Discovery Channel's brand new series, “Life”, that highlights the extraordinary strategies animals and plants adopt to stay alive as individuals and species will go on the air on May 24.
Wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough will present the 10-part series. Some of the stunning images will be shown for the first time ever on television. They include Komodo dragons bringing down an animal ten times their size in a real-life drama, a pebble toad rolling down a mountain bouncing like a rubber ball to escape a tarantula, and an astonishing night scene showing Humboldt squids hunting in a group for sardines.
“Life” has been filmed in every continent and natural habitat. In Kenya, three cheetah brothers have invented a novel way of hunting. Rather than tackling small prey on their own, they have learnt that by joining forces they can bring down big game such as ostriches.
Describing the series as an epic, Rahul Johri of Discovery says “Life” reiterates the channel's commitment to bring to viewers high-quality non-fiction content that entertains and enhances their general knowledge about the wonders and diversity of our planet. “Our latest series brings to life some of the most incredible stories ever caught on camera and highlights the efforts of men and women who spent days, weeks and months patiently waiting for a perfect shot. The series' unique selling point is that naturalist Sir David Attenborough has given his voice to the programme. All images have been captured in state-of-the-art high-definition filming techniques.”
Pointing out that our planet is home to over 30 million divergent animal and plant species, Mr. Johri says each is locked in a unique fight for survival. To show the rich plant and animal life, 30 production teams visited 52 countries and undertook over 150 filming trips, adds Mr. Johri.
Film-makers develop ingenious methods for capturing breathtaking images. A “Yogi Cam” developed specifically for this series allowed a camera to track smoothly alongside migrating reindeer and elephants. Intricate cable rigging was employed to enable the crew to fly a camera through thousands of monarch butterflies in Mexico, providing a unique butterfly-eye perspective.
From strange creatures such as the star-nosed mole that hunts underwater using bubbles to smell its prey, to epic spectacles, including millions of fruit bats darkening the Zambian sky, each episode will tell mind-blowing stories of survival with drama, humour and suspense.
The premiere episode “Challenges of Life” provides an overview and sets the stage for this epic series. The other nine episodes include “Reptiles and Amphibians”, “Mammals”, “Fish”, “Birds”, “Insects”, “Hunters and Hunted”, “Creatures of the Deep”, “Plants” and “Primates”. The series will be aired on the channel every night up to June 6.
