The WORST episodes of Natural World
Every episode of Natural World ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Natural World!
Expeditions that take the viewer far away from the urban jungle to present the life of animals that live in the real jungle.
#1 - Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers
Season 13 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/27/1994
Focusing on a pair of albatrosses during the year they produce and raise a chick, Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers is an engaging and atmospheric insight into the wildlife of the sub-Antarctic Crozet Islands. Delving into a previously unknown area, the film follows the intriguing work of French scientist Henri Weimerskirch as he uses satellite tracking and time-depth recorders to follow the ever changing population of these remote isles.
#2 - Vampires, Devilbirds and Spirits: Tales of the Calypso Isles
Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/3/1994
A celebration of Caribbean wildlife, Vampires, Devilbirds and Spirits: Tales of the Calypso Isles takes an entertaining look at the myths and legends of Trinidad and Tobago, and many of the creatures on which they are based. Nature plays a significant role in the country’s folklore, with narration by a local person and extensive role-play, the production interweaves these intriguing tales with impressive photography of the abundant wildlife, including infra-red footage of the elusive cave-dwelling oilbirds.
#3 - Pandas of the Sleeping Dragon
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/4/1994
Filmed in the nature reserves of the mixed bamboo forests of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains in Sichuan province, central China. Focuses on the predicament of the giant panda and on the lessser-known red panda. The giant panda's digestive system is more suited to meat eating yet, because it feeds almost exclusively on bamboo, which has a low nutritional value, the animal must feed virtually around the clock to survive. Other animals that live in the forests include parrot bills, bamboo rats, golden monkeys, tufted deer, wild dogs, golden pheasants and the takin - a distant relative of the musk ox. The giant salamander, known as the water dragon, the world's largest amphibian is also to be found in the area.
#4 - The Witness Was a Fly
Season 12 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/17/1994
Scientists demonstrate ways in which animals, insects and plants can provide clues to the detection of crimes.
#5 - Untangling the Knot
Season 12 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/24/1994
Follows Dutch, Canadian and British biologists as they chart the journeys of two groups of knots(shorebirds) from South America and South Africa.
#6 - Snowdonia: Realm of Ravens
Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/8/1994
Reveals the most complete record of raven life ever filmed, at the National Park.
#7 - Race for Life: Africa's Great Migration
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/15/1994
Records the epic joiurney of more than a million and a half wildebeest, travelling in a 500 mile arc across the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
#8 - Islands in the African Sky
Season 12 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/22/1994
An atmospheric and evocative portrayal of the wildlife in East Africa's rugged mountain ranges, Islands in the African Sky was widely acclaimed for its stunning soundtrack. The second part of an African trilogy, the production explores the extraordinary adaptations and unusual appearances that have evolved to aid survival in this extreme climate. Straddling the equator, the mountains undergo vast temperature changes as scorching days give way to arctic nights. The intriguing footage is brought to life by Gunning's powerful score, the haunting sounds emphasising both the eerie beauty and intense mystique of this hostile land.
#9 - Comrades of the Kalahari
Season 12 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/29/1994
Focuses on the co-operation between the yellow mongoose and the ground squirrel that enables both species to thrive in the arid Kalahari.
#10 - Webs of Intrigue
Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/27/1994
Wildlife film capturing the Dinopis spider and Sydney funnelweb amongst others.
#11 - Badlands
Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/4/1994
Documentary on the prairie dog of the South Dakota Badlands.
#12 - Hunters of the Sea Wind
Season 13 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/11/1994
Documentary showing life under the Pacific Ocean and the predatory life of the marlin, sailfish, sea snakes, dolphins and tuna, birds and turtles.
#13 - Parrots: Look Who's Talking!
Season 13 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/15/1995
Examines the parrot in the wild and sees how its natural behaviour is modified in a domesticated environment.
