of ghost shrimp in the family Callianassidae. This mud-dwelling creature is known from a single specimen that was found in shallow waters off the coast of Madagascar in 2008. Researchers discovered the ghost shrimp within a piece of mud-cemented rubble that had been dug up from a bay in northwestern Madagascar.

Scientists first described C. attenboroughi in a paper published in 2010 in the Journal of Natural History.

Rust-colored beetle

In 2014, researchers reported 98 new species of weevil from Indonesia, including a flightless variety dubbed Trigonopterus attenboroughi.

T. attenboroughi has an oval-shaped body and is typically rust-colored. The species was found in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. Researchers first described the species in a study published in December 2014 in the journal Zookeys.

Ancient reptile

Attenborosaurus conybeari is a marine reptile that lived in Europe during the early Jurassic period. This aquatic carnivore is an extinct genus of pliosaurid. Researchers named the genus after David Attenborough and the species after William Conybeare, an English paleontologist famous for his work in 1820s on marine reptile fossils.

A research vessel meant to ply the polar seas has been graced with the name Sir David Attenborough, just days before the famed naturalist turns 90, U.K. Science Minister Jo Johnson announced today (May 6).

In March, the U.K.'s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) put out a call for the public to submit and vote for names for their forthcoming polar research vessel, which received funding of 200 million British pounds (about $289 million) from the U.K. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in April 2014. It wasn't long before the public spoke, with the comical moniker "Boaty McBoatface" soaring to the top slot. But the poll, which ended April 16, was not the be-all and end-all for the research vessel's identity, as the NERC had the final say in what name to slap on the boat.

"The public provided some truly inspirational and creative names, and while it was a difficult decision, I'm delighted that our state-of-the-art polar research ship will be named after one of the nation's most cherished broadcasters and natural scientists," Johnson said in a statement. "This vessel will carry the Attenborough name for decades to come, as it fulfills its mission to explore the oceans and put Britain at the forefront of efforts to preserve our precious marine environment." [6 Spectacular Species Named for David Attenborough]

Attenborough spoke beaming words of the ship's label.

"I am truly honored by this naming decision and hope that everyone who suggested a name will feel just as inspired to follow the ship's progress as it explores our polar regions," Attenborough said in the statement. "I have been privileged to explore the world's deepest oceans alongside amazing teams of researchers, and with this new polar research ship, they will be able to go further and discover more than ever before."

The ship is being built in Merseyside, England. Expected to set sail in 2019, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough will be able to explore both the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. It will be operated by the British Antarctic Survey, which currently supports two polar research vessels: the RRS James Clark Ross and the RRS Ernest Shackleton.

As for Boaty McBoatface?

The hugely popular name will live on, undersea. The council decided to name one of the new vessel's remotely operated vehicles "Boaty." The subsea vehicle will be dispatched from the RRS Sir David Attenborough so that it can explore the deepest parts of the Arctic and Antarctic, according to the NERC.

"The ship has captured the imaginations of millions, which is why we're ensuring that the Boaty name lives on through the subsea vehicle that will support the research crew, and the polar science education program that will bring their work to life," Johnson said.

Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

WASHINGTON — Sir David Attenborough, the world-famous nature host, recently found himself in a bat cave in Borneo, dangling from a rope 300 feet (91 meters) above the ground, as a drone hovered around filming him.

At 89 years old, the narrator and host of such well-known programs as the BBC's "Life" and "Planet Earth" series shows no signs of slowing down. He made an appearance here last week at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History to preview his latest show, "Rise of Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates." The show premieres Wednesday (May 13) at 8 p.m. EDT and 9 p.m. PDT on Smithsonian Channel.

The bat cave incident happened just last year, when Attenborough was filming a scene for a 3D show about flying animals. The cave is home to three types of aerial creatures — bats, birds and cockroaches — and the idea was to film Attenborough as the birds came home to roost and the bats came out to hunt the cockroaches. [Flying Mammals: Gallery of Spooky Bats]

"We decided in the end that I would hang from a rope 300 feet above the ground," Attenborough told the audience. "It wasn't actually my idea."

The bats weren't due to come out until about 6 p.m., but the show's producers hoisted Attenborough into position at about 5 p.m. During the hour that he hung there waiting, Attenborough said, "I thought, gosh, that rope is thin!" When the bats finally arrived and an "octocopter" drone hovered nearby to film the event, he wondered what would happen if the drone hit a bat and the vehicle collided with him. Luckily, the bats steered clear of the drone, he said, "and well, here I am!"

Earlier in the day, Attenborough sat down with Live Science to talk about everything from his favorite experience during his travels, to how to stop humans from ruining the planet.

In real life, Attenborough is more soft-spoken than on TV, and looks young for his age (it was the day before his 89th birthday). After all this time, he still manages to conjure up a sense of wonder about the natural world.

While he has had countless amazing experiences during his long and successful career in wildlife broadcast television, Attenborough highlighted one event in particular. "There is one definable moment," he said, "when suddenly, it is breathtaking:" the first time he scuba dived on a coral reef. He described "the sensation of being able to move without any physical effort at all [and seeing] the most extraordinary crustaceans, invertebrates of all kinds and nudibranchs [sea slugs] … the colors, the way they move — it's just mind-blowing."

As someone who grew up on a Hawaiian island, this reporter is very familiar with that experience. When Attenborough heard this, he skillfully pronounced the Hawaiian name of the state fish, "humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa" (pronounced hoomoo-hoomoo-nookoo-nookoo-ah-poo-ah-ah).

