Nature backdrop
Documentary•Family

The Best Episodes of Nature Season 32

Every episode of Nature Season 32 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Nature Season 32!

Binge this in 11h 29m•Peaking at 9.0/10

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

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons45

All123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Nature Season 32 Episode 6 - Earthflight: Flying High
    9.0/10(12 votes)

    S32:E6

    A behind-the-scenes look at how EARTHFLIGHT was made, including the extraordinary relationships between people and birds. Microlights, paragliders, drones, and camera-carrying birds and much more helped along the way.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Nature Season 32 Episode 3 - Earthflight: Europe
    8.7/10(14 votes)

    S32:E3

    Cranes and geese rise over Venice, Dover, Edinburgh and the monkey-guarded Rock of Gibraltar. In Rome, the Loire Valley, Holland and Hungary, birds gather by the millions to breed and two by two to raise their families.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Nature Season 32 Episode 4 - Earthflight: South America
    8.7/10(10 votes)

    S32:E4

    Condors and scarlet macaws in the Andes and the Amazon. Giant petrels in Patagonia shadow killer whales. Hummingbirds feed at Iguazu Falls, vultures ride the Rio de Janeiro thermals, and black vultures target turtle eggs in Costa Rica.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Nature Season 32 Episode 5 - Earthflight: Asia and Australia
    8.7/10(10 votes)

    S32:E5

    Japanese cranes dance in the snow, swallows and swifts visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, lorikeets, cockatoos and budgies form giant flocks in Australia, pigeons guide us through India, and geese fly miles above the Himalayas.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Nature Season 32 Episode 2 - Earthflight: Africa
    8.6/10(15 votes)

    S32:E2

    Fly and arrow-dive with cape gannets among sharks, dolphins, whales and the great sardine run. Soar with fish eagles, flamingos, kelp gulls and vultures to see the most animal-packed continent with fresh eyes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Nature Season 32 Episode 19 - Fabulous Frogs
    8.4/10(144 votes)

    S32:E19

    Sir David Attenborough hosts an exploration of the weird and wonderful world of frogs. Firsthand stories, the latest science and cutting-edge technology are used to demonstrate the wide variety of frog anatomy, appearance and behavior.

    Director:Sally Thomson
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Nature

    READ
  7. Nature Season 32 Episode 17 - The Gathering Swarms
    8.3/10(119 votes)

    S32:E17

    A look at some of the planet’s great gatherings, creatures that come together in inconceivable numbers – sometimes in millions, billions, and even trillions. Included are bats and bees, locust and ants, monarch butterflies in Mexico, 17-year cicada hatches, grunion in the Sea of Cortez and carp in the Mississippi River, sardine runs off the coast of South Africa, super flocks of parakeets in the Australian Outback, mayflies on the 4th of July, and even penguins and wildebeest. Some gather to breed or to migrate, some for protection, some simply to keep warm in the cold. But in the process, a kind of super-organism is created in which individual intelligence is superseded by a collective consciousness that shares information and moves with a single purpose for the benefit of all. Check out swarm intelligence, essentially a living embodiment of social media in the natural world.

    Director:John Downer
    Writer:John Downer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Nature Season 32 Episode 8 - Love in the Animal Kingdom
    8.2/10(36 votes)

    S32:E8

    Examining the ways animals attract mates. Included: the feminine wiles of a young gorilla; the search for a partner among a thousand flamingos; the "open" relationships of blue-footed boobies; and the soap opera-like entanglements of gibbons.

    Director:Mark Fletcher
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Nature Season 32 Episode 9 - Parrot Confidential
    8.2/10(120 votes)

    S32:E9

    A look at the difficulties of raising parrots. The intelligent birds have a life span of 80-90 years, which means they often live longer than their owners—when their owners don't give them up after a few years, that is. They also form strong bonds with caregivers, which can result in odd behavior if a caregiver leaves for an extended period of time, as Liz and Russ Hartman learned: their bird became so upset while Russ was away on a business trip that it plucked all the feathers from its chest.

    Director:Allison Argo
    Writer:Allison Argo

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Nature Season 32 Episode 15 - Touching the Wild
    8.2/10(59 votes)

    S32:E15

    Joe Hutto’s idea of research is anything but normal, dedicating seven years of his life to becoming a wild mule deer. The herd would ordinarily run from any human but, incredibly, these keenly intelligent animals come to regard this stranger as one of their own. Accepted by the matriarch, he walks among them, is even groomed by them, and can lie with a pregnant doe talking to its unborn fawns. As he crosses the species divide Joe is tapping into a new understanding about these elusive animals, literally entering a deer society. The captivating joy he feels for his new family is nothing short of infectious, but this human predator also learns to see the world from the point of view of prey – and it’s an experience that will ultimately rock him to his very core; sharing their world so personally finally takes a toll that sends him back to his own kind.

    Director:David Allen
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Nature Season 32 Episode 10 - Meet the Coywolf
    8.0/10(84 votes)

    S32:E10

    The coywolf, a mixture of western coyote and eastern wolf, is a remarkable new hybrid carnivore that is taking over territories once roamed by wolves and slipping unnoticed into our cities. Its appearance is very recent — within the last 90 years — in evolutionary terms, a blip in time. Beginning in Canada but by no means ending there, the story of how it came to be is an extraordinary tale of how quickly adaptation and evolution can occur, especially when humans interfere. Tag along as scientists study this new top predator, tracking it from the wilderness of Ontario’s Algonquin Park, through parking lots, alleys and backyards in Toronto all the way to the streets of New York City.

