The BEST episodes of Explorer season 2004

#1 - Roar: One Man's Pride

Season 2004 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/23/2004

Roar: One Man's Pride tells the story of filmmaker Tim Liversedge as he sets out to make the program of his dreams - 'Roar' - a Large Format/IMAX film that documents the amazing wildlife in Southern Botswana, where the lush mosaic of the Okavango Delta gives way to the unforgiving plains of the Kalahari. He first came to this part of the world as a boy. Now, 40 years later, he returns with his wife, taking extraordinary personal risks in order to produce this giant screen spectacle. Focusing on an old lion king, his two wives and their domain surrounding a rare waterhole, Liversedge braves fierce heat and blinding dust storms - and the animals he loves - to bring us some of the most stunning wildlife images ever seen.

#2 - Africa's Deadly Dozen

Season 2004 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/9/2004

Africa is a continent that conjures up images of bold predators: Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and jackals. Now National Geographic sets those four-legged giants aside in search of the twelve deadliest snakes in Africa, including the continent's most lethal serpent. We will come face to face with these amazing creatures, and meet both those who revere them and some of the victims of their often-deadly defenses. What characteristics will crown one snake as Africa's most dangerous? It is sure to have a combinati

#3 - Wolves of the Air; Flight of the Harpy Eagle

Season 2004 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/31/2004

#4 - King Rattler

Season 2004 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/8/2004

Get up close to the legendary eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the largest and most dangerous snake in North America. Find out where it lives, how it hunts and what to do if you encounter one.

#5 - Gates of Hell

Season 2004 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/22/2004

A secret world rich in wildlife is hidden away inside an ancient volcanic crater in Kenya's rift valley. Mighty geysers of steaming water, boiled underground by highly sulphuric volcanic activity, gush to the surface of the valley floor. The poisonous, highly alkaline water flows from the geysers into a lake called 'Bogaria', which stretches the length of the ancient caldera. This is one of the most hostile lakes in the world. Two million flamingos live around these caustic waters, while a penetratingly hot equatorial sun beats overhead. Predators abound on the shores of the poisonous lake, tempted by an abundance of prey. Unlikely predators partake: hungry baboons and opportunistic marabou storks ravage the birds. Our story follows a family of African fish eagles, which specializes in feeding on flamingo flesh at this staggeringly beautiful, yet utterly savage, 'Gate of Hell'.

#6 - Island of the Vampire Birds

Season 2004 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/23/2004

Islands of the Vampire Birds is the story of how a tiny finch made its way to a barren group of islands in the Pacific and over millions of years, evolved into one of the most fascinating groups of birds on earth. Darwin's Finches live in the harsh andunforgiving Galapagos Islands 600 miles off the coast of South America. Though normally dry, the islands experience periods of torrential rains in El Nino years. Frequent volcanic eruptions combine with the fierce tropical sun and a constantly changing

#7 - Elephant Power

Season 2004 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/13/2004

ELEPHANT POWER travels deep into the heart of forbidden Burma to document, for the first time, the lives of wild Asian elephants. Some 10,000 elephants, nearly one-third of all Asian elephants, survive in the forests of Burma, but little is known about these animals. Even today, much of the scientific literature still cites observations made centuries ago, at a time when Asian elephants numbered hundreds of thousands. This film will follow a single herd over the course of a year. Along the way, we learn how the elephants face daily peril from farmers and a logging industry dependent on elephant labor to harvest Burma's remaining forests.

#8 - Fearsome Frogs

Season 2004 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/21/2004

An alien invader runs rampant through the borderlands of South East Arizona, devouring anything that crosses its path and wiping out entire populations of local residents. In its relentless pursuit of prey it will eat its own kind to satisfy its hunger. This is not a monster, but the North American Bullfrog, which is a voracious carnivore with an insatiable appetite. It was introduced to the regions west of the Rocky Mountains in the early 1900's. Today, with few natural enemies the bullfrog has begun to overtake its fragile ecosystem. This is contributing to the decline of native species of wildlife in Arizona, which includes the Leopard frog and the rare Mexican Garter Snake. Efforts to contain this animal have yet to stop it. FEARSOME FROGS joins herpetologist Cecil Schwalbe on the frontlines of the struggle to protect Arizona's native wildlife and reveals the bullfrog's hunting prowess that threatens the survival of its riparian neighbors.

#9 - Rat

Season 2004 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/22/2004

#10 - Poison

Season 2004 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/28/2004

Nature's poisons possess awesome powers. National Geographic's POISON! re-lives the spine-chilling experiences of people who have survived near-death encounters with some of nature's deadliest toxins - and discovers how modern medical technology is turning the tables to use poisons in the fight against disease. Using sophisticated animation and photography, POISON! reveals the secrets of attack and explores the human body during crisis, including nervous system dysfunction, anaphylactic shock, severe swelling, and tissue destruction. Poisons are among nature's most ancient weapons. And yet, more and more, they hold keys to our survival.

#11 - Tiger Shark

Season 2004 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/19/2004

He is one of the ocean's most fearsome predators, probably responsible for more attacks on humans than any other shark. Capable of striking incomparable terror, the tiger shark remains a complex enigma that science is just beginning to unveil. In the warm waters of Hawaii, we will encounter the animal behind the mythical monster. In Shark Bay, Western Australia, we'll discover the tiger shark as undisputed lord and master of a primeval; multifaceted ecosystem virtually untouched by man's presence.

#12 - Female Suicide Bombers

Season 2004 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/13/2004

Female suicide bombers have struck around the world, including Sri Lanka, Russia and the Middle East. Their motives are complex and not altogether understood. Explorer's Lisa Ling travels to Russia and the Middle East to try to understand the actions of these women, as well as the conditions that might have fostered them.

#13 - Killer Crocs of Uganda

Season 2004 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/13/2004

Rogue man-eating crocodiles plague a remote fishing village.

#14 - Return of the Mummy

Season 2004 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/13/2004