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The Best Episodes of Nature

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

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Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Nature Season 28 Episode 6 - Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves

    S28:E6

    The wilds of Yellowstone National Park are a world of predators, scavengers and opportunists. In this vast and complex kingdom, two dominant predators reign supreme: the grizzly bear and the wolf. Size and power square off against speed and teamwork, as mighty grizzly bears contend with powerful packs of wolves for control of the food supply. Though these two fearsome hunters would normally rule their ranges uncontested, in Yellowstone they must share resources, or face starvation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Nature Season 28 Episode 7 - Wild Balkans
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Wild Balkans

    S28:E7

    The Balkan Peninsula is notorious for being one of the great battlegrounds of history. And yet, it possesses another side unknown to many, where ancient forests and vast wetlands harbor pristine wilderness, and sheer cliff walls and desolate plateaus preserve a seemingly unchanged past. Indeed the Balkan Peninsula is home to a variety of regions that border on mythical. In Croatia’s Kopacki Rit Wetlands, land mines keep people away, but enable native wildlife to thrive. Further south, Montenegro’s Tara River carves through Europe’s longest and deepest canyon, and neighboring forests provide refuge to rare animals such as the Balkan Lynx. To the east, millions of birds flock to the Danube Delta to feast on swarms of mosquitoes. And at the west of the Balkans is Skadar Lake, a remarkable landscape of peaks and water.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Nature Season 31 Episode 10 - The Mystery of Eels
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - The Mystery of Eels

    S31:E10

    Eels can be found all over the globe, in fresh and salt water ecosystems alike. But today, risk of over-fishing and the presence of dams and other obstacles that prevent eels from reaching their oceanic spawning grounds pose new threats to an animal that once roamed the planet alongside the dinosaurs. Artist, writer, and naturalist James Prosek explores the mysterious world of the eel.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Nature Season 39 Episode 6 - Santa's Wild Home
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Santa's Wild Home

    S39:E6

    Get an intimate look at the wildlife of Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled home of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, great gray owls, wolverines, eagles, wolves, musk oxen, brown bears and more.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Nature Season 39 Episode 7 - The Alps: The High Life
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - The Alps: The High Life

    S39:E7

    In Europe’s highest mountain range, discover how Eurasian lynx, griffon vultures, ibex, marmots and more face extreme seasonal fluctuations, from volatile thunderstorms and landslides of summer to avalanches and frozen temperatures of winter. In Part One of the miniseries “The Alps”, enjoy the Alps in spring and summertime as newborn animals grow up to face the coming brutal winter.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Nature Season 39 Episode 8 - The Alps: Winter's Fortress
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - The Alps: Winter's Fortress

    S39:E8

    In the second and final part of NATURE’s miniseries “The Alps,” experience the hostile and bitter cold ecosystems of the Alps, shaped by snow blizzards and avalanches.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Nature

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  7. Nature Season 40 Episode 4 - Born in the Rockies 01: First Steps
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - Born in the Rockies 01: First Steps

    S40:E4

    From early spring to late summer, follow new animal mothers through the trials of raising a family in the Rocky Mountains. Cranes migrate north to give birth, a bison mother protects her lambs from threats and young mountain goats learn to climb.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Nature Season 40 Episode 5 - Born in the Rockies 02: Growing Up
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - Born in the Rockies 02: Growing Up

    S40:E5

    Young animals face new challenges as winter envelopes the Rocky Mountains, and spring means the end of childhood. A grizzly mom prepares her cubs for hibernation, a mountain lion raises her kittens and a bison calf must learn to survive the snow.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Nature Season 29 Episode 6 - Revealing the Leopard
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - Revealing the Leopard

    S29:E6

    Leopards may be smaller than lions and slower than cheetahs, but it is believed there are roughly ten times more of them than lions, tigers and cheetahs combined. How have they achieved this? The key to their success is their cunning, stealth, and adaptability. From South Africa to Sri Lanka, leopards live secretly, clinging to the shadows.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Nature Season 31 Episode 9 - What Plants Talk About
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #10 - What Plants Talk About

