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Elephant Vs Kamikaze Bees & Wrestling Wanna-Bee Queens! - Queen of the Savannah

March 29, 2012, 9:09 am
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Tonight, 8pm BBC Two - Queen of the Savannah

Tonight the BBC Natural World takes you into the world of the queen African honeybee. She rules the Savannah but her throne is won with sororicide - she must kill her sisters to succeed. Once crowned, an army of kamikaze bees will defend her and the colony from all who would be a threat - even fending off elephant intruders. Eventually the queen leads her colony on a one-way journey across the savannah to the great Mount Kenya. 

"Honeybees are such fascinating creatures, and living wild in Africa they face more challenges and drama than most people would imagine. They’re like our British honeybees wild and dangerous cousins! Bee Vs Bee - only one will be queen!" - Verity White, Producer



Bee Vs Bee - only one can bee Queen


Bee Vs Elephant


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BBC Natural World uncovers the secret life of the last Tree Octopus

April 1, 2012, 12:04 pm
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The Last Tree Octopus, Thursday, BBC2, 8pm.

Extremely elusive and highly endangered the tree octopus was almost wiped out in the early 20th century when a passion for hats ornamented with cephalopod accoutrements fuelled widespread hunting. Even today octopus numbers remain below the critical level for successful reproduction. 

For the first time a team of scientists are uncovering the fate of this once common cephalopod in the temperate rainforest of North West America. Here the high humidity, and up to 6 metres of rain a year, protect the remaining tree octopi from desiccation, but to survive they need regular access to their spawning streams. Habitat loss and new roads impede their migration routes, but the biggest threat comes from introduced house cats. Can this peculiar species be saved?

Using the latest camera technology The Natural World brings you the secret life of the tree octopus, like you've never seen it before!


"Filming this species required many hours stuck up a tree but eventually we were able to witness the most intimate behaviours between a pair of courting Octopi, before the male led the female down the tree" - Rich Conhoax, Cameraman

Cameraman's eye view of a courting male tree octopus (Photo)

Tree Octopus heading for the spawning waterways (Photo)

Predation of the rare tree Octopus (Photo: Galen Leeds) 

Predation of the rare tree Octopus (Photo: Galen Leeds) 

During filming the crew has an unexpected encounter with a large tree octopus. (Photo)


Early 20th century advertisement for the latest hat fashion 

Also find out about the Australian Drop Bear at the Australian Museum


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Mammoth Hall of Fame - Incredible Pics & 'Secrets from the Ice' #BBC2

April 3, 2012, 4:41 am
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Woolly Mammoth: Secrets from the Ice, Weds, 9pm, BBC2

Written by Paul Williams

For centuries, stories have been told of subterranean elephant-like animals called 'ice rats' that use their huge tusks to dig through the tundra of northeastern Siberia. They are never seen alive above ground but their movements underground are detected as earthquakes, and their fresh carcasses are occasionally discovered.

Dr. Leopold von Schrenck, Chief of the Imperial Academy of Sciences at Petrograd, published the following account in 1869: "a gigantic beast which lives in the depths of the earth, where it digs for itself dark pathways, and feeds on earth . . .  They account for its corpse being found so fresh and well preserved on the ground that the animal is still a living one."

The 'ice rats' are now better known as woolly mammoths. While our understanding of these creatures has changed, the hairy behemoths continue to fascinate us. The woolly mammoth is one of the most recognisable animals ever to have walked the planet. Weighing in at six tonnes, they lived alongside our ancestors, and their herds roamed across what is now Europe and Asia. Through an ever growing taste for mammoth meat, humans probably contributed to their demise. 

Alice Roberts with Lyuba
Now, in an era of global warming, and melting ice, mammoth hunting has had a revival. In 'Woolly Mammoth: Secrets from the Ice' Alice Roberts joins a team of hardy scientists to face sub-zero temperatures, and release the latest carcass from the icy grip of the Siberian permafrost. Using genetic, chemical and molecular tests, they are uncovering the secret life of the mammoth and reconstructing a picture of their world 40,000 years ago. Every new discovery helps to paint a more vivid picture and now with the help of the latest in scientific analysis in Russia, the USA and Europe, CGI will bring the woolly mammoth back to life.




Woolly Mammoth Hall of Fame

Early mammoth research focussed on teeth and bones. The first woolly mammoth remains studied by European scientists were examined by Hans Sloane in 1728. He became the first to recognise that these monstrous remains were in fact from elephants. He believed they had been buried during the biblical Great Flood, and that prior to this Siberia had been a much warmer place. Others argued that they were elephants from the tropics that had been washed north by the flood. It wasn't until French scientist Georges Cuvier identified the remains in 1796, that the woolly mammoth was identified as a separate species.

One of Charles R Knights Mammoth paintings at the American Museum of Natural History (1935)

Mammoth teeth continue to reveal new evidence and Adrian Lister from London's Natural History Museum analyses them to understand the evolutionary journey that mammoths made from the African tropics to the remote arctic.



The 'Berezovka Mammoth' (1900)

The Berezovka mammoth is probably the most studied of all mammoths and his discovery in 1900 led to the modern era of mammoth research. Complete with skin, muscles, and innards he had been wonderfully preserved by the permafrost for 45,000 years.

