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Fit for the Wild

Fit for the Wild

1998•Documentary
Similars

Explore 13 of Africa's fascinating habitats and the creatures that thrive there, from the Kalahari to the Indian Ocean.

Stefania Lamberti · Director

Sofia de Fay · Writer

StatusCanceled
LanguageEN
First Air DateJan 1, 1998

Episodes

E130m

Adapted to the Bushveld

The expansive Southern African bushveld supports an unusual diversity of fauna and flora. Immense resources underpin the march of life and living should be easy. But all is not what it seems for the animals adapted to the bushveld.

Jan 1, 1998

E230m

Adapted to the Desert

The only true desert in southern Africa is the most hostile and unforgiving of them all. No other African wildlife exhibits as much resourcefulness and flexibility as the desert elephants of the Namib, known to trek up to 400km for a precious drink of water.

Jan 1, 1998

E330m

Adapted to the Grass Plains

When the last summer rains have fallen in the Serengeti, 1.3 million blue wildebeest set out from the exhausted southern grasslands, pursuing fresh pastures and tropical rainfall in the north. Their 1600km annual journey is the most spectacular animal migration on earth.

Jan 1, 1998

E430m

Adapted to the Coast

Where the ocean meets the African continent, the Cape fur seal leads a double life, depending on both land and sea to feed, breed and survive. As spring arrives, the pregnant females haul themselves onto the rocky shoreline to give birth and, almost immediately, mate again.

Jan 1, 1998

E530m

Adapted to the Semi-Desert

The barren Kalahari landscape offers little protection to its animal inhabitants. Masters of survival, they must overcome drought, dust, wind and heat to survive. Clans of resourceful Meerkats resort to burrowing in the ground to avoid the many predators that await them in the 'land of the big thirst.'

Jan 1, 1998

E630m

Adapted to the Swamps

The creatures of the Okavango occupy a mosaic of land and water. Throngs of birds and animals arrive with the seasonal floods, only to recede along with the waters. Permanent residents of this emerald oasis are specially adapted to survive its often unpredictable patterns. At the head of this food chain is the fearsome Nile crocodile.

Jan 1, 1998

E730m

Adapted to the Ocean

Three great oceans meet at the southern tip of Africa and three distinct marine ecosystems extend their mingled currents thousands of miles around the continent, creating one of the most complex and varied marine environments on earth. The creatures here have developed unique body shapes, hunting methods and courting rituals to ensure they are adapted to survival in the deep.

Jan 1, 1998

E830m

Adapted to the Underground

Burrowed beneath the African bushveld, animals like the hyena, aardvark, and pangolin shelter in these retreats to sleep and breed. As the winter dry season sets in, wild dogs - the most endangered mammal in Africa - abandon their nomadic existence to give birth in these underground dens.

Jan 1, 1998

E930m

Adapted to the Forest

The towering 60ft canopy of Africa's rain-forests creates a hot, humid habitat where time seems to stand still and seasons never change. Where humans rarely venture, our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, thrives in the trees. The forest floor is the domain of the largest and most powerful of the great apes, the gorilla.

Jan 1, 1998

E1030m

Adapted to the Reef

A reef is an incredible living organism. To survive and flourish, water conditions have to be perfect, only then can tiny coral polyps form thriving colonies. Algae attach themselves to the corals and reef fish soon follow to feed on both and make their home in every crack and crevice. This profusion of life soon attracts a fearsome visitor- Sharks.

Jan 1, 1998

E1130m

Adapted to the Estuaries

Fluctuation between fresh and salt-water, alternating immersion and exposure, temperature extremes, and powerful currents make for extremely demanding conditions in southern Africa's coastal estuaries. Nonetheless, fish, birds, and reptiles thrive here and each year female loggerhead and leatherback turtles travel hundreds of miles to return to their traditional nesting sites.

Jan 1, 1998

E1230m

Adapted to the Flood Plains

For long periods, even years on end, the salt pans of Africa are barren and lifeless. When the rains finally come, water sweeps over the salt-encrusted clay, creating vast inland seas just a few inches deep. Thousands of kilometers away, massive flocks of flamingos sense that the drought is breaking and set course for the flood plain.

Jan 1, 1998

E1330m

Adapted to the Mountains

The Drakensberg is a mighty chain of peaks spanning South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. Black eagles and cape griffon vultures rule the air, nesting on perilous cliff faces to avoid predators. However, agile baboons still find their way to the precariously placed nests. The rugged terrain demands carefully adapted behavior of nature's mountaineers.

Jan 1, 1998

Actors

Peter Terry

Narrator

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