In episode 3 of Planet Earth III David Attenborough explores deserts and grasslands, where extraordinary life survives in unexpected ways, and nature puts on its most dramatic show.
In the baked Namib desert, a pair of ostriches raise their family in the searing heat to keep them safe from predators – but time is ticking as the chicks begin to hatch.
Outside the egg, the new-borns won’t survive long in these temperatures, but not all of the clutch hatch at once; tragically, the parents are forced to leave behind an unhatched egg. As the family departs, a new-born emerges and the lone chick wanders the vast Namib desert calling for its family.
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In the desert, life exists in a world with almost no water, which drives one troop of desert baboons on a continual quest to find it. A young mother who is low in the pecking order must battle for her right to drink, as without water her milk will run dry and her new-born will not survive.
Where rain falls regularly, it can transform a desert into grassland. Grasslands support the biggest concentrations of terrestrial large animals on the planet, and this wealth of life in turn attracts predators.
Leopards are the most adaptable of big cats, and a handful of special individuals have learnt to hunt by hiding and leaping from tree tops - some higher than the roof of a two storey house. When they jump, their prey doesn’t see them coming.
Grasslands are one of the most widespread habitats on Earth and in the frozen north, herds of saiga antelope fight for their chance to win mating rights. 70% of rutting males die every year, in a battle that’s been taking place since the Ice Age.
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Closer to the equator, a grassland paradise can be found - the Cerrado in Brazil. This is the richest grassland on Earth and home to the rare, fruit-eating maned wolf.
Little is known about this bizarre creature and for the first time ever, we glimpse inside the den of a wild maned wolf. A mother raises her three puppies, but their future is uncertain. The Cerrado is a vitally important grassland, home to thousands of species of plants and animals found nowhere else, but it is in danger of being lost forever.
This grassland is being destroyed more than two times faster than the Amazon rainforest to clear land for farming. Reduced to 50% of its former size – some predict it could disappear completely in the next 10 years.
But there’s hope, in central Africa - one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife gatherings is testament to what can happen if we help protect these precious ecosystems and allow nature to restore its own balance.
Main image © BBC