Alive since ancient times, the giant sequoia trees stand colossal and majestic. Deep in the valley, a pair of coyote hunt in the winter snow, while in the Mojave Desert, Joshua trees and cactus plants have adapted to survive the searing heat.

Life can be hard in the Californian desert, but many plants and animals are adapted to survive the hot, dry conditions. Jackrabbits, owls, hummingbirds, and the green stick tree all thrive in this harsh climate as they wait for the rare blessing of rain.

The harbor seals gather in a sheltered cove to give birth. But even hidden from predators, there is no guarantee of survival, and we witness the tragic death of one newborn that gets trapped in its amniotic sac. Within a few hours, the pups that survive the birth are already into the waves, getting to know their new watery world.

Off the coast of California, an island of floating kelp provides refuge for fish in the open waters. The many small fish then attract larger species, including the ocean sunfish that seek relief from their parasites, and the predatory blue shark.

In the next 35 years, we’ll have to produce more food than all of the world’s production over the last 2000 years combined. So what will the farms of the future look like?

By following honeyguides, a species of bird, people in Africa are able to locate bees’ nests to harvest honey. Research now reveals that humans use special calls to solicit the help of honeyguides and that honeyguides actively recruit appropriate human partners. This relationship is a rare example of cooperation between humans and free-living animals.

We all know that crows are smarter than the average bird, but will 007 be able to solve the complex puzzle and retrieve his reward?

Just how smart are dolphins? Can they tell their own reflection apart from another dolphin? Here we see examples of "self-directed" behaviors that answer this question.

In winter, Europe’s greatest mountain range, the Alps, lies blanketed by snow and ice. For the majestic golden eagles, who make these remote and impressive peaks their home, these are hard times, and food is scarce. But one eagle is lucky: An avalanche results in an unexpected meal.

Under the ice, the water of the Alpine lakes never freezes, and fish can survive the harshness of winter. In February, eels and other fish species are spawning, depositing the eggs that will give life to their next generations. Along fast-flowing mountain streams, ice doesn’t form, and the dipper dives in search of invertebrates, crustaceans, and other tiny prey.

As spring arrives in the mountains, the first flowers appear with the sun, and the chamois descend the slopes in search of the first few blades of fresh grass. The ravens are feeding a brood of noisy youngsters, and, high up on an unapproachable crag, Biker the eagle sits on her nest.

As the last of the winter snow melts, fresh mountain meadows are once again revealed, and the animals take their chance to feed. Glacial meltwater flows into torrents, forming streams and rivers. Brightened by rich sediment, they transport vast quantities of gravel downstream, carving new landscapes in their wake.

Many of the world’s glaciers are melting away at an alarming rate due to the effects of global warming. There is little left to show of the once great alpine glacier, The Pasterze, that used to stretch for five kilometres on the slopes of the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak. But life goes in the Alps: An eagle chick is hatching from its egg. Small and vulnerable, it will depend entirely on its parents as it begins to grow and investigate its new environment.

Before the global pandemic, activist Alison Teal set off to London to inspire students with her new book Alison's Adventures: Your Passport to the World. While she was there, she worked with local charities to clean up the Thames River!

Today, planet Earth is in a new era, the Anthroprocene. Humankind has harnessed and exploited Earth’s resources, changing its surface, devastating populations of wild animals, cutting down trillions of trees and leaving very little of what was “wild.” The enormous loss of biodiversity is not sustainable. How can we create a future in which both people and nature can thrive?