The 50 year old male is believed to have died after falling down a precipice. He was discovered in an upright position, with his back humped and his ribs and pelvis broken. Much of the head, which was sticking out of the permafrost bank had been eaten by wolves. Fortunately the lips, the lining of the mouth and the tongue were preserved, and surprisingly between the teeth, were portions of the animal's last meal. "The mouth was filled with grass, which had been cropped, but not chewed and swallowed, it still had the imprint of the animal's molars," indicating that he died suddenly whilst feeding. The plants were species that are no longer found as far north as Siberia, and indicates a much warmer climate 40,000 years ago supporting Hans Sloanes theory of climate change.

The food inside Berezovka's stomach was exceptionally well preserved and suggests that following his fatal fall, Berezovka must have rapidly frozen - either falling into a frozen lake, an ice crevasse, or being engulfed by a mudslide. Many mammoths, rhinos, horses, bison and antelope preserved in the same banks seem to have succumbed to a similar fate. 

Mammoth Scene Investigation had been born.
         
The Berezovka Mammoth on display at the St Petersburg Zoological Museum  (Photo: Vladimir Gorodnjanski, 2007) 


Preserved muscle tissue taken from the left hind leg of the Berezovka mammoth, now at the Smithsonian. (Photo: Tom Jorstad, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History)

Another mammoth on display at the St Petersburg Zoological Museum. This young mammoth has much of its hair intact but it is missing its trunk. Photo: Vladimir Gorodnjanski, 2007

Dima - The 70's Mammoth (1977)

In 1977 workers digging up ground close to the Russian town of Magadan in north eastern Siberia uncovered a well-preserved carcass of a 6 month old baby mammoth. It was the first mammoth to be investigated using modern scientific methods. Radiocarbon dating determined that it had died about 40,000 years ago and it's internal organs were found to be similar to those of living elephants. Sediment in Dima's lungs pointed to death by asphyxiation.

Photo: NOAA
Dima being extracted from the Siberian permafrost in 1977 (source)

(Photo: Institut Royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Brussels)

Lyuba - The Love Mammoth (2007)

In 2007 Reindeer breeders in Russia's Arctic Yamal Peninsula discovered a perfectly preserved 42,000 year old baby mammoth. It was named Lyuba, meaning 'love' after the discoverer's wife. It soon triggered a flurry of speculation about whether it was possible to create a living mammoth by extracting its DNA. Lyuba is a female woolly mammoth calf who died at the age of one month and is generally considered to be the best preserved mammoth in the world. Lyuba is one of the stars in 'Woolly Mammoth: Secrets from the Ice'

“Lyuba is a creature straight out of a fairy tale. When you look at her, it’s hard to understand how she could have stayed in such good condition for nearly 40,000 years.” 
- Alexei Tikhonov, Russian Academy of Science 


A Nenets boy tentatively examines Lyuba outside Shemanovsky Museum in Salekhard, Siberia. Some of his elders still hold to the Nenets tradition that touching a mammoth, a creature they believe roams the spirit underworld, will bring bad luck (Photo: Francis Latreille)


 (Image: Photoshot)

During an autopsy fecal matter was collected from Lyuba's intestine. The feces probably came from Lyuba's mother, fed to the calf to aid growth of bacteria needed to digest vegetation. The mother's feces will help identify plants she ate and may yield her DNA (Photo: Francis Latreille National Geographic - see more here)

Inspecting the baby mammoth carcass. Photo credit: Sergei Cherkashin/Reuters Source

The carcass began to thaw during an exam inside Shemanovsky Museum in Salekhard, Siberia. Members of the recovery team moved it outside to refreeze. (Photo: Francis Latreille National Geographic - see more here)

 Lyuba on display after a CT scan in Tokyo (Photo: Francis Latreille National Geographic - see more here)

The latest technology including CT scanning is allowing scientists to take a non intrusive look inside these incredible specimens. Source

The CT scan provided detailed new insights into a mammoth's anatomy as well as important clues to Lyuba's death. Sediment found blocking the trunk's nasal passages (shown in white) and in the mouth, esophagus, and windpipe suggests that she asphyxiated by inhaling mud after becoming trapped in a mire (Photo: Francis Latreille National Geographic - see more here)




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Part Bear, Part Sloth? - The Real Jungle Book Baloo

April 6, 2012, 10:26 am
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Today's Natural World, 8pm, BBC2 takes a look at my favourite bear - The Sloth Bear.

Written by Paul Williams

What on Earth is a Sloth Bear?

Sloth Bear-20A battered wooden crate arrived in London for Mr Shaw, it was marked 'Urgent Attention - South America'. Shaw, a gentleman naturalist, excitedly opened the crate and pulled out a thick black shaggy fur - it was slightly damp and smelling of mould. Spreading it on a large oak table in the centre of his crowded study, he ran his hands through the knotted hair, reflecting on it's similarity to the overgrown coat of a dog. Next he came across the animals long soft tubular snout, immediately seeing the resemblance to another peculiar creature from South America which has recently been named as the anteater. But this animal was much larger and it's skin and dentition much different.

Like the anteater however its eyes were tiny and recessed suggesting an animal with poor vision. Shaw already had his suspicions on where to place this creature in the animal classification system, but what convinced him so completely were the huge 4 inch curved claws protruding from each of it's short limbs.

Sloths were already known from South America and this was obviously some sort of giant form - like other sloths it used these inward pointing claws to hang from trees. The year was 1790 and Shaw proudly announced this new species naming it Bradypus pentadactylus - the 5 fingered sloth.

