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The Best Episodes of Natural World

Every episode of Natural World ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Natural World!

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Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Natural World Season 37 Episode 6 - Sudan: The Last of the Rhinos
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Sudan: The Last of the Rhinos

    S37:E6

    The remarkable story of 43-year-old Sudan, the very last male northern white rhino on the planet. Aged just three, Sudan was snatched from his mother's side in Central Africa. He became a prized exhibit in azoo behind the Iron Curtain, while the rest of his kind was poached to extinction in the wild. Today, Sudan has become an unwitting celebrity and the focus of a desperate eleventh hour battle to save his sub-species. This astonishing modern day fable is told through the international cast of characters who have been involved in Sudan's life, for better and for worse.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Natural World Season 37 Episode 8 - Attenborough and the Empire of the Ants
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Attenborough and the Empire of the Ants

    S37:E8

    David Attenborough is in the Swiss Jura Mountains to discover the secrets of a giant. Beneath his feet lies a vast network of tunnels and chambers, home to a huge empire of ants. It is believed to be one of the largest animal societies in the world, where over a billion ants from rival colonies live in peace. Their harmonious existence breaks many of the rules for both ants and evolution, and raises some important questions. Through winter, spring and into summer, David turns detective to find the answers.

    Directors:Martin Dohrn, Joe Loncraine
    Writers:Joe Loncraine, Martin Dohrn

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  3. Natural World Season 38 Episode 5 - Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal

    S38:E5

    The endearing pangolin is a little-known scaly mammal. Found in Africa and Asia, these shy creatures have an unfortunate tagline - they are the most poached and illegally trafficked animals in the world. Based in Namibia, conservationist Maria Diekmann rescues and rehabilitates her local pangolins. In a bid to better understand the global issues they are facing, we follow Maria to Vietnam, Thailand and China into the very heart of the crisis, where demand for pangolin products is greatest. In what turns out to be an emotional journey, Maria joins forces with a Chinese megastar to build a campaign to bring awareness to the plight of an animal most people have never even heard of.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Natural World Season 31 Episode 2 - Empire of the Desert Ants
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Empire of the Desert Ants

    S31:E2

    Natural World visits the Arizona desert, where a new honey ant queen wages an intense battle for survival as she attempts to build and defend her empire. Eliminating rivals with ruthless efficiency, sacrificing thousands in her quest for domination, murder, cannibalism, genocide - she will do anything to keep her crown. Empire of the Ants is the epic story of one honey ant queen's dramatic rise to power - her brutal fall from grace.

    Director:Ian Gray
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Natural World Season 35 Episode 6 - Attenborough's Big Birds
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - Attenborough's Big Birds

    S35:E6

    Meet the big birds, a feathered family who have never flown a day in their lives! From ostriches to kiwis, these bizarre birds appear to be nature's greatest novelty act. How they came to be and how they continue to survive is a fascinating tale that has long captivated Sir David Attenborough. It is a story of dedicated dads, enormous eggs and a serious need for speed. And far from being the court jesters of the animal world, these flightless curiosities once nearly ruled the land.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Natural World Season 35 Episode 9 - Ghost Bear Family
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Ghost Bear Family

    S35:E9

    In the vast Canadian wilderness, there lives a very special bear family. Just out of hibernation, two black cubs have a pure white mother. She's not a polar bear or albino - locally she's known as a ghost bear. This far north, winter is never far away, and this unusual family must work hard to find enough food to see them through. They will also need to avoid other large predators, but being so different could bring them unwelcome attention.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Natural World

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  7. Natural World Season 37 Episode 1 - Puerto Rico: Island of Enchantment
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - Puerto Rico: Island of Enchantment

    S37:E1

    David Attenborough tells the revealing story of this Caribbean island's exotic but vulnerable wildlife. A team of conservation champions are making it their mission to save the most precious species. We see how Puerto Rican parrots, manatees and turtles are now making a comeback.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Natural World Season 37 Episode 3 - Nature's Wildest Weapons: Horns, Tusks and Antlers
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - Nature's Wildest Weapons: Horns, Tusks and Antlers

    S37:E3

    The animal kingdom possesses a fearsome arsenal - a variety of extreme weapons used in epic battles to gore, stab, crush and batter. But are they more than just instruments of deadly force? For Professor Doug Emlen, it has been his lifetime's ambition to discover the secrets of nature's arms races, what triggers them and what they can teach us about the most formidable weapons on earth - our own.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Natural World Season 23 Episode 7 - Andes: The Dragon's Back
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - Andes: The Dragon's Back

    S23:E7

    The Andes is one of the world's most spectacular mountain ranges with one of the richest environments on Earth and a diverse and unique mix of plants and animals existing nowhere else in the world. Andes: The Dragon's Back so named because of the spines along its ridge travels through this range of mountains stretching from Cape Horn to the Equator, uncovering the largest ice field outside the poles, the Torres del Paine mountain region and the Atacama desert. The Andes is a perfect example of animals adapting to their environment, penguins manage to thrive in the desert, flamingos cluster around hot geysers and the spectacled bear which originated in North America subsists on South American flowers which now grow in the Andes. Take a tour of the world's longest and most geologically active mountain range in Andes: The Dragon's Back