    S31:E9

    When we think about plants, we don’t often associate a term like “behavior” with them, but experimental plant ecologist JC Cahill wants to change that. The University of Alberta professor maintains that plants do behave and lead anything but solitary and sedentary lives. What Plants Talk About teaches us all that plants are smarter and much more interactive than we thought!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Nature Season 31 Episode 13 - Great Zebra Exodus
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #11 - Great Zebra Exodus

    S31:E13

    Great Zebra Exodus explores parenthood and the fragility of young life—from zebras to lapwings to meerkats. It’s a tale of loyalty and sacrifice, of home and exile, of death and new life, set against the backdrop of one of Africa’s most surreal landscapes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Nature Season 43 Episode 2 - Dracula’s Hidden Kingdom
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - Dracula’s Hidden Kingdom

    S43:E2

    Discover Transylvania, a mystical region in central Romania where its mountain ranges, vast ancient forests and medieval villages are a sanctuary for wolves, lynxes, brown bears, bats and more. Narrated by Jeremy Irons

    Director:Jamie Fitzpatrick
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Nature Season 23 Episode 13 - The Dolphin Defender
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - The Dolphin Defender

    S23:E13

    Nearly three decades ago, filmmaker Hardy Jones became fascinated by wild dolphins. Even though many said it couldn’t be done, he set out to film these sleek sea mammals in the open ocean. Along the way, he became closely involved with his subjects and came to appreciate dolphins as highly intelligent creatures worthy of careful protection. Eventually, Jones turned his camera into a tool for conservation. He filmed dramatic dolphin hunts, and the documentary footage made headlines and sparked international protests. Jones also discovered the effects of chemical pollution on dolphins and orcas, the largest species of dolphin. He came to realize that threats to these marine mammals were threats to the ocean itself, and to us all.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Nature Season 27 Episode 1 - White Falcon, White Wolf
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #14 - White Falcon, White Wolf

    S27:E1

    On a remote Arctic island, a breeding pair of gyrfalcons and a pack of Arctic wolves struggle to raise their young as nine months of snow and ice melt away.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Nature Season 29 Episode 12 - Survivors of the Firestorm
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #15 - Survivors of the Firestorm

    S29:E12

    In February 2009, conditions were ripe for wildfires in the state of Victoria in southeast Australia. Relentless heat waves, seemingly endless drought, and arid winds sweeping in from the outback had left the countryside tinder dry and braced for the worst. Then, on Saturday, February 7, Victoria went up in flames; and raging fires engulfed everything in their path. By the time the fires subsided, 173 people had lost their lives, over one million acres of mountain ash forest had been destroyed, and countless animals had perished. The overwhelming firestorm was one of the worst in the country’s history, and came to be known as Black Saturday. Survivors of the Firestorm follows the phoenix-like story of Victoria’s wildlife, the fall and rise of the great mountain ash forests and all that dwell within them, and the extraordinary capacity of a damaged natural world to bounce back.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Nature Season 30 Episode 6 - Fortress of the Bears
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #16 - Fortress of the Bears

    S30:E6

    Alaska’s Admiralty Island is home to the largest concentration of bears in the world. At half the size of Yellowstone National Park, it manages to sustain four times as many grizzlies. The native Tlingít people call this island “Kootznoowoo,” which means “Fortress of the Bears.”

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Nature Season 30 Episode 13 - Cracking the Koala Code
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #17 - Cracking the Koala Code

    S30:E13

    Explore the day-to-day dramas of an extended family of koalas, seen through the eyes of the scientists studying their every move and vocalization.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Nature Season 33 Episode 9 - Penguin Post Office
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #18 - Penguin Post Office

    S33:E9

    Every summer, thousands of gentoo penguins surround a post office on the Antarctic Peninsula.