It later transpired that the crate Shaw had received originated in India and not South America at all. A mix up which created the curious beginning of the scientific identification of the Indian Honey Bear - The Sloth Bear.

Sloth Bear-6


The Real Jungle Book Bear

This is the bear that the Jungle Book's Baloo is based on. The real Baloo does chase fancy ants, but his life is a lot tougher than that of his fictional friend. Showing on BBC2 tonight is 'The Real Jungle Book Bear', narrated by David Attenborough, this the first film ever made on these shy creatures and it follows a young male called Baloo as he grows up in the harsh Karnataka landscape, fending off foes and finding food. Baloo's mother is also nearby with two new cubs on her back, trying to keep them safe from prowling leopards. BBC Programme Page

I've been lucky enough to spend time with several types of bears but when I visited Karnataka a few years ago I found sloth bears to be the most endearing and characterful of them all.

As I wrote at the time "As he walked his fluffy backside swayed like a big furry John Wayne. He looked satisfied as he approached a nice patch of honey. Adjusting his posture and almost crossing his legs, he hunched over to crinkle his soft snout up against the ground - like a pig snorting in a trough.  When he was finished with one patch he stood up and waddled across to another.  Not a care in the world the bear was completely oblivious to our presence.

Sloth Bears have really poor eye sight and can see little further than 10 metres, so as long as we remained still and silent we would be able to observe the bears in all their slobbering glory. Occasionally our young male surfaced for a breather, raising his nose and opening his mouth like a panting dog. He was tasting the air and I wondered if he could detect the strangers in his midst. If he could then he must have decided that he had more important matters to attend to and chowed back down."

Sloth Bear sniffing for food

"While he sniffed directly in my direction I caught a superb view of his strange dentures. Unlike other bears, sloth bears have a mouth like a pensioner - almost barren of teeth. This is an adaptation for getting closer to food, such as their favourite wild delicacy - termites. Their four-inch claws rip open the mound, they shove their muzzle in, and then suck like a hoover. The sounds can be heard from hundreds of metres away. This bear was entertaining us with a range of sounds that I've only ever heard before in a gents loo - and like a gents loo a few more individuals eventually appeared and joined in the chorus."

The Bear Necessities - Comical Antics

Sloth Bear-43

Sloth Bear-30
"Start the day with a good scratch"
Sloth Bear-46

Sloth Bear Stretching
"and a good stretch"

  Sloth Bear-23 
"Arm wrestle anyone?"
 
Sloth Bear-18


Sloth Bear-29
"Hide and seek?"

Peacock-3

Sloth Bear-28
"Over here"
Sloth Bear-35 "Hi, long time!"

Sloth Bear-34
"Grrr, wrestlemania!"

"He lumbered over to another and unexpectadly pounced on him, bearing his teeth - it could easily be mistaken for aggression but was simply a case of play fighting. Failing to get the desired response the small bear quickly switched to another, and he continued for the best part of an hour, by which time the sugar rush had worn off and he tuckered down for more honey." Excerpt from my field blog

Sloth Bear-12 
"Wait for it..."

Sloth Bear-45
"Ta da!"

Sloth Bear-10


The Dancing Bears

Sadly many sloth bears live a very different life. Seeing bears in the wild made my subsequent trip to the Bannerghata Bear Rescue Centre even more heart-wrenching. I met Samad Kottur of Wildlife SOS, who works to protect and rescue sloth bears who have been sold into a life of dancing.

Stolen from their mothers young sloth bear cubs are sold to the traditional dancing bear community known as Kollanders. 'Here they begin a life of pain and discomfort.' Sammad told me that 'after a few months their canines are ripped out, their claws are clipped, males are castrated and a red hot iron is used to pierce their sensitive nuzzle through which a coarse rope is threaded.' it is the pain of pulling on this rope that makes them dance as they are dragged from village to village and made to perform, standing on their hind legs and used as puppets on a string.

'They are severely malnourished and are only given the very poorest food to survive on' says Sammad who is still moved to tears by his experiences 'when we rescue them they are in really bad shape'.

Here's a short film I made during my visit:


 Filmed by David Heath, directed by Kalyan Varma, Production Manager Mandanna Dilan.



Dancing bear with rope through his muzzle. Photograph by Troy Snow (used with permission)


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The Land of The Lost Wolves - Gordon Buchanan

April 6, 2012, 10:26 am
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Land Of The Lost Wolves, 9pm, 5th & 6th April, BBC One.

“I never thought it was going to be easy but it was much harder than I imagined. They are probably the most difficult animals I have tried to film" - Gordon Buchanan

Tonight on BBC One, cameraman Gordon Buchanan goes on the trail of the elusive wolf, which is returning in droves to North America. 

Few other animals inspire such hatred and passion. Once shot to the brink of extinction, the wolves are coming back with a vengeance and are on a collision course with humans. Scientists know very little about where they are from, how fast they are spreading and what their impact will be. 

Gordon and a team of local scientists track these invading wolf packs throughout the year but finding the wily animals requires every ounce of field skill and technical expertise they can muster.

"In the first four-week trip to America, we walked the mountains every day and all we found were tracks.We set up lots of camera traps to gather images but on that first trip I didn’t see a single wolf. Next time we went to Canada, where there is a higher density of wolves, and it took two-and-a-half weeks of constant searching before I saw one.” - Gordon Buchanan

"Wolf film looking great in all it's HD glory. Not too flattering on the old laughter lines (wrinkles), & that's after the Botox."