    Director:Mark Fletcher
    Writer:David Helton

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  10. Natural World Season 35 Episode 4 - Growing Up Wild
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Growing Up Wild

    S35:E4

    A look at the challenges young animals face, from their first steps through to leaving home. For any animal, the early days of life are often the most difficult. Finding food, avoiding predators and generally learning life's essential skills is tough. However, with a little parental guidance growing up can be an adventure. By following some special tiger cubs in India, an adolescent mountain gorilla in Uganda and two nervous polar bear cubs in the high Arctic, the trials and tribulations of growing up wild are revealed.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Natural World Season 35 Episode 7 - Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #11 - Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places

    S35:E7

    For the first time, and through the eyes of two special mountain lion families, the true nature of North America's big cat can finally be revealed. Set in Wyoming's spectacular Rocky Mountains, the dramatic story of two mothers struggling to raise their kittens is helping scientists rewrite our understanding of these elusive predators. This is mountain lions up-close, in-depth and more intimate than ever before.

    Director:David Johnson
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Natural World Season 36 Episode 7 - My Congo
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - My Congo

    S36:E7

    Wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet explores the extraordinary wildlife of the Congo.

    Director:Doug Mackay-Hope
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Natural World Season 27 Episode 1 - Snow Leopard - Beyond The Myth
    6.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - Snow Leopard - Beyond The Myth

    S27:E1

    The Snow Leopard, one of the most beautiful of all big cats is also one of the rarest. Natural World visits a hidden lair and lifts the veil on this elusive predator.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Natural World Season 36 Episode 8 - Jaguars: Brazil's Super Cats
    6.0/10(1 votes)

    #14 - Jaguars: Brazil's Super Cats

    S36:E8

    A pioneering team in Brazil follow wild jaguars to gain new insights into their lives.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Natural World Season 1 Episode 1 - Save The Panda
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Save The Panda

    S1:E1

    Follows the great land migration in Africa, one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Wildebeests, numbering in the millions, run for their lives on a-mile trek to find food and water, battling predators along the way.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Natural World Season 1 Episode 2 - From Aadvark To Zebra
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - From Aadvark To Zebra

    S1:E2

    Impalas move with the great migration on the Serengeti plains of Africa. A new fawn is on his way, but so is danger for the herds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Natural World Season 1 Episode 3 - Programmed For Flight
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Programmed For Flight

    S1:E3

    On an African river in the Serengeti, a mother crocodile defends her babies against predators in the sky and on the ground. Discover the secret way that crocodiles have survived for millions of years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Natural World Season 1 Episode 4 - Jungle
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Jungle

    S1:E4

    The animal kingdom in the Serengeti is in constant competition for resources. The essence of competition is for the hunt and those who can't cut it are left behind.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Natural World Season 1 Episode 5 - Secret Weapons
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Secret Weapons

    S1:E5

    Two mother cheetahs, able to reach top speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour, are in a race to protect and feed their new cubs. Predators close in on the families, who must work to prevail on the Serengeti Plains of Africa.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Natural World Season 1 Episode 6 - Birds of Paradox
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Birds of Paradox

    S1:E6

    Known to be aggressive and dangerous, hippos are also fiercely protective of their young. Watch as mother hippos in Africa risk everything to keep their newly born calves away from predators, both in and out of the water.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Natural World Season 1 Episode 7 - Jet Set Wildlife
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Jet Set Wildlife

    S1:E7

    A newborn wildebeest befriends a fierce lioness, and a rare meeting between two river monsters, a hippopotamus and a Nile crocodile.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Natural World Season 1 Episode 8 - Pelican Delta
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Pelican Delta

    S1:E8

    The wildlife of the Danube delta in the Black Sea, especially the white pelicans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Natural World Season 1 Episode 9 - Winter Days
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Winter Days

    S1:E9

    There are only two seasons in the Serengeti, dry and wet. As the long dry season ends, the clouds begin to darken as the rain signals new life on the Serengeti Plains.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Natural World Season 1 Episode 10 - God's Acre
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - God's Acre

    S1:E10

    The wildebeest path on their endless migration is impeded several times by rivers. The waterways have certain dangers that can can result in death for the wildebeest, mainly the Nile crocodile.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Natural World Season 2 Episode 1 - Plight of the Bumble-Bee
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Plight of the Bumble-Bee

    S2:E1

    The programme is about bumble bees in the forests of New England. We follow a queen bumble bee as she emerges from hibernation to find a suitable nest site and establish a colony from the eggs she has carried over the winter. She duels with a rival queen. Honey bees, bee mites and wax moths also feature in her life story.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Sudan: The Last of the Rhinos" is the best rated episode of "Natural World". It scored 9/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/28/2017. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Attenborough and the Empire of the Ants".