Madagascar became the land of lemurs through the accidental arrival of one small group of primates 60 million years ago. Cycles of tumultuous geological and climatic events caused the foundation family to mutate into over 100 species of lemurs through a series of evolutionary processes.
The Cerrado in Brazil is a vast grassland where life is defined by close relationships and synchronized life cycles. An extreme climate has transformed the Cerrado into a theatre of evolution where the inhabitants have acquired remarkable skills, unique shapes and unusual habits -- the predator eats ants, the wolf eats fruit, birds nest in termite mounds and monkeys walk upright like humans.
Australia is a floating laboratory whose ancient origins, continental drift and changing climate forced its inhabitants to evolve and adapt, culminating in over 200 species of pouched marsupials. The story of Australia's iconic red kangaroo and how it evolved to survive and thrive in the desert, represents the journey of its many marsupial cousins, which are all equipped with astounding survival features and behaviours enabling them to dominate every niche across this vast continent.
New Zealand -- a fairytale archipelago with a turbulent geological past. A land with astonishing creatures; flightless birds and creatures of the night; living fossils and dinosaurs... Evolution has run wild on this land of isolation and today some of the world's most unusual animals can be found only in New Zealand.
A tale of three African lakes set in an aquatic world of vibrant color, shape and movement. In these waters live over 1,000 fish species, all evolved from one family. These fish are evolving faster than any other vertebrate on the planet. It is a story that would have wowed Darwin.
Japan is a chain of islands born of violent tectonic forces and buffeted by the most extreme climate. This is the story of how ancient animals and new arrivals evolved strategies to overcome extremes of land and climate to survive on the world's most dramatic and breathtakingly beautiful island arcs.
