Using state-of-the-art camera techniques, the three films (Ruling Reptiles, Smart Reptiles and Future Reptiles)explore what it’s like to live in the world of reptiles and reveal that far from being creatures of the past, these cousins of the dinosaurs are assured a definite place in the future.
Today’s reptiles are as deadly as dinosaurs, as beautiful as birds, and as caring as mammals. Their image as ancient, unchanging creatures couldn’t be further from the truth – they are in fact some of the most adaptable and successful animals on earth. Dragons Alive brings reptiles out of the shadow of dinosaurs – and into the limelight.
Evolved from ancestors that watched grazing herds of dinosaurs, today’s reptiles are the ultimate success story. To hunt, they use chemical warfare, strength and stealth. To attract mates they put on shows of astonishing colour, movement and display. They have the skills of a superhero as they fly, hang upside down, spit poison, use x-ray vision and walk on water.
From the bite of the Komodo dragon, to the calculated intelligence of the crocodile, today’s reptiles still have the power to shock and surprise us.
via ABC Shop
Ruling Reptiles
The extinction of the dinosaurs left a power vacuum. Enter the dragons: powerful modern reptiles which still dominate large areas of our planet. Ruling Reptiles goes in search of the modern reptiles that have inherited the dominant role.
Smart Reptiles
The second programme focuses on the amazing natural technology that makes reptiles such a successful group. Are reptiles the bio-technology wizards of the animal world? If you count sprinting on water, shooting blood from the eyes, spitting poison at their enemies, navigating by magnetic fields, converting ribs into a hang-glider, or communicating emotions in colour then, yes, they are!
Future Reptiles
Alligators on golf courses, geckos in hotels, chameleons in the garden and pampered pet pythons – reptiles are invading our space! So what will the future role for these living cousins of the dinosaurs be? Will reptiles give us better biotechnology and medicines? Or a ‘Jurassic Park’?