Dive deeper into Sir David Attenborough’s life with your own copy of ‘Sir David Attenborough – 100th Birthday
Sir David Attenborough's films have featured countless species never before seen on TV. We celebrate David Attenborough’s 100th birthday by choosing our favourite firsts caught on camera in his iconic nature documentaries.
- Who is Sir David Attenborough?
- Best David Attenborough documentaries to watch and stream: Unmissable wildlife television at your fingertips
- Animals and plants named after Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough's greatest wildlife firsts
The superb lyrebird performing on cue
In The Life of Birds (1998), to entice some of the animals near the camera, the crew would play a recording of the same species in hopes they would answer back and investigate the source. This made for one of the more iconic moments of this documentary in episode six, Signals and Songs. In it, David Attenborough encourages a superb lyrebird to perform on cue.
The superb lyrebird is one of the world’s largest songbirds, renowned for its elaborate tail and courtship displays, and its excellent mimicry skills. According to Attenborough, this bird’s voice skills are one of “the most elaborate, the most complex, and the most beautiful” in the animal kingdom.
In the episode, the superb lyrebird is described to be able to imitate twenty bird species’ calls. A male is shown mimicking a car alarm, chainsaw and camera shutters.
Attack of the killer fungus cordyceps
The eighth episode of Planet Earth, Jungles, contains chilling footage of the parasitic fungus cordyceps infiltrating an ant’s brain. The ant, when discovered to be infected by its mates, is quickly taken away and dumped far away from the colony. This may seem extreme, but what follows explains why.
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The image of a fruiting fungi body erupting from the ant’s head to release spores is perhaps the most chilling from the episode – these spores could eventually wipe out the entire colony if not for the ants' quick reaction.
Another species of fungus – gibellula attenboroughii – was named after David Attenborough when it was discovered in 2021, although he wasn’t directly involved in the discovery. It was first found on an infected metellina merianae spider, on the ceiling of an abandoned gunpowder storeroom at Castle Espie in Northern Ireland.
Mating habits of leopard slugs
Life in the Undergrowth (2005) was the first time animals like the wolf spider and housefly – as well as more exotic ones such as the redback spider or venomous centipedes, were photographed at a high-level detail for television, with some sequences filmed in HD.
One of the most memorable was the footage of leopard slugs mating in episode one, Invasion of the Land. The mating habits of this species are considered unusual among slugs: they court, usually for hours, by circling and licking each other.
Vampire squid’s defence
Planet Earth (2006) features footage of the mystical vampire squid, also sometimes referred to as the “vampire squid from hell.” In it, we can see the creature reacting to potential threat by employing a special defence: shining bioluminescent bacteria from the pockets on its arms to confuse predators.
Interestingly, despite its name, the vampire squid doesn’t feed on blood, but on detritus, which is organic matter made up of the decomposing remains of organisms and plant material.
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Killer whales pack hunting seals
Frozen Planet (2011) focuses on life and the environment in the Arctic and the Antarctic. In it, chilling footage of killer whales hunting seal by teaming up to create waves and dislodge them off the pack ice, also blowing bubbles to disorientate the prey. This revealed how sophisticated and calculated the hunting techniques of killer whales are.
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Hydroplaning dolphins
In this footage from Planet Earth III (2023) we can see dolphins swimming around in shallow waters, where their prey has taken refuge.
They start out their hunt by using tail slapping to cause confusion, and when that doesn’t work, they try another technique – pumping their tails to work up speed and hydroplane (skim on top of the water at high speed). Momentum carries them through the shallowest waters and on to the fish. Although a dangerous and daring technique, it pays off and the dolphin succeeds in its hunt.
The gorillas
Perhaps Attenborough's most iconic moment - the gorilla encounter in Life on Earth, episode 12, Life in the Trees.
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Picture this: Attenborough is exploring the Dian Fossey sanctuary in Rwanda. At first he only intends to get close enough to the primates to narrate a piece about their use of the opposable thumb. He advances on all fours towards the feeding area - and suddenly finds himself face to face with an adult female.
In true David Attenborough fashion, he discards his scripted speech and delivers a whispered ad lib:
"There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know. We're so similar."
When Attenborough returned the next day, the female and two young gorillas began to play with him, making the moment even more heart-warming. In his memoirs, Attenborough describes this encounter as one of the most exciting of his life.
You can find out more about the behind-the-scenes of the gorilla encounter in the new intimate documentary A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough, out on Netflix now.