    Director:Susan Fleming
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Nature Season 32 Episode 11 - The Funkiest Monkeys
    8.0/10(20 votes)

    S32:E11

    There is an unusual looking monkey called the crested black macaque that is endemic to rainforests in Indonesia, which includes the island of Sulawesi. These striking black primates, sporting punk hairstyles and copper-colored eyes, first caught the attention and won the heart of wildlife cameraman and biologist Colin Stafford-Johnson 25 years ago. But since then, their numbers have dropped by almost 90 percent, so the filmmaker returns to the island to discover why and how he could help.

    Director:Rob Sullivan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Nature Season 32 Episode 12 - Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem
    8.0/10(180 votes)

    S32:E12

    “Honey badger is bad ass.” Those words and corresponding video became a YouTube sensation with 51 million hits. This relentless little creature is one of the most fearless animals in the world, renowned for its ability to confront grown lions, castrate charging buffalo, and shrug off the toxic defenses of stinging bees, scorpions, and snakes. Little is known about its behavior in the wild or why it is so aggressive. Our film will follow three badger specialists in South Africa who take on these masters of mayhem in ways that must be seen to be believed.

    Director:Steve Gooder
    Writer:Steve Gooder

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Nature Season 32 Episode 16 - Snow Monkeys
    8.0/10(159 votes)

    S32:E16

    In the frigid valleys of Japan’s Shiga Highlands, a troop of snow monkeys make their way and raise their families in a complex society of rank and privilege where each knows their place. Their leader is still new to the job and something of a solitary grouch. But one little monkey, innocently unaware of his own lowly social rank, reaches out to this lonely leader, forming a bond with him that manages over time to warm his less than sunny disposition. It is a rare and remarkable gesture that alters both their lives. Changing seasons bring new babies to care for, a profusion of insects and blossoms to eat, family disagreements to squabble over and tragedies to overcome. Mating season brings competition for females as the days grow shorter and colder in a rush toward winter. But with their now confident leader to guide them and their families to shelter and care for them, this troop of snow monkeys is ready to face the world.

    Director:Joseph Pontecorvo
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Nature Season 32 Episode 1 - Earthflight: North America
    7.8/10(14 votes)

    S32:E1

    Snow geese, pelicans, and bald eagles fly over the Great Plains, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, New York City and the Golden Gate Bridge as they encounter and engage with bears, dolphins, bison, and spawning fish.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Nature Season 32 Episode 14 - My Bionic Pet
    7.8/10(46 votes)

    S32:E14

    The animals of the world may increasingly need our help with big issues like preserving habitat or species conservation. But sometimes individual animals need our help as well. Left disabled without fins, flippers, beaks or tails because of disease, accidents or even human cruelty, these unfortunate creatures need what amounts to a miracle if they are to survive.

    Directors:Andy Seestedt, Kevin Bachar
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Nature Season 32 Episode 7 - Saving Otter 501
    7.6/10(46 votes)

    S32:E7

    This is the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's 501st attempt to save an orphan otter. From her discovery as a stranded newborn pup crying on the beach through her rehabilitation in secret roof tanks atop the Aquarium, we follow as Otter 501 learns how to dive, hunt, eat, and fend for herself in the wild, where survival is a long shot at best.

    Directors:Bob Talbot, Mark Shelley
    Writer:Josh Rosen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Nature Season 32 Episode 13 - Ireland's Wild River
    7.5/10(67 votes)

    S32:E13

    The Shannon is Ireland’s greatest geographical landmark and the longest river. It is both a barrier and highway – a silver ribbon holding back the rugged landscapes of the west from the gentler plains to the east. On its journey south, the Shannon passes through a huge palette of rural landscapes, where on little-known backwaters, Ireland’s wild animals and plants still thrive as almost nowhere else. For a year, wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson lives on the river — camping on its banks, exploring its countless tributaries in a traditional canoe, following the river from dawn to dusk through the four seasons, on a quest to film the natural history of the Shannon as it has never been seen or heard or experienced before.

    Director:John Murray
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Nature Season 32 Episode 18 - Leave It to Beavers
    7.1/10(86 votes)

    S32:E18

    A growing number of scientists, conservationists and grass-roots environmentalists have come to regard beavers as overlooked tools when it comes to reversing the disastrous effects of global warming and world-wide water shortages. Once valued for their fur or hunted as pests, these industrious rodents are seen in a new light through the eyes of this novel assembly of beaver enthusiasts and “employers” who reveal the ways in which the presence of beavers can transform and revive landscapes. Using their skills as natural builders and brilliant hydro-engineers, beavers are being recruited to accomplish everything from finding water in a bone-dry desert to recharging water tables and coaxing life back into damaged lands.

    Director:Jari Osborne
    Writer:Jari Osborne

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 32 Ratings Summary

"Earthflight: Flying High" is the best rated episode of "Nature" season 32. It scored 9/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/9/2013. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Earthflight: Europe".