    Director:Andrew Graham-Brown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Nature Season 34 Episode 7 - Natural Born Hustlers: Staying Alive
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #19 - Natural Born Hustlers: Staying Alive

    S34:E7

    Staying Alive offers stories about unusual survival techniques. Cuttlefish, for example, elude their many predators with a kind of invisibility cloak. Other ruses revealed include: why burrowing owls, who live underground, mimic the sounds of rattlesnakes; how imitation may not just be the sincerest form of flattery, it can also save your life; and what deception the regal horned lizard employs as a last resort to keep a menacing coachwhip snake at bay.

    Director:Gavin Boyland
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Nature Season 34 Episode 8 - Natural Born Hustlers: The Hunger Hustle
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #20 - Natural Born Hustlers: The Hunger Hustle

    S34:E8

    Exploring the duplicitous ways in which animals try to secure their next meal. Singled out is the devious drongo, a South African bird. In winter, he has to rely on grubs and insects that live underground, but other animals are far better equipped to dig them up, so the drongo devises a con. He serves as lookout while vulnerable social weaver birds are on the ground digging up food. Among other segments: the orchid mantis, which attracts insects by mimicking a flower and why it is even more successful than the real thing; how killer whales use sound to manipulate the behavior of herring to their advantage; and how and why gray squirrels practice sleight of hand to protect the nuts they’ve gathered to get them through the winter.

    Director:Mark Jones
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Nature Season 34 Episode 9 - Natural Born Hustlers: Sex, Lies & Dirty Tricks
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #21 - Natural Born Hustlers: Sex, Lies & Dirty Tricks

    S34:E9

    Sex, Lies & Dirty Tricks explores sneaky mating techniques. For example, a lusty low-ranking male in a mob of red kangaroos considers possible plan A and plan B options when only the alpha male has the right to mate with the females in the group. A male marsh harrier’s solution to avoid conflict with a dominant resident male during breeding season is to grow feathers that make him look like female. He fools the resident male, but is able to woo a real female and settle down to raise a family. The final hour also exposes the dark ways brood parasites avoid parental duties, and how their chicks go even further to get the full attention of their foster parents. It’s a tough world out there, so it’s not surprising that crafty animals turn to disguise, illusion, duplicity and mimicry to beat the odds and live another day.

    Directors:Nick Green, Gavin Boyland, Victoria Buckley, Mark Jones
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Nature Season 36 Episode 5 - The Cheetah Children
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #22 - The Cheetah Children

    S36:E5

    For nearly two years in the forested hills of Zimbabwe, wildlife cameraman Kim Wolhuter shadowed a wild cheetah family on foot, to reveal in intimate detail the cubs’ remarkable journey to adulthood and their mother’s dedication in raising them.

    Director:Robyn Keene-Young
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Nature Season 37 Episode 4 - A Squirrel's Guide to Success
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #23 - A Squirrel's Guide to Success

    S37:E4

    Discover the extraordinary abilities of squirrels, from the brainy fox squirrel, to the acrobatic gray squirrel, to the problem-solving ground squirrel. Follow a guide to the squirrel’s success along with an orphan red squirrel called Billy.

    Director:Tom Jarvis
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Nature Season 29 Episode 9 - The Himalayas
    7.5/10(2 votes)

    #24 - The Himalayas

    S29:E9

    Examining the diversity of Himalayan habitats and wildlife, including snow leopards, red pandas, Asiatic black bears, musk deer, snub-nosed monkeys, Tibetan foxes and high-flying birds. Included: how eagles and wolves rely on teamwork to survive; how the blood of bar-headed geese has a special hemoglobin that enables them to fly in the thin air of the Himalayas. Also: the mountains' valleys, which are home to rain forests that conjure Shangri-La.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Nature Season 27 Episode 10 - Frogs: The Thin Green Line
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #25 - Frogs: The Thin Green Line

    S27:E10

    More than a third of all amphibians have already been lost, and more are disappearing every day. A fungus called chytrid has been identified as the major culprit.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves" is the best rated episode of "Nature". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/17/2010. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Wild Balkans".