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Where did a million Elephants go? Ivory Wars #Panorama

April 12, 2012, 11:05 am
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Ivory Wars - Out of Africa, Thursday 12th April, 2011, 9pm BBC One

Undercover in China

With wildlife crime now thought to be second only to drugs in terms of profit, Rageh Omaar goes on the trail of the ivory poachers, smugglers and organised crime syndicates to investigate the plight of Africa's elephants. In 1979 there were an estimated 1.3 million African elephants. Today, only 470,000 remain; some authorities estimate the number to be considerably lower. 

As demand for ivory rises in the Far East, this Panorama special - made jointly with the BBC's Natural History Unit - goes undercover in central Africa and China. With access to Interpol's largest ever ivory operation, undercover reporters confront the dealers directly.

Last year saw the seizure of the highest volume of ivory for over two decades. Despite a 23 year global ban on its international sale an estimated 38,000 elephants are killed annually to supply the ivory trade - most of which is in China. If this rate were to continue, elephants could be gone from most of their former range in less than 15 years. One area of northern Kenya has lost a quarter of its elephants in the last three years alone.

"The destinations of all contraband ivory are always neighbouring countries around China" - Julius Kipng'etich, Kenya Wildlife Service

Whilst filming in China an undercover reporter soon attracted the attention of sellers and was offered a piece of ivory 1.5m long for $10,000 (£6,000). A kilogramme of ivory sells for as much as $1,500 in the Far East. On the ground in Kenya it sells for 3,000 Kenya shillings ($40). Even a small pair of 10-kg tusks would bring a poacher the equivalent of $400, more than casual workers earn in a year. A big bull carrying 100 kg of ivory would bring a fortune. The incentive is considerable. Source: The Elephant Trust

"We've been in the market in Kinshasa where we've estimated the ivory from more than 200 elephants has been on the tables for sale on a single day" "These markets are patronised by ex-pat communities and Chinese business" - Tom Milliken, who monitors and campaigns against the illegal trade in ivory


In Nature's Miracle Babies (september 2011), Martin Hughes-Games visited a sanctuary for elephants left orphaned by poaching.



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#PlanetEarthLive - Globally Awesome with Richard Hammond. Wild life as it happens!

April 22, 2012, 3:22 pm
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Planet Earth Live starts 6th May on BBC One.

This is going to be extraordinary (and my fiancee is working on it so please watch ;-). This series has created a real buzz around the BBC Natural History Unit. Building on the success of 'Big Cat Live' and  'Springwatch', Planet Earth Live will bring us wildlife action as it happens from around the world, following the lives of some of our favourite animals - lions, elephants, black bears, grey whales, meerkats, macaques and more.

Join Richard Hammond and Julia Bradbury as they follow...

"Real animals... real lives... in real time."

Follow the team as they follow the animals - Twitter @BBCPlanetEarth

"With its global reach and an A-list cast of animals, Planet Earth Live will be the most editorially, technically and logistically ambitious live wildlife event we've ever undertaken." - Executive producer Tim Scoones

PLANET EARTH LIVE launches in...




 



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Stars are born - #PlanetEarthLive baby animals - pics from BBC crews

April 27, 2012, 12:14 pm
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On Sunday May 6th, 7:50pm, Planet Earth Live will be broadcast to 140 countries - the most ambitious live wildlife TV series ever.

Over the next few months the lives of the Earth’s youngest animals truly hang in the balance. Join Richard Hammond, Julia Bradbury, and a team of world class cameramen as they follow the incredible lives of baby animals including elephants, black bears, macaque monkeys, meerkats, grey whales and lion cubs.

The crews are out on location right now and they've been tweeting back photos: @BBCPlanetEarth  

Here's some of the first pictures of the animals that will make Planet Earth Live a must see.

"How could this be anymore cute? Black bear cub filmed today for #planetearthlive with Graham Macfarlane http://twitpic.com/9dv78x"

"Can't believe how much fun these baby ele's are! #planetearthlive *Kenya http://t.co/zUySFiVx"

"Our first pup sighting! http://t.co/v1TSYW4W"

"@gordonjbuchanan Back in Longyearbyen after a tough but amazing trip. http://t.co/ZqdVTc8g"


"It's bath time for this little baby ele. #planetearthlive *Kenya http://t.co/cKu21lNs"

"Suggestions for a name pls? 1st pic of a star. 6wk old female macaque with white tip on her tail. *SriL
http://t.co/eIJUiILL" The name has been decided: Gremlin!

"First pics from the Masai Mara. Beautiful lioness and cub. *Keyna http://t.co/lVBnoyEo"


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Fox vs Badger - meet Fangs & the gang - drama in my garden #FoxesLive

May 2, 2012, 10:57 am
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The fox ignites passions like no other predator. Vilified as vermin by some and admired for its pluckiness by others, the fox divides public opinion. Now Channel 4 have launched a nationwide campaign to investigate Britain’s most controversial carnivore. Mark Evans aims to find out if our cities are being over-run by foxes. Are they becoming increasingly brazen? And are they a danger to our pets and children?

Help paint a picture of the British fox by sending your sightings, pictures, videos and questions to the programme via the Channel 4 website. Watch the first episode again on the 4OD Watch the Fox update on 2nd May at 7.55pm and there will be three more shows on 7-8-9th May.

