NDR Naturfilm

This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden flight above the jungle canopy.

It covers thirty percent of the Earth's land mass and yet, most of us barely scratch the surface. Now, discover what few people have seen, as The Green Planet follows the stories of forest inhabitants, from graceful red deer to cunning foxes and impressive wild boar. With cutting edge technology, we also explore some of the more bizarre and wonderful forest dwellers: the purple emperor, liverworts, stag beetles and corydalis. See flowers bloom and blades of grass cut through the snow. Spend time in a foxes den with her new born cubs and follow tiny insects and creatures with microscopic detail. Be a part of a journey that takes you through the seasons and be prepared to be amazed by the natural wonder of creation, destruction and rebirth in this incomparable landscape.

Leopards are considered to be extremely shy big cats. Only a few animals can match the elegance of these feline predators. The cautious hunters are rarely seen in the wild for more than a few seconds. The cats can be observed more extensively when they rest asleep in a tree and recover from the mostly nocturnal hunt. But a leopardess has switched to hunting in broad daylight. Its home along the brook bed of the Olare Orok offers everything a mother needs to protect and nourish its offspring: picturesque rocks and dense bush, a landscape in which the big cat can disappear in seconds to sneak up on potential prey, which includes warthogs and antelopes. But hyenas and lions are always ready to contest for its territory and nourishment. The renowned wildlife filmmaker Reinhard Radke managed to capture astonishing insights into the social life and hunting tactics of the ambush hunters in the Maasai Mara.

Main subject of Serengeti is the mass migration of wildebeest , which in search of nutritious grass hundreds of kilometers annually by the savannah draw. At the end of the rainy season, they break into a huge herd of over a million animals on the north. The wildebeest and other animals are joining the migration, as zebras and gazelles , continuously exposed to hazards, particularly by predators such as lions and cheetahs . A highlight of the great migration, the crossing of the Mara is: There, the wildebeest have to overcome not only meter high cliffs, they are also crocodiles delivered. With the onset of the rainy season, however, leave the wildebeest north again what had long been a mystery. The reason for this is that the grass in the north a phosphorus deficiency , and said thus wildebeest forces to retreat to the south.

Uganda is still what travellers consider an ‘insider tip’. Off the tourist map, a place still in the shadows of its past. Visitors, including scientists and conservationists, had a difficult time in the civil war-stricken country. Poaching had endangered many of Uganda’s most iconic animals including Mountain gorillas, cave elephants, the chimpanzees and even the tree-dwelling lions. But now the national parks have been restored and Uganda’s wildlife is once again thriving. This is a celebration of their survival.

Spotted hyenas are known to not have the best reputation. Sociobiologically, spotted hyenas are extremely interesting animals. They live in tightly organized packs, clans of related females with their young and immigrant males. The rules of their hierarchy seem brutal to us, but hyenas have good reasons to submit to these harsh rules

The North Sea, the largest sea on our doorstep, has many faces: wide tidal environments, high dunes, flat holms and rugged coastlines. Its beaches attract every season not only tourists but also countless seals. And beneath the cool sea surface hides a varied and fascinating underwater world: whether majestic basking before the chalk cliffs of Dover or combative gray seals on the beach of Helgoland, whether mighty squid on the Dutch Oosterschelde, or creepy Greenland shark in the Fjords of Norway.

In the heart of Borneo's rainforests, one of the oldest and most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, lives the orangutan, arguably the largest tree dweller. The main story is about mother ape Sati and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Huyan on their journey through the jungle, while at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, orphaned and rescued young animals are given a chance at a new life in the wild. But their habitat is threatened by radical deforestation and palm oil plantations. This impressive documentary shows these endangered great apes at eye level for the first time. With the help of innovative drone technology an insight into the dizzying treetops of the jungle giants was, achieved where they mostly stay. It discovering the secret lives of these extraordinary animals with insightful footage and partly some scenes never before seen. Unforgettable images illustrate why protecting the rainforests is crucial for the orangutans and the future of our planet.

Angry birds are very popular- especially among game-playing kids, but are there real angry birds out there? Birds battle to survive, find food, and shelter, avoid danger, and raise their young. Life's hard, but will they get in a flap?

The Lion, Africa’s ultimate predator. They’re known as the kings of the jungle yet their homeland is an open grassland rather than rainforest. In the African plains prey-rich real estate can be hard to come by, and lions work together to ensure no one claims their territory and usurps their crown

In the secluded isolation of Christmas Island, crabs have become the guardians of a lush rainforest kingdom. The robber crab is an unruly king, with a meter-wide leg-span and claws that can open a coconut. As we follow the robber’s life cycle, we learn that crabs are much more than creepy crawlies.

Following three young bears of different species through varying landscapes as they find their way in the world.

On an ordinary farm, between the first buds of spring and the end of summer, our pets appear to live in peace and harmony. But if we look more closely, however tame these animals might be, when we immerse ourselves in their daily lives, reality is more complex and surprising than expected, sometimes tragic, always funny.

South America is a continent of contradictions, born of fire and carved by the mighty Amazon River. This is a detailed look at the wonders of South America, through its stunning landscapes. With everything from massive glaciers to dry deserts, and everything in-between.

Isolated from the rest of the world since the time of the dinosaurs, New Zealand’s magnificent wildlife has been left to its own devices for 80 million years, with surprising consequences. This series reveals New Zealand’s rich and intriguing wildlife stories, from the bustling communities of penguins hiding away in giant daisy forests to the kakapo – Earth’s only species of flightless nocturnal parrots. New Zealand was also the last place to be discovered and settled by people who brought with them new animals, like merino sheep and new predators like the stoat. Finally the series meets the pioneering conservation heroes who are fighting to save some of its most endangered species.

Explore a lesser-known part of Venice: the wild side! In coral reefs and hidden gardens, find everything from poisonous mammals to strange sea life.

In some cultures, jackals were pursued and condemned as pests that fed on parasite-infested carcasses. In others, such as Ancient Egypt, they were divinely celebrated. This documentary accompanies a young scientist, who is drawn to these mythical mammals, and takes us on a journey to explore golden jackals, from Egypt to the barren hills of Greece.

With their future in peril, two male Proboscis monkeys on the remote Island of Borneo deal with the human invasion that will destroy their idyllic home.