Attenborough's new show traces the origins of animals, from the earliest vertebrates living in the Cambrian seas some 500 million years ago to the rise of mammals, marking the key developments that allowed animals to survive on land, breathe air and nurture their young. "It's the longest, most dramatic story in the universe," he said.

In the show, Attenborough travels to fossil beds in China to find missing links in the evolutionary history of vertebrates, from one of the earliest flying dinosaurs to the rodentlike ancestor of all mammals. [Gallery: Evolution's Most Extreme Mammals]

But if you ask Attenborough what his favorite animal is, he says he doesn't have one, "unless it's a human baby … that's the most extraordinary animal I can think of." (Though he later admitted his "spirit" animal would be a sloth.)

Despite his amiable manner, Attenborough said he is under no delusions about how humans have impacted the environment. "The evidence is incontrovertible," he said. "We dominate the planet… We take everything we want."

That doesn't mean humans are evil, but "we have to be realistic," he added.

One solution he proposed is to harness more solar energy. If America could put a man on the moon within 10 years of undertaking the project, then finding ways to harvest and store enough energy to support humanity's needs should definitely be possible, he said.

Meanwhile, Attenborough himself plans to keep exploring, and has no plans to retire. "I'm having a ball," he said.

Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

A stunning black-and-white photo of five lionesses relaxing with their cubs in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park has taken the top prize at the 50th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, held this week at London's Natural History Museum.

The image, snapped by American photographer Michael Nichols, shows the Vumbi pride resting on a kopje, or rocky formation, as the late afternoon sun beams on the expansive plains of the Serengeti. The photo expresses the essence of the lions as people typically visualize them — basking in nature, away from the threat of human activity, Nichols said in a statement.

On Tuesday (Oct. 21), a panel of international judges awarded first place to Nichols' photo, which he dubbed "the last great picture." Nichols' entry edged out more than 42,000 photos submitted from 96 countries. [See more photos from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition]

To capture the incredible scene, Nichols quietly followed the pride for almost six months, until the lions were used to his presence. Before he took the picture, the lionesses had attacked and driven off one of the two males in the pride. Then, with their cubs, they took a catnap in the sun.

Nichols photographed the group from his vehicle — he had cut a hole in its roof — and shot it in infrared because it "transforms the light and turns the moment into something primal, biblical almost," he said.

A few months after he took the picture, Nichols received news that three of the female lions had been killed after the pack had left the safe confines of the park.

In a special ceremony, Nichols and the contest's other medalists received awards from museum officials, the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton), Sir David Attenborough, wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin and celebrated wildlife photographer Frans Lanting.

Carlos Perez Naval, age 8, won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 award for his picture of a scorpion sunbathing near his hometown in northeastern Spain. A double exposure allowed him to overlay the sun in the top-left corner.

These photos, as well as other award-winning images, will be on display at the Natural History Museum in London from Oct. 24 through Aug. 30, 2015. The exhibition will also travel to six continents, giving millions of people the chance to see the spectacular images.

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel and Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.

Sir David Attenborough, the famed British naturalist and television presenter, has some harsh words for humanity.

"We are a plague on the Earth," Attenborough told the Radio Times, as reported by the Telegraph. "It's coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so."

Attenborough went on to say that both climate change and "sheer space" were looming problems for humanity.

"Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now," he said.

Sir David is not the only naturalist who has warned of population growth outstripping resources.  Paul Ehrlich, the president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University and author of "The Population Bomb" (Sierra Club-Ballantine, 1968) has long used language similar to Attenborough's. And in 2011, an analysis of species loss suggested that humans are beginning to cause a mass extinction on the order of the one that killed the dinosaurs.

When asked about Attenborough's comments on humanity as its own scourge, Ehrlich told LiveScience he "completely agree[d], as does every other scientist who understands the situation." [Top 10 Ways to Destroy Earth]

Even so, that doesn't mean forceful measures must be taken. "Government propaganda, taxes, giving every sexually active human being access to modern contraception and backup abortion, and, especially, giving women absolutely equal rights and opportunities with men might very well get the global population shrinkage required if a collapse is to be avoided," Ehrlich said.

In fact, providing free, reliable birth control to women could prevent between 41 percent and 71 percent of abortions in the United States, according to a study detailed in the Oct. 4, 2012, issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Other scientists also agreed to some extent with the heart of Attenborough's message.

"It's clear that increasing population growth makes some of our biggest environmental challenges harder to solve, not easier," said from Jerry Karnas, population campaign director for the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz.

Karnas added, however, "What's needed is not population control but a real emphasis on reproductive rights, women's empowerment, universal access to birth control and education, so more freedom for folks to make better, more informed family planning choices."

And population numbers would matter less for the planet's health if clean renewable energy were widely adopted as well as planning laws, he told LiveScience during an interview.

Attenborough is famous for his "Life on Earth" series of wildlife documentaries, among other nature programming. In 2009, he became a patron of the Optimum Population Trust, a group that advocates voluntary population limitation. At the time, he released a statement saying, "I've seen wildlife under mounting human pressure all over the world and it's not just from human economy or technology — behind every threat is the frightening explosion in human numbers."

Earth's population reached 7 billion people on or around Oct. 31, 2011, according to United Nations estimates.

LiveScience Staff Writer Tia Ghose contributed reporting to this article.

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