#15 - Ytene: England's Ancient Forest
Season 13 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/29/1995
Documentary, filmed over a two year period, exploring the wildlife found in the New Forest in southern England, which the Saxons called Ytene. The woodland, bogs and heaths of the area are home to wild ponies, fallow deer, badgers, foxes, wildfowl, and insects. Seasonal changes are shown, and some elusive species, such as firecrests, hawfinches, woodlarks and tadpole shrimps are pictured. The programme is interwoven with a history of land use in the area from mediaeval times.
#16 - Gentle Jaws of the Serengeti
Season 13 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/12/1995
Focuses on a clan of spotted hyenas.
#17 - Monkey in the Mirror
Season 13 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/19/1995
Observes some of the behaviour of the Bonobos, pygmy chimpanzees that inhabit a remote area of rainforest in Zaire. The species is considered to be man's closest living relative.
#18 - Reindeer Girls
Season 26 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/9/2008
Elle and Inga, 17-year-old cousins from the north of Norway, are far from ordinary teenagers. They are reindeer herders, equally at home helping reindeer swim fjords or ice fishing as playing with the internet and mobile phones. We follow the girls and their families as they accompany the reindeer herds on the annual migration across the acrtic tundra, gaining a unique insight into the lives of the girls and the reindeer on which they depend in this bleak and beautiful world.
#19 - Invasion of the Crocodiles
Season 25 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/9/2007
Australia's deadly saltwater crocs are making a dramatic comeback. They're spreading in alarming numbers through the billabongs, rivers and beaches of the Northern Territory. Last year, over 300 had to be removed from the harbour of Darwin, the region's capital. Hundreds of cattle are being killed, and most worrying of all, attacks on people are increasing every year, often in places where crocs were previously unknown. Biologist Adam Britton tries to find out why the crocs have suddenly become such a problem
#20 - The Bloodhound and the Beardie
Season 25 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/16/2007
For thousands of years, dogs were working animals not just pets, carefully bred to hunt, guard, herd or retrieve. Now these instincts are turning some dogs into problem pets. This film follows a bloodhound called Holly and a bearded collie called Herbie, who both face an uncertain future in rescue homes because they are so out of control. In order to give them a second chance, professional trainers see if they can be put back to work, sniffing out criminals and herding sheep.
#21 - Saving Our Seabirds
Season 25 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/23/2007
Britain has spectacular colonies of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes and skuas, but recently many birds have failed to breed. In the summer of 2006, bird expert Roy Dennis travelled in search of answers. He reveals that, as our seas are getting warmer, the sand eels that seabirds depend on are declining. Some seabirds are learning to find new sources of food and, with a bit more protection, Roy believes they can adapt and survive.
#22 - Rainforests for the Future
Season 25 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/6/2007
In a region of Africa more often in the news for human suffering and civil war, the state of Gabon is a stable democracy that is devoting itself to protecting wildlife. Over 10% percent of the country's rainforest is protected in a series of national parks that are home to elephants, gorillas, chimps and giant troupes of mandrills.
#23 - Wye - Voices from the Valley
Season 25 - Episode 17 - Aired 6/13/2007
Documentary study of a year in the life of the Wye Valley around the river, and four people who depend on the seasons, river and land, including cider maker Mike, beekeeper Gareth, salmon fisherman Lyndon and sheep farmer Derek. Considers the importance of the weather and seasons on them, and also at some of the wildlife found in the area.
#24 - White Falcon, White Wolf
Season 26 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/1/2008
On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic, a pair of white gyrfalcons and a pack of arctic wolves are struggling to raise their young. As the falcons' eggs hatch, the parents must find enough arctic hares to feed them. The wolf pack are raising their cubs in a hillside den. The film records behaviour that has never been seen by scientists, let alone filmed.
#25 - Saved By Dolphins
Season 26 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/8/2008
Since ancient times, there have been legends of dolphins rescuing humans at sea. Two recent cases where swimmers were rescued from sharks by dolphins seem to show that the legends are true. Dramatisations from the Red Sea and New Zealand's North Island help scientists analyse what makes dolphins take pity on humans.