8.9/1076 votesLoading...#1 - Theme and Variations
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/20/1979
A look at some of the huge variety of mammals. Bats number over a thousand species, many hunt insects, some sip nectar, drink blood, and even catch fish. Contrast those which use sonar with the great whales that sing, the star-nosed mole and the giant anteater, and the potential variations become dramatically clear
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.9/1090 votesLoading...#2 - Life in the Trees
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/3/1979
David Attenborough's now legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates, whose ancestors sought their fortune in the treetops. There they developed binocular vision for accurately judging distances, and the ability to grasp trees with a firm grip. The group includes dazzling gymnasts, deafening choristers and highly cultured monkeys
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.8/1087 votesLoading...#3 - The First Forests
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/30/1979
Over 400 million years ago, tiny plants began to invade the land, followed by the first animals - the ancestors of scorpions, millipedes and insects
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.8/1084 votesLoading...#4 - Invasion of the Land
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/20/1979
Some 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from water onto the land and became amphibians. Today, newts, salamanders, toads and frogs still survive in great quantities, and there is even one species of frog where the male gives birth from its mouth!
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.8/1089 votesLoading...#5 - The Rise of the Mammals
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/13/1979
A look at the evolution of mammals from reptiles 200 million years ago. This remarkable transition involved the development of mechanisms for regulating body temperature, for allowing the young to develop in the womb and for suckling newborns. Attenborough also explores the South American origins of marsupials and their colonization of Australia
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.8/1086 votesLoading...#6 - The Hunters and Hunted
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 3/27/1979
Explore the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution. As the hunters develop speed and cunning, the prey becomes increasingly fast and wary in order to stay alive. Nowhere is this seen better than on the plains of East Africa
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.6/10110 votesLoading...#7 - The Infinite Variety
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/16/1979
This episode explores the variety of nature as a whole, from the South American rainforest's to the shores of Australia.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.6/1086 votesLoading...#8 - Victors of the Dry Land
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/27/1979
A look at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry on the land. Their waterproofed skin and sealed eggs enabled the mighty reptiles to rule the world
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.6/1086 votesLoading...#9 - Lords of the Air
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/6/1979
We examine the uses and advantages of birds' unique possession - the feather. Feathers are insulators; they provide the surface of the most perfect aerofoils known - bird's wings; and they play a central role in courtship
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.6/1078 votesLoading...#10 - The Compulsive Communicators
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 4/10/1979
A look for crucial clues that help to explain how and why we have come to dominate life on Earth. He traces back the African origins of humans to nearly three million years ago, and along the way he goes into caves in Southern France where stone-age people created imaginative paintings of ice-age animals. He also travels to Papua New Guinea to find some hunter-gatherers who have never before set eyes on white people
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.5/1093 votesLoading...#11 - Building Bodies
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/23/1979
This episode explores the various sea-living invertebrates, form the shores of Morocco to Delaware Bay.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.5/1093 votesLoading...#12 - The Swarming Hordes
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 2/6/1979
The role of a few of the millions of insect species, some of which have developed extremely close relationships with plants. Insects pollinate flowers and in some cases neither flower nor insect can survive without the other.
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
8.5/1088 votesLoading...#13 - Conquest of the Waters
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/13/1979
A look at some of the 30,000 species of fish which exist in populations of billions. They can fly, produce electricity, survive in hot soda lakes or under the Antarctic ice. Some, like the salmon, even migrate across oceans and up waterfalls
Director: N/A
Writer: David Attenborough
The Best Episodes of Life on Earth
Every episode of Life on Earth ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Life on Earth!
The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us.
Genre:Documentary
Network:BBC Two
Best Episodes Summary
"Theme and Variations" is the best rated episode of "Life on Earth". It scored 8.9/10 based on 76 votes. Directed by N/A and written by David Attenborough, it aired on 3/20/1979. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Life in the Trees".