Episodes

5 episodes in this season

The Cold Blooded Truth

50 min

Land Invaders

50 min

Dragons of the Dry

50 min

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Sophisticated Serpents

50 min

Armoured Giants

50 min

Life in Cold Blood

TV Series

200850m8.4

Documentary

Now playing

Sophisticated Serpents

Season 1 · Episode 4 · Feb 25, 2008

The fourth episode focuses on the most modern reptiles, the snakes, exploring how they have managed to become successful despite their elongated body shape. Attenborough explains how they evolved from underground burrowers to surface hunters, losing their limbs in the process. With the aid of infrared cameras, a timber rattlesnake is shown lying in wait for a mouse and sensing its repeated path before despatching and eating it. A snake's constantly flickering tongue is used to gather and evaluate the molecules of its surroundings, and Attenborough visits Carnac Island to witness a population of blind tiger snakes, which feed on the chicks of nesting gulls. He also confronts a Mozambique spitting cobra, which quickly sprays venom over the presenter's protective face visor. The similarities in colouration between the harmless kingsnake and potentially lethal coral snake are highlighted. An example of a snake that can tackle unusual prey is the Queen snake, which almost exclusively hunts newly-moulted crayfish. A pair of rival male King cobras are seen battling and infant cobras are shown hatching: their venom is immediately as fatal as that of their parents. In Argentina, a yellow anaconda evades nearby caimans to give birth to live young. Finally a turtle-headed sea snake feeds not on fish, but on their eggs laid on a coral reef

7.0episode rating

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Life in Cold Blood

TV Series

200850m8.4

Documentary

Now playing

Sophisticated Serpents

Season 1 · Episode 4 · Feb 25, 2008

7.0episode rating

More details