2: Building Bodies | Life On Earth

Duration: 53'36''

Subtitles Available

Synopsis

Sir David Attenborough presents a revised version of the original wildlife series about the remarkable evolution of life on our planet. This part shows the development of back-boned animals, from fishes to birds, and reptiles.

Further Information

More clips from Life On Earth

1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth

1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'12''

The first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape t...

10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth

10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 52'46''

David Attenborough looks at some of the huge variety of mammals. The tree shrew has attracted great interest as it shows how mammal...

11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth

11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'15''

David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution.

12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth

12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'01''

David Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates.

13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth

13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'00''

David Attenborough seeks to explain how we came to dominate life on earth, tracing the African origins of humans to nearly t...

3: The First Forests | Life On Earth

3: The First Forests | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 53'22''

For most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water,...

4: The Swarming Hordes | Life On Earth

4: The Swarming Hordes | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'22''

David Attenborough looks at the role of a few of the millions of insect species, some of which have developed extremely close relation...

5: Conquest of the Waters | Life On Earth

5: Conquest of the Waters | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'32''

Fish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The dev...

6: Invasion Of The Land | Life On Earth

6: Invasion Of The Land | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'57''

Some 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from the water onto the land and becam...

7: Victors of the Dry Land | Life On Earth

7: Victors of the Dry Land | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'44''

David Attenborough looks at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry o...

8: Lords of the Air | Life On Earth

8: Lords of the Air | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 53'45''

The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that live around us. David Attenborough looks at the advantag...

9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth

9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 53'43''

Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptil...

The Beginning of Life | Life on Earth

The Beginning of Life | Life on Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 3'53''

David Attenborough explains the origins of life on earth, starting over three and a half thousand million years ago.

More resources about Living Things and Their Habitats

1: Cauldron of Life | Galapagos

1: Cauldron of Life | Galapagos

BBC One | 2017 | 58'05

Liz Bonnin joins a scientific team aboard the research vessel the Alucia on an expedition across the Galapagos Islands.

1: Island of Marvels | Madagascar

1: Island of Marvels | Madagascar

BBC HD | 2011 | 58'41''

Series exploring Madagascar and its unique wildlife. David Attenborough reveals the most bizarre places and their inhabitants on this ecolo...

1: The Cold Blooded Truth | Life in Cold Blood

1: The Cold Blooded Truth | Life in Cold Blood

BBC One | 2008 | 57'40''

David Attenborough reveals the surprising truth about the cold-blooded lives of reptiles and amphibians.

1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth

1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'12''

The first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape t...

1: Travelling | The Private Life of Plants

1: Travelling | The Private Life of Plants

BBC One | 1995 | 49'02''

David Attenborough begins his incredible journey into the world of plants with a look at how plants move from place to place.

10: Primates | Life

10: Primates | Life

BBC HD | 2009 | 58'54''

The nature documentary examines primates, including armies of Hamadryas baboons battling on the plains of Ethiopia, and macaques in Japan lounging in the...

10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth

10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 52'46''

David Attenborough looks at some of the huge variety of mammals. The tree shrew has attracted great interest as it shows how mammal...

11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth

11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'15''

David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution.

12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth

12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'01''

David Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates.

13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth

13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth

BBC Two | 1979 | 54'00''

David Attenborough seeks to explain how we came to dominate life on earth, tracing the African origins of humans to nearly t...

2: Civilisations | H2O: The Molecule That Made Us

2: Civilisations | H2O: The Molecule That Made Us

BBC Four | 2021 | 52'13''

This episode travels to the Congo, Egypt, China and Mexico to reveal how water changed humanity's footprint on the planet.

2: Growing | The Private Life of Plants

2: Growing | The Private Life of Plants

BBC One | 1995 | 49'07''

David Attenborough continues his incredible journey into the world of plants. Remarkable time-lapse photography reveals how new leave...

2: Land Invaders | Life in Cold Blood

2: Land Invaders | Life in Cold Blood

BBC One | 2008 | 57'35''

David Attenborough reveals the bizarre adaptations which have helped amphibians break their ties with water as he meets marsupial frogs...

2: Lost Worlds | Madagascar

2: Lost Worlds | Madagascar

BBC HD | 2011 | 58'50''

David Attenborough looks at the island's eastern coast, home to cyanide-eating lemurs and leaf-tailed geckos.

2: Reptiles and Amphibians | Life

2: Reptiles and Amphibians | Life

BBC HD | 2009 | 58'36''

David Attenborough reveals the strategies used by reptiles and amphibians to conquer their shortcomings, whether for safety, breeding or ca...

