Synopsis
How limestone has been shaped over millions of years into a variety of different rock formations, including underground cave systems.
- Programme: Planet Earth
- Episode: Caves
- Channel: BBC One
- Broadcast year: 2006
- Geography | Rivers and water | River landforms | River landforms: overview
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Planet Earth
4: Caves | Planet Earth
4: Caves | Planet Earth
Documentary series which celebrates earth in all its natural glory. This edition looks at caves, including Deer Cave in Borneo, a daytime retreat for...
Cave glow worms | Planet Earth
Cave glow worms | Planet Earth
Developed by Japanese TV company NHK, the image intensifier (II) system has a camera chip 300 times more powerful than the standard digibeta c...
Cenotes | Planet Earth
Cenotes | Planet Earth
Footage from diving in cenotes in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula.
Lechuguilla Cave | Planet Earth
Lechuguilla Cave | Planet Earth
The walls of these caves are covered in fragile crystals made of gypsum, which is created when limestone is dissolved by sulphuric acid.
Stalactites and stalagmites | Planet Earth
Stalactites and stalagmites | Planet Earth
How stalactites and stalagmites are formed in caves, from limestone dissolved in water droplets.
Villa Luz cave | Planet Earth
Villa Luz cave | Planet Earth
Life that manages to survive in a cave in Mexico that has sulphuric acid in the water.
More resources about Ecosystems and Biomes
01: Frozen Worlds | Frozen Planet II
01: Frozen Worlds | Frozen Planet II
From the poles to the highest mountain peaks, there are surprising frozen worlds found on every continent, and each is home to unique an...
01: Nepal | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
01: Nepal | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
In a demanding and emotional journey, Kate Humble travels with the Raute, Nepal's very last nomadic community of just 140 hunter-...
01: The Living Forest | Landmarks
01: The Living Forest | Landmarks
The Living Forest looks at all the animals & plants that live in the forest on the ground to the forest canopy, & shows how they live in ba...
02: Frozen Ocean | Frozen Planet II
02: Frozen Ocean | Frozen Planet II
At the top of our planet lies the Arctic Ocean - a shape-shifting world of ice and water, home to unique animals like polar bears, harp s...
02: People of the Forest | Landmarks
02: People of the Forest | Landmarks
People of the Forest looks at the Baka of the Cameroon & the Kayapo of South America & how their lives work in balance with the rainforest.
02: Siberia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
02: Siberia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
Kate Humble continues her travels with the Nenets reindeer herders deep in the Siberian tundra, but plummeting temperatures jeo...
03: Destroying the Forest | Landmarks
03: Destroying the Forest | Landmarks
By the next century, the rainforests of the world could have disappeared for ever, destroyed by outside influences and economic pressur...
03: Frozen Peaks | Frozen Planet II
03: Frozen Peaks | Frozen Planet II
A look at how mountains create unique frozen worlds, home to extraordinary animals that must overcome the crushing conditions of the cold.
03: Green | Earth
03: Green | Earth
Chris Packham tells the miraculous story of how plant life turned the Earth from a barren rock into a vibrant green world.
03: Mongolia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
03: Mongolia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
In her final journey of the series, Kate Humble travels deep into the Gobi Desert to live with an extended family of cashmere ...
04: Frozen South | Frozen Planet II
04: Frozen South | Frozen Planet II
Antarctica is the most hostile of earth’s frozen worlds. Yet even here, life finds a way not just to survive, but thrive.
04: Saving the Forest | Landmarks
04: Saving the Forest | Landmarks
Despite the destruction, there are ways to save the forest, by careful harvesting, protecting, learning, replanting, policing - and campaig...
05: Frozen Lands | Frozen Planet II
05: Frozen Lands | Frozen Planet II
In the far north of our planet lie vast frozen lands of snow-covered forest and open tundra. These are lands of extremes that push animal...
06: Our Frozen Planet | Frozen Planet II
06: Our Frozen Planet | Frozen Planet II
Our frozen planet is changing. We meet the scientists dedicating their lives to understanding what these changes mean for animals, p...
07: Worlds of Wonder | Frozen Planet II
07: Worlds of Wonder | Frozen Planet II
A journey through the world’s coldest realms with the most-loved animals from the series, including emperor penguins and one of the l...
1: Africa | Equator from the Air
1: Africa | Equator from the Air
In Africa, Gordon takes to the skies to see how a growing human population is affecting wildlife, from flamingos and elephants in Kenya to h...
1: Arctic Part 1 | Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall
1: Arctic Part 1 | Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall
Steve Backshall visits unexplored parts of the world. This time his team is kayaking in the Arctic - they face pe...
1: Congo | Wilderness with Simon Reeve
1: Congo | Wilderness with Simon Reeve
Simon Reeve battles his way across the Congo, braving thick jungle and tropical swamps in search of the people and the wildlife who ma...
1: Galapagos | Nature's Microworlds
1: Galapagos | Nature's Microworlds
The Galapagos is home to a myriad of bizarre and unique creatures endemic to these islands, but how did they get here and what is the key...
1: Heart of the Dragon | Wild China
1: Heart of the Dragon | Wild China
The hills of Guilin and the fishermen of the Li River form the heart of this exploration of the rice-growing cultures and strange creatur...
More from Sir David Attenborough
8: Heroes | Planet Earth III
8: Heroes | Planet Earth III
Sir David Attenborough introduces conservation heroes fighting to save the world's wildlife, from exploring remote jungles to going undercover t...
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
Nutrients from the deep provide sustenance for a large gathering of sea life.
Ant pharmacists | Natural World
Ant pharmacists | Natural World
Wood ants have a remarkable solution for avoiding disease.
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet - mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most ...
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
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
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
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...
11: Ocean Deep | Planet Earth
11: Ocean Deep | Planet Earth
Series showing our planet in its natural glory. A look at the largest of all habitats, the ocean, which encompasses 90 per cent of all the livi...
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
David Attenborough celebrates the rich variety of habitats in our wild isles, the existence of which is critical for the survival of species ...
5: Human Worlds | The Green Planet
5: Human Worlds | The Green Planet
Two out of five wild plants are threatened with extinction. Today people are finding remarkable ways to help them, and so make our world a...
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough speaks about the environment. Also, includes footage of the drones that turn into animals.
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough discuss their hopes for the future of the planet.
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientist Hannah Cloke discuss their hopes for the COP26 conference.
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
A poison dart frog fights off a contender until he's sufficiently warned off.
The People v Climate Change
The People v Climate Change
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
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
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
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
The scavengers of the deep ocean rely on predators at the surface to provide their nutrition.
Unicorns of the north | Frozen Planet
Unicorns of the north | Frozen Planet
Temporary cracks provide highways through the ice.