Badger vs Fox - in my garden

I have my own fox family that live at the 'messy' bottom of my garden. They come out into the 'tidier' part every night, and often during the day. Using remote infrared cameras I've been able to film their antics, digging out my compost bin, fighting and chasing each other, climbing the the bird feeder! I was very surprised to discover that my garden is occasionally visited by a transient badger - which the foxes arn't keen on.

This is a clip is from just a few nights ago... (I'll try and post more foxy action soon)


My Fox Family

Here's a few photos of some of my foxes. The first few were taken just an hour ago, as I was writing this post! When I looked out of the window a fox that I call 'Fangs' was relaxing in his usual spot.

Fangs the Fox
'Fangs' relaxing in his favourite spot.

Fangs the Fox
'Fangs' 

Fangs the Fox
'Fangs'

Frosty Fox curled up at the bottom of my garden.
'Fangs' with his lovely winter coat

Fox cub relaxing in the sun.jpg
'Timmy' in his spring coat - a young fox with minimal sign of mange

Fox in my garden

Mangey Garden Fox stretching in the evening sun
'Rat Tail Rupert' Our mangiest fox

One Eyed Garden Fox-2.jpg
 'One-eyed Louis'

I'm sat 1 metre away from a young urban fox. I see him often - his mange gets worse. I will try & cure him.
I've seen this fox a few times curled up just outside my house - a distinctive patch possibly mange.


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Which is the cutest baby animal? #PlanetEarthLive BBC - 2 days to global broadcast!

May 4, 2012, 6:57 am
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Which of these baby animals is cutest?
Click to vote and reveal the results so far

See these and more on BBC Planet Earth Live - Broadcast around the world to 140 countries
('24/7 Wild' on National Geographic Wild in the USA)

Starts Sunday May 6th 
Visit the BBC Programme Page for more information, photo's and videos

Meerkat (Photo: BBC)

Black Bear (Photo: BBC)

Toque Macaque (Photo: BBC Planet Earth Live)

Sea Otter (Photo: Randy Wilder)

Lion Cub (Photo: Anup Shah/BBC NHU Library)

Elephant (Photo: @PlanetEarthLive)

Grey Whale (not Julia Bradbury) (Photo: BBC Planet Earth Live)


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Fluffy Fudge the Fox - Grasswatch Live! #FoxesLive #Springwatch #PlanetEarthLive

May 5, 2012, 8:57 am
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Whilst my fiancée Donna is in Minnesota with the Bear crew for BBC 'Planet Earth Live', I'm laying in the mud and grass to get close to my foxes. I think I might need to get the lawnmower out before she comes home...

After watching the cute baby animals, from black bear cubs to meerkat pups, in BBC 'Planet Earth Live' tomorrow night, don't forget to bring it all home and tune into the next episodes of FoxesLive on Channel 4 on 7-8-9th May. Visit the website to put your fox on the map and help Mark Evans and his team of experts paint a picture of the British fox.

I'm fortunate to be able to travel and encounter exotic wildlife but if Springwatch has shown us anything it is that wildlife can be just as exciting on your own doorstep. Like a trusty friend Springwatch will return on 28 May 2012. Live from Ynys-hir RSPB reserve in Wales it will be presented by Chris Packham, Martin Hughes-Games and Michaela Strachan.

Now, back to Grasswatch Live...
I haven't photographed this fox before. He's a handsome looking fella. I think 'Fudge' is a fitting name.

Meet the rest of my fox gang and see 'Fox vs Badger' here.
More of my photos on Flickr.

Fudge the Fox in my garden 2

Hiding amongst the grass

Fudge the Fox in my garden 3

Maybe I should trim these monster brambles too!

Fudge the Fox in my garden 1


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2 cute reasons why #PlanetEarthLive is a not to be missed global event!

May 10, 2012, 9:42 am
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8pm, BBC One in the UK (and around the world to 140 countries). Watch the first two episodes on BBC iPlayer.

If you haven't watched it yet then here are two reasons why 'Planet Earth Live' is a not to be missed global TV event. Meet Gremlin the macaque in Sri Lanka, and the black bear cubs in Minnesota - play the clips below.

Vote below for which animal you think is the cutest Planet Earth Live baby (to help you decide here's some cute photos of the baby animals.) 

Currently bears have 78% of the vote with poor little Gremlin the macaque lingering in 2nd place at 9%.

Click to vote and reveal the results so far

 Meet Gremlin the Macaque, Sri Lanka

Meet the Black Bear Cubs, Minnesota, USA


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My fiancee with Lynn Rogers and a cute black bear! #PlanetEarthLive @bearstudy

May 15, 2012, 5:53 pm
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My fiancee Donna has just met a charming black bear yearling whilst working on BBC Planet Earth Live in Minnesota. She sent me these fantastic photographs and said that I could share them with you.

She didn't just stumble across the bear whilst strolling on her own through the woods, she was with black bear scientist Dr Lynn Rogers of http://www.bearstudy.org who has been working with the Planet Earth Live team. He has been studying bears for over 30 years in Minnesota and in that time has formed trusting relationships with dozens of wild bears, including mothers with cubs. He regularly spends entire days walking and resting with them, detailing their activities, diet, ecology and social organisation, and by doing so has provided much of the scientific information that is now known about this charismatic mammal. 

Lynn was the star of the BBC Natural World film Bear Walker of the North Woods and in 2009/10 worked with cameraman Gordon Buchanan to document a family of black bears in The Bear Family and Me.

