The BEST episodes of Nature

#1 - Iceland: Fire and Ice

Season 17 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/7/1999

"Iceland: Fire and Ice" is a "wonderland of eternal opposites," where glaciers sit on top of volcanoes. In this land of ice there are no trees, but it is home to Arctic foxes, a large bird population and twice as many sheep as people. Included: footage of ice caves.

#2 - The Queen of Trees

Season 24 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/9/2006

Patricia Clarkson narrates this look at the relationship between the sycamore fig tree and the tiny fig wasp, which is so small it could fly through the eye of a needle. The trees, which flourish in Kenya, produce fruit that provides nourishment to more wildlife than any other tree in Africa, but without the pollination the wasp provides, that might not occur. The documentary also examines other creatures that make the trees their homes, including gray hornbills (one of Africa's largest birds).

#3 - The Sagebrush Sea

Season 33 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/20/2015

It’s been called The Big Empty – an immense sea of sagebrush that once stretched 500,000 square miles across North America. Yet it’s far from empty, as those who look closely will discover. In this ecosystem anchored by the sage, eagles and antelope, badgers and lizards, rabbits, wrens, owls, prairie dogs, songbirds, hawks and migrating birds of all description make their homes.

#4 - The Cheetah Orphans

Season 26 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/11/2007

Documentarian Simon King raises two orphaned cheetah cubs in Kenya's Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. He's seen bottle-feeding them and---to prepare them for the wild--- teaching the pair to hunt. King narrates.

#5 - Legendary White Stallions

Season 31 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/1/2013

The striking white Lipizzaner stallions of the famed Spanish Riding School in Vienna have been thrilling audiences for centuries. During the winter public performance season, the horses execute breathtaking displays of carefully choreographed and synchronized movements known as high classical dressage. The riding school’s success relies on the strong bonds the animals establish with their riders during years of training; Lipizzaner stallions go through a minimum of six years of practice and preparation before performing publicly. Legendary White Stallions explores how Lipizzaners have developed from horses bred for war in the rugged Atlas Mountains of North Africa into living works of art capturing the hearts of millions in a world-famous court of kings.

#6 - Attenborough's Life Stories: Life on Camera

Season 31 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/23/2013

Attenborough revisits key places and events in his career and shows how a succession of technical innovations in filmmaking led to remarkable revelations about our planet and the creatures that inhabit it.

#7 - Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story

Season 29 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/9/2011

2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Born Free” – a book and then a film that changed forever the way we think about wildlife. What has happened to lions since this story? What has happened to the people featured in the film? And what has “Born Free” taught us?

#8 - Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves

Season 28 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/17/2010

The wilds of Yellowstone National Park are a world of predators, scavengers and opportunists. In this vast and complex kingdom, two dominant predators reign supreme: the grizzly bear and the wolf. Size and power square off against speed and teamwork, as mighty grizzly bears contend with powerful packs of wolves for control of the food supply. Though these two fearsome hunters would normally rule their ranges uncontested, in Yellowstone they must share resources, or face starvation.

#9 - Dogs: The Early Years

Season 20 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/11/2001

An incisive look at the breeding, behavior, and training of humankind's best friend, including useful pointers on how to avoid mistakes when selecting a puppy.

#10 - The Face of the Deep

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/28/1984

Examines the variety of plants and animals living in the Sargasso Sea, a gigantic floating bed of seaweed near Bermuda.

#11 - Resurrection at Truk Lagoon

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/25/1984

An exploration of the sunken Japanese war machinery destroyed by the Allies during World War II in the South Pacific, which provides an environment for underwater plant and animal life.

#12 - The Flight of the Condor: Down the Amazon

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/1982

The third part of the series is a spectacular visual trip down the fabled river. From the snow-clad summit of the volcano Cotopaxi and others comes the greatest river in the world as melting ice creates a torrent that drops three miles in its first short distance. The river is fed by magnificent waterfalls and is channeled through gorges out into the tropical rain forest where there are more species of birds than anywhere.

#13 - The Secret World of Sharks and Rays

Season 17 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/18/1998

NATURE lifts part of the veil of mystery shrouding some fascinating — and often fearsome — creatures in The Secret World of Sharks and Rays. Sharks and their biological cousins, the rays, are among the highest-profile denizens of the deep, thanks to the popularity of books and films that have cast them in leading roles — as antagonist, not protagonist.

#14 - Fabulous Frogs

Season 32 - Episode 19 - Aired 6/25/2014

Sir David Attenborough hosts an exploration of the weird and wonderful world of frogs. Firsthand stories, the latest science and cutting-edge technology are used to demonstrate the wide variety of frog anatomy, appearance and behavior.

#15 - Christmas in Yellowstone

Season 25 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/19/2006

NATURE presents a breathtaking look at wintertime deep within Yellowstone, America's first national park.

#16 - River of No Return

Season 30 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/18/2012

Central Idaho's Frank Church--River of No Return Wilderness is the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 States. Endless rugged mountains, wild rivers, forests and deep canyons define this land--home to numerous species of wildlife, including wolves, who have just returned after 50 years of near absence. A young couple, Isaac and Bjornen Babcock, chose this wilderness for their year-long honeymoon. But what begins as a romantic adventure becomes something much greater for the couple--and a tale of hope and celebration for every life trying to make it in the unforgiving heart of the wilderness.

#17 - Invasion of the Giant Pythons

Season 28 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/19/2010

The Everglades’ watery oasis has been invaded by giants. As part of an ever popular international pet trade market, and incidentally along paths of human travel, many exotic animals have been removed from their native lands and landed where they are not necessarily welcome arrivals. Among these invasive species are a growing number of Burmese pythons, which have taken up residence in the wetlands of Florida, courtesy of overwhelmed pet owners and hurricane-hit animal warehouses.

#18 - Born in the Rockies: Growing Up

Season 40 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/17/2021

Young animals face new challenges as winter envelopes the Rocky Mountains, and spring means the end of childhood. A grizzly mom prepares her cubs for hibernation, a mountain lion raises her kittens and a bison calf must learn to survive the snow.

#19 - Equus: Story of the Horse: Chasing the Wind

Season 37 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/23/2019

Discover how humans have partnered with the horse throughout the centuries, creating more than 350 breeds found all around the world.

#20 - The Alps - The High Life

Season 39 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/13/2021

In Europe’s highest mountain range, discover how Eurasian lynx, griffon vultures, ibex, marmots and more face extreme seasonal fluctuations, from volatile thunderstorms and landslides of summer to avalanches and frozen temperatures of winter. In Part One of the miniseries "The Alps", enjoy the Alps in spring and summertime as newborn animals grow up to face the coming brutal winter.

#21 - Earthflight

Season 32 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/2/2013

#22 - Natural Born Hustlers: The Hunger Hustle

Season 34 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/20/2016

Animals adapt their bodies or behavior to secure their next meal.

#23 - Earthflight

Season 32 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/11/2013

#24 - Animal Homes: The Nest

Season 33 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/8/2015

Exploring how birds carefully select their materials, and craft their homes for the all-important tasks of protecting their eggs and raising their young.

#25 - Yosemite

Season 35 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/29/2017

Yosemite Valley is a land forged in wildfire and sculpted by water; the delicate balance of these two elements is essential to the creatures and trees that call this land home. But with climates changing and temperatures rising, the Sierras are under siege. Scientists, experts and adventurers head into Yosemite to see how these global changes are affecting one of America’s greatest wildernesses.