2: Secrets of the Deep | Galapagos

2: Secrets of the Deep | Galapagos

BBC One | 2017 | 58'02''

Liz Bonnin and the team of scientific experts set off beneath the waves in a specially equipped deep sea submersible and go in search of a...

2: The Deep | Blue Planet II

2: The Deep | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 58'20''

The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough goes on groundbreaking journey to the deepest parts of the oceans.

2: The Deep | The Blue Planet

2: The Deep | The Blue Planet

BBC One | 2001 | 48'52''

David Attenborough narrates a natural history of the oceans to uncover the strange, otherworldly creatures living in the depths of the ocean.

2: The Lion in Your Lap | Cat Watch 2014: The New Horizon Experiment

2: The Lion in Your Lap | Cat Watch 2014: The New Horizon Experiment

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'05''

Liz Bonnin and a team of experts conduct a groundbreaking scientific study of cats. Discover how pet cat...

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'05''

In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...

More from Sir David Attenborough

3: Deserts and Grasslands | Planet Earth III

3: Deserts and Grasslands | Planet Earth III

BBC One | 2023 | 58'19''

David Attenborough explores earth's greatest wildernesses, where extraordinary life survives in unexpected ways, and nature puts...

The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II

The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 3'08''

Nutrients from the deep provide sustenance for a large gathering of sea life.

Ants vs Cows | Natural World

Ants vs Cows | Natural World

BBC Two | 2017 | 2'09''

The super colony unites in a spectacular attack to defend their nest from curious cows.

Young spider monkey needs dad's help | Planet Earth II

Young spider monkey needs dad's help | Planet Earth II

BBC One | 2016 | 2'23''

In the forests of Guatemala a young spider monkey is going exploring. But she gets stuck and needs dad's help to get d...

Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood

Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood

BBC Two | 2014 | 3'53''

Wall lizards take advantage of foul-smelling dead-horse arums.

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon

BBC Two | 2009 | 58'22''

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world faces a population crisis and if it is the duty of indiv...

Cross-dresser | Life

Cross-dresser | Life

BBC One | 2009 | 2'22''

Some male cuttlefish are too small to fight for a mate, so have to come up with a sneaky plan if they are to get their way with the girls. Approaching a...

Whale shark feeding | Planet Earth

Whale shark feeding | Planet Earth

BBC One | 2006 | 2'20''

The crew seized an unexpected opportunity, when a perfect set of technical and animal circumstances converged, to film this behaviour for ...

Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles

Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles

BBC One | 2023 | 57'14''

David Attenborough celebrates the rich variety of habitats in our wild isles, the existence of which is critical for the survival of species ...

David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

BBC One | 2022 | 1'32''

David Attenborough speaks about the environment. Also, includes footage of the drones that turn into animals.

4: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet

4: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet

BBC One | 2022 | 58'33''

Desert plants spend decades in suspended animation waiting for rain, or they travel to find it. They survive using weapons, camouflage an...

COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts

COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts

BBC One | 2021 | 3'06''

COP26 delegates and climate scientist Hannah Cloke discuss their hopes for the COP26 conference.

Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World

Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World

BBC One | 2021 | 3'39''

Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough discuss their hopes for the future of the planet.

Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour

Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour

BBC One | 2021 | 1'15''

A poison dart frog fights off a contender until he's sufficiently warned off.

The People v Climate Change

The People v Climate Change

BBC Two | 2021 | 1'03'06''

Meet the 108 ordinary Brits who Sir David Attenborough says we should listen to. This warm and honest documentary reveals how everyday people fee...

Leopard seal vs penguin | Seven Worlds, One Planet

Leopard seal vs penguin | Seven Worlds, One Planet

BBC One | 2021 | 2'46''

Glaciers crumbling more quickly, due to climate change, give the advantage to leopard seals hunting penguins.

Consumption and waste | Extinction: The Facts

Consumption and waste | Extinction: The Facts

BBC One | 2020 | 3'30''

The impact of consumption and waste on biodiversity.

Tait's pups meet the pack… and honey badgers | Dynasties

Tait's pups meet the pack… and honey badgers | Dynasties

BBC One | 2018 | 2'10''

Tait introduces her tiny pups to the rest of the pack as they emerge for the very first time. But the pack is visi...

Marine predators and scavengers | The Blue Planet

Marine predators and scavengers | The Blue Planet

BBC Two | 2017 | 10'13''

The scavengers of the deep ocean rely on predators at the surface to provide their nutrition.

Compilation | Attenborough at 90

Compilation | Attenborough at 90

BBC One | 2016 | 1'26''

A short montage of the fun and amazing moments David Attenborough has shared in his documentaries over a 70-year career.