You can see a clip from Planet Earth Live featuring Lynn, at the end of this post. 

Planet Earth Live returns to BBC One Weds May 16th, 7:30pm

 Black bear yearling (Photo: Donna Dixon)

  Black bear yearling and Dr Lynn Rogers (Photo: Donna Dixon)

  Black bear yearling (Photo: Donna Dixon)

  Black bear yearling (Photo: Donna Dixon)

  Black bear yearling (Photo: Donna Dixon)

 Black bear yearling (Photo: Donna Dixon)


 


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Watch final #PlanetEarthLive from Dr Strangelove's Gallery & come home to #Springwatch

May 25, 2012, 2:05 am
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Final episode of Planet Earth Live, 8pm BBC One 

Live from Dr Strangelove's Gallery

I've just been sitting in the Planet Earth Live gallery in Bristol watching the rehearsals for tonights live show. It's a hive of activity where all the feeds from the crews around the world are shown on a wall of screens dripping with hundreds of cables and wires. You would expect to find Dr Strangelove sitting in front but instead you find the director James Morgan, who is responsible for which feed gets shown on your TV. He's joined by the producers who oversee the editorial and story lines, and a dozen or so other people with critical jobs to do. Each day as the feeds go live you can imagine a scene of calm relief like that of mission control in 1969 as Apollo 11 landed.

Around the world are mini-hubs, like the one my fiancee sits in in Minnesotta - she is responsible for timings. Every second is counted for each individual piece. She speaks directly into the ear-pieces of the presenters so that they can keep slick and to time - imagine trying to present to millions of people whilst someone else is speaking in your ear! When seconds are added on to a piece it has repercussions throughout the whole film, making it a game of maths that would cause my head to explode.

It looks like tonights show is going to be as powerful and revealing as every other episode of this global series. Richard Hammond and Julia Bradbury will present the final updates from the extraordinary cast of animals including Sybil the black bear cub in Minnesota, Moja the young Lion in the Masai Mara, Maya the elephant calf and gremlin the Macaque in Sri Lanka.

While I've loved the show I'll be pleased to get my fiancee Donna back who's been out in Minnesota for the past month. Nice work darling!

If you haven't voted for the cutest animal yet you can still vote here.

Here's the mini-hub in the Masai Mara...

The gallery on the Masai Mara sending its video feeds back to the master gallery in Bristol (photo)

Some of the animal stars...

 Sybil the black bear cub (Source: BBC Planet Earth Live Facebook)

Moja the lion cub (Source: BBC Planet Earth Live Facebook)

Gremlin the Toque Macaque in Sri Lanka (Photo: BBC Planet Earth Live)

Come home to Springwatch 2012

After an action packed adventure around the world its always nice to return home, put your feet up with a nice cup of tea, and catch up with friends. Don't fret because on Monday 28th May, Chris, Martin and Micheala will be handed the olympic torch of live wildlife TV which they'll run with for three weeks, bringing us the best of british in Springwatch and Springwatch Unsprung on BBC2.


Presenters of Springwatch Chris Packham, Micheala Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games (BBC)

The first show will be broadcasting live form a garden in Porters Bar with 12 adorable fox cubs. We'll be introduced to a family of kingfishers, filmed by Charlie Hamilton James. As their story evolves, cameras delicately placed within their nest reveal incredible new behaviours, but even Charlie couldn't have imagined the drama that plays out, as heavy rains cause the river the flood, threatening the entire kingfisher family.

Urban peregrines are an increasingly common sight in the UK’s cities, and for the first time, nests have been rigged with specialist cameras to see how they’ve adapted to urban life. There's been some surprising results – including one of last year’s chicks muscling in to look after this year’s brood. Will his inexperience lead to disaster?

In other firsts for the series, Springwatch reveals the dark dramas that play out in every rabbit warren across the UK, the science of the adorably cute dormouse, the truth behind the mad march hare, moles filmed underground and the fascinating mating behaviour of predatory pike.

We may not have lions and elephants but we certainly have amazing stories right on our Great British doorsteps. 

Webcams

The team have already set up webcams on a number of nests, including a stunning nuthatch family (another first for Springwatch), the indispensable blue tit, some pied flycatchers and a delightful little wren’s nest. Between 5 and 10pm each night the team will host a conversation, interweaving live tweets, comments, Facebook posts and emails. 


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Flattered! Paintings of my Goshawk & Racoon photos. Anyone fancy painting a Jaguar?

June 9, 2012, 10:26 am
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I'm flattered to have had two of my photographs on Flickr be used as the basis for paintings recently. I wanted to share these with you as I think they're wonderful.

Jaguar Challenge!

If anyone needs an image to work from then I would love to see one my Jaguar photographs be used. I think that they're one of the most beautiful animals in the world. (More Jaguar photo's here - take your pic!)

Jaguar relaxing in the shade

Goshawk in flight

Here's a beautiful watercolour of a Goshawk in flight by RColdBreath, based on a photograph that I took whilst filming 'Animals Guide to Britain'. Watch the clip and see more photo's here.


Ellie the Goshawk shows off her incredible hunting & flying skills

Racoon in a tree

Racoon in Acrylic by LittleArtist3, based on a photograph that I took whilst filming in Arizona.


