The BEST episodes of Nature

Every episode of Nature ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Nature!

Transport viewers to faraway places ranging from the steamy plains of Africa to the splendors of cold Antarctica. The main focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world.

Last Updated: 3/13/2024Network: PBSStatus: Continuing
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Iceland: Fire and Ice
star
10.00
1 votes

#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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Queen of Trees
star
10.00
27 votes

#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).

Watch Now:Amazon
The Sagebrush Sea
star
10.00
1 votes

#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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Cheetah Orphans
star
9.00
1 votes

#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.

Directors: Simon King
Watch Now:Amazon
Legendary White Stallions
star
9.00
6 votes

#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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Attenborough's Life Stories: Life on Camera
star
9.00
6 votes

#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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves
star
9.00
6 votes

#7 - 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.

Directors: Bob Landis
Watch Now:Amazon
Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story
star
9.00
4 votes

#8 - 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?

Directors: Sacha Mirzoeff
Watch Now:Amazon
The Secret World of Sharks and Rays
star
9.00
1 votes

#9 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Fabulous Frogs
star
8.95
38 votes

#10 - Fabulous Frogs

Season 32 - Episode 13 - 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.

Directors: Sally Thomson
Watch Now:Amazon
Christmas in Yellowstone
star
8.86
29 votes

#11 - 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.

Writer: Janet Hess
Watch Now:Amazon
River of No Return
star
8.83
6 votes

#12 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Invasion of the Giant Pythons
star
8.80
5 votes

#13 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Equus: Story of the Horse: Chasing the Wind
star
8.77
13 votes

#14 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Funkiest Monkeys
star
8.75
8 votes

#15 - The Funkiest Monkeys

Season 32 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/29/2014

There is an unusual looking monkey called the crested black macaque that is endemic to rainforests in Indonesia, which includes the island of Sulawesi. These striking black primates, sporting punk hairstyles and copper-colored eyes, first caught the attention and won the heart of wildlife cameraman and biologist Colin Stafford-Johnson 25 years ago. But since then, their numbers have dropped by almost 90 percent, so the filmmaker returns to the island to discover why and how he could help.

Directors: Rob Sullivan
Nature's Miniature Miracles
star
8.75
8 votes

#16 - Nature's Miniature Miracles

Season 36 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/22/2017

Uncover nature's biggest little secrets from mini nocturnal monkeys to sand-sculpting puffer fish.

Watch Now:Amazon
Natural Born Hustlers: The Hunger Hustle
star
8.73
11 votes

#17 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Animal Homes: The Nest
star
8.70
10 votes

#18 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Yosemite
star
8.69
16 votes

#19 - 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.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Flight of the Condor: Down the Amazon
star
8.67
3 votes

#20 - 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.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Murder of Crows
star
8.67
6 votes

#21 - A Murder of Crows

Season 29 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/2010

Although cultures around the world may regard the crow as a scavenger, bad omen, or simply a nuisance, this bad reputation might overshadow what could be regarded as the crow’s most striking characteristic – its intelligence. New research indicates that crows are among the brightest animals in the world. NATURE’s A Murder of Crows brings you these so-called feathered apes, as you have never seen them before.

Directors: Susan Fleming
Watch Now:Amazon
Pumas: Legends of the Ice Mountains
star
8.67
15 votes

#22 - Pumas: Legends of the Ice Mountains

Season 39 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/3/2021

Travel to the ice mountains of Chile to discover the secrets of the puma, the area’s biggest and most elusive predator. Discover how this mountain lion survives and follow the dramatic fate of a puma mother and her cubs.

Watch Now:Amazon
Pets: Wild At Heart: Secretive Creatures
star
8.64
11 votes

#23 - Pets: Wild At Heart: Secretive Creatures

Season 34 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/2015

Moving x-rays, ultraviolet light and doggycams show how pets experience their world through hidden channels of communication.

An Original DUCKumentary
star
8.60
5 votes

#24 - An Original DUCKumentary

Season 31 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/14/2012

Ducks are ancient creatures. True originals, ducks practice habitual lifestyles that have been essential to their evolutionary success for millions of years. There are more than 120 different species of ducks—many with delightful names like “Buffleheads,” “Shovelers,” and “Woodies” that embody their charming personalities and curious mannerisms. Despite the glorious display of their iridescent feathers, these webbed-footed waterfowl maintain a reputation for being clumsy and awkward. But in reality they are surprisingly athletic birds; some have been clocked flying almost 100 mph, allowing them to outpace eagles and hawks. Ducks have an uncanny knack for survival, and their exuberant behavior never ceases to entertain. Take to the skies with a flock of green-winged Teal. Watch Wood ducks raise a family. Learn why Goldeneyes head north in the winter. Each bird is unique, full of surprises, and will leave you eager to learn more.

Watch Now:Amazon
Snow Chick
star
8.60
10 votes

#25 - Snow Chick

Season 34 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/24/2016

The journey of an emperor penguin chick, from its emergence from the egg to its independence.

Watch Now:Amazon