True stories from the animal world that shocked naturalists and scientific experts. In this first programme scientists discuss the gruesome discovery in the Florida Everglades of a 6ft Burmese python undone by an unusual meal of decomposing alligator. Tests proved the snake had swallowed the creature whole, but that it soon proved to have bitten off more than it could chew
Documentary examining a spate of violent cattle and rhino deaths which took place across a large area of Africa in the early 1990s. Locals and scientists came to believe that the perpetrators were elephants seeking revenge against Maasai villagers who had previously been responsible for barbarous behaviour towards elephants, as evidence suggested they being specifically targeted for retribution
Examining evidence that four black bears killed in Yellowstone Park in 1990 were victims of their larger cousins, grizzly bears, who had hitherto shied away from confrontation despite their physical superiority. Although the cases were unrelated, they demonstrated the rise in numbers of one of North America's most fearsome predators, showing the effect of changing habitat and increasing hunger
The investigation into a series of unexplained deaths among dolphins and porpoises off the coasts of Virginia and Scotland in the late 1990s. The dead mammals presented no external signs of trauma but were shown under autopsy to have massive internal injuries. Ruling out human and environmental causes of death, a team of American researchers eventually discovered small puncture marks on the creatures' jaws that brought them to a shocking conclusion
Detailing the findings of an investigation into multiple alligator deaths which occured in and around Florida's Lake Griffin during the late 1990s. With no signs of attack, locals and experts struggled to explain events which left many of the creatures in a catatonic state, struggling to survive in conditions they had adapted to over millions of years
How in 2005 billions of potentially deadly jellyfish suddenly appeared off Japan and started heading directly toward Australia. With an invasion coming, scientists set about investigating the influx, attempting to identify the motivation for their appearance and the apparently considered decision to head for the Antipodes. Last in series
New series exploring extraordinary finds in the animal world, which shocked naturalists and scientific experts alike. This edition focuses on the story of a hunter and his Inuit guide, who were shocked to discover that a polar bear, which they had tracked across the remote Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic, actually appeared to be an animal of an entirely unknown species
Investigating a series of unexplained drownings in a North Indian river, in which three swimmers have disappeared after being gripped in the jaws of an unidentified beast. British biologist Jeremy Wade travels to India to learn more about the myth of the monster from the locals, and tests theories that the culprit is an indigenous crocodile or a bull shark, before setting up a super-strength fishing line in the hope of snaring the mysterious creature
On January 26, 2004, the body of a 50-tonne sperm whale being transported to a Taiwanese university spontaneously exploded during transit - creating a macabre scene of devastation on a busy street in Tainan. The series explores the reasons behind the surreal event, suggesting that decomposition processes, coupled with thriving bacterial activity within the carcass, were the cause of the occurance
In 1996, zoologists were shocked by the discovery of several hideously disfigured devil colonies living on the Australian island of Tasmania. This programme examines how intensive hunting undertaken by Tasmanian farmers led to the weakening of devils' immune system, causing the outbreak of a new, and highly contagious form of cancer
The series tries to find out why lions in the wast of Africa are attacking more humans in recent years.
In 1997, tourists on a whale-watching boat 27 miles west of San Francisco were stunned to see a great white shark being attacked, killed and eaten by an orca, effectively deposing the former as the marine world's most feared predator. Using footage from the incident, experts provide their theories as to how the killer whale was able to overpower its adversary, and question whether this event warrants a reconsideration of the ocean's food chain
Examination of the spate of deaths among Ugandan hippos that occurred in 2004. Though tests quickly confirmed they were being poisoned by anthrax, how it was spread astounded vets - noting that unusually no other species were affected by the outbreak, it became evident the creatures were catching the illness by eating the corpses of their kind as drought destroyed their regular sources of nutrition
An examination of the media uproar that surrounded the deaths of five elephants near a Bengali village in May 2007. Intensive investigations concluded the creatures were killed by a lightning strike during a fierce electrical storm, but some experts remained unconvinced. This programme explores allegations of foul play by the Indian state's Forest Department, and questions whether the animals could have been poisoned
On August 21, 1986, nearly 2,000 people living near Lake Nyos in north-west Cameroon dropped dead, severely depleting the populations of three lakeside villages. The documentary examines the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, questioning whether the eruption of carbon dioxide pockets at the bottom of the lake could have produced an odourless toxic cloud deadly enough to suffocate the locals
This instalment profiles the shocking advance of the Humboldt squid. Since 2002, these fearsome predators have colonised the seas at an alarming rate, destroying ecosystems and disrupting fisheries. Researchers around the globe are racing against time to find ways of halting this devastating invasion.
This instalment tells the story of how a dramatic decline in the vulture population has caused ecological disaster in India. The shrinking number of vultures has damaged the country's fragile ecosystem, and has kick-started a shocking chain of events, including an explosion in rabies cases and a marked increase in fatal leopard attacks.
In May 2008, rangers at Kruger stumbled across a horrifying sight in the Olifants Gorge. The gorge, normally a haven for giant Nile crocodiles, was littered with their corpses. Before long, more than 30 dead crocodiles were located, all of which bore no outward signs of injury. The rangers were perplexed as to how these extraordinarily resilient creatures could come to die en masse. Park authorities immediately launched an investigation into the mysterious deaths, led by ecologists Danie Pienaar and Dr Danny Govender, but no clues were forthcoming. However, after conducting post-mortems on some of the dead crocodiles, the team realised that a disease known as pansteatitis was behind the mass die-off. "When we first cut open these crocodiles we noticed this orange, really hard, really rubbery fat," Dr Govender recalls. Pansteatitis, which is more common in domestic cats, is caused by a combination of consuming too much rancid fat, and a lack of vitamin E. The condition causes fat to solidify, leaving infected creatures lethargic, heavy and unable to hunt, eat, or defend themselves. Meanwhile, the death toll in Olifants Gorge continued to rise. Soon, the rangers spotted a crocodile feeding on the corpse of one of its own kind. The crocs had turned to cannibalism, and the only method of preventing the disease from spreading in this way - and potentially into the land predators such as lions - was to remove all the corpses from the gorge. The intervention had an instant effect, and for several months no deaths were recorded. Before long, the team had another huge setback when pansteatitis appeared to return to the gorge. What was the cause of this affliction?
This instalment details how a strange series of seal mutilations baffled experts for over a decade. The shocking discovery of the unlikely culprit turned marine biology on its head.
Exploring the life of the killer whale. Streamlined and cunning, killer whales have many hunting techniques. They live and hunt together in cooperative pods much like a pack of wolves, and work together as they hunt. Groups of orcas cooperate to herd fish into a compact area so that they're easier to eat. They will also slap their tails onto the water's surface, causing a wave to wash prey off ice floes and into the water. A pod will also surround a much larger animal, chasing, biting and wearing it down until it becomes a meal. They’ve also been seen playing with a meal, subjecting the poor victim to torment before eventually eating it - isolated, outnumbered and overwhelmed, their prey stands no chance.
Mark Addison investigates the mysterious arrival of sixty blacktip sharks.
A look at the unusually high death rate among elephants at the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
A look at a series of explosive fires that have ravaged pig barns across North America.
