Rise of Animals - Part 2: Dawn of the Mammals
David Lee, UK, 2013o
Animal life on earth began 500 million years ago. But how did the species diverge, and what role does the inner support of the spine play in this? The famous natural scientist David Attenborough presents new findings in evolutionary research, which precisely dates fossils, analyses them with virtuosity and brings them to life in a fascinating way with computer animation. Part 2 shows how 60 million years ago mammals revolutionized reproduction and began their global triumphant advance.
It’s a wonderful, brilliantly encapsulated crash course in the evolution of vertebrates, how we came to have backbones, and jaws, lungs and limbs. Because it’s told by the master, it has his trademark mix of clarity and wonder: you get a sense of magic, seeing how similar a skate embryo is to a human one, how early fish evolved a body plan that gave us body parts we adapted in different ways. [Excerpt]
David ButcherGalleryo
