Episodes

14 episodes in this season

Sex, Hot Eruptions and Chili Peppers

Firebird

Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea

Now Playing

Toadskin Spell

Island of the Ghost Bear

Webs of Intrigue

Vampires, Devilbirds and Spirits: Tales of the Calypso Isles

Pandas of the Sleeping Dragon

The Witness Was A Fly

E10

Untangling the Knot

E11

Snowdonia: Realm of Ravens

E12

Race For Life: Africa's Great Migration

E13

Islands in the African Sky

E14

Comrades of the Kalahari

Natural World

TV Series

19831h7.4

Documentary

Now playing

Toadskin Spell

Season 12 · Episode 4 · Mar 13, 1994

Looks at the extraordinary properties of frog and toad skin, showing how it enables them to survive hostile environments. Amphibian skin contains many chemical compounds, including antibiotics, fungicides, anti-viral agents and toxins, which serve as built-in barriers against infection and protection from predators. Scientists in America have even identified an anti-cancer agent in the skin of certain amphibians. One sequence reveals a dangerous and illegal craze in California for toad licking - the skin of some toads contains hallucinogens so powerful that the US Drug Enforcement Agency puts it in the same class as heroin. The programme features toad and frog species from Britain and the continents of Africa, America, Asia and Australia.

More details

Natural World

TV Series

19831h7.4

Documentary

Now playing

Toadskin Spell

Season 12 · Episode 4 · Mar 13, 1994

More details