Available online
Description
Following on immediately after the main Life in Cold Blood programmes, Under the Skin - five ten-minute specials - reveal some of the secrets of the production process. In the final programme David... Attenborough goes to the Galapagos to meet the rarest reptile in the world - a giant tortoise which is the last of his kind. 'Lonesome George' as he is known, is a shining example of evolutionary theory in practice. Each island in the Galapagos supports a different race of tortoise; each with a different shell shape that better suits them to eat the food available to them. Over the years they have been hunted as food and some are now critically endangered. George is the very last individual from Pinta Island so it is likely that his race is doomed to extinction. For the other tortoises there may be some hope because scientists on the islands are working to preserve these pillars of Darwinian history.
Following on immediately after the main Life in Cold Blood programmes, Under the Skin - five ten-minute specials - reveal some of the secrets of the production process. In the final programme David... Attenborough goes to the Galapagos to meet the rarest reptile in the world - a giant tortoise which is the last of his kind. 'Lonesome George' as he is known, is a shining example of evolutionary theory in practice. Each island in the Galapagos supports a different race of tortoise; each with a different shell shape that better suits them to eat the food available to them. Over the years they have been hunted as food and some are now critically endangered. George is the very last individual from Pinta Island so it is likely that his race is doomed to extinction. For the other tortoises there may be some hope because scientists on the islands are working to preserve these pillars of Darwinian history.
| Series: | Life in cold blood |
|---|---|
| First transmission date: | 2008 |
| Published: | 2008 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:09:25 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Catherine McCarthy |
| Presenter: | David Attenborough |
| Contributors: | Sir David Attenborough; Felipe Cruz |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Link to related site: | OU Website: http://www.open2.net/lifeincoldblood/index.html |
| Subject terms: | Galapagos tortoise--Galapagos Islands; Reptiles |
| Production number: | NBRX127H |
| Videofinder number: | 7681 |
| Available to public: | no |