Racoon


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Bizarre relationships - see How Life Works in 'Secrets of Our Living Planet'

June 11, 2012, 7:51 am
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Bizarre relationships – New science
Ten million species live on Planet Earth
Each one is incredible
Yet none can live by itself

BBC Two,  8pm Sunday 17 June 2012


This is the series that I made last year with producers Adam White and Gavin Maxwell. Presented by Chris Packham it was originally called 'How Life Works', but it has now been bestowed with the grander title of 'Secrets of Our Living Planet'. 

Across four episodes, Chris reveals the hidden wonder of the creatures that we share the planet with. The intricate, clever and bizarre connections between the species, without which, life just could not survive. For years the BBC has brought you amazing spectacle and intimate animal behaviour but now we're tying it all together. At its heart this is a series about ecology, and (forgive the Sci-fi reference) the 'force' that unites all life on earth.

"Understanding nature is not about knowing why birds sing, why bees buzz or why fish swirl in silvery shoals . Its about being able to see the bigger picture, being able to see how all life is connected and by unravelling the stories that link species its also about developing a deeper more profound appreciation of life." - Chris Packham

This series reveals unexpected relationships, like why the giant otter needs a snail, why the tiger needs a crab or why a gecko needs a giraffe. Each week Chris visits one of our planet's most vital and spectacular habitats and dissects it, to reveal the secrets of how our living planet works.

Filmed for the first time a two week old wild baby lynx in its den. In episode 3, 'Seasonal Forests', Chris Packham visits the forests of Maine to understand why this baby lynx needs a caterpillar. (Paul Williams/BBC)

In episode 3 'Seasonal Forests', Chris visits British Columbia to explore how grizzly bears help a fish to save a forest. (Paul Williams/BBC)

In episode 4 'Waterworlds' Chris visits the Pantanal of Brazil to understand why the Giant Otter needs the snail. (Paul Williams/BBC) 

In episode 2, 'Secret of the Savanna' Chris gets up close to a giant anteater to uncover the importance of having a regular source of nitrogen. (Adam White/BBC)

"I think that some people may have their belief stretched by some of our stories. They are so, so remarkable that they may initially feel we have exaggerated them , even made them up. But they are all true and all remarkably beautiful."- Chris Packham

Episode 1: The Emerald Band

In the first episode, The Emerald Band, Chris weaves a spellbinding account of how the very special conditions that exist in the rainforest have allowed vast colourful communities of animals and plants to evolve. And he reveals one particularly extraordinary web of life centred on a tree, the Brazil nut tree. It is one of the mightiest trees in the Amazon but it can only survive thanks to a little rodent called an agouti, an orchid and a very unusual bee.

"'Really , No ! . . . Wow !' is how I'd like people to react to How Nature Works . Not only to each of the remarkable stories which wind through our series but to the revelations which together they unfold." 

Chris Packham with a three-toed sloth, Panama (Adam White/BBC)

Chris Packham with hummingbird. Panama (Adam White/BBC)


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Fast Hummingbirds, Weird Sloth & Cute Orangutan & Elephants - Secrets of Our Living Planet

June 13, 2012, 3:13 am
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Secrets of Our Living Planet starts on Sunday at 8pm with The Emerald Band. This is the series that I made last year with producers Adam White and Gavin Maxwell. I've posted some of my favourite clips below - featuring the fast, the weird and the cute!


The Fast: Spectacular Hummingbirds

In this episode Chris travels around the emerald band that encircles our planet – the jungles. And he begins by tackling one of the biggest puzzles about the world’s rainforests: why do these places have such a bewildering variety of life, far greater than any other habitat on Earth? His quest begins Panama, where more varieties of bird have been recorded in a single day, than anywhere else on the planet - including a dazzling array of hummingbirds.



He reveals that the key to the biodiversity of the rainforests is an almost constant climate. This allows insects and everything else that gorges itself on plants, to flourish all year round. So rainforest plants are under constant attack. The result is an unrelenting arms race, in which only the weird survive. Plants with barbs and poisons for defence; mammals, like the three-toed sloth which has evolved a way to digest leaves that nothing else can digest – even if it means taking days to digest them and moving as slow as, well, as a sloth. 

The Weird: Strange Sloths



The Cute: Baby Pygmy Elephants & Orangutan

Chris travels to Borneo to see how some of the largest animals of the jungle, the orang-utan and the forest elephant are crucial in protecting this biodiversity, by spreading the precious seeds of jungle plants, far from their parent plants, to avoid attack by their predators. 



He then travels to the Amazon to witness one truly amazing web of relationships, centred around the Brazil nut tree. The ecosystem of this tree is too complex for it to be cultivated, so if you’ve ever eaten a Brazil nut, you too, are dependent on its ecosystem. It involves a small rodent, called an agouti, which the tree needs to disperse and plant its nuts, and a rare orchid which attracts a rare male bee, which in turn attracts a female, the only creature capable of pollinating the very fussy Brazil nut flower.

Chris Packham with an agouti and the seed of a brazil nut tree (BBC / Adam White)


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Finding and filming animals in the jungle for #SecretsofOurLivingPlanet

June 18, 2012, 10:35 am
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It's a Jungle out there - filming in the rainforest

By Adam White, producer/ director
Originally published on the official BBC webpage


I'm proud to say that last nights episode of 'Secrets of Our Living Planet' has received incredibly positive reviews (I've posted a few at the end of this post). I just thought that you might like to read this from Adam White who produced the episode. Here's his take on filming in the jungle.

