The Trials of Life

Birth is the first dangerous step into a hazardous world, an event which reflects the lifelong labours to come. From egg-laying to live-bearing, David Attenborough explores the extraordinary variety of techniques animals use to disperse their offspring.

Any parent knows about the problems of bringing up a child, and for animals it is no different. How do you protect your infant from daily hazards, care for it in a busy schedule and help it survive the vulnerable years to achieve independence? How does an infant learn the skills it will need for life? David Attenborough discovers that nature's answers are as varied as those in human societies.

The vital quest for food opens up an intriguing world of ploy and counter-ploy, exploitation and theft. David Attenborough looks at the many ways animals fight back against leaves defended by poisons and seeds protected by spines and armour.

David Attenborough examines the life and death duels that are fought daily in the wild. From killer whales ambushing sea lions in the surf to the chilling capture of a colobus monkey by chimpanzees in the rainforest, these are the desperate battles between assassins and their victims that have sharpened the skills of both in the art of pursuit and evasion.

From a tiny ant making marathon journeys over the scorching desert to an albatross flying 800 miles over open ocean before returning with food for its chick, David Attenborough explores the variety of ways by which animals navigate with an accuracy that we humans have only recently achieved.

David Attenborough discovers that the animal building trade has its fair share of cowboys too as he looks at the various strategies used in the construction of a home. Whether its building a simple sandy burrow or a massive termite city, the aim of every animal architect is simple - to keep the elements and any unwanted visitors out!

For better or worse, many animals form surprising partnerships. Birds offer a personal and intimate cleaning service to rid their clients of itchy hangers-on while hermit crabs enlist armies of stinging anemones as boxing gloves to repel octopuses. But not all lodgers are so welcome as David Attenborough discovers, many are thieves, others are slow-killers, whilst some manipulate their host's behaviour in the strangest ways for their own sinister ends.

David Attenborough examines the various duels that occur in the animal world. Fights over food, territory or mates is widespread but with teeth, hooves, horns and spines causing severe injury and sometimes even death, its important for animals to choose their battles wisely.

David Attenborough examines the importance of friends and rivals in the animal world. For baboons, it's not how big they are, but who they know, that counts, whilst chickens need to know their place in the farmyard pecking-order. But there are unlikely friendships too. Vampire bats not only scratch one another's backs, but also share their grisly meals of blood. And when millions of sister insects work together, the result is a superorganism that dominates the forest.

From the love song of fish which keeps people awake in San Francisco bay to the world's loudest birds that scream through the rainforest, David Attenborough takes a global look at animal communications.

It is no use being shy and retiring if you want to attract the opposite sex. From singing and offering presents to showing off their strength and beauty, David Attenborough examines the vast array of techniques animals must use if they are to have a successful courtship and become a parent.

When it comes to sex, there seem to be no fixed rules in the animal world. Creatures will go to any lengths, it seems, to make babies - to continue the line is the final trial, and the ultimate triumph. David Attenborough concludes the series by looking at the many and varied ways that animals ensure their genes are passed to the next generation.