Episodes
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1. A Winning Design
From the tiniest bat to the massive blue whale, all mammals share the ability to nurture their young on milk and regulate their own temperatures.
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2. Insect Hunters
Mammals from tiny shrews to giant anteaters have specialised in eating insects. Some have even pursued their prey into the skies.
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3. Plant Predators
The plant eaters take on the largely indigestible, spiny and poisonous defences of plants with some spectacular physical adaptations to diet.
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4. Chisellers
Special tools like chisel sharp front teeth and underground dwelling enable this group of mammals to feast on roots and seeds.
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5. Meat Eaters
Predators and prey must evolve speed, endurance and manoeuvrability to outwit each other, and the pack hunters must maintain order in the ranks.
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6. Opportunists
A mammal capable of having a varied diet can be highly adaptable and exploit new environments including the cities where they thrive.
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7. Return to the Water
With perfect streamlined bodies and great underwater speed, seals, dolphins, porpoises and whales became the new hunters of the sea..
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8. Life in the Trees
A range of adaptations from sucker-feet to gripping tails help the tree dwellers to survive, and in the dark forest super senses come in to play.
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9. Social Climbers
In the daily hubbub of monkey life, only those with a talent for social wheeler dealing get ahead, driving the shift towards larger brains.
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10. Food for Thought
The natural world was transformed when one great ape began to walk upright - us. But why has this led to the development of our extraordinary brains?
Episode information from TMDB. Air dates refer to the original broadcast or release.