Producer Adam White
"Tell someone that you are going off to film in a rainforest and you will get envious comments of how lucky you are. They imagine all the amazing encounters with beautiful animals at every turn of the machete cleared footpath. The only people who aren’t jealous are the ones who think you are foolish and worry for you. They imagine all the horrible, dangerous animals that you will have even closer encounters with. The reality is somewhat different.

My first visit to a rainforest was over 20 years ago, and I have filmed in many of them all over the world since then. Rainforests ARE full of animals of both varieties: the amazing ones and the dangerous ones – but the truth is that neither are encountered frequently at all – certainly not in the way that frightens or fills your friends with envy. For many people, their first rainforest experience can be disappointing – where, they often ask, are all the animals? Well, they are there – but so dense is the vegetation, that it’s surprisingly difficult to see anything.

As filmmakers, this is an even bigger concern – we, after all, have to find the animals to film them! So how do we do it?

To start with you need one very particular creature – a scientist, or a researcher. These are people who spend years studying the rainforest, trying to work out how it all works. Without these people, my job would be nigh on impossible. In Panama we were helped by Bryson, a man who knows more about sloths, than sloths know about themselves. We were also joined by a bird guide so skilled that he could stop at any point on pipeline road and know exactly which of panama’s 978 species of bird held a territory in that very spot.



One of the undoubted highlights came in Malaysia where we had the privilege of joining a team of people studying Borneo’s Pygmy Elephants. Such is their dedication to their subjects that with them we were able to get within trunk swinging distance of these incredible animals. Not just that, they knew each of the animals by name and character. One especially mischievous animal had to be watched carefully while we were filming. She went by the name “Ford” – because she once crushed a car!



The other thing you need is patience. If the popular phrase – the patience of a saint - is to be believed then our film crews are indeed saints. With the access and the knowledge from people who study the forests we slowly started to see and film the creatures of the jungle. Slowly we came to understand how the rainforest works – cliché as it may sound, it was wonderful.

After all the filming, my relationship with the rainforest changed. There was definitely less frustration, and more love for this incredible, complex and enigmatic ecosystem."

Reviews

Episode one of 'Secrets of Our Living Planet' seems to have gone down really well!



The Guardian: 
Secrets of Our Living Planet (BBC2, Sunday) is a rare thing: intelligent natural history. I think people imagine they're watching serious television when they watch natural history because it's called natural history and probably has David Attenborough in it. Usually, though, it's just wallpaper, wildlife porn, cute polar bear cubs, phwoar. You rarely actually learn anything.

This time I did. I learned why there's such an amazing variety of life in the jungle. And I began to understand the complex web of connections, all dependent on each other, that makes up an ecosystem. Not bad for starters. So thank you, Chris Packham, who may just be edging ahead in the evolutionary battle to be the next Sir David.

It didn't even feel too much like homework, because there's cute stuff too – humming birds, a nice lady three-toed sloth. Plus, Chris climbs a big tall tree. He's allowed to, he's in the Amazon rainforest. It must make a nice change from Springwatch.

Packham is awfully clever, and awfully good at communicating his cleverness in a non-intimidating way... Following his success with Springwatch, he’s been allowed to go it alone and front this four-part series in which he delves through the world’s jungles, ostensibly to uncover many secrets, but really because he just loves cosying up to orang-utans.


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Free: Beautiful friezes of 'Secrets of Our Living Planet'

June 20, 2012, 12:34 pm
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The Open University have taken four of the extraordinary settings from 'Secrets of Our Living Planet' and illustrated some of the beautiful connections that make these ecosystems work. 

As Chris says in the show "Science is both beauty and truth" and understanding the connections is of obvious importance for the future, but there is a fascination in just looking at the natural world and marvelling at the way in which natural selection has shaped the interdependence of organisms.

Why does the gecko need the giraffe? Why does the lynx need the caterpillar and why does the giant otter need the snail? These wall friezes reveal the answer.
If you experience any problems ordering online, you can also call 0845 366 0254 (local rate) to order your booklet. You can access a PDF version here (23 MB download)

Don't forget to tune in on BBC2, Sunday 8pm for an insight into what makes the Savannah tick.



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Rooney or Packham? Rhinos, Anteaters & Killer Moggys in #SecretsofOurLivingPlanet

June 24, 2012, 11:33 am
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Tonight 8pm: BBC Two 'Secrets of Our Living Planet' Vs BBC One 'England vs Italy'

OK, so you'll probably be watching the football like 90% of the English population but on the other side you can discover the wonders that make the Savannah tick. Check out the clips below from tonights episode of our series 'Secrets of Our Living Planet' - and then watch the episode on iPlayer.


In this episode, Chris reveals how the world's most spectacular grasslands flourish, despite being short of one essential nutrient - nitrogen. As it turns out, the secret lies with the animals. There are the white rhinos of Kenya that create nitrogen hotspots by trimming and fertilising the grass. They are drawn to these particular points by communal toilets or 'fecal facebooks', where they meet and greet each other.

Then there are the fruit-eating maned wolves in Brazil that garden the cerrado grassland; there are the bandicoots and rat kangaroos in Australia that manage the outback and then, across the world, there are the termites. There is not much that has more protein per gram than a termite.

In the whistling acacia grasslands of Kenya, Chris reveals the amazing relationships between termites, geckos, ants, monkeys and giraffes that make these places so rich in wildlife. 

Chris Packham's Rhino Standoff
 

The Killer Moggy of Oz
 

The Giant Anteater and the Termites


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