Attenborough's Ark
David Attenborough picks ten animals that he would most like to save from extinction. From the weird to the wonderful, he shows why the creatures he chooses are so important.
David Attenborough chooses his ten favourite animals that he would most like to save from extinction. From the weird to the wonderful, he picks fabulous and unusual creatures that he would like to put in his 'ark', including unexpected and little-known animals such as the olm, the solenodon and the quoll. He shows why they are so important and shares the ingenious work of biologists across the world who are helping to keep them alive.
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Clips
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Why black lion tamarins are great
Duration: 01:16
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Mimicking a tamarin call
Duration: 00:51
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Cute baby rhino
Duration: 00:53
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How to train a quoll
Duration: 02:45
Music Played
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Air
Highschool Lover
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Noah and the Whale
Mary
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Noah and the Whale
2 Atoms in a Molecule
A word from the producer, Sally Thomson
Working with David Attenborough is always a treat but finding out about some of the weird and wonderful animals that he chose for his ‘ark’ was fascinating.ÌýI learned all sorts of new things about some really diverse and unusual species – some I’d never previously heard about!
Ìý
One of the most intriguing animals for me is the solenodon. Before making this film I hadn’t even heard of it! It has such a remarkable history with ancestors that can be traced back 76 million years and yet very little is known about it. With its incredible nose, I also find it SO cute!ÌýÌý
Ìý
One of the stories which proved quite tense for us was that of the Sumatran rhino. We knew that Ratu, the female rhino at Way Kambas National Park was pregnant months ago but she had miscarried in the past and it was never certain that she would have a successful birth. We all waited with fingers crossed and thankfully the news finally came through that she had given birth to a health male calf – relief and joy all round!
Ìý
Finally one of the big surprises for me in David’s selection was the Venus Flower Basket.Ìý This glass sponge is the simplest of all living creatures and yet its structure is so amazing.Ìý As David points out in the film – it really shows us how much we still have to learn about the natural world which I felt was a poignant way to end the film.
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | David Attenborough |
Producer | Sally Thomson |
Series Editor | Steve Greenwood |
Broadcasts
- Fri 9 Nov 2012 21:0091Èȱ¬ HD & 91Èȱ¬ Two
- Sat 10 Nov 2012 19:3091Èȱ¬ HD & 91Èȱ¬ Two
- Christmas Day 2012 09:45
- Fri 4 Jan 2013 00:25
- Sat 23 Mar 2013 20:30
- Sat 8 Aug 2015 20:00
- Sun 9 Aug 2015 02:55
- Mon 10 Aug 2015 23:00
- Tue 9 Feb 2016 20:00
- Mon 15 Feb 2016 00:00
- Mon 9 May 2016 23:00
- Mon 16 May 2016 00:15
- Tue 27 Sep 2016 20:00
- Wed 28 Sep 2016 02:50
- Sat 10 Jun 2017 19:00
- Tue 13 Jun 2017 22:00
- Sat 18 Aug 2018 20:00
- Sun 19 Aug 2018 02:50
- Sat 16 Feb 2019 17:0091Èȱ¬ Two except Wales
- Sun 8 May 2022 16:3091Èȱ¬ Two except Northern Ireland & Scotland
- Sun 8 May 2022 18:1091Èȱ¬ Two Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only