Birds of paradise are one of David Attenborough's lifelong passions. He was the first to film many of their beautiful and often bizarre displays, and over his lifetime he has tracked them all over the jungles of New Guinea. In this very personal film, he uncovers the remarkable story of how these 'birds from paradise' have captivated explorers, naturalists, artists, film-makers and even royalty. He explores the myths surrounding their discovery 500 years ago, the latest extraordinary behaviour captured on camera and reveals the scientific truth behind their beauty: the evolution of their spectacular appearance has in fact been driven by sex. 　　And in a final contemporary twist to this story of obsession and royalty, he travels to the desert of Qatar, to a state-of-the-art facility which houses the largest breeding group of these birds in the world - a sheikh's very own private collection. There he has his closest ever encounter with a greater bird of paradise and its dramatic display, reliving the experience that captivated him in the forests of New Guinea more than 50 years ago. 　　'For me birds of paradise are the most romantic and glamorous birds in the world. And this is a film I have wanted to make for 40 years.' - Sir David Attenborough.

在这个节目中，大卫·爱登堡展示了他对这种神秘迷人鸟儿的科学研究和发现。他用影片记录它们的表演——很多表演是第一次被拍下，并用毕生时间展开对它们的研究。为了观察它们，他去过森林，去过博物馆，还去过欧洲的私人收藏馆。他展现了极乐鸟给人类带来的激情，从收藏家到画家到野生动物摄影爱好者，对它们的热情从不退却。他发现了这种非凡生命背后的科学真相，那就是它们美丽的演化并不是受地域决定，而是由性别区分。影片最后，他来到卡塔尔沙漠，在那里的一处具有当代艺术水准的场馆里，人工养育着世界上数量最多的极乐鸟——这居然是一位酋长的私人收藏馆。

1961年的一个炎热夏日，正在拍摄《动物园探索》的大卫•阿滕伯勒从一名马达加斯加当地男孩手中，接过了一些巨大的蛋壳碎片。这些碎片是男孩在覆盖着沙粒的河床上发现的，它们属于世界上最大的鸟类——已经灭绝的重达半吨的象鸟。自从大卫在马达加斯加拍摄完《动物园探索》后，这里就发生了巨大的变化：80%的雨林遭到破坏，而人口却激增了四倍，当地特有的50多种哺乳动物在灭绝的边缘挣扎。阿滕伯勒珍贵的蛋壳碎片能解释远古象鸟的消失之谜吗？我们能从象鸟的命运中领悟到拯救马达加斯加野生动物的方法吗？

大卫艾登堡分享他毕生所学，揭开地球最壮丽水下栖息地的面纱，向我们展示人类正身处最伟大的海洋探索时代，并强调其重要性。在揭露海洋面临的最大挑战时，艾登堡传达了一个充满希望的讯息：以前所未有的规模复原海洋生态并非遥不可及。

在英国的侏罗纪海岸，发现了一个值得注意的2亿年前的化石 - 鱼龙的骨头，一条巨大的海龙。 大卫·爱登堡爵士参加了研究活动，将这个古老生物的故事重新展现在世人面前。 团队使用最先进的成像技术，重塑鱼龙骨骼并制作有史以来最逼真的鱼龙动画。 一路上，这支队伍陷入了一个2亿年前的谋杀案之谜，只有经过艰苦的调查，才能揭开这种非同寻常的生物背后的命运故事。

David Attenborough follows the remarkable story of the discovery of fossils in the Patagonia region of Argentina which prove to belong to the largest animal to ever walk the Earth.

David Attenborough investigates the remarkable life and death of Jumbo the elephant - a celebrity animal superstar whose story is said to have inspired the movie Dumbo. 　　Attenborough joins a team of scientists and conservationists to unravel the complex and mysterious story of this large African elephant - an elephant many believed to be the biggest in the world. With unique access to Jumbo's skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History, the team work together to separate myth from reality. How big was Jumbo really? How was he treated in captivity? And how did he die? Jumbo's bones may offer vital clues. 　　Arriving in London Zoo in 1865, Jumbo fast became a firm favourite of Queen Victoria and her children, and was nicknamed the Children's Pet. Yet behind the scenes, this gentle giant was living a double life - smashing his den, breaking his tusks and being pacified by large amounts of alcohol given to him by his keeper, Matthew Scott. Scott had no human friends but had a deep empathy for animals, developing a particularly strong and near mystical bond with Jumbo. 　　Then, quite suddenly, London Zoo caused public outrage by selling Jumbo to PT Barnum's circus in America where he travelled with his devoted keeper to start a new life. But while his time in America turned him into star with 20 million people coming to see him, his life ended tragically and 　　mysteriously. 　　As well as Jumbo's skeleton, Attenborough explores the lives of wild elephants to explain Jumbo's troubled mind, and he discovers how our attitude to captive elephants has changed dramatically in recent years.

1961年的一个炎热夏日，正在拍摄《动物园探索》的大卫•阿滕伯勒从一名马达加斯加当地男孩手中，接过了一些巨大的蛋壳碎片。这些碎片是男孩在覆盖着沙粒的河床上发现的，它们属于世界上最大的鸟类——已经灭绝的重达半吨的象鸟。自从大卫在马达加斯加拍摄完《动物园探索》后，这里就发生了巨大的变化：80%的雨林遭到破坏，而人口却激增了四倍，当地特有的50多种哺乳动物在灭绝的边缘挣扎。阿滕伯勒珍贵的蛋壳碎片能解释远古象鸟的消失之谜吗？我们能从象鸟的命运中领悟到拯救马达加斯加野生动物的方法吗？

David Attenborough chooses his ten favourite animals that he would most like to save from extinction. From the weird to the wonderful, he picks fabulous and unusual creatures that he would like to put in his 'ark', including unexpected and little-known animals such as the olm, the solenodon and the quoll. He shows why they are so important and shares the ingenious work of biologists across the world who are helping to keep them alive.

大卫·爱登堡爵士将带我们聆听自然的声音，这是关于繁殖和生存的露天歌会。那么这些“歌声”会很快消失吗？从阳光明媚的春天到黑暗寒冷的冬季，自然界中充满了动物的“歌声”。每一种“歌声”都在为我们讲述一个令人难以置信的故事，并吸引着我们去探索更多的自然之谜。鲸、大山雀、琴鸟，吸蜜鸟，以及华丽的鹩莺都有自己独特的“歌声”，有的婉转动听、有的非常惊人、有的充满了悲伤。科学家们发现，不只是雄性动物会“唱歌”，雌性动物也会“一展歌喉”。然而当我们刚刚听到它们的“歌声”时，人们却越来越担心这些歌声会永远消失。随着人类的世界变得越来越嘈杂，地球上的其它地方却变得越来越沉寂……