The South American continent is a land of great extremes, stretching from the Antarctic to the Equator. It has the planet's greatest river system, longest mountain chain, biggest and richest rainforest and driest desert. Using the latest camera techniques, including infrared night vision cameras, rarely seen animals are revealed, while a special aerial camera soars over the continent, revealing an entirely new perspective on its varied and dramatic landscape.
1 season · 6 episodes
S1 E1Lost Worlds
Nov 6, 200049 min
The opening episode traces the events that have created the unique landforms and ecology of South America. Originally part of the supercontinent Gondwana, it broke away around 100 million years ago and became an island. At that time, it was
S1 E2Mighty Amazon
Nov 13, 200049 min
The second programme shows how life along the Amazon River is dominated by the annual cycle of floods. In the dry season, female giant river turtles gather on exposed sand banks to lay their eggs. As broad reaches of river are cut off by sa
S1 E3Great Plains
Nov 20, 200049 min
The third instalment features Brazil's Cerrado grasslands and the Pantanal, the largest seasonal swamp on Earth. The plains have pronounced wet and dry seasons, and the creatures of these ancient habitats have evolved survival strategies to
S1 E4Andes
Nov 27, 200049 min
In the fourth programme, the viewer is taken on a journey along the Andes, the spine of the continent. In the northern tropics, spectacled bears feed on bromeliads in the cloud forests and on the puya flower spikes in the alpine grasslands
S1 E5Amazon Jungle
Dec 11, 200049 min
Episode five covers the Amazon rainforest, home to more varieties of plants and animals than anywhere else on Earth. Despite the profusion of life, finding food can be a challenge for both people and animals. Many plants have poisonous leav
S1 E6Penguin Shores
Dec 18, 200049 min
The final programme begins in the Falkland Islands, where thousands of rockhopper penguins negotiate the treacherous wave-swept coast and sea cliffs as they come ashore to breed. Huge shoals of krill live in the cold, oxygen-rich waters of
